D&D 5E Shattered Obelisk - Zorzula's Rest and other problems

[QuentinGeorge]

The maps here are... really bad and unclear.

Not a fan.

WoTC is in an ongoing fight between Schley-stye and Dyson-style maps. With the former they are pretty, but needlessly unclear when they get complicated. Dyson's are simpler, but people on virtual tabletops dislike them for being boring and monochromatic.

 

[pukunui]

WoTC is in an ongoing fight between Schley-stye and Dyson-style maps. With the former they are pretty, but needlessly unclear when they get complicated. Dyson's are simpler, but people on virtual tabletops dislike them for being boring and monochromatic.

A Dyson map wouldn’t automatically help with Zorzula’s Rest. Whatever the style of map, it needs some elevation markers for the different heights. That or an isometric or side view map.

 

[pukunui]

One of the nodules in the Endless Void has a section of 30-foot deep river on it. There is no explanation as to how this water is still there. It is described as churning. Is there some kind of magic effect that keeps the water from draining off the edges of the nodule?

Also, the idea that the PCs have to wait 1d6 days for the nodules to move around so they can reach other ones is crazy! Especially when the adventure wants them to hurry to stop a ritual and save the townsfolk!

 

[Erich the Fuzzy]

One of the nodules in the Endless Void has a section of 30-foot deep river on it. There is no explanation as to how this water is still there. It is described as churning. Is there some kind of magic effect that keeps the water from draining off the edges of the nodule?

Also, the idea that the PCs have to wait 1d6 days for the nodules to move around so they can reach other ones is crazy! Especially when the adventure wants them to hurry to stop a ritual and save the townsfolk!

The nodules aren't flat, they are rounded like globes, or at least some of them are. In this case, the water goes in a ring around it: across the top, down the side, across the bottom, and then back up the other side. (Presumably the gravity works from the center of the nodule in all directions).

There seems to be no hard ticking clock for the ritual; in fact, if they stop the ritual before brining the townsfolk back, then the townsfolk will probably be killed by the vengeful Ilvaash refraction. They'll actually be more successful at the rescue if they take side trips to return the townsfolk to Phandalin before taking on the final trio to stop the ritual.

 

[Erich the Fuzzy]

There are two Catch-22 contradictions in the adventure.

The first is in Crypt of the Talhund. The haunting in area 16 can only be put to rest by defeating the mummy in area 17, whereas the mummy in area 17 can be prevented from animating if all the haunts have been put to rest. Except that latter trigger is impossible unless the mummy has already been defeated to end the haunt, in which case it can't animate anyway.

The other is in the Briny Maze. The rods in B7 open the doors between B13 & B14, but the beholder in B14 immediately closes the doors again. The party can't get through those doors to remove the beholder without activating the rods, but he'll close the door before they get to him every time they do. The only way around this is if they somehow figure out that the doors are being opened but then immediately closed again by someone on the other side, have most of the party wait just outside the doors while one goes all the way back to activate the rods and open the doors, then take out the beholder (or at least distract it) while waiting for that hapless volunteer to return.