tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post1992826424512629325..comments2024-03-28T13:56:03.512-04:00Comments on Zenith Games: Jacob's Tower, Level 3: Corridors and ChasmsZenithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-15139023840309646582021-02-08T17:40:11.591-05:002021-02-08T17:40:11.591-05:00Yes, good call! It should be the bat holes.Yes, good call! It should be the bat holes.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-9674682779059512562021-02-08T17:38:13.987-05:002021-02-08T17:38:13.987-05:00My players (All new) have finished level one and a...My players (All new) have finished level one and are going to tackle level two in less than a week so I've got preparations underway for level three and I've got a question about room nine.<br /><br />What does 9d represent exactly? I didn't see it anywhere in the description here or on the pdf. I had thought it was the bat holes but those are only on the northern wall, so now I've got to clarify, is it simply the chasm they can fall into?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12862201731177442583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-75537965249375444342019-11-08T17:18:37.238-05:002019-11-08T17:18:37.238-05:00Nice! I think you are the only guys who actually p...Nice! I think you are the only guys who actually partook in the feast! And pretty impressive that they convinced everybody.<br /><br />I always say that you can learn a lot about a group by how they approach a pit. There are numerous options, and numerous "pitfalls."<br /><br />Yeah, most people have said that the dragon fight is pretty easy. I should make that a bit harder.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-31643276343893925202019-11-06T14:59:42.669-05:002019-11-06T14:59:42.669-05:00Well, since I've last posted I've run this...Well, since I've last posted I've run this floor as well as floor 4. This floor proved to be the best challenge that they had up until this point, which was good. They actually had to rest for one night, so that's good! They weren't really that suspicious of the feast, since one of them had detect poison, so they had no qualms about eating. They enjoyed roleplaying with most of the characters, and actually managed to convince all of them to offer their stuff. They had the hardest time with clobber. They were pretty sure that they were supposed to use intimidate, but since none of them were very good at it they kept trying to use diplomacy, make logical arguments, or trick clobber into giving up his number. Eventually though they just rolled intimidate and rolled high enough to get the earthbreaker. Eravyl was super easy since the palladin was a worshiper of Sarenrae and literally couldn't fail the diplomacy check. Durdam was easy too because both the bard and the paladin have super good diplomacy. The hardest thing in the floor for them was the bat swarm, which gave them serious challenges since the only way they had to damage it was a single torch that dealt 1 fire damage and racial ability of one of the members (a suli). They got a good amount of damage dealt to them by traps but breezed through most of the other encounters. Took a really long time though (7 hours). they were super paranoid about falling in a pit, so they brainstormed for a ridiculous amount of time to find a way to avoid making a DC 5 acrobatics save, bc the paladin was bad at acrobatics and no one wanted to go anywhere without her lol! They even considered spending hours filling up the pits with food from the feast! Eventually though they got the table from room 5 and used that. The final fight ended up being super easy, as the dragons were just too fragile and didn't do enough. I had the crystal dragon break out a turn early and they still curb stomped it. Overall though we had fun!mehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02732821549263716933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-59173963402972481342017-01-09T20:13:28.913-05:002017-01-09T20:13:28.913-05:00Any account that makes me giggle is a good one! Th...Any account that makes me giggle is a good one! That's CRAZY that it took you 11 hours. You do have 6 players, but still!<br /><br />Sounds like a very careful group. As long as they are all on the same page, that's great! Looking forward to the rest of the adventure with you guys!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-70317701755244149092017-01-06T15:55:58.499-05:002017-01-06T15:55:58.499-05:003.5 - 4.5 hours??
I offer 11 hours split in two se...3.5 - 4.5 hours??<br />I offer 11 hours split in two sessions!<br />Group:<br />Human Fighter (Greatsword)<br />Human Unchained Rogue (TWF)<br />Ratfolk Ranger (Ranged)<br />Aasimar Cleric of Sarenrae<br />Elf Bard<br />Halforc Alchemist (Grenadier)<br /><br />First Session:<br />After some feasting and one try of the big dumb fighter to kill Billy, thy examined the big door. The fighter tried some force and after the second hit I chose to trigger the lightning bolt, hitting 3 characters.<br /><br />They took the northern way but chose not to jump the chasms, then heading to the bad-air-corridor which also lent to a retreat. After that the fighter triggered the haunt and then fell down one of the breaking bridges. The group again chose to try a different direction an ran right into the golem. The encounter was short, it took about 1/3 of the time the group spent then at the treasure table. Discussion over discussion followed how to use it and I made up 6 different valuables, one for every appraise-check and somehow managed to convince them, that I dindn't make them up on the fly. <br /><br />Indetermined the group didn't touch anything and went further to the battle against the spider and flies. The Rogue didn't make his saves and ended with 5 CON, while nobody had any lesser restoration ready.<br /><br />Eravyl was no problem, since the cleric was worshipping Sarenrae too. They were even allowed to take her stuff.<br /><br />-- break after playtime 7pm-2am --<br /><br />The group tried their luck at the bridges again, this time attacked by the bats. Having an Alchemist swarms arent what they are without, but even with the bombs it was a nice encounter. <br /><br />Clobber was fun! Since the group didn't have much trouble before and they were 6 players, I gave the Atomies the advanced template. This made it a very tough but also very enjoyable encounter. The Fighter took two hits from clobber and there were some critical hits from the fairies.<br /><br />After the fight the group tried to convince Clobber to give them the number, but didn't think about intimidating him. The fighter -being bored- tried to steal the earthbreaker and turned Clobber into a wraithspawn. The Cleric made his knowledgecheck and activated his sun-domain-ability. I declared the fight a win, since the wraithspawn had nothing left to do.<br />Then they slept and were attacked by the morlocks, but the fight was over quickly.<br /><br />They now tried the bad air again and met the dwarf. The group enjoyed the roleplay but the fighter, knowing the clerics power, just touched the stuff on the corpse and another wraithspawn was covered in bright sunlight.<br /><br />We had a lot of fun with the corridor leading to 3g and 3f, because of stupid decisions and bad luck with jump-skillchecks.<br /><br />Asking Billy for his number, the players didn't think about using sense motive and I chose not to tell them too, because they were in a good condition. So they took 3 lightning bolts (they tried numer 1, 2 and then 7 before trying 3 ;-) )<br /><br />The Dragons were a nice encounter but they weren't much of a problem. I gave them the advanced template and a reach of 5 foot (and I told my players the dragons were the size of a human instead of a cat), but it didn't help much. I wish the encounter would have been a little more challenging, but it was fun even though.<br />Playtime of the second part: 7pm-1am<br /><br />Summing up the group had a whole lot of fun in this level!<br />Thanks a lot!<br />PascalKetanestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-25047320150459222592016-06-01T23:34:46.599-04:002016-06-01T23:34:46.599-04:00Geez! Your party certainly have some exciting stor...Geez! Your party certainly have some exciting stories! Crazy! So pumped to hear what will happen next.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-6513932663715561892016-06-01T23:18:47.107-04:002016-06-01T23:18:47.107-04:00Well, that went quite well! You know, if by 'w...Well, that went quite well! You know, if by 'well' I mean 'the party nearly wiped.'<br /><br />So the biggest blow against the party came from the rogue failing his save against the black widow's poison 4 times and getting down to 6 Con. Most of the floor was pretty simple (they did not like the bat swarm at all), but the dragons nearly finished them off. <br /><br />The summoner was asleep for the full 7 rounds, and even though the black and crystal dragons were killed, the brass managed to knock both the inquisitor and sorcerer to 0 exactly. They swung to kill and missed, going unconscious. The eidolin was gone, and then the rogue got knocked out to a crit.<br /><br />What followed was the party desperately watching as the coup de graces fell upon then. Saves were failed, and then it came to the summoner. He made his save, summoned a small frost elemental, and got the kill! Though everyone else was dead. Hehe. They all had a good time though. Looking forward to the next one! darrel378https://www.blogger.com/profile/04418105384885472440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-83488464308289281792016-03-07T18:29:20.339-05:002016-03-07T18:29:20.339-05:00Glad that you liked the level! Creative solutions...Glad that you liked the level! Creative solutions to puzzles is the objective.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-44069734943541980142016-03-02T17:31:47.851-05:002016-03-02T17:31:47.851-05:00This was a rather enjoyable level as GM, and I thi...This was a rather enjoyable level as GM, and I think the players enjoyed it as well. In the end they kind of breezed through though so I decided to have the remaining 3 wraith spawns attack at the end. They got some rather interesting solutions to the puzzles (ex filling the chasms with create water, the rouge running over the middle bridge before it collapsed). The place wasn't too difficult even though I had advanced template on, although the end fight proved interesting and left the cleric asleep and the rogue with 9 con. I would say looking forward to next level but I wrote this after doing it so I guess looking forward to level 5.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-89547257742965393052015-06-12T10:52:24.193-04:002015-06-12T10:52:24.193-04:00Thanks, fixed!Thanks, fixed!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-70152005833108755172015-06-12T10:34:44.075-04:002015-06-12T10:34:44.075-04:00"..., a small golden symbol of SERENA worth 5..."..., a small golden symbol of SERENA worth 50gp,..."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-35721514972701801612015-05-15T13:09:15.023-04:002015-05-15T13:09:15.023-04:00Yes I do! Thanks!Yes I do! Thanks!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-38675659186489399232015-05-14T18:08:20.101-04:002015-05-14T18:08:20.101-04:00Serena? Do you mean Sarenrae?Serena? Do you mean Sarenrae?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-60300252096891692362014-11-22T12:21:02.655-05:002014-11-22T12:21:02.655-05:00That bat room is always hilarious. It's the s...That bat room is always hilarious. It's the simple things, like crossing chasms, that make for some of the funniest and most cinematic scenes.<br /><br />Billy's a fun NPC to run. Crazy that it took three sessions to get through!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-89195150840235497922014-11-21T22:16:03.914-05:002014-11-21T22:16:03.914-05:00I just finished running this level the other day. ...I just finished running this level the other day. It was great!<br /><br />The group really enjoyed chatting with Billy, and the enchanted food had them very suspicious. The fights were generally very good, and for the first time, they didn't miss a single item! <br /><br />Though it took 3 sessions overall to get through, the overarching objective was simple enough to follow, and I think this level more than the preceding two had a plethora of opportunities for each player to show off their particular skillset. <br /><br />The Monk got knocked unconscious again, thanks to Clobber's club, and with shrunken items and irritating fairies everywhere, the group had to rely on the Cavalier's mount to save him. This level really pushed the group to think on their feet. <br /><br />A particular highlight was the bat room, which one player decided to solve by rock climbing along the wall full of bat-holes. This went remarkably well, untill he crossed the halfway line and received a mouthful of bat and some fall damage. <br /><br />The fight with the dragons was well balanced, and the combined breath attacks became a real issue, but the group made it through eventually. I have loved the tower so far, and look forward to running level 4 in the coming weeks. Also, roll on level 13! My money is on pyramid level, with mummies and Pharaohs.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18327110930983613589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-7484685254346081522014-11-09T19:39:04.700-05:002014-11-09T19:39:04.700-05:00Great! Glad you enjoyed it. This is a good chance...Great! Glad you enjoyed it. This is a good chance for your fighter to figure out what to do against incorporeal beings.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-71467802000255320752014-11-09T13:07:24.838-05:002014-11-09T13:07:24.838-05:00They only ended up having to fight one wraith spaw...They only ended up having to fight one wraith spawn (Eravyl), which was good. Our fighter did not like fighting an incorporeal being, even though he could hit it. Shaman liked it, because she could hit it with her channeling, when she usually doesn't end up doing a lot in combat.<br />Before we started Jacob's Tower, I had attacked the party with a number of small fairies, and with this second one I think they'll be happy if they never see one again. Though, our Halfling swashbuckler was amused by being shrunken down to a tiny creature.<br />They spent too much time talking so we got to the final room, but didn't actually do the fight yet.<br />Oh, and some seriously bad rolls saw some people falling into the same holes multiple times in a row. I think because of that they didn't end up exploring the entirety of the level. They missed the southern chest, the wax golem, and didn't get to loot any of the former adventurers besides Eravyl, whom they killed. I think I'm going to calculate how much they missed and put a decent chunk of that in the room with the dragons to compensate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-11165112530999405622014-11-05T01:25:03.234-05:002014-11-05T01:25:03.234-05:00Thanks, and I'm very glad you are liking it! ...Thanks, and I'm very glad you are liking it! Let me know how it goes!<br />If they break all three bridges, then yeah, they just have to climb up the other side. But there is plenty of rope to assist in that from the bridges.<br />Billy does not confirm the correct number - if they fail the sense motive check they might be shocked a few times.<br />Have fun!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-964259914668935682014-11-04T23:59:28.835-05:002014-11-04T23:59:28.835-05:00I'm going to be running this level this weeken...I'm going to be running this level this weekend! Looking it over, what happens if the PCs manage to break all three bridges? Do they just have to go down the pit and then make climb checks on the other side?<br />Also, just as a clarification, does Billy confirm the correct number after the PCs have obtained the other three or do they have to trial and error the numbers he gives initially if they fail the sense motive check?<br />We did level 2 two weekends ago; it went really well. The players really liked the fights with the oozes and hydra, and I loved the opportunity the throw such an iconic monster at them so early in a way that didn't feel too brutal.<br />I've read all of the levels and I seriously can't wait to run them all. Keep up the great work, man!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-29336799934225966262014-10-09T17:17:30.049-04:002014-10-09T17:17:30.049-04:00You mean that you are playing with more PCs? To m...You mean that you are playing with more PCs? To make the fights a bit more difficult, you could just add 2 to all of your die rolls. That's the simplest way to handle adding difficulty.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-9539652387698616782014-10-09T17:09:01.441-04:002014-10-09T17:09:01.441-04:00If i was just adding a character, a PC perse? How ...If i was just adding a character, a PC perse? How exaclty is that possible? (First time DM)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-13799805938040049242014-07-20T11:51:14.040-04:002014-07-20T11:51:14.040-04:00Right you are! Fixed.Right you are! Fixed.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-51373716412873787212014-07-17T00:24:57.604-04:002014-07-17T00:24:57.604-04:00This map has two 4b's and no 4c...? Or am I go...This map has two 4b's and no 4c...? Or am I going blind?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-14158170117579344792014-06-27T09:36:46.850-04:002014-06-27T09:36:46.850-04:00Very nice! I think this is your best one so far! ...Very nice! I think this is your best one so far! Added.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.com