In 1692, the Salem Witchcraft Trials took place in colonial Massachusetts. This infamous event began with accusations of witchcraft against several young girls in the town of Salem Village. The girls claimed to be possessed by evil spirits and accused various individuals, mostly women, of practicing witchcraft. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were a dark and unsettling period in American history. The accusations and trials were based on a widespread belief in witchcraft and the supernatural. Fear and paranoia gripped the town as the accusations spread, and the authorities were compelled to take action.
Fear and paranoia gripped the town as the accusations spread, and the authorities were compelled to take action. The trials began in February 1692 and continued until May of that same year. During this time, numerous people were arrested, put on trial, and ultimately convicted of witchcraft.
Amulet of the Planes - Random Plane Selection
I've got a player who's picked up an amulet of the planes as part of his starting equipment for his character.
Given he can only succeed on the DC 15 Intelligence check less than 50% on the time, I need to prep a table of random planes in the event of a failed roll.
So far, here's what I've prepped:
1% to 10% - Astral Plane
11% to 20% - Ethereal Plane
21% to 30% - Shadow Plane
31% to 40% - First World
41% to 50% - Elemental Plane of Air
51% to 60% - Elemental Plane of Water
61% to 70% - Elemental Plane of Earth
71% to 80% - Elemenetal Plane of Fire
81% - Axis
82% - The Boneyard
83% - The Maelstrom
84% - Abaddon
85% - The Abyss
86% - Hell
87% - Elysium
88% - Heaven
89% - Nirvana
90% - Reroll Outer Planes
91% to 100% - Demiplane (GM's Choice)
Anyone have any advice how to best deal with prepping encounters or other surprises for the group when they're dimension hopping around the multiverse?
I mean, besides the "fun" if Id have a character like that in my party, even my 6 INT Wizard would refuse to party with such character.
Imprevisibility is something an adventurer can expected, now, forced imprevisibility, no, I outright refuse it.
If you really want it, you could have 2-3 encounters prepped for each scenario and shuffle between them, or/and just add random NPC reprensentative of those planes that always have a way to go back
Starting equipment? As in first level starting equipment? Oooh, this could be very, very lethal.
Random location in a random plane? So, no elemental protections.
Plane of Earth? Unless you've got earthglide, you're dead.
Plane of Fire? Unless you've got immunity to fire, you're dead.
Plane of Air? Better master your falling right quick or you'll smack into something hard at terminal velocity (20d6).
Plane of Water? Unless you've got gills or water breathing, you're drowning, you're dead.
That's a 40% chance of TPK for just the Inner Planes.
Shadow Plane, infused with negative energy. That sounds deadly.
The Boneyard? I play in a homebrew world, so I don't know anything about this plane, but it doesn't sound good.
The Maelstrom? That sounds at least as bad as the Boneyard.
This is what I found out about Abbadon, "In its blistered and blackened reaches, both mortal souls and outsiders find themselves preyed upon by the fiendish residents, either slain outright or offered up bound and bleeding to the plane’s rulers as specimens upon which to feast or experiment." Okay, that sound like a wipe-out.
The Abyss? Hell? Well, they speak for themselves.
Overall, you're looking at a 55% chance of obliterating the group.
Even Elysium is entrapping, so they'll enjoy their gilded cage.
The Amulet functions as plane shift, meaning everyone has to be holding hands (and willing) to be shifted. Casting time is only a standard action and the Amulet doesn't specify how often it can be used. That's up to you, I guess. Does it have to recharge between uses?
I highly recommend that because if not, don't prep any encounters. They'll just keep randomly popping around the planes every standard action until they get where they want.
They're 15th level so far, so the item's within the Wealth by Level guidelines, and as far as I can see, it functions at will to cast Plane Shift as a standard action command word.
As for encounters, fleeing to a different plane would depend on their initiative roll for the start of combat. Typically they'd be able to survive one round of environmental hazards on most planes, even the ones hostile to humanoids such as the Plane of Fire (3d10 fire damage per round isn't gonna kill a 15th level character fast enough to matter, though they might be more upset that their flammable gear such as cloaks are gonna take fire damage and likely be destroyed).
So far I've got the following:
Astral Plane: Astradaemon (CR 16)
Ethereal Plane: 4 Advanced 14 HD Xill (CR 16)
Shadow Plane: Nightwalker (CR 16), Advanced Dark Creature Lesser Bandersnatch (CR 15)
First World: Advanced Ankou (CR 15), 3 Advanced Fey Hounds of Tindalos and Wild Hunt Scout (CR 16), Phantom Ring (CR 9)
Elemental Plane of Air: Tornado (CR 10)
Elemental Plane of Water: Flowing Water, Whirlpool (no CR, but failed Swim checks separate party members)
Elemental Plane of Earth: Cave-In (CR 8)
Elemental Plane of Fire: Fire-Dominant Trait Damage, Lava Immersion (CR 14)
They're 15th level so far, so the item's within the Wealth by Level guidelines, and as far as I can see, it functions at will to cast Plane Shift as a standard action command word.
As for encounters, fleeing to a different plane would depend on their initiative roll for the start of combat. Typically they'd be able to survive one round of environmental hazards on most planes, even the ones hostile to humanoids such as the Plane of Fire (3d10 fire damage per round isn't gonna kill a 15th level character fast enough to matter, though they might be more upset that their flammable gear such as cloaks are gonna take fire damage and likely be destroyed).
So far I've got the following:
Astral Plane: Astradaemon (CR 16)
Ethereal Plane: 4 Advanced 14 HD Xill (CR 16)
Shadow Plane: Nightwalker (CR 16), Advanced Dark Creature Lesser Bandersnatch (CR 15)
First World: Advanced Ankou (CR 15), 3 Advanced Fey Hounds of Tindalos and Wild Hunt Scout (CR 16), Phantom Ring (CR 9)
Elemental Plane of Air: Tornado (CR 10)
Elemental Plane of Water: Flowing Water, Whirlpool (no CR, but failed Swim checks separate party members)
Elemental Plane of Earth: Cave-In (CR 8)
Elemental Plane of Fire: Fire-Dominant Trait Damage, Lava Immersion (CR 14)
I wouldnt mess with pc items unless it was previously agreed. Messing with pc items could be wrongbadfun for many. I do not take pleasure in having my +5 Saves cape destroyed because I got teleported.
Also, why would the party take the risk of using this amulet? Is there a reason for this?
On the other hand do not rely solely on combat. Plane of Fire could be easily resisted with Resist Energy which last a lot of time, so it's not really a huge problem. If part knows they will be forcefully teleported, they will just get an item/spell to breathe anywhere and solve most of their problems.
Im having a hard time with a party accepting this, unless theres some plot forced down the characters throat.
Thanks for the suggestions Letric! I agree that I'd be upset as a player if my gear was destroyed, but the good news is that the party sorcerer and cleric can both use Greater Make Whole, so any gear that's destroyed can be easily fixed.
The group uses the amulet as it's a means of instantly plane shifting anywhere on any plane without needing a focus component. It streamlines travel times, and between this item and the Shadow Walk spell, they're able to quickly move to their destination.
I agree that pure combat encounters aren't ideal, and I'm hoping somebody has advice about alternative options to a big nasty creature attacking the group. I'm especially having trouble with the astral plane, since it's thematically an empty void. WotC had a lot more content for interesting stuff on the astral plane with githyanki and githzerai, but I can't seem to get excited about Paizo's shulsaga.
You don't need encounters for each random plane.
Prep the next N random planes. [I suggest N=3.]
Each time it gets misused, use the preselected random encounter. After the session, prep another random encounter to replace the used one.
If you use up all the random encounters in a single session, it is OK to end the session early. The players will understand.
These random encounters are often low level, and thus not a threat to the party. The environment, however.
For the Astral plane, you may not encounter locals, but other travelers. They would be more party level, and might be friendly or hostile.
If you really want it, you could have 2-3 encounters prepped for each scenario and shuffle between them, or/and just add random NPC reprensentative of those planes that always have a way to go back
Many were sentenced to death by hanging, while others were imprisoned. The trials were conducted in a highly flawed and prejudiced manner. The accused were generally presumed guilty from the start, and spectral evidence, or supposed visions and dreams of the accusers, was considered admissible in court. This led to false accusations and unfair convictions. The Salem Witchcraft Trials finally came to an end when the governor of Massachusetts, Sir William Phips, prohibited the use of spectral evidence in court. This decision led to a decline in the number of accusations and a shift in public opinion, ultimately bringing an end to the trials. The aftermath of the trials was one of remorse and regret. Many people involved in the accusations and trials later admitted their wrongdoing and expressed remorse for the lives that were lost. In 1697, the court declared the convictions of those accused during the trials as null and void, and the families of the victims were compensated for their losses. The Salem Witchcraft Trials serve as a dark reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the importance of due process. The events of 1692 continue to be studied and explored for their psychological, sociological, and historical implications..
Reviews for "Salem Witchcraft Trials: Walking the Path of History"
1. John Doe - 1 star
I was really disappointed with the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Walk. The tour guide seemed uninterested and lacked in-depth knowledge about the history. It felt like he was simply reciting facts rather than engaging with the group. Additionally, the walk itself was disorganized and it was difficult to hear the guide over the noise of the busy streets. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this tour to anyone looking for an authentic and informative Salem witchcraft experience.
2. Jane Smith - 2 stars
I had high expectations for the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Walk, but unfortunately, it fell short. The tour guide was friendly, but the information provided was superficial and didn't delve into the rich history of the Salem witch trials. Additionally, the group size was too large, making it hard to stay engaged and hear what the guide was saying. I was hoping for a more intimate and immersive experience, but this tour didn't deliver.
3. Samantha Johnson - 2 stars
While the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Walk had potential, it ultimately left me underwhelmed. The guide seemed unprepared and struggled to answer basic questions. The pacing of the tour was also off, with long periods of walking in between points of interest. The lack of engaging storytelling and historical context made it difficult to fully appreciate the significance of the sites we visited. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this tour to others who are genuinely interested in learning about the Salem witch trials.