Running _The Ebon Mirror_ (spoilers)

[Waldo]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

The Penumbra Games module from 2002. Written by Keith Baker, later
creator of Eberron.

Simple premise: the PCs get drawn into a mirror world. Elves, dwarves
and gnomes are evil; orcs, goblins and ogres are good. Undead are
gentle, holy creatures glowing with positive energy. Naturally, the
climax comes when the PCs face the Evil Kirk reverse-aligned versions
of themselves...

I've read it, seen it run, always liked it. Now I'm about to run it
myself.

So, who here has run it? What problems did you have with it; what
really seemed to work?

A couple of things that struck me:

1) Magic is twisted in the mirror world. The module deliberately lobs
a (relatively) softball encounter at the PCs first, so they can try to
adjust to their new spells and items. How long did it take your
players to figure this out? (In fact, how long did it take for them to
figure out the whole mirror world thing?)

2) One key plot point: the PCs in the module get a chest of cursed
magic items. Since most of their own items are now useless -- the +3
sword just became a -3 sword -- they really need to figure out that the
stuff in the chest is now good for them. Did your PCs grasp this?

3) Healing is a big problem in the mirror world, since cures are now
inflicts. The module provides some help here (some good undead can
direct positive energy to cure injuries) but... maybe not enough.
Anyone have trouble with this?

4) The final encounter is a killer. The PCs face themselves; the only
difference is, the other side has no magic items. So the PCs can have
an edge, /if/ they've figured out the chest. Even so... On the other
hand, role-playing opportunities abound. Anyone run through this?
How'd it work?

5) Finally, the whole thing with the mirror sorceress and the chess
game. I like the way Baker set this up, but ISTM that most players
would pick one side to win rather than forcing a stalemate. No?

Will let y'all know next week how it went...


Waldo

 

[Waldo]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

[sfx: crickets]

Gosh.

Nobody's played it, nobody liked it, or nobody cares?


Waldo

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Waldo wrote:
> Nobody's played it, nobody liked it, or nobody cares?

I own it, but I never got around to reading it. Your summary sounded
interesting, so I may finally give it a read-through soon. My PCs are
nearly 6th level, and our game advances pretty quickly, so I may be able
to run the module in a couple months (if I like it).
--
Bradd W. Szonye
http://www.szonye.com/bradd

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

"Waldo" <peggoliathy@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1112269104.575652.311900@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> The Penumbra Games module from 2002. Written by Keith Baker, later
> creator of Eberron.
>
> Simple premise: the PCs get drawn into a mirror world. Elves, dwarves
> and gnomes are evil; orcs, goblins and ogres are good. Undead are
> gentle, holy creatures glowing with positive energy. Naturally, the
> climax comes when the PCs face the Evil Kirk reverse-aligned versions
> of themselves...
>
> I've read it, seen it run, always liked it. Now I'm about to run it
> myself.
>
> So, who here has run it?

I have never seen it, but after hearing your description, I am going to buy
it.

--
^v^v^Malachias Invictus^v^v^

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the Master of my fate:
I am the Captain of my soul.

from _Invictus_, by William Ernest Henley

 

[Waldo]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Ran the first half of this module over the weekend. (N.B., it can be
run in two longish sessions or three short ones -- though there's
plenty of room for expansion; you could make a mini-campaign out of it,
if you wanted.)

Some notes:

-- They figured out the twisted magic very quickly. The expression on
the cleric's face when he cast Order's Wrath was priceless.

"A billowing cloud of multicolored, clashing blobs of energy foams
forth from your outstretched hand, surrounding the strange
attackers..."

[long pause] "That's not Order's Wrath."

Within a round or two, they had the general idea.

-- The module gives you proposed reversals for some of the most common
spells. It can't possibly give every spell, though, so you really
should follow their recommendation and get a copy of the PC character
sheets. The module can't possibly give reversals for every spell in
the PHB, so you must be ready to improvise. My players -- especially
the incorrigably curious gnome PC -- started casting all their
low-level spells to see what would happen!

"I cast Low-Light Vision."

"It's like putting on a very heavy pair of sunglasses."

"Ghost Sound."

"It muffles sounds in the target area, though it doesn't quite silence
them."

"Okay, I cast Melf's Acid Arrow."

"Hmm... okay... you get a laser-like beam of multicolored light. Sort
of like a Color Spray, but it looks more powerful." (Because
evocations and summonings tend to become illusions, and vice-versa.)

"I cast Message, and start talking to the dwarf."

"Um... he doesn't hear anything. But you hear him grumbling and
muttering to himself." (Reversed Message -> you hear what the target
is saying.)

"Silent Image of a dragon."

"You get a real dragon, but only a teeny one." [holds hands out,
perhaps a foot apart. The module specifies that illusions turn into
summoned creaturs of roughly appropriate level] "It immediately begins
howling at the top of its lungs. BLAATT! HOOOONK!!" (Silent Image ->
Real, but Really Loud, Summoned Creature.)

"I cast Dancing Lights."

"Three black blobs of stinking slime appear in midair, then splash to
the ground, befouling you with a spatter of goo."

"Sheesh... okay, Unseen Servant."

"Oh. Um... you, uh..." [pause] "Okay. Back when you were an
apprentice, you used to wonder if there really was such a thing as an
Unseen Servant, and if so, what it really looked like if you could see
it?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, now you see it."

"No way!"

"Yeah!" [quickly, before he can ask what it looks like] "But... it
doesn't want to be your servant! It's the, uh, Seen Free Thing That
Serves No One! It sticks its tongue at you -- at least, you think
that's its tongue -- and runs away into the trees."

-- They were slow to figure out that the chest of cursed items was
reversed. Very slow. And when they finally did, they only took a
couple of items, and left the rest in the chest!

-- The first encounter -- four 3rd level barbarian elves, four blink
dogs, and a fourth level fighter halfling -- seems pretty wimpy for a
bunch of ~7th level characters. It's not. It's actually rather nicely
graded, because it takes the PCs a few rounds to figure out that their
magic is working backwards.

Specific example: the dwarf PC (Ftr 8) had a +2 battleaxe, +2 armor,
and a Ring of Sustenance, and the cleric cast Bull's Strength on him
before combat started. Normally this would result in him hitting at
+17, for d10+10 damage. Instead he was suddenly hitting at just +11,
for d10+2 damage. (Before he figured it out, he was incredulous.
"They're AC 24? You said they were wearing studded leather!") And his
AC was 4 points worse than he thought it was.

Oh, and I ruled that the Ring of Sustenance had become a Ring of Sloth
and Gluttony -- eat double the normal amount, and sleep an extra three
hours, or become Fatigued after 1d3 rounds of combat.

So the encounter was a lot more challenging than it looked.

-- An amusing random encounter, when the PCs stopped to rest: an
alignment-reversed unicorn. Man, those things are lethal -- sneaky,
deadly poisonous horn, and teleport away when they start losing a
fight. Bad news.

-- Also amusing: the cleric PC has an intelligent weapon, a +2 cold
iron ghost touch Holy war axe, lawful good in alignment. It's rather
taciturn, but speaks up occasionally -- in a grating iron monotone --
to enjoin the PCs to correct behavior.

Now, of course, it's a chaotic evil -2 Unholy war axe. Again, the
expression on the PC's face -- when he asked the axe to use one of its
powers, and it replied with a Beavis and Butthead giggle ("Kill! Kill!
Yes! Heeheeheehee!!") -- was, by itself, worth the price of the
adventure.

-- Finally, one unexpected outcome: the PCs now think they might be
evil. After all, good creatures are attacking them, the gods are
giving them inflicts instead of cures...

Most of the PCs think this /might/ be the case, but one PC seems to be
sure that it *is* the case... and is starting to act out his new
alignment!

We run the second half next week.

The module is available online, BTW, as a .pdf: it's $8 at rpgnow.com
--

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=320&

-- paypal accepted.

cheers,

Waldo