Grand Conjunction Problems

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Quinntonia
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Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Quinntonia »

When running the Grand Conjunction, how did you handle moving PCs from the end of one module to the beginning of the next? For example, I am playing it in order to levels required, making "Walking Dead" the first module, but they have to get from there to the desert afterwards and I am a little baffled as how to do that.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Dark Angel »

While not explicitly making the players do so, Azalin has a hand in unraveling (or at least attempting to) the Demiplane for his personal whims. That being stated, he could indirectly or directly grant the players a means to get around and travel (mistways more likely as the Vistani may not be as cooperative). Building into the adventure series a patron or benefactor who is aligned with Azalin may be the more plausible (especially if they travel with the group), at least more so than the Mists taking them all over at the whims of the Dark Powers.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Bluebomber4evr »

Every module has a method to get the PCs to the right spot at the beginning that can be used whether the PCs are in Ravenloft or not. It's usually something involving the Mists rising up and obscuring their vision, then clearing out when they're deposited in the new domain. As both Souragne and Har'Akir have no physical connection to each other (or to the Core), this is really the only viable method of transport available anyway (even hiring the Vistani for transport would basically involve this).
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

If you don't want to just do "the mists rise up" or (as some have done) move everything to the Core, near each other, you could still use the vistani. The Tribe of Hsykosa (whose eventual raunie, Valana, appears in NotWD) wants the conjunction to come to pass, and may forsee that the PCs need to "help" it happen. Alternately, the rest of the vistani probably don't want it to happen, and might think that getting the PCs to the right place at the right time might/will stop the conjunction from happening, or cause it to fail.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

Also remember that the modules themselves take place over a period of five years (736-740 BC), so it's possible the players could travel to each domain themselves following rumors or even on an unrelated quest that can't be finished until they deal with what's going on.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

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I actually modified the order..and put ship of horror as the second adventure. So, they found the Endurance in Port d'elhour. If the Pc's really want to leave the Island, they'll take the trip. You don't need to use the whole adventure, just the ghost encounters, and maybe the recovery of the corpses to "help" the captain. Ignore the ghost ship, the whole Graben Island and Meredoth.
Once they are at the core. you can proceed as you see fit. Maybe they could get in a port near Kartakass and start Feast of Goblyns...once FoG is finished, they may find the "helpful" vistani that will carry them to Har'Akir by accident :P
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

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TheSalemlord wrote:I actually modified the order..and put ship of horror as the second adventure. So, they found the Endurance in Port d'elhour. If the Pc's really want to leave the Island, they'll take the trip. You don't need to use the whole adventure, just the ghost encounters, and maybe the recovery of the corpses to "help" the captain. Ignore the ghost ship, the whole Graben Island and Meredoth.
Once they are at the core. you can proceed as you see fit. Maybe they could get in a port near Kartakass and start Feast of Goblyns...once FoG is finished, they may find the "helpful" vistani that will carry them to Har'Akir by accident :P
Just make sure you also modify the prophecy as Azalin purposely swaps the final two to suit his needs for disrupting the process. Leaving the wording as is but rotating the order to suit your personal needs will screw up the situation unintentionally. Not sure if every realizes this, but it is something you don't want to be caught on by with the players figuring it out.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Hamiclar »

I'm running just wrapping the walking dead up. The group left after the adventure and went to Port de Hour, I continued the wrap up there with them becoming involved with religious group which had corrupted the Jean and giving him the clues leading to the scroll. The second adventure has the gypsy entry which guides the group into mist and accidently enter Har Akir. Im planning my group getting on a ship and travelling to monettes island first than Har Akir.

I am modifying my entry something to do with trolls and the temple of Set from the Video game that takes place there.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

Dark Angel wrote:Just make sure you also modify the prophecy as Azalin purposely swaps the final two to suit his needs for disrupting the process. Leaving the wording as is but rotating the order to suit your personal needs will screw up the situation unintentionally. Not sure if every realizes this, but it is something you don't want to be caught on by with the players figuring it out.
Did he swap those two on purpose? I always got the impression he did it accidentally by rushing things due to impatience. If he swapped them on purpose, that would be a truly imbecilic move for someone of his intelligence.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

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High Priest Mikhal wrote:
Dark Angel wrote:Just make sure you also modify the prophecy as Azalin purposely swaps the final two to suit his needs for disrupting the process. Leaving the wording as is but rotating the order to suit your personal needs will screw up the situation unintentionally. Not sure if every realizes this, but it is something you don't want to be caught on by with the players figuring it out.
Did he swap those two on purpose? I always got the impression he did it accidentally by rushing things due to impatience. If he swapped them on purpose, that would be a truly imbecilic move for someone of his intelligence.
He swapped them out purposely at the end to disrupt the prophecy (so he could leave his prison). That is why he is as behind the scenes in both From the Shadows and Roots of Evil, he always knew what he was doing (or how to get the players to do what he wanted them to do). Pretty sure he was keeping Hysoka's spirit (the previous incarnation of the Dukkar) contained at his castle. Feel free to correct these facts (to anyone), but I am confident that was his goal.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

Dark Angel wrote:He swapped them out purposely at the end to disrupt the prophecy (so he could leave his prison). That is why he is as behind the scenes in both From the Shadows and Roots of Evil, he always knew what he was doing (or how to get the players to do what he wanted them to do). Pretty sure he was keeping Hysoka's spirit (the previous incarnation of the Dukkar) contained at his castle. Feel free to correct these facts (to anyone), but I am confident that was his goal.
Mistipedia and DoD simply say that the last two signs occurred out of order because of Azalin's meddling. No clarification if he meant to force them out of order or it was an unforeseen--on his part--result of his actions.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Quinntonia »

These are some fantastic ideas, and great points all around.

I really like being reminded that this all occurs in a multiple year period, leaving travel time less of an issue. I have no real problem with the mists rising up as well, it's just that that has occurred to this group a couple of times already and at some stage it loses its punch.

As for using "Ship" at the end of "Dead," I wonder how much meddling I would have to do to make the levels work out.

Hmmm.

Possibly have the Fraternity of Shadows contact the PCs and point them in the right direction? I am kind of interested in having them move to the next thing in as mundane a way as possible.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Dark Angel »

Quinntonia wrote:I really like being reminded that this all occurs in a multiple year period, leaving travel time less of an issue. I have no real problem with the mists rising up as well, it's just that that has occurred to this group a couple of times already and at some stage it loses its punch.

As for using "Ship" at the end of "Dead," I wonder how much meddling I would have to do to make the levels work out.
Possibly have the Fraternity of Shadows contact the PCs and point them in the right direction? I am kind of interested in having them move to the next thing in as mundane a way as possible.
I would think the Kargat would be a better middleman for the group given their directives, operational range, and resources. One thing I used for my group was the passage of time. In their early levels, they had lives and (more or less) jobs they did to support themselves and occupy their time. A season or two would pass with nothing of significance occurring and they would then be called up for an adventure or twelve.

I know many have complained about the adventure Ship of Horrors high level. Making Meredoth lower level (I heard 12th, but that may be a bit too low for one who creates as much as he does) and toning down or eliminating encounters outright can salvage the situational issues with an adventure series that includes Touch of Death and Night of the Walking Dead as introductory level adventures. My take on adventures is what needs to be done or overcome and not really what needs to be destroyed or killed off.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

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Quinntonia wrote: As for using "Ship" at the end of "Dead," I wonder how much meddling I would have to do to make the levels work out.
Basically, you convert the Ship of Horror in a "Ghost Story".

Victimize the Captain. Make him look as a tormented man.

The PC's are trapped until they help the Captain lift the curse.

No need for the Ghoul Filled Ship.

The Underwater encounters: I've changed the Shark Skeletons for Zombie Sharks...but you could use a couple of Lacedons. (aquatic ghouls) or Jolly Rogers; this is a huge opportunity to use any aquatic monster, also not need to be an undead creature... after all they just came out of NotWD. Maybe all the corpses were thrown in and old ship graveyard, or near the remains of an ancient naval battle known only by the Captain.

The Starfish encounter is quite blown. And is there only to show the auto-repair ability of the Endurance. However I use it and changed the starfish for an "impossible to defeat aquatic Lovecraftian monster"... but it was a cinematic scene mostly. You can ignore it or even better; change it for a storm just to damage the Endurance and show the repairing effect.

Graben Island: Just use it as the background place the bodies were loaded, then use a core domain as replacement for Todstein. Say...Kartakass for commodity reasons to begin the Feast of Goblyns next.

If you ignore Todstein, you don't need to include Meredoth.
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Re: Grand Conjunction Problems

Post by Quinntonia »

So speaking of "Dead," my PCs are slightly higher level than they should be for this encounter, and so I am going to make the zombies no stronger, but infectious. Easy to kill, but you have to make some kind of save when you are hit. Thoughts?
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