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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Beginning of the End" data-source="post: 5178186" data-attributes="member: 55271">Judging the Tomb of Horrors as if it were supposed to fit into a normal campaign is to take the module out of context. It's a special, one-shot dungeon that's specifically designed to do something that isn't the normal style of play.And when it's used in its proper context, it's a fun little scenario.I've run the module several times. Every group that has used the 10' pole trick has correctly intuited that there's something wrong with the demon's mouth. (Largely because there's an actual) magic portal right next to it that they can compare behaviors with: The archway gives them their pole back; the demon's mouth doesn't. Even when they've considered the possibility that the end of the pole has simply been teleported away, they hedge their bets and go for the known-safe option.)Other successful mouth-avoidance techniques: Correctly interpreting the poem ("shun green if you can"; the demon bas relief is green). Throwing an object through both portals and then using a locate object spell. Divination spells. And an identify spell.In fact, I've only had three fatality incidents involving the demon's mouth: One group sent two PCs through before bothering to do any kind of investigation. Another group thought of the locate object tactic but didn't have the right spell prepared, so they decided to use locate person instead to figure out where the portal went (only to discover it wasn't a portal). And a third group dead-ended elsewhere in the tomb and back-tracked to the demon's mouth to "see where the other portal went" (having concluded that it must not be dangerous like they thought, since there wasn't anywhere else for them to go -- they were wrong on both counts).In other words, every single group I've ever played with has correctly determined that the demon mouth was dangerous once they decided to actually investigate it. (Although in one case they later out-thought themselves back into the wrong conclusion.)I will also give a dishonorable mention to the guy who saw what happened to the pole and then stuck his hand in to "see if it will do that with organic stuff, too". (It did.)</blockquote>

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