Tips on runnin the Tomb of Horrors [3.5]

[supermonkeyjoe]

O.k, I am going to be running my group through with the tomb of horrors tonight, I predict it will be hilarious. Aside from that has anyone else run the 3.5 version and do you have any tips? I've re-read the module several times and I think I pretty well understand all the terrible things that can and will happen. For info the victims characters are:

Psionic paladin 9 (think regular paladin with limited Psychic Warrior powers instead of spells)
Druid 5/Master of Many forms 4
Wizard 9
Rogue 9

Overall not the most optimised or experienced group, I think the lack of full divine casting will hurt the most. They have had advanced warning that they are heading into the tomb of horrors and have planned accordingly with spell selections and such, the characters are imported from another campaign however so aren't especially optimised for this.

[Eldan]

First of all: disarming all traps just by rolling "disable device" gets boring fast. I'm not entirely sure how the third edition conversion is set up, but try to make the traps more into puzzles than DCs to roll against.

[supermonkeyjoe]

First of all: disarming all traps just by rolling "disable device" gets boring fast. I'm not entirely sure how the third edition conversion is set up, but try to make the traps more into puzzles than DCs to roll against.

I know at least some of the traps reassemble themselves unless disarmed a specific way, I recall there is also a trap that is itself trapped against disabling (yo dawg I herd you like traps...)

[Greymane]

From my experience as a player: Please don't try to kill the players. The Tomb does not need help. :smallsigh:

I'll echo Eldan, though: The traps thing gets terribly tedious, and becomes very clear without the trapfinder you guys would just die horribly. I wholeheartedly endorse the puzzles thing rather than rolling Disable Device for a few hours.

[The Boz]

It was pretty much made for rogues and arcane spellcasters. Lots of traps with moderate damage and the occasional save-or-die. Make sure your party doesn't bring with them six thousand pounds of food and water so they can't just take 20 to search every single inch.

[docHigh]

I've been thinking of running the same death-trap campaign. My plan will be to adjust the trap disabling DC accordingly:
* if you describe how you will disarm it and it should work, then DC is the one given in the notes.
* if you describe how you will disarm it and it could work but probably won't, then DC is the one given in the notes +5
* if you don't describe how you will disable the trap, then DC is +15

The adjustment will more or less be so that it would take 19-20 for rogue to simply disable the trap with no creative RP'ing.

[Tyndmyr]

Extra character sheets are a good idea. When you kill a player five minutes in, you don't want him sitting out the rest of the night.

[supermonkeyjoe]

I've been thinking of running the same death-trap campaign. My plan will be to adjust the trap disabling DC accordingly:
* if you describe how you will disarm it and it should work, then DC is the one given in the notes.
* if you describe how you will disarm it and it could work but probably won't, then DC is the one given in the notes +5
* if you don't describe how you will disable the trap, then DC is +15

The adjustment will more or less be so that it would take 19-20 for rogue to simply disable the trap with no creative RP'ing.

I really like this idea, I was wondering how to make Disable device useful without being all-powerful. It also gives the other players a chance to come up with a solution as well.