Conversion Diary (Eyes of the Lich Queen)

[Dr. Confoundo]

I'm about to take over the GMing duties for my group, and I've decided to start with Eyes of the Lich Queen, a 5th-level Eberron adventure which was published in 2007. While there are a few kinks in the adventure, for the most part I found it quite enjoyable, and with a little bit of polish, and an upgrade to 4E, it should do pretty well.

I'm going to use this thread as somewhat of a sounding board... I'm going to post what I've done, and what changes I'm making to the adventure in order to get it up to speed with 4E. Hopefully people will chime in if they see any big boo-boos, or if they have a better idea for me. In the end, if you like what I've done, maybe you can pull out a copy of the adventure and run it for your own group.

To start with, this module was designed for 5th level in 3.5 Edition, but going by what the main opponents for the first section of the adventure are (namely lizardfolk), I’m going to aim this adventure at seventh level PCs. Later on in the module there definitely are things that I’ll need to scale down, because the 4E counterparts of some of these 3.5E critters got a bit of a power boost, but that shouldn’t be too difficult to work out the math. I’ve already done a fair bit of monster modification, and it’s not too hard to do.

The background and intro to the module can be used almost without change. An archeologist and historian named Sur'kil hires the party to go deep into the jungles of Q'Barra, to investigate an ancient temple, which is now teeming with lizardfolk. The party must enter the temple, and make their way to the hidden chambers below, where the relics that Sur’kil desires are located.

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Encounter 1) Jungle Attack – 1400 xp

Originally two poison dusk lizardmen ranger2 and a poison dusk ranger4, I've added a couple extra lizardfolk to make it a little more challenging. The ranger4 has become an Elite Huntmaster.

Two Lvl 5 Duskscale Hunters @ 200 xp each

Duskscale Hunter Level 5 Skirmisher
Medium Natural Humanoid (Reptile) XP 200
Initiative +6
Senses Perception +8
HP 62; Bloodied 31
AC 18; Fortitude 16, Reflex 15, Will 14
Resist 5 poison
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Spear (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
+10 vs AC; 1d8+4 damage
Sidestep Attack (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
The lizardfolk shifts and makes a melee basic attack
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +10, Nature +8
Str 17 (+5) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 12 (+3)
Con 14 (+4) Int 8 (+1) Cha 8 (+1)
Equipment light shield, spear

Two Lvl 6 Duskscale Darters @ 250 xp each

Duskscale Darter Level 6 Lurker
Medium Natural Humanoid (Reptile) XP 250
Initiative +11
Senses Perception +10
HP 56; Bloodied 28
AC 19; Fortitude 15, Reflex 18, Will 15
Resist 3 Poison
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Club (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
+11 vs. AC; 1d6+2
Blowgun (Standard; at-will) ♦ Poison, Weapon
Loading the blowgun takes a minor action; Ranged 6/12; +11 vs AC; 1d4 damage, and the duskscale darter makes a secondary attack against the same target. Secondary Attack: +9 vs Fort; the target takes ongoing 5 poison damage and is slowed (save ends both)
Sniper
A hidden lizardfolk darter that misses with a ranged attack remains hidden.
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +9, Stealth +12
Str 13 (+4) Dex 18 (+7) Wis 15 (+5)
Con 14 (+5) Int 8 (+2) Cha 8 (+2)
Equipment club, blowgun with 20 poisoned darts

Lvl 6 Elite Duskscale Huntmaster @ 500 xp

Duskscale Huntmaster Level 6 Elite Skirmisher
Medium Natural Humanoid (Reptile) XP 500
Initiative +7
Senses Perception +6
HP 112; Bloodied 56
AC 20; Fortitude 18, Reflex 19, Will 18
Resist 5 poison
Saving Throws +2
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Action Points 1
Obsidian Axe (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
+11 vs AC; 1d8+4 damage
Javelin (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
Ranged 10/20; +11 vs AC; 1d6+4 damage and target takes -2 to attacks (save ends)
Barbed Net (Standard; encounter) ♦ Weapon
Area burst 2 within 15; +10 vs Reflex; 1d6+4 damage, and the target is immobilized. The targets can escape with an Acrobatics or Athletics check (DC 19) as a move action, or by doing 8 points of damage with an appropriate attack.
Huntmaster Focus
Huntmaster and its allies deal an extra 1d6 damage against enemies that the huntmaster flanks
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Nature +11, Stealth +12
Str 15 (+5) Dex 18 (+7) Wis 17 (+6)
Con 14 (+5) Int 10 (+3) Cha 10 (+3)
Equipment 5 Javelins, Obsidian Axe, light shield, reed whistle

This is a simple conversion. I've advanced two standard lizardfolk statblocks, and given them resist poison 5. The Huntmaster will start off with it's Barbed Net attack (which I imagine dropping from the jungle canopy above), and then go in for close combat with the Hunters. The map will have lots of swamp terrain, so their swamp walk ability should come in pretty handy. Once he gets bloodied, he'll use his reed whistle to alert the rest of his tribe of the danger, and lizardfolk from Encounter 2 can start showing up in about 2 rounds.

 

[Dr. Confoundo]

Encounter 2 - Duskscale Huts – 1330 xp

This is where the smaller Duskscale Lizardfolk in the camp live. Rather than changing them to small creatures like Poison Dusk Lizardmen were in 3.5, I've left them as medium... My party is tired of fighting kobolds, which is what I'd use to represent them on the battlemat; leaving them as medium lets me use all those lizardmen minis I've got hanging around.

The original fight was almost identical to the first - 3 poison dusk ranger2 and a poison dusk ranger4. I wanted to change thngs up a little, so I added a bunch of minions and an upgraded Marsh Mystic.

Two Lvl 5 Duskscale Hunters @ 200 xp each
(see above)
Lvl 6 Duskscale Darters @ 250 xp each
(see above)
Six Lvl 6 Duskscale Tribal Warriors (minions) @ 63 each

Duskscale Tribal Warrior Level 6 Minion
Medium Natural Humanoid (Reptile) XP 62
Initiative +5
Senses Perception +5
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 19; Fortitude 17, Reflex 17, Will 17
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Spear (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
+11 vs AC; 5 damage
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +10, Nature +10
Str 14 (+5) Dex 14 (+5) Wis 14 (+5)
Con 14 (+5) Int 8 (+2) Cha 8 (+2)
Equipment spear

Lvl 7 Duskscale Marsh Mystic @ 300 xp

Duskscale Marsh Mystic Level 7 Controller (Leader)
Medium Natural Humanoid (Reptile) XP 300
Initiative +4 Senses Perception +7
Marsh Blessing (Healing) aura 5; allies that start their turns in the aura regain 3 hit points
HP 78; Bloodied 39
AC 21; Fortitude 19, Reflex 18, Will 20
Resist 5 poison
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Spear (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
+8 vs AC; 1d8+3 damage
Swamp's Grasp (Standard; encounter) ♦ Zone
Area burst 2 within 10; +10 vs. Reflex; the target is immobilized (save ends). The zone is difficult swamp terrain until the end of the encounter.
Bog Cloud (Standard; recharge ) ♦ Poison
Area burst 2 within 10; +10 vs. Fortitude; 2d8+5 poison damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the marsh mystic's next turn
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +10, Nature +12
Str 15 (+5) Dex 13 (+4) Wis 19 (+7)
Con 14 (+5) Int 10 (+3) Cha 12 (+4)
Equipment spear, bone breastplate

 

[Dr. Confoundo]

Encounter 3 – Blackscale Huts – 1550 xp

This is where the tribe's Blackscales live. The original fight had 4 Blackscale Lizardfolk and a caged Girallon that could be released to wreck havoc on the entire fight. I'm not a big fan of the big four-armed white gorillas, so I've swapped it out with an upgraded Macetail Behemoth. If the alarm from Encounter 1 has been raised, the Macetail will be forced to fight the invaders; if not, it'll be in it's pen, waiting for the PCs to break it free.

Four Lvl 7 Blackscale Bruisers @ 300 xp each

Blackscale Bruiser Level 7 Brute
Large Natural Humanoid (Reptile) XP 300
Initiative +6
Senses Perception +9
HP 96; Bloodied 48
AC 19; Fortitude 20, Reflex 17, Will 15
Speed 8 (swamp walk)
Greatclub (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
Reach 2; +10 vs AC; 1d10+6 damage, and the target is pushed 1 square
Tail Slap (Standard; at-will)
+8 vs. Reflex; 1d8+6 damage, and the target is knocked prone
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +14
Str 22 (+9) Dex 16 (+6) Wis 12 (+4)
Con 16 (+6) Int 5 (+0) Cha 6 (+1)
Equipment Greatclub

Lvl 8 Macetail Behemoth @ 350 xp

Macetail Behemoth Level 8 Soldier
Large Natural Beast (Reptile) XP 350
Initiative +9 Senses Perception +6
HP 90; Bloodied 45
AC 24; Fortitude 23, Reflex 19, Will 19
Speed 5
Tail Bludgeon (Standard; at-will)
Reach 2; +15 vs AC; 1d10 +6, and the target is marked until the end of the macetail behemoth's next turn
Tail Sweep (Standard; recharge )
Close burst 1; +13 vs Reflex; 1d10+6 damage, and the target is knocked prone if it is Medium size or smaller
Alignment Unaligned Languages
Str 22 (+10) Dex 16 (+7) Wis 14 (+6)
Con 18 (+8) Int 2 (+0) Cha 6 (+2)

 

[Dr. Confoundo]

Encounter 4 - Temple Portico – 1300 xp

Guarding the front of the temple were two Blackscale Lizardfolk and a Dracotaur. He's my first big conversion, since we haven't seen 4E stats for any dracotaurs yet. I've decided to try and make him a melee controller: he knocks PCs prone, sets them on fire, and can push and stun them with a Threatening Roar. He'll be tough, but I don't think he'll be too bad... any comments?

In addition, this encounter should feature a cameo appearance by what the true leaders of this tribe of lizardfolk are... a pair of black dragon wyrmlings. They live in a hidden chamber underneath the temple, and can reach the surface through a series of sacrificial pits in three of the areas, including this one. If the temple has been alerted, one of the wymlings will pop it's head up over the edge of the pit, use it's breath weapon attack, and then retreat to it's safe haven underground. In making the stats for the wyrmlings, I've just converted the original Young Black Dragon from a lvl 4 solo to a lvl 9 elite (which are roughly equivalent in XP value). These twin wyrmlings are physically twisted due to their fiendish heritage, which leaves them at size medium, rather than large.

Two Lvl 7 Blackscale Bruisers @ 300 xp each
(see above)
Lvl 8 Elite Dracotaur Rager @ 700 xp

Dracotaur Rager Level 8 Elite Controller
Large Natural Beast (Reptile) XP 700
Initiative +7
Senses Perception +6
HP 180; Bloodied 90
AC 22; Fortitude 21, Reflex 20, Will 19
Resist 5 Fire, 5 Poison
Saving Throws +2
Speed 6
Action Points 1
Spear (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
Range 2; +13 vs AC; 1d10+5 damage
Tail Sweep (Standard; at-will)
+12 vs Reflex; 1d10+5 and knocked prone
Let Loose (Standard; recharge ) ♦ Weapon
The dracotaur rager can make a Spear attack and a Tail Sweep attack as a standard action.
Spit Flame (Standard; recharge ) ♦ Fire
Close blast 3; +12 vs Reflex; 1d10+3 fire damage and ongoing 5 fire (save ends)
Threatening Roar (Standard; encounter) ♦ Fear
Close burst 3; targets enemies; +12 vs Will; the target is pushed one and is stunned until the end of the dracotaur's next turn.
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Arcana +10, Athletics +14, Intimidate +10
Str 20 (+9) Dex 16 (+7) Wis 15 (+6)
Con 18 (+8) Int 12 (+5) Cha 12 (+5)
Equipment Spear

Twisted Black Dragonling Level 9 Elite Lurker
Medium Natural Magical Beast (Aquatic, Dragon) XP 800
Initiative +14
Senses Perception +11, Darkvision
HP 152; Bloodied 76; see also bloodied breath
AC 24; Fortitude 21, Reflex 23, Will 20
Resist 15 Acid
Saving Throws +2
Speed 8, Fly 8 (hover), Overland Flight 6, Swim 8
Action Points 1
Bite (Standard; at-will) ♦ Acid
+13 vs. AC; 1d8+5 damage and ongoing 5 acid (save ends)
Claw (Standard; at-will)
+11 vs AC; 1d6+4
Double Attack (Standard; at-will)
Dragonling makes 2 claw attacks
Breath Weapon (Standard; recharge ) ♦ Acid
Close blast 5; +10 vs Reflex; 2d8+4 acid damage, and target takes ongoing 5 acid and -4 penalty to AC (save ends)
Bloodied Breath (Free when first bloodied; encounter) ♦ Acid
Dragonling's breath weapon recharges, and dragon uses it immediately
Cloud of Darkness (Standard; encounter) ♦ Zone
Close burst 2; Creates a zone of darkness that remains until the end of the dragonling's next turn. Zone blocks line of sight for all creatures except the dragon; any creature entirely within the zone (except the dragon) is blinded
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic, Common
Skills Nature +11, Stealth +15
Str 14 (+6) Dex 22 (+10) Wis 15 (+6)
Con 16 (+7) Int 12 (+5) Cha 10 (+4)

 

[Dr. Confoundo]

Encounter 5 - Sacrifice Chamber – 1400 xp

I found the original encounter here a little lame: Two Blackscale Lizardmen adept2 and a Dire Wolverine chained to the wall (which limited it's ability to move around and fight). I couldn't figure out a way to make that encounter interesting, so I scrapped it. In it's place is one of the tribe's priests and his entourage. The Duskscale Serpentpriest takes some powers from the Troglodyte Curse Chanter, and some from the Snaketongue Celebrant... instead of turning into a snake, the Serpentpriest can magically swaps places with his pet Crushgrip Constrictor when he gets threatened.

Note: This is another room in which the Twisted Black Dragonlings have surface access. See Encounter 4 for their stats, and their hit-and-run tactics.

Two Lvl 7 Blackscale Bruiser @ 300 xp
(see above)
Lvl 9 Duskscale Serpentpriest @ 400 xp

Duskscale Serpentpriest Level 9 Controller
Medium Natural Humanoid (Reptile) XP 400
Initiative +6
Senses Perception +8
HP 95; Bloodied 47; see Snakeskin Switch
AC 23; Fortitude 20, Reflex 19, Will 21
Resist 5 poison
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Quarterstaff (Standard; at-will) ♦ weapon
+13 vs AC; 1d8+3 damage
Serpent Strike (Standard; at-will) ♦ Poison
Ranged 10; +13 vs Fortitude; 1d6+5 poison damage, and the target is weakened (save ends)
Coils of Terror (Standard; recharge )
Area burst 5 within 10; targets enemies; +13 vs Reflex; the target is restrained (save ends)
Healing Hiss (Standard; encounter) ♦ Healing
Close burst 5; bloodied allies in the burst regain 15 hit points
Snakeskin Switch (Minor; encounter) ♦ Teleport
Recharges when first bloodied; Serpentpriest switches places with any snake within 10
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic, Common
Skills Athletics +12, Nature +13, Religion +11
Str 16 (+7) Dex 15 (+6) Wis 19 (+8)
Con 15 (+6) Int 14 (+6) Cha 14 (+6)
Equipment quarterstaff

Lvl 9 Crushgrip Constrictor @ 400 xp
(MM page 240)

 

[Dr. Confoundo]

Encounter 6 - Throne Room (was Altar Chamber) – 1650 xp

This is another encounter that left me a little cold, mostly because of 3.5's rules on giving spellcasting levels to monsters. Originally, this would be a fight between the party and two Blackscale Lizardman adept2 and the high priest of the tribe, a Blackscale Lizardman adept6... but the fight would still boil down to "he hits you with his big club". I've kicked these guys to the curb, and replaced them with the tribe's warchief and his bodyguards.

The Temple Guards got the Guard power from the Iron defender Homonculus; the Warchief is a reskinned and converted Warforged Captain; and I used the Doppelganger Assassin as a template for the Duskscale Assassin.

Note: This is the third room in which the Twisted Black Dragonlings have surface access. See Encounter 4 for their stats, and their hit-and-run tactics.

Two Lvl 7 Duskscale Temple Guard @ 300 xp

Duskscale Temple Guard Level 7 Soldier
Medium Natural Humanoid (reptile) XP 300
Initiative +8
Senses Perception +9
HP 80; Bloodied 40
AC 23; Fortitude 19, Reflex 19, Will 17
Resist 5 poison
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Sword (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
+14 vs AC; 1d8+5 damage, and target is marked until the end of the temple guard's next turn.
Guard (Immediate Reaction, when an adjacent enemy attacks the warchief; at-will) ♦ weapon
The temple guard makes a sword attack against the enemy
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +11
Str 17 (+6) Dex 15 (+5) Wis 12 (+4)
Con 14 (+5) Int 8 (+2) Cha 8 (+2)
Equipment Bone breastplate, obsidian sword, heavy shield

Lvl 8 Elite Duskscale Warchief @ 700 xp

Duskscale Warchief Level 8 Elite Soldier (Leader)
Medium Natural Humanoid (reptile) XP 700
Initiative +8
Senses Perception +5
Aura of Command aura 5; Allies in the area gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls
HP 172; Bloodied 86
AC 24; Fortitude 20, Reflex 19, Will 18
Resist 5 poison
Saving Throws +2
Speed 6 (swamp walk)
Action Points 1
Battle Axe (Standard; at-will) ♦ weapon
+15 vs AC; 1d10+5 damage and the target is marked until the end of the warchief's next turn
Tactical Switch (Standard; recharge 456) ♦ Weapon
The warchief makes a melee basic attack. On a hit, the target slides 1 square, and the warchief or an ally within 10 squares of the warchief shifts 1 square.
Bolstering Word (Minor; encounter) ♦ Healing
Close burst 5; Allies of the warchief gain 12 hit points
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +12, Intimidate +10
Str 17 (+7) Dex 15 (+6) Wis 13 (+5)
Con 14 (+6) Int 12 (+5) Cha 13 (+5)
Equipment Battle axe, bone breastplate

Lvl 8 Duskscale Assassin @ 350 xp

Duskscale Assassin Level 8 Lurker
Medium Natural Humanoid (reptile) XP 350
Initiative +11
Senses Perception +12
HP 71; Bloodied 35
AC 22; Fortitude 18, Reflex 21, Will 20
Resist 5 poison
Speed 8 (swamp walk)
Dagger (Standard; at-will) ♦ weapon
+13 vs AC; 1d6+4 damage
Poisoned Strike (Standard; encounter) ♦ weapon, poison
+13 vs AC; 1d6+4 damage. Secondary Attack: +11 vs Fortitude; ongoing 5 poison and weakened (save ends)
Combat Advantage
The Duskscale Assassin deals an extra 2d6 damage against any target it has combat advantage against.
Chameleon Skin (Move; recharge 56)
The Duskscale assassin shifts 3 and becomes invisible until the end of it's next turn or until it attacks
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
Skills Acrobatics +13, Bluff +9, Stealth +13
Str 13 (+5) Dex 19 (+8) Wis 17 (+7)
Con 13 (+5) Int 12 (+5) Cha 10 (+4)
Equipment Poisoned dagger

 

[Dr. Confoundo]

Encounter 7 - Dragon Hoard – 1600 xp

This is where the dragons hang out when they aren't using their breath weapons to melt the party. It'll take a little bit of work for the party to get down here - either through tactics, thievery, or brute strength - but I'm sure they'll be able to manage.

Two Lvl 9 Elite Twisted Black Dragonlings @ 800 xp each

Twisted Black Dragonling Level 9 Elite Lurker
Medium Natural Magical Beast (Aquatic, Dragon) XP 800
Initiative +14
Senses Perception +11, Darkvision
HP 152; Bloodied 76; see also bloodied breath
AC 24; Fortitude 21, Reflex 23, Will 20
Resist 15 Acid
Saving Throws +2
Speed 8, Fly 8 (hover), Overland Flight 6, Swim 8
Action Points 1
Bite (Standard; at-will) ♦ Acid
+13 vs. AC; 1d8+5 damage and ongoing 5 acid (save ends)
Claw (Standard; at-will)
+11 vs AC; 1d6+4
Double Attack (Standard; at-will)
Dragonling makes 2 claw attacks
Breath Weapon (Standard; recharge ) ♦ Acid
Close blast 5; +10 vs Reflex; 2d8+4 acid damage, and target takes ongoing 5 acid and -4 penalty to AC (save ends)
Bloodied Breath (Free when first bloodied; encounter) ♦ Acid
Dragonling's breath weapon recharges, and dragon uses it immediately
Cloud of Darkness (Standard; encounter) ♦ Zone
Close burst 2; Creates a zone of darkness that remains until the end of the dragonling's next turn. Zone blocks line of sight for all creatures except the dragon; any creature entirely within the zone (except the dragon) is blinded
Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic, Common
Skills Nature +11, Stealth +15
Str 14 (+6) Dex 22 (+10) Wis 15 (+6)
Con 16 (+7) Int 12 (+5) Cha 10 (+4)

 

[ourchair]

When can we see the rest of your conversions?

 

[iisaphd]

thanks

Thanks for the work. I am thinking of doing the same thing later this week or next.

 

[Jhaelen]

A while ago I started looking for a good follow-up adventure for my 4e Eberron group. We had started with "Ashen Crown" and are currently in the middle of "Heart of the Forbidden Forge" (from Dungeon #167). In the beginning I had six players, then a seventh player joined, and it looks like two will drop out in the near future.

So I'm looking for an adventure for a party of five level six pcs.

My first idea was converting the "Return to Castle Ravenloft" 3e module for a fun change of setting but then got worried that my players might not appreciate being removed from the Eberron setting for a long period of time.

Then I thought about converting "The Red Hand of Doom" and placing it near New Cyre / Darguun. However, after looking over the encounters the 4e equivalents of monsters didn't really seem to fit the level range I had in mind.

This lead me to look at "Eyes of the Lich Queen" and that seemed to be a much better fit (at least for the first three parts). I had initially dismissed it as being too much of a railroad, but after rereading the adventure, I think it should be possible to modify it to be a bit more open and give the pcs some meaningful choices. Particularly Part II looks promising.

Since I happened to have a bit of time on my hands I looked over the original encounters and made a (preliminary) conversion. This was also the first time I used the online Monster Builder to get a feeling what it could and what it couldn't do.

Since this is my first conversion attempt of a 3e module and also my first attempts at adjusting 4e monsters in more ways than adding/subtracting levels and correcting damage expressions I thought it might be interesting to share what I've been doing.

Would anyone be interested in that?

I've attached the encounter overview I used as a starting point for my conversion to give you a first impression.

What I would mostly be interested in is a bit of feedback on specific encounters and the more involved monster customization, particularly the Solo ones which I found difficult to design.

Speaking of Solo monsters: In my campaign I treat Solos as the equivalent of four standard monsters rather than the official five since I believe that is a more accurate representation of the challenge they represent.

I would also like to note that I don't actually give out or track xp. For this adventure this means the pcs will a gain a level after concluding each part no matter how they do so, or how many encounters they happen to have or avoid. Achieving a part's goals is all that really matters.