Well i runned this module using 2024 content and at first i thought it would be a lot more easy than using 2014. But last session my players faced the atropal and now 2 of them have 3 exhaustion points, one have 2 and one have 1. They basically became incapable of resisting most of acererak's spells. They will die.

Thing is: i didnt made any modification to stat blocks during the game, i just made played the monsters tactically, atropal's wail fucked the entire party. This feature alone is way too powerfull now that exhaustion levels give a stacking penalty to all d20 tests and it seems a bit unfair tbh.

I want to run Tomb of Annihilation as my next campaign! I have talked to my players about it, and they seem interested. However, some of them are not so crazy about the dinosaur aspect of it. It doesn't fit into their concept of fantasy storytelling and they think it might take them out of the fiction.

I don't mind them, but I'm not crazy about dinosaurs either. I wonder - what could you replace them with? Maybe giant insects? Dragons? I do want to have some terrifying beasts in that jungle!

I'd be greatful for any suggestions!

I am very lucky to have a lot of players that signed up to play ToA over the next few years (they know it can be a meat grinder) but i have an online group in the fall that i would like to run as a side quest mini campaign for 6 months. So it would be from the official book, with a story line and ending but i'm just learning the book now and though i would ask players/DM's that have played it before - any suggestions would be great and i will check them out in the book, even if its 2-3 mini NPC quests i can tie together for a satisfying side campaign. Thanks in advance.

Title. I just reached level 3 as a paladin, I was thinking of Oath of the Ancients to help my party stay alive plus it fits my char's lore somewhat, but realistically, is it ever gonna be useful? I'm assuming there's gonna be a lich at some point judging by the book cover but so far I've only encountered non-spellcasters. I asked my DM about it but he hasn't read much about the campaign, can anyone tell me if it's even worth it? Without spoilers, if possible, please. I just don't want to pick my oath specifically for that aura, only to end up being useless all game ;-;.

Howdy fellow DM's

I have been running this adventure for a long time now and have finally arrived at the final moments.

The following will contain spoilers so any players.... Please avert your eyes 🫩

My players party consists of 6 level 12 characters; ranger, monk, minotaur barbarian, artificier, rogue and sorcerer (fire damage specialist with very few utility spells)

They have defeated the hags and encountered the atropal, half the group are on 2nd level exhaustion and the other half 3rd level. They have retreated into the hags room and shut the doors in order to rest. (I have played that the stairway to the next level has been blocked by a stone to prevent escape)

Now my options are limited;

do I allow them to rest for multiple days (which I would not normally allow but there are no other interactive elements suitable of interrupting other than the other option below - suggestions welcome) they would then be fully recovered to begin the encounter again but informed.

Or do I bring Acererak in, having been notified of the attack on his atropal and likely felt the defeat of the hags through the ether. But I'm concerned that Acererak and the Atropal will end up being too much for them to handle.

As an aside, I'm not really sure how brutal to play Acererak; I mean in the Lore he would turn up and attempt to take out characters very quickly (which I'm any other situation I wouldn't baulk at) but as a final boss I think if I was a player I'd be really disappointed if I died before actually getting to do anything.

I want to play him as the destroyer he is, but as I said I don't want my players to be disappointed.

If anyone had any tips for running him I would appreciate it. I am running an altered spell list. My players may not have much utility but they do put out a phenomenal amount of damage, much in melee.

[D&D5e 2014] Starting a ToA module soon with a party. I'm interested in doing...

- Foundry module + whatever add on apps

- Physical player minis and fully IRL rolling, char sheets, etc

- Digital NPC and enemy assets. Maybe the occasional physical mini for enemy bosses

- Tabletop display where I'm really just controlling the scene and enemies with my DM computer

My questions are:

- how's that sound?

- how is Foundry for ToA?

- what modules do you recommend?

- what are the red flags/ hiccups with this plan?

Is there any art of players entering Omu from the cliffside and seeing the big city?

Hi everyone!

I'm running tomb of annihilation for the first time in fantasy grounds, and my players wanted to test some classes from AiR. I'm thinking that maybe the Bushi, Pilgrim & Shinobi could be viable options, but I'm not sure if any of those are balanced enough to play it outside the AiR camping.

I like all the options (except the Courtier, since I think is more social focused if I'm not wrong). Which one is absolutely not usable outside AiR?

P.S.: I'm also trying to replicate those in my campaign for fantasy grounds unity, but I can't make them public because copyright issues (as I was told in the FGU forums). If anyone has any advice to replicate some of the attacks/effects/etc that are not implemented in fantasy grounds unity, that would be great. But I think that should go in another reddit.