The Tomb of Horrors: Deadliest D&D Dungeon Ever? | D&D Walkthroughs

Want to learn about one of the most comically cruel adventures in Dungeons & Dragons history?
Welcome to DM It All, a new show where we look into old D&D books and tabletop gaming history. In this episode we cover the Tomb of Horrors. Does it deserve it's reputation as a meatgrinder and is that reputation even worth bragging about?
Chapters:
0:00 The Tomb's History
03:41 The Tomb Itself
19:56 Final Judgment
Music: 4_RNDD! by drozerix
Random Clips: Down Under DM, GM Kenn (TOH Miniatures), Jeff Delgado, Evan Ames, Stefen Poag, Lonny Unitus (TOH Fanart), 2 Warps to Neptune
Video Game Clips: dukester70 (Legend of Grimrock), LiFancier (Neverwinter Nights 2), Game Grumps (Silent Hill 4: The Room), Prince of Persia, Soul Calibur II, Final Fantasy Origins

[@FirstLast-cg2nk]

There's a famous story of how one group of players actually figured out how to defeat the "final boss". They put that cursed crown on the throne on Acererack's skull, and then tapped him with the wrong end of that magic scepter. Gary Gygax himself was present, and admitted that would actually one shot him.

[@robart1979]

Its such an incredible approach to practically use the new stuff you found to one hit kill the guy! I also really liked the one I read where they used the cursed orange jewel of wishing and made a conjured evil creature perform a wish with it next to the skull if you have the ability to pull it off. Genius.. Also like the idea of forcing him into the area next to him that nulls magical effects. Haven't read how that ended up yet.

[@Brocuzgodlocdunfamdogson]

Not sure why, but this is really funny to me. It’s like the first recorded incident of “cheesing” a boss in a game.

[@jamesblake5176]

@@gregferguson7737 i feel you bud. i'm a loner and an introvert myself. sometimes any sense of belonging feels good, even if it's with people you don't really belong with.

[@TheDrugOfTheNation]

@@robart1979 Didn't the Basic D&D rules have this as a guideline for writing dungeons e.g. "have a mirror to find in every dungeon with a medusa"?

[@robart1979]

@@TheDrugOfTheNation no clue, I've never played a d&d game in my life, but this dungeon fascinated me. I like the idea of testing how overconfidence and carelessness can kill characters quickly, like in a old school video game.

[@tavernmancer]

I have plans to run ToH as a solo dungeon with a groundhog day twist to it, every time the player dies they start back at the beginning with all their memories of previous attempts. Reward for completion will be based of how many times they die.

[@kyaheiken1950]

tavernmancer I’m doing something like that with my party, but there held there against will by an asshole imp who wants to be an architect for dungeons and wanted to test her design. At the She awards the players with a chest of gold, that’s actually a mimic.

[@terrybeal2252]

That's genius! Take a hero coin for sharing an awesome idea. 😎

[@Glandorray]

Heck yeah I love this idea.

[@mechathunandthecultofdeath4958]

This is exactly what I was thinking! I'm going to tweak it some for the antagonist to be different and I am homebrewing an edlritch horror to implement some Call of C rules to throw at them

[@garyl6031]

NOW THATS An AWESOME IDEA!

[@richardboulanger3393]

I remember running this with a party back when this module first came out. I'd read thru it and ran them thru it, and everyone died. Then I told everyone it was all just a dream and they woke up where we'd left the campaign off. Like a season of Dallas.

[@Falorik]

Nice idea to keep it fair

[@keystonelyte]

Damn, how old are you?

[@richardboulanger3393]

@@keystonelyte When I started playing DnD it was books in a box. Then a little blue book came ot the book store and I got that for $5 and wanted to run my own campaign. SO it's been a few years.

[@keystonelyte]

@@richardboulanger3393 I was just asking because ToH was released back in like 1978 or something... I wasn't even born until about a decade later 😂

[@richardboulanger3393]

@@keystonelyte Yeah, happens that way sometimes. Weirder when folks in your game bring their kids to it too. :)

[@frankschacherer9524]

I confess I preluded this with a dungeon where the green devil face was a teleporter to an area with a powerful undead. So when my level 14 group arrived at the original green devil face, they all got in line in front of it and then jumped through as fast as they could, one after the other.

[@Zarrov]

you dick XD this is gold

[@Giles29]

That is almost as good as the "Free Ice Cream" sign over the devil head

[@asdnetwork4268]

Lol

[@DoktorJeep]

Ha!!

[@ChickSage]

OMG, I had a party of adventurers do the exact same thing. I remember the last guy hesitated, because he was wondering if they were doing something incredibly stupid, but decided that. if the others had been teleported into a fight, it would mean they were short handed and he jumped right in. I decided, at the last second, to tell the party that it was a teleportation portal and I changed modules to Expedition to the Barrier Peaks and ran them through that, instead :)

[@LordDragon1965]

"The demi-lich has a sense of humor, I guess?" Yeah, actually Gary had a sense of humor when DMing.

[@coreyharris65]

Very coincidental but, as i read your first line the narrator was saying the exact same line as i was reading it perfect synch lol.

[@dorpth]

I wouldn't touch ToH with a ten-foot pole.

[@kontrarien5721]

I wouldn't touch ToH with *your* ten-foot pole.

[@dorpth]

@@kontrarien5721 My pole IS ten feet. You've got me there.

[@badmojo0777]

i see watcha did there.....

[@ElectromagNick]

Ah, yes, the Tomb of Horrors. That time Gary Gygax decided he fundamentally hated his players on principle.

[@claytonsmith9170]

as i recall, Gary made this after hearing to many complaints about the modules/Adventures/Dungeons not being hard/deadly enough.

[@TheCrimsonElite666]

@@claytonsmith9170 In other words, he Plutonia'ed it.

[@claytonsmith9170]

@@TheCrimsonElite666 yep, beware what you ask for, lol

[@raziyatheseeker]

I mean... that's how Mimics, Rust Monsters and Disenchanters likely came to be, too

[@theobstinategentleman4094]

No. He had All-Star cast of players and he wanted to challenge them.

[@AstroTibs]

"Poison was an insta-kill" Jesus, is that why the Poison spell was an insta-kill in the original Final Fantasy? It all makes sense now.

[@kontrarien5721]

@Elijah Yeah, but there's a tiny difference between ethanol and cyanide, for instance.

[@TheKrossRoads]

@Elijah This was also first edition, where "dwarf" and "elf" weren't races, but classes, drinking a second potion too soon after the first might cause you to explode because they mixed in your stomach, and each alignment had its own unique language (as in, you could speak lawful neutral and only other lawful neutral people could understand you). So there was some early edition weirdness going on that got ironed out by the second edition. To be fair though, if you're going to be poisoning a trap or a weapon or food, you're probably not going to be dumping Jack Daniels on it; you're going to buy the nasty stuff that kills in seconds once it enters the bloodstream. So it's not the most outlandish rule if you understand they mean poison as stuff meant to kill people quick, not venoms or toxins in general as later editions did.

[@WayneBraack]

@@TheKrossRoads I would still allow poisons w a save or die effect.

[@propheinx2250]

There was no spell you could cast in Final Fantasy called poison. There was a poison spell that the green dragons in the end dungeon used, but it certainly wasn't an instakill ability. The Sorcerer (now mindflayer) would instakill you on hit most times, Astos uses Rub, and I believe Chaos uses quake. Those were the only instakill abilities that get used on you in the original Final Fantasy (not the psp version).

[@AstroTibs]

@@propheinx2250 The spell in the NES release was called BANE and it's listed as "poison" elemental: guides.gamercorner.net/ff/spells/ The spell in the PSX release was called "Poison": gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps/561981-final-fantasy-origins/faqs/20553 So, yes, there was an instant-kill poison spell in the original Final Fantasy.

[@LynchRyanT]

Even though I already know this Dungeon pretty well, this video was fascinating. I always forget just how giant of a troll the tomb is. Especially with the "just stare at shit" parts.

[@sihplak]

A friend of mine ran the ToH dungeon for me and three other friends over one summer using the old ruleset involving D14s and all of that. The funny thing is that the party and I managed to go through the tomb, entirely unaware of the traps, and somehow managed to not only avoid most of the traps, but also entirely avoided reviving bringing Acererack back to the material plane, as we only got the first half of the golden key by defeating the grey ochre jelly and not investigating the acid flash in the laboratory. As such, when we got to Acererack's chamber and found that there was plenty of loot to be had but no Acererack to be fought, our DM was laughing to himself about the situation, as our mixture of incompetence and blind luck allowed us to survive the tomb (in some cases, only barely), Our DM altered some of the elements of Acererack's tomb since it was run as more-or-less a one-shot for level 6 "Dungeon Crawl Classics" characters, but almost everything remained the same.

[@captcorajus]

Another great video. The Demi - Lich can be defeated in a single combat round if the party is clever. In the Origins tournament Acererak was defeated when someone had the bright idea of putting the crown from the throne room on the head of the demi-lich and then touching it with the 'wrong' end of the scepter.

[@SophiaAphrodite]

So meta gaming because they ran through it before................................ fun...............

[@azazelreficulmefistofelicu7158]

You are totally right, if I remember correctly that's why the module was "revised" and the crown could not be taken outside the room.

[@garuelx8627]

I have a friend who one-shotted Acererak by using a magic trinket he identified that casts Wish but detonates for massive damage after use. He made his wish and quickly threw it at the Gemmed Skull

[@alaaranaranoya1499]

@@garuelx8627 Our party did similar, but they and the Demilich both died together, they didn't realize it was going to detonate and made their wish DIRECTLY before fighting the Demilich. It asploomed and both parties involved (the adventurers and the Demilich) got disintegrated.

[@Cyberpuppy63]

@@alaaranaranoya1499 Apparently, the only real weakness of a demi-lich is to cast "forget", (end of the round), but before the lich skull rises. This causes the skull to sink back to the resting place. If the wizard can cast such a spell, about 7 or 8 times; the lich skull shatters - completely destroyed. A 14th level wizard is supposed to use Contact Other Plane [7th level spell] if they have not researched the appropriate spells to destroy the lich. (which are not hinted at, directly).

[@mikemckinney7031]

When I was a kid in the 80's my friends and I played this module in it's as written, and got TPK'd two or three times. Then we slowed down, and managed to make to the end. All I could think was Gary Gygax was in a bad mood when he wrote this.

[@triplebackspace3623]

Yea this is the war story we old folk use on the new kids. 'Ya ,younguns today got it easy. In the before times we had to walk 5 miles through the snow and dig a 40 ft deep tunnel with a 10ft pole and all I got was a insta-death trap and a stupid burial shroud for my favorite character."

[@DeoVinDixie]

Ha ha - Yep

[@crapphone7744]

There was a vibe of real fear back in the day that your character could be gone for good very quickly. It gave an edge to the game that was a lot of fun. 5th level characters were rare and getting that first fireball spell as a wizard by living that long was a heck of a trick. A different kind of fun.

[@crapphone7744]

@Ties de Jong I can understand feeling that way especially these days it take so long to create a character, feats, proficiencies, this bonus that penalty takesForever. Back in the day he rolled up a few stats filled in the rest as you started playing the character. I can't remember the last time I saw character die in a d&d game since about third edition. It's kind of a different vibe and there's nothing wrong with that, but I did feel more invested in the old days when the character survived.

[@TheWonkster]

10-foot pole, don’t be greedy, tie your party together with loose knots, ask for a lot of checks.

[@MrGOTAMA420]

and dont stick your head in any holes

[@AnEvolvingApe]

My buddy in high school wanted to DM me through this back in the 80s when we played 1st Ed... I knew about ToH's reputation and I wasn't digging it... I cheated and bought a copy so I knew what to do... my small party two high-level characters and a dozen mercenaries were still all killed by the sleeping gas/juggernaut. Fuck ToH. LOL!

[@Cyberpuppy63]

@@AnEvolvingApe You're supposed to use a potion of gasious form for the "deadly encounters".

[@AnEvolvingApe]

@@Cyberpuppy63 I never remember utility spells. Also, everyone collectively failed their saving throw so it was TPK by bad luck.

[@JeanLucCaptain]

Don't forget your Admiral Ackbkar " ITS A TRAP!"

[@MegaKemper]

Played it as a character and a dm several times,. It takes a very specific type of player and a pretty skilled dm to make it fun. It feels like the complete antithesis of 5th edition type play.

[@Faust98]

yeah, because ToH is sorta trash while 5th edition is leagues better than its predecessors.

[@Shadowfur]

Ngl, my party of approx. 2 years at the time ran this dungeon. 6 players, managed to beat it with 3 people still alive. Mind you, two were naked and one was outside the dungeon. I was naked and gender-swapped, but 5e gave druids the niche ability to use their higher level abilities without a druidic focus, so managed to hack n' slash my way out with Alter Self at-will alongside wild shape. Only other player to survive was the fire-based sorcerer.

[@ZacLowing]

@@Shadowfur I was wondering if it had ever been beat, sounds impossible. the 3 alive, did they run the same charactors all the way through? I mean, one life

[@Shadowfur]

@@ZacLowing Yeah. We made it all the way through, but just by the skin of our teeth. Let's put it this way: thank the gods for Conjure Elemental. It was very, very close when it came right down to it.

[@legionofyuri]

The name of that type of play you're looking for is OSR (Old School Role-playing) which aims to capture the old feel of D&D. It's a niche audience by the playerbase is quite active.

[@t.adamcollins2162]

"You bought a what?" "A sphere of annihilation." "Where did you find a sphere of annihilation?! And how much did it cost?" "Fortunes. Probably more than we have in this tomb. But it's worth it, because we're going to put it in this random trap that people might not even find." "Poison is, like, two gold, trapmaker." "Yeah, but is poison pitch black?"

[@BgbadWulof]

A sphere of annihilation? Isn't that what you find between a feminist's legs? Or is that some other deadly trap?

[@Sky_Guy]

@@BgbadWulof Wow, you're so funny dude! Genuinely, this is some side-splitting humor right here. Innovative stuff, well done. Original, too.

[@handlesarestupid154]

@@Sky_Guy real epic comment moment honestly

[@rabbidsquerllz13]

@@BgbadWulof no one likes a misogynist in D&D. Find a new hobby or stop being a loser

[@pitbullseatkids2682]

@@rabbidsquerllz13 no one likes a crybaby either, get over it

[@Dadaph]

I ran Tomb of Horrors earlier this year. The 5th edition one that is, knowing it was heavily nerfed ahead. But it was a 1 shot and I decided to be as evil of a DM I could be, with my players knowing ahead they were up for a meatgrinder. The PCs did reach and defeat the fake Acererak. The illusion triggered and the PCs believed the tomb was collapsing, grabbing as much treasure as they could, and they started to run out as I counted down from 10. As I went 3- 2- 1, they reached the room with the gender/alignment swapping portal, and just threw themselves through, hoping it would lead them somewhere. Adventure ended when four now chaotic/evil PCs were murdering each other over the remaining treasure.

[@kyleharrell4853]

Times like that it's good to be a monk.

[@Zaprozhan]

Acerarak probably had a good laugh about that.

[@triciapearson3774]

Played it as a character and a dm several times,. It takes a very specific type of player and a pretty skilled dm to make it fun. It feels like the complete antithesis of 5th edition type play.

[@ravensflockmate]

The gender alignment swap thing is the stupidest one of all "hey get your character altered completely beyond recognition because fuck you"

[@sanddry738]

I’ve always found Tomb of Horrors and it’s various incarnations, sequels, and reimagining to be fascinating. It’s such a huge part of D&D history and seeing how it evolves along with the villain through the different eras and stories. Thanks so much for this insight for this module. It’d be awesome to see you cover the sequels like Return to The Tomb of Horrors, Tomb of Horrors (4e), Tomb of Annihilation, etc as I’ve seen them rarely mentioned. Either way thank you so much for making this and covering such an infamous module!

[@hal970fx]

I'll be honest, the first thing my character did when he entered the Tomb was crawl into the sphere of annihilation

[@roprope511]

Just saving everyone including yourself the trouble

[@herogibson]

i just wonder how many characters died exactly the same way, in exactly the same spot, as your character did. in all the history of dnd. id bet it's a pretty big number lol

[@sarcasmismyfavoriteemotion4180]

@@herogibson I'd also like to see that number broken down over time. How long did it take before the knowledge became commonplace - whether it's knowledge of that trap in particular or simply to not trust anything in the dungeon at all lol.

[@DevineInnovations]

Why didn't you poke it with a 10 foot pole? (btw, I'm not a D&D player. Just so you know in case the answer is obvious.)

[@ChickSage]

@@DevineInnovations carrying around a 10' pole is a big pain in the posterior.

[@danaweber5199]

Ah, the 10-foot pole. A must for any serious adventurer. Now, have you ever tried to walk around with a 10 foot pole? DM: Your party is in a 4 foot wide, 6-foot high hallway that turns sharply to the right, forcing you to all have to abandon your poles...

[@SlamUnited]

Time to use another part of the adventuring gear: The pickaxe.

[@lemonbread8019]

Simple solution: telescoping 10 foot pole.

[@legisnuntius]

bamboo 15 foot pole

[@frogdog8124]

legisnuntius I showed up to my first game of adventurers league with a bamboo pole

[@thevideolord]

I would just use my Hexblade Warlock's Pact quarter staff lol

[@Rodimus13ShelfSpace]

Back in college some one in our gaming group ran this. I remember rolling a check of some sort on the green demon head. Can't remember what my roll was, but the DM told me that as far as I knew, it was safe. So I led the entire party in to it. We all died. We had only been playing for like 30 minutes. And all of us had died.

[@Adamantium93]

In that case, your DM ran it wrong. Your character would have died one his brain was sufficiently destroyed by the sphere and your body would have collapsed dead. The only way you all should have died is if everyone literally jumped in at once. The rest of the party should have learned from your mistake and lived to die later. Still, a good on the DM for not giving away that you failed your perception (or equivalent?) check. It's a good memory, at least.

[@Rodimus13ShelfSpace]

@@Adamantium93 if I remember correctly, we pretty much walked in as a line with pretty much no time between us. Though I wouldn't put it past the DM to have done it wrong. I later found out that guy was.... not a good person.

[@craigj20]

I ran a game in the early 80's that went basically the same way. The party was very leary of the deamonic face. They poked it and prodded it and eventually someone jumped into it's mouth. I simply said "ok, you jump in" then turned to the player next to him and asked "what do you do?" Still suspicious, they asked "well, what happened to him, where is he now?" My response was simply "Ill get to that, what do you do?". Eventually, the second player jumped in, then the third, and the fourth, etc, etc. Once they were all in I announced "Your all dead! You all jumped into a sphere of annihilation!" At that point curses and dice were hurled at me, my brother vowed to never play D&D with me ever again (he did), and felt pretty good about my choice to buy that module with my allowance that week :)

[@elrikard7909]

@@craigj20 See, as soon as you said "I will get to that" you were deliberately killing off all of the remaining players.

[@Bahlzeron]

@@elrikard7909 I understand why, the dungeon has portals, to help keep down on the meta gaming you don't state the outcome til after everyone has made thier decision.

[@metamage1685]

That moment when you tie a halfling to a stick and watch the stick go into the Demon Mouth... and the only thing that comes back is the part of the stick that did not go in. One of the most fun dungeons to experience without spoilers other than the Against The Giants (and where that leads). Gygax was a master. Rest well.

[@Sigstus]

"The juggernaut is a steamroller" Acererak be like: ROAD ROLLER DA!!!!!

[@fathervideo454]

I had to cast a sepia snake sigil on myself to stop the juggernaut and save the rest of the party (temporarily of course, cause everyone died eventually). My character is still there, holding it back.

[@headofbaphomet]

To this day I found the most curious part of the module was an item found in the last room if the demi-lich were defeated. There is a crystal ball which contains what appears to be a miniature living dragon and a treasure hoard.

[@cowpercoles1194]

That's actually a decoy for the *real* ending :)

[@Nechrostriker4]

That Crystal Ball sounds like an Orb of Dragonkind

[@mikemckinney7031]

Sounds like Acerak's lost snow globe. ;)

[@gotitbrobrowilson2370]

it was a great death trap in the 80's we ran this dungeon dozens of times trying to beat it.

[@thekhan517]

I played D & D a very long time ago and for many, many years. This channel was a nice stroll down memory lane. Thanks.

[@Archer-1453]

One fun part I enjoyed about Tomb of Annihilation (5e’s Tomb of Horrors) is that it is vaguely hinted at that the tomb itself is the Demilich’s phylactery. It mentions over and over again that Acerarak (the demilich) has it's own little plane of existence it goes to when it is killed but its phylactery’s location is never explicitly stated, even to the DM. However, in multiple instances the book mentions how Acerarak poured his very soul into the tomb and how one cannot exist without the other for very long (that's why there are creatures that inhabit it but Acerarak does not know of or in lore reasons would not like there). The Tomb falls into disrepair when he is gone so other beings move in. When I ran ToA I specifically mentioned the legend which states the lich poured his soul into the tomb and one of my players blurted out ”The dungeon is his phylactery.” I didn't confirm this but boy it's a fun theory

[@Shaun-vy9vi]

Back in the early 80s. We just kidnapped villagers and let them test traps for us. Made the first hallway more entertaining.

[@jesternario]

This adventure module is my Kobiyashi Maru. I love running this module, using 2nd edition rules, to see what the players do, how they react, and how they deal with the traps

[@krispalermo8133]

I still have the AD&D2e box set from 22 years ago. My game shop updated to D&D3e and toss in a few extra new traps and six adventuring parties to go against the main group. The two teams of drow were all back stabers in one way or another. One drow save a paladin from falling into a spike pit trap, only to use them as a body shield for half the game. "Paladin did have a large body shield and long sword." The drow was an archer. The paladin died from being grab and pulled side ways into a waist level blade trap of no escape. " Think rotating dorr with six blades five ft long the filling the hallway."

[@ZlothZloth]

...and what characters they create after you kill them all off.

[@Attaxalotl]

Huzzah! a man of quality! I watched this video to be a major jerk to my players I won't run the dungeon, but there will be one based off of it.

[@TVMAN1997]

I was told that a level one character could actually make it through this. Because the purpose of TOH was do punish high level players who got caught up is their character’s ability to save them rather than having to think about their actions.

[@rikk319]

Uh...no. Someone could adjust the adventure, but with the appropriate level of the party printed on the cover and the first page, no adventure party of 1st level would try this, let alone a DM offer it to them. It defeats the entire purpose of the adventure--a crippling challenge for expert players.

[@sokka4875]

I thought the players still have to kill a 4 armed gargoyle made for a party of lv 10+?

[@Cyberpuppy63]

@@sokka4875 the gargoyle is a statue.

[@SlamUnited]

@@Cyberpuppy63 No. There is a gargoyle statue that you'd have to feed the gems to, but the gems to feed are on a necklace around a gargoyle that will attack you if you try to take the gems from him.

[@scumbad7953]

@@SlamUnited Lol could you move the first statue over to the gargoyle do it could eat them?

[@doktor_ghul]

I have to admit that my group of players were smart enough that when they found the ToH in game, the first thing they did was research the hell out of it. We basically found pretty much every NPC who had been part of a previous party who went in, and got every last bit of info out of them. ..then we went in with characters who could do surreal things, played by players who knew ToH backwards and forwards. We were challenged by a DM who loved the Tomb and knew exactly how to play it as a party killer. Despite that, we managed to get in, bulldoze through, and believe it or not, we stripped the Tomb of every bit of real treasure. We even pulled the gold off of the walls, got it out, and got rich. The DM was part amazed and part pissed off, but we still talk about it.

[@jc3drums916]

I'm not sure I understand the point of playing a module that's primarily traps and puzzles when you already know it backwards and forwards. Kinda defeats the purpose.

[@WhiteCavendish]

Been playing Neverwinter lately, and this made its way into the game as Tomb of the Nine Gods and Cradle of the Death God. It's interesting to see the history behind them.

[@ChickSage]

One of the first times I DMd ToH. I had a party conclude that the blackness, of the Sphere of Annihilation, was actually a magical portal, of some kind. I don't know how they work now, but back then a Sphere of Annihilation sucked up any matter it touched. I think there was a dexterity check, if one was trying to avoid it, other than that, it was instant death. When the first guy jumped into the sphere, I had that player leave the room, as he would no longer be privy to the party's actions. This only served to further convince them that it was a portal and that he had gone on to somewhere else. One after the other, the whole party jumped into the sphere, thank you, come again :) I realized that I would need to make some tweaks, in order to make it more fun, but yeah, The Tomb of Horrors was like asking the party if they would like a steak dinner and then feeding them a s*#t sandwich. I remember a high level module called The Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, that was a lot of fun. It was basically an old UFO crash site. It's worth checking out, if you aren't familiar. thanks for the video peace

[@Stygian76]

Excellent video. I like how you provided a history of the dungeon and an explanatory walkthrough. I thought the walkthrough was very thorough in explaining how the dungeon "worked" and the methods behind the madness. It brought back a lot of memories from my early D&D days when I ran this in 1st edition.

[@kevinwarner3771]

Clean narration, neither overly dramatic nor boring and monotone. Didn't feel the need to Preen himself at the start, just dug right in and to the point with 'JUST ENOUGH' feeling to engage his audience. How EVERY AD&D video should be narrated, FOREVER!!!

[@DennisMoore664]

1:58 Chaotic Neutral means never having to say you're sorry.

[@cptcosmo]

Another VERY difficult Dungeon module by TSR was "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks"

[@rikk319]

It was the spot in my old gaming days where we crossed D&D characters over to Gamma World or Star Frontiers campaigns, and vice-versa. Nothing like crossing genres in OG RPGs :D

[@bozokarl]

You're right I'd like to see a walkthrough of that.

[@TheMrSlyxx]

Played this in the 80s. Always remember the traps and that everyone knew about the sphere of annihilation cuz everyone had spoiled it. But honestly, this was one of the coolest, most talked about dungeons in the game, and in fact the S-series was top notch.

[@migthulhu]

I had the pink cover version gifted to me when I was a freshman in HS in 1985 and held on to it for years. I finally got a chance to run it, with a lot of conversion, in the late 90's in a World of Darkness campaign involving Vampire, Werewolf, and Mage characters. They almost made it, but it was a wipe, I'm proud to say.

[@BlueRadium]

Actually did the same sort of thing - I made the dungeon accessed through a magical skull that'd consume valuables you pour into it. Access required giving enough gold and gems into it to make it glow, then staring into its eyes for 6 seconds to start the dungeon. Bodies would still be there, unconscious. They got to pick from pre-made characters to become upon entering, so that they'd be scaled for it at any level, and knowledge from previous failures is the only progression system. Higher leveled party = more wealth to toss at the skull for more tries. Killing the end boss rewarded the skull turning into a pretty cool custom artifact. Didn't tell anyone, but I upgraded the ability unlocks and powers of the artifact based on failure count. The more frustrating, the greater the end payoff.

[@linguisticallyoversight8685]

Three things your character should never leave home without a 10ft pole a small bag of ball bearings and wedge-shaped door jamb

[@Maximara]

I remember showing off the "power" of the GURPS system with Tomb of Horrors. The _beginning_ level party (100 points each back in 1-3e GURPS) trashed the place...until they got to the demi lich. That...didn't turn out well as casing Shatter on a Demi=lich turns out to be a very bad idea. I should mention that Tomb of Horrors is also infamous for inspiring the whole Grimtooth Traps line of books with _Grimtooth Dungeon of Doom_ being the worst of the lot, playerwise. The traps in those books at best harmed a party member with many being effectively step and die.

[@nwnmiria]

There is a reason that in the late 70's we carried around Hobbits just to "go in front" or be "thrown into the room". Colloquially called Test Hobbits.

[@mickaleneduczech8373]

My half-ogre once settled an argument the party was having by grabbing the hobbit, and throwing him up in the air while yelling heads.

[@cherylmarcuri5506]

Damn, I had forgotten about Test Hobbits!

[@Shaun-vy9vi]

I think Gandalf started that trend.

[@therakshasan8547]

I remember when this module was released . It was truly deadly , four of our 8 player party died. it took us 10 hours to complete it . We did destroy the demi-lich but the big fighter died when he ignored the wise man and touched it . Shatter was the best spell we had against it .

[@widerfov]

I remember playing this campaign as a kid. My friends and I completed it in one evening, sacked all the treasure, and made fun the the demi-lich as we defeated him. We had no clue what we were doing, made up stuff as we went along, and I'm sure without realizing it at the time, cheated like Gygax never thought possible. Good times.

[@chriskaline800]

When we beat this dungeon we hired a clan of dwarves to mine the walls and doors of Acererak's crypt. Easily the best adventure ever made. The Temple of Elemental Evil being second.

[@jonanjello]

The horrors of the tomb, but oh those glorious interior b&w illustrations. Seriously a unique time and place in my childhood!

[@michaelcrisman2732]

Just found your channel and subscribed! I love classic gaming content, and this walkthrough of an iconic dungeon was perfect! But I also loved seeing an article I wrote for Retro Gaming Magazine ("Six Absurdly Difficult D&D Adventures (That Are Not 'Tomb of Horrors'") pop up at 2:12! Thanks for the inadvertent shout-out, and if you read it during your research, I hope you enjoyed it. May all your hits be crits!

[@DMItAll]

Thanks! We actually really love that article (as well as it's followups). It helped us discover many interesting modules that we hope to cover on the show.

[@DmDango]

Really cool video I'm currently running Tomb of Annhiliation and it's always nice to see where inspiration comes from.

[@valmarsiglia]

0:46 -- Wow, that could so easily be a picture of my friends and me around 1983.

[@robertpeyton9535]

I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't in one of those pictures.

[@johncaccioppo1142]

Something I didn't hear you mention in this video was one of the original dungeon's most important features which was to become a unique feature of the TSR tournament dungeons: it's use of art as a tool for the players to troubleshoot the specific traps and encounters they found. Dungeons like this were especially creepy experiences when the DM pulled out one of these visual aids... it created a far more visceral experience than the typical crawl. A number of the people I played with in the day were looking for that element as a holdover of Dave Hargrave's campier yet artsy Arduin dungeons which also featured the early artwork of master illustrator Erol Otus, the genius behind the Lovecraft pantheon as featured in the original Deities and Demigods bestiary and much of TSR's most memorable art.

[@Salamanderman117]

I knew almost nothing about this module aside from its reference in RP1 and had no idea how tough and sadistic it actually is. I am running a Beasts and Barbarians Savage Worlds campaign with friends and I am ABSOLUTELY going to be converting this over to give them a final challenge. Muahahaha! (Thanks for the great vid!)

[@memyopinionsche6610]

I went through and survived the tomb of horrors... And all I got out of it was a stupid t-shirt. It's magical powers... it repel stains. And a lifetime supply of Rice-A-Roni the San Francisco treat.

[@craigj20]

Literal LOL

[@dormammudawg5782]

"we should leave anyways" xD totally killed me

[@GoresVire]

A bit of trivia - the origin of the Green Devil Face is a park in France built by a depressed nobleman. The face's origin is there, where the text "All Reason Departs" is inscribed over it. What's inside? A picnic table and some chairs.

[@kennethnegaard7599]

Throughly enjoyed this video. Great job. Brought back many frustrating, yet very fond memories. Out of a party of ten ( we were each allowed one henchman), only two of us finally made it to Acerarac's Lair. Where, we were promptly beaten by that twisted mad bastard. Lol. Looking forward to many more 1st edition walkthroughs. Thank you.

[@eddokter]

I'd recommend looking into the Labyrinth of Madness, it was specifically made to be harder than the tomb of horrors but gets a lot less coverage.

[@happiegiraphie8148]

I love demi liches so much! Basically a lich that has grown tired of his mortal form, so he undertakes a ritual to develop an ephemeral form and near god-like abilities. 5e ruined them by making them a downgrade if you don't keep eating them souls...

[@EraNex97]

I only recommend ToH for 4 types of play 1 night 1 shot. You got some friends, you want a marathon session and you want to have fun and don't care what happens to your cardboard cut-out. 2 players who "I can beat anything" and are generally arrogant. Tell them you got a module if they really want to test that. It's a bragging rights thing. 3 players are playing PCs who should be good and virtuous, but they are just murder hobos. Seriously, ToH doesn't want you there, The Demi-Litch doesn't want you dead, he doesn't care anymore. He just wants you gone. Hence the teleporting you away and back to the entrance (just leave already) giving you 2 different fake boss fights etc. Plays that push it honestly deserve what they get. 4, and the only reason I would run it. A deep immersion game with years of play built-in and one of the many antagonists who are still around, stumble on a foolproof plan to rid the world of their hated enemy, the party. They've heard about the tomb from one of the many survivors who escaped with their life. As such, they craft a plan to get the plot hook deep into the character's attention and let the Tomb of Horrors kill the party for them.

[@NiteCyper]

>Play[er]s that push [further into the tomb] honestly deserve what they get. Or they're polite players who don't want to go off the rails of the adventure the DM planned... And as another comment said: >[T]he design of D&D itself, in all its permutations, invented, codified and encouraged the "murder hobo" play style. But you are not alone in your sentiment towards murder hobos. The highest-voted question on RPG Stack Exchange is How do I get my PCs to not be a bunch of murderous cretins? Here is the top answer: I disagree with the suggestions that game mechanics will solve the problem. Things like XP penalties, and increasingly tough authority crackdowns may help; but, the real thing that drives empathy from players is good roleplay from NPCs. Think about the things that make you not want to go around killing people in real life: • Killing is wrong. If your PC is religious, it's almost certainly in conflict with their faith. In D&D, a paladin or cleric's deity may have a few choice words or omens to share with the PC, regarding their indiscretion. If your PC is a good, neutral, or lawful character, you can question their actions, and threaten them with alignment change. • Killing is taboo. Friendly NPCs, be they allies in battle or local villagers, should serve as role models for the players. A fellow warrior might stay the hand of a PC, and suggest taking them alive, even arguing with the PC about what's the right thing to do. A group of villagers might shun the PCs, or be terrified, even traumatized, by their actions. A priest might gently counsel the PCs to a higher, more humane course of action. • Killing is against the law. Present a particular city or village as having a law enforcement presence; have guards and local clerics look in on the misbehaving adventurers, to make sure they're keeping in line. Making the PCs *feel* like they're going to get caught if they do something bad is more important than presenting them with an encounter, when they do. Maybe there are lawless places out there that encourage killing and rough behavior; be sure to present them as dark, dangerous dens of sin, that the PCs might be nervous venturing into. • Killing is unpleasant. People do not like being murdered. Watch an episode or two of CSI. In a medieval battle, the field afterwards would be littered with the screaming wounded; killing might be an act of mercy, to one who is suffering, and sure to die. A desparate NPC might claw at a PC with their fingernails, fight like a cornered animal, or lift their arms to protect their face, and be scarred with defensive wounds. They might weep, or cry; they might try to strike a bargain, call for help, or simply plead for their lives. Maybe they have young to protect, or a mate or loved one. Their death might be gruesome, and shocking; if their corpse is left unburied, it may even induce sickness, or nausea. When the players do something terrible, make them come face to face with the tragedy and horror of what they've done. In a system like Shadowrun, or any other game involving mercenary or thief PCs, letting the opponents live may be a matter of "professional courtesy." If the PCs get a reputation for murder, NPCs may be equally ruthless when going after them, even developing a vendetta. The GM of my every-other-Friday Shadowrun game used this on us last session (Let us go! Please? Professional courtesy!) I find that exploring the morality of an RPG gives the game a dark, cynical element, because the PCs are going to wind up killing, anyway - it's more dramatic and compelling if they have to think hard about their actions, like the good guys you see in any crime drama. It's great for games like Shadowrun, and Eclipse Phase. I think it's just as applicable to D&D - it's just a function of the DM's storytelling style, plot, and setting. Some people use D&D to create epic tales, and other people use it as a board game. I prefer the former.

[@milkncookie]

I once treated my play group to "The Tomb of Horror", I have a new playgroup now...

[@horatiocarrillo2176]

Omg was it ever. We expected another "Against the Giants". We were wrong. We paid for it with our lives!

[@bunnyrollscrits]

This needs a lot more views. Looking forward to the next one. Elemental evil perhaps? Ravenloft? Eberron? Planescape?

[@rikk319]

Ravenloft is a classic...written by the authors of the Dragonlance book series, and the maps drawn by Gygax himself.

[@raziyatheseeker]

Ironically enough, my gaming group's failed Tomb of Horrors run became a Planescape campaign sequel! I commented with my experiences in both on this video; tl;dr is that a party (not ours) did beat Acererak, who's now trying to take over the Multiverse... and his cult is winning with their undead and demons. Our party's traveling the Multiverse to piece together ways to stop him, both from the surviving heroes as well as our slain and/or defeated original party.

[@ghg1976]

I ran TOH with some modifications a few years ago with my group, and to this day, its still the most memorable D&D experience we've had.

[@kamaeq]

Amusingly, the design of D&D itself, in all its permutations, invented, codified and encouraged the "murder hobo" play style. Even in games where both the players and GM wanted a more cerebral type of approach. Enjoying your grinding in CRPGs? Thank Gygax and his game who taught the developers and producers how "real RPGs" worked.

[@Foxtay]

Issue is there are no RAW for issuing XP for RP. You could do this entire dungeon, taking multiple play sessions and get a handful of loot you don't need at 14-15th lvl, loose party members etc. OLD SCHOOL D&D is a wargame, not a RPG. In fact RPG wasn't added into it for almost 12 years after it was conceived. D&D isn't a Roleplaying game at it's core, it's a wargame. Games like Whitewolf, Vampire: The Mascaraed, and other d10 systems were entirely designed around roll play. The entire system doesn't even issue XP for combat but has XP tables for roleplay, D&D is the exact opposite of that. Designed and developed as a wargame, the only way to advance outside of homebrew or the introduction of the absolute trash "mile marker xp" system is combat. It was created to be a war game. A alternative to other table top war games that existed and were popular in the late 70s. It was never intended to be 100% play pretend with your friends as an adult, that was added in as flavor but mechanically it has no advantage to advancement as a character. No loot, no xp, and no progression is ever made outside of a dice roll, and the murder-hobo style play is what it was designed for.

[@kamaeq]

@@Foxtay The only problem was that all of the early RPGs were like that, and still are to certain extent. The addition of "crafting" and "social" skills presented in more modern versions simply add to the style of everything depending on the character have the right skill and making their roll. Great early games depended good GMs who used them as a sandbox and didn't slavishly follow RAW, which led to the murder hobo mentality, along with having to deal with polearm fetishes and ahistorical stuff like polearms all be considered "peasant weapons". Having to RP situations set up successful adventures. Then we got massive rulebooks coupled with "kid friendly" rulesets trying to cover everything and it went downhill from there.

[@kateslate3228]

@@Foxtay XP is trash. Milestone is much better for a well structured campaign.

[@ravensflockmate]

Murderhoboism was created in response to old school roleplaying where attempts at roleplaying or having a backstory would be used against you

[@kamaeq]

@@ravensflockmate Depended on the GM, but the concept of XP being only for what you killed and looted is pure D&D. So is the idea of XP for "staying in character", but there was no chart for that.

[@christopherwheat4432]

never had any party challenge this dungeon and actually make it to the end

[@krispalermo8133]

Treat it like a video game with save locations to restart from. "Take this crystal shard to the next location, if you face near death. You will be teleport back to the safe place." Feat: Item Creation: Create Wondrous Item. Spells: Teleport Safe Place: Yin/ Yang circle carved into the stone floor that casts a Cure Critical Wounds from both haves at the same time. Kicker: the crystal has a 6th-level spell that is a combine spell of Enervation & Vampiric Touch that drain a % of your XP from every kill you make or problem you solve . This is away the the Lich collects Life Force Energy Levels . My game shop come up with (E.V.P) crystals when the 3E came out stating that now spellcaster must use their own XP in creating magic items. Also there was a adventure in Dungeon mag that come out at the same time where one of Lolth the spider goddess daughters was trying to steal part of her mother's domain using Four Soul Crystals to impower herself with.

[@jameswatson5011]

I remember running this dungeon the first time. It was very traumatic even for me and I was the DM. 4 of 12 players made it out alive.

[@hugosmith6776]

I DM'd this place - my favorite memories of the D&D 1980's

[@Ian_KH]

A great collection of 80's nerd photos. I look at them and I notice how familiar they look because they could easily be my friends and I.

[@blondknight99]

Havent played D&D in over 30 years. But the leering open mouth devil still gives me the creeps.

[@ursoanonimo8398]

Me and a three man party played this dungeon. It was very annoying. I died in the magma pit and we stopped after it because 11 hours had passed.

[@namelesslight3303]

Died as a player in it twice. DM'd it 3 times, and only once (with DM help) did anyone make it out alive. It was a lot of fun and many great memories.

[@mosespray4510]

I played this campaign in 1980 or '81, and the personality of our DM was a perfect match for the harshness of the scenario. We got our asses handed to us, but it is still my best memory as a player.

[@WexMajor82]

Ah, yes. The standard issue 10 ft pole.

[@ManicEngine]

Tomb of Horrors: We're all going to die before we get through the first room

[@greggreg3209]

we had a new dm guy show up at our adventure league place and he started with ToH old school style. after surviving that by letting others go first on Instagram kill traps I was the only one to live. Now he is one of our favorite dms

[@xxghostxx2622]

Man...Gary outdone himself, this is incredible

[@Prinny9000]

True story when my group ran this dungeon the druid stuck a immovable rob into the sphere of annihilation and I kid you not the bard in my group decided to use a wish to summon Acererak to us

[@Cyberpuppy63]

ok. The pre-gen roster of 14th level types don't get access to a Wish; not even limited wish, if I recall. Musta been a fake wish.

[@Prinny9000]

@@Cyberpuppy63 we got the wish from the efreeti in the dungeon

[@mikedeck8381]

What is an immovable rob?

[@Prinny9000]

@@mikedeck8381 it's a flat iron rod with a button once the button has been pushed the creature or humanoid holding can't move even if defying gravity until the button is pushed again

[@iamalpharius9483]

Starter D&D with "The Keep on the Borderlands". Been a D&D nerd and combat sports killer ever since.

[@Chuckdwolf]

I started a few campaigns, with that one.

[@nctpti2073]

Village of Hommlet for me...

[@rikk319]

@@nctpti2073 In Search of the Unknown for me. Old Zelligar and Rogahn.

[@GradyBroyles]

S3 in the same series as Tomb of Horrors, "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks" was pretty weird. It has crashed space ships, laser guns and weird alien monsters. I'd love to see a vid about it

[@Grumble_Jones_ASL]

Never forget playing this when it first game out in 1978. I remember dying in that first excursion...slid into the fire as I recall. Took us a new party to final find Acererak. Awesome good memories!!

[@lunacy05]

I really enjoy watching your walkthrough on the old modules, i hope you'll keep on making them

[@corinfletcher]

I recently played this as a two-person adventure...and only survived because of pure, dumb luck and the phrasing of a wish spell. That's all I'll say.

[@moznayim]

The first hallway teaches you the most important rule of the dungeon: question everything.

[@rocingersol1875]

Participated in this as a one-shot 5e dungeon at a con in Lansing, MI. The DM had created the dungeon in 3d and changed around about half the encounters to make it fresh for the players. It was a lot of fun.

[@keithhanson2869]

Just watched TOH video. I'm really psyched to try it with my players. If I might suggest another deadly module that will really change some players attitudes about a certain low level monster, I would suggest "Dragon Mountain". I have been both a player and a DM for this module, and it's anything but easy. The life expectancy is very low, but the treasures are extremely worth the risk. I would love to hear what you have to say about it. Keep up the good work.

[@swirvinbirds1971]

As cheap as it may be, the whole Demi-Lich idea was awesome back in the day and quite a shocker to players at the time. I think the biggest reason this module doesn't play well today, beside the harder to kill characters part, is that back in the day it wasn't such a big deal to have a character killed. We didn't have long thought out backstories, we hardly had names... Often times you'd have names like Father Bishop the 3rd. The 3rd incarnation of Father Bishop. 😆 Back then the game was hack and slash. The set-ups for the adventure were flimsy as they were really just reasons to gear-up and go raid a dungeon or tomb. It was less Game of Thrones and more Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and honestly I prefer that old style.

[@donaldsemora]

This Dungeon gives a very good example of Gary's imagination. This module is wonderful, and a real fun module overall.

[@gdubsterz1238]

Love the old artwork. Takes me back to my teens where I Dm'd this module and many others. I ran it for a friend who did a special jump/dive right into the sphere of annihilation enterance and was shocked when I asked for his character sheet.

[@jesternario]

I got this module as part of the Return to the Tomb of Horrors campaign module, which had a reprint of the facsimile (and is included in the version sold at DM’s Guild/DrivethruRPG). I kept that thing around for years and have run my groups through it at one point or another. The last time I ran it was about four-five years ago. I told the group that this would be a non-canon adventure, and that even if they died in the tomb, they would still be alive in the campaign, but if they survived, they would gain all the experience and treasure they found. I also gave them each “three extra lives,” because I know exactly how hard this thing is. They used up their first in a tpk when they got trapped in the fake entrance, and then each lost their other two at various stages as they traversed the place. Needless to say, they were glad it was not canon in the campaign.

[@poonhound9377]

Great high quality video and walkthrough! Keep up the amazing uploads. I had to subscribe!

[@kelanex3488]

I'm currently running the tomb for my friends and add a few tweaks to it. I wanted to make my party go insane in the tomb where when they all died they wouldn't get killed outright BUT they would essentially be in a time loop while being inside the tomb, so they would respawn from the beginning and start all over with the added catch that the traps "may" be moved around or changed and any monsters they defeat will be stronger and know their previous tactics. Aside from that I'm running the tomb at it's purest and most difficult from 1st ed. Not only that but there is a nearby village that they also have to help out, so they have to multi-task the tomb and the village.

[@mitchellslate1249]

By the way, thank you so much for still doing this series and even despite your own demurring or light jabbing at the material, you give a fairer and more realistic analysis of what The Tomb of Horros and other Dungeons & Dragons materials Is, and is supposed to be.

[@capie44]

I haven't had a group since the early '90's. I have this module. I like the 1st & 2nd Edition. No one else does in my area. I made it a solo game. Gygax's "Dungeon Dressing" in the back of the "DMG" was designed to do such, but at 10th level. I made my own graphs and events charts to make no two games possible. I created a "Dungeon Room Search" list using the Gygax''s lead. He was very thorough, so it wasn't all that hard -- just a glitch or two that took a month or two of playing to make my characters survive .. or die in, a loud, grotesque, adventurer's manner. I started playing in 1979. Around the late '80's and definately by the mid-90's, players (like the cartoons on TV) wanted realism. So I couldn't handle all the game attorney's. The hours listening to ego's strum their cords in an ever-increasing need to be right was turning me off and I can't find any old-school "Dungeons are meant to be fun -- the rules (like Gygax wrote in the DMG, ) were supposed to be guides. Worse, the young "adults" that were inviting me into their groups (playing old-school) were actually interrupting the DM with enforcing a rule that came from AD&D books, but not available to the DM. The attorney *was insisting* on the rule-of-the-moment be included with the round. I was appalled on how the DM spent more time on battling players than actually playing. Anyway, anyone still old-school 1st & 2nd players? Or old-school philosophy Gygax, "Have fun more so than the rules! Please enjoy my game!"

[@rikk319]

Yeah, I experienced players like that. Spent most of my time DMing for my younger brother. It really became co-storytelling at times, and we might have a stretch of a couple hours where we didn't even roll dice, just roleplayed and created a tale.

[@capie44]

@@rikk319 That's really cool to hear! What a wonderful imagination you instilled into your little brother! Kudo's to you! Take a few extra module xp's for that ;-)

[@acc201b]

My group plays 5th ed and we lost 8 characters out of a group of 5 players so I feel like it was a success

[@phildicks4721]

Now y'all know why a 6'-8' wooden pole was considered standard gear for every party back in 1e. Best way to check for traps from a distance, unless you prefer throwing the party's Halfling or Gnome down the hallway instead.😁

[@OwningMicrobe]

Had to see this. I've watched Achievement hunter do this campaign. Looks like a blast! Shout out to poor Akshay... Poor old bastard thought the gargoyle statue was trying to cup his balls. The poor DM DIED laughing as he had to explain the result. The best part is nobody tried to help the poor guy after... he lay on the ground screaming while the party kept trying to solve the puzzle for 20 mins

[@AuntieHauntieGames]

It helps to know from the start that this was never meant to be run by a single DM for their friends. It was written as a tournament module, the sort that many tables all attempted at once during this or that convention, with bragging rights going to the tables that got the furthest. Takes the "Wait What Now That's Bullshit" out of the various traps.

[@acvieluf]

It sounds like the "Dragon's Lair" arcade, before it was a thing. Maybe this was some inspiration? haha

[@craigj20]

@@acvieluf OMG I loved that game, but I hated playing it. Four F*kn quarters to die in 30 seconds, Damn it!

[@thesaladman8400]

0:24 That you must fight in a game of Joust. So then, brave adventurer. _Art thou ready?_

[@BTsMusicChannel]

Unfortunately for new players who are just starting with 5e, they will probably never know what Tomb of Horrors really felt like to play with far less powerful characters of AD&D (a.k.a., "first edition"), the version of the game that was popular in the 1980s. :/ The new 5e superhero-like characters are such superheroes that it renders the dungeon impotent. You are absolutely correct about the "ten foot pole" and active searches. I remember the fear I felt in 1982 when the DM described the demilich skull's eyes lighting up red, then the skull rising up floating on swirling dust, and then saying, "I am going to drain one of your souls. Who will it be?" I am not sure that a 5e game can make that sense of awe and fear come back, and I have all but given up on it. The 5e game lacks the sublime because the characters are too powerful and the balanced encounters. Tomb of Horrors is a joke with 5e, and Chris Perkins did an awful job converting it in Dragon Magazine. :/ 3:21, I am not sure where you get this information. Could you cite a source? According to who did DMs and players fight against each other?

[@logans.7932]

1E Juggernaut: "Rocks fall, everyone dies" style trap in a dungeon full of those. 5E Juggernaut: Literal Hell Train