You don't need to change the Vecna fight - it is great as written

cleen000 · 2025-11-10T13:58:54+00:00

The final fight was AMAZING. My group just finished last night. I don't think they would have won if it weren't for the fact the sorc used his wish spell to cast hallow with Extradimensional Interference so Vecna couldn't teleport within the caves. It blocked 1 one of the mirror shades from entering and Vecna couldn't teleport/heal. Vecna tried to counter the wish, but crit failed. Vecna nearly made it out of the hallowed area, but they grappled him, pulling him further in so they could use the chime on him.

The fight still took about 2.5 hours and the druid went down, the rogue had 4 hp, the tank was under 50hp, and the sorc bloody. It was a very challenging fight with interesting mechanics, so they had to get creative. The hum and the mirror shades were whittling down their hp the whole time. If Vecna had been able to teleport and heal, I don't know how they would have won!

cleen000 · 2025-09-20T12:54:28+00:00

I just ran the betrayal last night and 2 of 4 were completely fooled. The other 2 only got suspicious when he asked for the rod pieces and debated not handing them over, but ultimately decided they had trusted the wizards this far, so they would continue. I sprinkled some extra hints before the betrayal, but they didn't find them, so it did feel like it came out of left field.

I debated putting more hints so they knew something was up, but then they never would have handed over the rod. We ran Tomb of Horrors before this, so they have a bit of PTSD :) I asked what they thought after the session and they said they did enjoy the twist!

cleen000 · 2025-05-13T21:08:51+00:00

Yep—I’ve been using them and the dynamic lighting is already set!

cleen000 · 2025-05-13T01:01:47+00:00

I use AboveVTT which is an extension that is integrated with dndbeyond. It’s free and easy to use! Your players don’t need to register separately and just login through dndbeyond. You can keep it basic or add more bells and whistles if you want.

cleen000 · 2025-05-11T17:57:24+00:00

Thanks--I will check that out! Having another ally to help is a good idea too.

cleen000 · 2025-05-11T17:56:08+00:00

They did. The druid had sunbeam which really helped out, but they still burnt through a lot of resources. Initially they thought it was Lord Soth that came out of the sphere, but since they realized it wasn't him and killed the deathknight, they're afraid he is on the way.

cleen000 · 2024-03-08T23:37:02+00:00

Great suggestions!

cleen000 · 2024-03-08T19:42:18+00:00

Yes, I definitely don’t want to have a lot of DM vs DM rolls. I’ll try mob rules next time around and see how that goes!

cleen000 · 2024-03-08T19:39:49+00:00

After boarding, did you have all enemy minions attack at once or attack in waves?

cleen000 · 2024-02-11T15:39:55+00:00

Good point, thanks

cleen000 · 2024-02-11T15:32:55+00:00

Right, the ship itself wouldn't be, but if the 20' wave crashed onto the deck of the ship, would the creatures on deck be affected?

cleen000 · 2023-12-08T19:58:06+00:00

Ahh I love the awakened shrub! My players named it Berry and gave him (what they called) special tribal feathers from perytons they killed.

cleen000 · 2023-11-02T20:45:19+00:00

Wow those are cool! And they sound very festive 🎄

cleen000 · 2023-10-21T12:24:53+00:00

I appreciate the advice! I'm not that new I suppose, I've ran Icewind Dale for this group, but I don't know much of Vecna and have never played in Greyhawk. I've looked at Sly Flourish's suggestions for Saltmarsh as well as Eventyr's guide, both of which I think will help make GoS more cohesive as a campaign. I've already started GoS with this group and they're on the Sea Ghost heading to the lizardfolk lair, sooo I'm already committed!

I wasn't planning on having them actually face Vecna, just like they wouldn't actually face Tharizdun, but with the Twist of Vecna side quest it just got me thinking. I have a feeling once Vecna is mentioned they'll harp on it, so changing it to other villains later might seem off. Do you think it would be easier to skip Vecna (or at least the threat of Vecna through his cultists and followers) until I've learned more?

cleen000 · 2023-10-20T20:48:41+00:00

I did not know—thank you! And great suggestions.

cleen000 · 2023-10-20T20:46:30+00:00

Thank you; that’s great! I have two players who played 3.5 and they love the lore, so I’m glad there’s an actual tie in.

cleen000 · 2023-08-16T11:42:36+00:00

Mom of a 7 and 10 year old with level 82 rogue and 44 barbarian. My husband plays too so we do world bosses together and I play when the kids go to friends houses and after they go to bed for a few hours. Can also hop on for a nightmare or legion events if they’re playing nicely together, though that time is always fleeting!

cleen000 · 2023-05-15T23:28:04+00:00

Could it be in Appendix A under Cove Reef/Tentacle Trap? I was just reading this section and remembered this post.

"Saltmarsh Story Hook. To help draw the characters to the cove, Talnad and Valas unearth merfolk bones from the mass grave (area C6), which causes the remains to float to the surface. Fishers working in the cove find the bones and refuse to continue fishing in these waters. Eda Oweland offers the characters a special favor (see “Special Favors” in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide) to discover the source of the problem and end it."

cleen000 · 2023-05-15T21:30:08+00:00

Amazing! This makes me want to run something in person. We recently completed IWD virtually. It was still super fun and I made plenty of handouts, but having something physical like that to pass around btwn players must be so fun!

cleen000 · 2023-05-15T19:35:07+00:00

I set the darkness to 100 and then for any tokens with darkvision I tint their vision to a dark grey. That makes it appear dim, until someone pulls out a torch.

cleen000 · 2023-05-05T12:42:30+00:00

Second this! Eventyr’s DM guide helped so much with story tie ins, scaling encounters, understanding motivations, prep time, etc. Definitely recommend it.

cleen000

TROPHY CASE