World's Largest Dungeon in actual play [Spoilers!]

[just__al]

Starting Idea...

I just figured out how I'm going to introduce my players into the dungeon.

I'll tell them when they build their characters to equip themselves for a wilderness trip to a goblin lair. Then I'm going to have the following happen.

A rogue and his 2 companions will be fighting some feindish gnolls in region A (haven't decided the room yet) and his two companions have fallen to the gnolls and their poisoned blades. He's also been poisoned but he's still alive, he takes out his summon monster 2 scroll and attempts to summon monsters but botches his UMD. The players get summoned instead and the rogue looks all confused, upset and frightened, but points at the gnolls and says "get them" the party is compelled to comply and the next round if the gnolls haven't killed the rogue, the secondary damage from the poison takes him. The gnolls have used all their poison in the battle already so it's a mostly straight up fight.

This will allow them to jump right in and very quickly establish anything they summon will only remain under their controll for the duration of the spell and doesn't go back from where it came from. Especially since 3 rounds later, if the battle is still going, the compulsion vanishes but they don't. In fact, I'll actually tell them if the battle ends early, that they still feel like they should be fighting the gnolls for another round or two.

 

[DemonGnome]

That's a cool way to do it. My group found out the hard way about summoning when they used the Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals (which they found earlier) during a fight and found that once it wore off that the elemental was free and not necessarily pleased with being summoned and left behind. They have never used it again since.

 

[DemonGnome]

The other thing I'm considering doing is if any PC gets brought to -10 hp or less I'll set them at "death's door" where they will die in one round unless they are stabilized and they cannot stabalize on their own, they need outside intervention. It will present extra drama as SOMEBODY has to get to their fallen comrade in the nick of time to save them.

I do the same thing, when someone drops to like -10 or so hp I give the other players 1 round to reach the victim before he dies. The last death we had unfortunately was because the rogue was checking a brazier for traps and while the rest of the group was outside the room for safety he was attacked and killed by a Dread Wraith and died before anyone could reach him in time.

 

[twofalls]

Index?

Damn... I step away for a couple of weeks and look what happens... all sorts of gold gets dribbled over the boards.

Whats the latest on this Index project, is it posted somewhere?

Pelvo, I will place a small wooden Kobald token on my D&D altar right next to CrimsonScribe's (for his wonderful maps) as acknowledgement to you for your contribution to the WLD (just as soon as I get a hold of it).

 

[Lasher Dragon]

After months of noticing the "World's Largest Dungeon" threads, I finally checked one out (this one) about a week and a half ago. After reading it thoroughly while at work one day I decided I hadda have this. Wow it's nice when you get older and have a decent paying job to be able to throw $100 down and get gaming stuff at the drop of a hat.

More like at the drop of an anvil - this thing is HUUUUUGE!!!!! I love it. I haven't DM'ed for probably 5 years and to mark my glorious return to the head of the table, I am running this thing start-to-finish, every room, every encounter. My players are so psyched they are all (6 or so of them at the moment) throwing $10-$20 in to help cover the expense. (I'm an impulse buyer, bad habit - as soon as I read this thread I called my FLGS and ordered it for $100).

I do not regret not getting it for $70 or whatever it is though... gotta support my local gaming. Besides as has been said in this thread multiple times, this thing has enough pure material to never run outta things to do for a loooooong time.

I'll be playing it a bit different than most, however. 40 point buy, 1st level, standard starting gold + $4500 gold + a ring of sustenance each. I don't want the tedium of making sure everyone has food & water. I am also designing magic items for each character. They will be sent on a quest to solve this dungeon, and each will be given a specific magic item that only they can use. These magic items take up a slot, which varies by character. Example - the cleric's item is a special holy symbol that takes up a necklace slot. The item will grow in power as the PCs do - every 3 levels their item will increase in power, until it reaches it's pinnacle at 15th level. I haven't set that in stone yet, I may give them some boost at 20th level as well. Everyone's item at 1st & 2nd levels will give a +1 bonus to AC. (Ranging from Luck bonuses, to Sacred and even Profane) At later levels the magic item will start evincing more character-specific enhancements. I have asked each player what they want their PC to be at 15th level, so I can pre-plan the magic items as much as possible. I'm thinking goggles for the whisper gnome rogue (going for rogue/swashbuckler) that will eventually work as a lens of detection and even low-range blindsight, like 5 or 10 ft. The orc barbarian (going for Eye of Gruumsh) gets a tribal-looking necklace that may eventually boost their movement rate, or allow extra rages/round per rage. For the half-elf fighter (aiming for Spellsword) I gave him a pair of gauntlets... I'm thinking eventually they will perhaps boost his caster level, or act as spell-storing, or increase the # of spells he can put in his sword... not really sure about this one yet. Anyways, if anyone has any advice I'd love to hear it. Whew this is a long post, shows how excited I am to get this ball rolling!!!

 

[DemonGnome]

I'll be playing it a bit different than most, however. 40 point buy, 1st level, standard starting gold + $4500 gold + a ring of sustenance each. I don't want the tedium of making sure everyone has food & water....

When we first started I used an unusual method for stat generation that essentially gave them stats in the 36-40 point buy range. Then as they died I assigned them stat pools worth less and less points until the last death is down to the final and standard 28 point buy. Of the original characters, only one remains (and even he has died, see above). As for food water I took a hint out of the book. In my game the lack of any need for food & water is a trait of the dungeon itself.

 

[Sieobahn]

So far I have run five sessions, and only a single character of the original group survives. But he has been cursed by the throne in room A52, so the group has decided he is too dangerous (twice he has attacked the healer), and banished him from the group, along with another character that was also cursed.

That throne was great, in the middle of a battle and one character runs away, and the other (a warlock) uses his eldritch blast on the nearest character, who happens to be the healer. Two more battles later, and the cursed pair are tied up, shoved in a room, and had the door spiked shut on them. The warlock is going to murder the other character, and then join up with Longtail. That will be a fun encounter! The couldn't bring themselves to kill him then... will they be able to now... <evil DM laughter>

 

[pelvo]

Damn... I step away for a couple of weeks and look what happens... all sorts of gold gets dribbled over the boards.

Whats the latest on this Index project, is it posted somewhere?

Pelvo, I will place a small wooden Kobald token on my D&D altar right next to CrimsonScribe's (for his wonderful maps) as acknowledgement to you for your contribution to the WLD (just as soon as I get a hold of it).

Errr... thankyou?

My rough (though recently revised) version of the index is available HERE

But Jim Pinto is working on a pretty, better version.

 

[spectre72]

World's Largest Dungeon in Blackmoor

Yesterday was the first session of my campaign.

At the beginning of the session we had a party of 14 Characters enter the dungeon (2 for each player). This diluted the XP, but the main idea is if a character dies (only one is active each session) then the players replacement is immediately available. The area around the entrance was explored and base camp was set up in the room hidden by secret doors and just to the east of A2.

The characters have found a lantern Archon who is there to provide info and they have figured out they are trapped with the exit far away with a ton of evil creatures between them and any chance of escape. Boy were they a little miffed at that and they were questioning why I was making sure they were keeping track of food and water until they realized they were trapped.

After the setting up of camp we have a swashbuckler, a mage, and 4 fighters exploring the area.

Only one of them has gone negative so far but two of them are diseased.

Battles with Rat swarms and Darkmantles have been the norm, and the rogues in the group do not seem to be able to find any of the traps

In total we played for 5 hours which included travel from Blackmoor city to the Stoneheart mountains, finding the titan and the cavern, and entering the dungeon and starting to explore.

The party has explored all of the rooms around A2 and have gone a little north toward A15.

Next session in a month...

Scott

 

[DaveMage]

Yesterday was the first session of my campaign.

At the beginning of the session we had a party of 14 Characters enter the dungeon (2 for each player).

My god...14 characters. Combat must take an eternity...

Heck, with 14 characters, if I'm the DM, I'd kill of half of them in the first combat for convenience sake!