Post by grrraall on Apr 19, 2010 7:29:44 GMT -5
The Tomb of Baron Gharoth, by Dan Hembree.
This is one of the few solos that use the 7.5 edition, which is fine, since I’ve applied the new rules myself for about one year.
At one point, however (paragraph 27), you die because your CON has reached 0, whereas death only occurs at –10 CON under the 7.5 edition rulebook.
I liked the paragraph about ranged attacks. If you have a ranged weapon ready, you may use it before hand-to-hand combat unless the text indicates otherwise (e.g. when you have been surprised). I always apply this rule when playing a solitaire adventure. That being said, an arrow is unlikely to cause any damage to a living skeleton…
As is explained in the solo’s introduction, most monsters are personalized (i.e. have attributes instead of an MR). However, oddly enough, the adventure points section does not explain how APs should be allocated when slaying such a foe. The normal rule in that case (see the T&T rulebook) is to add his STR, CON and INT. Unfortunately, the solo only states the CON score and the adds. Therefore, I chose to apply the following rule: APs = Monster’s CON + monster’s adds. Beware! Many monsters are quite tough, since they also wear armor (and warriors get the special warrior armor bonus, remember!).
Dan Hembree used the new special attacks/damage rule for certain monsters, which makes combat more interesting.
Saving Rolls are fair; you can lose a few CON points (and eventually die), but you always get a fair chance of surviving. No sudden death situations either.
Something I don’t like, but which is arguably difficult to avoid, is for the solo to assume your character is male and poor. I’ve already read a dozen times sentences like: “Your armor has seen better days, and the dog lying next to fireplace has had a bath more recently than you”. Well, I know I should use my imagination, but the character I sent in happens to be a Gardian d’Camargues and Lady of Arles, wealthy and well-clad after her adventure on the Flamingo Road and Castle Overkill…
The expected reward (5,000 g.p.) did not really interest her, by the way (contrary to what is assumed in the solo’s text); most of those of my characters who have between 30 and 40 adds are wealthy enough. Their interest and motivation would more probably lie in an innate taste for adventure, a desire to be famous or sheer curiosity.
By the way, in another thread (what happens when your character becomes rich), I’ve raised the question of what to do with all that gold. The character I sent into Baron Gharoth’s tomb was so healthy that she didn’t waste any time picking valuables: what for?
Actually, I wonder why advanced characters should even bother with dungeoneering. Their careers are bound to be short, like football stars. They should retire soon. I think Ken St. Andre (or was it Mike Stackpole?) once said that he only used low and middle characters and that when his characters reach a higher level, he used them as NPCs.
The Tomb of Baron Gharoth’s mechanics are very good. Most of the times, Dan Hembree has foreseen the possible reactions of the player, which makes the whole adventure more “realistic” or more convincing. The difficulty is well balanced and the rewards appropriate.
As the solo’s title indicates, you’ll have to enter a creepy mausoleum and descend into the realm of the undead. The general atmosphere is very much like most of Andy Holmes’ solos.
My first combat with 4 zombies was OK. I was able to defeat them 2 by 2 in 4 combat rounds, but I lost 5 CON points in the process because of spite damage! A few more combats would have meant slow, but certain death without the Old Hyrkanian Red bottle I bought from the Vintner Wizards in The Flamingo Road. It restores 1d6+1 CN up to a maximum of your normal permanent value even if a curse or other effect has lowered it magically.
Overall, it’s a solid standard dungeon. There was an attempt at creating a story behind the dungeon, although this story was rather flimsy. Dan Hembree tried to create an ambiance and to add funny details here and there (humor is one of the best things in T&T). However, his solo’s replayability is low, since all adventurers will eventually have to bring back the same ring and slay basically the same monsters. However, the solo is well done (no errata this time), works fine, and Dan Hembree could and should be able to do ever more entertaining adventures in the future.
This is one of the few solos that use the 7.5 edition, which is fine, since I’ve applied the new rules myself for about one year.
At one point, however (paragraph 27), you die because your CON has reached 0, whereas death only occurs at –10 CON under the 7.5 edition rulebook.
I liked the paragraph about ranged attacks. If you have a ranged weapon ready, you may use it before hand-to-hand combat unless the text indicates otherwise (e.g. when you have been surprised). I always apply this rule when playing a solitaire adventure. That being said, an arrow is unlikely to cause any damage to a living skeleton…
As is explained in the solo’s introduction, most monsters are personalized (i.e. have attributes instead of an MR). However, oddly enough, the adventure points section does not explain how APs should be allocated when slaying such a foe. The normal rule in that case (see the T&T rulebook) is to add his STR, CON and INT. Unfortunately, the solo only states the CON score and the adds. Therefore, I chose to apply the following rule: APs = Monster’s CON + monster’s adds. Beware! Many monsters are quite tough, since they also wear armor (and warriors get the special warrior armor bonus, remember!).
Dan Hembree used the new special attacks/damage rule for certain monsters, which makes combat more interesting.
Saving Rolls are fair; you can lose a few CON points (and eventually die), but you always get a fair chance of surviving. No sudden death situations either.
Something I don’t like, but which is arguably difficult to avoid, is for the solo to assume your character is male and poor. I’ve already read a dozen times sentences like: “Your armor has seen better days, and the dog lying next to fireplace has had a bath more recently than you”. Well, I know I should use my imagination, but the character I sent in happens to be a Gardian d’Camargues and Lady of Arles, wealthy and well-clad after her adventure on the Flamingo Road and Castle Overkill…
The expected reward (5,000 g.p.) did not really interest her, by the way (contrary to what is assumed in the solo’s text); most of those of my characters who have between 30 and 40 adds are wealthy enough. Their interest and motivation would more probably lie in an innate taste for adventure, a desire to be famous or sheer curiosity.
By the way, in another thread (what happens when your character becomes rich), I’ve raised the question of what to do with all that gold. The character I sent into Baron Gharoth’s tomb was so healthy that she didn’t waste any time picking valuables: what for?
Actually, I wonder why advanced characters should even bother with dungeoneering. Their careers are bound to be short, like football stars. They should retire soon. I think Ken St. Andre (or was it Mike Stackpole?) once said that he only used low and middle characters and that when his characters reach a higher level, he used them as NPCs.
The Tomb of Baron Gharoth’s mechanics are very good. Most of the times, Dan Hembree has foreseen the possible reactions of the player, which makes the whole adventure more “realistic” or more convincing. The difficulty is well balanced and the rewards appropriate.
As the solo’s title indicates, you’ll have to enter a creepy mausoleum and descend into the realm of the undead. The general atmosphere is very much like most of Andy Holmes’ solos.
My first combat with 4 zombies was OK. I was able to defeat them 2 by 2 in 4 combat rounds, but I lost 5 CON points in the process because of spite damage! A few more combats would have meant slow, but certain death without the Old Hyrkanian Red bottle I bought from the Vintner Wizards in The Flamingo Road. It restores 1d6+1 CN up to a maximum of your normal permanent value even if a curse or other effect has lowered it magically.
Overall, it’s a solid standard dungeon. There was an attempt at creating a story behind the dungeon, although this story was rather flimsy. Dan Hembree tried to create an ambiance and to add funny details here and there (humor is one of the best things in T&T). However, his solo’s replayability is low, since all adventurers will eventually have to bring back the same ring and slay basically the same monsters. However, the solo is well done (no errata this time), works fine, and Dan Hembree could and should be able to do ever more entertaining adventures in the future.
, they certainly would not go poking around any zombie-infested tombs. 
