General Mechanical Considerations
This section focuses on the changes between 3rd and 5th edition in terms of mechanical expectations. Optimal spellcasting choices have changed, especially due to the concentration mechanics. Finally, conversions for the common members of the Red Hand are provided.
Spoiler: Party Level and Number
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The original module was designed for 4 players at level 5. DnD 5e assumes a 5 member party, so there are immediately some issues with scaling. That said, many of the fights include low level opponents that would have been trivial in 3.5e. With bounded accuracy, these minions form a credible threat. Overall I’ve had good success using 5e versions of the enemies listed in the encounters. There is an action economy issue with some fights where the party has been able to down a large threat before it gets to do much, so it’s always a good idea to tune encounters with the action economy in mind. Throwing in a few more low level enemies, or doubling up on mid-level threats, helps to keep the fights at the expected difficulty.
Spoiler: Tactics and Builds
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Tactics and builds make a big difference in how hard the party may find the adventure. Parties lacking area of effect abilities may find the large number of low level monsters difficult to deal with. Similarly, parties with poor ranged capabilities and poor mobility may have difficulty with the dragon fights, which largely expect the dragon to strafe while using their breath attacks.
On the flip side, there are many occasions where a stealth oriented party has the opportunity to defeat their enemies in detail. Vraath Keep and Rhest both have fights which are hard to deadly if the monsters support each other, but each group of monsters is easy to deal with. A stealthy or blitz approach can steamroll these encounters. That is a natural reward for clever play, but the DM should ensure that such tactics aren’t universally applicable. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Spells like Polymorph, Wrathful Smite, Fear, and Hypnotic Pattern can all quickly shut down a fight, particularly against a single foe, but the concentration mechanics serve to mitigate this somewhat. It is worth noting that some of the big enemies in the module are melee focused and lack either magic or ranged attacks of their own. Varanthian and Kharn are both subject to this weakness. The climax of Critical Roll demonstrated how important Counterspell is in 5e, so it’s worthwhile to keep at least some support spellcasters in the big fights to keep PC spellcasters from dominating the game. Dispel Magic can also be a good way to strip buffs and end persistent area of effect abilities that shut down the fodder in an encounter.
The adventure does have a few tricks that don’t translate well into 5th edition. The Staff of Life, for instance, is a sneaky way to nearly one-shot the Ghostlord via its Heal ability. This item does not exist in 5e, so the DM may wish to create some stats for an equivalent item. Also, charges work differently in 5e, so a different balancing mechanism may be needed to ensure that this item does not outlast its intended use.
There's a lot of controversy about the Sharpshooter and Heavy Weapon Mastery feats. A lot of DMs feel like they deal too much damage, especially in the hands of fighters with tons of attacks per round and Action Surge. This kind of burst damage can be especially deadly to large solo monsters, as it will chew through their hitpoints very, very quickly. That said, these feats have also been the only thing that have saved parties from wipes in certain big fights. I personally don't have a problem with these feats, though I will give the big hitters in memorable fights some reaction like Shield to get 20+ ACs. I used the dragon magic option for Tyrgarun, for example, to keep him from getting taken out too quickly by my very mobile party. In any case, you can choose to allow these feats or not in your game. Feats are an optional rule, after all.
I have not noticed any problematic builds in my own play-through, including the dreaded Sorcadin. My struggles have a lot more to do with the action economy. That said, my experience with character optimization is limited. What problems have others noted with 5e character builds, whether in RHoD or in general?
Spoiler: NPC Spell Selection
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The big things to watch for in 3rd Edition were save or suck effects and stuff that impacts the action economy. Both have been significantly reduced in 5th Edition, with the introduction of the concentration mechanic preventing stacked buffs and debuffs, or even having both a buff and debuff active at the same time. Now the primary decision of the spellcaster is to select which spell to concentrate on, limiting them to one role in the fight. This makes blaster spells a bit more important, too, since it gives the caster something to do with their action while concentrating on the main spell.
For all this, it’s not a bad idea to have multiple concentration effects on the spell list. Even if the caster is never forced to make a concentration check, many spells like Hold Person allow a save every round. The target will eventually end the effect, giving the caster a chance to use another spell. Now, you could just use the same spell again, if you have the spell slots, but variety is nice so I’ll recommend having a second (probably lower level) option in the list.
Note that it is generally better to have spells that target multiple opponents rather than one as that’s more likely to result in someone actually failing the save. Something like Hold Person can swing a battle in a big way, but does nothing if the target passes the save. That can leave your spellcaster with egg on her face, and worse it feels like a wasted action. Now, statistically it’s not - your players will remember the battle where someone got Held and took several crits in a row! - but it’s not very fun to have the spellcaster not seeming to do much round after round. Make one attempt at the big effect, then maybe try some multiple target effects for a while. Just to keep it interesting. Slow, Bane, Fear, and Command (at higher levels) are all good examples of this sort of thing.
One big change from 3rd edition is the elimination of the Summon Monster spells. Since those spells are supposed to be the source of the ubiquitous Hell Hounds found in the adventure, that leaves a bit of a hole that needs to be filled. We could add a 3rd or 4th level Conjure Hellhound spell, handed out via scroll. The problem with that is that the Conjure spells require concentration, which means that’s pretty much all the summoner gets to do. Another option is to have some Unexplained Magical Ritual that pulls these things through the dimensions periodically to reinforce the Hobgoblin army. Maybe it’s the early fruits of whatever it is that’s going on in the Fane.
It might also be worth having both. Having one fight where a spellcaster summons one hellhound after another could be pretty interesting, especially if we enable 1d3 or so to be summoned at a 5th level slot. Maybe Koth could have something like that. You could also have such an effect at the Fane, where there’s a portal that hell hounds just keep leaping through.
This is one area where I have to confess some lack of expertise. Are there any spellcasting gurus in the audience that might give more advice on spell selection for the adventure?
Red Hand Forces
The Red Hand of Doom has extensive stat blocks in the back even for the Red Hand base troops. Rather than updating all of these to 5th edition manually, it’s recommended to just use the monster and NPC entries in the Monster Manual. I don’t currently have access to Volo’s, so if anyone has alternative suggestion from sources other than the Monster Manual please add a comment. The following substitutions work well:
Spoiler: Hobgoblin Regulars
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The basic Hobgoblin entry works quite well for these troops throughout the adventure. With an 18 AC they remain tough to hit even at the higher levels, and 11 hp is just high enough that the players can’t just take it for granted that they’ll drop one with every hit. This keeps them relevant in terms of action economy and resource management, giving players the choice between expending resources to ensure that the basic troops are eliminated quickly or using several rounds of actions to mop them up (and potentially take more damage). Choices are good!
The 3rd edition version of this adventure used the hobgoblin troops as something more like scenery than an actual threat. In 5th edition, a dozen hobgoblins can still be a significant threat even to a level 9 party thanks to bounded accuracy. This makes the fights with a large number of antagonists a little harder than might be expected for the listed CRs, which the DM should take into account. In my experience this does not make the fights overwhelming and balances against a 5 member party quite well. Still, YMMV and if the party is getting overwhelmed the DM may opt to reduce the number of opponents in some fights.
The hobgoblin bonus damage in particular can make them deadly enemies, especially at the early levels. The book has recommendations to slowly improve the tactics of the hobgoblin troops over the course of the adventure. Early on they split up and divide their attacks over the party, making it less likely that they’ll get the bonus damage. Later they focus fire and move to flank, giving an advantage to hit and unlocking the bonus damage. This works well to keep the hobgoblins relevant throughout the adventure.
Spoiler: Hobgoblin Veterans
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I honestly think these only exist to keep the fodder slightly relevant at higher levels. Since bounded accuracy already does that for us with 5th edition, I think it’s fine to just keep using the Hobgoblin stats from the Monster Manual. You can reflect the difference by using smarter tactics when Veterans are present. If you really must, doubling or tripling their hitpoints makes them a more persistent threat. You may also consider giving them Multiattack.
Spoiler: Hobgoblin Bladebearers
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The Veteran NPC template is a good start for these antagonists. At CR 3, this keeps them at a nice mid-level threat. They’ll form the big hitters at the beginning of the adventure and secondary threats later in the adventure. I would recommend giving them the Hobgoblin 2d6 bonus damage once per turn. This keeps their distinctive character as Hobgoblins and gives them a little more punch at higher levels. Again, be careful at lower levels and have the Hobgoblins spread out so they don’t get this damage too much. Once the horde realizes what they’re up against, or the players are facing more disciplined troops, you can use them more ruthlessly.
Spoiler: Hobgoblin Sergeants
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The Hobgoblin Captain in the Monster Manual is pretty much made for this role. Their Leadership ability synergizes nicely with the regular Hobgoblins and their presence can be an excuse to be a little more ruthless with tactics. Having the Hobgoblins fall into a disorganized mob when the Sergeant is eliminated can be quite satisfactory for tactically minded players. They also have pretty good hit points and damage, making them solid opponents in their own right.
Spoiler: Hell Hounds
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The Monster Manual entry seems to work pretty well here, though they may be a little tougher than intended by the original adventure designers. My players didn’t have problems with them after the first section, but they still make solid speed bumps and area damage even at higher levels.
Spoiler: Doom Hand Clerics
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The Cult Fanatic NPC from the Monster Manual is a good start for these characters. I do suggest increasing their Consitution to 14 to reflect the Hobgoblin racial bonus, thus giving them 28 hp and making them a little tougher. Replace their dagger with a whip, but describe it as a 5 headed scourge with dragon motifs. That reflects the 5 headed nature of Tiamat and lets them stand behind the front line and make attacks. Upgrade them to a chain shirt for an AC of 15, and it may even be appropriate to give them a shield to get to AC 17.
Their spells give them two different potential roles, which can be used to add variety to fights where they are present. Shield of Faith, Inflict Wounds, and Spiritual Weapon give them a close in role where they join the front line and have good spike damage from the Inflict. Command and Hold Person give them a crowd control option. If you go for the latter, consider swapping out Inflict Wounds for Bane. If Hold Person doesn’t work or when the target passes their save, the Cleric can switch to Bane for their Concentration spell.
Note that it is generally worthwhile to at least make the attempt at Hold Person. It’s a big swing in terms of action economy, and the paralyze effect can enable allies to do a lot of damage with the easy critical hits. If going for this, the Cleric should make sure that at least one ally acts immediately after them to try to get the bonus damage. It is not recommended to continue to use Hold after one attempt, though, since those 2nd level slots can be used for Command. That gives Command 2 targets, increasing the chance that at least one of the target fails their save.
Spoiler: Goblin Worg Riders
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When I first ran this in 5e, I just used goblins on worgs from the Monster Manual. Thanks to bounded accuracy the goblins were able to deal a fair amount of damage with their spears, or close in with the worg and add an extra attack. That works particularly well with the worg’s knockdown ability, which can be used to grant the goblin advantage. That’s good for decisive charge attack, and for that reason it may be worthwhile to also give the goblin a larger weapon like a lance. The goblin won’t have a good attack modifier with this weapon due to their poor strength, but having advantage on a prone foe may make up for this.
One of the great things to do with mounted combat is to take advantage of the extra actions from two creatures. The worg can use the disengage option to swing in close to opponents while the goblin makes melee attacks, then the worg carries the goblin away out of range of retaliation. This tactic can also be used at range, though the worg no longer has to make a disengage action. Instead they use their full move to close to within 20’ for a javelin throw, then runs out of movement range from the target.
If you want a tougher monster, switch the goblin for the scout NPC in the monster manual. This gives more hit points and multiattack for greater potential damage. I would switch from longbow to shortbow so that the worg rider can continue to make ranged attacks from the mount, or keep javelins to keep the flavor of the goblin.
Spoiler: Kulkor Zhul War Adepts
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If you have access to Volo's, the Hobgoblin Devastator is a good fit for these spellcasters. Army Arcana is the key ability, allowing them to shape their evocations around the hobgoblin regulars at the front of the battle. It's recommended to swap out one of their first level spells for Shield for more survivability.
An alternative is to build versions of these based around the different colors of chromatic dragons. We can use the Priest NPC as a base to get close to the intended CR, which would give us 27 (6d8) hit points and 1st - 3rd level spells (4, 3, and 2 slots). I would boost Constitution by 2 to end up at 33 HP, and of course swap Wisdom and Charisma. As these are supposed to be sorcerers, give them the Draconic Sorcerer scales feature and boost their armor class to 13. You may also consider giving them a +2 or +4 to Dexterity to increase AC further and give them a better initiative modifier.
All of the casters should have Counterspell since it's so vital to the mid and high level spellcasting strategy, and since we’re going with dragons give them all Chromatic Orb. Message is also a great cantrip for an army, so all of them should have that. As for the remaining:
3rd Level Spells - Fly, Fear, (both good for any dragon) or
Red - Fireball
Blue - Lightning Bolt
Green - Stinking Cloud
Black - Water Breathing (good for ambushes)
White - Sleet Storm
2nd Level Spells -
Red - Scorching Ray, Web (to set it on fire)
Blue - Shatter (thunder pairs well with lightning), Blur
Green - Alter Self (reflecting the Green Dragon predilection for deception), Ray of Enfeeblement
Black - Acid Arrow, Darkness
White - Mirror Image (imagine ice mirrors), Gust of Wind
1st Level Spells -
Red - Burning Hands, Shield
Blue - Witch Bolt, Thunderwave
Green - Ray of Sickness, Charm Person
Black - Grease, False Life
White - Magic Missile (imagine shards of ice) or Ice Knife (if using Elemental Evil), Fog Cloud
Cantrips -
Red - Fire Bolt, Dancing Lights
Blue - Shocking Grasp, Prestidigitation
Green - Poison Spray, Minor Illusion
Black - Acid Splash, True Strike
White - Chill Touch, Ray of Frost
The Red and Blue War Adepts are fairly classic blasters, with the Blue being a little more comfortable mixing it up in melee thanks to Blur, Thunderwave, and Shocking Grasp. Be a little careful with their Witch Bolt as it eats their actions for later turns. Red has a good combo with Web and Fireball - trap a bunch of opponents in the web, then drop a fireball to light it on fire for the bonus damage.
The Green War Adept is a debuffer. Stinking Cloud can shut down multiple opponents, but the rest of their spells focus on a single target. Use their poison rays against those with poor Constitution saves and Charm Person on front liners with poor Wisdom saves. The Black War Adept focuses on ambushes. True Strike can be used before the ambush to ensure that a 3rd level Chromatic Orb or Acid Arrow lands. Use Acid Arrow early for the continuous damage, though Darkness may be a preferred initial spell if the Black’s allies can be effective in it. Such as if they’re Devils.
The White War Adept is a battlefield controller. Use Sleet Storm to shut down a section of the battlefield, or Fog Cloud to cover an advance or a retreat. Mirror Image is one of the best low level defensive spells. Gust of Wind may be rather narrow in area of effect, but can be used to push back a rogue or lock down a line of advance.
All of the Adepts can use Chromatic Orb for consistent ranged damage, so if nothing else the Adept can sit back and blast away.
And yes, that’s a mix of the sorcerer and wizard spell lists. I found it difficult to match the themes just from the sorcerer list, so I borrowed a few things. Presume it’s a blessing of Tiamat. Praise Tiamat! :-p
Spoiler: Doom Fist Monks
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If you have Volo's, the Hobgoblin Iron Shadow fits these very well.
If you don't have Volo's, a Monk type can be built fairly easily. First, we note that most of the CR 2 NPCs have about 6 HD, so we’ll use that for the Monk, which uses d8s. Give them 10 Str, 14 Dex, 14 Con (hobgoblin bonus), 11 Int, 16 Wis, and 10 Cha. They’ll have a +5 to hit, 39 hit points, and 15 AC. Give them multiattack with unarmed strikes dealing 1d6+2 damage. As a bonus action, they can either flurry of blows for two more unarmed strikes, dodge, or take a dash action.
That would be sufficient to capture the flavor for an NPC monk, but if you want to add some specialist flavor you could give them a 1/day ability. Stunning fist (on hit, Con DC 14, stunned for one round), darkness, or fangs of the fire snakes (on hit, +1d10 damage, and make all attacks reach 10 for the rest of the combat) all make these monks a bit more memorable.
Spoiler: Blood Ghost Berserkers
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I ran these using the Berserker NPCs from the Monster Manual and I have to admit that I found them underwhelming. Reckless Attack doesn’t really say “raging bugbear barbarian” to me. At the very least they should be given the Bugbear’s Brute and Surprise Attack features, plus the Bugbear’s Stealth Modifier. Imagine these guys leaping out of a blind in the swamp or from an alley in Brindol to land a big attack for 2d12 + 2d6 + 3 damage. Imagine them getting a critical hit with that attack. Also they should really have Multiattack at the levels where they appear. Altogether this would probably increase their CR to 3, though.
If you want to go all out, give them resistance to slashing, bashing, and piercing damage for their rage, a +2 to damage, and the extra attack as a bonus action from the Frenzied Berskerker path.
Spoiler: Doom Hand Warpriests
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The Priest NPC is where we’ll start for these antagonists. You’ll want to increase their Strength and Constitution as well as their hit dice and caster level, though. Give them heavy armor and shields, too. With 8 HD and 14 Con, they’ll have 52 hit points. Plate armor is not out of the question at the level at which they are found, so give them that and a shield for 20 AC. Or make it Dragon Scale for 19 AC, saving plate for the big bosses like Kharn and Azarr Khul. Maces are fine to attack, shaped like a dragon’s head perhaps.
As a level 8 caster with 16 Wis, they’ll have a spell DC of 14 and a spell attack of +6. They’ll have 4 1st level slots, 3 2nd level, 3 3rd level, and 2 4th level. We’ll make a special “Tiamat” domain with some elemental or dragon themed spells to throw in.
Cantrips: Guidance, Thaumaturgy, Sacred Flame, Spare the Dying (good for rescuing an important villain)
1st: Cure Wounds, Burning Hands (draconic), Command, Faerie Fire
2nd: Flame Blade (draconic), Lesser Restoration, Spiritual Weapon
3rd: Dispel Magic, Mass Healing Word, Fear
4th: Banishment, Guardian of Faith (draconic)
This spell list is fairly full of Concentration spells, so the Warpriest will need to select a set of spells to suit their role. If they want to wade into combat, Flame Blade is a good choice for a concentration spell (perhaps even using a 4th level spell slot). This type of Warpriest should use the rest of their spell slots for Divine Eminence unless needed for healing, lesser restoration, or dispel magic.
A support War Priest might open up with Faerie Fire then focus on healing the front line. Burning Hands can be used to give support where needed, or Spiritual Weapon to shore up that front line. Meanwhile, Fear and Banishment give the War Priest great debuff and crowd control options. I’d recommend opening with Fear to hit as many targets as possible, then drop it when most of the enemies have made their saves. At that point make a play for Banishment.
Note that Guardian of Faith does not require concentration, so is a good area denial spell.
I marked some spells as (draconic) to indicate that their default damage type should be switched to one of the chromatic dragon types. Instead of a humanoid, the Guardian of Faith might be a green dragon with a cloud of poison around it. The Flame Blade could be a field of freezing cold. Burning Hands might be a breath weapon, with the War Priest spewing lightning with the attack. These damage types should be fixed for the dragon facet the War Priest most reveres, with high priests like Azarr Khul getting to use all five types of elemental damage.
Spoiler: Kulkor Zhul Mindbenders
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These may be represented with the Bard NPC from Volo's, but lacking that the following may work:
Medium Humanoid (hobgoblin), Lawful Evil
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Armor Class 13 (studded leather)
HP 44 (8d8+8)
Speed 30 ft
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Str 10 (+0), Dex 12 (+1), Con 13 (+1)
Int 12 (+1), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 18 (+4)
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Senses darkvision 60ft, passive perception 10
Skills: Insight +4, Persuasion +8, Deception +6
Languages Common, Goblin
CR 3 (700 XP)
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Traits
Spellcaster: The mindbender is an 8th level spellcaster. They use Charisma as a casting stat. They have a spell save DC of 13 and a to-hit bonus of +5.
Spells:
4th (2 slots): Compulsion, Confusion
3rd (3 slots): Hypnotic Pattern, Dispel Magic
2nd (3 slots): Hold Person, Suggestion, Zone of Truth
1st (4 slots): Bane, Charm, Cure Wounds, Dissonant Whispers, Faerie Fire, Sanctuary
Cantrips: Bladeward, Friends, Vicious Mockery
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Actions:
Dagger: +3, 1d4+1 piercing damage
Reactions:
Cutting Words: When a creature that can hear you within 60' makes an attack, check, or damage roll, roll 1d8 and subtract that from their roll.
These spellcasters are focused on debuffs and crowd control. Most of their spells do require concentration, however, so they will need to choose their actions carefully. Hypnotic Pattern is a great opener with a long range and a wide area of effect. It can really turn the tide of a battle. That is recommended as a starter.
Another good concentration spell is Bane. This imposes a penalty on saves, which makes spells like Vicious Mockery, Sanctuary, Dissonant Whispers, and Charm more effective. The mindbender could spend the entire combat using these spells.
Hold Person and Suggestion are fantastic ways to deal with a single target. Hold Person works really well when there are a lot of other monsters on the battlefield, as it gives them a chance to land a lot of damage. Suggestion can swing the action economy by causing a PC to switch sides for a turn or two (though the suggestion must be carefully worded - at best, it might be used to send one PC off of the battlefield for an extended period of time).
Confusion has a small area of effect but can be quite potent. It is best used when the PCs are clustered together. Compulsion is useful when the PCs start getting near the mindbender, causing them to scatter. This can also be used to trigger attacks of opportunity.
Re: Red Hand of Doom 5e Conversion Guide [Spoilers, WIP, PEACH]
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