CD3: -=- THULLGRIM -=- please read last page

[Conaill]

Mind if I grab #5? I have an idea in mind.

Heck, since this is the last room, and I probably won't get time to work on it until some time tomorrow, let me get some input from the community...

How do people feel about the balance in this dungeon? Do we have too many intelligent opponents or not enough? Too many riddles or not enough? What about traps? Treasure? Underrepresented monsters? Any general themes that could tie the dungeon together?

 

[Dirigible]

Dirigible had until tonight midnight before posting his contribution for room 5

Gaaah! I had a lovely room all written up, no monsters, obnoxiously cunning trap, and it's gone! Not on my computer of this thread anywhere!

Sorry bout that. Conaill can have it.

Stupid computer... makes me so f'n despondant...

 

[der_kluge]

One knock will only undo 2 locks. there are 12 locks on it. Tho 2 require no skill to unlock. Solving the puzzle causes 6 knocks to be cast. undoing all 12 locks (tho the description says all but 4). The skill open lock is trained only. so only a PC with openlock can even attept to unlock 8 of them and 2 are very high DC's that only some one with open lock as a class skill would have a high enough skill to open.

I guess that you don't need the rogue if you can figure out the puzzle but even if you could you wouldn't know that the puzzle unlocked the door. I basically had the PCs rolling wisdom checks to see if they could figure it out. (since I was playing them) and they were not successful. The second time with the rogue they got hurt bad by this trap. The rogue only had 25 HP and he took 24 pts of damage the first time. after they moved around the weapons they had to try again (cause they don't know that the statues cast knock. when you succeed.) the fighter tried it this time and took 14 pts of damage but the average is 16 pts of damage that's a lot for a 5th level charachter (the wizard had only 17 HP). eventually the wizard rolled a 20 on his wisdom and I decieded that they figured it out.

Heh, my initial draft had all 10 statues (I removed 4 of them) all shooting magic missiles. OUCH! Dead rogue. So, I dropped it to 6, which should be, 6*3.5, or 21 points on average. A 5th level rogue with no con bonus has 5d6 or 17 hit points. So, it is theoretically possible that a rogue who walks up to the door and starts working on the locks could die, but you'd have to roll nothing but 3s or better on all the magic missiles to do that.

If I go back and put a pile of bones in front of the door, and the fact that there are already scorch marks on it should be enough to make anyone think twice about it.

You're forgetting, though, that the shield spell will negate these missiles. So, the best bet is to have the wizard (or sorcerer) touch the door to test out the combination. So, he can just take the missiles, and they won't harm him.

 

[Trainz]

Gaaah! I had a lovely room all written up, no monsters, obnoxiously cunning trap, and it's gone! Not on my computer of this thread anywhere!

Sorry bout that. Conaill can have it.

Stupid computer... makes me so f'n despondant...

I'm really sorry to hear that Dirigible. My apologies for having to yank the room from you.

OK Conaill (why two L's ?), you're it for room 5. Since you made it clear you want input from the community for this room, I'll give you an extra day.

 

[DiFier]

well I'd love to play test this with a group of real PC's, rooms 1 & 2 seemed really difficult to me. In Room three the PC didn't get the search checks to find enough clues to figure out the puzzle. I had them fight a zombie anyway and they kicked it's ss.

Perhaps I'll have the zombies pop out of the tiles that they are buried under if the PC's get close and don't open the tiles.

I stopped at room 3 but rolled a d6 and they're going to room #4 next. tommorow sometime.

I am using a human cleric, a dwarven fighter, a human rogue and an elven wizard. based on the sample 5th level charachters from the DMG. adjusted for race and the rogue is rather different but rogues are diverse. it's been a long time since I've played 5th level they seem so fragile.

 

[Trainz]

I am using a human cleric, a dwarven fighter, a human rogue and an elven wizard. based on the sample 5th level charachters from the DMG. adjusted for race and the rogue is rather different but rogues are diverse. it's been a long time since I've played 5th level they seem so fragile.

Good selection of classes, but the samples in the DMG are sub-optimal for a typical gaming adventuring group. They're intended as NPC battle encounters and don't have the same gear PC's would have. Buff 'em up a tad or get the 7th level NPC's.

 

[Conaill]

Anyone feel like writing up the history of this place in chronological order? We've got Merodak and his 240 cultists of the god of death and destruction, the Asphyxiating god, Sir Merinol, the heroes of DurLath hill, druids (room 10), priests (room 11), goblins, and god knows what else.

It would be nice to know for example who built which parts of this dungeon. Merodak's cultists presumably built the great hall (#3) and its adjoining chapels (#4-9), although Malk (room 8) claims the followers of the Unbreathing One (i.e. the Asphyxiating God, #4) built the complex.

The Heroes of Durlath Hill (#10) fell fighting for "the sacred ground", which has now been taken over by Damnation - presumably room 14 - and were laid to rest by the "local druids". But then #11 only refers to "priests" building a tomb? Maybe we should change "druids" to "priests" (burying the dead underground in sarcophagi seems very un-druidlike), and the rotating cilinders in #14 would be part of the old "sacred ground" the heroes were fighting over.

Now, is #3-9 older or newer than #10-14? Clearly they seem constructed by diferent parties. #6 and #9 seem most recent, so I would guess the "sacred ground" with the mysterious cilinders was there first. #10-11 were both added after the battle for Durlath Hill, with the sealing of #11 interrupted by goblins. Time passes... followers of the death cult find such a collection of graves appropriate for adding their own temple/mausoleum onto. The Asphyxiating God is really just one aspect of the God of Death and Destruction, so he gets a side chapel. Sir Merinol comes barging in, and he gets his very own chapel with a view of Merodak. Goblins are still in the area, and one becomes Merinol's "squire". Damnation arrives, "hires" a goblin chef, installs two Shadows in the entry hall (#1) and a Wraith on his doorstep (#13).

Whew... is that about it? We'd need to make some small alterations (druids->priests), but otherwise it all more or less fits.

Why do I care? Well, #5 has several bookcases, and it would be great to be able to let the players enjoy some of this background stuff we've been putting in the "Notes" section of the entries. Maybe a short history of the complex from around the time of Merodak, some speculations on the cylinders in #14, explanation of who is the female knight on a pegasus in #9, some vague and misleading clues, etc...

 

[MerakSpielman]

Sure, I'll go back and change the Druids to Priests. Seems to fit better with the whole place.

 

[Shallown]

Conaill go ahead and make up a nice history and we can drop it into the synopsis in the begining of the adventure. Or make it a hand out type page for those who find the history book.


It looks like most the work will be done before I have to do any editing. Good I can kick back and watch others slave away

Later

 

[Leopold]

As long as you can justify having the 2 goblins in there then it's fine with me.

Also are there creatures that eat in here? A way to bring in corpses? Can we have this place usually on or near a gravesite? This way we can send out zombies, bring them back to the 'kitchen' to be prepared.

Also looking at my lil entry I realize that my guy would know the people that he would have food delivered to. Perhaps something along those lines of a list of what their 'favorite' food is?

Just trying to tie in my piece with the greater whole here.