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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7023549" data-attributes="member: 20323">Great point. I'm realizing I need to differentiate the possible approaches I have more. I have listed all 6, but it's possible that in play the party might only learn about a few of them. I'll try to elucidate more...Bridge of the Asuras. PCs can learn about this approach from the asuras Isheae, and she cautions that those who seek to cross the bridge will be tested with a riddle by a speaking wall of indigo flame. What she does not know is there is another test at the far end of the bridge as well. This is the approach for "riddlers/puzzle-solvers" who want to bypass the citadel's defenses in a fairytale kind of way that requires solving challenging riddles/puzzles.Gate of Mysteries. This is the obvious entrance that the PCs automatically know about. Guarded by 2 bound horned devils. Requires stealth/undercover to get close without incident, but also can be passed in a variety of ways: disguise as slaves/mamluks, request the "bond of salt" from The Bonfire, pretend to be merchant caravan with something Brotherhood wants, leverage the internal politics of the Brotherhood to convince horned devils to let them pass, launch a full-scale assault, etc. This approach can accommodate a lot of player styles.Glassteel Cavern / Lava Tunnels. PCs can learn about this approach from the janni sheikh Adin Nusir if they are courteous guests at his feast of poisonous foods, and think to ask; he can show them where the surface entrance into the tunnels is. Alternately, they can find an entrance if they explore the fumarole at the western fissure through the caldera. This is the approach for "dungeon crawlers/hack'n'slashers" who want to evade/fight/trick purple worms & remorhazes and come up on Krak al-Mazhar from below.Infernal Hall. The PCs might learn about this approach (the powers of The Bonfire's golden mirror from past encounters with the Brotherhood or by doing research), though actually orchestrating a scenario where they can ride back through a gate opened by The Bonfire would require a great deal of cunning. This is the approach for "instigators/kick-in-the-door" types who want to surprise the villains, bypass all the traps, go straight to the end (or so they think), nab the loot, and screw with the dungeon design.Portal of Fire. The PCs might learn about this approach from an efreeti noble they manage to sway to their cause, or possibly from the Brotherhood's Citadel of the Illuminated on the Plane of Fire. There are guardians here (not sure what/who yet?), but instead of being muscle like the horned devils at the Gate of Mysteries, they're more there for a ritual / ambassadorial role to send off initiates on their "firewalk" on the Plane of Fire or welcome efreeti ambassadors with all the pomp and circumstance they expect. So less heavily guarded, but more signs/countersigns & bribery/efreeti etiquette would be involved. This is the approach for "actors/role-players" who want to talk their way past the citadel's defenses.Teleportation Circle. The PCs might learn about this approach by interrogating a captured Brotherhood mage, ransacking notes of mages at various Brotherhood strongholds/hideouts, or finding and speaking with an exiled member of the Brotherhood. It is spell-trapped/warded, and guards may be summoned, but it cuts out the need for a grueling desert journey and opens up lots of strategic options like claiming an adjoining watchtower or taking over the summoning chamber before defenses are put in place. This is the approach for "strategists/wizards" who like to solve problems with magic and careful planning.Yeah, I really appreciated that about your design of the Tomb of the Pirate Queens. There's a clear "going with the flow" path, that also can adapt to player ideas as they come up. For what I understand you were using that dungeon for, that makes a lot of sense and really works tightly within your theme.I think what I'm attempting may be a bit more complex in that I'm trying to present Krak al-Mazhar in a way that accommodates multiple approaches (not only in the "which path do we take" but also in the greater strategic sense) and doesn't have an implicit design of "this is the best way to go"/"this is the path the adventure or DM intends you follow."Oh, and I meant to ask, did you do your map in a graphics program like Photoshop / Gimp? That's what I usually end up using, and it's just such a slow process for me.</blockquote>

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