Forgotten Forge Module Set [Archive] - Wizards Community

Forgotten Forge Module Set [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Jancarius
06-15-06, 08:31 PM As a DM, I have been noted to have two major flaws. 1) Playing to character's weaknesses to challenge them. Rather than just throwing a really powerful straight fight at them, I tend to throw a moderate difficulty fight that nullifies as many advantages that they have as possible. 2) A tendancy to like challenging my party on most encounters.

So, I thought I"d give my party a comparison. I'm running the WotC written modules for Eberron, Forgotten Forge, Shadows the Last War, Whisper of the Vampires Blade, and the other one that's name I forgot. These modules are pretty ridiculously hard. Since two of my players have played through Whisper and Shadows before, I expect some metagaming, but I'm running them EXACTLY by the book, no changes whatseover (normally I adjust levels based on the party's level if they're higher or lower than the module). Does anyone have any advice?
Onatar
06-15-06, 11:39 PM Generally the average party can get through all of them with some challange until you get to Whisper. The party I was playing in was slaughtered except for two people. They only survived because they had Holy Symbols. So without something similar I wouldn't be suprised at a total TPK.
id4698
06-16-06, 12:33 PM Thats interesting that those modules seem really hard for your party. I ran my party through them, ran them by the book, and was surprised that they were carving right through them. I had to bump up a few challenges actually.
Onatar
06-17-06, 11:36 AM Thats interesting that those modules seem really hard for your party. I ran my party through them, ran them by the book, and was surprised that they were carving right through them. I had to bump up a few challenges actually.

Minor spoilers for whispers of the Vampire's Blade.

Hmm interesting. Everything was decent up until the climax of Whisper. We were slightly damaged after the train and when we went into the pyramid thing we lost one party member because we didn't want to rest in fear that lucan might excape. Also it didn't help that we didn't have a cleric. I would imagine that its possible to Lucan before that or during that with a nice rebuking check or if you get Disiple of the sun you could just destroy him with a high turning check.
RedRobe
06-19-06, 10:27 AM The only one my crew had trouble with was Grasp of the Emerald Claw. They had accomplished the mission and were just too greedy/curious and didn't like running from fights. The cloud giant skeleton killed the warforged (later resurrected, in accordance with Prophecy *thanks Muroni*) and the human ranger/scout (later reincarnated as a dwarf thanks to the druid gaining a level due to more xp from the other two dying). The others were mostly cake. Even the Shadows of the Last War didn't give them too many headaches. So much for building up fear of the Mournland...
Jancarius
06-23-06, 12:41 PM Really? You guys parties didn't have any trouble with the Carrion Crab, followed by the trapped dummy hatches, followed by the half golem wolf, followed by the living spells and elementals, all without healing, and the end of the adventure has an ambush ontop of it?
RedRobe
06-23-06, 02:24 PM The biggest trouble they had in SotLW was in Rose Quarry with the glass zombies and trying to sneak around without the EC finding them. It was really pretty smart the way they did it. The PCs hid amongst the rocks when the EC scouting party was approaching, then they whalloped them quickly. The changeling took the form of one of the scouts and his uniform and went back in claiming there was a raiding party on the way and to send more reinforcements. This evacuated most of the camp one direction, while the PCs slid around the opposite direction. The ambush wasn't much at all at the end. I had to get Garrow out quickly without them pummeling him and the EC soldiers were pushovers.
Soloran
06-23-06, 03:40 PM Just played through Forgotten Forge. The party consisted of 3 players: a warforged fighter, shifter archer, and halfling wizard with least mark of healing. They waltzed through the adventure and managed to kill Sabre pretty easily. I must have done something wrong.
Jancarius
06-24-06, 03:26 AM If this many people had no trouble with it, maybe it'll be easier than I thought.
Deadguy
06-24-06, 08:04 AM I guess I did 2 things that made it safer for the party - which let me adapt things better to my needs:

Hinted that a scroll of goodberry might be a good investment! :)
Modified the interior of the Forgehold, so that natural healing, but not magical healing, worked. I justified this as a bizarre Mourning side-effect on the magics protecting the site. This let the party rest up (and gave the Artificer time to work in the laboratory I added to the map)

Together they made things better, though they did still have a dangerous time of things.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jancarius 06-15-06, 08:31 PM	As a DM, I have been noted to have two major flaws. 1) Playing to character's weaknesses to challenge them. Rather than just throwing a really powerful straight fight at them, I tend to throw a moderate difficulty fight that nullifies as many advantages that they have as possible. 2) A tendancy to like challenging my party on most encounters. So, I thought I"d give my party a comparison. I'm running the WotC written modules for Eberron, Forgotten Forge, Shadows the Last War, Whisper of the Vampires Blade, and the other one that's name I forgot. These modules are pretty ridiculously hard. Since two of my players have played through Whisper and Shadows before, I expect some metagaming, but I'm running them EXACTLY by the book, no changes whatseover (normally I adjust levels based on the party's level if they're higher or lower than the module). Does anyone have any advice?
Onatar 06-15-06, 11:39 PM	Generally the average party can get through all of them with some challange until you get to Whisper. The party I was playing in was slaughtered except for two people. They only survived because they had Holy Symbols. So without something similar I wouldn't be suprised at a total TPK.
id4698 06-16-06, 12:33 PM	Thats interesting that those modules seem really hard for your party. I ran my party through them, ran them by the book, and was surprised that they were carving right through them. I had to bump up a few challenges actually.
Onatar 06-17-06, 11:36 AM	Thats interesting that those modules seem really hard for your party. I ran my party through them, ran them by the book, and was surprised that they were carving right through them. I had to bump up a few challenges actually. Minor spoilers for whispers of the Vampire's Blade. Hmm interesting. Everything was decent up until the climax of Whisper. We were slightly damaged after the train and when we went into the pyramid thing we lost one party member because we didn't want to rest in fear that lucan might excape. Also it didn't help that we didn't have a cleric. I would imagine that its possible to Lucan before that or during that with a nice rebuking check or if you get Disiple of the sun you could just destroy him with a high turning check.
RedRobe 06-19-06, 10:27 AM	The only one my crew had trouble with was Grasp of the Emerald Claw. They had accomplished the mission and were just too greedy/curious and didn't like running from fights. The cloud giant skeleton killed the warforged (later resurrected, in accordance with Prophecy thanks Muroni) and the human ranger/scout (later reincarnated as a dwarf thanks to the druid gaining a level due to more xp from the other two dying). The others were mostly cake. Even the Shadows of the Last War didn't give them too many headaches. So much for building up fear of the Mournland...
Jancarius 06-23-06, 12:41 PM	Really? You guys parties didn't have any trouble with the Carrion Crab, followed by the trapped dummy hatches, followed by the half golem wolf, followed by the living spells and elementals, all without healing, and the end of the adventure has an ambush ontop of it?
RedRobe 06-23-06, 02:24 PM	The biggest trouble they had in SotLW was in Rose Quarry with the glass zombies and trying to sneak around without the EC finding them. It was really pretty smart the way they did it. The PCs hid amongst the rocks when the EC scouting party was approaching, then they whalloped them quickly. The changeling took the form of one of the scouts and his uniform and went back in claiming there was a raiding party on the way and to send more reinforcements. This evacuated most of the camp one direction, while the PCs slid around the opposite direction. The ambush wasn't much at all at the end. I had to get Garrow out quickly without them pummeling him and the EC soldiers were pushovers.
Soloran 06-23-06, 03:40 PM	Just played through Forgotten Forge. The party consisted of 3 players: a warforged fighter, shifter archer, and halfling wizard with least mark of healing. They waltzed through the adventure and managed to kill Sabre pretty easily. I must have done something wrong.
Jancarius 06-24-06, 03:26 AM	If this many people had no trouble with it, maybe it'll be easier than I thought.
Deadguy 06-24-06, 08:04 AM	I guess I did 2 things that made it safer for the party - which let me adapt things better to my needs: Hinted that a scroll of goodberry might be a good investment! :) Modified the interior of the Forgehold, so that natural healing, but not magical healing, worked. I justified this as a bizarre Mourning side-effect on the magics protecting the site. This let the party rest up (and gave the Artificer time to work in the laboratory I added to the map) Together they made things better, though they did still have a dangerous time of things.