I'm running a 3.5 campaign and am eager to use the Maure Castle adventure from Dungeon #112. The problem is the party level. The adventure is for 4 12th-level characters, who apparently are to make forays in and out of the dungeons, ending up at about 16th level.
In my campaign, we have 3 16th-level PCs. What I want to avoid, if I can help it, is going through and having to beef every single encounter in either numbers or level of antagonists to challenge them. Doing all that will take forever. It seems like a very deadly adventure, just as written, and I'm wondering if I can present a dangerous adventure without having to sit down and scale everything up.
What if the characters entered Maure Castle with Dalt's key, but discovered, once they were in, that they were trapped in the dungeons until they destroyed the ID Core on the Statuary level (albeit temporarily, since it regenerates in a day). Until that time, they can't teleport outside of the dungeon itself, can't escape through the planes, the key doesn't get them back out through the Unopenable Doors, and thus must try to hole up in random rooms (besieged by wandering monsters) to even recover their spells and heal.
The only other way in or out besides destruction of the ID Core would be persuading/forcing Eli Tomorast to use his demonic hands to open the doors for him. (The explanation for the presence of Seekers, gnolls, etc. is that Eli is able to shepherd his allies in and out as he desires, either through use of the Tome or his demonic hands.)
For those of you who have run this, do you think this will work in presenting a decent challenge? I can harry the party mercilessly once they're in the dungeon; even if the opponents aren't "level appropriate" all the time, resources will be constantly diminishing. . . .
Interested in any observations or advice from those who've run this!
This is a vicious dungeon - very 1ed. Quite frankly you would only need to beef up one or two encounters early on, before your party started to feel the heat. Especially if you trap them in there as suggested.
Reggie.
I don't think that three 13th level characters dole out the same damage as four 12th level characters. Reggie is probably correct in that you only need to alter one or two encounters. What I would suggest is just add an additional creature with the exact same stats (like one more ogre mage on the top level). This won't take a lot of work on your part and shouldn't make the battles last that much longer.
The best idea you had was to harry the group. Don't let them get a full uninterrupted sleep so that they can't replenish spells and they'll have a very tough dungeon on their hands.
The encounters that worry me the most are the most famous/iconic ones: the iron golem, Kerzit, Eli Tomorast. I'd be really interested in hearing from anyone who's played this module, especially where any of these combats were ultimately disappointing or anticlimactic.
When I DM'd this back in AD&D days, the iron golem was excellent and memorable, but both Eli and Kerzit went down depressingly fast.
(Interestingly, the other scary/memorable encounter were the slow shadows, as nobody noticed them for a long while and the whole party began freaking out as their strength drained away. )
Does anyone have any suggestions for what I should watch out for? I'd love to hear some real play experiences with the 3.5 version.
Thanks!
The Terrible Iron Golem
Add this feature to Room 22, "So long as the Terrible Iron Golem is animated, a small portal to the Elemental Plane of fire is opened, centered on the throne upon which the Terrible Iron Golem sat. This portal serves to significantly raise the temperature in the room to the point where every living creature takes 1d6 points of fire damage per round. The golem does not resist the effect, so it takes max damage (thereby effectively having fast healing 2) and cannot be slowed because any fire/heat counters the slow effect on an iron golem.
Kerzit
* Maximum hp (408 instead of 324)
* Increase natural armor by 5 (now 41 instead of 46)
* Increase his DR to 20/cold iron and good instead of 15
* Raise the Abyssal Wound damage per round to 6 instead of 4 and the DC of the Heal check to 30 instead of 25.
Basically, just add 5 to everything, hits, damage, DC's, AC, saves, etc. It might lack finesse, but you wanted quick/easy and your players will never know the difference.
Eli Tomorast
* Make him an 18th or 19th level wizard and get more 9th level spells.
* Like Kerzit, choose a number and raise everything by that.
Those are great suggestions: simple and evil. I thank you because my players sure won't.
Other than a rust monster,are there any really easy ways to get rid of that golem in a round or two that I should scheme to circumvent?
Well, the statue of the wizard comes to life, kneels and proffers his dagger which is a golem-bane dagger. Depending on the level of the party (and whether or not one or more characters has a golembane scarab) you may or may not wish to eliminate that altogether.
Maure Castle could easily be another set of ruins under Cauldron.
Or levels beneath House Rhiavadi, Oblivion or Shatterhorn.