Dungeon Magazine #161 - A Touch of Madness

[catsclaw227]

The new Dungeon adventure is up, for 10th level adventurers.

Dungeon Adventure: Touch of Madness

It looks to be a 4e conversion of a 3.5 adventure done last March, in the waning days of 3.5 Dungeon: Dungeon Adventure: Touch of Madness

A quick run through comparison looks like it's a fairly accurate conversion, and would be an interesting study of how to convert a 3.5 adventure for 4e.

I must not have taken the right tack with my Age of Worms game, because I bumped up my player levels based upon a conversion of a 1-20 AP into a 1-30 AP (converting them from 8th to 11th).

This one is a 10th level conversion from a 10th level adventure. Hmmmm.

[Thasmodious]

I'm reading it now and have not read the 3.5 version. My 4e game already has a good dose of Far Realm influence, and this looks like it will fit right in, the PCs already know a priestess of Ioun as well. One of the characters is already touched by the Far Realm and hails from another world, although he is unaware of it.

This adventure seems pretty good so far. Detailed, a lot of backstory, plenty of room for RP, haven't poured through the encounters yet.

[Asmor]

Originally Posted by catsclaw227

It looks to be a 4e conversion of a 3.5 adventure done last March, in the waning days of 3.5 Dungeon: Dungeon Adventure: Touch of Madness

Thank you! I was beginning to think I had a touch of madness. I knew this was a "repeat" of sorts, but I couldn't for the life of my figure out when.

[vagabundo]

Why repeat this adventure? Was it particularly good?

[xnrdcorex]

There is an error in the pdf. It has the heroic tier 1-10 logo when it is a paragon tier adventure. Otherwise this is a great piece that I enjoyed reading. I feel like my insider subscription becomes more worthwhile every month.

[Phaezen]

Second update of a 3.5 adventure that I am aware of - the other was Last Breaths of Ashenport:

4e:
Dungeon Adventure: Last Breaths of Ashenport

3.5:
Dungeon Adventure: The Last Breaths of Ashenport

It also deals with the Far Realms (or at least an entity from there). Being a bit of a Cthulhu fanboi and as my players love the Mythos as well, the Far Realms getting some 4e lovin is a good thing.

Phaezen

[vagabundo]

Is this a lovecraftian adventure path??

hmmmm

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Originally Posted by xnrdcorex

There is an error in the pdf. It has the heroic tier 1-10 logo when it is a paragon tier adventure. Otherwise this is a great piece that I enjoyed reading. I feel like my insider subscription becomes more worthwhile every month.

10th level is still heroic tier though. I don't know - does it go up more then one level?

[Phaezen]

Originally Posted by Mustrum_Ridcully

10th level is still heroic tier though. I don't know - does it go up more then one level?

Not too sure about this adventure, but it is part one of three (if i recall correctly) so not only is it far realms oriented, it is also an example of an adventure arc splitting 2 tiers . . .

Awesome

Phaezen

[FourthBear]

I recall liking this adventure when it first came out earlier this year. As I recall, Touch of Madness was always intended to be presented first in 3.5e and then later as a 4e adventure. I believe that several features of the 3.5e version were echoing some of the design elements that the 4e prerelease stuff were talking about. Definitely some of the campaign elements in it (Ioun most prominently) were kind of previews of the 4e shared world.

[Zaukrie]

While I like this adventure, and am glad to have it in 4e, the fact that we are only a couple of months into paying for dungeon, and we only get 2 adventures (despite the ads saying we'll get three) and one of them is a reprint disappoints me.

I'll be using this, and it will save me from having to convert it, but come on WotC.

[Phaezen]

As a side note, were the two followup adventures ever released for 3.5? Can't seem to find them on the website.

Seems like my small onceoff running of Last Breaths of ashenport is going to become a short far realms based campaign - going to run the party through Sleeper in the Tomb of Dreams (upgrade it to level 9) and then through the Ioun Trilogy.

Phaezen

[FunkBGR]

It's always been my understanding that Lvl 20 3.5 = Lvl 20 4e, not Lvl 30 4e.

Basically they put the Epic Level Handbook into the core of 4e.

[Shroomy]

Originally Posted by Phaezen

As a side note, were the two followup adventures ever released for 3.5? Can't seem to find them on the website.

Seems like my small onceoff running of Last Breaths of ashenport is going to become a short far realms based campaign - going to run the party through Sleeper in the Tomb of Dreams (upgrade it to level 9) and then through the Ioun Trilogy.

Phaezen

They never released the other two parts, as this was basically one of the last 3.5e adventures in Dungeon.

Didn't the editorial state that this adventure was originally a 4e adventure, then it was translated to 3.5e, and now it has been translated back to 4e.

[catsclaw227]

Originally Posted by FunkBGR

It's always been my understanding that Lvl 20 3.5 = Lvl 20 4e, not Lvl 30 4e.

Basically they put the Epic Level Handbook into the core of 4e.

This may be the case. I don't know.

I did notice that the kind of encounters that are at the end of the Age of Worms adventure path are the kinds of encounters that would fall in the Epic tier.

For example, the 10th adventure is normally set for 18th level PCs, it has an encounter with a two Fire Giants with 4 levels of fighter and a huge Old Blue Dragon (CR 18). In 4e, the two giants would be like adding 4 levels to a basic Fire Giant, so they would be 22nd level creatures (worth 4150 XP each), adn the dragon would be between Elder and Ancient, so maybe a 22nd level Solo (20,750xp) making the encounter about so for 5 PCs this is like a 24th level encounter. Perfect for the level of encounter that they will be when this adventure rolls around.

[catsclaw227]

Originally Posted by Shroomy

Didn't the editorial state that this adventure was originally a 4e adventure, then it was translated to 3.5e, and now it has been translated back to 4e.

I didn't catch that. Was this in the editorial for this month or the March issue?

Either way, I don't feel slighted in the least, if anything, I look at it as an example to compare my own conversions. In my case, more of a toolbox.

[Shroomy]

Originally Posted by catsclaw227

I didn't catch that. Was this in the editorial for this month or the March issue?

Either way, I don't feel slighted in the least, if anything, I look at it as an example to compare my own conversions. In my case, more of a toolbox.

Yep, it was this months editorial:

“Touch of Madness” was conceived over a year ago as a 4th Edition adventure, before we really knew what 4th Edition adventures would look like. We had broad ideas (bigger encounter areas, more varied monsters, and we knew they’d be easier to run), but that’s it. Rob then reverse engineered it to be a 3E adventure, then updated it to 4th Edition. Confusing, I know.

Dungeon Editorial: Dungeon #161

[Shroomy]

BTW, I'm paging through the adventure, an on pg. 83 (12 of the pdf), are a whole gaggle of half-orcs. It looks like the half-orc racial power is:

Half-Orc Resilience
When first bloodied, Vaymeer gains 10 temporary hit
points.