Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Orphanim 12-24-06, 11:43 PM	I'm starting my first Eberron campaign in a few weeks with a party full of Eberron newbies (myself as well). I'll be running The Forgotten Forge adventure, and I wanted to get some tips from those who have DMed it or played it as what nuances I can add to bring out the flavor of Eberron, what to watch out for, etc. I want to start this campign off with a bang, so your help is appreciated. :)
ChaoticGood 12-25-06, 03:33 PM	I haven't ever run the adventure, but I do know that the beetle swarm is widely known as a killer encounter. If your party is hurting badly from the earlier fight, you may want to skip it, or replace it with a simple dire rat.
Kid SixXx 12-26-06, 11:20 AM	If the party asks a lot of questions beforehand, the beetle swarm encounter is trivialized because Elaydren will downright tell them what to expect. The encounter with the shifters & the WF rogue can get messy for new players as well as the dire rat encounter. The climactic encounter with Saber can also get deadly since it is possible that the party might have used up all of their firepower in previous encounters & Saber's DR / Adamantine might be somewhat more challenging than expected.
Wymarc 12-26-06, 04:24 PM	it took my group forever to figure out to use the alchemist's fire on the beetles
Orphanim 12-26-06, 04:55 PM	How did you guys specifically run the beetle encounter? Also, what did you do with the different passageways out of the ruins of Dorasharn (want to make sure Saber has a way out, if possible :)
Bluebrush 12-26-06, 05:42 PM	Also, what did you do with the different passageways out of the ruins of Dorasharn (want to make sure Saber has a way out, if possible :)I can't remember, but I'd suggest maybe having his route include series of high climbs and such which he traversed with ropes which he can cut behind himself if the players chase him. You could also have him scatter caltrops behind him. With his DR he can walk right over them while the players will have to tip toe around them. Other things: Lady Elaydren's full name is Lady Eladren Vown d'Cannith. (Vown being a sub family within Cannith. Be ready to explain: "Why can't we melt down these warforged for scrap?" Warforged materials degrade when pulled from the warforged. (See the Warforged Dragonshard.) Also it's murder. "Why can't we steal these doors from the foundry and melt them down?" It'd be hard to haul them up. I'd also suggest that Adamantine isn't innately valuable, and the value of adamantine items comes from the rarity of smiths who can forge it. Also, you can't sell them since they have Cannith insignia on them and that'd draw averse attention. "Why can't we sell the Schema to some other guy or keep it ourselves?" My players pulled this one on me and caught me completely off guard. Unpredictable scumbags the lot of them. Eventually I decided to have Scimitar harass (and try kill) them to get it back. I'd suggest that no-one who doesn't understand what it does wouldn't buy it. Good luck.
Paranoia833 12-26-06, 10:10 PM	"Why can't we sell the Schema to some other guy or keep it ourselves?" My players pulled this one on me and caught me completely off guard. Unpredictable scumbags the lot of them. Eventually I decided to have Scimitar harass (and try kill) them to get it back. I'd suggest that no-one who doesn't understand what it does wouldn't buy it. That one's easy. The Adamantine alloy within the schema is only worth a fraction of the price Elaydren is paying, and while an Artificer might recognise its true worth the schema itself is useless without its brothers. Therefore the only person actually willing to buy the schema for anything like its true value is Lady Elaydren. In terms of running the campaign... how much do your players like to roleplay? If they like a lot of character interaction and have good social attributes you might want to extend the visit to rat wharf. Make them work to find Snakak, have them negotiate their way through rat wharf without getting the tar beaten out of them by vindictive locals (I was originally going to have my players risk triggering a goblin riot if they tried one too many intimidate checks, unfortunately I had to drop that when my planned party of six only ended up being a party of three). As people have said, if your players are completely new to D&D and have never dealt with a swarm before be sure to have Elaydren stress exactly how important it is that the PCs bring some fire/Area-effect-magic with them. Swarms are an infamous newbie killer. Aside from that, what are your plans with regard to continuity? Is it a one off? Are you going to run Shadows of the Last War afterward, or design your own adventure? If your going to use the published material, there's some advice I (and probably others on this forum) could probably give you as to handling it since Shadows and Whispers are somewhat less well put together than Forgotten Forge. Grasp of the Emerald Claw I have yet to run, but aside from one particularly brutal looking encounter about half-way through seems far better. In any case, Forgotten Forge is a fun little adventure. Good luck with it!
Orphanim 12-26-06, 10:37 PM	I'm planning to run Shadows of the Last War as a follow-up, and then see where we're at. My players are experienced ones, but I don't think they've ever encountered a swarm before (nor have I played one) - does the swarm just try and pursue for three rounds, then leave if unsuccessful? I'm somewhat confused. I'm also unsure of where the other passages out of the Dolasharn ruins should go, if anywhere. It would be easy to just close the area off, but Saber does need a possible escape route. My main goal is to run a tight first adventure that really puts that "Eberron style" to the forefront. I told my players to think of the Indiana Jones-style of pulp/serialized action. I'm just trying to think of ways to slip in Eberron (as it's new to them) here and there.
Paranoia833 12-27-06, 12:21 AM	I'm planning to run Shadows of the Last War as a follow-up, and then see where we're at. My players are experienced ones, but I don't think they've ever encountered a swarm before (nor have I played one) - does the swarm just try and pursue for three rounds, then leave if unsuccessful? I'm somewhat confused. If I recall corectly the swarm attacks for three rounds, then dissapates if it is not killed (Presumably the beetles eat their fill). This is generally just because the swarm is pretty unkillable if you have no spellcasters or flame-based-items in your party and the swarm isn't designed to be a potential TPK. I'm also unsure of where the other passages out of the Dolasharn ruins should go, if anywhere. It would be easy to just close the area off, but Saber does need a possible escape route. Ultimately since their only purpose is to give Sabre an escape route I'd say it doesn't matter where they lead, but considering the location I'd say they lead to a long forgotten maze-like sewer system. If the PCs pursue Sabre but don't catch him before he reaches the tunnel, take the poster above's suggestion and have him drop some caltrops or the like to hinder pursuit. If the PCs are determined to explore it after Sabre dies/escapes throw some more horrid rats at them, if they keep exploring and you want to throw something else at them, I'd say it'll probably eventually lead them to either: 1. (up) Sharn's industrial districts. The caverns will gradually get hotter as the PCs near the lava flows. As they go up the sewer system should get more modern and in proper working order. 2. (any direction other than up or down) Sharn's necropolis. As they approach the sewer system will gradually fall to ruin, becoming increasingly dilapidated until it's barely more than a series of caverns, then they should eventually break through into one of the crypts. I woldn't bother throwing any encounters at them unless they go looking for trouble, just make it clear to them that they probably don't want to stick around if they know what's good for them, maybe have them bump into a watch patrol prowling for undead, if they can convince them they aren't tomb-robbers they'll guide them out. 3. Down. A series of increasingly hostile caverns, eventually leading down into the lava filled depths of Khyber. If your PCs KEEP going down, have them run into a lone Dolgrim (got seperated from his patrol and left to die), if they don't get the hint show them no mercy. No team of experienced players would ever dream of going into the Underdark at level 1.
Orphanim 12-27-06, 10:27 AM	Thanks for all of the great tips! Here are some miscellaenous questions: -In the Bloody Bridge battle, when it says the Warforged comes from under the bridge, does that mean he somehow clung to the underside of the bridge and is making his way back to the top? -Where was your group of PCs en route to when they discovered the corpse on the bridge, and later when the hooded figure tells them to meet at the Broken Anvil? Did any groups try to complete the original task they were going to do before going to the Broken Anvil in the morning? -Entering the sewers, it looks like the spot where the Rogue is hiding is only a 5' square - won't the PC's just bump into him instead of passing by?
Paranoia833 12-27-06, 12:53 PM	-In the Bloody Bridge battle, when it says the Warforged comes from under the bridge, does that mean he somehow clung to the underside of the bridge and is making his way back to the top? I assume so. That said since Cutter doesn't seem to have any particularly exceptional climbing abilities it might make more sense if she just vaults over the railing and hides on the other side of the bannister. Either way all it basically comes down to is your PCs take a spot or listen check while examining the body. If they fail they don't get to act in the surprise round. -Where was your group of PCs en route to when they discovered the corpse on the bridge, and later when the hooded figure tells them to meet at the Broken Anvil? Did any groups try to complete the original task they were going to do before going to the Broken Anvil in the morning? Personally, I just said that they were responding to an advert placed in the Sharn Inquisitive by Bonal Geldem looking for bodyguards/companions and where en route to an upmarket resturaunt (just made up the name on the fly and promptly forgot it) to meet with him. My PCs didn't enquire too deeply into the circumstances of their meeting so it never came up, but what happened was Geldem was ambushed by Saber's team, who proceeded to burn down the resturuant. Bonal himself managed to escape, and Cutter broke off from the rest of the team to pursue him while Saber and co fled to lure the watch away. Then I had the messanger from Elaydren slip a note under the door of the Inn they were staying at while they were sleeping. (Bonal already knew about the PCs as he was going to hire them, and when she get's their descriptions from the watch she has the resources to track them down easily enough.) -Entering the sewers, it looks like the spot where the Rogue is hiding is only a 5' square - won't the PC's just bump into him instead of passing by? Yeah I remember. I think that was a mistake in the module (can't remember for sure though so I'll leave that for someone who's more errata-savvy than me to answer). Personally I'd just move him a few squares back so he's hiding behind one of the valves.
androkguz 12-27-06, 02:14 PM	I played that adventure and I just finished DMing Shadows of the Last War. I'm gonna finish the trio before I start making my own crazy Eberronian adventures. With regard to the bloody bridge I had my PC meet there by coincidence (or maybe it was divine intervention) by giving each a diferent reason to be on the way to Dorasharn but since I don't know what your players are I can't help with that. And I think that what Cutter did was to jump over the bridge wall to hide, knowing there was a safe ground 3ft thick only 8ft below, where the statues that decorate the bridge rest, then remembered she didn't took the journal and climbed back one of the statues. But the very important thing in that encounter is to be very dramatic. Have the rain be a thunderstorm and during the battle have lightning fall just when someone (specially Cutter) is about to attack. When Cutter apears, don't show her as a warforged inmediately but until someone take her cloak off (which she would do if she starts raging). And when the PCs see her axe, it's covered in bonal's blood.
androkguz 12-27-06, 02:17 PM	Elaydren can apear in the entrance of the watch's station. Even if the PC gained Dolom's trust, they would still be requiered there for an official statement.
Lujayne34 12-28-06, 10:04 AM	Also note that The Broken Anvil is in one of the lower parts of Sharn. It is in the Callestan District. This district is currently a battleground for gangs involved in organized crime. Daask and the Boromars are battling it out for control of the district. This makes it a very dangerous place (Especially if the DM is feeling a little "homicidal") :P Picture a turf war going on between the monsters of Daask and the Boromar halflings! Adventurers had better watch their step down there or they may end up on the wrong side of two of the most powerful organized criminal groups in the city. Not only that but The Broken Anvil, itself is probably a battleground too. It is operated by House Ghallanda which has close ties to the Boromars. It is probably a target for Daask enforcers and such. It also probably serves as a safehouse and meeting area for Boromars. A map of the place is found in Shadows of the Last War.
Orphanim 12-28-06, 11:13 AM	Is the Broken Anvil in S:CoT at all?
Bluebrush 12-28-06, 11:28 AM	According to The Sharn sourcebook index (http://www.bossythecow.com/sharnindex.htm), it's on page 62.
drucypher2000 12-28-06, 01:30 PM	Has anyone noticed that anytime a module starts off in Sharn, it's always raining? My PCs did, so now they always try for a weather forecast before entering any potentially plot-develment areas. I thought that was so funny, I went with it, Though I've springing freak rainstorms on them just freak them out. "Clear skies today, I think it's safe to sell the loot" "As you enter the market, the skie inexplicably darken an raindrops begin to fall" "@$%^$^!!!! GET BACK INSIDE!!"
Bluebrush 12-28-06, 03:48 PM	Yeah, but it rains a lot in Sharn. It's right next to a rainforest and in a manifest zone indirectly linked to rain. Still, it would be fun to play with this trope, offering up a little OMINOUS SUNSHINE now and then.
Jancarius 12-28-06, 07:56 PM	Has anyone noticed that anytime a module starts off in Sharn, it's always raining? My PCs did, so now they always try for a weather forecast before entering any potentially plot-develment areas. I thought that was so funny, I went with it, Though I've springing freak rainstorms on them just freak them out. "Clear skies today, I think it's safe to sell the loot" "As you enter the market, the skie inexplicably darken an raindrops begin to fall" "@$%^$^!!!! GET BACK INSIDE!!" This has happened to me too. I tend to forget about the weather and just presume it's sunny lightly clouded anytime it's not important for it to be something else, so when I mention the weather they all pay attention. BTW, something that nobody else has mentioned: Depending on how your party has been handling these encounters, and wether they try and do it 'all in one go' or not, your spellcasters are probably out of offensive and healing magic by the time you face those two Iron Defenders. My party jumped down into that room to start fighting them, and almost died because they hit pretty hard and good AC compared to L1 characters, Except for the Warforged fighter, all my party went unconcious and were bleeding near to death by the time the Warforged took them out. If they decide to rest and regain their spells, this is less of a problem. Similarly, while the dire rats hit pretty hard, they go down pretty easy.
Kinger 12-28-06, 09:01 PM	The Dire Rats will either be the quickest or deadliest encounter in the module, depending on your party's luck / make-up. For starters, their AC is incredible for a CR1, as is their damage. So, if they happen to jump the wizard, well, so long. 2d6 is nasty to a 1st level wizard, y'know? Having said that, they're still rats. A solid hit is all it takes to down them, meaning a good roll from a strong fighter will take do. I recall when I ran the module, the party's Urban Ranger decided to scout ahead, all sneaky-like. When he tripped over his own feet and was resultingly charged-in-a-surprise-round by a horrid rat, he took an acidic bite to the flank and promptly decided bleeding to death to be his next course of action. The wizard decided to risk his neck trying to save him. He dodged a luckily low AoO and hauled the dying ranger away. The fighter, who had lingered behind while preoccupied with something else, decided to get involved and hurled a throwing axe into combat. Combat ends as the rat takes the axe in the forehead and expires. 1 throwing axe results in 1 dead rat. I only threw 1 at them since it was a party of 3. Similarly, 1 Burning Hands could take out a rat, or a Colour Spray, or a Sleep, or a similar kill-the-mook spell. As for the Iron Defenders, that can actually be a very easy "fight" if the PCs can see them from their vantage point atop the building. If you can see it, you can shoot it, after all. Nasty as the iron fidos are, they can't climb or jump well enough to really pose a threat to PCs with lots of ammo. Especially if they have any left over alchemists' fire. Saber? Well, Saber's just a tough SOB. Typical antitank tactics are all you've really got to fall back on (preying on will or reflex saves, or using ranged touch attacks). Take note of the interesting terrain though, since the craggy floor offers lots of cover. Make sure the PCs are aware, and similarly make sure ol' Saber uses it too.
Orphanim 12-29-06, 09:47 AM	We had our character creation session, and here's the party I'm running through it: Halfling Druid 1 Warforged Fighter 1 Kalashtar Psychic Warrior 1 Gnome Artificer 1 Shifter Barbarian 1 (could change) Very heavy on the fighter side, and I'm wondering if they will need a dedicated rogue or spellcaster down the line (the artificer can only do so much). I think they'll be able to handle to combat elements fairly well. I'm considering combining the warforged rogue and the shifter encounter in the sewers into one combat. I may have the rogue see how the combat goes (if he's not spotted) and strike at an opportune time. It should be interesting adventure next Saturday - I'm looking forward to it! :D
Paranoia833 12-29-06, 02:37 PM	I'm considering combining the warforged rogue and the shifter encounter in the sewers into one combat. I may have the rogue see how the combat goes (if he's not spotted) and strike at an opportune time. They were supposed to be kept separate? Heh, well my players managed all three together easily enough. If the shifters get lucky with full attacks they can really mess a level one character up, but with their low armour they really aren't all that hard unless you're playing ruthlessly. Your guys shouldn't have any problems with that encounter. I wouldn't worry too much about lack of spellcasters, all the enemies are doable without offensive magic as long as your PCs bring a torch or some Alchemists fire for the swarm, especially since Saber retreats if things get risky. If you have any problem it's going to be lack of healing. If your players don't rest or find the pots in the church their injuries may accumulate to the point that Saber just has to tap them to finish them off. Still if your players know their stuff you should be fine, if you want to be really sure you could hint to your artificer that he spend some of the parties starting gold making scrolls of cure light wounds to play healer with.
androkguz 12-29-06, 08:14 PM	They were supposed to be kept separate? Heh, well my players managed all three together easily enough. If the shifters get lucky with full attacks they can really mess a level one character up, but with their low armour they really aren't all that hard unless you're playing ruthlessly. Your guys shouldn't have any problems with that encounter. I wouldn't worry too much about lack of spellcasters, all the enemies are doable without offensive magic as long as your PCs bring a torch or some Alchemists fire for the swarm, especially since Saber retreats if things get risky. If you have any problem it's going to be lack of healing. If your players don't rest or find the pots in the church their injuries may accumulate to the point that Saber just has to tap them to finish them off. Still if your players know their stuff you should be fine, if you want to be really sure you could hint to your artificer that he spend some of the parties starting gold making scrolls of cure light wounds to play healer with. No, they weren't supposed to be separated, the rogue (Silencer I called him) needs those guy to sneak attack. And a 1st level druid is as good healing as a 1st level cleric, he just needs a bit more time. And by the way, i've got your reasons for them to be at the bloody bridge... Kalashtar is native to the place, he was passing by (it happens!), he had a bad day at work and meditating in the rain could calm him. Gnome was heading for a sky coach so he could go to this bar, he is being a bit depressed of his boring life. For the druid, it's his first day on the city. He had a vision in which he was told that something great was happening if he got to Sharn. So he did and he is lost. The barbarian is a thief, although it's more for necesity than because he likes it. He is following any of the others to see if he can get something to pay a bit of bread, at the same time wishing something happened that somehow made his life less miserable. And the warforged, well depends on how much he lives life but he could either be a friend of the gnome or he could have been in the bridge, standing still since last week when his boss fired him (he then stood still for an hour until the guy told him to go away, when the warforged asked "where?" the very angry english human looked through the window and said "to that bloody bridge":) ) English people, I love you.
zipdrive 12-31-06, 02:45 AM	When I ran this adventure, I had my PCs come out of a neaby tavern, where they were enjoying a "gambling night special" for a breath, because it was very crowded and smelly inside. They bumped into the body while walking around. The party also had a difficult time with the swarm, which they eventually ended by throwing a bedroll on the beatltes and lighting it by smashing a lantern. they had further trouble when one character climbed the roof and dropped inside while the others stayed outside... that metal dog had a fun few rounds with its victim. By the time they met Sabre, they weren't in good shape, and it ended that three were unconcious and dying, while the last one was up on the roof, with sabre inside (they unhinged the doors). it ended up with Sabre sparing the life of the party in exchange for the Schema. I've now started running Shadows of the last war, after an interim adventure, and had to change the opening. I STILL don't know how to bring that first schema back into the story.