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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kalani" data-source="post: 6707274" data-attributes="member: 88085">Edit: Ignore my previous comment - I spaced when answering this question and for some reason thought we were discussing Out of the Abyss. Correction (Spoilers): There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to determining what level the characters should be at any given point in Princes. Pages 41, 75, and 113 each have sidebars indicating the CR of each "dungeon".<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter 3 (Haunted Keeps): Feathergale spire (L3), Rivergard Keep (L4), Sacred Stone Monestary (L5), Scarlet Moon Hall (L6)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter 4 (Elemental Temples): Howling Hatred (L6), Crushing Wave (L7), Black earth (L8), Eternal Flame (L9)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Chapter 5 (Elemental Nodes) Fane of the Eye (L10), Howling caves (L11), Plunging Torrents (L12), Black Geode (L12), Weeping Colossus (L13).</li> </ul>With that being said however, the adventure is sandbox in nature, and players can move backward and forward through the adventure in whatever order they desire. My table for example completed the dungeons in the following order:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rivergard Keep (L4), Feathergale Spire (L3), Crushing Wave (L7), Scarlet Moon Hall (L6), Eternal Flame (L9), Fane of the Eye (L10), Howling Hatred (L6).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The party is currently APL 9, but completed the Temple of the Eternal Flame at APL 6.</li> </ul>If you find your party is struggling, there are numerous tricks and strategies to coerce the party to abandon their current pursuit without feeling like they are being railroaded. For example:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The party notices Knifepoint Gully early? You could have the Water Cult flood the river near Feathergale spire in order to make it impassable until the party is higher level.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The party is exploring the Nodes early? This happened at my table. My response: Upon defeating the prophet (Aerisi) in the Fane of the eye - I ran the Purple Worm Encounter with some minor embellishments. Moments after defeating Aerisi, I had the Earth Prophet and Fire Prophet vent their fury causing an earthquake combined with sulfuric vents, lava flows, and magma. This awoke the purple worm which proceeded to attack the weakened party. Meanwhile, lava inched closer to the parties location in the Fane, while a massive erruption of lava caused the Elevator Platform (which takes the party between the Fire Temple and Fire Node) caused the elevator to rise (to the Fire Temple), making it impassable. The purple worm itself was between the party and their exit, so they fought a fighting retreat - circled around the worm, and fled. Finding their way back to the fire temple blocked, they ran up the stairs into the Earth Temple (an area they had yet to explore). Quickly finding the right path, they fought a few minor battles and fled back to the Sacred Stone Monestary, which they quickly exited.</li> </ul>The easiest solution, is to make another course of action more desirable than what the party intends. With my party now having fled, I ran a few of the side-quests for them after which I made the following cosmetic embellishments in order to encourage (or discourage) the parties next course of action:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Knifepoint Gully: The party hears rumors that a hidden stairway was recently discovered in Knifepoint Gully near Feathergale Spire, and that looters have recently begun exploring a Pyramid city below. Reasoning: The party had not yet completed the Air Temple, but having killed the prophet, and Hayon the Giant - I had to encourage them to explore this area. I reflavored most of the air cultists to be looters (while keeping the same stats), while keeping a handful of cultists in the Pyramid chamber itself as the last loyal remnants of the Air Cult. Air Priests were reflavored to be looter wizards, and other hostile adventuring parties.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Scarlet Moon Hall: A dense cloud of poisonous ash was floating above the hall. Reason: As the party knows an erruption just occured in the area, I wanted to discourage them from descending through the empty Fire Temple back into the Fane of the Eye. If the party explored the area, they would find their way blocked by the river of lava in the Fire Temple which had overflown its banks and made the area impassable, meanwhile they would find the erruption ongoing (preventing them from using the elevator).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sacred Stone Monestary: The area around the monestary would have new crystalline formations, and would be fortified with much tighter security and new construction (fortifications). This will encourage the party to attack the Earth Cult before they solidified their position and it became impossible to assault - while the party has outright destroyed the air and water factions and weakened the fire cult -they have not yet taken any hostile action toward the earth cult. I wanted their actions to be reflected in the fact that the earth cult now has more resources to spend on fortifications now that their opposition (water and air) are both destroyed.</li> </ul>By creating a sense of urgency, I have made the idea of attacking the Earth Cult (and weakening them) a priority, yet I have not taken away any player agency. They could ignore this information, but in doing so I would simply make their defenses superior through careful repositioning of each encounter. For example, the encounter with the hobgoblins in the Earth Temple: Instead of having them sleeping at a campfire, I would have them stationed at high alert in more defensible positions. I would also have the Bullet positioned strategically, and have both groups (those in the entry room, and those in the adjacent area) in constant communication with regular check-ins.</blockquote>

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