Has your group played 'Ungrateful Ground'?

[Destan]

Just sending out an EN pimp to see if anyone's run the low-level adventure Ungrateful Ground in Dungeon 119? Would love to hear your experiences.

I must admit - for some reason, reading that adventure injected a bit of the wonder and fun low-level D&D can provide, even to the most jaded gamers. I think I read the entire thing in one sitting (in the bathroom, hiding from wife and kids).

Chris West, if you're out there - kudos on a job well done. Loved the little touches throughout that made that adventure seem to live. Made me ready to wrap up a 17th level campaign and kick it with some low level mooks.

While I'm at it, Throne of Iuz (by our very own Mighty Halfling) also caused me to lock the ol' bathroom door for an hour or more.

I don't mean to sound like a fanboy, and rest assured I've got nothing in the Dungeon pipeline - but, by Kord, I like what Senor Mona's doing to that mag.

Toodles,
The Big Fat Notorious D

 

[Stockdale]

Destan, I found teh thread here. I ran this serval times for the two parent kid groups I've got running. Keeping in mind that the oldest player is 16 and the youngest is , we play on a PG to G basis. This may skew my prespective some. Here's my thoughts.

*** Spoilers Ahead ***

I hooked the players in with the crow hook. I had them do spot checks to notice a crow following them fopr several days and then land and speak in parrot-type language "Master Hurt, Blah Blah." They bought it hook line and sinker and followed the crow.

I played it so the crow lured the PCs into the snake, rather than have it be a happenstance encounter. I figured the Crow/imp would know its there and would "test" the PCs by leading them into the encounter. No sweat of an encounter for either 3 -3rd level or 5-3rd and 4th level characters. The crow perches nearby the whoel encounter, waiting, watching, learning. It then flies directly to and into the cave. It leads them ever deeping into the cave complex.

In the first major room, I always had at least one goblin (for the 3rd level party) or Hobgolbin (for the 4th level party) run off to sound the alarm at the first possible moment. Depnding upon how quickly the party dispatched the first four goblins depended on where the next enounter happened. With the third level party, the battle occured in the guard room back through the hallway and into the common area, and a well placed hold person onm the BBEG goblin ended the battle rather quickly. With the fourth level party, it all happened in the guard area, but the BBEG golbin pulled back to just before the skeleton room and fought it out there. Good use of her scroll is important with her last stand.

The skeletal dragon is a fun enounter. It starts with a bang, but can end quickly if the party has a cleric with a high charisma. However, in the event that it will take longer than three rounds to turn the thing, this encounter can easily turn into a TPK. In both cases, I had at least one character fall when they tried to take the thing on directly. (In an interesting twist, the youngest character tried to appeal to the dragon's vanity. A fun little attempt at parley, which ended poorly.)

In both cases, the bird reverted to imp form while the battle with the skeletal dragon was fought and escaped using invisibility when that battle appeared lost. During the interm, he cast spells. I'll use that little fella again before long.

Lastly, the senario was sort of anticlimatic insofar as after fighting the skeletal dragon, they searched the room and well it was over. I'll have to solve that situation next time. I'll probably have them search the side rooms first and then fight their way out of that room.

This was an A+ adventure. By far one of the best Dungeon adventures I've run.

Stockdale

 

[EricNoah]

Throne of Iuz looked like a cool adventure to me too. I love the Big Bad Guy, though I'd want to add an encounter or two in the big long spiraling hallway deallybob.

 

[Destan]

Stockdale,

I was wondering how I'd use the imp. Like you, I'd prefer to have him come back in follow-on adventures, but I thought something may be needed after the skeletal dragon fight to prevent an anti-climatic ending.

Anyway, thanks for the input/info!

D

 

[Stockdale]

The adventure as written can be anticlimatic. Next time I run this, I plan on holding the skeletal dragon until all the areas in that section of the senario have been explored. Thus, he's burst out the pool when they attempt to leave that area rather than when they entered the area. At that point, I'd have the bird/imp transform into imp and begin casting spells until defeat appeared inevitable and escape via invisibility. This situation assumes that the players would investigate the pool upon entry into this room. (my players are notive enough not to do this). In order to make this more effective, instead of having the side doors closed when they enter, leave one ajar and have the bird lead them into the remaining rooms using lines like "hurry hurry master's here" pointing to one door or the other.

As far as total story arch goes, it is difficult to have this villian escape and not have some sort of anticlimax. Unless the players keep his stuff, and then the imp dogs them to get it back. Alternatively, and thinking off the cuff, having a bird chase out of the complex may be entertaining. Rather than escape via invisibility, have the imp return to bird form and make for the exit. Just a thought.

This is tough one to come with a good 'til later type ending. Good luck with it.

 

[IronWolf]

I don't mean to sound like a fanboy, and rest assured I've got nothing in the Dungeon pipeline - but, by Kord, I like what Senor Mona's doing to that mag.

I haven't run the adventure in question, but thought this would be a good spot to say that you aren't the only one who thinks Dungeon has been headed in a great direction since the revamp!