Dwarven Excavation DM Guide | How to Run Dragon of Icespire Peak

[@JNJTabletop]

Thanks for watching! We've got many other DM Tips to help you get the most out of your games! Check them out on our channel and in this playlist... kzbin.info/aero/PL6dmrZg4pm2qOzacuy1icbfxTvjj-PKf6 For more tips on running the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure, check out our growing playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PL6dmrZg4pm2phOB99W_qDcTHfRO_ipO-i

[@kistophe]

I ran it so that all of their hired help had left because they refused to get involved with the Ochre Jellies. I described that there was abandoned equipment, helmets and pickaxes on the floor. The 2 dwarves tell the group that their workers have refused to return until the temple had been cleared. It made the group feel sympathy for the 2 and the were really keen to help them. It really motivated the group.

[@kistophe]

Great video series BTW. It really helped me run the adventure.

[@JNJTabletop]

Oh I really like this angle!!

[@JNJTabletop]

So happy to hear this!!

[@TruthCasual]

Love this idea! Thank you.

[@paavohirn3728]

Nice! Good idea!

[@TruthCasual]

New comment on old video, but I saw a suggestion elsewhere that I thought was worthwhile, especially for a new group. If the party is having trouble looking for (or knowing to look for) secret doors, then perhaps one of the jellies in the first area retreates through a 1 inch crack near the secret door to encourage further investigation.

[@2pts439]

That is very helpful thanks my players would probably not find the doors at all if it wasn’t for this

[@costanzafaust]

I also made the gem able to be retrieved if swapped with a similar one (like from the hollow pillar) or by wearing the holy symbol, and of course it was cursed. It always shed light, and the owner could use it to blind enemies, but they felt compelled to always hold it and paranoid if anyone else asked about it. I also put a magic ring on the statue's finger that could be removed without any trouble. And yeah, made some rules for trimming the dig time for multiple people working and for using mining tools. I like this module but feel like it needs a lot of little enhancements that a newbie DM might not think about, so good job on the guides.

[@bknipp48103]

Great video! I am prepping to play this with my kids. There are some great ideas. I ran this one myself for practice and had the orcs show up on the high ground on the north side of the gorge as my party left. They started with javelin attacks and my party scampered up the southern slope. One made it, (athletic check for the climb) and two got stuck in the gorge. The one that got to the ridge shot arrows at the orcs as they came down into the gorge. I made the orcs take a dexterity check to descend the hill. One fell flat on his face and took 2d4 damage. The other two made it down okay but got clobbered by my party. I liked the tactical situation the gorge provides.

[@JNJTabletop]

Thanks! I love to hear that we were helpful with this playlist! Sounds like you and yours had a great time 🙂

[@mynameismarkchun]

Hey man I'm a new dm and this is my first adventure with first time players. Your videos and the comments within have been an immeasurable help to my prep and anxiety

[@JNJTabletop]

SO HAPPY to hear that!! As Jake gets more time, he will definitely be continuing this series. In the meantime, be sure check out our DM Tips playlist. It will absolutely help a lot too

[@ep4684]

I’m in the same position. How’d you first session go?

[@mynameismarkchun]

@@ep4684 oh terrible! Lol I was nervous and unfamiliar with how to get my players more invested in the plot. Now I'm about 6 or 7 sessions in and everything is so much smoother. The first one will be awkward. It'll still be fun but when I compare it to how much smoother things have been going recently I can't help but cringe. The thing is I'm sure I'll always feel that way because you're always learning how to be a better dm right? The practice is invaluable

[@JNJTabletop]

You never stop learning. It’s the same as being a human 😉

[@kingofawesomerulse3625]

as a first time dm that is using this as my first campaign thank you so much

[@JNJTabletop]

I’m so happy to hear this is helpful! You’re gonna have so much fun with this!

[@zilla2760]

I'm running this campaign and I'm playing with 4 brand new players who've never played D&D. I'm super excited to try it and this playlist has been super helpful

[@paavohirn3728]

I hope you're having fun with your group!

[@nicks4802]

Gonna DM for the first time this Tuesday coming up, And im totally using your “malnourished orcs” hook.

[@JNJTabletop]

That’s awesome and we found that to be a nice little additive that helped to fill in the story a bit!

[@BillSkinton]

Thanks so much for this and all your videos. You guys are brilliant. How I altered this quest is that I made it optional that with payment/Persuasion check the dwarves would come along as a guide, but stay well back from the fighting. This way they could provide lore and answers, as well as warn them of Abbathor and her greed / avalanche history. This then made the NPC's have a bit more of a role to play, as well as maybe protecting the party.

[@JNJTabletop]

Thank you for watching and your kind words! The encouragement is always welcome! I love your approach here! You've given the group an additional way to get important information that could quite literally keep them alive! Well done!

[@lukassteyer9068]

Jesus 40 hours .... Well thank you for your sacrifice Man :D Me and friends are about to start this module and you are making the early game allot easier for us. Looking forward to more :)

[@JNJTabletop]

Work week, weak work… same thing, right? And ahhh!!! It’s so much fun and I’m so happy to help out any way I can! Please let us know how your game goes! Our discord link is in our linktree in the description if you’d like to join! Jake makes these as he has the time but this series has not had the most regular releases.

[@robinboyes3600]

Thanks for a great series. As a brand new DM and group I engineered my weakest player to boss the ochre Jellies with petrifying spell and fire to finish them off. Not before the failure of the strongest fighter using weapons that only made the jellies split and multiply. Having great fun and learning on the way. Thank you. 😊

[@JNJTabletop]

That sounds awesome! And thank you for watching! We're happy to be of help!

[@paavohirn3728]

Thanks again for your insights! I'm really enjoying this series as I wait to get my hands on the adventure. The jellies sound like a fun element indeed!

[@jakeporch4236]

I'm prepping to run DoIP for my first time as a DM (been a player for a few years), watching your videos to glean some ideas. Thanks so much for your creativity and willingness to share!! I personally think it's hilarious that the "excavation" turns out to be just two dudes who are scared of some slow blob monsters. I haven't run it yet, but I'm hoping that somebody in my group will have some reaction like, "...wait, that's it?"

[@JNJTabletop]

So happy we can be of help! And yes! Please let us know how they react to things as they unfold!

[@scottcatchot1598]

Hey thanks for the info. Im abut to start runnng this campaign next week. Im a ne Dm and the party is a mix of adults and kids newbie and veteran DND players six in total.

[@JNJTabletop]

Happy to help! You’re going to have a blast playing this adventure!

[@stuartpedaso2949]

I find the "job board thing" contrived. I haven't worked out all the details but I'm going to use the fact that White Dragon is a cataclysmic event that is affecting "Phandalin" society as well as the region in general. My group just ran the "Lost Mine" and have a relationship with the residents of Phandalin. Some of our "friends" in Phandalin will no doubt have relatives and friends in the outlying area that need to be warned and saved. So, getting the word out and protecting the community, that my will be the motivation. I'll have to figure out some renumeration to be attained from going out and helping to finance the adventures and possibly make a profit; the Ben Franklin "Do good by doing good" approach, rather than being mercenaries for hire. I'm thinking several of the Phandalinites will approach the group, or individuals of the group, asking for their help that will get the individual quests going.

[@JNJTabletop]

It’s very contrived! The job board is the classic/old school method of introducing quests from back in the 70s & 80s. The concept then was an adventurer makes a living by just doing things that others aren’t capable of and they hope to make a living along the way… sort of a bit like witchers do. All that being said, it sounds like you’ve got some great opportunities to modify this because of the relationships your group has already made and that’s awesome! Please let us know how that goes! It looks like you’ve got the right mindset here for sure

[@jotarokujo2537]

Warning spanish comment! Creo que el kit Esencial es un buen inicio para nuevos jugadores y por ende básico, pero es bueno mirar videos como este que te animen a agregar nuevos enfoques para la campaña sin afectar la trama. Gracias !!

[@GrizzlyHillman]

Been prepping to DM this adventure (first time DM'ing), and I came across a great point when it comes to the Orcs. They ran away from a dragon which they could have fought, but they decided against it for their own survival, so it makes very little sense for them to fight the party to the death. Sure, you can make the argument that a dragon is way stronger than a group of adventurers, but I think it makes sense for them to either run or try to reason with the group (if someone speaks Orcish that is).

[@JNJTabletop]

You could definitely change things up that way if you wanted to

[@mariondavis3706]

I totally agree, when they said excavation I was picturing a bunch of dwarves like a family or royal operation, it should be "two dwarves are excavating....." or "there's a dwarven dig near here......"

[@JNJTabletop]

Thank you! Seemed so off to me lol

[@gorillariot123]

I'd love to see more dm guides on this!

[@JNJTabletop]

Jake really wants to make more too. Gnomengarde is next on our list!

[@gorillariot123]

I subscribed so I hope to see one. Until then I will enjoy the rest of your content.

[@JNJTabletop]

That’s awesome!! Welcome!! We do have our playthrough of this adventure available. I know it’s not the same thing as a guide but it could help get a preview of sorts.

[@bluedragonguild]

We have discussed running this and probably will!

[@JNJTabletop]

We highly recommend it!!

[@bluedragonguild]

@@JNJTabletop we are discussing pairing it with tyranny of dragons. Cause you know, dragons…

[@JNJTabletop]

It’s literally half of the name!

[@bluedragonguild]

@@JNJTabletop indeed!!

[@CarloArmato]

Hi, I hope you are doing well. My biggest concern in this adventure is the doubled threat: it is true that smart adventurers could be able to "kite" to death a single jelly, but with two of them at both sides of such a small room, I'm not sure there is enough room for maneuvering (if we also consider ochre jelly are large size, so 2x2 squares). Right now I was thinking to already "cut in half" the ochre jelly: when the prospector saw the jelly he was so scared that instinctively attacked it but immediately ran for his life (like someone would when a spider suddenly dropped on them). This way I still provide a challenge (attacking the rear) while not dropping a deadly encounter and provide a "surprise": the dwarves will tell about the big giant and scary ochre jelly, but when the adventurers will see a medium sized jelly, they can guess the next turn another one will drop behind them. What do you think?

[@JNJTabletop]

I think you have a fine plan there. The biggest thing with using the ochre jelly is their position relative to the group. If they’re far away, you can surprise them with a second one that’s close by (perhaps after they realize how slow they are). Don’t forget that if you end up making an encounter that’s too easy, it’s really fine. You can always “make it up to them” later on in the adventure 😉

[@CarloArmato]

@@JNJTabletop thanks for the tip: I'm new to DM'ing and I tend to forget that things can be changed up and are not written on stone up until I "declare them"

[@JNJTabletop]

@@CarloArmato whether you've been playing for 35+ years or just getting started we're always learning! Very happy to hear you've taken your first steps into a larger world with us 😉 This playlist will certainly help you with this adventure, but we cannot recommend you check out our Dungeon Master Tips playlist enough! Everything we discuss here has tried and true methods that we (Jake & Josh) talk about throughout our entire channel! Playlist Link: kzbin.info/aero/PL6dmrZg4pm2qOzacuy1icbfxTvjj-PKf6

[@badgherkin3302]

Thanks for your channel! Really appreciate the tips and help. As a DM, we rarely get another voice to help out. I feel the 40 hours to clear rubble at the end with no chest or anything but still a way to die with 4D10 damage is pretty harsh as a 1st level quest. My party picked that one first. I’m thinking of adding a chest or something. Would just a simple gold chest of like 250gp be too overpowering do you think? Or maybe a magical item?

[@JNJTabletop]

I would definitely reward their efforts and neither sound too much to me. A +1 weapon might be nice in case they choose the Mt Toe quest. This way they have an option against the wererats!

[@DarkSoul631]

Running my first ever game soon. Is a party of six capable of the two without concern? Also the manticore at umbrage hill? Is the fight much easier with six?

[@JNJTabletop]

Any fight that doesn’t have instructions for scaling based on party size will be easier with more PCs. We firmly believe that this adventure (the manticore fight in particular… hopefully you watched that video too) is just better starting at level 2.

[@paavohirn3728]

I have a group of four players but we tend to play this campaign when we're missing one and they have a divine spellcaster Nib as a sidekick. Nib as it happens saved the group really in the first fight with 2 ochre jellies 😁 My group is experienced and some of them are really good at optimizing characters so I'm not making things easy for them. I added some thematic traps to the secret doors mostly as a setup for the big one in the statue with the gem. They also noticed the altar had reliefs hinting at secret doors and traps as I wanted to reward them for examining the altar. I threw a good number of orcs at the characters when they were spending the night inside the temple. It didn't have to be a fight but it unsurprisingly ended up as one. OK, so they excavate the tunnel and enter the last chamber. They're really suspicious, but fail to pay attention to the already exploded statue. They discuss at length how to approach the statue/gem and the rogue decides to give a speech to Abbathor to appease him. They consider if she could misty step (feat) with the gem which i regret i didn't encourage. Maybe it was worded as a sequence where misty step would have needed to be a reaction. In the end the rogue just grabbed the gem.. I had decided I'm going to run the trap as is, but was a little shocked by (again) being reminded it was 4d10 damage. The poor rogue though already level 2 was blown to bits! Now the characters are on the way to a powerful druid having been given directions by Falcon. They decided to get the character reincarnated as it turns out to be the only spell they may have access to that can bring back the character they're basically carrying in a rather grotesque sack. Will be fun to see what she comes out as 😅

[@JNJTabletop]

Savage stuff!! That statue is intense. Did they have fun being blown to bits? Legit question there. Some tables enjoy a different take like that.

[@paavohirn3728]

@@JNJTabletop I was probably must shocked myself. Even though we also had my first tpk in old school DnD a few months ago. The player herself was likely the least shocked 😅 I'm experimenting with a new (or old) style of playing and having the sense that the world is dangerous and not "balanced" all the time. Also rolling dice in the open. We've talked about the lack of a sense of danger for years in our group but this was nonetheless the first death with these players. I have to say that even in old school style systems i don't use the dead at zero hp rule but have been experimenting with various systems of rolling serious wounds when dropping to zero.

[@JNJTabletop]

What kinds of systems??? We’d love to hear more about them! I don’t know if you’re on discord or not, but please know you’re welcome in ours. We keep a link to it in our linktree (check the description).

[@paavohirn3728]

@@JNJTabletop nice! Thank you! I'm on discord but I don't really follow anything as the threads tend to get filled up so fast. We've been playing Worlds Without Number, OSE, my own old school hombrew, Forbidden Lands, Coriolis, Cyberpunk Red, another GM's homebrew.. I would really like to try EZd6, Twilight 2000 4e and Alien. A little ADHD I know 😅 I'm GMing four groups but many of those infrequently and playing in two more. Though our Cyberpunk is kind of jointly facilitated without a GM by using Mythic GM emulator.

[@JNJTabletop]

@@paavohirn3728 That's definitely a lot. Impressive, really. Do you have a system that's been your favorite so far?

[@ThePenDungeon]

You didn't mention the exploding statue, is would often be an insta kill. How would you handle that?

[@JNJTabletop]

I actually watched the video back to confirm that you are correct and you sure are! I didn't mention that, at least not directly. I think all I said was something about the "risk/reward being ok here"... At this stage in the game that damage is almost certain to drop a character to 0 hp and make them start death saves, but not an insta-kill. Death mechanics exist outside of combat just as much as they do inside of it. You could nerf the damage if you want (probably more important to do so if the group is level 1) but beginning death saves is by no means a guarantee of death. I think you could roll initiative to make sure everyone has a chance to act during that crucial minute and give everyone a chance to help get their teammate back up and stabilized.

[@rcccbarry]

i found a sugestion somwere to replace the ocre jelly's with grey oozes (especially if your party does a lot of slashing damage) wich i will probably try.

[@JNJTabletop]

You certainly can and that would be a good reason to. Personally, I don’t think that’s necessary though. I think part of the fun here is watching the players figure out how slow they are and how to use that to their advantage

[@rcccbarry]

@@JNJTabletop apparently my barbarian picked a maul. From that moment i thaught ok lets let them face the 2 ocre jelly's and see wath happens the palladin made one of them split but the ranger and spellcasting sidequick made quic work of them. beacuese of the slow movement they always where running away so basicly i had to move an dash to them and hope my oppertuity attack would hit. So one ocher jelly flatlined the sidekick but appart from that my first lvl party defated them quit easely.

[@shrewdguy4916]

Please make a video on gnomegarde quest 🙏

[@JNJTabletop]

It’s next on the list!!!

[@garrettdhondt1349]

Really regretting not starting my party at level 2 because they got ambushed by the jellies and one of them (9hp druid) got oneshot on the first turn of combat. An encounter difficulty calculator lists the encounter as absurdly deadly for two jellies! Then again I had the jelly drop almost on top of one of the players more or less but gosh, this and the manticore really does not feel like an intro adventure/starter adventure

[@JNJTabletop]

Ah geez, yeah, that's why we recommend starting at level 2. Encounters for level 1 characters can be very tricky and, in our opinion, this adventure does a very poor job of presenting level 1 situations to the players. It's so weird to us that they use a CR 2 creature. The thing that makes it a viable choice is their slow speed, but that's not really something a newer DM (supposedly the target audience for this adventure) would necessarily put together. How did you handle this situation? Did the character die or did it work out for them?

[@garrettdhondt1349]

@@JNJTabletop Thanks for the response! Yeah so the character in question who got 1shot did actually survive. Our fighter also got knocked out but barely survived after 2 failed death saves. Our monk survived and dodged every attack while pummeling the slimes to a pulp (literally)! I mistakenly was not adding the slimes' strength bonuses to their damage (already quite high!) for some attacks and also not adding their attack bonuses at some points, so that helped the monk survive. All in all it certainly balanced out. I was going to have the dwarves come in and rescue the party by dragging the bodies out to stabilize them, or give the monk advantage/inspiration after holding his ground so well but he just kept rolling well and slamming the slimes. Quite a stressful first experience as DM, as I thought they'd go for the easier Umbrage Hill (which I had rebalanced with a wounded manticore) but they went for the dwarves! I want to run this again and next time I'm definitely doing level 2 starting or at least altering my slimes' starting positions. Thank you so much for your awesome series, I am going to keep watching these!

[@JNJTabletop]

Thank YOU for sharing your experience! At the end of the day, we just decided to make a video about something. Sure I/we have experience that can help benefit others but we really do genuinely appreciate when someone shares what happened at their table. We all never stop learning! That sounds like an INTENSE session. Glad to have you aboard, Garrett! Please keep us in the loop in how things go with your campaign. It sounds like a great one

[@maxxy424]

So i will be running this adventure as a first time DM and decided after reading a lot about starting the party at lvl 2 to incorporate the first part of the lost mines. This gives an explanation as to why the characters show up in Phandolin and i can bump them up to lvl 2 in a natural way. That way I can also let them have some friends already in the village and make it more homey.

[@GreenMochi420]

Yeah dude they should’ve called it dwarves ruins or something. A lot of the quests fell empty or void of a lot, not I have to assume it’s because they left room for changes lol

[@JNJTabletop]

I think it’s just a weird name, but I like your approach better. Either way though, we had so much fun playing this module

[@commonviewer2488]

Wasting 40 in-game hours to break into a room with no loot, only possible death is plain awful design. Making it so that last hidden gem is exchangeable for others, and if the condition isn't met, the trap will not destroy the gem, but trigger another earthquake, causing the players to have to rush back out of the collapsing ruins. There will of course, be obstacles to that, and the late arrival of the orcs can complicate things when the refuge they hoped for is suddenly destroyed.

[@JNJTabletop]

This is an OUTSTANDING way to handle this!!

[@vincno3013]

Where is the play through of this adventure? First time with DnD & the kids and I are floundering and want to give up. I’m the DM and I’m lost.

[@JNJTabletop]

I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling. This is the playlist. I hope it helps. Dragon of Icespire Peak kzbin.info/aero/PL6dmrZg4pm2p9xcsjvlqQDWktsv-n153k

[@DeathMetalDadReacts]

Im binge watching and making flash cards for the quest board. The quest cards in the kit are lackluster imo

[@JNJTabletop]

Preset adventures can be rough like that sometimes

[@andrewmoran9585]

One idea is have Harbin be her ex who is always trying to “rescue” her to win her back. 😂😂😂

[@JNJTabletop]

Oh that could have some very interesting ways of playing out!

[@charlessantista5063]

Hi, please a little help on a dm (and d&d) begginer here. How time passes in this game? Especially how much in real life I have to say to the other player and its sidekick to keep excavating? The game says 40 hours you say we should diminish this time, but in the end, how many minutes of real gameplay this should be to make realistic but also fun? Thx!!

[@JNJTabletop]

I would just describe it quickly because I like to keep the action moving. Maybe a sentence or two to help the players understand how much time and effort went into it and that’s it.

[@charlessantista5063]

@@JNJTabletop thx!! one more question Jake, when our AC matters in defending? For example in Gnomengarde g10. Spinning blades it states "any creatures entering have to make a savings throw, taking 18 on a failed save or half on a successful save", in this case our AC doesn't account for anything?

[@JNJTabletop]

That is correct!