Planescape at D&D eXperience

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

Marry me, you fool.

Oh wait, I'm already married. And not gay.

But still. . .

Yeah. This just went from "not buying" to "top of the list."

I feel the same way! Err... The latter part anyway!

 

[Nightfall]

A count of the fingers says I bet you're right. Good call!

Indeed. I didn't think of that until someone said something, counted the fingers. Yep that's Graz'zt. I guess that's the Illustration they'll use in Expedition to the Demon Webs.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hello again Rip!

Your post seems a little bit like someone saying they can't wrap their heads around the idea of a Forgotten Realms adventure that's not about killing Elminster. Sure, that'd probably be an insanely great adventure, but it's not the only adventure the world has to offer.

Elminster is not the defacto ruler of the Realms.

Lolth is the ruler of the Demonweb. She knows everything (or near everything) that transpires within the layer. Therefore anyone on her layer with an agenda contrary to Lolth's will is likely incur her wrath or that of her subordinates (assuming Lolth sees them as beneath her attention and delegates the 'meet and greet' to her underlings).

I'm sure there will be many notable NPCs. Just as there are notable NPCs in (for example) the Forgotten Realms settings other than Elminster, there are notable NPCs in the Demonweb Pits other than Lolth and her chief henchbeings.

I wasn't expecting a Lolth-killer adventure, but it just seems to me they have set it at a level where it circumvents the main antagonists to the extent that you have to ask what is the point of calling it the Demonweb Pits. It might still be set in the Demonweb Pits but its going to be some area of the pits Lolth doesn't bother with.

I wouldn't assume Lolth herself isn't involved, either. Just because it's not centered around trying to kill her (or her top lieutenants), doesn't mean she's not a feature.

Certainly the lieutenants (or indeed Lolth herself) could be part of the story, but not part of the action. Meaning, where those characters are concerned, the destiny of the PCs will not be in their own hands.

And, of course, I know nothing about this other than what I've seen in the previews. For all I know, there is an opportunity to make Lolth die in it, maybe by helping Graz'zt get an artifact that'll do the job, or maybe by finding a vial of god-eating Abyssal bacteria that will devour her from the inside out.

You could concoct a scenario wherein a party of four 9-12 level characters finish off Lolth through indirect machinations but it would be terribly unsatisfactory and contrived. I doubt thats an approach this adventure takes.

Anythings possible. Despite my misgivings I am interested, but I think I'll wait to read a few reviews before shelling out though.

Those aren't the current rules. Those were last year's rules. As of the Fiendish Codex II, we can assume all Fiendish Codex stats are mere aspects of their true forms.

Well (for the purposes of this retort) I'll overlook the FCII web enhancement where they detail the Aspects who are all about CR 9-12.

If we ignore that, the problem with stating FCI and II stats are mere aspects is that there is a massive power vacuum between Balors and Demon Lords (or Pit Fiends and Dukes) with nothing in between. Creating the same silly scenario I mentioned in my previous post commenting on a 3E remake of Q1.

But it's possible that the adventure was written for middle-level characters to avoid that whole issue.

Agreed.

 

[Monkey King]

I have to ask, why is the Expedition to the Demonweb Pits for 9-12 levels? I know all about the original (1E) adventure (I own that), but calling on nostalgia for the level spread doesn't make one pick of sense!

The level spread was chosen by WotC. I imagine it has more to do with their market research about the player base than with the 1E adventure.

A quick glance over Fienish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss suggests that all the primary NPCs hover around the 20th-level mark. Obviously Lolth (as an adversary) is out of the question. Therefore is this "Expedition to the Demonweb Pits...on a day when Lolth and the hired help are called away on business elsewhere"...?

I have no comment, other than to say I'd be very, very disappointed in this adventure if it took the "called away on business" approach.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi Wolfgang!

Thanks for the reply!

The level spread was chosen by WotC. I imagine it has more to do with their market research about the player base than with the 1E adventure.

Sounds about right, but it still smacks of the same shoehorning and pandering to the lowest common denominator that gives us CR 21 demon princes. It may not make a heck of a lot of sense but it will probably sell a lot more books for WotC that way. So I guess its understandable from their perspective.

I have no comment, other than to say I'd be very, very disappointed in this adventure if it took the "called away on business" approach.

I'll reserve anymore speculative comments on my part until I have seen the book. Either way, good luck with it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't call "making an adventure that will be of use to the most players possible" "pandering to the lowest common denominator." If you want to see more Planescape adventures, you're going to have to allow WotC to produce ones that will actually sell.

 

[BOZ]

can't wait to see this one now!