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The Bespoke Adventure (an experiment)
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<blockquote data-quote="BookTenTiger" data-source="post: 9038814" data-attributes="member: 6685541"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 26px">The Dungeon</span></strong></p><p></p><p>Okay, now the fun begins. As I mentioned in the OP, my model for this adventure is The Sunless Citadel. In it, the characters travel from the small town of Oakhurst to the titular sunken citadel, and go through a few different areas in their path to defeating the Gulthias tree and its thralls.</p><p></p><p>I've divided the dungeon into a few different zones, which will get filled in later. For now, let's generate the overall description and theme of the dungeon. We are also going to come up with the Big Bad, their Minion, and the Goons the characters will commonly be fighting.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Step 1: The Template</strong></span></p><p>[spoiler]</p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Description and Theme</span></strong></p><p>The dungeon was once occupied by people (identity) who were masters of an ability (ability). They shared a belief (ideal), but fell due to a flaw (flaw).</p><p></p><p>There are three major threats to be found throughout the dungeon.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">The Big Bad</span></strong></p><p>The Big Bad, to be encountered in the lair and antechamber, is a threat of great ability (ability). It is resistant to certain abilities (ability) and vulnerable to other abilities (ability). It will attempt to take advantage of a character’s flaw (flaw). The Big Bad has been orchestrating harm against the major organization of the town through use of its subordinate threats, the Goon and the Minion. Its goal is antithetical to the ideal of the major organization.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>The Goon</strong></span></p><p>The Goon, to be encountered in the Atrium, Maze, and Lair, is a threat of great ability (ability). It is resistant to some abilities (ability) and vulnerable to some abilities (ability). Its defeat is connected to a character’s bond (bond).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">The Minion</span></strong></p><p>The Minion, to be encountered in the Descent, Atrium, and Maze, is a threat of great ability (ability). It is resistant to some abilities (ability) and vulnerable to some abilities (ability). Its behavior or goals are antithetical to a character’s ideal (ideal). The Minion has been working with the rival organization in town.</p><p>[/spoiler]</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Step 2: Rolling for Features</span></strong></p><p>[spoiler]</p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Description and Theme</span></strong></p><p>The dungeon was once occupied by people (Durv: Artificers) who were masters of an ability (Corva: Darkvision). They shared a belief (Bella: People. I’m committed to my crewmates, not to ideals.), but fell due to a flaw (Armond: I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.).</p><p></p><p>There are three major threats to be found throughout the dungeon.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">The Big Bad</span></strong></p><p>The Big Bad, to be encountered in the lair and antechamber, is a threat of great ability (Durv: Aid Splash). It is resistant to certain abilities (Corva: Thaumaturgy) and vulnerable to other abilities (Favored Enemy: undead). It will attempt to take advantage of a character’s flaw (Bella: I’ll say anything to avoid having to do extra work.). The Big Bad has been orchestrating harm against the major organization of the town through use of its subordinate threats, the Goon and the Minion. Its goal is antithetical to the ideal of the major organization.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>The Goon</strong></span></p><p>The Goon, to be encountered in the Atrium, Maze, and Lair, is a threat of great ability (Armond: Dwarven Resilience). It is resistant to some abilities (Corva: Darkvision) and vulnerable to some abilities (Bella: Sneak Attack). Its defeat is connected to a character’s bond (Durv: Someone I loved died because of a mistake I made. That will never happen again.).</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>The Minion</strong></span></p><p>The Minion, to be encountered in the Descent, Atrium, and Maze, is a threat of great ability (Bella: Fey Ancestry). It is resistant to some abilities (Durv: Nimble Escape) and vulnerable to some abilities (Corva: Celestial Resistance). Its behavior or goals are antithetical to a character’s ideal (Armond: Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others.). The Minion has been working with the rival organization in town.</p><p>[/spoiler]</p><p></p><p>Some really interesting things happened here when I randomly pulled features from the list of character traits. First off, we have a dungeon once occupied by artificers who are loyal to their own people, which definitely echoes Kraken's Folly. Secondly, the abilities, resistances, and vulnerabilities of the enemies were a pretty wild mix. I had to get a little creative with my choices, as you will see below...</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Step 3: Interpreting the Results</span></strong></p><p>I had some fun with this one!</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Description and Theme</span></strong></p><p>Long ago, Olora Alaras, a Scarlet Seer engineer, built a submersible ship meant to explore submerged portions of the Underdark. She called the ship The Cormorant. On one of its many expeditions, it ran into a fleet of Brightstar warships. They demanded that Olora give up the Cormorant and her crew to the custody of the city-state. However, the Scarlet Seers have long held the edict that their creations should never fall into the hands of Brightstar or any other empire. Olora held off the warships long enough for her crew to escape, then dove deep, scuttling the Cormorant on the floor of the bay. There the ship remains to this day.</p><p></p><p>In order to access the Cormorant, the characters will most likely have to borrow a Divebug, one of the small escape vessels that came from the Cormorant. The Scarlet Seers still have a number, though others have been stolen by pirates, lost at sea, or torn apart for scraps.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]286893[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">The Big Bad</span></strong></p><p>A new threat has discovered the Cormorant, and is attempting to use it to take over Kraken’s Folly and harness the power of the slumbering phoenix. Sibyllus, a drider necromancer, has taken over the ship and is using its small submersible crafts called Divebugs to send agents to Kraken’s Folly. She hopes to drive the people from the island, and then arrive aboard the awakened Cormorant, ready to command the ash zombies of Phoenix Spire.</p><p></p><p>As a necromancer, Sibyllus has high saving throws versus magic, and prefers ranged acid and poison spells. She is always surrounded by a coterie of raised zombies and ghouls. When facing the characters, she will attempt to ply them with promises of great power, such as command of the Cormorant when she is done taking over Kraken’s Folly.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]286894[/ATTACH]</p><p><em><span style="font-size: 18px">Sibyllus, Drider Necromancer</span></em></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">The Goon</span></strong></p><p>Working for Sibyllus is an Allip called Howler. In truth, this is the spirit of Olora Alaras, the engineer who created the Cormorant. Her tortured soul was raised into the form of an Allip by Sibyllus. If Howler were to remember her original identity, and stay sane enough to forgive herself for sinking the Cormorant, she might be defeated without resorting to combat.</p><p></p><p>Howler commands both the undead raised by Sibyllus, as well as her crew of pirates. She is greatly feared by her minions.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]286895[/ATTACH]</p><p><em><span style="font-size: 18px">Howler, Allip Commander</span></em></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">The Minion</span></strong></p><p>Sybillus has recruited a gang of drow pirates called the Sea Spiders. They prefer to use nets, whips, or grasping hand spells to entrap their foes, dragging them back to their necromancer mistress to be turned to zombies, shadows, and ghouls! The Sea Spiders prefer to work in total darkness; their sensitive night vision is easily blinded by radiant magic or daylight.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]286899[/ATTACH]</p><p><em><span style="font-size: 18px">Sea Spiders, Drow Pirates</span></em></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Reflection</span></strong></p><p></p><p>Hey, this turned out great! I feel like everything came together under two big themes: darkness, and loss of identity.</p><p></p><p>I feel like these enemies play into the characters' strengths, as well as being resistant to some of their tactics. Plus, Armond is going to have a great time with all the undead hanging around!</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Next Steps</span></strong></p><p></p><p>We are going to take a jaunt back to town to develop some more NPC's, so that we can get some more adventure hooks for our upcoming dungeon...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BookTenTiger, post: 9038814, member: 6685541"] [B][SIZE=7]The Dungeon[/SIZE][/B] Okay, now the fun begins. As I mentioned in the OP, my model for this adventure is The Sunless Citadel. In it, the characters travel from the small town of Oakhurst to the titular sunken citadel, and go through a few different areas in their path to defeating the Gulthias tree and its thralls. I've divided the dungeon into a few different zones, which will get filled in later. For now, let's generate the overall description and theme of the dungeon. We are also going to come up with the Big Bad, their Minion, and the Goons the characters will commonly be fighting. [SIZE=6][B]Step 1: The Template[/B][/SIZE] [spoiler] [B][SIZE=5]Description and Theme[/SIZE][/B] The dungeon was once occupied by people (identity) who were masters of an ability (ability). They shared a belief (ideal), but fell due to a flaw (flaw). There are three major threats to be found throughout the dungeon. [B][SIZE=5]The Big Bad[/SIZE][/B] The Big Bad, to be encountered in the lair and antechamber, is a threat of great ability (ability). It is resistant to certain abilities (ability) and vulnerable to other abilities (ability). It will attempt to take advantage of a character’s flaw (flaw). The Big Bad has been orchestrating harm against the major organization of the town through use of its subordinate threats, the Goon and the Minion. Its goal is antithetical to the ideal of the major organization. [SIZE=5][B]The Goon[/B][/SIZE] The Goon, to be encountered in the Atrium, Maze, and Lair, is a threat of great ability (ability). It is resistant to some abilities (ability) and vulnerable to some abilities (ability). Its defeat is connected to a character’s bond (bond). [B][SIZE=5]The Minion[/SIZE][/B] The Minion, to be encountered in the Descent, Atrium, and Maze, is a threat of great ability (ability). It is resistant to some abilities (ability) and vulnerable to some abilities (ability). Its behavior or goals are antithetical to a character’s ideal (ideal). The Minion has been working with the rival organization in town. [/spoiler] [B][SIZE=6]Step 2: Rolling for Features[/SIZE][/B] [spoiler] [B][SIZE=5]Description and Theme[/SIZE][/B] The dungeon was once occupied by people (Durv: Artificers) who were masters of an ability (Corva: Darkvision). They shared a belief (Bella: People. I’m committed to my crewmates, not to ideals.), but fell due to a flaw (Armond: I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.). There are three major threats to be found throughout the dungeon. [B][SIZE=5]The Big Bad[/SIZE][/B] The Big Bad, to be encountered in the lair and antechamber, is a threat of great ability (Durv: Aid Splash). It is resistant to certain abilities (Corva: Thaumaturgy) and vulnerable to other abilities (Favored Enemy: undead). It will attempt to take advantage of a character’s flaw (Bella: I’ll say anything to avoid having to do extra work.). The Big Bad has been orchestrating harm against the major organization of the town through use of its subordinate threats, the Goon and the Minion. Its goal is antithetical to the ideal of the major organization. [SIZE=5][B]The Goon[/B][/SIZE] The Goon, to be encountered in the Atrium, Maze, and Lair, is a threat of great ability (Armond: Dwarven Resilience). It is resistant to some abilities (Corva: Darkvision) and vulnerable to some abilities (Bella: Sneak Attack). Its defeat is connected to a character’s bond (Durv: Someone I loved died because of a mistake I made. That will never happen again.). [SIZE=5][B]The Minion[/B][/SIZE] The Minion, to be encountered in the Descent, Atrium, and Maze, is a threat of great ability (Bella: Fey Ancestry). It is resistant to some abilities (Durv: Nimble Escape) and vulnerable to some abilities (Corva: Celestial Resistance). Its behavior or goals are antithetical to a character’s ideal (Armond: Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others.). The Minion has been working with the rival organization in town. [/spoiler] Some really interesting things happened here when I randomly pulled features from the list of character traits. First off, we have a dungeon once occupied by artificers who are loyal to their own people, which definitely echoes Kraken's Folly. Secondly, the abilities, resistances, and vulnerabilities of the enemies were a pretty wild mix. I had to get a little creative with my choices, as you will see below... [B][SIZE=6]Step 3: Interpreting the Results[/SIZE][/B] I had some fun with this one! [B][SIZE=5]Description and Theme[/SIZE][/B] Long ago, Olora Alaras, a Scarlet Seer engineer, built a submersible ship meant to explore submerged portions of the Underdark. She called the ship The Cormorant. On one of its many expeditions, it ran into a fleet of Brightstar warships. They demanded that Olora give up the Cormorant and her crew to the custody of the city-state. However, the Scarlet Seers have long held the edict that their creations should never fall into the hands of Brightstar or any other empire. Olora held off the warships long enough for her crew to escape, then dove deep, scuttling the Cormorant on the floor of the bay. There the ship remains to this day. In order to access the Cormorant, the characters will most likely have to borrow a Divebug, one of the small escape vessels that came from the Cormorant. The Scarlet Seers still have a number, though others have been stolen by pirates, lost at sea, or torn apart for scraps. [ATTACH type="full" width="465px" alt="1686053660883.png"]286893[/ATTACH] [B][SIZE=5]The Big Bad[/SIZE][/B] A new threat has discovered the Cormorant, and is attempting to use it to take over Kraken’s Folly and harness the power of the slumbering phoenix. Sibyllus, a drider necromancer, has taken over the ship and is using its small submersible crafts called Divebugs to send agents to Kraken’s Folly. She hopes to drive the people from the island, and then arrive aboard the awakened Cormorant, ready to command the ash zombies of Phoenix Spire. As a necromancer, Sibyllus has high saving throws versus magic, and prefers ranged acid and poison spells. She is always surrounded by a coterie of raised zombies and ghouls. When facing the characters, she will attempt to ply them with promises of great power, such as command of the Cormorant when she is done taking over Kraken’s Folly. [ATTACH type="full" width="416px" alt="1686053955677.png"]286894[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=5]Sibyllus, Drider Necromancer[/SIZE][/I] [B][SIZE=5]The Goon[/SIZE][/B] Working for Sibyllus is an Allip called Howler. In truth, this is the spirit of Olora Alaras, the engineer who created the Cormorant. Her tortured soul was raised into the form of an Allip by Sibyllus. If Howler were to remember her original identity, and stay sane enough to forgive herself for sinking the Cormorant, she might be defeated without resorting to combat. Howler commands both the undead raised by Sibyllus, as well as her crew of pirates. She is greatly feared by her minions. [ATTACH type="full" width="301px" height="456.73px" alt="1686054155021.png"]286895[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=5]Howler, Allip Commander[/SIZE][/I] [B][SIZE=5]The Minion[/SIZE][/B] Sybillus has recruited a gang of drow pirates called the Sea Spiders. They prefer to use nets, whips, or grasping hand spells to entrap their foes, dragging them back to their necromancer mistress to be turned to zombies, shadows, and ghouls! The Sea Spiders prefer to work in total darkness; their sensitive night vision is easily blinded by radiant magic or daylight. [ATTACH type="full" width="341px" alt="1686054357017.png"]286899[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=5]Sea Spiders, Drow Pirates[/SIZE][/I] [B][SIZE=6]Reflection[/SIZE][/B] Hey, this turned out great! I feel like everything came together under two big themes: darkness, and loss of identity. I feel like these enemies play into the characters' strengths, as well as being resistant to some of their tactics. Plus, Armond is going to have a great time with all the undead hanging around! [B][SIZE=6]Next Steps[/SIZE][/B] We are going to take a jaunt back to town to develop some more NPC's, so that we can get some more adventure hooks for our upcoming dungeon... [/QUOTE]
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