Queen of the Demonweb Pits

[Jasparius]

I have FRUA 1.2 and UASHELL version C, got Queen of the Demonweb Pits working and made some characters.

Im able to explore 2 of the tunnels. 1 leads to the underground sea where it says you can rest safely, the other has a couple of forks in it but ultimately leads nowhere.

How do you get to the other tunnels? Or how do you get to where the module continues? So far Ive only had random encounters with Trolls but nothing else.

Do you need Dwarves to find things? I have a Thief in the party, but when travelling along the tunnels you cant use the Search or Look function. The only option is Encamp.

I tried Encamping in the big caverns but nothing happened there either.

Anyone able to help shed some light? I read the reviews of the module and no-one mentioned any difficulties with tunnels, so I assume Im doing something VERY wrong.

Thanks.

[Olivier Leroux]

I opened the editor and had a look at the map. There's a secret tunnel connecting the tunnel marked in green with the others ones to the west of it, about halfway through the green one. It can only be reached by using diagonal movement with the keys on the NumPad. No other way to find it but trial and error.

[Jasparius]

Hmmm I play on a laptop and dont have a numpad. Hopefully I can use the mouse direction for it.

Otherwise it could have been a brilliant module but I would never know.

[Nol Drek]

For lack of the ability to move Southwest, an entire adventure was lost...

Feel free to open the Overland Map in the Editor and remove any of those pesky "blocked" squares.

[Jasparius]

I was able to get it working on the laptop and made it to the Kua Toa Shrine.

Fought a heap of creatures, picked up dozens of Long Swords, then couldnt move. Also weighed down with Platinum as well.

Decided to dump the Long Swords but still have all the money. Are you able to bank it back at the starting city? I ran all the way back there cos I have some guys who needed levelling anyway.

[Jasparius]

Anyone able to offer any advice on the questions in my post above?

Thanks.

[DesertScrb]

When looting in this design (or any treasure-heavy adventure, for that matter), cast Detect Magic and take the magic items first, then gems and jewels.  Don't bother with more than about 100 platinum pieces per character for spending money.  When you get back to town, you can ID and then sell the magic items, gems and jewelry for all the cash you'll need.

Also, to use the number pad keys on your laptop, hold down the Fn key and use the 7, 8, 9, U, I, O, and J, K, L keys for each row of the number pad (at least that's how it works on my laptop).

[Jasparius]

Is there anywhere to bank the platinum? I have about 5,000 PP but nothing much to spend it on.

And this is early in the module.

[DesertScrb]

I don't think there's a bank in the gnome city.  I wouldn't worry about opening a savings account; you'll find plenty of treasure as you go along.  Just toss the excess; it will only slow you down.   

[Olivier Leroux]

If you didn't find a vault in the starting village I guess there isn't any. Nol's Underdark isn't made for greedy parties, I learned that when I played Night Below. Do as DesertScrb says, just drop the money and concentrate on gems and jewelry, they don't weigh you down as much and can easily be exchanged for platinum should you ever find another opportunity to spend all your riches on something worthwhile.

[Edit: Argh, DesertScrb was quicker than me to answer that. But he's right. ]

[Jasparius]

I dumped most of my platinum. Had 15,000 or something crazy, now have about 4,000. That is still probably too much. I guess I could go look for stuff to buy but +1 weapons seem to be more than enough to take down the bad guys.

Probably should look at replacing sword and board with massive swords/axes to really do some damage.

[DesertScrb]

You should find plenty of more powerful weapons throughout the adventure.  Let us know how it goes.

[Jasparius]

Well, after dumping all my platinum I decided to check out the vendor and realised I could have bought heaps of cool weapons and armour. Oh well.

Anyway, Ive cleared the Kua Toa and went to the Drow city. Moving to the left of the map I encountered an area that said it was very well guarded. I decided to check out how guarded. On the 3rd wave of 20+ Drow I wiped, but mostly because I didnt have all my spells (I rarely rest so often have few offensive/healing spells).

Anyone got a hint on how many waves are there? Or is it designed to be so big that it will kill you no matter what ?

If its doable I will rest up and have a crack at it.

[Nol Drek]

When you enter the Vault of the Drow from the south, on your left you should find the Female Fighters' Society. The combat in that place can be hard, but there aren't any fights in the module that are meant to be unwinnable.

I'm glad you finally found a challenging combat. I'm also glad that you found a place to get rid of the wagon loads of gold you can carry out of the Underdark.

Give my regards to Vlondril, Eclavdra, Charinida, and General Telenna when you meet them.

[Jasparius]

Excellent. I will rest up my characters and have a crack at them.

Im sure rested I can survive 3 waves. A 4th wave will be a big task.

As for the platinum, I dont mind it being gone, but I probably should have spent it, rather than thrown it away.

But oh well.