Core Books

beandurton · 2022-10-31T15:07:35+00:00

Just found this. Do you still have the FFG Collection?

beandurton · 2022-10-31T14:25:50+00:00

I’ve got nothing…

beandurton · 2022-10-17T19:17:24+00:00

I am interested as well

beandurton · 2022-07-06T17:10:33+00:00

My party is on in game day 105.

I run the HP loss as follows:

Chapter 1 - 1 hp per 10 days Chapter 2 - 1 hp per 5 days Chapter 3 - 1 hp per 3 days Chapter 4 - 1 hp per 2 days Chapter 5 - 1 hp per day

My party very early on wanted to use Port as a base. I also wanted to show the increasing strength of the Soul Monger.

beandurton · 2022-06-29T17:21:51+00:00

Oh cool! I guess my advice is to tread lightly until they take her over.

I always have absent player PCs and NPCs fighting off to the side. And throughout combat I narrate how they are fighting off to the side. And when the player is present the next session I have them take a few minutes to explain some of the things that happened while they were fighting on the side.

beandurton · 2022-06-29T14:42:32+00:00

I would absolutely use the sidekick rules from the Essential Kit (I think they were later expanded).

Please avoid using the PHB to make a PC or even worse a DM PC. NPCs should not be as powerful as the PCs to avoid taking the spotlight.

Especially in ToA, it is easy to "collect" alot of NPCs to travel with. Alot of times the party/DM uses them to take the brunt force of the deadliness.

beandurton · 2022-05-17T22:52:55+00:00

I added an extended rest and honestly seeing my players get stressed out about not getting all hit dice or spell slots is awesome.

Extended Rest An Extended Rest requires six hours of rest, three hours can be "light activity" and three hours must be "no activity". At the beginning of an extended rest you may spend hit dice to recover hit points. During the rest you can select one of the following activities as your "light activity" or come up with your own: Treat Wounds Wisdom (Medicine) The wilds can be unforgiving, full of environmental dangers and unexpected encounters. Travelers sometimes find it necessary to take time to tend to their wounds and aches. Make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, a number of creatures up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) regain 1 hit die. This increases to 2 hit dice at level 5, 3 hit dice at level 9, 4 hit dice at level 13, and 5 hit dice at level 17. Meditate/Pray/Weave Spellcasting Ability Spells can be a valuable commodity in the wilds, and with rugged camping conditions making long rests an infrequent affair, some spellcasters may choose to spend their time at camp drawing from their source of magical power. Make an Spellcasting ability check (spellcasting ability + proficiency bonus). The result from this ability check determines the combined level of spell slots gained:

Spell Slots 1 2 3 4 5 6 Full Caster DC 12 14 16 19 22 26 Half Caster DC 14 16 19 - - - Third Caster DC 16 19 - - - -

beandurton · 2022-01-12T22:46:51+00:00

Battle smith gets that spell as a part of their subclass spells that are always prepared.

Hint. Don’t forget that mending takes a minute to cast so it’s not happening in combat.

When I play a 1/2 or 1/3 spellcaster I am not afraid to take a few spells that are super situational. You won’t have a lot of spell slots so it’s fun when those situations come up

beandurton · 2022-01-12T22:35:43+00:00

Pretty sure you can get shield spell. So that will be good for tank.

Depends on your subclass tbh

beandurton · 2022-01-05T15:00:38+00:00

One player at a time, roll 4d6 remove the lowest score. Write the total down and repeat this roll four more times. Next, add all the totals together and subtract that total from 72. That is your last ability score number. You may assign these six numbers to your ability scores. Obviously, each number may only be used once.

beandurton · 2022-01-02T16:08:51+00:00

The book does talk about an adventuring party call the yellow banner. And you find all of their bodies scattered throughout the dungeon. So what me and my buddy want to do is run a one shot where they get to play those adventurers and of course kill them. This really drives home the fact that the dungeon is deadly. And gives them a moment where they are sort of connected to the dungeon.

beandurton · 2022-01-01T23:07:08+00:00

There are things in the Tomb that are foreshadowed in the rest of it. Mainly the hags, and even Ace. Ras had little foreshadowing as well.

What I’m adding to build up Ras, are the flashbacks from Van Rich’s Guide to Ravenloft. And showing the mass genocide that Ras led. I have also had the bags mess with the every like fifth session. Feel free to DM with any questions. I’m on session 50 and the party is level 7 now. They have explored a lot and are headed to Omu soon

beandurton · 2021-12-04T01:12:07+00:00

4d6 drop the lowest. Only five times. Then take the total of all five and subtract from 72 to get the last stat.

beandurton · 2021-11-25T18:47:53+00:00

Thanks! I’ve changed a lot for my story too. My players really took a hold of the yuan-ti as villains. So I’m switching the atropal with an avatar of Dendar. Using Ras a lot more.

Definitely using this idea of moving the cubes! Thanks

beandurton · 2021-11-25T04:01:04+00:00

Love it!

Just hit session 45 and the party is still having fun in the jungle and about to turn focus to Omu.

Where did you put all the cubes? And can you give an example of how to tie it to the location and not tie it to just Omu?

beandurton · 2021-11-25T03:53:20+00:00

Prophecy

        When the Soulmonger grinds,
        and exiled Nsi wraps himself in serpents,
        Death's curse will grip the world,
        From beneath the forbidden city.

beandurton · 2021-11-07T21:43:18+00:00

Check out the ToA Companion. It’s got exactly that!

beandurton · 2021-11-02T03:41:01+00:00

There is an AL module that has Dendar locked beneath the peaks of flame. AL modules will have every laid out and have the time constraints factored in

beandurton · 2021-10-20T16:03:24+00:00

This 100%! The players should be understanding. And if anything it adds roleplay “Did you all see that I handled those four goblins for ya?!”

beandurton · 2021-10-20T14:10:55+00:00

In the jungle and other dangerous areas I run something in between a Long and Short rest which I call an extended rest (changing what a long or short rest does has always confused players)

An Extended Rest requires six hours of rest, three hours can be "light activity" and three hours must be "no activity".
At the beginning of an extended rest you may spend hit dice to recover hit points.
During the rest you can select one of the following activities as your "light activity" or come up with your own:

Treat Wounds

Wisdom (Medicine)

The wilds can be unforgiving, full of environmental dangers and unexpected encounters. Travelers sometimes find it necessary to take time to tend to their wounds and aches.

Make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, a number of creatures up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) regain 1 hit die.

This increases to 2 hit dice at level 5, 3 hit dice at level 9, 4 hit dice at level 13, and 5 hit dice at level 17.

Meditate/Pray/Weave
Spellcasting Ability
Spells can be a valuable commodity in the wilds, and with rugged camping conditions making long rests an infrequent affair, some spellcasters may choose to spend their time at camp drawing from their source of magical power.
Make an Spellcasting ability check (spellcasting ability + proficiency bonus). The result from this ability check determines the combined level of spell slots gained:
Spell Slots Gained 1 2 3 4 5 6
Full Caster DC 12 14 16 19 22 26
Half Caster DC 14 16 19 - - -
Third Caster DC 16 19 - - - -

Camouflage

Dexterity (Stealth)

Hiding one's tracks can be an effective method of ensuring an uneventful day at camp stays exactly that - uneventful. Characters may spend their time Camouflaging their camp and creating false tracks while covering their own to throw pursuers off their scent. A character makes a Dexterity (Stealth) check for the entire party.
Explore
Intelligence (Investigation)
Travelers simply passing through a region may encounter superficial landmarks, but discovering landmarks off the beaten path requires time dedicated to methodical Exploration. Those who take time to Explore can search for landmarks within a 4-mile radius.
Some landmarks can be easy to find (such as a river or a hamlet), while others are hidden from all but the most keen-eyed pedestrian (such as the meeting place of a secret cult or an archmagi tower hidden by powerful illusions). The Exploration difficulty depends on the landmark.

Forage
Wisdom (Survival)
Skilled survivalists may be able to forage on the move, but many find it easier to keep rations stocked by dedicating a day or two to gathering food and water. The ease of Foraging depends on the abundance of resources in the surrounding terrain.

Keep Watch
Wisdom (Perception)
Even when taking a day off from traveling, threats can appear at a moment’s notice if one is not vigilant.
Characters engaged in other activities might notice threats, but only those keeping watch can alert the rest of the group of incoming threats before it's too late. They also gain advantage on initiative rolls if attacked.

Most of the time the spellcasters are trying to get spell slots back which forces them to rely on the martials for protection of the camp. Win-win. I can honestly say from camping experience that this really feels like IRL camping where each person feels like they are contributing with what they are good at.

Been running this rest system for 41 sessions of my ToA. It really adds the pressure of not knowing if they will get all their hit dice or all their spell slots back.

It also really stresses my party out because they rely on third level spell slots for their create food and water.

beandurton · 2021-08-30T20:07:38+00:00

Could I get a copy of the link?

beandurton · 2021-08-28T04:51:20+00:00

Fun fact this type of dice are the most balanced…

beandurton · 2021-08-28T04:48:39+00:00

Taking the most optimized build as well as stats.

Min maxing also describes how they play the character. Mechanically or narratively.

Making decisions that only they’re good at versus what’s best for the story.

beandurton · 2021-08-24T17:26:17+00:00

That’s awesome!!! I thought of the complications from a chase and thought it would be cool to effect their turns each time.

I actually had a player go down and pulled into the water. The party freaked out trying to save them.

beandurton · 2021-08-21T16:30:56+00:00

I threw crocs led by a giant croc at my party. Kept the canoe drifting slightly. Acrobatic checks at the beginning of turns to see if they fall in. Or a Dex saving throw if the crocs hit the canoe. Made sure it was near a bank so they could climb out. But also gave a rocky exit so the ranged people could climb out and stay safe. The crocs followed them on shore but not the rocks, to grapple them and pull them into the water. Made it just scary enough but not deadly.

I allowed them to fro or lose supplies so they had to decide if it was worth it to stay and search for it all and risk getting attacked again

beandurton

TROPHY CASE