Adventure Length

[kieza]

What is a good length for an adventure (a story arc, dungeon, etc.)? I'm running an Eberron campaign starting at level 6; the introductory story arc so far involves:

An EL 8 combat on a balcony in Sharn (guy in a big hat starts holds the keeper at swordpoint, then gets away with a potion of fly
An EL 5 diplomatic (i.e. noncombat) encounter with the Watch after the fight
An EL 9 combat with a quartet of shifters while following the guy in the hat to Fairhaven on the lightning rail
An EL 6 combat with the suggested first mate of a Lyrandar airship from Fairhaven to Korth.
A series of diplomatic encounters tracking the assailant once in Korth that work out to EL 5
An EL 6 infiltration (get into a House Cannith outpost following the assailant, overhear a conversation, discover some plot)
And an EL 8 combat with the guy that they've been tracking.

This should get them about halfway to level 7 (3250 XP). Is it long enough? The first session isn't till Sunday, so I have plenty of time to work more in.

[Nebo_]

Depends on how long your sessions go for.

[Yami]

This seems like a whole day affair. At least at the speed my group goes.

I'd just warn you that your dude on the blacony might not get his fly off. Know your characters. If you've a bear-grapple-druid the potion might never see use.

And your infiltration. what if they.. don't? Failed sneak checks, a character who thinks too straight forward, I've seen it happen.

You style seems a bit more preplanned than I run with, so I doubt my advice would fit your situation as I think it might, but just consider yourself warned.

My suggestion would be to have one or two contingencies. Or to build ecounters that can be thrown in whereever, so that they party doesn't see any rails, despite the fact that those mercenaries they just fought were supposed to be the pirates they previously eluded.

I'd assume an hour for every ECL above thier Level and a half an hour for everyone below it. I've only really seen the long 30+ round two hour fights when the DM throws ECL's four above the party level as usual encounters, so you should be good.

[crimson77]

An EL 8 combat on a balcony in Sharn (guy in a big hat starts holds the keeper at swordpoint, then gets away with a potion of fly
An EL 5 diplomatic (i.e. noncombat) encounter with the Watch after the fight
An EL 9 combat with a quartet of shifters while following the guy in the hat to Fairhaven on the lightning rail
An EL 6 combat with the suggested first mate of a Lyrandar airship from Fairhaven to Korth.
A series of diplomatic encounters tracking the assailant once in Korth that work out to EL 5
An EL 6 infiltration (get into a House Cannith outpost following the assailant, overhear a conversation, discover some plot)
And an EL 8 combat with the guy that they've been tracking.

This is more of a style comment. You seem to have made the choices for your players on if they should use diplomacy or combat. In my opinion, this is really a choice they should be making.

[kieza]

This is more of a style comment. You seem to have made the choices for your players on if they should use diplomacy or combat. In my opinion, this is really a choice they should be making.

Yes, I could have phrased my first post better. This is just what offers the easiest way of success. If they try to enter House Cannith weapons drawn, it will be more difficult than if the changeling disguises himself as a resident and introduces the rest of the party as his guests. Similarly, the shifters are more easily handled with force; they are hired killers who don't benefit unless they bring back proof of death, so they will be harder (but not impossible) to negotiate with.

I'm making sure that the players know to consider non-combat options like stealth, diplomacy, and bribery before they go in guns blazing (If they are attacked, however, it is a different matter). This campaign is meant to have fewer combats, but more challenging ones. I have contingency planning for if they take other paths.