Need help with Winterkeep [Archive] - Wizards Community

Need help with Winterkeep [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Raistlin84
08-21-03, 08:08 AM I intend to send my players to Winterkeep, because 1 of the Npc is a Raumathari Battlemage that want's to find the treasures from that place. Now I need some help to know what kind of creatures could be roaming that place to give a challenge to the Pc. They should be level 6 by the time they get there.

Also what treasure could I put? Since it was the palace of Raumathari kings, there should be a lot of treasures in gold at least. But what about magical items, what could be good items that were used by the powerful Raumathari battlemages?

Any help would be nice.
Lashan
08-21-03, 10:37 AM I think one of the coolest things you could do is to put in new spells. There are a lot of 3rd party products out there on Evocation spells. I know Mongoose Publishing has a booklet on Battle Magic (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/detail.php?qsID=27&qsSeries=Encyclopaedia) that could have some neat things in it. I have heard that the product can be a bit overbalancing. To them, the thing that balances it is that their mages are loyal to this Battlemage Guild (which is in the control of the DM). I have not used this product and have only read online reviews.

Legends and Lairs has School of Evocation (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/dd41.html) which I did pick up a few weeks ago. I have not gotten too many things from Legends and Lairs, but know they are popular. I was a bit disappointed with this product. It did add a lot of more spells and some PrC's, but beyond that, nothing. I guess I got used to Mongoose too much. Still, though, there are a LOT of new evocation spells. What is a Battlemage without evocation??? You could use this product to introduce a lot of cool spells that were really "secrets of the ancients".

Besides magic spells, there are a lot of great treasures that you can give them. Sure, you could have heaps of gold laying around, but that probably wasn't the case. What they should find are bits of craft items. Let them find gems and jewelry. There are also items of gold to be found. Crowns, belt buckles, plates, combs, goblets, and a dozen other things could be discovered. They should be interesting things as they are artifacts instead of just items of gold. They have history with them. How much is a gold chalice studded with pearls compared to the royal goblet of the Raumathari king used before the fall of said kingdom?

The same could be said for magic items. I would try to stay away from overpowering weapons that would unbalance the game. What you could do instead is give an item flavor. Sure, there is a +2 longsword that will give yawns to your players. Over there is Imthara the Green Blade. Crafted over a 10 year period by dwarves, this sword is made with a special technique that is lost to all. The blade is a metalic green color and holds an edge more then other blades. It has always been weilded by the Captain of the Royal Guards. It can be found in the skeletal hands of the last Captain of the kingdom, who perished trying to defend the realm. Oh, and it's +2. You can even add in another minor magic power, such as it makes a ringing noise when touched to poison.

As for critters to fight, there can be almost anything. A few Devils or Demons are a must. They need to haunt the halls. It's best if you have a few that are trapped and the party are the ones who unleash it. You can have a few extra powerful ones that flee instead of fighting. Then, the players can be guilted into tracking down the demon to banish it. Tieflings are also a good foe to use, if you want to. They can be hovering around the site. Perhaps they are henchmen for other badguys around. Those half orc-half demons could be worked into the place. Perhaps there is a small tribe of them living in the ruins?

A lot of the type of creatures depends on how you want the ruins to appear. Are they inhabited by someone who lives there and used as a camp? Are they trying to unearth magic, too? Are there hidden evils that have slumbered for eons waiting to be awoken? That would mean demons, undead, and guardians. You can also mix the two, as well for variety.

Anyways, I hope this helps.
Raistlin84
08-21-03, 11:55 AM Very interesting, I was going to put a lot of plain gold coins, but items made of gold should be better, with a lot of gems. I was going to put a library there, so it's a good idea that they find a couple of very old spellbooks with some new spells.

As for items, they could find like you said items that are special without being very powerful. Beside that, they should find some items for battlemages, I'll have to check what could be good for them.

For the monsters, putting demons sounds like a good idea, since the priests and mages of Narfell were masters at summoning demons. They could be the last few who survived the war and that have been imprisonned there for a very long time.

Thanks for the help.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Raistlin84 08-21-03, 08:08 AM	I intend to send my players to Winterkeep, because 1 of the Npc is a Raumathari Battlemage that want's to find the treasures from that place. Now I need some help to know what kind of creatures could be roaming that place to give a challenge to the Pc. They should be level 6 by the time they get there. Also what treasure could I put? Since it was the palace of Raumathari kings, there should be a lot of treasures in gold at least. But what about magical items, what could be good items that were used by the powerful Raumathari battlemages? Any help would be nice.
Lashan 08-21-03, 10:37 AM	I think one of the coolest things you could do is to put in new spells. There are a lot of 3rd party products out there on Evocation spells. I know Mongoose Publishing has a booklet on Battle Magic (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/detail.php?qsID=27&qsSeries=Encyclopaedia) that could have some neat things in it. I have heard that the product can be a bit overbalancing. To them, the thing that balances it is that their mages are loyal to this Battlemage Guild (which is in the control of the DM). I have not used this product and have only read online reviews. Legends and Lairs has School of Evocation (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/dd41.html) which I did pick up a few weeks ago. I have not gotten too many things from Legends and Lairs, but know they are popular. I was a bit disappointed with this product. It did add a lot of more spells and some PrC's, but beyond that, nothing. I guess I got used to Mongoose too much. Still, though, there are a LOT of new evocation spells. What is a Battlemage without evocation??? You could use this product to introduce a lot of cool spells that were really "secrets of the ancients". Besides magic spells, there are a lot of great treasures that you can give them. Sure, you could have heaps of gold laying around, but that probably wasn't the case. What they should find are bits of craft items. Let them find gems and jewelry. There are also items of gold to be found. Crowns, belt buckles, plates, combs, goblets, and a dozen other things could be discovered. They should be interesting things as they are artifacts instead of just items of gold. They have history with them. How much is a gold chalice studded with pearls compared to the royal goblet of the Raumathari king used before the fall of said kingdom? The same could be said for magic items. I would try to stay away from overpowering weapons that would unbalance the game. What you could do instead is give an item flavor. Sure, there is a +2 longsword that will give yawns to your players. Over there is Imthara the Green Blade. Crafted over a 10 year period by dwarves, this sword is made with a special technique that is lost to all. The blade is a metalic green color and holds an edge more then other blades. It has always been weilded by the Captain of the Royal Guards. It can be found in the skeletal hands of the last Captain of the kingdom, who perished trying to defend the realm. Oh, and it's +2. You can even add in another minor magic power, such as it makes a ringing noise when touched to poison. As for critters to fight, there can be almost anything. A few Devils or Demons are a must. They need to haunt the halls. It's best if you have a few that are trapped and the party are the ones who unleash it. You can have a few extra powerful ones that flee instead of fighting. Then, the players can be guilted into tracking down the demon to banish it. Tieflings are also a good foe to use, if you want to. They can be hovering around the site. Perhaps they are henchmen for other badguys around. Those half orc-half demons could be worked into the place. Perhaps there is a small tribe of them living in the ruins? A lot of the type of creatures depends on how you want the ruins to appear. Are they inhabited by someone who lives there and used as a camp? Are they trying to unearth magic, too? Are there hidden evils that have slumbered for eons waiting to be awoken? That would mean demons, undead, and guardians. You can also mix the two, as well for variety. Anyways, I hope this helps.
Raistlin84 08-21-03, 11:55 AM	Very interesting, I was going to put a lot of plain gold coins, but items made of gold should be better, with a lot of gems. I was going to put a library there, so it's a good idea that they find a couple of very old spellbooks with some new spells. As for items, they could find like you said items that are special without being very powerful. Beside that, they should find some items for battlemages, I'll have to check what could be good for them. For the monsters, putting demons sounds like a good idea, since the priests and mages of Narfell were masters at summoning demons. They could be the last few who survived the war and that have been imprisonned there for a very long time. Thanks for the help.