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

[Hussar]

On the Bard:

I disagree BBR. Bards can really shore up a party. They may not have the direct firepower of another fighter or cleric, but, those bonuses can turn out to be huge. The Lillend Sissifiss used her facinate abilities to calm down Lightspar the insane dragon in K which turned a potentially very lethal encounter (the party did NOT expect to face a second dragon) into a friendly information gathering one in a single round.

Never mind that Inspire Confidence basically bumps your rogue by two levels whenever he's looking for traps or disarming one. Another major saving grace in the WLD.

The major bonus of the bard is that, unlike a fighter, he makes the entire party better, all the time. Unlimited buffing is nothing to sneeze at, particularly in the WLD where buffing items are so hard to come by.

I could really see a PC taking leadership and trying to get a bard cohort (maybe one of the elves from H) to help the entire party.

 

[erucsbo]

And any good player can make a bad character work.

On the Bard:

I disagree BBR. Bards can really shore up a party.

imho the core classes are all good - if played the way they are intended.

In many respects the 4 iconic classes (fighter, cleric, wizard, rogue) have a fairly well defined role and thus it is relatively easy to see how they can contribute effectively to a party, and how to make the character work.

The other basic classes (Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger and Sorcerer) vary in how well defined the role is and thus how they can contribute effectively.
Sorcerer - easy - wizard without the book, fewer spells, but spontaneous casting (focus on spells)
Barbarian - easy - follow Conan's example (or Wulfgar from the Drizzt books) (focus on fighting)
Ranger - fairly easy - Aragorn, or fighter with some sideline skills (focus on fighting)
Paladin - harder to play properly but still primarily fighter (knights of the round table - especially Galahad or Lancelot, or Paksennarion from 'The Deed of Paksenarrion') (focus on fighting)
Monk - primarily fighting, including grapple, unarmed etc - martial arts flicks for examples (focus on fighting)
Druid - Divine spellcaster with a nature flavour - treat as a variant cleric without the ubiquitous spontaneous healing in order to get a basic contribution (focus on spells).
Bard - here is where we run in to difficulties of finding a good role-model as the primary focus of a bard is NOT fighting, NOT spellcasting, NOT skills, but a combination of all. The class is extremely versatile and a good player with a bard can actually take the limelight from pretty much any of the other classes (which is not a good thing btw).

They get treated as a support role or a diplomacy specialist or a gap filler - none of which are all that exciting to play in a team environment (ever notice how bored ALL the other characters get when 1 player is doing the diplomacy thing).

The challenge - come up with a bard from books or movies that -
A - would be fun to play, and
B - would work in a team environment, while
C - not dominating or being dominated by other party members for long periods of time.

A bard can be the source of knowledge for a party, or a source of confusion and chaos.
A bard can give the unexpected edge in fights, or just get in the way.
A bard can be a buffer - but that is a boring as a cleric who is a walking medikit.
A bard is the least likely class to be able to be cookie-cut, and due to the huge variability in how bards have been treated from 1st edition, through 2ed, and now in 3ed (with significant changes between 3.0 and 3.5) it is no wonder that even long-time players have trouble getting the concept right.

A bard *should* be the DMs greatest ally insofar as the story-telling aspect of the game is concerned. A well-played bard makes the game sessions memorable. You don't necessarily have to be a good player to make a bard work (though it helps), but you do need to have a clear focus as to what your character's role is, and having a role-model (particularly for the less talented players) makes a HUGE difference here.

At its simplest level - a bard should know what the party's goal is and look for ways towards that goal that might not necessarily involve fighting etc. In that respect ALL OF THE OTHER CLASSES BECOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS FOR THE BARD - gives purpose and direction to the game, and means that non-hack'n'slash/search-disable-sneak/blast-with-spells options are always being considered.

 

[erucsbo]

foreshadowing

OK - I'd like some help polishing a dream sequence that I am going to drop on to the clerics in the party (one is a cleric of dwarvenkind, one of Isis {fertility and life} and one of Mystra {the Mystic Theurge}).

They are currently in I, and I have had them do this quiz and the results have been mostly towards Storyteller and Method Actor so I want to encourage the feeling that they are taking part in a large story that is unfolding depending on their actions.

The paragraphs with the {}s at the beginning are cleric specific, otherwise they get the same dream. Please suggest changes, corrections, additions, whatever. I will be emailing this separately to the players in question so it doesn't matter how long it is - or if you think it better to wait until they rest then give each of them a print out I could do that. I'd rather not have to take each of them aside and narrate it to them. I think that the imaginations of the players will be more fully engaged by reading and it will take up less time - thus less time for the other players to twiddle their thumbs. (also - feel free to argue otherwise)
-----
You have a vision/dream the next time you sleep.

Mists swirl and you see a globe suspended in a sea of blackness that would be complete except for a sprinkling of lights, like tiny diamonds strewn across a jewellers piece of black felt. The globe is backlit by a stronger light, hidden from your eyes and casting the surface of the globe that is facing you in to deep shadow.

The globe appears to grow, or perhaps you are falling towards it and a feeling of loss tickles the back of your mind.

THe globe now fills your field of vision and as your eyesight adjusts to the shadows you see that it is a world.

You see the surface world covered in darkness and death. Bones litter the landscape and no plant life exists. The lakes and seas are black and lifeless, creeks and rivers choked with debris and sluggishly moving water.

A Colossal black worm, 100 feet long and surrounded by hordes of shambling undead, gorges itself on the remains of several dragons as an oily drizzle of rain starts to fall. The creatures below pay no heed to your presence.

Your minds eye travels to the horizon where the glimmer of light shows the beckoning of dawn and hope starts to renew within you, but as the rays of sunlight begins to chase away the shadow of night it brings in to stark reality the extent of the destruction you are witnessing. This world now belongs to the undead. Necromancer liches wage battle with armies of tens of thousands of myriad undead creatures. Anything still left alive is hunted down and killed to swell their ranks. Mummies pressgang masses of zombies in to building massive tombs using the rubble of once great cities. And dracoliches raid the now empty lairs of living wyrms, amassing treasures that would appear to no longer have any meaning for this world. And in the centre, a huge hole going leading in to the ground, well over five miles deep through solid bedrock, and with a cold certainty you know that this hole was not dug into the earth, but that something has dug it out from below.

{dwarf} And you see, still living, but huddled within hidden tunnels and secret vaults, those dwarfs still living, those who have escaped the destruction all around them, and you see within their eyes that the spark of hope and defiance has been replaced by the glazed looks of the dying and despairing, knowing that as their numbers dwindle, that their bodies will join the ranks of the new order, twisted in to a mockery of all that was once so dear to the proud drawven race.

{Isis} And you see, still living, but hidden within hidden valleys and on uncharted islands, some plants and people still survive, those who have escaped the destuction all around them, and you see that both appear listless and drained of purpose, no longer bursting with life, but struggling against the waves of negative energy that ceaselessly seek them out. There are no children. No new plants or animals. Life itself appears to have ceased renewing itself.

{Mystra} And you see the magical weave, tattered and frayed, with the shadow weave seeking to replace it. Negative energies flow across ley-lines strengthening the undead that drawn to the places of power while stemming the passage and draining the strength of the magic that was once the lifeblood of this world.

An hourglass forms before your eyes, but the sands are moving from the bottom to the top, inexorably filling the upper chamber. Then they slow, stop, and then start to fall, first slowly, then faster and faster, until you wake in a cold sweat...
----

They will all wake up at the same time, and I will have the environment be absolutely still and silent at that time. (ie - the positive energy flowing through I will not be animating the walls etc at that time). Then noises and the pulsing of the walls will start again.

 

[twilko]

Dream sequence.

I like it! I do have a couple of suggestions.

A Colossal black worm, 100 feet long and surrounded by hordes of shambling undead, gorges itself on the remains of several dragons as an oily drizzle of rain starts to fall. The creatures below pay no heed to your presence..

Maybe "...fall. The creatures seem unaware of your presence. Then one turns. Then another, and another, and another... Soon all except the feasting worm are staring at you. They approach with a keening moan of a thousand corrupted throats. A moan of pain, of anguish, of accusation. They surround you, never coming with arms reach, never taking their eyes of you. Their faces are more animated than undead should ever be. Faces of hatred, of anger. Faces that blame you for their fate."

Now I wouldn't mention the hole until then end...

"Your view races across the now barren, desolate waste that is this world. In the distance a jagged mound breaks the monotonus horizon. Its huge rocks have been thrust up from out of the ground. But there is no volcano or object at the centre of the mound to have done such violence to the earth itself. Your flying apporach reveals the answer. A wide black hole gaps at and then swallows you up. You feel like you are falling but the there is no bottom. You must fall literal miles. Then there appears a light at what must be the bottom. It races towards you at incredible speed. The light grows to fill your vision.

You are in a room. You look around the room from a view point on the ceiling. There is light from a small fire surrounded by sleeping forms. You look directly down. Your own body lies sleeping fitfully below you."

Anyway, just a though for you.

 

[Hussar]

Cool stuff.

GARG! My site is still down. For those who actually read the transcripts, check out Hussar's WLD Wiki and you can see the last couple of transcripts there. Hopefully we'll be back in business before too long.

I gotta admit, I really like the rasts. I can see these guys being a REALLY nasty encounter. I used a different mini for them - the Evicerator from DDM and a different pic for the queen. Whatcha think?

Godrast

and Queen

 

[erucsbo]

I like it! I do have a couple of suggestions.
<snip>
Anyway, just a though for you.

nice - thanks Twilko. I think I'll interpose the hourglass between the looking down the hole and seeing the sleeping forms as I want to emphasise the difference in time and that time is marching on and almost gone, but consider the descriptions added - nice stuff.

 

[chrisheff]

Finally getting back to the campaign after more than 4 weeks off due to end of summer time constraints. Will post the update on my webpage when the next session is done.

Chris

http://www.geocities.com/cptzaphod/wld.htm

 

[twilko]

nice - thanks Twilko. I think I'll interpose the hourglass between the looking down the hole and seeing the sleeping forms as I want to emphasise the difference in time and that time is marching on and almost gone, but consider the descriptions added - nice stuff.

No problems. It was just such a cool idea. My group are in E heading to F and then bee line for the Elves who they have heard about. Not sure that I want them to go north but if I do can I borrow you deam idea?

 

[erucsbo]

No problems. It was just such a cool idea. My group are in E heading to F and then bee line for the Elves who they have heard about. Not sure that I want them to go north but if I do can I borrow you deam idea?

Absolutely.
btw - if they are heading to F and you don't mind giving them one of the keys ahead of time then I'd suggest having one be found on the body of a dead demon (there is a description of one in the empty rooms description fillers at the beginning of the book that has the demon's body regenerating at the same rate as it is being consumed by insects - or something like that). Had my players spend quite a bit of time making sure that the regeneration ended up being less effective than the bugs in order to finally kill it off, but they found one of the keys from F (thus how the demon was able to escape).

Also - you might want to run a trail of crumbs for Jolinaar's movements from I/M through to H in order to foreshadow meeting him, or if you have a druid / cleric of nature in the party then tie in the dream sequence with Belatu-Cadros (the celestial treant). Have the party members who are also garrison members carry either messages or perhaps some form of communication device to the garrison in G so that the two celestial garrisons can reestablish contact.

I'm also planning on having a low rumble from the lava river be audible/felt once the party is getting close to the edge of I, and would have also done so if they had headed through F. Any dwarves in the party should "feel" the stresses beneath their feet (harder to do in I because of Madness and Anguish and the flesh covering the walls) being caused by the lava flow and split where the earthquake had divided the dungeon.

I've told the garrison members in my group that there is a hidden self-destruct within the Tomb (region N), but that the garrison members in E did not know either what it was, nor how it worked. Perhaps if you want the party to go to N after H then some hints could be dropped by the garrison in E and elaborated upon by those in G.

Maybe they could find a elf in F who was trying to reach E from G but had gotten lost in the maze.

While there are good plots within each region I really feel that the whole scope of the place is dimished without having some overarching story threads to tie the whole thing together.
Good luck with region F.

 

[Zweihänder]

I'm about to get a game going, and, I must say, I've been overly kind with character creation. I allowed any class AT ALL, and any race with a level adjustment of +2 or lower. The party is as follows:

Atreus, the Human Scout
Malus the Forge, the Warforged Swordsage
Ninarika Shyam, the Aasimar Favored Soul of the Silver Flame
Jatter, the Kalashtar Psion
Donkor Hatmat, the Human Monk (who is taking Vow of Poverty right off the bat...)

We're going to be starting this coming Sunday. I'll have a report for everyone at that point.

Also, I decided that there would be a Lantern Archon near the entrance to Region A, though a few rooms in, passing out Rings of Sustenance, since I don't want the PCs to die of starvation. Unfortunately, the Monk screwed himself with VoP, since it forbids magic items. Until he reaches level 5 (at which point eating becomes unnecessary), I'm gonna have fun giving him diseases.