Has anyone ever run those stock adventures WotC published for 3.5 in pbp?

[gooddragon1]

I mean like the burning plague (pdf link (https://dnd.rem.uz/3.0%20Adventures/Burning%20Plague.pdf)) and such?

It couldn't be that hard right? I mean since the adventure is already pretty much spelled out and such. People who do know how hard pbp is, please list the pitfalls that would make this hard. I'm not stating interest in hosting it (because I know better than to try such things in this wretched hive of scum and villainy* section of the forums :P), but I'm wondering in general.

https://img1.etsystatic.com/022/0/6240830/il_570xN.559626547_6rir.jpg

[Blackhawk748]

Burning Plague is a nice adventure, and i do like those types of modules that WotC came out with. They are short and usually fun. I dont see anything particularly problematic about using them in PbP format

[Kelb_Panthera]

There's like a hundred and three PBP's of the red hand of doom. I think it was probably one of the most popular 3.5 modules.

[Eldariel]

Can't say I've ever run anything exactly as written but I've often used various stock shells to give me a simple shell to fill out as opposed to the massive task of writing it all ground up. Bastion of the Broken Souls is a personal favourite.

[Fizban]

From what I understand he's talking about a bunch of short, free adventures, not the usual lineup. As for if anyone's run them in PbP, who knows? In my brief looks it usually seems that PbPs are aiming big, which is odd considering how much longer they take and how often they fall apart. Sticking to short adventures would make it much more likely you'd actually finish one. As for the quality, I've read a couple which seemed meh, it's free WotC content which is as much or more unreliable than their main content, and 3.0 to boot.

The linked plague adventure, well it says it's for four-six 1st level characters, but every encounter is with a massive pile of kobolds who could ranged focus fire a 1st level character to death fairly easily, or if not kobolds it's a pile of zombies, and ends with a 5th level cleric. They're fully aware of this with all of the encounters that aren't harmless traps being marked as EL "1 1/2", 3, 4, or 5, and yet this is somehow a 1st level adventure. There's also a good 'ol 100% fiat "fountain is somehow contagious but killing the cleric makes it suddenly stop and the town gets better."

[gooddragon1]

From what I understand he's talking about a bunch of short, free adventures, not the usual lineup. As for if anyone's run them in PbP, who knows? In my brief looks it usually seems that PbPs are aiming big, which is odd considering how much longer they take and how often they fall apart. Sticking to short adventures would make it much more likely you'd actually finish one. As for the quality, I've read a couple which seemed meh, it's free WotC content which is as much or more unreliable than their main content, and 3.0 to boot.

The linked plague adventure, well it says it's for four-six 1st level characters, but every encounter is with a massive pile of kobolds who could ranged focus fire a 1st level character to death fairly easily, or if not kobolds it's a pile of zombies, and ends with a 5th level cleric. They're fully aware of this with all of the encounters that aren't harmless traps being marked as EL "1 1/2", 3, 4, or 5, and yet this is somehow a 1st level adventure. There's also a good 'ol 100% fiat "fountain is somehow contagious but killing the cleric makes it suddenly stop and the town gets better."

When I looked that one up I swear it said for 1st level characters. I didn't think it was written by or inspired by the same logic behind "that damned crab".

[Fizban]

The crab is under-CR'd, it's mislabeled, an oversight. This is a clear design choice, the encounter levels are accurate by formula and only one of four is actually deceptive in it's difficulty (the mass of kobolds). Having seen the first 5e adventure path, comments on their other 1st level fare for that, I'm fairly certain this is a standard thing: WotC writes "1st level" adventures that are blatantly not 1st level adventures, because they are bad. They always want to throw mobs, and even when they stick to stuff with low enough CRs that mobs are almost okay (and we ignore how dice work) they still throw in traps and hazards that can kill you easier than the monster they appear with, and there's always a ridiculously over leveled boss at the end which you wouldn't fight even with a rest let alone after a dungeon.

[Eldariel]

Those Kobold-stats contain Medium Light Crossbow damage for some reason, which in this kind of a scenario can make huge difference. Most likely an oversight. They're also a bit weird in that instead of having levels in any NPC class, they just have a racial HD of Humanoid - and apparently due to Burning Plague, their CR is further axed even though it makes very little difference in most scenarios (Alchemist's Fire as the one crucial exception).

[Starbuck_II]

I ran Burning Plague and it went great.

So maybe it was just my players, but it was fine.

Traps: First trap was more of an annoyance.
Monsters: Why do the Kobolds do better damage than they should with their crossbows?
1st encounter is likely resulting in one PC dead if they alerted foes to them via trap.
2nd with Flour is a fun one if fire is used.
3rd: Sorc can be difficult if played right.
4th: helpless kobolds that are hoarding treasure.
5th: Zombies
6th: Boss.

The Lighthouse was fine, but treasure was hard to gauge as you get massively overwealthed if you spend time selling it (as it is in art and other trade good items[they sell for full price in 3.5 D&D]).

Granted, it was 5 players instead of 4, so that might have made a difference.

[Fizban]

Did 3.0 even list "monsters" with NPC class levels? I wouldn't be surprised if it had kobolds with humanoid HD thanks to [reptilian], always makes me think of lizardfolk and their 2HD. 3.0 weapon sizes allowed Small wielders to use Light Crossbows, I think my starter set might have had Lidda carrying one same as everyone else. I expect they thought the pile of 1hps was an actual balancing factor, for some reason even though 1st level AoEs are almost non-existant these 1st level adventures seem to assume you will totally be all up in there with the Burning Hands (5e has a cantrip that can hit two things at once and I'm sure the same reasoning applies).

[Eldariel]

Did 3.0 even list "monsters" with NPC class levels? I wouldn't be surprised if it had kobolds with humanoid HD thanks to [reptilian], always makes me think of lizardfolk and their 2HD. 3.0 weapon sizes allowed Small wielders to use Light Crossbows, I think my starter set might have had Lidda carrying one same as everyone else. I expect they thought the pile of 1hps was an actual balancing factor, for some reason even though 1st level AoEs are almost non-existant these 1st level adventures seem to assume you will totally be all up in there with the Burning Hands (5e has a cantrip that can hit two things at once and I'm sure the same reasoning applies).

Ah, you're correct. Those stats are bogstandard 3.0 Kobolds save for -3 Con. Nevermind my complaint then.