Human Paragon 3
2008-07-08, 11:07 AM
I am DMing on Sunday and due to reasons crucial to my livelyhood (i.e. work) I don't have time to design the adventure I want to. A little background:
This is the second session of my first 4e campaign. The setting is a "dungeon world" where everything is underground. The overarching plotline involves differing factions (Drow, Orcs, Deep Monsters, Dwarves) battling over resources. An earthquake opened up a new, hence unexplored cavern during the 1st session and now the PCs will be exploring it looking for food sources, mineral wealth, fresh water, new trade routs, new friends, or dangers that would force the village of Respite to seal the entrance. We are 2nd level.
I want the new area to be immense, but I don't have time to do it justice. Here are my ideas thus far:
1) At the start there will be 2 branches.
2) One leads deep underground toward the realm of the "deep ones" (this is a blanket term for monsters such as demons and abborations). This path would contain many natural hazzards and monsters.
3) The second path leads upwards to the ruins of a once glorious kingdom formerly peopled by a forgotten race (possibly tiflings?). This will have man-made hazzards, puzzles, tombs and such.
Here are my current ideas for encounters:
The Forest of Pillars: An enormous 'forest' of naturally occuring stone pillars illuminated by magma flows stands between the PCs and wealth. This is a skill challenge. A failure indicates they are lost and have to fight monsters (what kind?) A success means... what?
The Ancient Graveyard: The PCs wonder into a thicket of tombstones. This was once a tranquil place, but now it is inhabbited by nests of giant bugs and reptiles and possibly undead. What treasures await here? What monsters inhabit it?
The Rope Bridge: A rope bridge so long you can't see the other end (it is v. dark underground). A skill challenge that may encorporate airborn monsters.
The Acid Swamp: A swamp of acid that is unpassable to those who don't know the path. Perhaps the PCs can intuit the way, or perhaps there is a guide. Monsters may dwell in the swamp. What lays beyond it?
The Grim Ferryman: An undead ferrymen, perhaps a spectre or shade, stands waiting eternally at the edge of an abyss. PCs must figure out what sort of payment he requires for his services. Failure means the PCs are attacked by undead from within the Abyss. Where does the ferryman take them? Is this a skill challenge or puzzle? May be combined with Acid Swamp.
The Eternal Gaurdian: A ghost or semi-animate statue gaurds a tomb, speaking only a single, repeated phrase. This is a puzzle where the PCs must respond to him with the reciprocal password/phrase. How can the PCs guess the phrase? What clues are present? How can the gaurdian help guide them through his movements and disposition? Can he speak other phrases?
Monster Encounters: No matter which way the PCs go, they will encoutner monsters. What sort of creatures would be in each pathway? How can I make the encounters interesting and varied?
Cave In: A cave in cuts the PCs off. They must find an alternate way back or risk being trapped in the dungeon forever. A time limit is in place (if the PCs don't return in 6 days, the villagers will assume they are dead and seal off the entrance to the dungeon).
Finally, what is the story? How does each path tie into the overaching plotline of resource battling and political manuevering?
Suggestions for encounters or attempts to flesh out my ideas will be greatly appreciated. As you can see I want this to be quite grand, but I just don't have the time. Thank you playgrounders!
This is the second session of my first 4e campaign. The setting is a "dungeon world" where everything is underground. The overarching plotline involves differing factions (Drow, Orcs, Deep Monsters, Dwarves) battling over resources. An earthquake opened up a new, hence unexplored cavern during the 1st session and now the PCs will be exploring it looking for food sources, mineral wealth, fresh water, new trade routs, new friends, or dangers that would force the village of Respite to seal the entrance. We are 2nd level.
I want the new area to be immense, but I don't have time to do it justice. Here are my ideas thus far:
1) At the start there will be 2 branches.
2) One leads deep underground toward the realm of the "deep ones" (this is a blanket term for monsters such as demons and abborations). This path would contain many natural hazzards and monsters.
3) The second path leads upwards to the ruins of a once glorious kingdom formerly peopled by a forgotten race (possibly tiflings?). This will have man-made hazzards, puzzles, tombs and such.
Here are my current ideas for encounters:
The Forest of Pillars: An enormous 'forest' of naturally occuring stone pillars illuminated by magma flows stands between the PCs and wealth. This is a skill challenge. A failure indicates they are lost and have to fight monsters (what kind?) A success means... what?
The Ancient Graveyard: The PCs wonder into a thicket of tombstones. This was once a tranquil place, but now it is inhabbited by nests of giant bugs and reptiles and possibly undead. What treasures await here? What monsters inhabit it?
The Rope Bridge: A rope bridge so long you can't see the other end (it is v. dark underground). A skill challenge that may encorporate airborn monsters.
The Acid Swamp: A swamp of acid that is unpassable to those who don't know the path. Perhaps the PCs can intuit the way, or perhaps there is a guide. Monsters may dwell in the swamp. What lays beyond it?
The Grim Ferryman: An undead ferrymen, perhaps a spectre or shade, stands waiting eternally at the edge of an abyss. PCs must figure out what sort of payment he requires for his services. Failure means the PCs are attacked by undead from within the Abyss. Where does the ferryman take them? Is this a skill challenge or puzzle? May be combined with Acid Swamp.
The Eternal Gaurdian: A ghost or semi-animate statue gaurds a tomb, speaking only a single, repeated phrase. This is a puzzle where the PCs must respond to him with the reciprocal password/phrase. How can the PCs guess the phrase? What clues are present? How can the gaurdian help guide them through his movements and disposition? Can he speak other phrases?
Monster Encounters: No matter which way the PCs go, they will encoutner monsters. What sort of creatures would be in each pathway? How can I make the encounters interesting and varied?
Cave In: A cave in cuts the PCs off. They must find an alternate way back or risk being trapped in the dungeon forever. A time limit is in place (if the PCs don't return in 6 days, the villagers will assume they are dead and seal off the entrance to the dungeon).
Finally, what is the story? How does each path tie into the overaching plotline of resource battling and political manuevering?
Suggestions for encounters or attempts to flesh out my ideas will be greatly appreciated. As you can see I want this to be quite grand, but I just don't have the time. Thank you playgrounders!