Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 richgreen01 Sep 05, 2009 3:12:20	Hi, Just thought I'd post here to let people know that Wolfgang Baur is going to writing a new 4e Open Design patron project, following the excellent Wrath of the River King last year. If you don't know how Open Design works, you can read the FAQ here but in summary when you sign up you get to see inside the adventure design process, influencing Wolfgang by commenting as plot, monsters, NPCs, encounters and so on are developed and at the end of the project you get a PDF copy of the adventure with the option to buy a print version at cost. Details of the adventure below: Court of the Shadow Fey by Wolfgang Baur System: 4th Edition DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Level: Paragon Tier Length: 50,000 words minimum Setting: Zobeck The shadow fey have long been considered a threat to more civilized creatures: cruel, capricious, and utterly without remorse, they go where they please and do what they will with little regard for the consequences. Now the shadow fey ambassador has claimed the city as a fiefdom of the Shadow Court, and he listens to no one who claims otherwise. "Speak with the Queen if you must complain," offers the ambassador. The party visits the Plane of Shadow and becomes embroiled in deadly slaughter, dueling, attempted assassinations, and infiltration of the Queen's bedchamber to defeat the Queen of Night and Magic and her Moonlit King. The two fey have threatened to vastly expand their hold on the material plane, and are gathering planar allies from demons to liches. This planar adventure includes at least a half-dozen Shadow planar locations, new brute and lurker fey, as well as riddle and trickery encounters, and a shadow fey PC race. Planar: At the patron's option, the opening sequence requires a bit of planar journeying – such as visiting the Sun God for help, smiting down a demon friend of the Court, or unraveling some planar wards. Social: Other encounters involve disguises and court politics around figures such as the Blind Seer and the Black Prince. The party will find false friends and make uneasy alliances. ("Should we really be bargaining with this twisted servant of evil?"). The adventure includes direct combat as well as pure stealth, bargains, demonic binding, and other skill challenges. Combat: A portion of it requires fighting the unique Shadow monstrosities that lie just behind every patch of darkness: the Snake-Godling of the Grave to the Black Crone and the million-footed Lord of Roaches (Akyishigal from Kobold Quarterly #8). Perhaps they are nightmares and illusions. They are certainly deadly enough… Layers of dark fey nastiness present the party with some tough trade-offs throughout the adventure; they may arrive as ambassadors or attempt to achieve their goals by force, but either way, it's not always clear who to bribe to get the fey to relinquish their claim. Finale: Duel with King and Queen In the grand finale, the party defeats the Queen and her Moonlit King or their champion in a major dueling scene. The Moonlit King is a shadow fey master of the blade; his Queen is a shadow fey sorceress. Having gotten the fey royals to relinquish their claim, the PCs then must flee the wrath and wreckage of the shadow plane, scarred by the price of the high magic they invoked. To become a patron, sign up today and support Court of the Shadow Fey. Wolfgang Baur is the founder of Open Design and the publisher of Kobold Quarterly magazine. He is the co-author of the Dark*Matter campaign setting, the Wrath of the River King patron adventure, the Empire of the Ghouls patron adventure, various Pathfinder adventures, and a number of Planescape and Al-Qadim sourcebooks. The commission is already over 60% there but we need more people to sign up to get it well and truly underway. Obviously the earlier you join in, the more fun it is and the more you get to influence the direction of the adventure. Cheers Richard
#2 richgreen01 Sep 05, 2009 10:42:17	Hi, The commission is now at 71% - good stuff! Cheers   Richard
#3 Jack99 Sep 05, 2009 12:58:42	This could very well turn out to be the best 4e adventure of the year. WotRK was awesome in tone and feel, and now Wolfgang and co. have mastered the intricacies of 4e crunch. IMNSHO, Court is destined for greatness ;)
#4 ishtarre Sep 07, 2009 11:33:08	Certainly looking forward to this one. Wolfgang's Wrath of the River King is the best published 4E adventure that I've run or indeed read. Done sandbox style with loads of atmosphere, excellent storyline (albeit slightly confusing in places - my only real criticism) and some fantastic, interesting encounters. This one sounds like it will also have strong atmosphere.
#5 richgreen01 Sep 07, 2009 17:14:15	Certainly looking forward to this one. Wolfgang's Wrath of the River King is the best published 4E adventure that I've run or indeed read. Done sandbox style with loads of atmosphere, excellent storyline (albeit slightly confusing in places - my only real criticism) and some fantastic, interesting encounters. This one sounds like it will also have strong atmosphere I'm running Wrath of the River King at the moment so would be interested to hear how it went! Did you get through the whole thing? Cheers   Richard
#6 roir1k Sep 11, 2009 11:29:08	This project is at 75% -- there's still time to get in on this project and add your thoughts to the brainstorm and make an impact on the story. This is a great way to see the design process, to participate in the discussion, and to get a fantastic adventure you won't find anywhere else. -Ben.
#7 im_just_saying Sep 11, 2009 14:26:02	I can't wait for it to get started. (I'm not a 4e player but I want the fluff.)
#8 ghoulking Sep 11, 2009 16:47:47	There will be 4E crunch! There will be fluff! Mostly though, a lot of cool shadow encounters. I hope a few more people decide to support it, and write up a few monsters/paragon paths/builds for publication.
#9 roir1k Sep 14, 2009 19:42:56	In case you were pondering it, a teaser for _Courts of the Shadow Fey_ has been posted for your enjoyment. You can see it here. Come check out the Deathshade Wisp and stay for the project... -Ben. -- Small but Fierce. Kobold Quarterly's News Minion.