tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post6679244336941736897..comments2024-03-26T15:35:56.004-04:00Comments on Delta's D&D Hotspot: HelgaCon VIII – Vault of the DrowDeltahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-24619879229092449302022-03-11T12:01:59.364-05:002022-03-11T12:01:59.364-05:00Good question! Honestly in 1E I could see the DM l...Good question! Honestly in 1E I could see the DM legitimately going either way. The description of MR in the Monster Manual says it gives a chance of "any spell absolutely failing in the monster's presence", and it specifically calls out breaking through a hold portal, which isn't cast on the monster (coming directly from the scene in LOTR).<br /><br />But recently I had conversations about the golems' magic immunity, and the overwhelming consensus was the opposite of my expectation, so take that with a grain of salt. :-)Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-14046850952830350322022-03-09T08:27:19.868-05:002022-03-09T08:27:19.868-05:00Nice! We have a problem for the invisibility. Our ...Nice! We have a problem for the invisibility. Our dungeon master syas "magig resistence" can detect invisibility, which the players do not agree. We plays 1st edition. What's your opinion?Valerio Carusohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16153366370018063577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-79560680514436156892015-05-14T20:30:47.182-04:002015-05-14T20:30:47.182-04:00That's very good, I'll look for something ...That's very good, I'll look for something similar in GIMP.Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165997449776226774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-89505127716062515772015-05-14T12:19:28.403-04:002015-05-14T12:19:28.403-04:00Added image to the main post above.Added image to the main post above.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-30293740033010778032015-05-14T12:14:04.245-04:002015-05-14T12:14:04.245-04:00I think that's a good observation. What I did ...I think that's a good observation. What I did for this game to set each zone was google a vaguely appropriate image and then mangle it in Photoshop with a "sketch > chalk & charcoal" filter to make it look more suggestive and artsy. I think it worked pretty well. Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-37770424576379733692015-05-13T18:38:37.008-04:002015-05-13T18:38:37.008-04:00I really love the art you posted from the module. ...I really love the art you posted from the module. It looks so simple. It would be amazing as a DM to be able to sketch cavern environments quickly. I think such sketches would be more useful than detailed maps because players and DM interact with words rather than numbers (distance-height); it's more about subjective views than plan/omniscient views.Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165997449776226774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-30399871329171945922015-05-12T10:53:22.467-04:002015-05-12T10:53:22.467-04:00Now I'm seriously tempted to break out my copi...Now I'm seriously tempted to break out my copies of those modules and think them through with a hacksaw and 4h in mind. Would be fun to see if your feat can be replicated. <br /><br />No minis and no battlemaps for sure!AndreasDavourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17170806742393291962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-53049187981739950602015-05-12T10:30:01.821-04:002015-05-12T10:30:01.821-04:00G1 I would have to go back and re-tune, because ho...G1 I would have to go back and re-tune, because honestly I was very frustrated back when I did that. (<a href="http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2010/04/g1-steading-of-hill-giant-chief.html" rel="nofollow">link</a>) At the time I was using minis and a battlemap for everything, which slows everything down, and that particular experience convinced me to flush that (also "haste" spells were overpowered) -- the next year G2, non-mini-battlemap, was one of the players' favorites.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-81990737457185192772015-05-12T04:54:27.734-04:002015-05-12T04:54:27.734-04:00Those numbers fit my experience better. Hours spen...Those numbers fit my experience better. Hours spent on a few rooms. I'd love to see you step by step break down, say G1, and how you worked and though doing the pruning to work out the good bits. <br /><br />Well done sir! I'm in awe.AndreasDavourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17170806742393291962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-31157491070607793132015-05-12T02:33:38.375-04:002015-05-12T02:33:38.375-04:00One other thing on the monster stats: An argument ...One other thing on the monster stats: An argument could be made that it's not worth pages and pages of info on low-level NPC fighter-types. No matter how many different +1 or +2 bonuses some 2nd- or 3rd-level fighters have, they're still going to get mowed down by name-level PCs. In the past I was somewhat misled into thinking that they would be tough opponents due to all those special bonuses, but that turns out to not be so much the case. That's not an issue in G1-3, but it is throughout D1-3, for example.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-53409086806718502082015-05-12T02:30:18.891-04:002015-05-12T02:30:18.891-04:00And on player deaths: You're right, no one die...And on player deaths: You're right, no one died this session which everyone involved was complete agog at -- and even friends in other games heard word of this and came asking in disbelief. My games are renowned for high body counts in prior years. For example: G3 had a TPK with the exact same pregenerated PCs (although somewhat fewer players). So I think in this case it was a perfect storm of (a) top-notch play by the players, and (b) fantastic dice rolls in their favor. Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-59712012021721166952015-05-12T02:27:44.100-04:002015-05-12T02:27:44.100-04:00Good observations (and shout-out to WG4 as well, d...Good observations (and shout-out to WG4 as well, definitely). <br /><br />I think it's a legitimate criticism here that a lot of the text is +1 sword, +2 dagger, +3 buckler, +4 chain mail etc., etc. I do find myself doing a lot of advance prepwork trying to summarize that stuff into a shorter format. Organization in that regard was not Gygax's strong suit. <br /><br />The use of the cloaks and travel directions was communicated by a guard in the Black Tower that they'd charmed.<br /><br />I feel pretty good with the group not reading the module in advance; I wouldn't trust other groups that way but it works here. Some are not hardcore enough to want to spend time researching in advance, and the rest all make a good-faith attempt to be honest, I think. My experience here makes me guess that the more time passes the more this stuff drops into a prehistory that young gamers won't know about. <br /><br />I actually think that D3 could totally be an open-ended campaign site all on its own, of practically unlimited extent, depending on how much anyone wants to develop it. I bet you could months or years in the greater underground area, if not the Vault all by itself. <br />Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-66507576496936089052015-05-12T02:17:19.291-04:002015-05-12T02:17:19.291-04:00Ooooh, great idea!! Thanks so much for the kind wo...Ooooh, great idea!! Thanks so much for the kind words as always. :-DDeltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-54119164677490661392015-05-12T02:16:24.674-04:002015-05-12T02:16:24.674-04:00Well, it took me most of a decade to figure out ho...Well, it took me most of a decade to figure out how. :-) Go back 8 years and I we only completed 1/3 of module S1 in about 5-6 hours. Module G1 they got to a few rooms; G2 they got through level 1 to the first part of level 2; G3 they get TPK'd quickly. D1-2 we were barely getting to the terminal areas, maybe 3-4 rooms encountered there. Finally D3 I think I overcame the frustration and had sensible focus and pacing. Skipping random encounters for this purpose is key. Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-24628912162618055452015-05-11T17:32:03.245-04:002015-05-11T17:32:03.245-04:00--D3, Vault of the Drow. In my opinion, it's t...--D3, Vault of the Drow. In my opinion, it's the best of the series; Gygax at the pinnacle of his powers<br /><br />I think D1-D3 & WG4 Tharizdun could almost be incorporated into the AD&D DMG as exemplary scenarios.<br /><br />But do you not find there is too high a ratio of monster stat/equipment descriptions at the expense of the environment?<br /><br />--The player of one of the pregenerated PC's, randomly named Atol Daggerbreaker, asked: "Can I try to break his dagger?"; to which the answer seemed like it had to be "yes". So with his warhammer he smashed the magic dagger<br /><br />Sweet. Judicious.<br /><br />--A chest contained an invaluable set of green cloaks were procured, which would thereafter allow travel in the Vault with being accosted by Drow patrols<br /><br />How did they figure this out?<br /><br />--Eerily, the players perfectly recreated the Jeff Dee illustration of the scene.<br /><br />How do you feel about DMing a scenario that is so readily available to players to read beforehand even if it is simply out of interest rather than 'cheating'?<br /><br />--This was a sequence which I intentionally planned to accelerate, but I think I gave just enough narration to get an overall sense of the setting<br /><br />How many more hours would you ideally like to have had and what would you like them to have done in the city given that they were incognito? For a one-off it sounds like the fast paced tactical combat worked well but if you were running a regular campaign would you have more role-playing?<br /><br />It sounds like no PCs died which leads me to think they were too powerful. For such an adventure I would expect 1/3 casualties.Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11165997449776226774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-52792781426414547992015-05-11T10:43:45.602-04:002015-05-11T10:43:45.602-04:00Helgacon VIII was so full of win, to use the moder...Helgacon VIII was so full of win, to use the modern turn of phrase. Thanks for polishing up this string of Gygaxian gems and presenting them to us. I think this session and our epic run of "Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl" were some of the finest, most intense D&D games I've ever been in. <br /><br />Your mention at the end of our characters sailing on the underground seas gives me an interesting idea. What if you combine this campaign setting with your Corsairs of Medero seagoing sandbox. Could be funky. <br /><br />Anyway, consider my hat tipped, oh Professor of the Polyhedrons. A cracking run of games. May there be many more to come! :)BigFellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03052419088140204154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-31896973143302149142015-05-11T08:05:53.685-04:002015-05-11T08:05:53.685-04:00So you really play G1-3 and D1-3 in a 4 hour slot!...So you really play G1-3 and D1-3 in a 4 hour slot!? Amazing that it can even be done.AndreasDavourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17170806742393291962noreply@blogger.com