Natural threats in a mine

[ejja_1]

Cave ins, Fissures that open under your feet, earthquakes, creatures trapped since ancient times unleashed by said earthquakes, Natural inhabitants of the surroundings would include spiders snakes centipedes and insects of all kinds, If they delve low enough you could have them reach ancient dwarven strongholds with stone golem guardians and such. Steam geyesers that are hot enough to flay the skin from a mans hide, chambers that flood suddenly when an underground stream breaks through to them.
Endless possibilities.

 

[Jolly Giant]

Seams to me all the likely threats have got a mention by now, except for one: Slippery slopes!

If the mine has been deserted for a couple of decades, many sufaces are likely to be covered in mosses or algae (there will always be SOME moisture in a mine). It's always fun to have the big, brave heroes falling on their little, brave bottoms! Especially at the top of a long, steep decline with something nasty at bottom...

Whenever the characters engage in melee or climb somewhere steep, roll a random check for each 5ft. square to see if the ground is slippery. Make sure the PCs factor in their armor check penalties when they make their balance checks...

 

[Terry Edwards]

One of the biggest danger of abandoned mines is lack of ventilation/oxygen. As wooden supports oxidize they use up all the oxygen in the area and if there isn't adequate ventilation to renew the oxygen supply you're left with an unbreathable atmosphere. I would reflect thise in game with torches/lanterns extinguishing and requiring a Fortitude save (DC ?) or fall unconscious. I'm not sure what DC I would put on that off hand, holding breath doesn't apply since the first breath in the area would be oxygenless and falling unconcious in such a place would be deadly but I would definitely make the DC increase each round. Of course once the players realize there is no oxygen they could hold their breath before entering.

 

[Keith]

"elevator? was invented in 1853 by Otis."

Are you under the impression that D&D is a historical game?!
Maybe it uses magic? Or maybe since the use of magic removes the need to invent a host of medieval devices, they skipped ahead to the elevator. Really, open up the mind a bit!

A nice typical creature from folklore lurking about might be nice- Knockers, Kobolds (er...the real kind, not D&D), or Spriggans. These kind of creatures might annoy your PCS, but perhaps might also be persuaded to help get other interlopers out of their mines.

 

[Mark]

Quicksand, Tar Pits, Formians... Oh My!

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

How about bats? I mean, normally I feel like one of my prime goals in life is trying to dispell myths about my beloved creatures, but lets face it, nothing says flavor text like a troop of PCs facing a swarm of bats....bats roost in the hundreds, and though, IRL, it's unlikely they'd bother spelunkers, you could most certainly fib a wee bit to make a group of bats attack.

Of course, there's always fungi, cave-ins, water, bad air, pits, etc.

Bet there's a lot of fun , nasty diseases as well. It's rare, but occasionally rabies can be transmitted via air in airtight places like mines if there are enough rabid bats in the area. Like I said, the odds of air transmitted rabies happening IRL is slim to none, but hey ...this is not real life

Happy gaming...

Sheri

 

[Saeviomagy]

How about rust monsters? If it's an iron mine, they'd fit quite well.

Or thoqqua's? Especially if anyone in the group is carrying expensive jewels.

Play to the greed of the adventurers - let them find an especially yummy looking seam of (whatever) that wasn't mined out because it would destabilise most of the mine.

 

[frankthedm]

Try a minotaur ranger moving through the mine levels, taking out as many humans as possible to make easy for his herd to move in. This works even better if the players are trying to capture the bandits alive. They hunt the bandits, the minotaur hunts the bandits. Once the ranger asseses the treat posed by the adventures, he may move in for the kill, wait for the pcs to clear out the bandits and leave or get more of his herd for reinforcement if the adventures try and make a home out of the place. if the PCs work with the bandits to fight back the minotaur, then the minotaur ranger goes to get the whole herd. If the Pcs and bandits hole up in a fortified area, recreate a few scenes from aliens with beef in place of bug.

 

[Steverooo]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, yet, is the piles of slag probably lying about from pervious mining. These good-fer-nothing piles of useless rock do naught but make travel over them difficult, and increase the DCs of Balance and Tumble checks when passing over or through them. Fights in/on the rubble are, of course, at a disadvantage.

 

[diaglo]

Are you under the impression that D&D is a historical game?!

no, i wasn't trying to say anything of the kind. just useless factoids stuck in my head.

Maybe it uses magic? Or maybe since the use of magic removes the need to invent a host of medieval devices, they skipped ahead to the elevator. Really, open up the mind a bit!

this is the quandry for some. i my case i like low-magic. for mundane things such as mining i would propose the old-fashioned way.

if i had high magic in the campaign, i wouldn't use miners at all. just summoned creatures or constructs and possible teleport squares ala Beam me up Scotty.

for mid magic, i would probably gear the mine to levitate/ feather fall/ dim door

for an old lost mine...well you could chose any of these.


what i was trying to do was add a view that would be different. something can be learned from different views, when you are experimenting with a new idea. ....