The Village of Hommlet has a built in TPK ending

[Darren]

Thats beautiful! Tell me does the Temple of Elemental Evil preserve this?

Aaron.

Yes.

I keep thinking I would like to run ToEE with a 3e group, but then I look at those unfinished nodes, among other things...

I'm curious, has anyone actually played through ToEE, found all the little bits needed to complete the skull artifact, successfully destroyed the nodes, and got out again in one piece (well, at least one party member getting out in one piece) to tell the tale?

 

[satori01]

Assasin in 1e was also not an optimal class, in terms of power. A 10th level Assasin if memory serves correctly had the thief skills of a 7 level thief. Were talking 2d6 backstab damage at the start of combat, if his or her 45% hide in shadows worked.

Bards are the same way in 3e. My 6 person 2 level party took out a 5th level Bard long ago. a 5th level bard is not,(despite the rules) equavilent challenge as a 5th level wizard.

 

[eyebeams]

It's because you're supposed to haul ass to the ToEE and Nuln. Failing that, you're supposed to make friends with the local NPCs. There are hooks in the adventure to do just that, such as by dealing with the minor baddies in the inn or letting Turjan know about the merchant's affiliations.

 

[diaglo]

yes. taking the assassin out of context with the rest of the PCs actions could be a TPK.

but as others have noted and the text does too. the PCs don't play in a box. they interact with the world and NPCs around them.

so boastful PCs not caring about who or what they say... can lead to their deaths.

but ones who have just routed a moathouse and found Lareth's plans should be wary. wary enough to look for agents in town or nearby. wary enough to seek help from those in authority.

 

[AuraSeer]

Assasin in 1e was also not an optimal class, in terms of power. A 10th level Assasin if memory serves correctly had the thief skills of a 7 level thief. Were talking 2d6 backstab damage at the start of combat, if his or her 45% hide in shadows worked.

In 1E, wasn't backstab damage a multiplier, instead of added dice? I'm not trying to nitpick, I just haven't cracked those books in a long long time.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Yes.

I keep thinking I would like to run ToEE with a 3e group, but then I look at those unfinished nodes, among other things...

I'm curious, has anyone actually played through ToEE, found all the little bits needed to complete the skull artifact, successfully destroyed the nodes, and got out again in one piece (well, at least one party member getting out in one piece) to tell the tale?

Not me. I ran it for about a year before I told the party, "While you're healing in town, you hear that some other adventuring group has opened the last of the gates and it has unleashed horror!" They had some time to explore some of the nodes but for the most part, that latter part, after the Hommlet, is just brutal.

 

[Wolf72]

a sample 3.5 version of the 10th lvl assassin would help visualize what would happen to a 3x party.

a level or two of fighter, definitely rogue (or maybe ranger) ... how many levels would that make in the assassin Prc? 5? ...

 

[Sejs]

Well, the 3.X Assassin is a different beast than his predecessors. The most honest interpretation would be straight Rogue until he could qualify for Assassin. However, that may not be the most effective build you could have, granted.

Off the top of my head, if I were trying to build an assassin?

Lawful Evil, Human. Urban Ranger/1 (FE: Human), Monk/1, Rogue/3, Assassin/5.

 

[Pielorinho]

To me, the realism question is this: would the Temple really be able to afford a tenth-level assassin to avenge the death of a fifth-level priest? IIRC, there weren't many tenth-level characters anywhere in the adventure, and by the end of it, eight-level characters are expected to be able to drive an (admittedly weakened) demon queen back to her homeworld.

This would be a lot more plausible to me if it called for the services of a fifth- or sixth-level assassin, one that would be commensurate to the damage committed by the PCs.

Daniel

 

[Monte At Home]

I'm curious, has anyone actually played through ToEE, found all the little bits needed to complete the skull artifact, successfully destroyed the nodes, and got out again in one piece (well, at least one party member getting out in one piece) to tell the tale?

Yes. And a fun time it was, too.