Part 18: Putting Out the Fire
Nah, I went last time. Make Bob go instead.Alright. Let me tell you guys about planning.
Back when I started DMing, I began by using a beginners module I found among my dads stuff, which I had to adapt personally from 1st edition to 3rd. I decided to include all the best loot, because Im soft-hearted like that, and my players found basically all of it before the dungeon was over. Unfortunately, 3rd edition D&D was the first to really start experimenting with game balance, and the module included a bunch of +1s and a +2 weapon just there for the taking. Checking the price sheets later, I realized just how much more these weapons were worth compared to the PCs, and resolved to fix my mistake. Mind you, if I was doing it today, Id let them keep their measly 5-10% accuracy boost and not give them anything good for several more levels, but at the time the players were mauling the hell out of the enemies and I blamed the weapons. Luckily, my players (also mostly new) agreed with my reasoning when I explained myself.
Heres how I fixed the problem: a mysterious stranger attacks them on the road, hands them their asses, and then uses a mysterious artifact to drain their magic weapons. I never really explained why, but it was obvious the guy was working for someone bigger. I figured I could always flesh it out somewhere on down the line, once they were powerful enough, but it would be several years before I finally made the grand reveal. Several real years. Id go on to pull out the mysterious villain card a couple more times in the interim, but for the most part the players just forgot about the incident.
So after the PCs returned from Ravenloft (long story, talk about it later) to their personal nation (same deal), they found out the place had been burned to the ground while they were gone. The whole country. Rape and pillage, murder and salted fields; basically, the place was wiped off the map. Only then did the villain choose to reveal himself, laughing and standing on top of their burning keep. He stuck around just long enough to gloat, then Teleported off. This served its purpose of pissing off the players quite effectively.
The villain himself revealed nothing, but after some scrying, the PCs discovered he was an ancient red dragon who had used some kind of magic to unite his kind and spread terror and destruction across the landscape. Levels 15-20 were spent gathering support from among the nations of good races, support which finally manifested as a massive fleet of airships in a blatant rip-off of Final Fantasy 9. The PCs were delivered into the main chamber of the villains lair, and after a quick couple of rounds (sadly common throughout the campaign), the final villain diedbut not before revealing that he was working in the name of the Duke of the Nine Hells himself, Asmodeus. Levels 21 and above were spent gathering the artifacts necessary to defeat him, which eventually came to pass as a blatant rip-off of Kings Quest 6. I can go into details later.
So you may be asking, what does all this have to do with planning? Well, heres the thing: Id always wanted to lead a campaign to destroy Asmodeus in an epic conflict ever since I read his entry in my dads 1st edition Monster Manual, which occurred well before 3rd edition even existed. So although it took well over ten years, and over half that playing a single campaign of D&D, I got my wish. Now that is what I call planning.
![](1-C1601.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
So you guys arent going to even bother speaking with the high priest? Arent going to hear what he might have to say about you killing the Earth Temple priest?
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
Well
![](4-C1602.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](6-Big.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](7-C1603.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](8-C1604.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](9-C1605.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](10-Josephus.jpg)
![](11-C1606.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](12-C1607.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](10-Josephus.jpg)
![](13-Garrett.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](14-C1608.jpg)
Killing the last runaway bugbear dropped me out of combat, and getting all those levels made me forget about this poor bastard completely, even though he was pulsing with Sleeping notices the whole time. Oh well, no harm done.
![](15-C1609.jpg)
![](10-Josephus.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](16-C1611.jpg)
Well, aside from the Full Plate Armor and assorted money you got from the lesser monsters, Alrrem has three spell scrolls, a magic warhammer, magic chainmail, and a magic shield. You also find a Darkwood buckler in his personal chest.
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](13-Garrett.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](13-Garrett.jpg)
So whats next for you guys?
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](17-C1612.jpg)
![](18-Bassanio.jpg)
![](19-C1613.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](20-C1614.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](21-C1615.jpg)
![](6-Big.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](22-C1616.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](23-C1617.jpg)
![](24-C1618.jpg)
Noble Salamanders have the ability to cast Fireball three times per day, and they certainly love using it in this case. Id say my inability to survive its constant use caused more reloads than for any other single combat. Even still, Meleny managed to die again when her Resistance wore off before the Fireballs did.
![](25-C1619.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](6-Big.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](5-Meleny.jpg)
![](26-C1620.jpg)
![](3-Hardboot.jpg)
![](6-Big.jpg)
![](27-C1621.jpg)
![](28-C1622.jpg)
Since I imagine youre heading back to town to Raise Meleny, Ill just tell you what you found. Bassanio has a Rope of Entanglement, magic splint mail, and a +1 Flaming Sword. The chest behind him contains a Minor Ring of Fire Resistance and Frost Brand.
![](6-Big.jpg)
Seriously.
![](2-Alistor.jpg)
![](13-Garrett.jpg)
![](2-Alistor.jpg)