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

[dropbear8mybaby]

If a fight breaks out (and there’s little reason one should unless the characters start it), Valindra lets her undead servants deal with the adventurers, then slips through her teleportation circle back to Thay.

So she spends a minute casting teleportation circle when she could more than likely just kill the PC's in a couple of rounds?

I don't think the writer understands how teleportation circle works.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Just finished our first session (me as DM). I will say this. Having a ranger in the party is a godsend to them. Seriously makes things soooo much easier for the party. Outside of that, the guides make things a ton easier as well if the players choose to hire one. I give a word of caution: if you start at level 1 or low level, and use some of the guides, it becomes easy mode. I made the guides level appropriate to the PC levels to avoid that. Having a party of level 1 or 2 PCs with a guide that is a weretiger was just super screwy to me and caused way too many problems. So she was a level 1 were tiger

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

Just finished our first session (me as DM). I will say this. Having a ranger in the party is a godsend to them. Seriously makes things soooo much easier for the party. Outside of that, the guides make things a ton easier as well if the players choose to hire one. I give a word of caution: if you start at level 1 or low level, and use some of the guides, it becomes easy mode. I made the guides level appropriate to the PC levels to avoid that. Having a party of level 1 or 2 PCs with a guide that is a weretiger was just super screwy to me and caused way too many problems. So she was a level 1 were tiger

Yeah, if you're going to use the exhaustion rules in the module (which I think everyone should as it's a big component of theme of the module), then ranger definitely makes things easier. Having said that, I realised recently that I never really understood the rules for foraging and I don't think those rules took into account variation in environment. For instance, anyone can forage, they just don't get their passive Wisdom (Perception) on any checks while travelling. The benefit of the ranger is getting twice the normal foraging amount while keeping their passive. But, that's assumed for a regular environment. With the jungle exhaustion and dehydration rules, you need twice the amount of drinkable water. RAW, the foraging rule would just have you get it since there's no distinction made, but I'm not sure if I should do it that way.

As for the NPC's, not all of them are that great and some won't help out in combat. Having said that, I intend to use the Massive Damage and Injuries rules (along with hero points that can be used on the injuries roll), so 1st to 4th level is going to be murder, literally So any help they can get is probably going to be needed.

Oh, and variable encumbrance. I really hope they realise that they need to take pack animals for all their water and food and camp supplies

 

[CapnZapp]

All the talk about carrying water. Have you folks never heard of Create Food and Water?

If I'm not mistaken, that spell alone gives you plenty of fresh water, which also means you never have to make any exhaustion checks even in heavy armor?

If so, again hypocrisy wins. Another elaborate rule trivially circumvented, just like all the other so-called checks on resting... Sigh.

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[CapnZapp]

On the other hand, Create Food and Water handwaves the exhaustion, Leomund's Tiny Hut the resting, Lay on Hands the disease.... The list goes on...

If you really want to play up the environmental horror of Chult, you definitely can't use the base game without tweaks.

Playing without a Cleric (or Druid?) is a good start, to make water an issue.

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[dropbear8mybaby]

If so, again hypocrisy wins. Another elaborate rule trivially circumvented, just like all the other so-called checks on resting... Sigh.

Cool story, bro.

The pirates’ first line of defense is a ring of submerged rocks a quarter-mile from shore. The captain of a ship trying to sail though must make a DC 10 Intelligence check. If the check succeeds, the ship gets past the rocks safely. If it fails by 4 or less, the ship strikes a rock and springs a few leaks but suffers no serious damage and can continue seeking a passage through. If the check fails by 5 or more, a rock causes significant damage; the ship lists badly and its speed is halved until the hull is repaired. Striking a third rock causes the ship to sink.

So, should I be making more than one check then?

 

[Sacrosanct]

Another adjustment is on traps. One of the first areas they ran into was the abandon camp. At level 1. Not unusual for a 1st level group to stumble on it. Those traps will outright kill PCs (no death saves because massive damage) if left RAW. I lowered their damage to about 1/3 of what's in the book, and I still managed to drop two PCs in the temple just from traps.

As one of my players said, "A level 1 snake outside, and level 10 traps inside. We're so screwed " They were joking they were gonna take a page out of Gamers 2, and have a half dozen character sheets already filled out with replacement PCs lol.

So really, it's pretty much DMing 101. Adjust as you see fit to work with the party levels. Also sandbox 101: just because you encounter something, doesn't mean you should fight it. Running away and hiding is perfectly viable.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Cool story, bro.

Gotta admit, I'm not seeing the hypocrisy. That's a....weird word to use. Also, it relies on having someone in the party who can cast that spell in the first place (create food and water is a 3rd level spell, and create water is 1st), and to have it prepared. My players do have a cleric in the group, but it's not an easy choice to spend a spell slot every day (extremely valuable at low levels) on that. Especially when there are mundane ways to accomplishing the same thing.

So, should I be making more than one check then?

I think every time you pass through a ring you make a check. So for entering the ring, exiting the ring, etc.

 

[Sacrosanct]

If you really want to play up the environmental horror of Chult, you definitely can't use the base game without tweaks.

Yes you can. I'm doing it right now. Finished a session tonight as a matter of fact. You seem to be making a lot of assumptions, namely having PCs that can cast all those spells, having PCs who chose to prep all those spells, PCs having available slots to cast them, etc etc etc. Chult is tier 1. That means for the majority of the exploration of it, PCs won't have access to spells like create food and water (a 3rd level spell), and if you do happen to have a cleric in the group, there's no guarantee the cleric will have burned all of her spells on things like purify water or create water. Tier 1 spell slots are extremely valuable. I suppose if your entire party was clerics and paladins, it would be a lot easier, but who plays like that?

 

[CapnZapp]

Yes, yes I do make those assumptions. Chult is tier 2; the jungle exploration begins in earnest at level 5, btw.

Of course you can be stricken with all kinds of malaise, only smart players negate everything that they can negate.

Which is the difference between us. I'm talking about how to retain the environment as a challenge for players who use the tools given to them by the PHB.

You appear to assume players won't use the PHB's catalog of tricks. No wonder you feel no adjustments are necessary.

And that's fine, but PLEASE for the love of the nine Trickster gods, stop treating us that fully use the abilities given to us as some kind of freaks, Sacrosanct!

If the PHB grants an ability that negates an important aspect of an adventure, the fault does NOT lie with the player correctly identifying and utilizing this circumstance.

You speak all the time of monster Intelligence scores, but now I realize you never mention player Intelligence scores...

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