| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Aytros
Acolyte
USA
35 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Jan 2017 : 16:10:57
|
This is for any DMs who have run Tyrany of Dragons. I'm looking for advice and tips on how to run episode 6 if the PC's enlist the lizardfolk, which I hope they do.
If they do so, it would be alot of things to keep track of and I am looking for ways to make it more managable.
So, what have othe DMs done? Let the lizardfolk sweep through the castyle first leaving just cultists and perhaps a handful of bullywugs, determined by a die roll? Have the PC's move with the lizardfolk and have them go in and around the revolt?
What roll should the cultists play? Should they barricade themselves in safety and let the revolt pass? Or should they be more active in in taking sides?
Any advice would help. Thanks
|
|
|
KanzenAU
Senior Scribe
Australia
763 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2017 : 00:29:47
|
Castle Naerytar was a highlight of the whole campaign for me, and my players too. The fun of it is how many ways it can be approached, so be careful not to railroad your players into anything specific. You really have to just roll with the punches to some extent with this one.
From memory (this was back in early 2015 for me), my players were really close to just slaughtering all the lizardfolk, especially as they'd already found they were working with the cultists back at Carnath Roadhouse. I think the lizardfolk were set to ambush them on their first night in the Mere, but the players were ready for them, slaughtered most of them, and forced the last couple to surrender (one of whom was Snapjaw).
To make recruiting the Scaly Death lizardfolk a task in itself, I had them too afraid to act against Voaraghamanthar, who they saw as a semi-divine being if not a god. They also saw Rezmir and the Cult as affiliated with the black dragon, and were unwilling to strike directly against them. However, they would be willing to act against the bullywugs (who had tormented them for some time), if the party could restore some of their clan's pride. The Scaly Death tribe had lost their pride due to being tormented by the bullywugs as well as the Weed That Walks, a shambling mound that had been terrorizing the lizardfolk for some time. They party spent a good while hunting down and killing the Weed that Walks, and restored some of the lizardfolk's tribal pride while viewing them as friends. They even crafted a crown for Snapjaw out of the core shamble of the destroyed mound (a terrible mistake they would not learn about until much later, as shambling mounds rebuild themselves from these, mwahahahaha).
Then Snapjaw told them that to get the entire tribe of lizardfolk to revolt against the bullywugs (and greatly upset the Cult), the party would have to convince the tribe elders. So they subsequently stealthed into the southeast tower (again, from memory) and met with the elders, who they convinced. While the party rested, the lizardfolk gathered their forces from across the Mere, and overran the castle. They slaughtered all the bullywugs, and the Cultists (including Dralmorrer and Rezmir) who were not caught up in the attack fled for the caves beneath the castle. The party used the opportunity of the attack to go after major cultists, but the bullywug leader delayed them while the others left. Once all the bullywugs were killed, the lizardfolk left the Castle, unwilling to further chance angering Voaraghamanthar by acting further against the Cult. From memory I think the clan elders were also unwilling the risk lizardfolk lives against the Cult, with their superior skills and magic.
Rezmir, realising her important tasks lay elsewhere, escaped through the portal below (though the party managed to throw a fireball her way as she escaped from her tower over the upper ramparts). Azbara Jos did the same, though he was part of the forces holding the party back at the entrance to the lower tunnels, showing off a counterspell first, and sufficiently mocking the party as he did so. Dralmorrer held the fort in the lower tunnels and was eventually killed. Although it's far better if Rezmir escapes, it's also not critical to the adventure. She was a highlight villain of the whole piece for us, who I used to great effect later in the campaign. Azbara Jos and Dralmorrer are expendable at this point, but play it accordingly to how the players act.
In short I had the lizardfolk kill all the bullywugs and then leave, unwilling to act against the Cult. The Cultists fled into the lower tunnels until the lizardfolk left, and then tried to come out again but were beaten back in by the party. At one point from memory the Cultists got a bit of revenge by ambushing the party, and one member had to run off and get more help from the lizardfolk.
If you want to read more about what happened in our game, you can check out the Obsidian Portal page I was maintaining at the time. I'd give you a link to the adventure log for the Naerytar session, but the site appears to be down at the moment. I think Naerytar is about the 20th or so adventure log. I can't remember how much detail I put in that specific log, as a lot happened (including a hilarious character death).LINK
Anyway, hope that rambling off of memories helped. Castle Naerytar is straight up fun, good luck!
If you're looking to pad out the lore a bit, there's an old Dungeon article, in I think #72, that also looks at the Castle (and somewhat explains the spectres in the northeast tower). |
Regional maps for Waterdeep, Triboar, Ardeep Forest, and Cormyr on DM's Guild, plus a campaign sized map for the North |
Edited by - KanzenAU on 24 Jan 2017 00:33:16 |
 |
|
|
KanzenAU
Senior Scribe
Australia
763 Posts |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
HotDQ Castle Naerytar
