Quote from: HappyDaze on August 06, 2024, 02:55:30 AMPerhaps an evil kenku ninja clan?

That's a possibility.  Maybe some darklings.  Possibly a shadow demon who makes its lair there.  I am thinking about making the ghost an actual ghost.  Maybe make the poltergeist actually hostile. 

Quote from: yosemitemike on August 06, 2024, 03:47:36 AM

Quote from: HappyDaze on August 06, 2024, 02:55:30 AMPerhaps an evil kenku ninja clan?

That's a possibility.  Maybe some darklings.  Possibly a shadow demon who makes its lair there.  I am thinking about making the ghost an actual ghost.  Maybe make the poltergeist actually hostile. 

I suggest keeping at least one or two of the encounters as less hostile ones, especially if you can add a problem-solving/puzzle aspect to it rather than another combat encounter.

Quote from: HappyDaze on August 06, 2024, 04:12:20 AMI suggest keeping at least one or two of the encounters as less hostile ones, especially if you can add a problem-solving/puzzle aspect to it rather than another combat encounter.

There's a part where you can lay the ghost to rest to get a buff.  It has some stuff like that.  It's just doesn't have any real danger or stakes. 

I think this is how I will go.  The wereravens serve no real purpose so I am going to eliminate them.  The backstory of the family comes from the Baroness' journal.  It says that she hid her first born daughter, who was born deformed, away in the attic and hints that she killed the child "as a mercy" at age 6.  I am going to crank that dark aspect of the character up to 11.  She was a cruel, jealous woman who murdered her own daughter to blot out what she saw as a stain on the family line.  The Baron's beloved hound is portrayed as having died of old age.  I am going to change that.  The Baroness poisoned the poor dog because she was jealous of the affection her husband had for it.  Her ghost will be the main antagonist.  The dog ill appear as a shadow mastiff.  It will be initially hostile seeing the PCs as intruders in its home.  This will ramp up as time goes on until it attack.  If they lay the baron to rest before that, it will no longer be hostile and could become an ally.  The poltergeist will be the spirit of an abused girl and will lash out violently when the PCs intrude.  It might be possible to mollify her but it will be difficult.  I will probably just ditch the shadow crossing part entirely since it leads to a random mausoleum that has nothing to do with anything else in the adventure.  There will be a mausoleum for the family behind the chalet.   

It's weird how disjointed and disconnected this adventure is.  It open with a journal and a bunch of lore about the Vistani that the PCs can learn.  None of this is relevant to the adventure at all.  If they go to the Shadowfell, they encounter the Harrn family masoleum.  It has nothing to do with the chalet except that it occupies the equivalent space in the Shadowfell.  It's completely disconnected from the rest of the adventure. 

Quote from: SHARK on August 05, 2024, 02:16:36 PMGreetings!

*Laughing* I would add a group of Mavka Witches, a dozen Vampires, and several dozen Ghouls to the adventure.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

A Purple Worm bursts through the floor, and swallows one of the players....

Quote from: Man at Arms on August 06, 2024, 06:38:41 PM

Quote from: SHARK on August 05, 2024, 02:16:36 PMGreetings!

*Laughing* I would add a group of Mavka Witches, a dozen Vampires, and several dozen Ghouls to the adventure.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

A Purple Worm bursts through the floor, and swallows one of the players....

Greetings!

*Laughing* Hah! Yeah, Man at Arms! I love Purple Worms! The whole visual of a Player being swallowed and gulped down is always top-shelf for the drama!

Of course, you don't want the Player Group to be necessarily overwhelmed, right? This whole non-adventure though just seems so anemic and weak. It desperately needs more blood, fire, terror, and teeth!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

CR 15 might be a bit much for level 3 characters.  I am using a CR3 creature that can do a swallow attack though.  It from Empire of the Ghouls.

Quote from: yosemitemike on August 06, 2024, 11:21:12 PMCR 15 might be a bit much for level 3 characters.  I am using a CR3 creature that can do a swallow attack though.  It from Empire of the Ghouls.

Greetings!

Right right. I forgot what the precise level of the adventure was. I'm not in favour of over-stacking the deck unfairly against the Player group. Have to stay reasonable.

But yes, Yosemitemike! You are tracking with me. Creatures with *swallow* attacks are just always fun and awesome!

I hope this much-modified adventure goes well for you and your group. I knew right when it was initially described, I was like, damn, this adventure really needs a huge work-over!

And yeah, you have commented in line with this before, I fully agree. The adventure/module writing at WOTC is pathetic. All of these so-called "game designers" and "writers"--it really reflects poorly when they have such little experience with actually playing the game--and whatever paltry experience they may have in DMing the game--their comprehension of the rules, the system, the entire adventure dynamics is just so weak. And it shows, in vivid failure, in so many of these adventures and modules.

I miss the days of a module thingy like NIGHT BELOW. That module, by Carl Sargent, as I recall, did not just satisfy my expectations as a good module to DM--his skills challenged me with inspiration that pushed me to "Bring My A Game." So much inspiration, awesome presentation, framing of cool options, and more. Always more for you as the DM to chew on and think about.

Not to laugh at the module and roll your eyes and wonder, "WTF?" You know, my friend?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

5E content post Mike Mearls is not designed for players let alone human beings.  It's designed for story gamers who hate combat, hate Gygax, hate D&D and hate you and your family.  They have little spend and can't afford to buy content from WotC.

These are the new players Wotc is supporting.

Another thing I noticed is that this adventure actually tried to do a horror movie jump scare twice.  In one part, a harmless moth flies out when they investigate something.  In another, it's a bird.  This works to startle the audience in a horror movie because they can flash the thing on screen and insert a loud jump scare noise.  How do they envision this going at the table?  Am I supposed to slam a book down and squawk loudly at players to get that jump scare effect? 

I'm curious, why try so hard to make this adventure work?  Wouldn't it be easier to find a functional adventure and then put the desired parts from this into that?

Because I am running this on Roll20 as a one shot and this is what people signed up for.

Quote from: yosemitemike on August 07, 2024, 03:55:54 AMAnother thing I noticed is that this adventure actually tried to do a horror movie jump scare twice.  In one part, a harmless moth flies out when they investigate something.  In another, it's a bird.  This works to startle the audience in a horror movie because they can flash the thing on screen and insert a loud jump scare noise.  How do they envision this going at the table?  Am I supposed to slam a book down and squawk loudly at players to get that jump scare effect? 

Please do that. It'd be hilarious.

In seriousness, I'd use those harmless scares as false flags. Instead of trying to jump scare the players with a moth or a bird, take a little time to build it up, describe how they hear a rushing of wind and a hideous fluttering coming from the chimney, and then when they've all prepared themselves for combat, a cloud of bats streams out and and briefly engulfs them before flying off. Maybe the bats do a couple points of damage from bites. Doesn't really matter. After you do that a few times you can get them either paranoid of an actual attack or complacent that one will never come. Then your third or fourth version of the "thing which flaps towards you out of the darkness" can be a Hunting Horror or whatever. 

Quote from: yosemitemike on August 07, 2024, 07:33:50 AMBecause I am running this on Roll20 as a one shot and this is what people signed up for.

Well then run this turkey as written. Give the audience what they signed up for. If they tell you it was super lame just say that is the adventure as written. Save your creative content for better adventures.

Sounds like a Scooby Doo episode.  :-/