Hey, I'm dming SKT campaign. SPOILERS if anyone is playing as a player. (Maybe)
Details, there are 6 players in the group. I'm having them go to golden fields as I like the hill giant (odd I know as most people online not).
I'm currently writing out the side quests the players could pick up if they want from golden fields after the giant attack. Kind of doing a flow chart of where they go and places they see along the way.
Some of the quest lead them towards the Grudd Haug (Hill gaint lair) but they will only 6th level.
This is the sandbox part of the book. Does it matter if the players are not higher level?
As later on in the book, after going to the Oracle, the players chose and head to a giants lair, at which point they will be level 8.
Does it matter if players enter giants lairs at level 6? Should I warn the players? Change the quest?
I don't have the SKT campaign so maybe my info will be irrelevant but I'm going to give it a shot. Anyway, like I said I don't have it, so I don't know how many hill giants there are. While hill giants are CR 5 you have 6 level 6 characters. I only have 3 in my current campaign, and they can shred enemies if I'm not careful. Another thing, Hill Giants are stupid. Like -3 modifier in a bad scenario, a good bard or player in general can easily talk their way out.
If you're really scared for your players, you can add in some people who were beaten by the hill giants who warn them. Also players can hire other npcs to go with them. (I should know).
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Monster Fact of the Day: Tarrasque
Tarrasque's have a magical regeneration and are able to reflect spells back at its enemies
Praise Jeff with Your Hole Heart and Soul with the Sign ofDoomJOY to Come!!!!!
SKT does have a big section in the middle that is "sandbox", but while the players are pursing various side quests and faction quests leading them darting around you are meant to throw in the Main quest random encounters ramping up the pressure (every town should have more rumors of giant stuff too). Eventually you'll throw them the wandering frost giants (that my party called HashTag, and i can't for the life of me remember his proper name now), that will hard push them to head north to the oracle.
When my party ran it, we did the FG start instead of the HG so i'm not familiar with those same side quests but if they are like the FG they hint at and give clues that give you desire to take out some giants, but kind of fall short of actually getting you to the strong hold. So, it wasn't a problem despite the group being super primed to go and kill giants.
If they ignore HashTag or take a dislike to him (being a giant and all), they might not follow that bread crumb and start trying hard to find their way to a strong hold on their own, then you may have to throw in something else to guide them to the oracle or another way to get to the strong hold
For my party i ran a bit about the Lord's alliance offering a bounty on giant scalps, and as players turn in scalps they reputation and fame grew as they came across in town/city that was part of the LA. So it would be a great way to have one of the lord's alliance cities (like never-winter) to summon the player asking them for help to avoid an all out war "Giants have accursed of killing their Queen and kidnapping their King! we didn't! we swear!" (this came as to big of an expo dump once they players got to the under water fortress anyway, having the lord's alliance drop that part would have been better). The LA could try and direct them to the Orcale with some bread crumbs.
But, in the end the players can do the campaign without ever going to the oracle. They can hit up the strong holds and try neutralizing the giant threat. You'll probably want to try and have some input from floaty castle guy at that point, and can give the expo dump the orcale would have given to try and motivate the players to hit up the strong holds... asking for the relics from the mounds to divine strong hold locations.
I'm sure you can come up with lots of options. But yeah, if they stumble by blind luck / determination into the giant strong hold at level 6 they will get smushed. Hopefully the random encounters on the road with giants, and other various events will have properly telegraphed (and you should lean heavy into this) that they aren't ready for a giant strong hold. But if they ignore it... giant go smash. Assuming they don't pull it off... well hill giants will eat anything... maybe they are just unconscious and can escape their pantry/prison and then go seek the oracle to get better prepared. /shrug you'll figure it out I'm sure.
But, the oracle is one of the cooler parts of SKT.
I would also heavily recommend taking some of the advice you'll find online about fixing the climax battle at the end. As written it is a cake walk, and not interesting.
Hey, I'm dming SKT campaign. SPOILERS if anyone is playing as a player. (Maybe)
Details, there are 6 players in the group. I'm having them go to golden fields as I like the hill giant (odd I know as most people online not).
I'm currently writing out the side quests the players could pick up if they want from golden fields after the giant attack. Kind of doing a flow chart of where they go and places they see along the way.
Some of the quest lead them towards the Grudd Haug (Hill gaint lair) but they will only 6th level.
This is the sandbox part of the book. Does it matter if the players are not higher level?
As later on in the book, after going to the Oracle, the players chose and head to a giants lair, at which point they will be level 8.
Does it matter if players enter giants lairs at level 6? Should I warn the players? Change the quest?
Any advice would be great. Thanks
I don't have the SKT campaign so maybe my info will be irrelevant but I'm going to give it a shot. Anyway, like I said I don't have it, so I don't know how many hill giants there are. While hill giants are CR 5 you have 6 level 6 characters. I only have 3 in my current campaign, and they can shred enemies if I'm not careful. Another thing, Hill Giants are stupid. Like -3 modifier in a bad scenario, a good bard or player in general can easily talk their way out.
If you're really scared for your players, you can add in some people who were beaten by the hill giants who warn them. Also players can hire other npcs to go with them. (I should know).
Monster Fact of the Day: Tarrasque
Tarrasque's have a magical regeneration and are able to reflect spells back at its enemies
Praise Jeff with Your Hole Heart and Soul with the Sign of
DoomJOY to Come!!!!!SKT does have a big section in the middle that is "sandbox", but while the players are pursing various side quests and faction quests leading them darting around you are meant to throw in the Main quest random encounters ramping up the pressure (every town should have more rumors of giant stuff too). Eventually you'll throw them the wandering frost giants (that my party called HashTag, and i can't for the life of me remember his proper name now), that will hard push them to head north to the oracle.
When my party ran it, we did the FG start instead of the HG so i'm not familiar with those same side quests but if they are like the FG they hint at and give clues that give you desire to take out some giants, but kind of fall short of actually getting you to the strong hold. So, it wasn't a problem despite the group being super primed to go and kill giants.
If they ignore HashTag or take a dislike to him (being a giant and all), they might not follow that bread crumb and start trying hard to find their way to a strong hold on their own, then you may have to throw in something else to guide them to the oracle or another way to get to the strong hold
For my party i ran a bit about the Lord's alliance offering a bounty on giant scalps, and as players turn in scalps they reputation and fame grew as they came across in town/city that was part of the LA. So it would be a great way to have one of the lord's alliance cities (like never-winter) to summon the player asking them for help to avoid an all out war "Giants have accursed of killing their Queen and kidnapping their King! we didn't! we swear!" (this came as to big of an expo dump once they players got to the under water fortress anyway, having the lord's alliance drop that part would have been better). The LA could try and direct them to the Orcale with some bread crumbs.
But, in the end the players can do the campaign without ever going to the oracle. They can hit up the strong holds and try neutralizing the giant threat. You'll probably want to try and have some input from floaty castle guy at that point, and can give the expo dump the orcale would have given to try and motivate the players to hit up the strong holds... asking for the relics from the mounds to divine strong hold locations.
I'm sure you can come up with lots of options. But yeah, if they stumble by blind luck / determination into the giant strong hold at level 6 they will get smushed. Hopefully the random encounters on the road with giants, and other various events will have properly telegraphed (and you should lean heavy into this) that they aren't ready for a giant strong hold. But if they ignore it... giant go smash. Assuming they don't pull it off... well hill giants will eat anything... maybe they are just unconscious and can escape their pantry/prison and then go seek the oracle to get better prepared. /shrug you'll figure it out I'm sure.
But, the oracle is one of the cooler parts of SKT.
I would also heavily recommend taking some of the advice you'll find online about fixing the climax battle at the end. As written it is a cake walk, and not interesting.