World's Largest Dungeon in actual play [Spoilers!]

[Hussar]

Heh. Like I said, my bunch recruited those orcs. Three rooms later, they're down to 2. Considering those were 3rd level warrior orcs and a 3rd level barbarian orc, that's bloody nasty. Word of advice. With the room with the very big darkmantles, all the doors are open. Draw the party in one of the doors and send a couple of the darkmantles out and around from another door. Bagged me the party cleric, mage and rogue with that one. Unfortunately, didn't get to kill any of them due to timely intervention from the party barbarian and the two remaining orcs. Almost had them. Did drop them down to about -7 hp each though. Way too much fun.

 

[rvalle]

When you grapple, upon a successful grapple check, you get a hold. Darkmantles make a grapple check whenever they hit, they do not need to make grapple attacks. They do need to make a successful grapple check to get a hold. Grapple checks are an opposed grapple roll. Check your PHB under the grapple section for the rules. They are a little different from straight attack rules, so, brushing up before the game is a must.

From the SRD:



So, yup, hit, grapple, squeeze. Bloody nasty critter.

Hmmm, I was till reading this as they start to grapple next round and do auto damage. I ran a small group though the first couple of rooms and they didn't have any problems with the 3 Darkmantles they ran into. The first one hit but failed its grapple. The 2nd time (a battle with 2) on hit, grappled but was pulled off before its turn came around again.

rv

 

[rvalle]

Or, start balancing the party a tad after you whack half of them with the bloody demonic octopi in region A. Those things can be death on wheels if you do it right. Sixteen points of damage in a single round with a couple of lucky rolls (and not all that lucky either) and you're looking for some new PC's fairly often. My bunch recruited the orcs after a brillian critical hit on the chieftain from the half orc barbarian pumped 50ish points of damage into him in the first (and only) hit. Of the 9 they started with, only 2 remain after they met the darkmantles. Those blighters are TOUGH!

Party comp has changed a bit...

Dwarven Barbarian
Gnome Bard (by far the funnest character so far)
Elven Ranger
Dwarven Cleric
Human Monk (for sure and with a name like Wang Chung who can't like him?)
Dwarven Cleric or Fighter or Cleric/Fighter

So now we are totaly rogueless. At least there are some clerics to pick up the pieces afterwards.

 

[Oates]

My group is going through this with an interesting beginning...

All pc's had to begin as a Racial Paragon class from UA.

Begins 4 human paragons, 1 gnome paragon -- no memories/no equipment!!!!

We recruit/are recruited by the Kobolds (yes we were very poor off)

A couple of levels later the party is (no deaths yet... we are very creative)

Human Paragon2/Cleric1 (trying to work to prestige paly) War/Strenght Dom
Human Paragon2/Cleric1 (trying to work to prestige Ranger) Animal/Travel Dom
Human Paragon1/Thief2
Human Paragon1/Monk2 (Currently the major beat stick)
Gnome Paragon1/Sorc2 (An illusion/buffer Sorc???)

Our last battle we fought the big collection of DarkMantles...nearly dying.

It has been the funnest yet poorest (gear wise) I have ever played in. The most magical thngs we have found thus far: Some feather token and a dagger of venom (currently used by the monk!)

 

[rvalle]

Hmmm, I was till reading this as they start to grapple next round and do auto damage. I ran a small group though the first couple of rooms and they didn't have any problems with the 3 Darkmantles they ran into. The first one hit but failed its grapple. The 2nd time (a battle with 2) on hit, grappled but was pulled off before its turn came around again.

rv

Checked a bit. This comes down to the grapple rules:

Step 3
Hold. Make an opposed grapple check as a free action.

If you succeed, you and your target are now grappling, and you deal damage to the target as if with an unarmed strike.

It does not say anything about waiting till next round.

Yikes... those guys did just get a lot more deadly.

rv

 

[pokedigimaniac]

I run in 1 hour. The first darkmantle encounter scared them enough as it was. This is going to be fun.

 

[Hussar]

Our last battle we fought the big collection of DarkMantles...nearly dying.

It has been the funnest yet poorest (gear wise) I have ever played in. The most magical thngs we have found thus far: Some feather token and a dagger of venom (currently used by the monk!)

I'd actually love an opportunity to be a player in this, but, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with stomping on PC's from time to time. I know what you're saying though. THere is very little loot to be had in the WLD. Particularly Region A. My guys currently have an intelligent magical dagger I tossed in to be a bit of comic relief and guide, a +1 battleaxe, and a +1 Javelin (Paladin's Remorse) that I tossed into the weapons room on a very lucky die roll for magical items. On a side note, thanks to The Le Games for their 17 Magic Weapons pdf. It has already seen daylight in the WLD. Funny thing is, no one has any way of casting identify, so while they know the javelin is magical, they don't bother using it. Heh.

I added a touch in the trapped jail room with the teleport pad. I put a Simurg from Dragon 334 in it. It has to be freed by touching the red gem (collapsing field room) to the chain around its neck. Once freed, I'm going to keep it around in Region A to act as a source of info and identifying. At least for a while. Cool critter.

Speaking of Dragon 334, my players will curse the day I got that subscription. The alchemical weapons are EXACTLY what the goblins in Region B need to give them that little bit of oomph. Add in a couple of fire siphons and my players are REALLY going to hate Erik Mona. ) Thankees sah, if you happen to read this.

 

[pokedigimaniac]

Updates on a few things. There are now a total of three blogs/journals for my group - unfortunately, one is mine, and so is locked so that one group doesn't see another's adventures and so on. In any case, the other two blogs are:

http://wldsiriusrogue.blogspot.com/

http://wldweil.blogspot.com/

(Blogspot = start from the bottom.)

I'm also heartily amused, because I've now run for both groups two times each. One group, made up almost exclusively of Small characters (they call themselves the Nutbusterz!) has allied with the kobolds, while the other group, which includes two barbarians (one dwarf, one human), a dwarven fighter, a human monk, and a human cleric, (dubbed the Brawn group) is attempting to gain the aid of the orcs.

This makes me laugh hysterically at the very different directions the parties are taking. I can't wait to see who finds the lizardfolk first.

For those of you who ran beforehand, which faction(s) did your parties ally with in Region A - the orcs, the kobolds, the lizardfolk, or none?*


*This assumes you ran it as written, and didn't use any of jim pinto's excellent modification suggestions.

 

[Hussar]

Speaking of updates, I've finally done one as well. Check it out Here

BTW, as I mentioned before, we had orc cannon fodder. Or I guess it should be octopus chow.

 

[Hussar]

Heh, just discovered the joys that is a Crypt Thing. I've always wanted to use this critter ever since I first saw him in the old Fiend Folio. Well, I stuck him in the red gemstone room in Region A. Poof, I've got PC's all over the region now. Mwahahahahaha!