Hardest FR adventure module ever played. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Hardest FR adventure module ever played. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Green Elven Vampire
08-15-07, 07:58 PM Just wondering what were the hardest FR adventure books you've ever played?

I'd say so far the toughest adventure accessories I've ever played (mind you, not campaigns you've made up) were...

Four from Cormyr (2ED)
Hellgate Keep (2ED)
City of The Spider Queen (3ED)
The hardest of all... For Duty and Deity (2ED)
dragonheart
08-15-07, 08:27 PM all of those were hard but did you ever play the 1e descent to the depths and queen of the demonweb pits modules and the giants modules before them?
Mordayn
08-16-07, 08:00 AM Currently playing Cormyr: Tearing of the weave, and is nearly finished. So far I've had two character deaths, and several near TPK's, and my player's are old school-hard-core-power gamers.

Have tried to run City of the spider queen three times now always ending in a TPK during the first part of the adventure.
Steel General
08-16-07, 09:39 AM I always thought that the "Barrier Peaks" module was quite difficult. :)

Even if it wasn't a FR module/adventure book.
drizzt420
08-16-07, 10:21 AM I have died in in, killed too many PC's in and still own the original Queen of the Demonweb Pits module - probably the oldest and hardest Realms-esque module I have.

Tomb of Horrors on the other hand ...

sheesh:rolleyes:
Green Elven Vampire
08-16-07, 10:44 AM all of those were hard but did you ever play the 1e descent to the depths and queen of the demonweb pits modules and the giants modules before them?

Actually I have, but they were not FR adventures.
Walls
08-16-07, 12:06 PM Wow, I can't believe how many games have character deaths and near or real TPK's. What happened to the DM's that let players keep their beloved characters, having some deux ex machina to save them by the skin of their teeth (and delaying, perhaps injuring them more)? Think of the challenge.

In movies it happens all the time. The hero is nearly killed, retreats to regroup and comes back with a vengeance. That's good story telling. Die Hard would suck if John Maclean died in the middle of it.
Halidan
08-16-07, 01:03 PM As for the hardest Realms modules I've ever played, I have to say that it was the H1 - H4 (Bloodstone) series.

The only problem is that we didn't play them as a complete series. We played H1 when it first came out, and then took a break to play other modules. When H2 can out, we added it into the campaign. Finaly H3 and H4 were done back to back later in a campaign with a slightly different player mix.

All told, we probably had 20-25 PC deaths, as well as numerous other petrifications, fatal diseases, polymorphs into newts and goldfish, etc. Any module where you fight Orcus and then steal his skull-mace and take it to Bahatmut is not going to be a cakewalk.
Mordayn
08-17-07, 07:43 AM Wow, I can't believe how many games have character deaths and near or real TPK's. What happened to the DM's that let players keep their beloved characters, having some deux ex machina to save them by the skin of their teeth (and delaying, perhaps injuring them more)? Think of the challenge.

My player's HATE deus ex-machina, so I don't use it, if someone's going to save them, they'll have to do it by themself.

I tend to have more pc death's and near TPK's when playing through premade adventure's, because when I create my own I tend to tailor them to suit my palyer's tastes and the skills of their characters. With premades I try to play them by the book.
ClobberinTime
08-17-07, 08:30 AM I have heard that the opening of City of the Spider Queen was rough, with the two Bebelith's really munching characters.

I think alot of it occured when people updated the module to 3.5, lots of the monsters got alot tougher, but the levels of the PCs for the adventures didn't go up.

My feeling on this is that it really depends on the make up of the group. City of the Spider Queen for instance might be pretty easy for a group with a Paladin, two Clerics, and a Wizard. Whereas some modules having alot of mechanical traps and hard encounters requiring stealth, might put the smack on that group.
Eli_the_Tanner
08-17-07, 10:09 AM When we played City of the Spider Queen more characters died in between level10 and 12 than died in another 1-20 campaign I did.

There were 3 TPK's and they never did manage to kill Dorina. There were alot of instances where one character would be left standing but unable to carry on the fight. After lots of skulking, running and the best role-playing of their lives they would drag themselves back to the surface and a find new group to go down.

In my other campaigns the characters would come accross challenges but never total defeat. I always wondered about those old adventure hooks where a group of adventurers has gone missing and the PC's must find out what happened only to go on and succed. Now I know the truth of it - CotSQ deserves its reputation as a deadly dungeon.

I've recently started it again with an all-drow group - let's see if we can finally get past Szith Morcane!!
Green Elven Vampire
08-17-07, 12:39 PM When playing For Duty and Deity, you had to travel to Grazzt's realm in the Abyss and rescue the goddess Waukeen from one of his prisons. OMFG!!! Do you know how friggen' hard that was? Every type of Tanar'ri possible was thrown at you, not to mention Plane Walking beasties of every kind. Near the end you had to fight Thraxxia (Grazzt's daughter) who is a wicked hyped up Nalfeshnee, but with the beauty of a Alu-Fiend.

We started the game with 12 PC's and finished the game with 4, And that was with the DM being nice to us.
dragonheart
08-17-07, 06:24 PM That is indeed a hard one - I got the entire party through without a loss but I cheated - started with higher level PCs than reccomended -still it was one of the harder modules. Its true that the giants and drow series from 1e are not specifically faerun based but then back then not much of anything was. they are/were easy enough to place in a realms campaign and the one I was in back then was more or less a realms campaign so I include them. We started with 14 PCs and walked out with 1 survivor (and 13 bodies) and a wish spell.
Thinblade
08-18-07, 09:22 PM For my money, the two hardest 2e adventures are Night Below: An Underdark Campaign (which is insane if you play using psionics), and A Paladin in Hell. Of the two, Night Below is easiest to play in the Realms.

For flat-out insane FR mayhem, I don't think anything beats For Duty and Deity. Not only is it REALLY easy to get squished (especially when all your magic weapons don't have the +'s to hit things any more), but it's darned hard to figure out exactly where you have to go.

However, we would be remiss if we didn't mention Ruins of Myth Drannor and Ruins of Undermountain. Properly run, both of those should be deadly regardless of character level.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Green Elven Vampire 08-15-07, 07:58 PM	Just wondering what were the hardest FR adventure books you've ever played? I'd say so far the toughest adventure accessories I've ever played (mind you, not campaigns you've made up) were... Four from Cormyr (2ED) Hellgate Keep (2ED) City of The Spider Queen (3ED) The hardest of all... For Duty and Deity (2ED)
dragonheart 08-15-07, 08:27 PM	all of those were hard but did you ever play the 1e descent to the depths and queen of the demonweb pits modules and the giants modules before them?
Mordayn 08-16-07, 08:00 AM	Currently playing Cormyr: Tearing of the weave, and is nearly finished. So far I've had two character deaths, and several near TPK's, and my player's are old school-hard-core-power gamers. Have tried to run City of the spider queen three times now always ending in a TPK during the first part of the adventure.
Steel General 08-16-07, 09:39 AM	I always thought that the "Barrier Peaks" module was quite difficult. :) Even if it wasn't a FR module/adventure book.
drizzt420 08-16-07, 10:21 AM	I have died in in, killed too many PC's in and still own the original Queen of the Demonweb Pits module - probably the oldest and hardest Realms-esque module I have. Tomb of Horrors on the other hand ... sheesh:rolleyes:
Green Elven Vampire 08-16-07, 10:44 AM	all of those were hard but did you ever play the 1e descent to the depths and queen of the demonweb pits modules and the giants modules before them? Actually I have, but they were not FR adventures.
Walls 08-16-07, 12:06 PM	Wow, I can't believe how many games have character deaths and near or real TPK's. What happened to the DM's that let players keep their beloved characters, having some deux ex machina to save them by the skin of their teeth (and delaying, perhaps injuring them more)? Think of the challenge. In movies it happens all the time. The hero is nearly killed, retreats to regroup and comes back with a vengeance. That's good story telling. Die Hard would suck if John Maclean died in the middle of it.
Halidan 08-16-07, 01:03 PM	As for the hardest Realms modules I've ever played, I have to say that it was the H1 - H4 (Bloodstone) series. The only problem is that we didn't play them as a complete series. We played H1 when it first came out, and then took a break to play other modules. When H2 can out, we added it into the campaign. Finaly H3 and H4 were done back to back later in a campaign with a slightly different player mix. All told, we probably had 20-25 PC deaths, as well as numerous other petrifications, fatal diseases, polymorphs into newts and goldfish, etc. Any module where you fight Orcus and then steal his skull-mace and take it to Bahatmut is not going to be a cakewalk.
Mordayn 08-17-07, 07:43 AM	Wow, I can't believe how many games have character deaths and near or real TPK's. What happened to the DM's that let players keep their beloved characters, having some deux ex machina to save them by the skin of their teeth (and delaying, perhaps injuring them more)? Think of the challenge. My player's HATE deus ex-machina, so I don't use it, if someone's going to save them, they'll have to do it by themself. I tend to have more pc death's and near TPK's when playing through premade adventure's, because when I create my own I tend to tailor them to suit my palyer's tastes and the skills of their characters. With premades I try to play them by the book.
ClobberinTime 08-17-07, 08:30 AM	I have heard that the opening of City of the Spider Queen was rough, with the two Bebelith's really munching characters. I think alot of it occured when people updated the module to 3.5, lots of the monsters got alot tougher, but the levels of the PCs for the adventures didn't go up. My feeling on this is that it really depends on the make up of the group. City of the Spider Queen for instance might be pretty easy for a group with a Paladin, two Clerics, and a Wizard. Whereas some modules having alot of mechanical traps and hard encounters requiring stealth, might put the smack on that group.
Eli_the_Tanner 08-17-07, 10:09 AM	When we played City of the Spider Queen more characters died in between level10 and 12 than died in another 1-20 campaign I did. There were 3 TPK's and they never did manage to kill Dorina. There were alot of instances where one character would be left standing but unable to carry on the fight. After lots of skulking, running and the best role-playing of their lives they would drag themselves back to the surface and a find new group to go down. In my other campaigns the characters would come accross challenges but never total defeat. I always wondered about those old adventure hooks where a group of adventurers has gone missing and the PC's must find out what happened only to go on and succed. Now I know the truth of it - CotSQ deserves its reputation as a deadly dungeon. I've recently started it again with an all-drow group - let's see if we can finally get past Szith Morcane!!
Green Elven Vampire 08-17-07, 12:39 PM	When playing For Duty and Deity, you had to travel to Grazzt's realm in the Abyss and rescue the goddess Waukeen from one of his prisons. OMFG!!! Do you know how friggen' hard that was? Every type of Tanar'ri possible was thrown at you, not to mention Plane Walking beasties of every kind. Near the end you had to fight Thraxxia (Grazzt's daughter) who is a wicked hyped up Nalfeshnee, but with the beauty of a Alu-Fiend. We started the game with 12 PC's and finished the game with 4, And that was with the DM being nice to us.
dragonheart 08-17-07, 06:24 PM	That is indeed a hard one - I got the entire party through without a loss but I cheated - started with higher level PCs than reccomended -still it was one of the harder modules. Its true that the giants and drow series from 1e are not specifically faerun based but then back then not much of anything was. they are/were easy enough to place in a realms campaign and the one I was in back then was more or less a realms campaign so I include them. We started with 14 PCs and walked out with 1 survivor (and 13 bodies) and a wish spell.
Thinblade 08-18-07, 09:22 PM	For my money, the two hardest 2e adventures are Night Below: An Underdark Campaign (which is insane if you play using psionics), and A Paladin in Hell. Of the two, Night Below is easiest to play in the Realms. For flat-out insane FR mayhem, I don't think anything beats For Duty and Deity. Not only is it REALLY easy to get squished (especially when all your magic weapons don't have the +'s to hit things any more), but it's darned hard to figure out exactly where you have to go. However, we would be remiss if we didn't mention Ruins of Myth Drannor and Ruins of Undermountain. Properly run, both of those should be deadly regardless of character level.