DMGeezerjim reviews D&D classic adventures - "D-3, Vault of the Drow"
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- Опубліковано 25 лис 2024
- Greetings and thank you for joining me for another episode of my classic review series. This episode we continue the GDQ series and take a look at "D3 - Vault of the Drow." This is an interesting module, and is best described as a source book to enhance the campaign. I take a look at some of the information in the book, and provide some guidance on how to use this wonderful resource for a "modern" campaign. While this is more of a source book than a pathed adventure, this is an essential product for the campaign.
Good review. You asked me what my favorite 1e/2e products were
1. GDQ Queen of the Spiders
2. The Night Below
3. Anything having to do with 2e Ravenloft setting
4. Wizard Spell cards
5. Priest spell cards
I would also bring in flavor from the Menzoberranzen boxes set. I would not use Q1 without using a lot of Expedition to the Demonweb Pits.
I think you asked me this What would I like to see from a content creator? Easy an episodic series on writing a sandbox campaign. I know that would be a lot of work but its needed. Everything from setting design, maps, placement and order of adventures, major and minor NPCs, plot. Yes the OSR gatekeepers have just acquired a warrant for my arrest for mentioning plot, adventure order. Even sandboxes have to have plot generically. Night Below is a perfect example of sandbox with plot. But i do think thats different than storyline. Plot is developed by dm, story by players. The story should never be designed by dm imho. Well this module here is also sandbox with plot. Here it is, here is the ultimate goal, how do you want to get here.
Thanks for your comment, and I appreciate you sharing! 1000% on the Expedition to the Demonweb Pits - I'm going to review Q1 and Expedition in the same episode. If you "only" had access to Q1, it does work, but if you have access to BOTH products, there is so much more content and flavor that you can add to your trip to the Demonwebs!
@@dmgeezerjim4010 and makes more sense than having the party encounter bug bears.
One thing I'd point out In terms of converting D3 to 5E: the encounter with the Succubus and Vampire is far more brutal in old AD&D since both opponents drained character levels back in the day. Which in turn left characters even more vulnerable to the rest of the module. In 5E as a DM you might even want to beef up the pair in this encounter, depending on the makeup of your player party.
I was going to say the same. Vampires used to be feared in 1st Edition and a single vampire could ruin a party’s evening quickly
Really good overview
Thank you for your feedback, and I appreciate your time!
I ran these modules in 1986-7; 1E with UA. The reviewer's analysis is astute. The biggest problem with the GDQ series is that the real enemy is not Lolth; if you take out the demon queen on her own plane you actually make the drow problem worse by enabling a complete takeover by the non-Lolth faction! The DM does need to do a lot of work, especially with maps. You will need some idea of what Erelhei Cinlu looks like, and an assault on a noble household seems a certainty at some point. If I was running the scenario again in 1E I would eliminate all of the drow lower than 4th Level, replacing them with bugbear or troglodyte guards. That makes the drow themselves much more special. In 5E you could get rid of the guards too. Now you have depraved and decadent nobles rattling around a decayed city, caring for nothing but their internal bickerings and half-remembered former glories. In 5E there is no need to stick to the restrictive class options for 1E Drow. There should be Bards in the city and Paladins guarding the temple. Lastly, the drow armor, cloak and boots are best replaced with a spidersilk catsuit. That does not count as Armor for proficiency purposes, gives an AC of 14 + the drow's proficiency bonus, fire resistance and advantage on Stealth checks in darkness. Watching a drow noble drop her robes to reveal it underneath, pull up her hood and disappear is wonderfully theatrical. I also had the drow "burn" like The Invaders when they died; it all helps with their other-ness.
Thank you for your time and your post! I appreciate the feedback. I think some of what gets lost in the "old versus new" debate - we didn't have much choice "At That Time" but to work with what we had - a very limited production schedule and (for many of us as kids) limited budgets forced us to work with what we purchased - sometimes based on the cover art LOL! I think because we were able to/had to incorporate these modules into our games (for better or worse), we had a good time, made some great memories. Looking at the products from a modern lens, there are many rough patches regarding the writing and/or production. But a gap in a description is an opportunity for improv; a missing "why" makes them adaptable - with work.
i agree that Lolth is not the enemy, it's Eilservs and the Elder Elemental Eye controlling them. I haven't played since 3.5, so the rest makes no sense to me.
I’m running a campaign now that is 5e that is set in the aftermath of a 1e campaign in which Lolth was killed in the Demonweb pits. I ran her as a demon lord, not Demi-god because running her as a high being is almost a guaranteed TPK, which wasn’t fitting after a two year campaign.
old modules were locations, not a choose-your-own-adventure railroad track like the new "adventure paths".
Thanks for your comment and your time. You are 100% correct. Prior to the "super modules" very few of the 1e/2e "adventure books" (modules) dealt with more than a handful of locations, and had self-contained story beats. It was up to us as DM's and players to incorporate those locations and stories into our worlds. I still think they work in that way, but there is a higher expectation for "Production" and "Presentation" that is certainly missing. A newer DM is going to struggle, while a more experienced DM sees massive opportunity for adaptation and incorporation. I appreciate the feedback and dialog!
@@dmgeezerjim4010and many further adventure hooks and locals to be fleshed out by the DM for later or continued adventures if they wish.
no no no no no. properly played, the enemy is Eilservs and in G3 Despana should've been attentive to a parley. this should've whisked the party through D1/2 and straight to the noble house of Eilservs. when Eilservs is defeated, which gives Despana cover, Despana should try to eliminate them. Q1 should never occur, nor should the Fane. This is an escape module.
could be Noquar, same thing as they're allied.
Neydelene
their job? their job is to end the giant incursion. it's in G1. Eilservs is the source and the Elder Elemental Eye, not the drow in general.