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

[BlueBlackRed]

Anyone else having an issue with PALADINS detect evil? well, not really a problem par se, but they sure just kick the door open and the paladin can tell if anyone is waiting in the room to jump them.

I hated the Detect Evil ability for awhile. But after a few sessions I realized it saved the group from more than one TPK.

Eventually the paladin fell to the barghests in region E, but Detect Evil is also a 1st level cleric spell. So now each of the two clerics in the party take one per day.

I've nerfed Detect Evil in region I. I'm having all the fleshy walls project faint evil. Now Detect Evil shows faint evil everywhere so basically it only works for more powerful evils.

 

[soggybag]

Ring of Warmth and other magic

I have been running the WLD for a few months now. Things are going well. THe players have only made it to area B. But there was a huge battle with the goblins that went on for two sessions.

On the way the players found a Ring Of Warmth. I can not find this in the DMG. Is there a description of this item some where? Should I just make it up?

In general there seems to be a low level of magic items, and some of the magic is not useful to the party in the setting. For example the Headband of Intellect is useful for Wizards but wizards are not recommended for the Dungeon for lack of spell books. How are the rest of you treating magic items? I had been going by the book so far. Though I am considering converting the Headband to +2 charisma so as to make it useful.

 

[Old_Man_Fish]

[SIZE=-1]
"I hated the Detect Evil ability for awhile. But after a few sessions I realized it saved the group from more than one TPK.

Eventually the paladin fell to the barghests in region E, but Detect Evil is also a 1st level cleric spell. So now each of the two clerics in the party take one per day.

I've nerfed Detect Evil in region I. I'm having all the fleshy walls project faint evil. Now Detect Evil shows faint evil everywhere so basically it only works for more powerful evils."
[/SIZE]

Yeah, I'd have to say that I don't really mind it par se. It is just taking awhile to get used to. Especially since the group I play with usually will have nothing to do with paladins. It has ended up saving them much heartache, and, in reality I always try to convince them to do things the smart way. So I shouldn't be at all aggitated by their method of check door for traps, kick door open, scan for evil, bombard said evil with thrown items and/or sleep spells until it trys to charge them or run away, Kill the evil.


[SIZE=-1]"I have been running the WLD for a few months now. Things are going well. THe players have only made it to area B. But there was a huge battle with the goblins that went on for two sessions.

On the way the players found a Ring Of Warmth. I can not find this in the DMG. Is there a description of this item some where? Should I just make it up?

In general there seems to be a low level of magic items, and some of the magic is not useful to the party in the setting. For example the Headband of Intellect is useful for Wizards but wizards are not recommended for the Dungeon for lack of spell books. How are the rest of you treating magic items? I had been going by the book so far. Though I am considering converting the Headband to +2 charisma so as to make it useful"
[/SIZE]

I've noticed the somewhat low amount of magic in the first area. This would be made up for in the two resistance rooms....However, my party has managed to avoid every magic item except for the shortsword in A40 and the Feather Token in A25. They did, however, venture up to E92 just long enough to grab the +1 holy spear.

Ring of warmth is explained earlier in this thread by CrimsonScribe -- The "Ring of Warmth" isn't actually in the 3.5 Dungeon Masters guide. The most recent place I can find it is the 3.0 DMG. It has a continual effect of Endure Elements (Cold) - that is negating 5 points of cold damage to the wearer per round.

i don't think i would convert the headband to charisma....the headband does help out in a number of skill checks and whatnot. Besides, The party will get more magic as they continue onwards.

 

[jim pinto]

swamped

I have been running the WLD for a few months now. Things are going well. THe players have only made it to area B. But there was a huge battle with the goblins that went on for two sessions.

On the way the players found a Ring Of Warmth. I can not find this in the DMG. Is there a description of this item some where? Should I just make it up?

In general there seems to be a low level of magic items, and some of the magic is not useful to the party in the setting. For example the Headband of Intellect is useful for Wizards but wizards are not recommended for the Dungeon for lack of spell books. How are the rest of you treating magic items? I had been going by the book so far. Though I am considering converting the Headband to +2 charisma so as to make it useful.

my apologizes for my silence. i've been swamped and it won't be ending soon. but its after hours and i thought i'd stick my head in.

ring of warmth = ring of minor energy resistence (cold).... boring new name, but hey

decrepit = haunted... sorry... last minute name change. must have missed one.

pretty index in pdf format in about 2 weeks... sorry for the delay

any other questions i'm missing?

 

[pelvo]

my apologizes for my silence. i've been swamped and it won't be ending soon. but its after hours and i thought i'd stick my head in.

ring of warmth = ring of minor energy resistence (cold).... boring new name, but hey

decrepit = haunted... sorry... last minute name change. must have missed one.

pretty index in pdf format in about 2 weeks... sorry for the delay

any other questions i'm missing?

Provided you got my e-mail about the error check revision of the index, no.

 

[jtone]

any other questions i'm missing?

The descriptive text in J72 seems to imply that there are two tunnels. The map only shows one (via Region N). Where is the second tunnel?

 

[jim pinto]

The descriptive text in J72 seems to imply that there are two tunnels. The map only shows one (via Region N). Where is the second tunnel?

the text is wrong

there is only one

sorry for the confusion... although if the ogre mage leader of the azers completes his journey, there is one in the floor.

 

[DemonGnome]

Just an update on my current campaign. The current group has so far made it thru Regions A, B, C, I, and part of M and are now well into Region N. For the most part their primary tanks (Dwarven Defender and Huge Earth Elemental) have managed to handle most fights without too much serious risk. That is until they encountered Pure Vice (which they set loose even after 5 rounds of warning signs) which proceeded to pound the hell out of them. both the dwarf and elemental have well over 100 hp (the elemental has about 200 actually) and after a couple rounds they were almost dead. The Defender lasted one round before needing a heal from the cleric cast (which didn't even repair all the damage done) and after a couple blade barriers spent the next few rounds downing potions. One nasty tactic Pure Vice used (essentially a marilith in stats) was to remain in the room it spawned in, while the adventurers were in the next room out of sight, and to project image into their room and use its linked sight to throw blade barriers aorund. Also one of the players who was killed in Region N two weeks ago has returned, albeit now undead (Necropolitan Template from Libris Mortis. Essentially all the pros and cons of being undead without a bunch of unusual special abilities and no ECL adjustment as it replaces the level lost due to death). Which will be the result of most who are killed while in region N.



As for my previous post on horde issues, I found a solution for the skeletal hordes at least. The skeletal hordes dont measure up to their challenge ratings as they are listed IMO and so I replaced the multiple hordes with one Bone Pile, a 23-Headed Hydra Skeleton (essentially a 12 headed Hydra with the Multi-Headed & Skeleton Templates Added)

For those interested, replace the encounters with multiple skeleton hordes with one:

Bone Pile: 23-Headed Hydra Skeleton; CR 12; Huge Undead; HD 34d12; hp 221; Init +6; Spd 20 ft.; AC 37 (-2 size, 2 dex, 27 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 34; Base Atk +17; Grp +23; Atk +23 melee (1d10+6, bite); Full Atk +23 melee (1d10+6, 23 bites); Space/Reach: 15’/10’; SA ; SQ DR 5/Bludgeoning, Undead Traits, Immune to Cold; AL NE; SV Fort +11, Ref +13, Will +19; Str 23, Dex 14, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills and Feats: None; Improved Initiative

 

[DemonGnome]

Oh, if you want another creation, I am trying to come up with similiar CR undead repalcements for the other hordes and this was one of my attempts:

Advanced Four-Headed Gargoyle Mummy: CR 15; Large Undead (Augmented); HD 18d12+21; hp 138 Init +5; Spd 30 ft, Fly 60 ft ; AC 20 (-1 size, 1 dex, 10 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +18; Grp +32; Atk +27 melee (1d8+10 plus mummy rot, claw); Full Atk +27 melee (1d8+10 plus mummy rot, 2 claws) and +27 melee (2d6+5 plus mummy rot, 4 bites) and +27 melee (2d6+5 plus mummy rot, 4 gores); Space/Reach: 10’/10’; SA Despair (Will DC 19), Mummy Rot (1min, 1d6 con & 1d6 cha, Fort DC 19); SQ DR 10/Magic, DR 5/--, DV 90’, Freeze, Vulnerable fire (+50% Fire Damage); AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref +14, Will +13; Str 31, Dex 12, Con --, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11
Skills and Feats: hide 15, listen 22, spot 22; Improved Multiattack, Toughness, Improved Natural Attack (Claw), Improved Natural Attack (Bite), Improved Natural Attack (Gore), Improved Toughness, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Combat Reflexes

 

[just__al]

Jumping in

I'm going to start running this once a month on a saturday for an extended session. I'm going to start the PC's in Region A but what I'm going to do is let them start at second level but with only 10xp (in case anyone with scribe scroll would like to scribe a few scrolls during chargen). Then when they hit 3000xp they can level to 3rd level. I figure it will give them a little survivability.

The other thing I'm considering doing is if any PC gets brought to -10 hp or less I'll set them at "death's door" where they will die in one round unless they are stabilized and they cannot stabalize on their own, they need outside intervention. It will present extra drama as SOMEBODY has to get to their fallen comrade in the nick of time to save them.

I cannot wait, one of the players is a good friend who got me into the hobby way back when by running me though the keep on the borderlands. He hasn't played D&D since early, early, second edition.