Looking for Adventure (and whatever comes our way)

[haakon1]

So, do you have any good ideas for adventures that would fit my campaign?

I've got brand-new adult players (4 characters) doing Sunless Citadel right now. They'll be 3rd level when they're done. Rogue, Ranger, Wizard, and Cleric.

And I've got a party of experienced (8 characters) finishing up the Standing Stone. They'll be 5th-6th, possible a few 7th level when done. Fighter, Ranger/Rogue, Fighter/Wizard (eventually Arcane Archer), Monk, Wizard, Wizard/Sorcerer, Cleric, and Druid. Their recent previous adventures were The Cauldron of Plenty (a thinker of an old Dungeon adventure with an Irish mythology and giant theme, about getting a McGuffin for the war effort in my campaign) and Dzeebagd (frontier rescue of missing merchants in a conquered village in my campaign).

I'm running 3.5e rules. I generally like a "consistent, realistic" feel -- low to medium fantasy, more mythological beasts or classic D&D monsters than purely new MM3 type monsters, Tolkienesque feel if I can get it, few rules beyond the core books (DMG, PHB) so the world isn't fluctuating.

My campaign is Greyhawk with some homebrew elements. Currently, they're all in Bissel (forested gap between mountain passes) with is engaged in a large-scale war: plains horsemen from the other side of the pass allied with orc-kind and Swiss-type mercenaries have invaded, and orders of knighthood, the Border Companies (mercenary defenders, close to a professional army), and neighboring realms are defending. Lots of villages have been destroyed, castles beseiged, etc.

Nearby areas include: Yatil Mountains (home of Iggwilv, and home to famous 1st Edition adventures like the Lost Cavern of Tsojcanth -- another party doing that one triggered the war -- and the Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun), the Barrier Peaks (with the famous 1st Edition crashed spacecraft adventure, which has never been run in campaign, and the area of the giant attacks made famous by the first edition superadventure about giants and drow), the Valley of the Mage, and the Vale of Highfolk/Vesve Forest (a pleasant halfling/elvish bucolic region, threatened by the demigod Iuz the Evil and his humanoid minions).

Any cool ideas? I'm thinking of adapting "Red Hand of Doom" for one of the parties. <shrug>

 

[Azalnubizar]

Red Hand of Doom is a nice adventure - I'm DMing it with my group now.
It is set to be run by a group of 4 chars of 5th lvl - I'm running it with 3chars of 6th level which is ok as well...
but I think that the first group of yours is too low-level and the other one too mighty.
You might try to power the module up for your second group, but I think you'd enjoy it more if you wait 'til your second group is 5th level and start it then...

...you could start by giving them a few errands around Brindol of the RHoD-Setting that they might become familiar with the area bevor you start RHoD. Maybe they even make friends with some of the locals - which will make it easier for you to involve them into the adventure and might even give them a bit of help during the adv.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

I suggest something with smoke and lightning. Maybe some heavy metal thunder.

 

[Land Outcast]

I suggest something with smoke and lightning. Maybe some heavy metal thunder.

Beat me to it...

 

[Stormborn]

I will second the nomination of Red Hand of Doom. You just need to get that lower level group ready for it. One nice transition adventure would work well. Preferablly one that gets them to a part of your game world where you can stick RHoD.

 

[haakon1]

I will second the nomination of Red Hand of Doom. You just need to get that lower level group ready for it. One nice transition adventure would work well. Preferablly one that gets them to a part of your game world where you can stick RHoD.

Nod. I think I can probably adapt it for their current location.

What's a good lead in adventure? I've never done Forge of Fury, and I want to someday, but thematically, it doesn't make sense . . . I guess I can shoehorn it, but what have other people done as lead ins?

For the higher level party, maybe an extended dungeon crawl of some sort makes sense. I'm thinking if the lower level guys are doing most of the war fighting, the medium level party should be off somewhere where they don't get pulled in . . . though it might be fun to do a cross-over of the two parties at the end.

 

[Asmo]

I ran Sunless Citadel and Forge of Fury for my players, and we had a blast - Until they meet the Roper and decided to fight it. Well, if you´re going to run Forge of Fury, think long and hard about that encounter.

Isn´t there a note or a hint in Sunless Citadel that points to Forge of Fury?

Asmo

 

[haakon1]

Isn´t there a note or a hint in Sunless Citadel that points to Forge of Fury?

You'd think so, but I haven't stumbled across it, and it's not in the Conclusion section.

As for the Forge of Fury, the suggested Character Hooks don't mention The Sunless Citadel.

I guess the connection could have something to do with the Nightcaller magic item, or it could use the "you found a map" hook from Forge of Fury.


Today I've been looking at Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics.


LOTS OF SPOILERISH BITS





For the Sunless Citadel party, DCC #3 The Mysterious Tower is a little bit high level (3-5), whereas DCC #28 Into the Wilds is low (1-3). I think they're both decent modules. For The Mysterious Tower, the hook would be a military-connected one -- the tower would be a useful base, go recover it. For Into the Wilds, it would be a village in trouble, threatened by airborne goblins (I find the whole voodoo witchdoctor subplot a bit off in tone and unrelated to the rest of the adventure, but the flying goblins -- minus their odd weapon -- and the dwarvish stuff are pretty cool).

I'm also thinking of splitting off Chapter 1 (Life's Bazzar) from the rest of the Shackled City, maybe using the underdark tunnels from The Sunless Citadel to connect, but it would lose a lot without the Cauldron setting and the work to find the entrance. Maybe a gate to Cauldron in the Sunless Citadel?

For the folks finishing the Standing Stone, I looked at DCC #17 The Legacy of Savage Kings (like the lizardfolk army, dislike the disease complications), #23 The Sunken Ziggurat (too weird for me), and #5 Aeries of the Crow God. Crow God seems the best, but I'd like to modify it so the cannibalistic siege problem was recent rather than ancient, plus the magic items are overpowered and weird. I'll check out #26 The Scaly God next.

Has anybody played these? What learnings hath thou?