Encounter help

[tim01300]

Hi, I'm building a "dungeon" for play at a local gaming shop. I've got my hook, stolen from baldurs gate, the PCs are asked to investigate a local mine. Miners won't work because if missing workers and demon sightings. The demons are actually kobolds working for a cleric that is trying to sabotage the mine.

What I'm looking for is interesting ideas, challenges or puzzles that work for a group of level 2-3 PCs. We only have 3 hours to play so i try to come up with 2 fights, (kobold ambush and boss fight), a puzzle and opportunities for players to use their skills.

So looking for a puzzle and skill challenges, besides cave in or get over this hole. Ideas?

[OldTrees1]

You want the skill challenge as an excuse to let the PCs use their skills. What are those skills?


Your monsters/npcs are kobolds & a cleric(race?). Their goal is sabotage
Your setting is mining tunnels that might have kobold tunnels dug into them.


What are the PCs?


Nearest source of water?
How many miners are missing?

Edit: Ideas below
One challenge could be solving a water breach. This could be placed before or after the boss fight.
The Kobolds could have made many tunnels. Finding the right one might be a puzzle. However this might result in an unacceptable loss.
An encounter trap would fit well with kobolds and let the PCs use mobility skills during the fight. Patches of lit oil could work.
The after boss fight interrogation could be a challenge before the conclusion. However this might be anticlimactic if they roll poorly.

[tim01300]

Because its a come and go local gaming shop the PCs and their skills I dont know ahead of time, just whoever shows up to play that night.

There is a river near the mines a few miles away, at the bottom of the mine the cleric has set up near an underground lake but the PCs wont know its there until near the end.

A handful of miners over the past few weeks, maybe 9?

[OldTrees1]

I edited in some ideas above. The water breach one would no work so ignore it.

Hm. Not knowing the PCs means you want challenges with diverse sets of applicable skills.

Finding the lake would be possible with interrogation, tracking, or even some knowledge checks (especially if a kobold drops a clue to the religious significance of the lake).

Since the cleric is already set up you could have a door with a religiously significant but otherwise discoverable puzzle entrance. Hits Search, Knowledge, and wits.

A rotating door has 2 knobs. One rotates it 120 degrees (1/3th) and the other rotates it 144 degrees (2/5th). Reach something close to 180 degrees to proceed. Say 168 (24+144).

Getting the miners back to safety could be difficult if "just casually swim silly" was not an option.

[tim01300]

Tracking/survival could be used to follow the kobolds, swimming in the lake could be possible skill use.

I try to come up with situations for each player to shine, beefcakes shine in combat, theives with traps, I'm thinking in this dungeon so far thats all i have

[ComaVision]

You pretty much described The Burning Plague module for D&D 3.5e. You might want to check it out for ideas.

[tim01300]

Ok will do

[OldTrees1]

Tracking/survival could be used to follow the kobolds, swimming in the lake could be possible skill use.

I try to come up with situations for each player to shine, beefcakes shine in combat, theives with traps, I'm thinking in this dungeon so far thats all i have

Stealth -> Tail the kobolds
Talker -> Social skills to get a kobold to guide you
Magic -> Shines in combat

What are ways to make the know it all (knowledge skills) shine?