D&D 5E (2014) Out of the Abyss Advice Requested

[CydKnight]

Thanks all for pointing out the level of tedium with respect to time and random encounters/effects. It seems as though this may be something that could be on again/off again depending on the circumstances and game flow.

 

[wedgeski]

I didn't find the initial encounter too challenging. There are drow politics to be exploited, many potentially allies to be made, and if all else fails, a distracting demon attack to facilitate escape! I prepared a simple combat card for the capable NPC's (little more than weapon type, chance to hit, and damage), and during the initial section had some of the other prisoners pair off with the PC's and allow them to control the NPC as well. (These relationships became quite strong as the campaign went on, but as of right now only Shushar and Stool are with the party, all the others having decided to leave, or been killed off).

I would strongly advise, if you have the time, that you should design multiple encounters to entertain the party as it travels from place to place. I do not subscribe to the "travel time is dead time" school of thought. Travel time, especially through the outlandish nightmare that is the Underdark, should be fascinating, terrifying, and occasionally hilarious. Drow, duergar, kuo-toa, demons, and all the other denizens of the dark places of the world are at your disposal! Not to mention environmental hazards (I had the PC's traverse a frothing rapid, an ancient crumbling aqueduct, and haunted duergar canals, for example). When the PC's reach Gracklstugh or wherever they're heading in one piece, they should feel rightfully proud of themselves, and you will have enjoyed an awesome opportunity to invoke the environment and potentially introduce other stories to the party.

Although I dearly love OotA, and it has been my main campaign for a year, I have to admit that structurally, the first half is a mess. As others have said, it's essentially a sandbox with the players trying to find a way out before the drow catch up with them. The adventure doesn't ever see to want to admit that, however! You'll want to read everything up to the end of chapter 7 very carefully before embarking on the campaign, and make copious notes as you go on important events, people, and information that should get tot he PC's.

glhf!

 

[robus]

Thanks all for pointing out the level of tedium with respect to time and random encounters/effects. It seems as though this may be something that could be on again/off again depending on the circumstances and game flow.

I'll put in a plug for my alternative system here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?496627-Alternate-Travel-Encounter-System

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Agreed. I’ve used travel to showcase both the whimsical nature and nastiness of the Underdark. One probably shouldn’t set out with a bunch of “roll for random encounter, okay nothing happens today, tomorrow, or the day after” experiences, but a proper set piece will do the trick. Drow slavers looking for stock, duergar prospectors gone mad and obsessed with finding a mythical vein of copper, a vegetarian mind flayer, you name it…travel should be exciting and weird.

I would strongly advise, if you have the time, that you should design multiple encounters to entertain the party as it travels from place to place. I do not subscribe to the "travel time is dead time" school of thought. Travel time, especially through the outlandish nightmare that is the Underdark, should be fascinating, terrifying, and occasionally hilarious.

 

[plisnithus8]

Most of my adventures are home-brew.
When I used a published adventure, I want to use what's there without having to create side quests to make travel more exciting.

 

[Croesus]

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).

This cannot be emphasized too much. Our GM ran this campaign and we knew about being captured at the beginning. I ran a wizard, beginning at 1st level. I retired the character at 5th level because I still did not have a spellbook, and I didn't have enough gold to make a new one from scratch. No spellbook = very little fun for the wizard.

Note: the GM ran the module straight up, so the fault is not with the GM, it's with the module. At the very least, it should have included a sidebar pointing out the pitfalls of using the prison escape and ways to equalize the effects for the various classes. Makes me wonder if the module was ever really playtested.

 

[plisnithus8]

This cannot be emphasized too much. Our GM ran this campaign and we knew about being captured at the beginning. I ran a wizard, beginning at 1st level. I retired the character at 5th level because I still did not have a spellbook, and I didn't have enough gold to make a new one from scratch. No spellbook = very little fun for the wizard.

Note: the GM ran the module straight up, so the fault is not with the GM, it's with the module. At the very least, it should have included a sidebar pointing out the pitfalls of using the prison escape and ways to equalize the effects for the various classes. Makes me wonder if the module was ever really playtested.

I'm amazed your wizard got to 5th level without a spell book.
As a DM I would empathize with a player like that and help them try to find a path to resolve the issue: a way back to the original gear, find a new spell book, find enough treasure to make a new one, etc.

 

[Valdier]

This cannot be emphasized too much. Our GM ran this campaign and we knew about being captured at the beginning. I ran a wizard, beginning at 1st level. I retired the character at 5th level because I still did not have a spellbook, and I didn't have enough gold to make a new one from scratch. No spellbook = very little fun for the wizard.

Note: the GM ran the module straight up, so the fault is not with the GM, it's with the module. At the very least, it should have included a sidebar pointing out the pitfalls of using the prison escape and ways to equalize the effects for the various classes. Makes me wonder if the module was ever really playtested.

To be fair, all of your equipment was available in the entry area if you as the players had gone looking for it. It's explicitly spelled out... I suggest before saying "it's with the module" that you might want to read it .

Additionally, the chest contains any valuables once held by the characters and NPCS. including any spellbooks. components, focuses and magic items lost to the adventurers.

 

[CydKnight]

Most of my adventures are home-brew.
When I used a published adventure, I want to use what's there without having to create side quests to make travel more exciting.

Published WotC adventure campaigns do not appear designed this way for 5E. It feels like the intent was to create more flexibility in game play but it does seem to mean more preparation for the DM. As uncreative as I am this is still a huge time savings for me over creating my own home brew so I embrace it for what it is.

 

[Croesus]

To be fair, all of your equipment was available in the entry area if you as the players had gone looking for it. It's explicitly spelled out... I suggest before saying "it's with the module" that you might want to read it .

We tried, but the drow drove us off. We came back after a rest, and were again driven back. The GM later told us that we would need to be around 5th level to have a reasonable chance of success to defeat the drow guarding the prison. We instead went a different direction and ended up in one of the Underdark towns. Once I calculated how much gold it would take to make a new spellbook, I got the GM's permission to retire my character and make a new one.