Advice on Running Temple of Elemental Evil

[Lacan]

So because I've built up a bit of nostalgia re-reading all my old orange spine AD&D books, and with the announcement of the "Edition for all Editions" I decided I wanted to run a "classic" module. One that I never ran before.

I'm converting it to Pathfinder, and we're also doing E6, which doesn't really come into play until (if) we run A1-5 (Scourge of the Slave Lords) and GDQ 1-7 (Queen of Spiders). I plan to do this for as long as it stays fun.

I bought TToEE, T1-T4 on ebay a few years ago, but I never ran it back when I was playing 1e. Reading it is almost like deciphering an ancient text, which I sort of enjoy. I found a few threads which read like weekly briefings on the campaign, most of them using 1e ruleset and they really inspired me.

So I'm asking for a couple things from you folks:
1) Any advice? Not necessarily about conversation but about the module and things that were really fun, and things that should probably be modified or taken out.
2) After a quick read, I didn't really see compelling reasons that connect the T series to the A series to the GDQ series. Any advice on what I could add that would help with this? Unless it's already in the modules and I just haven't read it thoroughly. In that case, could you help point me to it?
3) Maybe post a quick story about a memory that you had when you played TToEE that can help inspire me to carry through with it.

Thanks ahead of time.

Characters:
[sblock]All the characters are human.

• Zemphis, Infernal Sorcerer
• Bannock, Cavalier
• Callum, Rogue
• Decimus, Cleric

They will probably bring along an NPC or two for most delves, probably from the module itself.[/sblock]

 

[Derulbaskul]

I won't answer your third question as I not a fan of T1-4... but I am a huge fan of what it could have been. (And one of the campaigns I am currently working on involves a lot of the same themes... and Lareth the Beautiful.)

Advice

1. One of the things lacking horribly in the original was any sort of elemental feel. I would be spending time removing generic clerics and making them mechanically and thematically different depending on which of the elemental factions they represent.

Similarly, the Gygaxian introduction refers to various elemental effects - storms, earthquakes, flash floods etc... - which never play a part in the adventure. Personally, I would add them in somehow so that it feels like the party is exploring a temple of ELEMENTAL evil, rather than a collection of random encounters.

Give the nodes some serious thought and work. They're incomplete and waiting for you to stock them but I think they need much more flavour to really work.

Linking to the A series
2. Hmmm. Perhaps the ToEE is actually a customer of the slave lords? In the course of returning some of the slaves to their homes the party find themselves on the trail of the slave lords. The Moathouse might be the place where slaves are delivered to the temple's forces.

 

[Aran Thule]

Was a long time ago when i played this, was a bit of a dungeon crawl i remember but that might be down to how we approached it.
Unlike a lot of adventures there are lots of places where the party can find themselves completely overwhelmed, very easy to tpk there.
Two thoughts on how to adapt, firstly they should not be afraid to get npc assistance, although this does mean more work from the DM.
Second is that if they go for the infilrate rather then hack and slash it might make it more interesting and you can have events evolve off screen without having to fight through every room.

3,
Wading our way through the temples until we entered the water temple and got squashed (literally) the remainder of the party retreated and tried to rest in a room in one of the cleared levels.
A few hours later we got hit by a small patrol which we were able to eliminate.
An short while later our sleep was interupted by the clerics and troops from the water temple (+mercs and new recruits) and we got wiped.
Basically the water temple systematically searched the complex and when one of the patrols didnt return descended on the area on mass.

 

[grodog]

I bought TToEE, T1-T4 on ebay a few years ago, but I never ran it back when I was playing 1e. Reading it is almost like deciphering an ancient text, which I sort of enjoy. I found a few threads which read like weekly briefings on the campaign, most of them using 1e ruleset and they really inspired me.

There are also a number of good discussions about TOEE on Canonfire! and on Dragonsfoot in the Greyhawk forum, in particular this one: Dragonsfoot • View topic - ToEE Questions which includes Paul Stormberg's wonderful wilderness map of the environs surrounding Hommlet:

(and the DM's map too, which, alas, isn't in color).

So I'm asking for a couple things from you folks:
1) Any advice? Not necessarily about conversation but about the module and things that were really fun, and things that should probably be modified or taken out.

I think it's very worthwhile to think about how you want to build out the elemental evil cult(s), beyond just the Moathouse and ToEE. T1 provides some excellent rumors/suggestions for where the cult may have originated, and it can be fun to explore those a bit before the players find their way to the Temple proper.

FWIW, I used the DMG's Monastery Sample Dungeon map and added my own
second level to it, as well as another homebrew dungeon, since I was running T1 before T1-4 was published.

2) After a quick read, I didn't really see compelling reasons that connect the T series to the A series to the GDQ series. Any advice on what I could add that would help with this? Unless it's already in the modules and I just haven't read it thoroughly. In that case, could you help point me to it?

They're originally separate modules with no relationships to one another, but when reprinted in 1987-88 in supermodule formats, some connecting materials were added to bring them all together. There were definitely hints and points of commonality among the modules already, so it's not as far fetched as it seems:

- T1 mentions Lolth as a possible patron for Lareth (as well as teh "sharp check" dealt to Lolth, which presumably occurred prior to T1 in the original GH campaign)
- there are drow in A2, so you could connect the drowic underworld between the two, if desired (see Maldin's fabulous drowic underdark regional maps for some further ideas); you could also skip the G1 and G2 modules and go directly to G3 if following this route
- the Hommlet/Nulb/ToEE region of Greyhawk is quite close to the Pomarj
- the slave lords worship the "Earth Dragon" which could easily be tied back to the Earth and/or Fire Temples of ToEE if desired
- there was a G1-5 AtG: Liberation of Geoff written in the late 2e era, and G4 and G5 provide some alternate ideas for how to continue the giants adventures without heading to the drow; you could connect the slave lords to them easily enough too

Enjoy!

 

[Lacan]

Wow. Thanks for those links. The ToEE questions one was very helpful and made for some good reading, now that I know the adventure a bit better. It does seem like a challenging adventure to keep from turning into a grind, but I think the players I'm working with will go out of there way of fighting things in everyroom. They did roll straight 3d6 for abilities after all, and just took their scores. After after years of playing 4e...let's just say adjusting our expectations has been a rewarding challenge.