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TftYP - Running Sunless Citadel
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<blockquote data-quote="Prakriti" data-source="post: 7093002" data-attributes="member: 6855149"><p>I'm currently running Sunless Citadel for two groups. They are two and three sessions in, respectively. We've had a number of near-death experiences, and three character deaths so far.</p><p></p><p>In my opinion, you absolutely MUST use variant rules to bring this dungeon to life. This adventure was written for 3rd Edition, and the default 5th Edition rules are way too forgiving. If you want to recapture the terror and peril of AD&D and 3E, then you need to use the following variants: </p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Roll for Ability Scores</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Variant: More Difficult Identification (DMG, p. 136).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Variant: Encumbrance (PHB, p. 176).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Variant: Training to Gain Levels (DMG, p. 131).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Variant: Wands Don't Recharge (DMG, p. 141).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Variant: Slow Natural Recovery (DMG, p. 267).</li> </ul><p>Slow Natural Recovery is the most important of these, but even compared to 3rd Edition, it's very forgiving. If your players are down with it, then I recommend dropping Hit Dice altogether and simply having a long rest heal 1 hit point. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?535868-The-Tales-from-the-Yawning-Portal-Classic-Dungeon-Crawl-Variant-Rules-Package" target="_blank">Here's a thread I made</a>, with more in-depth discussion. </p><p></p><p>Also, the default passive Perception rules are TERRIBLE for classic dungeon crawling. Do not use them. Most of the DC's in Sunless Citadel are 15. One of my groups has a passive Perception 12; the other 16. So by the default rules, one group would miss every single trap and secret door, and the other would detect every single trap and secret door. That's too predictable and boring. </p><p></p><p>Instead, I've adopted a method that I learned here (which I believe was part of the D&D Next playtest at some point). For every trap or secret door, take the DC to detect it and subtract by 9 (DC 15 - 9 = 6). The resulting number becomes a modifier for a 1d20 roll (1d20+6). If the result is lower than anyone's passive Perception score, then the trap or secret door is detected. </p><p></p><p>There was a long discussion about this method, and where the 9 comes from, but I believe it was lost in the Great Forum Disaster of 2016. </p><p></p><p>One other tip: Make full use of Nimble Escape. Goblins are sneaky, and they should be Disengaging or Hiding as much as possible. Just don't have them Hide mid-combat unless you want your players to employ the same tactic; instead, have them drop behind barricades or around corners, giving them total cover.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Prakriti, post: 7093002, member: 6855149"] I'm currently running Sunless Citadel for two groups. They are two and three sessions in, respectively. We've had a number of near-death experiences, and three character deaths so far. In my opinion, you absolutely MUST use variant rules to bring this dungeon to life. This adventure was written for 3rd Edition, and the default 5th Edition rules are way too forgiving. If you want to recapture the terror and peril of AD&D and 3E, then you need to use the following variants: [LIST] [*]Roll for Ability Scores [*]Variant: More Difficult Identification (DMG, p. 136). [*]Variant: Encumbrance (PHB, p. 176). [*]Variant: Training to Gain Levels (DMG, p. 131). [*]Variant: Wands Don't Recharge (DMG, p. 141). [*]Variant: Slow Natural Recovery (DMG, p. 267). [/LIST] Slow Natural Recovery is the most important of these, but even compared to 3rd Edition, it's very forgiving. If your players are down with it, then I recommend dropping Hit Dice altogether and simply having a long rest heal 1 hit point. [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?535868-The-Tales-from-the-Yawning-Portal-Classic-Dungeon-Crawl-Variant-Rules-Package"]Here's a thread I made[/URL], with more in-depth discussion. Also, the default passive Perception rules are TERRIBLE for classic dungeon crawling. Do not use them. Most of the DC's in Sunless Citadel are 15. One of my groups has a passive Perception 12; the other 16. So by the default rules, one group would miss every single trap and secret door, and the other would detect every single trap and secret door. That's too predictable and boring. Instead, I've adopted a method that I learned here (which I believe was part of the D&D Next playtest at some point). For every trap or secret door, take the DC to detect it and subtract by 9 (DC 15 - 9 = 6). The resulting number becomes a modifier for a 1d20 roll (1d20+6). If the result is lower than anyone's passive Perception score, then the trap or secret door is detected. There was a long discussion about this method, and where the 9 comes from, but I believe it was lost in the Great Forum Disaster of 2016. One other tip: Make full use of Nimble Escape. Goblins are sneaky, and they should be Disengaging or Hiding as much as possible. Just don't have them Hide mid-combat unless you want your players to employ the same tactic; instead, have them drop behind barricades or around corners, giving them total cover. [/QUOTE]
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