Help for devising a Tomb

[GryffonDurime]

So, I've finally got a campaign going. My players loved the first session, and it's kind of set a certain pattern: I started shooting from the hip.

Everything that happened in this session was impromptu, and only vaguely planned, and I discovered that...I guess that works for me. I knew I wanted to have the town be ferociously independant. I knew hags were involved, and that a large covey was protecting the town the players were in.

Now, I have to come up with something for the next session.

We've established that the next town on the players' journey will be the wizard's home town, and the place of his family's estate and tomb. The obvious temptation is that there's something afoot, either in the tomb or in his family's ancestral mansion...but he's the only one left of the clan. So I come to you, now, playgrounders, in search of ideas to help me expand upon this conundrum: I'm probably going to try and shoot from the hip again, with a rough idea of what any given character can do and what's going to happen so I can feel better about myself when the players invariably do something entirely different. So, ideas on what can be happening in this otherwise quiet little village?

[Solo]

Google "Tomb of Horrors" for some inspiration :p

[TheLogman]

Make sure that it is older in style, moldy, and most importantly, somehow filled with magic. Traps are a must, especially Fire traps, Runes, and Symbols. The monsters in the Tomb should be Undead and Constructs.

[GryffonDurime]

The problem isn't so much what to fill the Tomb with per se...the problem is "Why is it attacking someone who owns the Tomb?" It's the party wizard's ancestral tomb. Fairly sacred, since they're members of a long line of priest-caste.

Traps are an obvious possibility, but other than constructs malfunctioning and undead rising...it just brings up a question: what is going wrong in the tomb to cause all this?

[Jack_Simth]

Undead are going to be the first thing your players will think of when they get the impression something's afoot around the tomb/mansion combo - so don't do undead.

He's the last of his clan, and he left his mansion a while back?

Perhaps some local notable has faked evidence of the party wizard's death, and has taken over the mansion, using it as a base of operations to stage an eventual coup d'etat and take over the entire place. The mansion is used to wine, dine, and distract (or recruit) possible opponents (or allies), and uses the tombs (which nobody visits, what with their being no family in the area) to hold the revolutionary rallies, stockpile weapons, and so on. Needless to say, when the Wizard returns, this will throw a nice big monkeywrench in his plans - his claim on the lands is that you're dead - and if you're not, then he has to move out. He's got considerable pressure to make the lie true, now, but he's not quite ready to make his move, so he'll want to avoid getting his hands dirty....

[Zenos]

Maybe demon cultists are defiling the tomb? Could be fun to watch some dabbling cultists with some low-ranking demon allies fighting the players.

[Swooper]

Maybe someone or something decided the tomb would be a fantastic spot to set up camp. Something like a vampire. So, it worked it's unholy magic to take control of the tomb's defenses, and voilà!

[Citizen Joe]

Ancestral Wizards? How about a gothic looking tomb. Typical locked iron door. Inside, have a slab with someone encased in amber with a large tome (book) with the family history. Include niches and alcoves around the room with braziers (unlit) and a throne overlooking the room. Very simple, no monsters, no treasures, at least nothing with common value. Now, if you light the braziers and speak the command word, the ancestral ghosts will appear to act as advisors. If they don't feel you are worthy (or consider you tresspassers) they will drag you into their alcove and their demiplanes where they normally spend existence. Each has his own personality which is reflected in the demiplane. They give out tests and if you fail you become forever trapped in that demiplane, doomed to do the bidding of the wizard's ancestors.

[Vella_Malachite]

Maybe an ancient enemy of the wizard has taken over the tomb for his own purposes, or perhaps there is a deep secret hidden somewhere in the wizard's ancestry that has resurrected one of the corpses as evil, or perhaps it was a curse that is making the creatures attack him and the players must figure out how to destroy it?

Just suggestions.

[EagleWiz]

Have rumors that a lich has broken into the final chamber and is creating an undead army.

The real enemy: PCs thinking every rumor they hear is true.