What to run for a group of complete beginners?

[haakon1]

Sunless Citadel Advice?

I would strongly recomend not starting with Sunless Citadel. It gets real hard much too quickly for noobies, IMHO. And even if they do survive they slam right into the "Whadda ya mean, there's no possible way to rescue them?" situation at the end. I'd be hesitant to run it (at least as written) as the first adventure for long time gamers!

I'm going to run the Sunless Citadel tomorrow with a group on their second time out. The first time was "Three Days to Kill", which they "got" and did great at.

When I played "The Sunless Citadel", I was also disappointed at not being able to rescue the supplicants . . . but I figured we made a mistake in burning down the tree. As a DM reading it, I realize there was no way to rescue them.

Should there be? Does anyone have ideas on that?

My PC's will have the primary mission of "capturing" the supply of healing apples, with an eye to growing lots of them for the war effort. Secondary mission of rescuing the NPC's. As written, both of those are impossible missions, but I don't have much problem with it, since the people asking them to do the mission don't know that.

 

[Turjan]

As a DM reading it, I realize there was no way to rescue them.

Should there be? Does anyone have ideas on that?

I let that merchant matriarch already express that she already lost all hope but likes to have at least to know what happened to her missing family members and have the rings for commemoration. It's no problem that way. Although my players had the problem to survive the encounter... .

So, Three Days to Kill worked nicely?

 

[Wraith Form]

I let that merchant matriarch already express that she already lost all hope but likes to have at least to know what happened to her missing family members and have the rings for commemoration. It's no problem that way. Although my players had the problem to survive the encounter... .

So, Three Days to Kill worked nicely?

Three Days is a great choice.

MILD SPOILERS for BURNING PLAGUE ahead




Burning Plague was fun (I was a player--a cleric--and we finished a week ago). We were 2nd level when we took on the end boss. At 2nd level, we mopped the floor with his arse. First initiative round my cleric cast doom on the boss and he (the boss) made his saving throw. He turned around and cast doom on MY butt and I failed my save....

Within another round or two our paladin rolled a 20 attack roll & then confirmed with another 20 and dealt it 14 hp dmg in one shot. (We were cheering by then!) Another PC (a monk, I believe) took it out with another 8 or 9 hp--fists to the face!! This was before the boss had a chance to do any spell casting..... (The DM is a noob to DMing, I have to add, so maybe he didn't start spell casting fast enough.)

But all-in-all, it was basic but fun.

Good luck--!

 

[DarrenGMiller]

I am going to recommend Caves of Shadow. It is 3.0, but it is free. It is short, straightforward and to the point. Over all, excellent as a first session. Check out this thread for more ideas.

DM

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Cliche is good with beginners as has been stated and they know what to expect in those kind of adventures. Just as long as it isn't going into a sewer beneath a tavern to kill rats.

 

[haakon1]

So, Three Days to Kill worked nicely?

Yes, it really did. I toned down some of the demonic stuff at the end, so they could mostly just kill the bandits and run, and I toned down some of the magic items to make it less "Splinter Cell" like. I think the magic items I gave them were some sleep arrows, some thunderstones, and maybe some alchemist's fire.

They liked the aspect of not knowing who was hiring them, and the mysterious party in the Dells, which they liked figuring out was quite evil, in a turning dofusses to devil worshipping way.

To fit my good campaign setting, I had them hear about the party at the Dells while staying at an adventuring inn in town, with it well out of town and a secret -- the militia had broken it up in previous years, so they keep moving it around. Since two of the players had been to Burning Man, I think the D&D version of it amused them.

 

[IronWolf]

Burning Plague was fun (I was a player--a cleric--and we finished a week ago). We were 2nd level when we took on the end boss. At 2nd level, we mopped the floor with his arse.

Wrapping this in spoilers to avoid spoiling ( ) the fun!

Spoiler

I challenged 6 3rd level characters with this encounter. First, he heard them coming an had plenty of time to buff up. When they got there he was invisible and at the *top* of the pillar that only had a narrow path to the top. A Summon Monster brought out monstrous spider that managed to cover the point where the ledge got to the top rather well. A failed save on hold person took out the tank for most of the combat. For the most part it took several rounds before the party even had enough people on top of the pillar to pose an effective threat on him.

I agree though. Burning Plague was a very fun adventure when I ran it.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Ironwolf:

Spoiler

They could have just shot at the cleric from the floor, couldn't they?

 

[IronWolf]

@VirgilCaine

Spoiler

Yep and some did. But with the tank incapacitated and some focusing on moving across the water and up the narrow ledge it drastically reduced the number of folks actually doing that. Coupled with the darkness he had cast it then reduced the chances of those fewer shots hitting even further. The party did beat him in the end without any loss of their own. It just took them awhile to do it and they have learned to not take a single orc lightly any longer! It was a great battle when I ran it.

 

[Turjan]

Yes, it really did. I toned down some of the demonic stuff at the end, so they could mostly just kill the bandits and run, and I toned down some of the magic items to make it less "Splinter Cell" like. I think the magic items I gave them were some sleep arrows, some thunderstones, and maybe some alchemist's fire.

Hm, I think 'Three Days to Kill' needs really a lot of changes. First, two of the players are paladins at their heart (regardless what they play ), so it might be hard to make them swallow the plot hook. The demonic stuff at the end is really harsh, and there are no pictures for some of the monsters, which means I will have to replace them. If I read that right, you did exactly that. The orcs might come over as annoying. And I might change out the town. Well, it looks like fun, nevertheless. But I have the impression that there would not be much left of the original adventure after I'd been done with it .

The 'Burning Plague' has the disadvantage that it will make it hard to play the 'Sunless Citadel' afterwards; at least they will probably 'miss out' on Meepo . And that cleric is too much for 3 1st or 2nd level chars, except they are extremely lucky as in WraithForm's story.