Vault of the Drow Campaign Question

[Gwaihir]

My Players Stay Away!



I've been planning on running the Vault as the capper to my campaign. The PCs (lvl 11-12)have discovered that the BBEG and one of his henchmen have ties (at least) to the dark elves.

But I think I've backed myself into a corner

I've clearly positioned the dark elves in my campaign as a house of surface elves that 3000ish years ago were exiled from their people because of dealings with malignent magics. They are the instigators of much of the bad stuff going on in the campaign and they seek to overthrow the surface world in retribution.

The module however, seems to assume that humans, dwarves etc can freely enter the vault. I can't think of any way the bad elves would let these folks inthe vault. Also, the party has seen the elves wield powerful magic so clearly they have access to true seeing. so illusion is out of the question. A full frontal assault would be absurd.

Does any see any options I have other than scaling the whole thing down so that some form of hit and run combat becomes feasible?

 

[grodog]

I've clearly positioned the dark elves in my campaign as a house of surface elves that 3000ish years ago were exiled from their people because of dealings with malignent magics. They are the instigators of much of the bad stuff going on in the campaign and they seek to overthrow the surface world in retribution.

The module however, seems to assume that humans, dwarves etc can freely enter the vault. I can't think of any way the bad elves would let these folks inthe vault. Also, the party has seen the elves wield powerful magic so clearly they have access to true seeing. so illusion is out of the question. A full frontal assault would be absurd.

You can certainly add a secret entrance into the caverns, unknown to most of the drow. Planeshift, etherealness, and other such spells exist, too, of course. Another option is that the drow---being chaotic in nature (in 1e anyway)---may not bother to employ true seeing on all visitors entering the Vault.

 

[gavagai]

I would assume that the evil (human) hirelings, bloodthirsty brigands, powerhungry evil archmages and other foul folk that the drow employ to do their evil work on the surface have entry to the vault as well? All you have to bluff is that you are great champions of evil on your way to link up with even greater champions of evil.

 

[thedungeondelver]

The module however, seems to assume that humans, dwarves etc can freely enter the vault. I can't think of any way the bad elves would let these folks inthe vault. Also, the party has seen the elves wield powerful magic so clearly they have access to true seeing. so illusion is out of the question. A full frontal assault would be absurd.

Does any see any options I have other than scaling the whole thing down so that some form of hit and run combat becomes feasible?

There are plenty of evil humans and demi-humans who could find themselves for whatever reason visiting the city; have your players encountered Obmi? If they have and his nature is revealed to them, then maybe a conveniently placed bit of information, package or other delivery he has to make to Eheri-Cinlu is on him and the characters come in to possession of it.