We're either a week out from another delve in Felltower, or a month or more out. There is a scheduling-related gap coming up so we'll see if we're exploring the badlands of Michigan or the crew is heading into the depths of Felltower.
Let's assume it's the latter.
If so, we've got some research that's been discussed:
- How to deal with or bypass the "evil door" that guards the Black Library.
- Sending a PC with Streetwise into the slums to try to find the hidden entrance to Felltower that rumor places there.
Researching the lenses has come up, but still, they haven't found much of any clues about how to use them and little has come back from asking about it before.
With the orcs having been dealt a serious blow, it's likely the PCs will stop attacking the orcs directly for a time. "Finishing off" the orcs will be tough - there are many, many more of them - but another attack might be a good way to try to penetrate through to even more important folks (at least as one player opined.)
With them out of the way, the PCs can do some deeper delving. The problem still remains that the PCs are relatively weak for the areas left unexplored, and the areas best known to hold treasure are also those best known to hold monsters capable of wiping out the group - the beholder, the huge dragon, the draugr, the Lord of Spite, possibly the deeper giant fantastic staircase (GFS) . . . .
Several gates are unknown, several more leads places that are known but no one is yet ready to try and unravel - the "air gate," the "fire gate," the "jester gate," the "jungle gate."
So as I see it, there are three broad groups of options:
- clear out a known "danger pocket" or deal with a known enigma
- go through a gate to unknown dangers
- explore deeper (the staircase, some of the paths leading past the "Lord of Spite's Apartment Complex."
That is at least how I'd group them - old, unknown puzzle, new paths.
I still say a decent Charged Scroll of Steam or just having one of the Wizards learn it, and presto, they've dealt with the draugr.
ReplyDeleteI mean, sure, they have to also trap them int he room that's now a broiling sauna... but that's just a logistical concern.
Lots of complications on that, though:
Delete- you need to commission a large, charged scroll of Condense Steam.
- REALLY large. The room is quite big and T-shaped.
- you need the draugr outside of their sarcophagi so they take damage; if they're inside they can wait it out.
- you need to ensure they stay inside the area of effect and don't just charge out, which means additional magic.
Those factors make the solution not as simple as it might seem from the outside.
"you need the draugr outside of their sarcophagi so they take damage; if they're inside they can wait it out."
DeleteDo closed doors block spells? Then why a closed sarcophagus?
"you need to ensure they stay inside the area of effect and don't just charge out, which means additional magic."
Sure. A much lesser scroll of Earth Shape.
"you need to commission a large, charged scroll of Condense Steam."
That and the above are why I mentioned having a Wizard learn it. But I can see a Wizard not wanting to break too far out their comfort zones as far as their spell preferences go.
But this also seems to come down to the Players not preparing for stuff outside of "this is what /I/ need to do what I do". They've planned a few times in advance (the first big push against the Orcs, going after the prison people), but mostly it seems to come down to "What are we doing today, okay what can we afford to gear up for immediately?"
So Area spells penetrate containers? If I cast, say, Create Fire at you and your party, your half-full backpack also fills with fire, your scrollcase fills with fire, the chest with the treasure fills up, etc.? I rule no. Spells don't automatically fill all open spaces within their area of effect in my game. It's too munchkinly if they do. And a sarcophagus is clearly a container.
DeleteShape Earth is pricey (worked stone is 6x cost); casting Condense Steam is also pricey. A single wizard doing both with need large amounts of power and the ability to cast both spells without resting between (or is willing to take a -5 on the Condense Steam spell.
The PCs do, in fact, plan for larger events and bigger plans. It's just hard to do so when a lot of money is involved and it doesn't directly lead to treasure. I think you're doing them a bit of a disservice, which means I might be in how I describe the game.
"I think you're doing them a bit of a disservice, which means I might be in how I describe the game."
DeleteProbably some of the planning ends coming across as "and then So-and-so bought some gear and they went off to find [SPECIFIC PLACE]". meaning they planned, but the planning didn't really cross well into the text. Also... this game has run for what, a decade now? I am nowhere near as invested remembering everything as I would be were I playing in it. I mean, I can't even remember where Vrye lost his swords or if Dryst is alive or dead.