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View Full Version : Running Read Hand of Doom for Newbies/Dummies



Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-28, 08:37 PM
Note: the Dummies part of the tittle refers to me since I am a pretty inexperienced DM with only 3 or so sessions under my belt.

I want to run the Red Hand of Doom adventure path, the problem as said before is that I don't have much experience on DM'ing so I am asking for some pointers on how to run the adventure & general Dm'ing.

The catch is that the group contains some newbies, and since I am a bit of an optimizer, I wanted to tweak a bit the monsters and NPC's on the adventure to posse a bigger threat to my players (and in teaching a bit of optimizing-fu to my group in the proccess); but I am not sure if that is a good idea.

Thanks in advance.

AslanCross
2010-05-29, 07:41 PM
How far do you intend to optimize the monsters? While the adventure can be quite dangerous for a fairly unoptimized group, I needed to significantly up the power level for my group. The only encounters that have proved to be very dangerous as written in the book were the Marked For Death encounter and the Varanthian encounter. What's your group like?

Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-30, 08:31 AM
How far do you intend to optimize the monsters? While the adventure can be quite dangerous for a fairly unoptimized group, I needed to significantly up the power level for my group. The only encounters that have proved to be very dangerous as written in the book were the Marked For Death encounter and the Varanthian encounter. What's your group like?

So it is dangerous on its own right?... hmmm maybe I won't need to optimize the monsters, my group is on the lowest end of the optimizing scale... guess I could run the first session with the monsters as they are and see how it goes.
But the thing is that I intend to help my group optimize a little, I'll see how it goes.

Thanks

ShneekeyTheLost
2010-05-30, 08:47 AM
So it is dangerous on its own right?... hmmm maybe I won't need to optimize the monsters, my group is on the lowest end of the optimizing scale... guess I could run the first session with the monsters as they are and see how it goes.
But the thing is that I intend to help my group optimize a little, I'll see how it goes.

Thanks

If the group is on the low end of the optimizing scale, they may be in for a lot of trouble. There's several encounters with opponent casters. Even if they just stick to BlastOMancy(tm), they have surprising damage output and can if not soften up then outright drop unwary PC's.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-30, 08:54 AM
hmmm well ok, I'll run one session with the monsters untouched see how it goes and then see if I need to tweak moments.

Either way does anybody have suggestion for running it or general Dm'ing pointers?

AslanCross
2010-05-30, 09:23 AM
As I'd mentioned earlier, there are a couple of encounters that are quite deadly---the Marked for Death ambush is one that the book's writers say was really designed to put some mortal fear into the hearts of your players.

Since that encounter, my party has always been afraid of anything they met.

The rest, however? The Goblin Raid, for example, is a bit pathetic---Hell Hounds are rather flimsy, and the goblin outriders deal peashooter damage.

Even the later bosses like Kharn and Azarr Kul only have double digit HP. I had to raise them to triple digits just to threaten my players. For those guys you might really want to buff them up since they are the climactic encounters of the adventure.

More generic tips:
1. Have terrain notes prepared ahead of time. A great big majority of the encounters in the adventure take place in the open, and the environments are rather varied. Proper tactical placement is very helpful in such settings, so make use of them for your monsters. (This will also stimulate more creativity in the players.)

2. Running random encounters---it depends. I used them because I like the sense of unpredictability that the players get as well as the atmosphere they bring. Walking through fiery, devil-infested mountains of death isn't complete without random encounters with devil stormtroopers.
On the other hand, random encounters could feel like an annoying waste of time. Be judicious in your use of them and if you feel like the dice have given too many encounters, chuck out a couple, especially if they're tactically similar. ("ANOTHER girallon? ANOTHER lizardfolk? Yawn.")

Should you choose to run random encounters, make sure you roll them ahead of time and prepare the terrain.

3. The Red Hand is run by intelligent humanoids. The soldiers are tough and competent (at least moreso than the human militia guarding the towns). They're way above the common trope of fantasy villain armies of being full of dim-witted brutes. Therefore, play them smart. Have them attack from carefully-chosen locations and take pre-planned paths.

If they have spell-like abilities (especially the fiends, including the barghests), use them. Spam them if you can. The Greater Barghest has a really powerful spread of (Sp)s, for example. Mass Bull's Strength? Mass Enlarge Person? Blink at will? Awesome stuff.

Once the PCs start kicking their asses, try to have at least one soldier run away to report. The worgs are great for this; they have a very high movement speed. Sooner or later, the Red Hand will begin going after the PCs personally.

4. Never ever land the dragons.

5. Never ever make the dragons rush blindly towards the players if they have ranged spells, especially in Rhest. The black dragon can breathe water; have him take an alternative route when attacking the PCs.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-30, 09:25 AM
As I'd mentioned earlier, there are a couple of encounters that are quite deadly---the Marked for Death ambush is one that the book's writers say was really designed to put some mortal fear into the hearts of your players.

Since that encounter, my party has always been afraid of anything they met.

The rest, however? The Goblin Raid, for example, is a bit pathetic---Hell Hounds are rather flimsy, and the goblin outriders deal peashooter damage.

Even the later bosses like Kharn and Azarr Kul only have double digit HP. I had to raise them to triple digits just to threaten my players. For those guys you might really want to buff them up since they are the climactic encounters of the adventure.

More generic tips:
1. Have terrain notes prepared ahead of time. A great big majority of the encounters in the adventure take place in the open, and the environments are rather varied. Proper tactical placement is very helpful in such settings, so make use of them for your monsters. (This will also stimulate more creativity in the players.)

2. Running random encounters---it depends. I used them because I like the sense of unpredictability that the players get as well as the atmosphere they bring. Walking through fiery, devil-infested mountains of death isn't complete without random encounters with devil stormtroopers.
On the other hand, random encounters could feel like an annoying waste of time. Be judicious in your use of them and if you feel like the dice have given too many encounters, chuck out a couple, especially if they're tactically similar. ("ANOTHER girallon? ANOTHER lizardfolk? Yawn.")

Should you choose to run random encounters, make sure you roll them ahead of time and prepare the terrain.

3. The Red Hand is run by intelligent humanoids. The soldiers are tough and competent (at least moreso than the human militia guarding the towns). They're way above the common trope of fantasy villain armies of being full of dim-witted brutes. Therefore, play them smart. Have them attack from carefully-chosen locations and take pre-planned paths.

If they have spell-like abilities (especially the fiends, including the barghests), use them. Spam them if you can. The Greater Barghest has a really powerful spread of (Sp)s, for example. Mass Bull's Strength? Mass Enlarge Person? Blink at will? Awesome stuff.

Once the PCs start kicking their asses, try to have at least one soldier run away to report. The worgs are great for this; they have a very high movement speed. Sooner or later, the Red Hand will begin going after the PCs personally.

4. Never ever land the dragons.

5. Never ever make the dragons rush blindly towards the players if they have ranged spells, especially in Rhest. The black dragon can breathe water; have him take an alternative route when attacking the PCs.

<scribbles furiously> thanks

ka_bna
2010-05-30, 10:44 AM
I'm going to run RHoD soon too, happily taking notes:smallbiggrin:
If I may add one question: I have no experience with victory points. Do I tell the players of victory points or not?

Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-30, 10:46 AM
Actually what are victory points? (are they specified on the module; because I just ordered the Module through amazon yesterday)

2xMachina
2010-05-30, 10:55 AM
I read through Saph' RHOD journal, and it seems Victory Points are awarded for completing objectives. It's a measure of how well you're doing. And having too little points means you lost the war.

(It should be stated in the module. I think the VP things are module specific.)

Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-30, 10:56 AM
I read through Saph' RHOD journal, and it seems Victory Points are awarded for completing objectives. It's a measure of how well you're doing. And having too little points means you lost the war.

(It should be stated in the module. I think the VP things are module specific.)

Oh I see thanks... and now that you mention it, I think it would be a good idea to read both AslanCross' and Saph's campaing journals.

Greenish
2010-05-30, 11:02 AM
Oh I see thanks... and now that you mention it, I think it would be a good idea to read both AslanCross' and Saph's campaing journals.It'd be a good idea even if you weren't to run it. :smallcool:

Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-30, 11:03 AM
It'd be a good idea even if you weren't to run it. :smallcool:

Well if the RhoD journal of saph is a least half as good as the "Seven Kingdoms" one... either way to the search bar! (no offesense intended AslanCross, but I haven't read yours so I can't compare)

Myshlaevsky
2010-05-30, 02:12 PM
Well if the RhoD journal of saph is a least half as good as the "Seven Kingdoms" one... either way to the search bar! (no offesense intended AslanCross, but I haven't read yours so I can't compare)

I'll chime in to say that AslanCross' RHoD journal is just absolutely excellent, particularly so for anyone thinking about running the module. I found it more helpful than the journal Saph did, but that might just be personal taste. Both are certainly worth reading.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-05-30, 02:13 PM
Actually I am about 4 pages into AslanCross one..:smallredface: and I have to say it is incredible.

Olo Demonsbane
2010-05-30, 02:28 PM
Kjones also has an awesome RHoD journal...I recommend reading them all, each gives separate yet good advice for DMing in general.

Coidzor
2010-05-30, 02:33 PM
I'll chime in to say that AslanCross' RHoD journal is just absolutely excellent, particularly so for anyone thinking about running the module. I found it more helpful than the journal Saph did, but that might just be personal taste. Both are certainly worth reading.

Been longer since I read Saph's, but I think AslanCross goes a bit more into the design mentality behind his tweaks, which I greatly appreciated.

Jastermereel
2010-05-30, 10:10 PM
There used to be a thread full of links to the run-throughs and resources. Does anyone still know which that was? I'll be running the module in a few weeks and would love to brush up on the various ways to improve it.

My group may not be optimized enough to need the foes to be beefed up, but I'd love to run through the advice to have a smoother run-through.

AslanCross
2010-05-30, 10:16 PM
I'm going to run RHoD soon too, happily taking notes:smallbiggrin:
If I may add one question: I have no experience with victory points. Do I tell the players of victory points or not?

Don't. It's more fun that way. Telling them will bog down the game with "Hey we need more victory points! Wait, how many do we need anyway?"

Same thing with the alliance points with the Elves. (My players almost didn't get the alliance because when the elves asked them if there was anything they needed, they just went "Oh, we'd like to have the following items identified...") :smallsigh:

Good thing next session they doubled back.

And thanks for reading my journal! I always make sure to post advice regarding the design. I'm glad it's appreciated.

CockroachTeaParty
2010-05-30, 10:44 PM
Don't land the dragons... That's some good advice. Of course, my warmage/wizard/ultimate magus, and the party spirit shaman, were such well-honed dragon killing machines by the Battle of Brindol that it didn't matter what the dragons did... they died. They died hard.

Try to teach your group some optimization theory, and see if they can apply it. Should they start to make a mockery of the Horde, then you can start to up the ante.

Our DM routinely upped the size category (and the age category, of course) of all the dragons, and he probably could have done more. We were a scary-good team, though. We fought as an organism...