Indoor Plumbing? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Indoor Plumbing? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
TacoClone
01-14-07, 11:25 PM Alright, so, I made my first adventure for my PCs the other day and got to play it with them today. Unfortunately, I have no idea if what I did would even really be possible. I had them flee into the sewers to escape an attack from the Blood of Vol on an ally. If Vol's forced had found the PCs, they would have died as well, which is why they fled into the sewers by a higher level NPC's demand to protect them. (most of that is unimportant to the question, I was just telling you why they were forced into the sewers).

So, my question is, does Sharn (or any other major city for that matter) have sewers on its many levels? And also, does it have indoor plumbing?

NOTE: Sewers could be usable without the indoor plumbing, but having the plumbing would make several things in the sewer that I put more likely, like a boiler room that was part of the heating system for Upper Dura's water...

And thoughts would be happily taken.
Cabral
01-15-07, 02:06 AM I can't see how Sharn can have its massive towers without indoor plumbing. Otherwise, do you empty the chamberpot out of the 50th story window or take a jog down to the outhouse?
Thanqol
01-15-07, 03:39 AM The City of Towers book specifically mentions that Sharn has a very complex sewer system :)
Aaron L
01-15-07, 04:21 AM And considering that the Romans had indoor plumbing, it makes it even easier to say that it's probably pretty common in the cities to have flushing toilets and such.
Cabral
01-15-07, 04:34 AM IIRC, Crete had indoor plumbing. I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I think the first occurance of indoor plumbing (that we know about) was 3,000 or 300 B.C.
Cifer
01-15-07, 09:07 AM Yay for indoor plumbing (at least in the better parts of town) and sewers!

D&D mostly assumes that major cities have sewers - that's where wererats and the less successful thieves guilds usually hide.
goblin_pride
01-15-07, 10:41 AM IIRC, Crete had indoor plumbing. I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I think the first occurance of indoor plumbing (that we know about) was 3,000 or 300 B.C.

Mohenjo Daro(sp) had indoor plumbing and a complex sewer system circa 4500 BCE, assuming you believe the dating of that city.
spyone
01-15-07, 11:46 AM At some point all societies decide that foot-travel and sewage drainage are specialized tasks that probably would be best handled by seperate means. :)

At the small scale, some stuff can soak into the ground. Once you start paving the roads, you can put in raised stones for pedestrians to keep them out of the stuff in the gutter. But after a while, your roads begin to resemble rivers. Well, not rivers, but .... well, sewers, really.

I have trouble imagining a city of any significant size (like Sharn) that hasn't put the sewage underground. And yes, I find it likely that a lot of other infrastructure stuff (like a "water heater" would eb stuck down below street-level too.

so, it seems you did good. :)
goblin_pride
01-15-07, 12:15 PM On the other hand, if you take out the sewers, the chamberpot and window method makes living in the lower parts of the city look a bit less attractive.
TacoClone
01-15-07, 12:26 PM I figured so, but I couldn't find mention of it anywhere. (probably because bodily waste isn't very attractive and most people wouldn't want to think about it).

But, thanks for reassuring that I didn't make a mistake. ^_^

However, do you think a crocodile could be found in the sewers? I was thinking of throwing one in a little bit for laughs, but to give my PCs the little bit of exp they need to level up.
goblin_pride
01-15-07, 12:44 PM However, do you think a crocodile could be found in the sewers? I was thinking of throwing one in a little bit for laughs, but to give my PCs the little bit of exp they need to level up.

Dude, you gotta make it an alligator, and it can't be a run-of-the-mill alligator, it's gotta be a huge mother. If your players don't get the joke, start renting the crappy old B movies instead of playing Eberron for a couple weeks.
Bluebrush
01-15-07, 03:04 PM On the other hand, if you take out the sewers, the chamberpot and window method makes living in the lower parts of the city look a bit less attractive.True enough, but really you have to ask yourself if rivers of poop in the street adds to the game more than a reasonably plausible dungeon only a manhole cover away from your players.

You could always play it both ways. Have the nice parts of town have good plumbing, whereas the poor areas have to rely on open sewers which eventually drain into the underground sewers.
Especially in Sharn, where installing new sewer systems in the depths is going to be an absolute nightmare.
Cifer
01-15-07, 04:47 PM On the other hand, if you take out the sewers, the chamberpot and window method makes living in the lower parts of the city look a bit less attractive.
Now guess where that uptown sewer leads to...
MartM
01-15-07, 04:56 PM Dude, you gotta make it an alligator, and it can't be a run-of-the-mill alligator, it's gotta be a huge mother. If your players don't get the joke, start renting the crappy old B movies instead of playing Eberron for a couple weeks.

I don't remember where, but there is written somewhere that the maintenance of the sewer system is made by wandering Ooze...
Alex_
01-15-07, 06:09 PM However, do you think a crocodile could be found in the sewers? I was thinking of throwing one in a little bit for laughs, but to give my PCs the little bit of exp they need to level up.

How about mutants? Or even better...

A gang consisting of a quartet of Kappa monk/fighters led by a Wererat monk.
TacoClone
01-15-07, 06:15 PM How about mutants? Or even better...

A gang consisting of a quartet of Kappa monk/fighters led by a Wererat monk.

Oddly, I'm okay with this.

That might be a weird and funny side quest for my PCs. :tongue:
Aaron L
01-15-07, 09:01 PM And don't forget Otyughs. Gotta have Poo-Poo beasts.
spyone
01-16-07, 08:42 AM The Webcomic Girl Genius (www.girlgeniusonline.com) by Phil Foglio (famously of Dragon's What's New with Phil and Dixie) had a bit a while ago with an expedition into the sewers and 2 expert guides.
Quite good. Worth a look. Includes horrible monsters and such.

Edit: the good parts start here, and this strip is a gem itself: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/cgi-bin/ggmain.cgi?date=20060501

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
TacoClone 01-14-07, 11:25 PM	Alright, so, I made my first adventure for my PCs the other day and got to play it with them today. Unfortunately, I have no idea if what I did would even really be possible. I had them flee into the sewers to escape an attack from the Blood of Vol on an ally. If Vol's forced had found the PCs, they would have died as well, which is why they fled into the sewers by a higher level NPC's demand to protect them. (most of that is unimportant to the question, I was just telling you why they were forced into the sewers). So, my question is, does Sharn (or any other major city for that matter) have sewers on its many levels? And also, does it have indoor plumbing? NOTE: Sewers could be usable without the indoor plumbing, but having the plumbing would make several things in the sewer that I put more likely, like a boiler room that was part of the heating system for Upper Dura's water... And thoughts would be happily taken.
Cabral 01-15-07, 02:06 AM	I can't see how Sharn can have its massive towers without indoor plumbing. Otherwise, do you empty the chamberpot out of the 50th story window or take a jog down to the outhouse?
Thanqol 01-15-07, 03:39 AM	The City of Towers book specifically mentions that Sharn has a very complex sewer system :)
Aaron L 01-15-07, 04:21 AM	And considering that the Romans had indoor plumbing, it makes it even easier to say that it's probably pretty common in the cities to have flushing toilets and such.
Cabral 01-15-07, 04:34 AM	IIRC, Crete had indoor plumbing. I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I think the first occurance of indoor plumbing (that we know about) was 3,000 or 300 B.C.
Cifer 01-15-07, 09:07 AM	Yay for indoor plumbing (at least in the better parts of town) and sewers! D&D mostly assumes that major cities have sewers - that's where wererats and the less successful thieves guilds usually hide.
goblin_pride 01-15-07, 10:41 AM	IIRC, Crete had indoor plumbing. I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I think the first occurance of indoor plumbing (that we know about) was 3,000 or 300 B.C. Mohenjo Daro(sp) had indoor plumbing and a complex sewer system circa 4500 BCE, assuming you believe the dating of that city.
spyone 01-15-07, 11:46 AM	At some point all societies decide that foot-travel and sewage drainage are specialized tasks that probably would be best handled by seperate means. :) At the small scale, some stuff can soak into the ground. Once you start paving the roads, you can put in raised stones for pedestrians to keep them out of the stuff in the gutter. But after a while, your roads begin to resemble rivers. Well, not rivers, but .... well, sewers, really. I have trouble imagining a city of any significant size (like Sharn) that hasn't put the sewage underground. And yes, I find it likely that a lot of other infrastructure stuff (like a "water heater" would eb stuck down below street-level too. so, it seems you did good. :)
goblin_pride 01-15-07, 12:15 PM	On the other hand, if you take out the sewers, the chamberpot and window method makes living in the lower parts of the city look a bit less attractive.
TacoClone 01-15-07, 12:26 PM	I figured so, but I couldn't find mention of it anywhere. (probably because bodily waste isn't very attractive and most people wouldn't want to think about it). But, thanks for reassuring that I didn't make a mistake. ^_^ However, do you think a crocodile could be found in the sewers? I was thinking of throwing one in a little bit for laughs, but to give my PCs the little bit of exp they need to level up.
goblin_pride 01-15-07, 12:44 PM	However, do you think a crocodile could be found in the sewers? I was thinking of throwing one in a little bit for laughs, but to give my PCs the little bit of exp they need to level up. Dude, you gotta make it an alligator, and it can't be a run-of-the-mill alligator, it's gotta be a huge mother. If your players don't get the joke, start renting the crappy old B movies instead of playing Eberron for a couple weeks.
Bluebrush 01-15-07, 03:04 PM	On the other hand, if you take out the sewers, the chamberpot and window method makes living in the lower parts of the city look a bit less attractive.True enough, but really you have to ask yourself if rivers of poop in the street adds to the game more than a reasonably plausible dungeon only a manhole cover away from your players. You could always play it both ways. Have the nice parts of town have good plumbing, whereas the poor areas have to rely on open sewers which eventually drain into the underground sewers. Especially in Sharn, where installing new sewer systems in the depths is going to be an absolute nightmare.
Cifer 01-15-07, 04:47 PM	On the other hand, if you take out the sewers, the chamberpot and window method makes living in the lower parts of the city look a bit less attractive. Now guess where that uptown sewer leads to...
MartM 01-15-07, 04:56 PM	Dude, you gotta make it an alligator, and it can't be a run-of-the-mill alligator, it's gotta be a huge mother. If your players don't get the joke, start renting the crappy old B movies instead of playing Eberron for a couple weeks. I don't remember where, but there is written somewhere that the maintenance of the sewer system is made by wandering Ooze...
Alex_ 01-15-07, 06:09 PM	However, do you think a crocodile could be found in the sewers? I was thinking of throwing one in a little bit for laughs, but to give my PCs the little bit of exp they need to level up. How about mutants? Or even better... A gang consisting of a quartet of Kappa monk/fighters led by a Wererat monk.
TacoClone 01-15-07, 06:15 PM	How about mutants? Or even better... A gang consisting of a quartet of Kappa monk/fighters led by a Wererat monk. Oddly, I'm okay with this. That might be a weird and funny side quest for my PCs. :tongue:
Aaron L 01-15-07, 09:01 PM	And don't forget Otyughs. Gotta have Poo-Poo beasts.
spyone 01-16-07, 08:42 AM	The Webcomic Girl Genius (www.girlgeniusonline.com) by Phil Foglio (famously of Dragon's What's New with Phil and Dixie) had a bit a while ago with an expedition into the sewers and 2 expert guides. Quite good. Worth a look. Includes horrible monsters and such. Edit: the good parts start here, and this strip is a gem itself: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/cgi-bin/ggmain.cgi?date=20060501