The Abyssal Campaign (~260pg).

[Zappo]

It uses lots of fancy Word formatting, and translating it to HTML would be a tough job. You probably need Word 2000 to read it. However, I managed to make a pdf:

http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/zappo/abyssal.pdf.zip

It's got a watermark, but it's otherwise good.

 

[Allanon]

There exists a special Italian D&D version

No fair here in The Netherlands we have to make due with the English/American version. Do you know how hard it is to learn to calculate in feet and inches?

The strange thing is that when one player once tried converting everything to the metric system it began feeling less like D&D, I guess the imperial system just grew on us.

 

[Li Shenron]

Zappo! I have just finished reading your updated adventure, I have some questions...

Have you started it already with a group? The plot a hell of a nice (or abyssally nice if you prefer...) but it seems very TOUGH! Lots and lots of creatures among which some very powerful ones in a limited space in the dungeon-like locations. Perhaps the PCs are supposed to have already advanced a few levels when they get to the prison... However I like how you mixed creatures of differerent CRs, including some easily disposable - by the PCs - but definitely not harmless monsters of CR lower than the party level.

This adventure of yours could -just- be what I need to finally play a whole adventure on an outer plane, I'm definitely going to steal this! Well, I am not sure but I suppose you may be quite glad if I do...

I am not playing in a Planescape setting however, so I guess that I have to adapt the first part of it and let it happen on the material plane instead of Sigil. I think this kind of change doesn't require any real work at all at the end.

 

[Zappo]

Yeah, I've played almost the entire part that I've written so far. Naturally, the group is supposed to gain levels through the adventure, but the prison is the very beginning so it is to be played by characters of the indicated levels.

If you think it's TOUGH, it means that it's doing what it was designed to do: scare, not kill! The prison is - with a few exceptions - way easier than it seems, combat-wise. First of all, a lot of the encounters are cakewalks for a party of the specified level. Secondly, as soon as the party gets to the lower prison, they have a safe place to rest just minutes away from the dungeon. The monster zone isn't supposed to be completed in one foray.

My party is composed of 3 to 5 characters (attendance is very variable), each one created with 25 point buy, and most of them slightly underequipped for their level. They played the upper prison very cautiously, using darkvision and low-light vision rather than torches, saving spells as much as possible, and talking to all NPCs that could help them. In the lower prison, they entered the monster zone four or five times before finding out everything they needed to know to get out. They were scared witless during the first one or two walks in the zone, and had to retreat (well, actually flee) more than once. After a few encounters with the creatures of darkness, they developed sound tactics to prevent sneak attacks and to avoid detection very effectively (ready actions, never use open light if you can help it, use summoned creatures to draw the monsters away from you). You should also remember the auto-enhancement of all damage-dealing spells. Throughout the entire first part, this works entirely to the players' advantage: no enemy has big boom spells, but the party wizard can rock the house with 12d6 fireballs and shotgun magic missiles.

Up to now, there were three deaths, which sounds fairly bad but all of them were the result of very, very stupid decisions which aren't going to be repeated any time soon (hint: if you are calculating whether your friend can afford to be in the area of a fireball, remember the auto-enhancement of damage spells). The adventure isn't directly out to get the players, but it looks like it is. Terror is the point; dead characters aren't scared.

As for adapting the adventure to run off the Prime Material, that should be easy. It has a definite Planescape flavor, but when it comes to actual Planescape elements it doesn't have that many. If you decide to run it, make sure to let me know what happens!

 

[D.Shaffer]

....Edited because somehow my reply ended up on the wrong thread and I cant for the life of me figure out how to delete.

 

[Li Shenron]

If you decide to run it, make sure to let me know what happens!

I am really looking forward to! I won't do it right now, we currently have a party of 4th level characters, and a couple of the players haven't yet played at levels higher than that, therefore I would not like to have them "jump" to 6th (the reason being only that I know they will be dazzled by having too many new options - especially spells - to choose from all of a sudden, not because I think it would be "unfair" or anything...). Also we are starting in a few days The Forge Of Fury, and I already ready for it

But I want to ask you a suggestion, and maybe I'll even make an entire new thread about it later today... You say that your party had to flee a few times. Often we had the problem that our players (including myself when I am a player) tend to very rarely flee! Some of us have a limited experience with D&D and don't know about many monsters, since they don't even own the Monster Manual, therefore they normally have no idea how challenging a monster they haven't heard before could be. I am facing this question now for Forge of Fury,

Spoiler

in the case of the Roper: I am sure that those players have no clue that the Roper with CR 10 is almost impossible to beat without losing some PCs, how can they understand they must not fight it when I say "you see a stalagmite move and open a toothy mouth and a scary eye"?

How do you usually hint to players that the opponent they are facing is a suitable challenge or is otherwise too strong to fight? Do visual clues and description hint enough in your experience?

 

[Zappo]

6th level for the Abyssal Campaign is very low, I played it with a party averaging a bit more than 8th. At 6th they would have to be very careful, and not knowing when to run is going to be a big problem.

Luckily, everyone in my group is fairly experienced. Most monsters have visual cues to their power, and even if they don't read the MM in their spare time, they can recognize danger when they see it (the roper is the wrong monster for that, though... a stalagmite with teeth makes me think of something from Mario Bros).

In the Abyssal Campaign, there are lots and lots of hints about the power of most opponents. Chiefly, the creatures of darkness' tactics: they bite and run, and this allows them to do lots of sneak attacks and to strike fear but it also means that PCs can get solid data on their power and still have a few rounds to prepare or run.

Many of these hints are even designed to cause the PCs to overestimate their opponents (eg, the flames dancing on Rothakon's skin - some players now suspect that he's a balor, maybe with a reduce spell).

In any case, here the PCs are in the Abyss. If they don't know when to run and hide, they'll learn. At the suggested levels, the upper prison can't be done by wandering around with lit torches and attacking all patrols; you must gather allies, exploit the demons' incompetency, and not get noticed. The monster zone can't be done in one strike; you have to scout it, develop tactics to avoid sneak attacks, and avoid attracting the monsters. The tanar'ri guarding the gate to the Plains can't be fought all together (this cost the life of a PC in my game); you have to wait for them to separate, create a diversion, and take them by surprise.

When everything fails, there are always red shirts. The PCs have the occasion of freeing and joining up with plenty of NPCs in the prison. Nothing better than killing off one of them in the most messy way possible to send a message.

 

[Li Shenron]

6th level for the Abyssal Campaign is very low, I played it with a party averaging a bit more than 8th. At 6th they would have to be very careful, and not knowing when to run is going to be a big problem.

Right, my mistake to remember the wrong suggested level...

Thanks for tips anyway, they will be very useful to me in general, not just with your adventure. When I manage to run it, I will definitely let you know how it is going! For the moment, it was anyway a very pleasure to read.

 

[Darthor]

I've been running this now for about 6 sessions with a party of 6 characters of 9 - 10th level.

They are now 10th to as much as 12th level. They are in the lower prison and about to enter the monster zone. I have upped the CRs and challenge in a few places to keep it interesting for a group of their size and level.

I and most of them have loved it. Thanks Zappo for creating such an enjoyable adventure.

No deaths so far... but then I'm a softy DM and in our group player death is pretty rare (maybe twice a year without it being desired as a way of retirement by the player).

 

[Zappo]

Glad to hear you liked it! The best condition for this adventure is when you can strike a delicate balance where it looks very challenging, but little deaths actually occur. In fact, too many PC deaths can become a serious problem, because after the prison any new PC will not suffer from the archfiend's curse.