|
Well worth the money! This adventure was a blast for my group, who really engaged with the content. The drawings are very compelling, and the boxed text is quite easy to paraphrase and customize to your player's tastes. The use of unique monsters made it even more challenging, and gave it an illusion of deadliness, even in certain trivial encounters. The Evil Doll is also very well-designed: simple attacks, low AC to avoid demoralizing players, high HP pool to off-set nukes, simple and effective legendary actions, and a diverse array of lair actions.
Some tips for DMs running this (spoilers ahead):
-
There are A LOT of rapid-fire encounters, and (as written) you may find yourself constantly rolling initiative. Perhaps take one initiative roll for the party before the session begins, in order to save time. Probably the most "annoying" part is the small corridor in the sub-basement, where approx. three encounters are expected to take place (all within a very tiny area). There isn't much guidance given on how to pace them, and if playing on a grid, you may need to just combine one or two of them together (e.g., if players pass through the Shadowfell-like passageway, the fiendish maggots can attack once some of them are through, and those who get through could be attacked by the gray ooze, and possibly the doll herself for a couple of rounds, instead of separating the encounters out).
-
Sometimes, the horror tropes might get far too obvious. Things like a baby crying and a ghastly voice asking for help is something your players are likely to see through quite easily. Think about this in advance, and re-flavor encounters to keep up a horrifying tempo for your group.
-
Bleeder nurses are NASTY (in a cool way)! Be sure to read their stat blocks very carefully before you run this.
-
The doll encounter at the end might prove too much, even for a group of level 7s. If you have a group that doesn't manage their rest-dependent resources well, they are likely to perish.
-
Lady Graycastle's stat block allows her to summon sword wraith warriors. This can get really bad for the party, especially since by the time they get to her, they have already been through two floors of the dungeon. Hold off on using this if your party is struggling, because they still have the doll to contend with.
- (Optional) Buy Monsters of the Guild. It'll help you understand the flavor for some of these monsters a lot better. Comes in handy when the cleric and paladin constantly asking "is that undead?"
Overall: Don't think twice. Buy this, even if just to keep in handy for when you're in a bit of a creative pinch.
|
