D&D 5E [SPOILERS] Out of the Abyss Escape Scenario: To Fudge or not to Fudge?

[Istbor]

I also used the demons as a distraction. My players however decided to make an attempt for their gear and ended up attacking one Drow and an elite warrior while they were helping to fend off the demons (another Drow was stricken unconscious by the buzzing).

While two of them were put down by the Elite, they did manage to finally over come him. They then made the jump to the webs with drow pursuit on the way. Left poor Ront caught in webbing to be eaten by spiders. Then made good their escape. (they did also kill the ooze in the water below).

The other NPCs did have to carry a Halfling and a dwarf. The male twin met his end to a Drow sword. So really then made it out fairly intact.

I will note they totally could have saved Ront but the Dwarf heavy party decided the Orc got what was coming to him.

 

[epithet]

Since the drow in this scenario will not be trying to kill the party (and might even res a dead PC to torture, sell, or both) I'd say let the party fail, be recaptured, and try again.

 

[Istbor]

Since the drow in this scenario will not be trying to kill the party (and might even res a dead PC to torture, sell, or both) I'd say let the party fail, be recaptured, and try again.

A super valid point that I forgot to make.

Though there can still be some reasons the Drow may kill the prisoners.

 

[aramis erak]

What was your experience running the scenario?

3rd level party at start (due to AL play). Took them 2 tries to escape as a party (tho' first try, 3 got away, and hid close by), then they went back before reinforcements could arrive, to recover their stuff. Also, the Bard got everyone in the cell on their side. In the first 10 minutes of play. And the monk made the quoggoth barracks door unable to open, trapping several.

On the second attempt, the priestess Ilvara fled up to escape them, so she could cast safely... and one of the escapees (who had recovered his gear in attempt 1) shot her. Crit. Broke her concentration. the fall did the rest. Meanwhile, the monk broke the spiders by burning the webs with a Qi function.

They then snuck back in to kill everyone else.

I didn't have the drow be slackers tactically... but the terrain does that for them.
The real threat is the quaggoths and the elites. But that's what spider venom is for...

 

[abirdcall]

3rd level party at start (due to AL play).

That is already going to make a huge difference from the 1st level that most people here are posting about and going to play with.

On the second attempt, the priestess Ilvara fled up to escape them, so she could cast safely... and one of the escapees (who had recovered his gear in attempt 1) shot her. Crit. Broke her concentration. the fall did the rest. Meanwhile, the monk broke the spiders by burning the webs with a Qi function.

Ilvara is a CR 8 encounter all by herself. Unless, of course, she spends her action to levitate and make herself an easy target. An Insect Plague may have been the better choice.

I didn't have the drow be slackers tactically... but the terrain does that for them.

From what you have posted I am going to disagree with you here.


As long as you had fun that is what matters. I think your experience is going to be far different than most though.

 

[Celtavian]

3rd level party at start (due to AL play). Took them 2 tries to escape as a party (tho' first try, 3 got away, and hid close by), then they went back before reinforcements could arrive, to recover their stuff. Also, the Bard got everyone in the cell on their side. In the first 10 minutes of play. And the monk made the quoggoth barracks door unable to open, trapping several.

On the second attempt, the priestess Ilvara fled up to escape them, so she could cast safely... and one of the escapees (who had recovered his gear in attempt 1) shot her. Crit. Broke her concentration. the fall did the rest. Meanwhile, the monk broke the spiders by burning the webs with a Qi function.

They then snuck back in to kill everyone else.

I didn't have the drow be slackers tactically... but the terrain does that for them.
The real threat is the quaggoths and the elites. But that's what spider venom is for...

Nice idea sealing the quaggoth cave.

The terrain doesn't allow the drow to mass against the prisoners or vice versa if both sides detect each other. I figure the drow like to shoot people. The drow have a serious advantage with darkvision. They can see the players without the players being able to see them, so they can often counter the disadvantage of longer range with hand crossbows advantage from being unseen. If one or two people are crossing the rope bridge and they get spotted, bad times for them. Fortunately, my group has some drow in it to counter the situation.

A 3rd level party can probably take the whole place out. Maybe Ilvara could slow that down, but probably not.

 

[Celtavian]

The escape went far better than I expected with the demon distraction. Very cinematic with the right amount of danger. Two of the players almost dropped. They managed to kill the elite warrior with some lucky rolls even his parry wouldn't work against. Paladin used to command to force a drow guard to unlock the door. He smote down the elite guard with a crit. The half-orc rogue/fighter stole a drow warrior's shortsword before he could draw it. When the drow positioned at the window in the door to the slave pen, the sorcerer acid splashed them again and again. They had an easy time taking control of the tower. Prince Derendil held off three quaggoth and killed two drow before he bit it. He was quite an effective ally. Ront threw the dwarf female into the webs to keep the spiders occupied before he was thrown into the webs by a quaggoth. Topsy and Turvy ran off. Overall an easier encounter than I expected due to lucky rolls.

 

[abirdcall]

The escape went far better than I expected with the demon distraction. Very cinematic with the right amount of danger. Two of the players almost dropped. They managed to kill the elite warrior with some lucky rolls even his parry wouldn't work against. Paladin used to command to force a drow guard to unlock the door. He smote down the elite guard with a crit. The half-orc rogue/fighter stole a drow warrior's shortsword before he could draw it. When the drow positioned at the window in the door to the slave pen, the sorcerer acid splashed them again and again. They had an easy time taking control of the tower. Prince Derendil held off three quaggoth and killed two drow before he bit it. He was quite an effective ally. Ront threw the dwarf female into the webs to keep the spiders occupied before he was thrown into the webs by a quaggoth. Topsy and Turvy ran off. Overall an easier encounter than I expected due to lucky rolls.

Glad it went well.

It sounds like you waived the anti-magic field in the prison?

 

[Celtavian]

Glad it went well.

It sounds like you waived the anti-magic field in the prison?

No. As far as I know if you are outside the slave pen, you can cast. Once they escaped, the casters were good to go.

 

[aramis erak]

No. As far as I know if you are outside the slave pen, you can cast. Once they escaped, the casters were good to go.

That's my read of it as well.