deep, open dungeon adventure

[birdchili]

I'm looking for a prefab dungeon to shoehorn into my homebrew. Something that isn't built like a claustrophobic maze of 5/10ft corridors... something open and huge inside - high ceilings, canyons and cliffs, etc... I want my players to be able to ride a horse around, and believably encounter both monstrous-sized and flying critters.

I'd also like it to feel like a journey into the depths of the earth - built deep and skinny, rather than shallow and wide.

Ideally this would be an amazing product all-around, but I'm most interested in really good and interesting maps as I'm going to have to hack any plot and ecology to fit my campaign anyway...

Is there anything that fits this description that someone can recommend?

 

[ericlboyd]

I'm not sure it meets your criteria, but Hellgate Keep (2e) details the ruins of a city on a small plateau. The city has been disintegrated, forming an inverted-pyramid-shaped despression into the plateau.

The maps appeared in WoTC's "Maps of Mystery" here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mwa/archive2004

(Search for "Wedge Mountain" about 3/4ths of the way down the page.)

Alternatively, you could use the map for Ched Nasad (pre-War of the Spider Queen novels) found in Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark.

Finally, it doesn't meet you criteria of a "descent into the earth", but you could use the maps of Shoonach found in Empires of the Shing Sea (I think ... could have been Lands of Intrigue). They detail a sprawling surface ruin of a massive capitol city now infested with undead.

--Eric

 

[Mark Hope]

Take a look at The Night Below - it has large areas that match the requirements that you describe. It's a 2e product, mind you, but the monsters in have all pretty much been converted over to 3e.

Also, the old 1e classics Descent into the Depths of the Earth and Vault of the Drow might prove useful. They can be pretty sketchy in places, mind you, so if you are looking for something that is already fully-fleshed out, these might not be for you. Lots of stuff there to customise and make your own, though.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Rappan Athuk.

 

[HellHound]

Rappan Athuk? The maps of RA are all of pretty darn small areas, and include many 10 foot hallways, narrow stairwells, etc, exactly what he is trying to avoid.

 

[Mark Hope]

Yeah, for the most part Rappan Athuk is composed of smaller corridors and rooms. There are some areas on the lower levels that are huge caverns and the like, but they are in the minority (still pretty damn cool, though...)

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Yeah, for the most part Rappan Athuk is composed of smaller corridors and rooms. There are some areas on the lower levels that are huge caverns and the like, but they are in the minority (still pretty damn cool, though...)

You must not have the same copy I have. Mine has IMMENSE caverns. There are a few levels with smaller tunnels, but you can just skip those if you like. Regardless, it's a great series.

 

[howandwhy99]

For 3.5 rules what you really want is "Caverns of Thracia". This is an enormous module, but you can split it up into pieces you choose to use. Massive caverns, some worked areas, and plenty of "wide open" spaces for your PCs to explore underground.

It also happens to be one of the great "classic" Judges Guild adventures.

Your other alternative is D1-2 Descent into the Depths, but you'll need a conversion for that.

 

[Mark Hope]

You must not have the same copy I have. Mine has IMMENSE caverns. There are a few levels with smaller tunnels, but you can just skip those if you like. Regardless, it's a great series.

Umm, well, I was saying more or less the same thing as you, I thought. It has both large (or huge or immense) caverns and areas with tunnels and rooms. Either way, yes, you can skip the bits you don't like ...

 

[birdchili]

Caverns of Thracia/Descent into the Depths

thanks for these sugests...

Caverns of Thracia looks to be potentially useful for me... found a couple of reviews here that like it, though bad/inadiquate maps seem to be an unfortunately common complaint.

Descent into the Depths I can't seem to find much comment on... Given its author and era it's safe to assume it's a big slashfest?

Can anyone comment a bit about layout/geography of these two adventures? Play experiences?