I just started DMing the Shackled City, unfortunatly we can't play often but we try as much as possible.
After about four (or five) sessions we're still on the first adventure. I've also managed to kill off four PCs (and this isn't braging, it's a problem).
Has this adventure been tough on everyone or do my players just stink? At this time only two of the original characters still live, both are elves, and both are fighters.
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During Life's Bazaar, my players managed to get an amazing three sessions in a row of bad dice rolling (and I mean REALLY bad), mostly during the Jzadirune encounters.
The curse ended when they hit the 3rd level. Which was for the worse, cause they got too bold and charged headlong in a couple of occasions, with surprising success.
Then they decided to explore the Underdark caverns that lie beyond the Malachite Fortress, and got an almost TPK caused by two already wounded carrion crawlers.
Please notice that they are all expert players, with at least a decade of gaming on their account.
This scared the hell out of them, and they learnt (again) to plan ahead: a little strategy and good use of equipment and skills can really turn the odds.
Now, at 13th level, they still keep the attitude, and Cauldron has a band of sneaky, cunning, and downright mean adventurers fighting against evil in its streets. They are used to face bad luck at dice-rolling and facing deadly opponents, but now they plan ahead and minimize disadvanteges. Big difference, I can tell you.
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I just started DMing the Shackled City, unfortunatly we can't play often but we try as much as possible.
After about four (or five) sessions we're still on the first adventure. I've also managed to kill off four PCs (and this isn't braging, it's a problem).
Has this adventure been tough on everyone or do my players just stink? At this time only two of the original characters still live, both are elves, and both are fighters.
No I doubt your players stink, I've found this adventure is very challening, especially the first adventure. There are a lot of traps and enemies, and in many cases the enemies are much better prepared and have a terrain advantage over the PC's. I would be very surprised if many groups make it through the AP with no party deaths. In fact, my group has faced a near TPK at least once in each adventure.
How many PC's are in your party? What is their mixture of class abilities? Having a balanced adventuring party is a must in this campaign I think. Also, the adventure path hardcover suggests having a 6 member party not 4 IIRC.
My group is lacking in the divine magic area so I've had to compensate with some additional house rules to compensate for the lack of a strong healer. We also use an action point system and it is still challenging.
I just started DMing the Shackled City, unfortunatly we can't play often but we try as much as possible.
After about four (or five) sessions we're still on the first adventure. I've also managed to kill off four PCs (and this isn't braging, it's a problem).
Has this adventure been tough on everyone or do my players just stink? At this time only two of the original characters still live, both are elves, and both are fighters.
It is a tough adventure. Kazmojen and his pet howler are particularly nasty. I don't think your players suck. Perhaps it's a question of balance of your team. How many priests do you have ? I recommend a third of the party should be priest or druid types.
Bran
Thanks for all the input. To answer the few questions I got:
Two of the characters are elven fighters as I said. I have a total of five characters in the group. Since three died during the last session I don't how the group will be built up now. I do know one of them has decided to make a Neraphim Scout.
Sad thing is that all my players want to be the "main" character. Therefore the boosting and artillery effects of mages and divine casters are shunned like the plague.
I had one cleric before (who died). Now I don't think I'll have any. I had one wizard before (who died) and I don't think anyone want to play one of these either. Seems like I'm gonna have a group of fighters and rouges all around.
Seems like I'm gonna have a group of fighters and rouges all around.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, just make sure that some of them have at least one level in either ranger or paladin and they will be able to use wands for healing. Also make sure at least one of the rogues have maxed out Use Magic Device, to be able to use all different kinds of magic items at higher levels.
Speaking as the cleric (of Heironeous) in our SCAP party, I am thoroughly enjoying bickering with the others about being the 'main character' (we have also a halfling rogue, a human ranger, a dwarf guard, a gnome wizard and a human cleric of Wee Jas/necromancer)
During Life's Bazaar, my players managed to get an amazing three sessions in a row of bad dice rolling (and I mean REALLY bad), mostly during the Jzadirune encounters.
The curse ended when they hit the 3rd level. Which was for the worse, cause they got too bold and charged headlong in a couple of occasions, with surprising success.Then they decided to explore the Underdark caverns that lie beyond the Malachite Fortress, and got an almost TPK caused by two already wounded carrion crawlers.
Please notice that they are all expert players, with at least a decade of gaming on their account.This scared the hell out of them, and they learnt (again) to plan ahead: a little strategy and good use of equipment and skills can really turn the odds.
Now, at 13th level, they still keep the attitude, and Cauldron has a band of sneaky, cunning, and downright mean adventurers fighting against evil in its streets. They are used to face bad luck at dice-rolling and facing deadly opponents, but now they plan ahead and minimize disadvanteges. Big difference, I can tell you.
Yep, my players learned that planning ahead is a very good idea, after they managed to completely blow a surprise round vs. the main temple in Zeinith that ended up a TPK. Bad rolls cant be avoided, but if the players really know there PC's ability and work together as a team, then they can proabably over come bad dice. One exception to that is if you are running the SCAP straight from the book, then IMHO it would be very difficult to conclude the entire path sans an Arcane spell caster.
I think that Life's Bazaar is a very tough adventure, and if the players dont realise this after the first few encounters, and they keep charging headlong into trouble, TKP is inevitable.
For example, players could be somewhat used to the first adventure in a party being relatively easy, with CR1/2 or even CR1/4 monsters, with only maybe the final boss being a hard fight. In SCAP however, the first enemy they fight is CR2 and there are a lot of CR3 mobs right at the beginning. The dark creepers are especially deadly - with their good hide skills and sneak attacks, they can easily down a PC in a single blow. I still think it was a miracle that my PCs survived the attack of the two DCs in the kitchen area, where the little fellas were hiding in the fireplace. After that fight they realised the difficulty of the task ahead of them, and this gave a very tangible tension to the atmosphere. It was surely a night they'll remember!
On the other hand, i can understand peoples frustration if they stumble into a dark creeper and a pulverizer automaton at level 1 unprepared and get wiped. Still, I love the adventure.
Sad thing is that all my players want to be the "main" character. Therefore the boosting and artillery effects of mages and divine casters are shunned like the plague.
I am not sure what the "main" character means, but the adventure path gives every character the opportunity to shine at some point. If your players just want to kill the most creatures in combat, then it seems that they are missing the point of creative teamwork.
I had one cleric before (who died). Now I don't think I'll have any. I had one wizard before (who died) and I don't think anyone want to play one of these either. Seems like I'm gonna have a group of fighters and rouges all around.
Frankly with that group composition, you will run into the next TPK soon. Get a balanced group or do not start on the next adventure. It will be no fun for you and the PCs. Having read a lot of threads dealing with difficulties and TPKs, I realised quickly that most of the time the group composition was unbalanced or the players were making major mistakes (bad planning, ignoring clues, power gaming play style).
Frankly with that group composition, you will run into the next TPK soon. Get a balanced group or do not start on the next adventure. It will be no fun for you and the PCs. Having read a lot of threads dealing with difficulties and TPKs, I realised quickly that most of the time the group composition was unbalanced or the players were making major mistakes (bad planning, ignoring clues, power gaming play style).
I had one cleric before (who died). Now I don't think I'll have any. I had one wizard before (who died) and I don't think anyone want to play one of these either. Seems like I'm gonna have a group of fighters and rouges all around.
I figured I might run into similar problems, so I made some adjustments. Our main problem is that we only have 3 players:
Human FighterHuman Ranger
Half-Orc Monk
My solutions? First, I'm running 2 NPCS: a Halfling Rogue and a Human Bard (a 2nd level NPC with access to the Cure Light Wounds spell). Second, I'm going to have them "befriend" Weer, the potions dealer. (Though IMC [set in Faerun] he's a Thayan with the goal of having a Thayan Enclave officially sanctioned in Cauldron). He will ply the PCs with healing potions to win their support. Our campaign won't start for another month, so I still have time to flesh things out.