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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LapBandit" data-source="post: 7165887" data-attributes="member: 6778098">For those of you that have run PotA as a DM or player:What parts of the adventure do you think you could have done without or would help make it a more focused adventure?While it is often labeled a sand-box and most DMs (including me when I ran it) want to leave it as such, after playing Curse of Strahd, it isn't terribly different with the single conceit that you can't leave Barovia in CoS.  In PotA you similarly don't have good reason to leave the area depicted in the base map for the adventure.  To that end, what would you tune to change it into a more intense adventure?Here are some of my thoughts:- The Cult activity/presence is more detectable.  It need not be in-your-face blatant, but the effects of the nodes which normally happen late in the game could happen much earlier to exemplify just how strong the forces affecting the valley are.- The people are more aware that something is not just strange with the weather, but that strangers have been pouring into the valley and then just vanishing into the hills.- Haayon the Punisher is already set up but is an unknown entity.- The Nettlebee's Fire Witch story has already reached many corners of the valley.- The Ice Shield orcs are already raiding in the east.- Elemental magic is more powerful but also hard to control when close to any node's surface entrance (Fireball is more powerful and doesn't land where you intended it to, goes off earlier for example).- The cults are resistant or immune to their element (which is already partially in the adventure) and vulnerable to the opposing element (double damage, disadvantage on saves, etc).  It makes identifying those involved in cult activity and powered by one of the nodes much more obvious and makes for interesting RP opportunities.- The Cult ambushers are already running operations.- The PCs arrival in the valley is a big deal and they are considered a threat from the start.  The harrasment, attempted kidnapping and murder of them begins immediately.- Cult spies abound and they are not merely passive.  Many seek to make a name for themselves and move up in their Demi-god's standing by hindering/killing the PCs.  This leads to some solo "suicide" attacks and larger assaults by groups.- The people are close to panic and each town they arrive in is on edge and suspicious of them.  They have to earn the trust of each place they visit by removing cult influences and doing so gives them leads to each cult.  Naturally they will likely visit the towns with the cult hooks in the order of their CR/power as well. 1 West Bridge = air cult activities, 2 Red Larch = earth cult activities, 3 Womford = water cult activities, 4 Beliard = fire cult activities...What do you think?</blockquote>

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