Behind the Screen: The Final Confrontation

Spoiler Alert

The Behind the Screen series is intended for GMs looking for ideas on running Jade Regent, or advice about running long-term campaigns. Posts will include information that my players already know about the Jade Regent storyline, but may include spoilers for those who haven't played yet. You've been warned.

Putting together the layout for the players' conflict with the skeletal samurai was both relatively easy, and incredibly satisfying. It was the first time I had the chance to use many of the props I'd been prepping to give the players the tactile treasure experience I'd been looking for.

The Brinestump Caverns map was a simple cave system and the Cavern Tunnel Tiles packs from Christopher West werw perfect. As I've mentioned, I'm a big believer in putting the heart of a module's map on the table without getting caught up in the specifics; your players won't know the difference as long as the encounters are interesting and the layout keeps them focused on the action.

For the caverns, I needed a few key features: an entrance, a place for a giant spider to live, a large cavern and an alcove near the back of the complex. I also needed several water features. Outside of these core features, I was free to make the encounter as complex or simple as I needed to keep the action and tension high.

Review: The Talented Monk

"Whether your passion is the classic unarmed mystic, the non-mystic martial artist, the armored sohei, the zen meditative archer, or something entirely different, The Talented Monk gives you the building blocks to create the monk of your imagination."

As with most gamers, there are a handful of classes that speak to me. The first character I ever created was a half-elf ranger way back in 1st edition. In 2nd edition I started playing with the ranger-druid multiclass. v3.* and Pathfinder re-envisioned the rangers and druids like I always pictured them--highly skilled and agile wilderness warriors and shapeshifting masters of animals, respectively. As much as the nature-based classes have ruled my roleplaying career there's been one other class that fascinates me, one that I always consider playing but rarely do. The monk.