DDAL Jasper Dms Season 8 spoilers

[jasper]

I got Waterdeep Heist Friday Sept 7. Pick up some figures. And just purchased DDAL08-00.
First impressions of the hardcover. As Adventure League DM WTF! Season 8 drops gold from the hardovers. It also eliminates most factions jobs unless your pc is a faction agent. Pages 14- 17 are reduced in importance. Why? What reason does a PC have to help out any faction now. Some quilds charge you money which you won't get. The Code League charges you money on page 222.
Question Page 6 dragonward hints that dragon type are not allow in Waterdeep does this apply to dragonborn.

DDAL08-00 Is interesting. You can play thru this 3 times by choosing a different flow chart. I suggest you pencil in some notes.

 

[jasper]

Season 8 DDal08-00 review
Pc killed 0. Monsters killed 7. Villains captured 1?
I had two level four pcs for a very strong group. But I did tone combat down since I rolled 5 Nat 20 in the first combat.
Ok. I chose mastermind as the villain. With the noise from the game store, my group had some trouble picking up the clues. I also had some trouble remembering what to do in part one. I do suggest other dms mark up in pencil notes on the adventure print out. The group had fun with the laws of Waterdeep especially with owner of the brooms. I see this could be a problem in the future when I run the hard cover. Some good roleplaying, I had one player suggest to the broom owner to control his brooms. Which kind of bend the module.
The discussion of backstories fell kind of flat. But I was able to pull an ally out of their stories. But the broom combat left the group without the MacGuffin.
I also mess up 2C-1 and got the wrong NPC messed up. I do suggest the dm rereads the Scene 2 stuff a lot. The group had fun with the Baron Blood and searching the Mouse room. I did mess up the handbill clue. I threw in the ad-hoc performance for the pcs on stage from 27. This can cause problems for people who are not out going.
The cellar was easy and they off the Imp before it could leave.
The finale. Okay it was only 8 pm (under 2 hours of play) when the group got to the finale. I gave them plenty of game and real time to set up an ambush. I also separated the villain and Malleus. The classic one set of villains at the top of the alley, the other at the bottom. I threw in a weather effect of sleet so visibility was down to 60 feet. I gave advantage to nearly everyone to hide. Problem. Malleus rolled a Nat 20 which exposed the bard.
Problem two. Since they did not have the MacGuffin, the bard tried a deception on Malleus. He barely succeeded. Ok. Here is where I have a problem. It was 8:15 PM. logically if the Bard failed, it was GAME OVER. They minor villains would have tried to flee. And the mastermind would bolt if Malleus was not there. But the dice were nice for the moment. The mastermind arrived. (Note they supposed to arrive at ten bells but no times except midnight are given in the flyer). Then the dice hated the group. The Bard failed to deceive the mastermind. And the villains tried to escape. I gave the group notice if the villain moved about 200 feet it was a successful escape. Sleep spells and grapples were used to good effect. They stopped the villain with 30 feet to go.

 

[pogre]

Thanks for posting this and your forthright manner on difficulties you encountered when running the adventure. I will be following this thread with interest.

 

[gyor]

I got Waterdeep Heist Friday Sept 7. Pick up some figures. And just purchased DDAL08-00.
First impressions of the hardcover. As Adventure League DM WTF! Season 8 drops gold from the hardovers. It also eliminates most factions jobs unless your pc is a faction agent. Pages 14- 17 are reduced in importance. Why? What reason does a PC have to help out any faction now. Some quilds charge you money which you won't get. The Code League charges you money on page 222.
Question Page 6 dragonward hints that dragon type are not allow in Waterdeep does this apply to dragonborn.

DDAL08-00 Is interesting. You can play thru this 3 times by choosing a different flow chart. I suggest you pencil in some notes.

Yep, the AL really messed up the rules, I was expecting W: DH was going to be very compatible with AL rules, it isn't, like at all.

First off W: DH does not use Adventure or Treasure Check Points the way I was expecting it to from AL season 8 rules.

Secondly it does not require you to have the Faction Agent Background to be a member of a faction, it merely gives you ahead start, unlike AL season 8 rules.

Gaining renown in your Faction gives rewards, but gaining renown in any other background does absolutely nothing at all.

They cut back on the gold just when you can use the extra gold the most in this adventure. And that rule insures that there is exactly zero benefit to fixing up the Tavern Manor and using it as a Tavern! You can spend the Gold to do it, very costly at such a low level, but you can't keep the gold it generates, at best it can spend some of that gold on the maintainance I think, maybe if your lucky.

Honestly I'm shocked at how incompatible AL Season 8 rules are with running W: DH.

I think I will spin this off in to it's own thread.

 

[jasper]

Waterdeep Heist Chapter 1.
Pc killed 0. Monsters killed 20. Villainscaptured 1. Bad guys escaped 1.
Advancement Points 4. Treasure Points 4. Renown 1 Downtimedays 10.
Adrik has Waterdeep knowledge. Anything requiring a DC 10 orless about Waterdeep no need to roll.
I had four players with about a fourth level APL. So I wassometimes doubling monsters, adding hp, or other minor changes. Adrik leveltwo, Lafan level three, Drew and Rick were both level five. I am also using the city and weatherencounters from the Waterdeep Encounters.
The weather was sleeting with a chance of snow as ouradventurers met at the Yawning Portal. It was fight night. Krentz and the X guys(X-men was copyrighted in Waterdeep) against Yagra and the Zhents. I got tiredof trying to say Xanathar.
Rick a gnome was able to persuade the Zhents to stand down.Grr 19 on the dice and then some. Thegroup was spoiling for a fight when two trolls climbed out of the pit. Yes, Idiscovered this was way too much during the fight. Even with Duran shouting “NoFireballs” they were handling the first troll okay. Rick impress Lafan by sculpting a burninghands around him. Duran came in to save the day, aka covered the DM mistake.
Volothamp Geddram (think Harcourt Fenton Mudd) sinks theplot hook with tales of his Sprits and Fizzy Drinks of the Realms. And offersgold, mention in the foreword of the new book, and autograph copies.
The blood in streets the group notice some the bar fightersare dead in the street. Turning thecorner onto Fillet Lane the dwarf Adrik nearly shat himself as a Beholder waswatching the party. The party enters old Zoloft shop (Old Xoblob don’t know whyI messed there). This was fun. As I was describingthe room and color scheme Adrik asked Where is Barney. Thus, BARNEY is the nameof the stuffed beholder in Xoblob shop.
At the Skewered Dragon they discover the drunk sees twinsFloon and Renear Neverember. Again, this was fun and a DM can stretch the timeout here or shorten. Also. I see why the city map was proved. Most of thelocations and directions have street names attached.
First major what happen as I was drawing out the map ofhideout. Map 1.1 on page 26. The warehouse is described as two story. The mapsays lower level (yard level). Upperlevel (street level). But you are on Candle Lane directly across the warehouse.So, you are already on street level. It threw me. And first box text page 25. Before is “thekenku hide as describe above”.
The group use silence and fireball to kill the kenku.OOOPPPPPS. Find Renear. Find the USELESStreasure room. All AL DMS should just remove Z3. I had Renear do the info dump.Find the paper bird. Once I describe the paper bird abilities they startthinking to send a message to Floon and just follow it. So, I had the cops bustin. I do suggest dms read carefully thewhole of the Watch Arrives.
It was fun watching the dice go south on the group as theywere trying to the right sewer cover. The Xanathar Hideout made me go to my DMscreen. Torch Light has 20-foot radius. Lafan the monk casts pass with out atrace. So, some encounters were skipped. In the sleeping area they find Krentz,another bar brawl member, and a duergar. (told I was adding). This was fun.Bluff and counter bluff. Rick asked to join the X guys. Krentz counters sureshoot the faction agent Order of the Gauntlet Adrik. Think any action undercover cop. Beforeinitiative, we had Rick holding a fireball in his hand. Lafan trying to chokeRick. Adrik going for his weapons. I hadto call a time out and disallow some things. I would not all Rick to tell Lafanoff board that he could sculpt spells. The player had seen this earlier.(Beside it was more fun with the party about to drawn down on each other). KABOOM. And good rolls on the fireball and bad rolls on the dm ended thisencounter. Alas the poor grey ooze nevergot to be a hunk of hunk burning love.
I added hit points and extra intellect devourer. Spacing and positioning counted in this fight.The mind flayer tried to flee. And the group did not want to cast area ofeffect spells so not to kill Floon. The Nihiloor had to flee with his 3-inchstone eyeball orb by plane shift. The mage Grum’shar used misty step to thegetaway passage. But he did not get away. Lafan is at INT 3 and needs a Greater Restoration spell. I will have to admitthe group did think things out and did protect Floon during the fight.

The next morning, they awoke from their rooms to the soundsof EXTRA EXTRA. Captain Hyustus Staget rescues kidnapped noble Renear Neverember.Extra Extra Captain Staget in daring midnight kills Boss Grum’shar minor bossof Xanathar Guild.

 

[jasper]

Season 8 DDal08-00 Brute review
I ran this on Sunday as pick up. The group was APL 3 when everything settled down. I was up to a table of 7 but the table split when we had more gamers arrive.
The Brute is a quick run. Even taking the time to introduce each other, and coming up with a victim. Milo the barber related to Milo the scattershot, related to Milo Something. Yes I took the fact of the players naming their characters the same and ran with it. Milo the barber had a deed for dear auntie Milo.
What was fun and which I forgot to do in last run. Dumping some npc into the pit, and the stage being on fire. This may split the party. As the group was a strong one, I added some brooms.
Scene 2 is still in the bar with a quick theatre of mind discussion with Silvermane the capo boss .
I set up the map with Urlon in a private booth near the stage and near the stairs of the second floor. The group chose to bluff Urlon about a hit being made on Manshoon. They succeed in the bluff. And combat started. I did give the group three end conditions. Death of Urlon, pcs and npcs leave thru front door, pcs and npcs leave thru the hallway door of the second floor.
Init was split pc, monsters, pcs. I allowed the bluffer to order the npcs. So they dashed up the stairs. And some of the party covered them. Others fought the hit squad.
The stairs became a problem for the hit squad as one player blocked it. And I just looked at map and discovered I drew wrong on Sunday. I did allow the npc to cast burning hands on Init 1. Which dropped 3 of the hit squad. Nearly had a kill/zero out. As Milo Scattershot used up all his movement to dash, but could not hit the win condition. I missed 3 times.
I move the hostage situation to outside back alley. They were low on HP. So I gave them a bluff chance. 5 over they got Milo the barber back and kept the deed. DC and over keep Milo but lose the deed. Under DC combat.
They are still wondering who wants the deed.

 

[jasper]

Waterdeep Heist Chapter 2.
Pc killed 0. Monsters killed 21. Villains captured 9. Bad guys escaped 1. C
Candy Corn 4, Treasure Points 4, Advancement Point 4. Downtime 10. Renown 1. Renown does not include renown gained from the small side missions.
Time Ches 21- Ches 30 Weather was partly cloudy and windy to thunderstorm. Weather played not affect during combat.
I had an APL 3 part and 3 returning Players. 2 players passed because they want to play in later chapters without leveling out. 1 new player was present playing a rogue.
The group was wary of Volo and his so-called special offer. But they gradually came around. They were understanding about the letter of credit aka I.O.U. instead gold. And they started looking at various ways to shorten the 12 days before opening. Each of the players joined a different guild to help with process. Poor Kenchi he got the dirty end of stick. He was the last one to chose so he is in the Dungsweepers. Adrek was able to work a few nights at the Steam and Still. The group did discover Milo Far Shot was the previous owner.
Volo surprised them with FREE CASK OF BEER from the Yawning Portal. Aka the IMP BEER. The group were very kind and put in the pantry. The first three nights they had dealings with Lif. He wrote on the walls and floors things like CLEAN YOUR ROOM, BRUSH YOUR TEETH, WIPE YOUR FEET, LIGHTS OUT, GOOD NIGHT. This was fun for me as I was writing out what Lif was saying on a white board and not speaking. Lif finally got his salary and then some. I think the party threw a total of 5 GP into the cash register. Of course, they had trouble opening the till. But they did find an IOU from VOLO worth 3 GP, they are current trying to figure out how much interest Volo owes.
The group took a side bet of whether they would live and stay in Trollskull manor which would get them 750 Gp in credit.
The first mission was interesting, the order of Gauntlet demanded Adrek Frost Beard to find out what the publisher of the Waterdeep Wazoo knew of the Black Viper. They had trouble with the words of three-man shop and kept demanding to speak with the writer of the broadside. Final Gaxly Rudderbust grabbed his umbrella and walked them around the block and then back inside. Since the Black Viper was the twin sister of Ammalia Cassalanter, they had problem. Two ten days ago two of pcs had gotten Ammalia arrested. They did not follow up on that case. So, they decide to split the party, the Dungsweepers would use the sewers to try to get into villa and the lookouts would try to bluff, go over the wall etc. Two problems. (Note I am using the Waterdeep City Encounters add on and have made the group roll percentile dice to pregen extra encounters). The Dungsweepers met Ammalia coming down from the sewer entrance. The look outs at the same time saw Ammalia exiting a coach and gripping about her sentence. The group discover the Black Viper was really a doppelganger.
The second mission was with Force Grey. NOTE. Text conflict in the book. Page 36 gives renown but the paragraph on page 37 states no renown is given. Give the freaky renown. The group was able to make athletics check to roll out to the ship wreck and dive on the wreck. NOx the wizard and Sky the rogue and new player decide to stay in the row boat. Zelifarn a young brass dragon decides to shake down the couple. Ok, I was mainly trying to get the new person into the play of the game. NOx offers up his magical ring and just as Zelifarn was about to eat the young rogue, Adrek embarrasses and shames the dragon. The group talks to dragon and gets one favor. Zelifarn will help the party out once if they are in harbor waters. (Hey if I can’t give out gold, I can do ad hoc story awards). NOx has a great idea which got him inspiration. He visited Corellon’s Crown and swapped out his potion of water breathing for five potions of healing. Sky got in on the deal too.
I decided to throw in another wandering encounter. Tally the carpenter ask the group to run off or capture some muggers. So, I threw eight thugs at the group. We did have a discussion of death by double maximum damage. I did five and then ten points of damage to Sky who only had seven. For sky deal from max damage would have been fourteen or more in one shot.
The final mission of the night was just roll play. Joseph a bard in the order of Harpers was task by Mattrim Mereg to try interview some doppelgangers. He flunked four of them.
Trollskull Manor opened in a ten day. Lif likes the group and will help run the bar. You have 370 GP left in your operating expense budget.
Guild contacts and other VIP. Broxley Fairkettle Fellowship of Innkeepers, Hammond Kraddoc Brewer’s Guild, Justyn Rassk Guild of Butchers. Ulkoria StoneMarrow Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, owner of Trollskull Manor before Ollie Far Shot. Emmek Frewn owner of the Frewn’s Brew (a tavern) which is across from the book store (T6 on map). Savra Belabranta Order of Gauntlet contact. Mirt order of Harper’s contact. Vajra Safahr Owner of Blackstaff aka Force Grey a private security outfit. The Bent Nail is ran by Tally who sell wood canes, staves, shields. Steam and Steel Embric and Avi are the owners. They are the contacts of Smiths and Metalforgers. Contact for Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths. Fala owns Corellon’s Crown a potion shop.
Players notes. You own Trollskull Manor. Once you leave the hardcover you still can run the manor. You will have to spend 10 downtime days and then consult page 41 of Waterdeep Heist and page 129 of the Dungeon Master Guide on Running a business. It costs 60 GP per ten day in expenses. You can spend 1 GP to add 1 to your final result. If you are in the hole subtract 1 for every 1 GP owe.
Roll a d100 add 10 and consult the chart on page 129. Or here is the chart
01-20 Lose 90 Gp
21-30 Lose 60 GP
31-40 Lose 30 GP
41-60 Yea! You broke even. Lose 0 GP Gain 0 GP
61-80 Roll 1d6 * 5 = Profit.
81-90 Roll 2d8*5 = Profit
91 or higher 3d10 *5 = profit. Cousin Quark would be proud.
End of Chart.
Okay what does Shadow Quack mean? It in my notes but does not ring a bell.
Dm notes. Chapter 2 is very light on combat. Depending on your group you have excellent roleplaying hooks and activities. I recommend the dm keeps a book mark on the chapter to weave the npcs back into the story. However, you will have to roll with the group make up. The chapter is short and if you want to bulldozer through it you could get done in two hours.

 

[jasper]

DDAL 08-01 The Map with No Names
PC Killed 0 Monster kills 28 Captured 11 Villains Escaped 1
APL 3 Group Advancement and Treasure points 2. Candy Corn 2. Downtime 5.
I HAVE A TREASURE MAP OF COURSE IT TOTALLY LEGAL. That was once quote from the barbarian.
I was running this as the 2 hour adventure. Some problems with the map, adventure, and my running occurred.
Since some of players were also running in Waterdeep Heist, I threw in TrollSkull Manor as a distraction. And let the players who owned the Manor interact as their pc with the table. The group was about to rumble with the TrollSkull Manor when I had to interrupt and tell them look for the house with ROUND windows. I suggest the dm mention this while giving out the map or add a note to the map. The combat happen within the house keeping the city watch out of it. Some smugglers died, some escaped, and the others gave up the clue.
The hawk man encounter went quickly as the group terrorized the owners and customers of the restaurant. I just called for an investigation rolls and went on. I was trying very hard not to have the city watch show up and bust the group.
The Three Daggers Alley was a walk over. I had the daggers fly the length of the party which allowed them to get a shot at them on their initiative. They discovered the chest and I forgot to give them the clue. (Note highlight all clues). The group got the wererat and surviving friend to surrender and I dropped the Baron Blood hint. Note the version I have on Playing the Pillars repeat the same information from the Soaring Delights. I would change this to drop more information about which painting they are looking for.
The Crypt Portrait needs some information. Unless I missed it. No where is there any clue or remark on what painting to look for. As I was unhappy with module and gave the group the option to skip the combat and end the game. They took it. I suggest the painting be signed by A Morlin.

 

[jasper]

Waterdeep Heist Chapter 3
PC Killed 0 Monster kills 29 Captured 11 Villains Escaped 3
Ap 4 TP 4 Renown 1 Downtime 10 Candy Corn 14
I had a group of four with APL 4 so no adjustments were need. Jimmeh a somewhat chaotic beep. Um, let me just say he roleplaying an oath breaker well. I had three returning players who two were owners of the Trollskull Manor. I also am using the Liar’s Night add on. Also, all week I was half tracking on everything, so I was not on par to really pay attention to game prep and the game.
Lif was deciding on whether to toss the drunken paladin or call for back up with the rest of party came down for breakfast. Being Tarsahk 3 the kids were out trick or treating. 10 kids came asking for treats. Sky said she bake them a cake two kids with sticky cotton candy hands started dragging her to the kitchen. The paladin found out a bag of candy to just below the waist and above the knees will hurt. Adrek was nearly knocked out by an all-day sucker which kind had three days of fuzz on it. They group did not kill the kids but did kill the monster who was hanging out with them.
The kids fled when the Cleric summoned the Kissing Bandit. Then a huge explosion was heard on the south side of Trollskull Alley. The clues drove the group in various directions and a dm should be prepared to roll with it for a little while before telling the group which clue is a dead end
The paladin and the group some how got arrested. Most of the charges were Assaulting the Kids. The Paladin was arrested for looting the dead woman of her pants. Unlawful questioning of a ghost. And Hampering Justice. Some excellence role play was going on. And Sky (her second session) was poking fun at her dad’s pc. So, I just rolled with and arrested all of them. NOx was the only one who pled guilty and turned state evidence. Jimmeh background did help with this. Due to his background I gave him advantage on his persuasion rolls during the court case.
The speak with dead I pulled out my sand timer. every DM should have one. I played the Q and A with the dead in real time but occasionally needed to stop the timer for player to dm questions. The group did split up. Jimmeh when to check out Gralhund Villa. This is where I told the other three players to take a break. Some of them went to get take out. The Paladin was spotted by the forth precinct, who arrested him for hampering police stake out. I did the reserve and made the paladin player leave the group. The other three follow up false clues before I told them they were barking up the wrong tree.
Ok. The group was having trouble working together. And missing some of information I was giving them. I called a quick halt. Did a summary and got the group back on track. I advance the day and got them to the temple. Weather Mistake. I had prerolled heavy fog, which gives only 5 feet of visibility. Does not work well with the sparrow encounter. The group got the detector. Then had trouble on how to search the city. This where I should brought the dm’s city map with me. But the group decide on searching the North Ward first.
They discovered the Nimblewright assassin was in Gralhund Villa. The group splits three ways. The paladin goes to the back gate (ok there was some confusion here. As I could not find the map of villa early and was winging the description). The cleric goes to talk with the stake out city watch. The rest watch the front. While Adrek is talking with watch, Jimmeh decides to go over the back wall. He was spotted by the gardener and his two greyhounds.
Jimmeh gets back just in time to hear Jimmeh yelling about an assassin in the house to the gardener. (okay I was flipping back and forth between the two. And I thought for a minute the paladin was going to start a fight). Since the cops were with the group, they called back up.
The watched did discover Urstul Floxin and the Nimblewright got away. The Black Network had been holding the household hostage for a ten day. And this ending the chapter.
The group unlocks a necklace of fireballs. The city watch is ticked at Jimmeh and another court appearance will not go well for him.

 

[jasper]

DDAL 08-02 Beneath the City of The Dead
AP 2 TP 2 Downtime 5 Candy Corn 12 I generally had a 5-person APL 3 group
PC Killed 0 Monster kills 53 Captured 11 Villains Escaped 3

The kids we still out treat or treating and on a dare; they decided to go into the City of the Dead and ask the grown ups for candy. That was until the EVIL Jimmeh remove his mask and started beating kids with the flat of his morning star. The kids fled in panic and called the City Watch. The group at this time decided to enter the crypt. But Jimmeh fled back to the Trollskull Manor. Ok my group split the table.
The group really really got a head with zombies. An arm and foot in mouth too to Grimm the fighter as one of the zombies started throwing body parts at the group who were stuck on the other side of the pit.
The Hero’s Tomb was very difficult and nearly resulted in wizard Aelar dying but the bard Erdan was able to save the day.
The Noble’s Tomb was also very difficult as the thief Smile Jack trip over some pottery and woke the armour suit. He then failed to safely remove the baton. So, he fled from the flying swords. The group fell asleep in the corridor next to the statue.
The group was able to make short work of bats and vampire mist but woke up the Baron of Blood. The baron was not happy another group of adventurers were trying to raid his snacks. And after bashing the goliath’s head against the ceiling the group surrendered. Ok, for other dms, most of the fights in this module are deadly with out access to healing magic. I suggest you downgrade the number of monsters.