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

[dropbear8mybaby]

The book has made several mentions of the sage and cloistered scholar backgrounds when it comes to interpreting languages. Given how weak Linguist is, I figure that should probably also qualify for those benefits.

 

[Croesus]

Enhancing: playing up the themes while still in the Port city. The Merchant Princes are a semi-evil bunch, controlling trade and amassing wealth, but not caring if there is slavery, and throwing criminals to the dino pits. People can express desire for the old kings and queens to return.

I'm thinking of running them like the opium smugglers/traders during the early to mid-19th Century. If you've ever read James Clavell's Tai-Pan, you know what I mean (and if you haven't read it, do so - it's fantastic). Outsiders from a more "civilized" region, morally arrogant, prickly honor, violent, competitive, condescending toward the locals, and most of all - out for a buck. Nothing gets in the way of their profits, which means nothing gets in the way of trade (smuggling).

If I do this, then naturally the locals will have their version of the Triad and Co-Hong, as well as lots of pirates.

 

[guachi]

I've noticed that the book goes to great effort to make a distinction between "making" a Wisdom (Perception) check and passive Perception. Numerous times it points out that they're not considered the same thing, like in the following:

Characters who search for such things while approaching the village notice the tripwires with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check; otherwise, they’re noticed by anyone with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 13 or higher.

This runs counter to my previous assumptions about how 5e and adventure modules worked. I've never seen this distinction be pointed out so clearly. The wording is the same throughout the module so I don't think it's not a mistake when it only mentions making a check and not the passive. In other words, I think it assumes that unless it's specifically pointed out that a passive Perception notices something, all the other perception checks have to be actively rolled ones.

Which raises the question: do I ask for these checks at appropriate times or simply assume they walk into these traps unless the players say they're actively searching for things?

I've (basically) always run Passive skills in 5e like described in the adventure for the last 3+ years. It's how I interpret Passive skill checks work.

To answer your question, though, the answer is "sort of the first one". The "appropriate time" to ask for a check is when the action the player describes his character doing sounds like they are searching or looking for something. If the player says, "I'll be on watch while we travel" then he's using a passive skill is an average check of an ability used repeatedly (as keeping watch would be). It's possible you might grant advantage based on what the player describes his character doing. It's possible you might grant disadvantage or no check at all if the player is doing something like sleeping or taking the time to transcribe a spell into his spell book.

In a sense, if you're using a Passive check you "ask" the character to make a check but the roll is always 10.

It's not going to be the latter part of your question, "walk[ing] into these traps unless the players say they're actively searching for things" unless no player in the party has a Passive Perception 13 or higher.

It's the DM's call on the line between using a Passive check and an Active check. How close to the village do you have to be before you switch from an action done repeatedly (Passive) and a single-use where you'd use a die roll.

 

[guachi]

[Double Post deleted!]

 

[Sacrosanct]

The book has made several mentions of the sage and cloistered scholar backgrounds when it comes to interpreting languages. Given how weak Linguist is, I figure that should probably also qualify for those benefits.

My son is playing a druid with the sage background, specializing in languages. He decided that before he even knew what I was going to run. ToA has many clans where you don't have to fight them, but have a diplomatic solution. But they are probably languages a player wouldn't choose when making your PC (like Grung). So I think I'm borrowing a feature from the archaeologist background where if you spend time studying a culture, you can learn parts of the language. I'm gonna treat it like Antonio Banderas in the 13th warrior. He's not an archaeologist, but I feel being a linguist should impart the same benefit. I suspect being able to communicate with all of these varying races will come in handy a lot.

 

[Iosue]

So, should I be making more than one check then?

You make checks until you make it through (i.e. make a successful check). If you fail, you have to try again.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've made a Discord server for ToA DMs to share resources and chat with each other about running the game. There are over 80 of us in here already:

~content removed~

ENWorld policy prohibits links to sites including illegal content. If you feel your link was removed in error, please contact mods via PM.

 

[hawkeyefan]

There are "hidden" secret doors in Princes of the apocalypse that have DC 10. OOTA also features trivial DCs.

I can't even *begin* to understand what the designer thought.

Memo to all WotC employees: a competent group of players will always make sure to include at least one Wisdom-based class with Perception proficiency.

This means that any DC of 15 or less will be either automatically detected (if you use passive Perception) or be more likely than not to be detected (if you only use active Perception)

It should have been forbidden to describe a DC 10 door as hidden or secret! Even a Commoner auto-detects these, for Crosslake!

So no, I can't even begin to explain what they were thinking. It's useless, that's what it is.

I've had to scrub secret door detection rules entirely, making up my own house rule that says you're using Investigation to detect inanimate features, and to use my own DCs where DC 15 is the new normal - any lower and the handiwork is shoddy or inept.



Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

Not all groups of players are competent, and not all groups of players will discuss what characters they will make for the party. I play at home with friends, and they always talk about that stuff to some extent...but I also know that many AL games may have players who meet each other for the first time the day of the first game, and they may have characters in mind or already made who don't necessarilymesh to be the perfect fighting unit with all areas covered.

So for them, it's possible that these DCs matter.

And for those who do have it covered, it's a trivial challenge....which is pretty much what it sounds like it was meant to be, so I don't really see the issue.

For me, I don't mind it because I only use Passive Perception to notice when something else is active (a creature approaching the party, etc.). For a secret door or some other inanimate feature, I have my players roll Perception if they indicate they want to search, and then the rolls can make a DC10 matter. That being said, they easily found most of the secret doors they came across in PotA, but I didn't really mind that at all.

 

[Nebulous]

Handling Battle Maps in ToA............

Like in my other games, i'm planning on buying the map pack and printing them after fiddling with them in photoshop to enhance the color and saturation.

HOWEVER...

Printing and cutting and taping these enormous ass maps is not fun. I know that there are single sheet printers where one big map is rolled out, but the costs are enormous, at least $50. Does anyone know of a cheaper way to print the Tomb maps on one sheet? When I think about the hours and hours of sitting there on the floor, again, taping these things, I cringe a little inside.

Maybe I should get a late shift job at Kinkos

 

[jayoungr]

It's like I don't even exist.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?582133-SPOILERS-Running-Tomb-of-Annihilation-Discussion

Oops, I'm really sorry. I genuinely thought no one had made a "running the adventure" thread. Do you suppose we could ask a mod to merge the threads?

EDIT: Just did that.