City of the Spider Queen Horror Stories [Archive] - Wizards Community

City of the Spider Queen Horror Stories [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Jefuri no Oni
01-28-05, 12:47 AM Many of you might have heard of a module by WotC called "City of the Spider Queen" written by James Wyatt. I have heard that there are quite a number of horror stories about this module. I have head of TPK's that happen in the first encounter of the first dungeon. :eek: How many of you out there have played the module? Please share your experiences. Especially if you were ever involved in one of the TPK's that the module seems to be infamous for. :devil: I would still love to hear any of your stories about this module even if they are not horrendous tales of TPK's. : :coolcthul

I will start with a story I have
Warning Possible Spoilers ahead.

I am currently GMing the module and it was the first session. Durbo the party's Gnome Rogue failed his search check on one of the early Save or Die Traps :eek: :weep:. Lucky for him our group doesn't play with save or dies because we think they are boring, anti climactic, and stupid. So in our game save or dies deal damage it's a variant that has worked out quite well for us. Fortunately for him his Gnome had enough hit points to barely survive that trap. :ayyyy!:

Mine is not exactly a horror story because of our house ruels regarding save or dies but it was definately a horror story waiting to happen and because the Ghost behind the trapped door almost immediately attacked them it could have been a TPK had the Gnome not lived, especially because the Human Fighter rolled about 3 natural 1's in a row in the fight with the Ghost that followed the trap. .:schemes: :devil:
Board_Rider
01-28-05, 02:18 PM Reading thorough it and trying to update it to 3.5...what a pain.
Played it once.....long story...no more 14th level Mage.
Jefuri no Oni
01-31-05, 03:18 PM Ah come on Board Rider tell the story of your dead 14th level mage. Long stories are often the best stories.

In regards to the pain of converting it to 3.5, I got around that by not using the 3.5 rules for this particular adventure. I refuse to spend $90 on material that I already own 90% of anyway.
jmpt
01-31-05, 05:01 PM When I played in this campaign I didn't notice it being particularly harder then any other published module. We had a couple of deaths, but no more than usual. The campaign got easier as we got further into it. By the end we were mucking around and killing the bad guys in odd ball ways just for fun.
Jefuri no Oni
02-03-05, 02:13 PM When I played in this campaign I didn't notice it being particularly harder then any other published module. We had a couple of deaths, but no more than usual. The campaign got easier as we got further into it. By the end we were mucking around and killing the bad guys in odd ball ways just for fun.

It sounds to me like your GM was not playing the bad guys smart at all. Perhaps he was burned out and just going through the motions. Was he having them just sit around with their thumbs where the sun don't shine isolated in their rooms waiting for the PC's to kick down the door and slaughter them? Or was he having them react to the PC's and work as a team?
jmpt
02-03-05, 04:13 PM It sounds to me like your GM was not playing the bad guys smart at all. Perhaps he was burned out and just going through the motions. Was he having them just sit around with their thumbs where the sun don't shine isolated in their rooms waiting for the PC's to kick down the door and slaughter them? Or was he having them react to the PC's and work as a team?

No I wouldn't I say he was playing them statically, though whether he was holding back a bit I couldn't say. I think it was a combination of strong power gamed PCs and playing it with evil PCs that may have aided things. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of dire moments that could have gone either way. Its just that towards the end, the challenges started to fall away rapidly.
Jefuri no Oni
02-11-05, 02:20 PM Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of dire moments that could have gone either way. Its just that towards the end, the challenges started to fall away rapidly.

Well all those level 9-12 NPCs in Castle Maerimydra going up against level 17+ PC's is probably part of it. I think the biggest problems for my PC's are going to come from Ice, possibly Jhorganni and her Bodyguards, and likely I'm going to have all the major players in Castle Maerimydra fight them at the same time after being buffed to the gills by Cabrath Nelinderra. This encounter might give them problems, but they do have their team work and combat strategies down to a science. That's the reason they have done so well so far. That and my group's house rules regarding save or dies.
tariff
02-17-05, 03:26 AM We are currently playing this module...my adventure log is here
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tariff/Adventures.htm
Rulebook
02-17-05, 05:53 AM pfft. took a party of 6 9th level PC's in with me, and ran it to the ground.

(okay so the pc's had things like dwarven defenders and Werebears in it... so what? lol)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jefuri no Oni 01-28-05, 12:47 AM	Many of you might have heard of a module by WotC called "City of the Spider Queen" written by James Wyatt. I have heard that there are quite a number of horror stories about this module. I have head of TPK's that happen in the first encounter of the first dungeon. :eek: How many of you out there have played the module? Please share your experiences. Especially if you were ever involved in one of the TPK's that the module seems to be infamous for. :devil: I would still love to hear any of your stories about this module even if they are not horrendous tales of TPK's. : :coolcthul I will start with a story I have Warning Possible Spoilers ahead. I am currently GMing the module and it was the first session. Durbo the party's Gnome Rogue failed his search check on one of the early Save or Die Traps :eek: :weep:. Lucky for him our group doesn't play with save or dies because we think they are boring, anti climactic, and stupid. So in our game save or dies deal damage it's a variant that has worked out quite well for us. Fortunately for him his Gnome had enough hit points to barely survive that trap. :ayyyy!: Mine is not exactly a horror story because of our house ruels regarding save or dies but it was definately a horror story waiting to happen and because the Ghost behind the trapped door almost immediately attacked them it could have been a TPK had the Gnome not lived, especially because the Human Fighter rolled about 3 natural 1's in a row in the fight with the Ghost that followed the trap. .:schemes: :devil:
Board_Rider 01-28-05, 02:18 PM	Reading thorough it and trying to update it to 3.5...what a pain. Played it once.....long story...no more 14th level Mage.
Jefuri no Oni 01-31-05, 03:18 PM	Ah come on Board Rider tell the story of your dead 14th level mage. Long stories are often the best stories. In regards to the pain of converting it to 3.5, I got around that by not using the 3.5 rules for this particular adventure. I refuse to spend $90 on material that I already own 90% of anyway.
jmpt 01-31-05, 05:01 PM	When I played in this campaign I didn't notice it being particularly harder then any other published module. We had a couple of deaths, but no more than usual. The campaign got easier as we got further into it. By the end we were mucking around and killing the bad guys in odd ball ways just for fun.
Jefuri no Oni 02-03-05, 02:13 PM	When I played in this campaign I didn't notice it being particularly harder then any other published module. We had a couple of deaths, but no more than usual. The campaign got easier as we got further into it. By the end we were mucking around and killing the bad guys in odd ball ways just for fun. It sounds to me like your GM was not playing the bad guys smart at all. Perhaps he was burned out and just going through the motions. Was he having them just sit around with their thumbs where the sun don't shine isolated in their rooms waiting for the PC's to kick down the door and slaughter them? Or was he having them react to the PC's and work as a team?
jmpt 02-03-05, 04:13 PM	It sounds to me like your GM was not playing the bad guys smart at all. Perhaps he was burned out and just going through the motions. Was he having them just sit around with their thumbs where the sun don't shine isolated in their rooms waiting for the PC's to kick down the door and slaughter them? Or was he having them react to the PC's and work as a team? No I wouldn't I say he was playing them statically, though whether he was holding back a bit I couldn't say. I think it was a combination of strong power gamed PCs and playing it with evil PCs that may have aided things. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of dire moments that could have gone either way. Its just that towards the end, the challenges started to fall away rapidly.
Jefuri no Oni 02-11-05, 02:20 PM	Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of dire moments that could have gone either way. Its just that towards the end, the challenges started to fall away rapidly. Well all those level 9-12 NPCs in Castle Maerimydra going up against level 17+ PC's is probably part of it. I think the biggest problems for my PC's are going to come from Ice, possibly Jhorganni and her Bodyguards, and likely I'm going to have all the major players in Castle Maerimydra fight them at the same time after being buffed to the gills by Cabrath Nelinderra. This encounter might give them problems, but they do have their team work and combat strategies down to a science. That's the reason they have done so well so far. That and my group's house rules regarding save or dies.
tariff 02-17-05, 03:26 AM	We are currently playing this module...my adventure log is here http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tariff/Adventures.htm
Rulebook 02-17-05, 05:53 AM	pfft. took a party of 6 9th level PC's in with me, and ran it to the ground. (okay so the pc's had things like dwarven defenders and Werebears in it... so what? lol)