Heart of Nightfang Spire - SPOILERS

[StealthyMark]

I'm worrying for my party, they are Lvl 9-10, about to enter Heart of Nigthfang Spire.

Halfling Brb2/Rog3/Ftr1/Clr2/Shd1, Human Ftr10, Human Ftr8/Sor1, Halfelf Sor6/Rog3. No major arcane or divine spells, no major magic weapons (+2 rapier, +1 flaming longsword). Altough I throw money at them like crazy, their lack of spells and/or item creation feats makes them very inefficient. For example, they are currently using their 3rd Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds (4,500 GP each).

Are they able to survive the Spire?

Last time, while investigating in Ossington (The Standing Stone), they were ambushed by a wildelf Brd9, wildelf Sor6, pixie Rog3. Encounter summary: PCs barely survived, all NPCs escaped (nearly out of spells). PCs spent 3,500 GP on scrolls, potions and healing charges. NPCs spent 300 GPs. Is this just normal?

 

[Piratecat]

Worry. HoNFS is a tough module, and it doesn't sound like your PCs have optimized their tactics. You might want to beef them up with some scrolls (greater magic weapon, anyone?) and items to give them a chance. Or, alternatively, scrolls of expeditious retreat so that they can run away!

 

[BryonD]

I agree. Worry.

My party of SIX level 8 to 10 characters got TPKed.

Granted, they made one big mistake that let them get ambushed by the main boss of the module. But still, I did not want to TPK them. But it got to a point where the players agreed that they were toast and that if would be lame to just save them by intervention.

 

[Zelda Themelin]

Worry a lot. I played through that module. It was great fun, demanded a lot of tactical thinking (monsters acted smartly), and there were three close calls and one character death, even when our party was between levels 11 to 13.

I must add our party consisted only of four members, and my multiclassing (sorcerer/rogue) almost spelled my death. Almost every enemy was immune to crits, so no sneak damage (and I had not picked power attack), and certain multiattacking ones I dared not melee after bad experience. I was stuck using my whole two different level 3 spells, and after those meanies learned our party's tactics they had elemental resistance casted and and other stuff. Trying to get good night's sleep is also pretty *fun*. Must say that necromancy-specialist wizard and our good pure fighter saved our asses many times over. Without them we would have been SO dead.

Then again, our DM always takes using enemy tactics seriously, but that particular adventure felt harder than most. I must say, he had added a few new opponents because of our party's level.


Have fun.

 

[Frostmarrow]

I died. Bastard. The villain is no cake walk, let me tell you. However, it was one of the best (d20) adventures released to date.

 

[Darkness]

Or, alternatively, scrolls of expeditious retreat so that they can run away!

ROFLMAO!!!

 

[StealthyMark]

> scrolls of expeditious retreat so that they can run away!
LOL.
I suspect they wouldn't use them. Even if they decide to use hit-and-run, they don't do this.

> items to give them a chance
I let them find 16,000 GP cash in their new manor house. They'll spend them wrong, I'm sure.

> My party of SIX level 8 to 10 characters got TPKed.
Oops. I have no problem killing one or two of them, but all of them would worry me very much.

> demanded a lot of tactical thinking
My players may think tactical, but somehow lack options.

 

[Zelda Themelin]

[B
My players may think tactical, but somehow lack options. [/B]

I must unfortunaly agree. Their class-combo doesn't look good at all considering what they come up against. I don't believe mere magical items help them to survive, unless they pick exactly the right items, and that is very unlikely.

Lack of divane/arcane caster is devastating in Spire, and low level cleric is not going to do much undead turning there (that nasty extra turn-resistance effect we met).

They need restoration magic, and I don't just mean lesser-version, unless they are unbeliavable lucky.

Most dangerous events us were in the beginning (guess what mosnter), we all almost got slaughtered. Then there were surprise assault of main baddie with some palls, and of course the end, which was absolutely the worst one.

(Must say our DM had raised evil one's levels and its first action was to cast 'Horrid Wilting' on our necks. Guess was fort save main thing in our party... no. Funny thing, it was actually our fighter who got slaughtered few rounds later with death magic).

 

[Rackhir]

Just kill them all now and save them suffering through the module. Without nerfing the module, this group doesn't have a prayer of getting through it with no primary spell casters, no primary rogue and in particular no primary cleric. In fact I suspect that there is a good chance that the initial encounter (mooncalf) may even kill them all off, unless some of them are specialized in ranged attacks. In addition to the lack of a decent spell caster, there are a LOT of nasty traps in HoNS and without a really good rogue they are going to suffer heavily from them.

You might want to give it a try once they hit 12-14th or so, particularly if they have bumped up their spell casting levels. IF they were an extraordiarily slick and tactically competent group it is conceivable they could survive as is, but our group of 6 9th (at start), 12th (at bugout) was having a tough slogging match and we aren't sloutchers at this game. (Wizardru's Story Hour - the last 3 pages or so).

I'd have to agree with Zelda in particular, that substantial amounts of Restoration magic is an absolute necessity. Half the creatures in HoNS have some sort of drain attacks and most of those are touch attacks so armor and such won't count.

Pick something else to run or have them prepare new characters for the TPK to come (on the bright side they might put together a more survivable party).

 

[Zad]

Worry.

People have said it. I'll say it again. (For reference Rackhir and I play in the same campaign)

You're as good as dead if you go there. I am an Nightfang Spire veteran and victim. It is an arbirtrary, cruel, overly harsh, overpowered module (for the character levels it claims to be for). In particulary, you have no primary cleric, and that is going to hurt a whole lot. Restoration is a primary thing as is turnings, and you won't have either.

If you told me you had a group of four iconic characters, I would tell you not to go, and that the module was terrible and not a fun time. But with the party you have (not that it's bad in itself, just that it's weak in certain areas that will be fatal in the spire) I will tell you that it is hopeless.

Nightfang spire is an awful module and I've cursed Bruce Cordell more than once for writing such a poor work.