Ezlo
2009-03-22, 11:26 AM
I've been playing with the same group of people for some time now running little one-shot campaigns from some cheap adventure books I found, but now I'm getting used to playing I figure I can make my own adventure now but I still need some help.
First off, the party I'm DMing for is unquestionably evil; they steal they indiscriminatly murder, one character tried to start sacrificing people in his name to start pushing himself up to deityhood (he died as a result of that, it's a funny story but not relevant.) so the campaign I'm creating is an evil one.
My plan is to have them get in contact with high level lich from another plane who is a collector of evil artifacts. He offers the party a bunch of gold to go and get the Eye of Vecna from a nearby cave and bring it to him. He would go get it himself but he has caused too much trouble in the party's realm that people are starting to take notice and he would rather lay it low. So the party agrees, lich gives them a map to the cave and the party is off.
They get there and they discover that the lich's information is a little bit off the mark, the cave is there but an order of paladins have constructed a fortress on top of it to protect the eye from falling into the wrong hands. The party will have to fight their way through the fortress, the cave and the Vault of Vecna to get to the eye and once the obtain it they have a choice: either they give the eye to the lich and get the money and more adventures working for the lich, or they keep the eye for themselves and gain a nice antagonist for the party.
Now my problem lies in dungeon creation, how do I create a fortress that is both realistic and interesting to play? It's not like they are going to have traps just laying about or doors that you have to solve a riddle to open. Any tips for me?
First off, the party I'm DMing for is unquestionably evil; they steal they indiscriminatly murder, one character tried to start sacrificing people in his name to start pushing himself up to deityhood (he died as a result of that, it's a funny story but not relevant.) so the campaign I'm creating is an evil one.
My plan is to have them get in contact with high level lich from another plane who is a collector of evil artifacts. He offers the party a bunch of gold to go and get the Eye of Vecna from a nearby cave and bring it to him. He would go get it himself but he has caused too much trouble in the party's realm that people are starting to take notice and he would rather lay it low. So the party agrees, lich gives them a map to the cave and the party is off.
They get there and they discover that the lich's information is a little bit off the mark, the cave is there but an order of paladins have constructed a fortress on top of it to protect the eye from falling into the wrong hands. The party will have to fight their way through the fortress, the cave and the Vault of Vecna to get to the eye and once the obtain it they have a choice: either they give the eye to the lich and get the money and more adventures working for the lich, or they keep the eye for themselves and gain a nice antagonist for the party.
Now my problem lies in dungeon creation, how do I create a fortress that is both realistic and interesting to play? It's not like they are going to have traps just laying about or doors that you have to solve a riddle to open. Any tips for me?