[3.5] DM Location Advice

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

Just wondering what kind of encounters would you expect to find in an ancient ziggurat, partially submerged in a swamp?

Already is already confirmed to contain Lizardfolk, Ghouls, and Will-o-wisp, and a Spirit Naga.

Party is level 6.6 (5x 6th level PCs).

Cheers - T

[Saintheart]

Given it's partially submerged in a swamp, the good old Shambling Mound, at CR 6?

[DrMotives]

If you want to go weird, you can use the ahuizotl from Fiend Folio. It's an Aztec monster that lives in swamps, it serves the god of water & murder.

It sits perfectly at CR 6.

[Extra Anchovies]

I always like to include one powerful (strong enough that the aggressive monsters can't kick them out), nonviolent monster which the PCs can gain some sort of advantage from (information, gear that the monster is incapable of using, etc) and/or do a quest for (e.g. clearing out the ziggurat). In this case a Lammasu (MM1) or Shedu (Fiend Folio) would be a good fit.

[Honest Tiefling]

Lammasu have temperate deserts listed as their environment, so I'd provide a reason its hanging around a swamp. Maybe it's stuck and needs to be freed and escorted back home, providing loot for those who do so.

[(Un)Inspired]

If you want to go weird, you can use the ahuizotl from Fiend Folio. It's an Aztec monster that lives in swamps, it serves the god of water & murder.

It sits perfectly at CR 6.

I ran two of these at once against a 5th level party and it was awesome. I had the second one hit after the first had fragged a PC pretty deep into the water.

Other than that, ancient sites scream construct to me. Maybe squirt a few golems at your party and see what happens?

[sakuuya]

For whatever reason, swamps are particularly fertile ground around CR 6. In addition to the stuff you've got, Bog Imps and Boneleaves (Heroes of Horror), Bog Giants (Fiend Folio), Catoblepas (MM2) and Zern (MM4). Plus Bog Mummies (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20030331a) at CR 5 and Swamplight Lynx (MM2) at CR 7. I personally recommend against Catoblepas (because of the death ray), but they are the second-most-classic D&D swamp monsters after Will-o-wisps.

Speaking of, Will-o-wisps are very strong for their CR. They don't have any save-or-dies like the Catoblepas, but their absurdly high AC combined with their invisibility and magic immunity makes them tricky to fight. Just keep that in mind when designing that encounter.

[General Sajaru]

A little bit higher CR than your party level (7), but Chuul are listed as being in temperate marshes. So are Green Hags (CR 5), Ochre Jellies (CR 5), and Nagathas (CR 4, MM4, made by Nagas).

In warm marshes, we have Manticores (CR 5), Werecrocodiles (CR 4, Sandstorm), and of course Black Dragons.

You probably also want to decide if any of the people/things that built the ziggurat are still there, perhaps in undead form.

[Thurbane]

If you want to go weird, you can use the ahuizotl from Fiend Folio. It's an Aztec monster that lives in swamps, it serves the god of water & murder.

It sits perfectly at CR 6.

That's great - my fiancée and were doing a quiz on mythical monsters the other night, and this guy came up! She was surprised when I said there was a D&D version. :smallbiggrin:

There is a Green Hag (CN) with class levels who will be willing to offer the party help and advice in return for a fetch quest; and a half black dragon giant crocodile that will be part of that quest.

[Uncle Pine]

Ancient ziggurat? How about a Golden Guardian (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20030901a)?

EDIT: Fluff as a big golden idol, obviously.

[nedz]

Here's a selection, though you didn't tell us about the climate

Giant, Bog (FF p081) CR 6
Cyro Hydra (MM p157) CR varies Cold Marshes
Living Spell, Chilling Fog (MM3 p092) CR 9 Cold Marshes
Nagatha (MM4 p102) CR 4 Temperate Marshes
Dire Snake (MM2 p074) CR 5
Ochre Jelly (MM p202) CR 5 Temperate Marshes
Neogi (MM2 p159) CR varies Temperate Marshes
Swamplight Lynx (MM2 p191) CR 7
Burrow Root (MM5 p014) CR 8
Legendary Snake (MM2 p136) CR 8
Lycanthrope, Werecrocodile / Human (Sand p167) CR 4
Manticore (MM p179) CR 5 Warm Marshes
Plague Ant Swarm (FF p167) CR 5
Kopru (MM2 p134) CR 6 Warm Marshes
Quanlos (MM4 p122) CR 6 Warm Marshes
Darktentacles (MM2 p054) CR 7
Mudmaw (MM2 p153) CR 7 Warm Marshes

[Nibbens]

I'm not in the 3.X scene anymore as I run PF, but some particularly viscous (Advanced HD and Templated) Monkeys/Gorillas could be a good 'mundane' encounter to build the tension before the PCs start running into the supernatural. This could also be a good tie in to explaining the power/magic that might be contained in the ziggurat. (Just make sure to use appropriate templates, lol) After or during the encounter force the appropriate religion/arcane checks or the PCs to determine what had twisted the apes into becoming so powerful, etc etc.

Edit: Monkeys in a swamp - does not compute. LOL. Instead, use snakes or crocodiles and do the same thing I mentioned. LOL.

[YossarianLives]

I would definitely recommend a giant crocodile. Maybe with the fiendish template thrown in there.

[sakuuya]

I'm not in the 3.X scene anymore as I run PF, but some particularly viscous (Advanced HD and Templated) Monkeys/Gorillas could be a good 'mundane' encounter to build the tension before the PCs start running into the supernatural. This could also be a good tie in to explaining the power/magic that might be contained in the ziggurat. (Just make sure to use appropriate templates, lol) After or during the encounter force the appropriate religion/arcane checks or the PCs to determine what had twisted the apes into becoming so powerful, etc etc.

Edit: Monkeys in a swamp - does not compute. LOL. Instead, use snakes or crocodiles and do the same thing I mentioned. LOL.

Ewww, viscous monkeys!

Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean. But viscous monkeys would also be a good swampy encounter.

[Extra Anchovies]

Ewww, viscous monkeys!

What, like these guys?

http://i.imgur.com/l1JoODu.png
http://i.imgur.com/buEEEZP.png
Now all we need to do is recreate them in-game. Is there some ooze template or something that lets us make gelatinous creatures? I'd say something about goo-girls here, but that's probably not the best idea.

[Uncle Pine]

What, like these guys?

http://i.imgur.com/l1JoODu.png
http://i.imgur.com/buEEEZP.png
Now all we need to do is recreate them in-game. Is there some ooze template or something that lets us make gelatinous creatures? I'd say something about goo-girls here, but that's probably not the best idea.

Gelatinous creature (Savage Species).

[Nibbens]

What, like these guys?

http://i.imgur.com/l1JoODu.png
http://i.imgur.com/buEEEZP.png
Now all we need to do is recreate them in-game. Is there some ooze template or something that lets us make gelatinous creatures? I'd say something about goo-girls here, but that's probably not the best idea.

English Degree, meet autocorrect. Autocorrect, meet English Degree. I hate the both of you... Yeah, I totally botched my linguistics check there. Vicious, not Viscous. lol.

However, on a side note - gelatinous monkeys needs to be a thing in the Monster Manual, quick, make it happen!

[Uncle Pine]

English Degree, meet autocorrect. Autocorrect, meet English Degree. I hate the both of you... Yeah, I totally botched my linguistics check there. Vicious, not Viscous. lol.

However, on a side note - gelatinous monkeys needs to be a thing in the Monster Manual, quick, make it happen!

I don't know, I'm quite fond of the sample gelatinous bear in Savage Species.

[Extra Anchovies]

I don't know, I'm quite fond of the sample gelatinous bear in Savage Species.

Just look at it! Isn't it the cutest?

http://crpp0001.uqtr.ca/w4/campagne/eTools_User/Portraits/savage%20species/gelatinous%20grizzly.jpg

Also, three gelatinous apes (plus maybe a few gelatinous monkeys, but they're barely capable of dealing damage) would be a good encounter for five 6th-level PCs.

[VariSami]

This is off-topic but I cannot believe I only now realized that the gelatinous bear is a joke about gummy bears.

On-topic, people seem to have mentioned a great deal of great monsters. The combination of ancient ziggurats and swamps reminds me of the Sultai faction present in Tarkir in recent M:tG expansions. Thus, looking for inspiration in there, Yuan-Ti would seem to be a big possibility. The way I would see it, Yuan-Ti Abominations could be refluffed to be mutated Lizardmen who are worshiped by the lesser, more common variety as chieftains and/or spiritual leaders.

There are also surprisingly few mentions of the undead but I suppose those are much too obvious. Which reminds me of the Drowned - CR8 but we all know it should likely be higher, right?

[Segev]

Skeletons or REALLY soggy zombies could be "wild" and roam the depths of the swamp, reaching their arms up out to smack or claw at the living and pull them under to join their fetid mausoleum.

[Ferronach]

Inside the Ziggurat you could put an arachnid nest with a brood mother and a bunch of smaller spiders (pick a CR and location appropriate type of spider).
Remember that spiders can drop down onto the party from above and can use webs creatively.

[Extra Anchovies]

If your PCs have a habit of trying to ID monsters before fighting them, you could place a Bronze Serpent (CR 10, MM2) or another powerful construct not as a combat encounter but as a hazard - maybe they need to sneak past it, or it patrols the ziggurat in a set pattern and they need to time their movements to avoid it.

[Thurbane]

Just wanted to double check: does the ahuizotl really cause permanent blindness on any natural attack with no save?
I checked 3.5 updates for MM2 but could not see any change...
Strikes me as a bit OP, especially since my group has no Cleric.
Thinking of allowing a save and/or setting a limited duration.

[Scheming Wizard]

If you have the monster manual 2 I recommend the bronze serpent. It is a construct about cr 10 if I remember right. The cool thing about it is that it isn't just another golem and would be a great guardian for a reptilian race like the Yuanti or Naga.

[Thurbane]

I like the Broze Serpent, will definitely use one at some point in my game.


Just wanted to double check: does the ahuizotl really cause permanent blindness on any natural attack with no save?
I checked 3.5 updates for MM2 but could not see any change...
Strikes me as a bit OP, especially since my group has no Cleric.
Thinking of allowing a save and/or setting a limited duration.

After some consideration, I'm going to allow a save (Fort DC + 1/2 HD + Con = 15), and maybe limit the effect to 2d6 minutes.

[Dexam]

Giant Constrictor (CR 5, advanced or with template if you want higher) is a classic choice.

Advanced Assassin Vine (CR 3) is also fun.

Bullywugs, if you want a counter to the Lizardfolk.
(One planned swamp adventure that I never got to run featured a tribe of lizardfolk, who worshipped a black dragon, at war with a tribe of bullywugs, who worshipped a froghemoth.)

[Thurbane]

After some consideration, I'm going to allow a save (Fort DC + 1/2 HD + Con = 15), and maybe limit the effect to 2d6 minutes.

Just a quick update: I used the Ahuizotl as written - it only inflicts permanent blindness on a critical. I had misread it as any attack.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

Perhaps a Greenspawn Razorfiend, depending on the temperature and game world. It's CR 7, but that should be fine. Trolls. Swarms of things.