Last week, I read the description of an NPC's death straight from the module. It was the first time I had read anything straight from the book in quite some time, and it was noticeable. I probably should have just summarized it from memory instead of disrupting the "flow" of the game. In any case, someone asked later on in the session how long I had been running a published adventure. The answer to that question is complicated. In some ways, we have all along... but not exactly. I have drawn upon ideas from various modules, but there have been very few sessions that have been "by the book." Here's a quick rundown:
- I started the campaign with a published adventure from Dungeon Magazine, Within the Circle. For the most part, I ran this as written, except I gave Jern more background and made Belig a bugbear.
- I used the dungeon levels from Beneath the Twisted Tower, but I took out all the gibberling nonsense and stuck to monsters that I actually liked.
- I used a modified version of the main map from Perils of the Underdark, the second book from the Night Below adventure/campaign.
- I borrowed a great deal from Book Three: The Adventure, part of the Menzoberranzan boxed set.
- Everything else has been drawn from the actions/backgrounds of the PCs, or entirely my own design... or hinting at material from a module that just hasn't come up yet.

- At times, I found it easier to switch a monster to something else entirely rather than update the stats to Pathfinder.
- I like using miniatures, and I will often switch a monster if I don't have a mini to represent it well.
- I create my own battle maps using a combination of Dungeon Tiles and Pathfinder Map Packs. Occasionally, I use one of the larger flip mats. Regardless of what I use for a particular encounter, they almost never match the maps in the module.
- Pretty much anytime I see a monster with an underpowered feat (Deceitful, for example), I swap it for something that helps keep them alive longer in combat... especially since we have a certain dwarf barbarian that likes to charge everything.
- I typically go into optimization mode with "boss" monsters and redo them entirely. When I run the big baddies straight from the book, I am usually disappointed in how challenging they are to the players.
- I've been dropping some clues about a major villain whose plans are in the works, but I'm pretty sure I've been vague enough that none of my players have put all the pieces together thus far.
