A campaign on the 88th layer of the Abyss!?

[fl8m]

I'm planning on running an epic game which for the most part will be run on the 88th layer of the abyss. I've pretty much figured out how i want the "final battle" to go but it's the part inbetween arriving in the abyss and the final battle with the big bad guy that's got me stumped.
I have sort of envisioned a situation where they are stranded on the plane with no means to leave (no spellcasters in the party)

How do you run a game in an enviroment that's by it's very nature hostile to the pc's? there wouldn't be any helpful peasants, everything they encounter is going to try to kill them. I find it difficult to imagine a city full of open minded demons willing to sell/buy equipment to the pc's. How do you make meaningful and interesting encounters in a place full of demons? I'm afraid the entire campaign will degenerate into a slaughter demons without end until we're killed or kill the bad guy.

Anybody run a game in the abyss? Anybody have any ideas on how to make this campaign more than just hack n' slash? any ideas or advice is very welcome
thanks

Edit: oh and for those who don't know what the 88th layer of the abyss consists of

called the Brine Flats. It is a realm of briny water and rocky prominences used as rookeries by flying demons. Aboleths, kraken, and demonic manta rays war in the deptshs.

 

[demiurge1138]

What you do is this: give them an ally. Maybe an undercover devil is planning to strike the BBEG when the time is right, and he helps the PCs disguise themselves, get info, etc, for his own nefarious purposes.

Demiurge out.

 

[dave_o]

!

I ran a game set in the first layer of the Abyss for a while, and while it's probably the most "hospitable", a few things I used would probably still apply to you.

First, I made everything REALLY freaky. Open rape and murder and all those good, juicy non-Eric's Grandma safe things. Make sure your players know This Is Not A Good Place (TM).

Secondly, keep in mind the demons would probably see the PCs at dirt, or less. True, they might get accidentally stepped on, eaten, digested, etc., the demons also aren't going to pay any particular attention to them.

What I did, was I made the PCs envoys to a powerful Succubus-Matron. One PC had his spine broken, and wore something called Illustria's Brace. Basically, a wrought iron spinal brace with a glass bubble on the back, showing two chambers - one full of blood, one full of incredibly dangerous spiders. The PC also walked hunched over, and was in incredible fear of breaking the brace.

But, in any case, they worked for her. And she had a weakness that she was making them save.

So give them the protection of a Big Bad, but give the Big Bad a weakness they can keep it in check with.

 

[Napftor]

Maybe Mongoose's the Planes series can give you a helping hand. I bought the Zahak book and was pleased by the contents detailing inhabitants, layout, and effects of the plane on visitors. And while the Planes books may not be large, they also don't cost overly much. I good jumping-off point for ideas if nothing else.

 

[Silver Moon]

Anybody run a game in the abyss? Anybody have any ideas on how to make this campaign more than just hack n' slash? any ideas or advice is very welcome

Well, since you asked, I did and it is currently featured on the EN World's Story Hour board. It was a long module that began in the Forgotten Realms Orient, and ended with a climax battle on the 298th layer of the Abyss. You'll see that once they reached the Abyss I threw in a lot of interesting sub-plots too, making the location far more than just a Hack'n'Slash against demons. The Story Hour is at the following link, the climax in the Abyss part starting at the top of the third page:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28642&pagenumber=1

I would also recommend that you check out the reference source that I used for the Abyss, it is a great site, with tons of detail:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7117/planes/abyss/abyss1.html