DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

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LightningJynx
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DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by LightningJynx »

Hi everyone. I'm planning on running my first DCC on New Year's Eve and was pointed at DCC #5 as being a good module. Considering we will be drinking and it is going to be a 24 hr session, it's going to be a good idea for me to memorize as much of the module as I possibly can. So I've been reading through and I've noticed a few errors in it and was wondering if anyone else who ran it came across those errors.

The main ones that I can think of off the top of my head are the following (unfortunately I'm at work and don't have the module in front of me for exacts):

Rook Cleric - Her BAB is wrong, she doesn't have 2nd lvl spells, but to top that she is unable to cast her 1st level spells as her stats are written. Also, it says she has the eye of doom put in her one eye socket, does she suffer the ill effects of missing an eye like it explains in the description of the item, because if so I may be missing something in her stats.

Duergar Exp/Wiz - He's given Imp Crit for his exotic weapon, yet he does not meet the requirements for the feat.

Also, for all the NPC's are the skills listed only skill pts put into them or do they include stat bonuses as well.

Any help someone could offer me would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Dan
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Post by JediOre »

My suggestion (and this may be due to the fact I've thrown off the rules shackles of 3rd edition) is to make them the way you want.

The more dangerous the better!
LightningJynx
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Post by LightningJynx »

LOL...I wish I had the capabilities to. As much as my alignment is CN, I must have rules in my game. Also, I'm playing with a RAW group and they aren't ones to throw rules out the window.

Just trying to see if anyone else might have seen these or if I should just run with it as written.
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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by Losloris8 »

How did your session go, Lightning? I am looking at this module in order to address a need for Air Elementals and would appreciate your comments. Also, did you play the follow up, Seed of Evil?

LG
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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Right, so here we are recovering from being blow away at DCC30, with a need to reinvent our purpose. Maledocinious the Titan will suggest to the party, now numbering three with the deaths of Khalil, Elrick & Wasabi Pea, that they retire for a while, regain their strength and comeback when and if they are able. So, we will return to Tamm's Tower, elsewise known as DCC 3, which they will rebuild into their liking. By so doing, with the hiring of folk for the repairs, and, being close to Nimbortan (a big city that also has a druid's grove just out of town) they will attract followers and the like.

As you can tell I make my own maps and heedlessly mix and match from various sources. From Tamm's Tower we will head east, be near a waterside which I am thinking will be of goodly size. Around this body of water will be a number of towers, such as that which houses the Crow God. I have a number of resources such as several good adventures from DCC, dungeon magazine and even parts of ancient adventures like the tomb of elemental evil. I just love how the map for dungeon level four is the drawing of an evil being. There is a cool adventure I played fifteen years ago in Dungeon, the Lady Rose, which is the right strength to have as a master opponent for the current party.

Play day is today - we meet once a month from 3 to 11-ish.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

I need a hand.

I have placed Grunards Head over there on the map I made. There was a drawing of an island that kind of looked like the Mediterranean with Italy jutting in; so I drew something like it, borrowed map sections from warhammer that looked neat.

I'll post a pic if you are interested.

Anywho, ship math is a thing I need to learn, distances in distance and in time is what I could use a tip on.

For example, how far in days sailing would it be from Athens to Alexandria, Ostia to Carthage, Ostia to alexandria, Carthage to Athens?

That would help me define space for countries, kingdoms, pirates. There are several towers that appear in DCC modules that offer possibilities on a continuous story line.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Does this seem right?

It says that in a book on ancient sea travel by Lionel Cassons there are statistics based on recorded Roman voyages that average to 50 miles per day at sea. Based on that information and if we consider that the distance between Rome and Alexandria by sea is about 1250 miles it would take about 25 days one way.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Here is my map. Yet to name the body of water, and, would gladly take suggestions. Gunard's Head is down around 7 o'clock, and, the current direction w are headed. I put a note to Trouv Tou regarding some papers he found in Tamm's Tower that has some pertinence to five towers and something magical. A follow up note indicates that there is something in each tower that needs to be switched on to create a kind of protective dome - ultimately, this would be against Olhydra, the water archomental. There are four towers on the west side of the water, one deep in the mountains on the east - which is not one we should be looking at. There will be another.

Anywho, was there a specific follow up to DCC5? I have a thinking that I read something on that, beyond who the potential blackmailer, but can not support that.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Here is the map, I hope

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Couple of things;

One; found this as a quick and easy title generator for books found in a library: http://www.enworld.org/forum/dnd_view_block.php?id=172

I manipulated a few, changed some names so they would reflect areas identified on the map (above) such as the Manual on Manticores of Gisoreux, and thus populated the Library in Tamm's Tower (DCC 3). When the party first went through the tower Trouv Tou was insistent on looking through the many books. Also, the party all said collectively that the tower would be an excellent place for us to make a home - which I remembered and now am using as the focus of our campaign.

Two:

One of the books is called The Fine Libram of Enigmas, which is the one Trouv Tou is focused upon. The current overall aim is to have the party visit a number of towers/castles/strange places, five in all, to turn on a device that will protect this Western part of the sea from Olhydra. Not wishing to tax their memories too much (we are all adults with life on the go, we meet once a month, making fine details some times too much) I added a clue to Trouv Tou that as he combs through the text of the Libram he keeps seeing the word Draolhy and touching that word makes his finger wet.

Third:

Current immediate plan is to have the party go through the Phantom, a boat that got stuck on coral which was also discovered at the very same time by a group of locathah, encounter the locathah and then on to the Smuggler's Cove, all the while heading off towards Gunard's Head.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

A week away from game day, so time to collect some random thoughts.

Sorry that I am not smart enough to post the map in a fashion that is easy to view. If you could, you would see four towers on the west side of things and one deep northeast in the mountains. The text Trouv Tou started reading mentions five towers. This, i have decided, will be in order to empower a dome to protect against Olhydra.

As Trouv Tou will continue reading (and a percentile roll of his level + int + wis) he will discern that the fifth tower they need to find is on the west waterside and hidden.

I really like the idea posited by the Tower of the Black Pearl, that the tower only becomes visible under this and that condition. Perhaps the black pearl is what actually makes the dome work.

Anywho, the Phantom (an outrageous loot fest if left unchecked) will have the giant octopus one level down, and then the mezzodemon encaged the level below that. The rational will include a pentagram and being the boat's MU's pet. It will also have a whack of locathah who are boarding from below, drawn perhaps by the magic aura of the trapped mezzodemon.

In the bottom left of the map is the Marsh of Distress. I always liked Tolkien's marsh where all the dead soldiers lie just below the marsh waterline. The intent of having the locathah is to draw the party to the pirates cave. Their actual home is down in the marsh. There, i will have everything relevant to the Black Pearl.

All of the monsters, settings and such can be adapted to any level with just a touch of elbow grease. I really appreciate how DCC provides really decent settings and view it as my responsibility to weave a storyline that can make sense.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Some times things work out

A) I will tell you straight out that was not my best session as a DM.

B) We were auditioning a new player to fill the space left by Khalil. As a DM I like a group of four, which I find the perfect example of democracy. This audition involved lots of stopping mid action, at one point just as a flock of rooks were about to attack. Unfortunate but understandable. The overall affect was disjointed play; stopping to explain how we do things, what level of texture do we enjoy as a group. The candidate was dusting off his D&D skills from many years absent from a game. The next session is where he will show us these skills, and, will hopefully have a more appropriate flow.

C) before I get into what happened and such, gotta say, we are story driven. The group absolutely loved the list of books I had provided from the title generator mentioned in a previous post. Their interest exceeded my expectations

D) The Play:

We explored the Phantom. My aim was to make the party aware of the locathah which would lead to encountering the two bottom levels of the Smugglers' Cove. A sub part of this would be to have a spot to introduce a new PC. Buddy who is caged, the one time captain, can be anybody. That was to be where the new PC would come in. The boat was explored via the Uzrivoy, now renamed the Red October. The big catch was the mezzadaemon, but he was trapped inside a cage-ish with a neat looking pentagram on the floor and the party was not interested in going in. Eventually, he gated out. Eventually, the locathah fled the near sunken ship going specifically in that direction. That direction was keenly noted.

Onward towards Gurnards Head. Only as we approached did the weather turn to bad. The party rightly decided to scope the terrain and saw the town of Carmeloe in the distance. The local pub was explored and information garnered regarding Gurnard's Head. A long siege ages ago, lord Pendor, a smashing ball of magic, no on has come back from trying to find what happened.

Here's where things went wrong for me. The party came in on the ground floor, not through the cave, and I was not entirely comfortable (no reason why) with the layout. Ultimately, they explored through the mostly unpopulated tower, finding strange if not creepy things. I will not go into detail about my own misgivings. However, I will make my own map to populate the cave as an access point for the inground levels, with the aim of making it creepy and gross. Part of the gross introduced were huge larvae with human heads.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Here is my thinking.

I am looking to have the party activate five serious bits of magic that will create a dome of protection (basically) against the archomental Olhydra. Gurnard's Head is home to one of the magical things that needs to be activated.

In the underground, level 2, there is that strange location #11, a place where acolytes cross to establish their faith in Malotoch. I am going to change that to be like that scene in Star Wars 3 (or 6 if you are a young person) where Luke has to cross and flip a switch (hmm, I am older and perhaps have the wrong exact reference that others know much better by heart); Anywho, he had to cross an openness inside the Empire's something to flip a few switches. For my purposes here, there will be no bridge. Those crossing the openness and not positively aligned with Malotoch will face serious winds (hmm, gotta figure out whether there should be a need to have to negate the winds). Instead of flipping a switch they will have to insert any of the special magical weapons found here.

Those magical weapons make me think of another thread on these boards regarding giving nifty, somewhat strong items to parties and then regretting they are there (the magic stuff, not the party).

Anywho, insert magic weapons, probably two, and you clearly see this beacon as it were has been activated.

More to come

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Here's where I'm at.

First, as the party is really taken by the books and their titles i will be certain to include titles that will have an impact on the story, cause that is the type of texture we enjoy.

Also, i really like Hornaur, the wererat. I intend to have the party find him acting like a thief. "Oh hey, guess I'll have to share this one." This will allow him to tell the story of the drive, the cannibalism. He will lead the party to some loot he stashed to earn their trust. "But there is more, only i need your help." He will lead them to the tar pit, point towards the rods, and, as the tar beast comes Hornaur will call his rat buddies.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

We regrouped, spent time looking backwards; why are we here, what are we doing - it's tough when you play once a month. Done

Also, we were continuing our audition for a replacement for Khalil. The first session was a matter of explaining how we play to how he plays. Can you fit in. Done.

I took great liberties with the design of the two temple areas, so bare with me if things are not exact fits.

On the beach, at the portal, the air was damp, the passage stank. In we went to find a bridge across a span. Had a very neat battle with the centipede, tendrils coming up from either side. Inside again and Dorminder's spidy senses were tingling. Out came all types of Valuna paraphernalia. Into a room with sarcophoguy and (ultimately) poof went all the zombies.

Further in and there was this guy, Hornaur, "yah, right, you caught me. Look, I'm here to steal. If you guys want to axe me let me give you my wares and leave. Or, here, I found this (pulls out a really neat Dirk) and I know where there is something else that is really neat. (He leads the party to the tar pit) we shouldn't stay long here due to the fumes but look at that across the way." Over there was king of a landing and a treasure box-ish with these really strange rods.

The party backed out to come up with this plan. Kendo (the ninja like monk) would take a spider climb spell, wind his way along the wall pegging his rope in along the way. Rhiannon (druid) would follow with Hornaur on her heels. Once on the other side Kendo saw five rods of 'stone' different from everything and not like the strange metal of the dirk, clearly of magic. Everyone else saw the tar elemental rise up for a back attack on Kendo. R & H hurried as best they could. Dorminder (cleric) air walked and mighted himself. Good battle. Halfway through it was realised that Hornaur was heading back towards Trouv Tou (ranger-druid) and playing a pan flute that had an interesting affect on R, TT.

The tar elemental did do some damage before dying, Hornaurs blade did infect TT before he died and some rats came to add confusion. As a DM i am not letting the party rest and recover. I feel they are powerful with all of their kit and have made this plain to them. All of these encounters cost spells, magical and such - the cost of doing business. Remove curse was needed, another high level spell slot gone. Cure serious, too.

We continued deeper in.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Hornaur's blade With was of similar, distinct stone as the dirk, and it's touch had an aura a magic to it. Super.

Skiffing about the party found a rats' den and hornaur's room. A little of this, some of that. It was discussed to use soft earth and dig a little as there was the impression that fresh air was available through some of the holes. But no, not at this moment.

Up some stairs, to the left stank of poop, the right of ash. Ashes to ashes. We got to an open area, a passage available straight ahead, one to the leftish, and, an opening to the immediate left, a forge and some clanging. We chose the passage straight away, a bunch of doors either side of the doorway, a whack of Malotoch acolytes, people who clearly were of the tower by their clothing on which they drew or glued things to the affect of the avian god. Man did they squeak as they were put down, raising such a fun as to alert all in this area.

Xander was alerted and did the best he could, with the help of some hell hounds, but they went down to the sword.

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Re: DCC #5 - Aerie of the Crow God

Post by losloris »

Down the left-ish hallway lead to an open cavern. I combined handout F & G and removed the ladder. The statue was atop a base; the base looked like it could accept things, that pieces would fit in. Also, I was not happy with the new magic weapons, being sensitive to the once you give them they stay problem. This also made me not pay enough attention to all of the Star Weapons = I did not print out all of the appropriate pages and had to wing it a little.

As the party looked out from this landing to that statue thing, the very damp air now became a rain of fat water globules. Kendo decided to spider climb the wall, up the domed way to be over the statue and then drop down, mission impossible style - that was the goal. Up he went (rolling his dex - 2 on a d20, and then dex -4, and then dex -6) making it to over the statue. The rain was now pouring. Remember, dear reader, this was about instigating something involving a dome over the western part of the ocean that would do something versus Olhydra.

He scaled down (rolling his constitution, -1, -2 . . to see whether the globs of rain was affecting his breathing). He put the dirk in an appropriate place. Clamps came out and held the dirk so that it could not be removed. Imagine the sound of an old car or motor starting up, a whirrrr that needs a bit of a kick to actually catch. Hmm. Kendo pulled out Hoarnaur's sword, Qi, which look to fit just there. Rain deluging down, surprising he was still able to stand. Clamps grabbed the sword, the motor sounded stronger, but not strong enough to catch. It was at this point that Kendo collapsed under the water and was in the process of drowning, requiring Trouv Tou to do the same feat for saving. While there TT looked at the statue base and saw there was room for three other weapons. From a DM perspective, I figured five slots, 20% cumulative chance of starting the device. They tried two = 40% but did not roll well. One thing TT saw was the space for a hammer - and Xander had a hammer.

(shortly) they found a hammer, put it in but the statue base did not grab it. Hmm.

After checking the stinky left from the stairs, and lighting fire to many of the rook residents, the party wound its way back to the beach and the party noticed a glint in the water. Ultimately, the party had to go all of the way back to the Red October, back through the water to avoid being beaten by the skrag (great encounter there) to get the shiny pike weapon that was of the same stone as the dirk and sword. Back to the rainy statue, inserted same (now @ 60%) and failed. As DM, I gave the party an out. They sacrificed two magic bars to gerrymander a fourth slot on the statue base (now @ 80%) and were successful at kick starting this part of the dome of protection vs Olhydra.

We are now heading back to Taam's Tower.

Outside of our story, I like this adventure. Regardless of my own abilities, I see several options for playing this module. Any bang bang group could work their way through it in one session, the situations are all answered. Only one little misgiving. I was not happy with the write up for Xander who, if he has a stupid amount of time as he negotiates with the party at his door, could cast a whole number of spells to protect/arm himself, while talking with the party and using the poker to haul out the hellhounds. That all seemed to be asking too much of Xander. It was handy in my case that the party had raised plenty of noise in dealing with the acolytes. Anyone thinking of this part of the adventure could de a better job of preparing Xander to be in a stronger position than what is provided.

Losloris
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