BTW, my group is now towards the end of Serpents of Scuttlecove, so I can post my conversion notes (which include a fairly significant side-trek into the mainland mid-way through) if there is any interest.
Very interested, and anything you have for The City of Broken Idols as well.
OK, so here's some rough notes, extracted from my master plan, including notes where the plan changed / something wasn't used in play. My overall conversion strategy was, as always, to combine areas that made sense, to make for larger and more interesting combats, without making it too easy or hard. Overall, these adventures as published were actually a pretty good fit for 4e...
Note on The Glutton - my players paid The Glutton off, but swore they would return "when higher level". They never did. I did design a little 'lair' for him though, with the following encounters:
Prior to the Glutton: Giant Octopus (solo controller 14) and Astral Storm (blaster 18, re-skinned avernus cinderstorm)
Lair of the Glutton: Emraag (Elite soldier 19; Dragon Eel), with his Living Breath (artillery 19) and 3 Kuo-Toa Monitors (skirmisher 16) with/on 3 war sharks (skirmisher 14), Dragon Simulacrum (blaster 15); Could have been fought to subdual, though not in his lair - in his lair, he could lead the PC's into the ruins of the ship, then attack them with the advantage of being able to move more easily.
City of Broken Idols (designed for 5 PC's starting at 16th level, but sometimes we only had 4 PC's):
note - a lot of the adventure-as-written changed as a result of my players' approach... as always, keep it dynamic!
Wandering Encounters - Savanah/Jungle: 2 Banshees (controller 12) and 4 Lingering Specters (lurker 12), soon joined by Kraa’ark Lors the Roc King (elite skirmisher 18, in 4e_Update to 3.5_Stormreach) and 2 Spellwarped Rocs (elite skirmisher 14, from Update to 3.5_Dragons_of_Eberron) who fly in from the mountains - NOT USED
Wandering Encounters - Ruins: something wandering from elsewhere within the ruins (e.g. I used a couple of Skinwalker groups due to the way my players bluffed their way in initially, then they got found)
Skill Challenge: Making allies of the Pelor Camp (if PC's fight, use 11 Greenscale Hunters, and elite Greenscale Marsh Mystic, MM pg 178) - I didn't run a formal skill challenge here, actually, just a bit of role-play.
Enc 1: "Noltus" Returns! - Onailati (elite controller 18; Ghoul Eyebiter, but creating Abyssal Ghoul Hungerer minions), Julajimus (Bloodcry Barlgura with a fear aura, elite brute 18), 4 Skinwalkers (skirmisher 12; Foulspawn Mangler Thrall with Longbows and Dark Toxin), Skinwalker Acolyte (Foulspawn Oracle, artillery 15) and Famine Mist (elite lurker 16)
Skill Challenge: Mantru riddle (if PC's fight, use Couatl Star Serpent and 3 Couatl Cloud Serpents, MM2) - the riddle looks pretty stupid actually, so replace e.g. Smoothing Ruffled Feathers (Dungeon 169, pg 52) / just have the PC's explain their past acheivements to show they are those prophesised - NOT USED (the PC's never went there).
Enc 2 (if they investigate near the waters around the island): Deinosuchus of Demogorgon (elite soldier 16; add Beast of Demogorgon template to a Feymire Crocodile), Blackspawn Gloomweb (lurker 16), Treant (elite controller 16), Ambush Vine (elite controller 16) - because the PC's flew in quickly and over the water, I only used it as the PC's exited the dungeon, having killed the Aspect of Demogorgon, but they flew away (on their flying horses) in round 1 of the fight.
Taboo Temple 1, 2: Xerkamat (Kazrith Demon, lurker 20; fled once the Aspect was killed, so NOT USED), 2 Kopru Behemoth (brute 17), Kopru Mage (artillery 17; re-skin slime mage, making slime alchemical goo), 4 Foulspawn (14 minion solider), Symbol of Suffering (warder 20; the trap was never used as the PC's bypassed it) - my PC's initially bluffed their way past these guards, so only fought a few as they came back out again at the end
Taboo Temple 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: remnants of skin walkers - 5 regular (see above), 1 chief (elite skirmisher 18 with ranger powers and gorilla companion). If the Chief is slain, the Skinwalkers flee when bloodied; - mostly NOT USED (they bluffed their way in, a few were later sent after them as 'random encounters', and the remaining skinwalkers fled whenthe aspect was killed)
Taboo Temple 11: Pactbroken Curse (disease 15; FRCG) in the idol. This is an example of where I left the 3.5 design intact, rather than worry about trying to make it 'like a 4e encounter'. It worked fine - eventually (on their way out), a PC picked it up and got cursed for a bit.
Taboo Temple 12: 3 Ghost Legionnaires (soldier 13), 3 Sword Wraiths (lurker 14), Oblivion Wraith (brute 17). Again, my PC's were by-passing things like this on the way in, and dealt with them on the way out (once the Aspect was killed).
Taboo Temple 13: Skill Challenge: Vault of the Sun and Moon; Nimbus Bow (Paragon-tier artefact; a lesser (+4 or +5) version of the Arrow of Fate, Dungeon 172; instead of ammo, it can in fact be a bow or crossbow, and has a bit less powers) - NOT USED
Taboo Temple 16, 19, 23: Trapped Corridor with Crushing Manacles (obstacle 15; NOT USED); after 1d4 rounds, joined by Flesh Jelly etc in 19: Carpet of Flesh (elite controller 15) with 4 Kuo-toa Harpooners (soldier 14) ; the harpooners can drag PC's onto the carpet from a greater range; 4 Giant Rolling Boulders (minion blaster 14; NOT USED) also triggers 19 in 1d4 rounds, if not already done. The traps were not used, because the PC's never went that way, but the monsters were encountered elsewhere 'wandering'.
Taboo Temple 24: Thogriff the Tiefling Pirate (Cruel Seirrah, elite controller 19; add Diabolic Transformation, pg 87 Dragon 381) riding Dimetrodon (Rage Drake Ravager, brute 15), with Ettin Spirit-Talker of Demogorgon (elite controller 16) and 3 Bloodcry Barlgura (brute 14). This was fun, and my players captured and tortured Thogriff, so later he returned with the gnome etc below (only to escape, never to be seen again).
Taboo Temple 29: 4 regular skin walkers (see above), 3 Kopru Behemoths (brute 17; make "fiendish" simply ading resist variable 10), 2 Kopru Mages (artillery 17; see above)Taboo Temple 30: Bebilith (solo brute 18), Chasme (skirmisher 14), Immolith (controller 15) – NOT USED
Taboo Temple 33, 35 or 37: Sivis Wordsmith (elite controller 17; add Inquisitor’s Glare (standard; recharge 6) Gaze, Psychic. Close blast 3; targets enemies; +20 vs. Will; the target is slowed (save ends). First Failed Saving Throw: The target is Immobilized, s.e), with Clay Golem (elite brute 15), Fomorian Cackler (elite lurker 17), Cyclops Hewer (soldier 16). Enraged at the PC's taking potential info etc from House Sivis; in fact, he's found a mark of the prophesy ala ECG 267, and is worried the PC's will undermine the Dream's plans ala ECG 229. These guys 'wandered' in to find the PC's elsewhere, with Thogriff (who lead them to the PC's, although I played it as a pretty shaky alliance, where the gnome thought himself the boss, but Thogriff was scared of the PC's so when the PC's started winning he ran away at the first opportunity).
Taboo Temple 43: Taboo Temple Kopru (as 29 above) and a Collapsing Path (acid pit, obstacle 17)
Taboo Temple 49: Khala the Two-Headed (Aspect of Demogorgon, elite controller 23) and Kala’s 6 Pet Skulvan demons (Turagathshnee, skirmisher 15) - this fight was very nearly a TPK, as the PC's were one down and I didn't adjust it - as two PC's fled (two were unconscious), we called time on that session. Next session, another player was missing but the PC previously missing was back (he just happened to be half-cleric), so he joined the other two for a resurgent, and ultimately triumphant, re-joining of the fight. In retrospect, six Skulvans was too many - 3-4 would have been enough.
Serpents of Scuttlecove (designed for 4 PC's, starting at 18th level):
As before, expect to be flexible, but also make yourself an expected time-line, especially if your group are not prone to driving all the action themselves, e.g. work out where you expect the assassination attempts to fit in (the adventure has some suggestions, but IMO it's not clear and you don't want to be trying to figure it out during a game session). The order shown below is the order it worked out for us, pretty much as I planned.
nb: I'm playing this in Eberron, so changed the Crimson Recruiters to be Warforged soldiers, provided by House Cannith (who the Crimson Fleet had convinced to help them, on promise of helping assassinate the Lord of Blades - that bit comes about later on in my game...) This fitted in with the Farshore invasion, where the Crimson Fleet had already been seen in league with Yuanti as well as Warforged.
3. Red Foam Whaling (Ambush): The Leech (yuan-ti abomination, elite soldier 19, with ring), 3 seventh coil assassins (as above, with arrow), succubus (controller 14).
2.1 Assassination Attempt #1 (Minting House Murderers): 3 seventh coil assassins (artillery 18; yuan-ti sharp-eye)
4. The Birdcage B2, B7 – 5 Sisters of Lamentation Harpies (controller 19, with minor-sustain action to animate anyone 0 hp or less as dominated undead with (surge) hp), Slaymate (brute 19), 6 charmed zombie slaves (minion 17)
2.2 Assassination Attempt #2 (The Gloves Come Off): 3 Seventh Coil Assassins (artillery 18), 1 Seventh Coil Slaver (artillery 18; incanter), 6 Crimson Recruiters (warforged knight, soldier 15) Eberron city map, with the yuan-ti scattered at range (one assassin with slaver), and pairs of warforged charging in from three nearby points. – NOT USED (the PC's, as often happens, went for the jugular as quickly as possible).
5. The Minting House: 3 Seventh Coil Slavers (artillery 18, incanter), 2 Seventh Coil Thunder Serpents (controller 18, sarpacila), 8 Crimson Thugs (human minion 16), 6 Crimson Recruiters (warforged knight, soldier 15)
Random Encounter in Scuttlecove: 4 Dire Hunger Monks (controller 16), Angel of Vengance (elite brute 19), Lorishto the Rakshasa (elite controller 21) - in my game, it ended up being the escapees from the minting house fight who summoned (and joined) this group, making for a tough fight sooner than the players expected (they were planning for a longer rest).
At this stage, I lead my players off towards the Mournland for a "Side-Trek", to find where the hidden crimson fleet base was located, and also to stop what they thought was an alliance between the crimson fleet and the lord of blades (that was a red-herring, designed to try and get the PC's to kill the lord of blades, which is what house cannith wanted).
Random Encounter in western Blade Desert: Firbolg Master of the Wild Hunt (elite skirmisher 18) with 3 Gremlins (controller 17) riding Wild Hunt Hounds (skirmisher 17).
Initial Ambush (Blade Desert): Lord of Blades (elite soldier 21), Hilt & Pommel (2 x skirmisher 18), with 2 Warforged Destroyers (artillery 14) in Warforged Titan coach (elite soldier 19), guarded by Ruus Dhakaan (elite skirmisher 18), Tanarukk Steel Warrior (soldier 18), Hill Giant Avalancher (skirmisher 14), Ogre Dreadnought (soldier 14), 2 Stone Thralls (brute 15), 6 Ogre Bludgeoneers (minion 16) - the PC's laid their own ambush (thanks to rituals) and knocked out the Lord of Blades before he even got to act, thwarting my plan to have him escape and lead them to his base in the Mournland...
So I had House Cannith troops arrive (on "sand skiffs, met by Lord of Blades troops (hidden in the sands), and a big war errupted, Cannith vs LoB with the PC's in the middle. The PC's were involved in pieces of the fighting, ala the Farshore battles... the two factions' aims were simple - the Lord of Blades' troops fought to ptotect their leader, and House Cannith fought to kill the Lord of Blades and also kill and PC's (to erase any evidence); the LoB was initially against the PC's (because they nearly killed him), but as the fighting went on the PC's actually realised they had been played by Cannith and allied with the LoB...
Wave 1: 10 cannith warforged drones (minion 16), 4 riding iron gorgons (soldier 14), charge the PC's
Waves 2+3 (the PC's hid themselves and the LoB away to rest and let the two parties fight amongst themselves, so when they finally came back after the main fighting stopped, I combined what would have been two separate waves into a single last effort by the House Cannith survivors to kill the PC's): 2 Slaughterstone Eviscerators (brute 18), Battle Guardian (controller 17), Caller in Darkness (elite soldier 19), Cannith Arcane Ballista (Artillery 19), 2 House Cannith Artificers (artillery 18), Human Dread Assassin (lurker 19), Warforged Wizard (controller 19), 3 Adamantine Vanguards (brute 17). The PC's were helped by the Lord of Blades (somewhat).
In the end, the PC's allied with the Lord of Blades, who helped them win the final battle (but only just! - the caller in darkness was a real pain, and the PC's didn't fight together as well as usual). So it was then off to the Crimson Fleet's hidden base (the Lord of Blades just happened to know of its location)... this is where the side-trek finished, and we re-joined the adventure as written.
6. Main Entrance (to the Crimson Fleet's base): phased entrance of the monsters, but one huge melee (i.e. no rests):
D2: Death Slaad (Death Giant Dreadguard, soldier 20); the PC's talked first, so incorporated a Skill Challenge ala Plane Below (pg 25), but it quickly descended into a fight...
D3 (etc): rotten wood (as per adventure), 2 spear traps (blaster 14; range 10, +17 vs Ref; 3d8+15 dmg + 15 ongoing s.e.), fen rot (15 ongoing acid damage, s.e.), prisoners in gibbets (minion 4).
D4: 5 Crimson Recruiters (warforged knight, soldier 15)
D6+D8: 8 Crimson Thugs (human minion 16).
D9: Captain Longshanks Le’Shiv (elite controller 18, based on captain Mur Mar, shadar-kai, dungeon 174), and 4 Crimson Thugs (minion 16).
D10: 4 Seventh Coil Assassins (artillery 18, as above), 2 Seventh Coil Slavers (artillery 18; incanter as above).
D11: Fiendish Eye of the Deep (aquatic beholder eye of chaos, elite artillery 20), Balor Husk (elite brute 20), Topiary Beast Girallon (elite soldier 17), Intellect Glutton (controller 21)
The lower levels (again, phased but one big melee):
E1: Symbol of Insanity trap (warder 24)
E2: Retriever (soldier 22)
E4: Captain Amella (held “prisoner”, but actually a Forsaken Infiltrator, skirmisher 22 - to back-stab the PC's in the next adventure, at the earliest)
F1: 2 Crimson Fleet Thugs (see above)
F3: 6 Crimson Fleet Thugs (see above)
F4: 4 Crimson Fleet Thugs (see above)
G3, I3: 3 Balistae (need crew e.g. a captain + 2 thugs each): blaster 19: +22 vs Ref, 6d8+7; AC 5, Fort 10, Ref 5, hp 40); use in nearby encounter(s) as appropriate
G4: 4 Crimson Captains: one is artillery 20 (as Chevesh, dragon 378; here, a flame mage of House Cannith, creator of the retriever in E2), one skirmisher 20 (Koko, one of the PC's whose player left; now a turn-coat allied with the Fleet, I 'dumbed down' his character sheet a bit to make him an NPC), a soldier 20 (Harliss, now wife of Koko and plane-touched; based on Kathrik Mel, dungeon 169) and a brute 20 (Magwroth, half-elemental).
Actually, I never used Amella, as the PC's never went to deck E or F, they started at G and the retriever and thugs climbed up to fight them there. So I'll say Vanthus took her (and Lavinia) to the Abyss, so the PC's will encounter and 'liberate her' in the next adventure...
Main upper levels (phased, but yet another big melee on H1-3 by this stage):
H1-3: "Vanthus" (actually Crimson Captain Marjorie; Doppelganger, elite lurker 20), orlath demon Ziovayne (Marilith with 2-headed beast of demogorgon template from DMG2; elite skirmisher 22), Lurking Two-Maws (elite controller 21; a captured "pet" T-Rex, corrupted by the Khyber).
H3: (after c. 2 rounds) Cold Captain Wyther (elite soldier 22; see below)
I2: (called by Wyther so +2 more rounds) 3 Sisters of Lamentation (controller 19)
In retrospect, this was one big rumble too many - a couple of huge fights is OK, but it drains the PC's resources a lot and takes a long time to play out. We had our first ever PC deaths here - one on level G, and another (the same PC) on level H. Both fights were near-TPK. I realised my design errors too late, and gave them a break by having Wyther continue to play it safe rather than go in for the kill when the PC's were getting stretched - he left the battle rather than fight to the death. In retrospect, every monster in this fight was capable of inflicting massive damage, as well as having heaps of hp and good defences - with the PC's a bit low on dailies, they struggled to take the punishment I was dealing out before they could drop any of the monsters (and their initial tactics were actually very sound). It's no great coincidence that both times I killed a PC, it was due to multiple critical hits with a high-crit monster (then some 'splash' damage on top at one point). Were I to re-run this fight, I'd remove the T-Rex from here (and put it by the entrance to the Khyber/Abyss, which I haven't quite got to yet, but is a prelude to the next adventure). That leaves a tough fight, not as tough as some others, but tough enough and I do actually believe the 'boss fight' shouldn't always be the toughest fight the PC's have - there's something quite cool about building up the BBEG then having him turn out to be somewhat pathetic in the grand scheme of things.
In my game, Wyther escaped the fight on the top decks, and made his last stand as a 'solo' in H3. As I say above, it wasn't an overly challenging fight, but after the pounding I'd been giving the guys, it was a welcome change of pace for them, and showed how Wyther had finally run out of supporters.
H4: 2 Yagnodemons (soldier 20), Energy Drain trap on entrance (hits 1/rnd), attacking chest trap (Impersonator Mimic, controller 16) with 8 spawn (minion 16), Cloaker Lord (controller 18). A classic old-school silly encounter, but fun for all.
I5: The Seventh (Yuan-Ti Anathema; elite skirmisher 21; escapes at 1/4 hp), 2 yuan-ti abominations (soldier 20), 2 Seventh Coil Assassins (artillery 18), 2 Medusa Shroud of Zehir (skirmisher 18), Disintegration Trap (one-hit wonder, say +23 vs Fort, 5d6+12 dmg + ongoing 20 (s.e.), after-effect ongoing 10 (s.e.)). Surprisingly easy for my group, as they killed the Anathema very quickly.
Cold Captain Wyther Level 22 Elite Soldier
Medium natural humanoid (demon) XP 8,300
HP 410; Bloodied 205
AC 38; Fortitude 35; Reflex 33; Will 34
Speed 6
Resist 20 variable (2 / encounter)
Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1
Initiative +21
Perception +15
Traits
Battle Talents
Wyther deals +2d10 damage against a marked foe, and scores critical hits on 19-20 (+5d6 damage).
Standard Actions
m Cold Iron • At-Will
Attack: +27 vs. AC
Hit: 4d10 + 8 damage, and the target is marked.
M Dual Strike • At-Will
Effect: Two basic attacks; if both hit the same creature, it's dazed (save ends).
Move Actions
Psionic Flight • Recharge 5 6
Effect: Wyther pushes each enemy adjacent to him 1 square and then flies his speed.
Triggered Actions
M Maddening Strike • At-Will
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): Wyther makes a melee basic attack. If the attack hits, the target makes a melee basic attack as a free action against a creature of Wyther's choice.
C Furious Blade • Encounter
Trigger: When bloodied.
Effect (Free): Close Burst 1 (enemies); as basic attack.
Not So Fast • At-Will
Trigger: A marked adjacent enemy shifts.
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): Basic melee attack.
Str 30 (+21) Dex 18 (+15) Wis 18 (+15)
Con 21 (+16) Int 18 (+15) Cha 24 (+18)
From a design point of view I have tried not to make the whole crimson fleet base one huge deadly fight after another, although the way the players tackled it that's exactly what they got for the first half or more. While that's exactly what they wanted - they were looking for the Cold Captain, Vanthus and/or Lavinia as quickly as possible, and loved the epic battles that ensued - in retrospect I think I have them one epic fight too many. Oh well, the PC who got killed two sessions in a row has now been retired (human warlord), and the player is loving his new PC (elf cleric/ranger hybrid with a touch of paladin) - real striker damage, similar healing abilities, just less buffs for the rest of the party. So while the warlord was a pivotal PC story-wise, we've taken care of that just fine (another PC will carry the mantle and try to do what his brother-in-law could not), and everyone's enjoying the change that a new PC has brought.
Oh, and lastly, I actually built a 3-D model of the ship (areas E, F, G, H, I), using two battle-mats as a base and for E & F, then plastic down-pipes for the trees, cardboard for levels G, H & I, taped together and propped up here and there with sticks / bent metal. Took a few hours to do, like about a day, but it literally added a whole new dimension to the planning and fighting. Unfortunately I had to transport it from home to where we play, but with a bit of re-work on site it held up OK. In retrospect though, I should have designed it with transport in mind (I had to take it to my friend's place in the car, and it didn't cope well with that!) Anyway, my players loved it, and it helped them plan out their attacks, as well as made the E, F and G fight in particular quite dynamic with monsters shooting across levels, climbing ropes between levels, being thrown off the edges, and so on.
