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2 years ago ::
Aug 29, 2011 - 2:49PM
#31
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- Head of Insanity Division
Date Joined:
Jul 23, 2004
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Greetings...
Just a note, SPEC3-3 is now available for download from www.livingforgottenrealms.com. If you played this adventure at Gen Con and received Story Award SPEC50 for your actions, please make sure you download the updated cert file as there were changes to this Story Award in the final version of the adventure. There were no changes to SPEC47, SPEC48, or SPEC49 so if you did not get SPEC50 (and if you did, you know who you are) then you don't need to do anything.
Sean,
It might be worth noting that while the cert properly refers to other modules, the text of the adventure does not. It still talks about Spec 3-5 (pg 37).
-VIC
Looking for work in IT or Logistics? Willing to relocate to western Michigan? Send me a PM.
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2 years ago ::
Aug 29, 2011 - 7:39PM
#32
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Date Joined:
Aug 11, 2006
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It might be worth noting that while the cert properly refers to other modules, the text of the adventure does not. It still talks about Spec 3-5 (pg 37).
Grr. I thought I had fixed all those references. Thanks for pointing it out!
Talk to you later --
Sean
----
M. Sean Molley | sean [at] basementsoftware [dot] com
LFR Global Administrator
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2 years ago ::
Sep 02, 2011 - 6:28AM
#33
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Date Joined:
Mar 15, 2001
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I would appreciate any questions or feedback on SPEC 3-3 Dance of the Sun and Moon. Did folks find it enjoyable, too difficult, too much on rails?
Well, since you asked...
The module had an interesting story. However, whether it was the particular DM we had or just the module in general - this module is absolute hell on a character who only has ranged attacks. The only combat where I wasn't in melee with my bow-wielding character was the first one, and that was luck of the draw on my starting location. The last fight was the worst offender, with a combination of factors that kept me stuck in my starting square for the entire fight, provoking OAs EVERY round.
I would have rather seen more foes with their own ranged and area attacks than a setup that makes staying out of melee nearly impossible.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 03, 2011 - 1:39AM
#34
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And there was me thinking I really need to find a charge power for my battle cleric after playing this mod. True I did end up grabbed in the final fight with a character with no athletics or acrobatics training and thus no chance of escape by my own devices but the mod designer had given Midnight an at will melee attack
Perhaps Fedifensor you should perhaps look at your own character and consider not all mods are shooting galleries especially spec ones and consider what your ranged character is going to do when he/she gets blinded/grabbed etc just as melee characters should consider what to do when immobilised/dazed
Calimoakheart on RPGTableOnline
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2 years ago ::
Sep 06, 2011 - 6:01PM
#35
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Date Joined:
Mar 15, 2001
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Perhaps Fedifensor you should perhaps look at your own character and consider not all mods are shooting galleries especially spec ones and consider what your ranged character is going to do when he/she gets blinded/grabbed etc just as melee characters should consider what to do when immobilised/dazed
Actually, the problem wasn't blinding or being grabbed...the problem was provoking OAs every round because I couldn't get out of melee range. The +4 AC when provoking (from Hunter Fighting Style) was very, very helpful...but it was still annoying. I don't mind it when a foe legitimately gets into melee range. However, that wasn't the case in the final fight.
Spoiler:
Show
A boat small enough that the creature's threatening reach can encompass the entire width without the creature needing to move? Minions that just appear on the battlefield right next to the characters (in multiple combats, no less)? Someone needs to tell the author that a 3x10 battlefield with a creature that threatens a 6x6 area is annoying, and NOT FUN. I couldn't even push the creature away from the boat for a round (with Thundertusk Boar Strike), because of the conveniently-placed barrier that kept the creature in range.
Rushing the ranged character to lock him down is a legitimate tactic...but that last fight was rigged. There's a difference between an encounter being challenging because of tough monsters and good tactics, and stacking the deck to completely negate many types of characters. Even the melee-focused characters were getting annoyed with the constant grabs, dazes, slides, and prone effects.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 06, 2011 - 6:31PM
#36
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Date Joined:
Oct 26, 2008
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Spoiler:
Show
Rushing the ranged character to lock him down is a legitimate tactic...but that last fight was rigged. There's a difference between an encounter being challenging because of tough monsters and good tactics, and stacking the deck to completely negate many types of characters. Even the melee-focused characters were getting annoyed with the constant grabs, dazes, slides, and prone effects.
I'm not sure that causing a PC to be in OA range is "locking them down". That ranged PC was probably still plenty effective, albeit threatened. I've seen fights where melee PCs are useless unless they can pull out javelins.
I'm not saying that it isn't a bad situation to be in, but it really is hardly the worst.
That said, this particular end fight I've heard a bunch of complaints about, some were legit, some were due to it being misrun, but it seems to be an all around tough fight. And tough fights always get complaints. Nature of the beast I think.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 07, 2011 - 12:41AM
#37
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Spoiler:
Show
A boat small enough that the creature's threatening reach can encompass the entire width without the creature needing to move? Minions that just appear on the battlefield right next to the characters (in multiple combats, no less)? Someone needs to tell the author that a 3x10 battlefield with a creature that threatens a 6x6 area is annoying, and NOT FUN. I couldn't even push the creature away from the boat for a round (with Thundertusk Boar Strike), because of the conveniently-placed barrier that kept the creature in range.
Rushing the ranged character to lock him down is a legitimate tactic...but that last fight was rigged. There's a difference between an encounter being challenging because of tough monsters and good tactics, and stacking the deck to completely negate many types of characters. Even the melee-focused characters were getting annoyed with the constant grabs, dazes, slides, and prone effects.
Spoiler:
Show
While I won't deny that that the last fight can be/is likely to be a pain for archers, you did realize you could actually jump off the ship and stand on the "water" without risk? Mind you, as a DM I also have avoided placing the kraken in such a position that it could cover the whole ship (although at two tables the PCs also made sure that I could not manouver it freely anyway). The DM also has a responsibility in this regards.
Your problems with the earlier two probably are more the result of bad luck, bad positioning and the wrong party composition (or DMs making your life specifically hard). Those two fights are not particularly hard on ranged characters. There is ample of space to manouver. Granted things can rush you, some can grab you, but not constantly (at least not if your fellow PCs do their job) and you should be able to get out of dodge as an archer at least once if not twice.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 09, 2011 - 1:21AM
#38
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Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2007
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Spoiler:
Show
A boat small enough that the creature's threatening reach can encompass the entire width without the creature needing to move? Minions that just appear on the battlefield right next to the characters (in multiple combats, no less)? Someone needs to tell the author that a 3x10 battlefield with a creature that threatens a 6x6 area is annoying, and NOT FUN. I couldn't even push the creature away from the boat for a round (with Thundertusk Boar Strike), because of the conveniently-placed barrier that kept the creature in range.
Rushing the ranged character to lock him down is a legitimate tactic...but that last fight was rigged. There's a difference between an encounter being challenging because of tough monsters and good tactics, and stacking the deck to completely negate many types of characters. Even the melee-focused characters were getting annoyed with the constant grabs, dazes, slides, and prone effects.
Author here. I regret that you had a less than stellar time. Did it seem like your DM was prepared? Based on your comments, it doesn't seem that you got the experience that I had hoped to present.
A couple of more spoilerific queries:
Spoiler:
Show
As Madfox11 pointed out, why didn't you get off the boat? Several of the skill challenge actions can only be accomplished while next to the breach, so getting off is kinda expected.
Also, did you really do the last fight in a 3x10 area? The map is 8 squares wide as presented in the mod, plenty of room to go around the kraken, and other than the edges of the map (which deal damage to aberrations forced into them) there shouldn't have been a barrier that prevented the kraken from being pushed. Were you pinning it against the wall when you tried Thundertusk? That is the only scenario where forced movement wouldn't have worked.
In which fight were minions appearing next to you? They had designated spawn points in both encounters where minions appeared; if you were next to a pit in the first fight, they might have popped out there, but since it seems that nobody got off the boat in the third fight, the minions are supposed to enter from the kraken hazard area ahead of the boat. A point that contains a spoiler for CORE 2-2: Spoiler:
Show
I got my fill of threatening reach that covers the whole map in this mod, and I specifically designed encounter 3 with plenty of room to get around the kraken as long as someone was able to keep it occupied. That being said, the solo in that combat was changed to the kraken by campaign staff after my final draft went in; my original creature had threatening reach, but did not grab with its basic attacks. It was still deemed to challenging when scaled down to lower levels, so the grabby soldier was switched in.
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2 years ago ::
Sep 09, 2011 - 6:53AM
#39
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Date Joined:
Aug 10, 2007
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Even with threatening reach, a dazed or blind creature can't take OAs.
Dan Anderson
@EpicUthrac
Living Forgotten Realms Calimshan Writing Director
Living Forgotten Realms Epic Writing Director
Meet me at TotalConfusion:
http://www.totalcon.com/RolePlaying.html
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2 years ago ::
Sep 09, 2011 - 11:21AM
#40
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Date Joined:
Aug 17, 2007
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Very true, but those status effects are (ok these days I should say were ) not that easy to come by reliably at low to mid heroic..
To DME, or not to DME: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous powergaming, Or to take arms against a sea of Munchkins, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;No more;
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