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TheCountAlucard
2010-03-14, 01:27 PM
The fifth-level PCs of my game are in the employ of a famous artificer (not the class, just a title) who calls himself "the Machinist." Basically picture Doc Brown from Back to the Future, except cover him in cyborg grafts and gear his obsession toward building golems and the like. He's currently working on some top-secret project, and the PCs are helping to gather exotic ingredients for him.

The current material he's having them seek is a relatively large amount of unworked adamantine.

Naturally, the obvious solution would be to find an adamantine mine and seize control of it. Of course, if said mine is being used by anything, that might make claiming it a little hard for the PCs... but then again, would it be fun if it was nice and easy? :smalltongue:

...which is why I've come to you, the Playground, seeking ideas for interesting/challenging encounters to throw at them on this quest. Natural hazards, obscure-yet-oddly-fitting critters from the depths of the Monster Manuals, grumpy halfings, if you'd care to throw an idea my way, my ears are open.

The party consists of an Elven Evoker Wizard, a Half-Elf Fighter (worships Heironeous), a Gnome Rogue, a Halfling Rogue, a Human Ranger, and a Human Favored Soul of Bahamut.

Much appreciation to those who are willing to help!

Jack_Simth
2010-03-14, 01:33 PM
Well, let's see...

Dwarves would likely be mining the ore if there wasn't a specific reason for them not to be doing so (AKA, monsters). And I suspect dwarves would be quite upset if someone were to come by to steal their vein of ore.

Maybe it's a haunted mine? Almost any undead will do for that (Ghosts, Ghouls, Ghasts, Zombies, Skeletons, Shadows, Spectres, Wraiths, whatever)

Pull out the Planar Handbook, and look through the assorted denizens of the plane of elemental earth - should give you some ideas (and anything that can go through stone like it was air or water would be rather annoying in an area where you'll be surrounded by it).

BobVosh
2010-03-14, 01:33 PM
A dwarven mine, of course! Except they are a druid circle that believe you shouldn't corrupt the land by pulling the metal from the earth. No one expects hippy dwarves protecting a mine, rather than mining it.

Also on a completely unrelated note: I always thought your name should be TheTnuocAlucard

*edit* Mildly ninjaed!

Beelzebub1111
2010-03-14, 01:34 PM
Kobolds. Kobolds are the best miners (only race that I can think of with a bonus to profession(miner)) so naturally they would be found in mines. Have them set up monstrously compex traps and have equipment from The Mechanist's previous employees to supliment them.

BRC
2010-03-14, 01:34 PM
The party finds a Gnome very willing to sell them the Mine for a mere 10,000 GP (A Bargain for a find of this value!)
He fails to mention that the Mine in question, though it does contain alot of Adamantine, is sentient, and will attack miners with falling rocks, cave ins, summoned Earth Elementals, and gas.

Atelm
2010-03-14, 01:46 PM
Xorns, so many Xorns it's not even funny.

Advance your standard twig blights (MM2) with a few HD, and have there be a colony of those lurking in the mines. The previous miners ran into them as they dug deeper, and now the twig blights are hungry again.

Perhaps there's a rift to the lower planes at the bottom of the mines, spewing forth various demons or devils.

aivanther
2010-03-14, 01:46 PM
Ongoing three way war between dwarves, kobold, and duregar. Each side has different conditions they are willing to give the PCs on the condition they help defeat the other two sides.

The dwarves will give you whatever amount you want, they have the strongest forces but are near the surface and are not very entrenched.

The kobolds are willing to let you mine as much as you want for as long as you want, and have an item or two to give in addition. They are entrenched and have a series of elaborate traps, secret passageways, and leave maps lying around that are apparently accurate but are actually misleading.

The duregar will divide the mine up half and half with the PCs. They are invading, and are not entrenched at all. But they have a cadre of underdark type druids, psions, and psychic warriors as well as some very nasty allies to overcome before they'll be dissuaded from continuing attacks.

TheCountAlucard
2010-03-14, 01:59 PM
And I suspect dwarves would be quite upset if someone were to come by to steal their vein of ore.Can't argue with that. :smallbiggrin:


Maybe it's a haunted mine?Also not a bad option.


Pull out the Planar Handbook, and look through the assorted denizens of the plane of elemental earth - should give you some ideas (and anything that can go through stone like it was air or water would be rather annoying in an area where you'll be surrounded by it).I'll certainly give it a look. Tactical advantages should certainly make things interesting - the party's won the last couple of fights in just a couple of rounds with minimal damage to themselves by getting the surprise round. :smallfrown:


Except they are a druid circle that believe you shouldn't corrupt the land by pulling the metal from the earth. No one expects hippy dwarves protecting a mine, rather than mining it.Druids? I don't wanna kill the party... :smalltongue:


Kobolds are the best miners (only race that I can think of with a bonus to profession(miner)) so naturally they would be found in mines.Can't believe I didn't think of these! :smallbiggrin: For extra fun, if I go with kobolds, they'll be worshippers of Tiamat. :smallamused:


Have them set up monstrously compex traps and have equipment from The Mechanist's previous employees to supliment them.Not a bad idea, either. After all, the party shouldn't be the only ones that the Machinist hired... :sabine:


The party finds a Gnome very willing to sell them the Mine for a mere 10,000 GP (A Bargain for a find of this value!)Unfortunately, the PCs don't have that kind of money on-hand; I think setting too high a price might just cause them to decide killing the gnome would be simpler.


Xorns, so many Xorns it's not even funny.They're certainly freaky enough, and the Earth Glide would give the xorns a nice tactical advantage...


Advance your standard twig blights (MM2) with a few HD, and have there be a colony of those lurking in the mines. The previous miners ran into them as they dug deeper, and now the twig blights are hungry again.Refresh my memory, what are twig blights again?


Perhaps there's a rift to the lower planes at the bottom of the mines, spewing forth various demons or devils.Devils could always use some more love. :smallamused:


Ongoing three way war between dwarves, kobold, and duregar. Each side has different conditions they are willing to give the PCs on the condition they help defeat the other two sides.Interesting, interesting...

Volkov
2010-03-14, 02:06 PM
The fifth-level PCs of my game are in the employ of a famous artificer (not the class, just a title) who calls himself "the Machinist." Basically picture Doc Brown from Back to the Future, except cover him in cyborg grafts and gear his obsession toward building golems and the like. He's currently working on some top-secret project, and the PCs are helping to gather exotic ingredients for him.

The current material he's having them seek is a relatively large amount of unworked adamantine.

Naturally, the obvious solution would be to find an adamantine mine and seize control of it. Of course, if said mine is being used by anything, that might make claiming it a little hard for the PCs... but then again, would it be fun if it was nice and easy? :smalltongue:

...which is why I've come to you, the Playground, seeking ideas for interesting/challenging encounters to throw at them on this quest. Natural hazards, obscure-yet-oddly-fitting critters from the depths of the Monster Manuals, grumpy halfings, if you'd care to throw an idea my way, my ears are open.

The party consists of an Elven Evoker Wizard, a Half-Elf Fighter (worships Heironeous), a Gnome Rogue, a Halfling Rogue, a Human Ranger, and a Human Favored Soul of Bahamut.

Much appreciation to those who are willing to help!

So the machinist is essentially an Adeptus mechanicus techpriest?

AmberVael
2010-03-14, 02:11 PM
I say combine some of these. By this, I mean: Kobolds riding Xorns. :smallbiggrin:

Give them crossbows and mounted feats. Making them cowboys, but in mines, and the ability to burrow through rock.

It'll be awesome.

Edit: Maybe substitute Ashworms or Thoqquas for Xorns, though they'd need fire resistance to use the latter.

BRC
2010-03-14, 02:26 PM
Unfortunately, the PCs don't have that kind of money on-hand; I think setting too high a price might just cause them to decide killing the gnome would be simpler.
Fine 1000 GP.

The point is, the mine should be sentient.

ka_bna
2010-03-14, 02:55 PM
They enter the mines ... and it's empty! An other artificer, who wants the adamantium too, has sent an expedition/party to retrieve the precious metal.
Problem is, they have mined all the adamantium in what seems one day, which is of course magically fast!

So, there are two objectives.
1. Hunt and chase the other party, whose members are scrambling to get away, just as they are tucking the last adamantium in their bag of holdings. Both hunter and hunted must overcome hazards and creatures, while traveling. Which may lead to cut-down rope bridges, deceived duergar, and some monsters feasting on a party member of the hunted group.

2. Players may deduce that there is a magic device which can extract adamantium at an extreme rate (of course, the device may break down often). The Machinist may give players a most generous reward should they "acquire" this device. But where is it? Surely underground mining communities have heard rumors about this thing...

TheCountAlucard
2010-03-14, 02:56 PM
So the machinist is essentially an Adeptus mechanicus techpriest?...not a big player of 40k, I'm afraid.


I say combine some of these. By this, I mean: Kobolds riding Xorns.Considering that Xorns eat metal, I can't see too much reason for either one to work with the other, but it'd nonetheless make for an interesting fight...


Maybe substitute Ashworms or Thoqquas for Xorns, though they'd need fire resistance to use the latter.Mind reminding me where these are from?

AmberVael
2010-03-14, 02:59 PM
Mind reminding me where these are from?

Thoqqua is in the SRD. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/thoqqua.htm)

Ashworm is from Sandstorm (I think there are actually rules for riding them, too).

JellyPooga
2010-03-14, 03:22 PM
I say have the mine infested with what I've lovingly dubbed "Cyst creatures" (because of a fluff thing about them growing within cysts in rock)...Half-Fiend Half-Shadow Dragon Thoqqua Mineral Warriors. I've stats for them in 4 stages from 3HD (newborn) to 9HD (elder) Cyst creatures, if you want them (though I'm sure you're capable of simply applying the templates yourself!).

Fighting their way through a hundred or so of these beasties shoulf be challenge enough to obtain a large quantity of adamantine.

Eldariel
2010-03-14, 03:35 PM
Thoqqua is in the SRD. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/thoqqua.htm)

Ashworm is from Sandstorm (I think there are actually rules for riding them, too).

Yeah, and there's even a PrC for it - Ashworm Dragoon. They're pretty good.

Admiral Squish
2010-03-14, 03:41 PM
Oooh! Instead of those other worms, use Thrum worms! They're sorta domesticated burrowing rides with a light sonic attack. Gnomes use them, but I could see kobolds as having more fun.

Schylerwalker
2010-03-14, 03:56 PM
I like the three way war idea. However, each group should be manipulated/controlled by some other force that wants the mines for their own nefarious purposes. Like the duergars are secretly cultists of Tharizdun who want the mine because there's an earth locus (Or whatever they're called) at the bottom, the kobolds are simply trying to claim the mine for their deep dragon overlord, while the dwarves are on a holy crusade for their lord Moradin...though the high priest leading them is actually a rakshasa with a ring of mind-shielding, and he wants to use the portal hidden in the depths of the mine to return to his home in Sigil...or, perhaps, bring a few of his friends into the Material Plane. None of these secret rulers really want the adamantine for themselves, though it would certainly be an added bonus.

deuxhero
2010-03-14, 04:00 PM
An army of ghosts that turns out to be old man Jenkins in a mask.

Escheton
2010-03-14, 04:28 PM
There is a dwarf subtype that can walk though stone and grab gems straight from the earth without mining.
Great hippie druids.
Might be dreamdwarfs, not sure.

TheCountAlucard
2010-03-14, 04:53 PM
An army of ghosts.Unfortunately, the Ranger's Animal Companion is a hawk, not a Great Dane. :smalltongue:

arguskos
2010-03-14, 05:02 PM
Why has no one suggested the Lodestone Marauder yet? It's a burrowing monster that eats metal and is from MM4. It's basically perfect for stuff like this.

Neon Knight
2010-03-14, 05:21 PM
Because the Lodestone Mauler is... rather silly. The idea of a magnetic creature is solid, but less so when it pulls the party's weapons out of their hands, which then promptly stick to its body, making it look like a rather hilarious pincushion. The imagery isn't precisely conductive towards the monster being taken all that seriously.

deuxhero
2010-03-14, 05:27 PM
Unfortunately, the Ranger's Animal Companion is a hawk, not a Great Dane. :smalltongue:

Though the idea of Druids (as suggested above) with a Ghost Wildshape (you are the DM, make the needed ACF/feat up) doing it is pretty interesting. If you don't want to kill your PCs, make them wildshape (mystic) Rangers and call them Druids.

Flickerdart
2010-03-14, 05:34 PM
Their guide did not lie: the mines are enormous, and positively chock full of adamantine. Adamantine that's already refined, even, and smelted. And in the form of Clockwork Horrors.

Alternately, the mine is a tiny, cramped place, unlike the massive caverns the guide made them out to be. This is because Earth Elementals have settled in, and latched themselves to the mines, blocking passageways and sucking dry the sweet, sweet adamantine to enhance their own power. Adamantine Elementals ho!

arguskos
2010-03-14, 05:36 PM
Because the Lodestone Mauler is... rather silly. The idea of a magnetic creature is solid, but less so when it pulls the party's weapons out of their hands, which then promptly stick to its body, making it look like a rather hilarious pincushion. The imagery isn't precisely conductive towards the monster being taken all that seriously.
When it's munching on your face, you might take it a bit more seriously. You can laugh if you want, but I don't for the same reason I don't laugh at Rust Monsters: they hit you where it hurts.

deuxhero
2010-03-14, 05:39 PM
Two(+three?) mad artificers that focus on making stuff blow up called Hyneman the Barbarian and Adam the Savage. They are using the mine as a test place for their new explosives.

Squark
2010-03-14, 06:02 PM
Their guide did not lie: the mines are enormous, and positively chock full of adamantine. Adamantine that's already refined, even, and smelted. And in the form of Clockwork Horrors.

Isn't there only 1 or two of those things in existence, IIRC?

Rising Phoenix
2010-03-14, 06:12 PM
Red Dragon: Did someone say adamantine? Free for the taking? Guess what I'll be doing...

Raiki
2010-03-14, 06:12 PM
Suffering from tl;dr, but I do have a suggestion.

Are your players old hands at 3.5? Old enough to be familiar with the Epic Level Handbook? If they are, throw a (highly malfunctioning) Adamantine Golem at them. Hell, you could even make that be the source of the adamantine they were sent to obtain.

I know that my players just about crapped themselves when I threw a wyrmling prismatic dragon (CR14, but they didn't know that) at them, so I can vouch for its effectiveness.

Edit: Yes, there is only ever 1 adamantine horror, and it is, well, horrifying. Your party would die in about 2 rounds. And that's only if it stopped to chew.

~R~

Flickerdart
2010-03-14, 07:13 PM
Isn't there only 1 or two of those things in existence, IIRC?
It could be really, really big.

Randel
2010-03-14, 07:32 PM
Maybe the mining techniques for getting Adamantine are dangerous?

I know that digging gold requires cyanide in its extraction (or maybe arsenic... its some kind of poisonous element) it basically dissolves the gold from the ore and they use a secondary process to extract the gold from the resulting gunk.

Also... I recall hearing about a mining technique for Titanium Oxide that basically consists of strip-mining the area, flooding it with water, and then having a massive machine in the middle that sucks in the water to extract the Titanium Oxide and sprays the waste material out haphazardly. There are people on the edge who's job is to spray water into the area to help keep everything wet enough to work, if you get sucked in then you're pretty much dead instantly.


So there can be all sorts of stuff, giant vats or rivers of acid designed to dissolve away either the adamantine or the rock its mixed with, flooded areas that are sprayed bombed and filtered to exract the precious metals inside... maybe they have the place crawling with monsters that eat precious metals like oozes or something and they then slaughter the monsters and extract the adamantine from its corpse.

When they finally get the Adamantine it might be in a totally different form, mixed with acidic compounds or turned to dust or something and it requires a secondary process to turn it into its useful metal form. Maybe due to its natural strength, rarity, and high melting point the only real way to mine it is to crush tons and tons of rock into gravel, have a Rust Monster go through and eat all the rocks that have a tiny speck of adamantine in it, and then after a while kill the Rust Monster and remove its liver and kidneys so that they can be dissolved by alchemy and get the adamantine out of it to be melted.

krossbow
2010-03-14, 08:31 PM
The Adamntite is actually a prison for an Old one.

in the time before history XXXXX (whomever you choose) struck down this being and encased it inside of a prison of metal, of adamantite, and hurled it through the cold reaches of space; eventually, it fell to earth, burying itself deep into a mountain. The adamantite in the mine is actually a large shell designed to imprison this evil.



While exploring this mine your characters would encounter horrific entites of madness spawned by this beings existence, and perhaps the logs of the last doomed expedition to try to mine this area (and of course, a large amount of the adamantite that had been packed in boxes, ready to go for your characters to grab and run with.

End it with your PC's having to flee the mines and perhaps seal it up again, only escaping with the bare minimum of adamantite you required.

TheCountAlucard
2010-03-14, 10:06 PM
@Raiki: Not really. Except for the Favored Soul, since he's got a whole binder full of epic D&D characters he's played over the years.

@Rising Phoenix: Gee, kobolds, dwarven miners, duergar, undead, elementals, xorns, rakshasa, devils, hippy druid dwarves, lodestone maulers, and now a dragon wants it? This might be the most contested mine in the history of the campaign setting. :smalltongue:

@krossbow: If nothing else, that might provide a reason as to why the PCs don't come back five levels later to exploit it as a source of income...

Kirgoth
2010-03-14, 10:20 PM
The lower levels where the ore is located are flooded and being mined by slaves treated with Aboleth mucus to be able to breathe water; They are controlled by single aboleth who is mining the ore for horrible uses and eager to get stronger slaves. The party can also rescue some previous adventurers to get friends or lead to other adventure ideas.

Possibly kobolds in the higher levels of the mine which has been pretty much mined out.

Look up Aboleth they are icky.

TheCountAlucard
2010-03-14, 10:26 PM
Look up Aboleth they are icky.I'm well aware of this; I'd ran an adventure some time back involving Aboleths and an imprisoned Old One. It was quite interesting. :smallamused:

However, since one of the players from that adventure is one of these players, I think I'll skip Aboleths this time around.

Lin Bayaseda
2010-03-14, 10:37 PM
Classic tropes demand that the mine be contensted between two factions, with the PCs having a choice to side with either faction against the other, play both factions against each other, or thow subtlety to the wind and attempt to slay both sides.

HenryHankovitch
2010-03-15, 01:07 AM
What if the deeper areas of the mines emit a constant aura or force that induces hallucinations, paranoia, etc on the part of anybody in them? Go all Lovecraftian on the party. At first they're just fighting crazy monsters, then they all start to go crazy...

Randel
2010-03-15, 01:15 AM
Or toxic gasses settle down in the shaft and the players need to get a source of clean air or they become weakened and perhaps die of suffocation.

Coidzor
2010-03-15, 01:45 AM
@Rising Phoenix: Gee, kobolds, dwarven miners, duergar, undead, elementals, xorns, rakshasa, devils, hippy druid dwarves, lodestone maulers, and now a dragon wants it? This might be the most contested mine in the history of the campaign setting. :smalltongue:


First there's the dwarf hold/kobold warren/cavern-area in the underdark that's being contested. THen there's the actual mines. Then there's the area of the minds where the adamantine is extracted. Then finally the specific vein of adamantine they'll be able to get at without additional exploratory mining.

Gorilla2038
2010-03-15, 01:58 AM
I have a deep love of greathorn minotaurs, and they are teh better rogues teh world has ever seen. Earthglide+power attacking sneak+unerrata'd weopens with a 19-20x4 crit? Yes sir.

cheezewizz2000
2010-03-15, 06:37 AM
We ALL know that adamantine ore harbours demons. Specifically tentacle demons with their infamous "corrupt intentions".

/obligatory dwarf fortress reference.

Jack_Simth
2010-03-15, 06:54 AM
Or toxic gasses settle down in the shaft and the players need to get a source of clean air or they become weakened and perhaps die of suffocation.
Eh, that's one of the big things canary's are for (seriously - they were actively bred for that purpose for a long, long time).