tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post6883490087533094370..comments2023-10-16T07:47:36.179+11:00Comments on Eleven Foot Pole: Random EncountersGreg Tannahillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00823898295759037081noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-38443136124064252022009-06-25T20:28:33.994+10:002009-06-25T20:28:33.994+10:00I'm pretty sure you're right, given the mi...I'm pretty sure you're right, given the mixup about where encounter A1 takes place. The labyrinth map seems to be a whole-cloth invention of the cartographer without reference to any of the actual module text.Greg Tannahillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00823898295759037081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-39876305641486761792009-06-04T20:55:23.027+10:002009-06-04T20:55:23.027+10:00As presented, I think area 1 is meant to be the fr...As presented, I think area 1 is meant to be the front entrance while area 22 is the back entrance that leads to the Underdark, right?<br /><br />Take another look at the map of the ruins on page 7 of the first book. The most direct major route to the Hold leaves the Hall southward and immediately turns east, along the Road of Shadows. It forks fairly early. If you go south, then turn east again at the next intersection, you approach the Hold from the west.<br /><br />Conversely, if you go east at that first fork, you're headed for the Grimmerzhul Mines. You have to take a minor path south after crossing the chasm once to get to the northeast tower in the Hold.<br /><br />Now go back and look at the Horned Hold map. Area 1 is the northeast tower.<br /><br />This doesn't completely make sense. You'd think the Hold would be presented in logical order, which would imply that encounter H5 ought to be H1, because why wouldn't the PCs get the most direct route to the Hold -- especially if they get it from the drow? However, it's pretty clear that the module expects the PCs to approach from what is effectively the Grimmerzhul Mines side.<br /><br />I suspect there was a miscommunication at some point between the module design and the map department. The setup text for H5 supports this -- it makes it sound like area 22's gate doesn't lead to the Road of Shadows in any way. Perhaps that southern spur of the Road of Shadows wasn't meant to exist?Michael Cardozahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09094749729965894311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-83226848856802115222009-06-03T21:07:43.575+10:002009-06-03T21:07:43.575+10:00Bryant - We skipped the Big Bad using the undead p...Bryant - We skipped the Big Bad using the undead path, but I'm not sure what you're talking about in terms of two entrancces. I'll re-read the area before doing my posts, but the "back entrance" leads to the Grimmerzhul homeland and the Underdark - I'm not sure that counts as a feasible line of approach for PCs.Greg Tannahillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00823898295759037081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-47947762374072098332009-06-03T03:46:24.122+10:002009-06-03T03:46:24.122+10:00FWIW, my players are about to enter the final Towe...FWIW, my players are about to enter the final Tower in Thunderspire, and are 200 points away from level 7. If a party defeats absolutely everything in the way they'll wind up very close to 8th, but my group is pretty serious about avoiding combat when possible. From memory, they skipped the Refectory and missed two or three of the Horned Hold encounters. <br /><br />The Horned Hold is nicely customizable, btw, depending on which way you choose to have the PCs enter -- there are two reasonable paths from the Seven Pillared Hall to the Hold. It's also not entirely out of the realm of possibility for players to skip the Big Bad -- the room with the undead (I'm being vague on purpose here) gives a back entry to the room with the slaves.Michael Cardozahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09094749729965894311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-25910132727910927102009-06-02T02:17:15.700+10:002009-06-02T02:17:15.700+10:00I'm actually running most if not all of the random...I'm actually running most if not all of the random encounters in TL because I think they add a lot of flavor to the atmosphere of the Labyrinth. Otherwise, it seems like it would just be a process of hiring a guide, warping to the correct part of the Labyrinth, and infiltrating the next base. I've linked each random encounter semi-logically with a destination the PCs might try to get to. So on their way to the Chamber of Eyes, for example, they were harried by the pack of hyenas from enc #2.<br /><br />To account for these, I have slowed the XP advancement so they don't end up overleveled for H3. It does risk drawing out the "sour spot", but I'm hoping that the added variety of encounters will balance that out.<br /><br />I've also implemented the Gendar fetch quests (from the FR conversion) to make more room for some of these encounters, so there's a good chance the party won't stumble on all of them. Their eyes light up at the promise of gold, though, so I won't be surprised if they abandon the main path for awhile to track some of this stuff down. They're becoming quite notorious for leaving things half-finished for awhile.<br /><br />If anything, I'm guilty of giving the players way too many choices, but as most of them are veterans of WoW and its ilk they're apparently used to having scads of quests at the same time and seem to be coping okay.<br /><br />And it's funny you should focus on it, I just did the G. Cube + Wraiths one last week and it was fantastic fun. I had the stone tablet that drops out be a map to the Miser's Pit (hooks to P2). I apparently like to signpost things well in advance.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10483590046585092449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-47867746219697640162009-05-31T13:21:09.376+10:002009-05-31T13:21:09.376+10:00I know! 4E has this necessity to mix strange mons...I know! 4E has this necessity to mix strange monster types in order to create balanced encounters so when I see a really good reason for unlikely creatures to hang out it's one of the best parts of the game.Greg Tannahillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00823898295759037081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-88376076004266277732009-05-31T12:49:13.221+10:002009-05-31T12:49:13.221+10:00a gelatinous cube attended by three wraiths - the ...<EM>a gelatinous cube attended by three wraiths - the undead are bound to their corpses, which the cube is still slowly digesting.</EM>That is a solid dose of awesome right there.Zubonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17678595857805841042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-63630533280018958812009-05-31T08:14:14.416+10:002009-05-31T08:14:14.416+10:00RPGTreehouse - That's (I think) Vadriar, who I'll ...RPGTreehouse - That's (I think) Vadriar, who I'll be coming to in time.Greg Tannahillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00823898295759037081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-8548788546483150812009-05-31T06:36:34.531+10:002009-05-31T06:36:34.531+10:00I haven't got TL in front of me right now but what...I haven't got TL in front of me right now but what's that awesome encounter with the mad man who knows about an impending catastrophe yet is cursed to stick around and see it while remaining utterly silent?<br />A great idea that the PCs will probably never know about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991833568800031158.post-68251175944254289372009-05-31T00:35:05.939+10:002009-05-31T00:35:05.939+10:00Great minds think alike? Or fools seldom differ? E...<A HREF="http://savevspointystick.blogspot.com/2009/03/wilderness-encounters-in-d-1d6-elves.html" REL="nofollow">Great minds think alike?</A> Or fools seldom differ? Either way, it's nice to see that someone else had a similar idea about tying 4E random encounters to planned content - I'm not totally crazy. ;)Anders Hällzonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14034180481043534390noreply@blogger.com