WIR S1 Tomb of Horrors [SPOILERS!! SPOILERS EVERYWHERE!!]
Hussar
Legend
Good points, Bullgrit. Maybe THIS is the best way to handle the Tomb?!
While I realize that this is a joke, there's a fair degree of truth here. You're much better off simply not engaging with the module at all. There are a number of things you can do to bypass virtually the entire module if you start getting really creative - passwall, digging, 2nd Edition Solipsism spells, that sort of thing.
Heck wasn't one of the early success stories basically using mooks as mine detectors?
FoxWander
Adventurer
When we went thru Return we had an intelligent item that could detect traps- only large ones though, like the pits and the quaking room. But still, it made the Tomb a cakewalk. Between liberal use of Unseen Servant or a Ring of Telekinesis to open stuff and my thief being immune to poison and having a Ring of Regeneration- we had absolutely no problems with the Tomb. No dynamite and shovel techniques needed.
Freakohollik
First Post
Bullgrit's posting of some of the secret doors rules made me realize that I don't really know what 1E's rules for secret door detection are. Can someone refresh me on how secret doors are found in 1E? Things like what the probabilities of finding them are, what classes can do it, and how often you roll.
I'd call everything from fake Acerak until the pillared hall the "Secret Doors" section of the adventure. Compared to the rest of the adventure, this section is mostly uninspiring.
When I ran this adventure, I allowed all secret doors to be found 100% when a player declared he wanted to search. I know this way off from 1E RAW, but this part absolutely requires you to find a number of secret doors. The tomb is dangerous enough that the party wasn't searching every square inch.
I'd call everything from fake Acerak until the pillared hall the "Secret Doors" section of the adventure. Compared to the rest of the adventure, this section is mostly uninspiring.
When I ran this adventure, I allowed all secret doors to be found 100% when a player declared he wanted to search. I know this way off from 1E RAW, but this part absolutely requires you to find a number of secret doors. The tomb is dangerous enough that the party wasn't searching every square inch.
IIRC, there are no hard and fast rules. I believe the relevant section is page 97 of the 1E DMG. In general, the player rolls a die to search for secret doors. However, the DM has discretion to determine (a) what size die to roll, and (b) what target the player needs to roll on the die. The DMG also says it's acceptable for the DM to dispense with the die roll and make the players figure things out on their own.
I think the default is that non-elves find secret doors if they roll a 1 on a d6. But I'm not sure.
I think the default is that non-elves find secret doors if they roll a 1 on a d6. But I'm not sure.
FoxWander
Adventurer
That's pretty much it. It breaks down like this...
- Non-elf actively searching - 1 in 6 chance
- elf w/in 10' of secret/concealed door - 1 in 6
- elf actively searching, secret doors - 2 in 6
- elf actively searching, concealed door - 3 in 6
Freakohollik
First Post
Interesting. Those are not good odds. If the party wants to get through this area of the dungeon without using spells to find the secret doors, they're basically going to have to do the 1E equivalent of taking 20 on search checks.
What about thieves? Do they roll on their special table for this? How would the pregen thieves fare (assuming there is a pregen thief)?
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