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Tyro
I'm about to start running my first Shadowrun game, and 2 of my 3 players have never played before. Which of the three adventures I have available to me (Ghost Cartels, Dawn of the Artifacts or Emergence) should I run, and why?

Potentially relavent information: Nobody's a hacker (they're going to pay an NPC for when they need hacking done) or rigger. We have a conjuring-focused mage, a tank with cyberarms and torso, and a charismatic assassin adept (infiltration/face). The bullet sponge hates drugs, to the point where he won't even use slap patches.

[Edit:] I live in Auburn, about 30 miles south of Seattle and part of the Seattle metroplex in Shadowrun canon.
Daylen
not to sidetrack your thread badly, but did you know there are a bunch of SR3 and SR4 adventures on the SR site that are free?
Tyro
QUOTE (Daylen @ Jan 12 2010, 03:15 PM) *
not to sidetrack your thread badly, but did you know there are a bunch of SR3 and SR4 adventures on the SR site that are free?

I knew about the introductory adventure (the demo thingy), but I didn't know there were others. Would you suggest any in particular?
DireRadiant
Ghost Cartels. Good framework you can adjust as you need to your players. Has Seattle. Can grow as needed.
Johnny Hammersticks
We're about 2/3rds through emergence and we had a hacker and currently have a technomancer.

I wouldn't recommend it.
Daylen
http://www.shadowrun4.com/missions/downloads/

http://www.shadowrun4.com/missions/downloa...R3Archive.shtml

unfortunetly I havent played any published adventures more recent than SR1 or SR2... whichever one had the pissing contest between Harlequin and Ehran the scribe.
The Jake
I am running Ghost Cartels and I have Dawn of the Artifacts for next as well.

I am a big fan of GC but it comes down to how much time you have to prepare. Ghost Cartels will last you much longer than Dawn but requires a lot more effort to get running.

- J.
Hagga
Emergence, if you don't have On-The-Run. Great fun.
Tyro
Looks like ghost cartels is probable. All the free adventures on the site are 3E from what I can tell.
Bira
I actually wouldn't recommend Ghost Cartels if you have a PC who hates drugs. Most of the campaigns in that book have the characters working for one criminal syndicate or another, and mostly helping them distribute drugs. Emergence can still be run if there's no hacker in the group, but won't work as well if they're not interested in finding out about technomancers and AIs. If they are, however, it can give you plenty of material to work with.

Dawn of the artifacts is pretty sweet, and shorter than both Emergence and Ghost Cartels - it's three full-featured adventures rather than a campaign book covering a whole year of game time. Two of those have already been published (Dusk and Midnight). They seem to be pretty high-powered, action-movie stuff, and I would recommend them if you and your players are into that.

As for the free adventures, there's a set for SR3 that takes place in Seattle, and another for SR4 that takes place in Denver. They're OK - I've been running the Denver ones.
Yogo Ted
Go with Dawn of the Artifacts. Bira outlines it pretty well, and I'd like to add that it is very mage friendly, or so it seems to me.
The Jake
QUOTE (Bira @ Jan 13 2010, 01:50 AM) *
I actually wouldn't recommend Ghost Cartels if you have a PC who hates drugs. Most of the campaigns in that book have the characters working for one criminal syndicate or another, and mostly helping them distribute drugs. Emergence can still be run if there's no hacker in the group, but won't work as well if they're not interested in finding out about technomancers and AIs. If they are, however, it can give you plenty of material to work with.


Good point. Ghost Cartels is a very dark campaign so if you have any do-gooder/Robin Hood types at your table, I wouldn't run it. I have one player who made such a character (very annoyingly), despite KNOWING in advance that this is a dark campaign and now finding his character really doesn't fit. He is slowly coming to the realisation he will need to either revise his concept or create a new character.

That said, I really didn't like Emergence. It isn't an adventure anyway, its a story book chock full of ideas. I hated that book personally as a GM, but it did make for interesting reading.

- J.
Draco18s
Another fun one is Renraku Shutdown (or whatever its title is) with SHODAN soundclips.

One session in and I'm already loving it.
Yogo Ted
QUOTE (Draco18s @ Jan 12 2010, 10:18 PM) *
Another fun one is Renraku Shutdown (or whatever its title is) with SHODAN soundclips.

One session in and I'm already loving it.


Quoted for truth and justice.
Tymeaus Jalynsfein
QUOTE (Johnny Hammersticks @ Jan 12 2010, 04:26 PM) *
We're about 2/3rds through emergence and we had a hacker and currently have a technomancer.

I wouldn't recommend it.



Why Not? Anything in Particular?
We have been playing in Emergence since it came out and I love it... We have a hacker and a Technomancer as well as 4 various other archtypes...

Keep the Faith
kanislatrans
echo what others have said.

We ran GC and my rigger was designed to be the voice of reason. The tone of the campaign took the poor "corp newbie" into a downward spiral that he still hasn't recovered from.(grin) granted, it was extremely fun, but I had to really get into character to not to come off as a Paladin. a glimpse of what happened can be found here

collateral damage.

Id go with the DOTA run as a GM as its a little more white hat.
tete
QUOTE (Daylen @ Jan 12 2010, 11:28 PM) *
unfortunetly I havent played any published adventures more recent than SR1 or SR2... whichever one had the pissing contest between Harlequin and Ehran the scribe.



Wait wait, you played classic SR and didn't play Universal Brotherhood?!

PS. The adventure you speak of is the original Harlequin.
The Jake
I'm assuming we're talking SR4 unless someone specifically states otherwise...

- J.
Tyro
I just talked to the player in question, and he says he's fine with running Ghost Cartels (after I explained that it's a dark campaign, we aren't the good guys, and he'd be distributing drugs). This should be interesting - his character is a Desert Wars vet, a mercenary who has Prejudice (Specific, Outspoken: Drug dealers), but needs the money and justifies taking it with the fact that he's hunting down the source of a dangerous new drug.
The Jake
QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 13 2010, 04:28 AM) *
I just talked to the player in question, and he says he's fine with running Ghost Cartels (after I explained that it's a dark campaign, we aren't the good guys, and he'd be distributing drugs). This should be interesting - his character is a Desert Wars vet, a mercenary who has Prejudice (Specific, Outspoken: Drug dealers), but needs the money and justifies taking it with the fact that he's hunting down the source of a dangerous new drug.


That's a dangerous flaw to possess in Ghost Cartels.... I hope he intends on paying it off with karma at the first opportunity...

I would have gone with Dawn of the Artifacts with a PC with THAT flaw...

- J.
DireRadiant
QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 12 2010, 07:54 PM) *
Looks like ghost cartels is probable. All the free adventures on the site are 3E from what I can tell.


http://www.shadowrun4.com/missions/downloads/

are all SR4 missions in Denver.

For new players, I also suggest the quick start rules free download http://www.shadowrun4.com/quickstart/
Method
And I'll take this opportunity to whore out the map I made for use with Food Fight 4.0 (included in the Quick Start Rules).

Oh, and if you're looking for another player in the Seattle area... biggrin.gif
Axl
Like DireRadiant, I would recommend the Denver SR4 Missions to start off. They are free and you can easily adapt them to your local setting (Seattle). Each adventure is self-contained and guidance is given if the PCs go too far off-track. It will also help you and your players gradually learn the rules.
Jimson
QUOTE (The Jake @ Jan 13 2010, 12:48 AM) *
That's a dangerous flaw to possess in Ghost Cartels.... I hope he intends on paying it off with karma at the first opportunity...

I would have gone with Dawn of the Artifacts with a PC with THAT flaw...

- J.


I agree with The Jake. If he plays his character true, he'll be pissed off the whole module (year game time). More importantly, being Outspoken, he'll most likely piss someone else off. I haven't ran Dawn of the Artifacts, but that sounds like it might be the better choice for your team.
TeaTime
I'll join the voices recommending Ghost Cartels. It's pretty involved, and probably best for mature audiences (and experienced RPGers). I'd definitely run a couple of non-connected starter adventures for everyone to work the kinks out of their PCs and to get to know their characters before hitting the campaign (yep, Denver Missions would work well for this) and laying the groundwork for the start of Ghost Cartels during the inital sessions.

I'd also suggest rewarding a high degree of moral flexibility in the characters, and being quite generous with the nuyen and Karma. Towards the end, it gets.... thrillingly brutal.
Tyro
QUOTE (Jimson @ Jan 13 2010, 11:30 AM) *
I agree with The Jake. If he plays his character true, he'll be pissed off the whole module (year game time). More importantly, being Outspoken, he'll most likely piss someone else off. I haven't ran Dawn of the Artifacts, but that sounds like it might be the better choice for your team.

I might be able to convince him to change it to Biased. The character in question is a Desert Wars vet turned straight merc, so he'll be used to doing things he doesn't like.
Semerkhet
I'm running my group through Dawn of the Artifacts right now. We're about halfway through and having a good time. I'm really looking forward to the *very mild spoiler*big chase scene at the end.

I've had to do far less tinkering with this adventure than most other published ones. It's nice that the NPCs seem intelligently statted out with non-corebook items.

The Jake
QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 14 2010, 08:59 PM) *
I might be able to convince him to change it to Biased. The character in question is a Desert Wars vet turned straight merc, so he'll be used to doing things he doesn't like.


I wouldn't change the character. It sounds like it was well thought out and part of the design. I'd run Dawn of the Ancients if I were you - or alternatively, read Ghost Cartels for ways in which you could alter it to allow such characters.

E.g. maybe the PCs are working for Lone Star to infiltrate the Seattle underworld? Some high society mooks to get a line on tempo?

- J.
Cain
Emergence isn't really an adventure, and does not come highly recommended, according to our own Knasser.

Ghost Cartels, I have to personally recommend against. It's too railroad-y, too scrambled in the beginning, and generally too much of a mess. It's got quality writing in it, but bad editing.

I haven't finished Dawn of the Artifacts yet, but I'm already having trouble with the fact they put a god-mode GMPC into the team. I'll put up a full review when I get done with it.
The Jake
QUOTE (Cain @ Jan 16 2010, 10:31 AM) *
Emergence isn't really an adventure, and does not come highly recommended, according to our own Knasser.

Ghost Cartels, I have to personally recommend against. It's too railroad-y, too scrambled in the beginning, and generally too much of a mess. It's got quality writing in it, but bad editing.

I haven't finished Dawn of the Artifacts yet, but I'm already having trouble with the fact they put a god-mode GMPC into the team. I'll put up a full review when I get done with it.


I completely forgot the God GMPC! I was planning on re-writing that section myself.

You have to admit however, based on his party composition, that Ghost Cartels isn't really viable.

- J.
hahnsoo
The God GMPCs are just like your typical Mr. Johnsons and plot NPCs in other adventures. Crucial plot NPCs don't have stats because the PCs aren't supposed to be stupid enough to try something against them (Mr. Johnsons and plot NPCs, not the GMPC). There are no immortal elves or dragons directly involved in Dawn of the Artifacts (you won't shoot a rocket launcher at them, in any case... you will run into agents of said entities, but that's typical for Shadowrun).

There's only one scene in which Frosty will ever use her powers, and she passes out when it happens. It's not like she's a drake. The elf adept is at the upper level of what is considered powerful for a typical runner, but he doesn't have any extraordinary abilities beyond that. The uber NPCs only exist to tie the adventure into the greater scheme of things in the Shadowrun metaplot, nothing more. In fact, if you delete the scene where Frosty passes out, you could easily replace Frosty and the other major NPCs with the mystical NPCs of your choice (and I would highly encourage this, if you have problems with them).
Tyro
I've been thinking of running Dawn of the Artifacts, but the issues with Frosty bug me.
Method
QUOTE (hahnsoo @ Jan 16 2010, 01:50 PM) *
There are no immortal elves or dragons...
Well this is technically correct in Dusk. I think we should be clear that we are talking about the first installment (or 2 if you have Midnight) of a four part series. And that is with the possible exception of Frosty (we don't know for sure yet, as she's too young). Regardless, there are *very strong* ties to the ol' IE metaplot (which many people dislike) and I think the PTB have hinted (quite strongly) that there will be other celebrity appearances in future installments.
hahnsoo
QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 16 2010, 06:33 PM) *
I've been thinking of running Dawn of the Artifacts, but the issues with Frosty bug me.
What issues in particular? She's just a plot NPC who is your Johnson. The only people who are likely to care are veterans who have read and played Shadowrun for 20 years. Her interactions are only critical at the end, and even then, she only serves as a convenient source of cash for the end event. There's one event when she shows her power, but she passes out afterwards, and then it becomes a simple "kill all monsters" event.

You can run all of the Artifacts missions with a different character as a Johnson, with a bit of rewriting. Frosty isn't an immortal elf, nor does she possess the level of power of statblock NPCs like Perianwyr and Teachdaire, and you can easily insert pretty much anyone you want as the Mr. Johnson. Heck, you can have Fastjack do it, if you want, and just ignore the kill all monsters event. Or your regular Mr. Johnson.
Tyro
QUOTE (hahnsoo @ Jan 16 2010, 03:48 PM) *
What issues in particular? She's just a plot NPC who is your Johnson. The only people who are likely to care are veterans who have read and played Shadowrun for 20 years. Her interactions are only critical at the end, and even then, she only serves as a convenient source of cash for the end event. There's one event when she shows her power, but she passes out afterwards, and then it becomes a simple "kill all monsters" event.

You can run all of the Artifacts missions with a different character as a Johnson, with a bit of rewriting. Frosty isn't an immortal elf, nor does she possess the level of power of statblock NPCs like Perianwyr and Teachdaire, and you can easily insert pretty much anyone you want as the Mr. Johnson. Heck, you can have Fastjack do it, if you want, and just ignore the kill all monsters event. Or your regular Mr. Johnson.

I guess you have a point. I love your siggy, by the way.
Cain
Hate to disappoint you, but Frosty is indeed an elf, and an immortal at that. The fact that she's an elf was revealed in the original Harlequin adventure, and the fact that she carries the immortal gene has been revealed in several other sources. In most published adventures, there are stat blocks for your fixers and Mr. Johnsons, simply so you have something to roll negotiation against. Frosty, as published, is a GMPC pure and simple.
hahnsoo
QUOTE (Cain @ Jan 16 2010, 10:46 PM) *
Hate to disappoint you, but Frosty is indeed an elf, and an immortal at that. The fact that she's an elf was revealed in the original Harlequin adventure, and the fact that she carries the immortal gene has been revealed in several other sources. In most published adventures, there are stat blocks for your fixers and Mr. Johnsons, simply so you have something to roll negotiation against. Frosty, as published, is a GMPC pure and simple.

*shrugs* So? Who cares? Are people so rage-blinded by immortalelflolz that they can't run a simple good adventure that uses Frosty as a NPC? Also, I would like to know, for my own information, these sources that indicate that Frosty is an immortal elf. She's a fuckin' elf, everyone knows that. It's the immortality part that I would like to know (several sources?). As far as I know, SR writers have waffled on this point.

It's a good detailed adventure that isn't overpowered. That's pretty much all you need to know about Dawn of the Artifacts.
cndblank
I'd say that the free SR mission are short and easy to run.

They are very good for learning SR4 (both for the GM and the players).


Agree on Ghost Cartels, but there is a lot of useful pieces in it.


Dawn of Artifacts is very good and the meta plot is kept light, but I wouldn't start a campaign with it.


hahnsoo
QUOTE (cndblank @ Jan 18 2010, 04:53 PM) *
Dawn of Artifacts is very good and the meta plot is kept light, but I wouldn't start a campaign with it.
If you are starting a campaign in Lagos Nigeria, it's a great introduction to the city. But yes, other than that, I wouldn't. It's not meant to be a whole campaign... it's meant to be a one-shot adventure inserted into another campaign whenever you feel like it.
Tyro
Since these people are totally new to the world, I'd like to start them at street level and work up. I don't have the experience or (in my opinion) talent necessary to write adventures myself, so suggestions for modules (including order in which to run them) would be very much appreciated.

This includes third-party (i.e. fanbrew) modules which are, by general consensus, balanced and of similar quality with the official modules.

I should probably mention that I limit hits (NOT net hits) to Skill * 2, total DP modifiers to Skill + Stat, and total DP to 20. Use of Edge circumvents this.

Hardened armor provides auto-hits, and ItNW (i.e. spirits) gives Magic * 1.5 HA, not Magic * 2.

Agents (hacking) don't exist, and computer use is Skill + Stat (i.e. Hacking + Logic) with hits capped by program rating.
hahnsoo
QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 18 2010, 05:37 PM) *
Since these people are totally new to the world, I'd like to start them at street level and work up. I don't have the experience or (in my opinion) talent necessary to write adventures myself, so suggestions for modules (including order in which to run them) would be very much appreciated.

This includes third-party (i.e. fanbrew) modules which are, by general consensus, balanced and of similar quality with the official modules.

I should probably mention that I limit hits (NOT net hits) to Skill * 2, total DP modifiers to Skill + Stat, and total DP to 20. Use of Edge circumvents this.

Hardened armor provides auto-hits, and ItNW (i.e. spirits) gives Magic * 1.5 HA, not Magic * 2.

Agents (hacking) don't exist, and computer use is Skill + Stat (i.e. Hacking + Logic) with hits capped by program rating.
Your house rules are basically irrelevant to running a module, the way I'm reading them (this isn't an insult, it's a good thing). Run any of the modules here:
http://www.shadowrun4.com/missions/downloads/

You can use a Table Rating of 1 for a beginning party. Adapt the setting as you see fit.

EDIT: This was already mentioned by Daylen in post 6 of this thread.

EDIT 2: If you are starting out as a GM, I highly suggest NOT using auto-hits for Hardened Armor. It leads to way more headaches for a starting GM than it's worth, especially when the PCs start using it against you. Nothing says "killjoy" more than "your gun can't blow up that vehicle, I'm sorry". And conversely, when your PCs are walking around with mobile walls that are impenetrable, you'll have to escalate the campaign so that every security guard carries APDS, or risk having invulnerable PCs.
Tyro
QUOTE (hahnsoo @ Jan 18 2010, 02:47 PM) *
Your house rules are basically irrelevant to running a module, the way I'm reading them (this isn't an insult, it's a good thing). Run any of the modules here:
http://www.shadowrun4.com/missions/downloads/

You can use a Table Rating of 1 for a beginning party. Adapt the setting as you see fit.

EDIT: This was already mentioned by Daylen in post 6 of this thread.

EDIT 2: If you are starting out as a GM, I highly suggest NOT using auto-hits for Hardened Armor. It leads to way more headaches for a starting GM than it's worth, especially when the PCs start using it against you. Nothing says "killjoy" more than "your gun can't blow up that vehicle, I'm sorry". And conversely, when your PCs are walking around with mobile walls that are impenetrable, you'll have to escalate the campaign so that every security guard carries APDS, or risk having invulnerable PCs.

Maybe I'll only make it auto-hits for spirits, then.
The Jake
I don't have a problem with Forsty being immortal -- I mean Immunity to Age does not equal an unlimited Magic rating.

What I have a problem with is the bit where she nukes all the enemy in an absurd display of power as a deus ex machina. It could have been handled a lot more subtlely without undermining the efforts of the PCs.

- J.
hahnsoo
QUOTE (The Jake @ Jan 18 2010, 06:06 PM) *
I don't have a problem with Forsty being immortal -- I mean Immunity to Age does not equal an unlimited Magic rating.

What I have a problem with is the bit where she nukes all the enemy in an absurd display of power as a deus ex machina. It could have been handled a lot more subtlely without undermining the efforts of the PCs.

- J.
Just remove that scene. It's not important. Spoilering the rest:
[ Spoiler ]


QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 18 2010, 06:03 PM) *
Maybe I'll only make it auto-hits for spirits, then.
Doesn't that make your Conjurer-focused mage more powerful? That's what I meant about mobile walls. Manifested Spirits basically can give you moving cover that doesn't impede you. If you want to run a campaign that way, that's fine. If you want to make Spirits less vulnerable to gunfire, though, just remove the ability for Armor Penetration to affect Immunity to Normal Weapons as a house rule, instead of changing the Hardened Armor mechanic.
Tyro
QUOTE (hahnsoo @ Jan 18 2010, 03:18 PM) *
Just remove that scene. It's not important. Spoilering the rest:
[ Spoiler ]

I think I'll do that (remove the deus ex).
QUOTE (hahnsoo @ Jan 18 2010, 03:18 PM) *
Doesn't that make your Conjurer-focused mage more powerful? That's what I meant about mobile walls. Manifested Spirits basically can give you moving cover that doesn't impede you. If you want to run a campaign that way, that's fine. If you want to make Spirits less vulnerable to gunfire, though, just remove the ability for Armor Penetration to affect Immunity to Normal Weapons as a house rule, instead of changing the Hardened Armor mechanic.

That would work. How do you think I should handle stick 'n shock re: spirits?

[Edit:] I checked a spreadsheet from another thread which statted out average damage vs. spirits, and damage using 1 * Magic or 1.5 * Magic actually compares pretty well to RAW damage vs. lower Forces of spirits, with the advantage that higher Force spirits have a linear damage progression instead of asploding at higher DV's while ignoring lower ones. I'm going to go with 1.5 * Magic and auto-hits (for all, or for ItNW only if killing vehicles becomes a big issue), and switch to 1 * Magic if spirits turn out to be too powerful.

RE: Missions - The Denver Missions scenarios seem to be a good place to start. However, I'm a bit worried by the notes given with every scenario through #19 - If things don't work out as they did in the notes, how much tinkering will I have to do with subsequent adventures?

I'm thinking I'll run Denver with options for "side quests" like Dawn of the Artifacts etc.
Cain
The Denver Missions are quite good. I haven't had the opportunity to play in New York Missions yet, so I can't comment. But I ran a campaign starting with nothing but the Denver modules, and things went rather well.

QUOTE (hahnsoo @ Jan 16 2010, 09:06 PM) *
*shrugs* So? Who cares? Are people so rage-blinded by immortalelflolz that they can't run a simple good adventure that uses Frosty as a NPC? Also, I would like to know, for my own information, these sources that indicate that Frosty is an immortal elf. She's a fuckin' elf, everyone knows that. It's the immortality part that I would like to know (several sources?). As far as I know, SR writers have waffled on this point.

A "simple good adventure" featuring a GMPC in a prominent role is pretty much an oxymoron. Sources that reveal Frosty as an immortal, IIRC, include the Dragon Heart Trilogy and possibly even Harelquin itself. I seem to recall a sentence or two in her writeup mentioning that, but it's been a while since I went over Harlequin.
hahnsoo
QUOTE (Cain @ Jan 19 2010, 01:11 AM) *
A "simple good adventure" featuring a GMPC in a prominent role is pretty much an oxymoron. Sources that reveal Frosty as an immortal, IIRC, include the Dragon Heart Trilogy and possibly even Harelquin itself. I seem to recall a sentence or two in her writeup mentioning that, but it's been a while since I went over Harlequin.
It's such a prominent role, that you can't possibly completely write her out of the adventure. Nope, not at all.

Wait a minute. You CAN. And the adventure would be the same, except for a single scene. I demand a refund!

Seriously, you are overblowing it. The adventure can be run completely without her, replacing "Frosty" with "Your current Johnson or his agent in your current campaign", and it will run without a hitch. It doesn't matter whether she is immortal, either, because she's twinky enough as it is without immortal status (who knows how well the two are intertwined?). But at the same time, she's totally not necessary for the adventure. All you really need is someone who has a 1 million nuyen bankroll or can bluff a 1 million nuyen bankroll somehow (for the scene near the end) and the ability to fly the runners to Lagos at a moment's notice (by plane, not super powers). This could be any corporate contact from a variety of A, AA, and AAA corporations.

Hell, you can KEEP the scene and have the corporate contact call in an airstrike instead. Works just as well, and without any mystic connection to teh Forth Wurldz.

Her writeup in Harlequin fails to mention her immortal status, from what I've skimmed in the past day. But I could have missed something. Which book in the Dragonheart Trilogy did they mention this? I don't recall anything about her immortal status being revealed in those novels. Her presence in those books are also incidental and not central to the plot, other than as a foil to Harlequin.
Warlordtheft
QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 16 2010, 06:33 PM) *
I've been thinking of running Dawn of the Artifacts, but the issues with Frosty bug me.


I replaced her with another NPC that the PC's already knew and was about the same skill level of the PC's. Granted-the group was already in lagos so the Johnson bit was a little easier. If you do replace her, use another mage to do so (as some of the things she does are basic mage type things), and you'll have to adjust a few things.
DireRadiant
QUOTE (Tyro @ Jan 16 2010, 07:33 PM) *
I've been thinking of running Dawn of the Artifacts, but the issues with Frosty bug me.


You can always skip or modify the scene in someway. Plenty of suggestions already made for that.
Semerkhet
QUOTE (The Jake @ Jan 18 2010, 05:06 PM) *
I don't have a problem with Forsty being immortal -- I mean Immunity to Age does not equal an unlimited Magic rating.

What I have a problem with is the bit where she nukes all the enemy in an absurd display of power as a deus ex machina. It could have been handled a lot more subtlely without undermining the efforts of the PCs.

- J.

As I said before, I'm in the middle of running Dawn right now. It does seem to me like the author intended Jane to be the sort of NPC that annoys most of us with how powerful she is. However, I propose that nothing Jane is described as doing in the adventure requires her to possess powers beyond the normal range of player character magicians. Here's how I'm handling (and plan to handle) the "Frosty issue."
[ Spoiler ]


Anyway, the TLDR version is that you don't have to play Jane Foster as an uber-NPC in order for her to do everything described in the adventure "as written." My players have no clue about the metaplot backstory surrounding Jane (it never comes up) and they actually really like her so far.
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