My PCs are in a swamp. Now what?
- Thread starter der_kluge
- Start date
Ah, yes. Have they seen or read "The Neverending Story"? You could always include Shell Mountain and Morla, the Ancient One.Steverooo said:
der_kluge
Adventurer
The game went very well. I wanted to thank everyone for the help.
This is what happened.
The PCs started off in the swamp (of course), and they debated with themselves as to where to go next. They decided to keep walking in the direction they were headed, and eventually nightfall came, and they threw up a rope trick and camped.
Next morning, they step outside and they see this lizardfolk woman in meager attire gathering herbs. They attempt to communicate with her, and she takes off, afraid for her life. The wizard casts expeditious retreat, and runs her down, and grapples her. Once grappled, they talk to her, and convince her that they are friends, and are looking for a lost friend of theirs. She tells them that her village is but a day away, and they should follow her. So, off they go. Along the way, they notice, and inquire about some snakes in her beltpouch. "We eat them", she says.
They arrive that next night, and sleep outside the huts in a leomund's secure shelter. They awake the next morning, and see 50 lizardfolk kids all gathered around, staring intently at the strange thing in their midst. They drop the shelter, and the kids all scatter.
They speak to the village leader, and figure out rather quickly that words like "direction" make no sense to the guy. The PCs tell the leader that they'll offer up a fabulous spear as a reward to anyone that can locate their friend in the swamp. They have a +2 icy burst spear that they didn't want. The leader is quite excited by this, and many villagers leave the village in search of their friend.
Needless to say, no one returns with the information that they seek. Some of the villagers never return. Throughout this, the PCs learn that there are some other places of interest in the swamp, notably some pixies, and a big toad, which the lizardfolk refer to as just "the toad". They is also mention of some dangerous trees.
With nothing better to do, the players have the cleric burn up all his 4th and higher level spells slots with divinations. They learn that they are in a demi-plane "nestled between the ethereal planes of earth and water". I eventually use Nifft's nifty prophecy when they ask a directed question about what they need to do to find their friend. This gets them to thinking.
The sorcerer asks the leader about the snakes, and he tells them that they are their only source of food. The sorcerer asks about whether they have ever had many of them together at a single time. "No, our history forbids that." "Why?" "I don't know. We have all grown up knowing that to do that would be a bad thing. We never have more than 10 together at a single time."
So, with some diplomacy, the party convinces the leader to allow to put a bunch of the snakes in a box. They gather all the living snakes in town and have about 40. The sorcerer gets a telepathic message "more... more..." So, the party then offers up shiny things to the villagers for each snake brought back to them. They eventually get enough that next evening to acquire enough of the snakes to get some intelligence going. With a short conversation, the party is able to tell the snakes where it is they are going, and it tells them that it can take them there.
Then there is a discussion with the lizardfolk. The party comes to realize that by releasing a collective of snakes back out into the swamp, their only source of food will disappear. The party convinces the lizardfolk that they need to come back home with them, and they can make a better life for themselves there. The lizardfolk talk, and they agree. So, that next morning, after the lizardfolk have packed up all their belongings, they head out into the swamp, activate the portal, and head to where they needed to go. The PCs step through the portal with close to 300 lizardfolk villagers in tow.
It was a good game, if I do say so myself. And not one dice was rolled to hit. Thanks again, everyone.
This is what happened.
The PCs started off in the swamp (of course), and they debated with themselves as to where to go next. They decided to keep walking in the direction they were headed, and eventually nightfall came, and they threw up a rope trick and camped.
Next morning, they step outside and they see this lizardfolk woman in meager attire gathering herbs. They attempt to communicate with her, and she takes off, afraid for her life. The wizard casts expeditious retreat, and runs her down, and grapples her. Once grappled, they talk to her, and convince her that they are friends, and are looking for a lost friend of theirs. She tells them that her village is but a day away, and they should follow her. So, off they go. Along the way, they notice, and inquire about some snakes in her beltpouch. "We eat them", she says.
They arrive that next night, and sleep outside the huts in a leomund's secure shelter. They awake the next morning, and see 50 lizardfolk kids all gathered around, staring intently at the strange thing in their midst. They drop the shelter, and the kids all scatter.
They speak to the village leader, and figure out rather quickly that words like "direction" make no sense to the guy. The PCs tell the leader that they'll offer up a fabulous spear as a reward to anyone that can locate their friend in the swamp. They have a +2 icy burst spear that they didn't want. The leader is quite excited by this, and many villagers leave the village in search of their friend.
Needless to say, no one returns with the information that they seek. Some of the villagers never return. Throughout this, the PCs learn that there are some other places of interest in the swamp, notably some pixies, and a big toad, which the lizardfolk refer to as just "the toad". They is also mention of some dangerous trees.
With nothing better to do, the players have the cleric burn up all his 4th and higher level spells slots with divinations. They learn that they are in a demi-plane "nestled between the ethereal planes of earth and water". I eventually use Nifft's nifty prophecy when they ask a directed question about what they need to do to find their friend. This gets them to thinking.
The sorcerer asks the leader about the snakes, and he tells them that they are their only source of food. The sorcerer asks about whether they have ever had many of them together at a single time. "No, our history forbids that." "Why?" "I don't know. We have all grown up knowing that to do that would be a bad thing. We never have more than 10 together at a single time."
So, with some diplomacy, the party convinces the leader to allow to put a bunch of the snakes in a box. They gather all the living snakes in town and have about 40. The sorcerer gets a telepathic message "more... more..." So, the party then offers up shiny things to the villagers for each snake brought back to them. They eventually get enough that next evening to acquire enough of the snakes to get some intelligence going. With a short conversation, the party is able to tell the snakes where it is they are going, and it tells them that it can take them there.
Then there is a discussion with the lizardfolk. The party comes to realize that by releasing a collective of snakes back out into the swamp, their only source of food will disappear. The party convinces the lizardfolk that they need to come back home with them, and they can make a better life for themselves there. The lizardfolk talk, and they agree. So, that next morning, after the lizardfolk have packed up all their belongings, they head out into the swamp, activate the portal, and head to where they needed to go. The PCs step through the portal with close to 300 lizardfolk villagers in tow.
It was a good game, if I do say so myself. And not one dice was rolled to hit. Thanks again, everyone.
Eye Tyrant
First Post
You have to have atleast one alligator. What's a swamp without an alligator?
der_kluge
Adventurer
Nifft said:
Would take a lot more work than the flimsy notes that I have put together, but it could be doable.
Afterwards, I was thinking that there could have been a lot more to it. I made "chill touch" the key to the portal, but it could have been anything - perhaps something that another creature in the swamp had that the PCs would have to obtain. Or perhaps, the cranium vipers would ask that the PCs remove the Toad before agreeing to help them access the portal. A lot could be done with it, in fact. But, it's all very workable.
As it was, it fit rather nicely into our evening, though.
