RttToEE with 4 players?

[Kestrel]

Well, I just started the Temple last week and one of my players has dropped from the game. That leaves me with 4. From those of you that have ran the Campaign or are currently running it, is it feasible with 4 players?

I would offer the players to hire some NPC's, but some of them have an aversion to doing so. Any ideas?

I would really like to continue this campaign, but I'm afraid the temple might be too much for them.

 

[KB9JMQ]

Well I am currently running two seperate parties of 4 thru it.

1. Lvl 5 Cleric/Ranger, Lvl 4 Ranger/Cleric, Lvl 4 Rogue, Lvl 5 Sorcerer
This party milled around town a while and 20 minutes into the Moathouse the body count rose to two with the Cleric/Ranger and Rogue biting the dust.

2. Lvl 4 Barbarian, Lvl 4 Cleric/Ranger, Lvl 4 Rogue, Lvl 4 Bard/Ranger
This party made it past the initial encounter at the moathouse (barely) and are now two rooms into the second level. We just froze them in time at the end of the night last time we played. Saturday we resume this game, I have a feeling these players will be Bringing out the Dead later that evening.

I think 4 can get thru just need a lot of healing and intelligence (knowing when to run)

Six level 4s would probably be best though.

Darrin

 

[JacktheRabbit]

So do you think the module is a bit overpowered for the levels listed since it should be based on 4 players?

 

[Kestrel]

Well, I've only started it...during the first encounter, which is a tough one, one player died. It seems like most encounters are pretty balanced for 4, but they can get out of hand very quickly. (due to reinforcements)

I'll wait to see what happens. I'm thinking a clerical sponsorship from the Church of St. Cuthbert might help. They can provide wands of healing at reduced prices. That might go a long way towards keeping the party alive.

 

[Troll]

I'm playing in it right now, with a four player group. The party members started as Wizard 4, Paladin 4, Cleric (earth and protection domain) 4, Rogue 3/Fighter1. We got lucky in the first big encounter. We met a tracker who warned us of the possible danger and so we were well prepared. Plus the paladin landed a critical with a mounted lance charge. After that, we've done prety well.

Troll

 

[Ashtal]

Heh.

We have three players, myself and two others, being taken through RttToEE right now by our GM, and we each have two PCs, who started at 4th level.

It's been a squeeker almost every night we've played. We had one character turned to stone (and revived), and one killed (and ressurected, but that character and another were also severely level drained by one critter in the next area after the moat house, which took us ages to get through).


Ashtal

 

[HeavyG]

With 4 PCs (and 1 or 2 Hommlet NPCs, usually), things have been tough so far (they are 1/3 of the way through). In most encounters, if the players make a mistake, they die. And they're pretty powerful, made with 32-point-buy and all.

I think the module's built to be tough for 4 PCs played by experienced players. I think it also assumes the PCs will adventure with some NPCs and that they're playing reasonably min-maxed characters.

If your party is only 4 strong and doesn't want to hire any NPCs, I'd suggest having them be 1 level higher.

Of course, it all depends on how adverse you are to body bags.

 

[Darkness]

You might want to also ask on Monte Cook's boards (he even has a board for RttToEE, actually); there are lots of people who run it...

http://pub58.ezboard.com/bokayyourturn

 

[Kestrel]

Darkness,

Thanks for the info. Registered and sent same message there.

 

[Cyronax]

.....

My Temple campaign started with 5 players, but then was wittled down to three. I think the 4 PCs would do fine with the module up until the Temple of All-Consumption, but they definetely will have to find some allies or some very creative strategies. No kick in the door style IMO.

The alternative, and this is what I did once my group shrank, was to plop down an intervening quest between Hommlet and Rastor. I wasn't playing the campaign in Greyhawk, so this was a bit easier, since I moved the ToAC (all the PCs gained from Hommlet was the name Rastor, not that village's location or distance) to a much farther distance then Monte wrote. The added quest in question was a actually a fight against an outpost of the Water Temple that allowed the party to use a teleportation circle to reach the continent the ToAC was on. This allowed me to move the campaign from a forested European feeling area to an area that sort of felt like China's Xinjiang region. The players in my group were playing the campaign in Beijing, and most of us had been to that province.....and were all fascinated by it.

IMC the four elemental temples each had a somewhat greater influence outside the ToAC itself. The elemental temples were actually the main arm of Tharizdun's cult, since the doomdreamers were few and often having bouts of madness after communion with their dark god.

The Water Temple was the one that happened to control the bridge to the continent with Hommlet on it. The process of the PCs defeating the Water Temple outposts and also a mercenary orcish army that the Water Temple had funded allowed the three PCs and a NPC azer fighter (basically a cohort) to reach the ToAC with the PCs' average level being 8th.

Hope that helps,
C.I.D.