DCC #12.5 Iron Crypt of the Heretics

[tacojohn4547]

Harley,

Heh. If you do end up doing the conversions, can I get a signed copy of your notes?

Sure, I guess.

Conversion has begun in earnest. I've started with a general conversion notes document that will be used along with the DCC booklet for running the addy, similar to what others have come up with for the 1E conversions of other DCC's.

I have roughed-out all of the convertions for the pregen's and dumped the 1E stats into PC sheets for the first two. I've had to change the first PC from a dwarven cleric to a half-elven cleric since dwarves cannot be clerics in 1E. To compensate for this change, I've added a seventh pregen to the lot, a dwarven fighter, just in case someone has to play a dwarf.

Also changed the bard to a Ranger . . . because I've never really liked bards. Especially 1E bards.

Major revisions to the armor were needed due to originals being 3E compatible but the armor configurations themselves being very incompatible with 1E. This spawned several revisions to the Dex scores to compensate for diminished AC protection via the armor worn.

And for now, I'm making all of the PC's 12th level PC's. I kind of picked this DCC specifically because of the suggested level of PC's (and because I like the addy!). If need be, I'll bring the power level of the crypt itself and its guardians down a bit so as to be closer to 1E level 12.

Also working on a player handout that provides a brief overview of the addy, tournament rules in effect (including the few house rules I plan on using), and the pregens available.

Finally, I hope to put together a scoring worksheet specifically for running this converted DCC as a tournament dungeon. This will be critical if we do in fact run it as a tournament since I've offered prizes!

Pregen PC sheets and player handout should probably be done this week. Then I'll be able to focus on the conversion notes and the scoring worksheet.

Later,

tacojohn4547

[Harley Stroh]

Taco,

That’s impressive that you’re being so thorough. That’s a lot of work, and game play should really benefit for it. I hope the adventure goes over well.

And seriously, I'd love to read you 1st Ed conversions. That's just way too cool. Good choice with the bard. It seems like "bards" don't even get bardic abilities until upwards of 6th level in the first edition, and only after dual-classing in fighter and thief.

Heh. It's a little embarrassing that I don't know that off the cuff. I'll have to check my books tonight.

[tacojohn4547]

Well, that list of stuff is the goal anyway. Have to see whether time allows for being that thorough or not. I ran a short tournament dungeon this winter as a one-off for my group, and it had a player handout + PC sheets already done. It made running the one-shot real easy.

IIRC, the bard in 1E starts out as a fighter, then switches to thief class, then finally becomes a bard and progresses up the bard table.

The problem in this instance is that if I convert directly to 1E, this PC will be fighting as something less than a 12th level PC, which isn't good. Or he will be trying to be a thief at something less than a 12th level thief, which decreases the probabilities of success for thieving abilities. Also not good. In an ongoing campaign, bards might play okay, since you would have time to work them up in level dealing with more level-appropriate monsters & encounters. But in a con tourney, the person that gets stuck with the level-equivalent bard will be sorely pressed, I believe.

Of course, I've never played a 1E bard, so this is somewhat speculative. But, that's my logic for switching to single-classed PC's for the tourney.

Anyway, once I've got some of this stuff done, I'll pm you and shoot you e-copies.

tj

[tacojohn4547]

Harely, you've got private mail.

tacojohn4547

[tacojohn4547]

Harley,

I have a question about this adventure.

SPOILERS!





SPOILERS!







SPOILERS!







SPOILERS!







SPOILERS!


In the general information about the Iron Crypts (page 4), the module says:

The Iron Crypt is wrought almost entirely of iron, crusted reddish-brown with rust. Where noted, traps and portals are operated by clockworks of a massive scale: gears, weights and cogs the size of a human or larger.
Because of the magnitude and complexity of these traps and locks, they are not susceptible to Open Lock or Disable Device checks, even with their exposed mechanisms. Attempts to sabotage the clockworks by
inserting objects into the gears simply result in crushing the items into dust.


How is the party supposed to open the locks or disable the devices (remove traps) if " they are not susceptible to Open Lock or Disable Device checks"?

And if the locks and devises (traps) are not supposed to be opened or disabled, why do nearly all of them have DC scores, Open Lock check scores or Disable Devise check scores?

This statement seems inconsistent with the stat blocks for the doors and other devises.

Thanks,

tacojohn4547

[Harley Stroh]

Sorry. That sounds like an editing typo/sloppy writing on my part. I need to check my manuscript at home, but I can run down the issue right here:

The Crypt has a bunch of exposed mechanisms. The first thing players might do is toss a rock in the works and declare the trap defunct.

This is not true, due to the size, weight and scope of the traps. What it should say is that traps/locks are no MORE susceptible to Open Locks/Disable attempts than regular traps.

They still have to be disabled the old fashioned way.

[tacojohn4547]

Harley -

Hey, no sweat. I thought it must be something like that. Thanks for the quick reply. I was just kind stepping back from the details and thinking about the overall flow when I remembered that note in the Intro. That I remembered at all gives you some sense of how many times I've read over this mod!

The conversion notes document is done up through area 1-15 (the Library). I'm pretty sure the party (or parties) at the con won't get that far in 4 hours! (The traps are deadly, yet elegant!)

Player handout has been expanded to include a couple of the rumors (wanted to give the players a couple more carrots!). And I've added another pregen (bringing the total to 7), just in case I have a last minute addition to the party.

(Also to that end, I'm adding some scaling info into the conversion notes to allow the mod to be scaled "down" for smaller parties or lower level parties. Things like stats for a regular stone golem in addition to the enhanced stone golem, and stats for a regular black pudding in addition to the advanced black pudding. As you know, reducing the DC or % check or attribute check modifier would also help in scaling down the mod.)

I've just started the scoring worksheet. Its going to be very utilitarian. Probably polish it up before sending to GG for posting with the other free conversion stuff.

All in all, this has been a fun process (the conversion, that is). I think I have a better appreciation for (and resistence to) the d20/3.5 system, having done the 3.5 E to 1E conversion. hehehe

By the way, should I request permission from GG to include excerpts of the mod in any of the conversion documents I'm doing? I don't want to infringe upon the copyright.

tacojohn4547

[tacojohn4547]

Harley,

I came across an earlier thread on DCC #12.5 today. In that thread, you wrote:

Taco!

Thanks for the kind thoughts. It was a fun module to write; we had to cut some rooms to make the word count, but I think the adventure is better for it.

How many rooms did you have to cut to make the word count work? Do you still have the room descriptions and encounter write-ups? How about the map modifications that were made to accommodate the shortened addy, were they extensive?

Have you considered making a supplemental download document that contains the previously deleted rooms and encounters for those situations where ‘more Iron Crypt of the Heretics’ is needed or wanted? I’m thinking that for situations like an ongoing campaign that incorporates both DCC #12 and 12.5, or for an extended convention tournament with multiple rounds, having another half-dozen or so rooms might be pretty helpful. [hint, hint]

Shoot, once I get past the next month or two, I'd even be glad to help with putting this supplemental document together, complete with conversion to 1E notes.

thanks in advance,

tacojohn4547

[tacojohn4547]

Bump


Harley,

I've got a few questions. Please see above posts or check your email. Not terribly urgent - I don't need answers for GorillaCon this weekend, but some questions to think about.

thanks,

Tacojohn4547

[Harley Stroh]

Doh!

Taco, I'm on the road. Let me see what I can pull off remotely, but this could be a little tricky. I'll get to these forum questions and then the emails, but I won't be able to access documents.

The extra rooms were part of a series of prison cells used by the order to bind heretics. Instead of execution, the order would wall in heretics. Some of the heretics made unholy deals with infernal powers, resulting in a some of the cells holding demons/devil half-breeds and cambions. The idea was that PCs would find a torture chamber with plastered, whitewashed door-shaped impressions on the walls. Breakig them released (or had the chance of releasing) the Things Inside.

But my eyes are always bigger than my word count, and sure enough I had reached 10 thousand words before I was even 2/3 of the way through the module. So I started slashing areas (there was some more development to the drider area) as I went, trying to come in as low as possible.

I still have the first draft of the maps at home, but I'm not going to be back until after Gorilla.

But, that said, I'd be happy to do a AD&D for fun. The only trick is that I have a World of Darkness novel due by the end of May --- all my writing time is going to be absorbed by that. But if you're interested in doing a team project after May, I'd be happy to be a part.