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What tier are the old adventures?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
claytoniantomb
Sep 04, 2010 17:19:08 If you were going to convert 2e adventures to 4e standards, what tier would they fall in? Here's my list. Also, I'd like to speculate about a couple other adventure types, written in italics in the lists below

Heroic Tier:
Arcane Shadows
Freedom
Road to Urik
Black Spine Books 1 and 2 (tier climax)
Merchant House of Amketch
Retrieve Ktandeo's Cane
join the Veiled Alliance

Paragon Tier:
Asticlian Gambit
Black Flames
Black Spine Book 3
City By The Silt Sea (above ground)
Dragon's Crown
Forest Maker (tier climax)
Marauders of Nibenay (tier climax)
explore the elemental chaos
explore the valley of dust and fire
Fight off the Thor-kreen empire

Epic Tier:
Mind Lords of the Last Sea
City By The Silt Sea (below ground)
Into the Swamp (Jagged Cliffs)
Collect the Orbs of Kalid-Ma
Explore Ur-Draxa
explore the gray and the astral
research and gather components to finish the transformation into an advanced being
Find the Dark Lens
Fight Rajaat
Bring Order to The Order
#2
tindalosihound
Sep 04, 2010 17:28:52 Given City by the Silt Sea's first segment (Exploring the ruins of Old Guistenal) involves the Caller in Darkness, which is a level 19 monster according to Open Grave, it's more likely Paragon on the surface, going to Epic in the Depths.
#3
krosszer0
Sep 04, 2010 23:17:10 I was trying to figure this exact thing out for myself, so thanks for the list. Though I haven't read though everything that's listed here, I agree with what where you've placed everything that I have seen. I would say that, since Mind Lord of the Order is an epic destiny, Dragon's Crown might work best as a tier climax. That way the Order can be a legitimate, dangerous, epic threat to the characters while still being within their threat range and the adventure maintains consistency with the 4e view of the world.

I think its interesting that Road to Urik is heroic tier (which I agree with), because I think that if you took that adventure's themes/plot into any other setting it would almost certainly be paragon. I think that's very in line with the spirit of classic Dark Sun.

Or maybe I'm just rambling
#4
claytoniantomb
Sep 05, 2010 0:00:57 @KrossZer0: Yeah, I thought about Road to Urik as a potential paragon one, but considering the adventure path published in the magazines last year, defending a city is heroic, and helps to establish a reputation that can grow in paragon. Plus I ran it with low level players during 3e and it worked great.

@TindalosiHound: Agreeable. Maybe the upper ruins are a good final paragon adventure, and then "you broke my magic gate! curse you!" Dregoth can be a good reoccuring epic villain. I would even power him down for the first couple encounters, as he's a lich and can come back at full power later in the campaign for a final showdown.
#5
tindalosihound
Sep 05, 2010 9:01:13

@TindalosiHound: Agreeable. Maybe the upper ruins are a good final paragon adventure, and then "you broke my magic gate! curse you!" Dregoth can be a good reoccuring epic villain. I would even power him down for the first couple encounters, as he's a lich and can come back at full power later in the campaign for a final showdown.

Personally, how I always wanted to run it, would be to destroy the gate during one of Dregoth's many otherplanar jaunts.
Imagine a battle with Absolom, while Dray guards rush to reinforce from this side, and Dregoth slowly notices and starts to turn back, with a nailbiting finish trapping Dregoth on the other side.

This would lead to a sense of accomplishment, until Dregoth inevitably finds a way back, scarred, with new allies, and VERY angry with the PCs.
#6
claytoniantomb
Sep 05, 2010 17:34:05 Added Into the Swamp (Jagged Cliffs) to Epic in the OP. My reason being you explore an floating, inverted pyramid created by Rajaat.

Does anybody remember where the the adventure was where the players find and fight an ancient bio-weapon in some ruins?
#7
tindalosihound
Sep 05, 2010 19:23:36 A couple of other adventures with sources:

A little knowledge (Original Boxed set)
Mystery of the Ancients (Revised boxed set) (possibly replace the Pterrans with Ssurans or Dray)
The Taste of Fear (Thri-Kreen of Athas)
Guarded Wagon (Polyhedron #80)
The Year of Priest's Defiance (Dungeon #35
#8
claytoniantomb
Sep 06, 2010 0:44:30 I barely know those. How would you rank them by tier?
#9
rothe
Sep 06, 2010 5:23:18
Are there any old adventures available in electronic format (legally)?

I think WotC has some older stuff available (or had) but I have no idea where.

I need a Dark Sun adventure for about 5th level -> but I don't know where to look.
#10
agathokles
Sep 06, 2010 9:47:29

Are there any old adventures available in electronic format (legally)?

WotC stopped selling PDFs of OOP material a few years ago, unfortunately.
And, even when the Classics Downloads page was up, there was nothing relevant to Dark Sun (well, not for more than a couple days...)

GP

#11
tindalosihound
Sep 06, 2010 11:52:01 Most of them would be Heroic tier.

A taste of fear however, is set in the western hinterlands (around the dragon crown mountains), and features incursions by the Kreen Empire, so I'd say Paragon.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 claytoniantomb Sep 04, 2010 17:19:08	If you were going to convert 2e adventures to 4e standards, what tier would they fall in? Here's my list. Also, I'd like to speculate about a couple other adventure types, written in italics in the lists below Heroic Tier: Arcane Shadows Freedom Road to Urik Black Spine Books 1 and 2 (tier climax) Merchant House of Amketch Retrieve Ktandeo's Cane join the Veiled Alliance Paragon Tier: Asticlian Gambit Black Flames Black Spine Book 3 City By The Silt Sea (above ground) Dragon's Crown Forest Maker (tier climax) Marauders of Nibenay (tier climax) explore the elemental chaos explore the valley of dust and fire Fight off the Thor-kreen empire Epic Tier: Mind Lords of the Last Sea City By The Silt Sea (below ground) Into the Swamp (Jagged Cliffs) Collect the Orbs of Kalid-Ma Explore Ur-Draxa explore the gray and the astral research and gather components to finish the transformation into an advanced being Find the Dark Lens Fight Rajaat Bring Order to The Order
#2 tindalosihound Sep 04, 2010 17:28:52	Given City by the Silt Sea's first segment (Exploring the ruins of Old Guistenal) involves the Caller in Darkness, which is a level 19 monster according to Open Grave, it's more likely Paragon on the surface, going to Epic in the Depths.
#3 krosszer0 Sep 04, 2010 23:17:10	I was trying to figure this exact thing out for myself, so thanks for the list. Though I haven't read though everything that's listed here, I agree with what where you've placed everything that I have seen. I would say that, since Mind Lord of the Order is an epic destiny, Dragon's Crown might work best as a tier climax. That way the Order can be a legitimate, dangerous, epic threat to the characters while still being within their threat range and the adventure maintains consistency with the 4e view of the world. I think its interesting that Road to Urik is heroic tier (which I agree with), because I think that if you took that adventure's themes/plot into any other setting it would almost certainly be paragon. I think that's very in line with the spirit of classic Dark Sun. Or maybe I'm just rambling
#4 claytoniantomb Sep 05, 2010 0:00:57	@KrossZer0: Yeah, I thought about Road to Urik as a potential paragon one, but considering the adventure path published in the magazines last year, defending a city is heroic, and helps to establish a reputation that can grow in paragon. Plus I ran it with low level players during 3e and it worked great. @TindalosiHound: Agreeable. Maybe the upper ruins are a good final paragon adventure, and then "you broke my magic gate! curse you!" Dregoth can be a good reoccuring epic villain. I would even power him down for the first couple encounters, as he's a lich and can come back at full power later in the campaign for a final showdown.
#5 tindalosihound Sep 05, 2010 9:01:13	@TindalosiHound: Agreeable. Maybe the upper ruins are a good final paragon adventure, and then "you broke my magic gate! curse you!" Dregoth can be a good reoccuring epic villain. I would even power him down for the first couple encounters, as he's a lich and can come back at full power later in the campaign for a final showdown. Personally, how I always wanted to run it, would be to destroy the gate during one of Dregoth's many otherplanar jaunts. Imagine a battle with Absolom, while Dray guards rush to reinforce from this side, and Dregoth slowly notices and starts to turn back, with a nailbiting finish trapping Dregoth on the other side. This would lead to a sense of accomplishment, until Dregoth inevitably finds a way back, scarred, with new allies, and VERY angry with the PCs.
#6 claytoniantomb Sep 05, 2010 17:34:05	Added Into the Swamp (Jagged Cliffs) to Epic in the OP. My reason being you explore an floating, inverted pyramid created by Rajaat. Does anybody remember where the the adventure was where the players find and fight an ancient bio-weapon in some ruins?
#7 tindalosihound Sep 05, 2010 19:23:36	A couple of other adventures with sources: A little knowledge (Original Boxed set) Mystery of the Ancients (Revised boxed set) (possibly replace the Pterrans with Ssurans or Dray) The Taste of Fear (Thri-Kreen of Athas) Guarded Wagon (Polyhedron #80) The Year of Priest's Defiance (Dungeon #35
#8 claytoniantomb Sep 06, 2010 0:44:30	I barely know those. How would you rank them by tier?
#9 rothe Sep 06, 2010 5:23:18	Are there any old adventures available in electronic format (legally)? I think WotC has some older stuff available (or had) but I have no idea where. I need a Dark Sun adventure for about 5th level -> but I don't know where to look.
#10 agathokles Sep 06, 2010 9:47:29	Are there any old adventures available in electronic format (legally)? WotC stopped selling PDFs of OOP material a few years ago, unfortunately. And, even when the Classics Downloads page was up, there was nothing relevant to Dark Sun (well, not for more than a couple days...) GP
#11 tindalosihound Sep 06, 2010 11:52:01	Most of them would be Heroic tier. A taste of fear however, is set in the western hinterlands (around the dragon crown mountains), and features incursions by the Kreen Empire, so I'd say Paragon.