Rappan Athuk?

[LankyOgre]

I’m a little late to the party, but I just came across Rappan Athuk and I’m thinking of running it for a some family that hasn’t played much. Does anybody have any suggestions or advice about the Pathfinder version?
I’m looking at Roll20, but I haven’t done much with it. Does anybody have any experience with Rappan Athuk in Roll20? The tokens and monsters seem easy enough to add, but the maps themselves may be harder.
I’ve done some searches and I can find product pages and advice about the 3.5 version. There was some mention that the Pathfinder version has some rules discrepancies, are they that bad?

I was looking at the Mouth of Doom and there’s some attempt at Dungeon ecology, but it doesn’t actually make complete sense.

Spoiler:

There are supposed to be gnolls and bandits on the 2nd and 1st level, using the dungeon as a Hideout, but there’s no real way for them to get in and out without triggering traps and other monsters.

[Thedmstrikes]

In reference to roll 20, I have not actually used the interface, but several DMs are using it through the play by post section of these boards. The maps are the same for each edition, but you will want the ones updated during the Pathfinder version solely for the small amount added as new material then.

In reference to the dungeon ecology, assume the residents of the dungeon are aware of each other and avoid each other to prevent territorial disputes, unless the module specifically says otherwise. Further, they have already explored their areas and are aware of the traps and how to bypass them in order to get into and out of their own territory. How that exploration came about is entirely up to you (they could have had success in finding everything, lost several of their members to similar traps before learning how to spot them, you get the idea).

In reference to running this with inexperienced players, please be aware that experienced players can often have a hard time negotiating this dungeon without losing several PCs in the process (or even all of them at one time). There is a reason some of the later iterations of the material include an obituary section to capture this kind of data. You know your players better than any of us could, I am just saying they may get frustrated with having to start their characters over frequently.

[LankyOgre]

Thanks for the response. Seems like there isn’t a lot of recent interest. I may try to reach out to groups already running the adventure and see what they’ve done on Roll20.

I am planning to make it clear that it’s a deadly adventure that is just as likely to kill you as anything else.

[DanyRay]

If you play on roll20, look for the digital maps they released last year. I use them on roll20 and it's great, i'm glad to not be forced to map this huge thing.

For the player, yes they should know it's Deadly and they must have a replacement PC ready. My player went to deep to fast and now are trying to find their way up without a TPK, all the original group have been replaced in the process except a weak NPC that map for them that they manage to keep alive.

[LankyOgre]

Thanks. That’s actually pretty helpful.

[GM Rednal]

>Running Rappan Athuk for a family that hasn't played Pathfinder much.

XD XD XD XD XD

Okay, so the #1 thing to remember is that Rappan Athuk is the dungeon. It is not just a dungeon. It is not a light excursion. It is big, it is dangerous, and it can do very nasty things to even well-prepared and intelligent teams. If that sounds like the sort of game your group wants, go for it!

But if they'd prefer more roleplaying and plot and less harrowing adventure, a different dungeon might be better.

[LankyOgre]

I will be waiting to see what the players think. I’m just looking through it now. Having just a giant sprawling dungeon is definitely something I look forward to as the DM. I’ve run a couple of APs, and I still find myself spending hours smoothing plot points and tweaking the encounters, so having something to just run from the bug is appealing.

[Matt Filla]

You should make clear to your players that there will be encounters where the CR is far, far above the other encounters on that level, and that "the deeper you go, the harder it gets" general rule for dungeon delving is often broken in RA. Players who are not prepared to have their PCs run away like scared children on occasion are going to die even more frequently.

On the plus side, the really overpowered encounters are often pretty hard to find.

[Chaotic_Blues]

The first party I ran in Rappan Athuk was TPKed in one of the beginner dungeons, on the second session if I remember correctly. The second time they were far more cautions.