D&D 5E Bob's HotDQ Issues List (SPOILERS!)

[mcbobbo]

I just finished my read-through of Horde of the Dragon Queen, and my goodness but that thing is a mess! I haven't read any reviews, so apologize if this is already-covered ground. This is a work in progress, and if you see something that I'm just wrong about, please let me know below. I tried to stay objective, and most of the items are listed as 'minor' to reflect that.

Issue number one really should be that 'Hot D Q' sounds like a melted icecream cone to me. /rimshot

In seriousness, here's my list, 42 items as of this morning:


Severity : Normal
Reference : Map
Type : Concept
Issue : Greenest is right beside the Well of Dragons. What exactly is the point of going so far out of the way with Greenest's treasure??


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 1
Type : Design
Issue : Way too many enemies in general, per encounter, especially Sanctuary


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 1
Type : Polish
Issue : Old Tunnel gate easily fixed via Mending


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 1
Type : Design
Issue : Dragon Attack seems super dangerous and is only scenery


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 3
Type : Concept
Issue : Entire Episode seems extraneous


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 3
Type : Mapping
Issue : Numbers aren't logical


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 3
Type : Polish
Issue : No clear purpose for the chute between 9 and 11


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 3
Type : Polish
Issue : PCs seem likely to want to raise/keep the baby dragons


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 3
Type : Polish
Issue : Area 10B really should just be Area 10, it's confusing


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 4
Type : Polish
Issue : Jos's role as a key member of the plan to raise Tiamat should be in his writeup


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 4
Type : Polish
Issue : Roadside Hospitality implies three dopplegangers in the last sentence


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 4
Type : Polish
Issue : Payback assumes there's a need for a Waterdeep ally


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 5
Type : Concept
Issue : Waterdeep seems severly underused


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 5
Type : Mapping
Issue : There is no room 7


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 5
Type : Polish
Issue : If there were a room 7 it wouldn't serve any purpose


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 5
Type : Polish
Issue : Where's Jos during this episode? He needs time travel spells to be with Rezmir at least ten days before he
arrives in Waterdeep.


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Design
Issue : Where's Jamna? She is never menitoned again...


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Design
Issue : Why are there extra canoes at the camp?


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Intro mentions 'two dragons', but that's both a secret and not effectively the case


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Pharblex's desire to betray Borngray has conflicting statements in different places


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : As above, Jos can't have travelled with Rezmir as stated


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Jos should recognize the party. He spent TWO MONTHS with them.


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Do the twins know Rezmir is aware of them? Some text implies yes, but the lens text says she was spying.
Did she confront them? What happened?


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Mapping
Issue : Changing North orientation between castle levels is stupid


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Mapping
Issue : 20' scale is non-standard, and makes the stairs seem too big, squares would have been the same size as
other maps at 5'


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Area 1N refers to itself, should be 2N


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Lens says a sub-5 Dex (Slight of Hand) check breaks it. Should have happened by now. Neither Borngray
nor Rezmir have more than a +3


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Caverns 2 doesn't say it produces mist and Cavern 9 doesn't mention any flowing through, down over the
ledge. Should be hazardous, actually.


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Mapping
Issue : Ledge between Caverns 9 and 10 is shaded the wrong way, makes 10 look higher


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Polish
Issue : Why is the portal in such a horrible place? The wizard could have put it anywhere, but instead chooses to
scale a cliff every time he uses it?


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 6
Type : Mapping
Issue : Again, confusing numbering


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 7
Type : Design
Issue : Lodge has no commonly-used entrance. Trap between 4-5 cannot be avoided and 7 doesn't seem well-used or
the cooks would be used to it.


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 7
Type : Mapping
Issue : None of the walls appear fit to have a giant tapestry-slash-portal on them


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 7
Type : Mapping
Issue : There is no room 12


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 7
Type : Polish
Issue : Why are there more servants than rooms?


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 7
Type : Polish
Issue : Talis's office seems awfully far from her bedroom.


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 7
Type : Polish
Issue : Treasure from the Hall is listed in the bedroom.


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 8
Type : Design
Issue : Blagothkus's role here is not described in a way I can understand it. He's actively assisting an enemy in
hopes his comrades will fight it.


Severity : Major
Reference : Episode 8
Type : Design
Issue : Rezmir's teleporting treasure chest trick doesn't seem supportable by the rules, would majorly annoy
players if they knew about it, and access to such methods would short-circuit the entire adventure.


Severity : Normal
Reference : Episode 8
Type : Design
Issue : Again, Jos KNOWS the characters and KNOWS BY NOW they are dangerous. He's not going to risk a toe-to-toe
battle in room 12 and he'd probably tell Rath.


Severity : Minor
Reference : Episode 8
Type : Polish
Issue : Sandesyl isn't a true believer, and probably would have some treasure of her own

 

[Thaumaturge]

I think the spoiler warning in the title is enough. Blacking out your text makes your lengthy post unreadable, in my opinion. I am interested in what you have to say, though.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Boarstorm]

It's not too difficult to highlight (even on my phone -- Thank you select all), and he mentions some things I haven't seen elsewhere.

Still, I agree that it's probably overkill. Players who want to spoil the experience can highlight text too.

 

[Uller]

The way it's formatted, it looks like you need to create a redmine server with a task for each issue...Agile adventure design....

 

[mcbobbo]

Feedback heard! I removed the spoiler tags. Still learning the culture around here...

My list is a CSV, but I parsed it out with PowerShell to get it into this format.

 

[Uller]

I have said this in other threads...I abandoned my plans to use HotDQ after reading it. I like the format and subject matter of Lost Mines for low level PCs. Some goblins, a sandboxy home base and environment to explore with some detailed locals and a somewhat interesting storyline and hints at further adventures beyond it. HotDQ's rush to get 1st level PCs off and running in dealing with a regional level threat is just silly. There aren't some high level NPCs in a place like the Sword Coast that would deal with this threat?

Level 1-5 characters should be dealing with kobalds and bandits and should be finding hints and clues as something larger and more sinister. Maybe around 6th level or so they should start running into open dragon cultists. If I were to run a campaign based on this concept, I'd give the 1st level PCs a connection to Greenest, have them explore the area, get to know the NPCs and do some jobs for them, maybe encounter some cultists spies that are scouting the place out. Around 3rd level I'd start to ramp up the presence of cult forces in the area (they aren't an army after all...it would take some time and effort to gather enough strength to take down a village protected by a fortified keep), let the PCs deal with some attempts at weakening Greenest's defenses or ability to deal with a crisis (an attempt to murder leaders, sabotage weapons, infiltrate defense forces, etc), maybe send them on some errand and upon their return from that errand spring the attack on Greenest. Depending on earlier events the village may be totally destroyed, only partially overrun or come through unscathed...that way the PCs could see the effects of their actions. So basically if I were to run it, I'd add quite a bit of play to before Ep 1 so the PCs are 4th or 5th level at the start of it and go from there.

 

[mcbobbo]

Yeah, I was wondering how to integrate it with LMoP, but I think I may just run them sequentially. This way the 4th level PCs can handle it when they over-pull - maybe anyway.

It may depend on Tiamat, though. If they go where I think they're going with it, there's not a whole lot of incentive to ramp up to it. It seems to me it may be a bit too... um... 'Dragonlance' for my tastes.

 

[GX.Sigma]

This list of issues is very generous. The whole structure of the adventure (so far; we're on ep4) makes no sense:

Fail to save the town and get one-shotted by a villain that leaves you alive for some reason.
Some random guy tells you to go rescue some other random guy from the bandits' home base, and you agree (even though you just spent the whole first session establishing that these bandits are too tough for you).
You get the DM's hint that you're supposed to sneak into the camp.
You rescue the guy, who insists that you immediately bring him back to town.
As soon as you get back to town, the guy insists that you immediately go back to the camp (and do... what?).
By the time you get there, the camp is conveniently empty, except for the cave, which has all the cult leaders.
Some faction guy tells you to follow the cult north (and do... what?).
etc.

 

[Prism]

This list of issues is very generous. The whole structure of the adventure (so far; we're on ep4) makes no sense:

Our game was very different to yours

Fail to save the town and get one-shotted by a villain that leaves you alive for some reason.

We saved much of the town - rescued several from the church, saved the mill (sort of), protected the keep, helped drive off the dragon. The villain tried hard to kill our fighter and hit him on the floor too. All in all successful I would say

Some random guy tells you to go rescue some other random guy from the bandits' home base, and you agree (even though you just spent the whole first session establishing that these bandits are too tough for you).

The town leader asked us to gather information about the camp. The rescue was a side plot in case we encountered him. This clearly wasn't a combat mission so no worries about how tough they were. Besides, they aren't to bad in groups of less than 10

You get the DM's hint that you're supposed to sneak into the camp.

Why would the DM need to hint that you need to sneak in? No other way of doing it surely

You rescue the guy, who insists that you immediately bring him back to town.

Our guy said entirely the opposite actually - that he was obtaining information about the cult even though captured. We headed back to town because we had the info we needed about the camp and it was nearly dawn

 

[Wrathamon]

I wonder if people rip on Winters and Baur's pathfinder adventures like this?