Shadows of the Shattered (Game diary)

[Hallack]

This is a brainstorming exercise on my part for a new 3.5 game I am starting up.  Mostly I am trying to solidify and wrap my mind around what I'm doing with the world, it's flavor, background, ect...

It's a homebrew world  and I have 5 players but often may be as few as 3 of them present.  I am building much of the world around the general character concepts that they provided me.

We will be starting at 8th level, most WOTC sources are available as is the AEG FEAT book, all with my approval.  Some are using non-standard races with LA buyoff in play.  You will also notice a couple 'background bonus feats' that I am giving that will generally be non-combat in nature.

The characters and initial background flavor I have put together are:

Stone, Kiloren Druid:  

From the fertile lands of Madora.  The Druids of Madora have held at bay the worst of the destruction that many of the surrounding lands have sustained.  What they were not able to keep at bay was and is corrected by nurturing the lands back to health.  Madora is the center of duidic power in the world but over the generations as things have stablalized at home they have created groves around the world to both try and heal other lands and to destroy the continuing destructive forces long ago released upon the lands.

This Druid came to be shortly after the "destruction" (whatever that may end up being) and so will be at least 1000 years old and perhaps many thousands.  Thus, the Educated feat for Knowledge skills and University (gives equivalent of +2 Skill points/level).  I'm figuring that for much of time this druid was a bit of an observer and only in more recent history is spurred to get more actively involved in the world.
Bonus: Educated, University

Malcom Stone, Human Conjurer/Malkonvoker (focusing on Summoning)

From the lands of Orum, a Child of the Orumdin Empire that was destroyed by wars in which mighty summonings  brought forth destruction for all involved.  Many of the creatures from the War still walk the realm hiding, lurking, and manipulating bringing forth even wider spanning evil and destruction.  You seek the True Names of these beasts so that you may bind, control, and/or destroy them.

Katriana Stormwalker, Human Stormlord Cleric  

From the Mountains of Sordac overlooking the wastes of Inverlon.  Once your home was colorful vales full of life but that land of plenty was destroyed generations ago and now remains a blasted wasteland where the only constant is the Storms that rage across it and Death.  Your people now mostly reside in the mountains within the waste a place of refuge that takes the edge from the storms.  Among your people over the generations a few have been born that were attuned to the storms of the waste.  No one is exactly sure how or why but these Stormlords also called Stormwalkers have been great and powerful figures, some for good, some for ill.

This player will be using a re-flavored version of the Stormlord PRC

Prince Tivas, Irda Warblade

Using reflavored 1/2 Ogre for the character.  I'm borrowing from Dragonlance for this one I think in which the Ogres were once the beautiful and sophisticated Irda but the magics of the "War" and it's fall out ended up warping them over time.  I believe these ogres will largely be clannish and still living in their Ancestral home along the coast with some mountains along ones side.  Before the warping they were definitely a seafaring mercantile people and even now they may be.

Obilith, Dragonborn Domain (Fire) Wizard

Thousands of years ago this was a clan of half dragons and humans but overtime and with the magics of the land they became their own race.  It is a slightly tweaked down version of half dragon template.  I believe they are going to live in/hail from a desert that blisters by day and freezes by night.

The last two levels the Dragonborn took were Wizard of Arcane Order at my pressuring (he was planning just two more wizard levels) so that I can have him in a reflavored for the world Arcane Order of some sort.

I'm leaning towards the War in the Conjurer's history being the source of the massive destruction/shattering of the lands with various planar elements having influenced different areas of the land with magics and other force leading to a very diverse and magically warped regions where climates do not even work normally... may have and iceland next to a blistering desert for example.

I'm figuring I will likely have regions where magic functions differently like empowering or extending spells.  Other areas will dampen, be null magic, or even just wild.

Looking to have magic pretty common flavorwise though not so common as to be in every household and I keep coming back to shades of Stackpoles Relams of Chaos (A Hero Born) for other aspects of flavor.

Not exactly sure where I am going but it will be high adventure and likely to have a good amount of intrigue too.

Anyways, I am likely to update my brainstorming here and perhaps share progress with the campaign once it really gets going.  Any nifty ideas are certainly welcome.

Cheers

[Hallack]

Session 1A:

Trouble on the Waters

This one was really a throw together adventure mostly done on the fly so that we could get some game time in one day.  Part of this adventure are Tivas the Warblade, Stone the Druid, and Obilith the Wizard.

Barges from Oasis, a major city to the north, have not been making it to Port Norik on the coast.  Authorities of the Irda and Dragonborn peoples have asked Prince Tivas and Loremaster Obilith to look into the matter and if possible put a stop to the interruption of travel upon the river.  Joining them is the Druid called Stone which has considerable knowledge of the region and is aiding on behalf of the Druids of Madora.

The party sets out to the north along the river and travel is quite uneventful until the after the reach the Shadow Wood.  This is a large dense forest with very close ties to the plane of shadow.  South of the Wood on the other side of the river begins an as yet unnamed swamp that harbors a great deal of undead.

Upon entering the Wood things are 'normal', wildlife is thriving and evidence of it is all about.  Black squirrels bound about the tree limbs doing the things of squirrels when spooked however they exhibit a tendency to fade from view into the shadows of the branches.  The same happens as the party happens to jump up a large black stag.  It bounds away and fades into the forests shadows.

Traveling onward into the thicker parts of the wood things get unnaturally quiet and that is about the time when large fiendish spiders descend upon the party.  There is a great deal of skittering about above in the canopy as 20 or so spiders drop from ambush.  Some attempt to trap their prey with their webs while others drop into melee attempting to grapple and poison their days meals.

Tivas begins making short work of the spiders about him as Obilith begins casting a feiry blast (explosive fireball), metamagiced from his staff.  Tivas with his thundering great axe begins to chop the spider quite litterally to bits as he cleaves about spewing gore with his devastating swings.  Meanwhile Obilith finishes the last touches on his spell and lets loose.  A great ball of fire explodes above bringing his own brand of death.  Those few spiders that happened to survive the fire itself found themselves conclusively blown from their webs and plummeting to their deaths (the falling damage was enough to finish them off).  The Druid and his fleshraker companion were not idle however, in Fleshraker form they too were pouncing upon the large magical beast gutting them with their talons.

Over the next few rounds more and more spiders arrive to deal with the threat including a few phase spiders.  Obilith has basically turned himself into a ball of fire with Balor Nimbus and some other spell. The Irda and fleshrakers continue mauling the spiders, the fleshrakers under the influence of Freedom of Movement now.  Quickly they learn to get the phase spiders by readying actions to strike.  But then the real trouble begins as a Shadow Spider makes an appearance spewing forth it's 100x100 silkin web (grease). 

The silk makes things much more difficult (except for the fleshrakers).  Tivas begins having trouble staying on his feet.  Angrily he stands and stomps his feet into the ground for footing (using variant Iron Heart Surge)

Iron Heart Surge

Your fighting spirit, dedication, and training allow you to overcome almost anything to defeat your enemies.  When you use this maneuver, select one spell, effect, or condition currently affecting you with duration of 1 or more round.  That effect ends on you immediately.  If the effect was caused by an ongoing area effect you will be subject to the effect again at the end of your next turn if you are still in the area of effect.

You also surge with confidence and vengeance against your enemies, gaining a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls until the end of your next turn.

So long as you are mentally able to take actions you may use IHS, this is counter to the standard requirement to be able to "move".

Q Can Iron Heart Surge remove:
1. Poison.
2. Disease.
3. The spell "Bestow Curse".
4. Ability score damage.
5. Level drain.
6. The influence of an antimagic field. (*)

Lastly,
7. If you use Iron Heart Surge against an effect which does not solely target you, but also affects an area, do you end the entire effect or do you just dismiss it from yourself?

Answers
1.   Yes
2.   Yes
3.   Yes
4.   No for actual ability damage.  Yes for a spell that may temporarily apply stat penalties.
5.   No for actual Level Drain
6.   Yes, but only til the end of your next round if you stay within it’s area
7.   No, you only remove it’s effect upon you until the end of your next round.  It will reapply if it is ongoing and you are in the area.

To continue the fight Tivas decides not to use his surge to leave the silken area but uses his determination to continue reaping destruction upon those near him.

After several rounds of the spiders trying to take the wizard, and burning upon his flames, the Shadow Spider moves forward and puts him down with a series of claws and a bite.  The poison however from the bite (paralyzation) has no effect due to his draconic nature.  He does however fall unconscious due to damage.

Clearing paths Tivas and the Fleshrakers move to save their companion and slay the Shadow spider.  With an impressive series of attacks (including some fantastic crits) they lay low the beast before it can react (and perhaps send some of them to the plane of shadow).

As this wave of the fight winds down and they bring their companion back to consciousness they decide they must withdraw and consider how to deal with the problem at hand.  It becomes quite clear to them that likely it is these beast that are stopping the barges and the druid confirms it with some scouting in which he sees horrid amounts of webbing spanning the river with spiders laying in wait for prey.

[Hallack]

Trouble on the Waters
Session 1B

Malcolm and Katriana have recently been successful in retrieving some antiquities from ruins of an ancient city.  One piece of note was a Tome of Dragons (a magical text or some sort regarding dragons, plot device no details), which the dragonborn Tibux was willing to purchase.  Part of the offered price was some truenames Malcolm could use in his summonings.

Summoning

I am using variations on summoning such as the one that allows you to summon specific creatures.  I am however tying this to the truenaming flavor the player was wanting to use for his character.

So, to get specific creatures and creatures not in the standard list (including options introduced in other books)
the player must find or research truenames.  He gets one per level as a 'freebie', others must be found/earned in game.

And so the Stormlord Katriana and Malconvoker Malcolm get passage upon a barge heading south to Port Norik so as to do business with the dragonborn Tibux.

About a week into their trip they are ambushed by about 12 ogres and a 2 Hill giants.  They had tied ropes across the river to stop the barge and were prepared to throw rocks and spears from cover of trees to slay the crew.

They were taking part in the evening meal when alarm was sounded.  To the fore were ropes and soon the Barge would be stopped by them.  The sky was soon filled with projectiles both from the crew and from the shoreline.  Malcolm made short work of the ropes before they could catch the barge by summoning elementals (using the reserve feat) to sever them.  And as Katriana began slaying ogres with her lightning javelins (She uses reflavored Gloves of Endless Javelins, still force effect but electrical cosmetically), Malcolm began letting loose his magics, first a wall of fog on one side of the barge and then his fiendish apes and others.  The fiendish apes proved to be quite effective against thier foes and soon one side of the shore was significantly thinned.  Taking so many casualties one of the Hill Giants soon sounded a horn for retreat and the barge moved on its way.

Things went well until they reached the Shadow Wood.  There the barge was caught in the spidery trap.  Meandering calmly between the Shadow Wood and the Undead filled swamps the barge came to an abrupt halt.  Malcolm quickly put forth a water elemental to scout what they had hit and Katriana summoned forth some light.  The light showed clearly the trouble into which they had floated.  Thickly above them and all around were glistening webs.  Webs filled with a great number of very large fiendish spiders which were now descending upon their prey. 

The spiders let loose with webs that trapped most of the crew then descended as a swarm poisoning, wrapping, and hauling off those they were able.  Malcolm put forth a Flashburst (or something similar I don't recall) which blinded/dazed a great number of the spiders and went a long way in controlling the number of foes on them.  He also Summoned a fire elemental to begin burning the webs holding the boat.  It is of note that these webs were not standard and actually had a Fire Resist 5.

As the battle continued casualties began mounting on both sides.  The summons and the cleric's bolts were putting a great dent in the numbers of spiders about.  It was around this time when they first noticed Phase spiders appearing upon the barge. They however were not attacking much and mostly seemed to be searching about the barge.  It soon became apparent they they were seeking out things of magic of which they would grab and carry off.  Having more than a bit a magic gear the party drew their attention even drawing a hissing warning to give over the shinies from one of the phase spiders (certainly not normal even for the already strange spider variety).

In attempting to slay/capture the characters many more spiders died including at least one phase spider before they decided to take another tact.  Two Phase spiders phased in on Malcolm and instead of attacking him attacked his backpack, tearing it open where one was able to grab the book and phase out.  The spiders ploy was to draw them deeper into their lair/nest where they could be defeated and the magic taken from them with fewer casualties.

After, getting the book the Phase Spiders left leaving the party and the few surviving crew to clear the few remaining spiders and the trapping webs.  They then drifted downstream a few miles until they were outside the nest and banked.

DM thought process notes:  I had decided to go ahead and introduce these 2 players to the world similarly to how I did the other group.  They were just on the other side of the problem.  Mostly this adventure was put together on the fly, to include details and aspects of the spiders such as their motivations and even the ability of a few to speak (which is not standard even for the fiendish ones).  It was a means to also bring the groups to the same area where they could be joined for further adventure.

[Hallack]

Reserved for Session 2:  Into the Spiders Web

Just played again this weekend and will post the events.