Critical Role Call of the Netherdeep playthrough commentary [spoilers]

[Mort]

Being evasive would be in character.

Can I just say I HATE when the DM is being evasive just for the sake of being evasive. Even worse when the answer is, the adventure is unclear, the DM doesn't know the answer, can't think of a good one, but doesn't want to admit he doesn't know!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Can I just say I HATE when the DM is being evasive just for the sake of being evasive. Even worse when the answer is, the adventure is unclear, the DM doesn't know the answer, can't think of a good one, but doesn't want to admit he doesn't know!

Yeah, I played Question as being only too willing to talk about her research at great length to anyone willing to listen. The only thing she was evasive about was her chickening out of going into Betrayer's Rise. Maybe meta-knowledge? "Wait, I'm an NPC, aren't I? I don't have PC plot armour!"

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Session Six

Chapter 3. Betrayers' Rise level 1

The driders where a vicious fight, and the stained-glass window puzzle was vicious too, when one of the PCs failed their dance check (note that they assumed a different character had to dance each time, but this isn't actually specified. The alternative clue was basically impossible to find, since no one had see invisibility. So it was trial and error, and a shed-load of psychic damage. I think they would have been better taking the smashy smashy option! Fortunately, they did a lot better with the supplicants' pit, since the bard had calm emotions.

Generally, I think this dungeon relies too much on you must know this spell to proceed. The party lost other options due to not knowing Abyssal or Comprehend Languages. It feels almost Tomb of Horrors-ish.

 

[Parmandur]

Session Six

Chapter 3. Betrayers' Rise level 1

The driders where a vicious fight, and the stained-glass window puzzle was vicious too, when one of the PCs failed their dance check (note that they assumed a different character had to dance each time, but this isn't actually specified. The alternative clue was basically impossible to find, since no one had see invisibility. So it was trial and error, and a shed-load of psychic damage. I think they would have been better taking the smashy smashy option! Fortunately, they did a lot better with the supplicants' pit, since the bard had calm emotions.

Generally, I think this dungeon relies too much on you must know this spell to proceed. The party lost other options due to not knowing Abyssal or Comprehend Languages. It feels almost Tomb of Horrors-ish.

It's amusing to me when people set up Matt Mercer as a paragon of "newfangled kids" playstyles, when his aesthetic is super AD&D...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's amusing to me when people set up Matt Mercer as a paragon of "newfangled kids" playstyles, when his aesthetic is super AD&D...

I don't think Matt Mercer wrote each individual encounter in this adventure, but his playstyle, with lots of detailed characters, has been around from the start. Betrayers' Rise has a very old school feel to it and could easily be expanded into a megadungeon, complete with base camp town right outside the door.

The rapid levelling speed (if you play as written) is very modern, but I think that is more down to WotC than Mercer.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Session 7

Chapter 3-4

Completed chapter 3. Required a fair bit of improvisation to keep things on track, but ended with the party in Ank'MorporkHarel, still with the Jewel of McGuffin, looking to join the Allegiance of Allsight. They are still friends with the Kill Stealers, who are going to try and infiltrate the Vermillion Dream. There is still the slight complication of one of the party members already being a member of the third faction.

The party where pretty depleted by the time they reached the final confrontation. If it had come down to a fight the fresh tier 2 Rivals would probably have won.

The tonal transition from Chapter 3 to 4 was jarring, and I ended the session a little early just so the players could get used to being in a completely different situation. I have a feeling they had different writers for each chapter. There is a difficulty drop in Chapter 4 too.

Time for Chapter 3: 8 hours

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Just generally fleshing out Ank'Harel, and have noticed a combat encounter on the Allsight faction track takes place in a canal. There is no map in that section, but there is a map in the Cobalt Soul faction track that has an otherwise redundant stretch of canal. I assume there was meant to be a reference to that map that got lost in editing. Didn't maps used to have figure numbers in the olden days?

I'm dropping in The Temple of the Gilded Lily from Candlekeep Mysteries in place of a spa that is briefly mentioned. I'm not plot-hooking it though, so the party will only encounter it if they decide they want to visit a spa.

 

[MockingBird]

Just generally fleshing out Ank'Harel, and have noticed a combat encounter on the Allsight faction track takes place in a canal. There is no map in that section, but there is a map in the Cobalt Soul faction track that has an otherwise redundant stretch of canal. I assume there was meant to be a reference to that map that got lost in editing. Didn't maps used to have figure numbers in the olden days?

I'm dropping in The Temple of the Gilded Lily from Candlekeep Mysteries in place of a spa that is briefly mentioned. I'm not plot-hooking it though, so the party will only encounter it if they decide they want to visit a spa.

Are there any maps you could lift from the Wildmount adventures to use? I'm assuming you have it just disregard if you dont.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Are there any maps you could lift from the Wildmount adventures to use? I'm assuming you have it just disregard if you dont.

The party isn't in Wildemount any more, Toto.

I'm not short of maps, it's just that some that are included are not well referenced.

Chapter 4 is mostly social pillar anyway.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

One map that isn't included is the Luck's Run Casino. I don't expect to need it, since it's in the Vermilion Dream faction track, where the PCs are expected to try and stop a heist (Oceans Three). I'm very tempted to rewrite this as a Veil (local Thieves' Guild) faction mission, with the PCs commissioned to pull off the heist. Which would pit them directly against the Rivals, providing security.