So been playing D&D since 2001 and got into 5th edition the last year and a half. Its been fun and have been dming Crrse of Strahd and a player in lost mines. Now with a group of 6 players going to do Tomb that I am DM'ing. Group is a 50/50 on rp and fighting. Problem i am having though is the final fight and even some optional quests seem to be lv 10-20. However the campaign says it will take them to level 11. I looked at the trickster god possesions and though they give buffs I don't see it being enough to get through all the traps, the atropal and the lich with orb of annihilation. Also there is a side quest to take on a young red dragon CH10 elsewhere.
So my natural thought is to get them to lvl 17 or so. I have read around and watched vids. I haven't found anything from people who have beat the campaign. But I see two camps. One group isike lvl 11 is fine, don't underestimate your players. Or on the other hand- there is no way most of them are not dying at lvl 11. Anyone who has completed this campaign able to weigh in? I need to know if I should plan for them to be lvlv 17 or 11 by the time they are at the end of the maze. So I can plan quests accordingly.
My group made it to around level 15ish by the time they got to the bottom of the tomb. It was a little touch-and-go in places, but overall they did fairly well. There are a ton of magical items laying around that swing the balance to the party's favor, or at least gets them on equal footing.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Thank you very much for your reply and that sounds exciting! Do you feel if they were less than 15 with the magic items they would have been okay or toast? Also do you think if they were higher than 15 that it would have been too easy as written or still challenging?
I am also running this campaign. Looking ahead I thought the same. Also, where you able to incorporate the ticking clock? Did your PCs have any reason to care about getting this figured out in a timely fashion? Mine have build in their backstory to give them some motivation. But it still feels like we are running behind and we are still only lvl 4/5s
My players were level 10 when they started unlocking the final door. They did tpk when they split the party at one point unleashing a horde of ever increasing demons on the 5th floor. Devine intervention and some custome story elements brought them back with ramifications. I’d say for a small party of 4 lvl 11-12 can be tight. It depends on their team skill, their equipment, and ability to not be stupid. 17 would be far too high. For a party of 5 or 6 lvl 11 is just fine because action economy.
It is suppoooosed to be threatening content. As a dm it’s your job to impart this to them with some very near death encounters. Fudge the numbers when you see them do badly and take the opportunity to have them barely escape etc... also make it clear to them in the beginning.
Be sure to get VERY descriptive in the dungeons to the point of making it your own and they will have the tools in front of them to make the right calls. Use the content as a guide. Ie. If you know entering a room will close a door they can’t open and gurentee a player dies, have it close slowly or give them a highly difficult way to open it, or have it separate the player for a brief time to really let the fear sink in. Your players will surprise you.
If you feel particular characters are susceptible to being one shot by a trap give them an item that will fix it so they have a fighting chance etc.
by the book book it’s a meat grinder sure, even has a meat grinder mode. However You as the dm can make it fun and challenging for your players.
So been playing D&D since 2001 and got into 5th edition the last year and a half. Its been fun and have been dming Crrse of Strahd and a player in lost mines. Now with a group of 6 players going to do Tomb that I am DM'ing. Group is a 50/50 on rp and fighting. Problem i am having though is the final fight and even some optional quests seem to be lv 10-20. However the campaign says it will take them to level 11. I looked at the trickster god possesions and though they give buffs I don't see it being enough to get through all the traps, the atropal and the lich with orb of annihilation. Also there is a side quest to take on a young red dragon CH10 elsewhere.
So my natural thought is to get them to lvl 17 or so. I have read around and watched vids. I haven't found anything from people who have beat the campaign. But I see two camps. One group isike lvl 11 is fine, don't underestimate your players. Or on the other hand- there is no way most of them are not dying at lvl 11. Anyone who has completed this campaign able to weigh in? I need to know if I should plan for them to be lvlv 17 or 11 by the time they are at the end of the maze. So I can plan quests accordingly.
My group made it to around level 15ish by the time they got to the bottom of the tomb. It was a little touch-and-go in places, but overall they did fairly well. There are a ton of magical items laying around that swing the balance to the party's favor, or at least gets them on equal footing.
Thank you very much for your reply and that sounds exciting! Do you feel if they were less than 15 with the magic items they would have been okay or toast? Also do you think if they were higher than 15 that it would have been too easy as written or still challenging?
I am also running this campaign. Looking ahead I thought the same. Also, where you able to incorporate the ticking clock? Did your PCs have any reason to care about getting this figured out in a timely fashion? Mine have build in their backstory to give them some motivation. But it still feels like we are running behind and we are still only lvl 4/5s
thanks
My players were level 10 when they started unlocking the final door. They did tpk when they split the party at one point unleashing a horde of ever increasing demons on the 5th floor. Devine intervention and some custome story elements brought them back with ramifications. I’d say for a small party of 4 lvl 11-12 can be tight. It depends on their team skill, their equipment, and ability to not be stupid. 17 would be far too high. For a party of 5 or 6 lvl 11 is just fine because action economy.
It is suppoooosed to be threatening content. As a dm it’s your job to impart this to them with some very near death encounters. Fudge the numbers when you see them do badly and take the opportunity to have them barely escape etc... also make it clear to them in the beginning.
Be sure to get VERY descriptive in the dungeons to the point of making it your own and they will have the tools in front of them to make the right calls. Use the content as a guide. Ie. If you know entering a room will close a door they can’t open and gurentee a player dies, have it close slowly or give them a highly difficult way to open it, or have it separate the player for a brief time to really let the fear sink in. Your players will surprise you.
If you feel particular characters are susceptible to being one shot by a trap give them an item that will fix it so they have a fighting chance etc.
by the book book it’s a meat grinder sure, even has a meat grinder mode. However You as the dm can make it fun and challenging for your players.