Fortifying a hidden temple

[DontEatRawHagis]

So the one shot that I have been planning for the past few months is coming closer. Its 4e but I am not asking for specific 4e advice. I have most of the background worked out, hooks, and even the map. But I have some issues with the actual dungeon.

There are four areas that need extra work on. The entry way/foyer, two test rooms, and the kitchen/living area.

The overal dungeon is a Temple dedicated to a Nature Godess's(A huntress goddess) animal companion(a wolf). The last fight will be against a dire wolf and a group of regular wolves. There is a single cleric taking care of the dungeon and trying to make sure the wolves do not leave the temple.(He chants to keep them from leaving and destroying the nearby village). Since this is a temple I have the door to the main chamber sealed until those trying to enter it prove themselves.

The two test chambers will unlock the door. The first one is based on charity, the players must balance a scale with items that are either of a certain price or have great sentimental value. The second chamber is the one I don't like so much as it is just a fight your mirror selves senario.

The entry chamber is pretty bland except for the door and there is no real combat in the entire dungeon till the end. So how do you think I could spice up that section.

The kitchen/living area is infested by a watered down gelatinous cube, that some outside party planted in the temple to kill the cleric.

Anyone have any ideas or criticisms of what I can do to help spice up my one shot?

[LibraryOgre]

Dogs or regular (maybe minion) wolves attracted to the holiness of the place.
Swarms of fleas.
Air elementals made up of powerful scents.

I will say, I love the idea of a temple dedicated to the animal companion of a deity. It's the kind of detail that gets left out.

[Morghen]

I'd be likely to stuff the place with tons of smashy/pokey/slicey/smacky traps that only do their work about three feet off the floor. Or however tall your wolves are.

For the second test chamber, maybe a test of their "hunting" skills? Accuracy with a sling/bow/spear. Or a "track an [X] over rock" to find your way through.

[Asheram]

As Mr.Hall said earlier, I do like the premise of a temple dedicated to an divine animal companion.

Now, what kind of culture of worshippers were you thinking about? Is the temple in a jungle? Forest? Cavern?
Was it public to the people or is it more of a shrine where you worshiped at the gates of the larger temple?

Since it's about being pure of heart, I think you should change the second trial to something more... poetic. Say, they are made to submit to the judgement of the divine creature.
They're made to kneel on a certain spot and an illusion of the beast enters the room and attacks them, if they submit to the judgement and doesn't make any hostile actions they may pass. Otherwise they're attacked by... oh, something. :P

[Shadowleaf]

Though it is a bit bland mechanics-wise, having cage traps would fit the theme. If you're not skilled enough to avoid a simple animal cage, then you're not worthy of worshipping the animal companion.

Perhaps a group of (Neutral/Evil) Druids moved into the temple, and claimed the area of worship for themselves. They could either judge the party, or they could simply attack them. They don't need to have any relation to the Goddess - in fact, they might oppose her, and see her as 'suppressing' their Animal Deity.

A group of Dwarves accidently mined through the wall of one of the rooms if it's underground.

Hostile animals use the temple as a lair.



I've been playing a lot of Dwarf Fortress lately. :smallbiggrin:

[DontEatRawHagis]

As Mr.Hall said earlier, I do like the premise of a temple dedicated to an divine animal companion.

Now, what kind of culture of worshippers were you thinking about? Is the temple in a jungle? Forest? Cavern?
Was it public to the people or is it more of a shrine where you worshiped at the gates of the larger temple?

Since it's about being pure of heart, I think you should change the second trial to something more... poetic. Say, they are made to submit to the judgement of the divine creature.
They're made to kneel on a certain spot and an illusion of the beast enters the room and attacks them, if they submit to the judgement and doesn't make any hostile actions they may pass. Otherwise they're attacked by... oh, something. :P
Yeah I like to do stuff outside of the norm. Also the campaign if they choose to accept it is based on the end of days, so I thought a divine spirit would be easier for them to take on.

If all goes according to plan, they defeat a cult trying to use this event to their advantage by the time they are level 10(No it is not a standard evil cult).

As for the temple, ever see the Time Meddler episode of Doctor Who? The idea is similar to the Meddling Monk who takes control of an empty church. The church itself is hidden inside a small cave behind a waterfall, the original idea was that the water running down to the main chamber would alert the cleric to someone entered, but I since scrapped that idea, in favor of the animal fight.

There are two other access points besides the main entrance, one is a secret escape route. The other is the kitchen entrance that everyone believes is the home of a hermit(the cleric). He is a dwarf cleric/druid who is currently renovating the place after years of disrepair. He hopes to open it to the public soon.

As for your idea, I like it, might mix it up with the idea of being a good archer/hunter if a player ends up as a ranger.

[OracleofWuffing]

You want to test someone (http://thebambooforest.webs.com/templegamesguide.htm) before they enter a hidden temple (http://www.nicklegends.co.cc/roomcatalog.html)? Perhaps you might want to give them some tokens they can exchange to avoid combat with high level no-experience temple guards...

[LibraryOgre]

Another option, that I have used to wonderful effect:

Absolutely nothing. There is no significant opposition within the temple, just a lot of shadows and cobwebs.

It's when they get into the place, and maybe even get to the Holy of Holies, that the people coming in BEHIND them seal the place up and put the smack-down. When your players realize they are trapped, but have a decent defensive position, then you see some creativity.

Ahh, the orcs at Sokal keep. We almost lost our assassin to his own hubris, before they convinced the orcs to wait till evening so the hungry specter could eat them.

[zorba1994]

Player party vs. BIG MASHY SPIKE PLATE.

Uh, more seriously, traps. Lots of them.

[RndmNumGen]

Nature Goddess, huh?

Hrm...

Pitfalls and/or snares in combat encounter areas to make them encounters more challenging/use fewer monsters?
Poison plants that give off toxic spores they need to find a way through?
Thick vines that block their path?
Assassin vines that try to eat them?
Forest Spirits, i.e. 'Ghost' Animals that try to judge their worthiness? Have a simple test which, if they fail, they need to fight to continue?

[Aron Times]

I vote for not fortifying it at all, instead relying on its remote location to protect it from unwanted attention.

In Starcraft and Starcraft 2, the point of a hidden ("ninja") expansion is to get the benefit of its extra resources without having to spend as much on defending it. Basically, the ninja expansion's main defense is that it is located in an out-of-the-way place that your opponent is unlikely to find. Of course, its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness; if a ninja expansion is scouted, it is probably going down fast because its remote location makes it difficult to reinforce.

In your game, perhaps the temple is built on an inaccessible location, perhaps an island in a stormy sea, or perhaps at the top of a really tall mountain. Wherever you place your hidden temple, have the path to it infested by various monsters and wild animals. If the party can make it through alive, then they were found worthy enough by the deity. If not, then too bad.

Heavily fortifying a remote location with little strategic value doesn't make sense since most of the time, the precautions are unnecessary due to the difficulty in getting there in the first place, so just leave it undefended except for the difficulty in getting there in the first place.

[Asheram]

Yeah I like to do stuff outside of the norm. Also the campaign if they choose to accept it is based on the end of days, so I thought a divine spirit would be easier for them to take on.

If all goes according to plan, they defeat a cult trying to use this event to their advantage by the time they are level 10(No it is not a standard evil cult).

As for the temple, ever see the Time Meddler episode of Doctor Who? The idea is similar to the Meddling Monk who takes control of an empty church. The church itself is hidden inside a small cave behind a waterfall, the original idea was that the water running down to the main chamber would alert the cleric to someone entered, but I since scrapped that idea, in favor of the animal fight.

There are two other access points besides the main entrance, one is a secret escape route. The other is the kitchen entrance that everyone believes is the home of a hermit(the cleric). He is a dwarf cleric/druid who is currently renovating the place after years of disrepair. He hopes to open it to the public soon.

As for your idea, I like it, might mix it up with the idea of being a good archer/hunter if a player ends up as a ranger.

I'd like to request some more info.

1. What is the species of the god?
2. What kind of animal was the divine creature?

Now, to the big one. What was the original intent of the monks who built the temple?

Why did they build it where they built it? (Was it a holy site or intentionally secluded)
Why did they build the temple? (Was it meant to be a reliquary, a place for worship or meant to be a 'home' for the divine creature with the monks as its servants?)
What was the intent of the 'traps'? (To make sure that noone visited at all? To be a test for potential monks who wished to serve at the temple? To allow for the dedicated worshiper to enter?)

If you want the temple to Feel right, I think you should have these things in order.

[DontEatRawHagis]

I'd like to request some more info.

1. What is the species of the god?
2. What kind of animal was the divine creature?

Now, to the big one. What was the original intent of the monks who built the temple?

Why did they build it where they built it? (Was it a holy site or intentionally secluded)
Why did they build the temple? (Was it meant to be a reliquary, a place for worship or meant to be a 'home' for the divine creature with the monks as its servants?)
What was the intent of the 'traps'? (To make sure that noone visited at all? To be a test for potential monks who wished to serve at the temple? To allow for the dedicated worshiper to enter?)

If you want the temple to Feel right, I think you should have these things in order.

Species of the Goddess is going to be wood elf. The animal is a wolf.

The original intent was as a hidden temple that was used by wolves as their den. The divine wolf was originally part of the pack and as such has a small domain(think pocket dimension) that is breaking through at this spot. The ancient monks knew that people would try to pervert the creature and as such locked it away so only those loyal to their Goddess could enter. Hence the traps.

The Cleric who is staying there is the current Keeper of the Wolf. It was not until recently that the duties actually involved keeping the wolf from entering this world. The wolf is very proud and does not liked to be ordered around, s/he(want it to be female) is best friends with the Goddess and only listens to her. The chant is a symbol of their friendship and calms it down. Otherwise it will attack anything that is in its way and it will eat the livestock of the nearby village.

There are a few traps in the secret monk escape hole that are meant to block the passage behind him in case the temple is lost.

I mentioned before that the cleric was intent on opening up the temple publicly and this is because the legend of protecting the wolf's domain has been lost to the ages. He doesn't know much about it. Which is why he is being targeted.