D&D 5E Optimum and/or Fun Party of 6 for ToA?

[Guest 6801328]

If you were to design a group of 6 characters for running Tomb of Annihilation, what would they be?

I've only skimmed the book so far, but it seems like:
- Eventually some serious trap avoidance/detection will be useful.
- Reading languages and making Arcana/History/Nature checks will be important
- Having a Ranger along will make hex crawling more survivable

And what's the deal with metal armor? I thought I remember reading something about encumbrance in general, and heavy armor in particular, being a liability in ToA. Is that the case or was that just conjecture?

What else should be considered?

 

[Nebulous]

If you were to design a group of 6 characters for running Tomb of Annihilation, what would they be?

I've only skimmed the book so far, but it seems like:
- Eventually some serious trap avoidance/detection will be useful.
- Reading languages and making Arcana/History/Nature checks will be important
- Having a Ranger along will make hex crawling more survivable

And what's the deal with metal armor? I thought I remember reading something about encumbrance in general, and heavy armor in particular, being a liability in ToA. Is that the case or was that just conjecture?

What else should be considered?

Per the book, if you wear heavy armor, and DO NOT DRINK 2 GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY, you have to make a Con save with Disadvantage against Exhaustion. Assuming you do get enough water, then you can wear heavy armor all day long.

That's per the book, but a lot of DMs want to make it a more difficult jaunt through the jungle, including mandatory Exhaustion if you try to wear heavy armor.

 

[pukunui]

That's per the book, but a lot of DMs want to make it a more difficult jaunt through the jungle, including mandatory Exhaustion if you try to wear heavy armor.

Personally, I don't think I'd want to trek through a jungle in leather armor, never mind anything heavier or made of metal.

If I had to wear armor in a jungle, I'd want the Temperate minor enchantment put on it. (It keeps you comfy in temperatures between -20 and 120 F.)

 

[Guest 6801328]

I'm asking the question because I'm thinking of running the campaign for a group of high school students for whom (for a variety of reasons) I will probably provide a set of pre-gens to choose from, starting at 5th level.

I'm thinking:
Shadow Monk
Totem Barbarian
Hunter Ranger
Moon Druid
Lore Bard
Divination Wizard

Multiclassing one of them with Scout is a possibility, too.

 

[CapnZapp]

And what's the deal with metal armor? I thought I remember reading something about encumbrance in general, and heavy armor in particular, being a liability in ToA. Is that the case or was that just conjecture?

Not exactly conjecture, but something severely overblown - the drawback of wearing heavy armor is that you get disadvantage on a dehydration Consitution save to avoid exhaustion.

But if you drink (2 gallons of) water you never have to do this save, so it's mostly hot air.

Personally I find such mundane "challenges" uninteresting. Not to mention all those extra die rolls if you do get exposed to dehydration (and diseased water, and leeches and what not).

How about doing away with all that clutter and instead simply saying

If you wear heavy armor your minimum exhaustion level is not zero, but one.

No longer do you have to fuss with rules and die rolls - and the equipment (or spells) that trivially does away with these rules and die rolls anyway!

Instead you have a drawback that really is and remains a drawback. It takes away the focus from "how will I avoid this atmospheric penalty so I can play just like I was back in the Sword Coast" and instead encourages players to survive with the penalty as befitting a new strange environment.

Perhaps they can find a solution through adventure instead of through administration or simple spellcasting? Perhaps something akin to how the adventure offers flight (at Kir Sabal).

There could be a legendary gold statuette that, when looted, will make a Merchant Prince give you a magical doodad that lets the party's heavy armor wearer endure the elements?

In all:
- skip the clutter that not only means a load of extra die rolls but is trivially but boringly circumvented anyway
- focus on the adventure, not quartermastering
- allow a solution, but one that mainly adventurers can achieve

 

[ArwensDaughter]

The group I will be running through TOA includes a paladin (unless the party tpks fighting Bad Fruul) reading through TOA, I've frequently thought having a paladin along will be helpful, despite the heavy armor issue.


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[Voort]

A Cleric.

Healing, restoration, and the exploration-friendly create water & create food spells. Also handy if a swarm of undead were to show up.

 

[Ancalagon]

A Cleric.

Healing, restoration, and the exploration-friendly create water & create food spells. Also handy if a swarm of undead were to show up.

This. People forget how *strong* clerics are in the exploration pilar. Their logistical support capacity are the best in the game. An outlander background cleric would be phenomenal.

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[Guest 6801328]

This. People forget how *strong* clerics are in the exploration pilar. Their logistical support capacity are the best in the game. An outlander background cleric would be phenomenal.

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What domain would you go with? Obvious pick to boost Exploration would be Nature, but if one of the goals is to avoid heavy armor that leaves one it's main (early) benefits unused.

Maybe Light....

 

[zedturtle]

Fun? A group of sentient self-aware iron golems. Bonus points if they can join together to form one mega-golem. Bonus bonus points if you can get one of the kids to unironically say "I'll form the head!".

But, yeah, Nature Cleric sounds cool too.