D&D 5E Expanding Wave Echo Cave to bring PCs to 6th level

[Agglomérante]

I actually put the myconids in there as a wildcard– I decided they have a hard time telling different types of "meat people" apart and so don't get into faction wars. They attack anything that comes at them with hostility, and ignore or parley anything else. I was also thinking it might be amusing to set up some kind of merchant there, but I haven't figured out what. A traveling gnome scholar who's been living among the mushrooms just a little too long, perhaps.

Hahah, what a coincidence. I once ran an old leather-faced gnome wizard named Fig who travelled with his wife, a vegepigmy. I can slot that weirdo right in here.

A spellcasting wight works too. Or a ghoul, or even a lich or heucuva.

A huecuva's a fallen cleric. Hmmm. I briefly considered a Crypt Thing, then imagined how splitting up the party with its teleport would play out. Slowly, with a bunch of one-on-one DMing. But I like the description of the Crypt Thing:

Each eye socket is lit by a fierce, red pinpoint of light that is almost hypnotic in its intensity.

FWIW I don't have any books on the underdark either, just the bits I've picked up from drow supplements or other modules over the years. I sort of see it as somewhere between Wonderland, Pellucidar, and Dante's Inferno. With just a hint of Dark Crystal thrown in.

Nice influences! Tasty plate

 

[The_Gneech]

I've always seen crypt things as mostly unintelligent– almost more of a trap than a creature. But I've never actually used one. Point is you need some modicum of intelligence and sociability in order to have a "king," even of undead.

-TG

 

[Agglomérante]

I searched my game notes for "mine" and came up with this beauty, attached to a 2007 note. No idea what the source is.

It's a nice close-up of what could serve as the Boss lair in my sprawling complex, which is too big to map.

A Heavy-Metal-esque enormous cavern opens up to the north.

The eastern track forks many times into tunnels dug long ago by the original dwarves, and the tracks were cannibalized for parts when one tunnel went dry.

The southern tracks lead to the smelter.

 

[The_Gneech]

If I remember correctly, that's from one of the 4E Dungeon magazine adventure paths. But yes, a very handy map, yoink!

-TG

 

[Agglomérante]

If I remember correctly, that's from one of the 4E Dungeon magazine adventure paths. But yes, a very handy map, yoink!
-TG

I know, right?!

So it's depicting a typical inner mine exit and dumping spot for mithral. I like the little side lanes for managing traffic. There might be a few of these dumping spots, but this is the only one with rooms.

I just picked up the DMG (wheeh!) and there's a beautiful table on p.293 for designating "Chamber Purpose" to rooms in a mine, and it lists 12 different room types (with my notes in brackets):

• barracks for miners,
• bedroom for supervisor or manager (two Bosses for the map)
• chapel dedicated to a patron deity of miners, earth, or protection
• cistern for drinking water,
• guardroom (good spot for a construct of some sort!)
• kitchen used to feed workers
• laboratory to conduct tests on strange minerals extracted from the mine (cool! gnome undead! and a pair of Eyes of Minute Seeing),
• lode where metal ore is mined, 75% chance of being depleted,
• supervisor's office,
• smithy for repairing damaged tools,
• storage for tools and other equipment (including gnome-designed face masks providing protection against gas, smoke, etc.)
• strong room or vault used to store ore for transport to the surface (infested with rust monsters for generations, who've hollowed out the mountain of mithril)

The clever undead have no idea why the skeletons have extended the north cavern wall dozens of miles. I'm thinking some ancient dark power trapped deep in the rock has been beckoning them for centuries. It's responsible for all the negative energy that suffused Wave Echo Cave and raised the dead in the first place.

The clever undead don't really have motivation beyond accumulating mineral wealth and keeping machinery and tools in working order.

 

[Agglomérante]

Nope, that wasn't sounding weird or fun. The clever undead have to have a decent motivation.

The tear in the magical weave that powers the Forge of Spells was ripped open in the first place in whatever fight entombed this evil Power in the solid rock, eons ago.

So it would make sense for the clever undead to be warlocks serving the Power as part of a pact: in return for labouring centuries to liberate you, we will command in the new world order, we will rule. Hmm, warlock spells are cool

 

[Agglomérante]

Hah, the players didn't make it to Wave Echo Cave last night. I've got weeks to prep this. If I pull it off, I'll post the expansion here.

 

[Agglomérante]

For those interested, this guy Matt's done a great job of not only expanding the map, but Jaquaying it! I love it! Totally inspiring. I have yet to do my own maps (game day's Jan 17), so I'll follow the design patterns myself.

So, I made an attempt at Jaquaying the Lost Mine of Phandelver (relevant article about what that is: http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/13085/roleplaying-games/jaquaying-the-dungeon). I added several new areas and loops to the dungeon, I broke it into two separate floors with multiple connections between the floors (3 conventional stairways and 4 unconventional paths down), added several exits to the surface, and finally added in trap floors and secret walls all over the place.

https://plus.google.com/+MattSmithAsacolips/posts/Mo36NJ9FmoM

These are Matt's fun maps:

 

[Nebulous]

I searched my game notes for "mine" and came up with this beauty, attached to a 2007 note. No idea what the source is.

It's a nice close-up of what could serve as the Boss lair in my sprawling complex, which is too big to map.

A Heavy-Metal-esque enormous cavern opens up to the north.

The eastern track forks many times into tunnels dug long ago by the original dwarves, and the tracks were cannibalized for parts when one tunnel went dry.

The southern tracks lead to the smelter.

View attachment 65288

Fantastic map but i cringe at the thought of printing and taping it together! Oy. I need a digital projector....

 

[The Novice DM]

Where is this expanded map that you've spoken of ? I'm running LMOP with a group and they are about to hit Wave Echo Cave. I want to change it up a bit (didn't like the "limited forge" option in the module) and want to expand it further.