Mine Encounters

[AlanBruce]

Greetings! My 3.5 group will likely be visiting a quartz mine in the future. This mine, unknown to them, has an active Hextorite mining facility inside.

The hextorites have already been statted (one high level cleric, and a bunch of low level warriors with Profession (Miner).

Given their same alignment, I considered duergar to assist in the job, bringing forth two constructs from MM3- the Slaughterstone Behemoth and Eviscerator, which I believe were built originally for mining purposes.

However, the mines have other dangers besides these guys- monsters that have lived in these caves before the occupation would be preying on both PC and NPCs alike. Toxic gases in the lower levels may create impossible hazards for the party to adventure (although, being in the 12-14 level range, that should not be a problem).

I was thinking about the classics- kobolds and goblins. Maybe a Greater Barghest with class levels. Maybe undead that prowl around the toxic areas unhindered and concealed by the thick noxious gases, but which ones and what builds (if any, especially for the sentient races) would be appropriate for this place? Any and all 3.5 books are welcome.

Party composition:

Human Beguiler 12
Human Dervish 12
Human Chameleon 12
Dwarf cleric 13
Pixie bard 10
Merfolk Sor/ IotSFV 13
Grey elf conjurer 14

A bunch of casters here. Lot's of buffers and teleporters, so catching them unaware will be a challenge.

As always, any help is much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Hellborn_Blight]

What kind of surface environment are we talking here? What instantly pops into my head is a desert, and some salt mummy. Make them clerics to level them up a bit.

Earth elementals makes obvious sense, especially if they are pissed at the mining op. If you were gonna bring in Duergar, you could look at other Underdark enemies, like hook hoorors. Advancing them to 18HD makes them cr 9. 4 of them is an encounter level of 13 (though probably not for your group, i'd use eight to up it to 15) so several now huge hook hooors is a challenging encounter with each having around 22 attack bonus and 150 hp per unit.

You could also apply the dust form template to some creatures to make them more thematic. Do you have any other details to share about your game? Are there any enemy type they haven't seen much? Any opportunity to plant intrigue for a big bad guy here?

[Brendanicus]

Depending on the surface environment and exactly how toxic this mine is, it could make sense for there to be puddles of toxic water to act as hazards and a nice setpiece, especially if the mine is old and only has recently been repurposed by Hextorites. Some areas could be flooded out entirely, allowing for a touch of flavorful railroading.

Plus, the party can then enter a room filled with a different color of toxic water, only to find out that the flooding is actually a giant Ooze.

I'm not much of an exert on high-level encounters, but a pack of Ghasts with class levels could be interesting. They could live in the deepest sections of the mine, and pray on passing Duergar who trade with the Hextorites.

If there will be Goblins, why not Hobgoblins? That combination is classic for a reason. Still, Hextorite Hobgoblins may not tolerate the typically cowardly tactics of goblins. In fact, they may even try to punish Goblins for being so weak. Suicide goblins anyone?

[ShurikVch]

Constructs:
Quartz Golem (Dangerous Denizens)
Living Crystal Statue (Dungeon #150)
Crystal Cat (Dragon #341)
Crystal Snake (Shackled City Adventure Path, Dungeon #115)
Crystal Stone Golem (Expedition to Undermountain)

Dragon #347: Elemental Hazards (Earth)

Fey:
Crystalline Cat (Dragon #304)
Deepling (Dragon #281)
Jermlaine (MM2)
Redcap (Blood and Shadows: The Dark Elves of Tellene)
Malgoren (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20040130a)

Animals:
Cave dinosaurs (Miniatures Handbook)
Desmodu Bats (MM2)
Cave lizards (FRCS)
Giant lizards (Drow of the Underdark)
Nifern (Serpent Kingdoms)

Giants:
Black Recluse (Knowledge Arcana: Issue 7)
Raam (Dungeon #133)
Troll, Elder (Dangerous Denizens)
Maur (Hunched Giant) (Underdark)
Phaerlin Giant (Monsters of Faerûn)
Troll, Cave (MM3)
Troll, Crystalline (MM3)
Troll, Tunnel Thug (Drow of the Underdark)

Crystal Beetle (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20030516a)

Magical Beasts:
Crystal Screamer (Bastion of Broken Souls)
Cavvekan (RoF)
Osquip (RoF)
Steeder (RoF)

Really, a lot of D&D creatures are (at least partially) subterranean. I don't mentioned most of Magical Beasts, any Aberrations, Dragons, or Monstrous Humanoids...

[Ferronach]

I would also include various oozes.
They can coat the walls and roof and drop onto people who walk below them.

It has been a while but I seem to recal that there are a few oozes that are immune to different types of magic...

The ooze encounters do not need to be all that challenging and can be used more for kicks and giggles/filler.

[Flickerdart]

This mine, unknown to them, has an active Hextorite mining facility inside.
What is the chemical composition of Hextorite? :smallamused:

[hamishspence]

What is the chemical composition of Hextorite? :smallamused:

Atoms of Hx, in a Hexagonal Close Packed form :smallbiggrin:

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Oozes, such as Living Spells (MM3), Arcane Ooze (MM3), etc. would be useful. Living spells could have Dispel Magic (area version) + Dimensional Anchor + Disintegrate, for example, which would be CR 14 at a caster level of 11th.

You could have a deep flooded area that they may need to swim through, where multiple Drowned (MM3) attack them.

There can be (Advanced, Evolved) Greater Shadows that Spring Attack from the walls/floor. If they start readying actions to hit them, just have them stay in the wall peeking out through a crack until their victims continue moving forward.

Blightspawned and Juju Zombies in Unapproachable East would be another option for undead inhabitants, and rather unique since it's a contagious effect.

Include a spider section with a huge variety of predatory monstrous spiders (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/monsters&tablefilter=spider), and an Aranea with class levels for the brood mother. I would include Arcane Disciple for the Spider domain, and check Drow of the Underdark for spider-themed items, spells, and feats. You could even make it a Wood Element creature from Manual of the Planes, and use the Symbiotic Creature template in Savage Species to combine it with a huge+ monstrous spider. This could actually be something of a good guy, seeking to drive back the Blightspawned overtaking the mine. Her methods should include killing off any creatures who enter the mine before they join the ranks of the infected, making her entirely unfriendly to non-spiders.

[jiriku]

I did a revision of the Red Hand of Doom module for PCs of that level a couple years ago, and have a bunch of goblin, hobgoblin, giant, and monster stat blocks lying around from that if you're interested. They are largely CR 5-10, with elites from CR 12-15 and some bosses in the range of CR 18-20.

If you prefer to make your own, here are some thoughts:

My feel on NPC classes is that they should always be treated as non-associated levels, meaning that x levels of warrior or adept and +x/2 to CR. If you agree with that, it's pretty straightforward to create goblin warriors and adepts of levels 12-20 and CRs ranging from 6-10, make some feat choices, and go to town.

I like elite advanced barghests combined with goblin rangers as a fast, mobile group of Medium and Small creatures that have the same feel as your traditional goblin worg cavalry but hit harder and have some magical assets for increased flexibility. I sometimes amuse myself with mixed forces of barghests, goblin werewolves, and goblin rangers with the wildshape ACF. With three different flavors of goblin/wolf, the players are never quite certain exactly what is going on. :smalltongue:

Hobgoblin warblades make excellent elite commanders, especially mounted on elite advanced greater barghests. Such a barghest, equipped with a glaive, can also effectively buff and provide close support for a group of goblin foot troops, or turn a squad of hobgoblin warblades into a wrecking crew. A hobgoblin warsoul abjurant champion slamming out true strikes and disintigrates usually gets people's attention as well.

Caverns are a great place to use elite advanced dungeonbred chimeras and manticores, which will prove unexpectedly tough for clever players who assume that large size = stock monster.

Stone giants or bugbears with powerful build, when paired with various combinations of crusader, war hulk, and hulking hurler, make very iconic bruisers, dangerous enough to demand attention and durable enough to brush off all but a determined attack. Their thrown rocks are large enough to ignore most of the traditional magical defenses against mundane archery.

[DrMotives]

You could also throw in a young dragon, if you up for placing one. Sapphire, Emerald, and Deep dragons would all be terrain-appropriate for a quartz mine. If you don't want something so complex to run, Draconomicon has the CR 8 Underdark Landwyrm, which you could advance or have a mated pair of to up the challenge.

[AlanBruce]

What kind of surface environment are we talking here? What instantly pops into my head is a desert, and some salt mummy. Make them clerics to level them up a bit.

The mines are located north of a large city where the party currently is. The area around it are cold marshes, especially in the game's time of year, but not arctic. Tales of 'dragonfolk' tribes have been heard around the area, but not confirmed.


Earth elementals makes obvious sense, especially if they are pissed at the mining op. If you were gonna bring in Duergar, you could look at other Underdark enemies, like hook hoorors. Advancing them to 18HD makes them cr 9. 4 of them is an encounter level of 13 (though probably not for your group, i'd use eight to up it to 15) so several now huge hook hooors is a challenging encounter with each having around 22 attack bonus and 150 hp per unit.

The Hook Horror encounter is a very good idea! I had forgotten about these guys in the MM2. Small spaces underground. Big creatures with reach. That should be good, indeed.


Depending on the surface environment and exactly how toxic this mine is, it could make sense for there to be puddles of toxic water to act as hazards and a nice setpiece, especially if the mine is old and only has recently been repurposed by Hextorites. Some areas could be flooded out entirely, allowing for a touch of flavorful railroading.

The mine was shut down many decades ago. It belonged to one of the noble houses in the city, but nobody is sure why it was shut down, since it was supposed to be a great source of money for the city.

The older, deeper levels of the mine would definitely have collapsed and formed blocked access to the group, absolutely.

And roaming packs of ghoul miners are too good to pass up.


Constructs:
Quartz Golem (Dangerous Denizens)
Living Crystal Statue (Dungeon #150)
Crystal Cat (Dragon #341)
Crystal Snake (Shackled City Adventure Path, Dungeon #115)
Crystal Stone Golem (Expedition to Undermountain)

Dragon #347: Elemental Hazards (Earth)

Fey:
Crystalline Cat (Dragon #304)
Deepling (Dragon #281)
Jermlaine (MM2)
Redcap (Blood and Shadows: The Dark Elves of Tellene)
Malgoren

Animals:
Cave dinosaurs (Miniatures Handbook)
Desmodu Bats (MM2)
Cave lizards (FRCS)
Giant lizards (Drow of the Underdark)
Nifern (Serpent Kingdoms)

Giants:
Black Recluse (Knowledge Arcana: Issue 7)
Raam (Dungeon #133)
Troll, Elder (Dangerous Denizens)
Maur (Hunched Giant) (Underdark)
Phaerlin Giant (Monsters of Faerûn)
Troll, Cave (MM3)
Troll, Crystalline (MM3)
Troll, Tunnel Thug (Drow of the Underdark)

Crystal Beetle

Magical Beasts:
Crystal Screamer (Bastion of Broken Souls)
Cavvekan (RoF)
Osquip (RoF)
Steeder (RoF)

Really, a lot of D&D creatures are (at least partially) subterranean. I don't mentioned most of Magical Beasts, any Aberrations, Dragons, or Monstrous Humanoids...

Many of these I had no idea even existed! Thank you so much! Will be looking into them shortly.


I would also include various oozes.
They can coat the walls and roof and drop onto people who walk below them.

It has been a while but I seem to recal that there are a few oozes that are immune to different types of magic...

The ooze encounters do not need to be all that challenging and can be used more for kicks and giggles/filler.


Of course! D&D has a history on oozes! All kinds. Some as big as mountains, that can easily squeeze through inch wide gaps.


What is the chemical composition of Hextorite?

The hextorites... I came with that quick term to refer to followers of Hextor.

Usually, I use the term 'pelorite', followers of Pelor, which abound in the city the party is in.

Some Jasites have also shown up, followers of Wee Jas.

Yet so far, I have been unable to find a proper term for the followers of Heironeous...


You could also apply the dust form template to some creatures to make them more thematic. Do you have any other details to share about your game? Are there any enemy type they haven't seen much? Any opportunity to plant intrigue for a big bad guy here?

Dust Form is tempting. There is no reason there cannot be such a monster deeper in the mines.

Regarding the game, it's in a hombrewed version of Greyhawk, using much of their locales and pantheons, but with some new stuff tied to the game.

Regarding enemy types, the party has so far dealt with a lot of fey, undead, monstrous humanoids, humanoids, and recently- as part of this story arc- aberrations, which have begun to surface in the city.

The party has read an old file in some abandoned transmuter's mansion regarding these mines, but have not given it much notice.

One of the PCs, now retired to NPC status, did catch a glimpse of a colossal quartz leg in the city's prison. It didn't affect him, but it did affect the npc warlock with him, suggesting some sort of magic draining ability.

They are aware of it, but given the many quests in the city now, they will search the mine later. However, it's best to be prepared, just in case.


I did a revision of the Red Hand of Doom module for PCs of that level a couple years ago, and have a bunch of goblin, hobgoblin, giant, and monster stat blocks lying around from that if you're interested. They are largely CR 5-10, with elites from CR 12-15 and some bosses in the range of CR 18-20.


By all means! I would love to see your take on them!


You could also throw in a young dragon, if you up for placing one. Sapphire, Emerald, and Deep dragons would all be terrain-appropriate for a quartz mine. If you don't want something so complex to run, Draconomicon has the CR 8 Underdark Landwyrm, which you could advance or have a mated pair of to up the challenge.

The party has so far faced a Dragon Turtle, during their naval arc. I am hesitant to throw a dragon at them because they are so well optimized, that the poor sod would be a cakewalk (the dragon turtle was summarily disposed of through judicious use of readied dimension steps and full attacks). However, there is a dragon that has been hinted at in the city storyline, as well as his progeny, which may prompt the party to explore if not the mine itself, the areas outside the city- the marshes.

Although the dragon monsters in Draconomicon make for a good take. I will look into them asap.

[jiriku]

By all means! I would love to see your take on them!

I keep them in OneNote, which you can read with OneNote online, without installing any software. I haven't tried linking to one of my OneNote notebooks before, but here goes: let's see if it works (https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=731BB48C564CA9E9!18448&authkey=!ACS5hQqamcBoi5k&ithint=folder%2curl) (link tested and successful, yay!).

You'll be interested in the section labeled Red Hande Horde. The Horde in my game world came from a hobgoblin empire with an asian theme, which is why you see stuff like bakemono ashigaru and hobgoblin samurai, but you can easily file the serial numbers off and reflavor them to suit your tastes. You also mentioned an interest in dragons, so you might find something useful in the Dragons section as well. I have several dragons there between CR 10 and CR 14, all with class levels that give them both a more flavorful elemental theme and a few tricks and surprises that should keep PCs from getting too complacent.

[Ferronach]

The older, deeper levels of the mine would definitely have collapsed and formed blocked access to the group, absolutely.

Wouldn't the deeper levels technically be newer but less traveled/established?

[AlanBruce]

I keep them in OneNote, which you can read with OneNote online, without installing any software. I haven't tried linking to one of my OneNote notebooks before, but here goes: let's see if it works (link tested and successful, yay!).

You'll be interested in the section labeled Red Hande Horde. The Horde in my game world came from a hobgoblin empire with an asian theme, which is why you see stuff like bakemono ashigaru and hobgoblin samurai, but you can easily file the serial numbers off and reflavor them to suit your tastes. You also mentioned an interest in dragons, so you might find something useful in the Dragons section as well. I have several dragons there between CR 10 and CR 14, all with class levels that give them both a more flavorful elemental theme and a few tricks and surprises that should keep PCs from getting too complacent.

Hats off to you sir! That is one amazing write up!

Oddly enough, the underlying theme in the campaign as a whole are the 6 Inner Planes - Positive, Negative, Water, Fire, Air & Earth, so getting some elemental themed beasties to get the point across is definitely something that will be applied.

As for the asian them, that's perfectly fine- the party plans to visit the entire world, and some cultures have asian themed cultures and npcs. In fact, the city they are on is a steampunk/medieval/victorian mess with some influences from NYC, reflecting a variety of 'common' races and a melting pot of different customs.


Wouldn't the deeper levels technically be newer but less traveled/established?

The hextorites have begun mining the upper levels, but the mine itself was heavily investigated and dug up decades before. whatever the noble family that owned the mine and their crew found in the lower levels, was bad enough to warrant a shut down, level by level.

So the deeper levels would have old mining equipment and camps, now abandoned, but they would be sealed off to the new arrivals- the hextorites.

[ShurikVch]

If you use aberrations, there are some more variants:
Disirs (Bestiary of Krynn)
Phaerimms (Lost Empires of Faerûn)
Brainstealer Dragon (Dragon #337)
Black Beast of Bedlam (Dragon #355)

[Ferronach]

The hextorites have begun mining the upper levels, but the mine itself was heavily investigated and dug up decades before. whatever the noble family that owned the mine and their crew found in the lower levels, was bad enough to warrant a shut down, level by level.

So the deeper levels would have old mining equipment and camps, now abandoned, but they would be sealed off to the new arrivals- the hextorites.

Ah OK. I was just thinking that you need to start at the surface and work your way down when tunneling. Didn't think about the mines new occupiers XD

[jiriku]

Hats off to you sir! That is one amazing write up!

Glad to be of service. Hope it helps. :smallsmile: