Completed Let's Play Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures- Module B4 The Lost City

[Monstrous Bat]

So level-draining does actually exist in this module. We were indeed lucky with that vampire fight.

 

[CappenVarra]

Man, those personality profiling questions were terrible. It's not enough to do all the hard work in the damn city, but we must also show perfunctory adherence to arbitrary "morality" probes from ill-mannered spirits with the power to damn the city (but not to save it)? Bah, Conan has no patience for your womanly ways - goodbye, Cyndicea.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

For @CappenVara :



I fight my way through a few random encounters on my way to the western side of Orpheus Park. Before you, one of two natural rock arches forms a forms a bridge across the water-filled chasm. They look sturdy. On the far shore of the lake, sheer cliffs rise to a plateau. You see the mouths of caves dotting the side, and the occasional humanoid shape moves within the shadows. The more you look, the more the West Plateau takes on the appearance of an anthill, crawling with massive, humanoid ants. This has a “Keep on the Borderlands” vibe to the description. Time to investigate and move forward.

Humanoids scale the cliff walls as you step off the rocky outcropping! Others rush, bellowing war cries as they brandish crude weapons! Leading the rabble are several hobgoblins in Zargon’s livery.

To say I’m surrounded is an understatement. I am attacked by dozens of enemies to the east, south, southwest and west of me. Midge goes first, and since Myass can switch to melee and cover the southern flank, and Jaesun and Magnus start off on the western flank, I move her over to protect the eastern flank and she takes out a goblin in the process. Qastur goes next, so it’s fireball time.

I’m more concerned about that southern flank, since the walls can bottle up the eastern, and I got to fighters on the western. Qastur drops one right in the center of the southern, eating up most of the enemy except two ogres and a troll. Some of the enemy on the west and east flanks attack next, but luckily miss Midge and Magnus. Wanting to conserve my fireballs due to the trolls, Abigail uses an Ice Storm to soften up the east side.

Magnus and Jaesun each take out a goblin who came too close, giving us more breathing room on that flank and becoming targets for the incoming horde. Myass is in trouble with an ogre and troll attacking him. Luckily the ogre had only 1 hit point left, allowing Myass to drop him easily.

Midge finds herself also in trouble, though, as the leftover troll and ogre bring him down to twelve hit points. After softening up the troll with magic missiles from the magic-users, Abigail drops the troll and ogre with a valuable fireball.

Midge takes out an ogre, but gets hit by the troll on the eastern flank. Our eastern side is holding, but just barely.

Meanwhile, Jaesun and Magnus have bottled up the horde on the western side, and despite the odds they are doing surprisingly well, each hacking down a goblin every round and somehow dodging the majority of the enemy attacks. I have to admit It is pretty impressive looking, but I have Qastur be a spoil-sport anyway, dropping another Ice Storm to help Jaesun and Magnus out.

Abigail had dropped two magic missiles in a row on the eastern troll, and I’m glad for it as an ogre slips by and strikes her while a goblin had also dropped in next to her. Myass takes out the goblin, and I figure the troll is softened up enough for Abigail to drop a fireball on it the next round. I was wrong. Either the enemy made impressive saves, or she rolled shit for damage. Both are still up and the ogre nearly kills her.

At least Magnus is having fun. He brings down another ogre. The next round he takes down two more goblins. Strangely, right when the enemy begins to seem as if they might overwhelm Midge, Abigail or Myass and take the eastern flank, both trolls panic and start to retreat, which starts a general route.

Jaesun, Magnus and Myass all take out fleeing goblinoids. I have Abigail help the ogre and troll that were attacking her with their decision to flee via a lightning bolt, that takes out the troll, and a magic missile that finishes up the ogre the next round. With only a fleeing troll and raging ogre left on the western flank, Midge moves to help Jaesun, Qastur and Magnus take it out. But it hits Midge for 7 hit points of damage and brings her down. Myass heals her with a cure light wounds spell, and Qastur brings down the fleeing troll with two magic missiles.

Silence descends upon the Western Plateau. It seems, at least for the minute, you have a chance to make a dash for the smoking volcano north of you. We are in bad shape, but I have Jaesun lay hands on Midge while most of the rest of the healing goes to Abigail and Myass. I may be able to take on one more encounter.

A single Priest of Zargon, flanked by living statues, commands a force of humanoids to attack you. Reluctantly, the creatures rush forward while the priest turns and flees.

The last encounter makes this one look like a piece of cake. I have Qastur throw down a stinking cloud, and Abigail does the same in order to guard our right flank. Jaesun and Midge guard and take out the lead goblins. I get a special amount of joy from watching Magnus the Irascible take down the ogre in two rounds with his arquebus, before turning to his sword to help out the front row. Myass decides to start breaking out a hold person spell before the back row starts relying on slings once more. Between the melee fighters and the slingers, we pretty much eliminate the leftover goblins with only a few hit points of damage taken by Magnus and by Qastur when a lone goblin slipped through.

A short walk later…

Ravenous trolls, heedless of the carnage around them, lope towards you.

Two trolls engage the party, and I let loose right away with the last of my magic missiles, and also cast Fire Shield on Abigail. Jaesun and Midge do some decent damage to the first one when both come into melee range, and the trolls miss their attacks against Jaesun the Gay. I move Abigail into melee range on the second one because of her Fire Shield, and she stabs one troll with her silver dagger. Magnus hits it twice for a total of 25 hit points.

The troll next to Abigail hits her three times and knocks her unconscious, but ends up killing himself due to her Fire Shield hitting him for twice as much damage as he dealt. A pretty satisfying, but costly victory. Jaesun and Midge quickly down the other. I’m down one magic-user and have to return to base.

Going back is beneficial, however, because when I return over the natural bridge I find that none of the previous encounters reset. I guess the humanoids are now beginning to realize how suicidal it is for their low level scrubs to go against a party of characters ranging from 5th to 8th level. Hobgoblins in the livery of Zargon drive forward a mixed group of humanoids. The creatures are squealing in fear as they attack.

Another situation the screams Fireball, with predictable results. We won. The end.

The opposition seems to be getting weaker. At one point eight unsupported goblins decide to get suicidal. Humanoids overcome their fear of you through desperate hunger and attack! Hunger and not fear that I’m about to destroy their god? They should have had faith.





The battle wasn’t even worth a screen shot, but the aftermath does get us to the base of the volcano.

You approach the base of Mount Doom the Eye of Zargon. The volcano rises some two hundred feet towards the roof of the great underground cavern, its sooty black smoke apparently drifting through unseen vents above. You do not see any entrances into the great peak aside from its smoking maw far overhead. To the maw! I can’t find a way in, so I start bumping into the walls looking for a hidden way.

You pause as your Stone of Zargon grows warm. Nearby to the North, the side of the volcano flickers translucently. You step through and into a chamber. A Priest of Zargon stands in the exit across the room. Throwing his arms wide, he bellows through his mask, “Woe, O mortals, for the end of the world is upon you!” Smoke engulfs the man, and as it clears, you see that he is gone. The heat is sweltering here. You rub the magic salve- the foul green slime-onto your body; the heat subsides.

Looks like we can explore the room. Maybe we’ll encounter and have to fight the vanishing ninja-priest and his proclamations of the world ending.

This passage rises to the north at a sharp angle. You see that two paths lead further towards the peak of the volcano: one nearer and to the west, the other at the end of the passage and to the east. I go further and to the east on a whim.

The path is very steep, and heat rolls down the passage in waves. As the green slime melts away it makes steam and oxygen, providing you with air to breathe. Pretty handy. I am able to make it through the corridor and towards another chamber.

You stop to rub more of the salve into your limbs and cheeks. You may look absurd, but the heat is nearly overwhelming even with the protection it provides. Salamanders slither about in this room, watching the east and south passages carefully. They spot you at once, and attack instantly.

There are three of the dangerous creatures, and I have Jaesun start the day off right with a sword to the lead one’s face. Magnus backs him up with a shot from his arquebus, but it does no damage as the salamander’s can only be hit by magic. Midge proves the point with her spear, and Abigail decides now is a good time for Lightning Bolt. The salamanders respond, one of which goes around the melee fighters to strike Magnus, but Qastur kills it with a Magic Missile. Jaesun kills a second, and the third flees. One passage leads up from this chamber, leading out through the northwest corner. Two other paths circle downward into the depths of the volcano. Northwest it is…

You must fight your way up this steep, slippery corridor. As you go, you grow dizzy from the constant, stifling heat. Slapping some more of the magic salve onto your cheeks and the back of your neck, you move on. As you reach the top of the corridor, drums begin to beat. A salamander prods scorpions to attack you. The red-skinned creature wields a long iron spear and scowls at you darkly. Over them all looms the shape of a tall, fiery efreet. Laughing a deep and hollow sound, the creatures of fire attack!

Magnus loses about a third of his hit points from one of the scorpions in the opening round and has to make a saving throw. He makes it, but it looks like the creatures are poisonous. We have to take them down first.

Myass casts a bless spell on the melee fighters, and Midge moves to help Magnus, but is attacked by the efreet. Luckily, the efreet blocks the second scorpion. Qastur drops an Ice Storm on the scorpions and efreet, followed by a second one from Abigail which kills the scorpions off. Magnus the Irascible hit the efreet some more, but is nearly killed by the salamander, so I have Myass back him up with a Cure Serious Wounds. Jaesun the Gay finishes off the efreet, and we finally hit the salamander enough to bring him down, but not before it knocks Magnus unconscious. His poor Armor Class is really screwing him over.

The sound of a metallic voice issuing orders echoes from the corridor leading up to the south. The temperature in this room is higher than any you have experienced so far. You see heat rolling down from the corridor to the south in great waves. I use up all my healing potions to bring Magnus up to 36 hit points and move on. I gotta be close to finishing this.

Flaming red from the heat of the volcano, iron living statues march down the passage to attack you! Their momentum from the steep slope is enough to send them straight through you! They looked like more trouble than they were. A fireball and a few strikes from the melee characters take them down.

A Priest of Zargon stands before you, arms thrust wide as if in victory. Behind him, a yawning chasm leads down to the molten core of the volcano. “Behold! The Eye of Zargon!” With a clap of his hands, he summons a dozen efreeti. The creatures emerge from the pit cloaked in flames. They await only the order to attack. “Kill them.”

FUCK!

The efreeti swarm over us as the priest begins to cast a spell. The efreeti are immune to Fireball spells, but the priest isn’t. Abigail interrupts his spell and kills him, while Qastur casts haste on Jaesun and Myass. Then Magnus goes down to two efreeti attacks and everything goes to pot from there as the spellcasters are flanked and killed. I reload.

This is obviously the final battle, but I’m ill prepared. The magic-users are down to only a few spells, most of which are fireball. Still, I think I can win through buffs and luck. I use Strength on Jaesun, Magnus, Midge and Myass, have Myass cast Prayer, and Qastur cast Haste on the party before going back in.

The buffs make a big difference, as the party members go first. Jaesun and Midge take the north part of the combat field, while Myass and Magnus take the lower half. Abigail drops a stinking cloud in the center which protects her and Qastur. Qastur casts an Ice Storm in the center of the enemy formation, doing a lot of damage to half the efreeti and dropping the Priest of Zargon before he could move.

They are still dangerous, though. One efreet takes off twenty hit points off Myass in one attack. Since he seems to need help in that quarter, Qastur tosses in another stinking cloud, but fails to disable any of the enemy.

Still, it funnels them so they have to try to take the party on. Two of the efreeti realize what a raw deal this Is and charge the party, only to fall to the gasses and then the party’s attacks. The magic-users are out of spells except for four Magic Missiles, a Fire Shield, and a couple of Fireballs. They put the Magic Missiles to good effect, taking out on efreet and injuring another. The Abigail casts Fire Shield (Cold) on herself, and the magic-users wade into combat with silver daggers. By the time the stinking clouds dissipate, there are only two efreeti left. Jaesun takes out the first, but the second renders him unconscious. The last goes down to a combined attack by Magnus, Midge, and Abigail.

And we toss the One Ring Horn into the flames...

You waver at the edge of the Eye of Zargon, feeling the salve melt from your flesh in a growing cloud of steam. You stare into the roiling core, burning the sight of the Horn’s destruction forever into memory. Then the earth begins to rumble. You have barely a moment to realize what the shuddering earth portends for you, but then angry spikes of earth shoot up around you, propelled by the force of the blast. A moment later all is blackness. For a fleeting moment you wonder what you did wrong. The oracle said that you would see your home if you destroyed Zargon, found the King, found the Flower… And then you feel nothing more.

Well, thanks to everyone who enjoyed this LP, especially those that left comments, brofists, and other forms of encouragement on my first ever RPGCodex Let’s Play. Also, a big thanks to those that made the six characters that we took along the trip.

Jaesun the Gay: Our knight in shining armor. Being a paladin means he’s not only a badass warrior, but can also back the party up in healing, curing disease and turning undead. He was the second best character in melee in terms of damage, but at the end he was the best blocker we had, due to actually keeping his armor on throughout. He did go unconscious in one major battle, so he should have ended at level 8 if not for bad luck.

Magnus the Irascible: I couldn’t fit the last part of his name and it would get cut off as Magnus the Ira. Instead of causing confusion, I left it as Magnus and added the last part in text descriptions. Although not as armored, Magnus was our greatest dealer of damage, both with his bastard sword and arquebus. Towards the end I held him back in the initial rounds of combat because of his poor armor class, but he showed himself to be a deadly shot from afar.

Midge: Our fighter/thief fell into a spot of bad luck towards the end when she had her armor eaten away, followed by a level drain. Also, her thief skills weren’t put too much use in this module, which was a bit of a let down. Still, she was both good with her composite longbow, and agile enough to stand in the front row when we needed her to block. The occasional backstab was also put to good effect.

Abigail: Out of the two magic-users, she was the one loaded up with more fireballs and kept behind to lob sling stones more often than not. She had the lowest hit points out of everyone, so I kept her out of melee combat at the start as much as possible. Later, when she had more hit points, I loaded her up with a Fire Shield and had her wade into combat with some pretty good results, though I couldn’t always keep her standing.

Qastur: This magic-user had the better dexterity and more hit points than Abigail, so he ended up in melee during more desperate times at the start of the adventure. Towards the end when Abigail had enough hit points to take a couple of hits, I had Qastur stay back since he was better at ranged combat. He also had the Haste spell at the ready for the second half of the game, which he finally got to use during the last battle.

Myass: This cleric gave us some verbal comic relief, but really was indispensable. He sucked in combat, but kept the party alive in between fights. He was also a life saver in the middle of the game, when the undead threatened to swarm the party and Myass would happen to get lucky with his Turn Undead effect. Myass saved the party’s ass countless times.

Well, that’s all folks.

 

[Monty]

Enjoyable LP, thanks for doing it.

WTF happened at the end? Was the other passage safer? Or perhaps something to do with the king - should he have been more involved? Good that the ending wasn't a formality, just interested.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Enjoyable LP, thanks for doing it.

WTF happened at the end? Was the other passage safer? Or perhaps something to do with the king - should he have been more involved? Good that the ending wasn't a formality, just interested.

That was just me messing with you guys.




Here is the rest of the titillating ending.

You are touched by soft hands.

You are cradled in strong arms.

Statues don’t speak, but this statue of a man clutching a bolt of lightning looks down upon you and says, “You have done well, child. You faced your foes valiantly and never faltered when threatened. The Brotherhood of Gorm will study your actions in the future. Seek to emulate them.”

Statues don’t speak, but you hear the winged child tell you, “The Magi of Usamigaras admire your dedication. They will study your efforts as well. They will record your names in the annals of Cynidicean History, and you will never be forgotten, no matter how many centuries pass before the turning of this age.”

The third statue, the woman holding a sword and sheaf of wheat, speaks last. “I am Madarua, and my followers will protect the records of your endeavors, no matter how many copies of it the Magi create. I was given by the father in heaven above power over all beginnings and endings. I was present of the beginning of your quest, though the weakness of my followers had reduced me to a watcher on the side. I have watched and grown more powerful as you unified, inspired and strengthened my soldiers. I saw you born. I knew you would come into the desert. And I shall watch as you die. But I, as the Gatekeeper of Death for all those who walk the sands of the Great Desert, will not allow your death to come now.

Awake, Heroes of Cynidicea. Awake!”

“They’re awake!” A Warrior Maiden shots. All around, men and women, all bare-faced, move about to look down on you. The Warrior Maiden confides, “The salve saved you. Luckily for you, it did not turn you into a slime creature. When we found you, you were still covered in it. No one has ever worn so much!”

A magi says, “Praise Usamigaras!” The rainbow-robed man kneels by your side. By his gray hair you recognize him as the head of the Order of Magi. “You live! And all the priests said you would not! Bah! The powers above are beneficent when you have saved so large a part of their creation! And now, I have someone I am sure you would like to meet.” Helping you to your feet, the Magi gesture into the crowd. The assembled men and women part.

Before you stands a young man, well-muscled and stern of visage. Just looking at him you know him to be the True King of Cynidicea, descended from Alexander and Zenobia, but there is no trace of his former insanity. “We thank you, and we name you honored heroes of Cynidicea for all time. Please arise before us, and walk into this new day at our side.”

The King of Cynidicea leads you out of the pyramid, where the reconstruction of the city is well underway. “You slept for thirteen days,” the King tells you. As you stand there, surveying the landscape of the desert and the reconstruction of Cynidicea, you realize that you hold the crown of King Alexander and give it to the rightful King. The King takes the crown and thanks you for it, saying that his people have not been able to even find the Tomb of King Alexander. You also hand him the Crown of Queen Zenobia. The King smiles at the sight of the crown and thanks you. His people have not been able to locate the tomb of his ancestor and could not retrieve the crown for him. He points out a woman standing near a well. He says that he believes she shall be his queen. He cannot explain it, but he says that simply looking at her gives him a soaring feeling in his chest.

The head of the Order of Usamigaras explains that the White Flower brewed much better than expected, and the potions were distributed throughout the Lost City in the water supply. Still, even brewing a potion would not have been possible without you to retrieve the Flower and destroy the Horn of Zargon. You are welcome to stay as long as you like among the Cynidiceans. With the curse of their insanity gone, they are very much like any other race you have encountered in your journeys.

A crop of mushrooms is harvested properly, and food is available in abundance. In addition, the fishermen are able to remember the methods for preserving salted fish. You will have meat for the journey home, as well.

Before you leave, the king requests that you meet with him. There, he warns you of the Priests of Zargon. “When the White Flower cured my people of their insanity, the worshippers of Zargon quickly realized that their time was at its end. Many were captured and put to work in the ruins. Some few, though, managed to escape into the desert. We do not know where exactly they went, but it is likely that they linger on the outskirts of the ruins, awaiting a chance for revenge. You must understand that they blame you for all that has happened these past few weeks. Be advised the foes may well await you wherever you go in the Great Desert. And, also, that you will always have a safe haven in the Great Desert in the New City of Cynidicea.”

That was six days ago. And now you sit astride a camel, less than a day from the Galenas Mountains and the Barony of Bloodstone in the Westlands. Still, one sight remains fresh in your memory. As you left Cynidicea, you rode past a group of ten orphan children, each staring in amazement at a piece of valuable jewelry. One looked up as you passed by. “Thank you.”

You stop to make camp, smiling as you realize that this is the last time you will sleep under the desert sky. Myass helps settle in the camels for the night, and another of your friends sparks a fire. Tonight you dine on the last of the fish, and the mushrooms are nearly depleted. After eating them for such a long time, you almost have grown accustomed to their flavor. Almost. You sleep as well as you have any night under the sky of a forest or mountain.

But you awake early to the sound of screaming camels! Turning, you find the creatures have been utterly incinerated. Only skeletons remain still standing where your steeds stood. A dark shape hovers overhead, and more terrible things burrow up from beneath the ground! And, standing on a dune nearby, is the Last Priest of Zargon.

Oh what the hell, one more fight. Hello Priest.

Where is your god now?

This guy isn’t fucking around, though. He has a chimera attacking from one side, while he brings a giant scorpion around from the other. There is also a giant scorpion coming up from the south along with humanoids. Geez!

Qastur moves slightly south in order to avoid being caught up in the chimera’s breath attack with the rest of the party. He then tosses a fireball south to clean up that side. And clean up he does. The fireball does 34 points of damage and pretty much wipes out that opposition.

I move Magnus a bit east, again concerned over the chimera’s breath. The chimera goes next, and instead of breathing fire and screwing over half my team, it attacks Myass in melee, giving Abigail time to get a spell off.

Of course she also goes with Fireball, but mostly to weaken the giant scorpion and prevent the priest from casting.

Jaesun the Gay gives Myass an assist, attacking the chimera. Midge also abandons protecting the magic-users to help out. If we can take the chimera down, the rest of the battle should be cake. She misses and Magnus starts getting overwhelmed on the eastern flank. Myass is almost taken out by the chimera, who again chose not to breath but stuck to melee. Magnus is hit by the giant scorpion, but doesn’t die of the poison.

By all rights he should be dead, but he kills the giant scorpion with two massive hits on his turn before being surrounded by goblinoids. The priest across from him also begins casting a spell: a Hold Person aimed at Magnus, which the dwarf resists! Badass.

Abigail is prevented from casting by a hobgoblin which stabs her, but she returns the favor with her silver dagger. Qastur goes, and since no one has hit him, he can cast a spell. Some goblinoids are wiped out by an Ice Storm, and the chimera and some zombies are badly injured.

Meanwhile, Magnus the Irascible is surrounded by hobgoblins, goblins, and zombies. Oh, and the evil priest who is tired of Magnus shaking off his magic. Did I say Magnus was surrounded? I mean he’s in a target rich environment. He figures he has them right where he wants them, and kills the Priest just to show it. I imagine it looked like this:

The chimera finally gets smart and breathes fire, but only on Jaesun the Gay, who makes his save and only takes 20 hit points of damage. Myass suddenly remembers he is a cleric, and destroys five zombies with his Turn Undead ability, including some that were closing in on Magnus.

Jaesun and Midge both miss the chimera, but Qastur takes it and a few goblinoids out with another Ice Storm. Abigail is almost killed by some goblins, but she stays feisty, killing one with her silver dagger.

Midge takes down goblins with ease. She took a few hits while rushing to save Abigail, and kept right on killing. She's even scary when she smiles.

As stated above, I pulled Midge over to help Abigail, by killing the hobgoblin Abigail wounded earlier. This causes some of the goblinoids to freak out and try to make a run for it. Unfortunately for them, Magnus hacks them down before they can take a step. Myass heals Abigail, but that leaves the cleric vulnerable to three goblinoids and two zombies closing in from behind him. Luckily, Qastur is up and he is a strong believer that all problems can be solved via a Fireball.

Jaesun kills two more goblinoids in a round, and another one tries to flee Magnus and is killed for his assumption. Abigail and Qastur kill another zombie by a Magic Missile, followed by a sling stone. Magnus has a goblinoid surrender tearfully instead of trying to run, and Jaesun kills the last goblin before it can give up.

You leave the battle dragging along your possessions, and when you reach the Traders’ Pass through the Galenas, you thankfully collapse into a bed at the local inn. Three days later you arrive in the Town of Stallanford.

Congratulations! You have successfully saved the Lost City of Cynidicea, and broken the curse on the people of the catacombs! These are feats fit for boasting indeed, adventurer! But where next? What adventures await you with monsters, gold and glory? Where to indeed? The King’s Road leads north from Stallanford into the land of its rulers. The time has come for the Annual King’s Festival, but trouble is ready to erupt in the form of an orc raid…

And so ends my Let’s Play. Really this time. Ray Dyer must have really loved doing this one. It's pretty epic.

As you can see, though, there are plenty of adventures to be had, and many more fan modules from Ray Dyer worthy of your time. If you don’t mind an old engine and dated graphics, you should check them out through the FRUA program. I really enjoyed myself and would put the Gold Box engine above the Aurora engine (Neverwinter Nights), but below the Infinity engine (Baldur’s Gate) when it comes to simulating a Dungeons and Dragons game. The Infinity Engine handles a larger scope of spells and special monster abilities, making monsters like dragons quite scary in combat. I like FRUA better for its tactical melee and ranged combat and for how thief backstabbing is handled. I hope at the very least I convinced you to give it a try. See the original post of this Let’s Play which has a link to Jaesun’s FRUA RPGCodex thread in order to get your own game up and running.

 

[Absalom]

Great LP Do you plan on lp'ing any other modules Deuce Traveler?

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Awesome ending, much thanks for the LP

Incidentally, when googling "The Lost City" in google images, I discovered that someone has apparently ported the module to Pathfinder. I'd run this module for my next Pathfinder campaign if I had enough spare time to actually play PnP at all.

 

[Azira]

Good to see my sub-par stats d0rf fighter was properly epic in that last battle.

 

[Monty]

Ah, now that's a better ending!

 

[CappenVarra]

Pre-buffing, pre-buffing never changes Also, target rich environments

Congrats on a swell completed LP!

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Thanks for the props. If Magnus had failed his save vs Hold Person or Poison, this would have been a completely different battle. The dwarf was awesome, taking on an entire flank although with magic-user support.

I don't plan on continuing the LP for a few reasons. First, I'm taking a class right now and my time is limited. Second, this has been killing my time for other games. I haven't advanced my Gateway to the Savage Frontier, Thief: Gold, or System Shock games for more than two or three weeks. Third, I originally planned only to play the Lost City module. I had to play some others to get the characters to a high enough level for them to survive, so I admit I added some modules in the beginning I wasn't originally planning to go through. I could continue the adventure, but the party just found and saved a lost civilization, killed a god and wiped out its cult of worshippers, and saved a king. I really don't know how the party could top that.

I loved this game when I first saw the pen and paper version, but never understood how long of a campaign is actually crammed into a couple dozen pages. It would still make a great campaign today, even if converted to a more modern D&D or Pathfinder. Now that I played through Ray Dyer's mod of it I love it so much more. The original pen and paper version was created by the great Tom Moldvay. Check out his suggestions for continuing adventures after killing Zargon in the slime pit and see if you can figure out how much Ray Dyer added to his module:

1. Uniting the Cynidiceans. The player characters must find a w ay to bring order to the Underground City. While the safest way is to unite the factions of Gorm , Usamigaras, and Madarua, the DM should allow for other player actions. Typical player plans include getting the other factions to combine against the evil Priests
of Zargon, defeating all the factions except the one they support, or destroying all factions and taking over the underground city themselves.

2. Destroying Zargon's Horn. This assumes the player characters learn the truth about Zargon's ability to regenerate its body. If they are ever to be completely free of Zargon, its horn must be destroyed by dropping it into the lava pit at S. The party will have to organize a major expedition, journey to the lava pit, and deal with
the creatures guarding it to succeed.

3. The Ambush. The Priests of Zargon try to ambush the party, perhaps with the aid of the goblins and hobgoblins. The DM starts this scenario like any other adventure. At some point, however, the DM springs the ambush. This is a prepared plan of attack combining missiles, magic, and melee against the party. Be sure to give the party a reasonable chance to survive when setting up this type of situation. The DM should be able to estimate what a given party can handle, but if the ambush is too strong, the characters should be given a chance to surrender or escape.

4. Raid on the Temple of Zargon. Even without Zargon, the Priests of Zargon are still a strong force in Cynidicea. If the player characters have destroyed Zargon, the priests will definitely want revenge. On the other hand, a faction the party has joined might try to raid the temple, or the party might try to rescue a kidnapped
character who is being held there. The party could be given a general map of the temple, but not the details of guardians, traps, and so on. The emphasis would be on planning a good raid.

5. The Prophecy. A relic of great power belonging to one of the factions lies hidden on the Island of Death (B ). Its return to the stronghold of the faction will complete part of a prophecy that tells of Cynidicea 's recovery. The DM should create the prophecy, then give the party a scrap of parchment w ith the prophecy on it— the words are clues to the proper path that leads to the relic. The relic itself should pass from play once its purpose is accomplished.

6. The Antidote. A cure is found for the dream -like state of the Cynidiceans. The main ingredient is a small white flower found only in certain areas of the lower catacombs. The player characters must raise the stone slab (R) and venture into the lower catacombs to bring back samples of the flower. Arriving in the proper area after a few encounters, the party discovers a mysterious guardian whom they must talk or trick into giving them the flowers. The idea is to put the party in a situation where magic and cold steel are not enough to solve their problems. They must also use their wits to complete their task. The guardian could test the worthiness of the party before giving them the antidote. The mysterious guardian might even be Gorm , Usamigaras, or Madarua in disguise!

7. The True King. After the deaths of Alexander and Zenobia, the royal family did not die out. A descendent of the royal line still lives, but would be killed if discovered. The party must protect and advise the royal heir, teaching the non-player character how to be a king or queen, until it is safe for him or her to take the throne. This can run as a long-term theme through any of the other adventures.

8. Leaving the Desert. The player characters began the adventure lost in a sandstorm. The DM may create a special wilderness adventure for them to find their way out of the desert. (The D&D Expert booklet provides rules for adventuring in wilderness).

 

[Dorateen]

Huzzah! A richly detailed and complex adventure in an uncommon setting. Well done.

 

[octavius]

Hey Deuce Traveler, sorry about not commenting more on this excellent LP. But I had it on my own Play List an didn't want to be spoilt. I regret it now since it took me four and half years to get there, and I would have probably forgotten most of it.

If you had played more methodical you would have found at least one more magical weapon, and more work for Midge.
And Ray is also fond of the Find Traps spells, which would have helped before entering the tomb of the king and queen.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Hey Deuce Traveler, sorry about not commenting more on this excellent LP. But I had it on my own Play List an didn't want to be spoilt. I regret it now since it took me four and half years to get there, and I would have probably forgotten most of it.

If you had played more methodical you would have found at least one more magical weapon, and more work for Midge.
And Ray is also fond of the Find Traps spells, which would have helped before entering the tomb of the king and queen.

Can I get a link to your LP? I'm glad you liked it. I've been in a bit of a gaming rut lately and can't find anything new that's grabbing me. I might have to return to FRUA somewhat soon. If I do, I'll play through a train of modules that I always wanted to play but could never get a group together to attempt:

Hidden Shrine of Tomoachoan -> Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh -> Castle Amber

Then...

Keep on the Borderlands -> White Plume Mountain -> Aerie of the Slave Lords -

I'm missing a good bridge to Against the Giants. Unfortunately, Ray Dyer's "The Realm" page is now down, so I'll have to research a campaign path on my own without his suggestions. Or fire up his FRUA intro module and see if I can pick up the clues.

 

[octavius]

Hey Deuce Traveler, sorry about not commenting more on this excellent LP. But I had it on my own Play List an didn't want to be spoilt. I regret it now since it took me four and half years to get there, and I would have probably forgotten most of it.

If you had played more methodical you would have found at least one more magical weapon, and more work for Midge.
And Ray is also fond of the Find Traps spells, which would have helped before entering the tomb of the king and queen.

Can I get a link to your LP? .

I never did no LP. But I have a huge P(lay) L(ist).

I'm glad you liked it. I've been in a bit of a gaming rut lately and can't find anything new that's grabbing me. I might have to return to FRUA somewhat soon. If I do, I'll play through a train of modules that I always wanted to play but could never get a group together to attempt:

Hidden Shrine of Tomoachoan -> Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh -> Castle Amber

Then...

Keep on the Borderlands -> White Plume Mountain -> Aerie of the Slave Lords -

I'm missing a good bridge to Against the Giants. Unfortunately, Ray Dyer's "The Realm" page is now down, so I'll have to research a campaign path on my own without his suggestions. Or fire up his FRUA intro module and see if I can pick up the clues.

Are you checking the right page? http://www.therealm.flopsyville.com/Menu.htm works fine for me. He recommends lvl 18+ characters for Against the Giants. I tried a different FRUA version of it, and had to laugh at the name "Snurre" for a Fire Giant. In Norwegian "Snurre" is this cute little bunny:

 

[Azira]

Is so too in Danish. "Snurre Snup".

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Are you checking the right page? http://www.therealm.flopsyville.com/Menu.htm works fine for me.

I was trying http://www.therealm.flopsyville.com/ and failing, but your link works.

Now that I can access the page, I suppose I could run with this:

Southlands
U1, Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (Levels 1-3)
Eastlands
B2, Keep on the Borderlands (Levels 1-3)
Northlands
X2, Castle Amber(Levels 5-8)
Eastlands
A1-4, Aerie of the Slavelords (Levels 6-8)
C1, Hidden Shrine of Tomoachan (Levels 6-8)
Southlands
WG4, Lost Temple of Tharizadun,(Levels 5-10)
S4, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, (Levels 6-10)
Eastlands
CM8, Endless Stair(Levels 10-14)
Westlands
H1-3, Bloodstone Wars (Levels 14-16)
Southlands
FA2, Nightmare Keep (Levels 16-18)
Northlands
G1-3, Against the Giants(Levels 18+)

Holy hell, I would be busy for awhile...

 

[Deuce Traveler]

For those interested in the Lost City, check out what the folk's at Dragonsfoot put together, for a whole history of the idea, the fictional area, and the fallen civilization.

The Lost City Campaign Sourcebook
https://www.dragonsfoot.org/php4/archive.php?sectioninit=CD&fileid=439&watchfile=

 

[GarfunkeL]

Oh wow, what was I doing back in 2013 that I missed this? Glad that it got bumped! Excellent work Deuce!

 

[rojay]

Bumping because I only just read it, and it was great.