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Q. What are some of the acronyms used?
Infiniti2000:
BW = Banewarrens
GQT = Grail Quest Team
DH = Dwarvenhearth
BOEM = Book of Eldritch Might

Q. What is the layout of the manor house (Ch. 2, pg. 21)?

Infiniti2000:
Although the manor is empty, it might be useful to have the layout since an encounter will take place there. This haunted house might work well:

www.wizards.com/dnd/image...dHouse.jpg

Q. What happens when a PC puts on a bone Quaan ring?

Monte Cook:
It was my intent that the ring graft on as soon as it is put on, thus becoming a real hassle for the players. It's a good excuse to have the Pactlords have some surprise attacks/ambushes when the PCs least expect it.

If you think that's too harsh, change it without worry, as it won't really affect the adventure too much.

madfox:
In later discussions on the ring some other neat suggestions were given as well. For example, I think it was Trinity, who suggested that simply cutting away the finger would not remove the curse. In fact, the finger would regrow with once again the ring attached to it. While the PC in my campaign who was stupid enough to try it on never tried to cut his finger (the character later died and his fellows remembered to take the ring off), they later met a Pactlord who wanted to get out. The poor fellow had turned slightly insane, because by now he had tried to flee several times. He also had tried to remove the ring several times by cutting of his finger. It created an interesting role-playing situation. In any event, I decided that a remove curse or break enchantment would allow the ring to be removed. Though the caster of the remove curse needed to be at least 12th level. It is not as if the curse is really that bad. If the kidnapping succeeds later on, that will reveal a lot more about the PCs then by watching them a couple of times.

Q. Is there anything to help out with the legend lore spell on the sealed door (Area 7, Broken Seal Area, Ch. 3, pg. 27)?

SnowDog:
For a moment's entry, and no more
A simple Wish may pass the ward
Set upon this enchanted door

But ancient magic and holy decree
Can be undone by long lost key
Found in Ptolus by the sea

They who have it, know it not
Just an oddity they bought
A Relic of a time forgot

A house ignoble but in name
Crafty players of the game
Barely hide their ancient shame

Valvorik:
The owner kept key always to hand. This key unmakes lock, opening for all from any land.

Q. Since the location of the Manor and the entrance to the BW is not disclosed unless Jevicca's quest is accepted, and Brother Thisk doesn't impart any clues for finding Kalerecent, how are the players to proceed if Jevicca is refused (Ch. 1, page 20)?

madfox:
If you are really worried about it, you could detail the following information:
* Kalerecent was working in that particular neighbourhood after having heard complaints about weird noises and the fact that sewer workers have seen weird creatures in the region.
=> To be gained from temple records.
* Asking around through the neighbourhood the track leads to the manor with a few red herrings in it of course.
* Following the tracks of the drow monk back will lead to the neighbourhood as well.

Q. Should the encounter(s) with Tavan Zith be played one at a time using all of them? Pick just one? All at once (Ch. 1, pg. 16)?

Monte Cook:
Basically, as many as you can handle at once. Split up the party. Have them running around. It's a crisis. As soon as one is taken care of, another encounter pops up.

cthuluftaghn:
The encounters are caused by Tavan Zith walking through a crowded street, and his strange curse causing the inherent sorcerous powers in the general populous to become hyper-active.

So... while these events do, technically, unfold one at a time as Zith continues down the road... they do occur in rapid fire succession. Realistically, several of these encounters should be occurring at the same time. The PC's don't have to be directly involved in every one of them at once. They could be busy dousing flames started by poor Torus, while up the street citizens are dodging Richaul's lightning bolts.

In other words... it's mass chaos. Several strange and horrifying events happening all at once. The party will have to decide what they can handle.

Q. How scalable is the adventure?

Monte Cook:
You'd have to upgun all the NPCs, but the ideas are suitable for high level play (I won't kid you, though, it'd be a fair bit of work).

Follow-up question: For a 10th level group, is simply adjusting all the Encounter Levels (not CR's) up by 4 (making similar track adjustments in treasure) likely sufficient?

Monte Cook:
Well, you could do it that way.

You could also let your players enjoy getting through the beginning parts of the adventure quickly and easily (they won't earn a lot of XP, though). Then, upgrade the middle portions slightly (for sure by the time they get to the Belfry). This gives them the pleasure of kicking butt for a while, and means you don't have to upgrade the whole thing and you'll have to, overall, make smaller changes.

Q. Hi, I'm just a little bit curious about why Monte chose to design the BW for level 6 - 10. Why start at 6th level? Why end at 10th?

Monte Cook:
Well, first off, I chose level 6. The adventure itself dictated 4 levels, ending at 10. That's basically just an estimate, assuming that your group overcomes not all, but most, of the encounters in the adventure. If you start at about the bottom of 6th level you'll end up well into 10th.

A good module writer will always know how much the characters are likely to be advancing, so he can design challenges and rewards suitable for them as they go along.

I chose 6th simply because the feedback that I'd been getting was that people enjoyed the 6th to 10th or 11th levels the best.

Q. Should I award XP for the waning guardian (Broken Seal, room 12)?

DMShoe:
Room 12 in the Broken Seal Area ("the Waning Guardian") has no EL or CR associated with it. I was considering awarding XP for a CR 6 trap. It starts out with a hit that will average 22 damage, then for d6 more + some random effect within 5ft. Then 3d6 within 10ft. An unlucky or low-hp character could easily die.

Monte Cook:
Calling that EL 6 sounds right to me, too.

Q. Where did the name for Jabel Shammar originate?

Altanira:
The tower of Danar/Eslathagos called Jabel Shammar. Does it have any relation to the Bedouin tribe Jabel Shammar (the longstanding rivals of the Saudi family)?

Monte Cook:
I came up with the name looking at two different locations on a map of Saudi Arabia about, oh, twenty years ago, so it's not surprising that it seems Arabic.

Lots of cool names there.

Q. In the Outer Vaults in area 5 what happens to PC's who are on the stairs when the trap is triggered? E.g. The rogue/fighter of the group tends to walk ahead of the part by 5ft.

Monte Cook:
Nothing directly happens to them. They could attempt to break through the walls to help him, but they won't have much time.

Q. Where should Ptolus be placed in the Forgotten Realms?

Vanye1:
I've seen someone mention Westgate; I'm thinking of actually placing it in the Anauroch, with the backstory of these are things left over from the destruction of Lower Netheril (creators of things like the blast scepters, which are obviously not mythallar powered like the "official" Netheril box set says Netherese items were). The pinnacle of rock that houses the warrens goes up to prevent the phaerimm (*spit*phaerimms*/spit*) trapped UNDER the desert from getting ahold of the items. It will be priests of Mystra who gathered these items, since they are least likely to want to destroy magical items, even evil magical items....

The Sphinx of MM:
I'm using the Westgate, night masks etc., and the spire is going down instead of up.

Aurillion:
I'm running a campaign based in Turmish so Ill run the adventure in Alaghon. It's one of the oldest cities in the realms and consists of structures that have been built over, creating many hidden passages and secret passageways.

madfox:
I am not too sure if Anaurach is a good idea. Anaurach is in the middle of nowhere with no large civilizations close by. Part of the adventure actually requires/works best in a small to large city. I am personally using the former capitol of Unther, since it fits best in my campaign and as for as intrigue and old ruins the description nearly fits Ptolus.

Q. Where would you place Ptolus in Greyhawk?

OldAndInTheWay:
IMC, I'm toying with running it in the future, which would let me incorporate some of the tech stuff (firearms). I'm thinking of putting Ptolus in the Great Kingdom, playing with the future-history to incorporate the Church of Lothian. Just a thought. I'm open to suggestions.

grodog:
Modifying Chathold in Almor, or Rauxes in the Great Kingdom (both from the current 591 CY version of Greyhawk) might be fun: they're twisted/wrecked cities filled with warped magics/etc. which could easily house the BW complex. You'd have to sacrifice Ptolus as the city, but could easily relocate the NPC nobles, churches, etc. to any of various equivalents in Greyhawk, placing them from surrounding cities/towns

DMShoe:
I've placed it in Irongate, and added the Church of Lothian as an adversary to the Overking in Ahlissa.

Thrommel:
I'll stick with my suggestion that you use the City of Shade. Apart from the fact that the spire is pre-built into the geography, there's very little source material on the place AFAIK, so you don't have to worry about stepping on any canon stuff either. The BW does not rely on any surrounding landscape/overland journey stuff so having your adventure take place in the middle of Anauroch is no big deal either. --Although you'll probably have to replace the docks.

This choice also works well with the various factions. The Netherese shades can be the Wizards of the Inverted Pyramid, the Pact Lords can be a splinter group of the phaerimm, ally House Vladaam with the Zhents, and you're good to go.

Tyr is a fine choice for the Church of Lothian. Other good candidates include Helm, Lathander, or Torm. (I sort of like the idea of Helm watching over Anauroch and establishing a church there to monitor the activities of the shades -- but just about any deity on that list might have a similar motivation.)

Pete Hat:
I opted for Ankhapur in the Lake of Steam. Not too much source material for there (at least that I have), and I avoid the books so I don't have to worry about those.

I liked having the high volcanic activity in the area - gave me a mechanism for getting the spire up, and maybe the whole history os essential to why the lake is volcanic - haven't decided that yet.

For Lothian I choose Torm. Tyr and Helm are also good.

Pactlords are just great as they are IMHO.

The pyramid mages I've left as they are too, but they come from further south where things like these are more common.

Q. Even if there are some NPC's still with the PC's by the end, what if there are not enough people to properly use the last device? What happens then?

Monte Cook:
Technically, it only takes one person (at the head). This would be really difficult, but it could be done.

Follow-up question: Would a person at one of the helms be helpless against attackers in the control room?

Monte Cook:
I wouldn't use the world helpless in the game sense. Just flat-footed and blind (which is pretty bad).

Q. How are others intending to handle the acid a PC could sweat as a latent sorcery effect? Assuming the DC to resist the acid is the same to resist the latent sorcery in the first place, say 13, its likely going to cause damage to armor and shields, might destroy weapons, is likely to destroy wands, potion vials, scrolls, etc.

The Sphinx of MM:
I treated the person who was afflicted with the latent sorcery like the flaming half orc. They themselves were not affected by what they were doing, but if anyone around them failed to get out of the way.......

madfox:
I just run the encounter and unless it was specifically stated that the PCs were affected by their own latent sorcery I ruled they and their equipment were not. I think it only states that those creating poisonous gasses and the pits might be affected by their own magical stuff. I must say, that it was one of the most fun encounters I have run in ages (and we always have a lot of fun, so that is a compliment).

Q. When is the best time to stage the encounter with the Grail Quest Team (GQT)?

Monte Cook:
I don't think there is a "best" time. That's why I set up the encounters the way I did.

The BW is an example of how I run adventures. I usually have a place detailed out (roughly in notes, or--if the players have me a bit off guard, maybe just in my head) with a few "set" encounters. Then, there are other encounters that could happen anywhere. I don't decide ahead of time, I insert them right then and there in the game. (If you set the encounter in a particular area, and they never go there, then you're out of luck.)

Imagine this simple (modern-day) example: The PC are crooks robbing a bank. I set up ahead of time where the guards are, where the tellers are, and what the vault is like. I also know that the cops are going to arrive at some point during the robbery, but I don't decide that ahead of time. I let it happen at the BEST time for the scene/story.

Q. How important is the spire?

cthuluftaghn:
Well, the spire was created, as I understand it, by the earth itself rejecting the amassed evil of the artifacts within the Banewarren. The spire is the result of the earth pushing the warren away.

It's fairly integral, I'd say, as it contains the upper levels of the actual BW (again... based on my initial perusal of the module).

However, as always, it's YOUR campaign, so you decide how it fits in. Maybe in centuries gone by, the spire toppled over and was buried. Maybe it sunk. Dunno... up to you. But to answer your question, yes, I think it's highly necessary.

Monte Cook:
The baneheart could go down rather than up, if you wanted.

KensanOni:
What if instead of up or down, the plane pushed it out? It couldn't disconnect the connection, cause everything eventually connects itself to the objects and minds of others. However, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that the plane, in wanting to push the evil as far away from itself as possible, created its own sub reality for it.

Amaranthine:
Who is to say that the Spire has been there since time immemorial?

What if the earth wasn't able to expel this evil 'cancer' until last night? Overnight, amidst storms and a fairly powerful earthquake, the BW are pushed upward and the Spire created.

Maybe the actions of the Pactlords in opening the Warrens were the final straw which caused the earth to eject the Spire.

Q. I am reading the module and just noticed that you set the population of the city to 30,000, but by looking at the number of buildings in the drawing of the city I feel it could almost be at least 2 or 3 times that number.

Monte Cook:
I agree, and in fact the actual campaign city is almost 100,000. However, Rob, the mapper, convinced me that the city's population should be lower with the map (he counted the buildings on the map, not me--I trust his knowledge).

Beholder:
Well, I did not count since I am not really that patient but I expect a large part of those buildings to be multi floor and that they could contain about 10 people per building. So, about 50,000 could be near reality.

Q. How quickly did your playtesters discover that they had NPC rivals, and how did they handle the situation? Did any of them attempt to ambush the NPC groups early on in the adventure, in order to eliminate the competition, or use the dungeon environment against the NPCs (by maneuvering them into trapped areas/nasty encounters or by setting traps themselves)?

Monte Cook:
Well, the playtesting for this was weird, because three different groups played in different parts. One was not incredibly good (but not dark heartedly evil), but it really didn't change things too much.

The playtesters realized that other forces were involved very early on, and that's really how it was designed. My playtesters are like your PCs. They went hunting for their rivals, virtually ignoring the BW (for a while). That's OK, I think. Using the Event format, the DM can put their opponents wherever he wishes, and have that encounter happen whenever he wants.

Ideally, the turn of events will occur so that the PCs are behind the other two groups once they get to the Outer Vaults. Their motivation to find and eliminate the competition will drive them further and further into the BW.

Q. I'm confused about how the Umber Hulk operates his "secret door" boulders (Ch. 2, pg. 21). Does he dig through them to attack the group or does he simply toss 'm out of the way?

madfox:
They are simple boulders blocking the exit, so he needs to roll them aside. That is not too difficult for strength 20+ something. I allowed my PCs a listen roll to see if they heard the grating sound of stone scratching stone.

Q. Were there any tricky parts or pitfalls that I should be aware of that came up in your game?

madfox:
The Umber Hulk can be lethal*. In my campaign this resulted in them leaving the area before they even came in the BW. They did warn both the Enclave and the Temple of Lothian of their progress and what they found. So now there are guards stationed at the house to prevent children and the like from wandering in and from other dangerous stuff wandering out. They are too afraid to go in though. This in turn causes some problems for the bad guys, who are now trying to get in through the sewers. This in turn explains why the paladin is still alive and why the Pact Lords have not yet entered the dungeons. Of course, during next session they will break through. Giving the PCs some other things to do when they get out next time.

Another thing with which my players surprised me, was they did their utmost best to capture the dark elf alive for trial. It seems that I have succeeded in giving them a certain respect and fear for the law (and that for chaotic characters). So I had to come up on the fly how the guards would react to a captive whose mere presence causes utmost chaos. Luckily in my version the city has just been conquered, so martial law is in progress. It would have been one strange court otherwise

Further then that I have not come yet, we will see tomorrow.

* The barbarian was at -8 hit points while still in rage, while the rest of the team was either confused or busy killing an ochre jelly. On round longer of combat, one bad stabilize check and he would have been dead. Everybody else was completely out of spells and in single digit hit points. The fact that they went for overkill against the poor orc guardian might have had to do with this as well.

Q. In Ptolus, how is Jevicca roleplayed?

Monte Cook:
In the actual campaign, she is extremely confident, professional, and usually fairly pleasant.

The PCs have never seen her in a dangerous situation.

And, in recent campaign events, she died (sort of "off camera").

Q. What exactly does the thought stalker eat and how long does its paralyzation last?

Monte Cook:
Paralysis is permanent (although easily cured with a 2nd level spell).

It eats both tasty brains and the thoughts they hold.

madfox:
Anyway, so the thought stalker will leave heavily mutilated corpses (or at least with one big claw mark needed for the paralysis) without a brain. Unlike mindflayer corpses, though, the skull most likely is cracked open like some kind of nut.

Q. What exactly would they learn about the Pactlords and the function of the ring? Is there some creative DM out there who feels like writing a nice riddle as the result of a legend lore spell on the Pactlords?

Iserith:
A frightful place became the Quaan,
Where the Pactlords plot and scheme beyond,
To thwart and destroy the human race,
To strive to keep their rightful place.
Pactlords and their slaves must always bear,
The circle of bone that you also wear.
The Font of the Pact does see you well
Whether boon or curse, only time will tell.

Q. How important is it to keep the Pactlords of the Quaan secret? Does the Inverted Pyramid know about them?

Monte Cook:
Do not be afraid of letting the PCs know who the Pactlords are and what they are about.

It won't ruin anything to let them know who they are up against.

The Pactlords are pretty secretive, but the Inverted Pyramid would certainly know about them.

Q. One thing that has eluded me is how the players will learn who and what the Pactlords really are. I'm assuming that they'll be able to piece together that they're not simply "random dungeon monsters", but how do the PC's actually learn of the organization itself?

Monte Cook:
Well, doing investigation on the rings they wear is a good start. Basically, they just have to find out about them on their own initiative.

Q. Now, when they come to Navanna and ask for "a key," how the heck is she going to know they are referring to the mummified hand?

Iserith:
I was considering having either Jevicca or the Loremaster contact them with follow-up information indicating that, according to legend, only Danar's touch could unseal the door and leave it at that.

madfox:
That is exactly what I did. The sage had found a reference that only the touch of Danar could open the doors in his castle. She also found an ancient note stating that Vladaam had paid 200gp to identify a mummified hand, which apparently was a key. That same note also included that the sage who had identified the item also had recognized the hand belonging to Danar (which BTW is not the name I use in my campaign), which he never mentioned to the Vladaam. He did not trust them with that information.

Q. I was checking out Kikanuile's stats in chapter 5 and noticed that she should be using the variant sorcerer in BOEMII. What I noticed is that she only knows 6/3/1 for spells which doesn't match the BOEMII variant Spells Known chart. By that chart she should know 6/4/2 for spells.

Monte Cook:
You're right.

Give her shocking grasp and blur as well, I think.

Q. I know that the adventure states that there are 3 named members of the Vladaam family and 15 or so guards, but is that really it? I guess it just struck me as odd that a powerful noble house has only three members. So my question then Monte, is this typical of all the noble houses in Ptolus or is this just for the adventure?

Monte Cook:
Well, that doesn't count servants and whatnot.

Basically, though, there are three family members who live in the estate currently.

In the actual campaign, there are eight family members total, out and about.

To answer your question, basically, that's for the adventure.

Q. As an "always CE" race, should a Lamia be a Monk "must be lawful"?

Eldric IV:
Even though it says "always", the Monster Manual points out that there are still exceptions.

Valvorik:
A MM exception would be a LE lamia; this is a PHB exception - a non-lawful Monk.

Monte Cook:
Probably should have been LE.

Q. Will there be a BW sequel?

Monte Cook:
It is a possibility.

Follow-up question: Any hope that Malhavoc will one day publish an adventure detailing Jabel Shammar and its dreadful contents?

Monte Cook:
This is probably likely, but no promises.

Q. Brother Heth is detailed on page 68. Although his buddy cleric has Domains and spells listed, he does not. Is this because he abandoned his faith and is a "former cleric"? This is logical, and fits with text about his buddy faking for him, but I think in that case he should not have the same CR as a functioning cleric.

Valvorik:
A cleric without the spell abilities and special powers is about equal to an NPC of the Warrior class of same level (poorer BAB, one better save, same skill points, same HD). This argues for a -1 modifier to the CR from class level, thus making him CR 10, not CR 11.

Monte Cook:
Yeah, I wrestled with this issue. Without spells, his level does not equal CR, but there are no rules for that. What I tried to do was give him equipment and situational modifiers that would make it all come out in the wash.

I think you're perfectly justified, however, to dock him a rank of CR.

Q. What should happen if the PCs try to give the key to the Inverted Pyramid?

Iserith:
It's somewhere in the adventure that Navanna Vladaam has a mole in the Inverted Pyramid. That person steals the item and gives it back to the tiefling in exchange for money, magic, or the promise of future favors.

Monte Cook:
Iserith is right. The Vladaams end up with it if the PCs give it to the Inverted Pyramid.

Because of Heth, the Pactlords end up with it if they give it to the Church.

Q. Let's say one of my hapless PCs falls into the pit trap in Area 3 of the Outer Vaults (Ch. 5, pg. 46) and is thusly held in the chute with the spikes. The other PCs look into the pit and see the "teleportation plate." The PC in the chute survived the tumble and is screaming for them to come rescue him. Three questions: 1. What's the DC for hearing said character considering the thickness of the walls of the area enclosing him? 2. Does the trap reset after a time? If so, how long? 3. What happens if a githzerai or a mage with feather fall are in the front of the line when the trap is sprung?

Elenillor:
1 - I'd make it DC 19: 0 (people screaming) + 15 (stone wall) + 4 (distance).
2 - It probably resets after a time, but for the deceit to be succesful, it's probably safe to assume it'll take a very long time. Perhaps a month or so.
3 - The way I understand it, the trap is sprung when something hits the slanted floor. So a feather fall spell wouldn't affect it much, except that characters may have a chance to understand what's going on.

Soulmage:
Any particular reason why the trap wouldn't be augmented with a permanent silence spell in the secret compartment? If you're going to all the effort and expense to create this fake teleport trap, that seems to me to be a worthwhile additional investment.

Valvorik:
Metagame reason - to keep threat level appropriate. In game explanation - trap has seen action at some point, perhaps back in the days of struggle, and a powerful Dispel etc. overcame that particular part of it.

Infiniti2000:
Id have the trap reset in only a few days. The DC 19 is appropriate. I think the trap triggers on touching the slanted floor, so even a feather fall would cause it to spring, though others might actually have the time to see it.

Q. What then happens if the decision is - repair the generator and repair the walls? On page 114, it says once the generator is working and breach in wall repaired nothing can get in. So if nothing can get in, even if the Key is floating around, it can't get near a door. It was the fact the generator was never completed that left the "back door", right?

Monte Cook:
If the good guys really could finish/repair the generator before any sealed doors are opened, and the walls are repaired, the BW will indeed be sealed. This assumes a lot of incompetence on the part of the Vladaam family and the Pactlords, though.

Once even one sealed door is opened, however, the sealing rod is needed.

Valvorik:
Does that mean that if you repair the generator in the broken area, but inside a Sealed Door is open, one could then "tunnel in" to another Banewarren area?

Monte Cook:
Yes. That's what it means. The door is the key to the generator. Unseal the door, and the area supported by the generator becomes breachable.

Q. I'm confused at about something regarding Ephitas, the dark naga. Apparently she uses change self to appear as Vesto. She doesn't have change self. Regardless, change self doesn't allow a change in body type. Alter self appears to be a somewhat improved choice, but still seems to be overly limiting in allowing this sort of ruse.

Monte Cook:
You're right, it probably should be alter self, not change self. Maybe even polymorph self.

And I believe the spell was supposed to have come from a scroll. It was supposed to make mention of the used scroll.

Q. I'd like to buy the PDF version, but I read about people buying both. Is there a difference?

Monte Cook:
There is absolutely no content difference. The only layout difference is this very minor thing:.

In the PDF, the illustrations in the back of the book are put one to a page rather than 2 to a page, just simply because page length doesn't matter with PDFs.

Q. I don't see lighting referred to anywhere in the BW. I'll probably assume that its just dark unless there's something glowing nearby. Anybody know anything?

Monte Cook:
It's dark unless otherwise mentioned.

madfox:
Which means that the Pactlords need a light source (ettercaps and giant spiders only have low-light vision) as will the Vladaam Team (since the werewolves only have scent and low-light vision). Which is the reason that after last nights session the tiefling has decided to do without them for the time being. You see, all the PCs in my group have darkvision and this has given them quite an edge in several encounters since they never have a light source unless they need to see colors.

Q. The adventure does not mention the method of delivery for the Shasak Poison Powder, unless I missed it.

Monte Cook:
It's meant to be an inhaled poison.

Follow-up question:
What would be the effects of lobbing the container of poison among the PCs, as in one of Navanna's urban werewolves chucking it at them during combat? AoE?

Monte Cook:
Well, if it was me, I'd say that it made a cloud at least 10' in diameter. It could affect up to three characters (since there are three doses).

Q. I dont have the BoEM, can you tell me (without details) what the Black Grail and the Bottled Whirlwind do?

madfox:
This is exactly what the name implies: bottled up whirlwind. Check the spell, note that the duration is 1d6+1 rounds and realize that this will be devastating.

Anonymouse:
Black Grail is a cup which, if drank from, gives you a choice of ability bonuses, but also makes you a thrall of whomever made you drink from it.

Q. Has anyone made up stats for Kalerecents cohort?

Valvorik:
Here's the stats I'm using for the cohort in my campaign (which is Arabic, so a Monk becomes a Sufi). As a counterbalance to a paladin (farislan) he's a bit less trusting, more of a pessimist, than his leader. He's also higher level because my PC's are 10th (so Kalerecent, or Kahlelle Bey rather, is 10th).

Riassat the Sufi 9, HD 9d8+9, hp 54, AC 19 (+2 Dex, +3 Wis, +1 class +1 armour +1 def, +1 nat armour), Init +6, Speed 60 . Str 14 Dex 15 Con 12 Int 10 Wis 16 Cha 10; Fort +6 +1, Ref +6 +2, Will +6 +3 / +1 Res. BAB: +6/+1, UAB +6/+3, Fist/Kick +9/+6, Fist/Kick 1d10+2, Light Mace +9/+6, 1d6+3 /x2.

SQ: Unarmed Strike, Stunning Attack ooooo oooo (DC 17), Evasion, Deflect Arrows, Still Mind, Slow Fall 60', Purity of Body, Improved Trip, Wholeness of Body (cure lvlx2/day), Leap of Clouds, Improved Evasion ( damage failing Ref save), Speak Askalah

Feats: Improved Initiative, Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Focus - Fist, Spring Attack

Skills: Balance +6+2+2, Hide +11+2, Jump +12+2+2, Listen +8+2, Move Silent +11+2, Tumble +12+2+2

Possessions: +1 light mace (cf kama), +1 Sling, Bracers of Armour +1, Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Amulet of Natural Armour +1, 10 masterwork bullets, Ptn Jump, Spider Climb, Reduce [used Cure 2d8+3, Heroism]

Personality: Pessimistic, prying nature. Tariq Sawt alDin, LG

Q. The GQT isn't "inconspicuous" in size or racial makeup, so how is it getting from the Belfry to the Manor and back without being spotted?

Valvorik:
My own thought is that Ephitas casts Invisibility on them (using up most of her 2nd level spells to do so!) and they make the trip at night, when streets are quieter and they're less likely to be Spotted or bump into someone.

That's how they get from belfry to manor. Getting back is more open, unless they wait 24 hours each time and Ephitas comes to get them.

This means though that when they "come in behind PCs" it has to be timed to be after sunset. If the PCs go down in the morning, and try to come back up to rest, they might not overlap first time around, it would be when going back down they would meet the Grail team already down at that point.

Graf:
I think that in Ptolus weird things are normal and odd groups don't stand out but that was just my impression from reading the description of the city.

Monte Cook:
This is certainly true. Any of my players can attest to that.
However, the assumption is that disguises, spells, and whatnot are used so that they can be as unnoticeable as possible.

madfox:
In my campaign my players have realized that the sewers under the city are a good way for strange creatures to get to other places unseen. In fact, there is an easy access to the manor with the entrance to the BW through the sewer.

Q. How do you think the Pactlords (particularly the GQT) would react to a party consisting of mostly nonhumanoids?

Monte Cook:
They might try to recruit them. If that doesn't work, an enemy's an enemy.

Q. Could you guys give me a quick rundown on the villains? Who or what are the main antagonists? Are there Mindflayers and do they play a significant role in the game?

madfox:
The main antagonists are not individuals, but organizations. One of those organizations consists of a strange mix of monstrous humanoids and aberrations, including a mind flayer, a beholder, a phase spider, lamias and hags. The adventure gives quite a good explanation for this group though and why they are working together instead of bashing in each others heads. The group fits perfectly in my campaign, but I can imagine somebody who prefers to keep the amount of fantasy creatures to a limit would want to modify this group.

Anyway, we have got the Pactlords of Quaan (the organization of monsters). They are the primary villain, though at the moment they don't invoke hatred from my players. They fear them and they hate the idea that these creatures might get some of the more powerful and dangerous stuff from the BW. Then again, as a group they only met different individuals. I am sure that after the kidnapping the opinion of the PCs on this group might drastically change.

The second group is the Vladaam family, or more specifically one of their members. My players (and hence the PCs) utterly despise her and they don't even know who exactly they are dealing with. All they know is that is a wizard (which is not even the case) with his (which is also wrong) werewolf bodyguards. They never directly faced her, but the fact that she managed to steal the key and stay of their reach has caused the hatred.

Besides two groups of villains, there are also two groups who might be allies. Namely the lawful good church and their rivals a mostly good aligned (or at least responsible minded) wizards of the Inverted Pyramid. Their goals clash with each other and they might clash with the goal of the PCs.

Of course, there are some very dangerous and evil individuals within the BW. The Thought Stalker is already a hated escapee, though for the moment of a minor priority since the PCs fear what the evil groups might find.

Q. I'm currently running the BW for my players, and I've pretty much plunked Ptolus down as-is in my campaign world. I've been trying to reconcile history as Monte tells it in the Ptolus pages with my own world, but I've run into a couple of spots where I'm not sure about the timeline. I know that over 10,000 years ago the BW were built, and 1000 years ago the evil lord Ghul was defeated. Soon after that the Empire started and Dalenguard was built. When did the Stonelost dwarves build Dwarvenhearth, though, and why did they build it so close to the BW? Did they know about them? Did the dwarves build before or after Dalenguard was built? It seems a little odd that they'd build underneath the fortress. Finally, somewhere in the Ptolus notes Monte mentions that there are multiple layers underneath the city: the Imperial sewers, a previous settlement (with its sewers), Dwarvenhearth, and things deeper yet. I've gathered that the "things deeper yet" are the Caverns of the Galchutt. Any clues as to the nature of the earlier settlement, though? What about other parts of the underground complex?

Monte Cook:
Dwarvenhearth was built long before Dalenguard. In fact, Dwarvenhearth was abandoned shortly before Dalenguard was built (the dwarves were driven out by Ghul's forces, whose defeat the building of Dalenguard represents).

The dwarves had rumors and legends about the BW when they built their city, but most didn't care*. Knowing stone like they did, they wouldn't blunder into anything they didn't want to, and there were rich ores in the area (mithral, mostly) that they really wanted.

*A few cared a lot--they wanted to insure the continued safety of the BW, because it held an artifact that they greatly feared called the Black Grail.

The previous settlement was an even older human city corrupted by the evil of the Galchutt and destroyed in a war encouraged by them and their servants.

Remember, though, that the common Ptolus citizen knows little of this. Most have heard of Dwarvenhearth, but know nothing about it. Few know of the BW and the previous settlements. Most people just don't care that much about history. (In the real world, for example, most Parisians don't even realize that there are miles of catacombs beneath their city.)

Follow-up Question:
Ah, I see. Did the Galchutt predated Danar/Eslathagos as well? The analogy with Paris is a good one, especially since there are not only the medieval-renaissance quarries-turned-catacombs beneath the city but also the ruins of the old Roman city that was on the site before that. Barcelona has similar layers, but they've managed to preserve more of the old stuff in a really cool museum there.

Monte Cook:
Yes. The Galchutt predate the creation of the world.

Q. Maybe I'm being dense, but I'm having some trouble with the background story and tying it all together with how the BW are presented: "Heroes" break-in and kill the Dread One. The Staff of Shards is used to do that and is broken in the process. How does one part of the Staff of Shards get placed with the Malificite? "He took it" is an easy answer there I suppose. How did the other 2 parts of the Staff of Shards leave the BW? How did the BW get resealed after the defeat of the Dread one? And this explanation has to explain how the Sealing Rod is laying within the remains of the Dread One. And how does Danar's hand get out of there? Who took that and why?

Monte Cook:
""Heroes" break-in and kill the Dread One. The Staff of Shards is used to do that and is broken in the process."

Right. They come through Jabel Shammar at the top of the spire, though, having the fight at the top of the Baneheart. (That's important.)

"How does one part of the Staff of Shards get placed with the Malificite? "He took it" is an easy answer there I suppose."

Right. He took it.

"How did the other 2 parts of the Staff of Shards leave the BW?"

Maeritha Mooncraft, creator of the Quaan and original owner of the staff, took them (she couldn't find the other one).

"How did the BW get resealed after the defeat of the Dread one? And this explanation has to explain how the Sealing Rod is laying within the remains of the Dread One."

They weren't unsealed. You can enter the top of the Baneheart through Jabel Shammar without unsealing the Baneheart. Getting into Jabel Shammar is so much harder than getting into the BW that for purposes of this 6-11th level adventure, it's impossible.

"And how does Danar's hand get out of there? Who took that and why?"

Good question, but it opens up a whole wealth of detail that's beyond the scope of the adventure. See, one of the heroes who killed the Dread One was tainted by his essence and took some things secretly with him. That's how it ended up in the hands of the Vladaam familiy (and it gives you some clues as to his identity). But now we're getting into the plot of the super-high level Jabel Shammar adventure that I want to one day write...

Q. On page 78 it says that the rod of potion touch is in the Book of Eldrich Might but I don't see it there. I also don't see it in the BoEM II. Anyone know what this item is or where it is?

Monte Cook:
It's in the print version of the book, or, right here:

www.montecook.com/arch_stuff2.html

Bottom of the page.

Included here:
Rod of Potion Touch: This long wooden rod looks like a short staff. However, when a potion is poured over it, the rod can convey the potions effects to a single target touched within the next 10 minutes. The wielder selects the target; the effect need not discharge upon the next creature or object the rod touches.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Rod, Brew Potion, spectral hand; Market Price: 5,000 gp.

Q. Near the end of Chapter 5, one of the PCs will be kidnapped and taken to the Probe of Dreams. The PC will then end up in the body of Admah Sheron, a human Bard, who must convince the rest of the party it is actually the PC. My question is, how does the PC get back into his/her own body?

Zimriel:
Beginning of Ch. 6, pg. 62: the party has to find the PC's body. I don't know where they hid it either, though...

ZIMthelrken:
page 44: "The [kidnap] victim will be put into the probe of dreams (see area 18 in Chapter Six)."
So, when the PCs get to the belfry of the Chapel of St. Thessina, their companion should still be strapped into the device.

What would be really cool is if Li is still impersonating the character at this point in the story.

Q. Wiver of GQT2 fame has a key on him, ostensibly to a locked chest in his room in the Quaan. However, Wiver doesn't appear to even have a room in the Black Manor. Is that key supposed to be on Ostarach?

Monte Cook:
Hmmm. Yes, probably.

Q. Is the Dread One a minor deity or just utterly evil?

Monte Cook:
Basically, you know all those adventures and stories where the bad guy strives to become a god and the good guys stop him just before he succeeds?

Well, Eslathagos Malkith succeeded. He was mortal, became really powerful, was tempted to evil, became even more powerful, became a lesser god, and then was slain by super-powerful heroes.

That's why the being known as Ghul, who claimed to be his son, called himself the "half-god."

Q. I was looking at Kikanuile and saw she was a green hag but was large size. Is this intentional (normal green hags are medium, sea hags are large)?

cthuluftaghn:
I'd say a normal green hag would be on the larger side of medium, and Monte does state that "Kikanuile is tall, even for her kind."

Monte Cook:
Intentional. She's big.

Q. Is there a suggested adventure path to get my party from 1st level to 6th level in preparation for BW?

madfox:
I have heard that people loved to run the Freeport series.
I personally ran both Forge of Fury and the beginning of Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. That though will require some work and those two adventures are not city adventures.

Infiniti2000:
Many have used the Freeport Trilogy from Green Ronin Publishing. www.greenronin.com/

pamenard:
You could place the Sunless Citadel entrance in the King's Gorge ravine. Then tie-in the Forge of Fury as a part of the Lost Dwarven city below Ptolus. Finally you could play the 1st half of the Speaker in Dreams module in Ptolus with minor changes (up until the group defeats the Alienist sorcerers). This would be a perfect lead to the Chaos Monk of Chapter 1 of the BW. And if the players are known to have beaten the Alienists, the Inverted Pyramid would have a good reason to contact them.

psionotic:
For myself, I used Green Ronin's Freeport trilogy. (Death in Freeport, Terror in Freeport, Madness in Freeport) It works as a complete mini-campaign in its own right, and my characters finished them at 6th level, perfect to start 'em up on the BW, which I will be doing on Friday.....

Q. After the players (or others) have opened the Vault Doors, what are the adjusted stats of these doors if they are closed again?

Monte Cook:
Once unsealed, treat them as normal doors found in the BW. Unless the sealing rod is used.

Q. What would you tell your players when they identify a Bone Ring? Do you tell them that it works in reverse - it allows the ring wearer to be located? Do you tell them the part about having to know the person's name? Do you tell them that they have to stand at the fountain?

madfox:
Anyway, the bone ring of the Quaan has got two functions:
* Cast scry on the person wearing the ring by focusing on the ring and NOT the person.
* Forge the Pact of none-aggression.

Since the Pact is only forged when the ring is combined with the Fountain, I would rule that identify does not recognize this effect. So we are left with the first function, which functions more like a focus for scrying ON the ring then locate person. Which is exactly what I told my players when they identified it. By that time it was already too late, one of the PCs was stupid enough to immediately wear the ring after they found it.

Follow-up question: Here's something I've been wondering: is the Quaan ring non-removable once the original wearer has been killed and the ring placed on another finger (say, that of an incautious PC)? Or does it require the pact of nonaggression at the Fountain?

yangnome:
That is a good question; I have assumed all along that once a person puts on the ring it is not removable. But, having the ring graft itself to the bone after the pact at the font would make sense too. Either option could be viable in your world, though I think for game sake it provides more options and fun for the DM to have the ring graft itself instantly.

PaladinTodd:
The adventure just says that the *creator* of the ring must be in the Pact. I read this to mean that anyone can wear the ring and that it grafts itself to the bone and is non-removable for anyone that wears it.

When in the Quaan, any character wearing the ring knows the direction to the Fountain, can be healed by drinking the water, etc. So it seems that the rings work just fine for characters.

Q. Tell me if I have this right: vault doors tough to break through, but are not magically sealed. Sealed doors are sealed completely (only susceptible to the Vlaadam's key or a wish spell) by the warding generators. So once the sealing rod and staff of shards are acquired, and assuming the generators are intact, then the Warrens can be sealed with the rod and the key destroyed by the staff? Is this correct? What do you have to do with the unfinished generator?

madfox:
The lower part of the BW is not protected against digging, teleporting and dimensional traveling unless the generator has been finished. Even if you reseal everything, a wish can once again open the sealed door below unless the generator is fixed. Further then that you are correct.

yangnome:
Vault doors are magically warded/"sealed", but can be broken into. Sealed doors cannot, without the assistance of the key/ a wish.

Q. Is there a BW Yahoo group?

DrydenFassa:
groups.yahoo.com/group/BW/

Q. In the text explaining the functions of the various positions, it says that the Doomwalker draws on the controller, gaining the ability to add the characters respective modifier to its own stats. During the time the Doomwalker is drawing upon these stats, does the character lose the same bonus? Is the Doomwalker leaching from them while they have the helmet on or is it just piggy-backing their abilities? This could come into factor when the pactlords enter the room.

madfox:
When you are steering the doomwalker, you cannot do anything at all with your body, so the question is somewhat moot. The character is rather helpless, so for your partys sake I hope they will have a guard at their backs

TheOneAndOnlyVempyre:
Personally, I wouldn't take the wording "draw" too literally. As I wouldn't remove the character's bonus because of the wording "draw". Though using a helmet technically renders a character helpless to physical attacks, rendering a character helpless to mental attacks also (by removing him all of his will save bonus) would be a bit overdoing it (personal opinion).

Q. The 1/2 Demon noble woman with the werewolves wore a Headband of Dimension Door, which the party has decided to sell. What would it be worth?

Thrommel:
This is exactly the same as a cape of the mountebank, which lists for 12,960gp. So they could sell it for about 6,480.

Q. Maybe I am just thick, but where is the old dwarven city in relation to the BW? Is it the BW? Or is the city separate and above or below? Is there something you use as the DH?

Mazl0:
As I understand it there is a hierarchy of levels in Ptolus.
The BW is located in the Spire above the city and in some vaults below the city.

Otherwise, the city's hierarchy appears to be Ptolus the city on top, below that there are several layers of catacombs and old city, below that there is Dwarvenhearth (which is sealed and inaccessible but somehow Monte's players found a way in), and below that there are the Dark Elves and their caverns (Monte's Queen of Lies adventure).

So in short, you shouldn't have to create any of Dwarvenhearth to run the BW adventure as written. If you plan on running the BW in Ptolus as written I'd suggest taking a look at Monte's Ptolus archives (they're a great help, especially the first few) and the Ptolus board's Ptolus Primer sticky post.

Q. Why are the octopi there at all? They're not banes... They don't make particularly good guardians just stuck there in their glass tubes...

madfox:
The octopi are guardians to the only method of opening the secret door that leads deeper into the BW. I treated them the same as the girallons. They are protected by the magic of Ishtar, goddess of plants, fertility, love and good magic.

Monte Cook:
They are there because they are the last remnants of the lair companions Danar created for his friend and ally, Estalada, a nymph (page 57).

Q. When I introduced Jevicca, one of my players said (OOG), "Oh, like 'Jevicca's Just Reversal'?" (a spell in BOEMII). I assume she is, right?

Monte Cook:
Right.

Q. I'm reading about the Dread Osyluths and I see no way that this won't be a TPK in my next session. Am I missing something or is this room going to be a TPK for most parties? Are the players supposed to learn that Vault Door = TPK and just leave them all alone?

Monte Cook:
It's not quite as bad as you might think.

On the first round, only about half the osyluths (on average) are going to even begin to squirm. Of those, only about a fourth will get free (so, one). Assuming average rolls. It spends its first round breaking free, so the PCs get a free round. It's unlikely the PCs will get swarmed, at least at first. Once they see that it's a powerful devil coming out, and that more are probably on the way, I'd like to think that they're likely to run. Running away, as stated, is safe.

If they need it, give the players clues that they should run. "Two more of the creatures look like they're about to break free..." The tone of your voice can convey a lot.

The point of this encounter is to say "this is a dangerous place, and not everything here is going to be defeatable by you."

Q. My players are getting close to the Quaan and I'm looking for suggestions on otherworldly music to reinforce the weirdness of that locale.

Dextolen:
The Ghost in the Shell soundtrack is very moody and 'different' (with the exception of the final track which is J-Pop schlock, be sure to stop the CD before then!).

I can also recommend a world/new age duet called "VAS". If you like Lisa Gerrard (Gladiator Sndtrk, Dead Can Dance) you will appreciate this.

Q. Unless I'm missing something, it doesn't seem possible for the characters to seal the BW without trapping at least one of them inside. They have to reactivate the shield generator in the broken seal area, but they can't do that until the wall has been repaired. And if they do activate the shield generator, there's no way for them to get out. So how do they seal the place up?

madfox:
Four options:
1) The generator does not create a wall, so if the PCs activate the generator, they can still leave and then create a new wall that is automatically warded once it is there.
2) The generator does create a wall of force, but the silver dragon offers to remain behind and seal the BW from inside.
3) The generator does create a wall of force, but it needs some warming up time, so the PCs have a chance to leave before the BW are once again completely sealed.
4) One of the PCs will need to make the ultimate sacrifice and remain behind. Though with true resurrection and suicide it might not be that much of a sacrifice.

The scenario itself does not describe which of the options is the one in operation. So I think it is up to the DM to decide which one to select. Personally, I think option 3 or 2 are the best.

MSinclair:
I think I've come up with a solution. I made a slight rule change that says anyone holding the BW key can enter or exit the warrens by magical means. Not only does this solve the problem of re-sealing the place, it also gives the party incentive to find all the pieces of the Staff of Shards to destroy the key afterward (currently, it doesn't matter whether or not the key is destroyed if the place is sealed).

That was the best solution I could think of.

Amaranthine:
Start up the generator and then brick up the hole. The sealing will incorporate the new construction.

I think I remember Monte stating something similar quite a while ago.

Q. Let's say a PC is foolish enough to use the Vargouille Knife on a monster and the monster fails the Fort check. Both the monster and the PC begin the transformation of turning into a Vargouille. I assume this takes many hours just like the Vargouille kiss? The MM says that a Remove Disease can "reverse the transformation". Will a Remove Disease work if the transformation is complete (the head has separated from the body)? Or does that only mean it reverses the transformation if it is not complete?

madfox:
Based on other conditions I think remove disease will only work while the transformation is going on. Once the transformation is complete, a wish or a miracle will be needed. I am not sure if the change will be a natural transformation. Though it does give the PCs a chance to counteract the effects. Unless you had not mentioned it, I would have made it an immediate change. The dagger is in the hands of Navanna and since shape changers are immune to polymorph the dagger would make a fine tool for her werewolves. Since the Vladaam and the PCs have made a deal, I am sure the PCs will not be on the receiving end of the dagger for the time being.

Q. What is the deal with Jevicca Norrs arm?

Monte Cook:
Jevicca lost her arm in a magical duel early in her career. She hung on and still won the battle, and decided not to have the limb regenerated. Instead, she had it replaced with an arm of magically animated glass that can store 6 spell levels like an ioun stone.

Q. Now I want to give that PC some clue about the Dread One's Path as a vision send from Ishtar. Gods are notoriously vague when it comes to clues, so I was wondering if somebody better then me in riddles could write one about the Dread's One's Path and the fact that the last part of the staff can be found there.

ericjr77:
Here's something that might work: a metaphor of a creature constructed out of all those parts:

A silver mane with an alchemist's gift
A bronze tail in a dimensional rift
A steel heart, and a child's mind
One more piece is left to find

Legs to walk the path of dread
Arms at hand, and manned the head
one last thing to surmount your fears:
twice as many eyes and ears

Four wings grounded, two aflight
Whether reddened, or black as night
The way is harder -- on that depend
If six take the air at journey's end