Bayou - Old Orc Hermit and the Gatormen (help me please!)

[gurgleflep]

Hello everybody! I've got a small-ish quest planned for my players and would like to get some outside opinions on it.

On the way to a mountain with the cavern used to gain access to the underdark (part of the main quest), the party's going to pass through a swamp and come across a lone shack.

*cue banjo music*
They'll see some old, blind orc wearing a straw hat, "overalls," muddy/torn up boots with his untrimmed toes sticking out, sitting in a rocker upon his porch and smoking on his pipe, whittling away at some stick he's holding with a rather rusty knife.

They'll speak with him for a bit, mostly listening to him and hear him half-talking to him self, rattling on about how he wishes he could be as young as they are, back in his adventure filled youth and mention something about an odd village less than two daysl away through some thick swamps.

The players, if they take up the quest, will begin their travel and fight their way through troll and gator infested swamp with the constant fear that they're being watched by some strange, mystical being.

They'll come across a village, a couple of old cabins/huts high enough off the ground that the water won't mess with them to badly, inhabited by reptilian versions (reptilian template, Savage Species or weregators [slightly modified werecrocodile]) of orcs, goblins, and a particularly nasty ogre mage.

From here, I have no clue what to do. I want it to be something souther styled, Cajun-esque if you will. Are they protecting something? Is their reptilian appearance a curse by some hag? I need help here, and so I'm asking all of you! Please help me out, it would mean a lot to me. :smallsmile:

[Palanan]

If the old orc is blind, how is he whittling?

As for the "gatormen," it honestly seems a little hokey and contrived to me. Actual alligators would feel a little more appropriate, and would be a stiff challenge for a lower-level party.

For supernatural creatures, you might try using the "twiggies" from Sunless Citadel; I think they're officially called twig blights. (I have the Portuguese edition, in which they're called "ramos secos," or "dry branches.") You could adapt the twiggies as creatures of swamp-roots held together by fetid muck, perhaps the servants of a swamp-druid or blighter.

[CaladanMoonblad]

I don't understand why the heroes are seeking this village? Simple curiosity?

Better to have a reason; suppose the Old Orc's idol to Gruumsh was stolen, and he'd like to have it back. He implicates the residents of the village upstream, who only settled there recently (in the last few years).

Perhaps the old orc knows that others in the bayou have similarly been robbed by the den of thieves upriver, and intimates that the heroes will do the area world of good to convince the villagers to give up their ill gotten gains.

When the heroes arrive at the swamp village, half of it could be underwater, and perhaps the locals have domesticated (via magic?) local gators to act as sentries and guards. I would suggest a shamanistic cult as the local power structure, and their goal is to steal all the idols of worship to aid them in a ritual to awaken a prehistoric deity long dormant under the swamp. Go Cthulu if you want, or just plain old savage primordial elder god of the hunt/ambush/immortality/reptiles/etc. Heck, why even use goblins or orcs? Use Lizardfolk, from MM1 and the variations in the other MM series. You could even have the shamans being Naga.

If you're going with Alligator people, why not use the races that already fit the mold?

[gurgleflep]

I'll reply to ya'll in your messages with bold text. :smallsmile:


If the old orc is blind, how is he whittling? Yeah, I didn't think that through... maybe he's just that good!

As for the "gatormen," it honestly seems a little hokey and contrived to me. Actual alligators would feel a little more appropriate, and would be a stiff challenge for a lower-level party. Gators are going to be used. They'll be around the village as well as the gatermen.

For supernatural creatures, you might try using the "twiggies" from Sunless Citadel; I think they're officially called twig blights. (I have the Portuguese edition, in which they're called "ramos secos," or "dry branches.") You could adapt the twiggies as creatures of swamp-roots held together by fetid muck, perhaps the servants of a swamp-druid or blighter. "Twiggies" sounds pretty awesome, I prefer it over twig blights. I'll look them up now, thank you :smallbiggrin:



I don't understand why the heroes are seeking this village? Simple curiosity? Curiosity. Wouldn't you be interested if you heard of an odd village out in the middle of a swamp?

Better to have a reason; suppose the Old Orc's idol to Gruumsh was stolen, and he'd like to have it back. He implicates the residents of the village upstream, who only settled there recently (in the last few years). I like the Gruumsh bit, what would it appear as? An eye maybe?

Perhaps the old orc knows that others in the bayou have similarly been robbed by the den of thieves upriver, and intimates that the heroes will do the area world of good to convince the villagers to give up their ill gotten gains. Would it be better to talk it through (diplomacy/intimidate) or just duke it out? It's a rather large village, about thirty plus goblins, 15 or so orcs, and the ogre "mage" (tribal shaman?).

When the heroes arrive at the swamp village, half of it could be underwater, and perhaps the locals have domesticated (via magic?) local gators to act as sentries and guards. I would suggest a shamanistic cult as the local power structure, and their goal is to steal all the idols of worship to aid them in a ritual to awaken a prehistoric deity long dormant under the swamp. Go Cthulu if you want, or just plain old savage primordial elder god of the hunt/ambush/immortality/reptiles/etc. Heck, why even use goblins or orcs? Use Lizardfolk, from MM1 and the variations in the other MM series. You could even have the shamans being Naga. The alligators are a nice bit, maybe a druid (or group of) have domesticated them..? The shamanistic cult's a great idea, it fits the feel I'm going for.
Cthulu! WOO! *cough* I like this idea, but how would he (or something similar) be statted out? Lizardmen are awesome, would slaad work alongside them?

If you're going with Alligator people, why not use the races that already fit the mold? Know of any particular races? I know of the lizardmen (as you mentioned), the reptilian template, and hags. Other than that, no clue.

[Fable Wright]

I'll reply to ya'll in your messages with bold text. :smallsmile:

This makes it rather hard for people to respond to your responses.

Other swamp monsters would be Otyugh, Troglodytes, Basilisks, Chuul, Hydra, and Black Dragons. Nagas, as noted, are excellent choices as spiritual leaders of tribes, possibly as emissaries of a higher swamp god. Chuul might be his creations, and guard the parts of the swamp where he lives; if you want to play up the combat aspect, then having the villagers force the party to undergo trial by swamp god would be best.

As for the swamp god... I'm thinking playing it up as a primordial monstrosity from before time, but actually statting it out as a Lizardfolk that was born a Were-Gator, and sought out to become a were-everything before he died, and went mad from too many alignment changes. The townspeople he views as his children, and 'blesses' their leaders, and those he likes who enter to be judged by him, with the were-alligator template. The other he eats, or worse, turns into a Chuul to serve as his emissary. I'm thinking a natural Were-Gator Lizardfolk who acquired Were-Octopus, Dire Bat, and Huge Viper Snake. (CR 12 encounter, quite possibly under or over representative of the creature. Advance if needed by adding Warshaper levels.) The elder god can take the form of a Lizardfolk on the rare opportunities it visits the town, the form of a giant snake when it visits the Naga, the form of a Dire Bat when it needs to spy, and has the ability to randomly sprout 8 tentacles when someone needs to die. In its fully powered, eldritch abomination form, it's a Huge Lizardfolk-like creature with a crocodilian head filled with poisonous teeth, a giant, slapping tail, giant claws, batlike wings, and 8 tentacles sprouting out of its body, with the ability to fire itself up to 200ft as a full round action, create a cloud of chemical darkness in land or sea, blindsense, and auto-grapple capabilities. However, that's just the default form. Who's to say that it can't turn hybrid out of non-base forms? You could just get a winged snake with a crocodile head with tentacles forming additional tails coming out of the body, a bat with tentacles on his stomach that has a snake for a tail and an alligator head, or a giant octopus with wings, an alligator head rather than a beak at the center that has giant, poisonous teeth. Because of these mix-and-match forms, there are a number of legends about the god and his many forms, and how the different aspects appear before people and what they do. The flying snake form might be Lawful Good, and keeps the favor of the Guardian Naga, whereas the flying snake with the crocodile head might be Chaotic Evil, appearing before the Spirit Naga. The Gator-Lizardman might be True Neutral, blessing his children and never harming them. The list goes on. The swamp-god is a cthulhu-esque monster from the deep, the many guises that the swamp takes before people, and the face of the wisdom that the naga seek. Somewhere deep inside, there's also a reasonable lizardman who wants what's best for his people, and will sacrifice anything to protect him, though he's usually drowned out by the forces of the wild that he invited into himself for that purpose. Still, the people love him.

[Vaz]

Werecrocodiles from Sandstorm?

[gurgleflep]

This makes it rather hard for people to respond to your responses.

Other swamp monsters would be Otyugh, Troglodytes, Basilisks, Chuul, Hydra, and Black Dragons. Nagas, as noted, are excellent choices as spiritual leaders of tribes, possibly as emissaries of a higher swamp god. Chuul might be his creations, and guard the parts of the swamp where he lives; if you want to play up the combat aspect, then having the villagers force the party to undergo trial by swamp god would be best.

As for the swamp god... I'm thinking playing it up as a primordial monstrosity from before time, but actually statting it out as a Lizardfolk that was born a Were-Gator, and sought out to become a were-everything before he died, and went mad from too many alignment changes. The townspeople he views as his children, and 'blesses' their leaders, and those he likes who enter to be judged by him, with the were-alligator template. The other he eats, or worse, turns into a Chuul to serve as his emissary. I'm thinking a natural Were-Gator Lizardfolk who acquired Were-Octopus, Dire Bat, and Huge Viper Snake. (CR 12 encounter, quite possibly under or over representative of the creature. Advance if needed by adding Warshaper levels.) The elder god can take the form of a Lizardfolk on the rare opportunities it visits the town, the form of a giant snake when it visits the Naga, the form of a Dire Bat when it needs to spy, and has the ability to randomly sprout 8 tentacles when someone needs to die. In its fully powered, eldritch abomination form, it's a Huge Lizardfolk-like creature with a crocodilian head filled with poisonous teeth, a giant, slapping tail, giant claws, batlike wings, and 8 tentacles sprouting out of its body, with the ability to fire itself up to 200ft as a full round action, create a cloud of chemical darkness in land or sea, blindsense, and auto-grapple capabilities. However, that's just the default form. Who's to say that it can't turn hybrid out of non-base forms? You could just get a winged snake with a crocodile head with tentacles forming additional tails coming out of the body, a bat with tentacles on his stomach that has a snake for a tail and an alligator head, or a giant octopus with wings, an alligator head rather than a beak at the center that has giant, poisonous teeth. Because of these mix-and-match forms, there are a number of legends about the god and his many forms, and how the different aspects appear before people and what they do. The flying snake form might be Lawful Good, and keeps the favor of the Guardian Naga, whereas the flying snake with the crocodile head might be Chaotic Evil, appearing before the Spirit Naga. The Gator-Lizardman might be True Neutral, blessing his children and never harming them. The list goes on. The swamp-god is a cthulhu-esque monster from the deep, the many guises that the swamp takes before people, and the face of the wisdom that the naga seek. Somewhere deep inside, there's also a reasonable lizardman who wants what's best for his people, and will sacrifice anything to protect him, though he's usually drowned out by the forces of the wild that he invited into himself for that purpose. Still, the people love him.

Yeah, sorry about that form of response, I do that when I can't keep my train of thought (typically when I'm just waking up). I gotta start compiling them into actual responses after doing so.

Anyway... Holy bajeebus, that was quite the visualization. Thank you for this immensely! I want to hug you.


Werecrocodiles from Sandstorm?

It's found in Sandstorm on page 167-8. I was told this when asking about the reptilian template. I looked it up and it's pretty interesting.

[The Viscount]

Lizardfolk are useful, especially because you can use the different subraces like poisondusk and blackscale. I could see Yuan-ti being refluffed as this race of gatormen fairly easily, with the differing degrees of reptilian-ness being explained due to being an isolated, inbred community. As for what to do with them story-wise. PCs finding a hostile backwater southern community? I must say deliverance, because if I don't someone else will. DC 5 perform check to squeal like a pig. It's a bit tired, but it might work if it's that sort of game.

[gurgleflep]

Lizardfolk are useful, especially because you can use the different subraces like poisondusk and blackscale. I could see Yuan-ti being refluffed as this race of gatormen fairly easily, with the differing degrees of reptilian-ness being explained due to being an isolated, inbred community. As for what to do with them story-wise. PCs finding a hostile backwater southern community? I must say deliverance, because if I don't someone else will. DC 5 perform check to squeal like a pig. It's a bit tired, but it might work if it's that sort of game.

My sides! MY SIDES!!
I was waiting for somebody to mention Deliverance.
Any particular Yuan-ti? I've seen them in a couple books (and, if I remember correctly there's a Faerun book all about them).

[CaladanMoonblad]

I'll reply to ya'll in your messages with bold text. :smallsmile:

Curiosity. Wouldn't you be interested if you heard of an odd village out in the middle of a swamp?

It's been my experience that unless your players are used to "looking for trouble," most people need incentive to enter a dangerous area. That's why I suggested the rumor of a cache of stolen religious idols (usually made of precious metals).

I did catch the Deliverance reference with the "cue banjos." It's a disturbing movie to be sure.




I like the Gruumsh bit, what would it appear as? An eye maybe?


Sure, an eye with bits of red quartz maybe, set in gold or maybe rusting iron.



Would it be better to talk it through (diplomacy/intimidate) or just duke it out? It's a rather large village, about thirty plus goblins, 15 or so orcs, and the ogre "mage" (tribal shaman?).


That's more of a player decision. As a GM, you can only prepare for the most logical consequences. That requires really understanding your villagers' motivations. Maybe the villagers (if you're sticking with orcs/goblins) left a more civilized area simply to get AWAY from adventurers. Maybe they are militant atheists, and steal the idols of others to "help" people lose their religious fervor or something. Or maybe they are doing the Cthulu thing like I suggested earlier. That's up to you and what you need; Diplomacy from players who are likely a different culture/race than the villagers? Only with a Disguise Self spell, or showing overwhelming power to "shock and awe" the locals (an interesting theory, but not a long lasting solution).



The shamanistic cult's a great idea, it fits the feel I'm going for.
Cthulu! WOO! *cough* I like this idea, but how would he (or something similar) be statted out? Lizardmen are awesome, would slaad work alongside them?


Others have suggested a fake god (uber creature). I never stat out forgotten gods. They're by definition "Deus Ex Machina"- unless your players are Epic level heroes, if the god is awakened, everything in a 200 mile radius is likely toast.

Lizardmen are awesome- as suggested earlier, Poisondusk and Blackscale are good variants to use.



Know of any particular races? I know of the lizardmen (as you mentioned), the reptilian template, and hags. Other than that, no clue.


Just leaf through the MMs. Also look online, such as here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20030822a). If you're sticking with orcs and goblins, instead of wargs, perhaps the shamans "called" dinosaurs from another time with their ritual as a precursor to actually reaching the dread god imprisoned under the swamp? You could even have a T-Rex as an "OMFG run!" moment when it is unleashed by the head shaman/cult leader.

I like lizardfolk and Naga myself personally for this sort of thing.

[The Viscount]

Any particular Yuan-ti? I've seen them in a couple books (and, if I remember correctly there's a Faerun book all about them).

The normal ones in MM should provide a pretty useful start. The anathema is high CR, so your party might not be ready for that one. The tainted one template is a neat one, it's presented without change except to LA in several books, Monsters of Faerun is one. It's interesting because the base creatures still appears and can act as human for the most part, so useful if you want the sort of traitor or infiltrator type.

[KillingAScarab]

The tainted one template is a neat one, it's presented without change except to LA in several books, Monsters of Faerun is one. It's interesting because the base creatures still appears and can act as human for the most part, so useful if you want the sort of traitor or infiltrator type.Monsters of Faerûn is a 3e book, and it actually describes two templates with one entry (tainted one and broodguard) on the very last pages under Yuan-Ti. It also doesn't even list that the templated creature becomes a monstrous humanoid, though that's what the sample creatures are listed as. Even in the same book, each kind of lycanthrope gets its own sub-entry. Perhaps there was some errata which helped clear this up, but if there's a 3.5 update somewhere I would go with that over MoF.

[The Viscount]

I'd forgotten the poor presentation there. Mof does have a 3.5 update itself, but it disagrees with the listed LA in Serpent Kingdoms.