How to dissect Steading of the Hill Giant Chief?

Oryan77 · Aug 4, 2006

I want to run this adventure without leading into the other 2 adventures of the series.

I also want to change the underground cavern portion into a more elaborate dungeon crawl rather than it just being a heap of Troglodytes & Bugbears. Nothing too long, but a long enough dungeon crawl to last a few sessions.

Can anyone suggest some published 1e, 2e, or 3e dungeon adventures that I could work into this adventure without it being totally out of place?

The backstory can even be reworked anyway possible to fit the two adventures together. I have nothing set in stone. The party level would be around 8-10th lvl.

grodog · Aug 4, 2006

You can do some really good stuff with G1 if you want to fold/spindle/mutilate it, Oryan77. I recommend the following ideas for expansion:

In the lower level:

expand the hidden temple in 17A/18 (which features stairs down covered by a cave-in) and steal elements from WG4 Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun to detail it (perhaps also change the altar in 17A to the G3 EEG altar, which is nastier IIRC)
expand on the carrion crawl caverns and steal elements from D1-3, or S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, or the lower level of WG4
expand on 26 and 27
add a new level entrance below the lower level via the pool in 22 by turning it into a well with a ladder built into the side or somesuch (instead of having it lead to an exit pool a mile away)
add another level entrance via a slanting corridor as the passage that slants from the smithy @ 16 toward the hidden temple

In the upper level there are fewer areas to build out, but you can certainly consider:

adding another tower or two, sufficiently large to accomodate additional floors within them
add another group of outbuildings, an outdoor well (which perhaps connects to the underground stream at a different point, which may also have another cavern or two which doesn't connect with the rest of the lower level(s) of the complex)
add a hill giant shaman into the mix, with an entourage of spirits/undead/whatever as his servitors/bodyguards/minions
place the Steading within a fuedal zone, with Nosnra having additional subjects who have sworn allegiance to him; if the PCs retreat, he calls in the cavalary

In addition to considering my suggestions above, you should absolutely read Jason Zavoda's "Nosnra's Saga" story based on G1; it's @ http://hp3000.empireclassic.com/fiction/zavoda/nosnras_saga.html and will provide many further nuggets for inspiration!

Oryan77 · Aug 4, 2006

Thanks grodog,

I actually have a copy of Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth but I've never browsed through it. I guess now is a good time to it

Thanks for the link.

diaglo · Aug 4, 2006

you can also add an agent of the Slavers (A series) in the mix. he is negoiating trade of slaves to the Giants.

and an agent of the temple of elemental evil (T1-4 module) keeping an eye on the tharizdun stuff. the new Return to temple of elemental evil uses tharizdun

grodog · Aug 4, 2006

Oryan77 said:
Thanks grodog, I actually have a copy of Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth but I've never browsed through it. I guess now is a good time to it

De nada. If you're considering adding in Tsojcanth, you may also want to check out my S4 web page at http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_s4.html for some additional ideas on that front, too

I like diaglo's idea of adding the Slavers in the mix; maybe in this case they're selling the giants orcish slaves, but the PCs don't know that, and they hear about the giants buying slaves from the Wild Coast (or wherever), and think that's another good reason to thump on some giants, but it turns out that they're really LE orcs and not LG human slaves

francisca · Aug 4, 2006

diaglo said:
you can also add an agent of the Slavers (A series) in the mix. he is negoiating trade of slaves to the Giants.

That's where my 1e GH game is going. They are slapping around the slavelords now, and will soon find the link to G1, but will need some sidebar stuff to beef up in levels before they hit it. I think I'll send them up for some recon in the Horned Society/Bandit Kingdoms area.

I plan on running them through G and D series.

I'm not touching Q1. Nope. Nu-uh.

On topic, I think Grodog cornered the market on good ideas already. Half of what he said occured to me as well.

Barendd Nobeard · Aug 4, 2006

What is the link between A4 and G1? I only have the original mods, which has no explicit link.

Faraer · Aug 4, 2006

Shredding of the Hill Giant Chief.

(I think the link between GDQ and A is nonsense, but S4 is the best module ever.)

Clangador · Aug 5, 2006

Barendd Nobeard said:
What is the link between A4 and G1? I only have the original mods, which has no explicit link.

The original modules have no linkage.

Now the supermodules link the T, A, and GDQ series together. I don't recall the details.

How to dissect Steading of the Hill Giant Chief?

Oryan77

Adventurer

grodog

Hero

Oryan77

Adventurer

diaglo

Adventurer

grodog

Hero

francisca

I got dice older than you.

Barendd Nobeard

Explorer

Faraer

Explorer

Clangador

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