World's Largest Dungeon?

[Whimsical]

I have been enjoying reading this thread, but there is something that you (the publishers) should consider. Every NPC may have something that they know that can be revealed by PCs persuading or compelling it to be friendly, probing its mind, fooling it that the PC is its boss, using Tongues or Speak with Dead/Animals/Plants, etc. So, along with indicating the contents of its pockets there should be a line about what it knows about what's really going on, what's in the next room, why it is here, what it is doing there, advice for the PCs, and other such knowledge bits.

So, my advice is regard each NPC's mind, whether living or dead, whether sentient or animal, even whether animal, mineral, or vegetable, as a locked chest that the PCs may open and find some goodies inside if they use the right skills or spells to pick it open. Also remember that any found dead body could be Ressurected and become an ally.

Also, please indicate the magical aura strength & school of every magic item or location in parenthesis next to it. Assume that someone has a permanent Detect Magic/Arcane Sight going.

I hope that you have good support for high level gaming. I would recommend reading Monte Cook's excellent article on high level adventure design.. What I would like to see is some support for high level skill checks. A PC making DC 40-60 Search or Tracking checks could find some very subtle clues that can be interpreted by some high level Knowledge checks. That empty room could tell a long story to the high level ranger using his tracking skills. The high level rogue searching the room can determine what happened in the room several hundred years ago by the pattern of scuffs on a wall. Think Sherlock Holmes/CSI level of clue analysis. Between high skills and high level divinations, the world reveals more and more of itself to the players the higher level they go. They can ambush the ambushers and uncover many secrets before they even apporach them.

 

[jim pinto]

wow

a lot of chatter this week.

that's great.

for those of you who don't know who i am, let me introduce myself

i'm jim pinto, the art director for AEG and the leading authority at the office about all things d20. i'm not a big fan of forums and i don't tend to post online, but i've been enjoying the talk on here and posting samples of the dungeon.

davemage has been very demanding of quality encounters and so now i'm editing everything and piecing it together.

i'm not sure i can answer all the questions i'm seeing here, but i'll do my best.

in the mean time, here's today's low-level encounter and i look forward to everyone's comments and feedback. like many of the encounters i've posted in the last few weeks, this one has not been edited by a copyeditor.

B10. Bugbear Refuge
As the PCs approach the Room, read the following.

A splintered wooden door blocks the entrance to this room. From behind it you can hear a quarrel in a foul tongue. Something yells and a loud crash reverberates through the halls.

Removing the splintered wooden door without making a noise requires a Move Silently check opposed by bugbear's Listen checks. A DC 12 Strength check is also required to carefully move the door without scrapping it against the stone walls.

If the PCs remain in the hallway for more than 10 rounds, allow the bugbears a second Listen check.

If the PCs make a noise in the hall that one of the bugbears hears, the arguing coming from inside the Room stops. The bugbears take defensive positions behind makeshift cover and prepare to ambush the PCs as soon as one of the doors is opened.

If the PCs enter without being noticed, read the following.

Three large furry goblinoids point at shout at one another, obviously engaged in a heated debate of somekind. The creatures are muscular and brutish, each standing about seven feet tall. Coarse hair covers their bodies and chipped and crooked fangs protrude from their snarled mouths. The largest spits as he screams at the smallest, who apparently isn't backing down.

All around the room, debris and broken wood make the stone floor nearly impossible to see.

Initial Attitude: Hostile

Encounter: Three bugbears (hp 24, 18, 15) have made this Room their refuge, but have been unable to leave for two weeks because of the dire wolves in Room B9. They are stir-crazy now and arguing with each other (in Common) about who cheated at a dice game that obviously isn't being played.
If surprised, allow the middle bugbear a DC 18 Spot check to notice someone entering. The largest and smallest bugbears are automatically surprised if the PCs enter without making any noise.

Tactics: If in the encounter takes place in the Room, the bugbears swarm the nearest PC, fighting defensively until they have a handle on the situation. If the leader drops the other two either surrender (50% chance) or become enraged (as barbarians, 50% chance).

If the encounter takes place in the hall two bugbears engage the PCs, forcing them away from the entrance to the room, while the smallest runs around to the other side of the corridor, to wedge the PCs in.

Treasure: Hidden under the debris in this room is a small strongbox (Search check, DC 25 to locate). The lock is simple and crude, requiring a DC 30 Open Lock check to unlock. When the strongbox is opened, a thin wire running along the hinge pushes down, cracking a vial of acid hidden inside the box. The bugbears normally open the box slowly, preventing the glass from shattering. Allow the PC a DC 20 Listen check. If he succeeds, he hears metal scratching against glass and is allowed a DC 20 Reflex save to stop opening the box before rupturing the vial. If the PC makes no intimation that he's opening the box slowly, do not allow any checks.

Once the vial cracks, an alchemical reaction occurs and the acid inside, reacting with the surrounding air, becomes a fog that blankets the square in front of the strongbox.

Acid Gas Trap: CR 3; mechanical device; touch trigger; repair reset; gas; never miss; onset delay (1 round); poison (acid gas, DC 18 Fortitude save resists, 1 Con/1 Con); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 17.

Inside the chest are 46 sp, 24 gp, a dull pearl set into a gaudy necklace (25 gp), three potions of cure light wounds, and a wand of light (12 charges).

The largest bugbear keeps a three keys on a key ring on his belt. The first key goes to the strongbox in this Room. Tthe second is for the locked door leading to Room BXX. The third is to the inside of the door in Room B9.

EL: 5

Scaling: To increase the challenge of this encounter, add one bugbear. To decrease the challenge, remove one.

Bugbear: CR 2; Medium humanoid (goblinoid); HD 3d8+3; hp 24, 18, 15; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +2; Grp +4; Atk +5 melee (1d8+2, morningstar) or +3 ranged (1d6+2, javelin); Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+2, morningstar) or +3 ranged (1d6+2, javelin); SA —; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., scent; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 9.
Skills and Feats: Climb +3, Hide +4, Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Spot +4; Alertness, Weapon Focus (morningstar).
Skills: Bugbears have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.

 

[jim pinto]

gencon?!?

leopold?
dave mage?

are you guys going to be at gencon?

come see me at the booth if you do...

peace

 

[DaveMage]

leopold?
dave mage?

are you guys going to be at gencon?

come see me at the booth if you do...

peace

Alas, I wish I could. But I have two very young boys (2.5 years old and 7.5 months old) who keep me close to home.

Of course, they don't realize it yet, but they will be walking the halls of the World's Biggest Dungeon in just a few years...

 

[Leopold]

leopold?
dave mage?

are you guys going to be at gencon?

come see me at the booth if you do...

peace

sadly I will not be there this year! Out of all the years I am not able to go it's the year THIS thing comes out! CRAP!

I'm with davemage on this one. Family and a new house are hurting the bills and my gf's 7yr old is soon to partake in this grand adventure in learning how to play d20

Unless you plan on coming down to a Southern Convention in Florida anytime soon


EDIT: That room doesn't really provide anything for the cover that the bugbears in the above section state that they would want to take. That would help DM's out monstrously in not having to flip to the PHB for a cover percentage.

 

[jim pinto]

sadly I will not be there this year! Out of all the years I am not able to go it's the year THIS thing comes out! CRAP!

I'm with davemage on this one. Family and a new house are hurting the bills and my gf's 7yr old is soon to partake in this grand adventure in learning how to play d20

Unless you plan on coming down to a Southern Convention in Florida anytime soon


EDIT: That room doesn't really provide anything for the cover that the bugbears in the above section state that they would want to take. That would help DM's out monstrously in not having to flip to the PHB for a cover percentage.

sorry you guys wouldn't have been at gencon
i was going to sign your books with special rules
only for you. alas. they'll just go to waste now.

haha.

i have friends in northern florida, but not southern.
if i made it to florida, you'd have to come to the war grounds
game store in jacksonville.



EDIT:
in 3.5, cover is a flat percentage
in 3.0 it ranges from 0 to infinitty
and we've addressed that in the introduction of the book

lastly, there's an additional paragraph to each encounter
that i've been purposely deleting, because this book has
something NO adventure book has ever had before, but
if i post it now, a company can steal it before it hits the
streets and i'm keeping this thing under wraps until july.



in that paragraph, the cover issue is addressed, just so you know

 

[Leopold]

sorry you guys wouldn't have been at gencon
i was going to sign your books with special rules
only for you. alas. they'll just go to waste now.

haha.

i have friends in northern florida, but not southern.
if i made it to florida, you'd have to come to the war grounds
game store in jacksonville.

Tell me when and where and i'll be there...especially if I can get my grubby hands on this book early! I plan on using this thing as a stomping grounds for my players in the new campaign I am running for them. They love combat and room clearing, they will love this.

EDIT:
in 3.5, cover is a flat percentage
in 3.0 it ranges from 0 to infinitty
and we've addressed that in the introduction of the book

lastly, there's an additional paragraph to each encounter
that i've been purposely deleting, because this book has
something NO adventure book has ever had before, but
if i post it now, a company can steal it before it hits the
streets and i'm keeping this thing under wraps until july.



in that paragraph, the cover issue is addressed, just so you know

That's good to know, just making sure all the bases were covered. I know there are going to be some people that won't buy it as it's either too big or lacking full details. I hope this product has everything I think and you are showing it will have.

 

[DaveMage]

jim: My family is in Jax, so if you ever make it down that way, let us know!

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

100$ ..... figures that out as Canadian ..... figures in 15% PST and GST :\ ......... has heart attack ...........
good god I hope that price point is a mistake..... otherwise..... what would you have me do for you Mr Pinto

Actually, in Ontario, there is no PST on books. So if it turns out to be in book format, rather than in boxed game format, you could be lucky and only have to pay GST.

But still, $135 is a lot for a gaming supplement. It had better be one good dungeon. It had better wash my car and rub my feet too.

 

[Valdier]

EDIT:
in 3.5, cover is a flat percentage
in 3.0 it ranges from 0 to infinitty
and we've addressed that in the introduction of the book

Hey Jim, when are you AEG guys going to get out of the lock box and visit some of the local stores?

Cover is a AC bonus, concealment is a percentage and the last section of concealment does allow a variable percentage from 1-50% for total concealment

From what I saw over at Gama this product looks to be very cool, although a $100 price point is going to be difficult to push.

(As a note, when we saw you at stateline after Gama were you headed to Vegas for the "Friday event"?)