I keep hitting moments where I feel ready to start running a game, then feel overwhelmed considering all the bits that still need to get addressed before starting. I look at the encounters and think, 20-30 minutes prep and I'm ready to go. Then I remember all the details about exhaustion, wilderness travel, etc. That is more than a half an hour...
There is a difference between game prep and session prep. That is the crux of the lesson I'm learning. Session prep is probably not an issue for me. It flows pretty naturally out of the many years we've spent playing across 5+ versions of the game. There are aspects that need addressing, particularly how far you expect to get in the session, and any linking narrative to make it work. It is also helpful to look over the encounters you have planned in order to refresh your sense of the layout and setup, and to consider the motivations of the combatants you have in mind, both your own, and those of the party.
As for the game prep, part of the difficulty stems from my attempt to use the published adventure lines - last year, Storm King's Thunder, and currently, The Tomb of Annihilation - rather than build my own. When I've built my own, I've been able to choose an idea, build a hook to draw the party into the adventure, then develop the overarching story as the whole develops. With the published adventures, its necessary to familiarize yourself with the story arc as it exists, then identify the hooks (or create them) that will draw the party in.
This adventure, in particular, seems to incorporate a lot of tricky elements as part of the story process - such as the death curse, the environmental issues (exhaustion), and the randomness of travel conditions (everything from guides to survival checks to avoid getting lost). These require even more prep beyond familiarity with the storyline.
Fortunately, I think these can be managed pretty well with a basic outline of what checks need to be made, how often, and in what order and to what effect. Once the game is in progress, much of it will slip to the background (appropriately) as a series of checks, almost like the ones that have become unwritten checklists over the years. Namely, what is your marching order? Are you setting a watch during the night? What is the guard rotation going to be? And other similar considerations. What is concerning with this path is that there are several new elements to include, and effects that arise from how those elements develop.
Most of my concerns are from nerves in the end. The anxiety of beginning a new campaign. The concern over managing several new elements. At other times, I might have forgone some of them and just used the encounters, but with this adventure, those elements have been woven centrally into the narrative, so that you need to include them for it to flow correctly. Knowing this just adds to the anxiety. My initial fear is that mastering them will require hours of game prep prior to beginning session prep, but I'm confident that is only a response to the fear. In practice, the time will be much more reasonable. The key is to find the most efficient way to get a handle on how to manage them in-game.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
The Jungle Awaits
I noticed a thread on ENWorld talking about starting campaigns in The Tomb of Annihilation. I read through some of it, and found most of it dealt with questions about the weather, and its effect on travel, exhaustion levels, and the effect of wearing armor in a jungle climate.
I started wondering about Chult and the jungle, how to prepare for an adventure, and how best to juggle the non-combat effects of travel, exhaustion, and direction in the jungle. I've thought about building some charts and such to help tracke them all, or at least to remind myself of them as I play. I've also seen the DM screen for the adventure setting, and I think it might be a good investment for all of those reasons.
I need to pick up a copy before I get too far into this topic. That way, I can filter out what is there, and concentrate on what is missing to prepare. For now, there are other thoughts. Namely, how to build characters and parties. This looks like a setting that will reward some non-traditional character types. In particular, rangers, rogues, barbarians, druids, monks, and arcane spell casters that are more mobile and ranged, relying less on AC and melee defenses than range and movement. Also, with spell casters of any kind, there is a benefit to choosing non-combative spells, such as Purify Food and Water, and spells that boost saving throws and skill checks.
There have always been good reasons to use a lot of these options, but this adventure path seems to really reward characters that are mobile and versatile. Even the encounters in the setting rely on puzzles and riddles as much as traditional combat aspects, further enhancing the value of any characters that have strong skill check modifiers.
I started wondering about Chult and the jungle, how to prepare for an adventure, and how best to juggle the non-combat effects of travel, exhaustion, and direction in the jungle. I've thought about building some charts and such to help tracke them all, or at least to remind myself of them as I play. I've also seen the DM screen for the adventure setting, and I think it might be a good investment for all of those reasons.
I need to pick up a copy before I get too far into this topic. That way, I can filter out what is there, and concentrate on what is missing to prepare. For now, there are other thoughts. Namely, how to build characters and parties. This looks like a setting that will reward some non-traditional character types. In particular, rangers, rogues, barbarians, druids, monks, and arcane spell casters that are more mobile and ranged, relying less on AC and melee defenses than range and movement. Also, with spell casters of any kind, there is a benefit to choosing non-combative spells, such as Purify Food and Water, and spells that boost saving throws and skill checks.
There have always been good reasons to use a lot of these options, but this adventure path seems to really reward characters that are mobile and versatile. Even the encounters in the setting rely on puzzles and riddles as much as traditional combat aspects, further enhancing the value of any characters that have strong skill check modifiers.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Thinking about Giant Fights
This is jumping over to our game set in the Storm King's Thunder. For our last session, we were defending Triboar from a return attack of Fire Giants, looking for a lost fragment. We reached a good stopping point mid-fight, and left the game until our next session, but elements of the whole fight have weighed on me.
On one level, it is everything I've hoped to find in D&D for years... a massive fight in a broad open space... but it drags. Part of the problem is that the encounter is too open. You can spread out enough to protect yourself from a concerted area effect, but at the same time you lose the ability to use any of your own. The same distances that protect you prevent you from effectively targeting your opponent. This leaves a long, dragged out fight as opponents dance around each other and try to nibble away at each other.
In person, these large fights seem to work out better. We've been on Roll20, and it seems difficult to manage some of these larger encounters through that medium. I'm not sure if its an inherent limitation of the technology, or if we're applying in-person logic to the online game, and haven't worked out how to run it more efficiently there.
I feel like this is the case. Not that the medium is flawed, but that I haven't figured out how to make it work and keep the action vibrant. If we scaled the fight down to moments and drama, it would flow more easily, but I like to play it out fully. Why generate the numbers, stats and HP, unless you plan to use them. But that seems to be awkward online.
We still have half a fight to get through, and I need to find a way to make it flow more naturally. I'm not sure how. That is my task for thought - how to do it. I'll give it some thought...
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Random Travel
I've been checking some of the wilderness travel details for Tomb of Annihilation. Basically, a party can move one hex (10 miles) per day in the jungle. The DM is expected to make three rolls on the random encounter chart for each hex traveled - for morning, midday, and night.
This feels borderline unplayable. I've always had trouble incorporating random monsters encounters into my games. I remember 1st edition, with its wandering monster checks. We used to roll those when we started... but that lasted a few months (maybe a few weeks). When you sit down to play, you want to play - not watch the DM roll for a random encounter, cross reference it for information, then improvise a scenario. It stops the action, when good table play seems to be best served by extending or expanding the action.
The solution to this is to make the rolls before play begins... but then, you don't have random encounters, you have structure and pre-determined encounters. In other words, you do a lot of work to prep and detail "random" encounters that you can intersperse with the action. This is counter to the point of a module or adventure book.
Add in the possibilities of getting lost, and your party is in for long sessions of random encounter checks. I guess the key is keeping it fast and loose. Roll the dice all at once, then spin something out by the seat of your pants, thinking ahead to any later encounters while playing out the first. I suppose that as long as the random encounters are given out as exposition and narrative, they can be quickly embedded.
I think it will be necessary to play a few days (in-game) in order to work out the kinks. It just feels like an awkward system at face value.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Starting Woes
This is the bane of any writer - word one. I've been considering what kind of campaign I want to build, and am beginning to get a feel for what I'd like to start developing. Unfortunately, I'm still left with no beginning. Ideally, we can sit down over the next day or two and begin play on a new campaign. But for the moment, I've got nothing.
Thee are options. As I mentioned yesterday, there are a some options that work well as "asides" to the main quest, wanderings might be a better word. I could use one of those, and that would be fine. The concern is that we spend all our time wandering and none developing a unified central theme. Wanderings are fine, but they can't substitute for a plot. That was Storm King's Thunder.
I'm fresh off King Solomon's Mines, so the idea of a questing adventure to recover someone or something is at the forefront of my mind. It's been one of the options we've discussed all summer, the Dr. Livingston hook, as it were. After that, it devolved into numerous options of who to look for, the circumstances of their disappearance, the makeup of the searchers... That's part of the problem.
At least it's an option that can be used multiple times. It may be one that we use at the heart of multiple adventure paths, which is fine, although I think it will work better if there is some variation in the target of the search. Unless, all of the adventures are looked at as filaments of one larger skein! Maybe the whole point of our adventures should be locating Artus Cimber and the Ring of Winter. Different groups would have different reasons for and approaches to the search, not to mention vastly different possibilities about where to find them, what the danger is, or the importance. That might be a good unifying theme.
I'd rather define our own theme, but this might work in the meantime... Picking a theme might be easy enough, but giving it the proper meaning and relevance is tougher. This could work as a preparatory device. I suppose all of this is comical, when the pretense of the adventure is to discover the cause of the death curse and end it... but as a theme, it doesn't resonate with me as a hook that will mean anything to first level adventurers. We want to start from scratch.
So, we use Artus Cimber... it just opens more questions. Why do we all want to find him? Why do we care about the Ring of Winter?
Let's vary it... let's chase after an archaeologist. One group wants to find him and help explore the ruins he has discovered. Another group will want to find him and silence him, multiple groups more likely - some because of the item, some the location, some to protect their own interests. This will work. Let Artus Cimber wander through the story as scripted, we'll head out to find our own lost soul, or treasure of our own.
Thee are options. As I mentioned yesterday, there are a some options that work well as "asides" to the main quest, wanderings might be a better word. I could use one of those, and that would be fine. The concern is that we spend all our time wandering and none developing a unified central theme. Wanderings are fine, but they can't substitute for a plot. That was Storm King's Thunder.
I'm fresh off King Solomon's Mines, so the idea of a questing adventure to recover someone or something is at the forefront of my mind. It's been one of the options we've discussed all summer, the Dr. Livingston hook, as it were. After that, it devolved into numerous options of who to look for, the circumstances of their disappearance, the makeup of the searchers... That's part of the problem.
At least it's an option that can be used multiple times. It may be one that we use at the heart of multiple adventure paths, which is fine, although I think it will work better if there is some variation in the target of the search. Unless, all of the adventures are looked at as filaments of one larger skein! Maybe the whole point of our adventures should be locating Artus Cimber and the Ring of Winter. Different groups would have different reasons for and approaches to the search, not to mention vastly different possibilities about where to find them, what the danger is, or the importance. That might be a good unifying theme.
I'd rather define our own theme, but this might work in the meantime... Picking a theme might be easy enough, but giving it the proper meaning and relevance is tougher. This could work as a preparatory device. I suppose all of this is comical, when the pretense of the adventure is to discover the cause of the death curse and end it... but as a theme, it doesn't resonate with me as a hook that will mean anything to first level adventurers. We want to start from scratch.
So, we use Artus Cimber... it just opens more questions. Why do we all want to find him? Why do we care about the Ring of Winter?
Let's vary it... let's chase after an archaeologist. One group wants to find him and help explore the ruins he has discovered. Another group will want to find him and silence him, multiple groups more likely - some because of the item, some the location, some to protect their own interests. This will work. Let Artus Cimber wander through the story as scripted, we'll head out to find our own lost soul, or treasure of our own.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Further Thoughts...
I've been reading over the available guides, trying to get a feel for them, and what kind of game would fit with each. Now, I'm back to wondering what game I want to run... Such a cyclical argument!
Basically, we've built up three or four groups for potential use. Each brings its own sentimentality and style. We have a party of Tabaxi that will be a lot of fun to play, I think. They will thrive in a loose adventure, with lots of comic elements and dramatic opportunities. Unfortunately, I think more than one of us would like to run that adventure... and play it too! That doesn't sound like a combination that will work. Tricky...
There are two or three guides that seem concerned with the undead in the jungle. That would mesh nicely with a paladin/cleric heavy party. They could gather up their moral outrage, and rush in to take down evil. That will make a fun set of encounters, and has potential, but it feels like more of a theme-based campaign than the main event. It would be fun to run as one-offs, or mini adventures, building toward something larger.
It has always felt right to try two or three storylines, and allow them to intersect and reform as the adventure develops. That way we can experiment with several character options and party builds, and tweak it as the end game begins to develop.
We also have a nice troupe of bards making their rounds. They make a strong party, but I worry that they are vulnerable at times. The question becomes - what do we want to use as our main adventuring party, and what kind of quest do we want them undertaking?
There should be an element of grandeur, and purpose. But also adventure in a high sense, and plenty of derring-do. I think a good general direction is good. Some of the more targeted locations are nice, but don't spin off into bigger things as easily. Keeping the main theme more general - exploration and maybe recovery?? - will build a better main adventure thrust.
Basically, we've built up three or four groups for potential use. Each brings its own sentimentality and style. We have a party of Tabaxi that will be a lot of fun to play, I think. They will thrive in a loose adventure, with lots of comic elements and dramatic opportunities. Unfortunately, I think more than one of us would like to run that adventure... and play it too! That doesn't sound like a combination that will work. Tricky...
There are two or three guides that seem concerned with the undead in the jungle. That would mesh nicely with a paladin/cleric heavy party. They could gather up their moral outrage, and rush in to take down evil. That will make a fun set of encounters, and has potential, but it feels like more of a theme-based campaign than the main event. It would be fun to run as one-offs, or mini adventures, building toward something larger.
It has always felt right to try two or three storylines, and allow them to intersect and reform as the adventure develops. That way we can experiment with several character options and party builds, and tweak it as the end game begins to develop.
We also have a nice troupe of bards making their rounds. They make a strong party, but I worry that they are vulnerable at times. The question becomes - what do we want to use as our main adventuring party, and what kind of quest do we want them undertaking?
There should be an element of grandeur, and purpose. But also adventure in a high sense, and plenty of derring-do. I think a good general direction is good. Some of the more targeted locations are nice, but don't spin off into bigger things as easily. Keeping the main theme more general - exploration and maybe recovery?? - will build a better main adventure thrust.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Starting Anew...
We're still underway in Storm King's Thunder, but even that adventure is finally edging toward the end game section. With the new module in hand, it's time to start developing a new storyline. The options are numerous, and that poses a problem.
I think, in the end, we will have multiple games running, which will ease the anxiety, but deciding where to start is intimidating. Even now, I'm waffling between an option centered on a dragon, and one with Tabaxi. I think the latter will make for a fun romp through the jungle, and there are obvious connections with the mini adventure we've run already with these characters. It is definitely an adventure course we'll run. I'm just not sure whether I should run it, or leave it for Stephen to run.
We've been interested in a dragon quest, and there is an option that will lead that direction. That could be fun. My concern is that the dragon element is removed from the start of the quest, and would require a lot of work to build up an adventure to that point. That is too much like what Storm King' Thunder provided - which was a major flaw in that adventure. You buy these things looking for something to run, and not to create the encounters yourself. If that is what you need to do, there's no reason to use the module.
I think Tomb of Annihilation will offer better options for developing the adventure, but it feels important not to overlap routes either. The two options I've considered seem to lead in the same direction, which means either duplicating encounter areas, pushing elements around on the map, or finding another way to push the two paths apart.
At least the actual map of the jungle interior is unknown. This allows for leeway in playing it out. One possibility is that the guides themselves, separate from their destinations, only know limited paths through the jungle. Maybe they prefer travel by water, or have an aversion to water. Maybe they have been taught to avoid certain areas... there are a number of options.
I think I need to actually study the guides themselves first, and use their attributes to decide how to advance this.
I think, in the end, we will have multiple games running, which will ease the anxiety, but deciding where to start is intimidating. Even now, I'm waffling between an option centered on a dragon, and one with Tabaxi. I think the latter will make for a fun romp through the jungle, and there are obvious connections with the mini adventure we've run already with these characters. It is definitely an adventure course we'll run. I'm just not sure whether I should run it, or leave it for Stephen to run.
We've been interested in a dragon quest, and there is an option that will lead that direction. That could be fun. My concern is that the dragon element is removed from the start of the quest, and would require a lot of work to build up an adventure to that point. That is too much like what Storm King' Thunder provided - which was a major flaw in that adventure. You buy these things looking for something to run, and not to create the encounters yourself. If that is what you need to do, there's no reason to use the module.
I think Tomb of Annihilation will offer better options for developing the adventure, but it feels important not to overlap routes either. The two options I've considered seem to lead in the same direction, which means either duplicating encounter areas, pushing elements around on the map, or finding another way to push the two paths apart.
At least the actual map of the jungle interior is unknown. This allows for leeway in playing it out. One possibility is that the guides themselves, separate from their destinations, only know limited paths through the jungle. Maybe they prefer travel by water, or have an aversion to water. Maybe they have been taught to avoid certain areas... there are a number of options.
I think I need to actually study the guides themselves first, and use their attributes to decide how to advance this.
Monday, October 2, 2017
New Thoughts
We've been prepping for Chult since it was announced early this summer. I think we anticipated it as a setting before that, and had already been working toward it as a setting. At least, we were thinking pirates, jungles and exploring lost ruins. It fit with where we wanted to go.
Now that Tomb of Annihilation is out, even more of what we had been looking for is present in the adventure. Particularly the notion of traps and more skill based interactions. The adventure seems to be full of them. I think the idea of going on a madcap adventure through the jungle, whip in hand, leaping pits, swinging from vine to vine, and avoiding snakes and rolling stones, has been in the heads of many D&D players for nearly 40 years! If they hadn't heard of Tarzan or Rider Haggard by the 80s, they latched onto Indiana Jones and spent years trying to replicate that emotional feeling in game form.
I'm impressed with the adventure book. There are interesting options in any direction you choose to go. And frankly, that is a great part of this book's appeal... you start in Port Nyanzaru, and enter the jungle anywhere you want. After that, all roads lead to the heart of the book, but in a near infinite variety of routes. If you want to fight undead, you can. If you want a dragon hunt, you can chase one. You can deal with pirates, giants, lost world prehistoric monsters, etc.
The encounters seem to all carry elements of puzzles, that can add to the experience. I'm still getting into the heart of it, but it looks even these elements can be played through or around. That is quite an accomplishment. For the last three months, particularly after last year's Storm King's Thunder, there's been a concern about how the book would fail to deliver on its possibilities. That it actually delivers above and beyond is rewarding and refreshing.
Now that Tomb of Annihilation is out, even more of what we had been looking for is present in the adventure. Particularly the notion of traps and more skill based interactions. The adventure seems to be full of them. I think the idea of going on a madcap adventure through the jungle, whip in hand, leaping pits, swinging from vine to vine, and avoiding snakes and rolling stones, has been in the heads of many D&D players for nearly 40 years! If they hadn't heard of Tarzan or Rider Haggard by the 80s, they latched onto Indiana Jones and spent years trying to replicate that emotional feeling in game form.
I'm impressed with the adventure book. There are interesting options in any direction you choose to go. And frankly, that is a great part of this book's appeal... you start in Port Nyanzaru, and enter the jungle anywhere you want. After that, all roads lead to the heart of the book, but in a near infinite variety of routes. If you want to fight undead, you can. If you want a dragon hunt, you can chase one. You can deal with pirates, giants, lost world prehistoric monsters, etc.
The encounters seem to all carry elements of puzzles, that can add to the experience. I'm still getting into the heart of it, but it looks even these elements can be played through or around. That is quite an accomplishment. For the last three months, particularly after last year's Storm King's Thunder, there's been a concern about how the book would fail to deliver on its possibilities. That it actually delivers above and beyond is rewarding and refreshing.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Post Script
This adventure is far from finished, but I've at least gotten it through from inception to the final location. At this point, the treasure needs to be determined for the final encounters, and then the laborious process of going back over everything from the beginning to fine tune it, polish the rough edges, fill in the gaps between settings and encounters, and so many other details that need adding and finalizing.
But I'm happy to call this project complete and begin a new one. Partly, this is because I'm almost completely burned out on this one, and partly because new settings and ideas have come to mind, and I'd rather work on them. Now that Tomb of Annihilation is out, the lure of lost ruins and jungle exploration is too overwhelming to stay away from.
This was a unique situation. I wanted to work on a long form adventure, and I wanted to make a dragon quest. This fulfilled that. I also wanted to take a story I'd begun during NaNoWriMo and develop the adventure it suggested. It seemed like the best option to blog the progress, both to keep myself plodding away at it every day, and to document the process. I'm pleased with the effort, but I don't think I could replicate it again right away.
I like the idea of producing something every day, but I'd rather jump around for a while. Explore settings, traps, monsters and lairs. Whatever comes to mind, basically. I feel like exploring some jungle themes and ruined temples, and this is a good place to work on elements of those. Also, we're finally getting the story moving in Storm King's Thunder, so there is opportunity to try out scenarios tied with that, either for inspiration or for actual play.
But I'm happy to call this project complete and begin a new one. Partly, this is because I'm almost completely burned out on this one, and partly because new settings and ideas have come to mind, and I'd rather work on them. Now that Tomb of Annihilation is out, the lure of lost ruins and jungle exploration is too overwhelming to stay away from.
This was a unique situation. I wanted to work on a long form adventure, and I wanted to make a dragon quest. This fulfilled that. I also wanted to take a story I'd begun during NaNoWriMo and develop the adventure it suggested. It seemed like the best option to blog the progress, both to keep myself plodding away at it every day, and to document the process. I'm pleased with the effort, but I don't think I could replicate it again right away.
I like the idea of producing something every day, but I'd rather jump around for a while. Explore settings, traps, monsters and lairs. Whatever comes to mind, basically. I feel like exploring some jungle themes and ruined temples, and this is a good place to work on elements of those. Also, we're finally getting the story moving in Storm King's Thunder, so there is opportunity to try out scenarios tied with that, either for inspiration or for actual play.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Kobold tunnel traps
Pit Trap
DC Ability Action
10* Wis (Per) to spot
14* Int/Dex to disarm or bypass
12* Str (Ath) to avoid falling in and taking damage
Dex (Acr)
*Checks made with disadvantage when running or in darkness
Effect: 5’ fall into a pit for 1d4 damage
These traps are simple in execution, and easily avoiding by anyone proceeding cautiously. They are only dug about 5 feet deep, the width of the tunnel (5-10’), causing d4 damage when fallen into. The kobolds don’t have a great sense of their small size, and dug pits that work well against beastly intruders, and sneak thieves. They can be easily bypassed by walking a narrow lip along either wall, or hopped across (5’ gap). In the dim light of the tunnels, they can be difficult to notice and cause problems.
Pendulum Trap
DC Ability Action
16* Wis (Per) to notice tripwire
20* Wis (Per) to notice pendulum above
20* Dex (Thieves’ Tools) to disarm
10 Str (Ath) to step over the tripwire
Dex (Acr)
*Checks made with disadvantage when running or in darkness
Effect: 3d4 damage to anyone in the arc of the pendulum
The kobolds have suspended logs on a rope to the ceiling of the tunnel. When the tripwire is triggered, the holding mechanism is released, and the log swings down through a 15’ long arc, centered on the trigger point, slamming into anyone in its path.
Pit and the Pendulum Trap
DC Ability Action
10* Wis (Per) to spot trap
14* Int/Dex to disarm or bypass trap
12* Str (Ath) to avoid falling in and taking damage
Dex (Acr)
20* Wis (Per) to notice pendulum above
20* Dex (Thieves’ Tools) to disarm
*Checks made with disadvantage when running or in darkness
Effect: Falling into the pit triggers the pendulum, which sweeps down from both sides of the ceiling above, dealing bludgeoning damage, and forcing a Dex ST to avoid being knocked into the pit for additional damage. Falling into the pit causes 1d4 falling damage, and the pendulum causes 3d4 bludgeoning damage.
The pit looks like any other kobold pit trap, but there are two logs suspended on ropes to the ceiling on either side of the pit. There is no tripwire to notice for the pendulum trap, as it is set off by a pressure plate when someone falls into the pit.
Arrow Trap
DC Ability Action
14* Wis (Per) to notice
16* Int/Dex to identify trigger plate in the floor
16* Dex to avoid being hit by arrows
*Checks made with disadvantage when running or in darkness.
Effect: 1d6 arrow damage per 5’ affected area
These are more intricate traps, and more difficult to notice. Again, the traps are meant more for wandering beasts and thieves, so they only deal minimal damage, 1d6 per affected square. Usually, these are set in straighter sections of tunnel, with a 15’ run of tunnel trapped with arrows, and a trigger plate or tripwire at one end of the setup. There is a 1 in 6 chance that they party triggers the near end of the trap, and it goes off without harming anyone. Otherwise, anyone in the affected 15’ area must save or take 1d6 damage from arrows.
Variant: Poisoned Arrows
As above, with an additional 1d4 poison damage on a failed save to avoid.
Rolling Logs Trap
DC Ability Action
15 Wis (Per) to notice it is not a real gate
Int (Inv)
17 Dex (Thieves’ Tools) to disarm the release mechanism
17 Dex to avoid the collapsing wall of logs
18* Str to move the wall of logs aside once disabled
*Checks made with advantage if more than one work together
Effect: 2d6 damage within 10’ of the wall
The only way forward is blocked by a rough gate of logs. On one side of the tunnel, there is a hasp mechanism that can be opened. It resists opening, and will need to be forced with a Strength check. This causes a wire to be pulled, releasing the stack of logs, which tumble forward 10’ into the tunnel. Anyone in that area must save or take the listed damage.
Oil Trap
DC Ability Action
15* Wis (Per) to discern the smell of oil
18* Wis (Per) to notice the small spouts above the torches set in either wall
16* Wis (Per) to notice the tripwire across the floor just beyond the torches
18 Dex to avoid the direct splash of oil
*Checks made with disadvantage when running
Effect: 3d4 fire damage from burning oil, half damage on a successful save, all within 5’ of the trigger point
The tripwire is well concealed, and difficult to notice. There are three small spouts above each torch, one set into each side of the tunnel. The tripwire causes oil to flow out of the spouts, igniting as it arches over the flames, and splashes onto anyone in the trigger square, or 5’ before or after.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Volcanic Lair
The floor of the cavern is scarred with lava pools, and the walls of the cavern are riddled with tunnels. There are shelves jutting out from the cavern walls, mostly around the openings to the tunnels, and at their height. The cavern is 200 feet from floor to ceiling, with a large central chimney opening to the outside air beyond, and with ledges and tunnels at 80 feet off the floor. The dragon's perch is 100 feet above the cavern floor.
The walls of the cavern are pocked with tiny holes, allowing anyone to climb the walls with a successful DC15 Athletics check. If they use ropes or other climbing aids, they can make the check with a DC10. Success allows characters to climb at their climbing speed (default is half speed). There are even tunnels in the dragon's perch, but none connecting to the outer walls.
If the party is patient and fortunate, they can find themselves in the enormous cavern for several hours while Antarexes is out of the lair, flying over the countryside, searching for the threat it feels is approaching. While the dragon is away, the party has the opportunity to explore the cavern and choose where to be when it returns. They can set themselves up to attack it without openly exposing themselves.
If the dragon is present when the party arrives, it will sense their presence. If they remain out of sight in the tunnels, it will just get restless, fly around the chamber and settle, then out the opening at the top of the chamber. It will circle the mountain several times, then head off to scour the countryside for food or evidence of intruders. If the party don't take actions to conceal themselves, then the dragon will feign sleep and wait for them to expose themselves.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Dragon's Lair
There is so much more to add in order to call this adventure finished, but I feel like I need to touch on all points at least, before worrying about filling in the missing details.
After escaping from the kobolds, the party make their way through a fiery subterranean world toward the dragon's lair. This is where the aspects of dragon's lair actions really manifest themselves. One was to have fire elementals appear. This will keep the party sharp on their approach. I don't think they should be overwhelmed at this point, but fighting fire-based creatures can hone their tactics before confronting the dragon itself.
There is the added benefit of draining their spells and other resources, forcing them to pause for a rest prior to approaching the dragon itself. I like this idea, it allows them to rethink spell choices and so on, as well as watch the movements of the dragon in order to better face it. Given that this quest has been a dragon quest, and the final confrontation is with the dragon itself, I feel better about having them fully prepared before engaging it. If they are at their best and strongest, they will present a better challenge to the dragon, and that is what is wanted.
When the party entered the kobold warrens, the dragon was in flight to destroy the valley around the dragon cult's base. By the time they have escaped and found the lair itself, the dragon will have returned. The route from the kobold warrens to the main lair should give a glimpse into the inner sanctum from a safe location. I don't want it to reveal the full layout of the lair, just be enough to show the presence and movement of the dragon. The dragon is still restless, and will take flight each night to scour the countryside in search of attackers.
This allows the characters an opportunity to quickly search the dragon's main chamber and plan their encounter. They may find spots they can use to trigger an ambush, and with proper spells, they could potentially set some traps and snares of their own.
Again, this all needs to be mapped and plotted, but at least this begins the process.
After escaping from the kobolds, the party make their way through a fiery subterranean world toward the dragon's lair. This is where the aspects of dragon's lair actions really manifest themselves. One was to have fire elementals appear. This will keep the party sharp on their approach. I don't think they should be overwhelmed at this point, but fighting fire-based creatures can hone their tactics before confronting the dragon itself.
There is the added benefit of draining their spells and other resources, forcing them to pause for a rest prior to approaching the dragon itself. I like this idea, it allows them to rethink spell choices and so on, as well as watch the movements of the dragon in order to better face it. Given that this quest has been a dragon quest, and the final confrontation is with the dragon itself, I feel better about having them fully prepared before engaging it. If they are at their best and strongest, they will present a better challenge to the dragon, and that is what is wanted.
When the party entered the kobold warrens, the dragon was in flight to destroy the valley around the dragon cult's base. By the time they have escaped and found the lair itself, the dragon will have returned. The route from the kobold warrens to the main lair should give a glimpse into the inner sanctum from a safe location. I don't want it to reveal the full layout of the lair, just be enough to show the presence and movement of the dragon. The dragon is still restless, and will take flight each night to scour the countryside in search of attackers.
This allows the characters an opportunity to quickly search the dragon's main chamber and plan their encounter. They may find spots they can use to trigger an ambush, and with proper spells, they could potentially set some traps and snares of their own.
Again, this all needs to be mapped and plotted, but at least this begins the process.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Into the Kobold Den
Den is an operative word. The underground tunnels are narrow and winding, a warren of darkness and decay. Foul smells permeate the air. Very quickly it becomes apparent that the tunnels are also a maze, winding through and across themselves as they curl through the mountain's base.
The party should realize that their best hope lies in secrecy and stealth. This section is meant to test their ability to remain out of sight and move quietly. The exact layout is less critical, and the numbers of the kobolds are meant to be overwhelming. Having them meet a group of 5-8 or 8-10 should convince them they are better off avoiding open conflict if possible.
I think a few small skirmishes are fine, but as they move through the tunnels, the kobolds should increasingly try to fall back and signal a general alarm. It is necessary to prevent them from escaping to do so. Once they do, have them start arriving in ever larger groups. Eventually, they will overwhelm them and take them prisoner. They will tie them all up and transport them to a bone-barred cell in a large central chamber.
The party awake to a large bonfire burning in the center of the chamber. Smaller fires burn around the edges of the chamber. There are large numbers of kobolds singing and chanting as they dance around the fires, casting eerie shadows on the walls and ceiling of the cavern. There is a raised platform on one side of the large fire, and the leaders of the clan sit there feasting.
The festivities last long into the night, and through dawn of the next day, although no sign of daylight reaches the cavern. Anyone understanding kobold will realize that they believe they have done a great service to their red dragon master, and are celebrating their deed. The following evening, they plan to march the party through the caves to the dragon's lair, and turn them over as an offering.
They have failed to disarm or disable the party in any way other than to lock them in a cage. If the characters have sense enough to rest and keep their cool, they will find themselves mostly alone in the middle of the day, with a small number of kobolds (around 20) lying around the large common area asleep or passed out. They can escape the cage with a DC16 strength check, or by picking the lock DC14.
Once free, they will need to escape the cavern and tunnels. With a survival check DC18, they will have been able to determine the direction of the dragon's lair and take their leave in that direction.
I will need to work up some stealth numbers, directional checks, and add some traps, since I feel many of the side tunnels would be riddled with pit traps, net traps, and dart traps. None of them is particularly damaging, since they were designed by kobolds, with little understanding of the larger world and its strength.
The party should realize that their best hope lies in secrecy and stealth. This section is meant to test their ability to remain out of sight and move quietly. The exact layout is less critical, and the numbers of the kobolds are meant to be overwhelming. Having them meet a group of 5-8 or 8-10 should convince them they are better off avoiding open conflict if possible.
I think a few small skirmishes are fine, but as they move through the tunnels, the kobolds should increasingly try to fall back and signal a general alarm. It is necessary to prevent them from escaping to do so. Once they do, have them start arriving in ever larger groups. Eventually, they will overwhelm them and take them prisoner. They will tie them all up and transport them to a bone-barred cell in a large central chamber.
The party awake to a large bonfire burning in the center of the chamber. Smaller fires burn around the edges of the chamber. There are large numbers of kobolds singing and chanting as they dance around the fires, casting eerie shadows on the walls and ceiling of the cavern. There is a raised platform on one side of the large fire, and the leaders of the clan sit there feasting.
The festivities last long into the night, and through dawn of the next day, although no sign of daylight reaches the cavern. Anyone understanding kobold will realize that they believe they have done a great service to their red dragon master, and are celebrating their deed. The following evening, they plan to march the party through the caves to the dragon's lair, and turn them over as an offering.
They have failed to disarm or disable the party in any way other than to lock them in a cage. If the characters have sense enough to rest and keep their cool, they will find themselves mostly alone in the middle of the day, with a small number of kobolds (around 20) lying around the large common area asleep or passed out. They can escape the cage with a DC16 strength check, or by picking the lock DC14.
Once free, they will need to escape the cavern and tunnels. With a survival check DC18, they will have been able to determine the direction of the dragon's lair and take their leave in that direction.
I will need to work up some stealth numbers, directional checks, and add some traps, since I feel many of the side tunnels would be riddled with pit traps, net traps, and dart traps. None of them is particularly damaging, since they were designed by kobolds, with little understanding of the larger world and its strength.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Back to the Kobolds
After dealing with the dragon cult, the party can make their way back toward the crossroads and the trail leading to the kobold den beneath the volcano. They can get away from any stragglers without worry. The copper dragons will swoop down to eliminate any survivors that try to follow them. After the party is gone and back on their own journey, the copper dragons will descend into the valley to eradicate any remaining cultists. They will collapse the tunnels and destroy the fortress, avenging their betrayal and displaying the full extent of their rage with the cultists. Terrible noises will chase the characters on their way back south toward the dragon lair.
Unfortunately, this will also awaken the dragon to trouble stirring in the valley. As the party regains the area near the crossroads, they will be aware of an approaching patrol from the direction of the kobold lair. They can take shelter below the edge of the road among some low scrub trees, successfully staying out of sight with Stealth checks of DC10 or better. As long as half or more succeed, they kobolds pay no heed to the party.
If the party remains hidden, they overhear snippets of talk about "the restless dragon... at least we'll get a break... gone to deal with it, whatever is gone wrong... seems worried about something, given the increased patrols."
They barely pause as they continue past the intersection, down toward the swamp. After a few tense minutes, you hear nothing, and emerge to continue. They can proceed as normal, with a DC15 Perception check alerting them to one or two more patrols as they go, requiring a Stealth DC12 to get off the road and hide, again with half the party succeeding being enough to escape detection.
Before long, a terrible roar will part the night, as a wave of heat passes overhead toward the north. The party freeze in their place, realizing the dragon has just passed over, but it passes quickly given the talk they've overheard from the kobolds.
They can press on more quickly now, and if they choose, can get within a few miles of the kobold lair by morning light. They can find shelter away from the road before dawn, and though without a campfire, they can feel safe throughout much of the day.
Unfortunately, this will also awaken the dragon to trouble stirring in the valley. As the party regains the area near the crossroads, they will be aware of an approaching patrol from the direction of the kobold lair. They can take shelter below the edge of the road among some low scrub trees, successfully staying out of sight with Stealth checks of DC10 or better. As long as half or more succeed, they kobolds pay no heed to the party.
If the party remains hidden, they overhear snippets of talk about "the restless dragon... at least we'll get a break... gone to deal with it, whatever is gone wrong... seems worried about something, given the increased patrols."
They barely pause as they continue past the intersection, down toward the swamp. After a few tense minutes, you hear nothing, and emerge to continue. They can proceed as normal, with a DC15 Perception check alerting them to one or two more patrols as they go, requiring a Stealth DC12 to get off the road and hide, again with half the party succeeding being enough to escape detection.
Before long, a terrible roar will part the night, as a wave of heat passes overhead toward the north. The party freeze in their place, realizing the dragon has just passed over, but it passes quickly given the talk they've overheard from the kobolds.
They can press on more quickly now, and if they choose, can get within a few miles of the kobold lair by morning light. They can find shelter away from the road before dawn, and though without a campfire, they can feel safe throughout much of the day.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Sunday, August 20, 2017
The Main Fortress
This meant that the outer walls could double as the actual main keep. There is a central tower where the head of the cult lives and works. The secondary lieutenants are located in the outer walls of the keep.
There are five spires rising high above the keep, four on the keep's corners, and one from the central tower itself. These spires are spiral staircases rising into the sky, with open roofs. The two buildings open at ground level into a surrounding courtyard. There are also catwalks connecting the roof of the main building and tower above the courtyard.
Friday, August 18, 2017
Cult Encounters
| EN46 | 1367 | 8200 | ||
| Monster | XP Value | Quantity | Multiplier | Total XP |
| Half-Red Dragon Veteran | 1800 | 1 | 1 | 1800 |
| Shadow Demon | 1100 | 1 | 1 | 1100 |
| Revenant | 1800 | 1 | 1 | 1800 |
| Hobgoblin Captain | 700 | 3 | 1 | 2100 |
| Winter Wolf | 700 | 2 | 1 | 1400 |
| EN47 | 2625 | 15750 | ||
| Monster | XP Value | Quantity | Multiplier | Total XP |
| Orc | 100 | 5 | 5 | 2500 |
| Orc Chief | 1100 | 2 | 5 | 11000 |
| Orc Eye of Gruumsh | 450 | 1 | 5 | 2250 |
| 1 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 0 |
These are built up based on a party of 6 characters, so the total 8200 XP for an encounter is worth 1367 per character. In the second encounter table, I added a multiplier (x5) to show the effect of taking a fairly modest battle group and using it multiple times. For this encounter, the point was to generate a generic cluster of monsters to use as groups in the warren of tunnels. These can be varied in number or quantity of certain types, but they are all barely more than faceless minions, and the encounter can be built using a stock set of simple creatures, that just keep coming and coming.
I wasn't sure what to use for cult members, but I think something like this is good enough. In my mind, they are a mix of half-orcs, humans, and orcs, so using an orc template is a good base monster. Same idea with the chiefs - they don't need to be anything specific, just tougher than the run-of-the-mill grunt types. And the Eyes of Gruumsh work as well as anything as generic spell casters. In the end, making up a base party for encounters like this is a quick way to put the encounter together, and keep it simple.
The first encounter is the real encounter. The XP for the Revenant is included, but the party doesn't need to oppose him unless they choose to. I think that if both sides work together to get into the fortress, and achieve their goals, then they are entitled to the experience for making the cooperative effort work. There might even be a cluster of the second style group around as support within the fortress in addition to the big guys.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Aside
Don't have anything really much to add today, but I wanted to put something up. I've been starting to think about something to run for the upcoming Tomb of Annihilation release. We have talked about islands and sea-going adventures for some time, and this provides a stimulus to develop them.
I've started a quick encounter, just to introduce some of the aspects. I think that its important to look at trade between islands as similar to trade between towns on the mainland. The sea routes then become the roads connecting the island settlements. Finding reasons to stop at islands is similar to anything on the road - somewhere to spend the night, find fresh water, make repairs, trade with natives or a small village, etc.
Once you start having reasons to be on the sea, and putting in at the islands, it is easier to build an encounter from there.
I've started a quick encounter, just to introduce some of the aspects. I think that its important to look at trade between islands as similar to trade between towns on the mainland. The sea routes then become the roads connecting the island settlements. Finding reasons to stop at islands is similar to anything on the road - somewhere to spend the night, find fresh water, make repairs, trade with natives or a small village, etc.
Once you start having reasons to be on the sea, and putting in at the islands, it is easier to build an encounter from there.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Tidbits
I'd like to get back to daily updates (it is the blog title, after all). In fairness, I reached a point where I was feeling burnt out, and needed a break. I think the biggest trouble I was facing was that I locked myself into adding to this one encounter daily, so that when I hit a wall, it stopped me cold.
I need to feel comfortable adding generic dungeon commentary as well as information specific to this adventure. Of course, having a break has finally given me some breakthrough into how I want to shape this part of the adventure, so I may not need too much off-topic commentary for now.
I'm still only dealing in general terms, but I think I've got a good fix on what to do here. The guards can be pretty standard orc/bugbear types, although I'd make a good number of the half-orcs to better fit the motif. The acolytes don't need to be anything too developed. Both of these are mostly for stalling the party's advance or for fodder in a fight. They will only really threaten the party by force of numbers. I don't think any quantity needs to be fixed, just have 3 to 5 come at them, and keep coming.
The guards will be more specifically developed. They can be encountered individually in the wild, and that can have ramifications on how the encounter develops, but they don't necessarily need to be unique groups. I think making a stock guard party will be enough, then use as many as they encounter guards.
The acolytes should feature 2 or 3 prominent, higher level casters, but the majority can be generic. Something like Cultists, but I think they are too low level for this encounter. Mixing them into a larger group would work. I'm not sure what the bulk of them should be, I'll have to think about that and look at some numbers. Again, the idea would be to create a stock encounter group of 4-6 characters, and keep throwing them into the fight.
The point with both of these groups is to badger the party, churn through their resources, irritate them. Ideally, they get the point, and move away toward the fortress. These groups will chase them into the tunnels leading to the fortress, but only a small handful (one group, maybe) will pursue them into the tunnels. The guards will return to their posts, the acolytes will mill around near the connecting tunnel, attacking if the party returns. Gradually, they will thin out and go back to business.
I need to feel comfortable adding generic dungeon commentary as well as information specific to this adventure. Of course, having a break has finally given me some breakthrough into how I want to shape this part of the adventure, so I may not need too much off-topic commentary for now.
I'm still only dealing in general terms, but I think I've got a good fix on what to do here. The guards can be pretty standard orc/bugbear types, although I'd make a good number of the half-orcs to better fit the motif. The acolytes don't need to be anything too developed. Both of these are mostly for stalling the party's advance or for fodder in a fight. They will only really threaten the party by force of numbers. I don't think any quantity needs to be fixed, just have 3 to 5 come at them, and keep coming.
The guards will be more specifically developed. They can be encountered individually in the wild, and that can have ramifications on how the encounter develops, but they don't necessarily need to be unique groups. I think making a stock guard party will be enough, then use as many as they encounter guards.
The acolytes should feature 2 or 3 prominent, higher level casters, but the majority can be generic. Something like Cultists, but I think they are too low level for this encounter. Mixing them into a larger group would work. I'm not sure what the bulk of them should be, I'll have to think about that and look at some numbers. Again, the idea would be to create a stock encounter group of 4-6 characters, and keep throwing them into the fight.
The point with both of these groups is to badger the party, churn through their resources, irritate them. Ideally, they get the point, and move away toward the fortress. These groups will chase them into the tunnels leading to the fortress, but only a small handful (one group, maybe) will pursue them into the tunnels. The guards will return to their posts, the acolytes will mill around near the connecting tunnel, attacking if the party returns. Gradually, they will thin out and go back to business.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Entering the Cult Complex
There is a main keep built on the island of rock jutting up alone from the valley floor. It is constructed on the site of the copper dragon nesting grounds, and is only accessible from the air. There is no gate in the surrounding wall. Access is from the air, or from underground. A tunnel connects the main fortress to the main warren of tunnels under the central spur. There I no tunnel connecting the central guard tower to either outpost on outer spurs. They open onto the hillside, but only the central tower is connected to the tunnels.
The warren of tunnels are the home to the acolytes and guards of the complex. The guards tend to remain close to the central tower, or one of the auxiliary ones. The main fortress is reserved for the primary cult leaders. The tunnel to the fortress is alarmed to alert those inside to movement through the tunnel. The courtyard around the central keep within the fortress walls is also alarmed in the same way.
As the party arrives at the mountain pass accessing the valley, they are noted, and followed quietly. A shadow has seen something in them that it hopes to use for its own benefit. The shadow is a Revenant seeking to avenge itself on someone within the complex, and needs the character’s assistance to enter. In return, he will offer to direct them as well as he can to whatever objective they have. As it turns out, the Revenant is seeking the head of the cult as well. He has no means of bypassing the alarms, but knows roughly where they are, and can point them out. Once inside the fortress, he is not aware of any alarms that have been set, but his innate abilities can direct him to the leader.
The leader of the cult currently is a Half-Red Dragon Veteran named Paul Kamina. His mother was Erin, and his father was our grand villain… polymorphed. Erin Kamina fell under the dragon’s spell completely, and became pregnant. She convinced Ran Tethrek to work with her to betray the rest of the party by suggesting some of them were in league with the dragon, and that they needed to eliminate them and open a channel with the copper dragons to avenge the deception. This is what they did.
When she gave birth to Paul, it became obvious that there was a deeper truth behind what Ran had been told. Erin set herself up in the main fortress with Paul and a small group of extremely loyal minions. Ran was left to organize the acolytes and train the guards. He only saw Erin on rare occasions, and Paul was kept out of sight and raised in private. Ran became concerned about the visitors coming to the fortress in secret, and the withering of the connection with the copper dragons. He began to question what Erin’s real motive was, and resent the role he had played in helping her.
Eventually, in the last five years, Paul emerged to assume full control of the cult, and began directing its movements across the mountains searching for relics and powerful artifacts, some dangerous to dragons, some lost benefits. The acolytes in the tunnels were barely tolerated, and treated as second class members, largely ignored. The main power of the cult flowed from within the fortress, and was reaching out its long, greedy tendrils to all corners of the north.
Ran heard the disgruntled rumblings of the acolytes and went to confront Erin. His movement tripped the hidden alarms, and he found Erin frail in her library. He burst in on her, intending to demand answers, only to find himself surrounded by a private guard and Paul. Paul tried to keep him from speaking with Erin, but he brushed him aside and confronted her. She seemed distant and unfocused. He asked for answers and she gave him stares. Paul tried to corral him and shepherd him from the room. He erupted in anger, shoving Paul to the ground and threatening him with a drawn blade. Erin came alert instantly in a powerful rage, and attacked Ran. He took the brunt of her fireball, which killed most of the guards, then lost his mind and savagely attacked Erin, killing her. As he turned to leave, Paul subdued him, and had him executed for his treachery. Now, his revenant seeks to avenge his death against Paul.
Erin had been under the sway of the dragon’s charms and so devoutly consumed by his rage, that she was not easily destroyed. Eager to live forever, she was in preparation for becoming a lich, and barely human any more. In fact, once struck down, the frail body disappeared, and her power and evil manifested itself as a Shadow Demon. She was violent and beyond reason, and locked in her suite in the tower, but still dangerous. Her chambers hold the secret treasure chambers, and much of the powerful items the cult has gathered. Paul either doesn’t know of these chambers, or is so convinced of his own physical presence and might that he cares not.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Roadblocks
I've hit one again. We're at the fortress of the dragon cult, and I stuck... I think there are three elements important to this scenario - the patrols, the tunnels, and the fortress. There are two main patrols supporting three guard outposts, one on each mountain spur. The tunnels hold the bulk of the acolytes serving the cult. They are a warren of lower level trouble, with more powerful leaders mixed in. The third key is the fortress itself. This is where the cult leaders are located, where their powerful treasures are located, and where there defenses are strongest.
I'm still unsure of what to use as the villains here. It seems likely they should be a series of NPCs, but I don't know if that is the way I want to go. I would rather have one or two powerful NPCs with support.
I had thought of orcs, but they seem too low level for the main enemy. I don't know what to use...
I'm still unsure of what to use as the villains here. It seems likely they should be a series of NPCs, but I don't know if that is the way I want to go. I would rather have one or two powerful NPCs with support.
I had thought of orcs, but they seem too low level for the main enemy. I don't know what to use...
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Inside the Dragon Cult
The origin of this enterprise lays with two figures, Ran Tethrik and Erin Kamina, half-orc and human. They founded a temple dedicated to studying the dragon, learning its ways, its strengths and weaknesses, it's style and technique in the air or in battle. The copper dragons felt a kinship with them, and fed them detailed information usually reserved for dragon-kin. They talked with them for long hours, shared secrets and relics of their treasure hoards, and fostered their spread.
As the years went on, the dragons because concerned that the cult was attracting orcs and other evil creatures more akin to red dragon worship than the good alignment of the copper dragons. This alarmed the dragons, and caused them to become guarded in their interactions with the cultists. Gradually, they settled into an unspoken truce. The cultists were content to keep their practices secret, and the dragons became content to sit high on the hills and watch.
That sets the backdrop for the evolution of the cult. The question, though, is what makes it up now? Are they human or orcs, or a combination of them and others? Another question on my mind is when this group formed (how long ago)? What happened with Ran and Erin, and who is in charge now?
Part of me thinks the cult works best as a group of human and orc types. They can be either, they can be any class, and various levels. Another thought, and this one might go too far, is for Erin to have become a lich or demi-lich, and still be in command. If I wanted to be cruel, Ran could be a death knight as well. I think both are too powerful, but maybe a lesser undead presence would fit.
Another thought would be for them to have had falling out... maybe she was seduced by the red dragon's power and hatched the plot to betray the party and win the allegiance of the copper dragons to get an artifact from them feared by the red dragon. He didn't see her alliance with the red dragon, and began to resent the change in her. She became more evil, he became more scared. Eventually they fought, and either he left or was destroyed by her. Some shade of him could linger in the hills or the fortress, an prove a boon to the party's success against the cult.
As the years went on, the dragons because concerned that the cult was attracting orcs and other evil creatures more akin to red dragon worship than the good alignment of the copper dragons. This alarmed the dragons, and caused them to become guarded in their interactions with the cultists. Gradually, they settled into an unspoken truce. The cultists were content to keep their practices secret, and the dragons became content to sit high on the hills and watch.
That sets the backdrop for the evolution of the cult. The question, though, is what makes it up now? Are they human or orcs, or a combination of them and others? Another question on my mind is when this group formed (how long ago)? What happened with Ran and Erin, and who is in charge now?
Part of me thinks the cult works best as a group of human and orc types. They can be either, they can be any class, and various levels. Another thought, and this one might go too far, is for Erin to have become a lich or demi-lich, and still be in command. If I wanted to be cruel, Ran could be a death knight as well. I think both are too powerful, but maybe a lesser undead presence would fit.
Another thought would be for them to have had falling out... maybe she was seduced by the red dragon's power and hatched the plot to betray the party and win the allegiance of the copper dragons to get an artifact from them feared by the red dragon. He didn't see her alliance with the red dragon, and began to resent the change in her. She became more evil, he became more scared. Eventually they fought, and either he left or was destroyed by her. Some shade of him could linger in the hills or the fortress, an prove a boon to the party's success against the cult.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Overlooking the Complex
Without the assistance of the copper dragon, the party must locate the valley with the cultist' compound in it. The trail they are following runs to the northwest into the steepest spires of the Iron Teeth massed to the west. It is a feeder trail for the slaad, in particular, although other trade between the Iron Teeth and the giant strongholds of the eastern mountains has used this route long before the slaad arrived.
The valley of the cultists is not easy to find, but even a reasonable perception roll (DC15), or survival roll will note an eerie watchfulness to the north of the trail as the party passes the valley to its south. There is not a visible route toward the valley, they will need to move across country to get there, but the sense is palpable enough that they won't miss the valley, but making them roll until they are successful can give a location to send them into the valley from.
I think five points should be enough to be interesting (I'll add entry points to the map I sketched and include it again). The first point is early awareness, and allows choice over the first two points noted on the map. Successive rolls move the entry further along, with anything more than five bringing them to the final access point on the map. If the number of failed attempts is too great (say, seven or more), have them locate the final access point but at nightfall, rather than mid-afternoon. This will force them into the mountains at night, or to make camp before entering and exploring the valley, causing its own worries and a night encounter from something. All of which increases the chance of discovery and the likelihood of raising an alarm within the cultist complex.
Access point one brings the party into a high pass that gives them a chance to notice all of the patrols on the mountainside. They can then decide the approach they wish to use to enter the valley. They notice the regular guards on a perception (DC14) and the secret patrol on a perception (DC20). Survival can also be substituted for perception for anyone skilled in it. Access points 4 and 5 are on the far side of the valley, which has steep, difficult paths to negotiate. With successful stealth/survival rolls (DC20), they can avoid detection and reach the guard outpost on the isolated spine, but they still are separated from the main complex.
The valley of the cultists is not easy to find, but even a reasonable perception roll (DC15), or survival roll will note an eerie watchfulness to the north of the trail as the party passes the valley to its south. There is not a visible route toward the valley, they will need to move across country to get there, but the sense is palpable enough that they won't miss the valley, but making them roll until they are successful can give a location to send them into the valley from.I think five points should be enough to be interesting (I'll add entry points to the map I sketched and include it again). The first point is early awareness, and allows choice over the first two points noted on the map. Successive rolls move the entry further along, with anything more than five bringing them to the final access point on the map. If the number of failed attempts is too great (say, seven or more), have them locate the final access point but at nightfall, rather than mid-afternoon. This will force them into the mountains at night, or to make camp before entering and exploring the valley, causing its own worries and a night encounter from something. All of which increases the chance of discovery and the likelihood of raising an alarm within the cultist complex.
Access point one brings the party into a high pass that gives them a chance to notice all of the patrols on the mountainside. They can then decide the approach they wish to use to enter the valley. They notice the regular guards on a perception (DC14) and the secret patrol on a perception (DC20). Survival can also be substituted for perception for anyone skilled in it. Access points 4 and 5 are on the far side of the valley, which has steep, difficult paths to negotiate. With successful stealth/survival rolls (DC20), they can avoid detection and reach the guard outpost on the isolated spine, but they still are separated from the main complex.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Camping beyond the Crossroads
The copper dragon will attempt to convince you to come with him to deal with the cultists. If the party chooses to fight the dragon, play it out. The dragon is reluctant to do combat with the party, but will assuredly defend itself. It will fight for a round or two, but then take to the air and fly off toward the northwest, denouncing the party as villainous and reprehensible for their actions.
The dragon will take to the skies angrily, and fly off to stew. Eventually, it will calm and shadow the party if they continue toward the cultists' complex. It will not interact with the party directly, but will try to protect their approach by intercepting any enemies along the way.
If the party decide to take the offer made by the copper dragon, it will agree to lead them. The dragon will take them a couple of hours northwest on the trail, and show them a secure location to camp for the night. If the party follows its' lead, they will not have any trouble in the night (the dragon hunts), and will awake fully recovered in the morning. Without the dragon's guidance, they will not find the secure location, and will risk discovery by passing groups in the night.
Two groups will pass by, first a trio of blue slaad making their way to the swamp. Have the slaad and any awake characters on watch roll perception checks. DC20 will notice the other group, DC10 or less will reveal a group's position whether they notice or not. The second group is a band of orcs on the hunt through the mountains. It is unusual to find them on the trail, but they are using it as a reference moving toward the crossroads, and will break away from it once past that.
The orcs consist of 5 generic orcs, and an orc war chief. They are actively scanning the area as they march, so a perception DC12 will reveal the PCs to them. The PCs can notice the orcs while they are still 80 feet away with a perception DC18. Otherwise, they will notice them within 20 feet, but not have time to awaken anyone prior to rolling initiative.
If either of these battles goes really badly, the copper dragon will sweep in to help win the fight, but will not stick around afterward for anything less than a truly inspirational moment.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
At the Crossroads
After finally climbing up out of the last dregs of the quagmire passing for a swamp in the foothills of the eastern slope of the volcano, the faint traces of a path continuing up the exposed hillside toward the volcano can be found and followed. The slaad village pointed you in this direction, either from information gathered from them or from searching their remains. Ahead of you is a hundred mile trek up into the mountains, with the scarred, smoking peak of the volcano lying straight ahead. There are many ridges and difficult terrain ahead, but the way is clear and the land rises before you toward your goal.
The path appears to lead in that direction. Moving forward along it, you are able to make out prints indicating regular use, but they appear to be slaadi, with a few orc-like prints mixed in. After a couple of hours, you sense the trail is shifting slightly to the north. Before long, there appears to be a drop off to the right of the trail, and the trail itself appears to drop over it a few hundred yards ahead of you.
If the party approaches with caution, give them advantage on their perception rolls as they crest the ridge. There is a crossroads 500 feet down the hillside. The trail continues past the crossroads, but turns more directly north, and away from the volcano. A smaller trail crosses it, leading along the inner ridge of the valley more due west. To the right, it appears to drop rapidly down a steep hillside to the northeast toward the plain far below.
At this point, the party will have to decide where they wish to go. The information they gathered in the swamp suggests that they may be able to gain entry to the dragon's lair through a kobold lair located on the northern slope of the volcano. It also mentioned the presence of a cult of dragon worshippers in the mountains to the north of the volcano. A successful survival check (DC12) will believe the kobolds can be found along the crossing path, while the trail you have been following will lead to the cultists. There is evidence of heavier travel north toward the cultists.
Perception (DC16) rolls will reveal the presence of a lone figure huddled to the northwest of the crossroads in a curve of exposed ledge, apparently waiting. Undiscovered, it will hail the party at the crossroad as they decide which way to go. Either way, it will step forward revealing itself to be a tall humanoid, cloaked in a heavy, copper-colored cloak, drawn closely around its face. As it rises, it shakes off a great cloud of dust as if it had been waiting for a long time.
The traveler is actually a copper dragon disguised as a human hunter. It has been waiting for a party to come along that it believes can help its cause. It will approach with friendly, although guarded, intentions. It offers to treat the party to a meal and rest at its shelter a mile up the road and into the pines that are growing on the northern slope as it drops back toward the plain below. If they refuse, it will offer to lunch with them at the crossroads, though it cautions them about the risk of kobolds and orcs traveling along these same paths.
Unless it is directly attacked, the copper dragon will persevere until it has the party's attention. It will make it known that it opposes the red dragon, and would like to see it defeated or driven away. It will encourage the party to visit the temple of the dragon cult before heading to the volcano. The cult is dangerous and readying some action aimed at increasing the power of the red dragon, and must be stopped. The dragon will also mention that the cultists are in possession of an item that could be useful in helping defeat the red dragon.
The path appears to lead in that direction. Moving forward along it, you are able to make out prints indicating regular use, but they appear to be slaadi, with a few orc-like prints mixed in. After a couple of hours, you sense the trail is shifting slightly to the north. Before long, there appears to be a drop off to the right of the trail, and the trail itself appears to drop over it a few hundred yards ahead of you.
If the party approaches with caution, give them advantage on their perception rolls as they crest the ridge. There is a crossroads 500 feet down the hillside. The trail continues past the crossroads, but turns more directly north, and away from the volcano. A smaller trail crosses it, leading along the inner ridge of the valley more due west. To the right, it appears to drop rapidly down a steep hillside to the northeast toward the plain far below.
At this point, the party will have to decide where they wish to go. The information they gathered in the swamp suggests that they may be able to gain entry to the dragon's lair through a kobold lair located on the northern slope of the volcano. It also mentioned the presence of a cult of dragon worshippers in the mountains to the north of the volcano. A successful survival check (DC12) will believe the kobolds can be found along the crossing path, while the trail you have been following will lead to the cultists. There is evidence of heavier travel north toward the cultists.
Perception (DC16) rolls will reveal the presence of a lone figure huddled to the northwest of the crossroads in a curve of exposed ledge, apparently waiting. Undiscovered, it will hail the party at the crossroad as they decide which way to go. Either way, it will step forward revealing itself to be a tall humanoid, cloaked in a heavy, copper-colored cloak, drawn closely around its face. As it rises, it shakes off a great cloud of dust as if it had been waiting for a long time.
The traveler is actually a copper dragon disguised as a human hunter. It has been waiting for a party to come along that it believes can help its cause. It will approach with friendly, although guarded, intentions. It offers to treat the party to a meal and rest at its shelter a mile up the road and into the pines that are growing on the northern slope as it drops back toward the plain below. If they refuse, it will offer to lunch with them at the crossroads, though it cautions them about the risk of kobolds and orcs traveling along these same paths.
Unless it is directly attacked, the copper dragon will persevere until it has the party's attention. It will make it known that it opposes the red dragon, and would like to see it defeated or driven away. It will encourage the party to visit the temple of the dragon cult before heading to the volcano. The cult is dangerous and readying some action aimed at increasing the power of the red dragon, and must be stopped. The dragon will also mention that the cultists are in possession of an item that could be useful in helping defeat the red dragon.
Friday, August 4, 2017
Cult Backstory
Copper dragons and red dragons have long been adversaries. The copper dragons like the high hilly terrain west of Aron's Bowl, and have long lived within a broad valley sheltered within the high mountains surrounding it. Many years ago, two adventurers entered the valley as members of a party slaying dragons. The coppers had word of them, and hid in their caves. The reputation of the party was grim.
Erin Kamina and her best friend Ran Tethrek began adventuring as young people. Erin was in her thirties when she started out into the wild, a wizard finally out of the academy, and itching to impact the world. Ran was younger, mid twenties as far as he knew, a half-orc raised on the fringes of civilized society. He didn’t like to admit it, but he felt a touch of blood lust, and yearned to savage anything he could. He was not readily welcomed in most adventuring circles because of his looks and wild nature. Erin was often dismissed as old, and weak, and out of touch. They found each other, accepted their differences as a bond that couldn’t be shaken, and joined forces against the world. They quickly made their fortunes, and a strong reputation for success in their endeavors. Once shunned, they became sought after for adventuring groups. In time, the call came for a dragon quest. It was to change their fortunes.
The adventuring party had been making their way through the mountains, slaughtering any dragon they could hunt down. They had made a name for themselves coming up from the southeast, killing several dragons - white, blue, and if you believed rumor, even a gold. There was a terrible commotion in the volcano to the south of the coppers valley two weeks prior to their arrival in the valley. The coppers were hopeful they had driven the red off, and some hopeful that it was dead, when the party arrived in the valley. This made them slightly less cautious than they should have been.
Concern grew as the party advanced on a central promontory that had long served as a nesting site for the coppers. The eggs would be cared for their under the watchful eyes of coppers ringing the valley protectively from the high encircling hills. Three of the party advanced on the promontory while two stayed back. Suddenly, as the coppers were poised to come to the defense of their nest, a massive red dragon swooped down into the valley from the direction the party had come, and unleashed a cloud of flame that enveloped the three out ahead as well as the nesting area. A great cloud of smoke and flame hid the terrible battle from view, but in the end, the dragon rose and soared away, leaving burning carnage in its wake.
The two stragglers had taken cover, and hidden from the dragon's assault. Eventually, the coppers came down out of the mountains to assess the damage, and to unmask the two characters they had watched hide. The nesting site was a smoking ruin, and thankfully, had not been in use at the time of the attack, but the coppers no longer wanted anything to do with it. The two members of the defeated party, Erin and Ran, threw down their weapons and surrendered, begging to be spared. With their hatred of reds, and having witnessed the destruction of their nesting grounds as well as the party members, they took pity. Erin and Ran threw themselves at the mercy of the dragons, and swore off adventuring, asking to stay and learn from the dragons.
The coppers consulted, and thinking they could work together, offered to provide the two with a sanctuary to study in and be safe while drawing together the resources they needed in their study. They also suggested that a way could be found to avenge the loss of their party members and seek revenge in one last dragon attack against the evil red that had attacked them. They all agreed, and a fortification was erected on the promontory for their use. The nesting grounds were relocated to a more secure (and secret) location. The group sent out word and rapidly grew.
In time an unease grew around the coppers, as they began to suspect treachery among their new neighbors. They slunk into the background and watched. The cult grew and expanded their fortifications, mostly underground. They maintained a neutral external presence, but became more secretive. The coppers suspected their intentions. They also suspect the two made an alliance with the red to expose and destroy the rest of their party, gain the confidence of the coppers, and wait for a signal to trigger some trap against them.
The dragon cult have an item they will use against the copper dragons when the time is right to act, an item dangerous to any dragon. The cultists came to the area claiming to seek the coppers’ alliance against the red, though in fact working with the red to undermine them. The copper dragons are keeping a watch on the cultists - preparing to attack, waiting for the cultists to make their move. They both think the other is not aware of their motives. The coppers began suspecting the cultists’ true allegiance and have become watchful. The cultists have become increasingly secretive.
Erin Kamina and her best friend Ran Tethrek began adventuring as young people. Erin was in her thirties when she started out into the wild, a wizard finally out of the academy, and itching to impact the world. Ran was younger, mid twenties as far as he knew, a half-orc raised on the fringes of civilized society. He didn’t like to admit it, but he felt a touch of blood lust, and yearned to savage anything he could. He was not readily welcomed in most adventuring circles because of his looks and wild nature. Erin was often dismissed as old, and weak, and out of touch. They found each other, accepted their differences as a bond that couldn’t be shaken, and joined forces against the world. They quickly made their fortunes, and a strong reputation for success in their endeavors. Once shunned, they became sought after for adventuring groups. In time, the call came for a dragon quest. It was to change their fortunes.
The adventuring party had been making their way through the mountains, slaughtering any dragon they could hunt down. They had made a name for themselves coming up from the southeast, killing several dragons - white, blue, and if you believed rumor, even a gold. There was a terrible commotion in the volcano to the south of the coppers valley two weeks prior to their arrival in the valley. The coppers were hopeful they had driven the red off, and some hopeful that it was dead, when the party arrived in the valley. This made them slightly less cautious than they should have been.
Concern grew as the party advanced on a central promontory that had long served as a nesting site for the coppers. The eggs would be cared for their under the watchful eyes of coppers ringing the valley protectively from the high encircling hills. Three of the party advanced on the promontory while two stayed back. Suddenly, as the coppers were poised to come to the defense of their nest, a massive red dragon swooped down into the valley from the direction the party had come, and unleashed a cloud of flame that enveloped the three out ahead as well as the nesting area. A great cloud of smoke and flame hid the terrible battle from view, but in the end, the dragon rose and soared away, leaving burning carnage in its wake.
The two stragglers had taken cover, and hidden from the dragon's assault. Eventually, the coppers came down out of the mountains to assess the damage, and to unmask the two characters they had watched hide. The nesting site was a smoking ruin, and thankfully, had not been in use at the time of the attack, but the coppers no longer wanted anything to do with it. The two members of the defeated party, Erin and Ran, threw down their weapons and surrendered, begging to be spared. With their hatred of reds, and having witnessed the destruction of their nesting grounds as well as the party members, they took pity. Erin and Ran threw themselves at the mercy of the dragons, and swore off adventuring, asking to stay and learn from the dragons.
The coppers consulted, and thinking they could work together, offered to provide the two with a sanctuary to study in and be safe while drawing together the resources they needed in their study. They also suggested that a way could be found to avenge the loss of their party members and seek revenge in one last dragon attack against the evil red that had attacked them. They all agreed, and a fortification was erected on the promontory for their use. The nesting grounds were relocated to a more secure (and secret) location. The group sent out word and rapidly grew.
In time an unease grew around the coppers, as they began to suspect treachery among their new neighbors. They slunk into the background and watched. The cult grew and expanded their fortifications, mostly underground. They maintained a neutral external presence, but became more secretive. The coppers suspected their intentions. They also suspect the two made an alliance with the red to expose and destroy the rest of their party, gain the confidence of the coppers, and wait for a signal to trigger some trap against them.
The dragon cult have an item they will use against the copper dragons when the time is right to act, an item dangerous to any dragon. The cultists came to the area claiming to seek the coppers’ alliance against the red, though in fact working with the red to undermine them. The copper dragons are keeping a watch on the cultists - preparing to attack, waiting for the cultists to make their move. They both think the other is not aware of their motives. The coppers began suspecting the cultists’ true allegiance and have become watchful. The cultists have become increasingly secretive.
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Dragon Effects
What are the lair effects of a red dragon, and how can they manifest in interesting ways?
Lair Actions (occur on init count 20) - can't use the same action twice in a row:
-magma erupts from the ground within 120' creating 20' high geyser with a 5' radius. DC15 Dex ST, 6d6 fire damage or half
-tremor shakes the lair in 60' radius, DC15 Dex ST or knocked prone
-volcanic gases form in 20' radius sphere within 120', lasts until next round, DC13 Con ST or poisoned until the end of its turn, incapacitated
Regional Effects - one or more of the following (fade 1d10 days after dragon's death)
-small earthquakes are common within 6 miles of the lair
-water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally warm and tainted by sulphur
-rocky fissures within 1 mile of the lair form portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire, allowing elemental fire creatures to enter
Ok, I seem to be developing the end game for this adventure path from the end back to where the party is. That is fine. Frankly, I think it is the best way to design any encounter or run of encounters where you expect them to play critical roles in the adventure. This is simple to explain, the essence is to create the monster, give them a home and a habitat, a reason to be where they are, then explain how they'll defend themselves. It creates a believable scenario, believable intelligent acting adversaries, and a playable defense for an encounter that matters.
The lair actions and regional effects are essential for properly playing the area approaching the lair. I've just pulled the info straight from the MM. I think I will tweak the regional effects to expand their impact. The following is a detail of the area in question.
I've left enough to the east to show the location of the swamp and the direction of the Slaad village. In fact, the party will probably pick up their journey at the red dot on the right, 100 miles from the volcano's peak.
The white cross is the actual peak of the volcano. The entrance to the dragon's lair is on the southwestern slope, with the entrance to the kobold lair on the northeastern slope. I've added trails that are likely in play (note that the Dragon Cult has no direct connection to the volcano or the kobolds. They are at the fringe and slightly separate, though I have decided how or why yet. I feel there should be something at the center red dot, fifty miles from the swamp to the peak. My thought is for the party to start toward the peak, divert to the cult, then return to the kobold lair to enter the mountain.
The kobolds have a warren of tunnels and dens, with a series of natural caves and tunnels through the heart of the volcano leading to the dragon's lair. I think any part of the mountain, at least under it, will be subject to the regional effects of the lair. The kobolds sit at the outer limit of this effect, and it is part of the reason approach through their lair into the dragon lair can be made without alerting the dragon directly.
I need to map the cult fortification complex, the kobold lair, the volcano, the dragon's lair, and create an encounter for the fifty mile mark. At least the game is closing in on completion. I think I need to stat out the actual red dragon, and the leaders of the cult. The rest of the areas can be stocked with more generic entries, although the fifty mile encounter should feature something specific rather than general.
Lair Actions (occur on init count 20) - can't use the same action twice in a row:
-magma erupts from the ground within 120' creating 20' high geyser with a 5' radius. DC15 Dex ST, 6d6 fire damage or half
-tremor shakes the lair in 60' radius, DC15 Dex ST or knocked prone
-volcanic gases form in 20' radius sphere within 120', lasts until next round, DC13 Con ST or poisoned until the end of its turn, incapacitated
Regional Effects - one or more of the following (fade 1d10 days after dragon's death)
-small earthquakes are common within 6 miles of the lair
-water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally warm and tainted by sulphur
-rocky fissures within 1 mile of the lair form portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire, allowing elemental fire creatures to enter
Ok, I seem to be developing the end game for this adventure path from the end back to where the party is. That is fine. Frankly, I think it is the best way to design any encounter or run of encounters where you expect them to play critical roles in the adventure. This is simple to explain, the essence is to create the monster, give them a home and a habitat, a reason to be where they are, then explain how they'll defend themselves. It creates a believable scenario, believable intelligent acting adversaries, and a playable defense for an encounter that matters.
The lair actions and regional effects are essential for properly playing the area approaching the lair. I've just pulled the info straight from the MM. I think I will tweak the regional effects to expand their impact. The following is a detail of the area in question.
The white cross is the actual peak of the volcano. The entrance to the dragon's lair is on the southwestern slope, with the entrance to the kobold lair on the northeastern slope. I've added trails that are likely in play (note that the Dragon Cult has no direct connection to the volcano or the kobolds. They are at the fringe and slightly separate, though I have decided how or why yet. I feel there should be something at the center red dot, fifty miles from the swamp to the peak. My thought is for the party to start toward the peak, divert to the cult, then return to the kobold lair to enter the mountain.
The kobolds have a warren of tunnels and dens, with a series of natural caves and tunnels through the heart of the volcano leading to the dragon's lair. I think any part of the mountain, at least under it, will be subject to the regional effects of the lair. The kobolds sit at the outer limit of this effect, and it is part of the reason approach through their lair into the dragon lair can be made without alerting the dragon directly.
I need to map the cult fortification complex, the kobold lair, the volcano, the dragon's lair, and create an encounter for the fifty mile mark. At least the game is closing in on completion. I think I need to stat out the actual red dragon, and the leaders of the cult. The rest of the areas can be stocked with more generic entries, although the fifty mile encounter should feature something specific rather than general.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Kobold Lair
Thi is a more challenging encounter to develop. The kobold's serve the dragon within its lair. The dragon clearly has no real need for them, they only serve to bloat its ego. I suppose they also amuse the dragon, as well. As such, the kobold lair is a separate location from the lair, even though they are connected.
The dragon lair also has lair effects that impact the surrounding countryside. These can be felt in the mountains around the kobold lair. This complicates this area, encounter-wise. The kobold lair needs to be developed, the dragon lair needs to be developed, and the lair effects structured in some fashion to allow their easy use. Then, all three need to be balanced with and against each other. This is a complicated endeavor.
I'm not sure what the best method is. I think in real terms it will mean developing them one at a time, and refining each as others get going. That probably means several attempts at each of these with a final smoothing necessary in the end.
In terms of game play, my plan for the kobolds is to develop a busy maze of tunnels that will present challenges to players in terms of traps, dead ends, etc. My thought (with a party of 8th or higher level characters, kobolds aren't much challenge in a fight) is to have a warren of tunnels that the party needs to navigate stealthily. The intent to avoid combat, and thus to avoid alerting the entire clan and the dragon to the party's entrance.
The kobold lair is an entry point to the dragon lair that is relatively "unguarded." They can get to the dragon directly in its lair with an element of surprise by moving through the kobolds. This could allow them to get close, or even approach the dragon's lair when it is out, allowing them to set a defense to spring when it returns. A lot of this hinges on getting past the kobolds without raising much of an alarm.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Dragon Cult
This is a rough sketch to get started on a general layout. The slaad have information on the geography, the location of the two main guard outposts on the left outcropping and the main spur of the mountain. They aren't aware of the guard on the eastern spur.
They also know of a patrol on the northwestern slopes, and along the valley floor around the main keep. There is another patrol in the higher reaches of the main spur that they never detected. It is a high patrol, and observes more than interacts. They have magical means of communicating directly with the innermost circle of guards. If they see anyone coming, they will alert them, but not give any other warning.
This helps the leaders demonstrate greater power, by "sensing" the approach of intruders even before the guards or patrols notice. If the party specifically mention taking a high pass approach to the outpost, they can spot the secret patrol on a Perception (DC22) check. Any similar action looking for someone while high on the spur gets the same roll.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Information
What do the slaad know of the cultists or the kobolds? Excellent question. The power of the volcano calls to the slaad, and draws them to its heart. Because of this, they frequently visit the feet of the volcano, searching for entrance, and probing every hole or crevice in an effort to find a way in.
They fear the dragon, but little else, and visit in the night to learn its secrets. They have discovered the entrance to the kobold lair, and begun gathering info about their coming and going, looking for a way to exploit it.
The cultists are further away, but many of the slaad passed near it following the call to the portal in their village. Their journey gave them a good view of the location (otherwise unknown), layout of the approach (including guard locations), and a sense of movement (including patrols). Their knowledge of it is passive, though, garnered from shared observation that is increasingly outdated. It should be enough to arouse the players' interest, and suggest they visit before going to the lair itself.
If the party fight the slaad instead of communicating with them, this information can be found in the green slaad chief's hut in the form of crude maps and sketchy info. He was gathering information for the giants, who had begun taking an interest in the movement of the dragon cult, and its connection with the kobolds serving the dragon, as well as the dragon itself.
There is also a cryptic reference to something at the cult location that is being prepared for the dragon. What that is can't be discovered from the slaad, but should encourage the party to explore further. There is no map of a trail leading out of the swamp, only a direction of travel for each location. Actual inspection outside of the village will reveal a path leading toward the swamp's edge, but more toward the mountain and the entrance to the kobold lair.
They fear the dragon, but little else, and visit in the night to learn its secrets. They have discovered the entrance to the kobold lair, and begun gathering info about their coming and going, looking for a way to exploit it.
The cultists are further away, but many of the slaad passed near it following the call to the portal in their village. Their journey gave them a good view of the location (otherwise unknown), layout of the approach (including guard locations), and a sense of movement (including patrols). Their knowledge of it is passive, though, garnered from shared observation that is increasingly outdated. It should be enough to arouse the players' interest, and suggest they visit before going to the lair itself.
If the party fight the slaad instead of communicating with them, this information can be found in the green slaad chief's hut in the form of crude maps and sketchy info. He was gathering information for the giants, who had begun taking an interest in the movement of the dragon cult, and its connection with the kobolds serving the dragon, as well as the dragon itself.
There is also a cryptic reference to something at the cult location that is being prepared for the dragon. What that is can't be discovered from the slaad, but should encourage the party to explore further. There is no map of a trail leading out of the swamp, only a direction of travel for each location. Actual inspection outside of the village will reveal a path leading toward the swamp's edge, but more toward the mountain and the entrance to the kobold lair.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Slaad Motivation
The slaad have been drawn to this location because of the portal to Limbo opened by the chaotic thermal energy generated by the volcanic flows beneath the swamp. Something about it resonates within the control stone lodged in their skulls, drawing them to this spot to commune with the portal.Coming from several locations, they have amassed a great deal of information about the creatures of the surrounding area. Most notably, they know the location of the dragon cultists, and the entrance to the kobold lair. As a rule, they prefer to devour and infect their prey rather than communicate with them, so this presents an obstacle to overcome. Possessing the control gem, the party can direct the actions of the head of the green slaadi. If a fight breaks out, they can still control the green slaad's actions, but they won't be able to glean specific information about the cultists or the kobolds.
There is still a chance for them to gain partial info about both by searching the hut of the green chief.
There is still a chance for them to gain partial info about both by searching the hut of the green chief.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Slaad Village
On the rough lower slopes, there are a cluster of green slaad huts. The exposed lava tube rising above them is wound round with a rough trail leading to a dwelling built into tube itself.
The path the party has followed leads in a sweeping turn into a cluster of buildings. There are roads curling off to the right and left, each looping into itself with huts lining them. At the center of each cluster is a principal "family hut" of larger size. The huts get more substantial with the evolutionary cycles.
There is a second peak beyond the Grey Slaad's hut that is sacred to the village. It is a portal to the plane of Limbo, and can be used to summon a Death Slaad. The Grey Slaad will sacrifice a green slaad to open the portal (there is a 20% chance the green slaad will turn on the grey and try to sacrifice him in order to usurp his position.
The green slaad chief had the stone in its head taken by a cultist some time ago. They turned it over to the fire giants. It is the stone that the players have recovered and been carrying. The green stone gives the holder control over the green slaad chief. Without an Arcana or Nature check (DC20), they will not realize its power unless an occasion arises in battle where it will obey them.
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