ArlenFrostlockes
First Post
not to mention that the two headed dog mounts have a con save to thier multi attacks for additional poison damage and disease, nor will I mention the centipede and how many enemies have resistance to non magical attacks.
DDEX3-10 Quelling the Horde *Spoilers*
Anthraxus
Explorer
It was an interesting mod. Lots of fights plus the Incubus! Our APL 3+ party still felt the need to take 2 long rests, because we needed them! Once, after the incubus kiss made our 4th level Fighter/Paladin @ 4hp max.
ArlenFrostlockes
First Post
thought you can only long rest once per 24 hour period?
Anthraxus
Explorer
Yep- 2 extra days, and we needed it. We hadn't even found the big bad fight, and everyone was down to nearly no spells, and a FTR/PAL with only 4 hp max.
ArlenFrostlockes
First Post
Yeah that was a brutal expedition - we took a long rest just after the cave opening skirmish, and still the incubi nearly did us in - had 8 hp after the kiss.
Motorskills
Explorer
Played this twice this weekend (at Winterfest).
My first AL Convention, so not got that much to compare it against....BUT.....
Game 1. Fairly tough party, six players average level 3.
We stomped the scarecrows and dogs without much problem. Took a short rest after the latter IIRC.
With my Deep Gnome wizard using his Advantage DEX (Stealth) in the rocky caverns, I was able to "kite" our drow rogue, and the two of us snuck well ahead of the party without alerting anything. We kidnapped a goblin and interrogated it. We figured out to release the giant boars as a distraction.
We still had a hard fight against the succubus, Agarak, and his centipede. Part of the problem is that everything is so close together.
Game Two, I had a virgin human fighter, polearm master. The group was weaker, five people, average L2 ish.
I obviously didn't reveal any of my prior knowledge.
We didn't have much problem against the scarecrows or the dogs. But things went disastrously wrong in the cave. Unlike the first group, we used lots of light and took Route 1.
Our scout tried to climb the wall and triggered Agarak. The fight against him and the carrion crawler would have been tough enough, but his knights joined in.
It should have been a TPK. But astonishingly, the fighting retreat by the two "survivors" kited the baddies far enough away that the three of us that had been dropped were able to get back up. (Paralysis finally wore off, then used potions on the other two who had self-stabilized).
We caught up with the fight and tipped the balance back in our favour.
I chatted to the DM after the event, he revealed that he had had a TPK against the scarecrows earlier that day. It sounds like they got unlucky (lots of frightened PCs), but I wonder if there was also a CR problem, per the above posts.
I think there's an interesting adventure there, but I'm not sold on the map, and the monsters seem...volatile.
I also found the whole witchcraft thing a bit of a non-sequitur. Nice idea, but maybe placed in the wrong adventure.
My first AL Convention, so not got that much to compare it against....BUT.....
Game 1. Fairly tough party, six players average level 3.
We stomped the scarecrows and dogs without much problem. Took a short rest after the latter IIRC.
With my Deep Gnome wizard using his Advantage DEX (Stealth) in the rocky caverns, I was able to "kite" our drow rogue, and the two of us snuck well ahead of the party without alerting anything. We kidnapped a goblin and interrogated it. We figured out to release the giant boars as a distraction.
We still had a hard fight against the succubus, Agarak, and his centipede. Part of the problem is that everything is so close together.
Game Two, I had a virgin human fighter, polearm master. The group was weaker, five people, average L2 ish.
I obviously didn't reveal any of my prior knowledge.
We didn't have much problem against the scarecrows or the dogs. But things went disastrously wrong in the cave. Unlike the first group, we used lots of light and took Route 1.
Our scout tried to climb the wall and triggered Agarak. The fight against him and the carrion crawler would have been tough enough, but his knights joined in.
It should have been a TPK. But astonishingly, the fighting retreat by the two "survivors" kited the baddies far enough away that the three of us that had been dropped were able to get back up. (Paralysis finally wore off, then used potions on the other two who had self-stabilized).
We caught up with the fight and tipped the balance back in our favour.
I chatted to the DM after the event, he revealed that he had had a TPK against the scarecrows earlier that day. It sounds like they got unlucky (lots of frightened PCs), but I wonder if there was also a CR problem, per the above posts.
I think there's an interesting adventure there, but I'm not sold on the map, and the monsters seem...volatile.
I also found the whole witchcraft thing a bit of a non-sequitur. Nice idea, but maybe placed in the wrong adventure.
ArlenFrostlockes
First Post
I also found the whole witchcraft thing a bit of a non-sequitur. Nice idea, but maybe placed in the wrong adventure.
Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...ling-the-Horde-*Spoilers*/page3#ixzz3zV07fl3I
Yeah, I agree with you there. Also seems kinda weird that there were no enemy dead or scarecrow dead at the witches place. We figured the scarecrows were some sort of defensive system in place to prevent shenannigans. so why did we trip them but not the goblins?
Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...ling-the-Horde-*Spoilers*/page3#ixzz3zV07fl3I
Yeah, I agree with you there. Also seems kinda weird that there were no enemy dead or scarecrow dead at the witches place. We figured the scarecrows were some sort of defensive system in place to prevent shenannigans. so why did we trip them but not the goblins?
Z. H. Darkstar
Explorer
This was way too combat-heavy for an adventure that's supposed to run 4 hours. I ran it using the split-session rules in my 2 hour slot on Thursdays. It took 3 sessions (6 hrs) to get through it, and that was with some liberal handwaving of combats due to time constraints. I asked the players for a battle strategy for their initial strike and then started the battle at the end result of their first actions.
The incubus ended up Soul Kissing both the Barbarian and Sun Soul Monk to death. Although the party still was able to have a good time with a fight that shouldn't have been in there, primarily because I was playing Incubus songs throughout the fight and switching songs as the tone of the combat dictated it.
Groups full of murderhobos will have a rough time with this one if RNGesus is not on their side.
The incubus ended up Soul Kissing both the Barbarian and Sun Soul Monk to death. Although the party still was able to have a good time with a fight that shouldn't have been in there, primarily because I was playing Incubus songs throughout the fight and switching songs as the tone of the combat dictated it.
Groups full of murderhobos will have a rough time with this one if RNGesus is not on their side.
Tyranthraxus
Explorer
I ran this on the weekend.
(I found it very long. Is it just me or are even more encounters being placed into Scenarios?)
A) First encounter with the Cultist farm. Scarecrows were manegeable. I had a table of 6 below APL so the game ran on normal. Due to 2 Wild Magic Sorcs, the battle actually went quick.
B) Death Dog fight was interesting. The goblin boss couldnt hit anything. Death Dogs could do nothing but hit and couldnt seem to inflict their disease though
C) They went the long way in and came in near the warrens and the hiding goblins/boar. I had the Goblins back off as they hoped the Boars would kill the party. Then the Goblins attacked as well. One guy went down but the battle was essentially stopped because the Wildmage through a Fireball at his feet taking out the down guy (dead) and all the enemies
B) They let out the Incubi and Dretch and let them go (I dont really sense many good people in this party) then ascended the stairs.
Lord Agrak fight was tough. Flying around, Charming people. One guy was told to leave and went back to the cultist residence. One guy left 'standing' , nobody else died
Im running it again this weekend coming. Ill let you know how it goes.
(I found it very long. Is it just me or are even more encounters being placed into Scenarios?)
A) First encounter with the Cultist farm. Scarecrows were manegeable. I had a table of 6 below APL so the game ran on normal. Due to 2 Wild Magic Sorcs, the battle actually went quick.
B) Death Dog fight was interesting. The goblin boss couldnt hit anything. Death Dogs could do nothing but hit and couldnt seem to inflict their disease though
C) They went the long way in and came in near the warrens and the hiding goblins/boar. I had the Goblins back off as they hoped the Boars would kill the party. Then the Goblins attacked as well. One guy went down but the battle was essentially stopped because the Wildmage through a Fireball at his feet taking out the down guy (dead) and all the enemies
B) They let out the Incubi and Dretch and let them go (I dont really sense many good people in this party) then ascended the stairs.
Lord Agrak fight was tough. Flying around, Charming people. One guy was told to leave and went back to the cultist residence. One guy left 'standing' , nobody else died
Im running it again this weekend coming. Ill let you know how it goes.
