Thanks for the encouragement.  I'm not really as down as I must sound above... maybe it's just the stress of my kids bringing the plague home from school/daycare every day, stressing me out and making me sentimental.  I still think I'm am pulling it off (mostly) and DM'ing the module well enough to justify finishing it.

It happens to the best of us man - having played this much of this module - I certainly wouldn't want to DM it - I don't have the patience - so I give you all kinds of props for doing it not once but twice.

I assume these Drow will do the standard formation: spell casters way in back being annoying, while the tank-like fighters are in front.

Rodolfo is giving us a decent chance of dropping down on their rear spell-casters, before the front-liners can turn around. I'd be happy if this makes this particular fight easier, with sneaky attacks from hiding.

It will be fine if, after this one fight is over, Drow reinforcements are heard coming from all directions, and the party is forced to go down a particular tunnel that we would not otherwise go down ("rail-roading"). Is it the water-logged north passage?

My concern is that I've had modules that assume the party would flee (so they get overwhelmed if they fight), and other modules that assume the party would stay and fight (so they run into more trouble AND get attacked from behind), with nothing to distinguish between those two situations. So I'm always worried that I'm making the wrong choice, between fleeing and fighting.

It doesn't matter if you make a stand and fight to the end, or turn tail and run in either direction, I can find narrative ways to set up the story either way.  I think I'm covered regardless of what you do. 

 YOU trying to choose what you think the DM wants you to do is not how you should be playing.  The DM has to find ways to get you to where you need to go regardless of what you choose to do.  Do not worry about what I want to happen.  That's my problem, not yours.

That being said, look at the initiative order.  For Rodolfo's plan to work, everyone has to climb to the top of that rope... a full turn assuming you are already at the base of the rope with both hands free to climb.  And not one enemy can see where you go to, or else they don't go on a wild goose chase at all.

Sometimes the best thing to do is not try and murder hobo everything, but use wits (not that we collectively have a lot of that in our characters) to get through or avoid situations especially against a greater foe. I often forget that....

I suggest we use the darkness to cover our retreat in whichever direction we choose.

Ok, I've read through all of this and .. I don't know what would make more sense for Rodolfo to do. He has tiny legs and he's facing possibly large forces of drow who are the ultimate hunters of the Underdark. Just plain running seems just plain suicide. He CAN run with the help of magic, but as times have shown then surviving on his own has a VERY low likelihood of success.

So his plan is to use the Rope Trick to trick the enemy into chasing nothing. But as the map and our knowledge of the surrounding area is limited then the spot chosen may not be the best spot to be in.

I would say Rodolfo would still go with the Rope Trick, but leave it up to Kerrec to decide if there is a more suitable spot for it on the path they took to get here. It might be that a few hundred feet back there was a cubby they spotted that would be ideal for this.. or several twists and turns in the road. Or maybe just placing it 5 feet off the ground would make it work. I don't know how the Rope Trick would work if it were for example just in middle of the path and the enemies walked "through" the space it was in.

And lastly - Kerrec, you are doing an awesome job. It's a difficult module to run properly and especially difficult to run it in a way that would keep the players from falling into depression.

Ok, we're doing the Rope Trick.  However, given you're allowing me to choose where to do it, I'll move it up the northern tunnel, just around the corner and we'll just say it works.  You all spend an hour in the rope trick...

 So since we're now effectively in a box canyon - should we backtrack and try to find another route?  or see if maybe we can dig through the cave in? I doubt we want to try and cut through the webbing *shrug*

Quote from ArgentTheWise >>

except I think they are running away - to warn the others and come back with their force to recapture you.

sucks I wasted inspiration and a nat 20 for nothing

EDIT: re-reading it maybe its a larger force then - since the voice said to engage us - but someone is riding off to gather more people?

dunno since only certain members understand elvish - seems like Skaramos is going to stay invisible on the wall.

 You can have your inspiration back.

OK, this scripted encounter has some special mechanics: 

• The place you are exploring is larger than the scale of the map lets on.  
• Any combat you engage in takes 15 minutes
• Movement (out of combat):
  • Slow pace gives advantage on stealth and you can't be surprised.  Moving 6 squares takes 15 minutes.
  • Normal pace has no advantages or penalties.  Moving 12 squares takes 15 minutes.
  • Fast pace causes disadvantage on stealth and passives don't apply.  Moving 24 squares takes 15 minutes
    • However!  You can't move at a fast pace indefinitely.  Each member of the party can move at a fast pace for 3 + CON MOD (for the whole scripted encounter) before you have to roll a DC 10 CON saving throw or suffer exhaustion.  Each successive fast move increases the DC by 1.

Obviously, in this place, how much time you spend matters.  You have to discover why.

EDIT: typo on the fast pace movement.  It's 24 squares, not 14 squares.

I have a preference for Normal pace, as that still covers a lot of squares, but still allows Beegred to take advantage of his Paranoia Observant feat passive abilities. After an hour of traveling, we can go across Difficult Terrain at normal speed (while our pursuers will likely be slowed down), so keep that in mind (Ranger: natural explorer).

But I'm willing to follow what everyone else wants to do. That includes ambushing the Drow at some other location.

We might want to Fast pace the first 15 minutes, just to get a little more spacing, then move Normal. Only go to Slow if there looks like a decent place to hide (gain advantage on stealth).

FYI, the tunnel between you and the drow is buried with tons and tons of rock and mud.  It is clear the drow would need to get to you some other way.

So there's some other threat in here we're unaware of.  I'm all for the normal pace then to try and get through here.

Lets go with normal pace the first 15 minutes.

So we have moved 4 out of our 12 allowed squares of the normal pace "round"?

I would say head to the right as that's more "away" from the cave-in and any possible passages that connect to the larger road that we already came from.

Quote from Winenose >>

I would say head to the right as that's more "away" from the cave-in and any possible passages that connect to the larger road that we already came from.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

Sounds good

How big is Glabbagool? can we maybe jump over them? to move on?

"When you make a long jump, you cover a number of feet up to your Strength score if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing long jump, you can leap only half that distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement."

Glabbagool is a large creature.  Normally he would be 10x10x10, but since the hallway is only 5 ft wide, and 10 ft high, he's currently 20ft long.

Hmm ok so much for that idea :P