Sleeping City of the Old Ones; a 4E sandbox. Opinions please!

[Jack7]

I like the overall idea Ydars.

Since arcane experiments took place there, and I'm assuming on the creatures gathered, that would to my mind mean arcane biological experiments.

Meaning I would picture biological effects in different areas. People would become frozen or paralyzed, angered or infuriated, passive or lethargic.

Part of the danger would be in overcoming how one was "influenced" by the various areas.
Traps might even include complicated perceptual illusions, to test subjects in response to their sensory capabilities or ability to focus under pressure, temperature variances, lack of clean air, etc.

I'd also include underground laboratories, or ground level laboratories.

For Gargoyles I'd have menacing or psychological and biological effects, not just physical ones. People are repelled by fear, disgust, hatred, etc. Maybe magical traps involving displacement; spatial and.or temporal, having to repeat certain actions, even actions that are not apparent - such as you keep going through the same area without realizing it til you figure out how to escape it.

Traps and/or still running or open experiments cause characters to attack each other, or misunderstand things. There are magical versions of microwave energy beams that burn people, or ultra and sub-sonic sounds that make people sick or disoriented. Weird tattoos or glyphs appear on bodies without warning, people have staring dreams, people have bizarre visions of the past in which they see themselves or others with limbs cut away or being dissected or operated upon. People have disturbing visions of the possible near future.

People could also accidentally trigger old or long dead experiments.

It also makes me think of the possible relationship between biological experimentation and arcane experimentation and the mind. As in possible "psionic (psychic) effects," and behavioral effects. That is the characters, by being exposed to certain kinds of arcane energies might develop odd capabilities of their own. Or they might "magically mutate" (for lack of a better term). I use this effect in my setting for exposures to high level Elturgy. There is a chance each character, so exposed, might develop Korruhn, or magical corruption. Meaning their appearance might change, or their mind and behavior might alter, or they might gain new benefits, or they might gain new malignancies.

The first thing I thought of when I read the description was the ancient Bree, or Breton (both a Caer, and a Sidhe). I created a dungeon for that, but it was also filled with famous arcane and divine objects, like both the Grail (cup of Christ) and Grael (the iron resurrection cauldron), and with the ghosts of long dead inhabitants, a feasting table for the dead with plates of food that never became exhausted, but after the meal the players realized the food was rotten and decayed, and various other mythic motifs.

Personally I don't think the map is nearly big enough or large enough, but then again I can't really determine scale from what I'm seeing. I like the idea of the city being semi-sentient, and also of it sleeping. Perhaps it could be beneficially fully awakened, but perhaps doing so would alert the old masters or cause them to return. Or at least their agents to return. What though is the ultimate point or aim of the city? That is, what were the point(s) of the experiments and what is the point of the party exploration? Were the experiments directed towards a certain postulate and theories, is the party shooting for a certain thing, object, or objective? Are they the same? Different? Opposing aims?

The nature of the experiments themselves would tell you how much of the place operated, why, and in what way(s).

I also like these ideas:

This provides also a venue to make certain aspects more "scalalble". So, in one area, there are a lot of tough monsters. if the PCs were of the right level, they'd just go there and take them all down. But they are lower level, so they are searching for allies that help them in fights and of ways to attract some of these monsters (but not all) and lure them into ambushes. Or find a way to create friction between them.

You will probably want some political machachinations the PCs can affect, especially if they have to take down foes they can't beat in a straightforward fight. Of course, others will also try to use the PCs to their benefit and the PCs need to avoid being tricked into a war whose cause they don't share.

Since you want to give each courtyard unique properties, it's advisable to allow them to be used in interesting ways that turn out to be benefitial, which will get used if the party feels overwhelms but might be left ignored if they feel like they are in their comfort zone.

It might be a good idea to offer hints on where the more dangerous regions are. (People might have heard of the Dragon, and the statues of people frozen in agony are a sure sign of a Medusa around...)

and these:

Courtyard of Ancient Statues

Courtyard of the Dark Knights

Make sure that there are multiple levels for exploration. Both in terms of the physical location and in terms of the monsters that inhabit it. For example, I want to make sure that there are numerous towers and dungeons to explore; encounters can and will occur on multiple levels at the same time. Also, I would make sure that there are numerous "cultures" for the characters to interact with in a non-violent way - if they so choose. Maybe a lost tribe of elves or halflings that the characters can befriend. This will let the players find out what areas are really dangerous and give them a safe place to rest and recuperate. Finally, it allows for other campaign hooks to arise.

Make sure there are multiple storylines that can be followed through the complex. More so than just enter room, kill occupents, take stuff. Make sure that monsters interact in a logical way. It sounds like this is something that you have already looked at.

Finally, I want to make it large enough that the characters can never expect to explore it all in one campaign. Make it so there is always more for the characters to want to do. That will help add to the mystery of the place.

 

[Kinneus]

Inspired by SHARK’s great post, I decided to expand a little upon his ideas. One thing you mentioned in your original post is that the masters set up these different courtyards as basically magical laboratories, wherein the original masters of the city may have tampered with the way time flows or the way certain spells work. SHARK’s post dealt with the inhabitants of various courtyards; here are some ideas on how the separate environments might feel. You said you were planning on using 4e for this, so any crunchy bits I have use 4e terminology, but I tried to make it vague enough that you could convert it fairly easily.

Courtyard of the Vampire Lord

This courtyard was founded to study intelligent undead, so of course the masters of the city had to make it suitably comfortable for them. Creatures in this courtyard, whether living or nonliving, gain Resist 10 Necrotic, 30 Radiant (if they have a natural resistance to Necrotic or Radiant energy, use the higher value). In order to protect themselves against the courtyard’s residents, the masters of the city created a series of magic circles or various sizes, scattered throughout the courtyard, etched in the flagstones. A successful DC 15 Religion or Arcana check re-activates these circles, creating a Zone of divine energy. Any creature that enters this Zone loses the Resistances (10 Necrotic, 30 Radiant) the courtyard normally grants. Undead creatures that start their turn in this Zone take 10 Radiant damage. The caster that activated this Zone can sustain it for a round as a minor action; the Zone can be sustained indefinitely, so long as the caster himself is within its area of effect.

Courtyard of the Dark Knights

The areas that the Dark Knights know command are relatively untouched by magic, designed as ‘control’ areas for the old masters’ experiments. The long-lived masters were concerned about their test subjects expiring before they could extract any useful data, however, so they crafted 15 amulets that grant the wearer immortality. Obviously, the 15 Dark Knights are the bearers of the 15 amulets, grown cold and detached over years of constant warfare within the decaying city. The amulets only work correctly inside the courtyards; anyone wearing the amulet outside of the courtyards age normally.

Courtyard of the Damned

This courtyard was forged to study non-sentient or barely-sentient undead. The masters were especially interested in undead with the ability to propagate, and sought to facilitate propagation via arcane means. Any creature within this courtyard takes onging 5 Necrotic. The native undead aren’t bothered by this due to their natural resistances, but living creatures that wish to enter usually wear specially-enchanted rings that grant them Resist 5 Necrotic. These rings can be found in other courtyards, and can often be bartered for.
In addition, any humanoid creatures slain within the Courtyard of the Damned will rise 2d6 turns later as a Zombie (if the humanoid was Medium or Small) or as a Zombie Hulk (if the humanoid was Large was larger).

Courtyard of Screams
The Courtyard of Screams is so named because of its magically-enhanced acoustics. Attacks with the Thunder keyword deal an additional 10 Thunder damage in this courtyard.

Courtyard of the Beast

This courtyard was founded as a social experiment. The masters wanted to see if they could civilize savage and war-like races like orcs and minotaurs by raising their intelligence via magic. The orcs and minotaurs lived together in close quarters and with limited resources, but refrained from fighting, using their preternatural intelligence to find creative and diplomatic solutions.
The experiment spiraled downward into a catastrophic failure, however, when the masters of the city left. The enchantments eventually decayed, resulting in the war between the orcs and minotaurs that wiped out the orcs. Players can attempt to re-establish this ancient enchantment as a skill challenge, with the primary skills being History (to understand the purpose of the courtyard and its enchantment), Arcana (to re-establish the enchantment), Diplomacy (to placate the now-savage minotaurs), and Dungeoneering (to locate and identify vital magic circles, relays and tools the masters used for their intelligence-increasing enchantment).
If successful, the minotaurs will no longer be hostile to the players, and may express remorse about what they’ve done. They may even reward the players in some way. With the enchantment re-activated, minotaurs and orcs in the courtyard gain an effective +2 bonus to their Intelligence, but this bonus disappears as soon as they leave the courtyard.

Courtyard of Eternal Fire

This courtyard, as the name and décor suggests, was used by the masters of the city to test out new fire magics. All creatures in this courtyard gain Vulnerability 5 Fire (if a creature already has Vulnerability to Fire, use the higher value). Chimera love it, because they feel the enhanced damage helps them keep their many slaves and gnoll servants in line.

Courtyard of Ancient Statues

Hidden amongst the many Medusa-created statues are inert Stone Golems, stored here by the masters of the city. Some have inscriptions on their back, essentially encoded instruction manuals that can allow them to be re-activated. A DC 25 Arcana check or a DC 30 Insight check can determine the activation word of any individual golem. Each golem has different activation words, but once activated, will follow the commands of its master until dismissed or destroyed. They follow five basic commands:
-Do nothing, or stop an action.
-Self-destruct.
-Attack all enemies.
-Follow the master.
-Become inert until re-activated.
Depending on the golem, some of these commands require their own specific activation-words. The medusas and scorpion warriors of this courtyard are unaware of these Stone Golems, so the players can use them to gain an edge. On the other hand, there’s a chance (5%, rolled each time a command is given) that a faulty Stone Golem could run amok or misinterpret a command.
If removed from the courtyard, the Stone Golem instantly becomes inert.

Courtyard of Howling

This series of courtyards was created to study various forms of lycanthropes. The only magic existent in this area is a powerful charm that compels lycanthropes to stay. They are free to visit other courtyards, but they consider this series of courtyards to be ‘home’, and will always eventually return.
PCs are unaffected, unless they happen to be Shifters of some type. The charm has a weaker hold on them, but is still insidious. Each day within this courtyard, any Shifter suffers a psychic attack at twilight. The attack is +11 versus Will, and deals 1d6 psychic damage. If the attack is successful, the Shifter must immediately make a saving throw. If it fails, the Shifter begins to consider himself as part of the ‘pack’, and refuses to leave. If party members attempt to forcibly remove him from the courtyard, the Shifter can make another saving throw. If it fails, he will turn on and attack his former friends!
This powerful charm emanates from an orb of marble at the center of the courtyard. The players can de-activate this orb as a skill challenge, with the primary skills being Arcana, History, Religion, Insight, Perception and Endurance. If successful, the party will free their Shifter ally, but cause the freed lycanthropes of this courtyard to run amok throughout the city!

Finally, here are a few of my own ideas…

Courtyard of Glorious Light
One of the masters’ more complicated experiments, this courtyard was created to study the effects of religion. The masters wanted to see if they could use arcane magic to replicate divine effects, such as feelings of religious awe and devotion.
The courtyard houses a massive library, filled with scrolls and tomes of religious significance. This library is populated and guarded by 6d6 Angels of various types. These angels were summoned and imprisoned by the masters of the city, bound by powerful enchantments. Most have become horribly depraved by their separation from their gods; effectively devils now, they have forgotten their gods in their imprisonment, and are interested only in extending their influence beyond the Courtyard of Glorious Light and into other courtyards. 1d6 Angels (in addition to the 6d6 evil Angels) remain pure and good, however, and wish to escape. They could be powerful allies to the player characters. A DC 20 Religion check or a DC 25 Insight check allows PCs to differentiate between good and depraved Angels. A DC 15 Insight check is enough to see that there is something fishy about these angels; that they’re not quite as holy and perfect as they make themselves out to be.
A powerful Charm effect keeps the angels bound, but also causes mortal creatures to view the angels as perfect beings of beauty and goodness. A small group of slavish worshippers live in the Courtyard of Glorious Light, often wandering in from their native courtyard to pay homage to their ‘gods’. 1d4-1 goblins, 1d4-1 kobolds, 1d4-1 orcs, 1d4-1 minotaurs, and 1d4-1 harpies live in the Courtyard of Glorious Light as permanent worshippers. Even the PCs are not immune to this effect; if an angel asks a PC to perform an action, treat it as a +11 versus Will Charm attack. If successful, the PC is compelled to do whatever the angel asks, whether it be retrieving a book from a nearby shelf or retrieving an item from a far-flung courtyard. The angels cannot force the players to do anything obviously self-destructive, however. PCs cannot be affected by this power if it is used by an angel they know the true nature of (ie., they succeeded on a DC 25 Insight or DC 20 Religion check to determine the angel’s nature).
The Charm that keeps the angels bound and their worshippers enthralled emanates from a statue of the goddess Ioun at the center of the library. The angels cannot destroy it themselves; any Immortal creature that begins its turn within 20 spaces of the statue is slowed, weakened, and takes ongoing 30 damage (save ends). The few remaining good angels have tried to get ‘worshippers’ to destroy it, but so far, their efforts have been blocked by the depraved angels. Thus it is very likely that they’ll ask the PCs to destroy it for them.
If destroyed, the good angels will immediately return to their gods, while the depraved angels will warp into twisted devils and tumble away into the Nine Hells. The worshippers will be freed, and may be grateful to the PCs.

The Courtyard of Filthy Skulls
No one knows what the masters originally intended with this courtyard. All that is known is that it is now completely overrun by goblins and kobolds (30+4d6 Hobgoblins, 60+4d6 Goblins, 3d6+12 Bugbears, 100+6d6 Kobolds). These creatures have built up filthy warrens and tenements, long ago desecrating and destroying any magical effects that may have been in place here. Though numerous, the denizens of Courtyard of Filthy Skulls face constant harassment by the residents of other, stronger courtyards. Though largely evil, the inhabitants of the Courtyard of Filthy Skulls may be willing to work with PCs to secure their safety. They may be able to reward the PCs with magical items or reagents salvaged from before the courtyard was the stinking rat’s nest it is today.

The Courtyard of Eternal Frost
This glacial courtyard is preternaturally cold. PCs must make a DC 26 Endurance check when first entering the Courtyard of Eternal Frost, as well as one every eight hours they remain within. If they fail, they lose a healing surge.
The courtyard is populated by creatures that love extreme cold, including 1d8 Ice Devils and 1d20+5 Ice Archons.

The Courtyard of Madness
This courtyard was founded to see if the masters could induce permanent insanity in their test subjects. The Courtyard of Madness swirls with horrific, mind-bending illusions. When first entering the Courtyard of Madness, PCs suffer a +20 versus Will attack. If it hits, it deals 3d8+8 psychic damage. Repeat this attack every five minutes, unless the PCs succeed on a DC 20 Insight or DC 25 Perception Check (to realize that the horrible, pervasive madness is just an illusion). Even if the entire party succeeds on their checks, they still cannot take an extended rest anywhere within the Courtyard of Madness; it is simply too unnerving here to get any real rest.
Most creatures understandably avoid the Courtyard of Madness, except for a few aberrations, who seem to revel in its mind-shattering chaos.

So there are some more ideas for you, hopefully in line with what you have in mind for the place. An interesting thought occurs to me; this setting could be very good for a ‘DMless’ sort of game. You could come up with a massive chart with courtyards like this, and then roll on the chart to see which ‘courtyard’ the party enters when they enter a new room. Could be interesting.