u/baernfrostybeard

There are lots of posts about this location, with lots of questions and questionable takes. I'm planning to use one or two hazewind harpy valkyries and a few hazewind harpy warriors (both from Monsters of Drakkenheim) in the market square plaza itself, then the Crimson Countess statblock and probably as needed a couple other harpies in the rookery itself. The party is level 6. As others have noted, getting dropped from that height is potentially lethal. I haven't, though, seen discussion about the complicated grappling rules in 2024 that make it much more difficult, and how that might interact with the hazewind harpy statblocks that make grappling much, much easier. In my mind, the more specific almost always trumps the more general, and that would go for their ability to grapple. But that just makes these encounters at the Clocktower all the more challenging for the party.

Thoughts, folks? Especially from those of you that have run it recently with the MofD harpies, and a party of roughly 6th level. Or just in general about this location.

Obviously, their focus in the rookery would be on grappling party members and dropping them to their deaths. Seems like it could be a deceptively difficult encounter.

If you don't have the MofD book, the aforementioned statblocks auto-grapple on a successful hit with their claws, and at least some of them aren't slowed down in terms of movement when they're grappling a creature.

I'm wondering how a relatively unimportant FFF member (who presumably isn't sanctified yet?) can get the party an audience with Lucretia Mathias, but I probably shouldn't stress it too much. She's likely aware of the group, as they refused to hand over the Sceptre of Saint Vitruvio to a group of FFF. Or maybe she's had some kind of vision or premonition. Mostly, I'm wondering whether they're met at the gate of the monastery and have to wait while one of the guards talks to Lucretia, and I'm wondering about the very powerful wards that would likely result in most of the party becoming frightened and not even being able to enter properly.

For more context, my group just finished the Black Ivory Inn (after like three plus sessions, it was rad but time consuming), and Balthazar has offered to lead them to Lucretia, and they seem really interested in going. I'm excited, but nervous because the FFF have been the most challenging to roleplay, and the party is picking up on doomsday cult vibes, which has turned them off, understandably.

I searched the subreddit for posts about Queen's Park, and I was surprised that there wasn't more. Can the lilies only be found in the underground pond where Lenore resides? In your games, has this mostly led to combat with Lenore, or have some of your parties managed to keep her alive? Also, isn't combat inevitable if they try to grab lilies from her pond?

Also, how did you run the handmaids? And at what level did your party visit? I was thinking 5 might be ok, and then I read it, and realized that that would be quite dangerous lol.

Tips on RPing Lenore? This is such a great section and looks like a blast to run, but takes some work from the DM to make it really pop, make sense, and be memorable.

I'll be running Smithy on the Scar in a couple days. I've enjoyed reading old posts about it, but haven't seen anyone discussing one particular thing about the quest/location: the barricade itself. My intention is for there to be quite a bit of ranged attacks and just fun mowing down enemies, between the cannons and the party's attacks (e.g., ranged weapons and spells). But I also plan for the forces to be overwhelming enough that some reach the barricade. Thoughts on mechanics? How impenetrable is it? Is difficult terrain to easy for enemies to get through and over? Do they need to damage sections of it? Take damage? I don't want to make it trivial, but also, it needs to be a harrowing night shift that involves some close calls. Obviously, the chimera can just fly down, and in my opinion, the Haze Hulk could just hulk jump over the barricade.

Also, what a night! I've seen some fun posts here about why so many hordes of monsters attack the smithy. I like the idea that it's ambiguous. Some of the dwarves are convinced that the Silver Order is behind it -- they somehow herded or prodded monsters toward the smithy. Maybe some dwarves or siblings think that the Falling Fire is behind it. Thanks in advance, fellow DMs.

I really like the Followers of the Falling Fire, but find them to be the hardest to roleplay. PCs always have questions for FF members that I either can't or don't know how to answer, in large part because of the open-endedness and ambiguity in the book itself. But that's sort of besides the point. In the immediate, my group has just had a tense conversation with a group of them as they emerge from the Chapel of Saint Brenna with the Sceptre of Saint Vitruvio. The FF said they want to avoid violence, but were willing to do what they needed to -- getting this holy relic is critical. But would they actually attack? Is it worth losing their lives for? I've really, really wrestled with this. I'm thinking at the last minute, their leader offer instead gold, or spellcasting, or magic items they can get for handing over the sceptre. I feel like this is a really key moment for defining how far the FF are willing to go for what they believe in.

I completely expect a wide range of opinions here lol

So, when a FF "sanctified" dies, their soul enters their delerium shard? How have you described this to your players? Can they tell that happens? What happens if they pull the shard out of the FF member's chest? Cast Identify on it?

Also, are the shards golden after sanctification? Or after the soul enters the shard?

I'll be running the Chapel of Saint Brenna tomorrow, and, per the adventure, a group of FF will arrive as they're leaving. We're using 2024/5.5e stuff, and the new cultist and cultist fanatic are interesting (in the Monster Manual). Thinking of having them do radiant instead of necrotic damage (in the new MM, each does some necrotic damage with their weapon attacks in addition to the regular damage). Thoughts on this and what stat blocks have you used for them? Also, doesn't the MofD book have some new stat blocks for the Falling Fire?