Collaborative Cave!

[der_kluge]

Room: 7

Traps: None

....

Ouch! That's nasty. A couple of suggestions:

The last line of the boxed text makes it read like there's a trap present. You might change to the wording to indicate that the rocks are very brittle and sharp here. Unless that was your intention.

Include an EL for the room. Near as I can tell, you added 9 hit dice, that's a +2 CR increase, and 6 sorcerer levels. I would also add at least a +1 for the ability score improvements, maybe a +2. That's an EL 11 encounter. Nasty!

You might consider giving the choker a Spot score. For trying to find the hidden rogues lurking up the cavern, and maybe a listen score, to see if he can hear them.

Also, the SRD indicates the Chokers often grab the last person in line. That might actually be the smarter tactic.

Great job!

 

[der_kluge]

You may also want to make a side view to illustrate the alitude changes, ceiling height (important for flight!), water levels, etc. Have a look at some depictions of real-world cave complexes.

I may... Room 7 in particular could benefit from such a view.

 

[Shieldhaven]

Heck, maybe the ring gives him a wracking cough and causes his hair to fall out.

Okay, never mind, I don't want to get sued.

Haven

 

[blargney the second]

I liked the Gollumness of Piratecat's original idea...

 

[Imagicka]

Greetings...

Tonguez, do you have a favourite website that details all this, or have posted a long and detailed posts about such things?

One of the things I always felt was lacking was a good guide to caves, how they are formed, how big they can become...what factors create them (yeah yeah... I know...water and time...) as well as what kind of creatures/monsters you can expect from them.

Um I have a thang for geology (amature rock collector) so to me earthen/rock means a hole lot of different things - and as I said I love caves and they are all very different

an example: Cave Types

Karst Caves associated with water flowing through carbonate rock (limestone, gypsum). This can form either tubes or the common cavern type formations (with stalactites and stalagmites etc)

Solution Caves like Karst caves but in noncarbonate rocks such as sandstone or salt. A Salt Cave could make for a really interesting encounter

Coral Caves can be considered a form of Karst cave, but are usually associated with the sea

Talus Caves, spaces between large rocks./boulders resulting from rock slides or collapse. Unstable

Tectonic crevices cracks and crevices in bedrock.

Sea Caves created by wave action

Lava Tubes smooth tunnels usually single channel but can form multilevel complexes

Ice Caves any cave that contain year-round permafrost

Glacier Caves cavities within glaciers. Light coming through the ice makes them blue tend to change shape quickly

Canyons cave-like high enclosed walls but open to the sky (brightly lit but with strange colours and shade effects)

Anyway I'd like to see some Canyons and drop holes in this complex. Ice Caves can go anywhere and there is no reason why we can't mix types I suppose...

 

[Elephant]

Ouch! That's nasty. A couple of suggestions:

The last line of the boxed text makes it read like there's a trap present. You might change to the wording to indicate that the rocks are very brittle and sharp here. Unless that was your intention.

Hmm...the flavor text for the uneven floor could be better, but OTOH, keeping a healthy level of paranoia alive in the PCs is a GOOD thing. Besides, if they're expecting traps, they won't be thinking about chokers.

Include an EL for the room. Near as I can tell, you added 9 hit dice, that's a +2 CR increase, and 6 sorcerer levels. I would also add at least a +1 for the ability score improvements, maybe a +2. That's an EL 11 encounter. Nasty!

Going by the SRD's advancement rules, Ghzzdit the Choker at CR 2 went to CR 4 (Hit Die advancement; +1 CR per four HD), then from CR 4 to CR 5 (elite array with extremely suboptimal layout - half-orcs make better wizards!), then from CR 5 to CR 8 (6 non-associated class levels for +1/2 CR each).

The ambush tactics probably deserve an ad-hoc bump of +1 or +2; I'll add a note about scaling the encounter. I can also tone it down a bit if it should be more of a "speed bump" on the way to the dragon rather than a vicious surprise.

You might consider giving the choker a Spot score. For trying to find the hidden rogues lurking up the cavern, and maybe a listen score, to see if he can hear them.

Also, the SRD indicates the Chokers often grab the last person in line. That might actually be the smarter tactic.

Great job!

Good idea on both points, but OTOH, grabbing the softest target (Wiz or Sor, most likely) has a higher probability of success than grabbing the Ftr or Clr. I'll add a DM's Note.

 

[der_kluge]

Ok... here's what I got!

If anyone notices any issues with it, or wants me to rework anything lemme know!

Room 2:

...

In the boxed text -the characters don't actually know that there's a pool in the next room. Also, you might not mention, and instead just give a listen DC for PCs who actually decide to stop and make a listen check.

Give an age for the skeleton, and a race, and maybe even a name and who he was. 9th level PCs have access to speak with dead and some aren't going to be above using it on the guy.

Also, work up some stats for the paint, and give them a market cost.

"Beneath the taters" should be "Beneath the tatters".

"On the north wall of the cavern, nearby the pool" to "On the north wall of the cavern, near the pool"

"startling detail, albeit a few minor details" to "startling detail, albeit a few minor differences".

"trace of paints of any sort of painting tools" to "trace of paints of any sort or painting tools"

You might also list out other means of crossing the chasm (swinging from a rope, flying across, etc.) What else is at the bottom of the chasm? Any other monsters or treasure down there? Any holes in the roof of the chasm? Any way to tie on a rope and swing across?

Also, I'm a little unclear on the falling damage - if I fall and land in the gate, will I be teleported to room 10 and then take 400 feet of falling damage?

 

[der_kluge]

The ambush tactics probably deserve an ad-hoc bump of +1 or +2; I'll add a note about scaling the encounter. I can also tone it down a bit if it should be more of a "speed bump" on the way to the dragon rather than a vicious surprise.

Heh, that choker has more hit points than a CR 8 green dragon!

 

[Scribble]

In the boxed text -the characters don't actually know that there's a pool in the next room. Also, you might not mention, and instead just give a listen DC for PCs who actually decide to stop and make a listen check.

Hrm... I was assuming up was north, as there's no indication otherwise, so the pool to the west would be the one they came through from room 1... So I'm betting they'd know it's there..

[quoteGive an age for the skeleton, and a race, and maybe even a name and who he was. 9th level PCs have access to speak with dead and some aren't going to be above using it on the guy.[/b]

Good point. I think I'mna wait until room 10 has more info. I'll see if I can link him to the previous cave owners.

Also, work up some stats for the paint, and give them a market cost.

Hrmm sure... They're just paint though.

"Beneath the taters" should be "Beneath the tatters".

"On the north wall of the cavern, nearby the pool" to "On the north wall of the cavern, near the pool"

"startling detail, albeit a few minor details" to "startling detail, albeit a few minor differences".

"trace of paints of any sort of painting tools" to "trace of paints of any sort or painting tools"

Sorry, let me atcually proof read.

Also, I'm a little unclear on the falling damage - if I fall and land in the gate, will I be teleported to room 10 and then take 400 feet of falling damage?

Yes. The idea is that it's a sort of a protective measure. Use featherfall (or something similar) to float down through the gate to get to the back room, or get very hurt.

 

[Elephant]

I may... Room 7 in particular could benefit from such a view.

Like this?