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mr.fizzypop
2009-02-28, 08:03 PM
I'm currently DMing a 3.5 dnd campaign. The PC's are currently exploring a tomb/cave to rescue a duke from a gnoll necromancer. They have just entered the tomb(it will lead into a cave). But now I'm having writers DM's block, and was wondering if anyone has any ideas for dungeon encounters? Maybe some interesting encounters that have worked for you in the past, or were really fun?

The PC's are all 4th level and the party consists of:
-a human druid
-a half-orc barbarian
-an elf cleric
-a human fighter
-a dwarf ranger

I already know how its going to end. Any ideas?

TheCountAlucard
2009-02-28, 08:25 PM
Not really an encounter, but...

Have an ordinary, non-magical ivory pipe in the first room of the dungeon. Regardless of whether the PCs pick it up, destroy it, or ignore it, have it appear in the next room, vanishing from their inventory, if need be. Repeat this step for every room.

Llama231
2009-02-28, 08:39 PM
How are you having it end?
Zombies are always good, as well as wights, skeletons, etc.
I would suggest having some sort of miniboss.
Also, it may be challenging for the widernes classes, so you might want to compensate for that.

How optimized are the PCs. What type of players are playing?

mr.fizzypop
2009-02-28, 10:41 PM
How are you having it end?

I was thinking that the tunnel eventually will lead up into the mountains where the PC's appear right in the middle of the necromancer's ritual to sacrifice the duke. The necromancer will send his two zombie flinds against the PC's while he stands back providing spell support. I still must work out all the details though. When I said I new how it was going to end, I meant I had the general idea.


How optimized are the PCs. What type of players are playing?

Well for starters the dwarf ranger loves to jump. He has a monkey animal companion who also shares the same aspect.
The human fighter provides the main combat support for the group and not much else.
The human druid likes to use his constrictor snake animal companion to grapple any foe.
The other two haven't been in the party for two long so they're your basic barbarian and cleric at this point.

I hope this info helps.

Kol Korran
2009-03-01, 01:32 PM
a few more questions that might help us, help you...
1) is this the sole encoutner before they meet the necromancer, or are there more encounters en route? how beat up do you want the party to be when they reach the gnoll necroamncer?
2) what can you tell us about these mountains (might help us figure out what lives in them), the necromancer's allies and enemies (again- possible encounter material)? the tunnel itself (artificial? natural? has been sealed for long/ used for long?)
3) were there any prior "rescue parties"?

i'll list a few ideas that come to mind, though any information you can give would greatly help:
- "the feral & the undead": as guardians, you could have a group of trained hyenas, (we're talking gnolls, right?) combined with with a few undead (i think other hyenas, other gnolls, or perhaps what remains of the duke's guards, with medium/ heavy armor, maybe with halberd, fighting from behind the hyenas). this encounter has a bit for everyone- plenty of enemies for the melee types to hack trhough, some undead for the cleric, and some animals to deal with for the druid and ranger (if they don't decide to just hack through).

- "the styrges and undead": a bit of a differetn approach. the party goes into a large cavern and start fighting undead (or maybe just one big undead, like a large skeleton dire hyena), when suddenly from the top of the cavern sweep several stirges (maybe getting to the more vulnerable parts of the party first). this could be an interesting, though alarming battle, where the characters need to choose what to fight- ignoring any of the neemies could be dangerous.

(more on styrges and how to best use them on my link on my signature)

- "the undead in the pool": yes, i'm going through the undead encounters first. you were talking about a necromancer after all... the idea here is that there is a fairly big pond/ lake/ pool/ stream on the way down the tunnel. in it lurks the skeleton/ zombie of a hydra (5 heads). this should be an ambush attakc, where the heads try to grapple an opponenet and then drag it to water. then the battle gets split between the hydra undead trying to drown the character with 1-3 heads, while the rest battle the rest of the group, who might try to help. note: i would have suggested a hydra, but experience points to them being stronger than their CR at this level.

- "chokers and darkmantles": the title realy says it all. a group of chokers and 1-2 darkmantles have somehow learned to work together. from ambush the matles descend on the characters, and the chokers (with a blindfight feat, or smiliar, i forgot the name) follow them, trying to strangel the others. this encounter is great for panic- don't allow any player who's being choked to speak other than telling what his character does, maybe even only writing to you (since the others can't hear or see what the player does). i'd advise caution though- if the players don't know what they're doin, this could easely kill one player.

- "oozes!": fun fun fun in dungeos! i'd suggest to introduce a gelatine cube or two in a HUGE room. if you're characters are the "charge everything that move" type, the englufing cubes would prove difficult, though entertaining. if the characters are smart than this encounter won't pose a real problem, unless of course you introduce "comblications"... these complications could be animated objects, flying swarms (who easely fly over the cubes), and perhaps some sort of another opponenet, who the cubes can't touch (for example- the former mentioned dire hyena skeleton, with a hide armor covered in a special repellent that protects against the cubes.) this could also be a sort of a puzzle- the enemey can't be easely hit (admantine/ metal statue) but if it can be pushed into the cubes path (or bull rushed into them), then it will be trapped.

something similar to oozes (and i haven't even mentioned the others) are molds- have an opponenet (idealy an undead or animated one) be covered with mold or fungus- each hit on it will spread a cloud of the vile stuff (fort save, or suffer consequenses). this could even be some sort of "necromancer"s fungus, giving the sick person slight characteristics of the undead...

- "gibbering mouther": realy, a fun monster to run on it's own, but a few other interesting locations: the first is a pool of water, with several stone polesover it. as the character begin to jump between them, they here the maddening chatter rising form the pool, and a mass of flesh, eyes, and mouth swim and climbs one of the poles to reach a character. this could easely go down to a fight in the water, (with one character easely engulfed by the creature)or a game of "ju,p before it gets to you". another little horror encounter.

another scene is when the characters must descent to another cavern by climbing down natural cavern poles (again forgot the name... stalagmites?) the climb takes at least a few rounds, but after the first or secong something starts to slide down the poles from pores and holes at the top of the stalagmites. the gibbering mouther slides down the same poles, attacking with ease, jumping between one pole and another (you could even make new vesrion of "baby mouthers" instead... maybe they can meet "mom" later on?) again- disgust and panic- should the yhold on and avoid the fall, but then face the horror, or just fall down, suffer the damage and face the beast on leveled ground? be sure to impose difficulties on fighting while climbing.

- "goblins and their... shaman?" the group meets several goblins, as well as some wolves, and one goblin which seems more feral, with strangly glinting eyes. the group has been hired by the necromancer to guard this place. the goblins don't seem imposing at first, but they have barricated their position (add cover, minor traps and alchemical tools, and so on...) plus, the goblins have one wild card- the strange goblin is in fact a barghest, which greatly improves their position.

this could go two ways- they could deal with the barghest and the group to let them pass (perhaps for some payment or exchange of "goods"), or they could fight. use smart tactics, and the barghest as a surprise element (none of several groups i played with that faced barghest guessed what it was the first time). the barghest should use his spells the first time it can, then get into combat, perhaps wielding the small group's only magical weapon.
i'd suggest that if a fight breaks, let the barghest escape, it could come back as a minor villain later on.

(more on the barghest and how to use it on my link on my signature)

- "the contender's men": someone is aftr the duke's position. they either made a deal with the necromancer, or are acting on their own, but in anycase they don't want the characters to succeed... a small group of "partiots" or merceneries meets the party, and complicate matters. the idea here is the treachery, not kicking the character's butts. a few ideas:

the traitors arrive behind the party just as the battle is half won. seeing them injured they call their patron's name, and attack the party from behind! this i assure you will make for a memorable battle.

a similar idea, where the characters come upon enemies. only this is a planned ambush, with the traitors working with the enemies (works only if they made a deal with the necromancer). again, the characters should idealy be surrounded, and things seme dire.

"we come to help you!" the traitors arrive under guise of reinforcements (best done if they allready trust someone on the group). they may even help them with one or two tough fights. but when opportunity presents itself, they betray! (or perhaps when they reach the necromancer itself? ) beware- this could easely result in the death of a PC or more. another way to go about this is for the betrayers to offer to stand guard while the characters sleep, and then capture them (to give them to the necromancer). the characters, now bound, need to find a way to get out of this mess.

humph! enough for me. i hope this helps. let me know if it does. also- don't forget the questions at the beginning. check my link if you're looking for more ideas, though it entails a bit heavier writing than you're probably looking for.
that's all
Kol.

bosssmiley
2009-03-01, 06:16 PM
Google Sham's "Dim Expanse" and Amityville Mike's "Stonehell" - two classic megadungeons, complete with all the tricks, traps, secret doors, puzzling statues, hidden treasure caches, pits, magical pools, bizarro thaumo-mechanical technologies, hellevators, and classic (and revamped) monsters you could want. Suitable for levels 1-4 (or so...)

Oh, and then there are Jeff Rients "Iron Frogs". One-in-ten treasure chests in one of his dungeons are in the shape of large iron frogs. When unlocked, the loot pours out of their gaping mouths. Why? S'cool. Nuff said.

Nose around a few of the other old school blogs. They have things like random dungeon stuff and wandering chamber tables that'll cure DM's block, or your gps back.

mr.fizzypop
2009-03-02, 02:11 PM
a few more questions that might help us, help you...
1) is this the sole encoutner before they meet the necromancer, or are there more encounters en route? how beat up do you want the party to be when they reach the gnoll necroamncer?
2) what can you tell us about these mountains (might help us figure out what lives in them), the necromancer's allies and enemies (again- possible encounter material)? the tunnel itself (artificial? natural? has been sealed for long/ used for long?)
3) were there any prior "rescue parties"?

1) The adventure will mainly consist of a bunch of encounters before the necromancer. And I would like them beat up enough, that the final boss will be difficult.
2) The mountains are for the most part abandoned except for some wandering creatures.
3) No, actually the duke was captured during the night as they were escorting him. So it hasn't been too long since.

Anyway great ideas, I was actually planing to have an underground lake, like you suggested, so any other water encounters would also help.