Valindra Shadowmantle

[Cap'n Kobold]

Most sources I can find put the value of a one-pound bar of adamantine at somewhere between 300 gp and 400 gp, so that's 6000 gp per character minimum. Not game-wrecking by any means, right?

Where are you getting that price from?
My back of the envelope calculations put 1lb Adamantium bars at around 50gp assuming usual crafting rules and that people making adamantium weapons don't sell at a loss.

But that assumes 1) Sithi Vinecutter is around to stop them from looting and 2) they don't just kill or incapacitate or simply ignore her. The adventure does after all only put four weak CR 1/4 creatures between the party and all the loot.

I don't think that evil parties are generally catered for in official APs. If they're going to murder and/or steal to get more than they would be allowed to leave with then that is going to net them a little more cash if they can find a buyer, and may well have repercussions further down the line.

(Now remember, one of my players is of the kind that breaks copper doors free and calculates the iron weight of weapons, all in order to make a few extra gold pieces)

Well, given iron is worth something like 1sp per lb, at least that is going to encourage not dumping Str as a stat to carry that kind of haul.
Anything to encourage Dex not being the best stat.

Okay, what would a quick estimate by your regular friendly non-physicist Dungeon Master that haven't really thought about what appears to be a minor detail be?

Even at 10% purity that would still be worth almost four million gp!!

So, using your figures for the moment, and since you are basing this criticism off a very strict interpretation of the rules . . .
How long a period of downtime would it take your players to create these four million gp worth of goods?

(I'm guessing that not all of them are proficient in mining tools, so the PCs who aren't manning the forge can work on transporting a hundred thousand pounds of cargo through the jungle. )
(While missing some of their number.)
(And the hazards are growing greater as the undead grow more numerous.)
(And the soul clock ticks away.)

If you have taken even the slightest step towards allowing characters to do something useful with their wealth (perhaps using the "Buying a Magic Item" rule of XGE), this location alone means they get to buy "all of it", regardless of power or rarity.

So after the first couple of years, they will likely have magic yclwas for everyone, and the merchant prince's entire stock of low-level scrolls?

 

[Grahmir]

Most sources I can find put the value of a one-pound bar of adamantine at somewhere between 300 gp and 400 gp, so that's 6000 gp per character minimum. Not game-wrecking by any means, right?

Treasure. The treasury contains the stockpiled wealth of Hrakhamar. Thousands of iron and adamantine ingots are neatly sorted, stacked, and crated. Each iron ingot is worth 1 gp and weighs 10 pounds. Each adamantine ingot is worth 10 gp and weighs 1 pound. If she is present, Sithi Vinecutter allows the characters to collect their reward, though she watches them closely to be sure no one takes more than twenty ingots.

 

[Banesfinger]

Roping the thread back to the opening post's topic about Valindra...
Has anyone played through this encounter?
I just played it out with my group last week. Several of my players also play the Neverwinter MMO, so it was a "holy sh*t" moment when she revealed her true identity. Valindra wanted to 'scare' them because through conversations (while in her disguise) she found out they had Syndra's map. The adventure clearly states Valindra would "kill" for that map. They had visited Kir Sabal prior and had the location of Omu marked on it....
After taking the PCs map (easily), Valindra used her teleport circle and "escaped"....

So according to the adventure, Valindra will clearly be looking for the soulmonger in Omu (no doubt with a strong presence of the Red Wizards as well). So how are a group of 7 - 9th level PCs supposed to compete with a 21CR lich??? Should I just conclude that she's done her job now and returned to Thay, but left her Red Wizard lackey's to explore the city?

 

[CapnZapp]

Roping the thread back to the opening post's topic about Valindra...
Has anyone played through this encounter?

When my party explored the floating cliff, they hesitated to press her for details, maybe sensing she was more than she let on. On the other hand, she didn't make any outrageous demands, so it's not that they had any excuse to murderhobo her.

I am acutely aware of a lich's low HP, so I had prepared an elaborate round-by-round tactic with the intent to neither TPK the party nor allow the party to steamroll her. A raw copy of my notes:

Valindra uses her passive Insight to avoid getting surprised, then uses Legendary Resistance to survive until it's her turn, when she casts Power Word Stun on the specific character attacking her first, then action surge for Time Stop. There she saunters over to tell the stunned character “don't you know if you act before you think it can get you killed?”, and places three small cubes with gold inlay around this character (Action 1). She proceeds to tell the others “if you get the Soulmonger for me, I shall forgive your bad manners and instead reward you. But first a small test so we aren't wasting each other's time... If you can save your comrade's life, I shall be impressed.” She nonchalantly casts Cloudkill (Action 2) and disappears into the fog.

If she gets a third action, she moves back to her Teleportation Circle, but it triggers a Spell Glyph that Dimension Doors her to the swamp below, where she casts Project Image (Action 3) to where she was, keeping up her monologue (now using her Image): “when you're done, I will tell you where the Dark City of Omu is, since it is there you need to go”. In theory, only characters with special senses would notice the “blip” (and of course her Image doesn't fool Truesight).

If any of them insult her, she / her Image says “please escort our guests out, Idris”. If any of them does go after her “oh my, are you sure you want to do that”. If they spend an action to disbelieve, or hit her image in combat, she tsk-tsks them and says “you really want to prove you're useless to my cause, don't you? Okay, fine, I'm convinced. Now stop irritating me.”

At the end of the turn, add three Wraiths to the initiative list, one from each cubes. They attack the closest living being (which may or may not be the stunned character).

Her manservant Idris is a brooding but silent Revenant in livery. It is probably surprised during the first round, and so is also added to the initiative list.

Achieving an "she's toying with us" impression is incredibly difficult in D&D (if you don't abandon any pretense to sticking to the rules), because D&D designers are fond of handing out absolutist abilities that make fooling the PCs nigh impossible, but I would have hoped this would achive just that!

As you can see, I have taken a few small liberties such as granting her Action Surge (as if she multiclassed two levels of fighter) and a few monster summon cubes (since that won't interrupt an ongoing Time Stop) and using Cloudkill to help Project Image from being exposed as an illusion.

 

[CapnZapp]

So according to the adventure, Valindra will clearly be looking for the soulmonger in Omu (no doubt with a strong presence of the Red Wizards as well). So how are a group of 7 - 9th level PCs supposed to compete with a 21CR lich??? Should I just conclude that she's done her job now and returned to Thay, but left her Red Wizard lackey's to explore the city?

At no time does the adventure say anything about Valindra a) really trying to kill the PCs or b) joining her Red Wizards in Omu.

So yes, if you're concerned you're about to set up a fight the heroes cannot win... then don't. Per the adventure, she's content sitting in the Heart of Ubtao until Zagmira & Co report success.

On the other hand, if the party bungles their fight with the Red Wizards, by all means have a surviving RW radio in Valindra as reinforcements

As you might imagine, she's much more deadly when in the presence of some quality minions. Just keep in mind you made the decision to "activate" Valindra, so don't complain about the adventure if things go sideways

 

[Banesfinger]

Achieving an "she's toying with us" impression is incredibly difficult...

It was much simpler with my group. As per the RAW encounter, Valindra only Arcane Gate'd one PC up to the Heart of Ubtao (at 5th level, the group had very little ability to fly). When Valindra dropped her disguise and threatened the PC for Syndra's map, the PC took out the map...but instead of handing it over, he threatened to burn it (cantrip).
Valindra just laughed....allowing her undead minions to show themselves from the closets. With an evil grin, she just said "My dear mortal. Go ahead and burn it...but if you do, I'll kill you (Power Word Kill), then animate your dead corpse and command you to re-draw the map anyway...so let's just do this the easy way and hand over your map...."

 

[Banesfinger]

Just keep in mind you made the decision to "activate" Valindra...

Actually, this worked really well to help my players immerse themselves in the adventure. This death curse affects the whole world. Every major organization is out looking for the soulmonger. The RAW adventure could easily lull the PCs into thinking they are the only adventuring group to be looking for the soulmonger. So I've really 'ramped-up' they are in a 'competition' with rival adventuring groups, Merchant Princes, Thieves' guilds of the Sword Coast, and now the Red Wizards...all desperately seeking to be the first to get to the soulmonger. It has really added to the atmosphere that the PCs are part of a greater world event!

Also, in my 'version' of the adventure, Valindra and the Red Wizards had NOT discovered Omu yet either....so the PCs map is directly responsible for allowing them to find the city. This is akin to Indiana Jones' rivalry with Belloq (Raiders): "Dr. Jones. Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away."

 

[Eltab]

If you have taken even the slightest step towards allowing characters to do something useful with their wealth (perhaps using the "Buying a Magic Item" rule of XGE), this location alone means they get to buy "all of it", regardless of power or rarity.

Sure they can drop The Most Impressive Shopping List Ever when they get back to Port Nyanzaru. But it's still gonna take time to make their stuff, and/or send shipping orders out all across Faerun to the high-level crafters who CAN make the top-end stuff. Then FedEx (or whoever) has to deliver it - maybe also rent a Lyft 4x4 if the group is back in the jungles.

When you work it all out, the PCs are most likely to receive their package(s) right after the 'adventure timer' runs out : when the surviving battered PCs stagger OUT of the Tomb of Annihilation. Which at least would make the new equipment their Just Reward.