"Death to the Cleric!" "Is that a Polar Bear I'm seeing?" [Archive] - Wizards Community

"Death to the Cleric!" "Is that a Polar Bear I'm seeing?" [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
M-bark
02-06-08, 11:36 AM So here's the deal, the party I DM, consisting of a LN (used to be LG) Dwarven Cleric of Zulu (don't ask), a LG Human Paladin, and a CG Elven Ranger, all level 2 and all male, has traveled to the south after having lifted a curse from a small town by defeating the obese and insane brass dragon wyrmling familiar of a powerful wizard (they don't know it was a familiar, though) and having bought a cart and a mule from the inhabitants (they did not know they were the ones who lifted the curse), came upon the city of Kiruna.

After leaving their cart and mule at the inn (paid for and all that), the paladin went to pray at the temple of Enix (apparantly a son of Heironeous in our campaign), and the ranger and cleric went to look for some work as bodyguards-for-hire. The ranger got an appointment with a rich lord for the next day whilst the cleric was less succesful and even had a chamber pot emptied on him by a houseservant.

After this occurrence, the dwarf went to the fountain in the middle of the square in front of the temple of Enix (Enix Square, pun intended), and then was held up by some city guards, who requested he come with them to explain why he was bathing in the sacred fountain of their god. The dwarf tried to explain the whole thing by telling the whole story about him trying to get a job, but he was still requested to come along. The dwarf did not take too kindly in being handled that way and swung his morningstar at one of the guards. After some rolls, it became apparant he had swung so hard and mightily the guard's lower left arm nearly came off. (You attacked his weakpoint for massive damage!)

Needless to say, the dwarf then found himself surrounded by five other guards who disarmed him and took him away off to jail.

Later in the day, after the paladin and the ranger had gotten worried about the cleric (on the ranger's part, this was balancing on the edge of metagaming, but they're still learning the finer bits of how to play the game), they went about town and found out he was in jail to probably be executed the next morning.

In the evening, the dwarf was up for trial, and the ranger and paladin showed up to speak on his behalf. I decided to be fairly kind, and scratch "harrassment of people by constant doorknocking" (while he was looking for a job) and "washing off poo and urine in the sacred fountain" off the list of bad things he could be punished for. The third crime, "resisting arrest and gravely wounding the city guard captain's younger brother", was not so easily taken care of. Eventually, they decided upon a god's judgment as in the earliest days of the Middle Ages: a duel. Pit a fighter of the defender's choice against one of the court's choice, and the winner of the fight would be in the right. After that, the cleric would still have to pay 30 GP and pray for 8 hours on end in front of the sacred fountain with the statue of Enix on it to gain forgiveness and atone for his sins (and perhaps regain his LG-ness).

Now I am fairly sure that the fighter of the cleric's choice (the paladin) will win, because I'll just pit him against an average level 2 Fighter without bonus feats (let's assume he took bow-oriented feats), and the paladin has almost the maximum HP he could get.

What I am mainly wondering about, is what to do next. The party needs about 1000 XP to get to third level at current, and I have to say that I wish to have them encounter a lycanthropic Polar Bear sometime before that, because the paladin noted that he becomes immune to lycanthropy at level 3, and werebears are commonly Lawful Good. It'd be a perfect fit, and when I mildly hinted at the idea of a werebear paladin, the player's eyes just lit up brighter than the lamp above our gaming table.

I mostly want to continue on with the story in a manner that seems reasonably logical (in accordance with the laws of cause and effect and all that, and not just in the sense of physics if you get my meaning), and also doesn't involve too much outerplanar interference. I suppose they could encounter the lycanthrope in the high and snowy mountains north of their hometown (which lies on the edge of a great mountain range).

Could anyone help me with this?
wonlee76
02-06-08, 11:57 AM What I am mainly wondering about, is what to do next. The party needs about 1000 XP to get to third level at current, and I have to say that I wish to have them encounter a lycanthropic Polar Bear sometime before that, because the paladin noted that he becomes immune to lycanthropy at level 3, and werebears are commonly Lawful Good. It'd be a perfect fit, and when I mildly hinted at the idea of a werebear paladin, the player's eyes just lit up brighter than the lamp above our gaming table.

Before hyping up the idea of a werebear paladin, warn your paladin PC of the ECL associated with being a lycanthrope. I believe the ECL of on were-polar bear is around an ECL of 10-12 (Animal HD + 2 for being an afflicted lycanthrope) and he would need to invest a bunch of skill points into Change Shape to have some control over the shifting business. On paper, it sounds awesome, in practice it is a pain in the butt to manage as a DM. Especially a polar bear since that causes a size increase and certain equipment doesn't change with size (unless you got the appropriate magical enhancements of course).

I mostly want to continue on with the story in a manner that seems reasonably logical (in accordance with the laws of cause and effect and all that, and not just in the sense of physics if you get my meaning), and also doesn't involve too much outerplanar interference. I suppose they could encounter the lycanthrope in the high and snowy mountains north of their hometown (which lies on the edge of a great mountain range).

Could anyone help me with this?

Instead of a pit duel as penalty for the dwarf's crime, how about a quest to recover something of value for the church of Enix (which happens to be in that snowy northern mountain region). Church gets the item and in return will heal the wounds caused by the dwarf to the wounded guardsman. Any other treasure is the party's to keep. Toss in a geas spell or similar as "collateral" to make sure the dwarf accomplishes this task.
toucanbuzz
02-06-08, 12:30 PM Lycanthropy isn't a walk in the park when you contract it as the character is not likely to be able to invest enough points in the skill necessary to control it, so each time he takes damage or sees the full moon, he's no longer in control of his character!

Plus, it adds a TREMENDOUS bonus to your character if controlled, enhancing them well beyond the likely power of your other characters. Still, as I mention, your player won't be in control of his character for most of the game and this is the reason I'd really advise against a predetermined curse.

{For attempted murder the best the other side comes up with is an inept 2nd level nobody? I'd prescribe a holy quest of atonement rather than the ignomy of beating down Lars the Loser in the arena}
M-bark
02-06-08, 05:31 PM Well, I was planning on reducing the HD of the Polar Bear lycanthrope (and thus also the HD the paladin will gain) due to it having been killed by locals who feared it and raised repeatedly again by an evil sorcerer or wizard who controlled it. This evil guy could also be the same guy whose wyrmling familiar kept up the curse on one of the towns mentioned in the first post.

The quest idea would be good. I suppose that the head of the church could come walking up to the party and request of them that they find an old relic for them or bring one to fellow believers on the other side of the mountain range.

After the encounter with the lycanthrope, I plan on some encounters with the dwarf and the ranger alone whilst the paladin stays in bed, feeling sick, so that the others can level up a bit. I'll also probably allow the paladin to buy off the LA.

The others might fall a little behind power-wise because of thise, but I'll balance that with a little magic, I suppose. The only magic item they've found so far is one ring of featherfall, so perhaps I'll get the two of them a +1 weapon.

In regards to the Shape Control, I think I'll add the paladin's class levels to the check, so that he automatically gets more "experienced" with shapechanging and gets more used to it.
Loftower
02-06-08, 06:16 PM Send them to a parent church to bring back N gallons of “holy” water to refill the fountain. Have them attacked by the appropriate number of people/creatures who know how much Holy Water is worth on the market. Of course, the water doesn’t have the effects of Holy Water, just the reputation (It’s a false rumor).

Maybe include a mission from a rival church that wants this one to remain crippled. They could fling undead at the group in the hopes that they will use the water in self-defense and not have enough left for the fountain. This mission could be lead by your villain in control of the polar bear lycanthrope, if you want to go that route.

If I had a polar bear based lycanthrope in my group it would suffer badly in the heat and have a strong weakness for seal fat, changed or not. The paladin could find himself on an ice-flow clubbing adorable baby seals.
M-bark
02-06-08, 06:27 PM If I had a polar bear based lycanthrope in my group it would suffer badly in the heat and have a strong weakness for seal fat, changed or not. The paladin could find himself on an ice-flow clubbing adorable baby seals.

Although I have to say I don't feel much for the Holy Water idea, this one might be a stayer. At least the weakness for heat (perhaps not in human form, but certainly in animal or hybrid form then).

The "rival church" might fit as well, considering Enix is the supposed son of Heironeous. The rival church could be dedicated to a child of Hextor, and they also which to obtain whatever relic the party is going to get, or is ordered to bring to the other side of the mountain range.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
M-bark 02-06-08, 11:36 AM	So here's the deal, the party I DM, consisting of a LN (used to be LG) Dwarven Cleric of Zulu (don't ask), a LG Human Paladin, and a CG Elven Ranger, all level 2 and all male, has traveled to the south after having lifted a curse from a small town by defeating the obese and insane brass dragon wyrmling familiar of a powerful wizard (they don't know it was a familiar, though) and having bought a cart and a mule from the inhabitants (they did not know they were the ones who lifted the curse), came upon the city of Kiruna. After leaving their cart and mule at the inn (paid for and all that), the paladin went to pray at the temple of Enix (apparantly a son of Heironeous in our campaign), and the ranger and cleric went to look for some work as bodyguards-for-hire. The ranger got an appointment with a rich lord for the next day whilst the cleric was less succesful and even had a chamber pot emptied on him by a houseservant. After this occurrence, the dwarf went to the fountain in the middle of the square in front of the temple of Enix (Enix Square, pun intended), and then was held up by some city guards, who requested he come with them to explain why he was bathing in the sacred fountain of their god. The dwarf tried to explain the whole thing by telling the whole story about him trying to get a job, but he was still requested to come along. The dwarf did not take too kindly in being handled that way and swung his morningstar at one of the guards. After some rolls, it became apparant he had swung so hard and mightily the guard's lower left arm nearly came off. (You attacked his weakpoint for massive damage!) Needless to say, the dwarf then found himself surrounded by five other guards who disarmed him and took him away off to jail. Later in the day, after the paladin and the ranger had gotten worried about the cleric (on the ranger's part, this was balancing on the edge of metagaming, but they're still learning the finer bits of how to play the game), they went about town and found out he was in jail to probably be executed the next morning. In the evening, the dwarf was up for trial, and the ranger and paladin showed up to speak on his behalf. I decided to be fairly kind, and scratch "harrassment of people by constant doorknocking" (while he was looking for a job) and "washing off poo and urine in the sacred fountain" off the list of bad things he could be punished for. The third crime, "resisting arrest and gravely wounding the city guard captain's younger brother", was not so easily taken care of. Eventually, they decided upon a god's judgment as in the earliest days of the Middle Ages: a duel. Pit a fighter of the defender's choice against one of the court's choice, and the winner of the fight would be in the right. After that, the cleric would still have to pay 30 GP and pray for 8 hours on end in front of the sacred fountain with the statue of Enix on it to gain forgiveness and atone for his sins (and perhaps regain his LG-ness). Now I am fairly sure that the fighter of the cleric's choice (the paladin) will win, because I'll just pit him against an average level 2 Fighter without bonus feats (let's assume he took bow-oriented feats), and the paladin has almost the maximum HP he could get. What I am mainly wondering about, is what to do next. The party needs about 1000 XP to get to third level at current, and I have to say that I wish to have them encounter a lycanthropic Polar Bear sometime before that, because the paladin noted that he becomes immune to lycanthropy at level 3, and werebears are commonly Lawful Good. It'd be a perfect fit, and when I mildly hinted at the idea of a werebear paladin, the player's eyes just lit up brighter than the lamp above our gaming table. I mostly want to continue on with the story in a manner that seems reasonably logical (in accordance with the laws of cause and effect and all that, and not just in the sense of physics if you get my meaning), and also doesn't involve too much outerplanar interference. I suppose they could encounter the lycanthrope in the high and snowy mountains north of their hometown (which lies on the edge of a great mountain range). Could anyone help me with this?
wonlee76 02-06-08, 11:57 AM	What I am mainly wondering about, is what to do next. The party needs about 1000 XP to get to third level at current, and I have to say that I wish to have them encounter a lycanthropic Polar Bear sometime before that, because the paladin noted that he becomes immune to lycanthropy at level 3, and werebears are commonly Lawful Good. It'd be a perfect fit, and when I mildly hinted at the idea of a werebear paladin, the player's eyes just lit up brighter than the lamp above our gaming table. Before hyping up the idea of a werebear paladin, warn your paladin PC of the ECL associated with being a lycanthrope. I believe the ECL of on were-polar bear is around an ECL of 10-12 (Animal HD + 2 for being an afflicted lycanthrope) and he would need to invest a bunch of skill points into Change Shape to have some control over the shifting business. On paper, it sounds awesome, in practice it is a pain in the butt to manage as a DM. Especially a polar bear since that causes a size increase and certain equipment doesn't change with size (unless you got the appropriate magical enhancements of course). I mostly want to continue on with the story in a manner that seems reasonably logical (in accordance with the laws of cause and effect and all that, and not just in the sense of physics if you get my meaning), and also doesn't involve too much outerplanar interference. I suppose they could encounter the lycanthrope in the high and snowy mountains north of their hometown (which lies on the edge of a great mountain range). Could anyone help me with this? Instead of a pit duel as penalty for the dwarf's crime, how about a quest to recover something of value for the church of Enix (which happens to be in that snowy northern mountain region). Church gets the item and in return will heal the wounds caused by the dwarf to the wounded guardsman. Any other treasure is the party's to keep. Toss in a geas spell or similar as "collateral" to make sure the dwarf accomplishes this task.
toucanbuzz 02-06-08, 12:30 PM	Lycanthropy isn't a walk in the park when you contract it as the character is not likely to be able to invest enough points in the skill necessary to control it, so each time he takes damage or sees the full moon, he's no longer in control of his character! Plus, it adds a TREMENDOUS bonus to your character if controlled, enhancing them well beyond the likely power of your other characters. Still, as I mention, your player won't be in control of his character for most of the game and this is the reason I'd really advise against a predetermined curse. {For attempted murder the best the other side comes up with is an inept 2nd level nobody? I'd prescribe a holy quest of atonement rather than the ignomy of beating down Lars the Loser in the arena}
M-bark 02-06-08, 05:31 PM	Well, I was planning on reducing the HD of the Polar Bear lycanthrope (and thus also the HD the paladin will gain) due to it having been killed by locals who feared it and raised repeatedly again by an evil sorcerer or wizard who controlled it. This evil guy could also be the same guy whose wyrmling familiar kept up the curse on one of the towns mentioned in the first post. The quest idea would be good. I suppose that the head of the church could come walking up to the party and request of them that they find an old relic for them or bring one to fellow believers on the other side of the mountain range. After the encounter with the lycanthrope, I plan on some encounters with the dwarf and the ranger alone whilst the paladin stays in bed, feeling sick, so that the others can level up a bit. I'll also probably allow the paladin to buy off the LA. The others might fall a little behind power-wise because of thise, but I'll balance that with a little magic, I suppose. The only magic item they've found so far is one ring of featherfall, so perhaps I'll get the two of them a +1 weapon. In regards to the Shape Control, I think I'll add the paladin's class levels to the check, so that he automatically gets more "experienced" with shapechanging and gets more used to it.
Loftower 02-06-08, 06:16 PM	Send them to a parent church to bring back N gallons of “holy” water to refill the fountain. Have them attacked by the appropriate number of people/creatures who know how much Holy Water is worth on the market. Of course, the water doesn’t have the effects of Holy Water, just the reputation (It’s a false rumor). Maybe include a mission from a rival church that wants this one to remain crippled. They could fling undead at the group in the hopes that they will use the water in self-defense and not have enough left for the fountain. This mission could be lead by your villain in control of the polar bear lycanthrope, if you want to go that route. If I had a polar bear based lycanthrope in my group it would suffer badly in the heat and have a strong weakness for seal fat, changed or not. The paladin could find himself on an ice-flow clubbing adorable baby seals.
M-bark 02-06-08, 06:27 PM	If I had a polar bear based lycanthrope in my group it would suffer badly in the heat and have a strong weakness for seal fat, changed or not. The paladin could find himself on an ice-flow clubbing adorable baby seals. Although I have to say I don't feel much for the Holy Water idea, this one might be a stayer. At least the weakness for heat (perhaps not in human form, but certainly in animal or hybrid form then). The "rival church" might fit as well, considering Enix is the supposed son of Heironeous. The rival church could be dedicated to a child of Hextor, and they also which to obtain whatever relic the party is going to get, or is ordered to bring to the other side of the mountain range.