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

[Qwillion]

oh and it will save you the homework

 

[Hussar]

Try checking out SSS, Creature Collection 3 (1 isn't bad either). There's some truly brutal undead in there. The Love Scorned Soul IIRC is a nasty one. Gaze attack that causes the victim to see an ally as a most hated enemy. It was fun to watch the party fighter blat the party wizard when I tossed that one in. That gets around most of those pesky defensive spells. And, again, incorporeal, so popping in and out and using the gaze attack is a possibility.

Hang on, how are your PC's wind walking into region N? Are they leaving the portals open? Otherwise, they can't get through. And, if they're leaving the portals open, the undead should be spreading pretty quickly. Simplest answer would be dispelling screens on the entrances to Region N.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

Hang on, how are your PC's wind walking into region N? Are they leaving the portals open? Otherwise, they can't get through. And, if they're leaving the portals open, the undead should be spreading pretty quickly. Simplest answer would be dispelling screens on the entrances to Region N.

They've left left the puzzle doors open. The undead still can't make it past the barrier. If I were to have the undead close the doors, it would just be an irritation for the party. And I'm not into making things difficult just because I can unless it adds to the story.

The undead aren't spreading out. They are in hiding. They know what is coming

The party met an image of Invistis. He tried to be nice to them. They, being exalted types, weren't nice back. So his response was a dysjunction. I even gave them a chance to hit his image and make it go away. But oh well.

They lost 75% of their items to the spell. But it ended up being temporary as one of the clerics paid the 5000XP cost to cast Miracle and undo it.

But he got his point accross. "Leave me be. Get Kasteoficiss."

And I'll find a couple nice constructs to give her.

 

[Qwillion]

good to hear it went better.

my evil party just left region E and are now entering "The Halls of Flesh" thier last fight was with Persal, slayer of the unliving CR 16 vs. 5 level 6 characters. They ran into the region fleeing the Marut who let them go considering the region a fitting punishment.


Looking at Madness and Anguish for a party of 8th level characters (they gained Xp at the end of a very long session) I am betting they kill them as listed with ease.

I love this region as it is my personal favorite (thanks jim). so I was thinking what if I increased the CR of the Madness and Anguish each and every time you destory them. This would give the idea of evolution and the unter unending evolving chaos of the region.

so if I add 2 HD to anguish he gains one CR
and I have to add 4 HD to madness to gain a CR.

What do you think Jim Hague?

 

[jim pinto]

Thanks for the help, but it won't work.
I've had fights where there were dread wraiths, each with spring attack, who attack the party by springing out of then back in to a wall.
It's a good tactic, but the party simply does not stay in region N without their spells. And spell number one is always Death Ward.
And they don't rest in region N. They return to the garrison in region E, whom they are close friends with.
Their tactic is:
Wind Walk from the garrison to a neutral room in region N. If I block their way, they go around the blockage somehow, or stop and remove it.
When they solifidy in that room, they immediately get to work casting hour per level spells and Death Ward. If there is something in the room, they just flee at high speed away.
When they are exploring they have a constant Detect Evil on from either a paladin or a cleric.
When getting ready to bust down a door, minute per level spells are cast. If they are guaranteed a fight, or are paranoid, round per level spells are cast.
If there is a fight, they win. If there isn't a fight, or the fight was short, they begin a "charge through the dungeon".

Eventuall that last part will catch up to them.
I can't nerf Death Ward, and I won't give every monster out there a way past it. So I'm going with my last option; waiting for them to get complacent with it.

Remember I'm not trying to kill them, just give them a worthy challenge.

um...

why are you letting them IN and OUT of N?

once you get in, you can't get out

 

[jim pinto]

They've left left the puzzle doors open. The undead still can't make it past the barrier. If I were to have the undead close the doors, it would just be an irritation for the party. And I'm not into making things difficult just because I can unless it adds to the story.

The undead aren't spreading out. They are in hiding. They know what is coming

The party met an image of Invistis. He tried to be nice to them. They, being exalted types, weren't nice back. So his response was a dysjunction. I even gave them a chance to hit his image and make it go away. But oh well.

They lost 75% of their items to the spell. But it ended up being temporary as one of the clerics paid the 5000XP cost to cast Miracle and undo it.

But he got his point accross. "Leave me be. Get Kasteoficiss."

And I'll find a couple nice constructs to give her.

invistis isn't stupid... if he believes the PCs a threat... he would join forces with kasteoficiss and ambush the pcs when they think they've got her.

oh... and start giving all your coporeal undead unholy might or some other "buff" power.

have them walk into a room that casts dispel magic on them. and then have the dread wraiths ambush them....

this is the tightest region in the book and the PCs are walking all over it.

its not about killing pcs, its about challenging them... and you took away the big challenge by letting them leave the doors open?!?!

<blink blink>

fill each room with unholy dread that deals a point of damage each round, that can't be negated... create a sickness or disease that drains attribute points... drains... not damages....

have the world eater waking up... and its very thoughts creating cthulhian nightmares for the pcs, while they are awake

cast confusion on them

have invisibile arcane eyes floating around following them, so invisitis knows when they are leaving... and has a golem or two ambush the PCs.

drop a forcecage on a pc and trap him in a one-on-one fight with something horrendous... and force the pcs to watch.

close the doors to a room and suck all the oxygen out of it (undead don't need to breathe) and just as the pcs are about to fall unconscious, have some mohrgs come in with some poisonous bites

jeesh

and that was off the top of my head in 10 minutes

back to work

(designer weeps)

 

[BlueBlackRed]

um...

why are you letting them IN and OUT of N?

once you get in, you can't get out

I don't remeber reading that.

 

[jim pinto]

I don't remeber reading that.

um...

its like... um... a prison...

you know... to ... um... keep undead inside...

what did you think the locked doors were for?

 

[BlueBlackRed]

um...

its like... um... a prison...

you know... to ... um... keep undead inside...

what did you think the locked doors were for?

And to me, it was to keep the undead in.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

invistis isn't stupid... if he believes the PCs a threat... he would join forces with kasteoficiss and ambush the pcs when they think they've got her.

Oh the deal has already been struck. But in true evil form, he's going to let the PC's wipe out Kasteoficiss and then take the keys from a weakened party so he can be the one to free the great one.

Kasteoficiss has become blinded by her fear and her zealotry. I will probably give her a couple of levels and change her spell selection minorly.

Invistis has changed his spells drastically to account for the party's known abilities.

oh... and start giving all your coporeal undead unholy might or some other "buff" power.

have them walk into a room that casts dispel magic on them. and then have the dread wraiths ambush them....

this is the tightest region in the book and the PCs are walking all over it.

Undead who have a source for buffs will get them.
I do not give every monster Dispel Magic just because the party is smart. Both clerics have memorized enough Death Wards to cover the party once. Dispels from chump creatures will only create a minor nuisance and simply make it look like the DM is out to screw them over.

its not about killing pcs, its about challenging them... and you took away the big challenge by letting them leave the doors open?!?!

Closing the doors automatically will end up being a time consuming nuisance that they'd learn to get past pretty quickly. Repeating the 2 hours, not counting golem/guardian combats, it took them the first time to get past the traps is not something I'd care to repeat on a weekly basis.

I am very into challenging the PCs. But the doors would have become a time sink.

fill each room with unholy dread that deals a point of damage each round, that can't be negated... create a sickness or disease that drains attribute points... drains... not damages....

have the world eater waking up... and its very thoughts creating cthulhian nightmares for the pcs, while they are awake

cast confusion on them

Not my style. Not a big Cthulu fan.

have invisibile arcane eyes floating around following them, so invisitis knows when they are leaving... and has a golem or two ambush the PCs.

I've basically decided that Invistis knows everything that goes on in his area. He will be prepared in the event the PCs decide to visit him.

drop a forcecage on a pc and trap him in a one-on-one fight with something horrendous... and force the pcs to watch.

Did that, kind of, with the giant mouth and summon trap room.
The party and their main fighter couldn't see each other. Even with a Dispel Magic on the fighter he was fine. But the kicker was that the party didn't know what was going on. So I had the player make an easily audible sound of paper being ripped up so the rest of the group would think it was his character sheet.
It was pretty interesting to watch the rest of the party cast a series of Dispels (regular and greater), Disintegrates, and Knocks to get to him.

(designer weeps)

You'll get over it.

I think you're misunderstanding the level of the problem.
Region N is deadly with the traps.
Traps alone have killed 2 party members, almost 4.
The maximized arch of fire killed one cleric, and almost the other.
The first Wail of the Banshee trap killed their first sorcerer.
The 2nd Wail of the Banshee trap would have killed their 2nd sorcerer had they not had Death Ward on all.
But that is the price the party paid for having no rogue.

Combat has claimed only 1 life, and that was from the player not thinking before acting(which is the cause of most of their deaths).
Vinnara almost got their big fighter. He was at 0hp, healed, and then back to 0hp.

After a few combats the party adapted to their situation. I was just looking to find something new because the party can now drop a mohrg and its mount in record speed.

So I've upped Invistis to level 21 and will let him have a few Vrocks in addition to his current retinue, given Kasteoficiss some powered up shield guardians, and every single undead in the area that the party has not killed will be there in the final fight.

My solution, so far, was to reduce the minor fights that really are nothing more than a fight for a fights sake. If a boss is gone, then that boss's minions have gone into hiding.