I am a fairly new DM for 5e. Please help me take my general ideas and tweak the numbers to create average threat. I have tried the encounter builder but it can’t capture the nuance of my environmental constraints, which I love to have.
Players
5-6 8th level PCs
> 6 months experiences at 6th level and below
They don’t optimize. I don’t either. Rule of fun.
Heavy Spoilers below for White Plume Mountain
I’ll spare you the story I worked out. Basically, it’s a condensed White Plume Mountain with a time mechanic. Lair of a dying wizard. Loot it and find the escape before it (volcano) erupts. 4-5 hours.
Assumptions
A time mechanic will force a limit of 1 day. Assume 1 uninterrupted long rest, and likely no more than 2 short rests. No random encounters.
1-shot
Sphinx in their parlor room are the adventure “hub”. They are generally affable to the courageous party who are attempted to “clean out the closets”. The other rooms are connected from here.
No popping out to town. It’s a lock-in. Players will be able to trade all listed coins and treasure to the sphinx for material and spell support. Party will be challenged by the Androsphinxes roar to have the heroes feast at some point.
The party will be pretty stacked by the end with 2 legendary weapons and whatever the Sphinx provides.
Here are the rooms I planned to keep from white plume:
note: Boiling lake and Wave inaccessible until Blackrazor and Whelm are recovered.
#2 - The Parlor - Elaborated into the hub of the dungeon. Two benevolent Sphinx NPCs.
#5 - Numbered Golems - The Wizard’s Workshop - as written
#7 - Geysers and Chains - The Dining Room. floor collapsed into sink hole. Filled in with boiling water and rough terrain. Discs are chandeliers. Ceiling extends up into darkness 50ft to where 5-7 Harpy’s nest and wait in ambush. Geysers are active per the adventure.
#8 - Coffin - The Chapel - Here is want to create a claustrophobic confessional boot feel with many porous walls. Great stone statues. I also want to use an Eidolon in place of the printed monster.
#13 - Snarla’s Sanctum - change them to members of another party vying for the treasure in parallel. They trigger the Gibber Mouther when the PCs are elsewhere. Source for backup PCs within the locked dungeon.
#0 - The Menagerie - My creation. Large room with bookcases, specimens living and dead, bones, oddities, etc… here is Blackrazor, inside of a beefed up Gibbering Mouther that has just formed from wild magic and is attacking the specimens. Lots of cover and difficult terrain. Other monsters. What CR and stats should I aim for? This should be the climactic boss fight. #15 is more like a last blast of action. A victory lap unless they take too long doing it.
#15 - Boiling Lake - as written then add a Grey Slaad that keeps the crab as a pet. I just want to. Here is Wave in a barnacle crusted chest and then win condition. However, if they take too long the crab will begin to tear the wall.
#16 - Blow Hole - as written.
Intended Adventure Success: Any PC hold’s Wave and converts on the spot. Cube of force the party and everybody Willy Wonka’s out of the top of the plume. Fin. Boiling lake and wave inaccessible until Blackrazor and Whelm are recovered.
Can you be more specific? What "numbers" are you asking folks to help you tweak?
What is the make-up of the party? Do they usually make a cakewalk of your previous encounters? What types of magical weapons or armor do they already have?
I am a fairly new DM for 5e. Please help me take my general ideas and tweak the numbers to create average threat. I have tried the encounter builder but it can’t capture the nuance of my environmental constraints, which I love to have.
Players
Heavy Spoilers below for White Plume Mountain
I’ll spare you the story I worked out. Basically, it’s a condensed White Plume Mountain with a time mechanic. Lair of a dying wizard. Loot it and find the escape before it (volcano) erupts. 4-5 hours.
Assumptions
Here are the rooms I planned to keep from white plume:
note: Boiling lake and Wave inaccessible until Blackrazor and Whelm are recovered.
Intended Adventure Success: Any PC hold’s Wave and converts on the spot. Cube of force the party and everybody Willy Wonka’s out of the top of the plume. Fin. Boiling lake and wave inaccessible until Blackrazor and Whelm are recovered.
Can you be more specific? What "numbers" are you asking folks to help you tweak?
What is the make-up of the party? Do they usually make a cakewalk of your previous encounters? What types of magical weapons or armor do they already have?