Im running a homebrew campaign in Xorhas (EGtW). I pull inspiration from Critical Role, but also from other sources like Cthulhu, Dark Souls, and Mork Borg. The group just hit level 10 and is a band of mercenaries based in Asarius. We have done odd jobs for the Dynasty but also for others. Recently they were contracted by Essik Thelyss to find a Kryn Noble who had fallen in with a cult to Vesh. They found her, as she was offering herself up as a sacrifice to resurrect the Laughing Hand. They stopped the ritual and killed the badguy, preventing the Hand's return, but I don't know where to go next? Maybe permanent removal of the Laughing Hand, hunt down his heart in an ancient city from the age of Arcanum up in Eiselcross or in the Blightshore?
Caveat is that a bunch of us are moving in June, so the group will dissolve then. I would love to get 6-8 sessions (levels 10-14, we level fast because everyone wanted to get to high levels) out of this next contract and take them to an epic finale. I need help. Ideas?
Have the Kryn Noble summon the laughing hand anyway, maybe the players get to her just too late as she slits her own throat, or sacrifices her father or mother as punishment for rescuing her. She targets the laughing hand at the party meaning they have to find his heart and destroy it. If she was willing to die in the first place simply rescuing her won’t stop that desire.
Thanks for the reply. That is basically my thought, but one of my players sacrificed his PC to stop the ritual, so bringing the Hand in so quickly would kinda nerf that sacrifice. I think Im going to have the noble basically threaten what you are saying. The Hand is coming. There are others like me. Its inevitable. Blah, Blah, Blah.... That lets me keep the hand as a real threat while continuing this story thread. Send them to hunt down the heart, either in Eiselcross within the ruined city of Aeor, or in the Miskath pit in Blightshore. Havent decided which I want to use, aeorian monsters or Core Spawn....
it sounds to me like you already have a really good idea for an adventure to guide your party to an epic finale... I think that you should avoid bringing in the Laughing Hand itself, since your party has put in so much effort to preventing its resurrection... it'd be kind of a gut punch to just go, "well, it gets resurrected anyway, because I want it to".
Maybe figure out some way they can prevent it from ever coming back? Have a god entrust them with the task of destroying or imprisoning some essential part of the ritual. And then have them be chased by the leader of whoever was trying to perform the ritual.
So its kind of a role reversal. Now they arw being chased and have a limited amount of time to complete the quest.
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Im running a homebrew campaign in Xorhas (EGtW). I pull inspiration from Critical Role, but also from other sources like Cthulhu, Dark Souls, and Mork Borg. The group just hit level 10 and is a band of mercenaries based in Asarius. We have done odd jobs for the Dynasty but also for others. Recently they were contracted by Essik Thelyss to find a Kryn Noble who had fallen in with a cult to Vesh. They found her, as she was offering herself up as a sacrifice to resurrect the Laughing Hand. They stopped the ritual and killed the badguy, preventing the Hand's return, but I don't know where to go next? Maybe permanent removal of the Laughing Hand, hunt down his heart in an ancient city from the age of Arcanum up in Eiselcross or in the Blightshore?
Caveat is that a bunch of us are moving in June, so the group will dissolve then. I would love to get 6-8 sessions (levels 10-14, we level fast because everyone wanted to get to high levels) out of this next contract and take them to an epic finale. I need help. Ideas?
Have the Kryn Noble summon the laughing hand anyway, maybe the players get to her just too late as she slits her own throat, or sacrifices her father or mother as punishment for rescuing her. She targets the laughing hand at the party meaning they have to find his heart and destroy it. If she was willing to die in the first place simply rescuing her won’t stop that desire.
Thanks for the reply. That is basically my thought, but one of my players sacrificed his PC to stop the ritual, so bringing the Hand in so quickly would kinda nerf that sacrifice. I think Im going to have the noble basically threaten what you are saying. The Hand is coming. There are others like me. Its inevitable. Blah, Blah, Blah.... That lets me keep the hand as a real threat while continuing this story thread. Send them to hunt down the heart, either in Eiselcross within the ruined city of Aeor, or in the Miskath pit in Blightshore. Havent decided which I want to use, aeorian monsters or Core Spawn....
Maybe something with good ol' Torog? He's quite an interesting deity, and the laughing hand's sponsor.
Could one of the luxon dodecahedrons be utilised to imprison the Hand for good, or to seperate its soul from the body?
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]it sounds to me like you already have a really good idea for an adventure to guide your party to an epic finale... I think that you should avoid bringing in the Laughing Hand itself, since your party has put in so much effort to preventing its resurrection... it'd be kind of a gut punch to just go, "well, it gets resurrected anyway, because I want it to".
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Maybe figure out some way they can prevent it from ever coming back? Have a god entrust them with the task of destroying or imprisoning some essential part of the ritual. And then have them be chased by the leader of whoever was trying to perform the ritual.
So its kind of a role reversal. Now they arw being chased and have a limited amount of time to complete the quest.