Collaborative Cave!

[Conaill]

If I ran a dragon using this map as a lair, I'd add more interconnections between areas. From 12 to 8, perhaps, using a tunnel in the ceiling (fliers only!). Maybe there's a hidden tunnel from 7 to 11 (a secret door in 7 leads to a 100' deep pit, and the bottom is actually 11). I might even make 4 wrap around to the north instead of the south and have a small window to the chasm in 2.

Another option: perhaps the water flows 6 -> 10 -> 8, and then curves back around underground to finally empty out at the bottom of the chasm. That would allow the dragon to swim down from 8 to the bottom of the chasm, then fly up and catch any adventurers in the rear...

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

WTF? I've never heard of stone kith, half-radiation template, hecavir, greendbond, or chaos mage.

I was going for some of the more obscure ones out there, in reference to another thread, which wasn't right or polite. And I still got 'em wrong.

Stone Kith is from... a template book I don't have, but it showed up in a Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classic. It basically turns a living creature into a stone golem. It would also negate almost everything else on the creature while adding +3 CR, making it borderline unusable.

Hecavir is from Beyond Monks, also Goodman Games. It's a four-armed humanoid. A classic 'cool but incredibly weak' LA race.

Greenbond is basically a druid-analogue in Arcana Evolved, from Malhavoc Press.

Chaos Mage is a controversial class from, appropriately enough, the Complete Chaos Mage, from Mongoose. Generally considered overpowered, but doesn't help this poor guy any.

Half-radiation... doesn't exist. I was thinking there was a Radiation Dragon, but it's actually Star Dragon and has the (Radiation) subtype; it comes from Dragonstar, from Fantasy Flight Games.

 

[Elephant]

First, I'll echo the question about 5' or 10' squares. If the idea is 5' squares, then some of the passages need widening to accomodate the dragon.

Are Rooms 1 and 2 (both sides of the chasm) open to the sky above? Or is the water tunnel between 1 and 2 the entrance into the cave complex? I had some ideas for Rooms 3 and 5, but it would logically require that the creatures there have easy access to outside.

Curtis, are you planning on writing up the final encounter with the dragon? If so, are you putting him in room 8, 10, or 12? There are good arguments for each one:

8: A crafty dragon could split his treasure pile, putting a few trifles on the ledge in front of the secret door to 9, with the rest of the treasure pile stored in 9 with some nasty traps. The dragon lounges either in the pool or on the ledge with the treasure while in this room.

10: The treasure is in the air-pocket room, making it much harder for pesky land-based adventurers to steal. It's easy for the dragon to reach because of his swim speed and water breathing, so it's no inconvenience to him (or her).

12: The plateau in the lower right of this area is a natural place to put a treasure mound. Fill the depression just below it with water, and the dragon has a nice hiding place. Or maybe the depression is his bed - either way would work.

In any event, I will sign up for Room 7: Choker Trap (This room assume that the Dragon ALWAYS swims via 6-10-8 if it needs to get to 8 or 9)

 

[der_kluge]

der_kluge - did you settle on 5' or 10' squares? This is crucial to know what sort of potential for flight these dragons would have in the various rooms...

Those are intended to be 5' squares. Although, there's nothing stopping someone from making them 10' squares, doubling the size of the cave.

 

[Elephant]

Those are intended to be 5' squares. Although, there's nothing stopping someone from making them 10' squares, doubling the size of the cave.

That's a pretty tight squeeze for a Large dragon, in some cases!

 

[der_kluge]

First, I'll echo the question about 5' or 10' squares. If the idea is 5' squares, then some of the passages need widening to accomodate the dragon.

I can widen the hallways. I suppose given enough time, the dragon could simply claw through some of the hallways to be wider.

Are Rooms 1 and 2 (both sides of the chasm) open to the sky above? Or is the water tunnel between 1 and 2 the entrance into the cave complex? I had some ideas for Rooms 3 and 5, but it would logically require that the creatures there have easy access to outside.

IMC, I ran just these first two rooms - there was an opening above the chasm to the outside. There, bats would fly in at dawn, and leave at dusk. Also, IMC, the chasm led down into the Tomb of Abysthor to dungeons below (about 190'). Obviously here, it can go wherever we wanted. I was thinking maybe a phase spider lair at the bottom would be kind of cool. Occasionally, maybe Spider Eaters would fly in to attack the spiders. Or, it could be just huge spiders, or something like that. It would be a way to further torment any PC who happens to fall down the chasm - not instant death, but rather slow agoniznig torture.

Curtis, are you planning on writing up the final encounter with the dragon? If so, are you putting him in room 8, 10, or 12? There are good arguments for each one:

I had actually drawn the map with the intention of putting the dragon in area 12, on top of the ledge. But someone suggested having it reside in the pool, which I like a whole, whole lot. So, I'm actually debating whether I should just completely erase 5,11 and 12. Thoughts? I'm happy doing whichever room. If someone wants to stat out the dragon's lair, go for it.

8: A crafty dragon could split his treasure pile, putting a few trifles on the ledge in front of the secret door to 9, with the rest of the treasure pile stored in 9 with some nasty traps. The dragon lounges either in the pool or on the ledge with the treasure while in this room.

I suspect most dragons would maintain a single treasure pile, out of greed as much as any other reason. The most logical place for the dragon to reside would be in the bubble chamber in area 10. It's the least accessible place to pesky interlopers. My original thinking (again, assuming the dragon was in area 12), that the dragon wasn't even *aware* of the secret door into area 9 - that it's contents were old and mysterious. But again, that's up to whoever details that room.

10: The treasure is in the air-pocket room, making it much harder for pesky land-based adventurers to steal. It's easy for the dragon to reach because of his swim speed and water breathing, so it's no inconvenience to him (or her).

Indeed. Likewise, if we place the dragon in area 12, this would make a perfect home to an aboleth, perhaps. That wouldm make this section of the cave particularly nasty.

12: The plateau in the lower right of this area is a natural place to put a treasure mound. Fill the depression just below it with water, and the dragon has a nice hiding place. Or maybe the depression is his bed - either way would work.

Indeed. I could fill that with water. Not a bad idea.

In any event, I will sign up for Room 7: Choker Trap (This room assume that the Dragon ALWAYS swims via 6-10-8 if it needs to get to 8 or 9)

I'll assign room 7 to you.

Thanks.

 

[der_kluge]

That's a pretty tight squeeze for a Large dragon, in some cases!

Gimme a few - I'll make some changes to it. I'm going to add a ceiling passage from 12 to 8 as suggested. I'm going to make area 4 sort of below area 3, and I'll widen some of the passageways, and fill the depression in area 12 with water.

 

[der_kluge]

Based on the number of color gradations left and right of room 7, it seems like the water in 8 is quite a bit lower than in 6. So logically, the water would be flowing 6 -> 10 -> 8, with some sort of inflow in 6, and an outflow in 8 (every dragon lair needs some sort of backdoor...). Also, the water should be flowing fairly rapidly to maintain that kind of difference in height. (There may even be a little waterfall where the water from 10 dumps into the pool in 8.)

I was thinking a waterfall into area 8 would just be awesome. The room would be dark, but when PCs enter here, they could hear it. Maybe something pouring in from the ceiling.

If that wasn't the intention, the map (and specifically the color gradation on the right of 7) should be adjusted...

I didn't really have any specific intention. I just drew a map. I think it would be best if the tunnel into area 10 from area 8 was submerged however. I think it would be too easy if it were noticeable - except maybe under drought conditions.

 

[Scribble]

That's a pretty tight squeeze for a Large dragon, in some cases!

Don't forget he said Young green dragons. So they aren't very big. They might not be able to fly through the whole thing, but who cares. I'd think the dea would be deffense more then convinience.

 

[Ilium]

I'll grab area 4 if that's OK.

I'm picturing that slope as being wet and extremely slippery, and living in area 4 are vast numbers of something tiny (or Diminutive) and hungry. Some kind of swarm that spends its days in here and goes outside through teeny cracks in the roof to feed at night. Bats, maybe.

OR it could be a swarm of rats that lives off the dragon's cast-offs. This could be the dragon's garbage dump. How much of a drop does each elevation line represent?