Joyce Jun'r
First Post
Even More Region A Customization
So, as you may recall, I'm editing the plotline and content of Region A to better suit my <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2195533&postcount=791">campaign prospectus</a>. I ran our first session last Tuesday, and it went swimmingly, but afterwards I realized that my players -- all long-time D&D players, and hardboiled dungeon-crawlers -- would be difficult to scare and impress. I mean, they've killed a thousand darkmantles before in prior campaigns -- what's a few dozen more?
Clearly, then, I needed some rare or unexpected monsters. My narrative skills are pretty good, I fancy (one player did compliment me by describing a darkmantle in the "most chillingly alien way" he's yet heard), but nothing surprises and scares players more than an unknown monster.
Before I even went to the bookstore to delve through all the additional Monster Manuals, Fiend Folios and whatnot, however, one of the players (while speaking in-character), gave me the perfect idea. While combating a swarm of fiendish rats, she said that they were "too smart" for vermin, and were probably being controlled "by a sinister wizard" somewhere in the dungeon. Of course, this was not the case -- I was just playing the rats as being particularly intelligent -- but she didn't need to know that.
I've decided that Room A55 still contains one of the Dungeon's original prisoners -- Lucent, a psionic Brain in a Jar (the concept taken from Libris Mortis, but modified heavily). The door to this room, I've decided, is a made of stone, and is circular in shape with a brass gryphon head sticking out of the center. It originally could only be opened with a key, inserted into the gryphon's mouth, which than rolled the stone door to the side. The door also had a stream of engraved Celestial runes around its edge, which was effectively a ward against psionics that prevented Lucent from using his mental powers behind the confines of his cell.
During one of the many earthquakes that racked the Dungeon decades or centuries ago, the circular door cracked. Subsequent tremors and quakes only exacerbated the damage, until eventually the circular door cracked in half entirely, and one side collapsed to the floor. Thus the ward was broken.
But Lucent was not able to escape, for he is, after all, only a brain possessing no mode of transportation or movement. The Celestials were smart enough not to put him in a free-standing jar, but instead in a floor-to-ceiling length column made of adamantine (to hinge it in place) and a special material that is similar to glass (i.e., it is transparent) but is a hundred times stronger, able to withstand much stronger blows (effectively, I'm saying it has a hardness of 10, and an attacker must deal 30 points of damage to one targeted section before breaking a hole into it). Lucent, the brain, floats in yellowish liquid which itself fills the glass column.
With the arrival of the fiendish creatures, Lucent has used his modified dominate animal ability to assume control over any vermin that stumble nearby. He then sees through the eyes and ears of these creatures to scout out the Region, hoping to find individuals talented and powerful enough to get him the hell out. His primary goal is merely escape -- if he can find someone (or a group) who seems capable of fleeing the Dungeon, he intends on luring them to his cell using his dominated fiendish creatures (and when they close enough, telepathy). Once there, he hopes to initiate terms of parley, during which time he can use his suggestion and dominate person abilities to "convince" whoever arrives to somehow free him, put him in a container and take him along with them during their travels.
Of course, because he is evil, he will have no moral problem turning his rescuers into mindless slaves.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Praise? Death threats?
So, as you may recall, I'm editing the plotline and content of Region A to better suit my <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2195533&postcount=791">campaign prospectus</a>. I ran our first session last Tuesday, and it went swimmingly, but afterwards I realized that my players -- all long-time D&D players, and hardboiled dungeon-crawlers -- would be difficult to scare and impress. I mean, they've killed a thousand darkmantles before in prior campaigns -- what's a few dozen more?
Clearly, then, I needed some rare or unexpected monsters. My narrative skills are pretty good, I fancy (one player did compliment me by describing a darkmantle in the "most chillingly alien way" he's yet heard), but nothing surprises and scares players more than an unknown monster.
Before I even went to the bookstore to delve through all the additional Monster Manuals, Fiend Folios and whatnot, however, one of the players (while speaking in-character), gave me the perfect idea. While combating a swarm of fiendish rats, she said that they were "too smart" for vermin, and were probably being controlled "by a sinister wizard" somewhere in the dungeon. Of course, this was not the case -- I was just playing the rats as being particularly intelligent -- but she didn't need to know that.
I've decided that Room A55 still contains one of the Dungeon's original prisoners -- Lucent, a psionic Brain in a Jar (the concept taken from Libris Mortis, but modified heavily). The door to this room, I've decided, is a made of stone, and is circular in shape with a brass gryphon head sticking out of the center. It originally could only be opened with a key, inserted into the gryphon's mouth, which than rolled the stone door to the side. The door also had a stream of engraved Celestial runes around its edge, which was effectively a ward against psionics that prevented Lucent from using his mental powers behind the confines of his cell.
During one of the many earthquakes that racked the Dungeon decades or centuries ago, the circular door cracked. Subsequent tremors and quakes only exacerbated the damage, until eventually the circular door cracked in half entirely, and one side collapsed to the floor. Thus the ward was broken.
But Lucent was not able to escape, for he is, after all, only a brain possessing no mode of transportation or movement. The Celestials were smart enough not to put him in a free-standing jar, but instead in a floor-to-ceiling length column made of adamantine (to hinge it in place) and a special material that is similar to glass (i.e., it is transparent) but is a hundred times stronger, able to withstand much stronger blows (effectively, I'm saying it has a hardness of 10, and an attacker must deal 30 points of damage to one targeted section before breaking a hole into it). Lucent, the brain, floats in yellowish liquid which itself fills the glass column.
With the arrival of the fiendish creatures, Lucent has used his modified dominate animal ability to assume control over any vermin that stumble nearby. He then sees through the eyes and ears of these creatures to scout out the Region, hoping to find individuals talented and powerful enough to get him the hell out. His primary goal is merely escape -- if he can find someone (or a group) who seems capable of fleeing the Dungeon, he intends on luring them to his cell using his dominated fiendish creatures (and when they close enough, telepathy). Once there, he hopes to initiate terms of parley, during which time he can use his suggestion and dominate person abilities to "convince" whoever arrives to somehow free him, put him in a container and take him along with them during their travels.
Of course, because he is evil, he will have no moral problem turning his rescuers into mindless slaves.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Praise? Death threats?
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
