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View Full Version : Return to the temple of ELemental Evil [3.5]



herrhauptmann
2009-07-07, 06:00 PM
I was wondering if anyone remembered the millhouse encounter of the return to temple of elemental evil.
It had a tiefling assassin in it, and a hidden danger regarding the use of any flame source.

Can someone tell me what the details of that danger were? I'm thinking of using it for an adventure.

erikun
2009-07-07, 06:26 PM
Not specifically, and I'm sure I don't have the module anymore.

Basically though, the entire place blew up if you lit a fire inside. See Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_bomb#Grain_elevator_explosions) for the dangers of such.

herrhauptmann
2009-07-07, 06:28 PM
I remember that part, but I can't remember if it was 'any source of flame' or just fire spells.
Also how much damage was dealt?

LibraryOgre
2009-07-07, 06:56 PM
I had a party accidentally set off a fuel-air bomb (dropping lit flasks of oil into an underground coal storage). I gave them a DC 20 reflex save to survive... with 1 HP.

erikun
2009-07-07, 07:29 PM
I'm pretty sure both a torch and fireball were used in the description, although you can make it as touchy as you want. (Perhaps any spark, even from an active Shocking Grasp, will set it off?)

herrhauptmann
2009-07-07, 07:48 PM
They're only ECL 3-4, I can't make it too dangerous or I'll wipe out the party.
I have a tendency to throw under CR'd creatures at them.

So while I ignore when one player complains about the loss of an animal companion vs an ogre (we finished early, and they wanted something to fight, so I decided on 2 ogres), I think there is some justification when a crit from the big bad dropped the party ranger from full to -11.

qcbtnsrm
2009-07-07, 08:15 PM
From the module:
You needed "a significant flame (more than a torch flame)"
If you had a large enough flame you had a cumulative 20% chance the flour dust would catch aflame.
Damage was 2d4 with no save allowed.

herrhauptmann
2009-07-07, 08:23 PM
Excellent.
Thank you.

Thurbane
2009-07-07, 10:27 PM
I've got RttToEE on order from Amazon, can't wait for it to arrive. It's my turn to DM next, when we finish EttRoG. I've already downloaded the unofficial 3.5 conversion. :smallsmile:

Alejandro
2009-07-07, 10:33 PM
Just curious, I have never read the encounter in question. But from the description (a mill, flour dust) it sounds like a simulation of a grain elevator explosion. Such an air burst explosion of fine material (such as flour) can be really, really powerful. There are incidents where entire buildings were leveled and multiple fatalities caused. Even today, there are stringent steps taken to avoid sparks and fire of any kind around such setups. It would not take much, if this is the scenario I am talking about, to set off a blast, assuming a lot of powder is suspended in the air.

Corwin Weber
2009-07-08, 01:14 AM
It's called a fuel-air bomb, and its power is basically only limited by its size and design. Military versions are about the biggest blast you can get without using atomics. (And they're big enough to look a lot like a nuke.)

See the Legacy of the Alldenata series by John Ringo and Eric Flynt for an extremely cool example. :)

Thurbane
2009-07-14, 09:36 PM
My copy of RttToEE arrived yesterday. On a quick flip through, a lot of the early and mid level encounters seem pretty low CRs. I'm just hoping the group I DM won't find it a walkthrough (it will be a 5 players group).

I've downloaded the user created 3.5 conversion and errata.

Has anyone run this in 3.5? Any tips? I want this to be a fun experience for the group, so having it be too easy or too hard should be avoided.

erikun
2009-07-14, 09:50 PM
Sorry, not really. My group didn't get very far into it. They fought the dragon at the dungeon ruins - which nearly killed them - then decided to drag its carcass back to town, gut it for alchemical components, and sell off its hide to the local blacksmith.

The dungeon ruins were a lot more boring after the cultists had left. :smallyuk:

Also, the module doesn't mention travel distances between destinations - I found it odd that I had to make up a random travel time between town and the ruins.

On the other hand, the players did like the little potion shop girl. Making her overly perky and teary-eyed when talking about dad probably helped there. :smallbiggrin: