Post/Author/DateTime	Post
trogdor 01-09-04, 08:07 AM	When I bought this Adventure I thought it seemed good but after we started to play it I found out that it's not much more than a long battle. It's getting boring very quickly with countless of dice-rolls and particulary none interaction and roleplaying at all. Does anybody has any ideas how to make more out of this open-door-kill all the drow module? Thankfull for answers
Zanan 01-09-04, 09:35 AM	Well ... It was meant to be exactly that. Go down and prevent a certain High Priestess to create a spell that would and could wreak havoc on the surface. That can be found in any revision and all. Of course, there are always ways to put some less H&S action into it. Of course, the timescale hampers this somewhat, but it is up to you to change this (I wouldn't change it too long though ... well how about a Great Revenance anti-climax anyway :smirk: ) Well, first, you could stretch the distances between the various encounters. You could create a few survivors (ex-slaves, drow etc.) to meet the PC and ask for help (getting them out of the UD, helping them against Irae), to assemble troops, organise food and all. Let them have create a few strongholds in case the "evil magic of the Kiaransaleens" could mean that hundreds of undead will stream out of the UD tomorrow etc.. Alternatively, introduce a few phaerimm or shades into the picture, who happen to be in the area searching for one another ... since Anauroch is not too far off.
Cunning Linguist 01-09-04, 09:43 AM	For thoese players out there, that have not played City of the Spider Queen, there might be spoilers in this. -----spoiler------- As my players are evil, I have had a bit more luck in having them get allies and talking with the Drow. The Drow in D12, stopped the fight in D11, and wanted to talk to them, promising them lots of power and magic if they could win back there city. Lies of course, but it got the pcs a place to stay, and it got them in tuned to what was really happening. Later with Larala, she joins the PCs and helps them, but she is going to pick a bag of holding, and run of later. There was also a lot of fun since Larala has more skills in hiding and sneaking and such then the part rogue/assassin, who has always labelled himself as “Kefken, the greatest thief in history”. So when Kefken comes up against something he can’t do, gets quite upset that Larala can do it for him. Kefken is no thinking about getting her for his brand new network of assassins. In S12, the marked, I changed the Mind Flayer into a Illithid Body Tamer from the new Underdark book, this was strange for the PC’s since they only knew about mind flayers that used magic, and they got in quite a fight, and the mages started casting all kind of anti mind spells around. Instead of the Deep Dwarfs and Drow joining the battle, they start betting for whom will win, they then start cheering for whomever they have placed there bet on. When the PCs won, one deep dwarf is particularly happy about it, and gives then a discount on anything they would want to buy. He also tells them about anything they would want to know about this place, and lots of other unnecessary things. I placed some handouts in the Bag of Holding that the Illithid had, some real nice ones. (dyed then in coffee, and roosted then in the oven, my players said it was the best handout they had ever seen in there role-playing history) *reprint handout* The Journal of Jazbel the Necromancer The journal holds tales of great adventure, slaying of creatures and its like, the last pages on the other hand proves some interest - 4 of Marpempth in the year of the wild magic, 1372 The fool of a Orc Warag has a been to the sage again. He proclaims that he will find the Hammer of Vorbyx, and is planning on dragging the entire party in search of this artifact, despite my efforts to make us travel to Anauroch, the party seem to think Warags plan is better. Fools, the orcs I found in the border forest where sure proof that there is a fallen enclave north of Delia. And if it’s true that there masters are dead now, who knows what great artifacts lie there for my taking? Yes, this hammer is all that the band can talk of, uniting all the non-human races in the world.. yea great I say.. Serves me right for banding up with Orcs, Ogers and Bugbears... Perhaps I shall kill them, and raise them as my servants? - 10 of Merpempth in the year of the wild magic, 1372 After our trip to the Citadel of the Raven, and a quick trip to the Zhent sage, I found out some nice info about the Hammer of Vorbyx. It appears that it will unite all the sub races of the world under Warags hand, so it might not be a loss.. if I can control Warag that is... I have made contact with a fellow who can put me in contact with a Illithid, perhaps I can strike a deal with him.. ruling over all the orcs in the world does not sound like a bad idea… - 14 of Merpempth in the year of the wild mage, 1372 The Illithid said he wanted to make a deal, tonight he will sneak into the camp while I am keeping watch, so he can take control over Warag, and kill the others.. It will be nice to be rid of the stinking animals. I hear someone coming now, perhaps it is him…. The journal ends here I put some nice FR font on this and made some scribbling on the side. I then made a handout that was covered in weird lines, the pc’s understood what it said after a while, but could not make heads or tails out of it, since the words where just words for concepts. There where orders for the Illithid, to investigate some Gith movement in the northern part of the underdark, and get back to the city. However, the writing was mixed up, some words like Slave, was written in several ways, some with all big letters, some with small, some with 3 big letters and rest small. This was to the illithid several ranks of slaves. I don’t think the Players got this, there was also several ting/ting/ting, that represented words that might mean the same thing, but also made more sense of other words… Either way, they used over 1 hours (gametime) to discuss what this letter might mean. And they had some Wild ideas for what it was. In the bag I also placed 3 brains, who where soaking in some liquid. Since the PC’s are evil, they have no problem of having drow allies. So when the leader in S18A gives them a deal. (Give me the city, and I’ll give you my key to the door, and tell you a secret about how to get the next one) They happily agreed. (This is why Larala is going to backstab them all) That’s about it for Chapter one I think…