how easy of a time have you guys had?

[blelliot]

Our last session in HotDQ ended with our party deciding to attack the half black dragon Rezmir (sp?). The assassin had the first shot but got caught by a rug of starting. Then rezzie for her turn and put a hurt on us.Badly. the paladin died, I dropped, and the assassin was next. He poured option down my throat, I got up and used my tear of bahamut on the pally and he's up. Now we are beat to hell and back while the polymorphed druid (brass dragon form) is teeing off with the wench now. My question I have is who out there has gotten this far and how'd you fare against this terror?

[Madfellow]

My party hasn't quite gotten that far (they're a session or two away), but I will let you know that this adventure was designed to kill PCs. The designers either didn't understand how CR is supposed to work, or they're just sadistic. The CRs for encounters in HotDQ are frequently double what they're supposed to be. If you're having trouble, it's not your fault. Let your DM know and ask him if he can modify a few of the encounters to make them more fair. I've had to do that for basically every episode of the adventure so far.

[GWJ_DanyBoy]

When my group finally finishes up LMoP (Soon! Maybe this weekend if things go as planed), the next campaign will be HotDQ. Since the next campaign might have some new players and after reading through and seeing how combat heavy things can be, I think I'll make up a little dungeon for the PCs to clear out and hit level 2 before moving on to the first episode. Hopefully that will make them tough enough to survive.

[Quarterling]

the main issue with this adventure isn't actually CR IMO our whole party survived with no deaths our DM only tweaked one encounter in terms of combat which was the Assassins in the Inn on the way to waterdeep but otherwise each encounter was survived with a bit of luck and a LOT of planning.

The main problem with HotDQ is that it is by no means newbie friendly, you should have at least one veteran player on the team, multiple times a chapter for our group took about 8 hours on average just due to the massive planning both in and out of character.

[JFahy]

If you ran Hoard for a group of all-novice players, I think they'd get murdered.
My group has one grognard, one pretty experienced and two novices and while
they're generally winning the fights they take a terrible beating. We've started
singing "I know all there is to know / about the dying game" as people make
their stabilization rolls.

I'm thinking about the Heroic Fantasy option from the DMG, where the time
requirements for rests are cut down to hardly anything.

Can't comment on Rezmir yet, though - my group is currently 0/2 against
Cyanwrath. Last Friday we discovered his breath weapon is pretty brutal.

[Quarterling]

to beat rezmir you absolutely need a solid plan ours was this and it worked well.

WARNING SPOILERS

1. befriend the giants. check.

2. kill the vampire during the day and make sure the cult doesn't find out so you can move freely at night.

3. Attack Rezmir at night for a surprise maintain heavy debuffs via slow or hypnotic pattern. she was slowed for about 6 rounds which was enough for us to kill her fairly easily.

[Madfellow]

to beat rezmir you absolutely need a solid plan ours was this and it worked well.

WARNING SPOILERS

1. befriend the giants. check.

2. kill the vampire during the day and make sure the cult doesn't find out so you can move freely at night.

3. Attack Rezmir at night for a surprise maintain heavy debuffs via slow or hypnotic pattern. she was slowed for about 6 rounds which was enough for us to kill her fairly easily.

4. Hope she doesn't have the Black Dragon Mask on, because it gives her Legendary Resistance.

5. For the love of Bahamut, DON'T bring Talis with you!

[The J Pizzel]

I'm only about two episodes in, but my group is full of veterans and they still admit it was s pretty hard first episode (Greenest). They realized this, as well as the squishyness of level 1's again and started playing real smart. Using cover, dropping prone vs. ranged attacks, aiding another for Adv when it counts; things like that. One of my players, a pally who doesn't know he's a pally, faced off against Big C at he end of Greenest and got owned. I gave him an awesome "we're sending you back" email from the gods and now he loves his character. Here's the summaries so far..

Summary – 9-10-14
You all had different reason for going to Greenest, so you hitched a ride with a caravan led by a gnome business named Gimble. He and his brother sell trade good out of his 5 stores along the Sword Coast. Upon arriving, you find the town is being raided and is being attacked by an Adult Blue Dragon. Gimble offers you extra to go save his shop from being burnt down.
When you get into town you see the raiding party consist of kobolds, thugs, mercenaries, and members of the Cult of the Dragon. You immediately save a woman and her family (Linan and Cuth) and she tells you that everyone is making for the keep in the center of town as it’s the only safe place. You race there, fighting several skirmishes and saving more townsfolk. The flight to the keep ends with a 50 yard dash across the open field while the mass of raiders begin forming along the road.
In the keep, you’re met and thanked by the Governor Tarbaw Nighthill, a good natured man of 60 years who has clearly fought his way to the keep. He introduces you to his castellan, a gruff red-haired cliché dwarf named Escobert the Red. He’s slightly standoffish at first, possibly fearing ya’ll to be infiltrators, but he comes around.
After seeing you rescue so many people, Nighthill asks if you’d be willing to risk a rescue mission. The local temple of Chauntea is being besieged and he fears several townsfolk have sought shelter there. Escobert and his sergeant, Markguth, brought you to the cellar and showed you a tunnel that leads to the river. You fought two swarms of rats and made it out safely.
You made your way to the temple and found it being attacked by 3 forces: a battering force, a group setting fire to the back door, and a large group circling the building trying to scare the people inside. You used the smoke as cover and overpowered the back door force, gaining you quick entry into the temple. Once inside you convinced the young priestess Eadyan Falconmoon that you were friendly and you escorted them back to keep. In return, she gave you 4 very weak healing potions (1d4+1).
Once back you learned that the dragon was making his way back for a fly-by. You fixed an old broken down trebuchet on the parapets and X warged into his familiar who shot the 8 foot spear at the dragon. It missed, but for some reason the dragon left immediately after. This made you all seem to question the motives of the dragon.
Weary from the fighting, you all relax for about an hour, bandaging your wounds, eating some dried meat and water, closing your eyes, etc. After about 40 minutes, Nighthill once again comes to you with concern. The raiders are setting fire to the Mill, which holds the entire town supply of flour, wheat, and crop yields. If the raiders destroy, the town will not be able to survive the season and will be forced to leave. He says he can put together about 20 guards, but it will take him at least 15-20 minutes to round them up since they are scattered throughout the keep and town. He begs you to go and hold the mill until he arrives.



Memorable moments:
Babs shocking the rats in the cave while you all hang from the ceiling.
Casey trying to charm the radiers (and succeeding a couple of times).
Calvin clubbing the kneecap of a townsfolk.
Babs using the familiar to shoot the dragon.
The trickery when you were running back to the tunnel after saving the temple.
I’m sorry, I don’t remember all of it but I’m sure there’s more…
 
Summary – 10-15-14
As you make your way along the river bank toward the mill, you start seeing small smoke plumes from ahead. In order to get a better view, Grim climbs a hill in front of the mill. Unfortunately, several kobolds, mercenaries, and two drakes see him silhouetted against the full moon and either attack him or run for cover. You all storm the hill and dispatch them, mostly from ranged attacks.
You then notice that the mill is in fact not on fire. Small pitch fires and hay-fires surround the area, but the mill is hardly touched. Andariel and Ras climb to the roof to see what was going on; Grim circles around the back; and D’Varis, Beric, and Calvin charge in the door. While on the roof, Andariel and Ras hear voices coming from the second floor, indicating an ambush. Grim hears voices at the back door and makes a surprise attack. Andariel swings into the second floor room and attacks and kills an acolyte and notices a deformed chicken/lizard thing that attacks him. Ras blasts a whole in the roof and begins attacking cultists in there. Meanwhile, a Smoke Mephit forms from the smoke around the mill and spews cinder and ash the three at the front door, blinding two of them. After a good fight you kill all the cultists and creatures there and save one for questioning.
Back at the keep you question the prisoner who tells you everything without secret. He has no loyalties to the Cult and freely gives information. You learn the following: they’ve been raiding smaller villages and towns all along the sword coast until they had enough followers to hit a larger town; Greenest is the first town inland that they’ve attacked; it was considered a very successful raid; their camp is several hours outside of town; he’s heard rumors of dragon eggs there; the big blue half-dragon is the leader of the troops, but the overall leader is a woman named Frulam Mondath; they call her The Amethyst One or Wearer of Purple and the kobolds are generally afraid of her. After questioning him thoroughly, Grim kills him.
Following this, Nighthill and Escobert ask you to the front battlements to see something. A battle formation, led by a giant blue half-dragon and a woman in purple robes is advancing. Andariel sees Frulam and immediately flies into a fit of rage. The battle line forms and begins its advance toward the keep. While the bulk of the defenders begin shooting arrows, a small force breaks into the courtyard from a side sally port. The 6 of you rush to defend the courtyard against mercenaries, cultists, and several acolytes. A strange jackal hybrid is fighting alongside the cultists as well. Following that fight you begin to hear a deep booming voice carry over the battlements.
You reach the top to hear the half-dragon, Langderosa Cyanwrath, holding a woman and 2 children hostage. Another guard recognizes them as Markguths kids. Markguth is out defending the Mill. Cyanwrath is issuing a challenge. He wants one of the defenders to fight him in single combat for the lives of these 3. Beric honorably and heroically accepts the challenge. He says his goodbyes and salutes as he goes out to meet the 7 foot half-dragon. Cyanwrath slams his massive greatsword into the ground and attacks with his spear. Beric avoids the first blow, and ripostes, but it hardly affects the monster. Following that, Cyanwrath unleashes a barrage of lightning at Beric, which electrocutes him within an inch of life. The monster pulls Beric in close, whispers something in his hear, and slides the tip of his massive spear into his neck. The cultists laugh while the half-dragon applauds his heroism and tells the defenders that his man died a good death.
The raiders all leave and you spend the rest of the night bandaging your wounds and preparing Beric for burial. Just after sunrise, the priestess you saved earlier comes running out of the keep screaming nonsense before she faints. As you enter the room where Beric’s body was waiting, you see him sitting up, body burnt black as the night and hairless, smiling.

Here's the stuff I sent the dead pally that he saw while he was in the afterlife:

You felt a jolt of energy. Like you could run for days and not get tired. Then it started burning. Through the smoke and crackles of energy you saw the monstrous form closing the gap between you. You felt your legs giving out. The half-dragon grabbed your collar and slit the tip of his monstrous spear right up to your neck. You could barely hear his low, monotonous voice over the crackling lightning as it began to die down. You knew this was the end.
“This is good death. Not by some kobold-kin or vagabond mercenary; by a warrior. And you will die a warrior’s death. When you see your god he will reward you. Your death has substance. Purpose.”
Your neck scraped the spear tip as he forced your head to the left to see Markguth’s wife and kids passing under the portcullis and into the safety of the soldiers of Greenest.
“You see? Purpose. When you see your elders in the next life, they will welcome you with open arms and a soldiers grasp. And you will deserve to be in their mighty company.
You felt the slight pinch. Like a mosquito bite on your neck, followed by a scratch in your throat like a winter cold.
“This is a good death”

You awaken on a stone slab in vast hall. As far as the eye can see are stone and marble columns. There must be hundreds, maybe thousands. The hall stretches for leagues. (picture the great hall of Moria). You hear voices talking. As your eyes focus and you finish your scan you now see a small hearth fire with a massive boar roasting. Stone benches circle the fire and several people are there talking.
You see a young human in his 30’s with cleric’s armor and a mace at his side, “I agree he’s got spirit. And nobility, and humility and all the other useless things that make a good knight…but there is still rules.”
A powerfully built human knight in his 50’s with gleaming armor and a lightning bolt on his shield responds, “I know, but I had plans for him. We all know what’s coming.”
An aged man with red flowing robes and a white beard says, “His companions leave something to be desired; especially the gnome. He’s seen things that mortals in our realm should not see.”
“And that’s precisely why I need HIM!” says the knight.
The aged man looks deeply into your eyes, not caring that you’re awake and staring at them. You feel as if he’s peering into the depth of your soul. “It won’t work. I’ve seen his heart. There’s vengeance there, and hatred, and sadness. He welcomed this death. He won’t go back.”
The knight responds, “But I can give him purpose. Give him the tools he needs to carry out his desires.”
The young priest says, “YOU can’t give him anything. You know the rules of our realm. There are boundaries. You can’t claim him if you send him back. Am I right Jas?”
A woman appears; pale white with ancient markings on her face and arms. She carries a withered staff and has a deep sadness to her and she looks on you with regret, “Cuthbert is right, Sir Knight. You cannot have him. And I do not have the power alone to send him back. He won’t go. Besides, he needs more than valor and chivalry to meet the challenges that you intend for him Sir Knight.”
“THEN I SHALL CLAIM HIM!” comes a booming voice from a short distance.
The four beings turn to see three approaching: an elderly human in blue and white robes with a walking stick, a human of 40 years with a balance scale on his breastplate on top of nobles robes, and a massive, muscled human warrior with dented and well-worn battle armor and a flaming sword on his back. It was he who spoke. “I shall claim him. He will need my blessings.”
The gleaming knight stands and smiles as though a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. “My old friend…well met to you and your own.”
“Well met”, they all say in turn.
“So can we do this?” asks the knight.
“The Great Elders won’t approve,” replied the warrior “but they’re too busy feasting and squabbling over futile matters to understand the gravity of what’s transpiring. But I brought someone who can justify it if need be.” He nods to the one with scales on his chest who smiles in return.
The knight grins back at him and then to the blue and white robed human, finally understanding.
“I wish you could have him Heironeous. He would’ve made a valiant knight” says the warrior. “But with Tyr’s help, we will give him the tools to carry out his just retribution, and then he will join the others and help save all our worlds.”
“We all agree then?” asks the knight.
The pale woman stands. “You must all agree. For this will take all our power.” She says walking to the elderly human in blue robes. He stretches out a road worn hand and places it gently into hers smiling.
“I, Lothander, agree to this pact”. As he gently taps the end of this walking stick into the ground a small wisp of light begins snaking around their joined hands.
“I ,Wee Jas, agree to this pact” the pale woman says.
“I, Heironeous, agree to this pact. And may you never give in to your vengeance my dear mortal. Use it, but don’t let it change you. You are a man of good and a man of conscious.” The strand of light dances its way across the joined hands to his.
I, Tyr, agree to this pact. And I use my divine right to allow him justice and fair retribution against those who have wronged him. Thus is my right as God thereof!” the scales on his breastplate erupt from their place and begin hovering in their air as the light begins gliding over his arm.
The old withered man in red robes and the priest look at each other questioningly.
“We’re going to regret this, aren’t we?” asks the young priest
The old one looks on him with tired and agitated eyes, “isn’t it kind of ironic for you, of all people, to ask rhetorical questions?”
“…fair point. I, St. Cuthbert, begrudgingly agree to this pact.”
“as do I, Pelor, God of the Sun. And as the present Elder, I grant this divine pact my blessing”
The tendrils of light begin pulsing and glowing red and deep crimson. They begin swirling through the Gods joined hands and into the center like snakes in an ocean. A bright glowing Sun appears above them all, shining light down into the floating balance scales, still floating in the center.
The massive warrior takes out his enormous flaming great sword and walks to the center of the circle. As the tendrils of light mix with the rays of the sun you see shadows and glimpse of his true self. Clad in massive armor. Adorned with celestial runes and glyphs and glowing with divine radiance. He kneels in the center holding his sword across his knees.
In a voice like thunder he yells, “I, Tempus, God of War and Battle, agree to this pact. And I claim this soul as my own. Therefore, as Wee Jas has released his from his death, as Heironeous has deemed him worthy, as Tyr has given him cause, as the Saint has given his power, and as Pelor has given his holy blessing, I PRAY NOW THAT LATHANDER BREATH LIFE INTO THIS SOUL SO THAT HE MAY CARRY OUT MY WILL! RISE BERIC AND BE MY SERVANT.”
The old man blue-robed man slams his small walking stick into ground with a thunderous pound as all goes white.

You find yourself on a road. And empty road of perfectly packed dirt. You can barely see the first red rays of the morning sun. You know where to go. The Sun is calling you. The Sun knows all about rebirth. You walk until the sun is as large as castle before you. You can feel its blistering heat on your skin. You look down to see your skin has burnt black as coal. You fall in a heap of burnt flesh and pain. You blink and see stone walls forming around the sun. It scares you. Every time you blink it covers more and more until you can barely see it as through a window. You sit up and hear a scream from your right.

[Quarterling]

4. Hope she doesn't have the Black Dragon Mask on, because it gives her Legendary Resistance.

5. For the love of Bahamut, DON'T bring Talis with you!

it's why we got rid of the vampire. Our DM rolled a D percentage to see if she would be wearing the mask he made it like 25% since she wouldn't logically be expecting to be attacked at night. And we don't roll with people we can't kill

[Madfellow]

it's why we got rid of the vampire. Our DM rolled a D percentage to see if she would be wearing the mask he made it like 25% since she wouldn't logically be expecting to be attacked at night. And we don't roll with people we can't kill

You can kill Talis; she's only CR 5. The vampire, on the other hand, yeah you need to stake her in the middle of the day or you're screwed.

The reason you don't bring Talis is because she turns on you the second she thinks her plan might fail, and you DON'T want to fight her and Rezmir at the same time. Or anyone else, really.

[blelliot]

to beat rezmir you absolutely need a solid plan ours was this and it worked well.

WARNING SPOILERS

1. befriend the giants. check.

2. kill the vampire during the day and make sure the cult doesn't find out so you can move freely at night.

3. Attack Rezmir at night for a surprise maintain heavy debuffs via slow or hypnotic pattern. she was slowed for about 6 rounds which was enough for us to kill her fairly easily.
We did numbers 1&2. We did not have luck with a daytime blitz attack. When we left off our silence spell had worn off and repair was calling for reinforcements (her Red wizard buddies). I think we are screwed.

[Quarterling]

We did numbers 1&2. We did not have luck with a daytime blitz attack. When we left off our silence spell had worn off and repair was calling for reinforcements (her Red wizard buddies). I think we are screwed.

the red wizards can be talked to as well, It's always important to have a face we didn't get them on our side but they did not interfere

[Madfellow]

We did numbers 1&2. We did not have luck with a daytime blitz attack. When we left off our silence spell had worn off and repair was calling for reinforcements (her Red wizard buddies). I think we are screwed.

If the Red Wizards are coming to help, yeah, you're screwed. You need some way to incapacitate Rezmir while you kill them, or some way to keep them from casting while you kill her. Or run. Run really fast.