Treasure Discussion: AD&D1, D&D3

[Quasqueton]

Notes:

The above finishes the main objective of the Temple of Elemental Evil adventure. There is more to the adventure: explore the elemental nodes, then destroy the Golden Orb of Death, and/or kill the demoness Zuggtmoy. As the text of the adventure states:

The fourth level of the dungeon is the true climax of the whole campaign. . . .
The anticlimax comes when the party finally reaches the portion of the third level wherein Zuggtmoy is bound.

The above data does not include the seperated "prison" section of the dungeons. The ways of getting to that area are very limited, and the party could wipe out the entire temple forces and never know it is there -- the high priests don't even know Zuggtmoy is there.

The elemental nodes are huge, and encounters are strictly on a random wandering monster basis. The text even states that exploring the nodes can be a full campaign in itself.

The party could consider the sacking of the 4th level of the dungeon the end of the adventure, and they would not be wrong. Exploring the nodes, assembling the Golden Orb of Death, destroying the orb, and killing the demoness are superfluous at this point.


So, for this data, I am calling the ToEE complete. Next, the AD&D1 party will be moving on the Giants series.

The D&D3 party will continue their adventure path with The Standing Stones.

Quasqueton

 

[Quasqueton]

Someone mentioned the idea above, but I don't know who to give the credit. But here goes:

6 D&D3 PCs going into the Moathouse:

Total xp value (based on CR): 25,550 (compared to 38,148 for the AD&D1 party)

Xp each PC: 4,258 (compared to 6,358 for the AD&D1 PCs)

D&D3 PCs finish at level 3 (compared to 3.33 for AD&D1 PCs)

I must admit, I didn't expect that.

Quasqueton

 

[diaglo]

another note... you picked humans for the 1edADnD party. by the middle and end of ToEE some of the demihumans would be maxed out.

halfling fighters in particular would be done early.

 

[the Jester]

Two of the biggest complaints that people make about 3e compared to AD&D are that 3e gives out too much magic and 3e lets PCs level up too fast. But as Quasqueton has shown, those complaints are without merit.

I wouldn't say that these two complaints are without merit. I would perhaps say that they are exaggerated in most discussions. They are my two biggest complaints about 3e as well.

Bear in mind, though, that in an equal number of levels, 1e characters would have many more encounters.

Speaking of styles of play, most dms didn't use the training rules; if you chose not to, you could get away with massively reducing the amount of treasure earned by the pcs in 1e. In 3e, this is often seen as almost 'crippling' them.

I have noticed that 1e tended to give out the occasional "big" magic item to low-level pcs- I remember a ring of air elemental command in L1, which was designed for characters of levels 2-4, for instance. This is something that 3e almost never does, and one of the coolest things about the Age of Worms (imho) is that moment in the first adventure when the pcs stumble upon a powerful magic item well beyond their normal expectations.

 

[XO]

AD&D 1E (and 2E to some extent)....

30 Orcs in lair. Treasure: none. (oh, I think each has 2d4 gp or suchlike)

20 Bandits in lair. Treasure: 2,000 gp. 4 gems (100 gp each). 3 jewelry (1,200 gp; 5,000 gp; 10,000 gp). Total treasure value : 18,600 gp.

This is for a first level adventure!

Yes, but the main question becomes "Do the magic-users have Sleep as a spell?"

 

[Rel]

Thread closed at the request of the OP.

No harm. No foul. Nobody mad. Just being reorganized.