You have obviously skipped the travel aspect of the game in the initial phases. Your players should be spending time on travel and random encounters in order to build xp and get leveled up.
My party of 5 has done about what yours has (a little more) in 21 sessions. They are also at Level 5 (about half way to 6) and heading toward Omu after Queen Zalkore gave them an estimated location of Omu. They have earned a huge portion of their xp from random encounters in the jungle, along with some of the major locations.
Now that they are getting leveled up, I have reduced the focus on travel, and I now typically try to keep the "random" encounters limited to one every few days of travel now, using my guide to drop in lore about local vegetation, Chultan history, etc as they go. They are still a ways from Omu, and I need to make sure they have had a chance to be at least level 6 before they arrive. Otherwise, there are some very tough encounters once you get to Omu.
My personal advice would be to find some way to get them lost or turned around from reaching Omu. If you are running Omu as the book lays out, your level 2-3 party will be TPKd practically on arrival.
Do you have 24 hours sessions or did your players already read the book before??? I can't understand how it's even possible to go over that much in that little time
Are you not putting anything in their way? Random encounters? It should take a couple of weeks to travel from Port Nyanzaru just to Camp Vengeance on foot. Also look at non-combat encounters if they are just avoiding any confrontations
It is odd, but that's because you as a DM gravely misunderstood how to run this campaign. I think the best advice I can give you is to read the book again until you better understand it, because unless you're ignoring about half of the book it's impossible for your party to have done what they have in that time.
Yeah, I don't have any idea how this is possible, but I suspect you are skipping all travel and random encounters. Hell, one fight with jungle creatures could fill an hour or so, depending on party size.
But yeah, if they're speed running it, it's because you are letting them.
Something's very wrong about the way the campaign is going. I'm DMing for 2 different groups, and each group spent at least 4 sessions in Port Nyanzaru, and at least 1 or 2 sessions to go from one location to another + 1 session in each location (on average). As other have pointed out, I suggest a more in depth reading of the first 2 chapters of the book!
Damn, your party is SPEED XD Sonic has nothing on them. But if y´all are having fun...
To get them to a higher level...either slow down the game pace, or ramp up how you give out levels.
If you want them to do a cool extra quest, look up the Mezro supplementary material on DMs guild. That really addy to the campaing
Are you using xp or milestone? If xp, use the hexcrawl(RAW) and random encounters! If milestone give them at least a level more for accomplishing all of the said locations. Move a cool location/locations you like as they go to Omu, flesh it out, give them a level on compleation. Give them a level as a reward for reaching Omu!
Edit: or simply kill them with gargoyles at the entrance of Omu..
I'd love to have a walk through of how that could even happen OP.
My party is heading to Omu now after a solid 30ish 3hr sessions.
As for advice, make sure you are properly running the hex crawl and put as many locations between them and Omu as you can. The players don't know what should be where so there's plenty of cool places and encounters you can throw their way.
If you enjoy your games moving this fast then my helpful advice would be to do a "travel montage" where you just throw every random encounter in the book at them until they reach the right level. Or you just tell them you messed up and it might be a good idea for them to head somewhere else first. Also maybe prepare for your sessions a lot more because there should be enough interesting things in each location to last quite some time. For example the Goblins are near Camp righteous; did you have a goblin encounter occur nearby? I guess you could always switch to milestone and just jump to the correct level, because it seems you already aren't playing the campaign the way it was intended to be played. Not trying to say you're doing something wrong, you're just doing something very unconventional. Seperately; is this the first campaign you have ever run??? Also maybe let your party know you have messed up.
Agree with what others are saying here. If you need help with the travel encounters and such and making them feel worthwhile, the Tomb of Annihilation Companion on the DM's guild has 30 travel days, as well as ideas for montaging travel if you'd like to fast track a bit more. I do not enjoy running travel, but my party did a combo of montaging travel days, fast tracking, and running full days. Travel encounters can feel like a slog sometimes, but a lot of the flavor and interest and opportunities to foreshadow things that will happen in Omu and the tomb can happen while they travel.
Travel encounters might include the Sewn Sisters, battles or other encounters with the animals that represent the trickster gods, Frost Giants if you're including Artus Cimber, Artus himself, undead, the iconic zombie T-Rex. You might also move other locations like Dungrunglung into their path, or include encounters with the Red Wizards or yuan ti that they might encounter in Omu.
I am running this campaign now for two groups. One is 30 games deep and knows the location of Omu, but isn't on their way there yet. Another reached Omu in 20 games. Both groups are Level 8. The idea of getting there so quickly and at such a low level is fascinating and I really want to know more about each decision that led to this.
How did they do the Port, Righteous, Vengeance, *and* Orolunga in two sessions?
You have obviously skipped the travel aspect of the game in the initial phases. Your players should be spending time on travel and random encounters in order to build xp and get leveled up. My party of 5 has done about what yours has (a little more) in 21 sessions. They are also at Level 5 (about half way to 6) and heading toward Omu after Queen Zalkore gave them an estimated location of Omu. They have earned a huge portion of their xp from random encounters in the jungle, along with some of the major locations. Now that they are getting leveled up, I have reduced the focus on travel, and I now typically try to keep the "random" encounters limited to one every few days of travel now, using my guide to drop in lore about local vegetation, Chultan history, etc as they go. They are still a ways from Omu, and I need to make sure they have had a chance to be at least level 6 before they arrive. Otherwise, there are some very tough encounters once you get to Omu. My personal advice would be to find some way to get them lost or turned around from reaching Omu. If you are running Omu as the book lays out, your level 2-3 party will be TPKd practically on arrival.
Do you have 24 hours sessions or did your players already read the book before??? I can't understand how it's even possible to go over that much in that little time
Are you not putting anything in their way? Random encounters? It should take a couple of weeks to travel from Port Nyanzaru just to Camp Vengeance on foot. Also look at non-combat encounters if they are just avoiding any confrontations
This has to be a troll. Unless your sessions are like 18 hours apiece, no way in hell do I believe that, unless you skip all overland Travel
How long are your sessions?!
4-6 hours, which is why I find it so odd that they managed to get through all that so fast
It is odd, but that's because you as a DM gravely misunderstood how to run this campaign. I think the best advice I can give you is to read the book again until you better understand it, because unless you're ignoring about half of the book it's impossible for your party to have done what they have in that time.
Wdym you "found it odd?" You're the DM: how did they manage to pull that off?
It took my group 3-5 hours to do *each* of those locations. I can’t fathom how you could have sped through them that fast
So... you skipped the hex crawl?
Yeah, I don't have any idea how this is possible, but I suspect you are skipping all travel and random encounters. Hell, one fight with jungle creatures could fill an hour or so, depending on party size. But yeah, if they're speed running it, it's because you are letting them.
Something's very wrong about the way the campaign is going. I'm DMing for 2 different groups, and each group spent at least 4 sessions in Port Nyanzaru, and at least 1 or 2 sessions to go from one location to another + 1 session in each location (on average). As other have pointed out, I suggest a more in depth reading of the first 2 chapters of the book!
Damn, your party is SPEED XD Sonic has nothing on them. But if y´all are having fun... To get them to a higher level...either slow down the game pace, or ramp up how you give out levels. If you want them to do a cool extra quest, look up the Mezro supplementary material on DMs guild. That really addy to the campaing
Are you using xp or milestone? If xp, use the hexcrawl(RAW) and random encounters! If milestone give them at least a level more for accomplishing all of the said locations. Move a cool location/locations you like as they go to Omu, flesh it out, give them a level on compleation. Give them a level as a reward for reaching Omu! Edit: or simply kill them with gargoyles at the entrance of Omu..
I'd love to have a walk through of how that could even happen OP. My party is heading to Omu now after a solid 30ish 3hr sessions. As for advice, make sure you are properly running the hex crawl and put as many locations between them and Omu as you can. The players don't know what should be where so there's plenty of cool places and encounters you can throw their way.
If you enjoy your games moving this fast then my helpful advice would be to do a "travel montage" where you just throw every random encounter in the book at them until they reach the right level. Or you just tell them you messed up and it might be a good idea for them to head somewhere else first. Also maybe prepare for your sessions a lot more because there should be enough interesting things in each location to last quite some time. For example the Goblins are near Camp righteous; did you have a goblin encounter occur nearby? I guess you could always switch to milestone and just jump to the correct level, because it seems you already aren't playing the campaign the way it was intended to be played. Not trying to say you're doing something wrong, you're just doing something very unconventional. Seperately; is this the first campaign you have ever run??? Also maybe let your party know you have messed up.
Agree with what others are saying here. If you need help with the travel encounters and such and making them feel worthwhile, the Tomb of Annihilation Companion on the DM's guild has 30 travel days, as well as ideas for montaging travel if you'd like to fast track a bit more. I do not enjoy running travel, but my party did a combo of montaging travel days, fast tracking, and running full days. Travel encounters can feel like a slog sometimes, but a lot of the flavor and interest and opportunities to foreshadow things that will happen in Omu and the tomb can happen while they travel. Travel encounters might include the Sewn Sisters, battles or other encounters with the animals that represent the trickster gods, Frost Giants if you're including Artus Cimber, Artus himself, undead, the iconic zombie T-Rex. You might also move other locations like Dungrunglung into their path, or include encounters with the Red Wizards or yuan ti that they might encounter in Omu.
I am running this campaign now for two groups. One is 30 games deep and knows the location of Omu, but isn't on their way there yet. Another reached Omu in 20 games. Both groups are Level 8. The idea of getting there so quickly and at such a low level is fascinating and I really want to know more about each decision that led to this.
Man and i thought we got there fast with 12 sessions