Red Hand of Doom questions (Part 1 spoilers)

[brehobit]

How so?

The wagon was described to us as being turned over and sunk into the mud about 30 feet or so from the road. It weather-beaten, water-logged, and covered in swamp muck... obviously very old. Our assuption was that the wagon was likely already looted long, long ago either by whoever crashed the wagon, or whoever was the first traveler (or bandit) to pass by after it had crashed.

And all that besides, we have a lot more important things to get done -- like scouting out Skull Gorge Bridge and maybe knock it out to delay the oncoming horde -- than slogging about in the mud, sifting for a few stray silver pieces.

Don't have it in front of me, but I believe the wagon looks more recent. Given that there is treasure there and the hydra is a recent addition, I assume they hydra snagged it.

How did you guys even know about the Skull Gorge Bridge before getting past the hydra?

Mark

 

[Pbartender]

Don't have it in front of me, but I believe the wagon looks more recent. Given that there is treasure there and the hydra is a recent addition, I assume they hydra snagged it.

In hindsight, that's obvious, but when we first found it, we didn't know about the hydra. And at the moment, I was thinking like Brother Llorenç, Priest of Fharlanghn and vassal of Sir Haervui Reginar, Castellan of Drellin's Ferry and Knight of Breakstone Keep, rather than Matt the Gamer Geek.

How did you guys even know about the Skull Gorge Bridge before getting past the hydra?

The hydra didn't get sprung on us the first time we passed the bridge -- maybe it was sleeping or something -- since we did travel through the night that time and between the fog and the dark, failed to notice the wagon. My wife saved it for later... The first time we assaulted the bridge, we weren't exactly prepared, and one of PCs died. The went back to Keep to rendevous with reinforcements (the new PC, a warmage, and my Knight's cohort and followers, a cleric and some mook fighters). It was our reinforcements (Warmage 6, Cleric 4, five Fighter 1), who ran across the hydra.

All that aside, we figured, we can always come back later and check out the wagon when we've got more time and are better prepared.

 

[mikebr99]

OK,
I'm running the RHoD. We started at 1st level and the party is now 5th level (one 4th level). In another thread I've been asking about hydras in general. But what I'd like to know is how your party (as player or DM) handled the hydra in part 1.

It seems to me that this is a crazy hard fight. 6 attacks at +8 d10+3 is nasty. If the hydra manages to close on the bridge OR the party goes down to the ruined wagon I don't see how they stay out of hand-to-hand. And once the hydra closes to being next to you, you can't escape without eating 6 attacks. I don't think 5th (6th) level characters can really deal with this.

So I want to know what others have done with this encounter....

Mark

It was crazy easy for the party I am DMing (currently just finished skull gorge bridge)... the Sorcerer zapped it with Ray of Stupidity (SC) in the 1st round... and of course it died to that stupid spell, as there really isn't a chance that it could survive... I have since nerfed the spell.

Kewl module though... I am having fun with it for sure!

Mike

 

[Shadowdancer]

This encounter turned out being a cake-walk for us. We had a spell caster hit it with Ray of Enfeeblement, IIRC, or something that weakened the hydra. Then our paladin, mounted on the druid's dire bat animal companion, did a fly-by for some ungodly huge damage. Then a fireball finished it off. My rogue-archer also hit it with a couple of arrows.

Seriously. It took us two rounds, and the hydra never got an attack on anyone in the party.

The encounter at the ruined keep, with the manticore, et al., was much tougher for us, primarily because the sounds of combat kept attracting more and more monsters. At one point we had fights going on at three different locations within the complex.

We also are having lots of fun with this mod.

 

[brehobit]

This encounter turned out being a cake-walk for us. We had a spell caster hit it with Ray of Enfeeblement, IIRC, or something that weakened the hydra. Then our paladin, mounted on the druid's dire bat animal companion, did a fly-by for some ungodly huge damage. Then a fireball finished it off. My rogue-archer also hit it with a couple of arrows.

Seriously. It took us two rounds, and the hydra never got an attack on anyone in the party.

The encounter at the ruined keep, with the manticore, et al., was much tougher for us, primarily because the sounds of combat kept attracting more and more monsters. At one point we had fights going on at three different locations within the complex.

We also are having lots of fun with this mod.

I expect that fight to be rough also, but _if_ they sneak around a bit, it could be fairly doable. We'll see. They struggled with the first encounter until the 4th party member showed up in round 3. (long story that). 3 of them made a level so they should be in better shape (5,5,5,4)

Mark

 

[SgtHulka]

How so?

The wagon was described to us as being turned over and sunk into the mud about 30 feet or so from the road. It weather-beaten, water-logged, and covered in swamp muck... obviously very old. Our assuption was that the wagon was likely already looted long, long ago either by whoever crashed the wagon, or whoever was the first traveler (or bandit) to pass by after it had crashed.

And all that besides, we have a lot more important things to get done -- like scouting out Skull Gorge Bridge and maybe knock it out to delay the oncoming horde -- than slogging about in the mud, sifting for a few stray silver pieces.

Different DM's, different descriptions, maybe even different spot checks.

It was described to us as recent, not old at all, and as a merchant's wagon (as opposed to a farmer's wagon). We had recently been ambushed by hobgoblins and had heard in that Ferry town all about how much trouble they were having getting merchant caravans through. To my thief recent merchant wagon + hobgoblin bandits + giant snake lurking nearby = hobgoblins in snake's stomach and treasure in merchant wagon. My thief has an eye for shiny things, and his spot check noticed the distinct glint of a breastplate iirc. If that isn't bait for adventurers, I don't know what is.

And as mentioned, our group hadn't gotten to the keep yet and so didn't know anything about skull gorge. We met the hydra on the way to the keep, our intention being to loot the keep of all valuables. We weren't yet on a mission to save the world.

 

[Pbartender]

Different DM's, different descriptions, maybe even different spot checks.

Absolutely. Interesting how several small variations can add up to provide such differetn experiences of the same published material.

All things considered, in your place, I probably would have checked out the wagon as well.

 

[Sidekick]

You know this jarred with me the most. Here’s the PCs going down the only trade road in the vale and there’s a HYDRA parked up next to it. Sounds to me like there wouldn’t be much trade getting through past Drellin’s Ferry if you ask me.

If there was a Hydra there, then the locals would have sent a decent sized force against it and ran it off.

So I ditched the encounter. I figured that there were going to be enough hard scraps coming up later. My guys are in the BlackFens at the moment so I might jump them with the hydra soon, perhaps on their way back from Rhest (after they’ve got their health back of course – that’s shaping up to be one NASTY fight).

Incidentally Vraath Keep was a very hard fight for my group. I blinded the warlock in the first round and the barbarian and scout lined themselves up nicely for a lightning bolt. I was just getting warmed up for a character death and the monk/cleric came and grappled Koth

It all went their way from there on in...

 

[brehobit]

OK,
It seems to me that this is a crazy hard fight. 6 attacks at +8 d10+3 is nasty. If the hydra manages to close on the bridge OR the party goes down to the ruined wagon I don't see how they stay out of hand-to-hand. And once the hydra closes to being next to you, you can't escape without eating 6 attacks. I don't think 5th (6th) level characters can really deal with this.

So I want to know what others have done with this encounter....

OK,
The party took this out without flinching. They saw the "large snake" from a distance and started shooting arrows at it. As they can't actually hurt a hydra head with an arrow, I figured I'd call it body damage. The first arrow criticalled for ~20 points. In the next round they did 20 points or so. The Hydra got onto the bridge 2 rounds later, at like 4 points down (due to fast healing) but couldn't attack that round. The swordsage tumbled in (he had a stance that let him move through rough terrain) and hit with a maneuver for something like 25 points. The warlocks hit for another 18 or so and the NPC archer (Jorr) hit for 8. The ranger tried to sunder a head, taking ~20 points of damage but doing so successfully. The hydra rolled horribly hitting the swordsage for 15 points in 5 attacks (one less head, I rolled the 6th on accident and got a confirmed crit.) The hydra healed 16 points, but the swordsage got a counter in (flame blast for 4d6 damage) that did exactly 16 points of damage. Next round everyone hit for around 50 points of damage (20ish from the raging swordsage, 20ish total from the warlocks, and 10 ish from the ranger and NPC ranger.)

One less Hydra.

The next fight was much harder. But the party walked through everything other than the sorc. 1 NPC dead, one PC dead, could have been a TPK but the sorc fled when things were looking dire for his side

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Isn't it always the way that the enounter you worry so much about turns out to be a walk in the park for the PC's. They'll probably get taken out by a weak CR 3 enounter next session!

Olaf the Stout