So What Can This Radagast Fellow Actually Do Anyway?

[madgael]

Hi all. I'm longtime lurker/first-time poster here, who's been running my own monthly Darkening of Mirkwood campaign for a little over a year now. I've found all your discussions and resources posted on the boards to be hugely helpful in filling out the campaign so far (which incidentally we've been posting as Actual Play podcasts as part of the feed here if anyone is interested: http://CVGeekAP.podbean.com/).

In our last game, we got to the Secrets Buried/TA 2950 scenario. I originally figured that this "quest" would likely take two sessions, especially as we were starting the night with a year-end fellowship phase. Long story short, the company made a lot better time than I expected and went into DG and found all the clues they needed to. We finally wrapped for the night as they approached Fenbridge Castle on the causeway on their way out, which ostensibly is the end of the write-up as far as the book is concerned.

For the next session (just over a week away), I am thinking it would be fun to have the alarm raised just as we fade in on the scene, so the bulk of the night will then become a big running chase sequence, as the company scrambles to get back north to lands of the Free Peoples and the denizens of Fenbridge pursue and doggedly hunt them down through the forest. Kind of like the LOTR chase across Rohan, albeit with the roles reversed and possibly Mogdred's men standing in for the Rohirrim in the analogy. (I'm also suddenly thinking I need to go watch The Last of the Mohicans again for research.)

A big obstacle for me in trying to plan for this however is figuring out a role for Radagast, who is there with the party. While I might be able to have him disappear now and then during the chase to "scout ahead" or something, I don't want to overplay that or hand-wave him away so it's like he was never there at all. He was nominally with the Company last session on the approach to DG, but I made him mechanically invisible due to the nature of the challenge at hand (stealthy, etc). This time around will be different, and I feel he should be able to contribute -something- positive to the proceedings to keep his hand-picked quest companions from being slaughtered ignominiously .

(I also selfishly admit that I would like to give him some practical way to contribute this week both to minimize player whining ("Wait a minute, aren't we supposed to have a one of the damn Five with us?"), and also just to show Radagast throwing down for once - finally giving him some long overdue street cred for those players who perhaps sadly still have their sole image of the Brown Wizard thus far as the time lord with a a bird's nest on his head.)

That said, I am a bit shaky on what he can actually do for them. Obviously I want to avoid a deus ex machina situation where he singlehandedly overcomes any encounter. I'd love to come up with subtle ways for him to contribute, like Gandalf lighting up the pinecones while trapped in the trees by wargs, but so far I am drawing a blank. The only thing I remember seeing in the C7 books so far which seems like an appropriate sort of approach is in "Concerning Archers", where the arrows of the Green Company aid the players by making their attackers weary. As we just ran that particular encounter two sessions ago though, I am loathe to repeat the same mechanic again this soon.

Would anyone have any ideas for how I can show off Radagast in an active and supportive, non-gamebreaking role during the journey, or the combats which will no doubt come up? Also, I'd love to hear ideas anyone might have on ways to tweak the Journey rules to simulate on ongoing chase over many miles. Thanks

[Mytholder]

Off the top of my head -
Huge force of orcs pursues PCs. Radagast turns and gestures towards the marsh, and the swamp _rises_. It's like the Parting of the Red Sea, only in reverse - a tide of mud and slime crawling up the sides of the causeway, washing over the lip and dragging trolls and orcs down into the mire. The PCs must protect Radagast against the orcs not caught in the mud, while he maintains the spell and ensures the trolls drown.

While fleeing with Radagast, the PCs enter a weird trance state. In it, they cross far more forest, much faster than they can normally. It's like they're leaping from tree to tree... like they've somehow taken on the shape of black squirrels for just long enough to escape their pursuers.

A huge thunderstorm blows in, shaking the trees. Old and rotten branches fall, smashing down on orcs. More importantly, the enemy can't use their bows and the PCs aren't turned into pincushions. Lightning bolts explode out of the sky, incinerating trolls.

Purely mechanical options - Radagast's blessing means that any time the PCs get an great or extraordinary success on an attack roll, the orc they're fighting loses 1 Hate, and all the orcs are Craven while Radagast's around.

[Rich H]

I play Radagast as a pretty weird character and as a counterpoint to both Gandalf and Saruman.

If you take a look through Tales from Wilderland, Radagast is involved quite a bit and the scenario "Darkness in the Marshes" has options for him to provide magical boons to the PCs; these could easily be something that he could use again, or if you haven't played through that, used for the first time.

I think nearer to Rhosgobel and in the forest near or around the Woodmen settlements I've had him use strange 'reality-bending' magic where paths are found through the forest that usually do not exist, distances are shortened, and paths close behind the Brown Wizard and companions as they travel with him. All these things would be useful in eluding any pursuers.

Additionally, and also in "Darkness in the Marshes" there are some pursuit mechanics. To support this I put together the following:



You could do something similar for what you're planning. The visual aid worked really well with my players; seeing the token representing them move along the track added to the suspense for them - especially when the distance to being overtaken was reduced!

[Glorelendil]

1) Birds and beasts help the party by scouting ahead and finding a safe route. Swarms of insects plague the pursuers.

2) Get a head start on getting into the spirit of D&D in Middle Earth: Entangle, but larger and more violent

3) An inverse idea of a suggestion above: the swamp seems to rise up and dry out ahead of the heroes, making a firm, fast route, and then sinks back into the muck after they pass

4) If you really want to throw down, then yeah: a big storm with lightning zapping enemy trolls

[zedturtle]

I like all of the above suggestions, but another mechanically-based idea would be for Radagast to summon various birds and other small critters to Bewilder the attacking orcs. That would give the heroes an easier fight, without being the exact same as the adversaries being automatically Weary.

[Rich H]

I like this as well and just because the outcome is the same (adversaries being Weary) the way it is achieved makes it different and not repetitive.

[Otaku-sempai]

Radagast is a friend to birds and beasts and a master of shapes and hues. But what does that actually mean? I think that the wizard could probably perform such feats as magically disguising himself as something like a tree or create a glamour that would hide a party of adventurers with a chameleon-like effect. And, of course, he would know much about healing and herb-lore and be able to speak with most beasts and birds.

[Corvo]

I like all of the above suggestions, but another mechanically-based idea would be for Radagast to summon various birds and other small critters to Bewilder the attacking orcs. That would give the heroes an easier fight, without being the exact same as the adversaries being automatically Weary.

I'll steal that idea. From a cosmetic point of view I have used most of these things -birds, insects, trees, not the swamp though- , but I missed that Bewilder idea

[Rich H]

I like all of the above suggestions, but another mechanically-based idea would be for Radagast to summon various birds and other small critters to Bewilder the attacking orcs. That would give the heroes an easier fight, without being the exact same as the adversaries being automatically Weary.

I'll steal that idea. From a cosmetic point of view I have used most of these things -birds, insects, trees, not the swamp though- , but I missed that Bewilder idea

The idea of brutish orcs and the like being bewildered (and Wearied) by robins and squirrels is very thematic. And cool.

[Falenthal]

Ladybirds, don't forget to use ladybirds.
They're soooo cute...