Need Help Scaling Up Red Hand of Doom [Archive] - Wizards Community

Need Help Scaling Up Red Hand of Doom [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sithraldor
02-28-06, 07:05 PM So I need some help scaling up Red Hand of Doom I have a party of five 8th level characters. Human Paladin, Changling Rogue, Aereni Elf Druid, Warforged Artificer, Valenar Elf Ranger, if that helps. I need advice leveling this adventure up from a 6th-12th level adventure to a 8th-14th anyone that can help PLEASE DO SO.
Straylight
03-01-06, 02:59 AM Honestly, there isn't much that needs to be done to the rank-and-file enemies that the PCs face, since they're supposed to be pushovers singly and only somewhat dangerous in packs. Just have them start panicking a little earlier in the adventure.

The real things to focus on to scale up the adventure are:

--The Wyrmlords. All of them are going to need a few more levels under their belts as well as a significant pile of better gear. Be careful with Kul and Stormcaller, though, as both of those characters are going to get very, very nasty in a hurry with more levels tacked on.

--The Dragons. Dragon fights should be extremely memorable -even if there are five of them in (fairly) rapid succession. I'd up each of the dragons by an age category (or two, for Ozzie and Reggie). If you have Draconomicon, consider using some of the material from that book to make each dragon fight a completely different experience.

--Varanthian can probably be left alone. She's a big enough threat as it is.

--The Aspect of Tiamat you can do whatever you like with, I suppose. I'm not really sure how you could advance it without unbalancing it.

--Miha Serani should get at least two more levels of Sorcerer, and definitely a different spell selection. Her spells make sense for her position, but they're not much good in a fight.

--Skather could probably multiclass into Assassin for a couple levels at this point and be fine. Consider giving him a Heavy Repeater instead of his shortbow, and give him one of those scopes that Save-vs-DM wrote up a while ago (allows him to sneak attack/death attack at any range while targeting through the scope).

Other things to consider:

Higher level PCs are going to be more capable and more mobile, and you should consider compressing the timeline somewhat or making the horde more aggressive overall: have them more alert and better informed about the capabilities of the party.

Defenses overall should be better, response times should be faster, and the dragons should just be flat-out smarter than the PCs. Each of the dragon fights has circumstances that can heavily slant the encounter in favor of the dragon; feel free to exploit them.

EDIT:

You have two "woodsy" characters, which will be a great help throughout the adventure, however, be careful how you play the Tiri Kitor elves -they may not take kindly to the presence of either an Aereni or Valenar elf (or both).

Your Druid is also going to take just as much offense to the Ghostlord as your Paladin is... you may need to provide them with some "encouragement" (of a suitably intimitading CR) to avoid a direct fight with the Ghostlord, as that is one battle that can go south in a hurry. Consider having Tyrgarun (advanced to Adult stage) put in a cameo here.

The Paladin is going to be most in his element in Rhest and at the Fane itself. However, there is a lot of water in this adventure, so be aware of what his armor check penalty is. If there is a character who is going to insist on making a stand at Drellin's Ferry, it'll probably be your Pally.

The Artificer is going to be extremely out of his element here, at least on the crafting side, but his infusions can be used to devastating effect at certain points -particularly Skull Gorge and Brindol. The PCs don't have a lot of downtime, but they DO have a lot of time on the road, and they (if all goes well) will be proactively striking at the horde throughout the adventure, rather than reacting defensively, which will give the Artificer time to prep himself with as many goodies as he likes.

This adventure takes place mostly outdoors in the wilds, so unless the Rogue is used to this sort of thing, he's going to feel a little out of place. Infiltrating the horde is going to be difficult at best, though he may have a moment to shine in Rhest. Brindol gives him a few chances to shine, and expect him to try to take on Skather alone. The Fane is also going to give him some fun, as it's the closest to a classic dungeon romp as exists in this adventure.
Tom McCarthy
03-01-06, 10:25 AM So long as the Wyrmlords, dragons, dragonkin, and Ghostlord are advanced appropriately, the rank and file can stay unchanged. As a rule of thumb, anything with a CR of 5 or more should be advanced one step or two, but anything lower stays the same (or increases in numbers by 50%).

If you beef up the action as above, but only give out half the XP and very little treasure, the gap will narrow so that by the climax of Parts 4 and 5, you need to do very little work.
Sithraldor
03-01-06, 11:50 PM Thanks a lot guys. If anyone has any ideas for changing NPC to be more like Eberron and a place where the adventure takes place in Khorvaire. NPCs that fit into dargonmarked house and in want city they function and to waht degree would be helpful too.
Tom McCarthy
03-02-06, 08:41 AM Sithraldor,

http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=584139&page=1&pp=30

This thread talks a bit about the pros and cons of running it in different places in Khorvaire. It also talks about what monsters in the avdenture are or aren't common in Khorvaire and some unique Eberron concerns (why doesn't Brindol send word by House Sivis message station and receive reinforcements by lightning rail?).
Korhal_IV
03-02-06, 05:36 PM I'd throw in a few Warpriests with the early mob encounters, particularly in the "Rumors of War" section - those encounters are supposed to be very threatening because you only run into one every other day at most. The Warpriests strike me as fun guys to have in those encounters.

Straylight - might want to edit the sorceress' name out. It's a bit of a key hint. Putting things in spoiler brackets might not hurt either. :) I agree with your character analysis - perhaps the original poster might want to incorporate craft point rules to help his artificer PC.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sithraldor 02-28-06, 07:05 PM	So I need some help scaling up Red Hand of Doom I have a party of five 8th level characters. Human Paladin, Changling Rogue, Aereni Elf Druid, Warforged Artificer, Valenar Elf Ranger, if that helps. I need advice leveling this adventure up from a 6th-12th level adventure to a 8th-14th anyone that can help PLEASE DO SO.
Straylight 03-01-06, 02:59 AM	Honestly, there isn't much that needs to be done to the rank-and-file enemies that the PCs face, since they're supposed to be pushovers singly and only somewhat dangerous in packs. Just have them start panicking a little earlier in the adventure. The real things to focus on to scale up the adventure are: --The Wyrmlords. All of them are going to need a few more levels under their belts as well as a significant pile of better gear. Be careful with Kul and Stormcaller, though, as both of those characters are going to get very, very nasty in a hurry with more levels tacked on. --The Dragons. Dragon fights should be extremely memorable -even if there are five of them in (fairly) rapid succession. I'd up each of the dragons by an age category (or two, for Ozzie and Reggie). If you have Draconomicon, consider using some of the material from that book to make each dragon fight a completely different experience. --Varanthian can probably be left alone. She's a big enough threat as it is. --The Aspect of Tiamat you can do whatever you like with, I suppose. I'm not really sure how you could advance it without unbalancing it. --Miha Serani should get at least two more levels of Sorcerer, and definitely a different spell selection. Her spells make sense for her position, but they're not much good in a fight. --Skather could probably multiclass into Assassin for a couple levels at this point and be fine. Consider giving him a Heavy Repeater instead of his shortbow, and give him one of those scopes that Save-vs-DM wrote up a while ago (allows him to sneak attack/death attack at any range while targeting through the scope). Other things to consider: Higher level PCs are going to be more capable and more mobile, and you should consider compressing the timeline somewhat or making the horde more aggressive overall: have them more alert and better informed about the capabilities of the party. Defenses overall should be better, response times should be faster, and the dragons should just be flat-out smarter than the PCs. Each of the dragon fights has circumstances that can heavily slant the encounter in favor of the dragon; feel free to exploit them. EDIT: You have two "woodsy" characters, which will be a great help throughout the adventure, however, be careful how you play the Tiri Kitor elves -they may not take kindly to the presence of either an Aereni or Valenar elf (or both). Your Druid is also going to take just as much offense to the Ghostlord as your Paladin is... you may need to provide them with some "encouragement" (of a suitably intimitading CR) to avoid a direct fight with the Ghostlord, as that is one battle that can go south in a hurry. Consider having Tyrgarun (advanced to Adult stage) put in a cameo here. The Paladin is going to be most in his element in Rhest and at the Fane itself. However, there is a lot of water in this adventure, so be aware of what his armor check penalty is. If there is a character who is going to insist on making a stand at Drellin's Ferry, it'll probably be your Pally. The Artificer is going to be extremely out of his element here, at least on the crafting side, but his infusions can be used to devastating effect at certain points -particularly Skull Gorge and Brindol. The PCs don't have a lot of downtime, but they DO have a lot of time on the road, and they (if all goes well) will be proactively striking at the horde throughout the adventure, rather than reacting defensively, which will give the Artificer time to prep himself with as many goodies as he likes. This adventure takes place mostly outdoors in the wilds, so unless the Rogue is used to this sort of thing, he's going to feel a little out of place. Infiltrating the horde is going to be difficult at best, though he may have a moment to shine in Rhest. Brindol gives him a few chances to shine, and expect him to try to take on Skather alone. The Fane is also going to give him some fun, as it's the closest to a classic dungeon romp as exists in this adventure.
Tom McCarthy 03-01-06, 10:25 AM	So long as the Wyrmlords, dragons, dragonkin, and Ghostlord are advanced appropriately, the rank and file can stay unchanged. As a rule of thumb, anything with a CR of 5 or more should be advanced one step or two, but anything lower stays the same (or increases in numbers by 50%). If you beef up the action as above, but only give out half the XP and very little treasure, the gap will narrow so that by the climax of Parts 4 and 5, you need to do very little work.
Sithraldor 03-01-06, 11:50 PM	Thanks a lot guys. If anyone has any ideas for changing NPC to be more like Eberron and a place where the adventure takes place in Khorvaire. NPCs that fit into dargonmarked house and in want city they function and to waht degree would be helpful too.
Tom McCarthy 03-02-06, 08:41 AM	Sithraldor, http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=584139&page=1&pp=30 This thread talks a bit about the pros and cons of running it in different places in Khorvaire. It also talks about what monsters in the avdenture are or aren't common in Khorvaire and some unique Eberron concerns (why doesn't Brindol send word by House Sivis message station and receive reinforcements by lightning rail?).
Korhal_IV 03-02-06, 05:36 PM	I'd throw in a few Warpriests with the early mob encounters, particularly in the "Rumors of War" section - those encounters are supposed to be very threatening because you only run into one every other day at most. The Warpriests strike me as fun guys to have in those encounters. Straylight - might want to edit the sorceress' name out. It's a bit of a key hint. Putting things in spoiler brackets might not hurt either. :) I agree with your character analysis - perhaps the original poster might want to incorporate craft point rules to help his artificer PC.