Adventure Path - what issues and any good?

[Ghostwind]

Because the DM has to drop out due to work, I have to start DMing one of the other Beginner D&D groups at work on Saturday. I'm thinking about using the Adventure Path series that ran in Dungeon magazine.

Which issues did it run and were they any good?

 

[Blackthorne]

The Dungeon Adventure Path is pretty OK, I think, but not as good as they want you to believe. Actually, most parts of the series are nothing more than extensive dungeon crawls with exotic critters taken from non-core books like MM II oder Fiend Folio. While this is fine in itself, it could get boring after a while.

So, while the AP is slightly overrated, there are still some gems to be found. I especially like Foundations of Flame, which plays out like a catastrophe movie scenario.

For a new group, try Death in Freeport, Of Sound Mind or Sunless Citadel.

 

[Darkness]

Copy-pasted from a list I made for my own use:
(The levels in parantheses are what it can be scaled up/down to.)


[sblock]Adventure Path

Life's Bazaar
Source: Dungeon #97
Level: 1 (1-4)



Flood Season
Source: Dungeon #98
Level: 4 (1-7)



Zenith Trajectory
Source: Dungeon #102
Level: 6 (4-8)



The Demonskar Legacy
Source: Dungeon #104
Level: 8 (6-10)



Test of the Smoking Eye
Source: Dungeon #107
Level: 10 (8-12?)



Secrets of the Soul Pillars
Source: Dungeon #109
Level: 12 (10-14)



Lords of Oblivion
Source: Dungeon #111
Level: 13 (11-16)



Foundation of Flame
Source: Dungeon #113
Level: 15 (13-17)



Thirteen Cages
Source: Dungeon #114
Level: 16



Strike on Shatterhorn
Source: Dungeon #115
Level: 18 (16-20)



Asylum
Source: Dungeon #116
Level: 19 (17-20+)[/sblock]

 

[caudor]

The issues are: 97, 98, 102, 104, 107, 109, 111, 113. 114. 115. and 116

So far, I've only DM'ed the first one and preparing the second one. My players had a great time with the first one, so I look forward to moving this on as a campaign.

 

[GlassJaw]

Which issues did it run and were they any good?

Here are the issues from the Paizo website:

http://paizo.com/dungeon/products/issues/shackledCity

I'm running it now (currently in the 2nd module) and having a blast. It's very good. Overrated? No way.

I will say though that it's a "standard" D&D campaign. The characters level up pretty quick early on the adventures assume the players will haul the loot back to the city and sell it for new items. One of the Web Enhancements also has a magic shop.

Yes, there is definitely a good amount of dungeons but they are very well-done. I'm not a dungeon fanatic myself but they aren't huge and have some unique twists that make them fun. The key is not making them static. There are tactics that desribe what the creatures will do if they detect the characters. I went nuts with this.

I also highly recommend the Adventure Path message board on the Paizo site. Very helpful. Because the AP wasn't written at the same time, there is a lot of info in the later issues that's helpful early on. Reading about some of the things to watch out for on the board is invaluable.

I've also had fun changing and tweaking some of the major NPC's. You can check out some of my "work" on the AP board as well.

If you have any questions about the AP, let me know!

 

[GlassJaw]

I have to start DMing one of the other Beginner D&D groups at work

I think the AP is tailor made for this. I started it for a similar reason. A few of the players were semi-new to 3ed. Bear in mind though that some of the early modules can be a little tricky for new players. The first dungeon has a lot of traps and some of the BBEG's are quite nasty. I'm a big fan of Tongue-Eater (especially my feralized version).

 

[Berandor]

The AP is "classic" D&D, i.e. combat-intensive and dungeon-heavy.

I invested a *lot* of work to broaden the scope (I wrote a 50-page portrait of Cauldron, for example, detailingplaces and NPCs - and more). I also used background to bring the adventures closer together.

It helps having read all adventures before starting, too. You can streamline the plot, change some NPCs that appear only once into recurring ones, and know which variables get used and which don't.

By itself, I'd the the AP is nice, and *very* deadly. With work, you can make it great. And there are some stellar modules in there (Foundation of Flame!).

 

[GlassJaw]

I wrote a 50-page portrait of Cauldron, for example, detailingplaces and NPCs - and more

Any chance you'd like to share with the group?

 

[Berandor]

Well, it's German.

If you want it, drop me an e-mail. You can do so over my profile.

 

[scourger]

It's good, but the dungeon-crawling formula gets a little rote. I find myself mired in the second adventure after 6 months of DMing it. I wish I could find a way to speed up the process without skipping over the good parts and fun of roleplaying, but I haven't found a way to do it, yet. At this rate, it will take me 3-4 years to complete the series.