The Shadowfell is the land of the dead, where the spirits of the deceased linger for a time in a dark reflection of their previous lives before silently fading beyond all ken. Some undead creatures are born in the Shadowfell, and other undead are bound to it, but some living beings dwell in this benighted realm.
Like the Feywild, the Shadowfell also reflects the mortal world imperfectly. Towns, castles, roads, and other objects built by mortal kind exist in the Shadowfell about where they should be, but they are twisted, ruined caricatures.
Indeed, my mind immediately conjures up images of a large, dark castle filled with twisted, old corridors, where strange things move in the shadows...
Sounds like Gormenghast Castle.
Bel
In other words, keep Shadowfell, I feel Inspired.(Damn Quori!)
I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about this. Some of this material is inspiring me like crazy.
When I heard "Keep on the Shadowfell" my initial thought was "4th Edition reinterpretation of the classic Keep on the Borderlands" module.
Apparently, I was mistaken.
Not that the new planar cosmology isn't really interesting, but the Shadowfell just doesn't seem like the place for a starter adventure. Perhaps unless you start exploring the keep in the material plane (or is it called the natural world now?) and end up towards the end traveling to the Shadowfell for the conclusion.
Interesting, nonetheless.
My only question is this: A first level starter adventure set on another plane? Specifically the plane of death?
When I heard "Keep on the Shadowfell" my initial thought was "4th Edition reinterpretation of the classic Keep on the Borderlands" module.
Apparently, I was mistaken.
Not that the new planar cosmology isn't really interesting, but the Shadowfell just doesn't seem like the place for a starter adventure. Perhaps unless you start exploring the keep in the material plane (or is it called the natural world now?) and end up towards the end traveling to the Shadowfell for the conclusion.
Interesting, nonetheless.
It is Keep ON the Shadowfell not IN. I think we are going to see some bleed over from Shadowfell into a keep in the PoL Prime.
A long abandoned Keep has always been a camp for bandits or humanoid tribes but recently a taint has crept into the area around the Keep. The land has grayed, as if death hovers over the land. You can have hobgoblins training poison spitting spiders and undead in the keep. Weird effects of hearing the voices of the recently deceased and strange corruptions to the local wildlife.
The town of Winterhaven stands watch over a ruined keep that was once a bastion of good in the realm. This keep overlooks the Shadow Rift, a dark scar in the world that was once a gateway to the Shadowfell but has been dormant for many years. Now, an evil cleric of Orcus, Demon Lord of the Undead, seeks to re-open the gate, and the only thing standing in his way is a small yet determined band of heroes from Winterhaven.
Keep on the Shadowfell is an exciting Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed for characters of levels 1-3. It includes three double-sided poster maps suitable for use with D&D miniatures, as well as information on the town of Winterhaven and environs.
Or I could not be an idiot and post the blurb from Amazon.
The town of Winterhaven stands watch over a ruined keep that was once a bastion of good in the realm. This keep overlooks the Shadow Rift, a dark scar in the world that was once a gateway to the Shadowfell but has been dormant for many years. Now, an evil cleric of Orcus, Demon Lord of the Undead, seeks to re-open the gate, and the only thing standing in his way is a small yet determined band of heroes from Winterhaven.
Keep on the Shadowfell is an exciting Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed for characters of levels 1-3. It includes three double-sided poster maps suitable for use with D&D miniatures, as well as information on the town of Winterhaven and environs.
That's pretty epic for a first level adventure. Honestly, I dig it.
Or I could not be an idiot and post the blurb from Amazon.
The town of Winterhaven stands watch over a ruined keep that was once a bastion of good in the realm. This keep overlooks the Shadow Rift, a dark scar in the world that was once a gateway to the Shadowfell but has been dormant for many years. Now, an evil cleric of Orcus, Demon Lord of the Undead, seeks to re-open the gate, and the only thing standing in his way is a small yet determined band of heroes from Winterhaven.
Keep on the Shadowfell is an exciting Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed for characters of levels 1-3. It includes three double-sided poster maps suitable for use with D&D miniatures, as well as information on the town of Winterhaven and environs.
Well, we know Orcus' stats are in the MM, so maybe the PC's will fight him at the end. Which would be freaky-swwet-amazing. And there will probably be lots of classic undead and evil-cultist killing, which allows every character to show his/her abilities!
Somehow I am thinking that while killing priests and cultists is one thing, fighting the demon lord of the undead is a little beyond the scope of a level 1-3 adventure lol. But I admit it would be interesting. Of course then what would you do for level 5?
I meant it more as a "they try to summon him and only part of Orcus' essence comes through the gate and you battle it" thing.
I meant it more as a "they try to summon him and only part of Orcus' essence comes through the gate and you battle it" thing.
Freakin’ Sweet!
Presumably this will be a whole chain of adventures that lead into one another (Heroic: H1, H2, H3; Paragon: P1, P2, P3; Epic: E1, E2, E3), starting at level 1 in H1: Keep on the Shadowfell, and ultimately continuing on until the grand confrontation with [Gargantuan] Orcus at level 29 or 30, in adventure E3. I can't wait to run my players against this bad mother...!
Players love adventure paths! Devs know this. We can only benefit! :D
I hate undead, kill them whenever I can.
Does sound fun though!!!!
Has anyone seen any updates, through blogs, posts, whatever, about H1 or H2? I saw that we had a name change on H2. It is now Thunderspire Labyrinth instead of the Keep of Lost Souls. Also, I hear that it deals with duergar (see Rich Bakers 10/26 blog). Anyone else seen anything new?
It includes three double-sided poster maps suitable for use with D&D miniatures
I like that addition. Battle mats are nice, but its harder to do interesting terrain with a battlemat, as you don't want to worry about drawing every little tree and hill to run a combat. And dwarven forge or hirst arts stuff is nice, but can take forever to put down. I hope maps like the fantastic location ones show up in several of the published adventures.
I like that addition. Battle mats are nice, but its harder to do interesting terrain with a battlemat, as you don't want to worry about drawing every little tree and hill to run a combat. And dwarven forge or hirst arts stuff is nice, but can take forever to put down. I hope maps like the fantastic location ones show up in several of the published adventures.
Could you give a link? I can't find such note on Amazon.com
Could you give a link? I can't find such note on Amazon.com
Well, I was just quoting the poster upthread quoting amazon. That said, linky. Its in the editorial reviews section.
But *why* is this being published as a $30 hardcover?!? For 96 pages of material? (Of which, the last three or so will be ads). This should be a softcover release for at *most* $15.
I thought the point of releasing a product like this before the ruleset was to stir up interest in the upcoming books, not to gouge the people that either are completists and feel they need every book, or that are too impatient and excited to wait the additional two weeks for the release of the core rulebooks...
I really dislike this 'hardcover only' trend that WotC has taken over the last few years. I've bought fewer and fewer new books as the prices have gone up and the pagecounts have gone down. Yes, hardcovers are nicer than softcovers, but unfortunately, I only have a limited budget for gaming materials. I'd *much* rather be able to buy 3-4 softcover supplements than 1-2 hardcovers. And I don't mind paying more for hardcover versions of books I'm going to use all the time, like the core rulebooks and the FRCS. Things like that. Adventures? No.
I'd really like to see "Keep on the Shadowfell" released as an affordable softcover book. There's no question in my mind that I would snap it up immediately. But as it stands, I'll pass on it and save my money to pick up the three core rulebooks two weeks later.
Hey!
Yes, H1 will come with a party of five pre-generated characters. There will be enough rules in the adventure to go up to level 3. It's meant as an intro product for people who already play D&D.
- Mike
Quote:
Originally Posted by eleran
I know you are all really busy. I was just wondering if H1, Keep on the Shadowfell, will come with pregen characters or will players make their own characters?
Thanx for all your hard work. Cant wait to see what 4e has in store for us.
__________________
---
Mike Mearls
Lead Developer, Dungeons & Dragons R&D
Friend to norkers, ally to qullans, champion of Fiend Folio 1e
"Mike Mearls = Gary Gygax on steroids...those poor hapless and unsuspecting players..." - nastynate, CO Boards
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=910060&page=2 (Daily Work, beginning with post 44)
I'm unsure if he's referring to this adventure, or one of the later adventures. I'm guessing he at least helped Mike Mearls along since they do the Podcast together.
Edit: The more I read, the more I want to play again. I just travel too much to make organizing a gaming group even a possibility. Hopefully the local gaming shop will have something set up for its release (or at least the Core books).
Indeed, my mind immediately conjures up images of a large, dark castle filled with twisted, old corridors, where strange things move in the shadows...
ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
It is more likely that the adventure is tied to the Shadowfell. Perhaps the keep in questions sits on a planar boundry and the goal is to keep that junction closed. That could be quite interesting. Low level undead. Cultists. Various evil clerics and wizards and their minions working to open the rift to plunge the material plane into the Shadowfell once and for all.
Hey!
Yes, H1 will come with a party of five pre-generated characters. There will be enough rules in the adventure to go up to level 3. It's meant as an intro product for people who already play D&D.
- Mike
Thanks Eleran,
This is exactly what I was wondering. Now our group will be able to try out 4e without spending $65 on the core set. Of course that would just be a preview session since we're well into a campaign that won't likely finish until well into 2009. I suppose I could update the module to 4e. Or for that matter there will probably be someone who will since it's Red Hand of Doom
Will it be possible to create characters with the rules supplied in H1 (i.e. before the PHB is out)? Or options to tweak the pregen characters?
I'm dying to know the answer to this. From everything I've heard so far it looks like we'd be stuck with just the pre-gen characters.
I'm dying to know the answer to this. From everything I've heard so far it looks like we'd be stuck with just the pre-gen characters.
We originally wanted to include some options for leveling up, but we ended up running out of space.
OTOH, you have about 3 weeks of H1 before the core books come out. I'd suggest running H1, and when you get the PH re-building the characters while keeping your XP total and treasure.
- Mike
We originally wanted to include some options for leveling up, but we ended up running out of space.
OTOH, you have about 3 weeks of H1 before the core books come out. I'd suggest running H1, and when you get the PH re-building the characters while keeping your XP total and treasure.
- Mike
Can you tell use what characters (Race/Class) will be supplied with the adventure? Oh and will they all be first level or a mix of 1st to 3rd?
So I guess if everyone wants to stick with the included PC's on the adventure arc they'll just have to "double level" them once we get the Core Books.
Please please please let there be a Dragonborn PC! I am prepared and willing to kill to see their racial features.
Ack no leveling!Please please please let there be a Dragonborn PC! I am prepared and willing to kill to see their racial features.
I'm not sure about 'no leveling'. If we take the two comments from staff together, it's that there will be rules for characters that will take you to level 3. What he said was that there were no options for leveling. I read that as: you will level up, but your new powers/abilities are predetermined, no options to choose from. That's why you would want to rebuild the characters after the PHB comes out. If they stayed level one, there would be no need to rebuild.
I also *really* hope there is a Dragonborn. I'm surprised to see there are just 5 pregen characters. So at least 3 races and at least 3 classes won't be represented. They could just be the same characters as at DDXP.
Since it's just two weeks before the PHB and is meant as a chance to try before the core books are out, it should be sufficient to meet its purpose. I'm looking forward to it
We originally wanted to include some options for leveling up, but we ended up running out of space.
OTOH, you have about 3 weeks of H1 before the core books come out. I'd suggest running H1, and when you get the PH re-building the characters while keeping your XP total and treasure.
- Mike
Hum, this just cancelled my chance of pre order.
Not saying I won't pick this up once the core is out, and I'll definately spend a morning with a Seattle's Best reading this at Borders like I do everything, but I'd rather my players be able to play *their* choice of characters through this.
Hum, this just cancelled my chance of pre order.
Not saying I won't pick this up once the core is out, and I'll definately spend a morning with a Seattle's Best reading this at Borders like I do everything, but I'd rather my players be able to play *their* choice of characters through this.
With what's been pieced together so far you should be able to at least put together any race/class combo except the Dragonborn or the Warlord. Just use the fantastic fan based 4e PHB Lite which can be easily found circulating the Web.
I'm not sure of the race/class breakdown. I co-wrote the adventure, and then a second team created the characters and the fast play rules.
There are a few ways you can look at it:
1. If your group wants to play 4e but hasn't followed the boards or still has a 3e game to wrap up, this is a fast, easy way to start playing.
2. If you want to get a jump start on learning 4e before the core rulebooks come out, the module is a good "first run" of the game. You play KotS, learn the rules, get everyone up to speed, then start in on the full game.
3. If you just want an adventure and don't care about the fast play stuff, KotS goes from level 1 to 3. The quick start materials will be handy as a reference for players who don't yet have a PH. If you want the full options of the PH, you might want to wait for the PH or let the players re-do their characters.
4. If you're not crazy about published modules and you can wait for the PH, KotS isn't for you.
So, basically, how much do you want an adventure, and how long can you wait to see the 4e rules? Those two questions determine if H1 is going to make you happy.
There will be leveling in the adventure, you just don't have options as you go up. It isn't the best situation, but we had to work with the page count of the adventure.
I'm not sure of the race/class breakdown. I co-wrote the adventure, and then a second team created the characters and the fast play rules.
1. If your group wants to play 4e but hasn't followed the boards or still has a 3e game to wrap up, this is a fast, easy way to start playing.
......
So, basically, how much do you want an adventure, and how long can you wait to see the 4e rules? Those two questions determine if H1 is going to make you happy.
Aah, ok that all looks good. I think I'll keep my pre-order for now... gotta reel in the rest of the gaming group into 4e somehow still
Thanks a lot for the info M.M.!
So, the adventure sounds interesting, and it will have the Fast-Play rules...
But *why* is this being published as a $30 hardcover?!? For 96 pages of material? (Of which, the last three or so will be ads). This should be a softcover release for at *most* $15.
FYI
If you check out Amazon, it's $19.77 and you can get an additional 5% off if you pre-order it. That puts it down to about $18.78. So, it's close to your $15 mark and it's a hard cover.
Interesting, I checked WoTC's site and they list all the adventure books as TPB costing $24.95. So, I'm guessing that Amazon's price and description are old. Amazon does list H2 as a TPB and it's discounted to $16.47, also with an additional 5% discount for pre-order bringing it down to roughly $15.65. So, in the end, you may get your wish.
Cheers
There will be leveling in the adventure, you just don't have options as you go up. It isn't the best situation, but we had to work with the page count of the adventure.
I'm not sure of the race/class breakdown. I co-wrote the adventure, and then a second team created the characters and the fast play rules.
There are a few ways you can look at it:
1. If your group wants to play 4e but hasn't followed the boards or still has a 3e game to wrap up, this is a fast, easy way to start playing.
2. If you want to get a jump start on learning 4e before the core rulebooks come out, the module is a good "first run" of the game. You play KotS, learn the rules, get everyone up to speed, then start in on the full game.
3. If you just want an adventure and don't care about the fast play stuff, KotS goes from level 1 to 3. The quick start materials will be handy as a reference for players who don't yet have a PH. If you want the full options of the PH, you might want to wait for the PH or let the players re-do their characters.
4. If you're not crazy about published modules and you can wait for the PH, KotS isn't for you.
So, basically, how much do you want an adventure, and how long can you wait to see the 4e rules? Those two questions determine if H1 is going to make you happy.
While you're here Mr. Mearls,
I've already pre-bought the KotSF and the corebooks (with skeptical optimism). I also was at DDXP (love the eladrin ranger).
Can you tell us about any pregen character in KotSF? I want to know if I can use that source and the pregen DDXP characters (despite their draft status), as well as some of the great resources EN World has put together to actually start my 4e campaign early. I want to give the players a full range of options, and with the DDXP pregen characters, and the warlord and rogue Dragon articles, I feel like I'm nearly there.
Will KotSF complete the circle, or should I wait another month before trying to start an intensive new campaign (with a cool POL setting in the works?)
Vicarius
(Cyronax @ ENWorld)
I think between the DDXP characters and the stuff in KotS, you'll be mostly covered. Like I mentioned above, I'm not 100% sure on the characters in the adventure, but I think you'll have most bases covered. I'm not sure there is a warlord in KotS, and I don't know which races we went with.
Even if it doesn't exactly cover what you need, the adventure is a good way to introduce the new rules to everyone. You can jump into playing without everyone taking the time to read the PH and learn the system before making characters. We intentionally designed the adventure with a fair amount of story, NPC interaction, and plot so that it is a full fledged D&D experience. It isn't a simple dungeon crawl - if you stripped out the quick start rules and pregen PCs, it would like at home alongside any other low-level adventure.
- Mike
Hey Vicarius,
Even if it doesn't exactly cover what you need, the adventure is a good way to introduce the new rules to everyone. You can jump into playing without everyone taking the time to read the PH and learn the system before making characters. We intentionally designed the adventure with a fair amount of story, NPC interaction, and plot so that it is a full fledged D&D experience. It isn't a simple dungeon crawl - if you stripped out the quick start rules and pregen PCs, it would like at home alongside any other low-level adventure.
- Mike
Cool. Thanks for the reply.
I want to start a new 4e campaign, but I might wait so that all my players get to see the complete range of options (as well as rules for gnomes and shifters ... PC races in our next campaign world).
Vic
Nothing ventured nothing gained...
Actually, this info is pretty good for me. I'll prolly purchase the Keep right off the bat, to give me time, as DM, to read the whole module. That way when the core books come out, I'll be prepared. I don't see my players being interested in premade pcs.
That combined with the fact that I am going to be running the modules at the library for anyone who wants to check out the game makes the Keep a perfect fit for me.
(or, 'ye who inherited the C/E alignment) :D
Will 4e (or H1 at least) be using a 'delve' style format? This was one of my least favorite things about late 3e products, as it took up so much room!
Thanks!
Mr. Mearls
(or, 'ye who inherited the C/E alignment) :D
Will 4e (or H1 at least) be using a 'delve' style format? This was one of my least favorite things about late 3e products, as it took up so much room!
Thanks!
We're using it, but we're also always on the look out for new ways to present material. Just because we use it now does not mean that we're are going to use it forever, or for every type of adventure we do.
I've been playing D&D off an on for quite a while. I played quite a bit of 3.0 and 3.5 but haven't played in about 3 years because I moved away from my regular group and I just plain haven't had the time. One of my coworkers mentioned that he played D&D while visiting his cousins and we started talking and before I knew it, I had about five coworkers who wanted to play. They're all World of Warcraft players but have pretty limited experience with pen and paper RPGs (side note: I make fun of them for being geeks when they talk about WoW then I start talking about THAC0 and my sweet new copy of Wings of War). In short: we're pretty much the target audience for 4th edition, no time and a bunch of WoWers.
So questions:
1) Is KotSf right for this group? They mostly haven't played D&D and I'm not the world's most experienced DM. Is this too ambitious a start? If it is, what are some other options?
2) I love buying the D&D minis. They're great. I'd like to get a jump on my "stable" before playing KotSf. What can we expect to be facing?
Thanks.
We're using it, but we're also always on the look out for new ways to present material. Just because we use it now does not mean that we're are going to use it forever, or for every type of adventure we do.
Sorry, btw, if that last sentence came off sounding rude. I just re-read it, and realized it would have miffed me a bit, if it were directed at me .. .
That format has a very different feel to it, and in 3e, the stat blocks could be massive. I can see how it would work better for 4e, though, as not as much space should be needed for the blocks.
Thanks for the answer!
Bumped to help some people looking for this info. :-)
Thanks for the bump!
If the H series is anything like the first adventures that were published for 3E, they should be fairly generic and easy to twist into any campaign.
If so, anyone link to a map?
Does anyone know in what part of the Forgotten Realms the keep is? And the subsequent adventures?
If so, anyone link to a map?
-I don't think that it is set in the Realms. But you could put it anywhere you want to in the Realms.
18D
Does anyone know in what part of the Forgotten Realms the keep is? And the subsequent adventures?
If so, anyone link to a map?
I don't think it is set in the FR.
How much is preview material & pregens? How much is adventure?
Cheers!
Does anyone know the page-count of the adventure?
How much is preview material & pregens? How much is adventure?
Cheers!
I think it's a little less than 100. Check amazon.com it will say there.
Does anyone know in what part of the Forgotten Realms the keep is? And the subsequent adventures?
If so, anyone link to a map?
-Well I stand Corrected! Greg B Blog
Greg
Other projects include editing and writing adaptations of Keep on the Shadowfell and Thunderspire Labyrinth for the Forgotten Realms setting and Eberron setting. Keep on the Shadowfell has extensive support for both settings, and the articles should be released shortly after the adventure hits the stores. Stephen Radley-McFarland wrote the Eberron adaptation and I wrote the Forgotten Realms adaptation. Each of these has the tools for setting Keep on the Shadowfell within the setting and adding the nuanced details that can help bring the adventure to life. For FR, this means getting additional encounters and a vivid backdrop for the story. For Eberron, there are a few Eberron-specific creatures, an intrigue-laden plot, and two additional pre-gen characters. Regardless of whether a DM intends to run an FR or Eberron campaign, I think both adaptations have material to offer. Thunderspire Labyrinth should have similar support.
I think it's a little less than 100. Check amazon.com it will say there.
Amazon is notoriously unreliable for things like pagecount and format; it thinks that this is a hardcover.
Apparently 80 pages of adventure + 16 pages of preview material (from a Wizards media release yesterday or so).
Cheers!
Apparently 80 pages of adventure + 16 pages of preview material (from a Wizards media release yesterday or so).
Merric - where did you see this release? Got a link to it?
And Mearls, you said we'd have about 3 weeks to play KotSF before the PH releases. Does that mean that we could possibly get KotSF before May 20th?
Thanks again,
Teo
Thanks go out to 'The Rouse' and Mearls for the quick replies and insider comments :D I've heard there are two skill challenges. I already know about the undead one. What's the other one entail?
And Mearls, you said we'd have about 3 weeks to play KotSF before the PH releases. Does that mean that we could possibly get KotSF before May 20th?
Thanks again,
Teo
Well, I don't know about 'the Undead' one, can you fill me in on the details?
Yeah, I got this from Imaro on ENWorld:
SPOILER
"The PCs can negotiate with this undead guy - I forget his name, he used to be the lord of Shadowfell Keep before he went crazy and killed his family and most everyone inside. The way the challenge is set up, the undead guy asks questions based on what skills the PCs are good at. For example, if one of the PCs has a holy symbol, he'll ask the PC "What god do you worship, and why do you find him worthy?" The player then rolls Religion (I can't remember the DC). There are suggestions for a bunch of skills, such as Diplomacy, Arcana, Percpetion, and so on. I think they need 4 successes before they got 4 failures. If they fail, he attacks. If they succeed, he believes them and gives them a magic item and advice."
No, sorry
Like I said, I got that info from and ENWorld poster but, if I'm able to look at it today, I'll definately try to post more As someone mentioned earlier, the EnWorld forums have a great discussion of this module.
My local gamestore got a preview copy. I work there and am also running 4e demos, so naturally I read it right away.
The 16 page preview section has 5 pregens, taking up 2 pages each. The remaining 6 pages are largely a rehash of the rules sheets from the D&D XP.
The pregens are different from the D&D XP pregens.
Dwarf Fighter
Half Elf Cleric
Human Wizard
Halfling Rogue
Dragonborn Paladin
The adventure book as a few pages of quickstart rules. It features an expanded skill usage section talking about the different uses and modifiers for skills. It also features a list of conditions that can affect PCs and monsters.
The adventure is fairly solid. The encounters are laid out in a 2 page spread with a map and stat blocks. It is a improved version of the tactical encounter layouts from the later 3.5 modules.
All in all it is a solid intro adventure, with plenty of room for expansion. It is not setting specific, although the DDI is supposed to have some articles to link it to both eberron and FR.
Comparing the pre-gens and the D&DXP ones I found that:
Kathra is 100% compatible, just give her at 2nd level the feat that the which the dwarf fighter pre-gen has at 1st and keep the same 3rd level power as the pre-gen
But I'm not so sure about the other characters, has anyone else compared them? While I know some options may not be fully fleshed out since we don't have the all the rules, I do want to give as much choice to my players as possible, with the D&DXP and KotS pre gens, you get, I believe every race and class except elf and warlord. The tiefling wizard seems fine, except he gets one extra cantrip. Any one have any info?