Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Funkstorung 09-20-04, 11:25 AM	Hi all! It was ten years ago I DM:ed the last time, back then it was cyberpunk, and now it has come to Eberron... In my regular group I'm the only one who hasn't DM:ed yet so I really feel like it's time. I'll have three players, all friends of mine and all somewhat mature and even though one of them always play the same type of character they're all, at least, decent rp:ers. So the group is solid, no problems there. I'll be running the "campaign" in the back of the Eberron rulebook so I'm wondering if someone who has already DM:ed it might give me some hints as to what might go wrong, if the campaign has any special flaws that might not be easy to spot or just generally how to make it as fun as possible for my group. And me of course ;) Also, ANY advice to a new DM will be greatly appreciated...I'm new in the business and it would mean a LOT to me if my group would enjoy the evening. I've played FR and D&D for two years now so I know most of the core rules and I own the DMG, PHB and Monster Manual, all 3.5 and the expanded psionics book. I also bought the adventure "Shadows of the last war" in case it all goes well and they want more of Eberron on another evening. I'm thinking of only allowing the races and classes from the phb and Eberron. No fancy stuff here, I need to know what characters they run and what they can do. If any of them are planning on a prc they'll have to ask me to let them have it, and I'm planning to keep the prc's as just that..."prestige" classes. They are hard to find a trainer for and the prc will have to fit the world. So...oh, learned and wise ones, please show me the light and impart a small fraction of your great wisdom upon me, a lowly adept! :)
atanhel 09-20-04, 12:16 PM	yesterday I ran it and ran it some trouble! first my changeling changed into the killed person, so the warforged thought she didn't kill him! ( no problems there), but when the warforged was killed, the guards came while the party thried to dump the body ( because they thaught that the warforged final messenger, saw the changling last, and so the would sent on the message that the victim wasn't killed and when the body would never be found they had all the time to investigate), and they thought that the party killed the guy ( and blame them), but instead of surrendering the artificer used his obscuring mist scroll, to get away and flee into... out of the map and into Sharn... now they're on the run ( with the journal), and... welll let's just say that I have to make the forgotten forge a bit longer, so... everything can still happen
Kane ir'Omik 09-20-04, 06:42 PM	yesterday I ran it and ran it some trouble! first my changeling changed into the killed person, so the warforged thought she didn't kill him! ( no problems there), but when the warforged was killed, the guards came while the party thried to dump the body ( because they thaught that the warforged final messenger, saw the changling last, and so the would sent on the message that the victim wasn't killed and when the body would never be found they had all the time to investigate), and they thought that the party killed the guy ( and blame them), but instead of surrendering the artificer used his obscuring mist scroll, to get away and flee into... out of the map and into Sharn... now they're on the run ( with the journal), and... welll let's just say that I have to make the forgotten forge a bit longer, so... everything can still happen Well, you can always have Lady E contact them by "mysterious" means <ie. goblinkin with a note, mysterious mist that appears out of nowhere and tells them when/where to meet her, etc..> and put the adventure back on track. It'll have a nice twist then of good-guys-mistaken-for-bad-guys-have-to-complete-mission-while-hiding-in-the-shadows type of flair. You can actually turn this towards your advantage. Let them see the seamier side of Sharn.
Somebloke 09-20-04, 06:57 PM	My advice: Tremble.
Saurenda 09-20-04, 11:14 PM	The problem most people ran into was the horrid rats. You may want to downplay that encounter a bit. As for Saber, this battle can usually kill an unprepared party. By the sounds of things your group might close the door behind them. Things often can make the party linger in a place too long, remidn them they are the depths of Sharn, a very dangerous and rarely explored place.
Nhoj509 09-20-04, 11:52 PM	<Forgotten Forge Spoilers> Well, it's not a campaign, just a short adventure. My group of three manged to finish it in one sitting, and that included character creation. As a party of 3 w/ no healer, I gave them all a cure LW potion at start to ballance it a bit. For the warforged, I gave him a repair LD potion. While my group didn't have a single death, it was very, very close. A friend reffed this for six and killed half the party. With 3, you'll want to either lighten things up, let them have help of some kind (like my potions), or just let them die. I think the city guard might be problematic, as players might try to fight them. If they do, you should warn them, that, since they live in Sharn, that the guard might be corruptable, they don't let up on magical investigation of dead guardsmen. Sometimes adding a bit of character knowledge that the players might not know helps. In my case, my group grabbed the satchel and ran before the guard arrived. When they went into an inn to check out the contents, I let them play with it (the sorcerer even tried to write on the blank pages of the Journal!) and then sent in the messenger from Lady E. Here's where I messed up: I didn't actually say that Lady E. returned the jorunal to them. So when the sewer confrontation happened, they told the warforged they didn't have it, and they meant it. They didn't think they had it. I said OK, it's back w/ Lady E. then. THEN: when they found the hatch, I said, "actually, you do have the journal, I'm sorry, I forgot." So they figured out they needed it to open the hatch by my slip up. "We hold the journel up to the hatch, moving it closer" "How close do you move it?" "We keep moving it closer until something happens." "OK, nothing happens until it touches, and then..." Oh well, it's just as CR 1 trap. The shaft down was a bit of a conundrum. I didn't see where it said how deep it went straight down. Since the party had 50' of rope, I said 60'. The warforged failed his climb half way down, so took 3d6, which almost took him out. My party almost lost the sorcerer's familiar to the beetles, and everyone to the horrid rats. AC 20 is very easy to miss for 1st level adventures, and 2d6 of damage packs quite a punch. I don't know why they are CR 1. The forge itself could be a deathtrap if they party goes into there wounded. My party did rest and find the healing potions in the old church, so they were fine, just down a few hps, before attempting the forge. The forge presented one intersting problem for me. The changling rogue slipped when climbing up on the roof, so the sorcerer climbed up and in. And she had the journal. No one else went in! Just the AC 9, 4hp sorcerer! Yet, since she had the journal, the iron defenders didn't attack. Then, she takes the journal, and taps the dogs on the head! (She had tried the journal on the adamantine doors to, she liked using that journel.) Well, that was too much for me (and it was getting late), so I decided that the touch made the rods pop out, but didn't hurt the defenders. She found the 3 depressions, and then figured out to dig out the 3rd dog, and get the 3rd rod. "I put the rods in the slot." "Which do you put in first?" "Oh. (long pause) Well, the 3 sided one. then the 4, then the 5. Might as well go in order." You can see how easily it could have gone the other way! I gave all the CR 2 xp for the trap to her, as the others were just sitting outside. Saber scared them pretty well. His first flaming arrow knocked the warforge out, down to -2 hp. If Saber hadn't been stunned by the color spray, it could have been a TPK. Even stunned for 4 rounds, with the party's main tank out, he almost revived before they finished him off. Everyone enjoyed it. Hope you do too!
Save-vs-DM 09-21-04, 12:01 AM	I’m happy to help out a fellow DM. I’ll list some general tips and then some advice for the Forgotten Forge as well. General Advice Know your limits: If you’ve GMed a game before, sit down and take a long, hard look at what you do well and what you need to work on. Some GMs are good at “winging it,” while others (myself included) need a bit of structure beforehand. If you need to prepare a lot of things ahead of time, do it before the game so you have a chance to review what you’ve done. Take a look at what you do well. Make sure that you can showcase your strength. Then take a look at what you don’t do so well. If you have trouble running combat, for example, try and find a way to shore up your weakness. If you have a player in your group who is good at combat, ask him to give you some help or tips. Know your players: This is a very important fact. Know what your players like and don’t like. If one guy has a disruptive habits, take that into account when you start running. Make sure your players (not the characters, the players) get along well. This will keep things running smoothly. Be Organized: When it comes time to start rolling the dice, you should have everything you need arranged how you can find it. Make sure you have a pencil, scratch paper (tablets of graph paper are wonderful for this) and all the material you need to run the game. Mark pages in the Monster Manual or other books you need with sticky notes. Start Simple: If you’ve had a long break from DMing, start simple (the forgotten forge is a good way to do that). Expect your first few sessions to be a bit rough around the edges. It usually takes a good deal of time to get back into full DM trim. Above all, have fun. These message boards can be a good source for help. If you’re looking for a treasure trove of good advice, check out http://www.roleplayingtips.com . They’re a great resource and have TONS of tips for good DMs. You can get all of them in a nice archive for cheap, as well. Forgotten Forge Advice General Tip: Write down your player’s hit points, AC, attack bonus and saves. Some of these encounters are quite tough, so you might need to pull a few punches to avoid a TPK. General Tip: Your party only has three people. Be aware that adventures are designed for four people, so some of them might need to be scaled down a bit. I’ll include tips to scale things down in the following passages. Otherwise give them an NPC or cohort. General Tip: Make sure that your PCs know about action points. There are points in the adventure that almost require them to be used. Death in the upper city: If your party tries to catch the Final Messenger (my players tried) I suggest having them roll initiative against the final messenger (I gave it a +4 bonus). If they win have them roll a touch attack to snag it (it’s touch ac is 26). The City Watch: Be sure to make your party aware that the watch is TOUGH. If possible give small hints that Sgt. Dolom would make a good ally. If they insist on attacking them, drop them in a jail cell. The Broken Anvil: This is pretty straight forward. Make sure you don’t miss telling them about “Bonal talked about bringing fire.” That fire can be a lifesaver later. The Rats Market: This can be a fun roleplaying experience. Possible Sidetrek: Skakan’s Trouble: Skakan has been bothered by a large bugbear asking for protection money. If they help him out by dealing with the bugbear, he can give them a reward of 2 cure light wounds potions and 2 flasks of alchemists fire. Sharn Sewer: If they only have three characters, I suggest dropping one of the shifters. The Door to Yesterday: If they get stuck on the doorway, have them make an intelligence check (DC 15) for a hint. Beetle Swarm: This can be very, very hard for three characters. I’d let one of them make a knowledge check (dungeoneering or bardic) DC 15 to let them know that fire is good against these things. Ruined Temple: No problems here. Don’t let them take too much healing water from this place. Sabers Ambush: If there are only three characters, I’d suggest changing his Adamantine Body feat to Mithral Body, otherwise it might be too tough. Otherwise change his HP to 20 or so. Horrid Rats: These things are NASTY! I’d suggest dropping one rat if there are only three characters. Foundry: Some players might not think of checking the roof, so you might need to prod them a bit to check it out. Iron Defenders: These guys gave my characters a LOT of trouble (bad dice rolls) but I don’t think they’re that tough. The Vault: This puzzle was simple for my folks. I drawn diagram helped me a lot, as it is kind of hard to visualize how this thing is shaped. That’s about all I can think of them. Good luck and have fun! Cheers, Save vs DM
Funkstorung 09-21-04, 05:08 AM	Thanks very much everyone! =) That was a bunch of excellent advice, I'll have to write down some of the things you mentioned so I don't forget. About me just having three players when the adventure is made for four...I'm thinking of letting them roll 4d6 for each attribute instead. That'll make them tougher. Or should I give them points to buy attributes for and perhaps up the amount of points a bit? Any suggestion for how many points would be enough?
Save-vs-DM 09-21-04, 03:59 PM	I'd go with point buy myself, isntead of dice rolling - there is always one player who rolls very poorly. This isn't quite right, but let me see what I can work up. Monsters are balanced assuming a party of four 25 point buy (elite array) characters. That's 100 points. You only have three characters. Thus one could assume that 100 points between three characters might balance, roughly. (I leave a lot of other factors out, and I know this is hardly a straightforward conversion, but hey, you have to start somewhere). I'd suggest perhaps a 32 or even 34 point buy for three PCs. To be honest I actually let my PCs player with a 32 point build in my normal games (which have six players). I find it lets them round out characters and also gives me a bit of "wiggle room" when desinging adventures, because the party is effectively 1 or 2 levels higher (which I account for in the xp awards). Just out of curiousity, what races/class are they playing? Cheers, Save vs DM
Funkstorung 09-22-04, 05:09 AM	I'd go with point buy myself, isntead of dice rolling - there is always one player who rolls very poorly. This isn't quite right, but let me see what I can work up. Monsters are balanced assuming a party of four 25 point buy (elite array) characters. That's 100 points. You only have three characters. Thus one could assume that 100 points between three characters might balance, roughly. (I leave a lot of other factors out, and I know this is hardly a straightforward conversion, but hey, you have to start somewhere). I'd suggest perhaps a 32 or even 34 point buy for three PCs. To be honest I actually let my PCs player with a 32 point build in my normal games (which have six players). I find it lets them round out characters and also gives me a bit of "wiggle room" when desinging adventures, because the party is effectively 1 or 2 levels higher (which I account for in the xp awards). Just out of curiousity, what races/class are they playing? Cheers, Save vs DM In my group the problem is that two of the players roll VERY well. We usually go with "roll away till you're happy". Usually this leads to unbalanced characters. Some will get extreme attributes (for the lucky roller or the one that goes on untill he/she gets 3-4 18's) while the others will get a normal statline (I personally hate to roll more than 3 or 4 times....that feels greedy) and the latter character will have a hard time to prove their value against the uber characters. So point buy it is. Or I could put a cap for their attributes....something like they may only have 78 attribute points in total? That's equal to each attribute beeing 13. And thanks for the suggestion about a 34 point buy, I was gravitating toward roughly that amount myself! =) I have no idea what races they're going to play. Though my guess is I'll have one very naive elf female character, preferably cleric or wizard. One will probably go for shifter ranger or warforged fighter and one for the changeling rouge, I think.
polt 09-22-04, 09:39 AM	Yeah its a bit short, and i agree about the Horrid Rats, those things are NASTY. Maybe you want to make some more rooms and corridors before they find the big chamber at the end.