Night Below

[Chad Hooper]

Someone mentioned Night Below in the thread about optional rules use in second edition. I'm currently running this campaign for my group (three players, six PCs currently ranging from 6th to 9th level). I have a couple of questions for others who have played/DMed this campaign module.

Note: If you are currently a player in this campaign, please be warned there may be minor spoilers below. Especially if you've only just started the campaign. If this applies to you, read on only at your own risk. I tried not to give anything away, but, still.



Before I started the campaign, I read as many discussions about it as Google could find for me. I noticed one common complaint was that book 2 was a drag, often referred to as "a grind". So, I've inserted a workaround by adding another (surface-based) "fork" to the plot/conspiracy. This will lead into dungeons and Underdark adventures of my own creation that further the plot, explaining the motives of one group who has no real incentive IMO to be involved in the plot of the module as written. It will eventually lead into the end of book 2, as that part is IMO required for the overall plot. My workaround also introduces at least one new type of undead to plague my players occasionally, thanks to who the other "fork" is masterminded by.

Have any other groups/DMs that have played this module since circa 2006-2010 done anything like this to avoid the portion many groups said they didn't really enjoy?

Another common thread in many discussions/campaign logs/Story Hour posts I read about Night Below was real estate. It seems that one or more groups purchased the Hound and Tails Inn and purchased or otherwise acquired Broken Spire Keep by legal means. Our Dwarf fighter/cleric has expressed interest in eventually purchasing Garlstone Mine for a temple and the beginning of a new Dwarven settlement.

Did any of your groups end up as landholders or business owners in the Haranshire region?

I'd also be interested to hear of any other things of interest that happened to your group during the campaign, and if you completed it. If you didn't, how far did you get, plot and PC level-wise, and why didn't you finish it?

Looking forward to your replies, hopefully there are a lot of Night Below veterans on this board.

 

[thedmstrikes]

I am not very regular on these boards anymore, but I found this post looking for something else and I hope you find the information contained within to be helpful. I love this box set, I think it is the single best set of potential produced by the company for the entire edition (2D in this case). It is the cornerstone of my primary campaign (we moved around a lot and I do not think I have lived in the same location more than four years yet). While that makes it difficult to finish any long term campaign, this one especially, it does provide for a lot of redos with new people. I have, therefore, run this campaign no less than four times with different groups. The farthest any of them have reached is the beginning of book three (they almost found that initial quarry and I will try my best to reduce spoilers in this response) and had reached 12th level.
I embellished the original box set with a lot of supplemental material (especially since it mentioned you might need to in order to keep the PCs on par with the challenges). This was especially true during the 2D ED days, but much less so with later editions. In fact I had to find a way to "slow" advancement through character classes to keep the challenges from being too easy even before the end of book one. I tried a couple of things, such as mandatory racial prestige classes every other level, or ensuring I had a large group (which helped immensely with survivability), but I think the best way to approach it would be to set story goals for advancement because of the mismatched parity between editions (and make sure they bring enough bodies along in the form of PCs or hirelings to reduce the TPK possibilities). Once I had used the supplemental material, I felt it made the initial story I was telling more involved for the PCs, so much so, that I never removed it in the later editions when it became advancement became much faster. Most of the things I used were 1st ED modules or out of Dungeon magazine (all of which are easy to find in PDF format on the internet these days and many of them have conversion documents to go with them as well for later editions), such as N4 Treasure Hunt (if I wanted a zero level intro), Cult of the Reptile God, Tomb of the Lizard King, lots of Frog God Games modules from their early days as Necromancer Games (I even added Rappan Athuk as a distraction, but to date, no one has taken me up on that). Most of my underground embellishments came from Dungeon magazine one offs and at this time, I do not have anything for book three as supplemental material, so I am unsure if it would be needed, but I suspect not. Although I had always envisioned the next step for characters that succeed would be to put them through the Bloodstone Lands series (also from 1st edition).
A lot of these supplements make sense in that I tried to find things with the same underlying theme as the box set (when you put all that material together, you should be able to pick up on it, if not PM me and I will let you in on it). Some, if not all, were red herrings to keep them truly guessing at the BBEG(s) and I find it essential to use the psionics is separate rule (although that may not work for you). Some of the material was also there to get them useful items or other things along the way (especially before rules that covered making your own surfaced in later editions, but I find it best to still lay out items that would be best used later, adapting for PC preferences in weapon choice, etc. and if they do not make the right choice to keep it, then that is their fault for trying to know better what is in their future than the DM). That reminds me that I also tinker with the material as presented when updating it to whichever edition I am playing and restating the NPCs with a more diverse set of sub classes that were not available in the original edition. Too much potential in older material out there to not go for it and you need to convert them anyway.
Let me pause and see what I have not yet addressed from your OP. Yes, book two is a bit of a challenge to keep them going. It has the purpose of ensuring they gain enough strength (i.e. experience levels) to complete the later parts at the end of book two and throughout book three. There is also a lot of potential here for campaign level interaction with the NPCs that are along that way. I suggest focusing on environmental hazards for the necessary combats mid book and bring new challenges above ground (such as the modules mentioned above and again roleplay comes to the forefront here to break up the sessions of rollplay) when they need to rest and resupply. This is especially true if you have used something to tie the PCs to the area either with plot lines or land acquisition (I used both and as the situation developed with different PCs). I think it is essential to mention at this point that if you have not yet addressed character goals and builds (as far as things like ranger choices go in reference to useful enemies or terrains), then this should be done to steer expectations in line with the overarching plot of the campaign (make no mistake, this box set is a campaign, not an adventure broke up into parts). When they do not take the hint, there is always retraining to bail them out.
And the last thing I only touched on was land owning. There were a lot of instances where different PCs of different classes were presented with the opportunity to become enriched through the treasure of responsibility (i.e. land ownership, knighthood, taking over defeated locations for use as their own, etc.). I find this to be essential to engagement with the region. As designed, the campaign is to be set in a remote region (which is why the PCs are solving the problem at the end of the campaign and not movers and shakers of their own world). I set my campaign in the Forgotten Realms as my choice of campaign world. In doing so, I had the bright idea to establish the campaign in a remote location south of the Sea of Fallen Stars below the region which was Cormyr and west of Turmish. When I did so, I set the stage for later red herrings on the campaign by making it a "colony" of Cormyr (thus opening the door for Purple Knights and War Wizards as paths for PCs). In the end, it turns out the region is really controlled by an exiled family that has been hiding from the descendants of the Purple Throne while simultaneously keeping their own status quo. Is it a bit far fetched, yes, but it was a way of equating how remote the region was and thus, sooner or later, the PCs would discover the ruse and ferret out the "legitimate" government and then fill the void (and this sets them up for the follow on Bloodstone Lands series which is also set in a remote area albeit a different one in FR canon, but whatever, I made a hatchet job cause I can).
To date, no one has been able to guess what was really going on. There were lots of theories, but they only fit the facts as presented, and I presented a lot of false facts they theorized on. Conversely, the box set, run as is, can be done without embellishments and I think that is what was happening in many of those instances where complaints about book two came from and logically thinking, book three is almost more of the same. Like I said at the beginning of the post, it has the most potential of anything else I have seen and I saw a lot. It seems you already have a bit of a feel for what your group is looking for, but sometimes, the PCs have to adapt to their environment (i.e. the adventure) or things become too routine at the table such as when one makes a Dragon slayer, and now you have to add Dragons into everything. What happens if they all do something like that? I had a group try that once (where they all made their own concepts and the adventure was the sole pretext under which they were working together) and they imploded as a group by level three. Player cooperation is a key element of survival in this campaign. If the players do not work together to overcome each others weaknesses and supplement their strengths, then it will just be a tough one for you.

 

[Chad Hooper]

Thanks for your reply!

I am actually running this campaign in its native 2nd Edition environment, because I already have all the core books and a lot of the optional stuff.

My players have become a quite complimentary and cooperative group since we started this campaign last September, and we are already starting into the "workaround" for Book 2 I mentioned in my OP. The secondary "surface fork" of the plot gives a reason for the spellcasters from Book 1 to have joined in on this grand conspiracy, because they can fulfill a goal by doing so.

I have at least one Dungeon magazine module in mind as a side-trip while the party is still on the surface (a side trip to Ravenloft, oh joy!), but more may come once they go back down below. I'm also tempted to try to wedge in the modules from the Illithiad trilogy as part of the plot, but am still undecided.

If, and/or when, we finish Book 3, I have placed another "fork" of kidnappers on the surface, a "red herring" not connected to Night Below. That one is Neogi slavers with their Umber Hulks and probably some pirates, kidnapping folks for the slave market in an Illithid city that has large caverns and surface canyons nearby that provide access for all but the largest Spelljamming ships, if they can run the Elven blockade.

I thought using the Underdark as a gateway to Wildspace an interesting oxymoron, and enjoyed the mental exercise of figuring out how to do it. Whether it ever plays out that way, only time will tell

 

[thedmstrikes]

Thanks Chad, if I remember correctly (I got too much stuff to dig through to find out for sure), there is a trilogy for the forgotten realms that starts in Undermountain and leads to Wildspace (similar to what you are doing, but different). Maybe you can rob that set for some inspiration too. I do not remember the names of the first two modules, but the third one was called Stardock (all in second edition).

My test run through fifth edition was with the Ravenloft adventure. I am not much of a fan of the setting, and the mechanics of fifth ed probably made it worse. That is definitely one way to make a "red hearing". How was book one for your crew? Did they explore all the different mysteries before hitting book two? How do you think they will handle the opportunity for "strange" alliances when the time comes? Are you considering sharing the concept of destruction points for the end of book two, or just let them figure it out as they go along (I think I shared it as part of the "briefing" they received from some allies on how to take on the challenge)?

 

[Zardnaar]

I used Part one a coupe of years ago its great. problem is Part 1 is the high point of the campaign, 2 and 3 are basically a big Dungeon hack.

I think they did intend of resettling the ruined castle.

 

[Chad Hooper]

Zardnaar, thanks for your reply. Broken Spire Keep is good real estate, for Haranshire.

Anyone currently playing Night Below, Spoiler Alert, please read no further!





DMStrikes,

I rewrote a lot of Book 1, adding a back-door (via the underground tunnels) to Broken Spire Keep. I moved the Bloodskulls nearer Great Rock Dale, changed all place and character names, added Fae to the Darkwood, etc.

One DM I read logs from scared the PCs away from the mines when they went too early by adding an ogre there. My group went in, got out with three or four captives (both halflings included) and were distracted from the Garlstone Mines by a jailbreak engineered by bandits from Broken Spire.

My group made friends with the Goblins of the Ring and moved them up to the Eelhold where they are prospering.

They also made an alliance with an Orc tribe (Neutral) in the Dale. Grax, the chief, was willing to adopt the women and children of the Bloodskulls when the final battle came.

My players purchased both the Hound and Tails and Broken Spire Keep, and the Dwarf has staked a claim on Garlstone. All of the local minor nobles are in some way indebted to the PCs at this point, and they have friends and allies including Fae, the wild woman Druid (Liandra IMC), goblins, orcs, and all the locals of (IMC) Mulray and Tharstad, as well as back at the town where they were hired for the package delivery initially that brought them to (IMC) Haraldshire.

I'd say Book 1 went well for my group. Found all the keys, found all the treasure, infiltrated and captured Broken Spire almost unwounded. Beastmaster Ranger has bonded a mastiff (from Broken Spire's mad woman) and a tressym, mage has a familiar resembling Bob the Skull from Dresden Files in a homunculus body, and the party found the clay house on the priestess in Garlstone.

Jelenneth's name changed to Jhelina IMC, and her brother (adopted) joined the party. All of her items in Haraldshire were retrieved and returned to the family.

Currently they're down south and west, soon east bound but it's almost Winter Solstice. Similar tales to those of Haraldshire are coming out of the Canoga Falls area, and they are en route to investigate.

On their layover in the city of Torinar, my group have become local heroes. Destroyed a new type of undead, found and destroyed the drug that produced it and the supply chain, and saved a whole apartment building, tenants and most contents, from a fire. Among other things.

I don't know if I'll share or even use the Points from the end of Book 2, though the City is necessary to the main plot. I'm sure I'l rewrite much of Book 3 as well.

We're having fun, making up good stories, and everyone gets to be a star in turn. How Night Below plays out for my group will be unlike any other group, I expect, but we'll have a grand old time all the way