D&D 4E Tomb of Horrors (4E version) - anyone run this yet?

[ArcaneSpringboard]

One other thing...

Spoiler

I would give the Eladrin a Trait that allows her to shake off any dazed, stunned or dominated statuses at the end of her turn.

Didn't matter for my group (no controller) but she's still behind the curve as far as Solo design goes. But her attacks are fine (though I did boost the damage).

 

[Myn]

Hello,

I am going to start running this with my group soon. I was wondering if anyone could suggest any outside resources to help the game run smoother? Other than the book and obvious DM things (screen, dice, models, or other things that you would obviously use) and other than the maps with the book is there anything that would be really useful?

I was also wondering how other DMs are handling player deaths? Do you have them start new characters or simply rez their old ones and have them start where they left off?

Finally I was wondering if you do have them use new characters how many should be made to start with for sessions?
Example: Always have a character to play plus 5 backup characters ready to bring to the table in case of deaths

Sounds like everyone is having fun with ToH so far! Hope my group likes it!

 

[Katana_Geldar]

Books: You will need the monster manuals, I also recommend Manual of the Planes as it gives quite a bit of information about the Feywild as well as later planes you will be visiting. Later on you might need The Plane Above if you plan to do some astral-sailing.

Tools: Aside from minis, I highly recomend getting some blu tach or something similar, all the better to appreciate the curvy walls of Ari's dungeons. The Wizard tower tile set is rather good for round dungeons as well.

Deaths: This is more of a personal question, as you'll want to set up what happens to character if certain..things happen, like their soul gets devoured. And that depends on how difficult you want to make the game.
I haven't had any player deaths so far, touch wood, but due to the nature of the game I'll be putting in extra requirements if I need to.

And remember: this has to take place within a larger campaign, you'll be away for a while after you finish the first dungeon.

 

[ragingpeanuts]

Excellent thread.

I bought the book, it looks like an awesome adventure. I'm gonna interweave it in my own campaign. I've got a question:

The group of players consists of 6 lvl 11 players. They're not powerplayers, nor are they great tactical players atm, but are aptly geared (all a +3 magic weapon, etc.). The group consists of:

• Psion
• Bard
• Avenger
• Swordmage
• Druid
• Probably a Shaman

After the first tomb, can I simply start the team a lvl earlier for the remaining tombs, without having to heavily modify encounters? Or should I modify each encounter and keep it on the recommended starting levels?

 

[Katana_Geldar]

There are recommendations in the second chapter about doing this, raging. Ari himself could no doubt go more.

My online group have finally managed to make it into the graveyward. When faced with the choice of going into the tunnel or along the paths, what do they do? Climb up the cliff!

 

[Katana_Geldar]

And now they are facing the grey angels. This should be fun.

 

[The Human Target]

Cool thread, I've currently been reading up on the original Tomb, The Return, the RPGA 4E Tomb, and the proper 4E module.

I'm planning on running the RPGA module coming up here in the spring when my players hit 9th.

How have the people who've run it feel about it?

I think its neat but not a great fit for 4E so I'm heavily considering moding it a bit.

 

[Katana_Geldar]

This is about the campaign, not the module. The module has it's own thread.

And I love those angels how they don't grant AoO by moving or flying away.

 

[Katana_Geldar]

Okay, now I'm back DMing for the lead up to Moil. I need direct links so the players will know where to go, even if they don't know how to get there. So, I am having a servant of Acererak, a Tiefling Lich, setting up an Eldritch engine in the mortal world. It's in an abandoned dwarven city, Undermere, right on top of a trapped cambion (which was the reason why the dwarves abandoned the place).

My difference is this: this won't be finished, and though the lich finishes the Eldtitch engine it will be done quickly...resulting in what looks like an interesting puzzle.

Now what I want is a round room with a magic sigil in the exact centre, the sigil is the "safe spot" (though you make take Necrotic damage standing on it) as the room shifts around the players almost randomly, between the Dhadowfell, the Feywild and [hl=black]Pluton[/hl]. This is the ante chamber before the Eldritch engine and the encounter with the lich.

So the room around will shift, monsters may appear and if the players are in the room when it shifts they are more or less "stuck" until they can get back to the same plane as the rest of the party.

So I am asking for suggestions to disable this room for them to get to the next chamber. I am not very good at the actual logictics of puzzles, but this seems a very Acererak-y puzzle to have there.

 

[The_Fan]

I'm currently running the RPGA version. Two sessions in, and they JUST beat the gargoyle. Two PC deaths as well so far, both as a result of the Gargoyle taking advantage of the tomb's traps.

One was killed when a cunning plan to introduce the gargoyle to the Devourer went awry when they forgot his flying push effect, and sent two of them into the darkness. One of them (a Mul) managed to pull himself out and survive. The other one (a Daeva sorcerer) was consumed.

I'm being a little nicer than I probably should in that I allowed her equipment to be reduced to residuum instead of being destroyed completely, and she was resurrected in the crawlspace.

They came out of the crawlspace for a rematch with the gargoyle (who they nicknamed Twinkletoes for some reason). Twinkletoes then managed to make a good show of it though. In the last round before he died, he did one last flying attack, and knocked the cleric into an open pit trap with a natural 20. Again, my kind nature overcame me as I said that since the trap was already sprung and you weren't just being dropped onto it, the spikes would take a -5 to their attack roll.

*Natural 20 again*

So the dice had spoken and the cleric fell on the poison spikes, and died bleeding and poisoned.

Another scroll of resurrection, and the cleric was back up, but now the sorcerer is naked with a pile of residuum and the cleric is also taking a death penalty. And they're just about to go through the gauntlet of doors.

I plan to expand this into a full campaign. I've made the point that they can leave any time, at which point the real campaign will kick off. I wish to do the 4e Tomb of Horrors campaign, but I'd also like to incorporate bits of Revenge of the Giants (particularly the time travel bit with Acererak). Any ideas on how to merge the two?