quote:

---

Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart

As long as you respect that Ashe Ravenheart bears Ary'Velahr'Kerym and is the General of Myth Drannor's armies, all is good.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart

As long as you respect that Ashe Ravenheart bears Ary'Velahr'Kerym and is the General of Myth Drannor's armies, all is good.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alisttair


Wouldn't you know it, that is the state of affairs in my realms also

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Diffan

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alisttair


Wouldn't you know it, that is the state of affairs in my realms also

---

I think a Post-It note is going into my GHotR book, p. 158 stating "Ashe Ravenheart is proclaimed the leader of Myth Drannor's armies and the proud wielder of Ary'Velahr'Kerym.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

LOL - that IS lame.

I don't read the specifics of a spell unless its used in-game (because over 90% of the spells never get used by most groups),so apparently, in the few games I ran in 3e, no-one ever took that spell. IIRC, it worked a bit different in 1e/2e (it didn't affect humanoids or demi-humans)The purpose of the Hold monster spell was to affect those creatures the other version didn't work on, so it seems a bit off to me to have two version of the spell affecting the same creature-type.

UNLESS, you think of the Hold Monster variant as Greater Hold, which would make sense, I suppose.

Thanks for posting this stuff. Besides enjoying your take on the adventure path, you've given me some fuel for thought for my own magic system - always a good thing.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alisttair


It's nice when PC deaths are considered fun.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Diffan

We were using the adventure as written, with the v3.5 ruleset. As much as I like 4E re-writing whole adventures, espically ones so intricate with the rules/setting as the Cormyr/Shadowdale/Anauroch adventure path would be a nightmare and so time consuming.

Besides, I'm still very much a fan of v3.5 (it's what I know best) and it's so much easier to run published adventures with little to no changing it IMO.

As for Jezz the Lame, since drow are medium humanoids (elf sub-type) they can be affected by Hold Person and Hold Monster spells. Hold Monster just works on non-humanoid creatures as well plus the DC save is much higher. My wife's character (NG female Rashemi sorceress 9/ hathran 5) specializes in Enchantment spells and uses feats such as Spell Focus (enchantment), Unsettling Enchantment to boost her usefulness. I believe the saves for her Hold Monster spells are DC 24. Jezz the Lame has a Will save of about +11 or so and our DM rolled low, below 10.

But we even let it slide, as our DM looked really dispondent at the guy's demise so my Coupe De Grace was just treated as a Critical hit (not instant death) but he still died a round later as he attempted to leave.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Diffan

So my group completed the second-part of the 3-part super adventure called Shadowdale: Scouring of the Land and I have to tell you, it was awesome.

This adventure really put our group to the test, killing off 2 PCs (requiring the use of a Raise Dead spell for 1) and almost ending the life of another. And the story was actually really intriguing, allowing for a Realms fan to really get into the lore of not only Shadowdale but the Zhentarim and the war going on in Myth Drannor.

And to finish it all off, going toe-to-toe with Scyulla Darkhope was epic to say the least. My character had aquired the Pegasus Helm of Kloeth Ironstar and it was just a back and forth aerial battle between her and I which ended in her death as well as her mounts.

Couple of key things that were sort of a downer, Alokkair wasn't destroyed and our DM says he definitly will return to exact his revenger and the encounter with Jezz the Lame was pretty lame IMO. Even with our DM spiffying him up with some better equipment, hold monster + Coup de Grace = death and a short battle. What a shame too, because I was actually looking for a near-death battle with the guy.

Now, normally I don't go and sound off about our groups games but I was just really stoked for how well the adventure played out that I felt compelled to express the fun this campaign has been so far.

The question is, does my Cormyrean purple dragon knight go back home or press on to finish out this adventure? And is my +2 everbright ghost touch bastard sword worth being replaced with Scyulla's +2 axiomatic keen bastard sword? Decisions decisions

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart



*cough*Spell Resistance*cough*

I don't have my copy with me, but I *believe* his SR was in the high teens at least...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jorin Embersmith



Hah! My players are currently spinning in circles in the Grinding Gulf as Alokkair plays horrible pranks on them. (He polymorphed the druid into a delicious roast turkey for 3 rounds. just for fun)

As far as your knight, I'd say there is adequate reason for him to continue, after perhaps a quick debrief by teleport by the war wizards. No doubt Cormyr would be hard-pressed with enemies all around to the north and east. Best deal with it now!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Daviot

Diffan,
Good times, good times. I ran the campaign with a new party (having skipped the part one Cormyr-type adventure) way back in 2007, and had a blast! Sadly, as it was one of my last face-to-face campaigns, my notes on it were mainly physical (and thus packed in a box). As I recall the only major change I made was actually buffing Alokkair up a bit further, in consideration to the fact that one of the party members was a grappling half-dragon dragon shaman, and thus immune to a lich's paralyzing touch.

Alas, my Anauroch campaign only got as far as through Windsong Tower before my college friends starting going their separate ways.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dalor Darden

I don't think I would let Alokkair be destroyed by a party either. I mean, the fella has been living under Elminster's nose for a LONG time and is ok...so why wouldn't he have contingency to get away from a few young pups!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by chamber101

I am currently running this for a group of five and they are having fun in Azmaers Folly at the moment. They lost two of their number to Frostbite when the challenge for pack leader went ever so slightly wrong and pretty much ran away from Allokair. The funny thing is though, they stuck it all over Esvelle in the Rite Cavern with some awesome stinking cloud/web/nauseating breath action.
They have enough notoriety points now to have skymages following them.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by chamber101


I padded the adventure out by detailing some surrounding freeholds and hamlets to also be caught up in the occupation and had the players interact more with The Free Shadowdale Alliance (which I renamed The Blackcoats) making friends and contacts with some homebrew members of the resistance so it has more of an emotional impact on the group when the uprising actually begins.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Diffan


So did your PCs encounter the showcase encounter, meaning the one depicted on the front cover of the Book? That was a hairy situation for us and we lost 8 prisoners (out of 20) which my character thought was pretty damn good odds, lol. The thing that saved us the most, I think, was my wife's hathran/sorceress cast Web on 2 Ogres and Hold Monster on another, effectively taking out the "heavy hitters" on the bridge. The last Ogre (i belive there are 4 total) just went berserk and started crushing prisoners left and right. Shame really .

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tyranthraxus

Unfortunately I never finished running the Shadowdale adventure. The whole party died fighting Gormauthator the skeleton red dragon on Watcher's Knoll. This was due to bad luck on the PCs part. Most of them failed their Will save vs. Frightful Presence. The dragon's full attack was brutal and could drop a character's HP to half or lower and his 15/20 ft. reach prevented PCs from succesfully retreating without an attack of oppertunity. The only character who survived was the elf ranger who stayed out of reach firing his bow and managed to escape when the rest of the party was killed.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

LOL - that IS lame.

I don't read the specifics of a spell unless its used in-game (because over 90% of the spells never get used by most groups),so apparently, in the few games I ran in 3e, no-one ever took that spell. IIRC, it worked a bit different in 1e/2e (it didn't affect humanoids or demi-humans)The purpose of the Hold monster spell was to affect those creatures the other version didn't work on, so it seems a bit off to me to have two version of the spell affecting the same creature-type. (snip)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Derulbaskul

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

LOL - that IS lame.

I don't read the specifics of a spell unless its used in-game (because over 90% of the spells never get used by most groups),so apparently, in the few games I ran in 3e, no-one ever took that spell. IIRC, it worked a bit different in 1e/2e (it didn't affect humanoids or demi-humans)The purpose of the Hold monster spell was to affect those creatures the other version didn't work on, so it seems a bit off to me to have two version of the spell affecting the same creature-type. (snip)

---

You're also misremembering how the 1E and 2E versions worked. Here's a quote from the 2E version:

quote:

---

This spell immobilizes from one to four creatures of any type within spell range and in sight of the spellcaster.

---

Jezz the Lame is a very lame NPC. His CR is far too high for the threat that he poses... or doesn't pose.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Derulbaskul

Anyway, thanks to the OP for his enthusiastic post. I'm preparing to run this as a 4E adventure with the Demon Weave replacing the Shadow Weave and I'm even more enthusiastic after reading the posts here. :)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Derulbaskul
Jezz the Lame is a very lame NPC. His CR is far too high for the threat that he poses... or doesn't pose.

---