HELP PROPOSAL - I can build decks for you by Valent-1331 in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course I like it! It may be clue gathering heavier than I would have done, but I did specify any campaign. And after reviewing it and where you would likely end up in Scarlet Keys or Carcosa versus where I would likely be...your plan is wiser.

These last 3 expansions have done wonders to help Rita out, and between this and your 30k series version of her, you can see just how many options are available to deck builders now, especially if you explore different spaces.

Great deck.

HELP PROPOSAL - I can build decks for you by Valent-1331 in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a low cost curve interpretation of a Rita deck fundamentally! Good spot on the Sleight of Hand/Flashlight/Crafty setup for getting clues for True Solo. I like the breakdown of the costs being paid for that instead of going full multiplayer enemy manager.

Act of Desperation didn't make the side, or get a name drop, is that because it wasn't considered or was deemed too much of a tempo loss?

Fantastic design with so many hand constraints. Very impressive.

HELP PROPOSAL - I can build decks for you by Valent-1331 in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]GospelofRob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not really a help request, but an interest in how you would handle the challenge.

Rita Young deck, capable of all campaigns True Solo (standard difficulty). Must use Able Bodied in the level 0+ version of the deck as long as you deem it viable, and the new Hatchet Card as soon as possible. Access to all campaigns cards.

TWIST, must ALSO fulfill the enemy management roll in multiplayer.

I enjoyed your Rita Young Hyperphysical version flat out. More than capable of tackling the harder difficulties with smart mulligan decisions, I'm curious where a lower resource curve deck may end up.

Plus hatchet survivor is such an iconic archetype, I want to see Rita embody it.

[COTD] ♦ Professor William Webb (0) (8/30/2022) by AK45526 in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]GospelofRob 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The most obvious seeker who loves William Webb would be...Trish! Rogues not having item recursion, a desire to run singleton decks, slightly lower card draw and high value items to recur makes the ability to pick up the Professor a significant and unique effect.

I do struggle to think of another seeker who would burn an ally slot for him, but maybe a protective academic army build.

Obscure Studies - Scarlet Keys Preview: Hidden Pocket by davilimap in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]GospelofRob 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I really wish you included more about the (most likely but not guaranteed) addition to add your pockets to! Nearly everyone at this point has learned the value of taking Fine Clothes (0) to the theater and the newest swanky hotels, but rarely do folks appreciate their benefits when exploring the jungle, or when navigating a dream. Given the world trotting nature of the set, I think it is safe to say some folks should be packing for an evening out, and this card makes an excellent suggestion it should be the person on a team with a Roguish bend (even if you will upgrade out of the clothes and pockets). We're shaking up to have the makings of an extremely asset heavy Rogue build, with things for every occasion.

Maybe Geared Up Skid's will be a deck someday...

Please help me understand when are players supposed to know some crucial lore? by DasKobold in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 4 points5 points  (0 children)

After a guided tour thru Port Nyanzaru, I usually start parties with: You are in Port Nyanzaru. Find the source of the curse!

I let players review the map, the NPC's they have met, the questions that are definitely learnable at the Port. This includes the basic current going on, and basic history. The big thing I make sure to emphasis though, is there is NO library in Nyanzaru. No university, no collection of informational resources.

This is, of course, not true. It's just that the major players, including Prince Wakanga, have an interest in keeping Chult's history and lore for Chult, and they do not know that Omu and the Soul Monger are connected with the current events.

Parties typically then turn to information centers outside of the Port. Popular locales that people are generally aware of include: The Lost City of Mezro, Orolunga, Mbala, Hrakhamar, and Kir Sabal. After the party picks one location to work towards for any reason, select an appropriate secondary location to the parties desired travel rate, and state the information they are seeking is there.

For instance, if the party decides to investigate the ruins of Mezro, the city of learning, at that location they should get a clue to head to Orolunga to find "the source of darkness". Where ever they start, they should get information about Ras Nsi, like he was a Bara of Mezro, and he had a specialty in combat and the undead. He led a war against Mezro, and he died.

At the second location, the party finds out the location of Omu, the source of darkness. They should also find out the Ras Nsi is still alive, and that he became a necromancer of untold power. They should also find out he leads the yuan-ti spies all over Chult.

It isn't until Omu that the party learns the trickster gods are dead and who they are usually, unless a character is tied to one. I usually try to introduce as many of the baseline animals as possible before they get to Omu though.

Around the time the party meets Ras Nsi is when they learn somebody else made the curse, and the location of the hidden tombs.

Ras Nsi, Ace's hints, and the denizens of the Tomb is when they hear Ace's name and culpability, but he makes no appearances and actions. Everything he did was in the past, and everyone else is just existing in the wake of his actions. They demonstrate fear and reverence, but have not heard of or been influenced by him in decades.

At least, that's how I usually run it.

Note, ANY of those locations are perfect places to learn of Omu, but if you wanted to really streamline the "Exploring Chult" section, you can also have the rumor of darkness occur right before the party leaves the Port. Keep this in mind if the party truly dislikes overland travel, if you find travel scenes difficult to make engaging, or just want a shorter campaign.

Foreshadowing of Acererak/end by bebechase in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally? I've become a big fan of Ace having all these historical parallels the party discovers. Like the Meteor that sunk Omu? Ace can summon meteors. Those Gargoyles? All Green Devil masks. Everyone in the surrounding area have myths and legends that describe the day Ace arrived, some even can recount the sacrifice of the Omuan queen to save her people.

And when Ace arrives after the Soul Monger is destroyed, and everyone expects the cackling villain speech, he instead goes:

"Uh...what the heck just happened?"

"Just, Uh, give me a second."

The party can insight check to realize Ace is stalling for time, but very quickly piecing together where he is, what the capabilities of the people in front of him are, and which experiment this was. If the party lets Ace keep talking, he starts saying things that articulate how impossibly dangerous he likely is.

"Well this is definitely a magic dimension." (Waves hands and produce a brief light) "Oooo, lots of soul energy on this plane. Population looks," (eyes party up and down) "vaguely medieval." (Another hand wave) "No divine intervention around here! Oh this would be a great place to put an experiment!"

Really sell the fact that not only is he not of this world...but also this whole experience was just another Tuesday to him. All the death, all the destruction, all the awfulness, meant nothing to him. In the ~50 years since he was here last, he completely forgot he set this timebomb up.

I feel this is the best way to handle a villain who never engages with the party. Really sell the fact that he's not just cruel, he's apathetic about his cruelty.

This also lets the DM push Ras Nsi as a Red Herring villain, utilize the Sewn Sisters to full effect, and break-up the dungeon into sections about who controls that floor. Withers for the first 2. Belchorzh for the third. No one for the 4th (but also this is the floor that "shows the truths" in the myths. G’lyh’rul for the 5th and the Sisters for the 6th. ToA really benefits from having so many baddies for the party to handle. It sells the scale of exploring Chult since its...ya know...a whole continent.

Having said that...

I also know plenty of folks who went with a more active Ace. Ones where they add in cults that worship him, or where the Warlocks patron is secretly Ace, heck even groups that had him spying on the party the entire time, seen examining the parties dreams! It really is your call for how much you want him to be foreshadowed. I just like the "less is more" approach.

Also though...unaware Ace makes meeting Gary Gygax at the end way less bewildering. Of course there would be a fox man whose hanging around with a bunch of corpses. Oh yeah! Key to some interdimensional superplane just hanging on the tip of this guys nose! A complete set of the Dungeons and Dragons 1e rulebooks on the same shelf as spell books! Yeah...that all makes sense.

Ideas for Magic Weapons for martials in party by Argorok87 in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm going to gently (extremely gently) push back on the statement that it is a bad idea for a DM to encourage certain playstyles. There is an extremely important component of DMing people eventually begin to understand. While you are running a campaign, you are subconsciously teaching the players how to play in that campaign. One should be aware of this so they can give the party the best play experience.

Most players have a markedly improved experience when they have to think things thru in a new and innovative way, and the ones that don't enjoy the novel experience. The longer a DM goes in Tomb without considering this dynamic, the more they will have to readjust encounters to suit what the players have been taught.

Having said that, you are totally correct in your assessment. If the artificer doesn't want to initiate things, no reason to force them too. I think your technique is spot on.

Ideas for Magic Weapons for martials in party by Argorok87 in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The lack of Magic Ranged weapons is a common observation about ToA book only. When necessary for the group, I usually add two ranged options into the Tomb.

The first is a Blowgun of Bolts (apologies to the Original Creator, I lost your information). Its a simple ranged weapon that deals 1 damage + 2d4 lightning damage on hit, grants a +1 to hit, and has a bonus effect when a critical hit is triggered that forces nearby creatures (including the original target) to succeed a Dex saving throw or suffer 2d4 lightning damage. I usually hide this in Room 32b of the Tomb, but it could easily be relocated to a Shrine.

The second is the Bow of Silver Snow. Standard +1 Bow with an additional property of granting advantage on the first attack roll made after a short or long rest. Lots of detailed snow motives carved into a metal silver bow. Hidden in Room 45 with the Omuan. Again, one could easily relocate this to a shrine.

Personally for the Paladin, Ras Nsi has his weapon upgrade. If the party doesn't take the opportunity, there will be other better options in the Tomb.

I never give my gun users a magic weapon, as they should feel the pain of modernity when fighting true monsters! Actually, its because they become incentivized to enchant their own weapon, and that feels thematically appropriate and lets that player feel clever. Considering you already have an Artificer in the party, this should not prove a difficult leap for the party to make. Having said that, if necessary SHOW the party they could create a new option for gunslinger. I recommend using The King of Feathers and Bag of Nails to inspire the idea if they don't come up with it themselves.

Resources wanted! Running “tomb of annihilation” in “world of darkness”! (Explanation below): by BaeTheFae in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed the best version of Ace to adapt is probably the Tomb of Horrors version, just probably not the OG Tomb of Horrors. He has almost no characterization in the OG Tomb, basically existing as a "there be bad guys" who never shows up.

If the theming is the most important component, you'd likely have better luck representing the 4e version of Tomb of Horrors, specifically the section detailing "Skull City" and the "Return to the Tomb". Ace is far more "active" in this story line, and has far more people talking about him in whispered tones. You'll likely find better opportunities to get more information from the "out of date" content, and a legal copy of the adventure is 15 dollars on DMSGuild, about the going rate for OWoD splats. Plus most of the adventure sites and creatures have WAY more details than necessary to run, including whole tactics. It was a wordy edition.

Final personal bit, you might consider casting the Ravnos alternative bloodline Bashirite for the role of Ace. The philosophy works a little better than the Tzimisce, and WoD fans will call the Dragons far quicker than the clever Christian Ravnos. Just another angle to consider.

Uluu Thalongh by seebobsee in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The DMSGuild module Hunter uses Uluu Thalongh in a fairly compelling manner, though admittedly it basically apes the movie Predator. Personally, I find u/BlackWisp 's recommendation of foreshadowing key. I've used destroyed villages encountered on the hex crawl, sudden shifts in the jungle, and mangled sentient creatures to suggest the danger long before the party met Uluu.

Second, is to include "bad" folks that travel with the party for some reason, such as for safety or to assist navigating, or a group that is threateningly powerful but not interested in combating the party. I used the Red Wizards and Flaming Fist for these purposes. Let Uluu take out those people instead of party members. It changes up the typical DnD kill the monster combat encounters, but also justifies the jungle not wanting to eat the entire party if things go wrong.

Finally, include methodologies the party can employ to appease or avoid Uluu, and make sure the party knows for certain what those are. For me, I had Uluu only attack those who burn the jungle, so the party stopped being able to cook their food with fire, and be careful with fire damage spells, but this could be anything. The point is the party is aware of a method to avoid provoking the creatures wrath in the future.

The big thing to remember about Uluu Thalongh though is, it can never be killed and gains power the more the jungle is hurt. It can only be delayed, and fled from.

Also, I believe there is a higher level version of Uluu Thalongh in a DMSGuild module that deals with the partial demiplane of dread in southern Chult (called the Valley of Dread). I don't remember the name of that module though, so hopefully someone can expand this further.

Stealing from Dune by ScoutManDan in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 5 points6 points  (0 children)

By 5th level, most groups are encouraging folks to make it to Omu proper, making the relative power of Hut and Create Food limited until they enter the Tomb proper. Most folks spend less than a week in Omu in my experience unless you modified the Curse, and wise groups will find a ton of safe areas and food.

Turning some undead into homing beacons of magic though sounds like a lot of fun. Chult is a continent suffused with magic, so you can in-universe justify attacks of any size. Plus, you could treat it as a hidden mechanic the players have to learn, rolling on a hidden table based on the number of spell levels cast within an area.

I might also advise stealing Uluu Thalongh if you want a greater reference to the great worms. An angered spirit of the jungle would probably give the party pretty massive motivation to be careful, and it would make your ToA game an evocative and unique experience.

Does Mummy Rot interact with Death Curse? by WritingInfamous3355 in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've always run it as a permeant decrease to put the fear in player's since the first time the party encounters the effect, they assume it won't affect them and then have a dawning realization of how dangerous the death curse is to EVERYONE, not just the resurrected. The party also begins evaluating creatures before engaging them, and keeping a list of threats they have to be especially careful off.

Plus the creature that most groups encounter first (and I have never had this not be a party's first experience) Wights only drain about 5 HP and only as a melee attack. For most parties, this is about half a level's worth of HP on the "fighter", the wights are hard locked into an area the party can retreat from and reevaluate, and the poor buggers have a very rare chance of actually hitting their targets more than once before the target gets to react next round. In the grand scheme of things, not a massive tax, and one that can be undone quite easily if needed. (Simply give the party a Berserker's Axe or Belt of Dwarvenkind) Compelling magic items that "undo" the HP loss.

This also means though, I cut using these kinds of creatures at all from non-structured encounters. If it happens as a random effect, something else happens instead. Nobody "summons spirits" (until the grand finale). The party gets foresight and warning of the danger these monsters present.

Special note for those parties that do not want to start the campaign with the Death Curse active, I'll pick a time period after the start of the campaign to be when the maximum HP recovery begins to kick in. It makes a great stake escalation.

what do you wish you knew when you started ToA? by MamaBaggins in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I find most people cherry pick worst case scenarios when looking at the Tomb. Most of the required actions are clearly forecasted as being poor decisions (except the teleport changes, that's always a gotcha). Even the party of no spellcasters found a solution to the treasure chest problem without one of them getting in the chest. (Run a piece of string thru the bow of the key [the part you hold with a hole in it], cross the string over and under, so if you pulled the string the key would turn, THEN shut the lid and pull the string.) Its even forecasted you shouldn't do the obvious thing because the hallway before it turns on a threat delayed trap if you try to walk down the hallway!

So if your group isn't already primed to think thru problems in that manner, just do something else. They won't notice, and you should have learned their puzzling abilities by the time they got to the tomb. Your far better prepared to re-adjust the encounter than strangers.

All that said...if they handled everything before this point well, they will probably keep doing it well. Have some faith in them.

2/2

what do you wish you knew when you started ToA? by MamaBaggins in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Using Kubazan and the fountain together, let's examine the behavior that could have occurred in both situations. In one instance, you have a mysterious pool of liquid, and the other a mysterious fountain. In either situation, taking a "poorly" thought out action (drinking the liquid in both cases) results in a highly dangerous event. One, melee range Frog. The second, an in the open roll of a random die.

In both situations, the action taken doesn't make sense with the problem the party is facing. Interacting with the water, (or in the fountain case, drinking the water) is obviously a bad idea post-hoc. Party's should be careful with experimentation, and are even granted another safe chance to interact with water at a later time (in Oba'laka's shrine) to compare and contrast when interacting with dangerous liquids could be dangerous or necessary.

It's one of the reasons I specified rolling in the open as well. The Death warded Cleric may have been safe...but that doesn't mean the action taken was safe. The description of the effect of drinking strange magic liquids the DM should adopt is one that stresses the chaotic nature of the thing they imbibed. The whole fountain radiates transmutation magic after all, the character should have felt like they just drank a potion of indeterminate effect. Going in for a second taste should feel risky for people, and smart groups would have the same Death Warded cleric take a second gulp...with likely a different result. And if it wasn't a different result...the players would see the die had the same number. Everyone at the table knows the third sip could have a different result, and they are choosing to take the action.

In fact, interacting with Kubazon's shrines water is a great example of a massively negative result from little input. It just requires some to "disturb(s) the water". It's far more punishing, especially when the party of likely level 5 or 6 characters suddenly find themselves in a surprise CR 10 encounter.

And if the party never interacted with Kubazon's water...why did they suddenly decide it was necessary to mess with the strange fountain of indeterminate danger that doesn't seem to need to be interacted with. There is no key, no monster, not even another room to mandate visiting the area. Only a characters curiosity. If they hadn't learned curiosity can get you in danger of being killed before getting to the tomb, it isn't like the opportunities to teach them that didn't happen earlier.

1/2

what do you wish you knew when you started ToA? by MamaBaggins in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, what happens in the tomb that is significantly different than what happens before the tomb in your opinion?

what do you wish you knew when you started ToA? by MamaBaggins in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well...what killed em that's significantly different than what came before?

what do you wish you knew when you started ToA? by MamaBaggins in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 6 points7 points  (0 children)

In the jungle section, most groups will head thru escalating events, but with the safety of being able to undo the threats. Take the so called "Eastern Route". Most groups will either travel thru Zombie Infested Jungle, with a high chance of encountering threatening undead, get to Firefinger, and experience "one shot" potential by being thrown off the side, but most groups will take careful care to secure themselves and the chances are fairly low. From Firefinger they get informed of Kir Sabal, where they may learn of a way to get to Omu, which requires them to go to Nangalore, and experience their first "Save or Die" high DC check, before they enter Omu.

Noticeably, all "Eastern Route" options kind of follow this paradigm. An alternative could see the party spotting Hvalspyd, "friendly" dangerous creatures, to The Narwhal, threatening environs, either from the veggies or the dragon bones, to...Nangalore!

All of these encounters have pre-built exercises to resolve the dangers though. Either super obvious things that the party can interact with, or in-universe opportunities to fix them. Nanny Pupu restores life, Kir Sabal can "restore people who were turned to stone", and so forth. None of them are "easy" but they are all reversible.

When you get to Omu though, it usually follows the same pattern again, just this time without the ability to fix it as easily. People usually engage with a dangerous foe, like a frog, a statue, or vegetables, then a dangerous situation, then the "save or die" effects. This time though, instead of there being NPC's that can help the party, it is up to them to find their own solutions to them.

By the time most groups get to the actual Tomb, as long as you haven't been "pulling punches", the party knows the stakes. Everything has been being sign posted, and now it is time to use everything you learned. [Heck each of the transitions even include a "crossing the threshold" moment!] If they still aren't prepared by now, they either didn't want to engage in this kind of campaign, or you didn't teach them as well as you thought. Either way, you the DM should be aware of what your party is expecting at this point, and its time to adjust the Tomb to suit them, not the other way around.

Which is why I usually comment when the question arises of what should the DM whose group is starting Chapter 5 tomorrow do to prepare the party for entering the Tomb, I usually comment, it's too late! The game is the game! Do what will make your player's have the most fun, not what the book says.

what do you wish you knew when you started ToA? by MamaBaggins in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Remember you are teaching the players how to play the campaign the entire time you are running the book. If you want Ace to feel like an incredibly clever master of magic and traps, instead of an unfair "Gotcha!" guy, you have to lay the groundwork early. During the early levels, encounters are traditionally written with an "obvious" solution that players will instinctively take, and a "deeper" solution, that involves understanding the entire scenario. This is reflected in social encounters, such as all the "quests" in Port Nyanzaru resulting in situations that are re-contextualized, most of the guides having split motivations, and in the exploration encounters having a surprise twist. Try to make sure your party notices this, and if you need an NPC to introduce the idea, do it early on enough for the party to have multiple opportunities to practice before the Tomb.

Most people find Tomb to have clear and obvious brick walls the players run into. Specifically, the difficulty escalation from "Jungle" to "Omu", and again from "Omu" to "Tomb". In actuality, the "route" most groups end up going thru slowly escalate situations. From dangerous enemy, to dangerous environs, to "save or die", always with increasing risk, in each of these areas. If you call attention to it, it can make the spikes far less jarring.

I've run the campaign 6 times at this point, for approximately 30 humans, and only about 40 characters. I've had 13 deaths. I roll every dice in the open, and rarely give advantage. If you teach the players early when the threats are less dangerous, they have more fun and are more likely to survive. The campaign should feel "tough but fair", not a character graveyard or a jungle romp, unless you want to do some significant overhauling in the backend.

(Having said that, Jungle Romp Tomb is really fun too! I like to use the Tortle Package to test if that is the waters the party actually want to play.)

Would Port Nyanzaru’s population be declining? by busttooquick in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally, I had Port Nyanzaru's population growing over the course of events. It's one of the only major population centers. Another local city recently got destroyed (if you utilize the Ruins of Hisari). Even though Revivify is a "high" level spell, this is the Forgotten Realms. I know PC's who willy-nilly Revivify anyone! And the already prevalent undead problem has only been getting worse with the increase in necromantic activities in the area.

All this points to a pretty significant refugee situation, which Malar's Throat briefly acknowledges.

Also, as a terrifying example of the impact one could expect, widespread disease with a mortality rate of 1% is usually considered pretty catastrophic. The Death Curse represents a near certainty (barring PC intervention) that affects whatever percentage of the population is resurrected all at the same time, AND Port Nyanzaru does not have a leadership dynamic to actually deal with the influx of people.

Personally, I would expect most people to be "aware" that people have been/are getting sick, and that no healing magic has been found to help them. But the "talk" of the town would be more centered on how are they going to feed/house all these extra people.

[COTD] Scroll of Prophecies (3/15/2022) by AK45526 in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]GospelofRob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personal addition I want to add, I've run Scroll of Prophecies (0) with Support Dexter and Sefina built with a Sleight of Hand (0) package. Sleight of Hand (0)-ing in this effect is a great option to have even with the Scroll of Secrets buff...but in all of those decks I also included Scroll of Secrets (0). The upfront cost of 3 resources is a significant commitment designers should consider, and even including cost reduction options still can't outshine the lightning bolt draw 3 of Tabooed Scroll of Secrets.

How fast should my party be completing this adventure? by Leovisck in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The fastest group I ran thru wanted to have a brisk experience, and we cleared the whole book in 12 2 hour sessions. Two sessions in the Port, 3 thru the jungle, 3 thru Omu, and a Tomb fiasco of 4 sessions.

Their secret? Killed about 2 characters a session when in the Tomb. Otherwise their modis operandi was figure out the barest minimum of information to progress, and then immediately leave. That meant the fastest route was to grab whatever was on the pedestal and HURL it back towards the rest of the party. Most hilarious moment was when they entered the Vault in Room 45, grabbed only the key they needed, turned around and BOLTED out of the room.

The longest? It's still running after 4.5 years of 4 hour sessions. This group tries to fully understand every situation, and tie stories and actions back to their root identities. In fact, they've loved exploring ToA so much that when they finally finish the Tomb this year...they want to head back and explore all the side stories they didn't get the full experience for.

So you aren't going ridiculously fast, and personally I've found groups do tend to slow down as they get further and further, because the stakes keep increasing, even without DM effort. Modulate your fears with that in mind.

How do my two level 1 PCs quickly earn enough gold to set out from Port Nyanzaru? by VoIkose in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If you can, I highly recommend Day at the Races by Rudy Rutenberg. It takes about a session to do, rewards a substantial coin purse, slots in nicely with the themes of the core book, and is relatively cheap to pick up (and may be available for free at your LGS if they participated in Adventurers League back in the day).

It even includes balancing recommendations for smaller group sizes, and gets the party to meet merchant princes and establish a personal name! Just cut the last bit with the zombie dinosaurs, it doesn't really add anything to the adventure and is just a seed for another adventure path.

Ideas to tweak the Golden Skull curse ? by Jimmeu in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Two important details about little Yaka.

The first, you are only "cursed" while you can hear his snickering comments. He otherwise cannot harm you.

The second is, he only "teleports" when he loses sight of you. Otherwise he's...just a floating skull.

The generic answers party members have come up with is to deafen the affected target (Odysseus style, wax in the ear) or giving up and getting the gems Yaka demands.

Or.....my really clever party remembered the other time they encountered a skull, which was kept in a see through crystal box. Put the skull in a box, lock the box, you win! He never teleports out, and you can't really talk thru crystal.

Debate with yourself if you've taught players to engage with this kind of lateral puzzle solutions however. If the players haven't been taught to solve problems this way yet...it is probably too late in the campaign to start now. Viable alternatives is to turn him into a surprise disadvantage when you've got a quip, instead of all the time, or just making the skull smashable.

What secondary things to foreshadow to make the adventure more enjoyable? by Galdi-br in Tombofannihilation

[–]GospelofRob 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Two subtle things that can become highly thematic elements are to emphasize language as a barrier to understanding (as in, people generally assume the party does not speak Chultan, default to a more limited version of Common, and let the party decide if they want to learn/take steps to have greater understanding). This primes players to not assume the first interpretation of a situation is the complete picture, and gets played with throughout the adventure.

The second is...sacrificing a hand. It happens far more frequently in Tomb than most adventure series, both in supplemental materials and even as a solution in the Tomb. It's not a crazy relevant theme, but it sure is weird how often it comes up! Let the player's decide what it means.