D&D 5E Age of Worms Adventure Path

[IcarusATB]

AoW 5e DMs Guild suggesion

Alrighty now!!
I've made it through the end of the whole thread now! I read it in three installments!

I've made edits to my copies of the PDFs noting the few corrections for typos or left out info, etc. the things that you explain, I almost always agreed with your reasoning for your choices in game design. ​

My party just started the campaign two weeks ago, with a Session 0, and now they're in Diamond Lake and have stumbled their way into a few clues.

Tormyr, FYI … do you know about the DMsGuild? There's actually another "free/pay-what-you-want" PDF on there for a 5e conversion of Whispering Cairn. And it's rubbish. The author clearly knows nothing about game design, and it seems arbitrary, and random. Even DCs aren't consistent, like they aren't aware a DC25 is enormously difficult in 5e.
You could really do well in selling this as a single PDF, or 12 cheap ones.
I would love to see you do that, and be able to benefit from all of this hard work you've put into it, and offered to us.

One question, though:
When you write, for example, "Each Additional PC: Add a Swarm of Centipedes.", does this mean each one above regular party size, or each one beyond the first?
I noted in later episodes, you use the phrase, "per PC", and I didn't know if that was supposed to be effectively the same or not.

 

[Tormyr]

Alrighty now!!
I've made it through the end of the whole thread now! I read it in three installments!

I've made edits to my copies of the PDFs noting the few corrections for typos or left out info, etc. the things that you explain, I almost always agreed with your reasoning for your choices in game design. ​

My party just started the campaign two weeks ago, with a Session 0, and now they're in Diamond Lake and have stumbled their way into a few clues.

Tormyr, FYI … do you know about the DMsGuild? There's actually another "free/pay-what-you-want" PDF on there for a 5e conversion of Whispering Cairn. And it's rubbish. The author clearly knows nothing about game design, and it seems arbitrary, and random. Even DCs aren't consistent, like they aren't aware a DC25 is enormously difficult in 5e.
You could really do well in selling this as a single PDF, or 12 cheap ones.
I would love to see you do that, and be able to benefit from all of this hard work you've put into it, and offered to us.

One question, though:
When you write, for example, "Each Additional PC: Add a Swarm of Centipedes.", does this mean each one above regular party size, or each one beyond the first?
I noted in later episodes, you use the phrase, "per PC", and I didn't know if that was supposed to be effectively the same or not.

It should be the same language as the other ones. The encounter is set up for 4 PCs. Each additional PC gets an additional swarm.

 

[smbakeresq]

Ok Age of Worms fans. My group is me DMing (and playing 2 pcs, a healbot cleric and a support wizard) with my 2 kids, so I couldn't reasonably do the switcheroo for the Hall of Harsh Reflections. However, I wanted to do a screw-job with them, so they can figure it out on their own and for the future of their gaming careers. At the Crooked house, I just had the whole party ambushed in their rooms. The whole thing in the Crooked House was to get the party out of their room, where a trap was laid for them with various poisons and gases. The dopplegangers were part of the crowd, at first trying to get them arrested and then agreeing with the crowd that they did a good job in saving the situation. Starting them all out in a cell with no equipment is fun, and I had the enemies beat up one of my PCs first, leaving my son and his monk and his lockpicking ability to be able to get out and then plan an ambush with my others sons Goliath Paladin when they brought back my unconscious PC.


An unarmed goliath paladin can still wreck people using manacles wrapped around his fist as a weapon with sacred weapon and divines strikes.

 

[smbakeresq]

Alrighty now!!
I've made it through the end of the whole thread now! I read it in three installments!

I've made edits to my copies of the PDFs noting the few corrections for typos or left out info, etc. the things that you explain, I almost always agreed with your reasoning for your choices in game design. ​

My party just started the campaign two weeks ago, with a Session 0, and now they're in Diamond Lake and have stumbled their way into a few clues.

Tormyr, FYI … do you know about the DMsGuild? There's actually another "free/pay-what-you-want" PDF on there for a 5e conversion of Whispering Cairn. And it's rubbish. The author clearly knows nothing about game design, and it seems arbitrary, and random. Even DCs aren't consistent, like they aren't aware a DC25 is enormously difficult in 5e.
You could really do well in selling this as a single PDF, or 12 cheap ones.
I would love to see you do that, and be able to benefit from all of this hard work you've put into it, and offered to us.

One question, though:
When you write, for example, "Each Additional PC: Add a Swarm of Centipedes.", does this mean each one above regular party size, or each one beyond the first?
I noted in later episodes, you use the phrase, "per PC", and I didn't know if that was supposed to be effectively the same or not.

I am playing through just a little ahead so don't be afraid to stop by for tips.

Beware of the first encounter in the showers. Its easy to screw that room up royally and die.

A hint also, from a long time player like me, wealth isn't always in coins and gems. At low levels regular equipment and land are good things. Do you have the Wormfood Articles from Dragon? PM me if you don't, and I will send the you first one to give your party a base.

 

[IcarusATB]

Ok Age of Worms fans. My group is me DMing (and playing 2 pcs, a healbot cleric and a support wizard) with my 2 kids, so I couldn't reasonably do the switcheroo for the Hall of Harsh Reflections. However, I wanted to do a screw-job with them, so they can figure it out on their own and for the future of their gaming careers. At the Crooked house, I just had the whole party ambushed in their rooms. The whole thing in the Crooked House was to get the party out of their room, where a trap was laid for them with various poisons and gases. The dopplegangers were part of the crowd, at first trying to get them arrested and then agreeing with the crowd that they did a good job in saving the situation. Starting them all out in a cell with no equipment is fun, and I had the enemies beat up one of my PCs first, leaving my son and his monk and his lockpicking ability to be able to get out and then plan an ambush with my others sons Goliath Paladin when they brought back my unconscious PC.
An unarmed goliath paladin can still wreck people using manacles wrapped around his fist as a weapon with sacred weapon and divines strikes.

Actually, I'm a long-time player, too.

I'm "of an age", so to speak. I started back in AD&D 1st Edition. (Thought it was just called "AD&D" back then, LOL!!)
This is my third run of AoW, and you're definitely right about the shower scene … it can be lethal if goofed up.

And re: non-monetary wealth: spot on, again,
The Abandonned Mine Office is a big deal to be able to have as owned property, for example. I'm going to have them work toward getting the actual deed.

 

[IcarusATB]

Abandoned Mine Office

On the topic of the Abandoned Mine office …
It's clear in the AoW Overload, the actual adventure, and the Backdrop: Diamond Lake that the Abandoned Mine Office (and therefore the entrance to the Whispering Cairn) were placed differently at separate iterations of the article.
It is variously referred to as being "less than a day's ride", "an hour outside of town", and on the map it's shown right there at the edge of town on the hilltop, only a quarter-mile away.

I haven't been able to decide which way I want to handle it - saying there's multiple abandoned mines, or that theirs is one of those in particular and the others don't exist, or that, like, the one on the hilltop is theirs, but, the Whispering Cairn is an hour outside of town.
What do you guys think?

 

[Tormyr]

On the topic of the Abandoned Mine office …
It's clear in the AoW Overload, the actual adventure, and the Backdrop: Diamond Lake that the Abandoned Mine Office (and therefore the entrance to the Whispering Cairn) were placed differently at separate iterations of the article.
It is variously referred to as being "less than a day's ride", "an hour outside of town", and on the map it's shown right there at the edge of town on the hilltop, only a quarter-mile away.

I haven't been able to decide which way I want to handle it - saying there's multiple abandoned mines, or that theirs is one of those in particular and the others don't exist, or that, like, the one on the hilltop is theirs, but, the Whispering Cairn is an hour outside of town.
What do you guys think?

If you are referring to #32 on the map, I don't think it is the abandoned mine office. It's just an abandoned mine.

Go with it being an hour out of town. That is also less than an a day's ride. That way they are close enough to get the laborers to fix the place up when they strike it rich (My group named the baby owlbear "Payday"), but the Whispering Cairn can be 10 minutes away through dense forest and out of the way.

 

[smbakeresq]

Don't forget the old Observatory. When Smenk is dealt with it is certainly reasonable for the PCs to take the place over as it is abandoned by the monks who used to live there. We have a monk in the group the Twilight Monastery, so the old Observatory seemed like it would be a natural fit as a place they used to occupy. The Town is quite fearful of the Monks as indicated and the place was abandoned, so I don't think anyone in the town would bark to much.


Monks are fun to play in general, but really fun to play in this path as "Rumors suggest that Izenfen’s masked silent killers remain active to this day, citing the disappearance or mysterious deaths of nearly a dozen political enemies within the town." Instead of a rogue the group has a half elf monk with street urchin background with stealth and disguise skill to represent these masked killers instead of the usual monk stereotype. Its right out of The 5 Deadly Venoms.

 

[Vienneau]

Prepping for the Mind Flayer ambush in Hall of Harsh Reflections.

1) The conversion misses the DC10 Survival check at the end of this section of text on page 51:

Finding the entrance to Zyrxog’s domain by tracking the drow requires 1d6+3 DC
25 Survival checks by a character with the Track feat. Each check takes 1d3 hours of
exploration. A DC 20 Knowledge (nature) check is enough to reveal that Beggar’s
Gold often grows in sewers where runoff from smithies or forges can be found.
With this information, the Survival check to Track them drops to DC 15.

A DC 20 Gather Information or Knowledge (local) check is enough to locate the
smithy called Cold Forge. The owner of this smithy, a foul-mouthed man named
Crusty Patten, is unaware of the danger that lurks under his establishment.

If the party is searching for phosphorescent mold, finding Zyrxog’s domain
only requires a DC 10 Survival check without the need of the Track feat.

I understand these paragraphs right until the last one. DC25 survival to track the drow. DC20 knowledge check to understand that the mold grows near smithies reduces the survival check to DC15. But then if you're just searching for the mold, the check drops to DC10? So if you're following the drow (or reverse following them, given that they are probably dead), it's really hard. If you know about the mold, following the drow is a bit easier. But if you ignore the drow entirely, and just search for a secret door near mold patches, it's much easier?

2) Also, do the two drow thralls in the Mind Flayer ambush still have their potions of cure moderate wounds?

 

[Vienneau]

3) M5 Chattel Pen

I assume the hp and damage of the zombies increased due to being EL3, but it feels strange to have human zombies with more hp than allowed in the MM. Couldn't there be 1.25 zombies per PC instead?

4) M9 Laboratory

An ABOLETH?! That's more dangerous than the mind flayer boss!

Does it get legendary abilities? It can enslave as well? Yikes.

No lair abilities?

5) M11 Museum

Typo in the first sentence under "Treasure".

You didn't think permanent INT and WIS loss was reasonable for the Grimoire? Periapt of Foul Rotting is a bit nicer too - things were hardcore in 1e!

You should indicate that "a kyton's chains" means Chain Devil (MM72)

You missed converting the tiny animated object (book wrapped in chains).

6) M13 Cathedral of the Mind

You don't list an equivalent to the unhallow enchantment on the room.

You also don't indicate if you think Zyrxog should have any of the magic items listed. I'm not sure what a "lesser empower metamagic rod" does, but I can kind of guess. Some of the other items seem less relevant (boots of elvenkind?) while others more so (necklace of fireballs!).