D&D 5E [SPOILERS] Enhancing Tomb of Annihilation

[CapnZapp]

Well the obvious answer is to simply change their armour, or get rid of it entirely. If you want you could up their dex to increase their armour class slightly. The rules/adventure should be guideline not a straight jacket.

Using the NPCs from the MM is the easiest way to use them but nothing to stop you simply swapping their armour and AC on the fly.

Stormdale

And the point is: change the armor, not the AC ☺

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

Mostly I guess, but that's just for the dehydration save. There's also the extreme heat saves, which I intend to use, and you can't avoid those by drinking lots of water.

Extreme heat saves don't happen with water either.

ToA combines the two rules in a streamlined version:

At the end of each day, any character who hasn’t drunk at least 2 gallons of fresh water must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer 1 level of exhaustion. The saving throw is made with disadvantage if the character is wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or heavy clothing. Characters traveling at a fast pace, instead of a normal or slow pace, take a –5 penalty on their saving throws against dehydration.

Normally it's two separate rules:

When the temperature is at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the heat and without access to drinkable water must succeed on a Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. The DC is 5 for the first hour and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Creatures wearing medium or heavy armor, or who are clad in heavy clothing, have disadvantage on the saving throw. Creatures with resistance or immunity to fire damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures naturally adapted to hot climates.

and:

A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot. A character who drinks only half that much water must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. A character with access to even less water automatically suffers one level of exhaustion at the end of the day.

If the character already has one or more levels of exhaustion, the character takes two levels in either case.

But in either case, there's no consequence if you drink enough water, at least there isn't if you're using the core rules and not a homebrewed version.

 

[pukunui]

But in either case, there's no consequence if you drink enough water, at least there isn't if you're using the core rules and not a homebrewed version.

Yeah, but I don't really like that. I feel like they shouldn't be wearing armor even if they do drink lots of water. Wearing any kind of armor in the jungle just seems stupid to me. I wouldn't even want to be encased in leather, let alone metal, in the jungle.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

Yeah, but I don't really like that. I feel like they shouldn't be wearing armor even if they do drink lots of water. Wearing any kind of armor in the jungle just seems stupid to me. I wouldn't even want to be encased in leather, let alone metal, in the jungle.

Oh I agree, it's just that you said you were using those rules so I thought I should point it out.

Personally I'm going to use the ToA simplified version but simply say that if you're wearing any armour, you have to make the save whether you drink enough water or not, and if it's medium or heavy, then it's also at disadvantage. I feel that's simple and easy to remember, and most medium/heavy armour wearers are likely to have decent Con saves so shouldn't be too badly affected.

 

[pukunui]

Oh I agree, it's just that you said you were using those rules so I thought I should point it out.

I had forgotten that the extreme heat rule from the DMG also involved drinking water.

Personally I'm going to use the ToA simplified version but simply say that if you're wearing any armour, you have to make the save whether you drink enough water or not, and if it's medium or heavy, then it's also at disadvantage. I feel that's simple and easy to remember, and most medium/heavy armour wearers are likely to have decent Con saves so shouldn't be too badly affected.

Yes, I think I will do that too.

 

[Onslaught]

As you know, I'm adapting Tomb of Annihilation to Eberron's Xen'drik.

I'm now thinking NPC, their purpose and effects on quests... especially the Merchant Princes.

Right now that's what I got is the important stuff about the Merchant Princes:

• Ifan Tal’roa is in league with Yuan-ti and Zentharim
• Jessemine has the death curse and the power to make murder legal, she might even be a sponsor for the group
• Jobal issues documents for guides
• Kwayothe is linked to Help a Dyeing Man (Quest) and Shago (Guide)
• Wakanga has a journal (lead to Vron) and is allied to the Harpers (Faction) and Syndria (Sponsor)
• Zhanti is the father of Shago and is aware of Liara Potyr’s plot and sponsors Zindar (Harbormaster) in Hunt Pirates (Quest)
  • Liara Potir is a member of the Flaming Fist which should have been protecting the city but is in fact in league with pirates of Jahaka Bay

Am I missing something?

 

[CapnZapp]

But in either case, there's no consequence if you drink enough water, at least there isn't if you're using the core rules and not a homebrewed version.

In other words a large amount of words with no practical consequences in actual play.

No wonder I add homebrew rules so that there is a real bite to the jungle conditions.

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[CapnZapp]

As you know, I'm adapting Tomb of Annihilation to Eberron's Xen'drik.

I'm now thinking NPC, their purpose and effects on quests... especially the Merchant Princes.

Right now that's what I got is the important stuff about the Merchant Princes:

• Ifan Tal’roa is in league with Yuan-ti and Zentharim
• Jessemine has the death curse and the power to make murder legal, she might even be a sponsor for the group
• Jobal issues documents for guides
• Kwayothe is linked to Help a Dyeing Man (Quest) and Shago (Guide)
• Wakanga has a journal (lead to Vron) and is allied to the Harpers (Faction) and Syndria (Sponsor)
• Zhanti is the father of Shago and is aware of Liara Potyr’s plot and sponsors Zindar (Harbormaster) in Hunt Pirates (Quest)
  • Liara Potir is a member of the Flaming Fist which should have been protecting the city but is in fact in league with pirates of Jahaka Bay

Am I missing something?

You could check the wiki hints & clues thread, and add anything of the above that isn't already there.

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[pukunui]

When the temperature is at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the heat and without access to drinkable water must succeed on a Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. The DC is 5 for the first hour and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Creatures wearing medium or heavy armor, or who are clad in heavy clothing, have disadvantage on the saving throw. Creatures with resistance or immunity to fire damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures naturally adapted to hot climates.

The part I've bolded could explain why goblins and Chultans can wear armor in the jungle. I think I'll say for the Flaming Fist soldiers and such, the officers all have the temperate minor property on their armor (provided by their wealthy patrons back in Baldur's Gate), while the foot soldiers all have to make the Con saves if they're out in the jungle on patrol. Those on guard duty at Fort Beluarian won't necessarily have to make saves because a) they're mostly just standing around, probably in the shade and b) they'll most likely only be wearing armor while on duty, which won't be all day.

One thing I think I'll tell my players is that they're welcome to have their PCs bring their armor with them, if they can carry it themselves or hire a pack animal to carry it for them, so they can don it when they have the time prior to going into battle or whatever, but they won't want to wear it while trekking through the jungle, and thus won't be wearing it during most random encounters.

I got to thinking about the old conquistadors. The Flaming Fist seem to be occupying that "space" in the trope. The conquistadors are always depicted wearing breastplates in the Mayan jungles and such. I wonder how well they managed in the heat and humidity.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

Am I missing something?

Zhanthi is female, so a mother. Liara isn't protecting the city, she's trying to undermine it in the name of the Flaming Fist and Baldur's Gate by proxy. She's literally taking over large swathes of territory and demanding payment to travel through those areas. She's not even paying taxes to the merchant princes and is taking business from them. The princes want her gone but can't muster forces strong enough to resist.