Running 'The Mark of Prophecy' - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 endless_spiral Feb 15, 2010 15:16:00	Hello All, I am soon to begin running an Eberron campaign and I'm planning on starting out with the introductory adventure in the ECG, 'The Mark of Prophecy'. I was just wondering if anyone has run it has any advice or tips. In particular, I was looking at the encounter with the Mourning Haunt and it looks really tough. It has an aura that gives it total concealment from ranged attacks and it has an immediate interrupt counterattack versus melee attacks that can teleport it away before the attack is resolved. It seems like it would be almost impossible (or at least difficult to the point of frustration) to hurt it and it has a lot of hit points (it is a solo monster). Anyway, if anyone that has run this encounter has a perspective on it, that would be helpful. Was it too tough, or is it a tough but doable fight? Should I consider tweaking the monster to make it less powerful (even making the 'Reactive Swipe' a reaction as opposed to an interrupt would level the field considerably)? Thanks for any input on this encounter, and if you have any other advice or comments on running this adventure, please share!
#2 grandpa Feb 15, 2010 19:39:51	I've run that adventure, and you are right in saying that the Haunt looks like a pain to run. It is, it really is. The only reason my group handled it decently enough was because I often forgot to even have it use the Swipe. The concealment is also a major pain. I'd recomend replacing the Haunt with an entirely different Lvl. 3 Solo monster, and just present the monster as a Mourning Haunt. That's what I'd do if I had to run it again, at least. Also, a number of people have complained that Aric Blacktree is a pretty flavorless villain, which I think is true. At least, there isn't much in the adventure to give him motivation or personality. Granted, the text does recomend slapping your own motivation onto Aric's actions, which is imperative if the adventure is to make any sense. Finally, for the second portion of the adventure, one of the adventure hooks mentions a "Professor Gydd Nephret" as being male. In the Seekers of the Ashen Crown 4e Eberron module, Gydd Nephret is a female half-elf who works at Morgrave. If you happen to run SotAC, keep that inconsistency in mind. All in all, however, this actually is a pretty fun module. There are a few skill challenges sprinkled in, and most of the encounters are fun. Good luck!
#3 Siberys Feb 15, 2010 21:01:51	I'll be running the skill challenge here soon. Any tips on it? It looks pointless and dull... Failure doesn't result in anything but some poorly-laid-out fights? The lack of special maps for each of these hurts too, IMO. Any suggestions for something to replace it? Pure RPing, plus a combat or two?
#4 endless_spiral Feb 16, 2010 13:50:20	Thanks for the reply Grandpa. I think I might just make the Haunt's Reactive Swipe a recharge 5-6 power instead of an at-will. I like the Mourning Haunt, I think it's a cool monster, and I like the idea of it having a power that lets it dissolve into mist when attacked and coalesce a few yards away, I just don't think it would be very fun if it did that every time. If it could only do that about once every three rounds or so...that might be more workable. Also, after reading the fine print, I realized concealment only hinders ranged and melee attacks; close and area attacks take no penalty. I think I'll be looking at a four-player group, so I was thinking about throwing an NPC ally into the mix among the bystanders to keep the fight even without having to tweak the math of the monster. Maybe a Sorcerous type with lots of close and/or area attack powers, just in case... Siberys, are you running the whole adventure or just the 'Hunting the Mastermind' skill challenge? If you actually have the ECG then there is a poster map in the back with a sort of generic Sharn 'Street Scene' that would be a great place to set up the improvised fights. Also, if you're playing through the adventure, then failure in the skill challenge also results in a harder encounter when the players get to where they're going at the end of the skill challenge. If you're pulling the challenge out of context though and using it elsewhere, you'll have to come up with interesting consequences for failure based on the context in which you're using the skill challenge. Hope that helps!
#5 ryntak4536 Feb 19, 2010 16:51:49	I've just completed this particular module. I found: a) My group was very disappointed with having 4 years of time pass and they gained no levels in between. "So, we just sat around for 4 years, not fighting or anything? No adventuring? Doing what - gaining beer belly's?" b) The mourning haunt was HARD. I finally had to drop the aura. c) I started right about there to incorporate the Seekers of the Ashen crown into it: My PC's started to interrogate the surviving members of the pary, who happened to be Capt Kalaes, Professor Gydd Nephrytt, and Lady Dannae Ulyidan. The Lady was the one to point the PC's towards the trail that the haunt followed. I also placed some burnt notes of Aric's in the fireplace downstairs at the place where he was building the eldritch machine. These notes tied him to the Emerald Claw, where he was hoping to join up with them, and some were correspondence between him and Demise (PC's still don't know relation between Demise and Dannae). The last note was a sketch on the eldritch machine. d) Aric dropped to a bridge at the end of their fight, but when they went down to him, they only found members of the Watch investigating where he'd landed. He wasn't there. I'm planning on having him return during Ashen Crown as a Vampire Lord for the Emerald Claw, working with Demise and friends.....
#6 SpacyRicochet Feb 21, 2010 5:38:11	I ran the Mark of Prophecy and it ran near perfectly. Just to consider some of the points mentioned above: The Mourning Haunt isn't too hard. I did use nearly all his powers to full effect, but you should consider that players can anticipate his behaviour. The Haunt itself is not smart, so it will not wait for the daily to use his interrupt. Give him a basic attack, it interrupts, then attack him with encounters/dailies and whatnot. My players picked up on that. They did sweat a bit, but it wasn't a problem. Players spending some time going about their normal routine shouldn't gain levels. The whole point of adventuring that it is outside of their normal routine. That said, they should have a bit more imagination and roleplay in their four years of doing other stuff. I liked the module and it gave me quite a proper taste of Eberron as a setting. Now to see if my party is going to survive the Cogs :P
#7 Plaguescarred1 Feb 21, 2010 23:09:47	**SPOILERS**** I ran Mark of the Prophecy and it went smooth for a jump start. I changed an NPC's sex and made arrangements so it could fit better to follow with Seeker of the Ashen Crown Adventure. I didn't use the advancing Timeline. The PC did start on the 26 of Therendor 998 YK in early spring in Vathirond in the Kingdom of Breland. They were working for House Deneith Blademark Guild. They had to rescue Lord Major Bren ir`Gadden, a Brelish officer and nobleman that had been kidnapped on the road with his acolyte Aric Blacktree and were being held captives by some monsters in a ruined tower on the hillside at the border between Breland and old Cyre now the Mournland a land of devastation, also known as the Tower of Scars. Their job was to rescue them and escort them to safety. After such a desperate help, the Lord Major should be more inclined to negociate intelligence with one of the Deneith informant that wouldl eventually meet him at a later time. They took the Saerun road to the west and reach the tower where they fought Dolgrims, Krutiks and Melorra and her Zombi horde with the help of some Emerald Claw agents. There they found a mysterious of the Draconic Prophecy... For their next assignation, they had to travel to Sharn. The job was one of protection, to defend Darika ir’Tain, a rich noblewoman attending a public ceremony in rememberance of the day of mourning, where Cyre was destroyed. They would pose an enforcer party for the Defender's Guild she contracted. But their true visit to the city of Towers was to get a contract in the Cogs and take care of an invasion of Kruthiks in the lower district. They had be refered to this job by Darika ir’Tain in order to access the Tain Foundry, owned by her family and find where the Kruthiks holed up. Molric Toranol, a Dwarf foreman in the Tain Foundry was the one giving out the job. He was to give them further details about the job, including their payment of 100 gp if they’d get the contract. But unknown to them, is that they were sent to recover a piece of an ancient Artifact of Goblin make rumored to lie in a recently breached Tomb. They would find that out later when the House Deneith informs them more.... So they rested a bit and took the train and travelled to Sharn. There they met with Lady Darika ir'Tain and her Skycoach driver Arol. She told them she might be attacked that they received menace from ex-employees from the Foundry after being mistreated and terminated by the foreman. That if there was anything, she had to be taken to the coach and return to her Manor quickly out of danger and that she wanted them to pursue and uncover any of the assassins identity. She would then reports to the town authority to conduct arrestations. But it was a Haunt that attacked. A Creature summoned as it turned out. The Haunt was a cool encounter overall. I used a specially prepared 5x5 piece of paper i had coloured in grey. It did use Stealth to Hide and the PC also didn't really know what it was, until it got bloodied and the white-furred ape shape could be seen. It helped when they had to pick a square to attack it but finally figured something was in the center of the Fog. Then i used a Carnivorious ape miniature figurine removing the grey paper when it got Bloodied. I used Gnashng Jaws, Haunting Fog and then Whirwind Frenzy when Bloodied. ALso i used Reactive Swipe every Round i could, Teleporting up on the Balcony edge everytime. It frustrated my players a bit. Also, having Phasing and being able to pass through solid object, it went in the room passing through the wall. It got hit later and Teleported outside by the door still open, later Round, Up the Balcony again. A real Lurker. Darika was brought quickly to safety and took off. Then they followed their leads after one another to eventually reach the base of Dalannan Tower in the Center Bridge district of the Lower Menthis Plateau which was holding the Morgrave University at it’s top. They eventually uncovered the Eldritch Machine and defeated it’s occupants. On top, Darika’s Sky Coach was waiting for them Arol having seen them entering the tower’s base, to bring them to the Lady’s Manor for questioning them about the recent and somewhat bizarre attack during the ceremony. On their way back to the Manor, they were attacked by the now half-mad Aric Blacktree and a bunch of Goblins on flying Soarsleds. A swift and spectacular battle in Sharn’s sky errupted. They finally defeated him and when they investigated his corpse down in the streets of Sharn, they found out he was bearring an Aberrant Mark related to the recently discovered piece of Draconic Prophecy. After, they went back to Lady Darika ir’Tain and managed to convinced her that Aric was after her and had planned to kill her in a terrorist attempt to blow up the whole Plateau and the Morgrave University, even though he was after the PC in reality, this in order to obtain the contract in the Cog they subtly brought up as good mercenary in for more work. She finally accepted and authorized them in their Foundry to search for the Infestation nest. When they adventured under the Cog's Foundry, they eventually stumbled on an ancient Goblin Warlord’s tomb after dealing with the Krutiks diggins and found great many Undeads and a piece of an ancient Artifact in there, Ashurta’s Blade and there began Seeker of the Ashen Crown adventure.....
#8 Madfox11 Feb 22, 2010 3:47:27	a) My group was very disappointed with having 4 years of time pass and they gained no levels in between. "So, we just sat around for 4 years, not fighting or anything? No adventuring? Doing what - gaining beer belly's?" You gain xp for facing significant challenges. It is rather easy to say that in those 4 years nothing significant happened. Personally I find the whole idea of reaching epic levels in 1 year more difficult to accept than the fact that there is no big adventure in 4 years. Personally I am looking at a bit of a break gaming time wise by asking my players to tell me what kind of stuff they have been doing in that time. Granted, the PCs in my campaign will be level 10 by that time so they can actually think of adventures involving level 1 to 4 threats. I will see how things go...
#9 meshon Feb 23, 2010 12:03:24	Our group started an Eberron campaign with this adventure. It is really important to throw in all those extra details that make Eberron so much fun. I gave each character a different reason for being at the tower, the battles were a good introduction to combat, and I think the players really felt some awe at the terrible destruction that they witnessed as Cyre burned below them. Here's my set-up notes if you want to read them, they're a bit long. The sections in red were tailored to specific characters, so each character only got to hear his or her portion of the set-up. Show Characters and Quests Kalashtar Artificer: The Quori Soul Half-elf Bard: Finding the Captive Warforged Fighter: Spear of Legend Goliath Warden: Scouting the Tower Changeling Warlock: Against the Emerald Claw Gnome Wizard: Investigating the Prophecy Two weeks ago the soldiers of Ironfist Company broke through the Cyran line south of Kennrun in a midnight raid and sped east. Barely resting they marched, reaching camp Cragwatch three days later. They took the outpost totally unawares and occupied it. They fought the next day against Cyran forces from the Kennrun garrison to the west that pursued them, but as rumours of the approaching 12th Sharn Guards regiment reached Kennrun, those forces retreated to defend their city. Now Ironfist Company faced Cyran reinforcements from the east who sought to come to the aid of their embattled city. For two days they held off the Cyran forces until the Brelish regiment overran Kennrun. Of the five platoons of Ironfist company, only two remained, and those were both at less than half strength. Just forty soldiers under lieutenant Korvina formed the welcome to the Guards when the Cyrans were forced to retreat. Now Cragwatch has swelled with the influx of Brelish soldiers and Thranish allies preparing for a massive assault on the Cyran border along the Saerun Road. Far below to the east Cyran forces are gathering to defend their country from the armies on their doorstep. I gave each character a brief reason to be at the camp and tower: Artificer: The last time you were in the company of another Kalashtar, he told you of a place near the Cyran border called the Tower of Scars. He was in battle as part of the Cyran army near there not long ago and swears something called to his Quori soul as he passed near the tower. The tide of battle turned and prevented him from ever investigating further. As a Cannith tinker you can find welcome with any military force and so you have traveled here to find the tower. You have been listening for rumours of the place and are quite certain it lies not far away, further up in the mountains. Warden: Following the promised challenge of great battles to come, you have found easy employ as a mercenary with the Brelish forces. Of all the nations, Breland is the most welcoming of outsiders like you. But lately your dreams have been troubled. Something is amiss in the very stones and air in this place. Something terrible is coming. Warlock: The money is good. At least there's that. You have easily found work even amongst the theocratic Thranes. WIth your particular skills you are adept at uncovering hidden enemies and dealing with them. Enemies like the Emerald Claw. You still don't know what the Emerald Claw really wants; to the Karrns they were heroes, until their flagrant disregard for tradition and proper command lost them favour. Now they lurk in the shadows, occasionally emerging to wreck havoc wherever they appear. To the Thranes the Claw is a bitter enemy and you have accompanied the Thranish forces as a guard against their sinister agents. Wizard: Somewhere nearby is the Tower of Scars, and your house seems to think there might be something worth finding there – nothing less than a piece of the draconic prophecy. However, this is wartime, and, being pragmatic, you have been trying to persuade lieutenant Korvina that she should send a team to investigate. A team that includes you, of course. Bard: Major Bren ir'Gadden enjoys influence far greater than his rank might suggest. He knows everything worth knowing about Brelish operations in the area, and a good deal about the Cyrans as well. All this makes his disappearance two days ago particularly disturbing to the Brelish command. Since news of his disappearance might hurt morale, you have kept the knowledge secret, speaking about it only with the local camp's commanding officer. In speaking with the soldiers, who quickly warm up to your poems and stirring songs, you have gathered information on the area and what has been happening recently. It seems likely that a ruined tower not far away might be a good place to begin your investigations into ir'Gadden's vanishing act. Fighter: You are one of the few. When other soldiers died breaking through the line at Kerrun you lived. When your comrades were laid low assaulting Camp Cragwatch, you crushed the enemy. While good men and women fell defending the camp against the Cyran onslaught, you stood resolute. You were among the forty that stood at the shattered gates when the main force arrived. You have watched as soldiers marched off to war in the east. And you waited for your turn to join them. And waited. Not all the recent arrivals at Camp Cragwatch are common soldiers. A Cannith tinker has set up her forge to repair some of the war machines to be used in the coming assault. Though extremely skilled at her work, her eyes often stray to the peaks above the camp and she stands still, as though lost in a dream. She looks almost human, but has an otherworldly air about her. A huge hulking humanoid with mottled skin towers over the other soldiers that remain in the camp. Though clearly a warrior, he seems more interested in the earth and sky than in the battles below. The chill air and occasional snowfalls do not seem to bother him, though he seems to delight in challenging the other soldiers to running or climbing contests, and he tends to win. A dark robed man, dressed more like a scout than a soldier keeps his face often hidden beneath his hooded cloak. Only a few people have really seen his face and no one can agree on what he looks like. Perhaps because those few who meet his gaze quickly avert their eyes. A small arcanist, a gnome of Zliargo has recently come to the camp. She makes no secret of her affiliation with House Sivis, but whether she is a diplomat, a messenger, or something more secret none can say. She can swear in four languages, which makes her immensely popular among the soldiers. A half-elf courier appeared not long ago, and he was immediately granted an audience with lieutenant Korvina. No news was forthcoming from her about what message he brought, but his musical ability and talent for verse has emboldened many of the young recruits now marching to find their destiny on the fields of battle below. Though he has been at the camp since you arrived, Lieutenant Korvina's warforged guard is an imposing presence. None see his mistress until she gives him the word. A gregarious dwarf, looking more like a merchant than a soldier seems to have an endless supply of ale for soldiers who are willing to put up with his endless chatter. He asks a lot of questions; perhaps he is a writer for the Sharn Inquisitve or even the Korranberg Chronicle. Yesterday the last of the infantry marched out towards the immanent battle to the east. Skirmishes have already been fought, sometimes visible from your high vantage point in the camp. Though the invasion force is strong, the Cyran defenders fight on their home ground. In all, some 50,000 troops prepare for slaughter on the fields below. And you are not among them. In the early dawn a lone rider arrived at the camp. It was lieutenant Korvina, alone and badly injured, sole survivor of a patrol. Something must be afoot for the commanding officer to ride out of the camp, so you are not entirely surprised when you are summoned to her tent. Lieutenant Korvina greets you. She is a battle-hardened woman of middle years, and the soldiers under her command seem to think very highly of her. Her usually stern face grimaces in pain, and you see several bandages on her limbs. She also bears some strange welts across her face, angry red. Artificer: "I've seen you looking up into the peaks, Kalashtar, and I think I have an idea of what you may be seeking. I have appreciated your forge-work here the past few days, but I have a task now which may find some of your less mundane skills useful. Up in those peaks you look at there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I am putting together a team to scout it, and I would appreciate it if you could accompany them." Warden: "Greetings Goliath. I once met your people, years ago in the Eldeen Reaches. I respect your prowess, and your dedication to the natural world. I know you would be a welcome addition to the Brelish forces as we assault Cyre, but first I have a challenge you may be interested in. Up in the peaks there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I would like you to lead a team up the paths behind this camp and investigate the tower." Warlock: "Hello friend. I know you aren't officially with the Brelish forces, but I have some intelligence that may be of interest to you. Not long ago our scouts spotted what might be an Emerald Claw force coming up the mountain paths from the Cyran side. I say might, because our scout was not certain that the insignia he spotted belongs to that order. However, it is almost certain that their objective is a ruined tower that lies in the peaks above this camp. I am sure you recognize the importance of keeping an enemy force away from such a valuable position." Wizard: "Greetings emissary. I have taken your words under advisement, and I have decided to send a team to investigate that tower you spoke to me of. You are welcome to join them. Our purposes align." Bard: "Welcome, courier. I am prepared to act upon the news you brought me. I have an idea where our missing major might be found. Of course, I think you may have managed to gather the same information while giving heart to our troops. For that I thank you. I hope I can include you in the team I am sending to investigate the ruined tower that lies in the peaks above us?" Fighter: "My stalwart guard. Though your face does not show it, I know you are wondering why you have not yet been sent to join the battle to the east. You may yet get your chance, and our side would do well to have you. You have proven yourself many times over. Our King has declared that the Warforged are to be treated as full citizens of Breland once this war has ended. In respect of that decree, and of the dedication you have shown, what I am about to say is a request, not an order." "There is a tower nearby, up in the peaks above this camp. I am sending a team to investigate it. But I have a special task for you. I have reason to believe that, hidden in the ruins, there is a weapon, a legendary spear from the early days of this war. I want you to search the ruins for it and, if you find it, bring it back to me. It will aid our cause, I am certain." "The tower's strategic value is undeniable. The view over the battlefield to the east is nearly perfect from that spot. But it may be held by the enemy. We don't know what is up there, but I want you to go find out, claim the tower, and report back here to me." In the dim light of the early morning, the team assembles, and prepares to investigate the ruined tower that lies hidden in the peaks above, while the fate of nations is decided in battle far below.
#10 Plaguescarred1 Feb 24, 2010 20:49:49	I very liked your introductory Meshon. Each had it's own agenda overthere.
#11 pgmason Feb 25, 2010 10:51:02	I let my party level to 2 in the 4-year post-war gap, and then just let them catch up to their appropriate XP total naturally. It seemed to make more sense than levelling half way through Ashurta's Tomb after spending 4 years doing nothing.
#12 guendolin Oct 10, 2010 7:53:16	How did you do with the battle maps? I'm serching for someway to print them out, but can't find any good. And the ones that Wiz have posted on the map section of Eberron Campain guide is to low resolution to print out good...
#13 kare Jun 27, 2011 17:11:18	Hey, The maps from the ECG are on the D&DInsider subscription - if you download them, photoshop (GIMP) a little to get rid of the white circles for monster position and print, the results aren't too bad. You'll need to expand significantly to make them the right size, however - about one A4 sheet for the top of the Mourning Haunt fight, another two for the lower level (taped together underneath, obviously). My players didn't find the haunt too hard, if a bit annoying. I decided that 'phasing' didn't make it immune to Attacks of Opportunity (else, what is teleport for). It managed to slaughter about half the guests before they ripped it apart, but it only downed, and only briefly, one member of the party. I didn't use its DR/5 ideally - two players were using psychic damage, but I triggered it on radiant. It was a good fight though, with lots of running around. You need to set some DCs for falling/jumping safely from the balcony, however, and think about the consequences thereof. I decided to make it a DC15 to jump safely, and inflicted damage (1D10), but not falling prone, if they messed it up. I wanted them to have the chance for cool, swashbuckling action, not charging up and down the staircase, and they seemed to appreciate it. The skill challenge was a bit of a disaster. I tried to make the mechanics 'transparent', so just asked them to describe what they were doing. It didn't work. They kept trying to use their other, best skills, and just two of the players made most of the rolls. Also, the number and sequence of sucesses needs to be thought about - e.g. it otherwise appears that they can get every success with diplomacy. This needs to be reworked so every character has the chance to shine (get a list of the skills your characters have trained first - I didn't have this, and needed it). I made the fight with the ooze compulsory, and moved it to the sewer from the pages following the 'Mark' adventure (they had to access the tower through the sewer). They also tangled with the halflings, but they tried to scare them off and I decided to let them. The street map is fine for one or two quick encounters, but it's a bit limiting on the scale of the fight with the haunt. In part, this was because my group only has about 3 hours, so two encounters is good going, and I wanted to end on an exciting fight scene (doing encounter 5 would've taken far too long in that moment). Hope that infodump's useful in some way. Yours, JMH
#14 kare Jul 31, 2011 5:43:10	Hey, Just ran through the last encounter with my players. In this encounter, they are picked up from the base of the Sharn tower they've just saved by skycoach, which whisks them away for a meeting with their patron; however, the devious Aric Blacktree and his escort of goblins are waiting for them on soarsleds... Points to note: 0) There is a a picture of exactly this scene on about pg 50 of the ECG. Show it! 1) This was a fun, exciting encounter for my players and I. It was substantially tougher than the ones that had gone before, both because of the lack on an extended rest and because of the situation and enemies. This is ok! It's the climatic encounter of the adventure. 2) Most importantly, the players should have good, heroic options to pursue - don't be afraid to wing it to create these opportunities. Particularly, you may have to ease up on the consequences of falling, which (especially experienced) players can be paronoid about. 3) The airborne combat rules are naturally less well-finished than the regular rules - don't be afraid to wing it. Particularly, if the Goblins and Aric try something on the players, they should get plenty of skill checks and chances to avoid death (e,g, dungeoneering and acrobatics checks to lasso a building and swing from it if they're knocked from their soarsled. An emergency dive by the skycoach to get it beneath a falling PC). By contrast, the Goblins should be made of explodium. Have them crash into buildings or fall screaming to their deaths at the slightest provocation. Then add more Goblins! The players love that... (put it another way, they should kill roughly the six goblins in the encounter plus Aric the hard way, by knocking down their hit points, so they encounter stays balanced). 4) One exciting and different thing is for a player, perhaps one who has exhausted his strong powers, can take over the skycoach. The regular pilot can be killed or bail to drive this, if you want. I made it an arcana or thievery skill check to drive the thing, which meant 4 out of 5 of my players could do it pretty well. I made easy DCs for flying straight, moderately easy DCs for basic turns, and hard DCs for combat piloting like crushing a soarsled between the coach and a building. I included landing on a building as a hard DC, deciding that the coach was plane or helicopter-like in this regard, because I didn't want the players to land, retreat into a tower, forcing the goblins to follow thing. This is supposed to be an aerial battle, after all. After the battle, I decided that Aric Blacktree had been dragged off from where he fell by Kruthiks (less an arm, clutching the Wand of Vicious Mockery the PC bard had wanted). Since the players now start Seekers of the Ashen crown with a mission to hunt Kruthiks they believe they'll be encountering him again soon... I hadn't planned this, but, you know what? They might be right. Show The Kruthiks have been laying their eggs in the corpses of the dead and dying they've recently attacked (though they are not adverse to a bit of carrion). This sped the evolution of the 'flying Kruthik' found in Seekers. I decided Aric wasn't quite dead, and after they laid their eggs in him he tried to use magical healing on himself... resulting in the creation of a half-man half-kruthik monster, who the kruthiks see as one of their own, yet he still bears a burning hatred towards the PCs. His missing arm will have grown into a Kruthik claw, and on bloodying the remaining kruthik eggs in his wounds will hatch into addtional kruthik hatchlings - if you have additional cool ideas, please post them sometime in the next week so I have the opportunity to work them in. He'll probably be encountered in or just before the Kruthik nest.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

endless_spiral

Feb 15, 2010 15:16:00

Hello All,

I am soon to begin running an Eberron campaign and I'm planning on starting out with the introductory adventure in the ECG, 'The Mark of Prophecy'. I was just wondering if anyone has run it has any advice or tips. In particular, I was looking at the encounter with the Mourning Haunt and it looks really tough. It has an aura that gives it total concealment from ranged attacks and it has an immediate interrupt counterattack versus melee attacks that can teleport it away before the attack is resolved. It seems like it would be almost impossible (or at least difficult to the point of frustration) to hurt it and it has a lot of hit points (it is a solo monster). Anyway, if anyone that has run this encounter has a perspective on it, that would be helpful. Was it too tough, or is it a tough but doable fight? Should I consider tweaking the monster to make it less powerful (even making the 'Reactive Swipe' a reaction as opposed to an interrupt would level the field considerably)?

Thanks for any input on this encounter, and if you have any other advice or comments on running this adventure, please share!

grandpa

Feb 15, 2010 19:39:51

I've run that adventure, and you are right in saying that the Haunt looks like a pain to run. It is, it really is. The only reason my group handled it decently enough was because I often forgot to even have it use the Swipe. The concealment is also a major pain. I'd recomend replacing the Haunt with an entirely different Lvl. 3 Solo monster, and just present the monster as a Mourning Haunt. That's what I'd do if I had to run it again, at least.

Also, a number of people have complained that Aric Blacktree is a pretty flavorless villain, which I think is true. At least, there isn't much in the adventure to give him motivation or personality. Granted, the text does recomend slapping your own motivation onto Aric's actions, which is imperative if the adventure is to make any sense.

Finally, for the second portion of the adventure, one of the adventure hooks mentions a "Professor Gydd Nephret" as being male. In the Seekers of the Ashen Crown 4e Eberron module, Gydd Nephret is a female half-elf who works at Morgrave. If you happen to run SotAC, keep that inconsistency in mind.

All in all, however, this actually is a pretty fun module. There are a few skill challenges sprinkled in, and most of the encounters are fun. Good luck!

Siberys

Feb 15, 2010 21:01:51

I'll be running the skill challenge here soon. Any tips on it? It looks pointless and dull... Failure doesn't result in anything but some poorly-laid-out fights?

The lack of special maps for each of these hurts too, IMO. Any suggestions for something to replace it? Pure RPing, plus a combat or two?

endless_spiral

Feb 16, 2010 13:50:20

Thanks for the reply Grandpa. I think I might just make the Haunt's Reactive Swipe a recharge 5-6 power instead of an at-will. I like the Mourning Haunt, I think it's a cool monster, and I like the idea of it having a power that lets it dissolve into mist when attacked and coalesce a few yards away, I just don't think it would be very fun if it did that every time. If it could only do that about once every three rounds or so...that might be more workable. Also, after reading the fine print, I realized concealment only hinders ranged and melee attacks; close and area attacks take no penalty. I think I'll be looking at a four-player group, so I was thinking about throwing an NPC ally into the mix among the bystanders to keep the fight even without having to tweak the math of the monster. Maybe a Sorcerous type with lots of close and/or area attack powers, just in case...

Siberys, are you running the whole adventure or just the 'Hunting the Mastermind' skill challenge? If you actually have the ECG then there is a poster map in the back with a sort of generic Sharn 'Street Scene' that would be a great place to set up the improvised fights. Also, if you're playing through the adventure, then failure in the skill challenge also results in a harder encounter when the players get to where they're going at the end of the skill challenge. If you're pulling the challenge out of context though and using it elsewhere, you'll have to come up with interesting consequences for failure based on the context in which you're using the skill challenge.

Hope that helps!

ryntak4536

Feb 19, 2010 16:51:49

I've just completed this particular module. I found:

a) My group was very disappointed with having 4 years of time pass and they gained no levels in between. "So, we just sat around for 4 years, not fighting or anything? No adventuring? Doing what - gaining beer belly's?"

b) The mourning haunt was HARD. I finally had to drop the aura.

c) I started right about there to incorporate the Seekers of the Ashen crown into it: My PC's started to interrogate the surviving members of the pary, who happened to be Capt Kalaes, Professor Gydd Nephrytt, and Lady Dannae Ulyidan. The Lady was the one to point the PC's towards the trail that the haunt followed. I also placed some burnt notes of Aric's in the fireplace downstairs at the place where he was building the eldritch machine. These notes tied him to the Emerald Claw, where he was hoping to join up with them, and some were correspondence between him and Demise (PC's still don't know relation between Demise and Dannae). The last note was a sketch on the eldritch machine.

d) Aric dropped to a bridge at the end of their fight, but when they went down to him, they only found members of the Watch investigating where he'd landed. He wasn't there. I'm planning on having him return during Ashen Crown as a Vampire Lord for the Emerald Claw, working with Demise and friends.....

SpacyRicochet

Feb 21, 2010 5:38:11

I ran the Mark of Prophecy and it ran near perfectly. Just to consider some of the points mentioned above:

The Mourning Haunt isn't too hard. I did use nearly all his powers to full effect, but you should consider that players can anticipate his behaviour. The Haunt itself is not smart, so it will not wait for the daily to use his interrupt. Give him a basic attack, it interrupts, then attack him with encounters/dailies and whatnot. My players picked up on that. They did sweat a bit, but it wasn't a problem.

Players spending some time going about their normal routine shouldn't gain levels. The whole point of adventuring that it is outside of their normal routine. That said, they should have a bit more imagination and roleplay in their four years of doing other stuff.

I liked the module and it gave me quite a proper taste of Eberron as a setting. Now to see if my party is going to survive the Cogs :P

Plaguescarred1

Feb 21, 2010 23:09:47

****SPOILERS******

I ran Mark of the Prophecy and it went smooth for a jump start. I changed an NPC's sex and made arrangements so it could fit better to follow with Seeker of the Ashen Crown Adventure. I didn't use the advancing Timeline. The PC did start on the 26 of Therendor 998 YK in early spring in Vathirond in the Kingdom of Breland. They were working for House Deneith Blademark Guild.

They had to rescue Lord Major Bren ir`Gadden, a Brelish officer and nobleman that had been kidnapped on the road with his acolyte Aric Blacktree and were being held captives by some monsters in a ruined tower on the hillside at the border between Breland and old Cyre now the Mournland a land of devastation, also known as the Tower of Scars. Their job was to rescue them and escort them to safety. After such a desperate help, the Lord Major should be more inclined to negociate intelligence with one of the Deneith informant that wouldl eventually meet him at a later time. They took the Saerun road to the west and reach the tower where they fought Dolgrims, Krutiks and Melorra and her Zombi horde with the help of some Emerald Claw agents. There they found a mysterious of the Draconic Prophecy...

For their next assignation, they had to travel to Sharn. The job was one of protection, to defend Darika ir’Tain, a rich noblewoman attending a public ceremony in rememberance of the day of mourning, where Cyre was destroyed. They would pose an enforcer party for the Defender's Guild she contracted. But their true visit to the city of Towers was to get a contract in the Cogs and take care of an invasion of Kruthiks in the lower district. They had be refered to this job by Darika ir’Tain in order to access the Tain Foundry, owned by her family and find where the Kruthiks holed up. Molric Toranol, a Dwarf foreman in the Tain Foundry was the one giving out the job. He was to give them further details about the job, including their payment of 100 gp if they’d get the contract. But unknown to them, is that they were sent to recover a piece of an ancient Artifact of Goblin make rumored to lie in a recently breached Tomb. They would find that out later when the House Deneith informs them more....

So they rested a bit and took the train and travelled to Sharn. There they met with Lady Darika ir'Tain and her Skycoach driver Arol. She told them she might be attacked that they received menace from ex-employees from the Foundry after being mistreated and terminated by the foreman. That if there was anything, she had to be taken to the coach and return to her Manor quickly out of danger and that she wanted them to pursue and uncover any of the assassins identity. She would then reports to the town authority to conduct arrestations.

But it was a Haunt that attacked. A Creature summoned as it turned out. The Haunt was a cool encounter overall. I used a specially prepared 5x5 piece of paper i had coloured in grey. It did use Stealth to Hide and the PC also didn't really know what it was, until it got bloodied and the white-furred ape shape could be seen. It helped when they had to pick a square to attack it but finally figured something was in the center of the Fog. Then i used a Carnivorious ape miniature figurine removing the grey paper when it got Bloodied. I used Gnashng Jaws, Haunting Fog and then Whirwind Frenzy when Bloodied. ALso i used Reactive Swipe every Round i could, Teleporting up on the Balcony edge everytime. It frustrated my players a bit. Also, having Phasing and being able to pass through solid object, it went in the room passing through the wall. It got hit later and Teleported outside by the door still open, later Round, Up the Balcony again. A real Lurker. Darika was brought quickly to safety and took off.

Then they followed their leads after one another to eventually reach the base of Dalannan Tower in the Center Bridge district of the Lower Menthis Plateau which was holding the Morgrave University at it’s top. They eventually uncovered the Eldritch Machine and defeated it’s occupants. On top, Darika’s Sky Coach was waiting for them Arol having seen them entering the tower’s base, to bring them to the Lady’s Manor for questioning them about the recent and somewhat bizarre attack during the ceremony.

On their way back to the Manor, they were attacked by the now half-mad Aric Blacktree and a bunch of Goblins on flying Soarsleds. A swift and spectacular battle in Sharn’s sky errupted. They finally defeated him and when they investigated his corpse down in the streets of Sharn, they found out he was bearring an Aberrant Mark related to the recently discovered piece of Draconic Prophecy. After, they went back to Lady Darika ir’Tain and managed to convinced her that Aric was after her and had planned to kill her in a terrorist attempt to blow up the whole Plateau and the Morgrave University, even though he was after the PC in reality, this in order to obtain the contract in the Cog they subtly brought up as good mercenary in for more work. She finally accepted and authorized them in their Foundry to search for the Infestation nest.

When they adventured under the Cog's Foundry, they eventually stumbled on an ancient Goblin Warlord’s tomb after dealing with the Krutiks diggins and found great many Undeads and a piece of an ancient Artifact in there, Ashurta’s Blade and there began Seeker of the Ashen Crown adventure.....

Madfox11

Feb 22, 2010 3:47:27

a) My group was very disappointed with having 4 years of time pass and they gained no levels in between. "So, we just sat around for 4 years, not fighting or anything? No adventuring? Doing what - gaining beer belly's?"

You gain xp for facing significant challenges. It is rather easy to say that in those 4 years nothing significant happened. Personally I find the whole idea of reaching epic levels in 1 year more difficult to accept than the fact that there is no big adventure in 4 years. Personally I am looking at a bit of a break gaming time wise by asking my players to tell me what kind of stuff they have been doing in that time. Granted, the PCs in my campaign will be level 10 by that time so they can actually think of adventures involving level 1 to 4 threats. I will see how things go...

meshon

Feb 23, 2010 12:03:24

Our group started an Eberron campaign with this adventure. It is really important to throw in all those extra details that make Eberron so much fun.

I gave each character a different reason for being at the tower, the battles were a good introduction to combat, and I think the players really felt some awe at the terrible destruction that they witnessed as Cyre burned below them.

Here's my set-up notes if you want to read them, they're a bit long. The sections in red were tailored to specific characters, so each character only got to hear his or her portion of the set-up.

Show

Characters and Quests
Kalashtar Artificer: The Quori Soul
Half-elf Bard: Finding the Captive
Warforged Fighter: Spear of Legend
Goliath Warden: Scouting the Tower
Changeling Warlock: Against the Emerald Claw
Gnome Wizard: Investigating the Prophecy

Two weeks ago the soldiers of Ironfist Company broke through the Cyran line south of Kennrun in a midnight raid and sped east. Barely resting they marched, reaching camp Cragwatch three days later. They took the outpost totally unawares and occupied it. They fought the next day against Cyran forces from the Kennrun garrison to the west that pursued them, but as rumours of the approaching 12th Sharn Guards regiment reached Kennrun, those forces retreated to defend their city. Now Ironfist Company faced Cyran reinforcements from the east who sought to come to the aid of their embattled city. For two days they held off the Cyran forces until the Brelish regiment overran Kennrun.

Of the five platoons of Ironfist company, only two remained, and those were both at less than half strength. Just forty soldiers under lieutenant Korvina formed the welcome to the Guards when the Cyrans were forced to retreat.

Now Cragwatch has swelled with the influx of Brelish soldiers and Thranish allies preparing for a massive assault on the Cyran border along the Saerun Road. Far below to the east Cyran forces are gathering to defend their country from the armies on their doorstep.

I gave each character a brief reason to be at the camp and tower:

Artificer: The last time you were in the company of another Kalashtar, he told you of a place near the Cyran border called the Tower of Scars. He was in battle as part of the Cyran army near there not long ago and swears something called to his Quori soul as he passed near the tower. The tide of battle turned and prevented him from ever investigating further. As a Cannith tinker you can find welcome with any military force and so you have traveled here to find the tower. You have been listening for rumours of the place and are quite certain it lies not far away, further up in the mountains.

Warden: Following the promised challenge of great battles to come, you have found easy employ as a mercenary with the Brelish forces. Of all the nations, Breland is the most welcoming of outsiders like you. But lately your dreams have been troubled. Something is amiss in the very stones and air in this place. Something terrible is coming.

Warlock: The money is good. At least there's that. You have easily found work even amongst the theocratic Thranes. WIth your particular skills you are adept at uncovering hidden enemies and dealing with them. Enemies like the Emerald Claw. You still don't know what the Emerald Claw really wants; to the Karrns they were heroes, until their flagrant disregard for tradition and proper command lost them favour. Now they lurk in the shadows, occasionally emerging to wreck havoc wherever they appear. To the Thranes the Claw is a bitter enemy and you have accompanied the Thranish forces as a guard against their sinister agents.

Wizard: Somewhere nearby is the Tower of Scars, and your house seems to think there might be something worth finding there – nothing less than a piece of the draconic prophecy. However, this is wartime, and, being pragmatic, you have been trying to persuade lieutenant Korvina that she should send a team to investigate. A team that includes you, of course.

Bard: Major Bren ir'Gadden enjoys influence far greater than his rank might suggest. He knows everything worth knowing about Brelish operations in the area, and a good deal about the Cyrans as well. All this makes his disappearance two days ago particularly disturbing to the Brelish command. Since news of his disappearance might hurt morale, you have kept the knowledge secret, speaking about it only with the local camp's commanding officer. In speaking with the soldiers, who quickly warm up to your poems and stirring songs, you have gathered information on the area and what has been happening recently. It seems likely that a ruined tower not far away might be a good place to begin your investigations into ir'Gadden's vanishing act.

Fighter: You are one of the few. When other soldiers died breaking through the line at Kerrun you lived. When your comrades were laid low assaulting Camp Cragwatch, you crushed the enemy. While good men and women fell defending the camp against the Cyran onslaught, you stood resolute. You were among the forty that stood at the shattered gates when the main force arrived. You have watched as soldiers marched off to war in the east. And you waited for your turn to join them. And waited.

Not all the recent arrivals at Camp Cragwatch are common soldiers.

A Cannith tinker has set up her forge to repair some of the war machines to be used in the coming assault. Though extremely skilled at her work, her eyes often stray to the peaks above the camp and she stands still, as though lost in a dream. She looks almost human, but has an otherworldly air about her.

A huge hulking humanoid with mottled skin towers over the other soldiers that remain in the camp. Though clearly a warrior, he seems more interested in the earth and sky than in the battles below. The chill air and occasional snowfalls do not seem to bother him, though he seems to delight in challenging the other soldiers to running or climbing contests, and he tends to win.

A dark robed man, dressed more like a scout than a soldier keeps his face often hidden beneath his hooded cloak. Only a few people have really seen his face and no one can agree on what he looks like. Perhaps because those few who meet his gaze quickly avert their eyes.

A small arcanist, a gnome of Zliargo has recently come to the camp. She makes no secret of her affiliation with House Sivis, but whether she is a diplomat, a messenger, or something more secret none can say. She can swear in four languages, which makes her immensely popular among the soldiers.

A half-elf courier appeared not long ago, and he was immediately granted an audience with lieutenant Korvina. No news was forthcoming from her about what message he brought, but his musical ability and talent for verse has emboldened many of the young recruits now marching to find their destiny on the fields of battle below.

Though he has been at the camp since you arrived, Lieutenant Korvina's warforged guard is an imposing presence. None see his mistress until she gives him the word.

A gregarious dwarf, looking more like a merchant than a soldier seems to have an endless supply of ale for soldiers who are willing to put up with his endless chatter. He asks a lot of questions; perhaps he is a writer for the Sharn Inquisitve or even the Korranberg Chronicle.

Yesterday the last of the infantry marched out towards the immanent battle to the east. Skirmishes have already been fought, sometimes visible from your high vantage point in the camp. Though the invasion force is strong, the Cyran defenders fight on their home ground. In all, some 50,000 troops prepare for slaughter on the fields below. And you are not among them.

In the early dawn a lone rider arrived at the camp. It was lieutenant Korvina, alone and badly injured, sole survivor of a patrol. Something must be afoot for the commanding officer to ride out of the camp, so you are not entirely surprised when you are summoned to her tent.

Lieutenant Korvina greets you. She is a battle-hardened woman of middle years, and the soldiers under her command seem to think very highly of her. Her usually stern face grimaces in pain, and you see several bandages on her limbs. She also bears some strange welts across her face, angry red.

Artificer: "I've seen you looking up into the peaks, Kalashtar, and I think I have an idea of what you may be seeking. I have appreciated your forge-work here the past few days, but I have a task now which may find some of your less mundane skills useful. Up in those peaks you look at there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I am putting together a team to scout it, and I would appreciate it if you could accompany them."

Warden: "Greetings Goliath. I once met your people, years ago in the Eldeen Reaches. I respect your prowess, and your dedication to the natural world. I know you would be a welcome addition to the Brelish forces as we assault Cyre, but first I have a challenge you may be interested in. Up in the peaks there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I would like you to lead a team up the paths behind this camp and investigate the tower."

Warlock: "Hello friend. I know you aren't officially with the Brelish forces, but I have some intelligence that may be of interest to you. Not long ago our scouts spotted what might be an Emerald Claw force coming up the mountain paths from the Cyran side. I say might, because our scout was not certain that the insignia he spotted belongs to that order. However, it is almost certain that their objective is a ruined tower that lies in the peaks above this camp. I am sure you recognize the importance of keeping an enemy force away from such a valuable position."

Wizard: "Greetings emissary. I have taken your words under advisement, and I have decided to send a team to investigate that tower you spoke to me of. You are welcome to join them. Our purposes align."

Bard: "Welcome, courier. I am prepared to act upon the news you brought me. I have an idea where our missing major might be found. Of course, I think you may have managed to gather the same information while giving heart to our troops. For that I thank you. I hope I can include you in the team I am sending to investigate the ruined tower that lies in the peaks above us?"

Fighter: "My stalwart guard. Though your face does not show it, I know you are wondering why you have not yet been sent to join the battle to the east. You may yet get your chance, and our side would do well to have you. You have proven yourself many times over. Our King has declared that the Warforged are to be treated as full citizens of Breland once this war has ended. In respect of that decree, and of the dedication you have shown, what I am about to say is a request, not an order."
"There is a tower nearby, up in the peaks above this camp. I am sending a team to investigate it. But I have a special task for you. I have reason to believe that, hidden in the ruins, there is a weapon, a legendary spear from the early days of this war. I want you to search the ruins for it and, if you find it, bring it back to me. It will aid our cause, I am certain."

"The tower's strategic value is undeniable. The view over the battlefield to the east is nearly perfect from that spot. But it may be held by the enemy. We don't know what is up there, but I want you to go find out, claim the tower, and report back here to me."

In the dim light of the early morning, the team assembles, and prepares to investigate the ruined tower that lies hidden in the peaks above, while the fate of nations is decided in battle far below.

#10

Plaguescarred1

Feb 24, 2010 20:49:49

I very liked your introductory Meshon. Each had it's own agenda overthere.

#11

pgmason

Feb 25, 2010 10:51:02

I let my party level to 2 in the 4-year post-war gap, and then just let them catch up to their appropriate XP total naturally. It seemed to make more sense than levelling half way through Ashurta's Tomb after spending 4 years doing nothing.

#12

guendolin

Oct 10, 2010 7:53:16

How did you do with the battle maps? I'm serching for someway to print them out, but can't find any good. And the ones that Wiz have posted on the map section of Eberron Campain guide is to low resolution to print out good...

#13

kare

Jun 27, 2011 17:11:18

Hey,

The maps from the ECG are on the D&DInsider subscription - if you download them, photoshop (GIMP) a little to get rid of the white circles for monster position and print, the results aren't too bad. You'll need to expand significantly to make them the right size, however - about one A4 sheet for the top of the Mourning Haunt fight, another two for the lower level (taped together underneath, obviously).

My players didn't find the haunt too hard, if a bit annoying. I decided that 'phasing' didn't make it immune to Attacks of Opportunity (else, what is teleport for). It managed to slaughter about half the guests before they ripped it apart, but it only downed, and only briefly, one member of the party. I didn't use its DR/5 ideally - two players were using psychic damage, but I triggered it on radiant. It was a good fight though, with lots of running around. You need to set some DCs for falling/jumping safely from the balcony, however, and think about the consequences thereof. I decided to make it a DC15 to jump safely, and inflicted damage (1D10), but not falling prone, if they messed it up. I wanted them to have the chance for cool, swashbuckling action, not charging up and down the staircase, and they seemed to appreciate it.

The skill challenge was a bit of a disaster. I tried to make the mechanics 'transparent', so just asked them to describe what they were doing. It didn't work. They kept trying to use their other, best skills, and just two of the players made most of the rolls. Also, the number and sequence of sucesses needs to be thought about - e.g. it otherwise appears that they can get every success with diplomacy. This needs to be reworked so every character has the chance to shine (get a list of the skills your characters have trained first - I didn't have this, and needed it).

I made the fight with the ooze compulsory, and moved it to the sewer from the pages following the 'Mark' adventure (they had to access the tower through the sewer). They also tangled with the halflings, but they tried to scare them off and I decided to let them. The street map is fine for one or two quick encounters, but it's a bit limiting on the scale of the fight with the haunt. In part, this was because my group only has about 3 hours, so two encounters is good going, and I wanted to end on an exciting fight scene (doing encounter 5 would've taken far too long in that moment).

Hope that infodump's useful in some way.

Yours,

JMH

#14

kare

Jul 31, 2011 5:43:10

Hey,

Just ran through the last encounter with my players. In this encounter, they are picked up from the base of the Sharn tower they've just saved by skycoach, which whisks them away for a meeting with their patron; however, the devious Aric Blacktree and his escort of goblins are waiting for them on soarsleds...

Points to note:

0) There is a a picture of exactly this scene on about pg 50 of the ECG. Show it!

1) This was a fun, exciting encounter for my players and I. It was substantially tougher than the ones that had gone before, both because of the lack on an extended rest and because of the situation and enemies. This is ok! It's the climatic encounter of the adventure.

2) Most importantly, the players should have good, heroic options to pursue - don't be afraid to wing it to create these opportunities. Particularly, you may have to ease up on the consequences of falling, which (especially experienced) players can be paronoid about.

3) The airborne combat rules are naturally less well-finished than the regular rules - don't be afraid to wing it. Particularly, if the Goblins and Aric try something on the players, they should get plenty of skill checks and chances to avoid death (e,g, dungeoneering and acrobatics checks to lasso a building and swing from it if they're knocked from their soarsled. An emergency dive by the skycoach to get it beneath a falling PC). By contrast, the Goblins should be made of explodium. Have them crash into buildings or fall screaming to their deaths at the slightest provocation. Then add more Goblins! The players love that... (put it another way, they should kill roughly the six goblins in the encounter plus Aric the hard way, by knocking down their hit points, so they encounter stays balanced).

4) One exciting and different thing is for a player, perhaps one who has exhausted his strong powers, can take over the skycoach. The regular pilot can be killed or bail to drive this, if you want. I made it an arcana or thievery skill check to drive the thing, which meant 4 out of 5 of my players could do it pretty well. I made easy DCs for flying straight, moderately easy DCs for basic turns, and hard DCs for combat piloting like crushing a soarsled between the coach and a building. I included landing on a building as a hard DC, deciding that the coach was plane or helicopter-like in this regard, because I didn't want the players to land, retreat into a tower, forcing the goblins to follow thing. This is supposed to be an aerial battle, after all.

After the battle, I decided that Aric Blacktree had been dragged off from where he fell by Kruthiks (less an arm, clutching the Wand of Vicious Mockery the PC bard had wanted). Since the players now start Seekers of the Ashen crown with a mission to hunt Kruthiks they believe they'll be encountering him again soon... I hadn't planned this, but, you know what? They might be right.

Show

The Kruthiks have been laying their eggs in the corpses of the dead and dying they've recently attacked (though they are not adverse to a bit of carrion). This sped the evolution of the 'flying Kruthik' found in Seekers. I decided Aric wasn't quite dead, and after they laid their eggs in him he tried to use magical healing on himself... resulting in the creation of a half-man half-kruthik monster, who the kruthiks see as one of their own, yet he still bears a burning hatred towards the PCs. His missing arm will have grown into a Kruthik claw, and on bloodying the remaining kruthik eggs in his wounds will hatch into addtional kruthik hatchlings - if you have additional cool ideas, please post them sometime in the next week so I have the opportunity to work them in. He'll probably be encountered in or just before the Kruthik nest.