TOPIC: my experience... not good

Actually $52 bucks is the average price for a lift ticket at a moderate Ski Resort...High End Resorts in the Hundreds...Low end..Yeah about $52-65.

New Pro High End Ski Boots can run $250-600 easy. Used Ski boots can range depending on the condition.. But like I posted $12.50 for a pair of used decent basic ski boots...

And this is why my build and my parties almost never changes. I could replace something with this token, but chances are it won't occur. We just focus on HP's, saves, hit/dmg bonus. Oo yeah and DR.

A few years back, there was a room with 10 kegs in it. The party had to figure out which one of the kegs was not poisoned and each person needed to drink to move on to the next room. Because of these types of possibilities, I always equip someone in my party with the Medallion of Greyhawk. The person wearing the MoG tasted each one and determined which were poisoned and which one was not. Simple solution to the puzzle. Had I been penalized at that time in some way for using the resources at hand, I would have been very unhappy. I saw this as a "boy scout always being prepared" success. These situations have been few and far between where one item can break an entire room in True Dungeon.

Fast forward to 2015. Given the "realms" and "races" we were dealing with, the MoG was an obvious choice for someone to wear. Spiders and drow are notorious for poison, right?

Standing in the mushroom room where we must eat from the mushrooms to shrink down. I had the person with the MoG be the first person to take a bite of a mushroom (we figured out what we were supposed to do, but could not hear the voices so there was nothing we could do to "solve" the puzzle.) The damage from the mushrooms was not considered "poison" damage, but we were informed it was something else - spore damage, I think.

I had no problem with this ruling.

But I would have been pretty ticked if I would have been told that the Lamp of the Marid did not heal damage from the salamander. Let's be logical about these things...

As for Treasure stamps based on how you complete a room, this should be explained to the party if that is the case. We completed one of the rooms, but not without a failure. I was not pleased when we were told AFTER THE FACT that we did not get the stamp because of that.

In summary

1. Logic should rule on damage reduction. Reward those people that choose to limit their protections and it happens to fit the scenario in that room. IF you are concerned about whether or not this is going to challenge the purped (or oranged/greened) players, then leave the "untyped damage" for those that are on Hardcore or Nightmare. Keep the logical applications at Nonlethal and Normal.

2. Notify players at the beginning of the room or prior to the adventures that even one "failure" in the room will be a loss of treasure stamp.

3. And if that loss of treasure stamp is going to happen even if you successfully complete the room, it should only happen on Hardcore and Nightmare. If someone wants to max out treasure with purple, blue, orange or green tokens on a normal run, then let them get that treasure stamp even if there is a failure or two before solving. I may be wrong, but I don't think there are too many people with those tokens going on normal or nonlethal runs.

I understand that the DMs have a lot to take in and too many variables could get overwhelming. But having only 2 levels on distinction should not create too much to keep in order.

Last but not least - I know that TD adapts based on this type of feedback and discussion. And not every change that Jeff makes going into a year plays out as well as it is intended. Just like every session of D&D does not always go just as the DM intended. I am just thankful that it is a new and exciting experience every year. Thanks, Jeff.

MU Skulls Rob.

MU Skulls Rob wrote: The damage from the mushrooms was not considered "poison" damage, but we were informed it was something else - spore damage, I think.

Several of the mushrooms mentioned their siblings were acidic.

Druegar wrote:

MU Skulls Rob wrote: The damage from the mushrooms was not considered "poison" damage, but we were informed it was something else - spore damage, I think.

Several of the mushrooms mentioned their siblings were acidic.

This was one those rooms that it was clear wasn't play tested with 50dB ambient noise

EN 429 wrote:

Druegar wrote:

MU Skulls Rob wrote: The damage from the mushrooms was not considered "poison" damage, but we were informed it was something else - spore damage, I think.

Several of the mushrooms mentioned their siblings were acidic.

This was one those rooms that it was clear wasn't play tested with 50dB ambient noise

The volume was increased during the day on Thursday.

The poison barrel room with the MoG is an example why there is a problem with brute-forcing a solution.

bpsymington wrote: The poison barrel room with the MoG is an example why there is a problem with brute-forcing a solution.

I disagree. Everyone who used the MoG brags about it. Seems like the player base liked it.

bpsymington wrote: The poison barrel room with the MoG is an example why there is a problem with brute-forcing a solution.

I also disagree. Brute-forcing WITH a MoG = multiple TD runs by year and likely token sales. This is exactly what TD wants. If an expensive token contributes to solving a puzzle or combat, that rewards sales. It should be encouraged.

Ed

Players love clever things, even if they are not the "right" solution book solution. In last years puzzle run where you had to place the medallions on the correct glyghs, Charles and I were running with a group that included 3 doctoral students in higher math and physics who loved all the puzzles and were responsible for solving them They got the egg puzzle before the DM finished reading the flavor text (and solved it a different way just for fun). However while they memorized the sins and the saying with the sins no one had memorized the glyphs. We were doomed except Charles nightmare level barbarian (named Mongo) and my Druid solved it by painful force ("tell me when you are down to 1/2 hit points mongo!" OK Boss")

The DM cracked up. Cleverness works even when it is not as elegant as brilliance

Brute-force breaks the room for less fun. Nerfing tokens is less fun. Something in between might be more fun.

For example, the barrels. Instead of all poison but one, they could have been a mix of deadly poison, virulent diseases, nasty acids, and rot-grub-like parasites. MoG would protect from a fraction, detect poison would eliminate a few options, the Paladin's disease immunity would protect from some, but no one effect would break the room.

Add the warning that mixing any three potions in your belly will have dire consequences, and trying to "break" the room becomes almost as challenging as solving the original puzzle.

Plus, it would have given people a chance to use some abilities, spells, and tokens that normally don't do anything. More fun!

Brad Mortensen wrote: Brute-force breaks the room for less fun. Nerfing tokens is less fun. Something in between might be more fun.

For example, the barrels. Instead of all poison but one, they could have been a mix of deadly poison, virulent diseases, nasty acids, and rot-grub-like parasites. MoG would protect from a fraction, detect poison would eliminate a few options, the Paladin's disease immunity would protect from some, but no one effect would break the room.

Add the warning that mixing any three potions in your belly will have dire consequences, and trying to "break" the room becomes almost as challenging as solving the original puzzle.

Plus, it would have given people a chance to use some abilities, spells, and tokens that normally don't do anything. More fun!

I concur if you want to still challenge the players you just have to be more creative and not play with rules like "Well, it's Psychic poison so your MoG has no effect."

Ed