1001 Cool Combat Locations

[LGodamus]

In the stomach of a leviathan.......constant acid damage and swim checks .

in Limbo.......vs and anarch who controls the chaos material

in the basket of a large hot air balloon.....balance checks based on how much damage suffered by strike

on a bridge made of solid ice with no railing over a hundred ft drop in to an icy river.......cold weather conditions and winds force huge balance checks as does movement....

 

[HellHound]

From my "Kobold Kwest II - Nevah Trust a Smiling Human" adventure...

84 . In a roman steam bath with steam so thick that EVERYTHING has 100% concealment. Make spot checks when you walk into someone to figure out what side it's on. Make intuit direction checks every round or the DM randomly rotates your figure 90 degrees.

(the players in KK2 loved it)

 

[Kriskrafts]

74) The bridge of a starship as it enters the atmosphere at a bad angle with it's shields down and a horde of enemy fighter's on it's tail

Oh yeah, we had one similar to that too.

#85 On the bridge of a starship, as the huge viewscreen had just shot out, and half the characters were sucked out into space (and this was a D&D game, not sci-fi).

 

[RangerWickett]

Here's the quick list of what Arwink and I are going to be writing in The Adventurer's Guide to Surviving Anything, coming out quarterly in the ENWorld Player's Journal. You actually have listed a few ideas we didn't come up with. Some are locations, others are just suggestions for good adventurer behavior.


1. The Warrior’s Life. Advice for being a combat-oriented adventurer. Focus on different types of warrior, and how tactics are similar or different.
2. The Spellcaster’s Life. Advice for different types of spellcasters, and suggestions for different roles you can fulfill.
3. The Sneak’s Life. Advice for how to use stealth to your advantage, and general advice on knowing when to not get involved.
4. The Celebrity’s Life. Advice for how to use charm and charisma instead of combat ability. Suggestions to adventurers on creating their own style.
5. Group Tactics. The best way a group can fight foes is to focus on one at a time, since magical healing allows nearly-dead foes to come back if you leave them alone. However, suggestions for knowing when to split up.
6. Mobile Tactics. Tactics that make use of mobility, such as riding (and the drawbacks if only some are mounted), or running and letting your foes lag behind so you can pick off those at the front.
7. Evasive or Guerilla Tactics. Hitting and running. Finding and using cover.
8. Sun Tzu’s Art of War Advice. It’s classic. Just reprint it.
9. Gear to Bring. Obvious.
10. Primary Openings. These are the things that you never forget to take advantage of.
11. Fighting Hordes. This is when the hordes are weak enough for you to take.
12. Fighting Things too Big for You. When to know to run, or how to beat huge monsters.
13. Surviving in Wild Locales. More general advice.
14. Exploring Dungeons and Caves. The primary early adventure.
15. Fighting Minor Undead. Early monsters.
16. Fighting Underwater. Another common event.
17. Aerial Combat. Well, first you need a way to fly.
18. Fighting Mounted Forces. Another hard thing to do.
19. General Grasslands.
20. Herd of Beasts.
21. Dust Storm.
22. General Forests.
23. High Canopy.
24. Quicksand.
25. Tree Village.
26. Inside a Huge Tree.
27. Brachiating through Vines and Branches.
28. General Wastelands.
29. Ancient Battleground with a ground too blood-soaked for life to flourish
30. Land of Noxious Fumaroles.
31. General Aquatic.
32. Eternal Whirlpool.
33. In a Pod of Whales.
34. Shark Feeding Frenzy.
35. Leech Pool.
36. Acidic Lake.
37. Vat of Chocolate.
38. General Mountainous.
39. Mouth of a Volcano.
40. Volcanic Eruption.
41. Ice Cliffs.
42. Rockslide or Avalanche.
43. General Subterranean.
44. Rain Tubes.
45. Hanging from Stalactites.
46. Crystal Caverns.
47. Fungal Fields.
48. Shardfields.
49. Swarm of Biting Insects.
50. Spider Den.
51. General Aerial.
52. Flying.
53. Falling.
54. Being Carried.
55. Weightlessness. Falling down bottomless pits.
56. Vaccuum.
57. Atop the Back of a Giant Bird.
58. Lighting Effects. Pitch Darkness, Bright Light, Dim Light.
59. Hazes. Mist and Fog, Dust Clouds, Smokes.
60. Wind. Various Intensities, Whirlwinds, Effects on Flying Creatures.
61. Precipitation. Rain, Snow, Hail, Flaming Debris, Acid Rain.
62. Miscellaneous. Lightning, Flocks of Defecating Birds, Living Precipitation, Temperature Hazards.
63. Pirhanas Swarms.
64. Army Ant Marches.
65. Rampaging Flock of Birds or Swarm of Bats.
66. Belly of a Whale.
67. Pit of Snakes.
68. Gator Pond.
69. Husk of a Colossus.
70. Residential or Commercial. Furniture, Windows, Doors, and Occupants. Forges, Armories, Shops.
71. Mansions. Hedge Mazes, Dance Floors (occupied and not), Chandeliers, Staircases, Kitchens.
72. Taverns. Bar Room, Stable, Bedroom, Hallways.
73. Libraries.
74. Done. Large Sailing Ship. Deck, Hold, Mast, Rigging. Hazards of whales and water elementals.
75. Canoes, Rowboats.
76. Bazaar.
77. Riot.
78. Army in Battle.
79. Leper Colony.
80. Highways.
81. Bridges.
82. City Streets.
83. Giant Gears of a Clocktower.
84. Multi-leveled Scaffolding on a Huge Statue.
85. Moving Train.
86. Giant Spiderweb.
87. Sinking Ship.
88. Echo Chamber.
89. Horde of Zombies.
90. Room of Mirrors.
91. Multi-story Warehouse.
92. Astral Plane.
93. Ethereal Plane.
94. Planes of Air.
95. Plane of Earth.
96. Plane of Fire.
97. Plane of Water.
98. Positive Energy Plane.
99. Negative Energy Plane.
100. Plane of Shadow.
101. Plane of Madness.
102. The Fey Realm.
103. At the Mouth of a Planar Gate.
104. Antimagic Locations.
105. Sewers and Steam Tunnels.
106. Treasure Hoard.
107. Alchemist’s Laboratory.
108. Crushing Room with Wall Spikes.
109. Tightrope.
110. Narrow undergound river.
111. Giant Echo Chamber.
112. Belltower.
113. Windship in a Storm.
114. Great Cathedral.
115. Small Village.
116. Done. Fortunad Gypsy Camp.
117. Carriage Chase.
118. Torture Chamber.
119. Collapsing Evil Fortress.
120. Evil Ritual Chamber.
121. Minefield.
122. In and On a Hot Air Balloon or Zeppelin.
123. Moving Mineshaft Carts.
124. On the Paddle of a Paddleboat.
125. Nymph, Druid, or Dryad Grove.
126. Pit Filled with Slime.
127. Bottomless Pit with only Stone Rods to Stand Upon.
128. Opera House.
129. Masquerade Ball.
130. Negotiating a Deal at Dinner.
131. Rotating Room.
132. Surface of a Sun.
133. Haunted Forge and Armory.
134. Perilous Castle Full of Eager Virgins.
135. On a Glass Floor Over a Bottomless Bit.
136. A Graveyard of Corpses Trying to Pull you Under.
137. Frozen Lake, Under and Over.
138. Going Down an Avalanche.
139. Trapped in an Avalanche.
140. In the middle of a Sporting Event.
141. In the middle of a Large Battlefield.
142. Under Fire from Snipers.
143. A Flooded Prison.
144. Ladder-filled Barns and Haylofts.
145. Swinging from Ropes Along a Wall.
146. Fighting In Low or Reverse Gravity.
147. Fighting When You’re Entangled.
148. Fighting When You’re Drunk.
149. Fighting When You’re Dead.
150. Fighting When You’re a Deity.
151. Defending Your Dream Lair.
152. Tactics for Sentient Items.
153. General Advice for Choosing Companions.
154. General Advice for Solo Adventuring.
155. Strange Tactics and Maneuvers. Lassoing creatures, pulling them in.
156. Cost-Benefit Analysis. Knowing when to sacrifice something to save another, like do you save your buddy, or destroy the artifact that will control the world?
157. Being a Hero. Guidelines as to what the benefits of being heroic are, and how you can be heroic.

 

[Bugbear]

#86) Inside a living plant temple, While the temple itself trys to repulse the invaders. Algods and Plant Elementals coming out of the walls

#87) on a narrow rock bridge accross a deep (Bottomless?) rift. Take a critical hit and you might just fall over to your death. Plus the bridge is only wide enough for one medium sized creature to reach the front.

#88) A large chamber filled with Illisions and traps. Be carefull where you step.

 

[demiurge1138]

89) Inside the Plane of Mirrors. You and your enemies duplicates fight your duplicates and your enemies! And nobody can tell who is who!

90) In, and on, a bamboo grove (think Crouching Tiger)

91) In a draconic graveyard. Combine plenty of cover with makeshift weaponry and bizarre magical effects.

92) Inside a bag of holding (if you rule that they have atmosphere).

93) On the back of a kaiju.

94) The standard of all Final Fantasy novelty combats, on a Halruuan airship.

95) In Pandemonium (just try to direct your alllies)

Demiurge out.

 

[Kerrwyn]

Inside a harem. Lots of filmy draperies, palace guards, and uh, well, you know the rest (Thinks of the Scorpion King)

Running above rooftops. Balance checks, Spot checks, Jump checks. Like to see the guy in plate mail jump the space between buildings.

On a mountain during an avalanche.

In a wormhole between dimensions.

Sorry, I'm tired and can't post arising circumstances for the last two. Brain rapidly shutting down.

 

[Kerrwyn]

Inside a burning stable, with horses and other animals going nuts.

Just had to add one more to bring it up to #100.

 

[jonesy]

Aerial fight on flying carpets.

Invisible monk duel on a vast snowy plain.

Archery duel on horseback in a forest.

Fistfight between storm giants on the parapets of a cloud castle.

 

[Altin]

What are we now - 105? In any case, for lack of a better number:

105.

Bad News: You're 450 ft up a cliff practically perpendicular to the ground.

Good News: You're tied to your fellow companions with a rope which in turn is tied to a ledge somewhere above you.

Bad News: There are half a dozen carniverous mountain apes with climb skill out the rear approaching rather rapidly with this hungry look in their eyes.

Good News: Being simple animals, they won't think to sever the rope (and anyway, you're good eatin' so they want you just where you are)

Bad News: If you roll a 1 with that slashing weapon, they won't *need* to sever the rope.

Good News: If you fall (when the apes hit you and you bomb your concentration check), the combined weight of your fellow companions will stop you from falling too far.

Bad News: Unless you're the guy in plate, that is.

Very Bad News: Also, because you're all suspended above (or below) each other, when you fall there is a good chance you'll fall right on the guy on top of you who has to make a check not to let go of the rope when this happens.

Very, Very Bad News: Remember that rope? It isn't really designed to support all this swinging about, falling off and fighting with carniverous mountain apes. Consequently, it's starting to fray. You have maybe 6-7 rounds to get everyone up on the ledge before everybody takes a rather long fall, carniverous apes nonwithstanding.

Yours,
Altin

P.S. How cool is this thread. Somebody buy Barsoomcore a drink. Failing that, go read his story hour (link in his sig.) -- it really rocks.