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Curse of the Crimson Throne (PF1)

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Curse of the Crimson Throne (PF1)

Unread postby icycalm » 10 Dec 2020 01:54

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First off, you should read my thoughts and directions on Paizo's line of "Player's Guides" for their campaigns that I posted in the Runelords campaign thread for the D&D2 group: https://culture.vg/forum/topic?t=7324

All that stuff applies to you too, so we can skip straight to the fun part here.


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CHARACTER TIPS

Unlike the Runelords and Crown guys, you get no tips :(


BACKGROUND TRAITS

Unlike the Runelords and Crown guys, whose campaign traits are optional, yours are mandatory. You have to choose one of them.

Even before Curse of the Crimson Throne begins, you and the other characters have a shared trait—you’ve all been wronged, in some manner, by a local crime lord, the despicable Gaedren Lamm. The campaign you are about to begin starts as you and several others are brought together to do what the city guards cannot (or will not) do—to see that Gaedren Lamm answers for his crimes, be that in a court of law or at the edge of a vengeful blade. Presented here are six ties to Gaedren you can choose for your character, historical snippets that explain how this detestable crime lord has affected you in the past. Each trait presents an unfortunate event, painted in broad strokes so you can customize it to your needs, that helped shape your character. Once you’ve selected a trait, pick a benefit that matches your own concept for your character. Feel free to adapt and rework the particulars of your chosen trait to fit your history. So long as you have a reason to see Gaedren pay for his crimes, you’ll have a built-in reason to take up a life of adventuring and, more importantly, a reason to bond with your new companions. You’ll also get a nice bonus that’ll help you along your way in the ordeals to come!

Most of these traits assume that your character spent a significant portion of his childhood in Korvosa, although a few of them allow for more widely-traveled characters. For the most part, though, Curse of the Crimson Throne works best with characters who are natives to Korvosa, so that's what we'll go with.


BETRAYED
You were hardly a model citizen as a child or young adult. Your reasons for turning to a life of crime may be varied, but what matters is that you eventually fell in with a certain well-connected and notorious crime lord named Gaedren Lamm. His reputation as a snake and a treacherous scoundrel was known to you, but for reasons of your own, you chose not to turn him down when he offered you a chance to work for him. You may have assumed you were an exception, or that you’d be able to handle him, or perhaps even planned to betray him. As it worked out, though, Gaedren got the upper hand and took you down first. You may have served time in jail, may have been beaten by his thugs and left for dead, or could simply have had your profits stolen out from under you. Whatever the cause, Gaedren wronged you, and you are eager for the chance to get revenge.

Choose one of the following benefits.

Hungry for Revenge: You’ve never forgiven Gaedren for his betrayal, and have vowed to make him pay for what he did. Whether that’s seeing him rot in jail or a shallow grave, you hope to taste vengeance someday. Whenever you deal damage with a melee weapon on a creature that is flat-footed, you gain a +1 trait bonus on the damage roll.

Reformed Criminal: You’ve given up the life of crime, and managed to talk your way out of any repercussions such as jail time or fines. You’ve told yourself that you would rather leave your past behind, yet the concept of seeing Gaedren Lamm pay for his crimes still appeals to you. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is a class skill for you.


DRUG ADDICT
Someone you know has become addicted to shiver, a drug distilled from the venom of tropical arachnids known as dream spiders. The drug induces sleep filled with vivid dreams, during which the user’s body shakes and shivers, giving the substance its street name. You’ve always thought of shiver as a problem of the lower class, but then someone you know overdosed on the stuff. You’ve done a bit of investigating and have learned that the villain who got your friend addicted in the first place was a crime lord named Gaedren Lamm. Unfortunately, the guards seem to be focused on the bigger dealers. They don’t have time to devote many resources to what they’ve called “a bit player in a beggar’s problem.” It would seem that if Gaedren’s operation is to be stopped, it falls to you.

Choose one of the following benefits.

Addicted Friend: The addict is a friend or lover who might or might not have survived the overdose. Your research into the drug scene and local politics has given you a respectable education in street knowledge. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (local) checks, and Knowledge (local) is a class skill for you.

Personal Addiction: You were the addict. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins, and you gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saving throws.


FRAMED
Someone you know and love was accused of murder. A supposed eyewitness account from a local fisherman seemed to be enough to seal the case, but the accused had enough alibis that sentencing wasn’t immediate. Someone confronted the fisherman and discovered he was intimidated into providing false witness and forced into planting the murder weapon by the actual murderer—a local crime lord named Gaedren Lamm, whose thugs killed the fisherman before he could recant his testimony. Although this removed the key witness and resulted in the accused being set free, the stigma was enough to badly damage the accused’s reputation. If you can find Gaedren, you’re sure you can find evidence that ties him to the murder and can clear the accused’s name.

Choose one of the following benefits.

Dropout: You were the one accused of the murder. Although you were eventually freed when a friend confronted the fisherman and got the truth, the damage had been done. You were forced to leave your school or church. As a result, you were forced to self-train and promised yourself you would become better at your chosen profession despite the spurning of your peers. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Spellcraft checks, and Spellcraft is a class skill for you.

Family Honor: The person who was framed was a family member, perhaps a father or sister. You managed to trick the fisherman into revealing the truth with your skilled tongue. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is a class skill for you.


LOVE LOST
Someone you loved was knifed to death in a dark alley one night. You were called to the scene by the Korvosan Guard to identify the body, and as rough as that was for you, you also noticed a ring was missing from your loved one’s finger. Whoever murdered your loved one stole that ring—you’re convinced of it. You’ve done some investigation on your own and recently found the ring for sale at a local merchant’s shop. To your great frustration, you can’t yet afford the 500 gp to buy it back, but the merchant did tell you from whom he purchased the ring: a man named Gaedren Lamm. It seems likely this criminal killed your loved one, or at the very least, he knows who did. The only problem is finding him.

Choose one of the following benefits.

All Alone: The murder victim was a lover. With your lover’s death, a part of you died as well, leaving you haunted, grim, and prone to dark musings. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Intimidate checks, and Intimidate is a class skill for you.

Orphaned: The murder victim was your only surviving parent. You had to work hard to make ends meet for yourself and any siblings, and often had to scavenge for food. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Survival checks, and Survival is a class skill for you.


MISSING CHILD
You suspect that a child you know has been abducted by Gaedren Lamm. Whatever the relationship, you’ve heard rumors about “Lamm’s Lambs,” and of how the old man uses children as pickpockets and agents for his crimes. You’ve even heard rumors that the child you’re looking for has been spotted in the marketplaces in the company of known cutpurses and pickpockets. Although the Korvosan Guard has been understanding of your plight, it has its hands full with “more important” matters these days, it seems, and has not yet been able to learn anything more about Gaedren. No one else is interested in bringing Gaedren down and rescuing his victims—that task falls to you. Yet where could the old scoundrel be hiding?

Choose one of the following benefits.

Missing Sibling: The missing child is a brother or sister. Although everyone else has given up hope, you believe your sibling still lives. Your constant search for the missing sibling has developed into great skill at rumormongering and finding out information from others. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense Motive checks, and Sense Motive is a class skill for you.

Missing Son or Daughter: The missing child is a niece or nephew, or a child you were charged with protecting. The child was abducted during a trip to the market or other daily event. Your stubbornness and long hours spent searching for rumors grant you a +1 trait bonus on Will saves.


UNHAPPY CHILDHOOD
You spent a period of time as one of Gaedren Lamm’s enslaved orphans, doing all manner of dirty work for him. Maybe you were abducted from your parent’s home or during a trip to the market. Perhaps the irresponsible matron who ruled your orphanage traded you to him in return for a desperately needed financial loan. Or perhaps you, like most of Gaedren’s slaves, were merely a child of the street who succumbed to his promise of regular meals and a roof in return for what he said would be “a little light work.” Whatever the case, you spent several years of your life as one of “Lamm’s Lambs” before escaping. You’ve nursed a grudge against the old man ever since.

Choose one of the following benefits.

Religious: While on a job for Gaedren, you found a holy symbol of the god you worship, and intrigued by it, you snuck off to attend services. When Gaedren found out, he beat you to within an inch of your life and broke your holy symbol. Your faith let you block out the pain, and you escaped his control and took shelter in the church, where you spent the rest of your youth. You gain a +2 trait bonus on concentration checks and Constitution checks to stabilize at negative hit points.

Tortured: After you made one too many errors, Gaedren tortured you and left you for dead in a garbage heap. Your scars and memories have motivated you to hone your reaction speed and make you rather jumpy. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Reflex saves.
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icycalm
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Unlocked Korvosa!

Unread postby icycalm » 17 Dec 2020 22:45

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Updated the overworld with the following text for Korvosa:

Battlegrounds wrote:Korvosa, the Jewel of Varisia, has long sparkled on the shore of Conqueror’s Bay. Established just over 300 years ago by Cheliax at the height of that empire’s expansion, the city now commands its own destiny. A line of Korvosan kings and queens emerged to rule the city, establishing an infamous seat of power—the Crimson Throne. Rulers have sat upon the Crimson Throne for more than a century, and the city has flourished; yet the monarchy always seems on the brink of disaster. The Crimson Throne is not a prize to be won—it is a curse. No monarch of Korvosa has died of old age, and none has produced an heir while ruling. Even though King Eodred II controls Korvosa more fully than any previous monarch, that control remains tenuous, and many secretly count the days until their latest king falls to what they call the Curse of the Crimson Throne.


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Note that the overworld will be a living document, so eventually this description will be replaced as the world evolves. That's why I want some text recorded in the campaign threads in the forum. So that they will make sense to people who read them long after the overworld has changed.
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icycalm
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Trailer

Unread postby icycalm » 05 Jan 2021 10:21

A GM made a trailer for Curse of the Crimson Throne for his group:

Curse of the Crimson Throne Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nReBwVys2w8

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It's pretty much spoiler-free, and quite epic, all things considered. This GM is definitely a good one, and I will certainly look into creating trailers myself now that I've seen what can be done with them.

How cool would it be if you had a trailer like this for every campaign or even adventure, before picking it? On the other hand, none of them can be 100% spoiler-free, because then you'd have nothing to put in them...
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icycalm
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Session 1 - Nicolas's Account

Unread postby Saf » 28 Aug 2021 16:58

Curse of the Crimson Throne 1 with schadenfreude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehsUglz ... PWcT9Qpixx


Chatlog 1: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-1.html


This tale begins like all our tales began: with the sins of Gaedren Lamm, a notorious Korvosan crime lord who'd abused all of us, and who knows how many others, in various ways over the years.

The timing was suspiciously perfect. Our dreams of retribution were half-hearted, leads dry. It was in the midst of routine altar cleaning that I discovered the harrow card with a message on the back.

The author knew of Gaedren's transgressions, and bade us go to their home at sunset. The others received different harrow cards in different ways, but the messages were identical. It stoked in us a flame of hope.

We met at the front door of the quaint cottage of our mysterious benefactor. We swapped confirmations and promptly knocked to no response. The dwarf barbarian jumped to the conclusion that it was a trap, and I had similar reservations.

Still he boldly entered, and we followed. We found ourselves in a threadbare, fragrant room adorned with colourful tapestries. On a table was another note, asking us to wait for the author of the messages we'd received, and help ourselves to bread and drink. Some of us still suspected the others.

This didn't stop the dwarf from helping himself to bread, and the bard unsurprisingly uncorked the wine. Moments after, the true orchestrator returned. The dark-haired Varisian woman was older than us but fair in her own way.

We learned the true nature of our gathering while the woman idly shuffled her harrow cards. Introductions were made: here was Nilvalor the half-elf paladin, whose brother went missing years back. That struck a chord, and I revealed my past as a kidnapped child and slave. The dwarf was Gerkin, and he too had grievances. The bard Jubal mentioned his sordid addiction to shiver. The rogue Kaleb once foolishly worked under Gaedren, but had the same bitter tone of hatred in his voice we did.

Finally the woman revealed the sad tale that made us kin. Zellara was in hiding, fearful that Gaedren would do her harm. He had stolen her harrow deck and in retrieving her precious heirloom, her son Erlan had been murdered.


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Zellara

The Korvosan Guard was useless, but through inquiries and the divination of her cards, she discovered Gaedren dwelt in a nearby fishery, training children for miserable deeds.

Before waiting for agreements, she began performing a Harrowing to help us in the task of tracking down Gaedren and bringing him to justice with our own hands...
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Session 2 - Kaleb's Account

Unread postby Ciaróg » 18 Sep 2021 19:02

Curse of the Crimson Throne 2 with ysignal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiPgfvA ... PWcT9Qpixx


Chatlog 2: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-2.html


I didn't place much faith in the cards but the fortune-teller did a good job of rounding up people who wanted Gaedren's blood as bad as I did.

I had a bad feeling as soon as the dwarf stormed off, incensed because apparently he didn't like his fortune.

The bard wouldn't have been much help in a fight but I started wondering whether I'd be the only one who would remain after he followed the dwarf.

I was relieved when not only did nobody else leave but a latecomer even joined us. A young-looking wizard.

With no other leads on Gaedren I of course jumped at the chance to head to the docks with what appeared to be capable fighters.

The place, an old fishery, seemed deserted from outside. I led the way around the back since I am accustomed to that kind of work.

We found a derelict ship and decided to climb aboard to try to find a back entrance to the fishery.

No sooner had the second person after me, that young wizard, jumped aboard than disaster struck.

The deck's floorboards were rotten and he went straight through them. I heard a cracking sound followed by a cry for help and something about spiders.

I wanted to help if I could but no way was I going anywhere near the ship's rotting bow. Instead I opened the cabin door looking for a way downstairs and something leapt at me.

A drain spider, about the size of a cat and all legs and fangs.

I kept swinging my rapier but couldn't land a decent hit on the damn thing and neither could the cleric who soon caught up with me.

Eventually the paladin smashed it, I don't know how he hit it with that massive sword of his.

By that point, I hadn't heard from the wizard in a while.

I wasn't risking my life going down below when it was so dark for someone I had just met so I cautiously approached the hole in the deck and caught a grisly sight.

Four or five of the spiders were tearing lumps out of the poor bastard's corpse. We'd struggled with just one of them in such tight quarters and after a brief moment of solace we decided to leave the body be and keep moving.

We had a way in at least, a boarded-up window on the back of the fishery could be accessed from the ship's deck.

I started doubting my new companions when I saw the paladin try and use a greatsword as a crowbar but he proved himself physically capable at least by throwing his weight on the boards and snapping them in half.

I thought the paladin seemed to have some elven blood in him from his facial features and when he could see a mass of children huddling in the dark in the middle of the fishery when I could barely detect movement my suspicion was confirmed.


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Lamm's Lambs

I let the other two go first this time and followed when the kids remained silent. Climbing through the window we dropped to the floor of the fishery and the others started trying to reassure the children we weren't there to hurt them. It was at that moment a dog burst in the room and started yelping.

That's when I realised we were fucked.
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Session 2 - R.I.P. Addison

Unread postby ysignal » 18 Sep 2021 20:36

My character died at around 3:08:13. R.I.P.

[Correction: He didn't. He just went unconscious, and was rescued later. Look for an extensive GM's Notes entry later on explaining everything. -icy]
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Session 2 - Tactics

Unread postby icycalm » 18 Sep 2021 21:39

We'll be discussing tactics in the campaign threads when appropriate, between sessions. The players will normally be discussing them between themselves (and players from other campaigns are also free to join in the discussion), but as long as they are new to the game I'll also be joining in and trying to help them understand the game.

There's quite a lot to say about the last session, especially considering we're about to start the next one and it'll be a tough one, easily the toughest played in Battlegrounds so far, in the most complex environment and encounter so far. So I'll start this off with what was discussed on Discord and then add some new comments at the bottom.

CULT|Saf
@CULT|ysignal I think if you want to play a wizard again you should go for it. We just have to be more careful next time and maybe let others go a little ahead first since you're be so unprotected with the low hp/lack of armour
or maybe a sorcerer

CULT|icycalm
Your tactics sucked. Your tanks hanged back letting the guys without armor and low HP go ahead. Then when ysignal got in trouble you dithered because you “only knew him for three hours”. So of course a wizard alone didn’t even manage to get off a single spell. He could have killed a couple spiders on his own if he was properly protected. You won’t even finish a chapter if you keep up this bullshit

CULT|Saf
Yeah, we should have gone ahead of him
I failed the climb check too lol

CULT|Saf
And because we let him fall into that trap none of us were able to get to him in time to help him out. We'll have to play a lot smarter when going into obviously dangerous situations like that.

CULT|ysignal
I think our approach of having the quietest guy go first doesn't make that much sense. It only works if he can see the enemies without them seeing him. But when he crossed over into the boat, if that room had been full of enemies, I think they would have seen him, rogue or not.
I definitely shouldn't have gone on the boat second, either.

CULT|Saf
If you roll well on your stealth, enemies won't necessarily detect you. But since we were so close to danger it would have been better to stick together with the tanks in front rather than having anyone scout ahead

CULT|ysignal
Would a check have been triggered when he crossed over into the boat though?
I think it's gambling a lot on not being seen. And then what does it buy you? It seems like you can back out of the battle at that point. But if you go ahead, you need to have the tanks in front anyway.

CULT|Saf
Yeah

CULT|ysignal
It didn't even cross my mind that there might be danger in the room because Ciaróg had already checked it out. But I realise now that it's more complex than that.

CULT|Saf
Yeah anything can happen, it's not limited by simple video game rules
I shoulda stopped you

CULT|ysignal
I'll probably roll another wizard or sorceror.

CULT|icycalm
In a 4P group, you don’t have much choice. The group needs an arcane spellcaster
The other three classes are more optional. You could substitute a second priest for the paladin or a second warrior for the rogue or a second paladin for the priest. But you need the spellcaster for the higher levels
As you unlock rule books there’ll be dozens of new classes so there’ll be more options further down the road. I am curious myself to see these classes, since 2E doesn’t have that many
The “trap” was serious but not game-ending. Whoever fell through would have been in trouble, but the paladin and probably even the priest would have survived long enough for help to arrive
Even with the wizard falling, he would probably have survived if Ciaróg‘s thief had jumped down to absorb some of the attacks, and the extra 2-3 rounds this would have bought would have sufficed for the others to join the battle. The group would have survived the battle even if one or two characters ended up unconscious and thus the assault would have to be postponed. This would still have been preferable to losing a character for good and taking the entire compound on with 25% less of the force
There are times when you should retreat, but a four-spider battle isn’t it

CULT|Ciaróg
My bad. I assumed I would take fall damage if I went near the hole in the rotting deck so I went through the door down instead. That triggering a fifth spider really threw me off.

CULT|icycalm
The fastest way to get to him would have been to jump down the hole
I've no idea what the rules are for that, we would have looked them up
I am not saying it would have been the most reasonable move
But the whole party just sort of abandoned the wizard there
And you won't get far in any campaign with that mindset
Of course the wizard shouldn't have been there in the first place
So it was one giant error after another


Now, the entire gang is about to fall on you, and your only hope of survival, the way I see it, is Saf's Channel Energy ability. shock used it in their last Rise game, and I was astounded by how strong it is. It makes the cleric 2-3x stronger than a D&D 2E 1st-level cleric. For D&D it would be super OP, but I guess Pathfinder is balanced for it. That's how the fishery can be beaten, because with judicious use of this power (meaning you huddle together so everyone can be healed at once) you can top up everyone's health several times during the encounter. Otherwise the encounter is nigh-unbeatable. I told dan when I saw it that "they will die there". There are some sneaky ways to improve the odds in your favor, but so far you haven't managed any of them, and I don't see how any of them can help now that the whole place is alerted.

I am not giving anything away by saying all this, by the way, because you've already triggered the fight. Even the dog will attack you the moment we start, and he's no bad fighter either lol.

All the above comments pertain to the fights themselves, but there was plenty common sense stuff you could have done before the fight to improve your odds. First of all you could have conducted a survey of the ENTIRE surroundings of the building, before choosing an approach. The north side you didn't check at all. Even better, you could have staked the place out through the night, looking for guards on patrol etc., to figure out how many they are, what kind of classes, etc., where they sleep and so on. You could have even waited the entire night because in the morning you'd see all of them, and you could get an exact headcount and the whole lay of the land. Granted Zellara told you to hurry, but if you're staking the place out you'll see if anyone tries to leave. More exotic approaches for example would be burning the place down and smoking everyone out, though that might have impacted the children badly. At the time though, you had no idea there were any children.

And I am sure there are other approaches I haven't even thought of. I am just trying to give you an idea of what is possible in a real role-playing game, because it's evident that apart from Saf you don't know.

At least I was glad to see you try to sneak around the back instead of barging in the front door. You were doing damn well up until the point ysignal went through the deck.

And to mention also my mistakes, not just the players', I shouldn't have required a check for climbing up the ship from the dock. The description said that the ship's railing was a mere one foot above the dock, so it was a simple matter of stepping onto the ship, or off it for that matter. I was sleepless though and my mind was barely working, which is why I didn't even try to give you any advice, as I was basically watching the proceedings in a kind of amused daze, more like a movie than a game I was running lol. It was only when someone died that I woke up, and by then it was too late.

I also hadn't realized exactly how green almost all of you are, and I had naively assumed your CRPGs and XCOMs would have prepared you for the combat. Now I realize the mistake, and I also realize the error in launching everyone on giant complex campaigns. These are the longest and most complex RPG campaigns EVER. They ramp up so hard and fast that by the time you're 12th or 13th level even people who've been playing D&D and Pathfinder for DECADES complain that the game gets too complex and every round of combat takes half an hour. I should have started you on much simpler standalone adventures, where we don't much care if you blow it, and there's ample time for side-adventures, which are again not crucial. And after a few months of this, you'd have been ready for a full campaign. Problem is the full campaigns in Pathfinder begin at 1st level, so they're no good for us when you've reached 4th or 5th level—which is where D&D's full campaigns typically start (well, for editions before 5E, because with 5E Wizards copied Paizo and now also starts the cool campaigns at 1st level).

Anyway, what is done is done, and I have no regrets because we ARE playing the best campaigns ever, and showcasing the best the game has to offer. I'll just have to be helping the groups with some tactical advice and hints from time to time, until they can stand on their own two feet.

So, you're about to be brutally assaulted in a very complex fight where your odds look grim, but if you stick around Saf and play decently, and the rolls favor you, you might just make it out of the fishery alive. And remember, retreat is always an option in D&D, though I've no idea how you'd even get out of that place at this point...

Above all have fun, because this shit is fun af. And good luck.
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icycalm
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Session 3 - Kaleb's Account

Unread postby Ciaróg » 27 Nov 2021 23:09

Curse of the Crimson Throne 3 with Ciaróg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cezElvt ... PWcT9Qpixx


Chatlog 3: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-3.html


I could feel everyone tense up and for a second no one reacted when the dog started yelping. Looking back it is a miracle we all survived what followed.

We did manage to silence it without anyone being harmed and I did feel like luck was on our side when the kids started cheering but we were far from in the clear because there is no way it didn't attract attention with the noise it made.

We were hesitant on what to do from there and I foolishly forgot to pick up my crossbow which would come back to bite me. Hearing a noise from the west I frantically started trying to pry the door to the north after the children told us it led outside. Another foolish mistake we made was extinguishing the torch on my suggestion as soon as I got the door open. The children seemed terrified of the approaching footsteps and fumbling in the dark and bumping into each other we didn't all make it outside in time before a blond foppishly-dressed man entered the room.


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The blond man

Initially he started shouting at the children assuming they were up to some trivial misbehaviour but once he saw us his countenance changed from scorn to hatred. He was clearly a little afraid too but despite being outnumbered three to one he reached for a wand instead of waiting on reinforcement. I scrambled in the dark for where I thought I had dropped my crossbow but couldn't find it. I had a clear shot too and I was cursing myself. The cleric started muttering some spell or other and the blond man waved his wand and launched something at us. From the hissing noise it made on the wood it struck, I don't want to think what it would have done if it had landed in our faces.

The paladin rushed towards him and in one smooth horizontal motion cut the blond man's abdomen open. He was alive but bleeding heavily and in no condition to fight after that.

I finally found my crossbow and hurriedly asked the children how many of the gang there were but never got an answer, perhaps they didn't know.

The lingering light the blond man left behind while trying to hold his guts in as he fled gave me a brief glimpse of our next opponent as he rushed into the room: a hulking half-orc and by the looks of his scarred face no stranger to combat.

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Fortunately as the blond man fled I heard him say to the half-orc that he was going to rouse Gaedren, and from this I surmised there were only three of them. Saying this seemed to quell the suggestion the cleric made of us fleeing.

Realising I was more likely to hit one of my allies in such cramped quarters than our foe in the faint light of the cleric's magically lit morning star, I decided to try another door out of the room and go look for Gaedren in case he had heard the ruckus and was fleeing. I took my eyes off the fight but the half-orc never shut up and gave me a running commentary.

That's when I heard someone running from outside the window to my south and my anger flared up. In the heat of the moment it never crossed my mind that Gaedren was in no state to flee so quickly at his age.

As I climbed up the stairwell to access the gallery above and try its two doors for a way out, I ran into a child who was away from the others. That triggered my suspicion so I instinctively threatened to shoot him unless he dropped to the floor. As he complied I asked him where Gaedren was. In hindsight of course I should have shot him then and there but in the confusion I balked at the idea of shooting someone defenceless like he was pretending to be. He told me Gaedren didn't come there at night but it barely registered with me and I assumed he was just out of the loop because he was a child.

When I heard the half-orc say that he took one of my allies out I panicked a little and frantically tried to reposition myself upstairs so I could get an angle on him. Fortunately the cleric seemed to have been able to revive the fallen paladin because I never would have made it in time. And it was at that moment that Gaedren finally showed up. I started seeing red and cried out to the others to help cut off his escape.

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But Gaedren made no attempt to flee, at least not yet. In fact he tried to face me but he had become frail with age and was not much of a threat. The half-orc must have been taken care of because the paladin soon joined me. Gaedren tried every dirty trick in the book to save his skin, he tried bribing us to turn against each other, mentioned the paladin's brother to try to enrage him, all the while making as much noise in general as possible so we wouldn't notice that the "child" I'd threatened with a crossbow earlier was in fact a killer gnome lurking around trying to stab the paladin in the back.

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Realising he was outmatched, Gaedren finally attempted to flee. I probably gave a very bad first impression to my new companions because I chased him down like a man possessed with total disregard for all else. I couldn't help myself after finally having him in my reach. I left the others to take out the gnome thug who had been posing as a child, and caught up with Gaedren outside. The bastard realising he couldn't outrun me fought to his last breath. I barely even heard his appeal of how I am only alive because of him, or his lies of hidden treasure. I knew better.

I felt like a crushing weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I watched the colour drain from his face, and my companions caught up to me with the gnome in tow.

It had yet to sink in to any of us that our quest for revenge (the paladin would call it justice) had been completed.
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Session 4 - Nicolas's Account

Unread postby Saf » 01 Dec 2021 09:07

Curse of the Crimson Throne 4 with Saf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak2fLCT ... PWcT9Qpixx

Curse of the Crimson Throne 4 with dinopoke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6SANZq ... PWcT9Qpixx

Curse of the Crimson Throne 4 with Ciaróg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjlpxlE ... PWcT9Qpixx


Chatlog 4: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-4.html


Though my mind was weary from the chaos of battle and my stomach nauseous from the fishery's stench, my spirit was light upon seeing Gaedren's unmoving form. Nilvalor and I had just tied up his gnomish minion through his protestations and bargain attempts. We brought him along and continued to debate the fate of our old tormentor.

Kaleb was delighted to end Gaedren's life but Nilvalor's sense of justice wouldn't allow it. I thought we had little choice as his corrupt reach had spread too far to let him live, even chained. At any rate Kaleb did the deed before anyone could stop him, and the matter was over.

As I healed our wounds we listened to the entreaties of our captive, the gnome Hookshanks. He figured we wanted Gaedren's hidden stash. He promised to help us find it and warn us of the three dangers ahead in exchange for his freedom, so long as we untied him before he spilled his secrets. Kaleb was understandably wary of trusting him but to me he seemed sincere. He simply wanted assurances we wouldn't treat him like his master, and Nilvalor of course didn't want to spill unnecessary blood.

As a show of good faith, Hookshanks told us his first tip before we untied him: there was a secret door to Gaedren's den in the ship's hold but the spiders that had killed our companion were "guarding" it, and they let only him pass, perhaps due to some repellent or enchantment, so he thought maybe Gaedren's corpse could get us in if we paraded it in front of them. Kaleb was reluctant to untie the gnome even after this seemingly helpful revelation, but despite our skepticism, we kept our word. We freed him and stepped aside as he slipped through door, telling us the rest of his tips before disappearing into the night: that a jigsaw shark lurks in the waters around the fishery preying on anyone who falls in the water, that Gaedren's pet alligator Gobblegut lives in the pool in the centre of his den, snapping at anyone that goes near; and that a trap door in the blond man's office leads down to Gaedren's den, so it can be used to circumvent the ship and the spiders, if we can find it.

So back in the fishery we went. The sound of our movements echoed sharply as we stumbled through each room under the light of my magically-lit morningstar, looting the leftover bodies of weapons, armour and coin. We even found a couple of potions, tasting them to identify healing properties. There was no sign of anyone left, so taking what treasure we could, we finally reached what appeared to be an accountant's office. Per the gnome's tip, we dropped to the floor to search for the loose board hidden somewhere behind his desk chair, but the darkness made it futile. We circled back to the easternmost window where we'd first broken in, Nilvalor grabbing and slinging Gaedren over his shoulder on the way to the ship's hold and the dreaded spiders.

Nilvalor and I heard a familiar crash once Kaleb stepped out onto the ship; he'd broken through to the hold too, but quickly raced back up the stairs before the spiders could attack him. I raised my lit morningstar and made my way down the stairs with the others close behind. In my haste I went too far ahead and attracted the spiders. Four of them surrounded me and bit into me a few times, but to little effect. Once Nilvalor approached them with Gaedren over his shoulder, the gnome's trick worked to everyone's surprise: the spiders scattered, allowing us to squash all of them as they fled.

We had failed to save the wizard, but at least we had avenged him.
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Session 4 - Technical Difficulties

Unread postby icycalm » 01 Dec 2021 09:13

Most of the first part of the streams above are too dark because I had trouble with Fantasy Grounds' lighting system. Towards the end I solve it, and everything looks good. There's still a lot of darkness of course because it's the middle of the night, and only Saf's character has a light (his magically-lit morningstar), so his stream has more light than the others'.
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Unlocked The Harrowing!

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Jan 2022 05:31

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Battlegrounds wrote:Varisian fortune-tellers from across Golarion use the mystic harrow deck to read fate and predict the future, but few have ever mastered the mysterious harrow to such a degree as Sonnorae, a long-dead bard from the Age of Darkness.


This 36-page adventure for four 9th-level characters was unlocked at the very first session of the campaign, when the characters met Zellara the Varisian fortune-teller and had the (interrupted) harrow reading. The adventure begins in Oppara, the capital of Taldor.

This adventure will go on the overworld in Oppara when I finally set up the overworld, hopefully next week.

This adventure unlocks "The Harrow Handbook" rulebook.

Pretty cool that one team unlocked an adventure that will pop up in another team's city, no?
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Session 5 - Nicolas's Account

Unread postby Saf » 15 Jan 2022 21:13

Curse of the Crimson Throne 5 with Saf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jxi5l_ ... PWcT9Qpixx

Curse of the Crimson Throne 5 with dinopoke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR3Qdpu ... PWcT9Qpixx

Curse of the Crimson Throne 5 with Ciaróg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc6FarZ ... PWcT9Qpixx


Chatlog 5: http://vault.dndbattlegrounds.net/teams ... ion-5.html


Only after the danger had passed did we discover that the wizard's luck made up for our failure.

Having cleared out the spiders we searched the ship's hold and found Addison unconscious but alive. My healing alone couldn't wake him, he needed rest, so we decided to leave him until we made our escape. Continuing our search for Gaedren's den, we found his tracks leading to a hidden door on the hull. We moved through and warily crossed the floating walkway hidden under the fishery to a small structure, a hidden basement below the ground floor.

Using Gaedren's keys we found ourselves in a chamber with a large opening in the middle that functioned as a pool, dropping to the river. Over it were manacles hanging from ropes, a grim implication that Gaedren's pet alligator was below. At the north end was a cluttered pile of old junk and beside it a walled-off section. We pressed carefully over a walkway on the side and searched among the cluttered tables, cabinets and boxes, finding little except a stash of the drug shiver and the vermin repellant Hookshanks had told us about, with which Gaedren avoided the spiders.

Nilvalor used the same brass key on the door to the walled-off section, opening it to Gaedren's foetid hovel of a bedroom. It seemed like he hoarded his wealth and lived in squalor until the end. We confirmed that after searching his belongings, finding an incredible array of treasures from all over Golarion in the strongbox at the foot of his bed. Nilvalor identified the most valuable, a brooch belonging to Queen Ileosa herself! We decided to take all of Gaedren's hoard with us. The biggest shock came when we opened the foul-smelling hatbox on the dresser and found Zellara's severed head!

The rotting face was decorated with makeup in a sickening fascimile of life. Holding back disgust, I determined that she'd been dead for weeks. We were all equally confused and feared a trap had been sprung. A small box under her head contained an old harrow deck like the one she had first used on us. We had many questions and thought to return to her home to seek answers.

As we turned to leave, Kaleb spotted the huge alligator poking up from the pool. I picked up the hatbox as we concocted a plan to use Zellara's head as bait, but the pet seemed docile and we were able to walk back to the ship's hold. I dropped the horrid box and our exhaustion caught up to us as we collapsed down to rest, joining Addison's unconscious body in sleep.

In the light of daybreak we all woke except Addison. Nilvalor picked him up and we made our way up to the ship's deck and through the fishery to the front door. We were planning to take him to safety, completely unprepared for the chaos outside.

The city was on fire. Screams, explosions and fighting raged in the streets as Sable Company hippogriff riders flew overhead towards Castle Korvosa. A herald declared the king was dead and Queen Ileosa the new ruler, while others called for her head for usurping the crown.

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It had all gone to hell while we were dealing with our personal demon and it seemed clear things would only get worse.


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Queen Ileosa Arabasti
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Title Sequence

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Jan 2022 21:21

Curse of the Crimson Throne Title Sequence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWWx4UN ... Sy7KDEdgLl

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This is the third title sequence I've directed, and unlike the previous two (Rise of the Runelords and Ruins of Azlant), this scene is so intrinsically cinematic as written that I didn't have to add any text myself. All the text in the previous two is mine, but in this one I didn't add a word, nor did I have to "massage" the scene at all (as I did especially with Ruins of Azlant) to make it work as a title sequence. I just added the music, the images and the timing, and it came out perfect.

Actually, there were some issues, but they were technical not creative, so I've done some editing to this video with the help of a video editor guy from Fiverr, and I plan to do some more, plus some sound editing. Doing title sequences on Fantasy Grounds in real-time is tough, it feels like a boss level in a rhythm videogame. It's so tough that danjiro basically tapped out of doing it for War for the Crown. I am sure he could have done it, but it would have taken hours of practice, and he didn't have those. So I did it instead. I timed the whole thing with the soundtrack, and I had to serve images and text at very precise moments. No other GM I am aware of does this sort of thing, I am fairly sure I invented it. In Rise of the Runelords, which was my first attempt, I pulled it off well because it was just one image (the cover), and with Ruins of Azlant it also went pretty well because I just upped the ante to two images. But with Curse, I went further and included a whopping seven images. Moreover, the theme song here at just over two minutes is among the shortest ones, so I had to cram all the images in there, plus the scrolling credits text in-between the image-serving, while not missing a beat. So in the raw stream I screwed up the order of a couple of the images, plus the final image came out cropped. All these issues are fixed in the edited video above. Moreover, I am considering doing another edit to fix a couple remaining issues:

1) After the sequence, you can still hear the sound of water lapping at the pier. I want to remove that.

2) In the video you see only three character profiles at the top-left of the screen, and only two characters inside the game. In reality, all four characters are present, but ysignal's Addison is unconscious and carried by dinopoke's Nilvalor (which is also why ysignal didn't bother showing up to the session, so his character's profile doesn't show up at the top-left). And then Ciaróg walked over Saf's token and sat on it, so you can't see Saf's token, and it looks like only two characters were present in the scene, and in my anxiety to pull off the title sequence well I didn't notice that. So I want to try fixing it by video editing.

The music heard in the sequence is the Curse of the Crimson Throne theme I picked, "False King" by Two Steps From Hell from their album Invincible.

Note that the titles of theme tracks ARE related to the campaign plots. I spend an inordinate amount of time scouring epic music tracks in order to achieve this, i.e. find a track that is both musically and thematically related to the campaign, INCLUDING the track's title, to the point where some track names are downright spoilers!

Not all of them though. Some track names are just generically or tangentially connected to the campaign's theme, so don't base your roleplaying on the expectation that the theme title gives away any secrets or plot twists; don't go looking for "false kings" in this campaign just because I picked that theme track! Maybe there are false kings here, and maybe there aren't, but you're better off forgetting the title and just play the damn game. And in the end, all will become clear, one way or another. Probably.
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Session 5 - GM's Notes

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Jan 2022 21:43

When they got up from the ship's hull to the ground floor above, I forgot to turn the darkness on in Fantasy Grounds (you have to set time of day individually for every map...) So the last few minutes of the stream including the title sequence are in daylight. This is how we solved this: We said (in Saf's summary) that they took a nap out of exhaustion in the hull. Then they woke up early in the morning to get out, and on reaching the exit they witnessed the scene of anarchy I described. At some point I will amend the chatlog to add this.

Of course, in the morning ysignal would wake up, while in the video he's still unconscious, but we explained that by saying he just hadn't woken up by the time of the title sequence, and just wakes up a little later.
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Unlocked Guide to Korvosa!

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Jan 2022 21:50

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This 64-page sourcebook was of course unlocked at the very first session. And of course the players aren't allowed to look into it, but they unlocked it nonetheless through their campaign choice.

I am just posting it here to adorn the thread with it. You can see what a Sable Company hippogriff-mounted marine looks like. And btw, this team has now unlocked the Sable Company Marine feat through which they can make a ranger who at 4th-level gets a bonded hippogriff. But more on this soon, including ways the other teams can gain access to this feat (you basically have to visit Korvosa).
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Districts of Korvosa & Important Locations

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Jan 2022 22:09

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CITY DISTRICTS

The city of Korvosa wears its Chelaxian heritage proudly on every building, tower, and rooftop. As the oldest human settlement in Varisia (a claim frequently challenged by Kaer Maga), Korvosa considers itself the founding seat of civilization in an otherwise lawless region. Thanks to it and the spread of its people, Varisia has become a relatively safe place to live.

Korvosa sits at the end of Conqueror’s Bay, where the Jeggare River meets the sea. The city fills the spit of land formed by two sharp turns in the river, covers Endrin Isle (which splits the river at its mouth), and spreads to a few outlying areas on the far shore of the Jeggare. It stands on two hills: Garrison Hill on Endrin Isle and Citadel Hill on the mainland. The Narrows of Saint Alika separates Endrin Isle from the shore.

The city is divided into seven districts, many of which are further subdivided into wards.

East Shore: The only district beyond the channel of the Jeggare River, East Shore is home to a handful of noble houses closely tied to the military of the city, as well as the struggling Theumanexus College.

Gray: Unlike all other districts in Korvosa, Gray’s residents generally keep to themselves and are well behaved. Of course, most of Gray’s residents are dead. The only living creatures who reside in Gray belong to the church of Pharasma and live within the temple.

Heights: Standing atop Citadel Hill, the Heights District has a commanding view of the rest of the city, which its residents look down on—both figuratively and literally. Nearly all of Korvosa’s power players reside in the Heights, including the monarchy.

Midland: When most people think of Korvosa, they think of the cosmopolitan and friendly district of Midland. As the home district of both the Korvosan Guard and Sable Company, Midland has the smallest number of gangs and gang battles in the city—although the thieves’ guild does a brisk trade in the district thanks to the disproportionately high number of merchants, shops, and other commercial and financial concerns.

North Point: The first section of the mainland settled by the descendants of the city’s Chelish founders was Mainshore, at the northwestern tip of mainland Korvosa. That ward houses many of the city’s oldest non-noble families. The greater district of North Point covers the entire northern end of the city and holds Korvosa’s seat of municipal power (City Hall), the city’s courthouse (Longacre Building), and the Bank of Abadar.

Old Korvosa: As its name implies, Old Korvosa is old. It covers all of Endrin Isle, most of which is covered by Garrison Hill. Atop Garrison Hill stands the stone wall of Fort Korvosa, while the imposing black-marble Palace Arkona dominates the northwest corner of the island.

South Shore: The newest district, South Shore became a part of Korvosa only a quarter-century ago. It contains the Pantheon of Many, a massive temple dedicated to most of Avistan’s most popular deities. South Shore’s population consists mainly of the city’s nouveau riche hoping to escape the cramped conditions found elsewhere in the city.


IMPORTANT LOCATIONS

Five major landmarks give Korvosa a distinctive skyline: the ancient and massive structures of Castle Korvosa, Pillar Wall, and Gatefoot, as well as the more practically sized Great Tower and Hall of Summoning, which have stood for less than 50 years. In addition to these landmarks, several locations unique to the city bear mention.

The Acadamae: Shrouded in secrecy, the campus’s 30-foot-high walls only barely conceal the grand Hall of Summoning. Visitors and residents cannot hope to ignore the presence of the Acadamae, and since very few people unconnected with the college know what happens within it, the place births abundant (and sometimes ludicrous) rumors.

Castle Korvosa: The centerpiece of the city, Castle Korvosa towers over the Heights. Multiple lord magistrates, seneschals, and monarchs have added to the castle over the past three centuries. As such, despite a relatively consistent neo-Chelaxian styling, the castle’s main towers and interior buildings are crammed together haphazardly.

The Shingles: Permanent and semi-permanent homes, roads, and safehouses appear on roofs throughout the most crowded parts of the city. These rooftop communities and the pathways that connect them are collectively known as the Shingles.

The Vaults: Most cities have sewers. Some can even claim dungeons beneath them. Yet few have as complex a system of subterranean tunnels quite like the Vaults of Korvosa. Modern Korvosa stands atop the remains of at least two other civilizations and integrates both of them in its design.
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Korvosan Residences

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Jan 2022 22:10

Many people in Korvosa own their residences, but most rent. The costs of these dwellings vary depending on their location and style (as described here).

Manor: These largest of all private dwellings belong only to nobles and relatives of the king. They typically rise to at least two stories and contain no fewer than five rooms (bedrooms and studies), two privies, a bath, a large kitchen and pantry, and a cellar. Most have large family or living rooms. Large, usually well-manicured yards surround these free-standing structures. Manors are never for rent.

House: One of the more uncommon types of dwellings, houses look like small manors, with one or two floors holding up to four rooms, a privy or two, a bath, a kitchen and pantry, and usually a cellar. Many have either a family room or a living room, but not both. Houses have their own yards, usually consisting of narrow strips of hardy plants. Houses are rarely rented out.

Townhouse: Most people in Korvosa live in townhouses. A townhouse is a narrow dwelling that abuts another building on at least one side. Most townhouses begin on the second floor of a building, rising above a shop or other business of some kind, which is also usually owned by the resident. Townhouses otherwise resemble small houses and always belong to those who live in them. This ownership usually extends to the ground-floor spaces meant for businesses.

Apartment Suite: Some buildings do not have ground-floor businesses and instead contain nothing but living spaces. The largest and nicest of these buildings contain apartment suites, one-story dwellings with one or two bedrooms and all the amenities of townhouses. An apartment suite never fills a floor on its own and usually opens onto a common hallway. Apartment suites can be purchased or rented.

Tenement Flat: Tenement flats lack their own privies, baths, and kitchens. Instead, they share communal rooms dedicated to these purposes. Two or three of them can squeeze into the space of a single apartment suite. Tenements are only available for rent and cannot be bought by their residents.

Studio: The smallest of all dwellings, a studio consists of a single open space, often with just enough room for a bed and one or two other pieces of small furniture. Studios share communal privies, baths, and kitchens. They are only available for rent and cannot be bought by their residents.
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