D&D 5E New dungeon I'm composing for my home game

[RangerWickett]

The party is working for a noble who has established a colony in a new land. The PCs are leaving the town and setting out to see what's at the confluence of the two major rivers they've found. Now I could just have it be, y'know, a bigger river. Or I could have a complex warren which is threaded through with streams and waterfalls, inhabited by kobolds and led by their psychic, beast-controlling leader, who is bewildered by the recent appearance of a pair of vault doors in one of his caves.

The party is 5th level: a dragonborn melee fighter, a human crossbow fighter, a friendly human warlock, a human cleric of war, and a half-elf paladin devoted to art and beauty.

Their overarching goal is to try to find a friend who was cursed and then fled into the wilderness. She's not here, but I want them to have to work a bit for that, and to accomplish some good while they're there. I'm trying to decide whether the kobolds should be hostile, or outright evil, or just unfriendly but possibly allies. The party's already had to kill a whole orc tribe that performed ritual sacrifices of people to appease their demonic patron Baphomet, so I don't think I want to do evil.

As for the vault, it was written into existence by a figure outside of normal time and space, who's trying to seed boons for potential great heroes to acquire, to help them resist Baphomet's coming assault (which will happen once the party's around 10th level).

So, what's in the vault? I need a mix of challenges with a common theme, and some rewards at the end. The party has previously found the Vault of Spring (guarded by animated plants, with a reward of enchanted seeds to help the colony survive rough times) and the Vault of Wanderlust (a labyrinth guarded by a naga, dotted with rooms representing important places in the world, and providing magic steeds as a reward). I also have planned the Vault of Prowess (guarded by elemental warriors, with the reward of giving everyone a free level of monk).

This vault could be . . . what? Purity (full of disease and vermin, but granting resistance to disease?), Caution (lots of secret doors, looping passageways, traps, and some monster that tracks by scent, with the reward of gaining protection from divination?), something else? Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

The vault of courage. It tests the ability to overcome fears and persevere in seemingly hopeless situations.

Have it filled with monsters that inflict the fear condition or make heavy use of illusions. Make it look like there are some really tough monsters wandering around but they turn out to be fake. A non-combat room could include a magical device that conjures up somebody's worst fear (fun roleplaying opportunity). Another one could require the PCs to make a leap of faith into a dark pit where they land safely.

The final room could have an enemy that starts out really impressive and scary, dealing high damage so it looks like the fight can't be won, but it gets weaker over time. The real test is to endure without fear. Make escape seem very easy. Of course ymmv with this, some players don't like to feel helpless in combat. The reward could be an item that gives advantage against fear based effects, and to see through illusion. Or scrolls/wands of any of the spells that do something similar.

 

[fuindordm]

Nice! (to both of you)

 

[Zaran]

How did you do the free monk level? are they all now Multiclass characters and will be 9 levels of one class and 1 level of monk when Baphomet makes her move?

 

[Cernor]

Depending on your players, it could be an interesting challenge to make it the Vault of Compassion: the kobolds in it are dying out or mutating from a magical influence in the vault, so they initially try to drive the party away for their own safety, being hostile but not violent unless attacked. It should be obvious that something is wrong with these kobolds (diseased coloration or something) which should prompt the party to offer to help rather than kill them all. There are rooms filled with dead kobolds which they couldn't bury or burn because of their frailty and rapidly decreasing numbers. 10 of the kobolds remain alive, but barely so.

The more time the party spends in the vault, the more likely it is that they would be affected by the magical emanations (ability score decreases, reduced vision, slower healing, etc.) which all fade over the course of a few days after the source disappears. If the party decides to kill the kobolds, they should face no penalties (but gain no rewards other than the XP). However, if they decide to help the kobolds, they should face aberrations and mutated kobolds on the way to the bottom of the vault.

Inside the final chamber is an orb with a piece which releases bolts of magical energy (such as magic missile bolts) on random intervals, making it dangerous to approach. Putting the missing piece in would heal all the surviving kobolds, both normal and mutated, as well as teaching the party Channel Divinity: Preserve Life and giving them one (or one more) use of Channel Divinity. The player who risked death to close the hole would instead get two, or two extra, uses of Channel Divinity.

Let me know what you think!

 

[trentonjoe]

Vault of Health

Focus the adventure on Con Saves and Checks, The EXhaustion Rules, and have monsters that regenerate.


Rewards can be amor that cast the Spell AID or codpiece that protects from criticals or something.

 

[Astrosicebear]

The party is 5th level: a dragonborn melee fighter, a human crossbow fighter, a friendly human warlock, a human cleric of war, and a half-elf paladin devoted to art and beauty.

How the hell did you get this party on a boat? Best. DM. Ever.