Muroni: Grasp of the Emerald Claw [Archive] - Wizards Community

Muroni: Grasp of the Emerald Claw [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ChronosCrow
06-23-05, 07:06 PM So Muroni is an NPC in this module adventure for Grasp of the Emeral Claw and I'm about to run this same adventure for my group.

I'm a bit confused as to Muroni's functionality in the game. I know she's there to see the prophocey unfold, but what I don't understand is how she'll be doing this. Is Muroni going to magically stick on the side lines and not act in combat or is she there to watch and also aide the party in combat?
Galen_Michael
06-23-05, 07:22 PM I had her aid the party in combat, but mostly through healing, flanking, or Aid Another. I never had her take a very direct role.

She's also indispensable in providing money to the Riverboat Captain.

Galen
ChronosCrow
06-23-05, 07:28 PM I had her aid the party in combat, but mostly through healing, flanking, or Aid Another. I never had her take a very direct role.

She's also indispensable in providing money to the Riverboat Captain.

Galen

So she'll do her best to attack in comabt? My only reserve about that is a smart attacker will kill anyone that does healing to the party. But I get what you're saying for the most part. Thanks for your help.
Kaleanae en'i Mori
06-25-05, 02:23 AM When we played the adventure she only gave advice and paid some of the bills to get us to the location. IMHO is is only an observer to see how the prophecy unfolds, if she takes direct action she influences the outcome.
ChronosCrow
06-25-05, 04:58 AM When we played the adventure she only gave advice and paid some of the bills to get us to the location. IMHO is is only an observer to see how the prophecy unfolds, if she takes direct action she influences the outcome.

So she magically doesn't get spotted by the enemy while being in bright shiny platemail and having the ability to heal? I just find it hard for her to not actually act in combat and just sit by to do nothing while the world is in peril.
Wasteland Knight
06-25-05, 09:19 AM So she magically doesn't get spotted by the enemy while being in bright shiny platemail and having the ability to heal?
When I run GotEC I'm planning on changing Muroni from a cleric to a cloistered cleric (variant cleric from Unearthed Arcana). That way she wont' be running around in shiny platemail but leather armor instead. She'll appear much less dangerous than at least some of the party members that way. In any case, during combat she can always cast Sanctuary or drink a potion of invisibility to keep her from harms way.

I just find it hard for her to not actually act in combat and just sit by to do nothing while the world is in peril.
Why is this? Her role is to be an observer of events as they relate to the Prophecy, nothing more. As far as she knows, the PC's failing will be another step toward fulfilling the Prophecy.
ChronosCrow
06-25-05, 10:55 AM I like your answers there Wasteland Knight. Thanks.
bording
06-25-05, 12:00 PM I'm running Grasp now, and when my PCs opened the door to the Dark level, the flood of water got everyone and killed Muroni and 2 PCs, so I didn't have to worry too much about what her role was going to be.

I actually changed her background a bit and tied her into the larger back story that I've got going on in my game, and her dying fits in just fine, so no problems here.

Grasp has been a pretty brutal adventure so far. I've had 4 PCs die already, though most of those deaths came from the PCs doing some pretty boneheaded things...
grifter100
06-25-05, 02:03 PM Muronis function? Well, to annoy people with vague hints at prophecies and general uselessness...honestly, the adventure wouldn´t lose anything if she just wasn´t there...
Von Ether
06-25-05, 03:50 PM She's a seed you can use to tie things together and look like a crafty GM. Let me use another seed in the "Queen of Burning Eye" adventure as an example.

In that Dungeon adventure, the PC pick up an odd shapped amulet with a funny looking back. They meet someone later who asks for the amulet and that's it. The amulet plays no immeadiate part in the game, it is "general uselessness" ... until I tweaked the final adventure in the Eberron adventure series.

When they get to the final level, the door is already open with something strange used as a key ... the amulet.

The look on my player faces were priceless. They so beat themselves up for giving away the amulet back when they were only 2nd level. Better yet, the "Queen" adventure was run by another GM, so the player thought I had carried something through several adventures and felt as if their first six adventures were connected somehow. That wasn't the truth, but that's not what it looked like. :)
Kaleanae en'i Mori
06-27-05, 01:09 AM I agree with Knights comments. Whether the pc's succeed or fail iirrespective of the prophecy. We had her appear when needed and then just not be around at times. Kept it pretty mysterious. Allows you to possible use her again. OUr second campaign has started and she is there again!

Our party also had another problem. One was a Mourner and the Cyran Spymaster contacted her and told her to make sure the Emerald Claw win! Put a bit of pressure on the player. The EC lost and the spymaster is a bit put out right now!!
sus323
06-27-05, 12:37 PM I think Muroni is the game designers way of saying that this is a tough adventure for the unprepared or unbalanced party, so here is an extra healer, just in case. It depends on your party.

For example, in the game I'm running, my players are pretty unbalanced.

Elven Scout
Human Paladin
Human Rogue/Paladin
Half Elf Bard/Druid
Human Ranger

No Wizard, no Cleric. So Muroni was the main source of healing in addition to being a general source of cryptic dialogue.

But....

One of my players is running a paladin and aiming for the Vassal of Bahamut PrC from the Book of Exalted Deeds. If you've never looked at this prestige class, it requires you to defeat a young red dragon in order to qualify.

So after the adventure is over (assuming the paladin is still alive) I'm planning on having Muroni say something akin to, "You're time of testing has arrived. Journey to...blah, blah, blah"

That way I can tie the Chamber/Muroni to the PrC.
ConfusedUs
06-27-05, 08:58 PM Grasp has been a pretty brutal adventure so far. I've had 4 PCs die already, though most of those deaths came from the PCs doing some pretty boneheaded things...

I've lost two PCs so far. I've also lost Muroni and two clones of her.

On a related note: Is there an adventure that picks up where Grasp leaves off?
ChronosCrow
06-27-05, 09:15 PM On a related note: Is there an adventure that picks up where Grasp leaves off?

Not that I know of. Since the Grasp came out they haven't made any new adventure modules that come sold seperatly.
BloodyRoots
06-28-05, 02:10 AM Muroni is a great way to introduce players to the prophecy . I had her tag along with the players via a super extended chain of eyes spell. She sent the players messages via whispering wind spells, fortelling important parts of the prophecy (when Xulo became activated,"The time to act is now!". Even though the players may have been in another diminsion and out of range of whispering wind spell).

I have her showing up in the next 2 campaign arcs. One she just shows her face. The next time is during a huge fight between Dragons and Celestials ("Choose your destiny!")
Siberys
06-28-05, 09:55 AM I am going to use her as the stand-at-the-sidelines type. I'll likely make her a cloistered cleric (great Idea!).

:eek: Man, Von Ether. Now I wish I had run the Queen with Burning Eyes!!! Arrrggghhh!!!!!! :weep:
Von Ether
06-28-05, 11:36 AM :eek: Man, Von Ether. Now I wish I had run the Queen with Burning Eyes!!! Arrrggghhh!!!!!! :weep:

While you may have enough time to do the effect for Grasp, you can still lift the idea for two later adventures, though it is tougher to put higher level guys in a situation where they will cave in easily. Better yet, introduce such an amulet in Grasp and then have someone threaten/steal it when they get back to Sharn. With all the *spoiler* stuff in the final adventure, it would be a good time to introduce a new villanous henchman working for LoB. :)
Soulburn84
07-15-05, 11:45 AM Poor Moruni met with an untimely end in our compaign via the razor-lined pit trap/shute thing ..... she got hit by 4 razors two connecting with critical hits, she was knocked out before emerging and falling for the 150 feet.
Ardegrath
07-24-05, 06:57 PM In my campaign Muroni just stayed in the back, didnt even heal or anything.
She did talk and give advices but other than paying bills and balckmailing the leader of the group into letting her join she didn't do much.

Main reason she didnt get attacked even though she had a shiny breastplate on her was cause A Warforged Samurai with 2 blades and another warforged with a spear always seemed to be more menacing and important to deal than her. Especially if when one of them crits can do a bout 50 points of damage. And both of them have had reputations already one of them known as "The Bladewall captain of the Bloody Squad" and the other is called "The Impaler".

BTW, I give reputations to my players after the end of each sessions, so when they face enemies things are a bit different and who really care about an unkown elven woman in fullplater when you got famous people charging at you who are called "The Bloody Squad of the Angulis Maruaders". Though that might be just in my campaign. ^_^
LugWrench
07-25-05, 01:52 AM I used Muroni as kind of a 'god toy'. She got the group onto the riverboat by shelling out the sheckels, and nudged the group in the right direction, but didnt say how or why the PCs should do anything. She took a few lumps when the water door blew open and ladled out some curing spells to get people back on their feet (though the sorc is still in traction. ;) ) and did other minor stuff, but she never waded into combat. And as for the main battle with Xulo the Warforged Titan....Well, she fainted right away, so I didnt have to explain why she wouldnt fight. :rolleyes:
Pozas
07-25-05, 09:53 AM Muroni's mission is to witness the Prophecy unfold, and the Prophecy says the PCs are present when the Xulo pattern is activated (in the final scene). So, in order to steer the Prophecy towards what her master wants to it to be, Muroni will help the PCs to the best of her (limited, since she's only 4th level to the PCs' 7th or 8th) abilities. She will heal PCs during/after battles, she will use her Knowledge to best effect (including using Knowledge [religion] to assess an undead opponet's powers/weaknesses).

If you use her stats as-is (plate-mail wearing cleric), she can be an assistant melee combatant, using Aid Another, spiritual weapon and shield other to help the PCs. She can serve as spellcaster's bodyguard, leaving the party tanks to front-line duty. If she's a Cloistered Cleric (from UA), she serves as mainly support, using extensive divination to help the PCs navigate the temple, Indiana Jones-style (think Dr. Henry Jones).

That all changes once they get to the final scene. Once there, she's intent on only witnessing the events unfold. Wether the party succeeds on defeating Xulo or not, it is irrelevant, as she was ordered to only have the PCs present when the pattern is completed.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ChronosCrow 06-23-05, 07:06 PM	So Muroni is an NPC in this module adventure for Grasp of the Emeral Claw and I'm about to run this same adventure for my group. I'm a bit confused as to Muroni's functionality in the game. I know she's there to see the prophocey unfold, but what I don't understand is how she'll be doing this. Is Muroni going to magically stick on the side lines and not act in combat or is she there to watch and also aide the party in combat?
Galen_Michael 06-23-05, 07:22 PM	I had her aid the party in combat, but mostly through healing, flanking, or Aid Another. I never had her take a very direct role. She's also indispensable in providing money to the Riverboat Captain. Galen
ChronosCrow 06-23-05, 07:28 PM	I had her aid the party in combat, but mostly through healing, flanking, or Aid Another. I never had her take a very direct role. She's also indispensable in providing money to the Riverboat Captain. Galen So she'll do her best to attack in comabt? My only reserve about that is a smart attacker will kill anyone that does healing to the party. But I get what you're saying for the most part. Thanks for your help.
Kaleanae en'i Mori 06-25-05, 02:23 AM	When we played the adventure she only gave advice and paid some of the bills to get us to the location. IMHO is is only an observer to see how the prophecy unfolds, if she takes direct action she influences the outcome.
ChronosCrow 06-25-05, 04:58 AM	When we played the adventure she only gave advice and paid some of the bills to get us to the location. IMHO is is only an observer to see how the prophecy unfolds, if she takes direct action she influences the outcome. So she magically doesn't get spotted by the enemy while being in bright shiny platemail and having the ability to heal? I just find it hard for her to not actually act in combat and just sit by to do nothing while the world is in peril.
Wasteland Knight 06-25-05, 09:19 AM	So she magically doesn't get spotted by the enemy while being in bright shiny platemail and having the ability to heal? When I run GotEC I'm planning on changing Muroni from a cleric to a cloistered cleric (variant cleric from Unearthed Arcana). That way she wont' be running around in shiny platemail but leather armor instead. She'll appear much less dangerous than at least some of the party members that way. In any case, during combat she can always cast Sanctuary or drink a potion of invisibility to keep her from harms way. I just find it hard for her to not actually act in combat and just sit by to do nothing while the world is in peril. Why is this? Her role is to be an observer of events as they relate to the Prophecy, nothing more. As far as she knows, the PC's failing will be another step toward fulfilling the Prophecy.
ChronosCrow 06-25-05, 10:55 AM	I like your answers there Wasteland Knight. Thanks.
bording 06-25-05, 12:00 PM	I'm running Grasp now, and when my PCs opened the door to the Dark level, the flood of water got everyone and killed Muroni and 2 PCs, so I didn't have to worry too much about what her role was going to be. I actually changed her background a bit and tied her into the larger back story that I've got going on in my game, and her dying fits in just fine, so no problems here. Grasp has been a pretty brutal adventure so far. I've had 4 PCs die already, though most of those deaths came from the PCs doing some pretty boneheaded things...
grifter100 06-25-05, 02:03 PM	Muronis function? Well, to annoy people with vague hints at prophecies and general uselessness...honestly, the adventure wouldn´t lose anything if she just wasn´t there...
Von Ether 06-25-05, 03:50 PM	She's a seed you can use to tie things together and look like a crafty GM. Let me use another seed in the "Queen of Burning Eye" adventure as an example. In that Dungeon adventure, the PC pick up an odd shapped amulet with a funny looking back. They meet someone later who asks for the amulet and that's it. The amulet plays no immeadiate part in the game, it is "general uselessness" ... until I tweaked the final adventure in the Eberron adventure series. When they get to the final level, the door is already open with something strange used as a key ... the amulet. The look on my player faces were priceless. They so beat themselves up for giving away the amulet back when they were only 2nd level. Better yet, the "Queen" adventure was run by another GM, so the player thought I had carried something through several adventures and felt as if their first six adventures were connected somehow. That wasn't the truth, but that's not what it looked like. :)
Kaleanae en'i Mori 06-27-05, 01:09 AM	I agree with Knights comments. Whether the pc's succeed or fail iirrespective of the prophecy. We had her appear when needed and then just not be around at times. Kept it pretty mysterious. Allows you to possible use her again. OUr second campaign has started and she is there again! Our party also had another problem. One was a Mourner and the Cyran Spymaster contacted her and told her to make sure the Emerald Claw win! Put a bit of pressure on the player. The EC lost and the spymaster is a bit put out right now!!
sus323 06-27-05, 12:37 PM	I think Muroni is the game designers way of saying that this is a tough adventure for the unprepared or unbalanced party, so here is an extra healer, just in case. It depends on your party. For example, in the game I'm running, my players are pretty unbalanced. Elven Scout Human Paladin Human Rogue/Paladin Half Elf Bard/Druid Human Ranger No Wizard, no Cleric. So Muroni was the main source of healing in addition to being a general source of cryptic dialogue. But.... One of my players is running a paladin and aiming for the Vassal of Bahamut PrC from the Book of Exalted Deeds. If you've never looked at this prestige class, it requires you to defeat a young red dragon in order to qualify. So after the adventure is over (assuming the paladin is still alive) I'm planning on having Muroni say something akin to, "You're time of testing has arrived. Journey to...blah, blah, blah" That way I can tie the Chamber/Muroni to the PrC.
ConfusedUs 06-27-05, 08:58 PM	Grasp has been a pretty brutal adventure so far. I've had 4 PCs die already, though most of those deaths came from the PCs doing some pretty boneheaded things... I've lost two PCs so far. I've also lost Muroni and two clones of her. On a related note: Is there an adventure that picks up where Grasp leaves off?
ChronosCrow 06-27-05, 09:15 PM	On a related note: Is there an adventure that picks up where Grasp leaves off? Not that I know of. Since the Grasp came out they haven't made any new adventure modules that come sold seperatly.
BloodyRoots 06-28-05, 02:10 AM	Muroni is a great way to introduce players to the prophecy . I had her tag along with the players via a super extended chain of eyes spell. She sent the players messages via whispering wind spells, fortelling important parts of the prophecy (when Xulo became activated,"The time to act is now!". Even though the players may have been in another diminsion and out of range of whispering wind spell). I have her showing up in the next 2 campaign arcs. One she just shows her face. The next time is during a huge fight between Dragons and Celestials ("Choose your destiny!")
Siberys 06-28-05, 09:55 AM	I am going to use her as the stand-at-the-sidelines type. I'll likely make her a cloistered cleric (great Idea!). :eek: Man, Von Ether. Now I wish I had run the Queen with Burning Eyes!!! Arrrggghhh!!!!!! :weep:
Von Ether 06-28-05, 11:36 AM	:eek: Man, Von Ether. Now I wish I had run the Queen with Burning Eyes!!! Arrrggghhh!!!!!! :weep: While you may have enough time to do the effect for Grasp, you can still lift the idea for two later adventures, though it is tougher to put higher level guys in a situation where they will cave in easily. Better yet, introduce such an amulet in Grasp and then have someone threaten/steal it when they get back to Sharn. With all the spoiler stuff in the final adventure, it would be a good time to introduce a new villanous henchman working for LoB. :)
Soulburn84 07-15-05, 11:45 AM	Poor Moruni met with an untimely end in our compaign via the razor-lined pit trap/shute thing ..... she got hit by 4 razors two connecting with critical hits, she was knocked out before emerging and falling for the 150 feet.
Ardegrath 07-24-05, 06:57 PM	In my campaign Muroni just stayed in the back, didnt even heal or anything. She did talk and give advices but other than paying bills and balckmailing the leader of the group into letting her join she didn't do much. Main reason she didnt get attacked even though she had a shiny breastplate on her was cause A Warforged Samurai with 2 blades and another warforged with a spear always seemed to be more menacing and important to deal than her. Especially if when one of them crits can do a bout 50 points of damage. And both of them have had reputations already one of them known as "The Bladewall captain of the Bloody Squad" and the other is called "The Impaler". BTW, I give reputations to my players after the end of each sessions, so when they face enemies things are a bit different and who really care about an unkown elven woman in fullplater when you got famous people charging at you who are called "The Bloody Squad of the Angulis Maruaders". Though that might be just in my campaign. ^_^
LugWrench 07-25-05, 01:52 AM	I used Muroni as kind of a 'god toy'. She got the group onto the riverboat by shelling out the sheckels, and nudged the group in the right direction, but didnt say how or why the PCs should do anything. She took a few lumps when the water door blew open and ladled out some curing spells to get people back on their feet (though the sorc is still in traction. ;) ) and did other minor stuff, but she never waded into combat. And as for the main battle with Xulo the Warforged Titan....Well, she fainted right away, so I didnt have to explain why she wouldnt fight. :rolleyes:
Pozas 07-25-05, 09:53 AM	Muroni's mission is to witness the Prophecy unfold, and the Prophecy says the PCs are present when the Xulo pattern is activated (in the final scene). So, in order to steer the Prophecy towards what her master wants to it to be, Muroni will help the PCs to the best of her (limited, since she's only 4th level to the PCs' 7th or 8th) abilities. She will heal PCs during/after battles, she will use her Knowledge to best effect (including using Knowledge [religion] to assess an undead opponet's powers/weaknesses). If you use her stats as-is (plate-mail wearing cleric), she can be an assistant melee combatant, using Aid Another, spiritual weapon and shield other to help the PCs. She can serve as spellcaster's bodyguard, leaving the party tanks to front-line duty. If she's a Cloistered Cleric (from UA), she serves as mainly support, using extensive divination to help the PCs navigate the temple, Indiana Jones-style (think Dr. Henry Jones). That all changes once they get to the final scene. Once there, she's intent on only witnessing the events unfold. Wether the party succeeds on defeating Xulo or not, it is irrelevant, as she was ordered to only have the PCs present when the pattern is completed.