Dungeons and Dragons

I was making some unique loot for a low-level party I'm running a quest for this week, and my roller derby brain intruded upon my D&D brain.

Does anyone roll random treasure and/or magic items for their games? If so, what resources do you use for this? This was a regular thing in 1st edition that I loved.

Hello. I plan to run a campaign with three of my friends. I will be the DM. I have been the DM before and I have been a Player before (in DnD 5e and also other systems). For my three friends it will be the first time they play a tabletop RPG. So which of the offical campaign moduls do you think is best suited for my friends?

Basically the title. They sent me the photos, they found them when clearing out parents house. Said books are used but the game is unused

I DM a campaign on a Neverwinter Nights server weekly, and last week, we had a character get drunk and vomit in the common room of an inn in an elven village.

So the proprietor not only acquired an emergency bucket, but a one that is suitably elven and fey-touched.

I thought you all might get a chuckle out of this.

Sorry I don't have a source or I would share

Next week, I'm going camping with my wife, my brother and his wife, and my 9-year-old niece.. My brother asked if I'd prep a DnD game to play. My niece knows the basics and I'm modifying rules to make it easier for her, and I'm making a bunch of characters for them to choose from based on Gravity Falls characters.

I'm prepping A Wild Sheep Chase for playing out in the fresh air, but we have a chance of rain I'd like suggestions for another short adventure i can prep. The sillier the better!

Cross-posted from "What kinds of toxic masculinity have you encountered?" by @lukstru@lemmy.world in !asklemmy@lemmy.world

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You can just vent if you want, but here’s more context: We're playing a DnD oneshot soon, and the theme is toxic masculinity (particularly in a gym). We’re all playing dudes who visited the gym for a long time already. I already have some ideas for my character, but I want to collect some more stories of toxic masculinity, as I’m quite lucky that my bubble doesn’t have much of it.

My friends and I recently finished a campaign and are having session 0 for Ghosts of the Saltmarsh. My wife challenged me to create a character who's not angry, so I want to play a small race mad scientist Armorer Artificer who rides around in a suit of armor like a magical mech. Which small race would I pick to maximize the fun of this little chaos gremlin?

Edit: We're playing 5e2014.

My paladin has the savage attacker feat from the soldier background. Hitting level 2, id like to take great weapon fighting. I often use a maul and divine favor, so I’m rolling 2d6+1d4 per attack. Savage attacker really isn’t improving my damage much, and with gwf; I think it’ll have even less of an impact. Has anyone run into this issue?

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share the new 2024 players handbook on dndbeyond with me. I own a lot of 2014 stuff; and would happily share what I have: https://www.dndbeyond.com/campaigns/join/6732478847160380

In dnd 2024 every character knows common and 2 standard languages.

A rogue ability grants to the rogue the knowledge of the "thieves' cant" and allows to select a language from the rare languages table.

I don't understand if these 2 new rare language add to the first 3, making every rogue start with at least 5 languages, or if you just replace the two standard languages with "thieves' cant" and another rare language.

Any suggestion on the proper rule interpretation? Also I have similar questions for druid and ranger abilities that grant new languages.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Foyer

1e:
Again it’s not literally named second key, that’s for the Referee. A fighter will save 50% of the time against the antipathy. 

As this module was designed before AD&D was published, I believe there is a bit of a leftover here. The module states the effect of antipathy is 2’, but the spell description in the player’s handbook says 3’. 

The player’s handbook also provides additional effects of whosoever picks up the key suffers a cumulative -1 penalty to their dex per round to a max of -4 and limits the spell’s duration to 12 turns per spell level. 

5e:
The fighter will save 10% of the time. On a failed save the target is frightened and must maintain a staggering 60’ minimum distance. Outside the 60’ range a save may be made for only a 1 minute immunity. Every 24 hours a save may be made to permanently end the effect. 

Mechanically, the spell says they’re only required to move out of sight of the object. However, the frightened condition does not allow them to move closer to the source of their fear. This will keep anyone who fails from being able to enter Acererak’s crypt. 

Valves

1e:
Valves are a style of double doors that close against each other. If the blood trap is triggered, it takes 6 minutes to rise to the first step, 5 more minutes to cover all the stairs, and 9 more minutes to reach the ceiling. Fire, such as a simple torch, will create a gas that kills the party in the foyer. A fighter on the throne side will save 45% of the time or die. If the ocher jelly is summoned, it is considered huge, so use the stat block from the lab.

5e:
In 36 seconds the blood reaches the first step. 30 more seconds and it’s covered the stairs. Another 54 seconds to reach the ceiling. The gas still kills the foyer side and a fighter on the throne side will save 55% of the time.

Treasure Room

1e:
No spells or magic items work here. 

The efreet will perform three services, not necessarily wishes. It is incredibly strong and may be able to help push the statues around. 

| |Fighter| Efreet|
|To Hit %| 60%| 60%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 9% (3)| 12% (7)|
|Rounds to win| 11| 9|
|Power Ratio| 1.2|

Each chest has three locks, each lock has a poison needle trap. That’s 6 saves vs Poison death to grab some loot that has been glamoured.

|Instant kill %| 92%|

For this place to be antimagic and then place both an efreeti granting magical favors and magiked treasures here doesn’t make a lot of sense. I can’t begin to grok how the antimagic is supposed to work or what Gygax was trying to prevent. I can’t think of a magical means to discover the hidden door. He specifically allows detecting auras so it isn’t to hide the magic on the treasure either. 

This is another room where you’re supposed to gaslight your players into thinking this is the end. 

5e:
Conversion error here, the hidden door is under the statue, not behind it on the wall. 

This efreeti does grant three wish as the wish spell. 

| |Fighter| Efreet|
|To Hit %| 60%| 42%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 8% (16)| 27% (31)|
|Rounds to win| 13| 4|
|Power Ratio| 3.25|

Our fighter will spot the trap 25% of the time, disable it 5% of the time, save against it 45% of the time and take 37% (42 hp) damage on a fail and become poisoned. Xanthar’s additionally specifies being paralyzed. 

|Instant kill %| 0%|

One-Way Doors

1e:
These doors only exist for those traveling through them southward. The pit trap doesn’t exist until someone travels southward coming from the false treasure room or travels westward coming from the grotto.

5e:
Seems to be a conversion error. The pit appears after “opening…the [door] to the east from the far side”, not going east. 

Secret Door

1e:
No rolls to make, if you search for 10 minutes you find the keyhole. This is well before boxed text, Gygax is telling the Referee it’s a keyhole. Best to let the players come to their own conclusions about it. Magic, including the gem of seeing, should also not reveal the nature of the door. 

5e:
The fighter will spot it 50% of the time. 

Crypt

1e:
Another count up. Presumably this one works the same as the others. The characters move 1’ per their movement rate per remaining count. If they don’t move off the rising vault within the count, they’re dead.

The ghost dust dissipates in 3 minutes. 1e had stat adjustments based on age and rules for dying of old age. Therefore, any PC killed of age by the ghost cannot be resurrected.

| |Fighter| Ghost|
|To Hit %| 50%| 60%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 9% (3)| 12 years|
|Rounds to win| 12| 7|
|Power Ratio| 1.7|

The skull encrusted with gems, worth more than the couch, is meant to temp PCs into trying to recover the treasure. Touching or simple attacks will only result in a PC death and destruction of their body with no save. 

The skull has a -6 ac, a fighter with +2 vorpal sword will hit 30% of the time dealing 5 damage each time. A magic user could cast shatter 4 times for 40 damage. A cleric could cast dispel evil twice for 10 damage. It’s far more likely they’ll be sucked up or teleported out before killing Acererak

If the PCs insist on fighting the skull, the timing of it is a bit ambiguous. If we pull out just the verbs from the lengthy paragraph, the skull rises upon touch, it slowly scans the party, instantly draws the PC’s soul in a single round, and finally sinks down again. Some amount of time must pass between the rising and drawing or the PCs would have no chance to cast forget or exorcise to cancel his attack. So the sequence is a minimum of two rounds, more if you want to be forgiving. 

|Instant kill %| 100%|

Defeating Acererak rewards 100k XP, a little less than half needed to gain a level. If the soul gems are recovered, a new body will be needed as a vessel for the trapped soul. 

5e:
Initiative here, at initiate count 10 in a single round any PC remaining will be crushed.

The ghost dust will dissipate in 18 seconds. Facing the ghost may also lead to aging but there are no mechanical effects as a result. 

| |Fighter| Ghost|
|To Hit %| 90%| 25%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 53% (24)| 4% (4)|
|Rounds to win| 2| 29|
|Power Ratio| 0.07|

If the skull is molested, it rises up, scans the party and attacks. It has access to Trap Soul, but is not required to use or not use it. Trap Soul doesn’t have a recharge, nor is it a legendary action. It is mearly a regular action. There’s nothing stopping the demilich from using Trap Soul every turn. The skull is only required to target the strongest remaining PC each time it uses it. The PC’s body is essentially stored with the soul, it disappears and is inaccessible if trapped. If the soul gem is later destroyed, the body returns. 

| |Fighter| Acererak|
|To Hit %| 45%| 45%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 15% (12)| 8% (9)|
|Instant kill % per round| 0%| 95%|

The demilich is worth 25k xp, enough for a single level.

Final Thoughts

Time
Given the context above, how do we recreate the vibe of the Tomb at today’s table. As with most things in life, there’s not one right way to do it, but there are objectively things that will break it. The biggest and perhaps the most insidious and least obvious is time. Time as a resource.

Given enough time, any party can search every foot of the tomb finding every trap. Can heal to full after every wound. Have full command of their spellbook after every challenge. To recreate that smash and grab vibe for which the Tomb was designed, you need to introduce time as a resource to manage.

The simplest analog is to limit the dungeon delve to a single session limiting table time. However, we can imagine some alternate approaches that are inspired by those old school sensibilities. 

“Turns are any period during which a player chooses an action for his character… At the dungeon exploration scale a turn represents ten minutes.” (Bull 2015)

Dungeon exploration used to be as structured as combat rounds. The party would indicate their action for the next 10 minutes, whether that was tapping, poking, or simply moving. Giving the party an in-game time limit and either going turn by turn or ticking down a timer when actions are taken would help to restore that sense of frenzy.

Using time as a resource also allows for the party to retry failures by spending another segment of the timer. There are a few places in the Tomb that require successful checks for progression. 

Movement
About half of the traps depend on non-flight. If you have a single character with unlimited fight, it’s probably fine. If they’re sharing a magic item to ferry Party members around, make them spend segments of time on it. Don’t allow a whole party with flight. 

McGuffin
If you want to give the party further reasons to explore past either of the two false endings, put a McGuffin in the crypt. Even if they do fall for the false endings, they know their quest is not over until the McGuffin is recovered.

Credits

Watching this build inspired me to actually run the dungeon myself.

Wyloch’s Armory
The Tomb of Horrors - Building a Dungeons and Dragons Classic
https://youtu.be/c_kk0GMloxE

Additional Resources

Another actual deep dive into what the Tomb is and the 5e conversion.

Nerdtasic Pirate
Tomb of Horrors 5e: Restored
https://youtu.be/5TkCAdbOTQg

A 1e reference from someone in Gygax’s sphere.

The Dungeon Delver
How to play 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Lessons
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA0rKIt8s79nxfLvlqq9yZO6SYLP0lQFI

The Dungeon Deliver
Thursday AD&D Talk - S1 TOMB OF HORRORS
https://www.youtube.com/live/102qmfPlRf4

An abridged play through of the Tomb. Concise and funny though falls to the pit falls of the 5e conversion.

XP to Level 3
I Force My Friends To Play the TOMB OF HORRORS | Dungeon Delve
https://youtu.be/is2ZIv-yBJ4

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Agitated Room

1e:
The secret doors are found 33% of the time if actively searching. 

| |Fighter |Asp |Swarm*|
|To Hit %| 80%| 35%| 35%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 100% (4)| 0.6% (0.35)| 1.2% (0.7)|
|Rounds to win| 1 / 2| 166| 83|
|Instant kill % per round| 0%| 12%| 58%|
*Does not take into account the diminishing effectiveness as each asp is slain.

The green slime will turn whatever it touched into more green slime without save or the possibility to scrape it off. If a PC is exposed they die instantly due to the sheer volume of slime. 

|Instant kill % per round| 100%|

The brown mold will deal 31% (18 hp) damage each round to all within 5’. A simple torch or any heat source will cause it to double in size each round.

5e:
The fighter will find the doors 50% of the time. 

Like the actual swarm of snakes before, these pose absolutely no threat to the fighter. 

| |Fighter| Snake| Swarm*|
|To Hit %| 80%| 25%| 25%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 1050% (21) / 525% (21)| 0.8% (0.93)| 0.9% (1)|
|Rounds to win| 1 / 2| 143| 114|
|Instant kill % per round| 0%| 0%| 0%|
*Does not take into account the diminishing effectiveness as each asp is slain. 

Green slime deals 4% (5 hp) acid damage per round until removed. 

|Instant kill % per round| 0%|

A fighter will take 11% (13 hp) damage per round from the brown mold. 

Grotto

1e:
The fighter will save vs poison 65% of the time. Presumably becoming an idiot is as the siren’s ability to lower int to 2. Also it should be possible to hold breath like the fear gas hallway, though they would be unable to speak to the siren. 

5e:
A fighter will save 25% of the time. 

False True Door

1e:
The secret doors are found 33% of the time if actively searching. 

A: The PCs will fall asleep for 2d4 turns with no save. There is a 25% chance every turn to activate the trap. A 50% chance the juggernaut will roll far enough to squash the PC that opened the door. All told, there’s a 23% chance a PC will die.

5e:
The fighter will find first door 50% of the time and the second 25% if actively searching. 

The fighter will save vs the gas 65% of the time. 

Slotted Door

1e:
The swords must be inserted simultaneously to unlock the door. The door closes after 5 minutes blocking safe egress from the dungeon. 

5e:
5 rounds would be 30 seconds.

Pillar Room

1e:
There is 7’ between each pillar, so it doesn’t seem likely to touch one by accident. There’s no indication about the speed of the breeze. I would run this like the locked oaken door, drifting 10’ per turn. The devil faces activate at 3’ and suck a PC in.

For the western face, if a PC were to pick up the crown and scepter and then get sucked in, presumably the crown and scepter reappear on the throne like they do at the mithril valves. The PCs are deposited not at the entrance to the tomb, but in front of the matching devil face of the first great hall. 

As the Wish spell does not explicitly require the phrase “I wish…” and being that this gem is an evil magic item, any expression of desire should probably trigger it. The counting mechanic is used here again. There is no save just death. 

A player is meant to expect recovering the crown and scepter will result in that sweet sweet XP at the end of the adventure.

The inlay of the crown is clearly visible in the graphic and therefore does not need to be searched for.

5e:
The count has been converted to initiative. In a single round, at initiative count 1, the gem explodes.

The fighter will spot the inlay 50% of the time.

Mummy

1e:
These doors are not nominally stuck, but open easily. The mummy isn’t undead yet, so any detection won’t ping on it. Detect Evil will ping on the gem however. This gem is a tempting treasure to recover.

| |Fighter| Mummy|
|To Hit %| 65%| 45%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 8% (3)| 10% (6)|
|Rounds to win| 13| 10|
|Power Ratio| 1.3|

5e:
The fighter will discover the gem 25% of the time. 

| |Fighter| Mummy|
|To Hit %| 60%| 45%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 16% (16)| 13% (15)|
|Rounds to win| 7| 8|
|Power Ratio| 0.9|

Flying Swords

1e:
When entering from the south, they attack one at a time and will follow PCs out of the room. When entering from the north they will all attack but will not follow.

| |Fighter| 1st| 8th|
|To Hit %| 65% / 30%| 15% 80%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 5% (3) / 4% (1)| 2% (1)| 33% (19)|
|Rounds to win| 9 / 54| 58| 4|
|Power Ratio| 0.15 / 13.5|

5e:
They seemed to have forgotten about increasing the AC for each set which makes this way less challenging than the original. As written the first set is presumed to have a +0 bonus, I think because the flying sword already has a +1.

| |Fighter| 1st| 8th|
|To Hit %| 60% / 60%| 15% 50%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 31% (16) / 22% (16)| 0.9% (1)| 11% (12)|
|Rounds to win| 4 / 5| 114| 10|
|Power Ratio| 0.04 / 0.5|

Chamber

No notes

Credits

Mock Man
Tomb of Horrors Walkthrough Map
https://store.mockman.com/products/tomb-of-horrors-walkthrough-map-print-pre-order

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

False Endings

“…put the module away for use when you have a different group…” (Gygax 1978)

The final challenge should be the players’ abilities in detecting discrepancies in the false endings. Not the right room in the dungeon, not the right monster, not the right treasure. Gygax throws a wrench into that by having you explicitly gaslight your players in the first false ending. 

Boxed text

The concept of boxed text wasn’t introduced until 1980. The stream of consciousness descriptions are meant to inform the Referee about the situation. It’s up to you to filter and disseminate only the information the PCs have access to. As an example in the western false entrance, calling out specifically that the ceiling is obscured with cobwebs clues players in that they should be looking up. Instead you should merely indicate initially that the tunnel is somewhat obscured with cobwebs.

Locked Oak Door

1e:
Listening at doors was standard dungeon procedure, hence the lure of the glamour. There’s no way to unlock the door, it must be destroyed physically or magically. I assume to ensure an egress point from the trap or to ensure the rest of the party can watch helplessly as their party members slide into lava. The walls and floor are smooth and highly polished. This trap functions like the east false entrance. Count to 5 in 7.5 seconds. Note the count when each PC retreats. They move 1’ per their movement rate per remaining count. Any remaining fall prone and slide 10’ per segment. Looking at the tournament notes, I don’t think PCs are meant to survive if they don’t exit before the end of the count. 

Otherwise, any PC even slightly overloaded will only move 9’ per segment or less. That’s taking into account charging (x2 rate) and difficult terrain (1/2 rate), making progress impossible without shedding some weight. There are no rules on movement for prone characters on a slope. You could call for a roll under ability test to climb out. 

5e:
Roll initiative, on initiative 10 of every round every character slides 10’. Climbing is half speed and with most characters that’s 15’ per round. The fighter will succeed 95% of the time. Not much of a challenge for the fighter, but other classes would probably struggle. 

Magical Secret Door

1e:
The door can be found by normal searching, 33% chance. But to open, the magic seal must first be detected and then removed. The door then opens as normal. There’s no obvious reason to search here. 

5e:
The fighter will find the door 25% of the time.

Fear gas

1e:
One must hold their breath or save vs poison, a fighter will save 65% of the time. If failed, instead of death, they flee for 2d4 turns. The door is not secret, but hidden by the gas. It can be seen 50% of the time.

The room is filled with fine furnishings, but they have decayed to the point of being valueless. There are still treasures worth recovering, but the golden couch, by far the singularly most valuable thing, is frustratingly impossible.

| |Fighter| Zombie|
|To Hit %| 35%| 45%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 6% (2)| 5% (3)|
|Rounds to win| 16| 19|
|Power Ratio| 0.84|

Three hits from the special mace will destroy both the zombie and the mace. Traditionally, the Referee rolls all the dice in secret, and therefore is in a position to lie about the result. 

This fake ending is meant to defeat the party, by having them voluntarily leave the dungeon. The Referee is meant to gaslight their players, not their characters, into thinking this is the end of the dungeon. Count up to 10 after you’ve convinced them. The illusion of collapse extends all the way back to the pit entrance. Gygax implies the fight and subsequent illusion should be conveyed at a level of hyperbole to signal that this isn’t the real end of the dungeon.

5e:
The fighter would save against the fear gas 65% of the time. If failed, they’re frightened for 1 minute. The save can be remade each round, and then they’re immune for 1 hour. They will see the door 75% of the time.

| |Fighter| Zombie|
|To Hit %| 70%| 35%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 19% (18)| 6% (9)|
|Rounds to win| 5| 13|
|Power Ratio| 0.38|

This zombie is not as challenging as the original because of the increased damage output of the fighter. 

The counting mechanic from 1e is kept here. This should have been handled by initiative like the other cases. I don’t think modern players would recognize the threat of a count, unless your table regularly plays with QTE. Instead, after the fake lich is destroyed, remain in initiative order describing the room collapsing. Describe the increasing amount of debris and shaking at the end of each round until they all leave. 

Lab

1e:
There is a great amount of clutter here for the players to search though, none of it useful. The vats are 7’ across and 4’ deep. A little pythagorean theorem says it's 5.3’ from the rim to the center of the bottom. Reaching in deals 5% (3 hp) damage per round and +1% chance to succeed. 

| |Fighter| Jelly|
|To Hit %| 90%| 45%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 10% (5)| 7% (4)|
|Rounds to win| 10| 15|
|Power Ratio| 0.66|

The gray ochre jelly is huge, normally a 17 hp monster, this one has 48 hp and deals 4d4 damage (normally 3d4). 

The key name is for the Referee’s benefit, the players would have no way of knowing it. 

5e:
| |Fighter| Jelly|
|To Hit %| 95%| 20%|
|Dam % dealt per round| 49% (25)| 2% (2)|
|Rounds to win| 3| 57|
|Power Ratio| 0.05|

Giving the jelly +10 to hit and increasing its AC will make this jelly a better challenge.

Pit

1e:
It is in fact not empty, as the graphic clearly shows spikes. It’s not clear if the spikes that launch are magical or mundane, only that the trap is infinitely reloaded. The spikes always strike true with no save. Deals 17% (10 hp) damage. 

5e:
Somewhere in the conversation the pit changed to being empty. The fighter will be hit 55% of the time dealing 10% (10 hp) damage. 

Credits

David C. Sutherland III
1978 Tomb of Horrors Back Cover Art
https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2016/05/dave-sutherland-iii-thursday.html