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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
World's Largest Dungeon in actual play [Spoilers!]
- Thread starter haiiro
- Start date
twofalls
DM Beadle
jim pinto said:
NP, as I said earlier, credit where credit is due, and thanks in return. It's already going well.
One week from this Friday begins the Sanguine Sentinels annual Game weekend where we rent a cabin and game for three days straight. One of my players is going to run a small Shadowrun Game to introduce some of the others to what is my all time favorite RPG, as well as give me a rare opportunity to play. Other than that the entire weekend will be devoted to delving the WLD and I hope to finish Regions A and B before we are through. I'll give a report on how it went when I get back.
jim pinto
First Post
crickets
it got quiet fast....
btw, there's a review of the WLD online
http://www.silven.com/adnd.asp?case=show&id=406
it got quiet fast....
btw, there's a review of the WLD online
http://www.silven.com/adnd.asp?case=show&id=406
twofalls
DM Beadle
Demon Gnome said:
I'm not removing rooms, rather I'm repopulating the area with more orcs and kobalds, and a few other creatures that I haven't decided on yet. I want to maintian the "Aliens" movie effect of a place under sige by evil outside forces, but there are too many rooms that are either repeats (black mold storerooms for example) or just empty. I'll be leaving in a number of empties though to help with the effect I'm going for.
I've thought about the coridoors and removing them from the game, however I've deicded upon a different approach. I'm going to describe the regions in slighly different ways and just flat out tell the players that the different areas are designed for different character levels. For example region B is described in its into text as a bit warmer, dryer, and more dusty than region A, so the walls there are going to include a lot of unusually dense sandstone in its construction, and the floors are going to glisten with the twinkling of mica, with loose sand built up in were walls and floors meet...
That way if the PC's want to tackle somthing that is more dangerous than they are ready for they have that option (wince). Vetrans of my games will know better...
.
jim pinto
First Post
twofalls said:
empty rooms with dead bodies...
note: Region A has the most empty rooms, because first level characters need places to rest. but if you think the PCs can endure more kobold and orc attacks, then saddle up.
twofalls said:
the floor and walls could be sunken as well (perhaps it slid 10 or 20 ft. below where it was originally built (soft earth, etc.), so the passages leading to it slope down and earth now slips between cracks in the walls, littering the floor with dirt.
also, whatever water supply existed in this Region has now dwindled to nothing due to the exorbenant amount of goblins.
twofalls said:That way if the PC's want to tackle somthing that is more dangerous than they are ready for they have that option (wince). Veterans of my games will know better...
i'll have more ideas for you once people actually reach Regions B and E
jim pinto
First Post
reposting for your convenience: region a spoilers
because of the need to NOT discuss spoilers on the other thread,
i'm reposting my original "other ways to use this product" post.
enjoy
Starting with Region A and posting as I see fit, I'm going to be
giving people SPOILERS AND ALTERNATE ENDINGS to Regions.
If you don't want anything spoiled, do not READ THIS.
These Alternate Endings will provide DMs with a new way to use the Region and finish off the climax in an interesting manner that might befit your storytelling style.
In Region A, Longtail is utilizing a portal, bringing forth Fiendish beasts into the dungeon. This is certainly a place of importance if the PCs go north into Region E and explain to the Inevitables there what is going on. This can have far-reaching implications if the PCs fail to close the portal, because this means that more creatures are coming into the dungeon, creating an influx or cretures (positive population growth) that will be hard to stymie.
Now. Since this is a low-level Region, closing the portal can't be too difficult, but DMs willing to make this part of a longer saga, are welcome to increase the DCs involved with closing the portal or place an object in another Region that can close it off. Such "cliched" ideas are not uncommon in dungeon adventures, but we've kept them to a minimum here. Some of the concepts below fit well, because the regions themselves already have built in "artifacts" that can be changed easily without undermining the campaign.
A ward staff from Region E would be perfect for sealing the gate, if the DM doesn't mind backtracking. A not so "clean" answer is a lost drow Relic from the age of Mahir (see page 432 and page 643) in Region I or M. Region C could also house one of Arum's (see page 128) lost trinkets that also closes the rift. Since his magic can do just about anything the DM needs it to do, there's no reason this can't be slipped in.
The chains from Room C21 also work and the blood of the ethereal filcher in Region C makes for a great plot device as well.... if the PCs think of it. [The blood opens the portal on itself, creating a vortex of energy that sucks everything that touches it into nether, so creatures summoned into the prime material plane immediately disappear and vice versa.]
Another possible conclusion is to remove the portal and replace it with a warped wand of summon monster 3 that the imp has tainted and recharges every night while Longtail sleeps. Longtail is unaware of the imp's true plans and in his maddened and unpredictable state continues to bring creatures into the dungeon.
This is relatively straight-forward, doesn't require too much work to impliment, and makes Longtail less of a victim (or more, depending on your POV).
Idea #3. Replace the imp and Longtail with a (fiendish) Chain Devil with the summoning strength of a Osyluth. Instead of fiendish darkmantles throughout the Region, replace them with Lemures and the occasional Bearded or Bone Devil. Of course, PCs fighting a chain devil better have a few orcs in toe as their allies to bring him down. This works really well for groups with 6 PCs.
Of course, such a shift in ecology is sure to scare the pants off of the PCs, so perhaps 1 in 5 darkmantle encounters is really an insane bearded devil lacking the summon and (silly) beard abilities and instead has the Kyton's chain powers and some improved grab/entangle ability. The insane bearded devil should always be enraged.
If the demon prefers demons over devils, use dretch, babau, and a quasit manipulator.
Idea #4 involves a ruptured egg or demon sac that creatures/spawns foul monsters. This can be tied to Region I and M easily for the aberration angle or Regions C and K, for the tainted dragon egg plot hook.
Idea #5. Rumor has it the portal is also an escape, so creatures from Regions E and F have migrated down to Region A to explore (maybe even an elf deserter from Region H). Region B has its own problems and only a handfull of goblins could really make it this far anyway.
Okay.
That's enough for today and certainly enough to scare off any PCs silly enough to read the book before you run it.
because of the need to NOT discuss spoilers on the other thread,
i'm reposting my original "other ways to use this product" post.
enjoy
Starting with Region A and posting as I see fit, I'm going to be
giving people SPOILERS AND ALTERNATE ENDINGS to Regions.
If you don't want anything spoiled, do not READ THIS.
These Alternate Endings will provide DMs with a new way to use the Region and finish off the climax in an interesting manner that might befit your storytelling style.
In Region A, Longtail is utilizing a portal, bringing forth Fiendish beasts into the dungeon. This is certainly a place of importance if the PCs go north into Region E and explain to the Inevitables there what is going on. This can have far-reaching implications if the PCs fail to close the portal, because this means that more creatures are coming into the dungeon, creating an influx or cretures (positive population growth) that will be hard to stymie.
Now. Since this is a low-level Region, closing the portal can't be too difficult, but DMs willing to make this part of a longer saga, are welcome to increase the DCs involved with closing the portal or place an object in another Region that can close it off. Such "cliched" ideas are not uncommon in dungeon adventures, but we've kept them to a minimum here. Some of the concepts below fit well, because the regions themselves already have built in "artifacts" that can be changed easily without undermining the campaign.
A ward staff from Region E would be perfect for sealing the gate, if the DM doesn't mind backtracking. A not so "clean" answer is a lost drow Relic from the age of Mahir (see page 432 and page 643) in Region I or M. Region C could also house one of Arum's (see page 128) lost trinkets that also closes the rift. Since his magic can do just about anything the DM needs it to do, there's no reason this can't be slipped in.
The chains from Room C21 also work and the blood of the ethereal filcher in Region C makes for a great plot device as well.... if the PCs think of it. [The blood opens the portal on itself, creating a vortex of energy that sucks everything that touches it into nether, so creatures summoned into the prime material plane immediately disappear and vice versa.]
Another possible conclusion is to remove the portal and replace it with a warped wand of summon monster 3 that the imp has tainted and recharges every night while Longtail sleeps. Longtail is unaware of the imp's true plans and in his maddened and unpredictable state continues to bring creatures into the dungeon.
This is relatively straight-forward, doesn't require too much work to impliment, and makes Longtail less of a victim (or more, depending on your POV).
Idea #3. Replace the imp and Longtail with a (fiendish) Chain Devil with the summoning strength of a Osyluth. Instead of fiendish darkmantles throughout the Region, replace them with Lemures and the occasional Bearded or Bone Devil. Of course, PCs fighting a chain devil better have a few orcs in toe as their allies to bring him down. This works really well for groups with 6 PCs.
Of course, such a shift in ecology is sure to scare the pants off of the PCs, so perhaps 1 in 5 darkmantle encounters is really an insane bearded devil lacking the summon and (silly) beard abilities and instead has the Kyton's chain powers and some improved grab/entangle ability. The insane bearded devil should always be enraged.
If the demon prefers demons over devils, use dretch, babau, and a quasit manipulator.
Idea #4 involves a ruptured egg or demon sac that creatures/spawns foul monsters. This can be tied to Region I and M easily for the aberration angle or Regions C and K, for the tainted dragon egg plot hook.
Idea #5. Rumor has it the portal is also an escape, so creatures from Regions E and F have migrated down to Region A to explore (maybe even an elf deserter from Region H). Region B has its own problems and only a handfull of goblins could really make it this far anyway.
Okay.
That's enough for today and certainly enough to scare off any PCs silly enough to read the book before you run it.
twofalls
DM Beadle
jim pinto said:
Okay, this is inspired and I'm going to run with it. Looking at a Kyton I can see some insurmountable difficulties for a third level party. Keeping in mind that I play 3.0 (I've paid for the the books already damnit) I see that it has a DR of 20/+2, that gets changed to 10/silver. I further see that it has a SR of 17, that gets changed to a 12. I'm going to reduce its chain damage to 1d6+1, but am going to decorate room A103 with hanging chains that are stained with bits of blood and dried entrails and skin (the remnants of Longtail). The story will go that Achsyyx brought Longtail with his humanoids to the dungeon and then to the chapel as the story is written, however the Kyton was the first to emerge. It slew Longtail immediatly and was going to slay the Imp but telepathically recognized that the Imp had a connection with an ArchDevil. So instead of slaying the Achsyyx it has been tormenting him and recieving instructions from this Archfiend who plans to try to find a way to link the open portal with his realm in Hell and send through enough minions to secure the dungeon and win its way to the surface world. (heh heh, I'm enjoying this)
Now the Lemures... they have resistance 5/silver, not impossible for a 1-2nd level group but still tough in numbers. I will stage a room where the Kobalds have been melting thier usless silver pieces (usless in the WLD anyhow) and hammering the metal around thier weapons. Also, a few of the bodies laying about will have these slivered weapons on them. Then I will start to substitute the Lemures for the Darkmantles increasingly until rooms 88 - 92 where not only will I replace them entirely I will add more (nothing like wading through 15 Devils to put a smile on the face of a fighter).
In room 66 I'm going to place a trapped Hound Archon named Lumiere. When the earthquake hit a ward backfired and trapped the Celestial in that room. Helpless he had to watch his charges escape thier bonds and flee into the Dungeon nearly driving him insane. Long tail and Achsyyx discovered him when they were exploring and now that Longtail has been slain the Imp has been returning to taunt and torment Lumiere with the knowledge of what his ArchDevil master has planned for the portal (gloating in true antagonist fashion). This has broken the Archon and he will have to be carefully questioned by the PC's to uncover what is happening within this Region.
Lastly, I'm going to place the key to closing the portal somewhere else in the dungeon, possibly in region B so that the PC's don't have to wait too long to finish this thread and can feel that they are accomplishing some good. Haven't gotten that far yet. <Rubbing hands together> Good stuff Jim, good stuff.
twofalls
DM Beadle
Closing the Portal
Okay, how does this sound. The Golden Griffon Lock that protects the gate (which is going to become a rune encrusted archway rather than a freestanding swirl of maigc) is not protected by abjurations, but rather visible to all, this will be a big clue. When Joyot (the name I gave the Kyton) slays Longtail the golden Griffon Key (the connection to the Golden Griffon lock) is lost, cast away in the tussle to a corner of the room and forgotten. Later a Lemure that comes through the portal finds it and takes it out of the room with him. The Lemure finds its way to region B (will have to make a doorway to Region B... curious, there are lots of easy halls leading to Region E but B is accessable only through secret doors... maybe I should read Region E, it seems more likely they'd go there next) and gets slain by a goblin patrol after a fierce fight. The Key is uncovered and then handed over to the Doppleganger Goblin King as a princely gift...
There is no question that I'm going to have to read region E and come up with something similar there as well. That means prepping three regions for the game weekend. Sigh.
Okay, how does this sound. The Golden Griffon Lock that protects the gate (which is going to become a rune encrusted archway rather than a freestanding swirl of maigc) is not protected by abjurations, but rather visible to all, this will be a big clue. When Joyot (the name I gave the Kyton) slays Longtail the golden Griffon Key (the connection to the Golden Griffon lock) is lost, cast away in the tussle to a corner of the room and forgotten. Later a Lemure that comes through the portal finds it and takes it out of the room with him. The Lemure finds its way to region B (will have to make a doorway to Region B... curious, there are lots of easy halls leading to Region E but B is accessable only through secret doors... maybe I should read Region E, it seems more likely they'd go there next) and gets slain by a goblin patrol after a fierce fight. The Key is uncovered and then handed over to the Doppleganger Goblin King as a princely gift...
There is no question that I'm going to have to read region E and come up with something similar there as well. That means prepping three regions for the game weekend. Sigh.
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