Dungeons & Dragons Announces Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall, New Adventure Book Featuring Red Wizards of Thay

[Reynard]

It occurs to me that there is another explanation: Deadfall, as an "adventure expansion" might not be a traditional single adventure with a through plot. it might be a book more similar to Savage Worlds "plot point campaigns" that presents a situation and gives you locations and statblocks for various points along the plot, but is not fully fleshed out. "When the characters are first startiung out, use this scene" and then "this major revelation and encounter should happen when the PCs are 5th level" etc...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

What CR is a lich?

21. I generally find them overrated though. I reckon a rested and preped 14th level party as a solo main boss. But one would expect minions.

Nalfeshnee are CR 13. I wouldn't use them as a big boss for any party over level 8.

 

[TheSword]

It occurs to me that there is another explanation: Deadfall, as an "adventure expansion" might not be a traditional single adventure with a through plot. it might be a book more similar to Savage Worlds "plot point campaigns" that presents a situation and gives you locations and statblocks for various points along the plot, but is not fully fleshed out. "When the characters are first startiung out, use this scene" and then "this major revelation and encounter should happen when the PCs are 5th level" etc...

You could well be right. The adventure outlines definitely got a lot of positive feedback in some quarters.

I do think it would be abandoning published campaigns/anthologies as a way to showcasing adventures. It’s a bit like showcasing a building by showing us the frame.

On the other hand maybe it’s teaching new players to build adventures rather than implement other people’s.

I’m firmly in the editorial camp of DMs that buy adventures. I want to be able to pick it up, read it, make a few changes. Add change a creature hear or there but otherwise run it as written. At least in part. The idea of having to put meat on the bone fills me with horror.

I also think it would be very strange for the first full sized adventure of 5.5 not to start at level 1. That said, these are strange times.

 

[Reynard]

You could well be right. The adventure outlines definitely got a lot of positive feedback in some quarters.

I do think it would be abandoning published campaigns/anthologies as a way to showcasing adventures. It’s a bit like showcasing a building by showing us the frame.

On the other hand maybe it’s teaching new players to build adventures rather than implement other people’s.

I’m firmly in the editorial camp of DMs that buy adventures. I want to be able to pick it up, read it, make a few changes. Add change a creature hear or there but otherwise run it as written. At least in part. The idea of having to put meat on the bone fills me with horror.

I also think it would be very strange for the first full sized adventure of 5.5 not to start at level 1. That said, these are strange times.

At least insofar as the adventures go, the back catalog is still the catalog. So maybe this will be a capstone style adventure.

If so, it would still be useful for it to have explicit guidance on how to weave foreshadowing into whatever adventure you run before it. "Replace the lieutenant with this Thayan guy" etc.

 

[sevenbastard]

You do not show me powerful liches and demons and then do not put them in the book to fight. Does the party need to be 20th level for this?

I mean you can fight a litch at any level, it how likely are you to win.

Also its possible to add some macguffin that nerfs it.

The party has seven days to find the Rod of Lich Nerfing from the Caverns of Dungeondelve before B'Beg the Lich reaches the village of Enpee Sea.

 

[Reynard]

21. I generally find them overrated though. I reckon a rested and preped 14th level party as a solo main boss. But one would expect minions.

Nalfeshnee are CR 13. I wouldn't use them as a big boss for any party over level 8.

Worked fine for me since it was not a solo encounter.

 

[tetrasodium]

I can run a 3rd level.adventure in the Abyss.

I hear the tavern has a hellbound infestation in the basement and the bartender is offering self starting exterminators 50cp a head to help with getting themselves some better gear so they feel more comfortable heading out past the walls. Invasive slaad are harassing my sheep, I'm willing to pay good silver to a plucky band of first level adventurers to deal with it.

There's no inherent connection between setting and level. And "high magic" doesn't indicate power -- it indicates ubiquity.

That is absurd

Availability and power are inseparable without publishing a blatant statement like

Spoiler: this

"some people think high magic is simply about the ubiquity of magic so the game was designed to math that assumes & enforces If your 5E characters have no magic items, the game would still be balanced. Magic items are pure candy. As primary goal. While a high magic world means magic is far more common than lower magic world, players should respect our design choice and accept that their characters should never gain access to any of the ubiquitous magic in the world as their GM would need to offset any gains from the magical powers and items in order to maintain balance."

It would certainly make my life easier as a gm were I to go back to running 5e with a published quote like that backing my efforts to fix that choice, but rules that actually support the gm with the fix would go even further.

 

[Reynard]

That is absurd

Yeah, I literally said that backwords. I even contradicted myself a couple posts later. Oops.

 

[SkidAce]

I mean you can fight a litch at any level, it how likely are you to win.

Also its possible to add some macguffin that nerfs it.

The party has seven days to find the Rod of Lich Nerfing from the Caverns of Dungeondelve before B'Beg the Lich reaches the village of Enpee Sea.

Clever!

 

[bedir than]

Deadfall is the Beedle & Grim Platinum edition

Beadle & Grimm's to Launch New Ravenloft & Arcana Unleashed Box Sets

Beadle & Grimm’s has announced their next two D&D box sets: a Silver version of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within and a Platinum version of Unearthed Arcana: Deadfall.

dungeonsanddragonsfan.com