Things to Do on Carceri...

[I'm A Banana]

I need some interesting, flavorful, compelling locatoins, characters, and events to happen on the plane of Carceri, the Prison-Plane of the D&D Multiverse. My campaign starting Wednesday is set largely in that plane, and the souces I have (2e Planescape, 3e planar stuff) doesn't have a whole lot of locations, especially for the lower layers, especially for lower-level characters....

The PC's are starting at about 3rd level, and working their way up from the inner layers to the outter over the course of the campaign. So I need help from the creative minds of EN World to help me brainstorm some sweet stuff for the plane.

Help a Midget out!

 

[Shemeska]

Othrys:

Tower of Incarnate Pain, the 3rd great Yugoloth tower. Check out my 1st story hour for my descriptions of it.


Cathrys:

I had fun with this layer. Among other things I had an Angkor Wat style palace set within the scarlet jungles, the demesne of two powerful Rakshasas (rather far from home admittedly).

Minethys:

Never much used this particular layer, but I did use the Gautiere quite a bit, or at least the backhistory of their race. Lots of potential for buried cities, etc.



Most of my use of the plane outside of the 'loth tower, have been specific sites on Colothys (a city suspended by Kyton forged chains between the sides of a chasm), Porphathys (a city known as 'Soul Silt' built on shallow sandbars and fed by the slave labor of petitioners who dive for multicolored pearls in the acid waters, ultimately answering to a wayward Styx dragon who controls the city in the guise of a mortal), and ultimately some very creepy fun with Apomps of the Gehreleths on Agathys. You only mentioned the top three layers of the plane, so I haven't detailed any of those spots on the lower layers in depth, but I'll share if you want them.

 

[demiurge1138]

Alright. On the sixth layer, Agathys, sits the Library of Ignorance. A small building, it juts from the featureless ice like a beacon of hope to travelers in those frozen, negatively charged wastes. A trait bestowed upon it by its unknown divine patron wards off the negative dominance of the plane, keeping it one of the few safe spots on Agathys. Thus, it is prowled by all sorts of horrible things.

The keeper of the Library, Dreschm, is a petitioner, forced to sit amongst the empty shelves for all eternity and write, in a book entitled "My Life". Dreschm quested for knowledge in his life, and he learned things the gods did not want him knowing. As punishment, he must forever write. And since there is no wood in the library, and the only source of heat is a single iron stove, every day he must burn his memoirs to stay warm.

All of this is stolen blatantly from the Planar Handbook; it's one of the touchstones, although it doesn't have to be. The potential of safe shelter from the all covering ice and Dreschm's knowledge should be enough to lure PCs in, especially if Dreschm is rumored to know of a portal out...

Also, for the second layer, I've always had the mental image of recreating the "don't go in the tall grass!" scene from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, only with the razor grass and fiendish/corrupted/revived fossil dinonychus.

Demiurge out.

 

[Shemeska]

Also, for the second layer, I've always had the mental image of recreating the "don't go in the tall grass!" scene from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, only with the razor grass and fiendish/corrupted/revived fossil dinonychus.

Demiurge out.

You weren't the only one. My PCs took one look at the swaying of the grass and the obvious movement of things beneath it before they decided to fly above it if possible. Still didn't prevent an encounter with a pack of Howlers and another with a Retriever picking its way through the underbrush. Heh, and my players assumed that the plains would be safer than the swamp/jungle because of the styx tributary in the latter. *evil chuckle* But, was all minor stuff before that Angkor Wat of Carceri situation. Fun fun fun.

 

[Sammael]

Things To Do In Carceri: Plot Escape.

That's about it.

 

[LeapingShark]

3rd level characters in Carceri is tough, but it's still possible to insert alot of stuff they can fight and defeat. The uber-powered fiends will now fly overhead on their way to more important matters.

Lets see, in Othrys & Cathrys; Phantom Fungus is a good wierd plant that's not too powerful; Fiendish Striges fit both places, in fact, use lots more Fiendish versions of low-CR animals to fit each terrain.

When the situation calls for "really evil stuff", you can break out the Varguilles, Skeroloths, Imps, Bloodbag Imps, Filth Imps, Abyssal Maws, and Aybssal Ravagers. I think those are all CR 2, so you can use them in small groups without TPKing the party.

In semi-civilzed areas, you'll have to use alot of low-level Tieflings, with a few Mercanes, and perhaps some other lesser travelers like Bladelings.

 

[Empress]

Reminds me of that Andy Garcia movie: Things to do in Carceri when you're caught.

So I figure you could try to avoid slavers and powerbrokers, become friends with a local demon boss's "slow" offspring (half-fiendish slugs) and try to smuggle messages out of the plane.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Since the setting is about 1000 years after most PS material, you can bet that the capstone to the Tower of Incarnate Suffering and the machinations of the yugoloths feature in the campaign quite prominently.

I like the idea of the Angkor Wat...and I like the Jurassic Park idea for the grasses.....hehehehe.....

 

[Shemeska]

Since the setting is about 1000 years after most PS material, you can bet that the capstone to the Tower of Incarnate Suffering and the machinations of the yugoloths feature in the campaign quite prominently.

Oh, I've had my own fun with the slow completion of the tower and its capstone on the Crown of Agony. Not quite to that point in my storyhour, but it'll get there and stay heavily embroiled with the 'loth heirarchy's intentions.

1000 years hmm? Interesting. My second campaign is set around 150-170 years after most of the material.

I like the idea of the Angkor Wat...and I like the Jurassic Park idea for the grasses.....hehehehe.....

Both were quite fun

 

[Venport]

Things To Do In Carceri: Plot Escape.

That's about it.

That's what i was thinking:

Also in Dungeon 116 there is an adventure for 19th level PC's I konw that some time down the line but it dose open up some idea for me to run adventures on this plain...

It talks more about The bastion of lost hope this is located on Orthrys it is an outpost of sorts that could be a good location also in the adventure

it also talks about Skullroot a Prison with in a prison very nasty place way to powerful for 3rd level party but you could use it as a plot goal. the prisons cair taker is a lichfiend with amazing power all of the people sent to Skullroot become insane just by the touch of the cartaker...

on and one more thing the descibe orthys as a swam it would be easy to change a basic swam adventure into an planier swamp adventure... You don't even need to change the stat blocks just the diesciptions...

Hope some of this helps