blueman01
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Weatherstone

Fri 25 May 2018, 22:22

During the Alpha, there were several comments regarding the adventure site Weatherstone. None of those comments were addressed in the Beta Gamemaster's Guide release.

For discussion:
1. War chest is 'hidden in the stronghold's dungeons' in the description but later it is in a wagon house and not hidden.
2. In the description: The curse is not fully lifted, every full moon the undead rise - this is not explored in the text at all. If this were true, there should be signs of a lot of recent movement in the dust (depending on how often full moons happen here). And, the undead could be up and about when the players arrive just from bad timing.
3. Problem with the legend - there is a mention of a curse being broken - but no mention of a curse being cast. This is confusing. In the legend it is just the will of Algarod that keeps him going - this is not a curse per se.
4. Dalb knows way too much - any adventurer should be questioning how Dalb knows that there is an 'unholy creature lurking in the cellar that can rip a mans arms off'. He shouldn't know this unless he was in there. But also, how does he know that Rustbite can slay it? For example: some demons can only be hurt by water - how does he have the knowledge that Rustbite can harm the creature? He shouldn't. A crafty player will catch this.
5. The map doesn't adequately describe where the 'wagon house' is. Our only description comes from the Ravine. At the bottom of the ravine is a cave that was used as a wagon house. How did wagons get in there? There should be an easy access road if wagons traveled it. Where is this road on the map? It should be obvious and easily accessible if it is a wagon house.
6. It is hard to justify leaving treasure in the open, just sitting in wagons in a wagon house. It should have been stolen immediately after it was left there.
7. The creature alternates between scorpion/human/lion and scorpion/lion. 


Solutions:
1. Create a secret passage from the laboratory to a dungeon room. When adventurers get down into the dungeon they will see that the wall has partially collapsed giving access to the ravine outside. Simple, everything else regarding harpies etc stays the same.
2. Remove the bit about the full moon having the dead rise. It isn't needed.
3. Change the legend to correctly describe Therania cursing the king and his men and forcing them to guard Weatherstone. Now we have a curse.
4. Change Dalb's tale to say that he heard a rumor (from a halfling minstrel, who heard it from a goblin that recently attempted to steal from Weatherstone - or just a rumor) that there is a creature lurking in the castle. As for slaying it - include an additional legend:
"If what Esgar is saying is true, and the sword of king Algarod is here, it may be just the thing you need. Legend has it that the king was able to slay many of Zygofer's monsters before he finally fell. His sword is likely magical. Find the sword and you may be able to kill the beast." Now he no longer has to have been in Weatherstone and he has no specific knowledge of killing the creature.
5. Ditch the wagon house. The treasure is in a secret room. Now there is no need to change the map to create a road to a wagon house.
6. Put the treasure in a secret dungeon room.
7. Fix the creature description to be one or the other.
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Weatherstone

Sat 26 May 2018, 20:32

1. War chest is 'hidden in the stronghold's dungeons' in the description but later it is in a wagon house and not hidden.
The king believes the war chest is in the wagons. He doesn't know it isn't.

2. In the description: The curse is not fully lifted, every full moon the undead rise - this is not explored in the text at all. If this were true, there should be signs of a lot of recent movement in the dust (depending on how often full moons happen here). And, the undead could be up and about when the players arrive just from bad timing.
3. Problem with the legend - there is a mention of a curse being broken - but no mention of a curse being cast. This is confusing. In the legend it is just the will of Algarod that keeps him going - this is not a curse per se.
A legend is legend, not a history book. But I haven't read and study the English version of this (edit: or the Swedish) to give a better answer.

4. Dalb knows way too much - any adventurer should be questioning how Dalb knows that there is an 'unholy creature lurking in the cellar that can rip a mans arms off'. He shouldn't know this unless he was in there. But also, how does he know that Rustbite can slay it? For example: some demons can only be hurt by water - how does he have the knowledge that Rustbite can harm the creature? He shouldn't. A crafty player will catch this.
That he actually has knowledge is not wrong, he is what he is after all, but I think the GM must be careful what this NPC say and how he say it.

5. The map doesn't adequately describe where the 'wagon house' is. Our only description comes from the Ravine. At the bottom of the ravine is a cave that was used as a wagon house. How did wagons get in there? There should be an easy access road if wagons traveled it. Where is this road on the map? It should be obvious and easily accessible if it is a wagon house.
Perhaps something behind the main gate that now isn't because of the ravine.

6. It is hard to justify leaving treasure in the open, just sitting in wagons in a wagon house. It should have been stolen immediately after it was left there.
Stolen by whom (was that the correct use of whom?). Aren't  the players (and all the NPCs) suppose to be here for the for the first time to uncover the whole plot. It wasn't stolen back then because of what happened to the place and its inhabitants and then, technically, it was stolen.

7. The creature alternates between scorpion/human/lion and scorpion/lion. 
Yes, in the monster description it says "Half-scorpion, half-lion" and in the location description it is "An incomplete hybrid of human, scorpion, and lion". I would skip the human part here since the human part (if any) isn't used in any of the monster attacks.
“Thanks for noticin' me.” - Eeyore
 
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lupex
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Re: Weatherstone

Wed 30 May 2018, 11:42

I think if there are things that make a gm go “huh?”, then some additional clarity would be helpful
YZE Bestiary - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/320924/The-Servants-of-Memory

My Blog - https://is-it-a-monster.blogspot.com/

Instant Session - https://perchance.org/fl-session-generator

Monsters - https://perchance.org/fl-monster-generator
 
LupNi
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Re: Weatherstone

Thu 31 May 2018, 13:59

I think blueman raises some valid points. One thing I didn't appreciate with Weatherstone was how linear it was and how few interesting possibilities for interaction it offered. With the notable exception of when to awaken the dead (the "undead on/undead off" descriptions are great), the adventurers are expected to move from room 1 to 2 to 3 etc. There is an almost unavoidable battle. There are no shortcuts, no environmental details to interact with, and few possibilities for the players to exert creative problem solving. The side map is beautiful but not very usable as it gives no indications of what's in the rooms. All in all I thought it was a cool concept but not really well implemented.
 
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Nils
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Re: Weatherstone

Thu 31 May 2018, 14:30

Hey, thanks for your feedback! We'll take another look at this and see if we can improve some parts :)
Fria Ligan
 
Kengen
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Re: Weatherstone

Tue 18 Sep 2018, 11:36

We have just started our Raven's Purge campaign, and after reading Weatherstone many times, there's one thing that is unclear to me. It states clearly about Algarod and Rustbite and wakening the undead and such, but one thing has eluded me. Where should players find the scepter? On Algarod? The war chest? I would appreciate your help :)
 
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Nils
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Re: Weatherstone

Tue 18 Sep 2018, 23:10

Actually, it is intentionally left vague. As Nekhaka (the spire) is a key artefact detailed in Raven's Purge its up to you as a GM where you want to place it. It could very well be in Weatherstone but it does not have to be there. So place it wherever you think would be cool! Or use it as a macguffin to lead the adventurers forward across the Forbidden Lands :)
Fria Ligan
 
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Thaemir
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Re: Weatherstone

Fri 15 Mar 2019, 17:40

Hello!
I'm doing a little bit of Necromancy here, but I have a doubt about this adventure site.
In the location #7 it states that the bridge is up and it can only be lifted up if you ring the bell (which is in the bottom of the Ravine (#4), something that's easy to hint to the players.
The problem is: if the dead aren't awake until the sword is touched... How are they going to lower the bridge?
Thank you!
 
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Brior
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Re: Weatherstone

Sat 16 Mar 2019, 12:01

Hello!
I'm doing a little bit of Necromancy here, but I have a doubt about this adventure site.
In the location #7 it states that the bridge is up and it can only be lifted up if you ring the bell (which is in the bottom of the Ravine (#4), something that's easy to hint to the players.
The problem is: if the dead aren't awake until the sword is touched... How are they going to lower the bridge?
Thank you!
In the first draft, the dead were awake in the castle upon arrival and the adventurers needed to either battle them or blend in and play along to keep them peaceful. (The adventurers were actually offered a magical potion making them appear dead to this end) The bell issue probably remains from that setup.

Perhaps the easiest solution is to allow some dead here and there, including those by the bell, to be awake from start.
 
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Nils
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Re: Weatherstone

Mon 01 Apr 2019, 11:40

Brior is correct, its an editing miss since the setup was tweaked. I would go with Brior's suggestion or just let the bridge be lowered from the start.
Fria Ligan

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