D&D 5E DMing Princes of the apocalypse

S'mon

Legend
Thanks for all the help guys. I'm trying to lead a somewhat linear campaign rather so I think I'm going to try and let Bruldenhar have as much info as possible without losing all the intrigue. From what I can tell most of you also just found ways to drop in extra info throughout the campaign. You'd think the book would just leave some more clues in the various letters/papers that can be found in the strongholds.

Yeah, I had a player ask to read the material on Vanifer's table, I basically gave a full rundown of the 4 Temples and the 4 Prophets in addition to the spell scrolls listed there. This isn't a mystery campaign so I pretty much think the more info the better, as long as the PCs are high enough level to deal with it and won't just run away crying for Elminster. :) I'd say keep things somewhat mysterious in Tier I (level 1-4) but by Tier II (level 5-10) they can handle any of the Haunted Keeps, and with reasonably careful play even any of the dungeons, which are not as much of an increased threat as the book indicates. Some of the worst stuff is very early on, like a full Black Earth Priest in the "level 2" intro adventure in Red Larch! For new GMs you might want to just start your group at level 3 while still using the chapter 6 intro material, since IME the deadliness ramps up very quickly and Tier I PCs can very easily sandbox in over their heads.
 

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S'mon

Legend
Re disasters and reprisals, I am using 1 week/Tenday long rests and a set schedule where eg if the PCs hadn't trashed the Fire Temple by the Month of Flamerule the cult would have started using Devastation Orbs on the local towns. I'm doing roughly 1 escalation element per game month, ie

1491 DR
M7 Dire Tidings (pg 76)
M8 Reckless Hate (pg 76)
M9 Race to Destruction (pg 77)
M10 Downpour (pg 113)
M11 Burning Hills (pg 113)
M12 Tortured Earth (pg 113)
1492 DR
M1 Counsel of Despair (pg 113)
M1+ Haayon the Punisher (pg 114)

If you're using overnight long rests then 1/week or 1/3 days would work better.
 
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Nebulous

Legend
We found the water node to be a real long slog. I added a few encounters but we just didn't enjoy it altogether. Feathergale Spire was my favorite of all the scenarios.

EDIT - oh I remember another big change. The devastation orbs can be combined to form a super devastation orb, of which there were only a few. These were noted on the map taken from Feathergale. Basically it's a nuke, and Beliard was completely destroyed by an elemental something as the PCs fled for their lives. You should have seen their faces when I showed them the picture. The other orb gets stolen and that led to a huge side quest in Yartar.

enS10ay.jpg
 
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Nebulous

Legend
I guess over the course of the adventure I did change and tweak lots of things. For instance, Haayon the Punisher was moved to Red Larch where he and the orcs subjugated the citizens during the PCs long absences. And he was a death giant in my version. Maybe he was originally, I can't remember the details, it was years ago.
 
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Nebulous

Legend
And the lost people the PCs are hunting for were priests of the Elemental Princes of Good, as a direct fight against the evil elemental Princes, but the cults pretty much wiped them out.
 


Nebulous

Legend
Session #1 – Red Larch
Session #2 – Berthunder’s Warehouse
Session #3 – Tomb of the Delvers
Session #4 – Terror at Lance Rock
Session #5 – Shallow Graves
Session #6 – Feathergale Spire
Session #7 – Lair of the Purple Wyrm
Session #8 – Escape from Feathergale Spire
Session #9 – Assault on Feathergale Spire
Session #10 -Deathtrap at Feathergale Spire
Session #11 – Rivergard Keep
Session #12– Beliard
Session #13 – Vale of the Dancing Waters
Session #14 – Return to Red Larch
Session #15 – Temple of the Howling Hatred
Session #16 – Queen Aerisi
Session #17 – Serena’s Deception
Session #18 – The Deception Continues
Session #19 – Sacred Stone Monastery, Part 1
Session #20 – Sacred Stone Monastery, Part 2
Session #21 – Sacred Stone Monastery, Part 3
Session #22 – Temple of the Black Earth
Session #23 – A Near Death Escape
Session #24 – Return to Black Earth Temple
Session #25 – Time to Leave
Session #26 – A Bullette Surprise & Future Plans
Session #27 – Air Temple Redux
Session #28 – Fane of the Eye
Session #29 – Guardians of the Earth Node
Session #30 – More Guardians of the Earth Node
Session #31 – The Medusa’s Node
Session #32 – Death to the Earth Node!
Session #33 – The Howling Caves
Session #34 – Death to the AIR Node!
Session #35 – The Lost Crown of Besilmer
Session #36 – The Looting of Black Earth Temple
Session #37 – Haayon the Punisher
Session #38 – Haayon’s Folly
Session #39 – A Doom of Ice and Fire
Session #40 – At the Halls of the Hunting Axe
Session #41 – The Lost Tomb of King Torild, Part 1
Session #42 -The Lost Tomb of King Torild, Part 2
Session #43 – Drannin’s Trap!
Session #44 – Return to the Vale of Dancing Waters
Session #45 – The Utter Defeat of Rivergard Keep
Session #46 – Temple of the Crushing Wave, Part 1
Session #47 – Temple of the Crushing Wave, Part 2
Session #48 – Temple of the Crushing Wave, Part 3
Session #49 – Temple of the Crushing Wave, Part 4 – A Coven of Hags
Session #50 – Temple of the Crushing Wave, Part 5 – The Enemy Flees
Session #51 – Temple of the Crushing Wave, Part 6 – Copper Vat Sucker Punch!
Session #52 – Another Horrible Devil & a Lizardish Battle
Session #53 – Enter the Water Node
Session #54 – The Water Node, Part 2
Session #55 – Assault on Shatterkeel, Part 1
Session #56 – Assault on Shatterkeel, Part 2
Session #57 – Assault on Shatterkeel, Part 3 (A.K.A. – “Sick of the Water Node“)
Session #58 – Death of Gar Shatterkeel
Session #59 – Serena & The Book of the Exalted
Session #60 – Yartar Faction War
Session #61 – Lair of the Krakenspawn
Session #62 – Demise of the Cointoss Tavern
Session #63 – “Where the Flame Still Flickers…”
Session #64 – Temple of the Eternal Flame
Session #65 – Temple of the Eternal Flame, Part 2
Session #66 – Temple of the Eternal Flame, Part 3- Brass Golem
Session #67 – Fane of the Triad
Session #68 – Death to the Fire Node!
Session #69 – Retreat From the Fire Node
Session #70 – Battle of the Triad, Part 1
Session #71 – Battle of the Triad, Part 2
Session #72 – Escape from the Fane of the Eye
Session #73 – Symbol of the Fiery Throat
Session #74 - The Machinations of Imix
 

Nebulous

Legend
Session #53 – Enter the Water Node
Session #54 – The Water Node, Part 2
Session #55 – Assault on Shatterkeel, Part 1
Session #56 – Assault on Shatterkeel, Part 2
Session #57 – Assault on Shatterkeel, Part 3 (A.K.A. – “Sick of the Water Node“)
Session #58 – Death of Gar Shatterkeel


See, we were in that damn water node WAY WAY too long, just endless fights and stalemates.
 
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Nebulous

Legend
Oh, here's another big change. The Triad. I had dropped clues about this earlier in the campaign. It's a secret 5th elemental cult of The All Seeing Eye. The cabal is in the Fane of the Eye, and The Triad are three undead drow that casts spells as one unit, 3 spells a round. Each one specialized in a certain school of magic. They were sons of bitches and scared the party to death as a boss fight, one of the hardest in the game. The PCs never actually got to fight an elemental Prince. But the big bad finale a player was handed the statblock for IMIX himself and laid waste to a whole lot of naughty word. lol

Session #70 – Battle of the Triad, Part 1
Session #71 – Battle of the Triad, Part 2
 

Nebulous

Legend
These five session were also among my favorite, and these were homebrewed. This is where the PCs are trying to hunt down the stolen super devastation orb, a dirty nuke that any evil faction could use to hold the realms hostage under threat of annihilation (like how Beliard was wiped off the map). It was a really, really fun set of sessions that had mixed political agendas.

Session #59 – Serena & The Book of the Exalted
Session #60 – Yartar Faction War
Session #61 – Lair of the Krakenspawn
Session #62 – Demise of the Cointoss Tavern
Session #63 – “Where the Flame Still Flickers…”
 

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