D&D 5E Out of the Abyss - opinions and ideas requested

[UrbanZomB]

spoilers below!






My players (4 - 1st level) have used the drow offer to escape and have left their cell and overwhelmed the tower across the bridge. My original thought was they were going to make the escape so I had their equipment in the tower armory. They rolled surprisingly well and killed all 3 guards with a bit of help from NPCs. I decided to move the story along, as I felt they were lost in their escape ideas, but I feel the threat of the drow hasn't really lived up to its full effectiveness yet. I also have a new player coming in this week and I wasn't sure how to introduce him.

So, my idea is to try and have the PC's captured again. Overwhelming odds as the drow realize the tower has been compromised. If in doing so, the players are captured a new prisoner is added (new PC). Ilvara will have taken their gear now and have it in her chambers. I would then like to use the demon attack as the next escape opportunity. But with already trying to escape once, the drow would be on a higher alert for another attempt.

Opinions: Is this kind of a jerk DM move?

Question: If this were to happen, how would the drow react and treat the PC's now? Just looking for ideas on how to handle this.

Thanks!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I think the question of whether or not it’s a jerk DM move would be answered as to whether or not it would be possible for them to win in the situation and not be captured.

There are plenty of other ways to bring the drow threat home without putting them back to square one, too. You could still have another capture attempt, but it doesn’t necessarily have to succeed to introduce the new PC. Maybe he’s a captive of the drow and ends up falling in with the group.

 

[fba827]

As odd a suggestion as this is, you can make the first escape actually a dream of one of the PCs. The adventure specifically has madness dreams as a part of it! So you'll just be adding in a new type of madness dream. (( you could even toy with the players ...' Was that first escape the dream or was that real but this part is the dream?" ))
Of course that may or may not go over well with your group depending on how serious you guys game in terms of tone and such. Though if you do go this route you MUST continue with madness dreams consistently through the adventure or else it will feel like a backtrack in hindsight.

Alternatively, just let them of escaped and they meet this guy all drugged up and being brought by a drop scout patrol through the tunnels. But tyere has to be something about him that makes the pcs want to risk rescuing him - maybe his armor and weapons are easily seen presuming the party still wants more equipment, maybe something about his clothing denotes him as someone important to another PC?

Or they already escaped and come across this guy who just escaped drow that we're bringing him down here and he wants yo get back to the surface now too

Or just 'poor' this other PC was there all along just was a little groggy from having been drugged

And then just play up the 'you know they are going to be chasing you - have the npcs that know drow/underdark keep commenting that the drow are not the type to let it go this easily and will be coming after us to mercilessly save their reputation, and they know the terrain and the routes and have the tactical advantage in finding us ..."

Honestly the escape is hard enough that making them have to do it again under any circumstance should be done carefully

 

[Pjack]

I think your plan is basically sound, but I would urge you not to plot so far ahead. Present them with tough drow opposition, but not an overwhelming force. Plan what you'll do if the party is recaptured, but stay flexible; they might figure a way out of it. Set up the situation, then play to find out what happens.

 

[UrbanZomB]

Thanks for the replies! The dream one is interesting, but I don't think the players would go for it.

I may just have the drow come to the tower (we left off last time with them just clearing the tower) as per the guard shift. Jorlan has held them long enough. Once the drow find out what has happened, they will try to sound the alarm and we'll see where it goes from there. I'd like for them to see Ilvara in action and really scare them as she should at this level. I could see her be very boastful about her power as she laughs and dismisses the PC's feeble attempt at escape. Perhaps have her target one of the tougher NPC's and take them out. They have grown attached to some in there already. The quaggoths coming from the other side of the tower are another force to be reckoned with as well. Quite honestly, I don't think they thought past the tower. They just wanted to survive to that point at least! I'm guessing they might jump!

Perhaps, assuming the players escape, they can meet a scout patrol with a new slave (new player). If not, they could be introduced if they are recaptured as planned above.

 

[CapnZapp]

I'll add this thread to the index soon.

 

[muppetmuppet]

Personally I am very worried about my players managing to escape, if this was my game I would instigate the demon attack now. That should keep the drow occupied, you can have fun with the priestess against the demons and the party will be scared to death and probably run screaming out of the tower the other way into the quaggoths. I think I would go with the new PC being groggy and with them all the time bonding the group together is always good and if they come across a new person who didn't take part in the great escape it may be harder.
I will be running this soon and look forward to hearing how your game goes.

 

[Uller]

It shouldn't be hard to demonstrate how tough the drow are...I'd have the drow start to attack the tower and when things start to go badly the demons show up. New PC can show up at the bottom of the cave...a drow patrol was returning amd got wiped out by the demons.

 

[jodyjohnson]

Personally, I would have the new character as a fresh prisoner on his way to the Prison cave. Another guard has his stuff (he may still be wearing his armor)

When the drow arrive at the guard tower, they can rescue him.

Have an elite with the new guards and show him off vs. the NPCs. An elites should show off the drow power. If you roll terrible, give them another round before the alarm.

Then have a round where the alarm goes off - (because of the jailbreak?).

Next round the alarm is actually for the Demon attack. Play it out with most of the forces focused on the demons while the PCs deal with the split forces. The chasme droning took out a lot of Drow, Spiders, and Quaggoth.