After what for some was a very uneventful three month trip, a band of adventurers arrives at the northern gate of the city of Cauldron.
The company of adventurers includes:
Zylamar, Moon Elf Cleric
Verrad, Half Elf Rogue
Teela Morgansinger, Human Bard
Saelis, Sun Elf Spellcaster
Leander Rhiavadi, Human Paladin
Krawg, Half-Orc Fighter
Jarzen, Maenad Warrior
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
Character Background
This info may change a litte but I wanted to share it with you. It appears that the PCs may be gathering in a nearby city and then traveling to Cauldron. I should have it locked down by the 15th.
This adventure path is supposed to take PCs from 1st level up to 20th level. The Dungeon Master is supposed to inform players that it will be a “difficult campaign”. The adventure path is designed to challenge a group of six players.
The campaign focus is urban and dungeon environments. Take this into account when generating your character. If you play a ranger, your best choices for your favorite enemies are animals, dragons, humanoid (human, goblinoid, or orc), or outsider (evil). There will be undead in this campaign, but they are not the campaign’s focus. Note the existing temples in Cauldron if you play a cleric.
Provide a reason for working together with at least two other characters in the party. Explain why another character not in the party might follow in your footsteps should you fall.
Characters may be locals or recent arrivals. Locals are eligible for the Knowledge (local) skill. In addition to that, locals may choose (or randomly determine) one of the following traits:
D% Local Trait
01-10 Child Of Jzadirune
11-20 Demonscarred
21-30 Dream Haunted
31-40 Long Shadowed
41-50 Mark Of The Beast
51-60 Nobility
61-70 Scarred Soul
71-80 Scion Of Surabar
81-90 Touched In The Head
91-00 Wyrm Blooded
Child Of Jzadirune
One of your ancestors lived in Jzadirune at the time The Vanishing struck. You are especially resistant to diseases, but find the prospect of becoming sick yourself horrifying.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws made to resist the effects of disease.
Drawback: You suffer a -2 morale penalty on saving throws against fear while in the ruins of Jzadirune, or when fighting creatures that are diseased or can inflict disease with a spell or ability.
Roleplaying Ideas: Your parents told you harrowing stories about The Vanishing, and your dreams are haunted by visions in which you catch the disease and slowly fade away.
Demonscarred
One of your ancestors was a half-fiend. As a result, you carry some of that taint with you.
Benefit: Regardless of your actual alignment, spells and spell-like abilities with the Evil descriptor treat you as if your alignment were Evil.
Magic items are similarly fooled. An unholy blight spell, for example, won’t damage you, no matter what your actual alignment is.
Drawback: Regardless of your actual alignment, spells and spell-like abilities with the Good descriptor treat you as if your alignment were Evil. Magic items are similarly fooled. A holy word spell, for example, will harm you, no matter what your actual alignment is.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are moody, gloomy, and have a short temper.
Dream Haunted
Your dreams are haunted by strange visions or tortured landscapes and deformed monsters. In some of these dreams, you are the deformed monster.
Benefit: You are used to fatigue, and suffer no penalties when you become fatigued. When you become exhausted, you are instead treated as if you are fatigued.
Drawback: You suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws against effects that cause madness or insanity, and on saving throws against sleep effects. If you are normally immune to sleep effects, you lose that immunity.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are always tired, though not to the point of fatigue. You tend to nod off when bored, and sometimes find it difficult to remember minor, relatively unimportant bits of information.
Long Shadowed
You are descended from a tribe of indigenous peoples who died out as a separate tribe many centuries ago. Still, this tribe’s penchant for necromantic magic runs in your blood.
Benefit: You automatically stabilize if reduced to negative hit points. When you take damage from negative energy, you reduce the actual damage you take by 5 points.
Drawback: Healing magic works poorly on you. Whenever you regain hit points from magical healing, you gain 1 less point of healing per character level you possess, to a minimum of one point per die rolled.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are somewhat morbid and intrigued by death and undeath, even if these interests are purely to learn more of your enemies.
Mark Of The Beast
One of your ancestors was a lycanthrope. Select a predatory animal of your choice; that animal feels a mystic bond with you.
Benefit: Animals have a strong reticence when they attack you, and suffer a -2 penalty on all attack rolls made against you. If you have the wild empathy ability, you gain a +1 bonus on wild empathy checks.
Drawback: You suffer a -4 penalty to saving throws made to resist lycanthropy, and take +1 point of damaghe from attacks made by silver weapons.
Roleplaying Ideas: You have a curious animal magnetism that is at once intriguing and disturbing. Your manners might be a bit crude, but you’re loyal to your friends.
Nobility
You were born into a noble family.
Benefit: You start play with an additional 200gp and gain a +1 bonus on all Diplomacy and Intimidate checks made against citizens of Cauldron or nearby villages. Certain NPCs in this campaign may react more favorably to your presence.
Drawback: You are well-known and recognizable, and suffer a -4 penalty on Disguise rolls made against citizens or the nearby villages. Certain NPCs in the campaign may react more poorly in your presence.
Roleplaying Ideas: You might be haughty, impatient, or condescending to others. You might spend money frivolously, believing that there’ll always be more income to be had.
Scarred Soul
You’ve led a particularly tough life. Perhaps you’re an orphan, or maybe you suffered some sort of traumatic experience as a child. Whatever the cause, your childhood experiences have left you jumpy and haunted.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks.
Drawback: Your experiences have left your mind less able to deal with trauma, and as a result you suffer a -1 penalty on all Will saves.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are quick to anger, jumpy, and possibly even a bit hyperactive. You’re prone to feelings of paranoia and unfounded fear.
Scion Of Surabar
You are a descendent of Surabar Spellmason, the man who discovered Cauldron, helped settle the region, and aided in the defeat of an ancient demonic army.
Benefit: Pride for your lineage girds your mind and soul. You gain a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear, death effects, and insanity or confusion.
Drawback: Demons that encounter you in this region (not those that you might fight on other planes) can instinctively sense your lineage and connections to their old enemy, and gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls when fighting you.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are proud of your heritage, and quick to anger if another mocks it. You find demons intolerable, and some might see you as haughty or imperious.
Touched In The Head
You’re a little crazy.
Benefit: Your mind is disorganized and chaotic. You gain a +1 bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting effects, save for those effects that cause confusion or insanity.
Drawback: Your inability to concentrate for long makes you suffer a -1 penalty on all Wisdom-based skill checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: You have a number of strange quirks (whistling off-key, eating raw meat, a nervous tic, a tendency to scream at odd moments, and so on) that can make you difficult to get along with.
Wyrm Blooded
One of your ancestors was a half-black dragon. You have some sort of distinctly draconic feature, be it reptillian eyes, scales on the backs of your hands, or tiny vestigial horns on your hands.
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus on all saving throws against acid effects, a +2 bonus on Swim checks, and a +1 bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Drawback: Your body isn’t quite as limber as it should be. You take a -1 penalty on Reflex saves.
Roleplaying Ideas: You have an intensity about everything you do, and your emotions are powerful and often difficult for you to control.
This adventure path is supposed to take PCs from 1st level up to 20th level. The Dungeon Master is supposed to inform players that it will be a “difficult campaign”. The adventure path is designed to challenge a group of six players.
The campaign focus is urban and dungeon environments. Take this into account when generating your character. If you play a ranger, your best choices for your favorite enemies are animals, dragons, humanoid (human, goblinoid, or orc), or outsider (evil). There will be undead in this campaign, but they are not the campaign’s focus. Note the existing temples in Cauldron if you play a cleric.
Provide a reason for working together with at least two other characters in the party. Explain why another character not in the party might follow in your footsteps should you fall.
Characters may be locals or recent arrivals. Locals are eligible for the Knowledge (local) skill. In addition to that, locals may choose (or randomly determine) one of the following traits:
D% Local Trait
01-10 Child Of Jzadirune
11-20 Demonscarred
21-30 Dream Haunted
31-40 Long Shadowed
41-50 Mark Of The Beast
51-60 Nobility
61-70 Scarred Soul
71-80 Scion Of Surabar
81-90 Touched In The Head
91-00 Wyrm Blooded
Child Of Jzadirune
One of your ancestors lived in Jzadirune at the time The Vanishing struck. You are especially resistant to diseases, but find the prospect of becoming sick yourself horrifying.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws made to resist the effects of disease.
Drawback: You suffer a -2 morale penalty on saving throws against fear while in the ruins of Jzadirune, or when fighting creatures that are diseased or can inflict disease with a spell or ability.
Roleplaying Ideas: Your parents told you harrowing stories about The Vanishing, and your dreams are haunted by visions in which you catch the disease and slowly fade away.
Demonscarred
One of your ancestors was a half-fiend. As a result, you carry some of that taint with you.
Benefit: Regardless of your actual alignment, spells and spell-like abilities with the Evil descriptor treat you as if your alignment were Evil.
Magic items are similarly fooled. An unholy blight spell, for example, won’t damage you, no matter what your actual alignment is.
Drawback: Regardless of your actual alignment, spells and spell-like abilities with the Good descriptor treat you as if your alignment were Evil. Magic items are similarly fooled. A holy word spell, for example, will harm you, no matter what your actual alignment is.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are moody, gloomy, and have a short temper.
Dream Haunted
Your dreams are haunted by strange visions or tortured landscapes and deformed monsters. In some of these dreams, you are the deformed monster.
Benefit: You are used to fatigue, and suffer no penalties when you become fatigued. When you become exhausted, you are instead treated as if you are fatigued.
Drawback: You suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws against effects that cause madness or insanity, and on saving throws against sleep effects. If you are normally immune to sleep effects, you lose that immunity.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are always tired, though not to the point of fatigue. You tend to nod off when bored, and sometimes find it difficult to remember minor, relatively unimportant bits of information.
Long Shadowed
You are descended from a tribe of indigenous peoples who died out as a separate tribe many centuries ago. Still, this tribe’s penchant for necromantic magic runs in your blood.
Benefit: You automatically stabilize if reduced to negative hit points. When you take damage from negative energy, you reduce the actual damage you take by 5 points.
Drawback: Healing magic works poorly on you. Whenever you regain hit points from magical healing, you gain 1 less point of healing per character level you possess, to a minimum of one point per die rolled.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are somewhat morbid and intrigued by death and undeath, even if these interests are purely to learn more of your enemies.
Mark Of The Beast
One of your ancestors was a lycanthrope. Select a predatory animal of your choice; that animal feels a mystic bond with you.
Benefit: Animals have a strong reticence when they attack you, and suffer a -2 penalty on all attack rolls made against you. If you have the wild empathy ability, you gain a +1 bonus on wild empathy checks.
Drawback: You suffer a -4 penalty to saving throws made to resist lycanthropy, and take +1 point of damaghe from attacks made by silver weapons.
Roleplaying Ideas: You have a curious animal magnetism that is at once intriguing and disturbing. Your manners might be a bit crude, but you’re loyal to your friends.
Nobility
You were born into a noble family.
Benefit: You start play with an additional 200gp and gain a +1 bonus on all Diplomacy and Intimidate checks made against citizens of Cauldron or nearby villages. Certain NPCs in this campaign may react more favorably to your presence.
Drawback: You are well-known and recognizable, and suffer a -4 penalty on Disguise rolls made against citizens or the nearby villages. Certain NPCs in the campaign may react more poorly in your presence.
Roleplaying Ideas: You might be haughty, impatient, or condescending to others. You might spend money frivolously, believing that there’ll always be more income to be had.
Scarred Soul
You’ve led a particularly tough life. Perhaps you’re an orphan, or maybe you suffered some sort of traumatic experience as a child. Whatever the cause, your childhood experiences have left you jumpy and haunted.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks.
Drawback: Your experiences have left your mind less able to deal with trauma, and as a result you suffer a -1 penalty on all Will saves.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are quick to anger, jumpy, and possibly even a bit hyperactive. You’re prone to feelings of paranoia and unfounded fear.
Scion Of Surabar
You are a descendent of Surabar Spellmason, the man who discovered Cauldron, helped settle the region, and aided in the defeat of an ancient demonic army.
Benefit: Pride for your lineage girds your mind and soul. You gain a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear, death effects, and insanity or confusion.
Drawback: Demons that encounter you in this region (not those that you might fight on other planes) can instinctively sense your lineage and connections to their old enemy, and gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls when fighting you.
Roleplaying Ideas: You are proud of your heritage, and quick to anger if another mocks it. You find demons intolerable, and some might see you as haughty or imperious.
Touched In The Head
You’re a little crazy.
Benefit: Your mind is disorganized and chaotic. You gain a +1 bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting effects, save for those effects that cause confusion or insanity.
Drawback: Your inability to concentrate for long makes you suffer a -1 penalty on all Wisdom-based skill checks.
Roleplaying Ideas: You have a number of strange quirks (whistling off-key, eating raw meat, a nervous tic, a tendency to scream at odd moments, and so on) that can make you difficult to get along with.
Wyrm Blooded
One of your ancestors was a half-black dragon. You have some sort of distinctly draconic feature, be it reptillian eyes, scales on the backs of your hands, or tiny vestigial horns on your hands.
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus on all saving throws against acid effects, a +2 bonus on Swim checks, and a +1 bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Drawback: Your body isn’t quite as limber as it should be. You take a -1 penalty on Reflex saves.
Roleplaying Ideas: You have an intensity about everything you do, and your emotions are powerful and often difficult for you to control.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
SCAP Introduction
Evil schemes are afoot in Cauldron, a metropolis of merchants built into the caldera of a long-dormant volcano. To foil the agenda of evil cultists, your band of adventurers must brave haunted jungle ruins, slay mighty dragons, and bind themselves to a layer of the infinite Abyss. Will their swords and spells be enough to save the Shackled City?
Originally published as 11 linked adventures in the award-winning Dungeon magazine, the Shackled City Adventure Path is the most ambitious official Dungeons & Dragons campaign ever created. Now, for the first time ever, everything you need to play the campaign has been compiled into a deluxe 416-page full-color hardcover that also includes an 8-panel fully detailed map of the City of Cauldron, a 12-page full-color map and illustration booklet, and a brand new Shackled City adventure written by fan favorite author Christopher Perkins.
The adventure begins, and is primarily set, in the city of Cauldron. Cauldron is a medium-sized city and is located in the World of Greyhawk in the caldera of a dormant volcano set in the Amedio Jungle, east of the Sea of Dust, and southwest from the Azure Sea.
Cauldron
Cauldron is a small city with a mix of mostly human citizens, though halflings, gnomes, dwarves and elves are not uncommon. Other races such a half-elves are less common. Half-orcs used to be rare, but recently there has been an influx of half-orc mercenaries, who are being employed by the city guard to supplement their ranks.
The Lord Mayor Severen Navalant, a human, is the current primary political leader, though he does not act without the consensus of the most powerful nobles in the city. Captain of the Guard, Terseon Skellerang, also a human, is a stern man, but with a reputation for even-handed justice.
Trade
Much of the trade in the region involves deals brokered from Cauldron or Sasserine, but ore and crops mostly come from surrounding villages.
Cauldron is also a popular destination for traveling wizards who wish to measure the magical energies of a volcano without exposing themselves to the harsh conditions of much of the Hellfurnaces. These academics are usually welcomed, but the Bluecrater Academy is careful to keep tabs on such dabblers, and has been known to intervene if their "examinations" pose a threat to the city.
Politics
The politics of the region are complex at best. The largest political and military threat to Cauldron continues to be the Scarlet Brotherhood, while the logistics of waging any sort of military campaign up the side of a volcanic cauldron have thus far defended the city from even the notion of a siege, the Brotherhood can be a devious and dangerous foe regardless of the availabilit of military options.
A token stream of slaves is exported annually from Sessarine to mollify the Brotherhood's slavers, and part of the "tax" that Cauldron pays to defend the roads between Sessarine and Cauldron is the contribution of two people each year to this trade. It is a heavy burden, but families are well compensated, and treated as heroes of the community for helping to defend the city by sending their children off. In some cases, there are some that say such slaves have even returned from the lands of the Brotherhood, but for most, the journey is one-way. This is something that the churches of Pelor and St. Cuthbert have been trying to end, but so far they have been unable to devise a better way that all agree would work.
The relationship between Cauldron and the Hold of the Sea Princes used to be fairly strong, but since the Brotherhood took control of the Hold, communications have dwindled to the point that goods are the only substantial form of communication today, and most of those come through Sessarine.
Religion
Cauldron is the home to four temples. The three most powerful are to Kord, St. Cuthbert and Wee Jas. There is also a smaller temple to Pelor.
Other gods, especially those of the demi-human races are worshiped in Cauldron, but there are no specific temples to them within the city limits.
History
Over 500 years ago, the area was an outlying part of the Yuan-Ti (snake people) domain and there are tales of great wars against supernatural forces in the area. It was against this backdrop that a rush on newly discovered mineral resources lead to, first the founding of the mining town of Redgorge about 15-20 miles to the south, and then Cauldron itself. Recent rains have made news from Cauldron rather dismal. Flooding is a regular problem that the city only recently managed to get under some measure of control.
Originally published as 11 linked adventures in the award-winning Dungeon magazine, the Shackled City Adventure Path is the most ambitious official Dungeons & Dragons campaign ever created. Now, for the first time ever, everything you need to play the campaign has been compiled into a deluxe 416-page full-color hardcover that also includes an 8-panel fully detailed map of the City of Cauldron, a 12-page full-color map and illustration booklet, and a brand new Shackled City adventure written by fan favorite author Christopher Perkins.
The adventure begins, and is primarily set, in the city of Cauldron. Cauldron is a medium-sized city and is located in the World of Greyhawk in the caldera of a dormant volcano set in the Amedio Jungle, east of the Sea of Dust, and southwest from the Azure Sea.
Cauldron
Cauldron is a small city with a mix of mostly human citizens, though halflings, gnomes, dwarves and elves are not uncommon. Other races such a half-elves are less common. Half-orcs used to be rare, but recently there has been an influx of half-orc mercenaries, who are being employed by the city guard to supplement their ranks.
The Lord Mayor Severen Navalant, a human, is the current primary political leader, though he does not act without the consensus of the most powerful nobles in the city. Captain of the Guard, Terseon Skellerang, also a human, is a stern man, but with a reputation for even-handed justice.
Trade
Much of the trade in the region involves deals brokered from Cauldron or Sasserine, but ore and crops mostly come from surrounding villages.
Cauldron is also a popular destination for traveling wizards who wish to measure the magical energies of a volcano without exposing themselves to the harsh conditions of much of the Hellfurnaces. These academics are usually welcomed, but the Bluecrater Academy is careful to keep tabs on such dabblers, and has been known to intervene if their "examinations" pose a threat to the city.
Politics
The politics of the region are complex at best. The largest political and military threat to Cauldron continues to be the Scarlet Brotherhood, while the logistics of waging any sort of military campaign up the side of a volcanic cauldron have thus far defended the city from even the notion of a siege, the Brotherhood can be a devious and dangerous foe regardless of the availabilit of military options.
A token stream of slaves is exported annually from Sessarine to mollify the Brotherhood's slavers, and part of the "tax" that Cauldron pays to defend the roads between Sessarine and Cauldron is the contribution of two people each year to this trade. It is a heavy burden, but families are well compensated, and treated as heroes of the community for helping to defend the city by sending their children off. In some cases, there are some that say such slaves have even returned from the lands of the Brotherhood, but for most, the journey is one-way. This is something that the churches of Pelor and St. Cuthbert have been trying to end, but so far they have been unable to devise a better way that all agree would work.
The relationship between Cauldron and the Hold of the Sea Princes used to be fairly strong, but since the Brotherhood took control of the Hold, communications have dwindled to the point that goods are the only substantial form of communication today, and most of those come through Sessarine.
Religion
Cauldron is the home to four temples. The three most powerful are to Kord, St. Cuthbert and Wee Jas. There is also a smaller temple to Pelor.
Other gods, especially those of the demi-human races are worshiped in Cauldron, but there are no specific temples to them within the city limits.
History
Over 500 years ago, the area was an outlying part of the Yuan-Ti (snake people) domain and there are tales of great wars against supernatural forces in the area. It was against this backdrop that a rush on newly discovered mineral resources lead to, first the founding of the mining town of Redgorge about 15-20 miles to the south, and then Cauldron itself. Recent rains have made news from Cauldron rather dismal. Flooding is a regular problem that the city only recently managed to get under some measure of control.
SCAP House Rules
The goal is to finish the adventure. As a DM I do not focus on how players will die but how the GROUP will finish the adventure together. But every DM has their little house rules or agendas that you should know about going into this.
- The Adventure book cost $60 so already I have made a big investment going into this and we have not played a single session. I expect players to also make strong commitments to the campaign.
- PCs can die (you are dead at -[Constitution Score] not at -10), and if they do players are allowed to create new PCs to replace their old ones (-1 level of experience). Players who drop out and later want their PC to return will start again at their earned level or with 1/2 the experience of the lowest active PC/Player. Whichever is higher.
- Characters get max hit points for first level. On subsequent levels, the rolled portion of hit points have a minimum of 1/2 the die rolled.
A roll of 1 on a d4 becomes a 2
A roll of 1-2 on a d6 becomes a 3
A roll of 1-3 on a d8 becomes a 4
A roll of 1-4 on a d10 becomes a 5 - Natural 20s always hit and do full damage. Natural 1 will always miss. No additional attack may be made the same round a natural 1 is rolled and on the fumble there will be a DC10 reflex check or PC drops their weapon.
- Spellcraft and Bardic Knowledge checks can be used to identify magic items.
Spellcraft DCs to identify magic items
Scrolls DC 20 (+1/spell level)
Potion DC 25 (+1/spell level)
Minor Wondrous Items DC 25
Arms, Armor and Wands DC 30
Medium Wonderous Items DC30
Rods DC 35Rings and Staffs DC 40
Major Wondrous Items DC 40
Examples of modifiers to Spellcraft checks for identifying magic:
Casting Identify (without expensive component) gives a +10 bonus on one check
Casting Analyze Dweomer (without expensive component) gives a +10 bonus on every check made for the duration of the spell.
Characters with the relevant item creation feat a +1 bonus/class level on checks
Bards can add their Bradic Knowledge score to their Spellcraft check - Town merchants, as a default, always buy items at 80% and sell things at 110% the DM guide price. Charisma modifiers raise or lower by this by 1% per modifier point. Other factors can change the cost/sale value of an item.
- Any spell/feat/class/etc. from a WOC 3.5e publication can be used in the campaign.
- The number one rule is to keep an open mind and speak up when you have a concern. We are all in this together.
Feel free to suggest additions to the list.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
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