AKAN 1-7 *SPOILERS* - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Ore Dec 28, 2009 9:09:22	I am a little worried about running AKAN 1-7 this weekend. In every module there is always that moment at the beginning where the players can just turn down the offer of the NPC and then the adventure is over. I always get a smile from the players because they know what is going on at that point. I paraphrase, "Will you accept this quest?" They always joke and say, "No, we do not accept the quest. Okay guys, good game this week. See you next weekend." We laugh and then continue on. In AKAN 1-7, that introductory NPC doesn't even really get to finish his offer because nasty NPCs start causing problems. Then if the PCs retaliate the town constable gets involved and everyone is arrested. If the PCs don't perform well enough getting themselves out of trouble then Varithia dies and the adventure is over, lol. Whoa, definitely not pulling any punches here. I have a couple players who will just sit back and let those who enjoy role-playing work it all out. I have one or maybe two who will sit still and allow justice to take it course (and might even stop others from trying to bribe their way out of trouble or break the rules). If they take too long, Varithia dies and it is over. I might just opt to throw together a very easy skill challenge for that scene if trouble ensues. I need to work out mechanical benefits of success and failure first though. I mean, I am not going to allow Varithia to die unless the PCs do something really, really, really dumb. I just laughed when I saw multiple opportunities to end the module in the very first scene (which is just a role playing scene). Anyone else run this module yet? Run into any snags or things I should worry about? I am running it for my home group during the week and then for public organized play on Saturday.
#2 damoncasale Jan 06, 2010 14:44:12	Probably a little late, but I just ran this myself. I changed things around so that Garacx took the PCs into a nearby inn where he'd prepared a private room to discuss business with the PCs. I figured that if Garacx had had trouble getting help before, he'd try to do things a little more quietly with the PCs, who would be newcomers to the scene. But I still had the group of Genasi try to cause trouble after their meeting. It made things a little more straightforward, with less likelihood for Varithia to die. Damon
#3 Ore Jan 07, 2010 13:58:08	You know, that is a very good idea. The scene did feel a little awkward when I read it and when we played it out it felt even more awkward. Next time I run the module I will probably run it similar to your suggestion. That would allow them to size up Garacx first before I complicate the scene with the earth genasi and the meddlesome Quistrowe get involved. Then as the earth genasi approach Garacx can encourage them to avoid trouble as they need to leave soon for Varithia's sake (just a reminder at that point). Despite the awkwardness the group I ran it for was a very good one. Most of the characters discouraged violence for violence's sake and intimidated the earth genasi into backing down without any further trouble. The group also saw straight through Quistrowe to his true motives and he was quickly dismissed. I almost felt bad for the NPC. I was prepared to bring the character to life but the group wanted nothing to do with him or the trouble he wanted to cause. He got so little stage time due to their actions he didn't even need a name, hehe. So I might just include him with the earth genasi next time as well. Pose the physical threat with the social threat at the same time and see where it goes from there. The scene with the Wildhome elves went well but the players cut through most of the drama pretty quickly. They are on a quest to save Varithia's life after all and they knew just what to say to tear through Santral reservations. I think I could have run that scene better with Santaral being a bit more adamant in his uncertainty about helping them and utilizing Drithquis more to oppose the group. She was great flavor for the scene but I don't think I used her well enough. The next time I run the module the group will see a stronger side of her (and she threatened their lives this time). The Kaia were interesting. We did a bit of improvising as the group was able to approach them silently and they had questions about these creatures they had not seen before. I wasn't completely happy with the setup of Encounter 4: Oenath Blood. PCs that make a Stealth check are allowed to act in the Surprise round (meaning, they hid well enough for the Oenath to not notice them). As the encounter starts the Oenath are all in the jungle which is very thick jungle (costs 3 squares of movement to enter a jungle square and creatures within the jungle both give and receive cover and concealment). The creatures start so far inside the jungle at the edges of the map the surprise round is nigh meaningless. This is the hunting grounds of the Oenath so I assumed they would probably be trying to be stealthy themselves while hunting for food. So I allowed the players to place themselves and make their Stealth checks. Those who succeeded were hidden. I decided beforehand that if the entire party made the check (which is possible because the DC was only 13) then the Oenath would probably just wander into the clearing and I would then start the surprise round as the Oenath hit the edge of the clearing (not when they were still deep inside the jungle as the module has laid out). If anyone in the party failed the Stealth check (and 3 of them did) then I decided the Oenath would then attempt to sneak up on the party members that they noticed. So right off the bat the larger Oenath appears at the edge of the clearing and comes out to check out the bait. Under the cover of their own Stealth checks the smaller Oenath were moving towards the targets who did not hide well enough. So during the Surprise round the three who made their checks took shots at the big one (really big shots, they nearly killed it and finished it off in the first normal round of combat). Then as the normal round of combat began to the smaller ones appeared. If a PC failed their stealth check then a smaller Oenath appeared beside them on the map. So 3 Oenath appeared next to the 3 un-Stealthy PCs. The rest of the Oenath appeared elsewhere around the clearing. Combat ensued. I will play with the encounter a bit because I know I can find a way to do it better but it went well. The Magedoom mist was a huge hit. Two thumbs up. In the first Encounter it appears in I showed it at the edge of the clearing and then every so many turns I drew a new purple line across the map showing how far it had moved. My only disappointment was that our group only had one character who had a single power which had the Arcane keyword so we didn't really get to see too much action there on the PC side but I think the players had fun experimenting with the mist to figure things out. I give the module a 4 out of 5. While not a perfect module I think it restored some of my faith in the AKAN series. This one is definitely way better than some of the earlier AKAN modules.
#4 Alphastream Jan 18, 2010 5:08:53	I ran this yesterday. I liked the adventure, though it had a few editing issues and was pretty challenging. AKAN1-7 Spoilers: I liked the basic premise. While straightforward, it was easy and a bit better than the often mundane heroic tier plots. The adventure helped frame regional racism that should be present. However, the start had a bit that really surprised me, though it has been a problem with Akanul 1-1 as well. Here is one of the most amazing places in the Realms... you have a gigantic earth mote bearing a city floating in the air, with waterfalls coming off of it and creating a huge area of water. In the center of this water and under the earth mote is the place where this mod starts. And yet, the adventure misses the opportunity to set that amazing backdrop! Beyond that, it worked well. I liked the inclusion of an optional RP scene. The meeting with the elves adds more RP and played well with our group. It had the right amount of tension but also a clear way to appease the party. The combats were difficult. The first one is just challenging with so many creatures. I had the minions arrive in waves, rather than all at once. The second combat was difficult because of the monsters being spread out. For whatever reason, only two PCs wanted to hide (reverse of what you might expect). Thus, the foes were able to move/charge in most cases and were surrounding the party. This could still happen if foes are hidden, but at least stealth might get some PCs to avoid attention. The party had a pacifist cleric - without him it would have been really rough. The final combat was easy. Overall, this was a nice adventure. A bit more challenging than I think heroic should shoot for, but still really a nice adventure. I was again surprised at how good the treasure was. It seems the campaign just intends for PCs to start their careers out with amazing gear.
#5 jtrain9801 May 27, 2010 21:31:07	Ran the module. Not much for the Roleplaying. It is just a simple fetch quest. The combats were challanging. The encounter 2 with the stealth checks is a problem for do the monsters start on their squares or do they just pop out of the jungle for the 'bait'? The problem I had is the whole party just stand out in the clearing with readied actions knowing that the monsters had to come out, so it made for a boring combat.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Ore

Dec 28, 2009 9:09:22

I am a little worried about running AKAN 1-7 this weekend.

In every module there is always that moment at the beginning where the players can just turn down the offer of the NPC and then the adventure is over. I always get a smile from the players because they know what is going on at that point. I paraphrase, "Will you accept this quest?" They always joke and say, "No, we do not accept the quest. Okay guys, good game this week. See you next weekend." We laugh and then continue on.

In AKAN 1-7, that introductory NPC doesn't even really get to finish his offer because nasty NPCs start causing problems. Then if the PCs retaliate the town constable gets involved and everyone is arrested. If the PCs don't perform well enough getting themselves out of trouble then Varithia dies and the adventure is over, lol.

Whoa, definitely not pulling any punches here. I have a couple players who will just sit back and let those who enjoy role-playing work it all out. I have one or maybe two who will sit still and allow justice to take it course (and might even stop others from trying to bribe their way out of trouble or break the rules). If they take too long, Varithia dies and it is over.

I might just opt to throw together a very easy skill challenge for that scene if trouble ensues. I need to work out mechanical benefits of success and failure first though.

I mean, I am not going to allow Varithia to die unless the PCs do something really, really, really dumb. I just laughed when I saw multiple opportunities to end the module in the very first scene (which is just a role playing scene).

Anyone else run this module yet? Run into any snags or things I should worry about? I am running it for my home group during the week and then for public organized play on Saturday.

damoncasale

Jan 06, 2010 14:44:12

Probably a little late, but I just ran this myself. I changed things around so that Garacx took the PCs into a nearby inn where he'd prepared a private room to discuss business with the PCs. I figured that if Garacx had had trouble getting help before, he'd try to do things a little more quietly with the PCs, who would be newcomers to the scene. But I still had the group of Genasi try to cause trouble after their meeting. It made things a little more straightforward, with less likelihood for Varithia to die.

Damon

Ore

Jan 07, 2010 13:58:08

You know, that is a very good idea.

The scene did feel a little awkward when I read it and when we played it out it felt even more awkward. Next time I run the module I will probably run it similar to your suggestion. That would allow them to size up Garacx first before I complicate the scene with the earth genasi and the meddlesome Quistrowe get involved. Then as the earth genasi approach Garacx can encourage them to avoid trouble as they need to leave soon for Varithia's sake (just a reminder at that point).

Despite the awkwardness the group I ran it for was a very good one. Most of the characters discouraged violence for violence's sake and intimidated the earth genasi into backing down without any further trouble. The group also saw straight through Quistrowe to his true motives and he was quickly dismissed. I almost felt bad for the NPC. I was prepared to bring the character to life but the group wanted nothing to do with him or the trouble he wanted to cause. He got so little stage time due to their actions he didn't even need a name, hehe. So I might just include him with the earth genasi next time as well. Pose the physical threat with the social threat at the same time and see where it goes from there.

The scene with the Wildhome elves went well but the players cut through most of the drama pretty quickly. They are on a quest to save Varithia's life after all and they knew just what to say to tear through Santral reservations. I think I could have run that scene better with Santaral being a bit more adamant in his uncertainty about helping them and utilizing Drithquis more to oppose the group. She was great flavor for the scene but I don't think I used her well enough. The next time I run the module the group will see a stronger side of her (and she threatened their lives this time).

The Kaia were interesting. We did a bit of improvising as the group was able to approach them silently and they had questions about these creatures they had not seen before.

I wasn't completely happy with the setup of Encounter 4: Oenath Blood. PCs that make a Stealth check are allowed to act in the Surprise round (meaning, they hid well enough for the Oenath to not notice them). As the encounter starts the Oenath are all in the jungle which is very thick jungle (costs 3 squares of movement to enter a jungle square and creatures within the jungle both give and receive cover and concealment). The creatures start so far inside the jungle at the edges of the map the surprise round is nigh meaningless.

This is the hunting grounds of the Oenath so I assumed they would probably be trying to be stealthy themselves while hunting for food. So I allowed the players to place themselves and make their Stealth checks. Those who succeeded were hidden.

I decided beforehand that if the entire party made the check (which is possible because the DC was only 13) then the Oenath would probably just wander into the clearing and I would then start the surprise round as the Oenath hit the edge of the clearing (not when they were still deep inside the jungle as the module has laid out).

If anyone in the party failed the Stealth check (and 3 of them did) then I decided the Oenath would then attempt to sneak up on the party members that they noticed. So right off the bat the larger Oenath appears at the edge of the clearing and comes out to check out the bait. Under the cover of their own Stealth checks the smaller Oenath were moving towards the targets who did not hide well enough.

So during the Surprise round the three who made their checks took shots at the big one (really big shots, they nearly killed it and finished it off in the first normal round of combat). Then as the normal round of combat began to the smaller ones appeared. If a PC failed their stealth check then a smaller Oenath appeared beside them on the map. So 3 Oenath appeared next to the 3 un-Stealthy PCs. The rest of the Oenath appeared elsewhere around the clearing. Combat ensued.

I will play with the encounter a bit because I know I can find a way to do it better but it went well.

The Magedoom mist was a huge hit. Two thumbs up. In the first Encounter it appears in I showed it at the edge of the clearing and then every so many turns I drew a new purple line across the map showing how far it had moved. My only disappointment was that our group only had one character who had a single power which had the Arcane keyword so we didn't really get to see too much action there on the PC side but I think the players had fun experimenting with the mist to figure things out.

I give the module a 4 out of 5. While not a perfect module I think it restored some of my faith in the AKAN series. This one is definitely way better than some of the earlier AKAN modules.

Alphastream

Jan 18, 2010 5:08:53

I ran this yesterday. I liked the adventure, though it had a few editing issues and was pretty challenging.

AKAN1-7 Spoilers:

I liked the basic premise. While straightforward, it was easy and a bit better than the often mundane heroic tier plots. The adventure helped frame regional racism that should be present.

However, the start had a bit that really surprised me, though it has been a problem with Akanul 1-1 as well. Here is one of the most amazing places in the Realms... you have a gigantic earth mote bearing a city floating in the air, with waterfalls coming off of it and creating a huge area of water. In the center of this water and under the earth mote is the place where this mod starts. And yet, the adventure misses the opportunity to set that amazing backdrop!

Beyond that, it worked well. I liked the inclusion of an optional RP scene.

The meeting with the elves adds more RP and played well with our group. It had the right amount of tension but also a clear way to appease the party.

The combats were difficult. The first one is just challenging with so many creatures. I had the minions arrive in waves, rather than all at once. The second combat was difficult because of the monsters being spread out. For whatever reason, only two PCs wanted to hide (reverse of what you might expect). Thus, the foes were able to move/charge in most cases and were surrounding the party. This could still happen if foes are hidden, but at least stealth might get some PCs to avoid attention. The party had a pacifist cleric - without him it would have been really rough. The final combat was easy.

Overall, this was a nice adventure. A bit more challenging than I think heroic should shoot for, but still really a nice adventure.

I was again surprised at how good the treasure was. It seems the campaign just intends for PCs to start their careers out with amazing gear.

jtrain9801

May 27, 2010 21:31:07

Ran the module. Not much for the Roleplaying. It is just a simple fetch quest. The combats were challanging.

The encounter 2 with the stealth checks is a problem for do the monsters start on their squares or do they just pop out of the jungle for the 'bait'? The problem I had is the whole party just stand out in the clearing with readied actions knowing that the monsters had to come out, so it made for a boring combat.