To Sail the Sunless Sea

O

Olgar Shiverstone

Legend

• Apr 28, 2007

• #1

Imagine you're developing a new campaign, where the concept is to run a swashbuckling, pirate-style series of adventures, except that to make it a little different, your campaign will be set on the Sunless Sea of the deep Underdark.

What would you include in the campaign to make it unique, memorable, and thematic?

 

log in or register to remove this ad

sukael

First Post

• Apr 28, 2007

• #2

I'd think that most Underdark ships would have spotlights mounted on them to help navigate, since darkvision only reaches 120 ft. for drow.

That lets you have tense 'turn off all the lights and drift past the enemy' moments, too.

 

D

Dr. Prunesquallor

First Post

• Apr 28, 2007

• #3

Is there any wind down on the Sunless Sea? You might have a lot of oared ships powered by (in the case of evil races anyway) slave labor.

I think you should have at least one or two climactic fleet sized battles with lots of ships catching on fire. That would have to look pretty sweet down in the dark.

Maybe a pirate port built of ship parts on the sides of stalactites and stalagmites rising out of the water. That way they could really buckle their swash by swinging between the buildings.

And since it's always dark you could pop out the vampirates.

You could put all kinds of junk down there. Maybe a city in a cave water maze that could only be reached on a ship with a minotaur navigator.

 

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

• Apr 28, 2007

• #4

The massive cave the Sunless Sea is in on the old D3 map is large enough to make wind a possibility, especially when you factor in all the strange stuff going on down there.

I'd make the aboleths and koa-toa the two main heavies in the campaign and recast the drow as scrappy privateers serving the different powers.

I'd also find room for a deep gnome paddlewheel as well.

 

R

Ranger REG

Explorer

• Apr 28, 2007

• #5

Dr. Prunesquallor said:

Is there any wind down on the Sunless Sea? You might have a lot of oared ships powered by (in the case of evil races anyway) slave labor.

Click to expand...

Either oared by slaves or towed by sea creatures.

You could always create wind by spellcaster.

 

Land Outcast

Explorer

• Apr 28, 2007

• #6

Bound water elementals are another option...

What about Giant turtles over which small strongholds are built?

 

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

• Apr 28, 2007

• #7

Are the giant island-sized turtles from Al-Qadim in 3E? I seem to recall them being reprinted, but I don't remember where.

 

Thomas Percy

First Post

• Apr 28, 2007

• #8

When I will see "Pirates of Carribean: At Wold's End", I will tell you what will be trendy in the fantasy pirate industry.

 

I

Immak Antunel

First Post

• Apr 28, 2007

• #9

Howsabout a portion of the Underdark sea that lie beneath a surface ocean, with a layer of porous rock (e.g. sandstone) in between. This area is in an eternal "storm" as water constantly seeps in through the ceiling and "rains" on the Sunless Sea below. This region would be particularly stalactite-prone, since they are formed by dripping water, and the neverending downpour would obscure vision enough that they would be a very real navigational danger.

Also, volcanic hotspots that boil the water in a given area of the sea. Temperature differentials could cause weird currents, and mephit/devil/fire giant pirates would take advantage of the heat.

 

RichGreen

Adventurer

• Apr 28, 2007

• #10

Whizbang Dustyboots said:

Are the giant island-sized turtles from Al-Qadim in 3E? I seem to recall them being reprinted, but I don't remember where.

Click to expand...

I think they're in the Arms & Equipment Guide, bizarrely. They're called zaratans.

This is a great concept for a campaign. I would introduce something like a spelljammer helm for power as an alternative to rowers (although bugbear slaves would likely see a lot of use). I like your idea of the drow as swashbuckling privateers and the aboleth as main villains.

Cheers


Richard