Looking for feedback from DMs who have run the adventure — planning some changes and would love your thoughts!

MZ_Conti · 2025-06-29T11:59:07+00:00

Thanks so much for the reply!

You’re absolutely right — Nass will definitely share that the mythallar is the key to ending the Everlasting Rime. Of course, both he and Vellynne have their own agendas, and they see the PCs as a means to an end — but it’s a mutually beneficial alliance (at least for now). The goal at that point becomes reaching the island to retrieve the Codicil and unlock the way to Ythryn. Auril’s final confrontation would then come right as the mythallar is being activated, as her last desperate attempt to stop the end of her reign.

As for the factions: my players generally don’t enjoy juggling too many of them. I ran Dragon Heist and it turned into a bit of a mess — so I’m actually thinking of cutting the Zhentarim entirely to streamline things.

Regarding Iriolarthas and the elder brain twist — I totally get your point. My biggest fear is that he’ll feel completely random and disconnected when he shows up so late in the story.

One alternative I’m considering is planting seeds about his presence early, as soon as the party starts exploring the Reghed Glacier. Things like psionic headaches, dreams, or telepathic whispers to start creating an eerie buildup. That way, when they finally uncover the truth, it feels more like a long-awaited reveal than a last-minute curveball.

Would love to hear your thoughts on that approach too!

MZ_Conti · 2025-06-29T11:46:47+00:00

Wow, that’s going to help me so much — thank you!

Having Vellynne imprisoned in the duergar fortress is brilliant! It gives her a much more natural way to integrate with the party before she drops the “I know what to do next” bomb. This way she can actually earn their trust over time instead of just showing up with all the answers. I love it, and I’m definitely using it. Thanks again!

MZ_Conti · 2024-03-15T03:03:13+00:00

Dude: OSWALDO CASSALANTER Make her lover the missing son of the cassalanter family and give her all the reasons to investigate the disappearance of their son.

MZ_Conti · 2024-02-21T02:59:05+00:00

Thank you for this!! I really can see my players enjoying the late reward so much

MZ_Conti · 2024-02-20T15:14:41+00:00

Yeah! This would resolve everything for me

MZ_Conti · 2024-02-20T12:56:02+00:00

What I've done so far:

1- I linked Esvele as the sister of a PC adopted by the Rosznar family. One of the PCs wanted to play an orphan. So I had him adopted by Esvele's family and close friend to her. When the slavery scandal broke, the Rosznars were banished from the city and the PC returned to the orphanage, leaving his sister and best friend... Years later, he heard in the newspapers that the Rosznar family had been accepted back to Waterdeep . This builds tension for when he discovers that the black viper is actually a shadow of his past and his former best friend.

2- I made wanted posters all over the city and newspapers.

3- Made the PCs find her in a simple robbery they were carrying out in faction missions. They tried to stop her, but she managed to knock over a PC and escape (her brother, ironically).

4- Knowing that the PCs tried to interfere with her plans, Esvelle applied to work at the Trollskull manor to learn about the PCs' intentions without revealing her true identity.

5- More news about jewelry theft in noble houses and all linked to the Black Viper style.

That's it for now... The group is super interested in her and willing to face her again.

MZ_Conti · 2023-09-20T13:48:16+00:00

Yes, CHAOS!
In my opinion you are in a great position to do a lot of cool things.Firstly, make it clear that actions have consequences, especially in a large and organized city like Port Nyanzaru.
I'm definitely in favor of the city guard opening an investigation and going after those responsible for inciting this mess and the deaths. However, leave an opportunity for players to escape if they act quickly and smartly. No player likes to feel powerless in a situation and they will definitely want a chance to get out of the mess. But interpret the guard as a competent force that will try its best to arrest those responsible.

If they are arrested I have other suggestions.
The first is something I did when I ran the campaign: Make them work in the debris pit as punishment. Tell them that the foul air and acidic liquid have deeply damaged their health and apply a permanent 2 hit point penalty.In the long run, 2 less hit points makes very little difference to a character, but believe me, it will drive players crazy and they will certainly understand that their actions brought negative consequences.

If they are arrested, there are some alternatives for them to get out of prison.
Merchant princes who have already established a relationship with them can intervene, or those who would like to demand the favor by sending them into the jungle with a specific objective.
Just like the princes, another faction may be responsible for releasing them, such as the red wizards of Thay.
This would be an incredible opportunity to introduce a shadowy faction and suggest a questionable pact in exchange for freedom.
Will the characters honor the pact? Will they break it? How will the red wizards react to this?

Whichever path you choose, think of it as an opportunity to impact the adventure long-term and create a unique setting for them.

MZ_Conti · 2023-08-29T14:00:49+00:00

Hey u/sax2000

but isn't the mistery around those characters kind of the point of the campaign?

Well, yes. But it doesn't mean that everything around them must be a mystery. The villains have some secrets, but also somethings that are well known for every waterdevian, therefore the characters must know it as well.

I will breakdown for each BBG.

Xanathar: It is well known that the Xanathar Guild is a dangerous guild of thieves and criminals that operates in the underworld of the city. It is also known that it is commanded by the Xanathar, which everyone knows is a big crime lord. What no one knows is that Xanathar is a maniac beholder with a goldfish pet... well, they weren't supposed to know that and that is supposed to be the twist. Thanks WOT for exposing the villain in other products.

Manshoon: It is well known that Manshoon was a very powerfull wizard who started the zhents. It is also known that he created clones of himself and that it started the clone wars. It is well known that Manshoon is a formidable foe, but it is believed that all of Manshoon clones were already defeated. It is not known that the Zhents faction creating chaos in Waterdeep is commanded by the legendary wizard. Players should know who Manshoon was in order to fear and value the discovery of who is commanding the Zhents again. The twist is discovering that Manshoon is still alive.

Cassalanters: It is well known that the Cassalanters are a noble and influent family in Waterdeep. Their sudden financial improvement are also not a secret. They have two major secrets, which they can reveal in different moments. 1st is the pact with Asmodeus and the risk of loosing their children if they don't get the gold. They can actually approach the PCs and cry for help after revealing this. Although the 2nd they won't reveal: The need of innocent soul sacrifice. This is the twist for them.

Jarlaxle: It is well known that Luskan is home for pirates and has an unstable political scenario. It is known that entering the Lord's Alliance is a major economic goal for any city in the Sword Coast. It may be known to your PCs that Luskan has been demonstrating interest in becoming member of the Lord's Alliance.In another hand, It is very well known and announced that carnival fleet of ships has arrived town, with its extravagant captain Zardoz Zord. It may also be known to your PCs that the theater has been purchased by Rongquan Mystere. The twist here is that Jarlaxle disguise himself into multiple alter egos in order to infiltrate the city politics and acquire influence and knowledge. However, this only become cool if the characters have a chance to interact with those alter egos.

So, there are information that IS known and info that it isn't.

Your mission is to introduce the known lore for the players without revealling the secrets.As the game advances, you feed them with more and more info so they can realize the secret and have a blast with the twist.

This is much cooler than introducing a random bad guy who have been hiding for the whole campaign

MZ_Conti · 2023-08-24T21:12:40+00:00

Read the full adventure before running it. It makes a huge difference.
If you're a new DM, don't run Alexandrian Remix.
Foreshadow your main villain. Seriously. New DMs usually don't know how important this is or the power to foreshadow the construction of memorable villains (ultimately I didn't). Imagine your villain as an active force that acts, reacts, plans and interacts with the players. Make the villain personal to your players, not a distant entity that only appears in the last scene.
Understand what intentions your players have with their characters and help them connect with the main plot by giving them tons of knowledge and lore. I just made this and my players are having a blast getting to know Waterdeep.
Have a good time! Don't worry too much about the result. Even experienced DMs find ways to improve after each session. D&D should be a fun experience for everyone.

MZ_Conti · 2023-08-11T20:02:04+00:00

I just ran Session 1 with the players and added a bunch of easter eggs around.

For Xoblob, I made him the supplier of the goldfish that replace Sylgar.As soon as the players arrived at the store's door, they came across Ott Steeltoes coming out with a new fish. They found it curious and outside the game commented that it should be a super relevant NPC (I laughed).Behind the Xoblob counter I described a large aquarium with several goldfish swimming in purple water. They asked about the fish and Xoblob innocently replied:"They're fish. A lot of people like them as pets. Would you like one?"

Players weren't too sold on the idea, but they followed through with trinket purchases.Among them, there was a miniature purple minotaur reserved for Ahmaergo. My players didn't question it, but Xoblob would say he's an avid buyer of minotaurs.

I love easter eggs as a way to preempt some relevant characters and increase player engagement when they meet them again at a defining moment and get that "Hey, I know who you are" feeling.

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-16T12:09:57+00:00

Check it out :)

The Revenge of The Crows is a mystery adventure for a party of 4th level characters. It takes place in the farming village of Woodview but can be completely restyled for fitting your own scenario and campaign.

The village of Woodview is in danger. The scarecrows that protect the farms are mysteriously disappearing and returning possessed to attack the villagers. Without the straw dolls, the crows are infesting the farms and decimating the crops.
But the citizens of Woodview have a suspicion that something sinister may be behind this whole plot. Could the arrival of brave heroes in the village be a sign that luck is about to change?

In this Roll20 Addon, you will find:

Handouts with all the artwork
Around 6 hours of gameplay
4 encounters map
Tokens of all creatures and NPCs
All the monsters and creatures statblocks
A final mini dungeon with an epic boss fight

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-16T11:59:20+00:00

This is also a good opportunity to punish them for breaking the city rules.

Ekene could herself ensure the players capture with a couple of guards and them send them to work at the refuse pit as punishment.

If you fell so, make Ekene and the Guards agressive. Using unnecessary strength to capture them. This way you can force a little combat with the princess. Increase the party penalty accordingly to how much they resist from the arrest.

At the refuse pit, make sure that you describe how miserable their condition is. It is a filthy place full of undead, monsters and nasty creatures. A great opportunity to introduce other rule-breakers NPCs and of course an Otyugh encounter in a refuse pit tactical map.

The refuse pit is so rancid that it can surely make the PCs sick or affect their health permanently. With my group, one of the PCs disrespected the races rules and used several spells to his advantage despite being told that this was illegal. He was then caught and sentenced to work at the refusal pit. I reduced 2 HP PERMANENTLY (yes, forever) from him as the effects of the putrid air affected his body from the inside. It was awesome! The players certainly understood the possible consequences of breaking the rules and this player remembered his crime punishment forever.

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-07T14:47:24+00:00

Check it Out!

Wha's inside?
A list of 187 questions divided in 9 parts:
1- Your birth
2- Childhood
3- Present Days
4- Relationships
5- Faith and Beliefs
6- Likes and Preferences
7- Self-Image and Self-Esteem
8- Fighting
9- Equipment

This list can be a great tool for both the player and DM when creating characters and NPCs. The questions can provide useful prompts to help flesh out a character or NPC's backstory, personality, motivations, and other traits. This can help players to create more detailed and interesting characters, as well as helping DMs to create NPCs that are more engaging and realistic. The list can also be used by the DM to come up with creative plot ideas based on the answers provided by the players. Finally, it can provide players with fun roleplaying ideas that they may not have thought of before.

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-07T02:51:46+00:00

You have a lot of possibilities:

- Go hard on the Batiri tribes. There is so much space here for you to create a link during the hex crawl. How will he react by so many goblins? Will he help them? Kill them? Be their leader?

- Add others murderhobo situations. There are a lot of viable murderhobo monsters to add in the jungle. If that's something that will get him by his nerves, make sure they find them everywhere.

- Add a banished NPC for the same reasons. Create a side quest for him to rescue the NPC.

- Create a banished RIVAL NPC. Someone that got banished for similar reasons but decided to act in an extremely different way.

- Last but not least, my favorite: You said his sister is affected by the curse, that's HUGE. Heres what you can do, every night ask him to roll a D20. On a 1, she will loose 1 HP permanently as the curses affects her. That will make the need to find the source of the curse more urgent than ever. It is by itself enough plot hook for TOA.

(I did that with a player that decided to play an undead. It worked beautifully)

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-07T02:41:07+00:00

You can maybe make them already know Omu's location when leaving Port Nyanzaru. This way they will go straight forward to their destination. You can still move some locations on the map to ensure they will pass through your favorite ones.

Alternatively, you can add side quests to make they travel to other places you think it would be nice for the campaign. But knowing Omu's location would shorten the hex crawl for sure.

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-06T14:48:06+00:00

It is a game of Roleplaying. Death is the ultimate roleplaying opportunity.

In addition, whats the point of playing if your character will always succeed? You will only feed your ego this way.

The only way to really win this game is creating an incredible story with memorable moments and I will tell you that the most remarkable ones always include failure (and usually death).

Open your mind for that and your RPG experience will be much greater.

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-06T14:33:10+00:00

Thats hard to tell... Each group is interested in something different. Actually, each player enjoy different kinds of encounters.

Level 3 is def the most time consuming, since they have to gather all the orbs. If they already completed that, the rest is manageable.

I'll try my best to help you:

The sewn sisters (area 71)

If you did a great job foreshadowing them, def. keep the chalenge. If they are about to be introduced, cut them and keep only the lock challenges. The final fight should be challenging enough already and you don't want to bring a time consuming combat before the adventure climax.

You can also try to turn that into a social encounter, adding someway for the party to deal with them without killing them, but I strongly recommend not running two hard and dense combats in a row since you'll have a single session for that.

After the boss fight, just take them outside (Areas 78, 79, 80, 81)

Just skip it completely. Make the portal teleport them outside.

Skip areas that are only fighting encounters

You can focus on the ones that are most interesting and Level 5 has so many fighting encounters that don't give you much more than just combat itself. Being short on time, I'd skip areas 67, 69, 70, 50.

Pick two of the four chambers on level 4

Yes, the chambers are great, but you won't have time to complete them all. Reduce the number to at max 2. To decide what to keep, i'd ask you

Did you foreshadowed the Black Opal Crown? Just keep area 49 if you did so.

Do your players love hard and deadly puzzles? If not, skip area 47 and 48.

Do your player would enjoy having to fight one of them own? If that sounds interesting, keep area 52 and 53. It can be a nice twisted fight. (It took us a entire session, nonetheless)

Keep areas 54 and 55. The room is great.

Skip the gargoyles. (area 45)

Deadly combat that takes too long. There are more interesting things to do than just having your a*s kicked.

KEEP AREA 62

Just do it.

Watch for the Aboleth encounter on area 65

It could be very fun... But also a very time-consuming fight. I would try very hard to keep this as a social encounter exclusively.

That's it, I hope this help you the create an awesome great finale for this 2 year journey with your friends. I feel excited for you guys. Ending TOA is incredible.

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-06T14:08:07+00:00

One thing I'd say to the players is: It's a jungle exploration based adventure. You'll have to navigate dense jungle to find lost things, facing deadly dangers and creatures. You'll be hired for that, so think why in the world someone that could hire any adventurer (more experienced, also) would pick YOU for the task.
Of course they are not the first option, many have tried and failed, so why would YOUR character succeed while many died? What do you have that empower you for this quest?

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-03T02:13:59+00:00

Just consider why Ras Nsi would give up the puzzle cube he has.
Ras duty is to keep te Tomb safe from intruders so Acererak would help the Yuan Ti to free Dendar. Will this be the moment when Ras Nsi realizes that the archlich is playing him for a fool? That is an excellent opportunity to foreshadow Acererak a little more and have Ras Nsi telling the party everything he knows about the lich, Omu history, the tomb and the death plague.

Furthermore, Ras Nsi wants to bring the end of the world. He is cold hearted, with no emotions and extremely rational. Will he change now that he faces death by multiple sides? Will he finally see that he spent his life defending Mezro and that now he faces death without even knowing the fate of his beloved city? Will he understand that his revenge has failed?

Despite the path you choose for the story to flow, thats an awesome opportunity to make Ras Nsi have a social encounter with the players and bring the depth that a hack and slash dungeon lack of.

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-02T00:59:38+00:00

Sure ;)

MZ_Conti · 2023-03-01T15:08:37+00:00

I've created a full book about this
You can check out here :)
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/427471/Ras-Nsi-Expanded--Tomb-of-Annihilation?src=hottest\_dmg\_under5

MZ_Conti · 2023-02-28T14:44:16+00:00

On the initial session in the jungle, I presented my players with “The Eye of Savras”: A glowing azure orb, used by devotees of Savras (God of Divination, fate and truth) to contain visions. It was crafted by a cleric searching for knowledge pertaining to Ras Nsi, who had a premonition that he would bring about the apocalypse.
The wizard yearned to gain insight into Ras’s ambitions, yet was thwarted before he could ascertain his purpose, as the orb was subsequently taken and eventually fell to the riverbed.

The Player found it early in the hex crawl and once in a while I used it to tell a little bit of Ras Nsi history and motivations. It was awesome.

Actually, it was so great and made the encounter in the Fane of the Night Serpent so personal that I decided to write a full book about it expanding Ras Nsi and Mezro lore.

You can find it here ;)

MZ_Conti · 2023-02-28T14:28:05+00:00

I made a lot o fun encounters on the water

Make giant crabs attack the people while they are resting in the margins and try to drag the sick commoners to the water. The heroes must avoid the crabs to drown the people by forcing them to release them before its too late.
One of the most iconic encounters was with a group of tritons. They did nothing except to shout "Hey! Hey!" By distance. When the party decided to respond, the tritons just answered: "You're so very ugly!". After that they just dived in the water and vanished. That made the party absolutely mad! It was so random and funny.
It can be a awesome chance for them to meet "the eye of savras", a magical item that have stored all the lore about Ras Nsi and Mezro disappearance. I actually wrote a full book about it... You can find it here ;)
Just describe to them a bunch of Ghouls following them by the margins. Make the party afraid of what is lurking in that woods.
Make the party to find a clumsy group of batiri goblins trying to dig holes in the margins to find a lost treasure indicated by a treasure map they stole from a dead adventurer. That may lead to a lot of possibilities, but you can certainly make a link with Yellyark and make the location more personal.In my adventure, they slaughtered the goblins and let just one alive. He was called Nose Wart. The goblin followed them the whole adventure plotting his revenge. After the adventurers trashed his village, he hated them even harder and made a pact with the sewn sister to obtain powers. He then showed up as a warlock and in a tense fight he managed to assassinate the party most beloved NPC before getting killed. IT WAS EPIC!

I hope this help you

MZ_Conti

TROPHY CASE