As suggested by Jeremy McDonald on another thread, after running this module, please share with us your final player character body count or a running tally(petrification and other effects that need spells to return the PC back to life or normal is acceptable).
The Maure Castle dungeons applicable will include Levels 1-4 from Dungeon #112 and the Chamber of Intiquities from Dungeon #124 as written or at least very close to it.
Any takers? I'm at 4 so far... :)
Last time we played several months ago, I was at four also. The worst was the 1 rolled by the half-minotaur against the traps behind the tapestry at the entrance of level 2.
It will be a while before I get a chance to play this contest as the PCs are only 5th or so at the moment.
It will be a while before I get a chance to play this contest as the PCs are only 5th or so at the moment.
Or you could participate in the contest now and almost gaurantee a victory for yourself.
I'm also at four, all from the same trap. Let me set the scene. The party consisted of five characters, a thief, a sorcerer, a ranger, a swashbuckler, and a druid/Master of Many Forms. The party's thief was bound and determened to find out what was behind the Tapistry of the Lost City (The one on page 34). The group bet that there was a trap behind it. After tying a rope to the thief just in case, the rest of the group moved fifty feet down the hallway. The thief lifted the the tapistry, activating all three symbols of death, which have a radius of 60ft. One bad bunch of fortitude rolls later, everyone but the druid/MoMF were dead, and the only way he survived was because he was in the form of a troll and had 151 hp, one more then the symbols could effect. Needless to say, the group was not amused.
It's been awhile since we've played it, but the count was 4. 3 were by the party mage by the Iron Golem, tapestry trap, and finally the demon on the Seeker compound level. The 4th was a 1/2 elf ranger who came across the dig site on level 4 without any backup...he did last a couple rounds though and took out the summoned bone (?) devil.
Needless to say, the mage owed the party a good amount of coin from the resurrections.
J-
Yug-Anark, with the help of some of the Abyssal Ghouls on level 3, claimed our paladin tonight. The current body count = 5.
OK, this is not another casualty, but the effect was ever so sweet and I want to share it. If your players are like mine, they've probably been going a little bit at a time through this module and having to leave to heal or get fellow party members "fixed" before coming back again and repeating the process.
My players have wiped out all of the Seekers on Level Two (Tomorast's Hold) and even killed Yug-Anark, though it cost them their paladin. Now, I believe that Eli probably has some pretty good spells at his disposal (in his Boccob's blessed book, that is) and clever ways of using them so I had him start casting guards and wards in 3 strategic places on level two to discourage more interference by the PCs. It lasts for 34 hours each, so he basically is repeating them every other day.
Now, I don't know about your groups, but mine had NEVER encountered this spell outside of flipping past it in the PHB and it drove them completely batty since they didn't know what it was. I had stationary strobing dancing lights spells in the fog-filled hallways that really creeped them out. Then a suggestion spell to leave the dungeon sent one of the spellcasters teleporting home for the day. A magic mouth of Eli telling them that any more interference would mean they would have to deal with him personally. And, oh, how juicy the real confusion that set in as I had half of the party going one way and the rest the other when they came to crossing corridors in which the lesser confusion set in and trying to figure out which way was correct.
Probably the best effect of the night was when they entered an area of the fog that had a stinking cloud in it and I told them that they smelled something absolutely horrible and to make Fort saves DC... 28! Yes, that's right. It's a 6th-level spell and Eli has an Intelligence of 33! The worried looks they gave each other as they picked up their d20's was priceless! I mean, something with a DC that high has got to be fatal, right? Heh! When they learned that it was just nausea until they got out of the cloud's effect and the remainder of the 1d4+1 rounds elapsed I felt like busting out laughing at the visible signs of relief on their faces.
PLEASE use this spell on your players in this dungeon! You'll thank yourself for doing it.
It will be a while before I get a chance to play this contest as the PCs are only 5th or so at the moment.Or you could participate in the contest now and almost gaurantee a victory for yourself.
Lol - No I'd loose out badly - see high level adventurers are rich and they can resurrect themselves again and again - Maure Castle has the potential to wrack up something to the tune of 16 or more dead PCs even with a party of 4 - they just keep getting themselves resurrected and then walloped again...but at 5th my players could get at most one character resurrected and then all deaths would be final - no chance at all I can win if each of my PCs can only die once. That is a paltry 7 possible dead PCs with my party – Maure Castle's potential is just so much higher then this.
I'm also at four, all from the same trap. Let me set the scene. The party consisted of five characters, a thief, a sorcerer, a ranger, a swashbuckler, and a druid/Master of Many Forms. The party's thief was bound and determened to find out what was behind the Tapistry of the Lost City (The one on page 34). The group bet that there was a trap behind it. After tying a rope to the thief just in case, the rest of the group moved fifty feet down the hallway. The thief lifted the the tapistry, activating all three symbols of death, which have a radius of 60ft. One bad bunch of fortitude rolls later, everyone but the druid/MoMF were dead, and the only way he survived was because he was in the form of a troll and had 151 hp, one more then the symbols could effect. Needless to say, the group was not amused.
Lol - ah but I'm amused and there are probably a number of other DMs out there who are amused - I think that should be taken into consideration. I mean you have what 4 PCs who are unhappy but potentially a whole board full of DMs who find the event entertaining - think of it as the most good for the most people...a board full of happy DMs versus a few unhappy players.
OK, this is not another casualty, but the effect was ever so sweet and I want to share it.
Cool story - your writing is always a pleasure to read...here or in the mag.
OK, this is not another casualty, but the effect was ever so sweet and I want to share it.Cool story - your writing is always a pleasure to read...here or in the mag.
Why, thank you, sir :)
My group had pretty much went through the entire 2nd-level tonight and finally got to room 41 at the center of the dungeon. This is, of course, Eli Tomorast's room. Rel, his familiar, was lurking in the tunnels riddling the room when they dim doored in. The little critter immediately alerted Eli and while the party began looking around and considering what items to loot first, I spelled up Eli with a few things like stoneskin, protection from fire, shield, bull's strength, and activated his boots of speed last. He then teleported into the room and made a short little villainous speech to the effect of "You're not leaving here alive, you thieving bastards."
The combat lasted about 8 rounds. The first spell was time stop during which time he summoned a bone devil, cast invisibility, moved to the other side of the room, cast wall of force to separate the party in two, and a major image of himself where he had been standing.
Long story short, the party rogue that had been using his Bluff ability to deal sneak attack damage to him got a disintegrate in the face -POOF- and he was gone. The tapestry on the wall chowed on one of the big, bad fighters. He was brought back from dying before he bit it, but then died by a horrid wilting spell. The same spell also killed a PC's eladrin familiar.
At that point, they GTFO'd outta there with a combo word of recall by the party cleric and a teleport spell by one of the arcane casters.
So, chock me up for 3 more tonight. Oh, and the Kensai lost his sword during the fight, so he HAS to go back for it. Mwahahaha!
So, chock me up for 3 more tonight. Oh, and the Kensai lost his sword during the fight, so he HAS to go back for it. Mwahahaha!
That'd put you at 8 by my counting - how large is your party?
There are 7 of them. 8 if you count the coure eladrin one the arcane casters took as a celestial familiar. Maybe they need to start hiring some red shirts... err, henchmen.
Hmm, I just took notice of this board, and it now sheds some light on why Steve takes such delight in killing off his players' characters... He is trying to win a contest. Well Steve, it appears as though you are well ahead, so how 'bout taking it easy on us for a few?
Yeah, I know that is never going to happen. Wishfull thinking on my part. I guess all I can say, is I am glad we have so far found enough treasure to bring back all those who have fallen, if they want to come back, that is. And at least Eli is greedy enough to want Andrew's stuff, for had his gear been disintegrated then his spirit would truely be defeated, and he would elect to spend the rest of eternity with his good paladin friend.
Hmm, I just took notice of this board, and it now sheds some light on why Steve takes such delight in killing off his players' characters... He is trying to win a contest. Well Steve, it appears as though you are well ahead, so how 'bout taking it easy on us for a few?
Yeah, I know that is never going to happen. Wishfull thinking on my part. I guess all I can say, is I am glad we have so far found enough treasure to bring back all those who have fallen, if they want to come back, that is. And at least Eli is greedy enough to want Andrew's stuff, for had his gear been disintegrated then his spirit would truely be defeated, and he would elect to spend the rest of eternity with his good paladin friend.
Not really what the bragging rights contest is all about. This is more of a revel in the gritty killer dungeons of old written by the game's original creators, Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz. Had it been about winning a contest outright I think the DMs on these boards are well aware what Eli can really do when he's good and warmed up. I think I could have probably bagged a group of 7 last night, but then that's really not what the game is all about. In the end, it's about sharing with other DMs how many PCs this brutal dungeon chewed up and spit out.
I will admit that I've never had a problem with pulling punches, though ;)
Hmm, I just took notice of this board, and it now sheds some light on why Steve takes such delight in killing off his players' characters... He is trying to win a contest. Well Steve, it appears as though you are well ahead, so how 'bout taking it easy on us for a few?
Personally I am still trying to figure out what is so great about Maure castle. I could understand why so many people are enamored over Gary Gygax, but frankly he is still not all that. I personally like Steve's own creations, they tend to bare more life to it and Gary, well he seems to take too much pleasure in death. Unfortuantely there are more and more people like Gary than there are those who seek the joy of life in and of itself. Curious to see what other horrid things we find in Maure castle. More than likely we will see more character deaths and new character creations before this is all over.
Well, it looks like no more behind the DM's screen style posts here for a while. Now I've got 2 of my players peeking in here learning a little too much info.
I should cast feeblemind on them for their audacity!
But, I'll still post the character deaths. The players are getting much wiser now, so I don't see too many more unless they forget the lessons they've learned so far.
My party finally found what they were looking for down in the Chambers of Antiquities; some customization of Maure Castle to fit my campaign. So, I believe they will be taking a break from it for a while. In the meantime, Rob Kuntz should have another level detailed and out in print by the time we're ready to go back. And go back they will. They know there's a ton of treasure there that they've missed and I've never met a group of players that aren't eager to get their hands on some!
So, we'll be back in a couple months.
Hey,Uncle Rob! Thanks for chiming in on my thread, but more to the point, thanks for the adventures :)
I played in the Greyhawk Ruins mega-adventure written in the... early 90's? and that sounds exactly like my group's experience as well. We had a DM that must have taken classes from Gary or stolen his journal. It was brutal and it was fun. I must have gone through about 6 characters. The Tower of War was pretty hard and then we entered the Tower of Power... ugh!
We never actually finished the entire module. Things started following us back to Greyhawk when we were trying to rest and heal up...
BTW, was the module written by Blake Mobley and Timothy Brown a good representation of the original dungeon you guys made or completely off? Either way, it was fun.
My party finally found what they were looking for down in the Chambers of Antiquities; some customization of Maure Castle to fit my campaign. So, I believe they will be taking a break from it for a while. In the meantime, Rob Kuntz should have another level detailed and out in print by the time we're ready to go back. And go back they will. They know there's a ton of treasure there that they've missed and I've never met a group of players that aren't eager to get their hands on some!
So, we'll be back in a couple months.
So whats the total count up to?
Until they want to go back again for more thrills and treasure, I'm holding at 7. They did go back briefly to room 40 of the Chamber of Antiquities to kill the nalfeshnee they left behind from their previous trip there and to grab the treasure they left behind. But no casualties. It was kind of a pop in pop out kind of thing.
Until they want to go back again for more thrills and treasure, I'm holding at 7. They did go back briefly to room 40 of the Chamber of Antiquities to kill the nalfeshnee they left behind from their previous trip there and to grab the treasure they left behind. But no casualties. It was kind of a pop in pop out kind of thing.
My Players like to do this as well. Drives me nuts. I mean it is fairly easy to figure out what the set up of a place looks like during a single slice of time (when the PCs show up) but figuring out what the deal is after they have gone some where slaughtered half the resident nasties and run away from some big nasty only to return a week (in game time) later. That is much more difficult to adjucate. Did the nasties that remain stay? What did they do in the intervening week? Are they prepared for another attack? Or did they figure the PCs where never coming back after four days, Etc.
If the session ends and I have a week to consider everything then its just a minor annoyance but if they run away and then tell me they come back in a week after resting and I have to make all these calls on the spot and work out things like dead PCs raised into zombies on the fly my brain just starts to hurt.
My group finished Maure Castle some time ago.
I DMed. The final tally was 15 'skulls' (named for the skull stickers, for each death, that I put on a sheet of paper I have paperclipped to the back of the DM Screen.)
Each new adventure gets a fresh sheet of paper. And everytime the players look at me chuckling evilly behind my DM screen, they would see the skulls - a testament of why caution, sound planning and not making assumptions is key to survivability.
With #139 still waiting in the wings, I'd say Black Moria is hands down the front runner. Geez! 15!
My group finished Maure Castle some time ago.
I DMed. The final tally was 15 'skulls' (named for the skull stickers, for each death, that I put on a sheet of paper I have paperclipped to the back of the DM Screen.)
Each new adventure gets a fresh sheet of paper. And everytime the players look at me chuckling evilly behind my DM screen, they would see the skulls - a testament of why caution, sound planning and not making assumptions is key to survivability.
That is a pretty nifty idea. I thoink I will have to go out and get some skull or gravestone stickers and start 'notching' my DM screen everytime I kill a PC. That ought to get an interesting reaction from my players.
Recapping from this thread for the first adventure:
http://paizo.com/dungeon/messageboards/generalDiscussion/archives/maureCast le&page=1#3115
5 PCs deaths (in 2 different combats) in one 4 hour session. A new record for me.
12 PC deaths total. Wizard character dies 3 different times and retires.
Then comes the Chamber of Antiquities:
The wizard that died 3 sessions in a row comes out of retirement. He shouldn't have. At the bright room with the cat demon, the wizard says "maybe the bright lights is hiding something?" and steps to the door to cast dispel magic. The cat pounces on him, ripping the poor wizard to shreds. Death #13.
That was the only death in CoA. The hydra was a nasty, running battle but I didn't manage to drop anyone else.
I ran the first floor a while ago as a one-shot, and the players never got as far as the iron golem, so I didn't get any real good kills. I did, however, get a player who tried to retrive his mangled loot in room 7b.
He wasn't really using that hand for anything anyways. :D
ffff! Almost spit out my coffee whhile reading the last.
RJK
Yeah thats what makes the boards, i love it when they make me laugh. however JJ owes me a new key board for it failed it save vs coffee!
Although now I avoid coffee in my mouth when reading certain post!
Btw, I will be adopting the Dragon's names you contrived for Robilar's dragons when his adventure makes it to print and I have found a suitable way of inserting my own names as well (dragonish (best human derivation = yours) vs. pet names = mine).
Wow! I'm going down in greyhawk history as the one whom named Robilar's Dragons!I'm so honored Uncle thanks.
Your to credit for it though, for through all my years of gaming you helped shape the imagination!(Maure castle really opened me up to my creation of my own adventures-it's been my muse for 20+years!
The party entered level 1 at 14th level, so I added a little bit of extra meat to the encounters and promptly got two kills.
So now, the party of five characters is a little bit lower level as they are resting in the Weaver's room after raising their comrades.
The new mage in the party can cast teleport, however, so it should be okay. I didn't add too much to the dungeon, just gave Eli a badass additional henchman that wiped the party's ass before dimension dooring out. In the interest of secrecy in case any of my players read this, I won't post any details here.
Body Count = 2 (about halfway through level 1)
Long live 1st edition style 3.5 dungeons!! Thanks EGG and Uncle!
PS: One of my players, who has been playing since 1978, saw who wrote the adventure when he glanced at the cover of the magazine and groaned--"Oh GAWD!!! there's going to be teleporting traps, and magical pools and riddles and traps that'll cut our balls off!!" LOLOLOL!!!