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avatar duology

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
wwanno
May 16, 2013 7:20:55 Hi there!

The PCs I'm DMing exit from "Beneath the Twisted Tower" (from AD&D FRCS) to find themselves in the middle of chaos. The Time of Troubles just begun!
They meet Midnight, Cyric, Adon and Kelemvor, they defend Shadowdale from Bane, and help Cyric with the rescue of Adon and Midnight.

Now two option are available:
1 - Switch the time of the campaign 1 year forward (the NPCs left on their own the night the PCs helped Cyric).
2 - Let the PCs go along with Midnight and let them play the second and third part of the Avatar Trilogy.

I would like to play those two modules becouse they allow the PCs to uncover a lot of important things that will change the Realms, but they are some of the worst ever written, extremely railroaded (and the PCs ar not the "focus" of the story, they are spectators).

I would like to know if anybody has any suggestion in order to make those modules more enjoyable. Are you aware of any conversion/adaptation made by fans?

I DM a 3.5 campaign, but that's not a problem, I was adapting the modules to that ruleset, the problem is the adventure's synopsis.

HELP! I don't want to make my Players lose the FUN, it would be better to skip the whole thing instead!



#2
Mr_Miscellany
May 18, 2013 1:10:01
I would like to know if anybody has any suggestion in order to make those modules more enjoyable. Are you aware of any conversion/adaptation made by fans?

I'm not aware of any fan conversions, myself.

Tell me, are your players really into this adventure? Do you think steering them away would bother them?

Or do you have any other printed adventures you can run them through, but add in stuff from the modules you are currently using?

it would be better to skip the whole thing instead!

This might be your only option.

#3
The_Silversword
May 18, 2013 1:37:26 My advice would be too just make it up. Thats pretty much what i did, I used those modules very little, aside from using the maps and some monsters, npcs and what not. It might help if you read the novels if you havnt already. Faiths & Avatars and Powers and Pantheons are good ones to have too, they give some information on what all the other gods were doing at the time.
#4
wwanno
May 18, 2013 12:15:42 I have the novels, but they are in english (and I'm Italian, I understand English, but we are talking of 3 books - if i'm not wrong - and I have no time to read them again now).

My players are going to play the battle for shadowdale tomorrow (sunday) in the afternoon. I think that Cyric will ask their help in the rescue of his friends (based on the reactions of the PCs during the trial, if they are colpevolist, obviously he won't), and after some miles they'll take different ways.

I was planning from the beginning to play the sword of the dales trilogy (and I'll do it, I like it, I have made some minor changes to make it more reasonable), the avatar trilogy was meant to add some spice to the game and make the PCs feel they had a crucial role in Faerun. But the way those modules are written is the exact opposite of what I wanted for my PCS....... I can't imagine playing them! So I won't.

My PCs are in Shadowdale, so they'll interact with Midnight and friends, but no way I'm gonna let them play throught all 2 modules. It would kill the game.

this was my planned campaign:
1357DR – The Doom of Daggerdale (TSR 9391) & Falled Hopes (from TSR 1120 - Ruins of Zenthil Keep Boxed Set). The PCs meet Randal Morn and Lanseril Snowmantle
1357DR – Beneath the Twisted Tower (from TSR 1085 - Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting - Revised)
1358DR – The time of Trouble, Zentharim attack on Shadowdale (as described in TSR 9247 - Shadowdale, first part of the Avatar trilogy) Here you will have to improvise. The PCs fight alongside with Lanseril, and meet the other Knights of Mith Drannor
1369DR, Hammer – The Sword of the Dales Trilogy (TSR 9484, TSR 9485, TSR 9488)
1370DR - For Duty and Deity (TSR 9574)
1372DR - Expedition to Castle Ravenloft
1373DR - Expedition to the Demonweb Pit
1374DR - Shadowdale The Scourging of the Land (The group played Cormyr the Tearing of the Wave with other PCs, I'm planning to make them meet each other, it will be fun)
1374DR - Anauroch the Scourging of the Land


I'll have to be wise in giving exp. points, I think that the demonweb pit will be quite hard for the PCs (given the level they should be, but if they are more powerful the other quest will be too easy for them). I'll work something out, we have many years of playing ahead!

#5
Andrekan
May 18, 2013 22:50:00 I've read the Novels, years ago and actually played in an adventure during that time.
Which is why I am posting because the thing I remembered most in our little area along the border of Sembia and Cormyr was Divine Magic didn't always function and it seemed like our wizard had some wild surges of his Arcane spells. What does the Module say about Divine Magic?

We eventually headed into the Abyss to Rescue Waukeen, which was an adventure the DM took from a Module along the ToT era.

It was high to epic level of course, and in the Abyss, magic worked different also back then when adventurers went into the home Plane of Graz'zt via a Celestial Stair.. There was alot of crazy stuff in a couple of games where we battled and ran for our lives, Lich's and Undermoutain also came in there somewhere. Fun of course!
#6
wwanno
May 19, 2013 6:10:38 All magic (arcaene and divine) is wild. And clerics are unable to pray for spells (becouse their deities are on fearun), so they can cast spells up to 3rd level (i think they do it using their inner power or something similar, like the clerics devoted to a ideal instead of a deity)

For the module relative to rescue of Waukeen (For duty and Deity), it's the 1370 (at least using the officiall cronology), the ToT ended 12 years before. The problems with magic you remember were due to the necessity for spellcaster to find some special keys in order to be able to cast spells of any given school. Also magic weapons suffered some changes to their function (they lose one "+" for every plane of distance from where they were forged, so a +3 longsword forged on the material plane, is only a +1 longsword in the abyss).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 wwanno May 16, 2013 7:20:55	Hi there! The PCs I'm DMing exit from "Beneath the Twisted Tower" (from AD&D FRCS) to find themselves in the middle of chaos. The Time of Troubles just begun! They meet Midnight, Cyric, Adon and Kelemvor, they defend Shadowdale from Bane, and help Cyric with the rescue of Adon and Midnight. Now two option are available: 1 - Switch the time of the campaign 1 year forward (the NPCs left on their own the night the PCs helped Cyric). 2 - Let the PCs go along with Midnight and let them play the second and third part of the Avatar Trilogy. I would like to play those two modules becouse they allow the PCs to uncover a lot of important things that will change the Realms, but they are some of the worst ever written, extremely railroaded (and the PCs ar not the "focus" of the story, they are spectators). I would like to know if anybody has any suggestion in order to make those modules more enjoyable. Are you aware of any conversion/adaptation made by fans? I DM a 3.5 campaign, but that's not a problem, I was adapting the modules to that ruleset, the problem is the adventure's synopsis. HELP! I don't want to make my Players lose the FUN, it would be better to skip the whole thing instead!
#2 Mr_Miscellany May 18, 2013 1:10:01	I would like to know if anybody has any suggestion in order to make those modules more enjoyable. Are you aware of any conversion/adaptation made by fans? I'm not aware of any fan conversions, myself. Tell me, are your players really into this adventure? Do you think steering them away would bother them? Or do you have any other printed adventures you can run them through, but add in stuff from the modules you are currently using? it would be better to skip the whole thing instead! This might be your only option.
#3 The_Silversword May 18, 2013 1:37:26	My advice would be too just make it up. Thats pretty much what i did, I used those modules very little, aside from using the maps and some monsters, npcs and what not. It might help if you read the novels if you havnt already. Faiths & Avatars and Powers and Pantheons are good ones to have too, they give some information on what all the other gods were doing at the time.
#4 wwanno May 18, 2013 12:15:42	I have the novels, but they are in english (and I'm Italian, I understand English, but we are talking of 3 books - if i'm not wrong - and I have no time to read them again now). My players are going to play the battle for shadowdale tomorrow (sunday) in the afternoon. I think that Cyric will ask their help in the rescue of his friends (based on the reactions of the PCs during the trial, if they are colpevolist, obviously he won't), and after some miles they'll take different ways. I was planning from the beginning to play the sword of the dales trilogy (and I'll do it, I like it, I have made some minor changes to make it more reasonable), the avatar trilogy was meant to add some spice to the game and make the PCs feel they had a crucial role in Faerun. But the way those modules are written is the exact opposite of what I wanted for my PCS....... I can't imagine playing them! So I won't. My PCs are in Shadowdale, so they'll interact with Midnight and friends, but no way I'm gonna let them play throught all 2 modules. It would kill the game. this was my planned campaign: 1357DR – The Doom of Daggerdale (TSR 9391) & Falled Hopes (from TSR 1120 - Ruins of Zenthil Keep Boxed Set). The PCs meet Randal Morn and Lanseril Snowmantle 1357DR – Beneath the Twisted Tower (from TSR 1085 - Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting - Revised) 1358DR – The time of Trouble, Zentharim attack on Shadowdale (as described in TSR 9247 - Shadowdale, first part of the Avatar trilogy) Here you will have to improvise. The PCs fight alongside with Lanseril, and meet the other Knights of Mith Drannor 1369DR, Hammer – The Sword of the Dales Trilogy (TSR 9484, TSR 9485, TSR 9488) 1370DR - For Duty and Deity (TSR 9574) 1372DR - Expedition to Castle Ravenloft 1373DR - Expedition to the Demonweb Pit 1374DR - Shadowdale The Scourging of the Land (The group played Cormyr the Tearing of the Wave with other PCs, I'm planning to make them meet each other, it will be fun) 1374DR - Anauroch the Scourging of the Land I'll have to be wise in giving exp. points, I think that the demonweb pit will be quite hard for the PCs (given the level they should be, but if they are more powerful the other quest will be too easy for them). I'll work something out, we have many years of playing ahead!
#5 Andrekan May 18, 2013 22:50:00	I've read the Novels, years ago and actually played in an adventure during that time. Which is why I am posting because the thing I remembered most in our little area along the border of Sembia and Cormyr was Divine Magic didn't always function and it seemed like our wizard had some wild surges of his Arcane spells. What does the Module say about Divine Magic? We eventually headed into the Abyss to Rescue Waukeen, which was an adventure the DM took from a Module along the ToT era. It was high to epic level of course, and in the Abyss, magic worked different also back then when adventurers went into the home Plane of Graz'zt via a Celestial Stair.. There was alot of crazy stuff in a couple of games where we battled and ran for our lives, Lich's and Undermoutain also came in there somewhere. Fun of course!
#6 wwanno May 19, 2013 6:10:38	All magic (arcaene and divine) is wild. And clerics are unable to pray for spells (becouse their deities are on fearun), so they can cast spells up to 3rd level (i think they do it using their inner power or something similar, like the clerics devoted to a ideal instead of a deity) For the module relative to rescue of Waukeen (For duty and Deity), it's the 1370 (at least using the officiall cronology), the ToT ended 12 years before. The problems with magic you remember were due to the necessity for spellcaster to find some special keys in order to be able to cast spells of any given school. Also magic weapons suffered some changes to their function (they lose one "+" for every plane of distance from where they were forged, so a +3 longsword forged on the material plane, is only a +1 longsword in the abyss).