even encounter?

[Plane Sailing]

Just thinking about the Chi-Ro threat estimation -

party power = 4* 4^2 = 56
creature power = 7^2 = 49

and IIRC it would expect to use up 49/56 ~= 87% of the parties resources. An incredibly challenging fight with a strong likelihood of party deaths.

The ambush just makes things worse, really

 

[duhtroll]

Now that I think of it - the DM took OUT the roper (he told us afterwards) because it would have killed us.

If that was our clue to the dragon, it might have been better to leave it in.

-A

 

[Bad Paper]

lessons not learned

Now that I think of it - the DM took OUT the roper (he told us afterwards) because it would have killed us.

If that was our clue to the dragon, it might have been better to leave it in.

Well! You have only your DM to blame, then! The roper SHOULD kill you if you're a bunch of upstart young whelps who can't figure out how to save your own necks! As stated in the module text, the roper encounter is there to TEACH THE PARTY A LESSON IN HUMILITY.

I DMed this module, and liked it (though I'm enjoying running module #5 in the series so much more). The roper encounter was great fun: I wish I could post the details, but I'm sure that would spoil someone's fun. Let's just say that roleplaying a roper eating a donkey tops the chart of my recent experiences.

As for the dragon encounter, I think it is excellent, and quite well-balanced. The party I DMed had absolutely no idea that there was a dragon down there. There were also five 4th-level characters in the party, and it definitely helped that one of them was a ranger archer with Dragon as favored enemy. The only softballing I did was being sure to spread the pain around. There was plenty of hit-run-and-hide in there, and the party had a memorable encounter. Stupid monk and wizard jumping around on a pile of treasure is sure to draw ire from dragon.

At any rate, I am happy with the way I ran the encounter, and happy with the way the party killed the friggin dragon. Even after they had learned to run away from or bargain with Big Scary Bad Guys like the roper.

 

[duhtroll]

A young dragon? Or a juvenile dragon with ambush? I have heard the module calls for a young dragon. (don't have it myself) I don't see many 4th level parties dishing out 110 HP at range and being able to hit the AC 22 with any regularity.

-A

Well! You have only your DM to blame, then! The roper SHOULD kill you if you're a bunch of upstart young whelps who can't figure out how to save your own necks! As stated in the module text, the roper encounter is there to TEACH THE PARTY A LESSON IN HUMILITY.

I DMed this module, and liked it (though I'm enjoying running module #5 in the series so much more). The roper encounter was great fun: I wish I could post the details, but I'm sure that would spoil someone's fun. Let's just say that roleplaying a roper eating a donkey tops the chart of my recent experiences.

As for the dragon encounter, I think it is excellent, and quite well-balanced. The party I DMed had absolutely no idea that there was a dragon down there. There were also five 4th-level characters in the party, and it definitely helped that one of them was a ranger archer with Dragon as favored enemy. The only softballing I did was being sure to spread the pain around. There was plenty of hit-run-and-hide in there, and the party had a memorable encounter. Stupid monk and wizard jumping around on a pile of treasure is sure to draw ire from dragon.

At any rate, I am happy with the way I ran the encounter, and happy with the way the party killed the friggin dragon. Even after they had learned to run away from or bargain with Big Scary Bad Guys like the roper.

 

[Gizzard]

There are many older threads about this module; plenty of people have played it and have commentary on it. Including me. ;-)

The module is actually listed as being for 3rd-level PCs.

The module is supposed to take you from 3rd to 5th, so that you can play the next in the series. Most of us were on the cusp of 6th level after defeating the final monster, even with 6 PCs in the party.

Anyway, our DM upped the beasts HPs into the next class (juvenile?), played it much more aggressively (ie, less sneaky) and we still lost 2 party members to it.

As stated in the module text, the X encounter is there to TEACH THE PARTY A LESSON IN HUMILITY.

That particular encounter is more lethal than instructional IMHO. If the idea is to teach the party that sometimes they have to run, then maybe a monster that didn't grab PCs and immobilize them would be in order? ;-) (I suggested that a Golem keyed to guard only that area would be a good substitute.)

 

[duhtroll]

I would have searched prior to posting had I been able (not a barb at anyone) and I hope to be able to read them sometime soon.

I wondered about the roper too, as we were told what it was supposed to do; i.e. you talk your way out of fighting him earlier in the adventure, and then right after you fight the dragon you have to fight the roper anyway I don't have the adventure, but our GM told us as much.

Doesn't make much sense in showing us there's more than one way to complete an encounter, when we end up having to kill it or be killed anyway.

-A

 

[Gizzard]

I don't have the adventure, but our GM told us as much.

I think you might have misinterpreted what the GM said. The "humility teacher" lives in a way different place than the "boss monster", you shouldn't run into him again. He's still a brutal challenge the one time you face him, but - assuming you can survive that somehow - he can't really hunt you down for vengance.

Tangentially: If your DM is looking out for you guys by modifying the humility encounter then it would be out of character for him to crank up the boss monster too much? (I suspect the module has some guidelines on this issue?) It's not supposed to be a "fair" fight, it's supposed to be a do-or-die fight with the party possibily retreating and forming a tactical plan after the first run-in. TPK is a possibility, the loss of a PC or two is almost a certainty. But there's a lot of good treasure in the treasure pile. ;-)