Clckwrkhack
First Post
So I'm thinking about shoe-horning the Forge of Fury Dungeon from Yawning Portal into my current campaign. I've never run the dungeon in 3.5 or 5e, but I love the design and feel of the whole thing, and think it could work nicely with some plot hooks I've been setting up so far. There's only one problem...
...my party will be level 9 when we would start it.
For clarity, my party is currently level 7, and we are in the middle of a homebrew module that will likely get them to 9 by the time they can journey to the Stone Tooth. They are 5 in total: an Eladrin Mastermind Rogue, a human Fey Warlock, a human Diviner Wizard, a half-orc Vengeance Paladin, and a High Elf Eldritch Knight. They've got a few magic items between them as well.
I'm relatively committed to trying to run the dungeon anyway, but its obviously going to need some substantial rewrites. Any feedback or additional/alternative ideas would be much appreciated! Also, general tips on any exploits that could be game breaking due to higher level PCs would be much appreciated.
So far, my list of potential rewrites includes:
- Most substantially: Replacing Nightscale with an ADULT BLACK DRAGON. While I'm mostly concerned about making things to easy for the PCs, this one is the only one that makes me think I may be overcompensating. I might have to take some liberties with sizing the map to accommodate a huge creature, but I'm mostly worried that the legendary actions, frightful presence, legendary resistance and lair actions could make this one far too difficult. I've never run an adult dragon encounter with lair actions before, but I really want to. Especially with the clear terrain advantages, I'm both excited and horrified by the prospect of this fight. If it seems too difficult, I could also throw in some acid resistance and dragon slaying items to even up the fight.
- Replacing almost all the Orcs in the Mountain Door with Orogs, as well as a few Tanarukks and Ogres, including an Ogre Bolt Thrower (MToF) across the rope bridge to take pot shots at them as they cross. Great Ulfe becomes an Oni, and throw some armor and additional hp on his dire wolves.
- Instead of the relative handful of Troglodytes presented in the Troglodyte Cavern of the Glitterhame, I would add in a mob combat with something closer to 25-30 troglodytes, with their stench effect replaced by a DC 18 effect that impacts the whole room and drops as the Trogs are killed. Especially if the Trogs are smart enough to try and grapple and restrain targets before unloading on them with their attacks, this could get very dangerous when the crits start coming in.
- Replacing the brown bear in the caves with a basilisk, and having a few others roam about the Glitterhame and Sinkhole for good measure.
- A black Abishai also stalks the Glitterhame, looking to manipulate the Troglodytes into the service of its master (the Dragon in the Black Lake). When it realizes the Party is a threat, it will wait until they are engaged with something else and ambush them.
- Putting a Cloaker in the Glitterhame chamber proper, to complicate the fight with the Gricks there, while also throwing in a Grick Alpha into the Grick nest. Considering replacing the Gricks with something else entirely, like Kruthiks.
- The Roper would probably remain, though as an enemy that could reasonably be slain instead of a didactic lesson in cowardice. I would, however, move it to the roof of the chamber, along with 6-8 piercers.
- A wizard (likely introduced pre-dungeon) attempted to explore the Glitterhame recently with a small expedition. However, she was turned to stone by one of the aforementioned basilisks, and her expedition was devoured by Troglodytes. She brought with her a clay golem, and her petrified body can be found in the Long Cavern, with its hand broken off. The control rod was recovered and hidden by the Trog Chief in its warren, while the Golem itself ventured into the Sinkhole, offering additional incentive for players to visit the area that could otherwise be subverted by a good lockpick. If the golem is encountered without its rod, it will likely rampage and attack, as it will also do if the control rod is dropped in the Roper fight or picked from their pocket by the Black Abishai. If they manage to keep it alive and under their control, its acid resistance will likely carry it far against the Black Dragon.
- The duergar in the foundry would be replaced by some of the higher level Duergar in MToF, with many of the undead boosted to wraiths and wights.
- I've had a few different ideas for what to do with the Idalla encounter: leaving her as is, replacing her with a more dangerous Erinyes (boring due to lack of spells) replacing her with a guardian or spirit naga, or replacing her with a Dao.
- I would probably just scrap some of the trashier encounters with animated objects and stirges while boosting the ACs on traps and the like.
Any thoughts and ideas on raising the level of encounters across tiers of play, either generally, or for FoF in particular would be much appreciated! As would any feedback on the options I've put above, or any other ideas that could further flesh out this dungeon! Thank you in advance
...my party will be level 9 when we would start it.
For clarity, my party is currently level 7, and we are in the middle of a homebrew module that will likely get them to 9 by the time they can journey to the Stone Tooth. They are 5 in total: an Eladrin Mastermind Rogue, a human Fey Warlock, a human Diviner Wizard, a half-orc Vengeance Paladin, and a High Elf Eldritch Knight. They've got a few magic items between them as well.
I'm relatively committed to trying to run the dungeon anyway, but its obviously going to need some substantial rewrites. Any feedback or additional/alternative ideas would be much appreciated! Also, general tips on any exploits that could be game breaking due to higher level PCs would be much appreciated.
So far, my list of potential rewrites includes:
- Most substantially: Replacing Nightscale with an ADULT BLACK DRAGON. While I'm mostly concerned about making things to easy for the PCs, this one is the only one that makes me think I may be overcompensating. I might have to take some liberties with sizing the map to accommodate a huge creature, but I'm mostly worried that the legendary actions, frightful presence, legendary resistance and lair actions could make this one far too difficult. I've never run an adult dragon encounter with lair actions before, but I really want to. Especially with the clear terrain advantages, I'm both excited and horrified by the prospect of this fight. If it seems too difficult, I could also throw in some acid resistance and dragon slaying items to even up the fight.
- Replacing almost all the Orcs in the Mountain Door with Orogs, as well as a few Tanarukks and Ogres, including an Ogre Bolt Thrower (MToF) across the rope bridge to take pot shots at them as they cross. Great Ulfe becomes an Oni, and throw some armor and additional hp on his dire wolves.
- Instead of the relative handful of Troglodytes presented in the Troglodyte Cavern of the Glitterhame, I would add in a mob combat with something closer to 25-30 troglodytes, with their stench effect replaced by a DC 18 effect that impacts the whole room and drops as the Trogs are killed. Especially if the Trogs are smart enough to try and grapple and restrain targets before unloading on them with their attacks, this could get very dangerous when the crits start coming in.
- Replacing the brown bear in the caves with a basilisk, and having a few others roam about the Glitterhame and Sinkhole for good measure.
- A black Abishai also stalks the Glitterhame, looking to manipulate the Troglodytes into the service of its master (the Dragon in the Black Lake). When it realizes the Party is a threat, it will wait until they are engaged with something else and ambush them.
- Putting a Cloaker in the Glitterhame chamber proper, to complicate the fight with the Gricks there, while also throwing in a Grick Alpha into the Grick nest. Considering replacing the Gricks with something else entirely, like Kruthiks.
- The Roper would probably remain, though as an enemy that could reasonably be slain instead of a didactic lesson in cowardice. I would, however, move it to the roof of the chamber, along with 6-8 piercers.
- A wizard (likely introduced pre-dungeon) attempted to explore the Glitterhame recently with a small expedition. However, she was turned to stone by one of the aforementioned basilisks, and her expedition was devoured by Troglodytes. She brought with her a clay golem, and her petrified body can be found in the Long Cavern, with its hand broken off. The control rod was recovered and hidden by the Trog Chief in its warren, while the Golem itself ventured into the Sinkhole, offering additional incentive for players to visit the area that could otherwise be subverted by a good lockpick. If the golem is encountered without its rod, it will likely rampage and attack, as it will also do if the control rod is dropped in the Roper fight or picked from their pocket by the Black Abishai. If they manage to keep it alive and under their control, its acid resistance will likely carry it far against the Black Dragon.
- The duergar in the foundry would be replaced by some of the higher level Duergar in MToF, with many of the undead boosted to wraiths and wights.
- I've had a few different ideas for what to do with the Idalla encounter: leaving her as is, replacing her with a more dangerous Erinyes (boring due to lack of spells) replacing her with a guardian or spirit naga, or replacing her with a Dao.
- I would probably just scrap some of the trashier encounters with animated objects and stirges while boosting the ACs on traps and the like.
Any thoughts and ideas on raising the level of encounters across tiers of play, either generally, or for FoF in particular would be much appreciated! As would any feedback on the options I've put above, or any other ideas that could further flesh out this dungeon! Thank you in advance
