Mid-Level Campaign Help

[Jeremy]

My players, please stay out. This thread is to make the game more fun for you, and reading here just negates the point.

So I'm running the group through City of the Spider Queen right now, and I'm going to try and toss Spiral of Manzessine into the mix. But I notice that the default hook to get them into the game is several million tons of rock that have fallen in a cave in forcing a slight detour.

This is good and all, but my party has in every campaign I've ever run, seen cave in's not as a obstacle that might have a way around it, but a mire to stone shape, move earth, and use summons to tunnel through. Even in this game just prior to now while retaking the Tethyamar Fortress described in Lords of Darkness, the party went digging around for some of the ancient vaults of Old Tethyamar, were stymied by a cave in, and spent several ten days just tunneling through it.

Now I could do all kinds of things like say that the cause of the cave in was the explosion of a powerful earth node in response to the Weave corruption in nearby Maerimydra and now the area is a Wild or Dead magic zone. I could say that the cave in was the result of a titanic battle between Lloth loyalists and Kiaransalee cultists who summoned something a bit beyond their control and now the cave in is swarming with fiends drawn by the emanations. But my party, having been playing modules for a while now are very sensitive about having the perception that they are free to do whatever they want at any time, which they are, but I really want to do this module.

Any ideas for subtle ways to encourage heading in this direction or even ideas that might make the PC's WANT to head through an illithid prison?

 

[Caspian Moon Prince]

While, I do not really know of any of the modules you are speaking of(I've heard of them, but haven't flipped through or ran either) I'll try and give some ideas. If they don't fit something else in the modules, then I'm sorry

-Before the characters get a chance to dig or just beginning to dig, have someone from the Spiral show up to investigate. They can either fight the party or be seen by the party while making an escape. The party would probably investigate where this villian came from before digging.

Another possibility could be an escapee of the Spiral running into the PCs right after the cave in.

or..

-Leave a hint somewhere in the CotSQ module that there is this Spiral in a certain direction. When the cave in occurs they might go check out the Spiral...If your group hates any bit of railroading, I'd stay clear of this one though.

 

[The Thayan Menace]

City of the Spider Queen & War in the Dales

Ideas for this adventure? Let me see ....

When we played through City of the Spider Queen, our DM also launched a massive drow invasion of the surface realms.

You see, the Kiaransalites had succeeded in destroying most of Llolth's followers in Szith Morcane and Maermidrya. However, the surviving Spider Kissers decided to retreat topside and were causing trouble there; they had already infiltrated the forest and were preparing to carve out a new realm in the Night Above at the expense of Shadowdale.

Essentially, the DM placed additional drow on the surface and assumed that we arrived at the Catacombs of Jergal just in time to pick up the stragglers (the big fish slipped past us).

So ... our party was stuck fighting Kiaransalites in the Underdark and Llolthites on the surface, while using highly adroit teleportation magic (we had insane Spellcraft skills, and two skilled wizards) to go back to Waterdeep periodically and recoup.

We succeeded in wiping out I'rae and most of the surface invaders (and their orc thralls). We also looted so much mithral from the Underdark that we actually caused a glut in the mithral market in Waterdeep.

Still, what else what would one expect from a group that was bankrolled by the Church of Kelemvor? Trust me, we were thorough.
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Anyway, I do not know if my puffed-up narrative gives you ideas, but I hope it was interesting for you to read.

You are running a great campaign; I wish you the best of luck with it.

 

[Piratecat]

My group took the path of least resistance when they went through the underdark. One option might be that the adventure site is BEHIND the rock and blocked off, and the "safe" way is the detour. . . unless the group decided to detour, in which case it's the original setup.

Tunnelling through a massive cave in is exceedingly dangerous, by the way, since it take a long time and can easily collapse. That's worth keeping in mind.

 

[Shallown]

Make it dangerous with collapses and such. You can warn them well ahead of time its dangerous and maybe attracts all sorts of encounters to them.

If they think the are being railroad simple ask them "can you walk through mountains?" I mean without magic etc. Why should the have the idea that their characters can do anything and nothing ever blocks their path. Come on be reasonable. Some things just can't be done or at least are not worth the effort. Having a mountain in front of them is not Railroading just reality.

later

 

[VirtualWizard]

Hello,

I do not know anything about the adventure (illithid prison?) you are talking about, but it seems that the cave-in is to trap the characters so they can only go forward? If so, you might want to change the stick (cave-in) to a carrot (there is something in the prison? that they absolutely must have). The carrot approach still gives them a choice, but what player can resist gaining a reward for their efforts.

 

[Jeremy]

Thanks for all the ideas. I think I'm going to use a combination of Caspian, P-Kitty's, and Virtual Wizard's ideas. Thanks guys!