D&D 5E I have a hankering for freeing Phalan!

[Starfox]

Has anyone looked at a 5E version of TSR 9238 FRC1 Ruins of Adventure? I have a PDF of the old adventure, and the presentation sucks, so it would be a lot of work to do it right. I would place it in the World of Greyhawk city of Highport - north coast of the Pomarj, where the A1 starting module to the original A1-A4 adventures against the salve lords were set. But that is another story.

I suspect this work has not been done, so I wonder if there is another adventure/campaign for 5E that has a similar premise? To sum up the premise: There is a small zone of safety at the docks, from which you mount expeditions into the city and try to clear parts of it. Repeat until done. Insert metaplot and evil retribution to taste.

I am rather new to the 5E scene.

 

[Count_Zero]

One of the things I'd consider doing is, once Paizo's 5e Kingmaker conversion comes out, using the Kingmaker domain management rules and use that to partially cover the reconstruction of Phlan.

 

[Blue Orange]

Use the Epic 6 system

As you probably know, it was a conversion of a video game, Pool of Radiance, the first ever attempt to port D&D rules to computer, back in 1988, using 384K of RAM and 16-color EGA graphics. Here is a more detailed FAQ on the game than you would ever want to know:

Pool of Radiance - Guide and Walkthrough - PC - By ssjlee9 - GameFAQs

For Pool of Radiance on the PC, Guide and Walkthrough by ssjlee9.

gamefaqs.gamespot.com

Here are Wizards' official rules for conversions from earlier editions to 5th:

https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/DnD_Conversions_1.0.pdf

These folks converted a bunch of other classic modules, though not Ruins of Adventure:

Page not found – Classic Modules Today

 

[Demetrios1453]

I've long idly contemplated turning the Pools series of games (of which the Ruins of Adventure module was basically a print version of the first game) into a long campaign. The problem is trying to edit them into a single coherent story would require a lot of work (especially with Secrets of the Silver Blades, which has little to do with the other three and is little more than a unmemorable hack-n-slash fest, even more so than the other games). Another issue getting started is that you simply can't just throw characters of levels 1 - 4 into fights with the simply massive numbers of weak foes like you could in 1e - for example with kobolds having only 3 hit points and being able to be swept by fighters. A group of 1st level 5e characters going against a dozen kobolds like in the game would likely result in them getting slaughtered, or weakened enough that the next encounter would finish them off...

 

[pukunui]

The first Adventurer’s League season is set in the 5e era of Phlan. Might be worth checking out. No conversion necessary.

 

[Blue Orange]

I've long idly contemplated turning the Pools series of games (of which the Ruins of Adventure module was basically a print version of the first game) into a long campaign. The problem is trying to edit them into a single coherent story would require a lot of work (especially with Secrets of the Silver Blades, which has little to do with the other three and is little more than a unmemorable hack-n-slash fest, even more so than the other games). Another issue getting started is that you simply can't just throw characters of levels 1 - 4 into fights with the simply massive numbers of weak foes like you could in 1e - for example with kobolds having only 3 hit points and being able to be swept by fighters. A group of 1st level 5e characters going against a dozen kobolds like in the game would likely result in them getting slaughtered, or weakened enough that the next encounter would finish them off...

You could decrease the numbers appropriately. The FAQ actually has the 'party strength' calculation the game used to work out the party's overall ability and the way it plugs into encounter sizes, so you could figure out a conversion factor.

For Secret, you can similarly decrease the number of encounters--there's no reason you have to have more than two or three fights in the ice caves, for instance.

Pools of Darkness had a great post-apocalyptic-with-petty-warlords Realms setting I'm sorry we never saw more of and that would be great for a high-level party. You'd have to adjust encounter strength again, of course--5e stops at 20th level, whereas Pools lets your party get up to 40 (TBH, they had IP issues, but at that point you should be fighting gods, not demons...)

 

[Starfox]

Thanks for all the replies, will check the links asap. I am already running a Kingmaker game, tough it is on Covid hiatus.

 

[Count_Zero]

Use the Epic 6 system

As you probably know, it was a conversion of a video game, Pool of Radiance, the first ever attempt to port D&D rules to computer, back in 1988, using 384K of RAM and 16-color EGA graphics. Here is a more detailed FAQ on the game than you would ever want to know:

Pool of Radiance - Guide and Walkthrough - PC - By ssjlee9 - GameFAQs

For Pool of Radiance on the PC, Guide and Walkthrough by ssjlee9.

gamefaqs.gamespot.com

Here are Wizards' official rules for conversions from earlier editions to 5th:

https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/DnD_Conversions_1.0.pdf

These folks converted a bunch of other classic modules, though not Ruins of Adventure:

Page not found – Classic Modules Today

I played through the first game a while back (and reviewed it) - and the big issue with approaching the game, is that the game is 1E RAW, complete with treasure for XP, but with the side bit that you get giant piles of money (and all the encumbrance that goes with it), and not a lot to do with it. There isn't even a bank in town you can leave extra cash in. Also, because interactions with named NPCs are used so sparingly, and there's so little characterization, it becomes very obvious who the traitor is.

Spoiler

It's Cadorna. The traitor is Cadorna.

Ultimately, the three things that the adventure needs - which aren't covered in the PC game - are:

1. Political maneuvering among the specific faction's in town are - flesh out the major NPCs, with enough grey where it stops being obvious who the party needs to suspect.
2. Let the player characters financially invest in the town's reconstruction - which in turn will help give more emotional investment in the state of the town, and will also get the players more involved in the politics. This is where borrowing from the 5E version of Kingmaker (or something similar) comes in.
3. Related to 2 - Ruins of Adventure works best as a jumping off point of a campaign around the Moonsea, with Phlan as the PCs' base of operations. Once the players have gotten invested, they're going to want to keep tabs on the town, so you might as well lean into it. This is helped tremendously by the fact that, if you use the pre-Time-of-Troubles Realms setting, Zhentil Keep is right there, and the players will have had some interactions with them over the course of the adventure. Consequently, once you start moving into higher-level play, especially if you want to get into the equivalent of what would have been "Name Level" play in 1e, Ruins of Adventure gives you a solid position to do that, and get into Realms Geopolitics, if your players are interested.

 

[AtomicPope]

I suspect this work has not been done, so I wonder if there is another adventure/campaign for 5E that has a similar premise? To sum up the premise: There is a small zone of safety at the docks, from which you mount expeditions into the city and try to clear parts of it. Repeat until done. Insert metaplot and evil retribution to taste.

The metaplot of the Pool of Radiance is pretty convoluted, with Tyranthraxus possessing things willy-nilly. TBH, I'm shocked I remember anything about it at all since I played the video game and "Curse of the Azure Bonds" some 30 plus years ago. Really, hamfisted plothooks in that one. Anyway, WotC released a module that takes place in Greyhawk which has some similarities, "Ghosts of Saltmarsh". Here are some of the similarities:
1. Reinhabiting a Lost Coastal Region
2. Evil Armies (sort of)
3. Ancient Evil Outsider Possessing and Controlling Others
4. Aristocrats and Merchants funding expeditions
5. Abandoned Island Keep
6. Haunted Houses

"Ghosts of Saltmarsh" is really a campaign module. "Ruins of Adventure" is a hackfest, where the PCs are clearing out an area of monsters. There are a few surprises but unless you stumble into the wrong area, it's an outdoor dungeon. GoSM has diplomacy and some Scooby-Doo intrigue. Not to mention, the finale is open-ended. The module gives lots of ways for the DM to end the module, build on it, or alter it for their needs. It's actually quite helpful. If I had to choose, I'd go with the ready-made 5e adventure.

If you really want to convert, AD&D adventures can be difficult because the monsters and levels don't match up. Monsters like Vampires and Dragons got a huge boost in 5e and can easily TPK a party if they're not ready. Often it's easier to build Level Zones, and then populate it with monsters that fit a theme and CR you're looking for. In 5e with the various monster books there's a huge variety of Orcs (even a dark Orc assassin cult) you can use allowing you to build several levels of encounters with just Orcs. Same goes for Gnolls and Ogres. I'd focus more on thematic encounters that were CR appropriate then worry about fitting all of the monsters in there.

 

[thullgrim]

I worked on this a while back and actually ran a couple of sessions under 4e.
I used both computer game clue book to develop news and rumors and treated the whole city as an above ground mega dungeon with each block/ neighborhood as a unique dungeon level. The patrols for the boss were a common denominator between areas and the clues to the greater evil.
Other adventuring groups could help contribute to the kill count necessary to clear an area so sometimes our heroes despite having cleared the majority of block would not necessarily get credit for it another random group got the final kill.
the goal there is to encourage the feeling a living world.
I think it’s super important to make civilized Phlan feel alive with the various merchants, hirelings, and city politics.