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D&D 4E Tomb of Horrors (4E version) - anyone run this yet?
- Thread starter Mercurius
- Start date
ArcaneSpringboard
First Post
I'm not Ari, but I'll give my two cents on this.
It's a mixed bag. Some of the monsters look like they're using MM3 numbers, but many do not, especially if they're direct from MM1 (in particular two monsters
(the Aspects of Orcus and Demogorgon)
I'd still go over each monster and make sure that the damage levels are appropriate.
In addition, some of the Solos certainly need tweaking, especially the
gargoyle
Mouseferatu
Hero
ArcaneSpringboard's more or less got the right of it. I wouldn't bother going through and doing calculations on eacn and every monster, but I would make a point of eyeballing any of the (potentially) largest offenders. (The solos, at least.) And if nothing else, be prepared to adjust on the fly.
And in retrospect,
And in retrospect,
I'd probably pick a monster other than mad wraiths for the sundial puzzle. A constant influx of incorporeal creatures with a dazing aura is likely to make for a very frustrating experience. Look for other incorporeal undead with less aggravating traits.
Pbartender
First Post
I'd be curious to compare notes with you... I'm planning something similar -- Tomb of Horrors set in Dark Sun -- for the next time my players are ready to start a new campaign.
Ari & ArcaneSpringboard, I really appreciate your advice and will look to adjust based on your specific suggestions. I'm pretty comfortable eyeballing the monsters, so that's what I'll do with the bulk of the encounters then.
Katana_Geldar
First Post
My problems so far with the monsters in ToH isn't the damage they do, it's more their vulnerabilities. The Lamia and the Scarabs mainly.
Then again, I have not gone past chapter 1 yet. My online group is up to the statues though, and they made the same mistake as the earlier one.
Then again, I have not gone past chapter 1 yet. My online group is up to the statues though, and they made the same mistake as the earlier one.
ArcaneSpringboard
First Post
Yeah, I'd replace the Scarabs with something else.
ArcaneSpringboard
First Post
Last night's session was EPIC.
First, the PCs entered the room with the mummy lying on the floor. Rapidly they were thrust into combat. Another mummy joined the combat the next round. Despite the fact that they'd figured out that by completing the mummifcation ritual, they would prevent any other mummies from rising, they decided to fight, which was tough considering how many hps the mummies did have.
Fortunately for them, I rolled lousy the rest of the combat, going something like 5-6 rounds before another mummy would rise. In the meantime they did beat up the two that had risen, and were working on preventing the others from rising, but couldn't finish off the rituals before the third rose.
It was a bit of a slog, though the rounds did go pretty quickly (though there were a lot of rounds...probably 10-12 in all).
Then the PCs fought the Eldarin in the mist.
To say that this combat went down differently than I was expecting would be an understatement.
On on the first round of combat, the gnoll assassin moved into the room (with Oceanstrider boots so he walked on water), then used the Guileful Swipe power to attack, then pick the key off the Eladrin with a successful Thievery check, attacked again and then shifted away. He then spent an AP to invoke his Stalker's Action PP feature and gained phasing and headed through the wall into the cooridor. The rest of the PCs then followed him.
Needless to say, that was a shock. But then I turned the tables on them.
The Eladrin used her teleport ability which in this case did not require LOS to block off the assassin's escape, and then immobilized him. At that point it got a bit clogged down with her stuck in the cooridor between two groups of PCs.
Eventually she did blast the fighter into the misty grotto (right after he had bloodied her), and he became briefly dominated. But since the combat was primarily fought in the hallway, that trap didn't really come into any effect.
However, meanwhile the Eladrin spent all her attacks on the assassin, giving him dirt naps two or three times I think, nearly killing him, and searching his belongings looking for the key (which he'd pocketed with his Fast Hands ability). The rest of the party pulled out all the stops to try to save the assassin, especially after she started throwing 5 attacks at him.
I was almost certain he was going to die. But he didn't, because of a set of very fortunate circumstances.
First, the fighter used his Vortex Mask to pull her down the cooridor, over the prone assassin (if he hadn't been prone this wouldn't have worked). Then he managed to barely hit her with his attack (courtesy of a house-rule where if they miss by 1 they can spend a healing surge to make it a hit). This pulled her out of melee range of the assassin, where she was putting the smack down on him by attacking his Fort (which was at -2 to boot). Instead, she had to attack at range...and with the -2 from being marked, -2 for attacking a prone target at range, and the fact she was now attacking his much better Reflex defense...she didn't hit any of her 5 attacks. Then she was killed a round later.
Lessons learned? The PCs can have surprises, but boy the monsters can have them too.
Also, I did boost the damage amounts though, to MM3 values, and it definitely had an impact. These guys were much more scared of her than any other Solo of that high of level in the past.
Fortunately for them, I rolled lousy the rest of the combat, going something like 5-6 rounds before another mummy would rise. In the meantime they did beat up the two that had risen, and were working on preventing the others from rising, but couldn't finish off the rituals before the third rose.
It was a bit of a slog, though the rounds did go pretty quickly (though there were a lot of rounds...probably 10-12 in all).
Then the PCs fought the Eldarin in the mist.
To say that this combat went down differently than I was expecting would be an understatement.
On on the first round of combat, the gnoll assassin moved into the room (with Oceanstrider boots so he walked on water), then used the Guileful Swipe power to attack, then pick the key off the Eladrin with a successful Thievery check, attacked again and then shifted away. He then spent an AP to invoke his Stalker's Action PP feature and gained phasing and headed through the wall into the cooridor. The rest of the PCs then followed him.
Needless to say, that was a shock. But then I turned the tables on them.
The Eladrin used her teleport ability which in this case did not require LOS to block off the assassin's escape, and then immobilized him. At that point it got a bit clogged down with her stuck in the cooridor between two groups of PCs.
Eventually she did blast the fighter into the misty grotto (right after he had bloodied her), and he became briefly dominated. But since the combat was primarily fought in the hallway, that trap didn't really come into any effect.
However, meanwhile the Eladrin spent all her attacks on the assassin, giving him dirt naps two or three times I think, nearly killing him, and searching his belongings looking for the key (which he'd pocketed with his Fast Hands ability). The rest of the party pulled out all the stops to try to save the assassin, especially after she started throwing 5 attacks at him.
I was almost certain he was going to die. But he didn't, because of a set of very fortunate circumstances.
First, the fighter used his Vortex Mask to pull her down the cooridor, over the prone assassin (if he hadn't been prone this wouldn't have worked). Then he managed to barely hit her with his attack (courtesy of a house-rule where if they miss by 1 they can spend a healing surge to make it a hit). This pulled her out of melee range of the assassin, where she was putting the smack down on him by attacking his Fort (which was at -2 to boot). Instead, she had to attack at range...and with the -2 from being marked, -2 for attacking a prone target at range, and the fact she was now attacking his much better Reflex defense...she didn't hit any of her 5 attacks. Then she was killed a round later.
Lessons learned? The PCs can have surprises, but boy the monsters can have them too.
Also, I did boost the damage amounts though, to MM3 values, and it definitely had an impact. These guys were much more scared of her than any other Solo of that high of level in the past.
Katana_Geldar
First Post
My online group have reactvated the crone statue, some people are just far too curious.
the Jester
Legend
My group is at the end of chapter one, and they escaped a TPK by inches in the ivy heart encounter. 
Then again, I'm really mixing up the adventure with other in-campaign stuff; the pcs were driven into a pact hag's trap by howlers and canoloths on their way to the Garden of Graves, and most of this weekend's gaming involved the fight with her and the repercussions- she had previously captured a dead pc's soul and, had the party not raised her quickly, it seems that she would have prevented them from doing so, so when they took her alive they spent a great deal of time questioning her, deciding whether to kill or release her ("poor old Granny Esmelda's six mean sisters would no doubt come for revenge if you killed her", she says), etc...
I have to agree that Tomb of Horrors is far and away the best 4e adventure that I've seen. Well done, Ari!
Then again, I'm really mixing up the adventure with other in-campaign stuff; the pcs were driven into a pact hag's trap by howlers and canoloths on their way to the Garden of Graves, and most of this weekend's gaming involved the fight with her and the repercussions- she had previously captured a dead pc's soul and, had the party not raised her quickly, it seems that she would have prevented them from doing so, so when they took her alive they spent a great deal of time questioning her, deciding whether to kill or release her ("poor old Granny Esmelda's six mean sisters would no doubt come for revenge if you killed her", she says), etc...
I have to agree that Tomb of Horrors is far and away the best 4e adventure that I've seen. Well done, Ari!
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