Help creating a Thieves' guild dungeon

[Rolero]

Hello fellow giants, my players are about to go to a secret hideout of one of their archnemesis, the Hyena Bandit International, who happens to be the leader of a pirate group and guild master of the city's scum.

The campaign is set around a group of islands and the players are currently operating around the biggest city of the place. After an encounter at sea with the pirate making a successful escape, he retaliated stealing their ship in the city port using their appearence with ilusion magic. Infuriated, the players tried to find him in the city underground and sewers without success and then were approached by a rival of the gang that offered assistance putting them in the right direction.

They now know that the villain hideout is inside a secluded small island. Next session they are going to embark there with the help of one high level thief (the rival), but she will leave them at arrival to infiltrate the place at her leisure (the don't know this).

So, depending on their actions they may try to be discrect or go for the frontal assault. Whatever they do, they will have to go throught their hideout if they want some payback, hence the thread about this particular base of operations.

I want to go with the theme here and make the place a trap fest. However, I want them to be more than a set of preassure plates and boobytraped doors bested with a few rolls. I want creativity and a bit of sadism here.

I already have some ideas for some of the rooms, but I would like some suggestions and even links to dungeon layouts. The idea is a secret hideout carved inside an island, so underground and acuatic elements should be the focus here.

To adjust the difficulty, this is my party of players, all 6th level:
-Human Wizard Evoker
-Human Shadow Sorcerer
-Tortle Moon Druid/Barbarian
-Tabaxi Lore Bard
-Human Vengeance Paladin/Fiend Bladelock

They all have average stats but some decent gear and they work well as a group. The barbarian has a Warding Axe and the Sorcerer has a pasive Perception of 23, so taking them by surprise is almost impossible. This last part makes any trap automatically visible, so I am trying to think of creative ways to catch them out guard to spice things a little.

Some ideas I am going to introduce:
-Partially flooded room with preasure plates under the murky waters that trigger an electric effect when activated affecting anyone in contact with the water.
-A puzzle room that gets sealed if answered wrong and them either flooded or filled with poison gas.
-A manually activated wall of spikes around a corner that the enemy can use as a defensive trap when the players aproach (hold action, activate)
-Separate the party with moving walls.

This examples are some of the highlights, but I am looking for some cool ideas while they traverse the labyrinth, tools that the thieves can use defensively to increase the challange of some encounters.

[Unoriginal]

Can you tell us more about the Guild, the kind of things they have access, and who they're trading with?

Do they worship/follow Glasya?

Personally, I would have quite a few place that cna only be reached by walking on a rope. Like, different tunnels being connected by ropes.

And at each end an henchman with an axe and an alcove to hide in, so that they try to cut the rope when the invaders are on it.

[Ventruenox]

Waaay back in Dragon Magazine #64, Ed Greenwood designed a proving ground for a single infiltrator called "The Assassin's Run." Lots of traps, a number of guards. It might prove relevant for your project.

I'll just leave this (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg064.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjoto_4sJfcAhXm4IMKHdXuCjoQFjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0j4wTHEalJrFEH2od0z3xU) here.

[Rolero]

The guild is more of secret stash place than an organization headquarters. The Hyana is in a current power struggle for the control of the city underworld, leading one of the main factions.

The islands the campaign takes place where recently discovered and have been colonized with haste, building over existing ancient structures. Their hideout, however, was set inside a hollow small island in a secluded reef on one of the bigger islands. The access could be something like the following sample:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/81/a4/17/81a41722e8839658eda335e5c7e25171.jpg

My idea is that it will have a greater port, capable of storing half a docen ships for their raidings, and then a small labyrinth section to arrive to the living quartes, prisioners cells and treasury.

The Hyena faction is currently big on piracy, contraband with the stolen merchandise and the slave trade. They are not particullary religious and tend to be ruthless and brutal on their assaults. The guy is very clever and resourceful and will betray, cheat and do whatever terrible deed needs to be done to succed.

[Rolero]

Waaay back in Dragon Magazine #64, Ed Greenwood designed a proving ground for a single infiltrator called "The Assassin's Run." Lots of traps, a number of guards. It might prove relevant for your project.

I'll just leave this (Dragon Magazine #64 - Annarchive
PDFAnnarchive › files › Drmg064) here.

Appreciate the input but the link is broken :(

[Sinon]

OK, let me ask about the guy in charge of this hideout:

1) What’s his “deal”?
2) What’s his goal?
3) What function does the hideout serve?

I ask about the character/personality/”deal” of the leader because that’s going to affect the way he situates himself.

So, for example, is he a vicious sadist? You’re looking at torture chambers, maybe arenas for violent, one-sided gladiatorial games? (Which could mean he is, or has as a henchman, a champion warrior/performer.)

Is he decadent? He may have some underground palace, filled with looted art objects, etc. This would give a level of detail to your description of the place.

Maybe he’s militaristic, with caches of weapons and spartan conditions for his minions.

This also means you have to decide how he relates to his people: does he rule through fear? Does he appeal to the perversity of his pirates? Is there the promise of large sums of money later?

Then the goal? Is it “live fast, die rich”? Is there some secret, underlying motive? Like the search for some lost artifact? Does he have another life where he’s a respectable merchant and his piracy financially supports his legit business and rids him of competition?

And the function: you describe a series of traps and challenges to get to the living quarters. That might work for a small, cult-like operation, but if he has a mass of thugs transporting chains of slaves and carts of contraband, this might not be practical.

But, the quarters for the rank and file, along with storage of the mundane, bulky loot, might be a challenge to overcome before finding the entrance into the inner sanctums.

This also opens up the possibility that the traps and puzzles are as much a deterrent for his subordinates as for intrepid adventurers.

There is (I assume) a big showdown at the end of this and a hook to what comes next.

What comes next? A guy who is planning on taking up a place in polite society in the near future is going to create a difference ambiance than one who's trying to find the perfect blood sacrifice to resurrect a dead god.

[Ventruenox]

Appreciate the input but the link is broken :(

Fixed. (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg064.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjoto_4sJfcAhXm4IMKHdXuCjoQFjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0j4wTHEalJrFEH2od0z3xU)

[Rolero]

OK, let me ask about the guy in charge of this hideout:

1) What’s his “deal”?

I ask about the character/personality/”deal” of the leader because that’s going to affect the way he situates himself.

So, for example, is he a vicious sadist? You’re looking at torture chambers, maybe arenas for violent, one-sided gladiatorial games? (Which could mean he is, or has as a henchman, a champion warrior/performer.)

Is he decadent? He may have some underground palace, filled with looted art objects, etc. This would give a level of detail to your description of the place.

Maybe he’s militaristic, with caches of weapons and spartan conditions for his minions.

This also means you have to decide how he relates to his people: does he rule through fear? Does he appeal to the perversity of his pirates? Is there the promise of large sums of money later?

He is more like an evil version of Jack Sparrow (theatrical, arrogant, ladies-man and backstabber extraordinaire) He actually has a personal arena and a champion that rose from slavery and has become quite loyal to him.

I would not call him decadent, he enjoys the perks this kind of life rewards but he also knows that sonner or later there will be an end to it. In a way he is a lot like Tarkin, Elan's father. He choose to live like a king knowing that his final moments will be terrible.

He is not militaristic, not by a long shot. He controls his lackeys through a mix of good prophits, fear and a public example from time to time when someone is trying to usurp his reign.



2) What’s his goal?

Then the goal? Is it “live fast, die rich”? Is there some secret, underlying motive? Like the search for some lost artifact? Does he have another life where he’s a respectable merchant and his piracy financially supports his legit business and rids him of competition?

He doesn't have an ultior motive, but he is actually working for someone. He is being specific with the ships he raids to take out the trading competition of his patron. He only saw him once, and it became clear to him that cross him would be a costly mistake. Since his boss is not demanding any of the riches he is getting, he enjoys this arrangment quite a bit and plans to keep going as much as he can to cash out the islands with as much fortune as he can to retire in a very distant place.



3) What function does the hideout serve?

And the function: you describe a series of traps and challenges to get to the living quarters. That might work for a small, cult-like operation, but if he has a mass of thugs transporting chains of slaves and carts of contraband, this might not be practical.

But, the quarters for the rank and file, along with storage of the mundane, bulky loot, might be a challenge to overcome before finding the entrance into the inner sanctums.

This also opens up the possibility that the traps and puzzles are as much a deterrent for his subordinates as for intrepid adventurers.

The mundane equipment and trading merchandises are stored in the dock's warehouses. The money, gems, art, prisioners and other valuable items are taken to the deeps of the facility. The labyrinth has keepers at several points that can open the rooms and disable the security from the inside. Most of the dangers are mechanical, so a few people in key points and with some secret door access can manage the traps with ease according to the situation.

The hideout serves as a storage, pit boxes and resting place. It is very well hidden and offers a good range of operations for the raidings.



There is (I assume) a big showdown at the end of this and a hook to what comes next.

Of course :)



What comes next? A guy who is planning on taking up a place in polite society in the near future is going to create a difference ambiance than one who's trying to find the perfect blood sacrifice to resurrect a dead god.

There is, of course again, a hook to continue the plot. But that, is a story for another day.

[Sinon]

Based on your responses, I would have at least a couple large wide open spaces, like a communal dining/reveling hall in addition to the arena. This is good because, as a contrast to the confined spaces in the rest of the labyrinth, these will allow for some varied encounters, give your players specializing in ranged combat or area attacks a moment to shine. (Or challenge a party who didn't think these roles were worth filling.)

If he’s theatrical, he might have places where he can watch and taunt the PCs from relative safety and maybe some over-the-top environmental hazards, like narrow bridges over pits of water, sharks with laser beams on their heads, the usual.

Also, certainly an area where he can publicly deal with the pirates that fail him. Maybe cages over some kind of certain death. If one or more of these cages has a prisoner in it, said captive could be a source of information for the PCs or some provide a social encounter, which is nice for those PCs who took Cha skills or Insight.


He doesn't have an ultior motive, but he is actually working for someone. He is being specific with the ships he raids to take out the trading competition of his patron. He only saw him once, and it became clear to him that cross him would be a costly mistake. Since his boss is not demanding any of the riches he is getting, he enjoys this arrangment quite a bit and plans to keep going as much as he can to cash out the islands with as much fortune as he can to retire in a very distant place.
This probably means a stash of easily portable wealth and some sort of escape plan, a small, fast ship or a tunnel. Maybe a teleportation circle.

I might also think some means of magical communication with his liege, maybe a sending stone that the PCs could eventually acquire? Perhaps also a secret agent of the greater power, someone that even the Pirate himself doesn’t realize is a lot more powerful than he seems at first, like his valet turns out to be a shapeshifter or a powerful spellcaster.

I would (if possible) use the identity of the next adversary as a motif to decorate your pirate lair, so for example, if you’ve got a kraken cult, lots of bas-relief carvings of sea monsters, a railing designed to resemble a tentacle, the water hazards have octopi in them.

In my project, there is an NPC named Draig Efyd who is actually a polymorphed bronze dragon. He wears a “shiny orangish” silk vest; his house is decorated with sculptures of sea creatures; and he has an odd collection of ancient weapons and treatises on the art of war. I don’t want it to be too obvious, but I want to be something that “clicks” at the right moment.

[Wryte]

What if the guild had a warlock or two in its ranks who have imp familiars, whose jobs are to sit invisibly at the entrance, and once it becomes clear that the party isn't falling for any of the lair's traps, the imp starts invisibly tripping the traps when they get there?

[Emongnome777]

And the function: you describe a series of traps and challenges to get to the living quarters. That might work for a small, cult-like operation, but if he has a mass of thugs transporting chains of slaves and carts of contraband, this might not be practical.

+1

Having a pool filled with sharks between the entrance and the bathroom doesn't exactly scream verisimilitude. "Darn, my newspaper got wet again!"

Solution? Simplest seems to be having a way for all the guild members to bypass the trap-filled route. Problem? Devising a method that's simple enough for even the dim-witted members to manage while also being presumably impossible for the PCs to find. I'm sure there's good answers here, but to be honest, I'm drawing a blank.

Hmm, seems I just added questions, not helped much. My bad. Why did I post this? ;)

That said, I'm interested in the finished work. Sounds like it could be awesome!

Lastly, perhaps you can find some inspiration from the original Gygax 1e Tomb of Horrors (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/176871/S1-Tomb-of-Horrors-1e).

Edit: Insignificant punctuation

[JellyPooga]

Biggest, most important piece of advice? Put a whole bunch of traps in for PP:23 guy to spot. Spotting a trap doesn't mean you bypass it and if you don't put them in, you're negating the choice of that player to invest so heavily in that area.

[Callin]

This guy seems fairly rich. So why not a hidden path that leads to the common area thats behind a DC 25 secret door that opens into a murder room with another DC 25 hidden door that can only be opened by a secret phrase. You say the phrase wrong or try to bypass and the room fills with water and a Pirhana Swarm.

Come up with a Pirate Ditty to give a clue to the phrase.

[Occasional Sage]

Fixed. (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg064.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjoto_4sJfcAhXm4IMKHdXuCjoQFjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0j4wTHEalJrFEH2od0z3xU)

That took me way back. Thank you!

[Mercurias]

You could always have your party fall into a trap which dumps them into a dungeon UNDER the Thieves' Guild, and have there be periodic viewing points through which members of the guild can watch the party struggle or up the ante on some puzzles (e.g., have the Rogue sneak through a hall of pressure plates, only for someone watching from a ceiling grate to drop a bottle onto a plate, causing the hall trap to activate and forcing the rogue to outrun something nasty).

I would do:
1) A room with a door that takes many keys, but the wrong keys cause the room to flood until the entire chamber is a death aquarium.
2) Hallway with pressure plate traps that unleash spinning blades from the walls all the way down to the room's end.
3) Room with a sinking ceiling.

And other stuff. I'm getting a little tired, though. I'll stop here.

[Rolero]

I am still designing layouts and picking up some traps and challenges but I think I've solved the problem of making this place habitable.

The docks will be pretty standard, with up to 6 ships being able to anchor here. The place will have one big storehourse and a secret exit to the exterior that ends in a secluded cove and another path that gets to the cliffs and to a sentry outpost carved in the rock.

The main tunnels however, lead to a big room with a big stone door sided by two colums with 2 sets of symbols on each of them that can rotate to do several combinations. The trick here is at the other side there are two guards verifing the right combination, and randomizing them once someone has passed to the other side. Should it be wrong, they will ask a security question through a hole. (some deception checks or even a hostage may give the players the opportunity to bypass this).

In any case, should they fail, a heavy stone door will fall on the other side sealing the room and the floor will start to open making them fall to the labyrinth part and alerting the villains who will enjoy the show from secret high spots.

What do you think?