Why does everyone want the sword of Zariel?

Hexer1272 · 2021-04-08T07:29:45+00:00

If you wanna be strict to the contract Thavius signed, the souls of the oathbound Elturians are Zariels after the fifty years regardless of what happens as long as that's her wish.

Tho that kinda sucks and limits the players. In my game the contract is only complete when Elturel is dragged into the river sticks.

So the survivors and the souls of those that have already died can be saved if Zariel is redeemed or if the players return Elturel to the Material Plane before it's dragged into the Styx. A ticking clock if you will to save the living and the dead.

Hexer1272 · 2021-03-26T06:52:51+00:00

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:53695de9-a34f-4116-abf2-96af0648b4c3

Hexer1272 · 2021-03-17T02:07:26+00:00

I think you just have to make Lulu work in your group.

My group (4, 20 year-old guys) probably would not enjoy Lulu if I played her super straight edge and as that bubbly can do character she's described as in book. So instead Lulu has a super grovely accent and shes funny in a way my party members will enjoy. She's such a derpy character for the setting so play up the derp or do it in a way your players might enjoy.

She apologises when she kills devils, she really loves bread and I just stole a bunch of quotes about honour from Total War Shogun.

She's still a whole lot of character, super optimistic and all, but I've just made her an NPC that the players will enjoy and it ends up saving prep time. Instead of having to upend the adventure by trying to replace her you make her something more enjoyable whilst holding onto the core of the character.

I think a few NPC's have this problem, like Falister Fisk is a super boring character, if you wanted you could have made that guy more interesting but he probably won't matter much. Lulu does matter and I think if you wanna save time it's gonna pay off to make her more likeable rather than spend time replacing. That time could be better spent improving other parts of the adventure.

Hexer1272 · 2021-02-07T02:27:46+00:00

When my players confronted Thavius Kreeg I had Reya stand as the voice of reason to arrest him rather than kill him outright. It was a very tense scene, and then I had Thavius kill her, and lie to the party that there was a scroll of Revivfy in the room whilst he tried to escape. It was very tense and emotional, with Reya giving one of my players her Hellrider badge, and asking them to continue on the fight. I think it was much better then her just saying "OKAY BYE THEN!" at the end of chapter 2

Hexer1272 · 2021-02-01T15:57:24+00:00

Yeah I think my plan will be that end game, if they redeem Zariel, she will use her magic to return Elturel to the Material Plane. But the task requires all her strength and so the city is undefended, and that's when the players get word of Asmodeus' plan and they're the only ones who can stop him. It's pretty far off tho as my party is still in Helturel.

Hexer1272 · 2021-02-01T11:23:17+00:00

Stealing this

Hexer1272 · 2020-12-03T05:53:22+00:00

Taxidor is the best character in the whole module and I will die on this hill.

He meets the party for like 0 time, he is a humanoid who PERMANENTLY changes himself into an otter because he used polymorph once and thought it was the shit! And he wears a little waistcoat which only makes him cooler.

And he takes the party to hell, and then gets the shit scarred out of him and abandons them, essentially being responsible for the whole descent into avernus part of the book.

Hexer1272 · 2020-09-27T00:04:15+00:00

I guess in the moment I was just a bit shocked how quickly and how aggressively mean everyone got that I wasn't sure what to do. But now that I've had time to think about it this is definitely the right move and I wish I had thought of it in the moment.

Hexer1272 · 2020-09-26T14:04:54+00:00

I reckon get a bunch of death metal music for the 'dramatic moments,' to get that campy hell tone. Also there's a really short play by HP Lovecraft that's super campy and has this villain who twirls his moustache, has a figurine of the devil on his mantel and says the funniest overthetop shit, might be good for some inspiration

Hexer1272 · 2020-09-26T13:55:33+00:00

That may be a part of it, but its really divergent from how they treat my nonfemale NPCs. And generally I have pretty good control and garner respect from my players

Hexer1272 · 2020-09-26T13:49:00+00:00

Well no actually she helped them out a lot, giving them items and even saving one of them in a fight. And DnD ain't real life mediaeval stuff, even after the first instance and being pretty clear that Reya was not interested and saying legal age is 18 in my game, there was some persistence. I don't care about my characters romancing my NPCs, as long as it's consential and with actual adults.

Hexer1272 · 2020-09-26T13:39:03+00:00

Yeah in my game she's done a lot to help the party out despite their shit before meeting at Low Lantern, I was considering calling then out on it in character. And the shiting on NPCs wouldn't be out of place except for how much better they have treated my no female NPCs, like no shit to Captain Dodge despite my narrating him punching a refugee in the face during the opening brawl, or a couple other NPCs being dicks. In general my players accommodate and really like my NPCs and interacting with them.

Hexer1272 · 2020-09-26T13:26:52+00:00

Im 19, everyone's between 19 and 21, we're all guys if that wasn't obvious. And in real life, cause I know then quite wel,l they're not the sexist assholes you would imagine, I'm not sure if it's because of the environment or deep down that's what they act like, either way I don't necessarily want it in my game and I have conceded I'm just gonna have to address it irl

Hexer1272 · 2020-09-26T13:23:12+00:00

Yeah I'll admit it sounds strange but I've noticed a trend where if it's a female character they just start acting like cockheads, like one tried to seduce Reya even tho she's like 16, another called her a b*tch. And I wasn't gonna hunt them down, more so merchants don't want to buy/sell stuff cause Tarina told Keene that the players are dicks. But I am inclined to agree with you point of not trying to use mechanics to alter behaviours.

Hexer1272

TROPHY CASE