Amber Temple in CoS, this ElfTower has the BEST summary

BTW, Druid/Warlock stuff for the kid

• Level 9 Druids get Greater Restoration, spell level 5. Kid is almost there!! 
•  (can summon a fire elemental at level 9)
• Can Wildshape into giant scorp at lvl 9
• Level 10 Druid - can become a fire elemental. 
• Level 9 Warlock gets another invocation.
• Pact of Tome -> Book of Secrets
• Record all those ritual magics from the many books in Amber Temple

https://dnd-5e.fandom.com/wiki/Beast_Shapes

 

AMBER TEMPLE STUFF BELOW

• *** I think potions of temp HP pop up? Before enter triple flameskulls. ?? 
• Maybe with counterspell, via Kasimir, it'll be OK, barely. He's going to go unconcious from 2 fireballs tho probably. 
•     Deathslaad useful spell links from statblock page: https://5e.tools/bestiary/death-slaad-mm.html
• Cloudkill is dangerous in close quarters! It will keep doing dmg each round!
• 
  
  
  
  

 https://www.elventower.com/chapter-13-the-amber-temple/

BTW, he made many custom One-Shots, levels 3-10 variety: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/393021/fantastic-adventures-mega-bundle-bundle?affiliate_id=446018

Very helpful for a DM/for our campaign. 

Summarizes the actual "gotchas", and Dark Gift gotchas that COULD "break" the whole game. I mean I guess... but if the kid wanted to do something crazy like rez some super strong dead guy, why not let him? Mostly in normal parties of 4 actual players, turning evil (playing by the book on dark gifts) could be bad, sure. Still, awesome analysis, WAAY better than anything up to that point. 

NPC HELPERS:

• Option to bring Ezmerelda, she seems to be a fighter mage, mostly caster level 9 (on low level offense, plus greater inviz) but can melee (good AC v. v. good HP): https://5e.tools/bestiary/ezmerelda-davenir-cos.html
• Or Rudolf Van Richten, seems to be a lvl 9 Cleric with TERRIBLE AC, good HP, here: https://5e.tools/bestiary/rictavio-cos.html
• Kasimir Stat Block, plus list of errors in NPC statblocks for CoS:
• https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/bugs-support/61226-curse-of-strahd-npc-monster-stat-blocks
• ***counterspell to counter at least one FB. 
• Maybe he'll level up one time OR... he needs more HP. 
• TEMP HP? 

=======OTHER USEFUL BELOW==========

• https://wellmetblog.wordpress.com/2018/02/28/the-amber-temple/
• https://wellmetblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/curseofstrahd-story-18/
• amber golem, using the stone golem monster stats but with only 145 hit points
• Dont allow ESCORT BY Exethanter till the time is right b/c
• he'll turn off all monsters, so Zero fighting. 
• Maybe he just tells directions/passwords at first
• Maybe he'll help them out here and there

• Calc HP here - https://www.5ehp.com/
• Good describe of 5e's low AC to allow lower level monsters to still hurt you (Dark Souls style)
• https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_Bounded_Accuracy_(5e_Guideline)
• 
  
• Dark Powers and Amber Vestiges are the same thing. 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUBf3q3TGZg
• The dark powers and amber vestiges are in fact one and the same according to the designers. In the adventure the house of lament, a new vestige is found in an amber monolith in the basement of the house.The adventure tells you to "use the Entity as a lurking manifestation of the Dark Powers, a vague glimpse of a terror even the house’s spirits fear.". So it's even more clear now that they are the same. Even the mara the ghost thinks that this entity can free her from the house as a manifestation of the dark powers.