Iron DM "Home Game" Revival

[seasong]

I originally posted this in the original thread as a joke, but it really belongs here (cut-n-paste yay ). It's also a *bump* for an excellent thread that needs to be seen .

This is based on having seen too many Michael Jackson musical movie shorts for my sanity, plus the six ingredients incognito provided us with.

Rescuing Dreamland

High in the Dreamland Mountains, a famous half-elf (formerly drow) bard named Mikal Jaxin, flush with the riches of his trade, hired hundreds of gnomish inventors and illusionists to construct a vast playground of delight. He then opened the gates to children everywhere, as a place of safety and joy.

Unfortunately, it was also an immense resource, one which all too soon tempted the attentions of La-Toia, a vicious drow matron of Mikal's former House. She killed Mikal and enslaved the children present at the mountain, and set them to rebuilding the playground to power her spells.

Mikal, however, had dealt with the undead often enough in his long life to know a bit about the afterlife, and his spirit scurried into his signature glove, which left the Dreamland Mountains on its dancing fingers to seek aid.

After two weeks, the glove has arrived in town, and, via amazingly dextrous pantomine, has explained what is needed. The PCs are hired (or just agree to help, this is M.J., after all) to help.

Mikal's plan is fairly simple: he has the key to the teleport wards all around the Dreamland Mountains, but La-Toia doesn't know that, so the party should be able to teleport in and catch her by surprise. Mikal is willing to help, if someone wants to wear him.

(While worn, the glove provides the wearer with the Dancing Combat feat: you dance constantly, shifting direction and tempo fluifly and instantly, making it impossible to flank you and giving AC +2; unfortunately, there is also a 20% chance that any attack you make will be interrupted by the glove grabbing your body various.. places).

The enslaved children will watch the fight scene from the cold, snowy landscape outside. When the PCs win, they will come in to warm up.

After the children warm up, Mikal's ghost will rise up out of the glove (de-enchanting it) and be rewarded for the good in its heart by being turned into a dragon-like positive energy creature: an intelligent ravid, who will live out its days defending children who go to the Dreamland Mountains, and playing with them on the gnomish rides.

 

[mmadsen]

ANY population center that is near water and doesn't somehow prefer to dump their waste on the ground has a sewer.

I don't want to go off on a tangent about sewers, but it's my understanding that medieval cities did not have sewers. Certain ancient cultures had sewers, but the whole notion had to be rediscovered in modern times. (Believe it or not, there's a sewerhistory.org out there with a sewer timeline.)

 

[seasong]

Medieval sewers were poorly designed and implemented (which led, in dense population centers, to street dumping), but they were there. For the most part, up until the 1300s in France, sewers were (as mentioned earlier) primarily streams with a roof covering.

The temple is by a river and is not part of a dense population center. Viola .

As further consideration, however, the default D&D worlds are Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms, both of which generally seem more architecturally advanced than the dark ages to me. After all, what's a city dungeon crawl without miles and miles of complex subterranean sewers?

And sorry for the derailing .

 

[seasong]

This is my first try at nemmerlesque critique, so let me know how I do.

mmadsen's entry of bones, ghouls, kuo-toa, earth elementals, holy ground and magic keys:

As far as ingredients go, the bones, ghouls and kuo-toa are all used well, and the bones are particularly well-crafted into the scenario! The magic key is reasonably placed, but does not really grab me. The earth elemental, on the other hand, felt rather tacked on, and the holy ground, although arguably there in some fashion, isn't really visible.

Still, the meat of the scenario is well cut.

Aside from the use of specific ingredients, this scenario holds up well. Using an entire slaughtered village as a hook is grisly, but will likely work for all but the most hardened characters. There's not a lot of branching possibilities, as the kuo-toa are definitely Evil and Must Be Destroyed, so this can likely be plopped into any campaign as a one or two-parter, or linked into a larger war against the deep sea.

With that said, that's really all this scenario is - stumble across an Evil That Must Be Destroyed, track it down, destroy it. There's some potential for political fun with the Port City, but that's practically ignored in the write-up, and there does not seem to be any plausible cause for the kuo-toa doing all of this. Why are they doing these hideous things? Why do they want the mainland? And why was the last time in 'ancient times'?

In all, this is a fairly simplistic scenario, but one that looks like it would play well, be fun, and ties in most of the ingredients nicely. Good work!

 

[mmadsen]

Nemmerlesque Criticism

Thank you for the fair and -- dare I say? -- nemmerlesque criticism, seasong.

As far as ingredients go, the bones, ghouls and kuo-toa are all used well, and the bones are particularly well-crafted into the scenario! The magic key is reasonably placed, but does not really grab me. The earth elemental, on the other hand, felt rather tacked on, and the holy ground, although arguably there in some fashion, isn't really visible.

Again, that all seems quite fair. From the start, I've been rather proud of bones, ghouls, and kuo-toa, unexcited about the magic key, and perplexed by the earth elemental; he/it never seemed to fit. As far as the holy ground, I immediately thought, "Shrine of the Kuo-Toa!" and didn't go much further. I suppose they should have a particular dark rite brewing, but I never developed it.

Still, the meat of the scenario is well cut.

Thank you.

Aside from the use of specific ingredients, this scenario holds up well. Using an entire slaughtered village as a hook is grisly, but will likely work for all but the most hardened characters. There's not a lot of branching possibilities, as the kuo-toa are definitely Evil and Must Be Destroyed, so this can likely be plopped into any campaign as a one or two-parter, or linked into a larger war against the deep sea.

With that said, that's really all this scenario is - stumble across an Evil That Must Be Destroyed, track it down, destroy it.

Definitely a fair appraisal -- and that's all I was really aiming for. As long as the heroes get to fight evil with style and a few surprises along the way, I'm quite happy.

Further, I agree with Roblin Laws that the adventure should be simple; the players will make it complicated.

There's some potential for political fun with the Port City, but that's practically ignored in the write-up, and there does not seem to be any plausible cause for the kuo-toa doing all of this. Why are they doing these hideous things? Why do they want the mainland? And why was the last time in 'ancient times'?

Hey, c'mon, they're an Evil That Must Be Destroyed!

There's definitely potential for political fun with the Port City. I'll have to put on my thinking cap and come up with some ideas. Naturally, I'm thinking that someone there is using the Kuo-Toa to take out his enemies, only it's all gone awry. Hmm...

In all, this is a fairly simplistic scenario, but one that looks like it would play well, be fun, and ties in most of the ingredients nicely. Good work!

Thanks!

 

[mmadsen]

Well, in incognito's thread, seasong and ladyofdragons have presented their scenarios using these six ingredients:

Mountains
Unable to be Flanked
Teleport
Ravid
Cold Slaves
Ghost Touch Spiked Gauntlet

Since incognito has passed judgement -- seasong won -- that ingredient list is now open for the home game. Who's up for it?

Anyone ready to throw their hat in the ring? Or do I have to throw down the gauntlet myself? Who's up for some Iron DMing?

 

[mmadsen]

Hmm...it seems that a lot of people have talked a good game about Iron DM, but no one's willing to post a scenario. From my experience, seasong doesn't bite, and he's willing to offer up reasoned criticism. Anyone game?

 

[Griswold]

Hmm...it seems that a lot of people have talked a good game about Iron DM, but no one's willing to post a scenario. From my experience, seasong doesn't bite, and he's willing to offer up reasoned criticism. Anyone game?

I'm game, tho it will have to be late tonight or tomorrow.


-G.

 

[mmadsen]

I'm game, tho it will have to be late tonight or tomorrow.

Sounds good. Anyone ready to take on Griswold? Don't let his gauntlet just sit there on the ground!

 

[Mirth]

Anyone ready to take on Griswold?

It's GO time! I'm ready