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Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 pukunui Oct 15, 2014 13:24:41	Hi guys, I've got another session of my Legacy of the Crystal Shard campaign coming up tomorrow, and I'm looking for some other DMs' thoughts on how to run a particular scene. The PCs will, along with fourteen NPC warriors, have to scale a glacial moraine while enemy warriors heave boulders and fire arrows down at them. Unfortunately, the module doesn't clearly state how high the moraine is, but looking at the map provided, I'd say it's roughly 100 ft from bottom to top, with a slope of more or less 45 degrees. I don't think I will require climb checks for that, but since it's basically a big pile of rocks, it will count as difficult terrain, so the PCs would be looking at around 7 rounds to get to the top, or 4 rounds if they also take the Dash action each turn. What with all the NPCs on both sides, I'm thinking it might be most practical to run this as some sort of skill challenge (although I've never been very good at pulling those off). That is to say, rather than roll individual attack rolls for all the boulders and arrows, it might be easier just to have the PCs and their NPC allies make saving throws to avoid them as if they were a hazard. Perhaps a failure by less than 5 means you've not made any progress for that round, whereas a failure by 5 or more means you've not only made no progress but you've also been hit and take damage. I could roll once for the NPC allies as a group and each time they fail, they could lose one NPC. As for the attackers, the module doesn't state how many there are, so if the PCs want to fire back at them, I'm not sure what sort of effect that ought to have. Perhaps in order to do anything other than climb the slope in a given round, a PC has to forfeit making any progress. So you can make an attack against the enemies, but if you do, you don't make it any higher up the slope. Those are just my initial thoughts. I'm not wedded to any of them. How would you guys run this scene so that it is a) easy to manage and b) exciting to play? Thanks in advance. Regards, Jonathan
#2 Nevvur Oct 15, 2014 14:27:55	I don't know the module, but my thoughts... What with all the NPCs on both sides, I'm thinking it might be most practical to run this as some sort of skill challenge (although I've never been very good at pulling those off). That is to say, rather than roll individual attack rolls for all the boulders and arrows, it might be easier just to have the PCs and their NPC allies make saving throws to avoid them as if they were a hazard.
#3 pukunui Oct 15, 2014 14:38:39	There is a bit of a battle at the top. The module just has the PCs fighting a group of enemy warriors led by their warchief, while the NPC allies are said to be dealing with other enemy warriors in the background.
#4 iserith Oct 15, 2014 15:02:40	pukunui wrote:
#5 pukunui Oct 15, 2014 15:17:58	iserith wrote:
#6 Ansbach Oct 15, 2014 15:26:53	I'm not familiar with the module either, but a combat like that sounds like it would take way too long for my tastes, so I would shorten the whole scene. Instead of running it round-by-round, I would run it in a cinematic, narrative fashion and stop the action in a couple of key places to allow the players to make an important choice or two along the way. For example maybe one way is more direct than another, but would be a tougher fight - so one sacrifices time, the other men. Assuming time matters - you didn't mention why they are trying to get up there in the first place.
#7 pukunui Oct 15, 2014 15:37:02	Ansbach wrote:
#8 Ansbach Oct 15, 2014 15:48:12	OK, so that works with my example then. The main thing to keep in mind when presenting a tough choice is to have (and show) real consequences. So to flesh out my example a little more - about half way up they can choose between a direct and indirect route. If they take the direct route they make it to the top before the prisoners start getting sacrificed, but they have fewer allies for the fight at the top and it is therefore tougher. If they take the indirect route they lose fewer men so the fight at the top is easier, but the sacrifices have already started and they have lost a prisoner or two.
#9 pukunui Oct 15, 2014 16:06:17	While that certainly would be easy to adjudicate, I'm not sure it would be all that exciting. Since you're not familiar with the module, here's how this section of the adventure breaks down: The Bear Tribe has raided the Elk Tribe and captured some of its members to use as sacrifices to the Frostmaiden (FR's evil goddess of winter). The PCs arrive in the Elk Tribe camp as it is preparing to send a rescue party, so they join in and off they go to Evermelt (a hot spring at the top of the moraine at the edge of the Reghed Glacier). If they approach by day, the Bear Tribe's scouts will see them, and climbing the moraine will be rather challenging, what with the boulders and arrows. Once they get to the top, all the warriors in the Bear Tribe camp by the hot spring will rush to defend the camp. The PCs only need to fight the leader and his immediate bodyguards, while the Elk Tribe NPCs handle the rest. Assuming they are successful, the only sign of the prisoners is a pile of their clothing. The prisoners, as it happens, have been dragged through a water-logged tunnel in the glacier that leads to a cave. There they have been lashed to ice stalagmites to die of exposure (the Frostmaiden's preferred method of human sacrifice). They are guarded by the Bear Tribe's shaman and his crazy knife-wielding female assistants. One of the prisoners, however, has been led into the adjoining cave to meet with a simulacrum of the adventure's main antagonist, the Ice Witch (who is the Frostmaiden's Chosen). If the PCs make it this far, the Ice Witch gets mad and channels her goddess' power to animate the frozen bones of the ancient white dragon, Icingdeath (made famous in The Crystal Shard), whose lair this cavern once was. If the PCs defeat the simulacrum, Icingdeath's bones collapse, and the PCs have scored a major victory against the Ice Witch, preventing her from mounting a big attack on the inhabitants of Icewind Dale. If they fail, the Ice Witch leads the skeletal dragon and a host of wild animals, Bear Tribe warriors, and monsters (orcs, yetis, etc) in an assault on Ten Towns.
#10 Ansbach Oct 15, 2014 16:33:34	pukunui wrote:
#11 pukunui Oct 15, 2014 16:35:35	Ansbach wrote:

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

pukunui

Oct 15, 2014 13:24:41

Hi guys,

I've got another session of my Legacy of the Crystal Shard campaign coming up tomorrow, and I'm looking for some other DMs' thoughts on how to run a particular scene.

The PCs will, along with fourteen NPC warriors, have to scale a glacial moraine while enemy warriors heave boulders and fire arrows down at them. Unfortunately, the module doesn't clearly state how high the moraine is, but looking at the map provided, I'd say it's roughly 100 ft from bottom to top, with a slope of more or less 45 degrees.

I don't think I will require climb checks for that, but since it's basically a big pile of rocks, it will count as difficult terrain, so the PCs would be looking at around 7 rounds to get to the top, or 4 rounds if they also take the Dash action each turn.

What with all the NPCs on both sides, I'm thinking it might be most practical to run this as some sort of skill challenge (although I've never been very good at pulling those off). That is to say, rather than roll individual attack rolls for all the boulders and arrows, it might be easier just to have the PCs and their NPC allies make saving throws to avoid them as if they were a hazard.

Perhaps a failure by less than 5 means you've not made any progress for that round, whereas a failure by 5 or more means you've not only made no progress but you've also been hit and take damage. I could roll once for the NPC allies as a group and each time they fail, they could lose one NPC.

As for the attackers, the module doesn't state how many there are, so if the PCs want to fire back at them, I'm not sure what sort of effect that ought to have. Perhaps in order to do anything other than climb the slope in a given round, a PC has to forfeit making any progress. So you can make an attack against the enemies, but if you do, you don't make it any higher up the slope.

Those are just my initial thoughts. I'm not wedded to any of them. How would you guys run this scene so that it is a) easy to manage and b) exciting to play?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Jonathan

Nevvur

Oct 15, 2014 14:27:55

I don't know the module, but my thoughts...

What with all the NPCs on both sides, I'm thinking it might be most practical to run this as some sort of skill challenge (although I've never been very good at pulling those off). That is to say, rather than roll individual attack rolls for all the boulders and arrows, it might be easier just to have the PCs and their NPC allies make saving throws to avoid them as if they were a hazard.

pukunui

Oct 15, 2014 14:38:39

There is a bit of a battle at the top. The module just has the PCs fighting a group of enemy warriors led by their warchief, while the NPC allies are said to be dealing with other enemy warriors in the background.

iserith

Oct 15, 2014 15:02:40

pukunui wrote:

pukunui

Oct 15, 2014 15:17:58

iserith wrote:

Ansbach

Oct 15, 2014 15:26:53

I'm not familiar with the module either, but a combat like that sounds like it would take *way* too long for my tastes, so I would shorten the whole scene. Instead of running it round-by-round, I would run it in a cinematic, narrative fashion and stop the action in a couple of key places to allow the players to make an important choice or two along the way. For example maybe one way is more direct than another, but would be a tougher fight - so one sacrifices time, the other men. Assuming time matters - you didn't mention why they are trying to get up there in the first place.

pukunui

Oct 15, 2014 15:37:02

Ansbach wrote:

Ansbach

Oct 15, 2014 15:48:12

OK, so that works with my example then. The main thing to keep in mind when presenting a tough choice is to have (and show) real consequences. So to flesh out my example a little more - about half way up they can choose between a direct and indirect route. If they take the direct route they make it to the top before the prisoners start getting sacrificed, but they have fewer allies for the fight at the top and it is therefore tougher. If they take the indirect route they lose fewer men so the fight at the top is easier, but the sacrifices have already started and they have lost a prisoner or two.

pukunui

Oct 15, 2014 16:06:17

While that certainly would be easy to adjudicate, I'm not sure it would be all that exciting.

Since you're not familiar with the module, here's how this section of the adventure breaks down:

The Bear Tribe has raided the Elk Tribe and captured some of its members to use as sacrifices to the Frostmaiden (FR's evil goddess of winter). The PCs arrive in the Elk Tribe camp as it is preparing to send a rescue party, so they join in and off they go to Evermelt (a hot spring at the top of the moraine at the edge of the Reghed Glacier).

If they approach by day, the Bear Tribe's scouts will see them, and climbing the moraine will be rather challenging, what with the boulders and arrows. Once they get to the top, all the warriors in the Bear Tribe camp by the hot spring will rush to defend the camp. The PCs only need to fight the leader and his immediate bodyguards, while the Elk Tribe NPCs handle the rest. Assuming they are successful, the only sign of the prisoners is a pile of their clothing.

The prisoners, as it happens, have been dragged through a water-logged tunnel in the glacier that leads to a cave. There they have been lashed to ice stalagmites to die of exposure (the Frostmaiden's preferred method of human sacrifice). They are guarded by the Bear Tribe's shaman and his crazy knife-wielding female assistants.

One of the prisoners, however, has been led into the adjoining cave to meet with a simulacrum of the adventure's main antagonist, the Ice Witch (who is the Frostmaiden's Chosen). If the PCs make it this far, the Ice Witch gets mad and channels her goddess' power to animate the frozen bones of the ancient white dragon, Icingdeath (made famous in The Crystal Shard), whose lair this cavern once was. If the PCs defeat the simulacrum, Icingdeath's bones collapse, and the PCs have scored a major victory against the Ice Witch, preventing her from mounting a big attack on the inhabitants of Icewind Dale. If they fail, the Ice Witch leads the skeletal dragon and a host of wild animals, Bear Tribe warriors, and monsters (orcs, yetis, etc) in an assault on Ten Towns.

#10

Ansbach

Oct 15, 2014 16:33:34

pukunui wrote:

#11

pukunui

Oct 15, 2014 16:35:35

Ansbach wrote: