Trying to plan my first adventure

[Glawackus]

I'm going to be DMing a game very soon for my group (4-5 players, ECL 3 or 4, Eberron).
I'd like to have an adventure that can be completed in one session, but also something that can lead on to greater things. I was originally thinking I would adapt the Hell's Heart adventure for this lower level group, but I ended up deciding to just lift a few of the characters and make my own. What I've got is this:

(The end of 998 YK)
The PCs are summoned to appear at the Sharn City Watch headquarters by Inspector Tennison, a top-notch detective in the Watch. Tennison informs them that the Argonth, the massive fortress-city that has patrolled the borders of the country since the end of the war, has suddenly lost power and come to a grinding halt. The Order of the Emerald Claw is essentially staging a guerilla war in parts of the city, and the Citadel Elite have their hands full with that, leaving the next largest body (outside of the army--the king doesn't want to upset a populace already worried about the end of the milennium), the Watch, to take care of this mystery.

The PCs are sent out by an emergency lightning rail that House Cannith has set up, and reach the Argonth.


...Now, the adventure goes something like this: the central power source of the moving fortress has been deactivated, and the commander, the one person with the proper authorizations to reactivate it, has been murdered. The PCs have to go down and reactivate the "core". Along the way, they have to fight through the automated security systems--this being Eberron, I imagine there'll be constructs. Also, traps, and perhaps some regular monsters that've fallen down and become trapped in the lower levels. I was thinking a cool final encounter would be a rust monster that the villain (and potential BBEG) released into the ship to get at the core--the party won't have many (if any) magic items yet, so I'm not worried about destroying somebody's prized +4 vorpal whatever, and the SRD says it's a CR 3...

I can post more details on my idea for the overarching plot if anyone has any thoughts on that. I'd say one big question I have is thoughts on what monsters to have, and also, encounters that the players can have that aren't just "kill this monster" or "disable this trap"...anyone know any good puzzles I could use?
Thanks in advance. :smallsmile:

[Scythoro]

I love throwing puzzles at the players. Here one that I've used.

Have the players walkinginto a room(description doesn't matter) in front of them are three indentical doors and on the floor is an inscription saying something about only one door is the the true door and that they have to "reflect on your past to discern the true door". On the wall behind them is a mirror that only shows the reflection of the real door. If the players choose either one of the other two doors, well...that's up to you. But the key is to get them to turn around and look behind them. I have created much much harder puzzles but those aren't for level 5 players. But I do have others if you like this one.

[Triaxx]

Another entertaining puzzle is monster slayer.

The party enters the room, and is confronted with three, medium strength monsters. Not too hard, not too easy. Too advance, they have to kill all three monsters in order. However, kill them in the wrong order, and the killed monsters revive, and the order changes. The trick, to avoid being strangled by the players, is to give each monster an aura color. First is blue, second is green, third is red. When you list the monsters, explain that each glows with an aura, but don't mention color. After the monster revives, mention that the aura's have shifted. Keep it up until someone asks the colors and figures it out.

[DracoDei]

Here is a varient of an idea that I used in one of my games. I warn you I have been told later that the original was a recipe for TPK...
This requires that you set them up with a liason from the engineering staff of the city: an Artificer. The default way to go would be to have this guy have a quirk that he is missing his right arm or maybe just incompetent with weapons. In any case he should be defensively oriented to the max... makes a dwarven defender look like a soft target. Dodge, Expertese (if you don't have him missing an arm), Great Fortitude, Iron Will, the works. NO ranks in Search, and MAYBE no ranks in Disable Device. Basically for most of the adventure he might as well not be there except perhaps as a mobile roadblock.

Ok, first, have the FIRST layer of security be sets of MASSIVE doors on every entrance to the engine region. Stone, mirthrel, adamintine, doesn't matter, just make sure the players get the idea that they have zilch chance of getting through them if they close.

After they have defeated the rust monster, have the artificer nervously step up to the core and say "here goes nothing" or something non-commital along those lines.... Tries to reactivate it... Either have him roll a 1 on his UMD (not necessary the first roll, but before he rolls well enough to start it) or say that the UMD on this thing was specially boosted against tampering to put it so he wouldn't succeed even on a natural 20.

SLAM

SLAM

SLAM

SLAM


Even from this far away the party can hear the massive doors slamming shut... they are now stuck in here, and the artificer is their only hope of getting the doors open, and the core STILL isn't restarted. In addition every OTHER door in the place is now closed and locked tight (this second part is necessary to keep it from being a TPK). If you like you can have this state of total lockdown without further problems persist for 24 hours so the PCs can refresh their spells etc. in this case it may become necessary to fudge a second set of rolls for the artificer. The artificer will want to avoid making things worse during this point in time and will just sit tight while he analyzes the situation and thinks without casting any spells or whatever. Alternatively just have made sure the artificer has cast all his spells in the course of the journey to the core.

If the artificeer can reactivate the core that will also simulataniously reset the security system to be under his command (so no more construct attacks), and open all the doors. The problem is that (after the initial period of mere lockdown) EVERY construct in the place now knows exactly where they are, and has orders to seek them out (but WITHOUT damaging any of the doors/walls that are supposed to be closed, doors the PCs over-ride/jam shut will be smashed through). The security system is going to open the right sets of doors in the right order to allow one group of constructs into the core room to try to get rid of the intruders every 60 minutes (more or more often would mean opening too many doors at once, which the designers considered unwise). The first attack (or maybe a Magic Mouth warning of the penalties for failing to surrender to the proper authorities (who their aren't any of who can be contacted)) motivates the artificer to action. After another natural 1 with UMD he starts casting Identify on the core, because even if that sets of more anti-tamper systems how much worse can it get? If he can get the spell off it will give him the command words to reset the system and fix everything... The party has to set up the room for defensibility so that he doesn't get hit too often and fail a Concentration check. The attackers come in waves every hour, and will target the artificer most strongly because he is in the most sensitive position to their protective mission. 8 susccessiful defenses in a row equals victory, and remember if they fail that the artificer can just start casting again.

If you are feeling merciful have the players have defeated every construct in the place after 24 hours (that is 24 waves of attackers) even if they keep failing in defending the artificer (or he gets killed).

Needless to say the individual attacking groups should probably be at least 2 CR below the party level.

The layout of the room, width of the corridor(s) leading up to it etc are all key points in balancing the scenario.

Probably has a lot of holes to be filled in but please tell me what you think of the general idea.

[Mewtarthio]

After another natural 1 with UMD he starts casting Identify on the core, because even if that sets of more anti-tamper systems how much worse can it get? If he can get the spell off it will give him the command words to reset the system and fix everything... The party has to set up the room for defensibility so that he doesn't get hit too often and fail a Concentration check.

You just dredged up awful, traumatic memories of the "Control" level in Goldeneye. "James, please keep it down; I can't hear myself think! James, I-- Objective B Failed" :smallfrown:

[DracoDei]

You just dredged up awful, traumatic memories of the "Control" level in Goldeneye. "James, please keep it down; I can't hear myself think! James, I-- Objective B Failed" :smallfrown:
Never seen that level, or even seen more than about 10 minutes of game-play in that game. But it sounds like I might be on a good track IF the level and type of the encounters is balanced correctly.

[Glawackus]

That's an interesting idea, DracoDei, if only for the sheer "oh, we are so screwed moment" when the doors slam shut. :smallamused: I'll probably end up incorporating some form of that.

Does anyone have any ideas for interesting monsters to have in there? I was really hoping for some "wow, you should really have x in there".

[Scythoro]

I'm not firmiliar with Eberron, but it sounds rather mechanical. So I'd throw either a toned-down Clockwork Horror (Monster Manual II) or an Automaton (also Monster Manual II) at them. These aren't "wow", but appropriate.

[Triaxx]

Draco: If you escaped the horror of it, count yourself lucky. I've never finished it fair. And I'm a good shot.