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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ArcaneSpringboard" data-source="post: 5414937" data-attributes="member: 87400">Here's a summary of some observations regarding my last two sessions of running Tomb of Horrors.[spoiler]So, faced with the two keyholes, the PCs went to look for the keys.  I'd tried to start early due to the fact that I'd planned to have the final combat of this chapter for the end of the session...but it didn't really work out and so I ended up skipping the Feywild Ruin encounter.The PCs handled the Dark Laboratory encounter fairly handily, but were surprised by the Bodak's ability to knock someone to 0 hp with one blow.  The planar vats were an interesting diversion, but something I've realized with my players is that they're very brute force...they'll handle the monsters first and _then_ deal with traps or hazards.  I think I need to make the hazards more dangerous.Also, the Force Bridge just served to be more of an annoyance than anything else, as it doesn't really form part of the encounter.  It's much more like a 'classic' trap between encounters.  I'm not really sure those work at all in 4e.So the PCs then went onto the Shadow Engine encounter.  Instead of a demilich construct, I decided to take advantage of the new Monster Vault and replace it with a modified Beholder.  The reason being that the PCs would eventually fight Acererak himself, as a demilich, and I didn't want this encounter to be similar to that one.This turned out 'okay'.  Unfortunately, even with the new math, Beholders just don't do enough damage to really challenge the PCs by themselves.  They only get two attacks normally on their turn...and although they do get a random eye ray attack as a free action at the begininng of a PC's turn (but only if the PC is in range...which 2 of them pretty much weren't most of the combat), something like 4/10 of the eye rays don't do enough damage (or any damage at all).  This makes it very tough to concentrate fire on any given PC and I think I only bloodied a PC once.  Beholders really aren't Artillery...they're Controllers.I replaced the Beholder's 'antimagic ray' with the demilich's soul drain power though...didn't do anything.Again, the PCs ignored the possibility of dealing with the Shadow Engine...I think its worth while to describe some sort of energy beam pointing at the demilich construct (or Beholder in my case) to indicate that it's somehow getting power from it.  Make it blatant, and make it important.  Perhaps make it so that whatever is guarding the shadow engine can't be destroyed UNTIL the shadow engine is destroyed or something.The following session, I skipped over the Skull City stuff entirely.  I'm doing this adventure straight through, and nobody played either the original or the Return to the Tomb of Horrors adventure.Instead, I brought back a character I've been interweaving between the adventures (she was behind the scenes in the Garden of Graves...tried to kill the PCs before the Shadow Tomb, and now tried again before the Abandoned Tomb).  This time, she was mounted on an Elder White Dragon...and promptly got killed like a minion (intentionally...she then was teleported back to her mistress, Vol, and will come back as a vampire in the final chapter).The new Elder White Dragon was pretty nasty (especially the bite), but got locked down pretty badly, so it wasn't able to take full advantage of it's powers.  Can't do a rampage if it can't move!Then the PCs entered the tomb and were amused by all the secret doors.  Eventually they fought the Chorus of the Dead.A couple of points about this encounter.  It's very cramped, although the Callers in Darkness are able to phase through the walls.  Also, they simply don't do enought damage.  These monsters were obviously created before the new math came around, and it shows.  I did the suggested 'double the static bonus' and it worked out well.However, there is one thing that I'd do to improve this encounter.  Don't have the Callers attack the party when they enter this room the first time...do it the SECOND time...when they're looking for the door after getting the keys.  Better yet, have them enter the room through the new secret door...it'll give the PCs something to key off of.  This encounter as written also has the problem of "what does this really add to the adventure, other than just being a fight?"  Perhaps have the encounter end when the secret door is opened.Anyways, there's the summary of my recommendations and experiences from the last two sessions.  Looking ahead with three solo monsters coming up, I know I'm going to have to do some adjusting...especially with the Gargoyle.  They simply don't meet the MV/MM3 standards for Solos and need adjusting.[/spoiler]</blockquote>

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