First adventure for a small army

[Trandir]

I completed the session 0 and the party is completed.
The setting will have low magic but it will still be present.

The party is emmmm. Intresting and quite large being composed by 7 players:


During a pit fight Dragonborn killed his opponent, thing that while allowed made the tribe despise him. Not being able to live woth his peers Dragonborn decided to leave the clan to gain back his honor.


Human was a footman in the Magic Empire, ruled by a circle of magi. After a couple of years of campaing Human's general rebeled and began a civil war. The genral failed but Human managed to survive and is now on the run. He wants to go north, the further possible from the Magic Empire.


Aarakocra was born in the Southern Mountains and rised as a guardian of his land by his father the Chieftain. After years of siple and peaceful life now 20 years old Aarakocra will begin his jpurney to the Northen Mountains to bring the tribe's hairloom there and return it back to the next Chieftain


Half-orc was raised by his adopted mother in a tavern and worked there as a cook for most of his life. One day a group of drunkens was arrasing Half-orc mother and after been asked to leave they began a bar fight instead. Half-orc lost an eye and the drunkern lot of broken bones. From that day on Half-orc would roam the streets of the city in search for more scum to punish. Lately the city got a lot calmer so he decided to go on an adventure to improve the world as best as he could.


Centaur was raised in the Forest forest. One day the local baron, Baron, decided to burn the Forest forest and got Centar to do it (magic). As the Forest forest burned Centar got nothing left there so decided to travel north to the Pine Forest forest where other centaurs live.


Half-elf was abandoned at birth in Valmore, the northen city, and adopted by the Izard the wizard. The early studies allowed him to become proficient in the arcane arts. Izard unfortunately was killed by a political complet while Half-elf was exiled in the south. He lived in the Forest forest continuind his studies with what few was allowed to take from Izard's library. After the Forest forest burned there wasn't really anything for him there so he decided to return to Valmore for vengeance.


Kenku was stolen from his mest from a joung age and raised by the local baron, Baron, as his right hand henchman. He learned how to steal, kill and frame countless over the course of the years. At the age of 13 Baron sent him to kill some thieves after their last heist to steal from them, after rumming through the stache Kenku found out that those were his parents and decided to leave his job on the spot. Now kenku is looking for some easy coin.



And now I need some help with the first quest.

I am thinking about fighting a cult in the city that is controlling Baron the baron and as last reward a sort of armored charriot to act as a moving headquarter for them to travel across the continent.

Also I could use some advice for the first wifht where the players will have a quithe high risk of dying.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

If they like dungeons, i really liked the Sunless Citadel adventure from the Tales of the Yawning Portal book. Change some of the set up to match the player's backstory.

[Trandir]

If they like dungeons, i really liked the Sunless Citadel adventure from the Tales of the Yawning Portal book. Change some of the set up to match the player's backstory.

That's intesting. But I'm not sure how to adapt the material for 7 players.

[Galithar]

That's intesting. But I'm not sure how to adapt the material for 7 players.

I basically doubled the difficulty of every encounter when I ran it for 7 players.

I used a combination of adding to the numbers if enemies and adding to their stats. (All of my goblins had a class level and am ASI as one example of the methods I used) it worked well for my group, but it takes some knowledge of how to balance encounters.

[Trandir]

I basically doubled the difficulty of every encounter when I ran it for 7 players.

I used a combination of adding to the numbers if enemies and adding to their stats. (All of my goblins had a class level and am ASI as one example of the methods I used) it worked well for my group, but it takes some knowledge of how to balance encounters.

Yes but I fear for the first session. These are all noobs and will probably die quite easly if I'm not careful.

[Galithar]

Yes but I fear for the first session. These are all noobs and will probably die quite easly if I'm not careful.

It's really hard to kill them with the first couple enemies. It's rats and such. Even doubling their numbers they should be fine.

Alternatively, since they are new maybe you just tell them the module is meant for 4 but you're going to leave it as is. It's a chance for them to get their feet wet with the system. Let them know when/if you intend to increase the difficulty on them so it doesn't catch them off guard.

You have to go pretty crazy overboard to kill someone in that module from my experience though.

I had 1 death and it was because a player crept off while the rest were resting and waltzed into the room with the Hobgoblin leader of the goblins. I had majorly increased the power of that encounter and he attempted to solo it... Needless to say he got demolished. But other then that even with my increases (and 4 of them being new to D&D) there wasn't even a 'that was close' moment. It's a pretty forgiving module.

[Asensur]

Yes but I fear for the first session. These are all noobs and will probably die quite easly if I'm not careful.

If you want to go safe with increasing the number of enemies do this method:

Consider that the module is optimized for 5 players.
Divide the number of enemies by 5 and multiply the result by the number of players you have.
Round the result (up or down depending of the fraction)
Compare with the number for 5 players and add or sustract that amount with copies of the least CR monster.

F.e. If we have a bugbear (CR1) and three goblins (CR1/4), we have.
4/5=0.8
0.8*7=5.6 (rounded to 6)
As we have 4 enemies compared to 6, we add two copies of the lesser enemy (2 goblins)

[MarkVIIIMarc]

That's intesting. But I'm not sure how to adapt the material for 7 players.

There are A LOT of encounters in there. Don't overthink it.

Don't modify the first one, if they kick butt, put something additional in the 2nd and so on. After the first session you'll be daydreaming about it and think of other tactical things to do that will make a fight more difficult. Things like throwing in a pit trap or something or....well its up to your imagination.