D&D 5E Tomb of Annihilation campaign recaps

[Rabbitbait]

So I am in a quandary with what to do next session - either they will become prisoners of the Yuan-Ti as per Chapter 4, or else Zagmira and her thugs will ambush the group and take down the Yuan-Ti before freeing them - giving them a chance to form the uneasy alliance also suggested by the book - along with the truth about the Soulmonger, the Tomb of the Nine Gods and the puzzle cubes. Any thoughts? I feel the group being taken prisoner is a TPK risk, as they will try to escape. But the ambush by Zagmira might feel like too much of a Get Out Of Jail Free card (which it kind of is!) with all the puzzle cube/tomb info given to the players on a plate.

Hmm, that is a quandry. I wouldn't have them rescued by Zagmira as that will mean you'll probably avoid much of the palace fun later, but possibly have an unlikely rescue by the red wizards (who want their cubes), or maybe even a horde of vegepygmies who simply hate snakes but don't even care about other species. The vegepygmies are unlikely to win, but the characters would then have a choice of trying to escape or helping them. Maybe an unlikely encounter with the King of Feathers.

 

[sim-h]

Hmm, that is a quandry. I wouldn't have them rescued by Zagmira as that will mean you'll probably avoid much of the palace fun later, but possibly have an unlikely rescue by the red wizards (who want their cubes), or maybe even a horde of vegepygmies who simply hate snakes but don't even care about other species. The vegepygmies are unlikely to win, but the characters would then have a choice of trying to escape or helping them. Maybe an unlikely encounter with the King of Feathers.

Well I think I've decided - no let offs. I've started drawing up a spreadsheet of the Fane occupants HPs, stats etc. The players will (hopefully) lead a slave revolt. I pray they do not take Fenthaza at her word and use the revolt to escape as soon as possible, leaving her and Ras Nsi to fight it out. But then again, players never do what the DM intends...

I will also use the day of slave labours and their experiences being captured to hard-level them up to 6 in time for the revolt. I don't normally do milestones, but in this case they definitely need it. For others reading - I'd suggest entering Omu at lvl 6 as a minimum.

 

[Nebulous]

For others reading - I'd suggest entering Omu at lvl 6 as a minimum.

Yup, my group set foot in Omu last night as 6th level heroes. Even 5th would be a little too weak.

So, I added something new. They have an aaracroka they use constantly as a scout and a free "lift" to shuttle people around. The gargoyles around the city are a deterrent to flying reconnaissance, but I also added an automatic Faery Fire spell that hits anyone above a rooftop, even an invisible character. This activates as many gargoyles as the DM wants and they make a beeline for that characters(s), attacking with Advantage. This upset them enough that they won't be doing anything beyond street level investigation. Although I have a feeling at some point the birdman is going to try and escape some enemies, such as yuan-ti with arrows, and end up triggering a flock of gargoyles after his ass anyway....

 

[Nebulous]

Session #22 - Wyrmheart Mine

https://app.box.com/s/y4wt1f9eom8cftap5uzd81bszcodu3jq

 

[Rabbitbait]

Yup, my group set foot in Omu last night as 6th level heroes. Even 5th would be a little too weak.....

Mine were level 5 when they entered and they were a little weak. They survived, but really had to think through it all. An insta-death made them realise that they weren't in Kansas anymore.

 

[Nebulous]

I really want the King of Feathers to be a terrifying threat, but these guys are dealing 25-50 points of damage per round apiece, it won't take long to kill a giant mean T-rex.

 

[Rabbitbait]

Here is the latest journal entry. I only had two players turn up, so I ended up running 4 NPCs as well as the monsters. Eeep.

https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/7354713/day-112-red-wizard-kobolds-and-finding-a-friend

 

[Nebulous]

King of Feathers (modified) CR 12?

AC 12
HP 200
Speed 50'

SQ: Darkvision, See Invisible, Misty Step 60' (at-will), Legendary Resistance x3, Dire Wasp Swarm

Multiattack. The tyrannosaurus makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its tail. It can't make both attacks against the same target.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: (4d12 + 7) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 17). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the tyrannosaurus can't bite another target
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: (3d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage.




Dire Wasp Swarm (Large swarm)
AC 11
HP 40
Speed 30' Fly

Damage Resistance Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Prone, Restrained, Stunned
Senses Blindsight 10 Ft., passive Perception 8

SQ: When the swarm enters the square of an enemy or a PC ends a turn inside the swarm, they take 1d4 damage. Casting a spell requires a DC 10 Concentration check.

Attack: Bite +3, 4d4+3 damage

 

[Rabbitbait]

Nice. I'll use that. I was going to make him teleport as a bonus action so that when he first sees them he will teleport behind them and attack from the back. I'll also play him as highly intelligent (but still savage), so he will recognise the weakest characters and make use of opportunities. If he looks like being defeated he will get the heck away and then start stalking the party once he has healed (if they are still in Omu).

"Clever Girl"....

 

[Onslaught]

[MENTION=31465]Nebulous[/MENTION], you skipped Dungrunglung?