Pathfinder 1E Help creating a low level dungeon.

[Wicht]

I want to clarify something. You're basically saying, choose my encounters before I have a map? Right? I could probably do that... I'm use to designing a scenario and then adding in the encounters. You know, start with "Bandits sneak into PC's camp." build what will happen, then I'll decide how many bandits there are. I've never really thought about building a scenario around the encounter before.

Right now, I have the start set up as "Players find a carriage, with what looks like several goblin foot-prints and drag marks leading off to the north. Suddenly, two goblins, previously thought dead, get up, and in a daze, attack." I added the dazed goblins last. So, I'll see what I can do, and see if I can build better, that way.

Now notice I said that I was giving advice for dungeon design - not for adventure writing: ideally, when you do adventures you want a theme, a story, and a plot. The dungeon is partially independent of this and you want it slightly more interesting or it gets very old fast (one reason some people don't like dungeons - too much of the sameness).

If your dungeon is going into a broader adventure, then ideally the encounters, probably about half or so, should mesh with your theme and plot and help move the story along. But you still want some variety. Ten rooms, each with 1d4 goblins is not as interesting as some rooms with goblins, some with slime, some with bats, a haunted crypt hidden away, etc. When choosing the encounters, keep your theme and locale in mind, but feel free to be flexible to have the variety you need to make it entertaining. After choosing the encounter, then you have to figure out why it is there. Undead are easy to throw in anywhere, likewise with slimes, animals and vermin. Intelligent creatures need more of a motivation, but it should not be overly difficult to create a compelling reason for their presence and it will give you further fuel to feed your story.

What does Development entry mean? The other three are pretty self explanatory, but that one, not sure what it means. (I've not looked at many official paizo modules or adventures, so I don't know there normal layout.

Download the PDF I linked to if you have not already. Its free and will give you an example of a single room writeup.

Yeah, I'm not good at handing out magic weapons. I always half the feeling that the players should be even when it comes to the stuff, so I tend to give out party packs, as it were, and I can make it a little over-powered... Like giving a level one fighter a +1 shocking glaive, or a level 1 druid a +1 thundering dagger. I've been holding back as of late... but I'll try my damnedest to make it something a bit more worthwhile, as it were. (Also, have to stop my players from enchanting any ol' weapon they find at any ol' shop they pass by, as well.)

Personally, I'm a big fan of slightly overpowered basic items - weapons, armour; the other things that make up 3.xE's "big six" - because it means if I forget to add magic items later, the PCs are already slightly ahead of where they should be. Also, I realise that the pricing maths treats a +1 thundering weapon as a +2 weapon and therefore suitable for level 6 or higher characters, a +1 weapon is essentially boring, no matter how much of a story is attached to it, and it's better to simply making it something like a +1 thundering weapon... where the thunder damage is represented by screaming skulls, for example.

If I might be allowed a bit more self promotion, let me point you to 30 Unique Magical Blades.

It is not necessary to make a weapon super overpriced to make it interesting. Going a little outside the box of the suggested Core powers is sufficient. Lets just take your average +1 longsword. To make it interesting, give it a name first. I'll just pull one out of the air and say Chapel Guard. Chapel Guard suggests something religious. Obviously it was used by a Paladin to guard a temple. The Paladin is obviously dead, or else the sword would not be in a dungeon as treasure, but while living, the Paladin loved his sword. In fact, he used it to great cause, defending the temple of his home town against a hoarde of marauding goblins, hence the name.

With that brainstorming having been determined, I can do a write up. I want to keep it suitable for a 1st level dungeon, so I aim small.

Chapel Guard
Aura moderate divination; CL 5th
Slot none; Price 3500 gp; Weight 6 lbs
History
Chapel Guard was the sword Sir Tomis Lightbringer used to defend the village of Kirmal when the Red Tooth goblins attacked. The sword was a family heirloom, but Tomis was the last of his line. When Sir Tomis disappeared in the wilderness of Dosvay, searching for the tomb of Saint Ilmaos, his sword disappeared with him.
Description
Chapel Guard is forty two inches long, with a thirty one inch double edged blade and a full tang. The steel hilt has a golden hue, and the pommel is decorated with a single white, flawless pearl. Chapel Guard functions as a +1 longsword that glows as a torch upon command. When the hilt or pommel is gripped, any detect evil spells or effects utilized by the owner have their caster level increased by +2 and their effective range doubled. Moreover, if the wielder possesses a lawful good alignment, the sword adds +1 to damage against evil creatures.
Construction
Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, detect evil, bless; Cost 1750 gp

I was just guestimating the cost (I would be a bit more precise if I wasn't in a hurry this morning). But the goal is to make a weapon better than a +1, but not so good as a +2, but still is interesting enough to make a player want to keep it even when they find a +2.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Sadly behind WotC's paywall. Sounds interesting, though. (snip)

Seriously? It wasn't a particularly good series (I'm being kind) so I'm surprised it's behind the paywall. Chris Perkins's series was free and it was seriously brilliant.

Covered that for you.

Thanks!

 

[Andrew Ridenour]

So, from what I gathered, Development means, basically, how the represented area is affected or, or affects the world/area around it. Yes? That's what I'm understanding at least.

I think I have just about everything I need to build an effective level 1-2 dungeon, and expand on it from there. Thank you all for your advice. (I've saved most of it in a Word Document to be printed off at a later date, so I can put it in my reference folder.)

Well, I'm off then, to work on the dungeon. If I have any other questions, I'll know where to go. Also, if you want to give anymore advice, then don't hesitate. I've got this topic Bookmarked, and I'm subscribed, so I'll get any a message when you post, leaving your very helpful advice.

Thanks again...
-Andrew

 

[howandwhy99]

Sounds like you landed a ton of advice. Good luck and have fun. I think the mood you're in while creating really impacts the end result, so don't make it a chore but a reward.

Also, once you've run that bad boy would you post it here for all of us to see?

 

[Andrew Ridenour]

Sure. I can tell you how it went. I was thinking of doing that anyways. Maybe after a I finished the first floor, I was thinking to scan and upload the map and info so everyone could see how it looked, and I could get some "final" advice. If I had any kind of over whelming mistakes, or something like that.

 

[Wicht]

Sure. I can tell you how it went. I was thinking of doing that anyways. Maybe after a I finished the first floor, I was thinking to scan and upload the map and info so everyone could see how it looked, and I could get some "final" advice. If I had any kind of over whelming mistakes, or something like that.

I am curious to see what you come up with as well.

 

[Andrew Ridenour]

So, I was looking around, and I found in the alexanderian an article called something along the lines of "Prep Tips for Starting DMs". It mentioned something called a 5 room dungeon, which appears, from what I can tell, to be a small adventure consisting of five parts, not an actual dungeon, but it can be a dungeon, if you so wish it...

Anyways, I was looking at it, and I think, for simplicity's sake, and my own, I'm going to handle the first couple adventures using that. I mean, my adventure is already feeling a bit like that as is. The Guardian/The Role-play(Aka Use Skills here)/ and the Big Bad and the Reward/Revalation "Rooms" are already decided upon. All I need is a trick and then I can focus solely on the encounters themselves, and since that's the part I'm having trouble with, why not, you know, focus mostly on that. Thus, a quick, starting adventure of a group of level one characters.

I'll still be working on my grander dungeon. I actually have the map for the first floor drawn, and the encounters designed, mostly goblins and rats, as well as a "young" gelatinous cube, but they aren't entirely placed yet. I'll be finishing that up tomorrow, and hopefully start on the second floor. Sadly, it doesn't appear that I'll be able to upload my map. The printer that I use doesn't want to use its scan function with this old junk of a computer, but I'll see what I can do.

 

[Wycen]

Here's something free that we created here at ENWorld: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/28876/(Adventures)-The-Cooperative-Dungeon-Collection-(01---04)?it=1

4 dungeons, each different levels and themes.

 

[Andrew Ridenour]

Well, they made characters today. We got a Human Cleric of Nethys, a Half-Orc Rogue(fun), an Elf Alchemist(Cool), and either a Halfling or Gnome Cavalier, though neither race or class is final for the last player yet.

Hopefully everything will go off without a hitch next Saturday, when they travel into the temple of Sal'akta the Goblin God of the Ancient and Death, which at first seems like nothing more then a goblin hide-out, but once traveled through, it'll be discovered to be the home of some undead goblins, and other, nastier, things.

I've gone with the suggestion of making the first couple of dungeon floors give each player at least 1 level. So, when they finish BF2 they'll become level 3, so long as they don't miss anything, that is.

 

[Andrew Ridenour]

Well, due to forces outside my control, half my players can't make it for our starting session tomorrow, so we all agreed to post-pone it for next week. So, I apologize. I can't wait to run the first part of the adventure, and tell you guys how it went.

Now I've got so much in this temple that leads to bigger things, it's unreal. At the bottom of the temple, they'll hopefully find a coin. It's cursed, and is what is raising the dead. Just the one coin. If they use it as regular gold, they'll curse whatever town they use it in. (I'll roll to see if it is used...) While it is in their possession, and one of them dies, they'll rise a zombie in about 16 seconds, or skeleton (not official one way or the other.)

If they figure out it's magical, they'll need to take it to a wizard in a city that's on another continent. (though, they only need travel through a door to get to him.) He'll tell them, for a price, so long as it, itself isn't the currency used, that the gold piece was cursed long ago, and that it is one of about 1000 gold pieces placed in tombs, and places of eternal rest, as a sort of "Just Desserts" curse for those who would rob the forever sleepers. (aka the dead.)

I got all of that out of "Goblins in a Temple of the Ancient, and Dead".

Anyways, next week I'll tell you how the first session went. I really can't wait to start. I'm more excited for this one one then I was for the last one (my first one). I also feel more sure of myself going in, so that'll help, I'm sure.