D&D 5E [SPOILERS] Enhancing Tomb of Annihilation

dropbear8mybaby · Sep 9, 2017

For discussing aspects of ToA and how to run it.

This thread WILL HAVE SPOILERS IN IT. Do not read if you're not going to run it.

This post contains shortcuts to particular posts* that offer suggestions and answer questions raised by the adventure. It is broken down by chapter:

Introduction

NPC Names-by-race: #329
Exhaustion: #2, #16, #50
Heavy Armor: #2, #32, #186, #199
Calendar for ToA: #11, #178, #231
Travel: #14, #24, #31, #47, #86, #94, #118, #152, #162, #202, #206, #258, #265, #307, #330
Ocean Travel: #288
Death Curse: #19, #83, #100, #106, #116, #331
Meat Grinding: #237
Backgrounds: #75
Printing Maps: #84, #88
Finding sections: #99
Foreshadowing: #176
Adapting to Eberron: #236
Charters of Exploration: #280
Factions: #308
Remixing: #352, #366, #384

Ch. 1: Port Nyanzaru

Getting to Chult: #90
Bay of Chult: #98
Syndra Sylvane: #165
More Encounters: #43
Merchant Princes: #72, #111, #174, #196, #219, #239
Harbor Ward: #112
Guides: #130, #304
Bazaars: #240
Ziggurats: #253

Ch. 2: The Land of Chult

Alternate Encounter Generation: #407, #410
Dawn Warrior: #310
Traps: #57, #69
Camp Righteous: #168
Fort Beluarian: #139, #258
Jahaka Anchorage: #150, #233, #355, #412
Company of the Yellow Banner: #169
Nanny Pu'pu: #262
Orolunga: #270, #276
Legends: #306
Mezro: #358, #400
Hrakhamar: #361

Ch. 3: Dwellers of the Forbidden City

Ch. 4: Fane of the Night Serpent

Slave Labor: #204
Reinforcements: #204
Ras Nsi: #379
Coup: #388, #390

Ch. 5: Tomb of the Nine Gods

Tomb of Nine Gods Monster Roster: #297
Stone Juggernaut: #142
Tomb Guardian: #215
Gravity Ring: #226
Acererak: #226, #229, #403, #408
Re-entering: #333
Brute-forcing: #338
Cubes: #369
PC Level: #371
Boredom: #381
Keys: #389
Mirror Tomb: #391
Area 21, Zombie Door: #364

Handouts

Handout 13, Lord Brixton's Letter: #354
Handout 22, Withers' journal: #362

[Most recent indexed post: #412]

*These posts typically start discussions so don't forget to read relevant following posts!

dropbear8mybaby · Sep 9, 2017

In the introduction chapter it mentions how hot and humid it is in Chult and recommends that, when there's a tropical storm (25 percent chance on any day that receives heavy rain, which I'm presuming uses the DMG random charts), you do the following:

If characters insist on traveling by foot, every character gains 1 level of exhaustion automatically and must make a successful DC 10 Constitution check or gain another.

That's all it says. Not when you get the automatic exhaustion or have to make the check for the second level of exhaustion. So, my question is, how would you run it?

I'm also considering using this rule for wearing armour. Armour in the hot, humid conditions of Chult is really a terrible idea.

Chult is hot, humid, and rainy throughout the year. The temperature regularly climbs as high as 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) during the day and seldom falls below 70 degrees F (20 degrees C) even at night. A day without rain is rare, but rain varies from a steady mist to drenching downpours.

You do not want to be wearing armour, any armour, in that.

kalil · Sep 9, 2017

dropbear8mybaby said:
In the introduction chapter it mentions how hot and humid it is in Chult and recommends that, when there's a tropical storm (25 percent chance on any day that receives heavy rain, which I'm presuming uses the DMG random charts), you do the following:

That's all it says. Not when you get the automatic exhaustion or have to make the check for the second level of exhaustion. So, my question is, how would you run it?

I'm also considering using this rule for wearing armour. Armour in the hot, humid conditions of Chult is really a terrible idea.

You do not want to be wearing armour, any armour, in that.

Give disadvantage on the Con check if wearing armor or heavy clothes?

Croesus · Sep 9, 2017

"If characters insist on traveling by foot, every character gains 1 level of exhaustion automatically and must make a successful DC 10 Constitution check or gain another."

dropbear8mybaby said:
That's all it says. Not when you get the automatic exhaustion or have to make the check for the second level of exhaustion. So, my question is, how would you run it?

If I use this rule, I would apply the level of exhaustion and check at the end of the day, right before they stop for a long rest. If the rest is interrupted, they'll have the level of exhaustion (possibly two levels). By morning, they'll be refreshed (one level recovered), but rinse and repeat each day.

If you want to make this more problematic, apply the automatic level at mid-day, then roll the extra level right before camping/resting. Or course, if I did this, my players would probably just do half-day travel then rest 16 hours instead of 8.

Keep in mind that this is a check, so a natural 1 is not an automatic failure, though not sure that will matter. Stacking bonuses to checks is much more difficult that stacking bonuses to saves (bless, paladin's aura).

dropbear8mybaby · Sep 10, 2017

Croesus said:
Or course, if I did this, my players would probably just do half-day travel then rest 16 hours instead of 8.

You can only benefit from one long rest per 24 hours.

Sacrosanct · Sep 10, 2017

p 110 of the DMG has rules on when to apply exhaustion. It covers not just heavy armor, but medium armor and heavy clothing as well. Even though the DMG says 100 degrees or higher, if Chult gets to 95 degrees, I think with the humidity, the total heat index will be way over 100 F so I'd apply that rule. ToA also mentions 2 gallons of water a day (in real life, the army recommends 3, but close enough).

So no, armor is not a good idea in Chult. And the PCs will need to think of ways to ensure clean drinking water, since it says rivers and standing water are not safe without being boiled first (which I would assume attracts unwanted attention with fires). Having significant experience in wilderness survival myself, how I would rule it is that outside of magical means, a survival roll to make a fire and keep it going would be at disadvantage. You can find appropriate wood for a fire, even in a rain forest. It's just harder.

I really, really like how this adventure is more than just combat, but places a huge emphasis on the exploration pillar.

Croesus · Sep 10, 2017

dropbear8mybaby said:
You can only benefit from one long rest per 24 hours.

I know. My point was that if they all gain a level of exhaustion around noon, they would likely stop, rather than continue and risk running into bad things. They'd effectively be moving only half normal distance each day, but that's only a problem if they're on a time limit.

dropbear8mybaby · Sep 10, 2017

Sacrosanct said:
p 110 of the DMG has rules on when to apply exhaustion. It covers not just heavy armor, but medium armor and heavy clothing as well. Even though the DMG says 100 degrees or higher, if Chult gets to 95 degrees, I think with the humidity, the total heat index will be way over 100 F so I'd apply that rule. ToA also mentions 2 gallons of water a day (in real life, the army recommends 3, but close enough).

Ah, I didn't know about that rule, cool.

Sacrosanct said:
So no, armor is not a good idea in Chult. And the PCs will need to think of ways to ensure clean drinking water, since it says rivers and standing water are not safe without being boiled first (which I would assume attracts unwanted attention with fires). Having significant experience in wilderness survival myself, how I would rule it is that outside of magical means, a survival roll to make a fire and keep it going would be at disadvantage. You can find appropriate wood for a fire, even in a rain forest. It's just harder.

They even have a "rain catcher" item in the "Buying a Special Item" section in ToA.

I'm going to have to make sure I'm well read on the exploration chapters and how to deal with it all before I run it, methinks.

dropbear8mybaby · Sep 10, 2017

Croesus said:
I know. My point was that if they all gain a level of exhaustion around noon, they would likely stop, rather than continue and risk running into bad things.

Ah, fair enough.

Croesus said:
They'd effectively be moving only half normal distance each day, but that's only a problem if they're on a time limit.

Well, they are, at least they are if they care about the reward and saving Syndra's life. A 79 day time limit, to be precise

hawkeyefan · Sep 10, 2017

Reading through the book, I think that the rule about exhaustion is only for days that have a full blown tropical storm. That's the way I read it, anyway. It talks about how on such days the guides know to hunker down; travel on rivers is impossible, and characters who insist on traveling by foot gain 1 level of exhaustion and must save against a second. It then points out that skill checks made to avoid becoming lost are made with disadvantage on storm days.

That's my interpretation of how it is presented in the book. It seems to be in the context of "storm days".

However....given that it's all up to the DM anyway, you can pretty much apply this penalty whenever you want. All it says about determining the weather is that most days in Chult don't go by without some rain, but it may be a mist or a torrential downpour. On days that receive heavy rain, there's a 25% chance of a tropical storm developing.