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Recommend a 5e AP
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<blockquote data-quote="devincutler" data-source="post: 7198784" data-attributes="member: 6684551"><p>SPOILERS</p><p></p><p>My opinion on the APs (you only asked about APs, so I am not commenting on LMoP or TftYP):</p><p></p><p>HotDQ and RoT: Very linear. Lots of mistakes on maps and texts. Some very illogical plot holes (in fact, the entire concept of HotDQ doesn't make geographical sense!). The final encounter in RoT is a joke...any group of PCs can stop the ritual summoning Tiamat without breaking a sweat (the mages are too far away to support each other). One chapter of HotDQ requires a lot of DM work (the caravan chapter). And the 1st chapter of HotDQ can be a tpk introduction to the adventure.</p><p></p><p>OOTA: Nice story arc and some very neat, interesting settings. However, there is simply too much travel. I mean months and months of it. Some parts of the adventure require over 60 days of travel to get from point A to point B. And teleportation is discouraged by Faerzress effects. The wandering monster tables are not up to the task of handling 1 week of travel, never mind a 60 day jaunt. As such, the Dm must be prepared to preroll and spend a lot of time fleshing out travel encounters, or truncate them significantly (or both). The large set piece areas (Gracklestugh and Blingdenstone) require a lot of DM work to properly flesh out, and Menzobarranzan is nothing but a bunch of wandering monster tables, requiring a load of DM preparation (reminiscent of the requiements of the old D3 Vault of the Drow module). The final battle includes an option to have the table fight out the demonlord battle, with the survivor attacking the PCs. Do not take this option. The demonlord are matched well enough that whomever survives (probably Demogorgon) will be so depleted that the PCs can take him out without effort.</p><p></p><p>POTA: A very sandboxy AP. There is a story, but not much of one, and it requires some decent DMing skill to get the PCs involved. Best advice is to have the PCs members of one or more factions and have the factions give them the assignments suggested in the text. I played this and the DM just had us wander into the area. We had no idea what to do or where to go. The Ap is a series of dungeon crawls, and they can get repetitive if the PCs want to hit all four elements. That means 4 upside areas, 4 underground areas, and 4 nodes. 12 largish dungeons. The upside of this AP is that it is the only Faerunian one that doesn't require months of travel for the PCs.</p><p></p><p>STK: Have not played or run this, but I read through it. Seems interesting, although a full 3/4ths of the AP won't likely ever be used in the adventure. The PCs choose to go to one of three widely dispersed towns. Then they penetrate one of 4 giant lairs. There is no reason for them to go back to the other two towns or to the other 3 giant lairs. Makes for a lot of wasted space. And there is a hell of a lot of travelling...all over not only the Sword Coast, but possibly Icewind Dale as well. That means, like OOTA, a lot of wandering encounters that quickly lose their luster unless the DM prerolls and spices them up...a lot of work.</p><p></p><p>CoS: Have not played or run this, but I read it through. Very genre specific (gothic horror). Not too much travelling (since you are trapped in the demiplane), but there are plenty of areas that are tpks if the PCs try to bull doze their way through or go to the wrong place. Additionally, the big bad guy has to be played properly or he is an easy takedown and will make for a very anticlimactic conclusion. The whole adventure has great atmosphere, especially is properly played up by the DM.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="devincutler, post: 7198784, member: 6684551"] SPOILERS My opinion on the APs (you only asked about APs, so I am not commenting on LMoP or TftYP): HotDQ and RoT: Very linear. Lots of mistakes on maps and texts. Some very illogical plot holes (in fact, the entire concept of HotDQ doesn't make geographical sense!). The final encounter in RoT is a joke...any group of PCs can stop the ritual summoning Tiamat without breaking a sweat (the mages are too far away to support each other). One chapter of HotDQ requires a lot of DM work (the caravan chapter). And the 1st chapter of HotDQ can be a tpk introduction to the adventure. OOTA: Nice story arc and some very neat, interesting settings. However, there is simply too much travel. I mean months and months of it. Some parts of the adventure require over 60 days of travel to get from point A to point B. And teleportation is discouraged by Faerzress effects. The wandering monster tables are not up to the task of handling 1 week of travel, never mind a 60 day jaunt. As such, the Dm must be prepared to preroll and spend a lot of time fleshing out travel encounters, or truncate them significantly (or both). The large set piece areas (Gracklestugh and Blingdenstone) require a lot of DM work to properly flesh out, and Menzobarranzan is nothing but a bunch of wandering monster tables, requiring a load of DM preparation (reminiscent of the requiements of the old D3 Vault of the Drow module). The final battle includes an option to have the table fight out the demonlord battle, with the survivor attacking the PCs. Do not take this option. The demonlord are matched well enough that whomever survives (probably Demogorgon) will be so depleted that the PCs can take him out without effort. POTA: A very sandboxy AP. There is a story, but not much of one, and it requires some decent DMing skill to get the PCs involved. Best advice is to have the PCs members of one or more factions and have the factions give them the assignments suggested in the text. I played this and the DM just had us wander into the area. We had no idea what to do or where to go. The Ap is a series of dungeon crawls, and they can get repetitive if the PCs want to hit all four elements. That means 4 upside areas, 4 underground areas, and 4 nodes. 12 largish dungeons. The upside of this AP is that it is the only Faerunian one that doesn't require months of travel for the PCs. STK: Have not played or run this, but I read through it. Seems interesting, although a full 3/4ths of the AP won't likely ever be used in the adventure. The PCs choose to go to one of three widely dispersed towns. Then they penetrate one of 4 giant lairs. There is no reason for them to go back to the other two towns or to the other 3 giant lairs. Makes for a lot of wasted space. And there is a hell of a lot of travelling...all over not only the Sword Coast, but possibly Icewind Dale as well. That means, like OOTA, a lot of wandering encounters that quickly lose their luster unless the DM prerolls and spices them up...a lot of work. CoS: Have not played or run this, but I read it through. Very genre specific (gothic horror). Not too much travelling (since you are trapped in the demiplane), but there are plenty of areas that are tpks if the PCs try to bull doze their way through or go to the wrong place. Additionally, the big bad guy has to be played properly or he is an easy takedown and will make for a very anticlimactic conclusion. The whole adventure has great atmosphere, especially is properly played up by the DM. [/QUOTE]
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