PDA

View Full Version : Need ideas on two things: Druid Conference and Caves



Eldan
2017-09-07, 06:49 AM
I need some inspiration here. Or maybe some help to work out ideas.

The world tree is dying. Or at least entering a kind of autumn phase prematurely, thanks to a dark, primordial spirit who managed to break into reality from beyond and is infecting the roots in the shape of a giant worm/fungus monster.

Pretty standard stuff.

The party, after long travels, have managed to find the goddess of nature and make her aware of the problem. She gave them a healing liquid, which should help with the problem when applied to the world tree's deepest root.

All good so far. Now, however, the party is sailing back to the world tree. But I can't just have them walk down some caves, apply the potion and solve the probem that easily. I need some obstacles.

I already know that once there, they will find a world conference of druids from all orders, all worried about the tree. Knowing my party, they will immediately put themselves into the spotlight. "I'm the incarnation of Winter, this is my friend, a priest of the storm god who is also possessed by a powerful, if hostile, elemental spirit of light and fire, this is my other friend, a princess and ambassador of the dragon empire. Oh, and our captain, he sometimes turns into a bear the size of a war elephant." Things like that.

So. The druids need to detain them for a while, so we have something to do for at least one evening. Not in a hostile way, probably, though there might be a few sects who think that the world tree dying is good and natural. I was thinking of doing some kind of whodunnit mystery, given that we have dozens of colourful ambassadors from all known cultures. Maybe one was replaced by a shapeshifting spy or something. I need ideas here. (If anyone else can think of creative variations on the theme of "druid", I'm all ears too.)

Next, is a more general question, I suppose. How do you make climbing down caves interesting? I'm fresh out of ideas. Most common obstacles, like darkness, underground rivers, cliffs etc. won't apply to this group, now that they are midlevel and half of them can fly and the other half can spiderclimb. Combat might fill an hour or so, but not much more, we dislike frequent or lengthy battles.

What else is there to do?

hymer
2017-09-07, 07:06 AM
You could take a leaf from Warcraft, where druids enter The Emerald Dream to do stuff - basically it's any old excuse to get powerful NPCs out of the way and attack them while they're vulnerable, and adding a place that doesn't need to stand up to logical scrutiny, so you can do any werd stuff you like.
Since the evil spirit is entering from Beyond, I'd suggest having it lay down some obstacles, and the PCs may need to enter the Beyond and do some stuff there to deal with the obstacles. I don't know if you've detailed the Beyond, but it could be a very challenging place to be, hard to reach in the first place, perhaps crowded, perhaps desolate.

As for the Whodunnit, you could make it a Great Debate. Each sect of druids has a spokesperson, and each may speak once in each round of the debates - three or four rounds. But much of the real stuff happens behind the scenes, and that's where the PCs can be active. You could have any number of 'political' or philosophical intrigues going on, and the PCs need to find out who can be moved - and then pick some to focus on to move them. And, of course, someone could be trying to nobble the best orators or the keenest minds. Such a person or group needs to be exposed before the last round of the debate. And maybe the PCs can get the floor just before the third round and do a traditional whodunnit unravelling.
It could even be a misunderstanding which festers in the tense atmosphere, like Tintin's Les bijoux de la Castafiore, where it turns out a bird was the thief.

Geddy2112
2017-09-07, 10:18 AM
Take em to the fey realms or something druid circle pagan bacchanaliaeqsue. Throw a rager, heck, maybe the druids overtly welcome their new heroes and saviors, only for one or multiples to be plotting to kill them or something. Take their stuff, have to backtrack a party that lasted years of their lives but only a night of real time. Something like that?

For cave hazards- start playing with the air chemistry. Low oxygen content is a hard issue for most parties to solve, and kills quickly. Hydrogen sulfide and other toxic, flammable gases are threefold problems. They are toxic and damage parties, they exist in places of low or no oxygen, and suddenly spells like fireball will blow the building. Even though the party has magical light at this level, fire spells will increase consumption of oxygen. The best part is, that most of this stuff comes on slow-it is not like the party crosses into an area and it is sudden. These things sneak up on you.

Depending on their magical ability, a cave in or something very dangerous could pose a threat they are capable of solving. Radiation is another one that can do some damage and they won't see coming.

Throw a monster or two in to keep things spicy-bonus points if they have a way to bypass without combat or hostilities.

LibraryOgre
2017-09-07, 10:35 AM
At their power level, it might just be that going through the caves ISN'T that interesting. One of the reasons to become stupidly powerful is so things like "darkness", "oxygen", and "walls" don't bother you as much.

As for the Whodunnit... you know WHAT caused the damage to the tree, but WHO got that there? Have one of the druids accuse another druid, of a rival sect, of summoning the ancient primordial spirit of evil for their own purposes. Party B denies the accusation, either blaming party A again, or blaming party D, because they were trying to get party C.

Oh, and restoring the tree will destroy evidence, so they won't let the party go forward until its resolved.