tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post8171271386573808029..comments2024-03-28T13:56:03.512-04:00Comments on Zenith Games: Jacob's Tower, Level 7: GothicZenithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-89799797491828807062017-03-27T17:52:46.313-04:002017-03-27T17:52:46.313-04:00Sounds some tough fights. Shame that the Bard died...Sounds some tough fights. Shame that the Bard died, but 5 Con will do that to you. Jacob's Tower claims another! This is a challenging level, but there are some more difficult ones ahead. Don't be afraid to pull punches, as long as you can make it look good.<br /><br />To make things easier and faster, I wouldn't worry about illumination. Unless it is important, I treat everything as in bright light. Weather shouldn't come up too much, though it will be in level 9.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-50359627629660923902017-03-27T15:35:39.678-04:002017-03-27T15:35:39.678-04:00Round two!
This time we were 4 players again, the ...Round two!<br />This time we were 4 players again, the Synthesist and Ranger were absent, but the Alchemist rejoined the group.<br />Since I didn't want him to start with full resources I let a tunnel lead him from Nines Inn to the woods about a mile from the cathedral.<br />An Encounter with 3 werewolves and a little skillchallenge to cross a river were planned.<br />Yeah, seems like he had Fly prepared and was more than willing to use it. There he goes with all his resources minus one spell...<br /><br />They went to the Cloister and tried to be very careful. The Rogue fell into the pit and nobody was able to notice where he went. They thought he was teleported or something like that. So he had 4 rounds alone with a Ghast.<br />But the others were doing well up there and I totally forgot the swarms. And also the Rogue made all his saves and hit quite well, no PC blood spilled in the Cloister.<br /><br />The fight with the Aboleth was the opposite. The Bard swam down, got dominated and lured the others down the water. The Aboleth attacked at 45 feet depth, when nearly everybody was out of breath. I let the bard (who was the only one with Besmaras Blessing), do some breath donation(?), since his commands werent really against that.<br />The group had a hard time and I think the only reason they made it without a dead PC was that they made all their swim checks, so the Aboleth couldn't get a full attack.<br />The Alchemist and Cleric suffered from the slime and the bard got hit by the mucus cloud.<br /><br />In the end they summoned Barnabeth. The fight started rough. The Bard was grappeled and blood drained down to CON 5, then Barnabeth became a little arrogant and left him wounded in a corner to start lacerating the others.<br />I had plans to fight without mercy, since I really wanted it to become a rememberable and hard fight, but when my group started struggeling I pulled the punches. That was just a round before a critical hit with the shadowslayer and good hit with a bomb ended the fight.<br /><br />Oh and I should mention that the Bard sneaked back to the cleric for some healing and was colleteral damage to a fireball, bringing him to -6 hitpoints while at 5 CON...<br />No more Bard from here.<br /><br />I really enjoyed the level, as well as my players.<br />I noticed again, that I often struggle with to much to keep in mind. Illumination, weather effects, monster statblocks... Not quite sure if it's because the adventure isn't in my native language or just lack of experience...<br /><br />Thanks for another great level,<br />PascalKetanestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-75882811739818486612017-03-07T12:58:28.649-05:002017-03-07T12:58:28.649-05:00Hmm, they are going to have an interesting time wi...Hmm, they are going to have an interesting time without reading the instructions! You may want to hint that they should read it.<br /><br />Boy oh boy that's a lot of damage! And boy is that a cruel play on the thunderstone!<br /><br />Skipping riddles, skill checks, and manuscripts, huh? Sounds like a combat heavy party! Well, hopefully there is enough action to tide them over in this one.<br /><br />I'm interested to see how they handle the end of the level if they don't read the Sanguine Resurrection!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-84164807356299434822017-03-07T11:14:27.500-05:002017-03-07T11:14:27.500-05:00What a great (half) session!
We played for about 4...What a great (half) session!<br />We played for about 4,5 hours, after nearly two hours of OT-discussions and finishing the level-up -.-<br />We made it through half the level, other half coming in about 2 weeks.<br /><br />The PC's today:<br />- Aasimar Cleric (Sun and Healing domain, lets see what that will do to Barnabeth)<br />- Elf Bard<br />- Human Unchained Rogue<br />- Ratfolk Ranger (revived and double-restored by Nine)<br />- Half-Elf Synthesist Summoner (New Char of the Fighter Player) <- I already hate that Character ;-)<br /><br />They didn't want to look through the whole "sanguine resurrection", so they don't know what to do.<br />They first found the stairs up and down, but didn't want to go either way, so they started with the Bard's tomb at 11. There was no problem with the skillcheck and also the secret door was found fast. <br /><br />The treasure room was done pretty fast. The ranger immedeatly spotted the secret chest and triggered the trap. Then he made his save to avoid being incorporated by the Oooze and the group quickly killed it. It splitted to 4 creatures, then I chose not to let it split more often.<br />I couldn't figure out if it is still immune to slashing and piercing when it stops to split and I chose to remove the immunity then.<br /><br />Next part was the tomb of the working man saint. My players were still bugged out about the profession skillcheck in level 6 and when they saw the paintings of farmers they groaned in exasperation. I loved it :-)<br />They skipped the room for the moment.<br /><br />The library was quickly handled, they found 4 bottles (The Synthesist hadn't chosen languages yet) and nobody made the appraise check.<br /><br />They tried to guess what the riddle about the sinners could be about and after a few minutes of guessing chose to skip that too.<br /><br />Now the real fun started. The synthesist ran into the trap, while everyone was in the target-area, so everybody was struck by electric wires falling from the ceiling.<br /><br />They made all the Knowledge-checks and the first thing they did was the cleric casting CLW on the spellscared fext. They cheered when it crumbled to gems.<br />What happened next was stupid decision paired with cruel GM fiat. What hurts the Mountain Troll? Sonic! What kind of Sonic damage can we do? Thunderstone! Whats the AOE? 10 feet! What does that mean? 4 exploding statues for 7d6 damage each!<br />Two players were lucky to have soft cover from their comrades and the Wolf Companion and the rogued were lucky to have their evasion. I dropped two players, but luckily nobody died. <br /><br />The Hangman Tree was a nice encounter and the players had a big bunch of fun, when the wolf companion managed to trip the tree. The bard got swallowed whole, but the tree was killed right the round after.<br /><br />Last fight was against the Basilisk. I failed two gaze-attacks against the Synthesist and after he suffered 1 point of Dex-damage from the poison the cleric came up with neutralize poison. Poor basilisk... The DR was the only thing that kept it up a few rounds, since the ranger and synthesist rely on multiple low to medium damage attacks.<br /><br />Thanks for the haunt! Another 10d6 damage for everybody but the cleric!<br /><br />Until now they consumed:<br />48x CLW from their wands<br />4x Channel Energy<br />14x Rejuvenate Eidolon, lesser<br />1x CMW and CSW each from the cleric<br /><br />My modifications so far:<br />Doubled Hitpoints for the Black Pudding<br />Doubled Hitpoints and Infernal Template for the hangman tree<br />Doubled Hitpoints and Advanced Template for the Basilisk<br /><br />As usual we had a lot of fun!<br />Thanks<br />Pascal<br /><br />PS: Barnabeth's stats seem a little bit wrong. His AC should be 27/17?/22 and his Slam attack +8, 1d4+6.<br />But I'm no expert, so maybe I'm missing something...Ketanestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-33094558093379302732016-10-21T01:46:32.727-04:002016-10-21T01:46:32.727-04:00Shucks and darn it, you are right. 12a should be s...Shucks and darn it, you are right. 12a should be surrounded by all those 12b's. Thanks!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-89244998802884577282016-10-20T19:00:01.277-04:002016-10-20T19:00:01.277-04:00I think one of the 12c's ought to be 12a.I think one of the 12c's ought to be 12a.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06046605080173515750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-27370523950601792602016-07-15T15:53:14.593-04:002016-07-15T15:53:14.593-04:00Sounds fun and close! Yeah, this is one of the lon...Sounds fun and close! Yeah, this is one of the longer levels. Your party sounds great, sounds like everything went off exactly how it was supposed it (stealth Hangman's Tree and Basilisk, aboleth slime & domination, dangerous vampire, stuck in a pit). Sounds like great fun, excited for the next level!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-25950205001928894522016-07-15T11:16:22.928-04:002016-07-15T11:16:22.928-04:00This one took a couple of sessions, but it was wel...This one took a couple of sessions, but it was well worth it!<br /><br />The team was paranoid as heck coming in, as the very sight of the vampire's coffin made them believe they would just be thrust into a fight. Ironically, despite multiple players correctly guessing there would be a vampire, none of them bought anything to assist in killing it.<br /><br />Nobody recognized the Hangman's tree or the Basilisk amusingly enough, so they kept calling it an alligator. Only two failed saves, so the party was fine afterwards.<br /><br />The ghasts scared them quite a bit, especially with the wasp swarms afterwards. The poor rogue came quite close to dying in the pit. From there, the library was ransacked, and the four sinner's room was solved with no problem. It was amusing to see them avoid the Hall of Monsters, as they all assumed there was another fight in there (though nobody tried perception or...really anything to find out). They eventually did so after the final fight.<br /><br />The aboleth slimed the sorcerer, and gave the party a fright when the rogue was dominated and dragged the sorcerer in. Cue 3k in gold being donated for combat. The secret treasure room was solved fairly well. They just hit it until it was tiny, then blew it up with a fireball.<br /><br />The belfry was simple enough. The vampire, however, was not. The arcanist tried really hard to blow it up with exploding runes and an unseen servant to kill it fast. It didn't work out initially, but that actually was how they finished it off.<br /><br />Overall, no deaths, a few near deaths, lots of cursing at vampires, and lots of gold.darrel378https://www.blogger.com/profile/04418105384885472440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-27908802472084886612016-06-21T16:26:38.117-04:002016-06-21T16:26:38.117-04:00Ha, no it does not. That would be a bit too nasty....Ha, no it does not. That would be a bit too nasty.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-84818327436931464192016-06-21T16:24:07.721-04:002016-06-21T16:24:07.721-04:00Does the shocking floor in room 6 affect the paint...Does the shocking floor in room 6 affect the paintings too? Because if it does that would be just nasty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-56845909594785111692014-11-02T09:50:33.888-05:002014-11-02T09:50:33.888-05:00Right you are! Thanks for pointing that out!Right you are! Thanks for pointing that out!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-33944607362509148092014-11-02T08:45:45.142-05:002014-11-02T08:45:45.142-05:00The poem in the text is incorrect. It says: “Mix s...The poem in the text is incorrect. It says: “Mix stony blood with once-monk’s wing". I'm assuming it is supposed to say "cursed ring".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-34437246150495042952014-09-15T10:07:49.195-04:002014-09-15T10:07:49.195-04:00Thanks for pointing that out. I've clarified ...Thanks for pointing that out. I've clarified that to exclude the ooze.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-70409261433577561222014-09-15T10:03:48.542-04:002014-09-15T10:03:48.542-04:00Does the black pudding count as a "living thi...Does the black pudding count as a "living thing" in regards to the cursed ring? Does it get the damage and the reduced move speed?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01564086260784572944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-12562854207700288412014-03-07T10:55:55.515-05:002014-03-07T10:55:55.515-05:00It's an excellent point.
Initially, the taver...It's an excellent point.<br /><br />Initially, the tavern break and Jacob were just of a broad framework to place a series of mini-dungeon crawls. However, as I write these it seems that people are more and more interested in the story behind them. After I finish up level 8, I'll likely go back to clean up, clarify, and expand upon the mythos.<br /><br />Level 6 is only slightly more intimidating than it is difficult. As long as your players are able to quickly make decisions, they shouldn't have too tough a time. Just be wary of the final boss!<br /><br />And yes, the grapple rules are strange, especially in the case of the Hangman's Tree. :)<br />Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-57090901470390514682014-03-07T10:35:02.217-05:002014-03-07T10:35:02.217-05:00Nice dungeons!
Several of the previous level tran...Nice dungeons!<br /><br />Several of the previous level transitions make little sense with the tavern break. The transition through the eldritch mural to Runewall is particularly disrupted by the tavern. I'm still thinking about how to make it work.<br /><br />I'm still very interested in the background behind Jacob and the mysterious Nine, though I've invented something for our game should it ever get far enough (I suspect they'll get meat-ground in level 6).blahpersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-31380721789410159802014-01-29T16:10:03.206-05:002014-01-29T16:10:03.206-05:00Yup, still a thing. It's implied at this poin...Yup, still a thing. It's implied at this point, but it will be between every level.Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-25618450620778217912014-01-29T15:34:19.350-05:002014-01-29T15:34:19.350-05:00So, just a quick question, did the inter-dimension...So, just a quick question, did the inter-dimensional bar stop being a thing, or is that still implied between each level? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17245729859445815787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-86012892100975110982014-01-17T14:07:34.479-05:002014-01-17T14:07:34.479-05:00They probably won't get to this one for a few ...They probably won't get to this one for a few months, but I'll let you know. I'll have to leave out most of the History related stuff (or rewrite it to my homebrew history). My homebrew has a lot of unexplored area, so I can throw in a few small villages that have a lot of commoners missing recently, and turns out the cult at this old church is to blame. Main difference would be the PCs could decide to leave if they want.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-14336148321606721382014-01-17T12:47:35.291-05:002014-01-17T12:47:35.291-05:00Thanks! Yup, they are designed to be easily reflu...Thanks! Yup, they are designed to be easily refluffed (although you might have a slightly harder time with this level). Let me know how it goes!Zenithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084567670274788805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457309627892248510.post-22323268246647821742014-01-17T11:49:02.008-05:002014-01-17T11:49:02.008-05:00I've enjoyed reading these Jacob's Tower p...I've enjoyed reading these Jacob's Tower posts quite a bit. I plan on using these in my homebrewed campaign, but refluffing them as tie ins to other quests or stand-alone encounters. Keep up the good work!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com