Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 schala_zeal Jun 02, 2008 20:42:28	Hi, In playing the Whispers of the Vampire Blade module, my players have determined that Lucan is not wholly to blame for his condition and do not want to kill him. They managed to capture Grilsha on the Lightning Rail to Aruldusk and she convinced them that the Soul Blade is mostly to blame for his behavior, so they have decided to try to disarm Lucan and then reason with him or, if necessary, apprehend him. They would prefer not to kill him - Grilsha has made it a condition of her assistance that Lucan not be killed or turned over to the Dark Lanterns. Any advice on how to capture a vampire or disarm him? The PCs are all level 5: - A Warforged Rogue 2/Swashbuckler 3 who is going for the Daring Outlaw feat (stacks Rogue and Swashbuckler levels for certain features), using a magical rapier. - A Human Fighter 5 who uses full plate, a heavy shield, and a magical long sword. - A Human Wizard 5 who has mostly picked up damaging spells lately, as their best chance to take out Lucan appeared to be to overwhelm him with damage before he could decide to flee to safety. - A Human Warlock 5 who can See Invisibility, Spider Climb, gain Darkvision, and has the Eldritch Spear blast shape. She also may be turning into a vampire - Lucan kidnapped her at the masquerade ball and she showed up hidden in a steamer trunk on board the Cloud Destiny. - A Half-Elf Cleric 3 (Sovereign Host)/Dragonmarked Heir 2 (House Lyrander) who has access to spells as if he were a level 5 Cleric. He is mostly focused on spell-casting. - A Paladin 5 (Silver Flame) who has prophetic dreams concerning Lucan and the Vampire Blade. He is decent at melee, but has no magical gear yet - he is the NPC Paladin in the Dungeon Master's Guide that was added since it looked like the PCs would be unable to take Lucan. - Grilsha, a Sorcerer 6 who has mostly non-combat spells prepared. Currently in the campaign, the PCs have managed to fight off the attack by the followers of the Lord of Blades on the Lightning Rail traveling to Aruldusk. They are aware that Lucan is heading for Korth and appears to be falling deeper into the grip of the Soul Blade. Lucan has escaped the Lightning Rail by using gaseous form to get outside, summoning a group of wolves using Children of the Night, and then fleeing in the form of a Dire Bat. He is also aware that Grilsha is now aiding the PCs. The PCs are currently using vials of Silversheen (? - I believe that is what the item is named) to harm Lucan, and have three scrolls of Death Ward for their use. In addition, the wizard has purchased a Wand of Scorching Ray and has been preparing damaging spells such as Scorching Ray and Light of Mercuria, while the cleric has been using buff spells and then Light of Mercuria. Also - does anyone have ideas for further scenes involving Lucan? I think that he will be able to escape from the pyramid - I do not currently see the story following the module as he is falling deeper into service to the Soul Blade. I was thinking that a cool ending would be for the PCs to chase him across the lake into Karrnath, with his boat becoming disabled and crashing onto Thronehold.
#2 Arcane_Guyver Jun 02, 2008 21:10:28	My advice: Vampires are pretty tough to kill; knock him down to 0 hit points, follow him back to his current coffin, THEN disarm him. Remember that the whole ziggurat finale is where Lucan finally manages to overpower the sword's personality; when the PCs eventually corner him, there are a couple options that could arise due to Grilsha's presence: #1 - Make this a social encounter, with the PCs attempting to convince Lucan that going with them will ultimately be better than dying in obscurity. #2 - He might still attack, with even more gusto than normal, hoping that the PCs end him and his new existence as an undead creature. He might make it a point to attack his sister, so she can build up enough anger to attack him. #3 - As #1, but as the party gets about halfway back to Sharn, the Soulblade takes over again unexpectedly and decides that the best course of action is to first eliminate the PCs (and Grilsha), then go to Karrnath. If the PCs manage to get him back to Sharn alive (well...not dead, at least), this could spark a new adventure involving Calderus...
#3 skrap-san Jun 03, 2008 0:59:20	Well the cleric or wizard if they make a knowledge check could know that to impale a vampire doesn't really kill him until you chop of his head or something more. But he is still in some sort of coma.
#4 Ardegrath Jun 03, 2008 9:14:51	If you have read the entire module, the last seen in which he fights the PCs is because he has mastered the blade for the time being and instead wants to be defeated in honorable combat, as it where. So you can still have the fight scene and remember he has his fully capabilities and kinda wants to finish it. So he might attack them anyways and when he goes out cold he goes to the coffin and there he can be disarmed. Plus stake to heart does not a vampire kill, it just immobilizes him. So freeze him take his sword, leave the body to his sister, and then take sword to dark lanterns and lie about having destroyed Lucan's body saying it turned to dust. Having the sword to hand to them will probably be prove enough. As long as Lucan doesn't show his face around.
#5 schala_zeal Jun 04, 2008 21:08:33	Thanks for the help - I think I have figured out what to do. It is mainly that the player's are starting to panic slightly - they have battled him numerous times and have seen him take a ridiculous amount of punishment, only to escape as mist when they think they might take him down. So they are really looking for a way not only to prevent him from fleeing but to make sure they live through the fight as well. On a side note (it won't affect my game, hopefully) - do vampires need a coffin? I had his destroyed back in the stage coach fight (long story short - they set the coach on fire and the horses got eaten by wolves), so he hasn't had one. I was thinking it was only needed for rematerializing if he was reduced to zero hit points - if he couldn't reach his coffin in time, then he would die for good, but don't really know how it should work.
#6 Arcane_Guyver Jun 05, 2008 7:37:21	...do vampires need a coffin? Yup. However, they aren't necessarily married to a specific coffin - if they can find another (one that hopefully won't be disturbed for the hour it takes them to heal up), vamps are golden. Not sure about any specific time limit as far as finding a new one, though.
#7 theapokalypseshovel Jun 05, 2008 19:14:42	If I remember correctly there is a coffin in the basement of the zigguarat that Lucan supposedly goes to inhabit if he *dies*. If not, put one there.
#8 schala_zeal Jun 05, 2008 19:27:18	If I remember correctly there is a coffin in the basement of the zigguarat that Lucan supposedly goes to inhabit if he *dies*. If not, put one there. Thanks - I checked and there is one in a crypt below the chamber Lucan is finally confronted in. I will have to ponder what to do with it - I am thinking Lucan will fake being killed, use gaseous form to retreat down there through the connecting tunnel, and recover while they follow. I'll modify the tunnel so that it is too small for a person - I can just see the warlock and Grilsha going down there and getting killed. Plus, it will give him time to heal up. I'll probably have to have him use a backup weapon though - his slam attack is way to nasty. Doesn't help that due to a house rule, he has 99 hp or so.
#9 theapokalypseshovel Jun 05, 2008 19:49:27	I would have the paladin go through the door first. A paladin of of the silver flame would have a difficult time letting a creature such as a vampire survive, even if their evil is caused by something else. Also I doubt that Grilsha will continue to be loyal once she has the opportunity to rejoin her brother. She will probably do something to regain his trust after betraying him, disabling the party or at the very least preventing them from killing him. I for one, see a golden opportunity to have the party go after Calderus, and free Lucan from his servitude. That way they get a badass ninja-like ally that they can call upon for help in the future.
#10 schala_zeal Jun 05, 2008 20:02:16	Well, she would fully go after them if they kill Lucan, but in my game she has realized that the sword is controlling his actions much more than he is. She doesn't know about Calderus yet - he told her that he had discovered that the Dark Lanterns have become corrupt and are doing evil and he wanted out. She has resigned herself to him being a vampire while not liking the fact, though she hopes that once he is no longer under the influence of the sword they will be able to live a life that she can accept - one where he tries to temper his vampiric needs without always succeeding. I also don't want her to betray him since the players have gotten very nervous about trusting NPCs - once bitten, twice shy. One of them already has a possibly permanant (out of character) dislike of elves that is quite problematic. Plus, it made for a nice change of pace from "we break down the door and kill everyone". Also, they totally overpowered her in a very well executed takedown - I will forever after remember her head being slammed into a wooden dresser by a huge warforged who has tackled her. Currently, I am having the paladin go along with the plan to not kill Lucan - he has recognized that the sword is a bigger threat, plus the party is allowing him to travel with them so he feels obliged to respect their trust. I think I will have to have something happen with Calderus sending another minion to retrieve the sword, though I am not sure when would be the best time to do so.