Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
D&D 4E Tips/Tricks/Advice
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Rechan" data-source="post: 4431367" data-attributes="member: 54846"><p>Here's a general tip. Encounters consist of multiple monsters. Those multiple monsters could of course come from adjacent rooms when they hear the PCs engage in fighting one or two monsters in the first room. <strong>However</strong>, be <strong>very</strong> careful about not to pour two encounters worth of monsters (I.e. 4-5 normal monsters is an encounter, 9-10 normal monsters is 2 encounters). Doing so is deadly. </p><p></p><p>As an example, there's the potential for this in the first leg of KotS, where some DMs have had the kobolds outside of the waterfall fall back (or those inside coming out), combining their numbers with those inside. This is lethal. </p><p></p><p>WARNING: SPOILERS</p><p></p><p></p><p>Okay, if you're going to run KH and then KotS, I have a few suggestions.</p><p></p><p>Connect KH to KotS. Make KH the kobold nest, instead of the waterfall lair. Otherwise, your players will be fighting 10 encounters worth of kobolds, and will be <em>sick of them</em>. The Dragon of KH is their leader, who has been paid off by Karalel (maybe make the item in the dig site pertinent to the dragon, as sort've a "Pay off").</p><p></p><p>I would advise to take a look at <a href="http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drcinc/20080620a" target="_blank">this PDF of more kobolds</a> (you have to get an account at Wizarrds' site to see it) and use a few of these kobolds instead of the ones in the module. Just because there's some more real fun stuff in there. </p><p></p><p>Finally, <a href="http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dufe/20080606a" target="_blank">here</a> are some side treks for KotS.</p><p></p><p>If you are attaching KH to KotS, then you won't have to worry about one of the nastiest encounters: Irontooth. He apparently has beat a lot of parties.</p><p></p><p>The real problem of KotS, in my opinion? <em>It's repetitive</em>. You fight 5 encounters of kobolds. Then 6 encounters with goblins. Then 4-5 encounters with just hobgoblins. Interspersed are various undead enemies, sure, but it's <em>boringly repetitive</em>. There's also a <em>lot</em> of encounters, so it's a real slog to go through them all. </p><p></p><p>My advise? Reduce the number of encounters in each level, then mix up the encounters with varying monsters. Example: in the first room of the keep (the rat swarm in the pit), instead have a goblin with its hand on a lever, holding some sort of monsters in cages. When the PCs come in, goblin yanks lever and runs for help. PCs fight monsters. Then you could have a sneaky goblin slip in from the side to stab the PCs in the kidneys as they fight the monsters. </p><p></p><p>Guard drakes are a little brutal (+6 damage automatically when close to allies). Might want to just give them +1d6 damage. </p><p></p><p>For the "Zombies in the graveyard, oh no!" scenario, the PCs have to leave and go back to town. How do you get them to leave the dungeon? If the PCs sleep in it, have them experience serious nightmares due to it being so close to the Shadowfell; maybe they start experiencing some of what Sir Keegan felt. Have them not regain 1 or 2 healing surges as a result. Or, you could have them find a captive in the dungeon, someone from Winterhaven who is badly hurt and needs to be returned to town.</p><p></p><p>Finally, <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=56039&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=44" target="_blank">here</a> is a <em>free</em> PDF (you have to register) with counters for all the monsters you'll fight in KotS. You just print these out, cut them out, and instant makeshift minis.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rechan, post: 4431367, member: 54846"] Here's a general tip. Encounters consist of multiple monsters. Those multiple monsters could of course come from adjacent rooms when they hear the PCs engage in fighting one or two monsters in the first room. [B]However[/B], be [B]very[/B] careful about not to pour two encounters worth of monsters (I.e. 4-5 normal monsters is an encounter, 9-10 normal monsters is 2 encounters). Doing so is deadly. As an example, there's the potential for this in the first leg of KotS, where some DMs have had the kobolds outside of the waterfall fall back (or those inside coming out), combining their numbers with those inside. This is lethal. WARNING: SPOILERS Okay, if you're going to run KH and then KotS, I have a few suggestions. Connect KH to KotS. Make KH the kobold nest, instead of the waterfall lair. Otherwise, your players will be fighting 10 encounters worth of kobolds, and will be [i]sick of them[/i]. The Dragon of KH is their leader, who has been paid off by Karalel (maybe make the item in the dig site pertinent to the dragon, as sort've a "Pay off"). I would advise to take a look at [URL="http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drcinc/20080620a"]this PDF of more kobolds[/URL] (you have to get an account at Wizarrds' site to see it) and use a few of these kobolds instead of the ones in the module. Just because there's some more real fun stuff in there. Finally, [URL="http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dufe/20080606a"]here[/URL] are some side treks for KotS. If you are attaching KH to KotS, then you won't have to worry about one of the nastiest encounters: Irontooth. He apparently has beat a lot of parties. The real problem of KotS, in my opinion? [I]It's repetitive[/I]. You fight 5 encounters of kobolds. Then 6 encounters with goblins. Then 4-5 encounters with just hobgoblins. Interspersed are various undead enemies, sure, but it's [I]boringly repetitive[/I]. There's also a [I]lot[/I] of encounters, so it's a real slog to go through them all. My advise? Reduce the number of encounters in each level, then mix up the encounters with varying monsters. Example: in the first room of the keep (the rat swarm in the pit), instead have a goblin with its hand on a lever, holding some sort of monsters in cages. When the PCs come in, goblin yanks lever and runs for help. PCs fight monsters. Then you could have a sneaky goblin slip in from the side to stab the PCs in the kidneys as they fight the monsters. Guard drakes are a little brutal (+6 damage automatically when close to allies). Might want to just give them +1d6 damage. For the "Zombies in the graveyard, oh no!" scenario, the PCs have to leave and go back to town. How do you get them to leave the dungeon? If the PCs sleep in it, have them experience serious nightmares due to it being so close to the Shadowfell; maybe they start experiencing some of what Sir Keegan felt. Have them not regain 1 or 2 healing surges as a result. Or, you could have them find a captive in the dungeon, someone from Winterhaven who is badly hurt and needs to be returned to town. Finally, [URL="http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=56039&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=44"]here[/URL] is a [I]free[/I] PDF (you have to register) with counters for all the monsters you'll fight in KotS. You just print these out, cut them out, and instant makeshift minis. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
D&D 4E Tips/Tricks/Advice
Top