Dealing with The Croning and the Eon Pit

[Overcloud]

I have been reading and re-reading the Crone dungeon over the past few days and have come to the solid conclusion that I am confused. The Croning Ritual is what especially gets to me and is the most confusing. From how I am reading and understanding there is no way past the Croning Ritual? If its disabled it will immediately reset and even at that the Disable Device DC is 31.

I may be too lenient of a GM but I feel like this trap punishes the players needlessly for the sake of them learning about the Croning ritual. If they don't know the key phrasing the traps will kill them at the end of the hall or leave them old and potentially senile. Would it be better to have the traps trigger these things as part of the croning ritual but not leave the effects permanent? Or only at a super costly fix?

Am I missing something with this trap? What did my fellow GM's do in their campaigns?

As for the Eon Pit, does the curse effect those with the mantle of the Black Rider? Since it is a curse placed by Baba Yaga?

It also seems as if Vsevolod does not suffer from any of these effects, even though he must have passed over the runes and has remained in the Eon pit long enough to sacrifice two of his compatriots and summon a Svathurim?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions, I'm open to suggestions to change this aspect of the dungeon.

[Zhangar]

The croning isn't the only way to reach the final chamber.

I had the runes disable for a day if someone did the ritual correctly.

Vsevolod is safe from the curse of eons as long he doesn't enter the pit himself (he's been working in the chamber and around the edge), and also he has good saves. He could've easily dipped a hoof in, gone "oh balls!" and backed off.

The Black Rider's Mantle in of itself does NOT protect from the Curse of Eons, though you could give someone an additional saving throw bonus because they have the mantle. Or roll twice and take the better, or some other advantage.

Correctly performing the Croning is the way to safely enter the pit.

[Voadam]

My group mostly figured out the Croning traps and decided they wanted no part of sacrificing youth and life for wisdom and possibly turning into acient hags so they passed on going into there.

[Overcloud]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the advice. I read the book at 3 in the morning during a spout of insomnia and feel like I was just confusing myself with thinking about it. I guess I should have more faith in my players to figure it out, but I did want an alternative just in case.

Thanks again for clearing up the confusion

[Ayanzo]

Voadam wrote:

My group mostly figured out the Croning traps and decided they wanted no part of sacrificing youth and life for wisdom and possibly turning into acient hags so they passed on going into there.

How did they deal with the pit of eons?

[Voadam]

Ayanzo wrote:

Voadam wrote:

My group mostly figured out the Croning traps and decided they wanted no part of sacrificing youth and life for wisdom and possibly turning into acient hags so they passed on going into there.

How did they deal with the pit of eons?

By all dying before they got there. Ear seekers, triple armed triplets, and fiendish satyrs. I have a number of entries in the obituaries thread for the TPK.

[Ayanzo]

hah... so no party even reached that point and you ended it there.