First time DM needing campaign advice

[hominyjibjib]

Hello this is my first post but I've been prowling this board for a little while.

I need some advice.
I'm in a 3.5 campaign with 9 players total, myself included, most of whom are new to D&D. We are taking turns running the game, breaking it into "chapters" with a level up after each chapter.

Our DM has some experience and set up a level 1 game to break us all in. After his chapter I took over as DM. It's been hard with this many PCs (and we're adding one more:smalleek:!) but everyone says they have thoroughly enjoyed my chapter so far.

I need some help constructing my next session. Any ideas and inspiration for layout, encounters, etc would be appreciated.

The PCs (all level 2) include a druid, Rogue, wizard, bard, monk, 2 Rangers, and soon a paladin. All builds are fairly vanilla. My PC is not in play.

The setting is a region around a large winding river. The river has become contaminated by runoff from a mine being dug for magical component materials. As a result the region is suffering and decaying. The players have already set a forest on fire, been arrested, and aided a nearby town and now are en route to the mine. Having no experience with a fantasy mine setting (excluding dwarves) I've been drawing a blank on how to proceed.

Thus far I have used plain goblins and gnolls as sentient enemies. All other encounters have been environmental. Creatures in the mine (mining crew or natural creatures) possibly have mutated from exposure to the magic-rich environment.

If any saged gurus could offer a few examples of encounters, interesting layouts or paths and traps I would be very grateful.

[ArcturusV]

Well... how I'd handle it depends a lot on some setting based stuff you already know about. Who's digging the mine, what materials in particular are there, what sort of spells/powers that they fuel, etc.

Once I figure that out, kitbash up a little "Template" that you can easily apply to various things. I presume you're running Monster Manual based stuff instead of kitbashing up all your NPCs and enemies like I tend to. It can be daunting for a new DM to make stuff up, but this is one of those skills that pays off dividends once you experiment with, and get used to the idea.

So come up with a Template you can apply to (Whoever is digging your mine) to represent the animals and miners who have been warped by exposure. Something like:

Handwavium Warped: +2 Strength, +4 Dex, -2 Con, -2 Int, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.

Creatures that have been Handwavium Warped are strong, fast, and cunning, but have suffered degeneration to their health, mental and physical. Handwavium Warped can be applied to any Humanoid, Monstrous Humanoid, or Animal which has suffered long term, habitual exposure to Handwavium Mining/Processing, or has purposefully dosed themselves up with it over a month (Via ingestion, injection, etc).

Note that I left that last bit there because, hell, if you make this interesting, players are going to want to consider doing it to themselves. So you might want to think about that.

Handwavium Warped characters have the following traits:

Powerful Smell (Ex): Their body exudes an odor which is slightly unpleasant, and quite powerful. This makes it impossible for a Handwavium Warped character to be able to hide successfully within 15' of someone who has a working sense of smell (Effectively gives you Scent for free against them). Creatures, like dogs, with an enhanced sense of smell can detect them 3 times the usual distance.

Dark Vision: Handwavium warped characters develop dark vision, 30', if they did not previously have dark vision. If they already had darkvision their darkvision range is extended 30 feet.

Handwavium Warped characters get a +2 Racial Bonus to Spot, Listen, Climb, Escape Artist.

Handwavium Addiction: Those who ware Handwavium Warped are addicted to it. It takes a DC 15 Will save to willingly leave areas rich in Handwavium, or to give up the temptation to dose themselves with it, if they gained the template that way. If someone offers them access to Handwavium as part of a deal, they must pass the same Will Save to resist the offer. Taking the Warped away from Handwavium forcibly induces a panic in them that gives them that doubles their Stat Bonuses and Penalties, and Racial Bonuses, along with an overwhelming need to escape their captors one way or another until either 1 month has passed or they get their "fix" again.

There, a handy little template you can apply to Dwarves, Gobbos, Humans, etc. It has some thematic elements your players will notice right away, like the Scent which will tell them that something is very wrong in Mine Land. Provides for tougher versions of the goblins and such that your players have been fighting so far, if they're the miners. As well it gives them an automatic behavioral "hook" that they might exploit.

[genesaika]

What I would do is look up real mine layouts and dangers. Take that info and building on it.

Maybe there is a cave in, or methane built up in some of the rooms/passages.

Maybe the mines where built on an existing cave system whose inhabitants are upset at the trespass. They could have magically hidden a pit in a narrow passage that leads to their lair, it might be the only way in from the mines.

Someone could be trapped in the mine and the group has to find them.

[johnbragg]

Underground setting?

I need to keep in mind that this place is an active mine, not just an abandoned set of caves to fill with monsters. But there are exhausted areas of the mine, which the PCs could have to chase the evil miners through.

Spiders. tiny spiders, small spiders, just about everywhere. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/monstrousSpider.htm

Underground mines tend to have a problem with flooding. So you get a chance to set up part of the mine complex as an amphibious area, covered in a foot or two of water--except where it drops suddenly. Sometimes, where it drops suddenly, there's a zombie down there. (Who knew?) More spiders, of course. And rats.

Is the mine associated with a particular kind of magic? Because an Animated rock (positive energy) in an awkward spot or two can be a real challenge. Animated objects have hardness, which is a lot like damage reduction. So an Animated Rock (Tiny) would have 2 hp, but a hardness of 8.

Actually, I just looked at the SRD, and hardness is way worse than Damage Reduction.

"Energy Attacks
Acid and sonic attacks deal damage to most objects just as they do to creatures; roll damage and apply it normally after a successful hit. Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the hardness. Cold attacks deal one-quarter damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 4 before applying the hardness.

Ranged Weapon Damage
Objects take half damage from ranged weapons (unless the weapon is a siege engine or something similar). Divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the object’s hardness."

Small Elementals are CR 1. Earth elementals make all kinds of sense in a high-magic underground area. Water elementals could happen in a high-magic underground area which is also under water.

A bat swarm is CR 2. Swarms are all kinds of fun. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/swarm.htm#batSwarm

Fungus is good underground. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/fungus.htm

[ImaDeadMan]

I would highly recommend reading this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76474). It's a comprehensive guide on ways to be an effective DM including how to deal with players and such.

[hominyjibjib]

Thank you everyone for the help! I now have a strong sense of direction with which to run this leg of the journey!