D&D 5E Age of Worms Adventure Path

[Vienneau]

The Champion's Belt was finally fought!

...and as always, I have thoughts/comments/errors to point out.

a) Ulgurstasta is mis-spelled in the 5e conversion document as "ulgurstata"

b) the "to hit" for the ulgurstasta should be +15, not +10, given the 30 STR

c) An ulgurstasta has an 18 INT and +9 on History? Weird, and not super useful given that it can't speak.

d) Khellek has 29HD but is only 15th level. I assume it's for balance reasons, and the extra HP are certainly needed, but I might have gone with 15HD and just given more hp per HD.

e) Why doesn't the ulgurstasta just breath on the crowd as soon as it appears and create lots of Spawn allies? I mean, other than "it would destroy the players", though the chaos of the Spawn fighting the crowd would certainly add some tension. I assume the ulgurstasta is focused on what it has been summoned/created for - Auric.

f) What I totally didn't expect, and I'm not sure why, is that when the ulgurstasta emerges in the arena that they would immediately ally with Auric and Khellek. I let the battle go on for a while before the emergence, because they really wanted to battle it out, and it made for a great heroic moment when one of the heroes took his action to rescue Khellek from the giant green worm and that helped convince Khellek that this wasn't a trick. But I'm not sure the ulgurstasta stats reflect having two extra good guys.

g) The ulgurstasta wants to swallow Auric. But Auric does an incredible amount of damage and can almost always cut his way out again. I mean, you don't want the Free City to turn into thousands of wights, but still, they were on the precipice and the problems solved itself when Auric hacked free.

h) They were very disappointed to not be crowned winners at the end, as they were clearly winning. The adventure says that Talabir is only too happy to hand out the prize, but is the expectation that after the ulgerstasta falls, they keep on beating on Auric and Khellek? That would be savage!

 

[Telvin]

g) The ulgurstasta wants to swallow Auric. But Auric does an incredible amount of damage and can almost always cut his way out again. I mean, you don't want the Free City to turn into thousands of wights, but still, they were on the precipice and the problems solved itself when Auric hacked free.

I ran this years ago in the 3.5 Dragon version. The Free City turned into The City of the Dead when the party failed in the Champions belt. Ended up moving on to a Pathfinder and never finished the adventure. I am currently considering running Greyhawk in 5e and correcting this with an higher level adventure.

 

[Tormyr]

The Champion's Belt was finally fought!

...and as always, I have thoughts/comments/errors to point out.

a) Ulgurstasta is mis-spelled in the 5e conversion document as "ulgurstata"

b) the "to hit" for the ulgurstasta should be +15, not +10, given the 30 STR

c) An ulgurstasta has an 18 INT and +9 on History? Weird, and not super useful given that it can't speak.

d) Khellek has 29HD but is only 15th level. I assume it's for balance reasons, and the extra HP are certainly needed, but I might have gone with 15HD and just given more hp per HD.

e) Why doesn't the ulgurstasta just breath on the crowd as soon as it appears and create lots of Spawn allies? I mean, other than "it would destroy the players", though the chaos of the Spawn fighting the crowd would certainly add some tension. I assume the ulgurstasta is focused on what it has been summoned/created for - Auric.

f) What I totally didn't expect, and I'm not sure why, is that when the ulgurstasta emerges in the arena that they would immediately ally with Auric and Khellek. I let the battle go on for a while before the emergence, because they really wanted to battle it out, and it made for a great heroic moment when one of the heroes took his action to rescue Khellek from the giant green worm and that helped convince Khellek that this wasn't a trick. But I'm not sure the ulgurstasta stats reflect having two extra good guys.

g) The ulgurstasta wants to swallow Auric. But Auric does an incredible amount of damage and can almost always cut his way out again. I mean, you don't want the Free City to turn into thousands of wights, but still, they were on the precipice and the problems solved itself when Auric hacked free.

h) They were very disappointed to not be crowned winners at the end, as they were clearly winning. The adventure says that Talabir is only too happy to hand out the prize, but is the expectation that after the ulgerstasta falls, they keep on beating on Auric and Khellek? That would be savage!

a) I had completely missed that. I always called it an ulgurstata.

b) I withheld the proficiency bonus on its bite attack for balance reasons.

c) One of those weird things in the original adventure that I kept in there.

d) I think chapter 5 might have been the first chapter I used after the DMG came out, so there was a lot of experimentation with getting CR to a certain number and with encounter building. Chapter 5 is also the only chapter that has been fully converted, so I think the numbers are more wonky here.

e) I think it was not brought up in the adventure for all the reasons you brought up.

f) If the heroes get help from PC-level NPCs, you can always use the rebalancing advice and treat it like there is an additional PC or 2 in the party, but that will cause combat to slow down a bit.

g) Hmm, I will need to make sure the creature is restrained when it is swallowed and check the escape mechanic when I go back to this one.

h) All in all, it sounds like it went pretty well.

 

[Treemonkey75]

Hey everyone! First of all, thank you so much for this conversion guide! I’m loving AoW and so are my players!

I need some advice: we’re in the middle of the Champions Games and have had a PC death. They took day 2 (the day off) to investigate beyond the Titan’s House and got all the way to, and killed, Bozal Zohar. Afterwards, they messed around with the scrolls and one of the players used Misty Step to teleport inside the Urgulstasta’s force bubble. Rather than Misty Step back out, he took a round to fight it and it swallowed him. He never got out of it and he died. No way for the party to recover the body, and certainly not before day 3.

What I’m looking for advice on is a way to work a new character into the group without forcing him to sit out of the game for the next 3 days of the games (likely 2-3 game sessions) but also not violating the rules and that we’re laid out for the games. I know that stupid actions get stupid prizes, but I really dislike the idea of my player sitting out or not attending multiple games.

 

[rocklandsally]

Hey everyone! First of all, thank you so much for this conversion guide! I’m loving AoW and so are my players!

I need some advice: we’re in the middle of the Champions Games and have had a PC death. They took day 2 (the day off) to investigate beyond the Titan’s House and got all the way to, and killed, Bozal Zohar. Afterwards, they messed around with the scrolls and one of the players used Misty Step to teleport inside the Urgulstasta’s force bubble. Rather than Misty Step back out, he took a round to fight it and it swallowed him. He never got out of it and he died. No way for the party to recover the body, and certainly not before day 3.

What I’m looking for advice on is a way to work a new character into the group without forcing him to sit out of the game for the next 3 days of the games (likely 2-3 game sessions) but also not violating the rules and that we’re laid out for the games. I know that stupid actions get stupid prizes, but I really dislike the idea of my player sitting out or not attending multiple games.

Keep it simple...
The guards discover that the party have 1 less member now... The party doesnt know what happened... He escaped.. The guard futily search for him but find nothing,... They are <given> the new character to make it fair in their upcoming matches... Maybe the new character has a flaw that can be used against the party.. Mayeb the new character is a trouble maker and the guards just want to get rid of him / her ... have fun with it

 

[IcarusATB]

… What I’m looking for advice on is a way to work a new character into the group ...

Perhaps there's someone whose competition party got killed, and he's the only one left. … or there was someone who got left out/disqualified and wasn't able to participate in the Games, and happens to be a friend of a guard who can get him in?

 

[Vienneau]

What I’m looking for advice on is a way to work a new character into the group without forcing him to sit out of the game for the next 3 days of the games (likely 2-3 game sessions) but also not violating the rules and that we’re laid out for the games.

The city is/was full of dopplegangers. Have a greater doppleganger from a rival gang offer to step in for 30% of the prize money (or more!). Or have their manager go find one.

The manager is going to search for a replacement pretty hard. Have them find a paladin (or matching class) that is also hunting Kyuss and use a disguise spell (hat of disguise?) so that no one notices. Again, it should cost them at least half the prize money (the price of dying!)

Have the player come back as an incorporeal ghost with the same abilities for "one last fight", possibly empowered by a rival god to Kyuss.

 

[Vienneau]

We're a few sessions into "A Gathering of Winds" and as usual, I've got questions/comments:

1) (Room 1) "For creatures not in contact with the portal with some portion of their body:
 the ghoul has advantage an attack rolls
 attack rolls against it have disadvantage
 it can use its sneak attack damage once per turn
 attacks rolls against it must beat the portal’s AC
 successful attacks also damage the portal
These conditions apply to anyone not within 5 feet of the portal and not somehow touching the portal with a part of their body. There is a total of 15 feet of linear space across the front of the portal that can accommodate 3 medium creatures."

I read the Ghoul in the Portal section a dozen times and still struggled to figure it out for some reason. They can't see the ghoul in the portal unless they're touching the portal? It can attack them when they're withing 5' of the portal but they can't enter the portal?

Sneak attack damage once per turn...what sneak attack damage?

These conditions apply to anyone not within 5' of the portal...but how is the ghoul attacking someone who is not within 5' of the portal? Is there an extra "not" in there?

2) (Room 2) "Each projection that the wind passes through increases the DC for Listening and Concentration by 1 starting at DC 10 for 1 projection and DC 21 for all 12 projections."

Huh? Concentration checks are DC 10 or half damage, whichever is higher, so the reference to "starting at 10" is confusing.

Are you suggesting that everyone with an active concentration check should make a DC check from 10 through 21?

2) (Room 2) "A belker is an Air Elemental with the following modifications. It is normally mostly solid. It does not have the Whirlwind attack. It can change into a dark smoke cloud or back as a bonus action. While in smoke form it cannot make a slam attack, and any creatures in its space at the end of its turn have some of the smoke enter their bodies. The smoke solidifies and forms claws inside the bodies of the affected creatures. Each creature affected by this must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 20 (4d8+2) slashing damage on a failed save or half on a successful save."

So the players enter the room and the belkar is smoke. Do they realize it's there?

In smoke form, does it have a different AC or any additional resistances? Same as Gaseous Form?

The smoke enters their bodies at the end of their turn. It then solidifies and claws its way out, but when does that happen? On the belkar's turn as its action? At the player's end of turn?

And just to make sure, "end of its turn" means the player's turn, not the belkar's, right?

I'm thinking it's intended as "belkar is smoke and enters body; on its turn, it uses bonus action to solidify, doing damage, then attacks as a solid creature; on its next turn, it attacks and turns into smoke as a bonus action, trying to re-enter the body (though the players can now see it and presumably move away because it's can't get an attack of opportunity in gas form...or can it?)"

...but if it slips into their body on the end of the belkar's turn, then that actually makes a bit more sense.

And this is a tunnel of purifying wind - won't the smoke blow away?

(To Be Continued...)

 

[Vienneau]

3) (Room 5) "Creatures take 1d6 fire damage per minute."

That seems really slow for walking on hot coals? I sped it up to 1d6 damage per turn and that presented a lot more challenge.

I was so excited when the players realized it was the Earl of "COALchester". Such glee!

It says that Antyress (the salamander) will flee if the elementals are defeated. Flee where? How?

4) (Room 8) "The person who touches the urn is subject to bestow curse (PHB 218). The spell is cast at 5th
level,..."

Is there a saving throw? If so, what is the DC?

In the room are "six small boxes, each carved of some black substance bound with corroded metal..."

Any suggestions as to how big and heavy these boxes are? The black substance isn't described. One holds a set of silk gowns and robes so they can't be that tiny. My players couldn't pick the locks and wanted to just take the boxes but I don't know how bulky they should be. They are described as "chests" at one point, so the standard 25lb each I guess?

And how much is the "large urn with a dark red glaze and gold decorations" worth? My players are pillagers!

5) (Room 9) "Flycatcher is a Huge shadow spider, but use the stats for Young Red Shadow Dragon (MM 85). It has no fly speed but has a climb speed equal to its movement and has the spider climb, web sense, and web walker traits. As an action it can plane shift (PHB 266)..."

Flycatcher was a huge surprise - no one expects a breath weapon from a spider!

Did you intend for it to also be resistant to fire? I kept it because my players love their fire spells, but I was curious if you missed removing that resistance (when not in dim light, which this place is full of).

Plane Shift every turn is super powerful. Flycatcher is almost impossible to "catch", though three rounds of consecutive monk stunning ability happened to do the trick. Their first attempt with Insect Plague followed by Wall of Force (sphere) seemed like a sure thing until it shifted out and they crapped their pants.

I see the flavour of Plane Shift, but it doesn't quite work with the original intention of being able to bring enemies to the Plane of Shadow. It targets willing creatures plus the caster, or you banish an unwilling creature to a random place on the other plane. Since my players had no way of going to the plane of shadow, I chose not to use this ability.

I do really appreciate this conversion - it may sound like complaining above, but it's not intended as such, I'm just sharing my experience and asking questions.

The players seem to be enjoying it. Feels a bit like a fun house dungeon to them, where absolutely everything is trapped. They're missing the story context so far, but I'll explain it to them after.

 

[Tormyr]

No worries. I appreciate the constructive feedback!

I don't have time to fully respond now, but chapters 6 and 7 were my first chapters done in this style for the conversions way back in late 2014(?) when the DMG had just been released. A lot was transferred directly instead of modified to better fit 5e's way of doing things, and that ghoul in the portal was hard to translate (at least at the time) from the original 3.5.