Into the Sewers

[Infiniti2000]

I'm planning an adventure for the PCs to 'clear out' the sewers. But, I want it to be a little more than simply clearing it out. Anyway, let me briefly explain the encounters I came up with, how I'm tying them together, and a couple of other things and then what I'm asking for help with.

This 'dungeon' is three main areas:

1. Bullywug lair. An abandoned house leads into the main lair (a hole was dug down and a ladder installed). The lair is filled halfway with water and an underwater passage leads to a nest. A path then leads to the main sewer system. There four possible encounters here: house (definite), lair (definite, and quite hard given that it will be partially in water), nest (not likely to occur because they'll have to find the underwater passage and then be motivated to check it out, maybe I'll have someone flee), and then just outside in the sewers.

2. Temple. Further down the sewer system, they will find a boarded up passage that leads to a carved out cavern and then a full-on underground, evil-guy, hidden temple. I can't recall the deity off hand, but it's the one that likes torture and jails. There's also a rivulet from the temple to the sewer system that spews acidic poison. The PCs could follow this it will require a lot of squeezing. If they fail to go through the boards (despite the stench of death behind it), they might be motivated to find out the source of acid. The high priest's chambers is the one adjoining room to the temple with an intact, locked door. That room leads up to a secret door in another house. This one is lived in by an innocent family who has no idea what's underneath. Will the heroes believe them? The encounters here will be undead and one fungus, and some acidic rats (minor tweaks).

3. Drake lair. The sewers have a retention area where the drakes will lair. A bunch of different drakes will be here, including some custom drakes (I love the monster builder).

It's my proposition that the drakes and bullywugs get along. The encounter at the abandoned house will contain one drake, which will flee at the first opportunity. When/if the heroes pursue they will not find the drake in the following encounter areas and therefore will hopefully be persuaded to continue adventuring into the sewers. That seems a little thin, however, and I'd appreciate any other ideas.

The temple is purely an additional encounter area for flavor. Not everything needs to be tied together and I like the flavor aspect of this. I've not used such a thing before, so it interests me. However, I can also use it to tie into some machinations above ground. Does anyone know about this temple and is searching for it? Any other ideas on how this thing could be used from a plot perspective?

I want an NPC in this. So, I was thinking of a 'sewer caretaker' that may even be hired by the town. But, wouldn't he know about these areas? If so, what is his connection and why hasn't he reported it? Maybe he's a wererat and they are aligned with the others? If he doesn't know about it, why not? I can't think it would really be that recent. I was thinking maybe having him meet the heroes once they are in the sewer system, maybe after the final battle in the bullywug lair. "Hey, I heard something and came running..." Then, he could follow them as far as the drakes, perhaps not choosing to follow them into the temple area, and then perhaps reveal some plotting (he's a friend of the drakes). If I do that, I'll have to stat him up, so what race/class/whatever should he be? She?

The heroes will get involved in this because a "big frog" and a "small dragon" were seen in town and then investigation (by the guard) revealed that there have been several pets missing over the last couple of weeks and possibly a missing person or two (maybe the caretaker brings victims down there). However, the guards are outmatched by the frogs and drakes and several lie dead (including maybe one of the frogs). The heroes, who hopefully have just handling the runaway wagon caper, will be paid to help and given a major quest to remove the frog/drake menace from the sewers. Maybe one of the missing people is still a captive in the drake's lair?

PS. I can post the monster stats and scan in the rooms if anyone is interested. This intended for 1st level characters and would get them up to 2nd if fully completed (together with the runaway wagon encounter).

[Sigurd]

Sure, post away. What game system are you using?

What are the bullywug's relationship with the dragon?


I'm curious to see how you make this fit for 1st levels.


S

[Infiniti2000]

Good question, it's 4E. The "dragon" is a drake, and there will be several. All of these monsters will easily fit for 1st level PCs.

I'm not positive about the relationship, however. Allies of sort, maybe uneasy? They don't use each other as food and there's plenty in the city to go around, so no competition. If you have any other ideas, let me know. I'll post the doc when I get home later tonight.

[Gilladian]

One possible reason the sewer caretaker might not report the evil temple's presence is if he has been charmed by the evil priest. After all, if this is an active temple, there must be worshippers coming in and out; the "innocent family house" seems an unlikely way to bring them in - so they must be coming via the sewers. The caretaker may be convinced that they're all his "friends" and acts as a guide to them.

Maybe the caretaker has made the drakes into his "pets" (or at least 1-2 of them). He might beg the PCs to spare them, promising that he'll prevent them from continuing to harm anyone on the surface, or denying that they ever have done such harm. Revealing to him the corpses of the missing pets/children that the drakes are eating might convert him to their point of view, or might drive him over the edge of a fragile sanity...

He could then accidentally lead the PCs straight to the temple as he runs to his "other friends" for help or consolation.

[GandalfMithrandir]

you could also have a cultist go into the sewers just before the PC's and they could follow the caretaker and the cultist as they make their way to the temple. this would make an easy way to have the PC's go into the temple.

[Sigurd]

Charm is one option, hostage is another. In some ways its easier for the players to discover if the caretaker's spouse is missing or child or whatever.


S

[Dannyalcatraz]

Originally Posted by Infiniti2000

This 'dungeon' is three main areas:

1. Bullywug lair. An abandoned house leads into the main lair (a hole was dug down and a ladder installed). The lair is filled halfway with water and an underwater passage leads to a nest. A path then leads to the main sewer system. There four possible encounters here: house (definite), lair (definite, and quite hard given that it will be partially in water), nest (not likely to occur because they'll have to find the underwater passage and then be motivated to check it out, maybe I'll have someone flee), and then just outside in the sewers.

2. Temple. Further down the sewer system, they will find a boarded up passage that leads to a carved out cavern and then a full-on underground, evil-guy, hidden temple. I can't recall the deity off hand, but it's the one that likes torture and jails. There's also a rivulet from the temple to the sewer system that spews acidic poison. The PCs could follow this it will require a lot of squeezing. If they fail to go through the boards (despite the stench of death behind it), they might be motivated to find out the source of acid. The high priest's chambers is the one adjoining room to the temple with an intact, locked door. That room leads up to a secret door in another house. This one is lived in by an innocent family who has no idea what's underneath. Will the heroes believe them? The encounters here will be undead and one fungus, and some acidic rats (minor tweaks).

3. Drake lair. The sewers have a retention area where the drakes will lair. A bunch of different drakes will be here, including some custom drakes (I love the monster builder).

It's my proposition that the drakes and bullywugs get along. The encounter at the abandoned house will contain one drake, which will flee at the first opportunity. When/if the heroes pursue they will not find the drake in the following encounter areas and therefore will hopefully be persuaded to continue adventuring into the sewers. That seems a little thin, however, and I'd appreciate any other ideas.

The temple is purely an additional encounter area for flavor. Not everything needs to be tied together and I like the flavor aspect of this. I've not used such a thing before, so it interests me. However, I can also use it to tie into some machinations above ground. Does anyone know about this temple and is searching for it? Any other ideas on how this thing could be used from a plot perspective?

I want an NPC in this. So, I was thinking of a 'sewer caretaker' that may even be hired by the town. But, wouldn't he know about these areas?

The heroes will get involved in this because a "big frog" and a "small dragon" were seen in town and then investigation (by the guard) revealed that there have been several pets missing over the last couple of weeks and possibly a missing person or two (maybe the caretaker brings victims down there). However, the guards are outmatched by the frogs and drakes and several lie dead (including maybe one of the frogs). The heroes, who hopefully have just handling the runaway wagon caper, will be paid to help and given a major quest to remove the frog/drake menace from the sewers. Maybe one of the missing people is still a captive in the drake's lair?

The case of the know-nothing caretaker could be as simple as plain, ordinary corruption & sloth. If you're the "Sewer Caretaker," but the sewers generally work...why go down in the sewer? Especially if nobody's checking your work.

And when you finally HAD to go down there and discovered all that stuff, you agreed to look the other way and misdirect anyone who comes looking...or lead them into traps.

Greed and Sloth are 2 of the 7 deadly sins for a reason.

Now, you're getting paid by the city, you're getting paid by those who dwell down there, and you don't wind up smelling like an Otyugh's drinking buddy when you go out for some ale and whores.

Or, to take it one step further, perhaps the Sewer Caretaker is a scaled-down Kaiser Söse...a crime lord. His office as the Caretaker is his "legitimate business" and lets him run his smuggling operations (including things like kidnapping plots) virtually unmolested.

In that case, the hush money he's taking from those below isn't a mere bribe, its a form of protection money, because HE rules the underworld.

The temple is devoted to a sect (uncharacteristic for D&D) that is NOT evil, just repressed by the local powers that be for some reason, so like the early Christians of Rome, they have literally gone underground. Which has put them at the mercy of the Sewer Caretaker and his minions.

Or, not quite as dark, the Sewer Caretaker is a "True Believer" in the repressed sect. Again, he's intentionally misdirecting officials from the temple, but for a noble purpose.

[Infiniti2000]

Thanks for all the good ideas! I'm liking a combination of them. However, I'm now leaning towards an abandoned temple, and that the caretaker is now an NPC "hidden cleric" of it. He's trying to consolidate it somehow and due to the closeness with the monsters (and his real lack of power) has to work with them. In fact, maybe he WANTS the monsters gone and will help the players in that direction, but will try to keep them from going into the (boarded up) temple. A crime connection is always good and I have such connections above ground. I think a simple connection is good, though, in the very beginning stages and simple alliance for supplies and such.

I still like the idea of a hostage. In fact, maybe it is the wife or former friend of the caretaker...who gave her to the drakes as payment of a sort? That outta be some interesting RP, especially when the caretaker thinks that she should be 'gone' by now.

Regarding sloth, I see what you're saying Danny but I like the idea of the caretaker character being very antisocial, perhaps pathological. He can't abide normal behavior and prefers to hide down in the sewers.