Time For Another Round Of Iron Dm!!!

el-remmen · May 31, 2002

Time for another round of the good ole Iron DM

How does this work?

Simple. We get 8 people willing to play (and 3 alternates). I pair people off as competitors and give them a set of 6 "ingredients".

The ingredients are elements that must be used in the designing of a scenario/adventure - which should be written up in overview form - players can be as specific as they like - but detailed stat-blocks and the like are not weighed as heavily as uniqueness and playability of the ideas.

The results are then judged by me and the winner moves on to the next round. . .

So, once we have the 8 players (and alternates) - I will pair people up based on availability. However, we are going to change one aspect of the game - to make scheduling easier - players will have 24 hours from the posting of the ingredients to post their entry - which should give plenty of time for someone who is not immediately around when the ingredients are posted to get their entry done. Entries usually range from half a page to a page and half of writing (three or four paragraphs) - overly long entries run the risk of boring the judge

As usual, we ask that those not involved in a round not post any suggestions or ideas about the posted ingredients.

The Iron DM is a grueling competition, with hard as nails judges (expect to have your scenario picked apart).

I will be posting an example from a previosu IRON DM round soon. . .

So, who wants to play. . . the previous ENworld Iron DM has dibs on playing so he can defend his title.

Wicht · May 31, 2002

Count me in.

el-remmen · May 31, 2002

Example

By our very own Pielorinho!

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Ingredients
Carnival
Manticore
Crystal Hypnosis Ball
Stirges
Con Games
Giant Snakes

This adventure is suitable for seventh-level characters, roughly.

Background: Twenty years ago, Nipazir the manticore nearly made a fatal mistake: the cavern complex he decided to make into his new lair turned out to be the home of Kyrchthi the lich. Just before Kyrchthi snapped her fingers and disintegrated the intruder, she thought of a use for him. Years ago, she’d created a crystal hypnosis ball to snare a particularly meddlesome rival. It had worked, but since then it had fallen into the hands of a band of traveling gypsies, and was being used by a third-rate wizard for whom she could care less. She’d thought of reeling in the wizard and using him for experiments, but it seemed worthless. Now, she had an idea.

These days, the more-powerful wizard travels with the gypsies and participates in their carnivals as “Oliman the All-Seeing”. He’s reasonably famous for his divinatory powers, but he doesn’t let everyone access them: instead, he tests the prowess of questioners, and only answers questions for those he deems worthy. The worthy ones are shown the crystal hypnosis ball, which always “answers” their questions by directing them to the nearest cave (and suggesting they go posthaste). Nipazir then eats them and brings their valuables to Kyrchthi to add to her hoard.

The PCs need help from a sage, but they’re out in the boondocks. Lucky for them the carnival’s in town! It’s a sad carnival: a few flabby dancing bears, ripped-up tents, a chained goblin displayed as a baby hill-giant, that sort of rot. The main event Oliman’s Contest of Brains and Brawn, will attract some local toughs, but none of them will be able to defeat the various creatures summoned by Oliman. For the PCs, he’ll cast Summon Monster V twice, summoning giant fiendish constrictors.

Assuming they beat the constrictors, he’ll take them into a small tent and reveal the crystal ball to them. It’ll show a nearby

[edit: everything after here was typed after the deadline, just to show that I DID have a complete idea]

cavern, intimating that it contains an altar on which there's something the players have been seeking; the only monsters it shows in the cavern are a hive of rust monsters. Simultaneously it'll suggest that the PCs not take any steel weapons or armor into the cavern, and that they leave for the caverns immediately.

Nepizir, now a 12 HD manticore, is waiting in the depths of the cavern for victims to be sent to him. He chose a cavern infested by stirges, on the hopes that they would finish off any visitors and save him the trouble. Besides, he likes his meat dry. If he hears people effectively fighting the stirges, he'll come flying out and join the fray.

Oliman is not expecting the PCs to return; if they do, he'll do his best to parley his way out of trouble. He is completely unaware that his cooperation with the manticore is magically compelled, but effective diplomacy can convince him of this.