Any tips for running White Plume Mountain?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

A party I DM is almost sure to take the hook and enter the White Plume Mountain Dungeon as written in Tales From the Yawning Portal.

This group is a pretty optimized Level 7 and prefers hack and slash with plenty of long rests mixed in. It will likely consist of two Paladins, a Wizard, a Valor Bard and perhaps another Wizard or a Draconic Sorcerer. The chances of both the second Wizard and the Sorcerer showing up at the same time is minimal.

I'll build 3 prominent families to be the "losers" of the three magical weapons. They'll be a monetary reward for returning them and the party has an interest in using a teleportation circle I might put one of the families in possession of.

Any advice for running this one? What do I need or need to be aware of for this to go well?

[OldTrees1]

Definitely carefully read all the encounters before session 1. (Warning this is based on a memory of running it roughly a year ago)

I found the boiling mud room went better when I knew how the characters might recognize the danger. The difference between a fair cop and a cheap death is whether the player feels like they could not have know.

The electrified hallway did not work so well for my group. We had a few electrical engineers. They came up with in character ideas that would work if the hallway was in any way realistic. In the end the trap just defied reality in a way that made it hard to approach as a puzzle.

The frictionless tetanus trap seems way to fast acting, incurable, and lethal for something with almost no warning. On the other hand my group realized the frictionless part really quickly and used Drown to cross it.

Whichever weapon they pick up 3rd, that gauntlet is roughly twice as long because the escape sequence starts immediately.

[Malifice]

The adventure works best with a doom clock attached, and run as a race against time heist with the PCs looking to infiltrate the dungeon, grab as many of the 3 weapons as possible, and get out before Keraptis returns from his Planar jaunt.

I ran it with the PCs hired to recover the 3 weapons (5000gp each weapon recovered).

The families have discovered that Keraptis is currently absent from the Mountain (off on a Planar jaunt). Divination magic reveals he is due to return in just under 5 hours time. Due to the short notice, the families have arranged to have the PCs teleported to and from the mountain (they provide the PCs with a one use item that teleports them back to a teleport circle owned by one of the families).

Canny PCs can take advantage of the short time frame (and desperation of the families due to the short time frame it's the PCs or bust for them) to haggle with the families. They are desperate and an appropriate skill check doubles the reward per weapon recovered, or alternatively convinces the families to let the PCs keep 1 weapon.

Basically engineer it so the PCs get to the entrance with around 4-5 hours before Keraptis returns.

This buys them enough time for 30 minutes of exploration of each of the 3 arms of the dungeon and 3 short rests, or nearly an hour per arm of the dungeon and 2 short rests. Let them set the pace (dont forget to have a timer running on some of the puzzle rooms and when they're figuring out the sphinx riddles).

If they haven't got the job done in 5 hours, Keraptis (use Archmage from MM, can cast spells of up to 3rd level as a legendary action, 3 legendary actions per round, 3 legendary resistances, double his HP, mirror image and globe of invulnerability precast, robes of the evil archmage, cloak of protection, ring of protection +1, Int 20, Dex 16, AC 20, tweak spells to suit, change CR to 14) Plane Shifts in to their location, almost certainly gaining surprise, and attacks them.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

The adventure works best with a doom clock attached, and run as a race against time heist with the PCs looking to infiltrate the dungeon, grab as many of the 3 weapons as possible, and get out before Keraptis returns from his Planar jaunt.

I ran it with the PCs hired to recover the 3 weapons (5000gp each weapon recovered).

The families have discovered that Keraptis is currently absent from the Mountain (off on a Planar jaunt). Divination magic reveals he is due to return in just under 5 hours time. Due to the short notice, the families have arranged to have the PCs teleported to and from the mountain (they provide the PCs with a one use item that teleports them back to a teleport circle owned by one of the families).

Canny PCs can take advantage of the short time frame (and desperation of the families due to the short time frame it's the PCs or bust for them) to haggle with the families. They are desperate and an appropriate skill check doubles the reward per weapon recovered, or alternatively convinces the families to let the PCs keep 1 weapon.

Basically engineer it so the PCs get to the entrance with around 4-5 hours before Keraptis returns.

This buys them enough time for 30 minutes of exploration of each of the 3 arms of the dungeon and 3 short rests, or nearly an hour per arm of the dungeon and 2 short rests. Let them set the pace (dont forget to have a timer running on some of the puzzle rooms and when they're figuring out the sphinx riddles).

If they haven't got the job done in 5 hours, Keraptis (use Archmage from MM, can cast spells of up to 3rd level as a legendary action, 3 legendary actions per round, 3 legendary resistances, double his HP, mirror image and globe of invulnerability precast, robes of the evil archmage, cloak of protection, ring of protection +1, Int 20, Dex 16, AC 20, tweak spells to suit, change CR to 14) Plane Shifts in to their location, almost certainly gaining surprise, and attacks them.

Wow, that's a pretty tough time frame!

I might not use the no long rest version but a 2 or 3 long rest version might work out.

[Malifice]

Tone Keraptis up or down depending on the strength of your party. He should be super scary and someone they want to avoid.

You can basically just lay that in front of them and sit back while they scramble to recover as many of the weapons as possible before the time limit expires and he returns.

Get a timer or stopwatch and literally have them on the clock when they're mucking about, arguing over the globe room/ ring or the chains over the mud pit or answering the sphinxs riddles or figuring out what to do next or dealing with any of the other tricks and traps and so forth. Keep a running tally of the time spent adventuring.

Keep the time pressure on them, and let them pace themselves and decide when/ if they can afford a short rest and which path to do down first.

They should have enough time for (basically) 1 short rest after each of the first 2 arms of the dungeon and 1 hour of time to explore each arm. (1 hour adventuring, 1 short rest, 1 hour adventuring, 1 short rest, 1 hour adventuring, adventure over and long rest). If they hurry and complete an arm in 30 minutes, they'll have enough time for an extra short rest in there somewhere.

[Malifice]

Wow, that's a pretty tough time frame!

I might not use the no long rest version but a 2 or 3 long rest version might work out.

That's way too many for mine. Thats a long rest per arm of the dungeon, and each arm is only half a dozen or so rooms and 2-3 combat encounters (plus traps and riddles).

One short rest per dungeon arm/ weapon (plus a spare one left over if they hurry) is ample.

That dungeon can be done by 7th level PCs with 2-3 short rests only.

Allowing an extra long test makes it too easy. Allowing a long rest for each arm of the dungeon makes it trivially easy (they'll have full HP and slots for each arm of the dungeon and will crush it).

[Malifice]

Each arm of the dungeon only features 2-3 pretty easy combat encounters, culminating in the big bad for that arm (vampire, crab and Oni) who presents a reasonable challenge.

Deal with that arm, short rest, hit arm number 2, short rest, deal with the 3rd and final arm then bug out and long rest is the best pacing for that adventure IMO.

If they hurry and deal with the puzzles quickly they get rewarded with time for an extra short rest in there somewhere.

Make the players think. Put them on the clock. Set some boundaries and sit back and let them figure it out and pace themselves.

[Malifice]

Looks like you've let your long rest based classes shine to date (allowing long rests to be taken at will).

Give your short rest based classes (fighters, monks and warlocks) and 'at will' based classes (rogues) a chance to shine, and move the spotlight to them for this adventure.

Trust me. Itll play amazingly, and itll have positive flow on effects for your campaign generally.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Looks like you've let your long rest based classes shine to date (allowing long rests to be taken at will).

Give your short rest based classes (fighters, monks and warlocks) and 'at will' based classes (rogues) a chance to shine, and move the spotlight to them for this adventure.

Trust me. Itll play amazingly, and itll have positive flow on effects for your campaign generally.


I hear you. In the past I've battled the "Tiny Hut" and honestly thanks for bringing it up again. We just might have an ambush waiting when the hut expires if they plop it down someplace ill conceived.

We just have two Paladins, a Wizard and a Sword Bard in this party. Short rests don't mean a lot to them so they angle for short days.