Against the Cult of the Reptile God: Experiences?

[ptolemy18]

Hello all,

I don't know if anyone has even played this old module, but I'm planning to convert AD&D Module N1: AGAINST THE CULT OF THE REPTILE GOD and use it in my D&D 3.0/3.5 campaign. I was wondering if anyone's played it? I've been looking forward to running it since sometime in Elementary School , and I'm curious how it'll work out.

I'm planning to make a few changes, though (aside from rules conversions):

* Although the reptile "god" (the big monster at the end of the module) is still totally evil, the cultists themselves aren't going to be totally unsympathetic. Basically, I'm making the priests really charismatic (in a fanatical way), and moreover, the evil cult is going to be organizing a peasant revolt against the evil oppressive government -- yeah! Moral ambiguity! Both sides suck!
* Lastly, I'm sort of wondering how to balance the encounters... I don't mind hitting players with encounters beyond their recommended Challenge Rating, but a 7th level cleric seems a little tough for a party of 3rd level characters (ahh, AD&D... the age beore Challenge Ratings...) I guess I'll have to wing it.

If anyone's played or DMed this module, let me know!

Jason

 

[S'mon]

I GM'd this in 1e and enjoyed it. The Clr-7 seemed a bit overwhelming even back in the '80s. For 3e I'd suggest reducing his level to 5th at most so his melee power isn't too overwhelming, and keep an eye on his stats - his STR shouldn't be over 13; his AC shouldn't be too high to be hittable (half plate & no shield AC 17 is prob ok, esp if PCs are 3rd level). In the module his spell selection is designed to make him tough but not unbeatable, plus he gets grappled by the girl captive - maybe give her a big bonus for surprise or 'heroic surge'.

For the Naga battle of course the PCs need to have the hermit along to have a survival chance. Don't be afraid to alter its spell selection & tone its stats down if necessary. Be careful you don't make some of the animals like crocodiles too powerful for low level PCs.

 

[Pbartender]

I've just started a campaign based on converting the old classic modules to 3.5... Most all of of my players are new enough to the game that they haven't heard of them.

They've already gone through the Village of Hommlet, and are now 3rd-4th level. Now, they've just started the Cult of the Reptile God.

In general, for these older modules, encounter levels will have a lot more variation. Your players are going to have to be innovative to tackle them all (it is possible at the suggested levels, if you, as the DM, encourage creativity of solution), or they are quickly going to have to learn to run away on occasion.

In Orlane, my players were a little too blatant about their intentions to help the villagers. With a little bad luck, they quickly ended up captives of the cult.

Use straight conversions (or close substitutions), but warn your players ahead of time, and out of game, that not all the encounters will be balanced for their levels. They may have to use good judgement and the better part of valor to stay alive.

Another tip... If you have Complete Arcane, the Warlock class works as a great substitute for any generic Bad Guy Spellcaster. It's a lot easier DM-wise to keep track of three or four invocations, rather than a dozen spells.

 

[Quasqueton]

Some more experiences:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=112905

Quasqueton