New Adventure Path: Shackled City

d12 · Jan 23, 2004

I'm thinking of running the new adventure path series from Dungeon. What's everyone's take on it? Did you like it or not and why? Any advice for running it?

Thanks!

Macbeth · Jan 23, 2004

I like it, but I've only actually run the first one.
On the adventure path in general, I would recommend reading as many of them as you can before running any. There are some things that make more sense if you read all of the adventures so far.
As for the first adventure, my one recomendation is that the dungeon crawl may be a bit long for some groups, I know my players were getting a little bored in the huge complex.

Joshua Randall · Jan 23, 2004

I'm not DMing the adventure path, but I'm playing in it. So far it's been great fun - very much a back-to-basics dungeon-crawl with some intrigue thrown in.

It is very, very helpful for at least one of the PCs to be a cleric of one of the major religions on Cauldron; a cleric of St. Cuthbert is an outstanding fit.

Sometimes I get the feeling that I don't know what the heck is going on -- why were the children kidnapped? and what about the other kidnap victims? who are the two mysterious half-elves? etc. But I guess many of these will be cleared up later. Still, it can be frustrating, and the DM has had to drop some pretty big hints on me a few times.

Finally, I don't know if the plot is time-specific, but I sure hope not. My PCs have been exploring the dungeon for over a week of game-time and are not even close to finishing it. And we ain't dawdling, either.

Emirikol · Jan 23, 2004

They look interesting and your players are sure to remember them. I'd take a look at all of them first though so you can make sure everything fits together pretty well.

What world?

Also, see my DUNGEON index (attached). I'm hoping to start adding grades to each of these scenarios as I play them

jh

d12 · Jan 23, 2004

thanks! this is all very helpful, especially the index. Keep it coming.

d12 · Jan 26, 2004

I promise to *bump* only once....

Bagpuss · Jan 26, 2004

List is nice but I've databased my Dungeon index, so I can search by level. Although I'm planning on expanding it to add terrain (ie: city, mountains) and Big Bad as searchable fields. So you can just look for city adventures for a 3rd level party for example.

gfunk · Jan 27, 2004

The Adventure Path is quite the meatgrinder. Perhaps not on the scale of RtToEE, but deadly. The climactic encounters of each module, particularly the 1st and 4th can easily result in TPKs.

Check out our Story Hour "Jollydoc's Shackled City" for more. We have updated up to the conclusion of "Demonskar Legacy" and I will update our adventures in the "Test of the Eversmoking Eye" soon.
http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=55180

Joshua Randall · Jan 27, 2004

gfunk said:
The Adventure Path is quite the meatgrinder. Perhaps not on the scale of RtToEE, but deadly. The climactic encounters of each module, particularly the 1st and 4th can easily result in TPKs.

As a player who is currently going through the 1st adventure, I have a vested interest in knowing more about this. Now, thanks to some peeking at the magazine (shame on me) I already know that

one of the boss creatures behind the disappearances is a Beholder

. Is there a threat of a TPK because (1) a careless party might get in a fight with this too-powerful creature or (2) the adventure railroads the party into a fight with this too-powerful creature?

gfunk · Jan 27, 2004

Reading the adventure, eh? My, my you've been quite naughty!

Anyway,

the problem was not with the Beholder, it was for role-playing purposes only. However, the half-troll Kazmojen will punk virtually all 2nd or 3rd level parties with relative ease. We were extremely fortunate in that we critted him with a dwarven waraxe (x3). Otherwise, it would have been curtains.

Read the story hour for full details.