Advices to run Dorastor

[Humakt]

I’m about to start dorastor campaign but after do in first place the modules are on the gamemaster pack.

I would like to have any advise about how carrying that because the dates and also I see could be so deadly.

also is any info about the pieces of the broken sword and the crown of insight?

Im not an expert GM I did a few bits time ago and I appreciate any advise you can give me.

Tia

[PhilHibbs]

Dorastor is pretty horrific! We played it with rune level characters, and still had a really high attrition rate. Regular RQG characters should get on a little better than RQ3 initiates would have due to access to reusable Rune Points, but still it will probably be very deadly.

The Risklands campaign was set during the Lunar occupation, when lots of Sartarite rebels were exiled to Dorastor. It would be tricky to run the new RQG adventures and then move on to Dorastor, since there's no reason to be exiled there. You could do a "go and rescue the exiles and bring them home" campaign I suppose.

[Joerg]

The reason to go to Dorastor after the liberation might be to notify your kinsfolk there of the possibilty to return, only to find them honor-bound to solve the problems of the Riskland campaign, and yourself embroiled in this. (Provided you have no duties in a certain hamlet to fulfill...)

What exactly is the time-stamp of the Paulis Longvale stories (in Cults of Terror)? The Guide says it starts in 1623 (p.344), but how long does this campaign stretch? You might be able to stretch them out long enough to ride on some of those events.

 

[soltakss]

Dorastor is a fun place. In our shared-GM RQ2 campaign, I often set scenarios there. In my RQ3 campaign, much of the campaign was set in Dorastor. My recent River Voices campaign had a few things in Dorastor.

What I normally do in Dorastor is not make it ultra-deadly. By which, I don't mean make it just another wilderness campaign or chaos nest campaign, but instead make some bits fairly straightforward.

So, the bits of Dorastor near Riskland are fairly safe. Sure, they have Broos, Scorpionmen and Ogres but that's normal for a Chaos Nest. Areas around Forts are patrolled and safe, or as safe as anywhere in Dorastor can be. Anyone holding a Ralzakark Token can be sure that if they present it to a group of Chaotics, they will be left alone, or maybe not.

So, lull them into a false sense of security as to how dangerous Dorastor is. Have a few scenarios where it is just like a wilderness or chaos nest. Clear a few chaos caves out, fight some Broo, find some human-looking Ogres, that sort of thing. Then hit them with a Monstrosity of some kind.

Monstrosities can be of varying kind:

• Chaos Monster - An random Chaos Monster that is utterly gross, imagine Cacodemon, The Crimson Bat, Cwim or something equally as dangerous. Have it come along and scare the bejaysus out of the Party and let them escape.
• Intelligent Chaos Foe - far more dangerous than the Chaos Monster, these are intelligent and well-organised Chaos Foes. Not the personalities, but perhaps a Rune Lord or Priest of a Chaos Cult and companions. These should be used to fighting and might be hostile to the party.
• Personality - Far more dangerous than an Intelligent Chaos foe, these are the named people of Dorastor, Ralzakark, the Giant King of Never Dead, Queen of the Tower of Lead, anyone out of the Dorastor or Lords of Terror supplements. These may be friendly, may be hostile but are always very dangerous.
• Terrain Feature - There are some bad places in Dorastor, Ghost dirt, Slime Pools, Ash Flats, Rolling Hills, Acid Lakes and so on. Be as mean and nasty as you want, after all it's Dorastor!
• Ragnaglar's Breath - One of my favourites. Ragnaglar's Breath rolls around Dorastor in various forms. Acid Rain, Fear Storm, Mist of Madness, Poison Cloud, List Wind, you name it you can have it. Basically, it is a wind or cloud or weather that is incredibly nasty.

Each area of Dorastor is dangerous in its own way. Poisonthorn is full of nasty, non-chaotic but evil human-hating elves. Hellwood is full of Chaos-embracing elves. Both Poisonthorn and Hellwood are full of nasty, warped, hungry plants. Slimestone has the Gorpgod, a gigantic gorp that just rolls over you and absorbs you. The Tower of Lead is full of vampires and other undead. Ash Flat is full of ghosts. Some places have broos, some ogres, some Telmori, some scorpionmen. make them all dangerous and difficult. Leaving the PCs stranded in an area is fun, watching them fight their way out is much more fun. 

 

[Humakt]

Thanks for your advices!! I like the idea after the dragon rise go to notify they can return, I have in my mind a quest to avoid caos trying to resurrect wakboth so may be there can be a clue to go after dorastor to prax and big rubble, to many things .

Ill see how it’s works 

[Wrestlepig]

On 5/26/2019 at 9:19 PM, Humakt said:

I’m about to start dorastor campaign but after do in first place the modules are on the gamemaster pack.

I would like to have any advise about how carrying that because the dates and also I see could be so deadly.

also is any info about the pieces of the broken sword and the crown of insight?

Im not an expert GM I did a few bits time ago and I appreciate any advise you can give me. 

Tia

check over the chase rules, since the best way to handle the big monsters is running away from them and you want it to be memorable.

[Runeblogger]

On 6/1/2019 at 11:44 AM, Wrestlepig said:

check over the chase rules, since the best way to handle the big monsters is running away from them and you want it to be memorable.

I would suggest using the chase rules in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, (only if you happen to have it), since the chase rules in the basic RQG rulebook aren't that great (a human can run faster than a horse if the human gets a critical or a special success). 

[Bill the barbarian]

31 minutes ago, Runeblogger said:

I would suggest using the chase rules in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, (only if you happen to have it), since the chase rules in the basic RQG rulebook aren't that great (a human can run faster than a horse if the human gets a critical or a special success). 

Being Dorastor, interesting you would suggest CoC chase rules...

Edited June 5, 2019 by Bill the barbarian

[Humakt]

19 hours ago, Runeblogger said:

I would suggest using the chase rules in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, (only if you happen to have it), since the chase rules in the basic RQG rulebook aren't that great (a human can run faster than a horse if the human gets a critical or a special success). 

I haven’t CoC is any change to have this rules?

Edited June 6, 2019 by Humakt

[Runeblogger]

22 hours ago, Humakt said:

I haven’t CoC is any change to have this rules?

They are better, but don't buy the book for this alone. You could just watch some videos about these rules on Youtube to get some ideas.

For Dorastor, I would expect:

- Having to make difficult decisions and unthinkable alliances, like: "There is a huge swarm of Scorpion Men coming this way, Do we ally with the giant spiders or with Ralzakark's broos in order to stop them?"

- Being slowly appealed by Chaos, just to survive the bigger horrors. "Yes, we are friends with the Scorpion Queen now. Yes, that's normal in these parts. No, please don't tell my cousin the Storm Khan...!!! He wouldn't understand...".

- The need to have an easy way to introduce new player characters into the story, like you're all part of the Renekoti clan. This way, you can replace dead characters easily.

- Throwing different hooks to the players before the session, and see which ones they like to bite, like rumors and interesting/worrying news.

- The need for the PCs to have a very good reason to stay in Dorastor.

- Establish motivations and plans for all the different factions, so things go on in the background.

- Horror: for example, one day a group of Stormbull and Orlanthi runelords arrive to Dorastor. They meet the PCs and share some drinks and incredible stories. They are sooo powerful. They go deep into Dorastor on some dangerous mission. And they never come back. Only much later, a strange figure comes to the place where the PCs are living. It is a thing, resembling the Orlanthi runelord, but seemingly made of gorp. He smiles strangely, then laughs maniacally, then dissolves into acid or becomes 5 different extra-quick gorps the players need to deal with. Where is the rest of the party? Is it worth organising an expedition to go find them (or their expensive magical items?) Things like that.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Runeblogger

[PhilHibbs]

On 5 June 2019 at 10:26 PM, Runeblogger said:

I would suggest using the chase rules in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, (only if you happen to have it), since the chase rules in the basic RQG rulebook aren't that great (a human can run faster than a horse if the human gets a critical or a special success). 

Chase scenes are all about getting away, not just literal straight line speed. There are ways to get an advantage over a horse other than outrunning it.

[g33k]

On 6/8/2019 at 5:20 AM, PhilHibbs said:

Chase scenes are all about getting away, not just literal straight line speed. There are ways to get an advantage over a horse other than outrunning it.

Oh yeah.

IIRC, the /only/ advantages the mounted guy has is straight-line top speed, and mass/momentum in a charge... But that very momentum works against them in actually catching someone on foot!

A human who jinks and weaves can evade a pursuing horseman for a l-o-n-g time.

OTOH, it's seldom a 1:1 contest...  people fleeing on foot from mounted pursuers cannot just dodge the nearest foe, or they'll quickly be surrounded.

Plus, if the pursuit has longspears or the like -- let alone lasso's, bolas, etc... Bows... Even a mace or the like, to throw... Is likely to knock down anyone fleeing on foot.

Then again... if someone on foot can get into a dense forest, with close-set trees and/or low limbs, etc ...  I'd see the advantage going strongly back to those on foot.

I haven't seen the CoC7 chase rules.  How robust are they, vs. considerations like these?

[Jeff]

On 6/8/2019 at 2:20 PM, PhilHibbs said:

Chase scenes are all about getting away, not just literal straight line speed. There are ways to get an advantage over a horse other than outrunning it.

Yes, that is what the Chase Rules for RQG emulate. 

[Akhôrahil]

On 5/26/2019 at 3:49 PM, Joerg said:

What exactly is the time-stamp of the Paulis Longvale stories (in Cults of Terror)? The Guide says it starts in 1623 (p.344), but how long does this campaign stretch? You might be able to stretch them out long enough to ride on some of those events.

Thread necro: this is my rough attempt at a timeline of the events (originally posted in the Holiday Dorastor FB group).

1622-23? Appius Luxius personally calls on Bolthor to suppress Dorastor

1623 Bolthor calls on Hahlgrim through Lightbringers' Summons, grants him Ironbreaker. Hahlgrim joined by Oddi and Ketil.

1623 Hahlgrim strengthens Chalana Arroy cult among the Bilini, purges Malia cult

Late in 1623? Hahlgrim and Oddi raise the Skanthi, later the South Skanthi (Hahlgrim, Oddi, Ketil, Elisif, Paulis). Fights Bagogi in South Skanthiland. Some local population tainted.

1623 or 24? War is ongoing, with losses. King Bolthor complains. Hahlgrim defeats Broo near Slimestone.

1624? Fields burned along the Erinflarth.

1624? Struggle against vampires. Vampire princess Karnoora killed. Majority of army sent back. Bolthor complains, tries to have Ironbreaker returned.

Fight against wolf-form Vampires in Spider Woods. Tower of Lead stormed and looted.

1624? Oddi Illuminated by Tricksters

Early Sea Season 1625? Hahlgrim, Oddi, Ketil, Paulis back with Bolthor (Hold of the Bilini). Hahlgrim wants dual press on Slimestream and Tobros Mountains, aiming at the Plateau of Wrath.

1625 Bolthor negotiates personal peace with Ralzakark. Betrayal of Hahlgrim by Bolthor. Hahlgrim attacked by Thanatari allies of Bolthor, slain by crossbow bolts from Bolthor's guards. Ironbreaker slays Bolthor. Paulis fends off Thanatari.

1625 Oddi cleanses Hold of the Bilini of Bolthor's thanes. Assistance by Ketil. Bolthor's cleft head mounted on main gate

1625 Oddi hunts down Bolthor's thanes and allies.

1625 Oddi claims Ironbreaker (when?). Declared king at moot. Assisted by Ketil. Oddi has dark rages.

1625 Negotiations with Lunars, assisted by Paulis. Freedom in Bilini matters in order to fight Ralzakark. Later we learn that Oddi has secured Lunar trade while cutting out the Etyries cult, whic is apparently notably impressive.

Mid Sea Season 1625 Oddi and Paulis Longvale travelling towards Copperbark Forest, just outside Bilini borders, sees Crimson Bat. Bat possibly heading for Dragon Pass.

Late Sea season 1625 Assault on Dorastor renewed successfully, Sludgestream cleansed, Broo hold upper reaches of Dorastor

Fire season? 1625 Oddi's forces cleanse and seal Krarshti tunnels and temple near Oddi's lands. Tunnels reach outside Bilini lands.

Fire-Earth? 1625 Oddi realizes Illumination, talks to Paulis.

Fire-Earth? 1625 Main campaign against Ralzakark, Oddi slays Ralzakark (twice in a day?). Almost no information about this. "Few survived this final battle besides [Oddi], Ketil and Paulis." (LoT)

Earth? 1625 Paulis visits Ketil in Oxhead. Ketil concerned about Oddi. Oddi orders new temple to Orlanth (where? Oxhead seems like it wouldn't make sense, unless it's an upgrade)

Earth? 1625 Oxhead helps secure Sludgestream for farmers

[Akhôrahil]

And I also wonder what the Crown of Insight is. How I found this thread.