Eyes of Nine
Everything's Fine
Thanks! Going to do that for each hex going forward
D&D General #Dungeon23
40 - Guards' Quarters
This room is the home of the brothers Ataru, Getsumei, and Sora and their sister Hoshi. The four came up from below three years ago following the death of their father, and were immediately offered a room by Shirazz. The four of them take turns guarding the entrance to the suite (31) - although the older three (the brothers) would rather they got to do all of it and none of the house work. Seemingly dilligent and honest, the other residents on the floor know that the four have the "mayors" trust.
The rear of the "home" is divided by four screens into bedrooms containing a bed and chest each, with a chamber pot underneath the bed and a small lantern hanging on the wall. The front has weapons/armor racks on the north wall; a large, low table sits on a rug in the middle with a continual flame lantern hanging from the ceiling above it; and the south wall has a desk with a stool and materials to practice calligraphy on one end, and a heating stone and tea service on the other.
The siblings are actually Inu Hengeyokai. They believe the floor has some strange enchantment on it that scrambles scents - as most of the residents seemingly aren't what they smell like. This has made it easier to stay in human form where that sense is muted. They feel in debt to Shirazz and certainly not almost all of the floors residents could be this odd. Since Shirazz knows the nature of what they are, the four siblings might be the ones on the floor that he trusts the most.
In human form the four could be modeled as Knights except AC 14 (Breastplate), Hit points 39 (6d8+12), Wis 13 (+1), Perception +4, Languages: Common, Sylvan, Long Sword +4 to hit, 7 (d8+3) slashing damage.
In canine form, they are as larger than usual Tosa with stats similar to wolf, but with Str 14 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), and mental stats as base form, with the bite causing 8 (2d4+3).
The next room created (#23) is in post #656 D&D General - #Dungeon23 .
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Starting over!
I became uninspired with the megadungeon I had planned. I think my weakness is that I want things to be thematically evocative and also make sense, and it's hard to do that at the mega scale even when working one room-ish at a time.
Anyway, I'm currently a player in a Mausritter game, and its quickly become my favorite osr game. So I thought I'd design an area and some adventures for Mausritter, and then move on to something else when I get tired of this.
The idea of Mausritter is that you play adventurer-mice in a normal world, contending with cats and snakes and owls and such. Meanwhile, the humans continue on with their day-to-day business. Most adventures I've seen are thus understandably set in a pastoral or suburban setting. I though I'd make something more urban.
Here we have a public housing estate that has been shut down and is scheduled for redevelopment, with its humans being slowly evicted. Left to ruin, it is now home to many dangerous creatures, as well as our noble mouse kingdom. Potential adventure sites include the operations of a rat gang that deals in artificial sweetener, an overgrown common area now inhabited by snakes, and still-active allotment gardens inhabited by a community of butterflies and catterpilars. To the south are fields (a park) inhabited by foxes, ducks, and who knows what else. Underneath, the street drains to the ancient stream, now thoroughly built over, but still inhabited by faerie spirits. Finally, to the North, uncaring eldritch abominations (bulldozers) lay indiscriminate waste to another once-proud kingdom. Will the remaining mice be able save themselves? And at what cost?
I became uninspired with the megadungeon I had planned. I think my weakness is that I want things to be thematically evocative and also make sense, and it's hard to do that at the mega scale even when working one room-ish at a time.
Anyway, I'm currently a player in a Mausritter game, and its quickly become my favorite osr game. So I thought I'd design an area and some adventures for Mausritter, and then move on to something else when I get tired of this.
The idea of Mausritter is that you play adventurer-mice in a normal world, contending with cats and snakes and owls and such. Meanwhile, the humans continue on with their day-to-day business. Most adventures I've seen are thus understandably set in a pastoral or suburban setting. I though I'd make something more urban.
Here we have a public housing estate that has been shut down and is scheduled for redevelopment, with its humans being slowly evicted. Left to ruin, it is now home to many dangerous creatures, as well as our noble mouse kingdom. Potential adventure sites include the operations of a rat gang that deals in artificial sweetener, an overgrown common area now inhabited by snakes, and still-active allotment gardens inhabited by a community of butterflies and catterpilars. To the south are fields (a park) inhabited by foxes, ducks, and who knows what else. Underneath, the street drains to the ancient stream, now thoroughly built over, but still inhabited by faerie spirits. Finally, to the North, uncaring eldritch abominations (bulldozers) lay indiscriminate waste to another once-proud kingdom. Will the remaining mice be able save themselves? And at what cost?
M_Natas
Hero
Day 58 - Gnoll Shaman
After the magic trap had knocked us out, we were captured by a gnoll shaman - I can only describe him as monstrous. His clothes were decorated with bones and animal skins, his teeth were as sharp as knives. But the worst were the tools he prepared - thin, razor-sharp blades that made your blood run cold. Nearby lay a desiccated gnoll skull, covered with runes I didn't understand.
The shaman turned slowly towards us, the scalpel menacingly in his hand. In the flickering candlelight, I could see rusty stains on the metal as he approached us and spoke in a harsh, deep voice in broken common tongue: "You invaders of dust-blooded lands, you Yeenoghu sacrifice. Your suffering give us great power!"
The shaman's hyena-like laughter sounded like a foreshadowing of our imminent death. The air was filled with a foul smell and an eerie silence broken only by our shallow breathing.
After the magic trap had knocked us out, we were captured by a gnoll shaman - I can only describe him as monstrous. His clothes were decorated with bones and animal skins, his teeth were as sharp as knives. But the worst were the tools he prepared - thin, razor-sharp blades that made your blood run cold. Nearby lay a desiccated gnoll skull, covered with runes I didn't understand.
The shaman turned slowly towards us, the scalpel menacingly in his hand. In the flickering candlelight, I could see rusty stains on the metal as he approached us and spoke in a harsh, deep voice in broken common tongue: "You invaders of dust-blooded lands, you Yeenoghu sacrifice. Your suffering give us great power!"
The shaman's hyena-like laughter sounded like a foreshadowing of our imminent death. The air was filled with a foul smell and an eerie silence broken only by our shallow breathing.
Eyes of Nine
Everything's Fine
I am literally sitting here with my notebook open in front of me. Did not finish my hex overview write up (but did roll the dice and noted the results!).
Finding some resistance. Always helps for me to just throw that out into the world
Have a meeting in 20 minutes; but afterwards I want to get something down...
What I know so far about this week's hex: It's a hilly yet marshy megalopolis with smokey air populated by Githzerai, Shadar-kai, Astral Devas, and Muckdwellers. Steampunk hex here we come!!!
Finding some resistance. Always helps for me to just throw that out into the world
Have a meeting in 20 minutes; but afterwards I want to get something down...
What I know so far about this week's hex: It's a hilly yet marshy megalopolis with smokey air populated by Githzerai, Shadar-kai, Astral Devas, and Muckdwellers. Steampunk hex here we come!!!
Room 23 - The Crew's Quarters
Each week or two, Escherelle and her crew are the core of the group that fishes in the lake to the west (#86; gear stored in #80). They are typically accompanied by some of the guards or other residents of the front area, and rarely even the Link's Squad (#35) or Three Dwarves (#55) - although not comfortably. If the party has demonstrated some trustworthiness, or has a Cleric or Paladin of a deity who would usually be worthy of some, they may let them fill that roll. The time in between is spent cleaning and smoking the catch.
Escherelle (half-orc) and Morgan (human) are the parents of Mirabeele (#17) - and have never quite known how to relate either to a child or a burgeoning mage. Brisco (human) is Morgan's brother. Estik (human) is the youngest of the crew, son of Warnikke (18), and older brother of Aloysius (17). Makreda (dwarf) is the oldest of the crew. They all get along quite well and enjoy good ale and a good card game. They are generally liked by the other inhabitants of this end but are viewed as a bit boisterous and maybe a touch arrogant.
The 20'x20' unlocked room has a large bed and three single beds that are slightly raised with footlockers and chamber pots underneath. Each has a continual flame lantern hanging above it on the wall near a gear rack, and a curtain on the ceiling that can be pulled out for privacy. The table in the middle has seven stools and usually a deck of cards.
Escherelle, Morgan, and Makreda can be modeled using Bandit Captain as a Base. Each has Survival (+4) instead of Deception, and has Perception (+2).
Escherelle has AC 15 (studded leather); STR 16 (+3), DEX 14 (+2), and WIS 12 (+1); Languages: Common, Orc, Dwarven; Long Sword +6 to hit, 7 (d8+3) damage instead of Scimitar; Light Crossbow +5 to hit 6 (d8+2) damage. Her armor is +1 and her long sword is a sword of wounding.
Estik has a Long Sword +5 to hit, 6 (d8+2) damage instead of a scimitar and Light Crossbow +6 to hit, 7(d8+3) damage. He has a Ring of the Eel (Ring of Swimming + Shocking Grasp once per day).
Makreda has AC 14 (Mithral Chain); HP 75; DEX 13 (+1), CON 15 (+3), CHR 10 (+1); Battle Axe +6 to hit, 7 (d8+3) damage instead of scimitar); and Light Crossbow +4 to hit 5 (d8+1) damage. Her Axe is +1.
Brisco and Estik can be modeled using Thug as a base. Each has a long sword instead of mace and a light crossbow instead of heavy crossbow. They have Athletics +2, Survival +2, and Perception +2 instead of Intimidation +2. Each has STR 14 (+2), Dex 13 (+1), Int 12 (+1), Wis 12 (+1), and Chr (+1). The Sword is +4 to hit, damage 6 (d8+2) and crossbow is +3 to hit, damage 5 (d8+1). Brisco has 38 HP (6d8+12) and two potions of healing. Brisco is more deeply affected than most by the aura of sadness around Berghildr (#57) if she is seen in passing. Estik has 26 HP (4d8 + 8).
The next room created (#21) is in post #664 D&D General - #Dungeon23 .
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M_Natas
Hero
Day 59 - the entrance to the lost city
We managed to take down the Gnoll shaman, though it was touch and go for a moment there. I don't think I ever want to be at the mercy of those wretched creatures again.
But all the trials and tribulations were worth it. I do believe we've stumbled upon the lost city. The old mine shafts here come to an abrupt end in flat, uniform walls. Abandoned pickaxes and other mining tools litter the ground, as if whoever was here couldn't breach these walls.
The stone in this chilly cavern feels strangely warm under my fingertips. And then I see it - the key we retrieved from the tomb, the key to Kyrthar Tahlketh, starts to glow. This is the entrance. We've done it. We've found the way into the lost city.
As we step forward, a faint hum starts to emanate from the walls, growing louder and more insistent with every passing moment. It's as if the very stones are trying to speak to us, to warn us of the perils that lie ahead.
And that concludes February for me for the D23 - Challenge. So it's badge-time!
Grab your own badges for the challenge!
gorice
Hero
The end of the necropolis, hooray! Any adventurers who make this far will probably be glad to see the end of it.
22: Imperial Bridge
23: Imperial Mausoleum (exterior)
24: Imperial Mausoleum (interior)
New Area: West Quarter/The Sump
25: Overgrown Passage
26: Damp Tomb
27: The Sump
28: Velvet Worm Nest
Since I'm doing this out of order, I now have an interesting problem: do I go up to the toxic horrors of the midden, or down to the deep water roads?
22: Imperial Bridge
- A bridge of human bones, skulls clustered into posts on either end.
- Creaky but stable.
- (!) Actually a centipede-like undead construct with a mass of skulls for both ‘head’ and ‘tail’. Dormant until the mausoleum is breached.
23: Imperial Mausoleum (exterior)
- Atop the spiral stair, at the very centre of the great cavern. Ringed by marble pillars shedding flakes of red paint and gold leaf; barred by bronze doors shaped like a mass of snarling gods; heaped with glazed urns and lacquered chests.
- (?) 9 lacquered chests/urns, each locked, with a 50% chance of rare item in each (silver coins, incense, silk, etc.), or just dust and rot. The 10th is a pot containing stardust.
- (?) Doors are locked from the outside with a heavy bronze latch.
24: Imperial Mausoleum (interior)
- Walls a forest scene in jet and gold leaf; dome a night sky of lapis lazuli studded with diamond stars. Floor of crimson marble littered with a score of skeletons, hands bound with rotting silk rope. Golden sarcophagus in the shape of a giant man with imperial robes, fillet and rod.
- (!) Lifting the weight of the casket lid makes something go ‘clunk’ below, causing a pot of stardust to fall from a hole in the ceiling.
- (!) The blackened, shrivelled corpse of the godly imperial sorcerer is undead, but held in place by iron pins inscribed with runes of binding and driven through bone and stone. He will bargain, wheedle, threaten, and beg for freedom.
- (?) The ceiling is at least 15 feet high and the gems will not come loose without some serious prying, but if the PCs do find some way of getting them down, they can grab 1d6x10 coins’ worth of gemstones per hour of work, -1 per additional hour.
New Area: West Quarter/The Sump
25: Overgrown Passage
- Dim light from bioluminescent slugs.
- A dank, damp tunnel, crowded with mad fungal growths and glowing molluscs.
- (!) Harmless, but difficult terrain for humans unless the fungi are cleared out.
26: Damp Tomb
- A beehive tomb with a portal overlooking the sump – water seeps in and puddles in the floor. The sarcophagus lid is shaped like a silk-ensconced noble with mask and fan.
- (!) The dart trap is broken; the casket is empty but for a suspicious, greasy puddle… A corrosive ooze.
- (??) The lid is ever so slightly ajar.
27: The Sump
- The floor of the great cavern. Black silty water up to your waist. Bone and stone shift underfoot.
- (!) Disturbing the water raises the alarm level. Skeletons rising from the water and the infant god rising from the shrine in the water roads are both options.
- (!) Drinking the water leads to parasite infection unless boiled.
- (!?) There is a short stair caved under the water, descending down into an underwater hall in the water roads. Under illumination, coins glitter at its base.
- (?) The stair to the imperial mausoleum starts here, but its base has crumbled away.
28: Velvet Worm Nest
- Still air. A reek of rot, and something musky. The floor is sticky with traces of acrid slime. A dark and writhing mass blocks the passage ahead.
- (!) Lair of the velvet worms, each 2-3 metres long, entangled in a sleeping mass that blocks the way.
Since I'm doing this out of order, I now have an interesting problem: do I go up to the toxic horrors of the midden, or down to the deep water roads?
I just wanted to thank this thread for being there, even though I have fallen off the D23 train for a while. I hope to get back to it.
However, I am pretty sure my time at ENWorld is done for a while, so I won't be updating in this thread. I wish everyone luck to complete the year. You can do it!
However, I am pretty sure my time at ENWorld is done for a while, so I won't be updating in this thread. I wish everyone luck to complete the year. You can do it!
gorice
Hero
Sorry to see you go. Good luck with the d23, though! I find the main thing is just to jot down whatever and not overthink it. You can always pretty things up later.
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