D&D 5E Out of the Abyss Advice Requested

[Croesus]

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?

Another possible pitfall is that the party may simply decide to leave. Long before the end of the module, they will be able to escape the Underdark. Depending on the characters' motivations, they might simply decide not to return! We had this very discussion in my group, with two PCs arguing that it was too dangerous, that likely survival and rewards would be better on the surface. From a character perspective, this made perfect sense. (From a gaming group perspective, it would be rather rude to walk away from the module the GM has spent so much time and money running.) Because many of the PCs were not "heroes" in the traditional sense, we had to fudge such considerations and return. Some groups might not do the same.

So try to setup the beginning so the characters will want to stay and save the day, for whatever reasons. Possible approaches could include
- input during character creation
- watching to see which NPC(s) the players like and making that NPC the one leading the resistance to the demons
- tying the defeat of the demons to something the character really wants.

One way or the other, you'll need to encourage the characters - and, therefore, the players - to ignore their instincts for self-preservation and take on demons.

This might not be an issue at your table, but wanted to mention it, just in case.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

This nearly happened with my campaign. At Gauntlgrym, one PC was strongly arguing to just go off on some sidequest, and let others deal with the demonic invasion. That player has a history of doing stuff like that, so I should’ve been more prepared for that than I was.

Fortunately, the rest of the group was all for fighting the demons. Had they actually agreed to doing something else, I would’ve let them, but eventually the demons would’ve come calling, all the stronger for the threat having been ignored.

Another possible pitfall is that the party may simply decide to leave. Long before the end of the module, they will be able to escape the Underdark. Depending on the characters' motivations, they might simply decide not to return!

 

[Valdier]

This nearly happened with my campaign. At Gauntlgrym, one PC was strongly arguing to just go off on some sidequest, and let others deal with the demonic invasion. That player has a history of doing stuff like that, so I should’ve been more prepared for that than I was.

Fortunately, the rest of the group was all for fighting the demons. Had they actually agreed to doing something else, I would’ve let them, but eventually the demons would’ve come calling, all the stronger for the threat having been ignored.

I've been in two campaigns where a player we were with decided "I don't want to play this, I'm leaving the game" and basically sat out waiting for a new game to start.

The first one was a Return to the Tomb of Horrors game I ran in 3.5xish. The player didn't want to do the Tomb. To that end, effectively suicided the character and then sat out for a few weeks while the other characters went through it (which didn't take long when they found the lich and decided to not run ).

The other was in Temple of Elemental Evil in 3.x also... we had just gone down the well and my druid (who could turn into a bird) cut the rope behind us to prevent anyone following us down. The player decided that action, right there was the end of the campaign and quit, ending the campaign right as it was starting

My current OoTA campaign has had several characters retire, players stop playing for various reasons, etc. We are now a month or so from finishing the entire campaign (Stage 1 of it at least). We may pick up again after this eventually to do higher level play.

 

[Corwin]

When it became clear the party was going to have to return to the Underdark, my drow exile wished the rest of the group well and chose to stay in Gauntlgrym. He had no desire to return to the place he hated more than anything in the world. Luckily, the group was subsequently able to recruit a tough looking goliath warrior to join them on their quest...

 

[Majestic]

I've been running Out of the Abyss for quite awhile (20 sessions or so). I began it by letting my players know that they would begin it by being captured, without their gear. Actually, many of the PCs started out by running through The Lost Mine of Phandelver, plus another session that I homebrewed, so they were already 3rd-4th level.

My PCs took advantage of all that I set up for them at the beginning: the Drow guard who helped them, the distraction of the demon invasion, etc., and were able to sneak in and get all of their gear (including the Wizard getting his spellbook).

The only part I think my players haven't appreciated has been the slog through the Underdark (especially the very lengthy Silken Paths, which is a really cool and challenging environment, but too long as written). I like the alternate encounters that have been suggested, and had already considered coming up with something like teleportation circles for my party to get around when they leave where they're at (Blingdenstone).

Overall I think it's a very good adventure, and it does certainly help if the GM prepares ahead of time (like making random rolls), rather than improvising at the table. I tend to read each section right before my group plays that portion (as I usually know roughly where they're going as they travel).

 

[CydKnight]

I've been running Out of the Abyss for quite awhile (20 sessions or so). I began it by letting my players know that they would begin it by being captured, without their gear. Actually, many of the PCs started out by running through The Lost Mine of Phandelver, plus another session that I homebrewed, so they were already 3rd-4th level.

My PCs took advantage of all that I set up for them at the beginning: the Drow guard who helped them, the distraction of the demon invasion, etc., and were able to sneak in and get all of their gear (including the Wizard getting his spellbook).

The only part I think my players haven't appreciated has been the slog through the Underdark (especially the very lengthy Silken Paths, which is a really cool and challenging environment, but too long as written). I like the alternate encounters that have been suggested, and had already considered coming up with something like teleportation circles for my party to get around when they leave where they're at (Blingdenstone).

Overall I think it's a very good adventure, and it does certainly help if the GM prepares ahead of time (like making random rolls), rather than improvising at the table. I tend to read each section right before my group plays that portion (as I usually know roughly where they're going as they travel).

Thanks for your comments. Did you feel that the beginning is too hard for a group of 1st level characters? Was this the reason you had them begin in the prison at level 3/4 after running the party through LMoP?

 

[Valdier]

Thanks for your comments. Did you feel that the beginning is too hard for a group of 1st level characters? Was this the reason you had them begin in the prison at level 3/4 after running the party through LMoP?

The great thing about this adventure... you could easily start the PC's at 5th level and not significantly affect the adventure in any way.

 

[zaratan]

The great thing about this adventure... you could easily start the PC's at 5th level and not significantly affect the adventure in any way.

This is sad because is more true than it should. The same way break prison looks really hard for lvl 1 PCs, most encounters later with lvl 5+ are a piece of cake. If the group enjoy difficult encounters, Dm will need to change almost any encounter after 1/3 of the advanture.

 

[arjomanes]

I didn't find the initial encounter too challenging. There are drow politics to be exploited, many potentially allies to be made...

I agree. I thought the intro was great. In my game, I didn't even have PCs buy equipment. They started in the cells with only the possible trinkets, and I let them find gear as they adventured. They ended up not even going to the "armory" and made-do with just the gear of the drow they killed. Of course, I didn't have a wizard in the party, so the spellbook would be an issue that would need to be worked around. If you have a wizard, they need to be able to access their spellbook or steal one from a drow wizard.

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.

100% this. I grabbed a book of one-page dungeons and expanded some of the encounter ideas into larger complexes. The Underdark is a huge mythic dungeon, alive and antagonistic against foreigners. The mini-game of surviving against this hostile environment created a sense of dread and jumpiness among the players that really made the encounters come alive. A lot of the NPCs got killed off in the prison break, and some split off shortly after (it's a prison break—prisoners are supposed to argue and want to split up). This was a very cool campaign, but I agree that it takes a little extra work in the beginning, especially if you don't kill off the giant troupe of NPCs (note that you can't kill all the NPCs though, since their goals are important for the PCs to choose which direction to go).

 

[Valdier]

This is sad because is more true than it should. The same way break prison looks really hard for lvl 1 PCs, most encounters later with lvl 5+ are a piece of cake. If the group enjoy difficult encounters, Dm will need to change almost any encounter after 1/3 of the advanture.

This isn't true at all. The prison break is not a fight scene. A level 1, or level 5 party will be slaughtered if they try to do this as a combat on the face of it. This complex in full battle status is a deadly encounter for 4 5th level characters, let alone 4 1st levels.

5 Elite Warriors,
Drow Priestess
Priest
12 Quaggoth
6 Giant Spiders

It would be a reasonably hard fight for 10th level characters, if not a completely deadly one.

So, no, starting at 5th level changes nothing, nor does it invalidate half the module. If every encounter your players encounter must be super challenging, then yes, it might be a bit slow. You won't like this module if you just want to run it by the numbers though. This is a sandbox setting with lots of encounters pre-built and some narrative encompassing it all for the meta-plot.

You *must* do work as a DM if you are planning to run this. Period. No questions. If that isn't your cup of tea, you want to run an adventure-by-the-numbers setting, do not play this, it won't work. It was never designed to.