D&D 5E (2014) 5e CB's Stonefast OOC -- COMPLETE

[CanadienneBacon]

I think I'll have a hard look at a couple/three 1e .pdfs before I decide.

What I think would be a total barrel of fun would be to drop the d20 Modern characters from Grim Frequencies into OotA. OMG. It gave me a fit of laughter last night, just thinking about the random snarkiness Cyril and Otter would come up with as the two of them try to figure out what the deuce had happened.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Alternately, I could run OotA as a stand-alone new campaign, picking up those players Forged Fury was unable to accept for his new game. Unlikely, though--that'd mean I run three games, and I don't think I want to do that.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

1 . . . I'd rather *not* hold back levelling.

3 Fine, but I have a bad history of not running away.

4 I think it depends if the NPCs are part of the story: if they are (e.g. we're rescuing prisoners), then they (a) either have story immunity (monsters won't target them) or (b) the don't (and they will); if they are not (e.g. they watch the horses), then again they (c) either have story immunity or (d) not. It is only in the case of (d), with vulnerable horse-watchers, that I'm happier without them. (Does that make sense?).

Fair enough re: not wanting to hold back levelling; that's exactly the sort of input I'm seeking.

Re: #3, Yeah. When I play, I tend to not run away from a fight, too, so I get that. Are the rest of you the same way?

Re: #4, the NPCs *are* part of the story (although not a very big one), and they can either be targeted or not by monsters. If they end up tagging along, I wouldn't particularly target them during combat, but neither would I treat them with kid gloves. If they got hit and died, they'd be dead and that would be that.

 

[Skarsgard]

I've read through the first two chapters of Out of the Abyss in slow and thorough fashion, along with the appendices (skimmed). It's doable. There are some things I'd like to discuss:

1) Do you want to finish all or most of Stonefast before starting OotA? OotA calls for 1st level characters. Ya'll are 3rd level. There's a sidebar in the module that says it's not an issue to start with characters up to 3rd level, and having read the first two chapters, I agree. If we continue on with Stonefast before entering the Underdark, however, your characters are going to hit 4th level and may even reach 5th level. 4th level is doable. 5th would probably require adjustments that might put OotA out of whack. While I'm likely to make tweaks to any canned adventue I run, I prefer to avoid en grosse modifications. The upshot is that we either need to start OotA sooner rather than later, or everyone can agree to do a bit more exploring in Stonefast and delay the award of new character levels. .

My preferred option would be to finish Stonefast and would be happy to freeze Colden at level 3-4 to make OotA more manageable. I am not adverse to starting another character either, in fact I will probably make a new character anyway if that is OK? I have learnt a lot more about 5th since making Colden and there are some other things I might want to try.

2) OotA calls for characters to begin as prisoners without the immediate use of their gear. How do ya'll feel about that? Would anyone be irritated with that scenario?.

No problem what so ever.

3) How do you guys feel about a sandbox adventure? Let me be specific. OotA starts off right away as a sandbox; characters have to make choices about where to go. It's not a particularly linear adventure. Characters can get lost in the Underdark. Some encounters are not level-appropriate, which means running away should probably be a response in your arsenal. .

Sandbox is fine, sandbox in the underdark could be frustrating. If I were playing around a table, no problems but pbp could make this annoying. However, not having read any of the material I am happy to go with DM call on this.

Running, yes.

4) Do you want to play with NPCs in tow? OotA assumes the answer is yes. I think a smart DM asks before making this assumption. To clarify, from time to time the NPCs possess interesting or useful knowledge. They do not, however, do much during combat..

I am fine with know-it-all NPCs Just as long as we don't have to die protecting them.


In summary, happy to play Colden for Stonefast, will probably make new character for OotA. Sandox - fine, NPCs - no worries.

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

I'm flowing with the sream, what ever you prefer.
Secure me a place for OotA

 

[tuxgeo]

For the full experience of OotA, we might want to start at 1st level, which might be easy to accomplish if we have our guys exit Stonefast and return to Luskan and report to the High Captains that it isn't just orcs in Stonefast, but monsters amid fairly well ruined rooms with picked-over treasure. Then we could roll up or design new characters.

Are there built-in plot hooks that are meant to be used by PCs in OotA? I ask because I'm also playing in a game of "Lost Mines of Phandelver," run by mips42; and one of the instructions in building our characters for that adventure was to look over the plot hooks of the pre-builds and choose one of those hooks for each of our PCs. Does OotA have such built-in hooks too?

Re: Running away: in Stonefast, we already decided not to follow the retreating "elf," although that's not exactly the same thing. Also, some members of the party (Colden and Spec) rescued Fulgrim from the water-beast; and we then didn't follow up by attacking the beast, but withdrew instead. Does that count as running away?

In my LMoP game, my PC has "running away" as his Flaw; and he has already suggested accepting an NPC's intimidating command to "go away" as being a great idea. (That's on the first day of adventuring, before completing even one long rest in that game.) Overall, I think I'm OK with running away -- or "withdrawing," as the case may be.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

There aren't built-in plot hooks meant to be used by OotA characters, no. I can hazard a guess at what you mean, [MENTION=61026]tuxgeo[/MENTION], but comparing OotA to PotA. I play in a PotA game, but because I'm a player and not a DM, I'm unclear if the adventure or the DM provided the plot hooks. I can, however, confirm that in the PotA game I'm in, there are *definitely* plot hooks as characters begin play. Conversely, there are no such hooks in OotA. You pretty much just start off as prisoners. Not that that's a bad thing. Hell, there's even a pretty simple way to have you *not* start out as prisoners...it comes with a problem, though, and that's that it's a fairly lethal section of the adventure. Jury's out on that one!

I've done a metric ton this week of reading OotA, thinking about whether OotA fits with this group, and researching 1e modules. I think tonight alone I skimmed through six 1e adventures. You've all given valuable feedback; thanks. I'm going to continue reading OotA but for now will lay aside the question whether to run it for Stonefast. I want to let my brain percolate a bit. A decision will come in its own good time.

 

[tuxgeo]

An elaboration about the current position of the party in Stonefast, i.e. near the 5-foot-wide pit:

I posted (Using the OOC tag) in the IC thread that Guran's default standing long jump distance is 8 feet, because he has a Strength score of 16. Looking through the rest of the party, the default standing long jump distances of the PCs are (alphabetical by first name):
Colden 8 feet (STR 16)
Fulgrim 6 feet (STR 13)
Guran 8 feet (STR 16)
Roscoe 7 feet (STR 15)
Spec 5 feet (STR 10)

IMHO, despite the fact that a DC 5 roll has been announced for any PC to jump across the pit, the PHB rules of movement seem to say it's part of ordinary movement. (Is this further proof that "Stonefast" was written pre-5E?)

 

[Kobold Stew]

IMHO, despite the fact that a DC 5 roll has been announced for any PC to jump across the pit, the PHB rules of movement seem to say it's part of ordinary movement. (Is this further proof that "Stonefast" was written pre-5E?)

I say we accept what the DM has told us and proceed form there. It's a very low threshold, but one Spec won't try if there's an alternative. So far there are two alternate courses of action, and both have been suggested.

1. check the room.
2. push the armoire into/across the pit

If neither of those get us across, we can roll the Athletics. Others may just want to jump.

 

[tuxgeo]

Good suggestions. It does appear IC that we're going to check the room first: Roscoe has already attacked the wooden door.