Finally got my copy and read it all. A flavourful entertaining read. The difficulty of the encounters gives me a feeling of a frustrated DM who's players never make it to a high enough level to play Tomb of Horrors. There's an inordinate amount of 'fuck you' in this adventure is what I'm saying.
I am very much looking forward to running this at the tabletop rather than over a VTT. That sense of crushing doom needs to be maintained in person I suspect.
The NPC's are interesting and invite rrrrole play. Careful notes and/or cue cards would have to be made to make sure they achieve their full utility. Depending on who the party bumps into first could swing the story in wildly different directions and that's intriguing.
I'm down with the numerous save-or-die (and in one case, no-save-just-die) traps. That's par for a grimdark meatgrinder. I feel like the players are well-warned by events leading up to this adventure and their should be no tears shed/molars gnashed.
I'm less down with the, not one, not two, but THREE godlike monsters in this lvls 3-5 (ha!) adventure. It's a lot. I get it, we're not holding hands here. Players are expected to be experienced and act with reason/caution. Still. That's three encounters that present as combats but are actually problems that need to be solved. One of this kind of Trick is usually sufficient.
With regards to that. I LOVE poor, sad Diorag and I think smart PC's should be able to resolve him without begging for hints/openly weeping. I love the chain-radius thing, but did you guys actually measure the dungeon? Because at it's current scale I estimate 400', not as the crow flies, but following the corridors to the edge of his radius and he apparently has 1000' of chain. Don't want to nitpick but, maybe I'm missing something? Even if those squares are 20' (which they might be since despite the scale on the map saying 10' the initial description describes the hallways as 20' wide); even if, that would mean it's 800' to the edge of that radius. Still plenty of chain to hunt the characters right out the front door of the palace.
Similarly, Uyu -Yadmogh should be resolvable as well. If people have reached his throneroom without picking up at least one weapon that can harm him then they deserve what they get.
The Azarog on the other hand is a complete motherfucker and easily the nastiest thing in this adventure, reminiscent of that awful thing in Return to the Tomb of Horrors. The only solution to it is WAY back in the Sphinx Cave which there is a good chance the PC's will never discover. Even if they do, there's little to indicate what they must do to rid themselves of that thing. I guess some groups might be cool with that kind of unresolvable issue but picturing myself as a player, I'd feel pretty frustrated getting hounded by the Azarog through the city while I poke at it with everything I've got and get nowhere. This one could have used an application of the 3 Clues rule. An ancient library or somesuch. Maybe the Master of Ceremonies could be good for some answers if properly propitiated? Once again, I didn't take notes while I was reading, so maybe there were some hints and I've just forgotten them?
The art is great AND compliments the words in setting the mood. The maps are interesting, well designed and clean. Some issues in the printed version hunting for a scale in the Necropolis. Also, an unfortunate issue of dpi resolution blowing up those pixely circles for The Forum might have been worth a quick redo in Photoshop.
All in all, a great read, which is of primary importance to the consumer who may never get a chance to run the thing. Professionally formatted, well illustrated and entertainingly worded. It's easy to picture this in play without serious thoughts of modification or copious note-taking. Definitely some elements will frustrate and infuriate players, but not so much so that it's impossible to complete and I would imagine it will feel quite rewarding to do so as a result.
Good job guys, and thanks for a fantastic effort! I look forward to y I our next project!
I love it...good feedback that touches on some weaknesses.
I think there needs to be a balance of 'fuck you' and a sense of 'doom'...sometimes that can be challenging to capture. I admit, there is a tinge of 'fuck you'...but as a DM I would warn my players that this adventure has no BS...and ask if they up for the challenge. I believe the tone is an attractant to some players.
Roleplay with the NPC's...its what its all about for me.
3 god-like monsters. I see them as more like tricks. I know my player base would probably attack brute force on all 3 of these creatures and die--that's how we roll. But more sensible players (yes, I just insulted the players I play with..hah!) have tools, weapons, or hints on how to make a work-around with these 3 god-like creatures. This adventure is not for beginning players.
Diorag--man....I loved Prince's idea on this (still do)--I think its genius...but it was extremely hard to portray the 'rules' to the reader. I caught myself writing a book on all the rules of this with a crazy map mash-up...and I decided...NO. I needed to trust the GM. This is a total trust the GM rule. We set some limits (1,000' ft. chain), some pillars and twisting passages...had to trust the GM on this. If players are playing it smart and tangling it up with columns, or running from one side of the dungeon to the other...the GM needs to use some judgement. Diorag is supposed to be used as a suspense tool...to hurry a party along, mess up resting, etc.
And you are right about the passage width. I was going to make it 20' wide (which I did for some passages), but the width of the black box (palace) didnt match the size on the island map...so had to make some areas 10' wide.
The map dpi...had some last minute help...but I'm working on improving the map aspects. So much crap to learn to make a decent publication....this publication broke my confidence on making a good map with CC3. I also had some great layout advice...again, so much to learn. So appreciative of the advice of some members of this forum that helped in the last minute.
Glad you liked the art...Eray...the guy who did most of it, worked at a great speed--mine. Others were slower and I had to really time things to make sure it could meet the deadline.
I think you touch on something...a 'fuck you' or grimdark...or 'player frustration' with this adventure. My group wants me to run it for them (and I plan too eventually), but there is definitely a different vibe to this adventure and I feel the need to pre-warn my players---their 'A' game is required.
As always, I really appreciate the feedback so that I can improve.
. I think spending too much time on forums is why when I write something, I start DM'splaining.
