Deadly Dungeon: Episode 10.5

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==The Halfway Point Special==
This episode is a mid way check point for The Deadly Dungeon, and serves as a general discussion and recap of everything that has happened in the dungeon up to this point. Discussion topics include dungeon mechanics, encounters, rules, party compositions, and speculation as to the lore behind the dungeon.
Dungeon Master: ApolloNik
Panelists: JaimeeK, JonDungeonMaster, Shadow054, Temhr
=== Principles for the Dungeon ===
* Make every encounter lethal
* Make every encounter memorable
* The greater the risk, the greater the reward
* Every floor should not be a guaranteed victory
=== Dungeon Mechanics ===
* The Erasure - the dungeon fades out over time, causing all of the color to fade from every part of the dungeon, and eventually fades from existence. Mechanically, this disallows rests for the party, and helps to keep party strength in check. The time for this mechanic is approximately 11 minutes. Thematically, this will be revealed in time.
* These mechanics make certain classes hard to use, especially those that rely on short rests.
* The dungeon level has been tuned up due to the power of the parties
* The Doors - to move through the doors, you must concentrate as an action to move through the door for three straight rounds. The door mechanics take away from using them for the party's advantage, and helps to keep the encounter clean and smooth. This prevents parties who are going to die from running through the doors to find out what may be coming up next.
* Loot - There are two different types of treasure, Simple Treasure and Good Treasure. One instance of a Great Treasure table was seen, but it was an aberration due to dungeon tuning.
=== Encounters ===
* The panel discusses all of the encounters from each floor, including which ones are their favorites.
* The Goblin Crowd boss is discussed, as well as how their mechanics work. Their level of aggressiveness was directly related to the quality of the show that went on in front of them.
*The Lava Room on floor 2 had a 12-foot gap to jump, with an illusionary tile waiting for the party to fall through.
*The Monk Room with the Pits is where Apollo decided to not hold back and to actively try to kill the party at all turns, as the community was ready for the challenge.
*The Guardian room with the six tests of skill proved to be one of the favorite encounters of both chat and the panel. 
*The first door on floor 4 was always going to result in the wall caving in, and was not dependent on the Guardians being present.
*The Mysterious Orbs on floor 4 provided a fun challenge for interacting with movement and the terrain.
*The aspect of moving lava in the T-Rex encounter incentivized the party to continue moving through the room.
*The panel really wants to know what the minecart path reveals, but will have to wait until the end of the dungeon.
*The trap room above the minecart room had varying damage dice depending on the number rolled on the saving throws for the different traps.
*The steam room with limited vision countered the darkness strategy, but could not counter Spirit Guardians
*Apollo decided to not show the Spooky Estate (floor 6) due to a current group still running the floor
=== Discussion Topics and Questions ===
* Groups huddling by the door - Many groups in the dungeon huddle by the door at the start of combat, and do not spread out into the room. This is mostly because there is little incentive for them to do so - expect that to change in future floors of the dungeon.
*The colors of magic as relayed in episode 2 do not relate to the colors of the sconces in floors 2,4, and 6. The occurrence was random and coincidental, as there were just different art assets used for different color sconces.
*There is an aura of conjuration that encompasses every aspect of the dungeon. The doors in the dungeon give off an aura from all the schools of magic, as well as a new pink/violet aura of a new type of magic. 
*The sister robot Guardian will be revealed on a future floor, and is more temperamental than her brethren
*The Chicken Swarm actually had a stat block:
**Peck - Attack (+2), deals 10d4-20 damage, chickens may only use peck if near CR 1/8 or 1/4 creatures and no other creatures are within 5 ft. of the target
**Clumsy Flyer - chickens are not good flyers and must land after their movement (15 ft.) is over
* There is a Diary in the dungeon that doesn't go away as you move through the floor. This could give more information as to who created the dungeon.
* The star chart that shows up in Episode 10 is from Neal's universe, and it is not known how it relates
* There are 6 more floors in the dungeon, including the end of the Spooky Estate
=== Party Composition ===
* Keep up the strong roleplay and continue to use new classes and subclasses
* Darkness compositions and Goodberry Cleric/Druid combinations are frowned upon - please do not bring that back into the dungeon
* Things to try or see again:
** Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, due to the extra spells they can cast
** Warlocks, Monks, and Barbarians haven't been seen, and several builds could incorporate them into a party
** Fighter (6) builds are underutilized and can be very powerful.
** It would be nice to see niche subclasses, such as Arcane Trixster Rogues, Eldritch Knight Fighters, any Druids besides Circle of the Moon, and Wild Magic Sorcerers.
** Meme groups for fun are encouraged!!!
* It's important to plan ahead for the fact that it's a meta dungeon. It's important to find ways to protect your support and damage characters, as the monsters are swarming past the tanks. Ways to tank better are important, such as using Sentinel, displacement abilities, and giving the enemy disadvantage
* Make every character in your party a threat, so avoid one being focused. This can also be done by making every character tanky.
* Pay attention to the way you can manipulate your starting money, and you can come into the dungeon with lots of healing potions.
=== Questions for Apollo ===
* What was your biggest concern? - The dungeon wouldn't be hard enough
* What was your funniest moment? - The roleplaying in general, especially things that Rob said
* What was your most stressful moment? - Dealing with the darkness party, and the intro for the first episode
* What message do you have for the audience? - Apollo would like to see more opportunities for the community to interact, create, and play more games with each other and continue to grow.
* What is your least favorite herb or spice? - Absolutely dill
* What is happening after the Deadly Dungeon? - Apollo would love to continue doing tabletop streaming, as well as refocus on the current campaigns he is in.
* Will there be a Deadly Dungeon 3? - Possibly in the future, after a break to ensure that additional content would be new, fresh, and interesting to all involved.
Category:Deadly Dungeon Episodes