World's Largest Dungeon?

[jim pinto]

oops

E90. Hall of the Fallen
Fog clings to the floor of this room, crawling up the many columns reaching the ceiling. The floor is moist and the lights subdued, giving the room the feel of a natural subterranean formation. Skittering creatures can be heard in the distance, but with all this fog, the source of the noise may be much closer. The columns are all covered in text in a range of languages, all carved directly into the stone.

Initial Attitude: Hostile
Encounter: There are five giant fire beetles (hp 5 each), two Medium monstrous scorpions (hp 13 each), and three Medium monstrous spiders (hp 11 each) lurking in this room.
The texts on the columns are eulogies and messages written by members of the garrison to those who fell in battle.

Tactics: Insects of a like type swarm a single target before moving on to a new victim. If any of the PCs are dropped, the insects swarm on that PC to feast on his flesh.
The monstrous scorpions use their Constitution damaging poison to hurt bards, sorcerers, wizards, and anyone with few hit points. Lastly, the spiders target barbarians, fighters, and PCs who rely heavily on Strength.
DMs who fully want to take advantage of this encounter, should increase the DC of these saves by 3 or more to really challenge the PCs. If anyone escapes this encounter without some ability score damage, this encounter was too easy.
Treasure: N/A
EL: 5
Scaling: To increase the challenge of the encounter, increase the number of each insect type by two, increase the DC of their poison by 2, and give them Total Concealment. To reduce the challenge, reduce the number of each insect type by one.

Giant Fire Beetle: CR 1/3; Small vermin; HD 1d8; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +0; Grp –4; Atk +1 melee (2d4, bite); Full Atk +1 melee (2d4, bite); SA —; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., vermin traits; AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 11, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 7.
Skills and Feats: —

Monstrous Scorpion, Medium: CR 1; Medium vermin; HD 2d8+4; hp 13; Init +0; Spd 40 ft.; AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +1; Grp +2; Atk +2 melee (1d4+1, claw); Full Atk +2 melee (1d4+1, 2 claws) and –3 melee (1d4 plus poison, sting); SA Constrict 1d4+1, improved grab, poison; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 14, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2.
Skills and Feats: Climb +5, Hide +4, Spot +4
Constrict (Ex): A monstrous scorpion deals automatic claw damage on a successful grapple check.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a monstrous scorpion must hit with a claw attack. A monstrous scorpion can use either its Strength modifier or Dexterity modifier for grapple checks, whichever is better.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial and secondary damage 1d3 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A monstrous scorpion has a +4 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, and Spot checks.

Monstrous Spider, Medium: CR 1; Medium vermin; HD 2d8+2; hp 11; Init +3; Spd 30 ft., climb 20 ft.; AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +1; Grp +1; Atk +4 melee (1d6 plus poison, bite); Full Atk +4 melee (1d6 plus poison, bite); SA Poison, web; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0; Str 11, Dex 17, Con 12, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2.
Skills and Feats: Climb +11, Hide +7*, Jump +0*, Spot +4*; Weapon FinesseB
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 12, initial and secondary damage 1d4 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Web (Ex): Monstrous spiders often wait in their webs or in trees, then lower themselves silently on silk strands and leap onto prey passing beneath. A single strand is strong enough to support the spider and one creature of the same size.
A monstrous spider can move across its own web at its climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web.
Tremorsense (Ex): A monstrous spider can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 ft. in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with the spider’s webs.
Skills: Monstrous spiders have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A monstrous spider can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Monstrous spiders use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher.
*Hunting spiders have a +10 racial bonus on Jump checks and a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks.

 

[DaveMage]

Cool.

Let's see - 1600 encounters - could we have a preview each week?

 

[MerakSpielman]

Cool.

Let's see - 1600 encounters - could we have a preview each week?

...and then we'll have the whole thing after only... 30 years...

 

[jim pinto]

...and then we'll have the whole thing after only... 30 years...

in that case, you can have two a week

 

[DaveMage]

...and then we'll have the whole thing after only... 30 years...

Well, I didn't want to be greedy.

Two a week sounds good to me!

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all works out. I like the detail that's gone into the two rooms that have been posted, and I hope that this is the standard for the other rooms.

For jim pinto: You've made references that the dungeon is modular so that you don't have to go through the whole thing to get use from the product, but what if someone *wants* to go through the whole thing? Are the areas linked in such a way that the reward (story, sense of accomplishment, etc.) would be greater if you do get through the whole thing? In other words, is there an overall story arc (or multiple ones) that would be realized if this dungeon became the sole basis for a campaign?

 

[Leopold]

works for me!

 

[Leopold]

works for me!

 

[Tharen the Damned]

I think I have to play the Advocatus Diaboli.

Bias: What I know o tWbD ist from the various Tidbits Pinto posted in this Threat. For a projekt this large, the previews gleaned can only be a very, very small bit of the whole content.
This is just my first impression, but as you know. First impressions tend to stick.

1) The map(s).
While certainly large and detailed, they don´t strike me as, for the lack of a better word, cool. They remind me of the various Undermountain maps from the 1st. or 2nd Edition boxed Sets.
Ok, I get nostalgic feelings but when I look at maps from Ed Bourelle for example this map lacks appeal.

2) The posted encounter.
On the first view it is nice and detailed. Good Idea to include the complete Stats and not only HP and the reference page in the MM.
But:

Tactics: Insects of a like type swarm a single target before moving on to a new victim. If any of the PCs are dropped, the insects swarm on that PC to feast on his flesh.
The monstrous scorpions use their Constitution damaging poison to hurt bards, sorcerers, wizards, and anyone with few hit points. Lastly, the spiders target barbarians, fighters, and PCs who rely heavily on Strength.
DMs who fully want to take advantage of this encounter, should increase the DC of these saves by 3 or more to really challenge the PCs. If anyone escapes this encounter without some ability score damage, this encounter was too easy.

Well, these are Insects without any intelligence! So how can they employ tactics? They should attack randomly. As a player I would protest, if they ignore the front row fighter and head straight to my wizard who hides behind the cleric.
Next it strikes me as strange, that so many different insect species just wait for the PCs instead of a) just eating the other species or b) wander to a room with better feeding opportunities.
I don´t like this encounter very much.

Reminder: This was just my first impression!


What do you say?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Question about the map...

It seems the maps are broken into "sections."

Please tell me that each section will fit, unbroken, on a single battlemat!

Was any thought given to scaling the maps against the most common battlemat sizes?


Wulf

 

[Greybar]

I agree with Tharen. Not a good indicator if vermin with no Int scores specifically seek out targets by class. Hope this isn't a common sign through the product...

john