So I'm almost done reading Tomb of Horrors and I must say I'm really impressed. I wasn't really that "excited" by Revenge of the Giants, but Tomb of Horrors has hit the sweet spot for me in numerous ways. I'll spoiler my detailed largely encounter focused impressions:
I'll post more later, but I am really happy with Tomb of Horrors and I recommend it for anyone. Even if you don't intend to run it as is, the encounters and traps are just so deliciously pinchable! I feel anyone can get something out of this, it's well written and very nicely designed. Definitely an all around improvement for wizards. More of this please.
Edit: A fun drinking game for ToH would be that every time you see a solo with a four target attack power take a drink. I'm predicting by the end of the "old" tomb you'll probably be completely drunk.
Firstly, the maps are pretty solid and I like the layout of the Feywild and Shadow Tombs especially. As I'm a mechanical crunch guy, what has interested me most is any new monsters and similar. Plus the encounters. One thing that baffles me is why there is treasure listed in the adventure. 4E puts a pretty strong emphasis on tailoring magical items for a party, so depending on your composition you're going to have to change them often anyway. Suggesting treasure parcels would have been much better IMO.
Feywild Tomb: The "Campfright" encounter is sheer genius and not just because of the hilarious concept of being attacked by an animated campsite, but the general combination of monsters plus a pretty neat trap. I am almost certainly going to pinch this encounter for use in my other games if I never run the Tomb of Horrors directly. Some of my favorite encounters:
Wild at Heart is a sadistically brutal encounter if the PCs get near the door and haven't deactivated it - it provides a place you can "hem in" PCs between the trap and the monsters. I actually really like the whole puzzle surrounding the door and that encounter too. The other puzzle, with the sundial is similarly really enjoyable and I like how it was set up.
The Broken Catabombs is an example of one of those skill challenges I feel suffers for having a fixed number of failures. There is no need to track failures, failing simply means you fight more undead and get whacked around the head a lot more. That is punishment enough without double dipping in the punishment stakes. It's a good encounter otherwise and I can see this being extremely good fun, as the PCs have to drag the pieces of the tombs from one end to the other while fighting off the undead.
Death in the Dark, with the illusionary fey creatures that pretend to be the PCs is absolutely fantastic. I've taken the concept from what encounter almost as written and used in one of my campaigns already. This is a great encounter, it was also previewed on the Wizards website IIRC. Definitely worth running.
Play with us is a strange encounter and has a pretty neat concept. Effectively with trapped gaming tables that lure people into playing games that damage their minds. I do wonder though if the tables force a dominated creature to attack their allies (assuming the allies don't attack the table) or force them to play the game? Not entirely sure about that.
In fact I have to praise the traps in general here. Really creative stuff and they are really easy to transport into different contexts as well IMO.
Moil: Is an interesting place. I actually might use the location in my campaign in general as it's a pretty cool concept. It's basically a large series of crumbling towers that are sinking into a necrotic bog - pretty metal.
The most notable encounter there was the skill challenge. It's pretty hard for one thing and best of all, it takes the excellent idea that you don't need fixed failures. Instead failing just means you get mauled more by the traps and horrible hazards that arrive. I wonder why this wasn't applied to the Restless Dead skill challenge in the fey tomb for the same reason. I think fixed failures in a constant combat encounter like this and the one from the fey tomb aren't required: Punishment is taken care of adequately by being further beaten to death.
Anyway, I am not trying to turn this into a rant about skill challenges! That encounter though is honestly pretty awesome. Definitely going to use it in one of my games.
Moil also has two solos that I think were interesting for different reasons.
Dark Barrow: The Moilian Barrow is a pretty neat solo, he also seems to establish the authors obsession with giving solos a multiple attack that targets four creatures (this is a common theme with ToH solos). There is a flaw to this encounter though, the Moilian Barrow is not immune to the Shadow Pools in the encounter. This means if the PCs stick him in one, he can end up permanently chain dazed and effectively gets cut off from his minor action and mass of claws power (which is normally meant to give him something to do when stunned and dominated). So nicely designed solo, but he's been ironically subverted by the terrain in the encounter - DOH.
Shadow Gate: This is really a "fend off the horrible thing until we can escape" kind of encounter. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it's pretty neat idea, that the PCs have this overwhelming beast they must escape from but on the other hand it relies on them getting the message. One thing I will say if I ran this I would turn the creature into a skill challenge with the same defenses. If the PCs can deal X damage they could impose a negative to attacks, daze or stun the creature. Without seeing HP ticking down, PCs will realize no matter how lucky or long they stay there they can't win - so will definitely take the option of escaping.
In any event, the Tortured Vestige is a pretty nice solo. Once again the writers obsession with a 4x multiple attack power for solos is exposed! For a level 20 lurker he doesn't do a lot of damage - minding this is probably deliberate on the authors part due to the fact he'll probably autohit 90% of the time anyway. Engulf is insanely brutal though and I think that a few level 14/15ish parties are going to struggle. For those wondering about the lethality of this module, if you run it 2 levels lower as suggested in the opening chapter of the book, I just can't see someone not biting it in this encounter. Either engulfed and left behind when the others escape or just outright killed.
It's a pretty cool encounter. I'd love to run it just to see how it works out.
Shadow Tomb: The second tomb in the book, this is also filled with some fun encounters and it starts off really well (though I'm not so enthused with the wraiths).
Perilous Archways: This has an hilarious trap that can potentially render you naked, turn you into a donkey and various other amusing effects. The actual combat with the wraiths as I mentioned above I didn't care for that much, but the trap is simply genius. It also has the "green face" of Acererak that those who are fans of the original will remember. It does have a - nerfed - sphere of annihilation as well. It is threatening enough though that you're not going to just walk away perfectly happy though.
Tapestries of Time: Another fantastic encounter, featuring a strange trap that tries to draw PCs into it becoming a part of the painting and some pretty decent monsters as well. Again, this is the sort of encounter you can take out of context and put in another one easily as well. The room could fit into a mansion, dungeon or anywhere else too (just due to the general design).
That's about as far as I've got as I am still digesting the remaining shadow tomb encounters. I would like to comment that the Acererak Construct solo in the Shadow Engine does not fail to disappoint in the general ToH trends for solos to have a standard four attack action. It's just a general theme!
Feywild Tomb: The "Campfright" encounter is sheer genius and not just because of the hilarious concept of being attacked by an animated campsite, but the general combination of monsters plus a pretty neat trap. I am almost certainly going to pinch this encounter for use in my other games if I never run the Tomb of Horrors directly. Some of my favorite encounters:
Wild at Heart is a sadistically brutal encounter if the PCs get near the door and haven't deactivated it - it provides a place you can "hem in" PCs between the trap and the monsters. I actually really like the whole puzzle surrounding the door and that encounter too. The other puzzle, with the sundial is similarly really enjoyable and I like how it was set up.
The Broken Catabombs is an example of one of those skill challenges I feel suffers for having a fixed number of failures. There is no need to track failures, failing simply means you fight more undead and get whacked around the head a lot more. That is punishment enough without double dipping in the punishment stakes. It's a good encounter otherwise and I can see this being extremely good fun, as the PCs have to drag the pieces of the tombs from one end to the other while fighting off the undead.
Death in the Dark, with the illusionary fey creatures that pretend to be the PCs is absolutely fantastic. I've taken the concept from what encounter almost as written and used in one of my campaigns already. This is a great encounter, it was also previewed on the Wizards website IIRC. Definitely worth running.
Play with us is a strange encounter and has a pretty neat concept. Effectively with trapped gaming tables that lure people into playing games that damage their minds. I do wonder though if the tables force a dominated creature to attack their allies (assuming the allies don't attack the table) or force them to play the game? Not entirely sure about that.
In fact I have to praise the traps in general here. Really creative stuff and they are really easy to transport into different contexts as well IMO.
Moil: Is an interesting place. I actually might use the location in my campaign in general as it's a pretty cool concept. It's basically a large series of crumbling towers that are sinking into a necrotic bog - pretty metal.
The most notable encounter there was the skill challenge. It's pretty hard for one thing and best of all, it takes the excellent idea that you don't need fixed failures. Instead failing just means you get mauled more by the traps and horrible hazards that arrive. I wonder why this wasn't applied to the Restless Dead skill challenge in the fey tomb for the same reason. I think fixed failures in a constant combat encounter like this and the one from the fey tomb aren't required: Punishment is taken care of adequately by being further beaten to death.
Anyway, I am not trying to turn this into a rant about skill challenges! That encounter though is honestly pretty awesome. Definitely going to use it in one of my games.
Moil also has two solos that I think were interesting for different reasons.
Dark Barrow: The Moilian Barrow is a pretty neat solo, he also seems to establish the authors obsession with giving solos a multiple attack that targets four creatures (this is a common theme with ToH solos). There is a flaw to this encounter though, the Moilian Barrow is not immune to the Shadow Pools in the encounter. This means if the PCs stick him in one, he can end up permanently chain dazed and effectively gets cut off from his minor action and mass of claws power (which is normally meant to give him something to do when stunned and dominated). So nicely designed solo, but he's been ironically subverted by the terrain in the encounter - DOH.
Shadow Gate: This is really a "fend off the horrible thing until we can escape" kind of encounter. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it's pretty neat idea, that the PCs have this overwhelming beast they must escape from but on the other hand it relies on them getting the message. One thing I will say if I ran this I would turn the creature into a skill challenge with the same defenses. If the PCs can deal X damage they could impose a negative to attacks, daze or stun the creature. Without seeing HP ticking down, PCs will realize no matter how lucky or long they stay there they can't win - so will definitely take the option of escaping.
In any event, the Tortured Vestige is a pretty nice solo. Once again the writers obsession with a 4x multiple attack power for solos is exposed! For a level 20 lurker he doesn't do a lot of damage - minding this is probably deliberate on the authors part due to the fact he'll probably autohit 90% of the time anyway. Engulf is insanely brutal though and I think that a few level 14/15ish parties are going to struggle. For those wondering about the lethality of this module, if you run it 2 levels lower as suggested in the opening chapter of the book, I just can't see someone not biting it in this encounter. Either engulfed and left behind when the others escape or just outright killed.
It's a pretty cool encounter. I'd love to run it just to see how it works out.
Shadow Tomb: The second tomb in the book, this is also filled with some fun encounters and it starts off really well (though I'm not so enthused with the wraiths).
Perilous Archways: This has an hilarious trap that can potentially render you naked, turn you into a donkey and various other amusing effects. The actual combat with the wraiths as I mentioned above I didn't care for that much, but the trap is simply genius. It also has the "green face" of Acererak that those who are fans of the original will remember. It does have a - nerfed - sphere of annihilation as well. It is threatening enough though that you're not going to just walk away perfectly happy though.
Tapestries of Time: Another fantastic encounter, featuring a strange trap that tries to draw PCs into it becoming a part of the painting and some pretty decent monsters as well. Again, this is the sort of encounter you can take out of context and put in another one easily as well. The room could fit into a mansion, dungeon or anywhere else too (just due to the general design).
That's about as far as I've got as I am still digesting the remaining shadow tomb encounters. I would like to comment that the Acererak Construct solo in the Shadow Engine does not fail to disappoint in the general ToH trends for solos to have a standard four attack action. It's just a general theme!
I'll post more later, but I am really happy with Tomb of Horrors and I recommend it for anyone. Even if you don't intend to run it as is, the encounters and traps are just so deliciously pinchable! I feel anyone can get something out of this, it's well written and very nicely designed. Definitely an all around improvement for wizards. More of this please.
Edit: A fun drinking game for ToH would be that every time you see a solo with a four target attack power take a drink. I'm predicting by the end of the "old" tomb you'll probably be completely drunk.
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