Out of the Abyss question

[Dmdork]

I read the mod. The only thing I may have trouble is with the fact that I want the adventurers to hit every site as they try to get to the surface. I just don't want them to think that im trying to force them, or railroad them. If the goal is to get topside, I dunno how I can make that happen. I mean any smart adventurer with gold can pay a guide to direct them as the crow flies right to the top. I guess all I can do is encourage the extra bonds to involve them with the mod as much as possible, redirecting the motive to explore rather than escape..any suggestions?

[sophontteks]

Mild OOTA spoilers

I think you are underestimating how vast and deep the underdark is. Looking for a guide is the answer, but finding one will take them a lot of work. The book handles this well enough. You make allies and they will give a lead to someone who knows the way at another location. There are only 3 major locations in the first section, and only 2 offer any hope of finding a way out, so one location is a lead to the other which offers a guide out.

The other half of the book is about going back in.

[beargryllz]

The best way to find a guide is find one of the many settlements in the underdark

This obviously leads to tons of encounters and there is no guarantee the guide won't get sidetracked and lead them to yet another site yet more encounters....

[Samayu]

We played this one some time ago, but IIRC, we knew of two ways out, and we knew basically how to get there. But neither of them were close, so it took us a month-plus of journeying to get there. That's a lot of encounters.

Why do you want the adventurers to hit every site as they try to get to the surface?

[Dmdork]

I don't want to pass up one or two sites cuz I want them to experience all/most of the material I covered. Takes a long time to go over that stuff. A clever player can wind up inadvertently skipping half the adventure. Of course I am the DM, I can do anything. I can redirect them. Here's the concern: it might not feel real after that. My players are smart....

[sophontteks]

I don't want to pass up one or two sites cuz I want them to experience all/most of the material I covered. Takes a long time to go over that stuff. A clever player can wind up inadvertently skipping half the adventure. Of course I am the DM, I can do anything. I can redirect them. Here's the concern: it might not feel real after that. My players are smart....
Spoilers
They are only supposed to see four sites, not counting the minidungeons and starting locations, before seeing the surface. The rest of the underdark is designed to be seen after the party reaches the surface. Two of those sites don't offer the party a way out.

The campaign is pretty railroady, don't be mislead. The party won't have much control over their direction, and its not well designed for them to. Like, starting off they are going to the Kua-toa city. Its 7 day travel away and they likely escaped with no supplies. The next closest place is over a month away. The party can't navigate the ubderdark themselves, and are basically at the whim of their guides and whatever leads they have.

This guide shows the best natural progression.
https://www.elventower.com/out-of-the-abyss-guide