non-combat swamp encounters

[Mark1733]

I am looking for non-combat swamp encounters, other than quicksand. Thoughs?

 

[MerricB]

Disease-bearing insects.
Logs across the water (balance)
No logs.
Magical sticky tar.
Talking parrots. Or turtles.
Navigation problems.
Hornet's nest. Evasion.

Cheers!

 

[radja]

since you got lightning sands (quicksand), and aren't asking about ROUS's, you're just missing the flame spurts (jets of flame).

 

[MarkB]

A rainstorm.

As paths become mud, mud-patches become bogs, bogs become ponds, and ponds link up to become waterways, the need to find sufficiently high ground upon which to wait out the weather becomes ever-more pressing.

And every non-aquatic creature currently within the swamp is feeling that same pressing need.

 

[Gilladian]

Lizard men or other vaguely humanoid creatures with whom the PCs feel constrained to bargain. For example, they're warned that "only the lizard men know how to get past the XYZ hazard safely".

 

[Grogg of the North]

Getting lost in the swamp and wandering in circles for hours.
Animals getting into their food at night.
Flash flood/torrential rain.
Sudden drop off in the river bed resulting in swimming while in heavy armor. Possibly while being led astray by creatures.
Having to parlay with a hag or lizardfolk.

 

[Warbringer]

What's the context? What are the party in the swamp?

This will help creates encounters/challenges that are meaningful, rather than speed bumps

(oh which edition?)

 

[Mark1733]

We are playing 3.5. The party will most likely consists of 4-6 characters -- a 3rd level Halfling rogue; 1 or 2 second level H-E druids (+ companions); 1 or 2 third level clerics (one is Healing/Good Human, the other is Luck H-E); and a second level H/E Ranger. They are in a swamp that is foggy and rainy most of the time. They are simply trying to traverse the swamp to get to a forest on the otherside. I do have a hag in her lair for later on in the adventure--she is a key plot device. I also have ruins from the lizardfolk civilization that once lived there. The previous post by Galladian made me think of creating a lizardfolk hermit--the last of his kind in the area that could be an ally through portions of the swamp. Also, I was thinking of have something like bugbites that cause penalties unless the druids/ranger can make natural "insect repllent" from the "local ingredients" using their nature knowledge and survival skills. I like the flooding, getting lost, and hornets nest ideas as well.

---

Combat encounters include bullywugs, stirges, crocs, snakes, a shipwreck with combination harpy/lacedons, ruined lizardfolk shrine with a grey ooze, special chimera through a rocky pass through the swamp. Maybe a very scary shambling mound they can simply avoid.

 

[Warbringer]

A denzien knows the path through the dead ma... i mean swamp ... maybe a favor for the Hag and she grants them safe passage
Will-o-Wisps that lead the heroes into swampy traps ...
swampy traps of course (false land (really moss floating on water)), assassin vines, swamp gas (makes the party sleepy, hallucinate, sick)
a region of dark swamp that actually touches on the ethereal; here ghosts seem to walk the swamps, but really denziens from the etheral... walking this area the party can travel x10 faster, across water, but at great risk

 

[Razjah]

What about something herding the party towards an encounter. Imagine a black dragon taking days to make certain passages impossible to the party. If they have horses, it can strike at night or when the party is least expecting it and steal a horse. Everyone is figuring how to ford a waterway when they hear a whinny and a huge splash- Bill the pony is gone and there is blood in the water!

They may even see the dragon at night, in the distance, a great black shadow of absolute blackness and evil in the treacherous swamp, only in the daylight do they see their water is now corrupted and they need to search on for fresh water.