Okay, so here is where I am so far.
The PCs home base has a remote gnome village known for its musical instruments far to the north. To get to the village, you have to go through a mountain pass or over the mountains. My players have played as gnomes from this village, but I have never had to detail the mountain pass from which they have to travel through to get from place to place. The one time they ventured south from the gnome village, they went quietly through a back route in the mountains (they were actually playing gnomes stealing their own PCs airship that the PCs had stolen from the gnomes, who were really just slaves for an Orcus cult).
So what I have decided, is the pass through the mountains isn't your typical cut through. The river cutting through hollowed out a cavern that cuts through the mountains. The roof of the cavern is held together by the roots of the first Padonthia tree that is long since dead. However, a dragon, possibly working for Tiamat, has accumulated the last of the seeds of the first tree. The dragon's lair is hidden inside this long cavern that stretches through the mountains. Inside the cavern, there are floating islands, pieces of the mountains held together by the roots of the dead tree.
Now I need help with encounters.
I am thinking this will be 4-5 encounters.
As for encounters I'm thinking 4 combats.
Encounter 1. Inside the cavern they are attacked by something that has made the cavern its home that resides on the islands held together by roots. I want this to be an aerial encounter so they can use their hippogriffs. Maybe giant bats or something more intelligent. Any ideas?
I'd also like the cavern to hold some valuable resource. I'd love for the passage to turn into some sort of village/town that is spread across root supported pieces of land. Haven't came up with anything, but I'm thinking about using some sort of fungus to light up the cavern or crystals as quickleaf suggested. Maybe the crystals are the resource but other than a precious gem, what could they be used for?
Encounter 2. Perhaps this is where beholders come into play. They are posted as the guardians of the entrance to the dragons lair.
Encounter 3. A dragon. Possibly a black dragon but I'll probably design some sort of dragon that has been altered because of its desire to own the seed. The good magic of the seed has corrupted the evil of the dragon in some weird way.
Encounter 4. This could fall anywhere in the session. Maybe they were tailed by someone who also wants the seed, or this could just be a random encounter on their way to the passage way. Not really sure. Suggestions?
A none combat encounter. I am terrible with these.
The point of the adventure will be for them to recover a seed, or several seeds to plant with the crown and the tree will grow so that the crown will be inside it. They will have to protect the crown, but the tree will grow so large, it can't be planted just anywhere. They will have to come up with a place that the tree can be planted and they can protect it until the tree grows large enough that the crown is securely inside it. Now, by the tree grows large, I mean it will grow large. Think hometree in Avatar, but even larger. A tree several miles wide that disappears into the sky. Perhaps securing the location of this place will be an encounter.
What do you guys think?
Thanks for all the help so far!
The PCs home base has a remote gnome village known for its musical instruments far to the north. To get to the village, you have to go through a mountain pass or over the mountains. My players have played as gnomes from this village, but I have never had to detail the mountain pass from which they have to travel through to get from place to place. The one time they ventured south from the gnome village, they went quietly through a back route in the mountains (they were actually playing gnomes stealing their own PCs airship that the PCs had stolen from the gnomes, who were really just slaves for an Orcus cult).
So what I have decided, is the pass through the mountains isn't your typical cut through. The river cutting through hollowed out a cavern that cuts through the mountains. The roof of the cavern is held together by the roots of the first Padonthia tree that is long since dead. However, a dragon, possibly working for Tiamat, has accumulated the last of the seeds of the first tree. The dragon's lair is hidden inside this long cavern that stretches through the mountains. Inside the cavern, there are floating islands, pieces of the mountains held together by the roots of the dead tree.
Now I need help with encounters.
I am thinking this will be 4-5 encounters.
As for encounters I'm thinking 4 combats.
Encounter 1. Inside the cavern they are attacked by something that has made the cavern its home that resides on the islands held together by roots. I want this to be an aerial encounter so they can use their hippogriffs. Maybe giant bats or something more intelligent. Any ideas?
I'd also like the cavern to hold some valuable resource. I'd love for the passage to turn into some sort of village/town that is spread across root supported pieces of land. Haven't came up with anything, but I'm thinking about using some sort of fungus to light up the cavern or crystals as quickleaf suggested. Maybe the crystals are the resource but other than a precious gem, what could they be used for?
Encounter 2. Perhaps this is where beholders come into play. They are posted as the guardians of the entrance to the dragons lair.
Encounter 3. A dragon. Possibly a black dragon but I'll probably design some sort of dragon that has been altered because of its desire to own the seed. The good magic of the seed has corrupted the evil of the dragon in some weird way.
Encounter 4. This could fall anywhere in the session. Maybe they were tailed by someone who also wants the seed, or this could just be a random encounter on their way to the passage way. Not really sure. Suggestions?
A none combat encounter. I am terrible with these.
The point of the adventure will be for them to recover a seed, or several seeds to plant with the crown and the tree will grow so that the crown will be inside it. They will have to protect the crown, but the tree will grow so large, it can't be planted just anywhere. They will have to come up with a place that the tree can be planted and they can protect it until the tree grows large enough that the crown is securely inside it. Now, by the tree grows large, I mean it will grow large. Think hometree in Avatar, but even larger. A tree several miles wide that disappears into the sky. Perhaps securing the location of this place will be an encounter.
What do you guys think?
Thanks for all the help so far!
