HotDQ Episode 4 Questions - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Dyndrilliac Nov 18, 2014 20:26:28	At the beginning of Episode 4, the following passage is encountered: He tells them that before Leosin Erlanthar left town, he bought horses and riding gear for the characters to speed their journey to Elturel. The horses are being kept at the dealer's stable until the characters are ready to leave for Elturel; all their costs are paid for. On horseback, characters can travel the 200 miles from Greenest to Elturel in about six days. They make the journey without incident unless you throw an encounter or two at them to spice up the trip or increase their XP totals. Encounters with bandits, humanoid clans, and roving monsters are appropriate in the untamed expanse of the Greenfields.
#2 Clutchbone Nov 19, 2014 13:00:19	"All their costs are paid for" to me means just that. 6 days feed included. Bandits may steal their horses during the journey though, if you feel like getting nasty. Baldur's Gate is one of the most famous cities in Faerun. If the player (or any others) are from the area give them an easy DC Intelligence check to know that horses aren't allowed, or medium DC if they are all foreigners. The fluff doesn't say it's unrealistic to travel around, merely inconvenient. Maybe another few days or weeks travel? For a merchant (timely deliveries, paying for supplies and days' wages for workers & mercenaries, etc) that would be very inconvenient indeed, but less so for an adventuring party without a deadline. Exceptions to the no-horse rule might exist though for special circumstances or VIPs, with prior approval from the proper authorities, but be prepared for grumpy locals and road rage. My first idea was to use Tenser's Floating Disk to transport a horse, but it is too small. Maybe homebrew a Tenser's Floating Platform that is 5ftx10ft and lasts 8hours, and the spell is a trade secret of the Porter's Guild in Baldur's Gate? I'd charge 75 gold for the service, although it's up to the customer to sedate the horse (scroll of Sleep).
#3 Theros Nov 20, 2014 7:43:36	I solved the horse problem by creating a tunnel that the "wranglers guild" uses to move animals. I charged the PC's 10 gp per horse to transport them to the north where they picked them up the next day. As for the mounted combat fighter I would give him the free mount and have the Governor mention that Elturel is known for breeding fine horses. Let him get geared up then on his own dime. He can always keep the free riding horse as a spare in case his warmount get's killed in combat. I wouldn't sweat the small stuff man, keep the game flowing.
#4 BRJN Nov 20, 2014 8:27:32	If the PCs ask, mention the swift-flowing river down in a gulley that cannot be forded and this feature extends inland for many miles. The solid bridges are both inside City Limits. No countryside bridges have been built over it ... reasons having to do with the Teamsters Union in town and the Thieves Guild outside town ... but you can go a day's (or two) travel back, cross the river THERE, and return to town way late for what they want to accomplish. Yeah, somebody SHOULD have pointed all that out to us beforehand, but now we know and next time we'll plan our route better.
#5 Theros Nov 20, 2014 8:39:21	BRJN wrote:
#6 Kalani Nov 20, 2014 10:44:46	The way I handled this was to have a second hand mount exchange which operated at both gates. Travellers to the city could exchange their mounts and related gear for a writ that would provide them with second hand mounts and gear (in good, yet servicable condition) at the opposite gate for a small fee. I considered establishing a black market in falsified writs, and a criminal underground which stole and resold writs but later discounted that idea on the grounds that the party was not spending any length of time in Balders Gate itself.
#7 Timborama Nov 20, 2014 11:34:57	What I would do in that situation is have people at the gates specializing in trades. You trade in your horses, and they will give you a ticket. The ticket gets you horses once you get to the OTHER gate (where they do a similar thing), horses of a similar breed, size, and shape. Heck, on the way back, you might get your same horse! But since no one is likely going to name their horse and become all buddy-buddy, that's what a service like this is for! There is, of course, a 2g (or whatever) processing fee... Consider it how any business would thrive in that city. A business like that SHOULD exist (see how traders are literally willing to just sell their goods at the gate) and likely someone has cornered the market. I mean, I live on a peninsula, and there's literally a business that will drive your car from one end of the Chesapeake Bay bridge to the other so you don't have to, because some people have such a crippling fear of driving over bridges...
#8 Kalani Nov 20, 2014 16:15:31	@Timborama: lol, I just said the same identical thing in the post directly above you (different words, but same solution).
(Reply to #8) Timborama	Kalani wrote:

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Dyndrilliac

Nov 18, 2014 20:26:28

At the beginning of Episode 4, the following passage is encountered:

He tells them that before Leosin Erlanthar left town, he bought horses and riding gear for the characters to speed their journey to Elturel. The horses are being kept at the dealer's stable until the characters are ready to leave for Elturel; all their costs are paid for.
On horseback, characters can travel the 200 miles from Greenest to Elturel in about six days. They make the journey without incident unless you throw an encounter or two at them to spice up the trip or increase their XP totals. Encounters with bandits, humanoid clans, and roving monsters are appropriate in the untamed expanse of the Greenfields.

Clutchbone

Nov 19, 2014 13:00:19

"All their costs are paid for" to me means just that. 6 days feed included. Bandits may steal their horses during the journey though, if you feel like getting nasty.

Baldur's Gate is one of the most famous cities in Faerun. If the player (or any others) are from the area give them an easy DC Intelligence check to know that horses aren't allowed, or medium DC if they are all foreigners.

The fluff doesn't say it's unrealistic to travel around, merely inconvenient. Maybe another few days or weeks travel? For a merchant (timely deliveries, paying for supplies and days' wages for workers & mercenaries, etc) that would be very inconvenient indeed, but less so for an adventuring party without a deadline.

Exceptions to the no-horse rule might exist though for special circumstances or VIPs, with prior approval from the proper authorities, but be prepared for grumpy locals and road rage.

My first idea was to use Tenser's Floating Disk to transport a horse, but it is too small. Maybe homebrew a Tenser's Floating Platform that is 5ftx10ft and lasts 8hours, and the spell is a trade secret of the Porter's Guild in Baldur's Gate? I'd charge 75 gold for the service, although it's up to the customer to sedate the horse (scroll of Sleep).

Theros

Nov 20, 2014 7:43:36

I solved the horse problem by creating a tunnel that the "wranglers guild" uses to move animals.

I charged the PC's 10 gp per horse to transport them to the north where they picked them up the next day.

As for the mounted combat fighter I would give him the free mount and have the Governor mention that Elturel is known for breeding fine horses. Let him get geared up then on his own dime. He can always keep the free riding horse as a spare in case his warmount get's killed in combat. I wouldn't sweat the small stuff man, keep the game flowing.

BRJN

Nov 20, 2014 8:27:32

If the PCs ask, mention the swift-flowing river down in a gulley that cannot be forded and this feature extends inland for many miles. The solid bridges are both inside City Limits. No countryside bridges have been built over it ... reasons having to do with the Teamsters Union in town and the Thieves Guild outside town ... but you can go a day's (or two) travel back, cross the river THERE, and return to town way late for what they want to accomplish.

Yeah, somebody SHOULD have pointed all that out to us beforehand, but now we know and next time we'll plan our route better.

Theros

Nov 20, 2014 8:39:21

BRJN wrote:

Kalani

Nov 20, 2014 10:44:46

The way I handled this was to have a second hand mount exchange which operated at both gates. Travellers to the city could exchange their mounts and related gear for a writ that would provide them with second hand mounts and gear (in good, yet servicable condition) at the opposite gate for a small fee.

I considered establishing a black market in falsified writs, and a criminal underground which stole and resold writs but later discounted that idea on the grounds that the party was not spending any length of time in Balders Gate itself.

Timborama

Nov 20, 2014 11:34:57

What I would do in that situation is have people at the gates specializing in trades. You trade in your horses, and they will give you a ticket. The ticket gets you horses once you get to the OTHER gate (where they do a similar thing), horses of a similar breed, size, and shape. Heck, on the way back, you might get your same horse! But since no one is likely going to name their horse and become all buddy-buddy, that's what a service like this is for! There is, of course, a 2g (or whatever) processing fee...

Consider it how any business would thrive in that city. A business like that SHOULD exist (see how traders are literally willing to just sell their goods at the gate) and likely someone has cornered the market. I mean, I live on a peninsula, and there's literally a business that will drive your car from one end of the Chesapeake Bay bridge to the other so you don't have to, because some people have such a crippling fear of driving over bridges...

Kalani

Nov 20, 2014 16:15:31

@Timborama: lol, I just said the same identical thing in the post directly above you (different words, but same solution).

(Reply to #8)

Timborama

Kalani wrote: