Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 pukunui Jul 18, 2015 4:26:13	Hi folks,   As you may recall, the PCs in my Scourge of the Sword Coast campaign recently found themselves the prisoners of the duergar. That scenario mostly resolved itself last session. However, during tonight's session of my Hoard of the Dragon Queen, I found myself taking that group prisoner as well!   They were exploring the dragon hatchery caves in Episode 3. I let them have a free short rest (as a sort of "adrenaline surge") between clearing out the kobold barracks and heading down to the shrine to fight Cyanwrath, his berserker buddies, and Mondath, who had fled down the chute when they confronted her in her chambers previously. Three of the PCs fell to the cultists' blows and the last wisely chose to surrender (and was promptly clubbed into unconsciousness).   I then had them wake up in the pit marked 10b on the dragon hatchery map. I modified it a little so there's a wooden scaffolding with a platform attached to the side about 3 ft down from the lip of the ledge (so 7 ft above the floor of the pit). If the PCs had managed to come in here on their own terms, the kobolds in the cave would've been hiding on the platform, so they could see where to lob their grenades. Instead, the kobolds are now standing guard in the upper portion of the cave.   There are three other prisoners in the pit with the PCs. They were from the raiders' camp and were left behind to be fed to the wyrmlings when they hatch. The PCs have been divested of their weapons, spellcasting items, and other adventuring gear, but they haven't been bound and gagged or stripped of their armor. I figured the cultists weren't professional slavers like the duergar are, and they're probably a bit over-confident in their zealotry to boot.   I've let the PCs have a long rest, during which time they were fed a bit of slightly-off meat and some sour wine that the kobolds tossed own. They were also paid a visit by Cyanwrath, who came to gloat and also praise the PCs for putting up such a good fight.   Now, the thing is, the PCs wiped out all the lowly cultists and almost all of the kobolds. All that's left in the cave are Mondath, Cyanwrath, the two berserkers, the kobolds in area 10, and the drakes. I'm not entirely sure what they will all do next. They have no real capacity to get reinforcements, at least not in a timely manner, and the dragons haven't hatched yet, so they're not likely to give up and move out.   What should I have the cultists do? And, perhaps more importantly, what should I have the cultists do with the PCs? If I leave them in the pit, perhaps to be fed to the dragons along with the other prisoners, then when (not if) they try to escape, they'll have to fight their way past Cyanwrath (who's also benefited from a long rest) et al again, this time without weapons or spellcasting tools. I suppose I could make it so Cyanwrath stays behind with the remaining kobolds to guard the eggs while Mondath and the berserkers attempt to escort the PCs somewhere ... that way the PCs could try to escape when they're out in the open, instead of stuck in the very back of the cave network.   What do you guys think? What would you do?
#2 AndrewJO Jul 18, 2015 4:41:38	I think you should let the PCs figure it out. If they come up with a half decent plan, let them succeed. If there plan is "we sneak out", that plan sucks and it deserves to fail. If there plan is "grab the kobolds when they aren't paying attention and beat them to death, then sneakily retrieve our equipment and ambush cyanwrath when he comes to check on us", then they've put some thought into a plan and you should do what you have to do behind the screen to make it work.
#3 pukunui Jul 18, 2015 5:28:04	Yes, of course. I'm not trying to come up with an escape plan for the PCs. I'm more trying to figure out what the NPCs would reasonably be doing at this point so they're not just standing around in stasis, waiting for the PCs to enter whatever room they're in. You know what I mean? The PCs have been captured, but the cultists have taken considerable losses in the process. All the low-level cultists except for that one guy who was in a drunken stupor in the treasure vault (I just remembered that the PCs only tied him up) and all but the four kobolds guarding the dragon eggs are dead. That pretty much leaves just Cyanwrath, Mondath, and the two berserkers. What should they do? With such a depleted force, are they really going to just hang out until the dragons hatch? They could maybe free the drunk guy, sober him up, and send him for reinforcements, but it would undoubtedly take weeks for anyone to show up.   Why might the cultists have taken the PCs prisoner as well? Are they just wanting more food for the dragons, or might they intend to take them to the Well of Dragons to be sacrificed during the summoning ritual?   This is more the sort of stuff that I'm trying to figure out.
#4 AndrewJO Jul 18, 2015 6:12:36	Okay, I got you now. Reinforcements are out of the question, they've all left with the loot. Maybe Cyanwrath is busy dealing with a troglodyte infestation? As for why the PCs were taken prisoner, that's a little tougher. There aren't really any good reasons that I can think of for why the PCs weren't killed. Maybe they were kept for food for the drakes or the roper or the baby dragons. Maybe Cyanwrath respected them as fighters and he hopes to covert them to cultists.
#5 Yunru Jul 18, 2015 10:18:43	Which'd tie in to what Cyanwrarh's doing: giving a villaneous "join me" speech :P The eggs are the priority, above all else. With so few forces they'd be trying to secure the eggs, perhaps moving them to a safer location.
#6 OGRE1984 Jul 18, 2015 11:13:55	they were captured for questioning. why did you come here? who sent you? why were you in greenest? what is your mission? what do you know of Naerytar? [in case they miss the clue in Mondath's chamber.] in my game they got caught in the camp and questioned by rezmir and hazirawn [?]. i used DMG to stat the sword, it has detect thoughts. also there was an assassination attempt against rezmir by old school loyalist of the cult, they failed. i used that opportunity to distract rezmir from the fight and highlight the swords powers. so that fuels the paranoia, the old cult of the dragon, and the harpers are making trouble for the new cult of the dragon.  in my game the cult is making dragon bone weapons and preparing the ritual for creating guard drakes. i removed the troglodytes and roper, added urd sorceror and 2 green dragonborn berserkers! not all dragon eggs hatch, those get used to create guard drakes or other draconic stuff. i have house ruled dragonbone items ignore damage reduction like silver does. dragon hide grants resistance to damage type of the dragon. also gave some potions and scrolls. also gave mondath 1 half of a set of sending stones, rezmir has the other. because they took too long to finish the caves [3rd time in, long rest] the kobolds have set up several more traps as well. numbers are greatly depleted.   also i will have Bahamut aid the party in subtle ways.   a cold breeze suddenly engulfs you.   mass healing word augury inspiration point for everyone
#7 BRJN Jul 18, 2015 15:38:50	The eggs are supposed to be within days of hatching.  Cyanwrath has beat the PCs twice now (well, with a little help) and knows that leaving them in the care of his minions is a bad idea.  So... - Pay a group of hunters to chase after any Cult stragglers for a day or so (bearing orders to return post haste), then resume their normal routine. - He offers the PCs a place in the Cult, similar to a mercenary group.  As a Wearer of Purlple, he has the authority to do this. - He can offer to hire the PCs to guard the cavern for a week or so.  The verbal-only "contract" will expire when the Cultists leave the cavern. - He assumes such powerful and determined adventurers will likely turn down the offer, but honor and practicality urge him to make it. - He also assumes the PCs will not honorably carry out the contract, should they agree.  They probably will flee the area, methinks, and pick up any friends lurking about, then bust in again. - He actually plans to solo-duel the PCs one-by-one (not in front of each other) and move the carcasses to the freezer. - Meantime, he personally will guard the PCs.  They are the biggest threat to his mission. - Come to think of it, he ought to pay the hunters a little extra to also keep their eyes open and report what they see, when they deliver meat. - Cyanwrath has to sleep some time; right now, have his bodyguards rebuild that pit so the PCs can't get out when the bodyguards are guarding the PCs. - Mondath might have something useful, a spell or equipment, or a rabbit under her hat, that would help and he can repay her soonest thereafter. - Plan that when the eggs hatch, whoever is left departs as soon as the wyrmlings are mobile. - Invent a wagon or two the rearguard can use to move their stuff - maybe including the wyrmlings. - Make sure the wyrmlings imprint on HIM as their caring parent.   When my Tiamat group did this scenario (I had not joined yet), the group got trapped in a back corner, and the previous DM had Drizzt make an appearance to bust them out.  I'd want to avoid such a deus ex machina, in your shoes.
#8 pukunui Jul 18, 2015 17:39:43	Thanks everyone. Yes, I think it makes sense that Mondath and Cyanwrath would want to question the PCs, if for no other reason that to find out how much they know. That's why Rezmir captured Leosin rather than just killing him, after all.   Sending a hunter or two riding after some of the departed cultists makes sense. They're only a day or so out from the camp, so it should only take a few days to get some reinforcements that way. In the meantime, I think it would make the most sense for Cyanwrath to send his berserker buddies to guard the cave entrance. When Mondath finds the drunk cultist, she might punish him by getting to do various menial tasks. Or maybe they commandeer one of the hunters' horses and send him after the others? And then the four surviving kobolds get put to work doing all the menial tasks that need doing, while Cyanwrath guards the prisoners himself. [This has the added bonus of spreading the NPCs out a bit so the PCs don't have to fight them all at once again.]   As for the interrogation, perhaps Cyanwrath has all the prisoners hauled up out of the pit, then he chooses one of the captured villagers and lets the roper wrap a tendril around it. As he questions the PCs, if they give him an answer he doesn't like, he gestures to the roper and it reels the villager a little closer. If the PCs don't cooperate with Cyanwrath, the villager will eventually get eaten by the roper. If they still refuse to cooperate, he'll start in on the next villager ...   If the PCs tell him everything he wants to know, he'll then offer them the chance to change sides. This might be a good opportunity for me to drop a hint about Talis. One of the PCs has the "Talis was a childhood friend" bond, and it's a bit disappointing that there are no clues about Talis' whereabouts in this part of the adventure. I haven't decided yet if she really was kidnapped and ended up joining the cult or whether she willingly joined from the outset ... but if I plant a seed that some prisoners of the cult have joined up rather than be sacrificed or whatever, that might lead to the players wondering, when they eventually do meet Talis, if that's what happened to her.   OGRE1984 wrote:
(Reply to #8) OGRE1984	pukunui wrote: