D&D 5E Out of the Abyss Advice Requested

[CydKnight]

I've bought and have been reading through Out of the Abyss now for about a week. It will be the next major campaign for my group and all are very excited to tackle what seems like an epic adventure.

As this will be only my 2nd campaign ever as a DM after LMoP, I was hoping to get some input from those that have already run this campaign. It seems a bit more complex than LMoP and a good bit larger, which is great, but it also seems to leave be a lot more open to interpretation for the DM.

Should this campaign be run linearly in line with Chapter progression? It seems as though the characters could very conceivably choose to go wherever they want at times and end up completely off script so to speak. My biggest concern would be them entering an area(s) that have creature encounters that are too far above their level but I suppose this can be adjusted to suit need. Secondarily I would be concerned that if they got too far away from book chapter progression they might miss a vital piece of information or item required to move past a certain point but I suppose we could just move this to a place that suits the needs of the time as well?

Also, I have heard and read a lot of mixed feedback in the way the adventure can begin in the Drow prison. Many people seem to resist this beginning believing it too challenging for 1st or even 2nd level characters but after reading Chapter 1 a few times now, it seems as though it is challenging but not too challenging. It also seems as if it sets the tone for the rest of what appears to also be quite a challenging adventure. I am curious to hear what other DMs have done with the opening of this adventure and whether it should be altered in any way?

The last question would be what the ideal PC count should be. It seems like things will run faster and possibly smoother with 4 but are combat encounters too deadly without adjusting the monster's lethalness?

 

[Willie the Duck]

In a straight up, drag-out fight, the level 1 situation with the drow and most characters without proper gear, it is not a fair fight (weighted against the PCs). If your players are cagy enough to win the day in that situation, they are probably fairly decent strategic thinkers. Thus, later, if they wander into areas before they should, they should be cagy enough to run from fights that would be TPKs, and hopefully realize that "cavern X is way too much for us!" Thus I think the situation will be self-regulating.

 

[Charles Rampant]

My first suggestion would be to take advantage of some of the resources that exist to help DMs of this module: for example, the Power Score blog overview, which will help you spot how the adventure is 'meant to work'.

More specific answers:

1) I'd suggest that you view the book as a scripted story that lets you go off the rails a little. It's not a sandbox, despite occasionally presenting itself as one; the players are more likely to go to the nearest/path of least resistance option than anything else, and doing this will result in them following the chapter outline. That isn't a problem, since it keeps it easy for you to understand what is going on, and if they do decide to go somewhere different, the adventure isn't so tightly focused that things will fall apart. Also, being the underdark, it is very easy for you to say, "You don't find a tunnel to X, but instead find yourself nearing Y..." without it being a big problem. In short, for sure you can intend to run it in the chapter order, but I suggest that you don't sweat it too much if things go otherwise.

2) Chapter one probably relies on you being generous and letting the players get a win. Remember that they are only level 1, don't be a tyrant.

3) The general best answer to this question is 'as many people as I want to have in my living room' - it's way easier to change combats than to uninvite friends!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Out of the Abyss can be run linearly, and in some chapters should be, but I think it works best with tangents and semi-sandbox play. Chances are that if you just go chapter to chapter, you’ll end up with the PCs being under-level for the sections. I’ve found that if the PCs get off-track, it’s pretty easy to get them back on-track, or adapt as necessary.

As for the opening, my group didn’t have trouble. They played smart, for the most part, and didn’t try to just take on the drow outpost at first level (and yes, I was probably more easy-going with them - after all, if they don't escape, the adventure never kicks off).

The one thing I’d recommend deviating from is the massive number of NPCs at the beginning. I found them to be more clutter than anything else, and worked rapidly to get rid of them as the adventure progressed.

 

[plisnithus8]

There are a few built in ways the DM can assist players in escaping the drow - leaving prison unlocked, demon distraction, etc.
What the players do can effect how long it takes to escspe, how many NPCs escape with them, and what items the PCs can get (their beginning gear).

My son decided to try a gun-toting artificier (not knowing he would begin in prison unarmed) so for him, escaping meant nothing without getting his bullet bag and thunder cannon back.

I too found the number of NPCs too much for my taste so during the escape, I had the drow prisoner turn on the others and knock the dwarf unconscious; the pacificist decided to stay to help the dwarf remain alive. Soon I had the wererats run off as well.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

This brings up a good point – different classes will be affected differently by not having their gear. A Fighter can just get another sword and some new armor, but a Wizard will be in trouble without their spellbook, components, and focus. Depending on what you get in your adventuring party, you may need to give a little leeway in item recovery. Either that or plan for them to come across replacements right quick (unless the group is on-board with a brutal survivalist challenge, which is certainly possible).

My son decided to try a gun-toting artificier (not knowing he would begin in prison unarmed) so for him, escaping meant nothing without getting his bullet bag and thunder cannon back.

 

[CydKnight]

My first suggestion would be to take advantage of some of the resources that exist to help DMs of this module: for example, the Power Score blog overview, which will help you spot how the adventure is 'meant to work'.

More specific answers:

1) I'd suggest that you view the book as a scripted story that lets you go off the rails a little. It's not a sandbox, despite occasionally presenting itself as one; the players are more likely to go to the nearest/path of least resistance option than anything else, and doing this will result in them following the chapter outline. That isn't a problem, since it keeps it easy for you to understand what is going on, and if they do decide to go somewhere different, the adventure isn't so tightly focused that things will fall apart. Also, being the underdark, it is very easy for you to say, "You don't find a tunnel to X, but instead find yourself nearing Y..." without it being a big problem. In short, for sure you can intend to run it in the chapter order, but I suggest that you don't sweat it too much if things go otherwise.

2) Chapter one probably relies on you being generous and letting the players get a win. Remember that they are only level 1, don't be a tyrant.

3) The general best answer to this question is 'as many people as I want to have in my living room' - it's way easier to change combats than to uninvite friends!

Thanks, I have been reading that guide from Power Score and it seems quite helpful. Thanks for your other suggestions as well.

On Item 3, I suppose that I am concerned with a party being large enough that it makes gameplay sluggish.

 

[Valdier]

I'm just about to finish this campaign after roughly a year and a half (we have about 2 months left, after playing weekly).

I strongly suggest, read ahead. Re-write sections wholesale, especially in the Labyrinth chapters near the end. Figure out something to replace all the wandering encounters with. The travel time in this adventure is TEDIOUS if you run it as written, so come up with plenty of things to do during these long downtimes, or at higher levels, begin hand waving most of it.

 

[plisnithus8]

Agreed, I found travel time and random encounters tedious.
I'd fastforward those, personally; it's like roleplaying an uneventful communute to work.

 

[MarkB]

I stuck with the NPCs at the start, but was quite free with letting them get killed off when encounters didn't go the PCs' way. That allowed the players some extra firepower during the first couple of levels' progression, but allowed me to winnow the NPCs down to just a couple of favourites (though they did pick up a couple more later on).

For the first several sessions I did play up the survival and pathfinding elements, which helped to reinforce the 'survival' feel, but it did get tedious after awhile, especially since they had Sarith leading them and rolled terribly for his Survival checks. I dialed those elements back after Sloobudop, dialing up the madness elements in their place.

I've been running the campaign on-and-off at our games club for some time, and we're about to pick it up again next month with the party arriving at Blingdenstone.