Grug
2008-07-02, 11:21 PM
Dan, Andrew, Corrinne, Sarah, Prasant, and John, don't read this.
My group just finished the Built-In adventure for 4ed, and now I'm prepared to make my very own. It's a relatively simple affair. After the kobolds were dealt with, the Players get invited to join an up and coming adventurers' guild. Their first job seems simple: While digging a well, a pair of farmers uncover an old staircase to an underground complex. They found some treasure in the first room, but could hear something moving deeper in the complex and fled. So to find more treasure (and what I'm calling "Historical Artifacts" for the Guild Leader), the PCs are sent. They will be level 2 when they start.
After descending, the first room is empty. The second room seems simple: four Zombies and a Corruption corpse. However, there are three doors leading out. One is barred with metal, and has an Iron Cobra inside that will attack any zombies or players it finds. The second door is locked, but a Zombie on the inside tries to break out every turn. this is bad because not only does it mean another zombie, but puffs of poisonous green gas escape with every bash. If the zombie escapes, the room will be partially flooded with poison (Cloud, +5 vs. Fortitude, Hit: Ongoing 5 poison damage and -2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends). However, once the gas clears, there is a 100gp pearl in the room.
The third door leads to a hallway that branches right as well as straight. This is where I'm a bit tentative, because I designed my own trap and not sure if it's too strong or not. When someone enters the 2 by 2 square intersection, a press drops down to squish. If there's a creature under it, the Press attacks at the end of the round and then retracts. (+12 vs. Reflex, 3d4+4 damage and knocked prone). It's meant to be a little overpowered, but that's because there are a variety of ways to avoid it. You can jump over the trigger area, or you can scramble around a corner with a DC 9 Acrobatics check. You can also choose to catch the trap bodily with a DC 22 Endurance check, where you take 2d4+4 damage and no one else gets hit. A perception check DC 22 lets the plaers see there is a small latch in the exact center of the slamming area. The problem is that if it is pulled, the trap will smash it back down. The original denizens would use a long hook to work the latch, but barring that the trap must be caught for the latch to stay up and deactivate the trap.
If the players go to the right, they had a further choice of rooms. to the south are a few zombies, but also some rubble, a chest, and two potions and a shield in the corner. If they accidentally trigger the rockslide by forcibly moving a zombie next to the wall, using a burst or blast, or killing two zombies, the potions are crushed and ruined. The shield, however, remains and with blast away any zombie forced onto it (it's a shield of Bashing for the fighter). the chest contains some money and Bracers of Perfect Aim (or whatever they're called) for the Warlock.
To the north lies an armory, and an Elite skeleton spars with two skeleton partners. Standard fight, although the sparring ring is a Ring of Blood, giving everyone inside +1 to damage and +2 to confirm crits. The Elite wields a Frost Greataxe, a treat for the party's Paladin.
There is a secret door in the north wall, leading to a hidden Wizard Lab. There, an Imp is willing to reveal the location of a magic item in the lab if they can entertain it. Once the location is revealed, the Imp attacks. The item is for the Wizard. The lab also opens to the west, leading to another secret door. However, if it is opened, water spews out.
To the North of the Press trap is a room with a large fountain. the other secret door ends up under this fountain. The room is a nest for Fire Beetles, which had tunneled in. If the players are in the water, they get a +2 bonus to reflex defense against the flames.
West from the Fountain room is a most insidious trap, again by me. The hall appears to lead south to a double door and north to a set of stairs, but the southern door is a fake, opening to reveal various sharp, whirling objects as the wall moves closer. In addition, the way back is blocked by a portcullis. The only option is to retreat to the north, but the hallway is blocked by about two dozen undead minions. the players must smash their way through the bodies before they are puree'd.
Safe on the stairs, the wall returns to it's original place, and a lever allows for deactivation. The next room is another fairly straightforward fight. Some amount of corruptors are on a pair of balconies with a wood catwalk between them, and some skeletons on the ground. The walls and floor under the catwalks are trapped with thrusting spikes. The players can wait for the zombies to go on the bridge and then blast it to make them fall/get trapped. They can also run through the spiked floor to get to the doors. In the hallway beyond are stairs leading up to the balconies.
The next area is the climax: A large chamber consisting of a gaping pit, with a short catwalk leading to a large platform suspended by eight chains made of precious metals. The encounter is with a Dreadmist Wight and some undead flunkies. The players will certainly be shocked when they see the Wight bring back one of the zombies. If they are victorious, the Wight was a greedy adventurer who had been puzzling for centuries about how to get these chains without causing the entire platform to plummet. the treasure he already had is tucked in a pile behind a pedestal.
The pedestal is circular and divided into eight holes. A magic Dragon's Skullplate, given at the end of the last adventure, starts to glow if near. If the skull is put into the slot, a voice wells up. The voice claims to be Bahamut, and tells the party's Dragonborn Paladin that there are seven other dragons in the world that carry a mark on their very souls. The silver chain breaks off and floats to the players as treasure, while that part of the platform starts glowing, like levitation. If these dragons are slain and brought to the Tomb again, a great reward will appear.
Honestly, the voice isn't Bahamut but the spirit of a wizard, the last of the wizards that presided over the place. The "Dragons" are not all true dragons. One is a Dragonborne, another is a Vampire from a knightly order known as "The Dragons of Khel". The skullplate of each is delivered, with a greater and greater reward each time. When all eight are found, it is revealed that the platform descends far into the earth, eventually reaching the core, where the Slumbering Tarrasque is available for study, teasing, or harvesting of the diamonds on it's shell.
What do you think? Give feedback plz. Also, someone please tell Azerian Kelimon that we need to talk.
My group just finished the Built-In adventure for 4ed, and now I'm prepared to make my very own. It's a relatively simple affair. After the kobolds were dealt with, the Players get invited to join an up and coming adventurers' guild. Their first job seems simple: While digging a well, a pair of farmers uncover an old staircase to an underground complex. They found some treasure in the first room, but could hear something moving deeper in the complex and fled. So to find more treasure (and what I'm calling "Historical Artifacts" for the Guild Leader), the PCs are sent. They will be level 2 when they start.
After descending, the first room is empty. The second room seems simple: four Zombies and a Corruption corpse. However, there are three doors leading out. One is barred with metal, and has an Iron Cobra inside that will attack any zombies or players it finds. The second door is locked, but a Zombie on the inside tries to break out every turn. this is bad because not only does it mean another zombie, but puffs of poisonous green gas escape with every bash. If the zombie escapes, the room will be partially flooded with poison (Cloud, +5 vs. Fortitude, Hit: Ongoing 5 poison damage and -2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends). However, once the gas clears, there is a 100gp pearl in the room.
The third door leads to a hallway that branches right as well as straight. This is where I'm a bit tentative, because I designed my own trap and not sure if it's too strong or not. When someone enters the 2 by 2 square intersection, a press drops down to squish. If there's a creature under it, the Press attacks at the end of the round and then retracts. (+12 vs. Reflex, 3d4+4 damage and knocked prone). It's meant to be a little overpowered, but that's because there are a variety of ways to avoid it. You can jump over the trigger area, or you can scramble around a corner with a DC 9 Acrobatics check. You can also choose to catch the trap bodily with a DC 22 Endurance check, where you take 2d4+4 damage and no one else gets hit. A perception check DC 22 lets the plaers see there is a small latch in the exact center of the slamming area. The problem is that if it is pulled, the trap will smash it back down. The original denizens would use a long hook to work the latch, but barring that the trap must be caught for the latch to stay up and deactivate the trap.
If the players go to the right, they had a further choice of rooms. to the south are a few zombies, but also some rubble, a chest, and two potions and a shield in the corner. If they accidentally trigger the rockslide by forcibly moving a zombie next to the wall, using a burst or blast, or killing two zombies, the potions are crushed and ruined. The shield, however, remains and with blast away any zombie forced onto it (it's a shield of Bashing for the fighter). the chest contains some money and Bracers of Perfect Aim (or whatever they're called) for the Warlock.
To the north lies an armory, and an Elite skeleton spars with two skeleton partners. Standard fight, although the sparring ring is a Ring of Blood, giving everyone inside +1 to damage and +2 to confirm crits. The Elite wields a Frost Greataxe, a treat for the party's Paladin.
There is a secret door in the north wall, leading to a hidden Wizard Lab. There, an Imp is willing to reveal the location of a magic item in the lab if they can entertain it. Once the location is revealed, the Imp attacks. The item is for the Wizard. The lab also opens to the west, leading to another secret door. However, if it is opened, water spews out.
To the North of the Press trap is a room with a large fountain. the other secret door ends up under this fountain. The room is a nest for Fire Beetles, which had tunneled in. If the players are in the water, they get a +2 bonus to reflex defense against the flames.
West from the Fountain room is a most insidious trap, again by me. The hall appears to lead south to a double door and north to a set of stairs, but the southern door is a fake, opening to reveal various sharp, whirling objects as the wall moves closer. In addition, the way back is blocked by a portcullis. The only option is to retreat to the north, but the hallway is blocked by about two dozen undead minions. the players must smash their way through the bodies before they are puree'd.
Safe on the stairs, the wall returns to it's original place, and a lever allows for deactivation. The next room is another fairly straightforward fight. Some amount of corruptors are on a pair of balconies with a wood catwalk between them, and some skeletons on the ground. The walls and floor under the catwalks are trapped with thrusting spikes. The players can wait for the zombies to go on the bridge and then blast it to make them fall/get trapped. They can also run through the spiked floor to get to the doors. In the hallway beyond are stairs leading up to the balconies.
The next area is the climax: A large chamber consisting of a gaping pit, with a short catwalk leading to a large platform suspended by eight chains made of precious metals. The encounter is with a Dreadmist Wight and some undead flunkies. The players will certainly be shocked when they see the Wight bring back one of the zombies. If they are victorious, the Wight was a greedy adventurer who had been puzzling for centuries about how to get these chains without causing the entire platform to plummet. the treasure he already had is tucked in a pile behind a pedestal.
The pedestal is circular and divided into eight holes. A magic Dragon's Skullplate, given at the end of the last adventure, starts to glow if near. If the skull is put into the slot, a voice wells up. The voice claims to be Bahamut, and tells the party's Dragonborn Paladin that there are seven other dragons in the world that carry a mark on their very souls. The silver chain breaks off and floats to the players as treasure, while that part of the platform starts glowing, like levitation. If these dragons are slain and brought to the Tomb again, a great reward will appear.
Honestly, the voice isn't Bahamut but the spirit of a wizard, the last of the wizards that presided over the place. The "Dragons" are not all true dragons. One is a Dragonborne, another is a Vampire from a knightly order known as "The Dragons of Khel". The skullplate of each is delivered, with a greater and greater reward each time. When all eight are found, it is revealed that the platform descends far into the earth, eventually reaching the core, where the Slumbering Tarrasque is available for study, teasing, or harvesting of the diamonds on it's shell.
What do you think? Give feedback plz. Also, someone please tell Azerian Kelimon that we need to talk.