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From: chen@gitpyr.UUCP (Ray Chen)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: High level modules
Message-ID: <1072@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-Nov-85 16:22:06 EST
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.1072
Posted: Sat Nov 23 16:22:06 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Nov-85 06:08:27 EST
References: <261@glasgow.glasgow.UUCP>
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Lines: 63
Summary: ("Tomb of Horrors" module SPOILER) + message for Brian Ehrmantraut

EGG is writing a what???  Hmmm.  I always thought this was the man who
hated high-level D&D.  In straight AD&D, how can you HAVE characters
of 28-32 level???

Also, I believe egg wrote "Tomb of Horrors".  If these modules are
anything like that one, STAY AWAY.  I and some friends went through
that module in an ex-roomie of mine's campaign.  In our opinion,
Tomb of Horrors was designed solely and only for killing off high-level
characters.  The tricks and traps were totally unreasonable.

Examples:  spheres of annihilation in openings that *seem* like they
	   could be gates/teleporting portals.

	   A door that could only be opened by inserting *non-magical*
	   swords (or things shaped like swords) into 3 slots
	   simultaneously.  (As far as the DM knew, *nobody* who
	   hadn't read the module had ever figured out how to open
	   the door correctly.)   

	   Gates that teleport the people back to the entrance to the
	   dungeon -- and their stuff to a treasure room inside the
	   dungeon.  The dungeon was also set up so that at some point,
	   those gates were the only even semi-obvious possibility of
	   getting further into the dungeon.

	   The final battle too was unreasonable.  There were only 3
	   ways to damage the creature and one of them involved going
	   astral and casting some random low-level spell like knock,
	   or shatter, or stinking cloud (I forget exactly which spell
	   it was).  But I do remember it only worked if the
	   spell was cast from the *astral* plane.  The other methods
	   were similarly obscure or did so little damage that they were
	   basically useless.  Again, stuff that a player would *never*
	   come up with by himself.

After successfully conquering the dungeon (after 3 or 4 tries, I think)
I was so disgusted with it that our party systematically dissassembled and
destroyed the place stone by stone and then earthquaked the place a few
times for good measure.  I didn't want *anyone* to *ever* have to go through
that place again.

By the way, the DM (Brian Ehrmantraut, formerly fisher!bae) kept a count
of how many parties went through and how many lived.  I believe it was
something like out of 8 parties or so, 3 survived, and the rest died.
None of the parties were below 14th level (I think).

All things considered, I'll be interested in seeing what these modules
are like.  I have my doubts though, if I'd ever want to play in one.

P.S. -- About egg's being fired -- better late than never, I always say...

P.P.S.  -- Brian, if you're reading this, I've been trying to send you
	   mail at wg3b20 and failing miserably due to the fact that
	   we run a brain-damaged domain-based mailer.  I'm going to
	   try once more but if my message doesn't get through to you
	   by the time you get this article, my phone number is
	   (303) 351-4567.  Give me a call.

	Ray Chen
	gitpyr!chen

Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!chen