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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MarkCsigs" data-source="post: 2737795" data-attributes="member: 29220">The world is your world, obviously and in the end has to have your hand and flavor.  But since you asked ... just some random "first thoughts" that popped into my head based on some of your questions ...1. What is the expedition searching for? Anything valuable obviously, but that's not enough for the spinning of intrigue I'm trying to reach. No there has to be more to it, some magic item or such (in IH magic items are extremely rare and allways carry a great risk when usedPerhaps what they are searching for is of historical, rather than magical power.  Very early in my campaign, the characters obtained an item that ... if it were magic would be considered an artifact due to it's power ... but it wasn't magical.  It was the simple journal of a minor warlord/bandit king from over 100 years ago.  BUT ... if they had done research into some of the names involved they would have learned that the current line of kings is actually based on an illegitimate lineage.Or maybe the characters go in looking for magic, but the real treasure is something of historical importance instead.  Some clue as to the nature of your ancient race and where they've gone off to ... perhaps humanoids were actually their creation despite what man's myths might say ...2. The dungeon was build by some ancient culture, most likely far from human or even humanoid. Who where the creators and what for? (I'm aiming for an ancient ruins look, more than alien spaceship though)Continuing my previous thought ... perhaps they were the originators of mankind.  Perhaps men and elves and dwarves were originally their (near) mindless servants ... advanced homonoculii if you will.  Perhaps one day (if the ancient society was good) they decided to leave this plane and deeded their world to their creations.  If not so good ... perhaps something is holding them at bay and their once obedient minions now have evolved and grown powerful ...Some suggestions for making your race seem strange and alien ... distort the dimensions of your ruins.  Perhaps extremely tall and skinny.  Or low and squat.  And all the doors need three hands to open.  Or tentacles.  Be sure to include lots of items (furniture, eating utensils, writing) where they couldn't possibly guess their purpose.3. What are the dangers and challenges? Traps have to make sense, riddles should be avoided, they'd be to alien for the PC's, wandering monsters and animals are a nono, because the thing has been enclosed for centuries. Dangers of decayed structure are a good start. It's alo to mention here that this will be the first time they meet monsters apart from Chuul or Neogi. This should make a big impression of awsome.4. What are the terrors on the outside?I don't have any particular ideas for these questions I'm afraid ... but given your limitations, undead, elementals and constructs are all good encounters.  Constructs could obviously be left behind by the previous inhabitants ... and elementals could be leftover creatures that were summoned and bound to a particular use ... but I don't particularly have ideas regarding why undead.5. Why is the darn thing underground? This is the worst part for me. most ruins in this world aren't underground, but the players already know it's underground and are at the site.Some ideas that come to mind ... the facility represented something so dangerous it had to be kept away from the general populace ... or perhaps unlike the other ones, this facility had some foul or illegal purpose and had to be hidden ... perhaps it was swallowed up by some catastrophe ... or, you mention others that seem to be cloud based, water based; perhaps there were different subspecies of this race and some were water creatures, some air creatures, some earth creatures, etc.6. What hints does it give? Granted, the PC's are interested only in money, but I'm not so sure about the players I also just prefer if connections can be made.Perhaps this is just on my mind because my campaign is going through a phase right now where the players are learning that much of the history of the world that their characters knew and grew up believing is now false ... but some kind of secrets of historical importance could be interesting.  And once they realize the importance of what they've found ... perhaps make it so the ruins are a bit unstable and they realize they have to be very careful to keep it preserved (not to mention save themselves from being buried).Well ... those are just some random thoughts.  Hope they help, or at least spark an idea or two of your own.</blockquote>

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