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

[pukunui]

I'm not sure what the official year is for Faerun currently but I worked out that if you set ToA in 1492: The Year of Three Ships sailing, you could do something pretty neat with the calendar. This is a leap year where there's a Shieldmeet in-between Flamerule and Eleasias, just after Midsummer's Day. If you start the adventure on the 11th of Mirtul, then Midsummer's Day is the 80th day since the adventure started, and the day when Syndra will die.

Shouldn't it be the 12th of Mirtul? Syndra has 79 hit points, not 80, so if you started on the 11th, she'd get to 0 the day before Midsummer (the 30th of Flamerule). Right? Or am I failing at basic math?

Likewise, if Jessamine has 58 hit points on the 12th of Mirtul, she'll reach 0 hit points on the 10th of Flamerule. Right?

 

[CapnZapp]

Take a look at the first post on this thread - There's a new feature called Wiki threads and "anything goes" threads like this one really benefit from an index into the posts so that people can quickly get the info they're looking for when wanting to "enhance" their game.

Ah. I am aware of wiki threads and have started one myself. I just didn't connect any of your "indexing" terminology to the feature.

Cheers

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[pukunui]

It looks like Xandala has some copy/paste errors. She's meant to be a sorcerer, but her statblock looks like it originally belonged to a wizard (she's got Int/Wis save proficiencies, instead of Con/Cha, and she has "prepared" her sorcerer spells). Whoops!

 

[robus]

It looks like Xandala has some copy/paste errors. She's meant to be a sorcerer, but her statblock looks like it originally belonged to a wizard (she's got Int/Wis save proficiencies, instead of Con/Cha, and she has "prepared" her sorcerer spells). Whoops!

Simple to switch out, or does a new stat block need to be cooked up?

 

[pukunui]

Simple to switch out, or does a new stat block need to be cooked up?

Easy to fix, I'd say. I'm just mentioning errors that I come across here, rather than making a whole new ToA Errata thread, as I haven't noticed enough to warrant one. (This adventure seems to have been much better edited than PotA and Tales were, for instance.)

 

[Onslaught]

Based on @extralead posts, I made a skeleton of the adventure (again, I'm adapting it to Eberron), which I show below.

Keep in mind that the trip length seems a bit long, but heck, this (and Omu) is the most interesting part of the adventure IMHO. I'll probably change the Death Curse form -1HP each day to -1hp each 1d4 days to accomodate the "time bomb effect" for NPCs, but right now I think i'll use Find Artus Cimber as the major plot until the Curse kicks in and shakes things up.

Also, I'm adding a few places and side quests based on 3.5 Eberron books, so if you think something sound off (like a new guide, quest, location), it's because it's not in this book.

1. Intro: Characters meet in Sharn, get motivation to travel to Xen'drik and get a Windgalleon or Wavegalleon (EHB)

• Meet with with Flamewind in Sharn (SCoT, pg. 72)
• Meet with [Patron], get [Motivation] and a letter of credit to pay for trip to Sharn
  1. Find Artus Cimber
  2. Get cure for Death Curse for [Important NPC]
  3. Find out what's happening with [Mabar Moon] being strange recently
• Meet with Captain [Joe 'd] Lyrandar at [Tavern] and get to Wind/Wave Galleon

2. Shargon's Theeth: Travel from Sharn to Stormreach, a 3-day trip to Xen'drik, during which the PC's will face a Sahuagin threat

• Day 1 (near Khorvaire): Pass by other ships in the morning
• Day 2 (Sea): ?
• Day 3(Shargon's Teeth): [Something] happens and ship must be pulled back, get attacked by Sahuagin
• Day 4: Arrive at Stormreach early in the morning

3. Stormreach (P1): Explore the city, contact 1-3 StormLords, get "Tier 1" guides

• Directed to [Specific Stormlord] and [Specific Tavern]
• Quest Seeds: Hunting Party, Snake Hunt, [adapt Save an Innocent Man?]
• Guides: Azaka Stormfang, Erag

4. Jungle (Skyfall Peninsula): First trips to the jungle to complete first quests and get some gold and get to know the perils of the jungle

• 8-day round trip: forage, insects, heat and water
• Locations: Hvalspyd (Frost Giant), Snake Hunt Location, Hunting Party Location

5. Stormreach (p2): Contact Coin Lord who has the Death Curse, get some direction towards main plot, maybe see the most common sites that are near Port Nyanzaru (?)

• [Specific Stormlord] has the Death Curse, can ask PC’s for help or know they’re asking around
• Quest Seeds: Help a Dyeing Man, Academic Errand
• Guides: Faroul & Gondolo, Shago, Ulina Pyranim

6. Jungle (Skyfall Peninsula, p2): Second trip to the jungle

• 8-to-10-day round trip
• Locations: Academic Errand Location (will point to Orolunga in the Deep Jungle to the south), Yellyark, Vron

7. Stormreach (p3): Access/approached by "Tier 2" guides, prepare to go to deep jungle passing by Last Chance

• Return from the jungle, buy stuff, contact NPCs
• Quest Seeds: Hunt Pirates, Explore Fog Lake
• Guides: Dyn’celia, Half-drow, Qwasha (now undead become a bigger threat), Salida

8. Jungle (Last Chance and Titan's Teeth): Quickly pass the Skyfall Peninsula, reach Last Chance and get across Titan’s Teeth via Traveler’s Curse to reach the South Jungle

• 20-day trip by foot from Stormreach, which is too long and dangerous
• 5-day trip by Elemental Powered Riverboat (GoEC, pg 13), but he won’t go any further, may take leverage on Stormlords or Dragonmarked House relationship
• Pass by the Zigurat (GoEC) during trip
• Quest Seeds: Escort a Priest to Camp Vengenace
• Guides: [priest from escort mission]

9. Jungle (Xen'drik – South Jungle): Explore sites that would be somewhat near from Port Nyanzaru (obs.: this is expected to start near day 30)

• 25-day trip expected
• Places of Interest: Dungrunglung, Camp Righteous, Camp Vengenace, Aataz Muhaha, Firefinger (?)
• Quests: Missing Missionaries (in Camp Righteous)

10. Jungle (Xen’drik – Down The Hydra’s Head): Explore sites that would be somewhat far from Port Nyanzaru

• 25-day trip expected
• Places of Interest: Heart of Ubtao, Kir Sabal, Nangalore, Wrek of Star Godess, Tharkgun Dhak

11. Jungle (Xen'drik – Deep Jungle): Explore sites farther from Port Nyanzaru and finish side quests before Omu

• 15-day trip expected
• Guides: Eku substitute
• Places of Interest: Oorolunga, Dragon Lair

12. Omu, Fane and Tomb: This part is more linear

Players will probably find Artus Cimber by part 10 or 11

 

[pukunui]

I know the adventure says that if you want to use Meat Grinder mode, you have to do so from the very start, but I'm considering saving it until the PCs get to Omu. Maybe it's because more time has passed, so the death curse has grown stronger, or maybe it's just because of the PCs' proximity to the Soulmonger. But I think I'd like to go a wee bit easier on the PCs until they actually get to the main part of the adventure.

 

[Charles Rampant]

I know the adventure says that if you want to use Meat Grinder mode, you have to do so from the very start, but I'm considering saving it until the PCs get to Omu. Maybe it's because more time has passed, so the death curse has grown stronger, or maybe it's just because of the PCs' proximity to the Soulmonger. But I think I'd like to go a wee bit easier on the PCs until they actually get to the main part of the adventure.

And because PCs fall like wheat before the scythe until they reach level 5 anyway...

 

[Warmaster Horus]

My campaign started with the PCs heading to the Snout of Ogmar from the Tortle Package, to retrieve a McGuffin that will allow Grandfather Mtembe to scry the location of the Soulmonger. They engaged in a sea journey on a trading ship, were chased by pirates and then their ship capsized in a powerful storm. Two of the PCs did not survive that peril but were spared by a Sea Hag at the cost of one of their eyes. Washing ashore they fought some creatures near the Cauldron before being found by their guide, who had located some canoes that had washed ashore after the storm. They have just arrived at Ahoyhoy and are making their way to a defunct temple of Umberlee...

 

[CapnZapp]

"The many and fabulous bazaars of Port Nyanzaru"

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=595068

(More items in Tomb of Annihilation)

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app