Dragonlance Shadow of the Dragon Queen AMA

[overgeeked]

FYI I also have the early access on DDB so am happy to answer questions too.

One of the things that caught my attention with this module is the claim that the fights were designed to be harder than standard for a 5E module. Can you check a few fights to see if that's true and how much tougher they are than standard?

 

[pukunui]

One of the things that caught my attention with this module is the claim that the fights were designed to be harder than standard for a 5E module. Can you check a few fights to see if that's true and how much tougher they are than standard?

Without doing any math to determine the difficulty, here are some random examples from the book:

Spoiler

The PCs should be 2nd level when the first combat encounter of the adventure occurs. The first wave consists of three guards mounted on warhorses. The second wave consists of a half-ogre and four more guards on foot. There are also random battlefield effects, some of which can cause damage (like the volley of arrows), to represent the larger battle.

In the wilderness exploration section, when the PCs are 6th or 7th level, they can explore Bluemaw Cave. They'll fight seven gricks initially. Later, they'll come across a sivak draconian with five baaz draconians. If they get into a fight with the draconians, a grick alpha and two regular gricks join the fight, although they will attack the draconians as well as the PCs.

In the City of Lost Names, there's an occupied mansion. The PCs are expected to be 8th level when they explore it. There are four kapak draconians standing guard outside. Once per hour, a patrol of eight Dragon Army soldiers checks in. Inside, there are a total of four kapak draconians, two bozak draconians, a wasteland dragonnel, fourteen Dragon Army soldiers, a hobgoblin captain, and an aurak draconian.

The final battle is against Kansaldi Fire-Eyes (CR 11) and a Huge-sized young red dragon (CR 10). The PCs are level 10 by this point, but they'll have also just gone through all the encounters in the Flying Citadel and won't have had a chance to rest yet, so they'll hopefully be pretty beat up at this point.

 

[overgeeked]

Which ties into my previous post. Verminaard is in Abasanisia, which is directly tied into the plot of Dragons of Autumn Twilight.

Is that before or after the return of the gods?

 

[overgeeked]

Without doing any math to determine the difficulty, here are some random examples from the book:

Spoiler

The PCs should be 2nd level when the first combat encounter of the adventure occurs. The first wave consists of three guards mounted on warhorses. The second wave consists of a half-ogre and four more guards on foot. There are also random battlefield effects, some of which can cause damage (like the volley of arrows), to represent the larger battle.

In the wilderness exploration section, when the PCs are 6th or 7th level, they can explore Bluemaw Cave. They'll fight seven gricks initially. Later, they'll come across a sivak draconian with five baaz draconians. If they get into a fight with the draconians, a grick alpha and two regular gricks join the fight, although they will attack the draconians as well as the PCs.

In the City of Lost Names, there's an occupied mansion. The PCs are expected to be 8th level when they explore it. There are four kapak draconians standing guard outside. Once per hour, a patrol of eight Dragon Army soldiers checks in. Inside, there are a total of four kapak draconians, two bozak draconians, a wasteland dragonnel, fourteen Dragon Army soldiers, a hobgoblin captain, and an aurak draconian.

The final battle is against Kansaldi Fire-Eyes (CR 11) and a Huge-sized young red dragon (CR 10). The PCs are level 10 by this point, but they'll have also just gone through all the encounters in the Flying Citadel and won't have had a chance to rest yet, so they'll hopefully be pretty beat up at this point.

Awesome. Thanks.

 

[pukunui]

Is that before or after the return of the gods?

Yes. That is to say, both. Verminaard heads south to Abanasinia at the same time that the companions are heading to Pax Tharkas. Its his army that devastates Solace, for instance.

 

[Maxperson]

The presence of clerics and other divine casters puts it after Goldmoon’s thing.

Goldmoon got the disks in late fall, then had to travel to Elistan. She gives him the disks in winter, so the spread of knowledge of the gods didn't happen until then. Personally, though, since the gods intended for to return as of when Goldmoon got the disks, I'd be okay with one appearing to someone the way the module does if it's after. So late fall.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Is that before or after the return of the gods?

During

 

[Micah Sweet]

Goldmoon got the disks in late fall, then had to travel to Elistan. She gives him the disks in winter, so the spread of knowledge of the gods didn't happen until then. Personally, though, since the gods intended for to return as of when Goldmoon got the disks, I'd be okay with one appearing to someone the way the module does if it's after. So late fall.

Yeah, I feel the other gods were just waiting for Mishakal to pull the trigger with Goldmoon getting the disks. After that, the other gods got rolling and new clerics were minted right away.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Goldmoon got the disks in late fall, then had to travel to Elistan. She gives him the disks in winter, so the spread of knowledge of the gods didn't happen until then. Personally, though, since the gods intended for to return as of when Goldmoon got the disks, I'd be okay with one appearing to someone the way the module does if it's after. So late fall.

Goldmoon would have to have gotten the disks in early autumn. There's still over half the book, with some significant travel to get to the climax at Pax Tharkas, before winter starts - the epilogue where Goldmoon and Riverwind are married by Elistan is a few weeks after Pax Tharkas just as winter sets in. And then there's the whole next book that takes place in the winter, as per its title - and even then there's a gap between the two books as the heroes persuade the dwarves to assist the refugees.

 

[pukunui]

Here's another little tidbit to help with the timing:

"The Red Dragon Army—the first, largest, and most powerful of Takhisis’s forces—is commanded by the fanatical Dragon Highlord Verminaard, but he has temporarily given control of many of its troops to his acolyte, Dragon Highmaster Kansaldi Fire-Eyes, tasking her with spearheading a daring attack on Solamnia. Meanwhile, Verminaard’s force follows whispers from the Dragon Queen into the southern lands of Abanasinia."

(emphasis mine)