Travelling in COTSQ / Underdark [Archive] - Wizards Community

Travelling in COTSQ / Underdark [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Freyalise
02-02-05, 06:51 AM -------- Maybe Spoiler Warning ----------------

Has anybody an idea how to make travelling trough the underdark in COTSQ more interesting?

I'm nearly finished with Szith Morcane, and next adventure the players will start their long journey trough the deep wastes.

Of course I could say "After traveling for three days trough the deep darkness of the underdark you see something approching in front of you" and stuff like that, but then the whole journey would be a few monster encounters and a few obstacles.

I need some ideas how to give the players a feeling how it is to travel through the long and silent darkness of the underdark, I want something to make them sitting on the edge of their chairs. For a few encounters or the detailed encounters like the cliff and that like it is no problem, but I really don't know how to archieve that with the travel.
ClobberinTime
02-02-05, 12:00 PM The web enhancement for the module has a couple of extra random encounters, also roll random encounters the whole way, that way the players have to pay attention all the time, if there is one thing its good to have its a ring of sustenance so you don't have to sleep too much.
Alac Luin
02-02-05, 12:16 PM There was an adventure in a Dungeon mag awhile back.
Durring the traveling, you come across a mind flayer prison.
Don't know the nuimber, but there is an illithid on the cover.

(I've never ran the adventures, so take it for what it's worth)
Palmate
02-02-05, 03:22 PM I would quickly sketch out a map including several off shoot tunnels, make the travel hard, and tiring. Describe the impenetrable darkness, and the suffocating walls.

I used the Underdark book extensively, and really played up the light, and the climb checks. I really took advantage of the three dimensions, not all the tunnels come out on the ground floor... and some passages lead to a dead end, after a day of travel, and climbing (which can be dangerous) it leads to a dead end... good time to have a skilled tracker.

If there are Humans in the group really play up the darkness… I would throw in a few tight squeezes and low ceilings… penalties for fighting, make the party crawl a bit. :evillaugh The group I ran in the underdark really got into it.

This is just what I did, YMMV.

Palmate
Jefuri no Oni
02-02-05, 05:56 PM There is actually a big problem with tight places and making the party crawl a lot. What about Kurgoth Hellspawn's army? His army has lots of Fire Giants and Ogres in it who won't fit into tight spaces. Obviously there is enough room in most of the underdark for his army to move around otherwise the Drow would have wiped them out by now.

Furthermore if you were the Drow would you place your city's out post in a place where the route to it forces you to crawl and move slowly making you vulnerable to raids by goblins and kobolds? I sure as hell wouldn't.
PJSlavner
02-03-05, 12:07 PM One thing you can do with the tight spaces is have them only in the offshoot tunnels that do not really go anywhere. You can have the tight spaces half a mile or more down an offshoot tunnel. Clever parties might figure out that if they have to crawl, they are probably not going towards the drow city.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Freyalise 02-02-05, 06:51 AM	-------- Maybe Spoiler Warning ---------------- Has anybody an idea how to make travelling trough the underdark in COTSQ more interesting? I'm nearly finished with Szith Morcane, and next adventure the players will start their long journey trough the deep wastes. Of course I could say "After traveling for three days trough the deep darkness of the underdark you see something approching in front of you" and stuff like that, but then the whole journey would be a few monster encounters and a few obstacles. I need some ideas how to give the players a feeling how it is to travel through the long and silent darkness of the underdark, I want something to make them sitting on the edge of their chairs. For a few encounters or the detailed encounters like the cliff and that like it is no problem, but I really don't know how to archieve that with the travel.
ClobberinTime 02-02-05, 12:00 PM	The web enhancement for the module has a couple of extra random encounters, also roll random encounters the whole way, that way the players have to pay attention all the time, if there is one thing its good to have its a ring of sustenance so you don't have to sleep too much.
Alac Luin 02-02-05, 12:16 PM	There was an adventure in a Dungeon mag awhile back. Durring the traveling, you come across a mind flayer prison. Don't know the nuimber, but there is an illithid on the cover. (I've never ran the adventures, so take it for what it's worth)
Palmate 02-02-05, 03:22 PM	I would quickly sketch out a map including several off shoot tunnels, make the travel hard, and tiring. Describe the impenetrable darkness, and the suffocating walls. I used the Underdark book extensively, and really played up the light, and the climb checks. I really took advantage of the three dimensions, not all the tunnels come out on the ground floor... and some passages lead to a dead end, after a day of travel, and climbing (which can be dangerous) it leads to a dead end... good time to have a skilled tracker. If there are Humans in the group really play up the darkness… I would throw in a few tight squeezes and low ceilings… penalties for fighting, make the party crawl a bit. :evillaugh The group I ran in the underdark really got into it. This is just what I did, YMMV. Palmate
Jefuri no Oni 02-02-05, 05:56 PM	There is actually a big problem with tight places and making the party crawl a lot. What about Kurgoth Hellspawn's army? His army has lots of Fire Giants and Ogres in it who won't fit into tight spaces. Obviously there is enough room in most of the underdark for his army to move around otherwise the Drow would have wiped them out by now. Furthermore if you were the Drow would you place your city's out post in a place where the route to it forces you to crawl and move slowly making you vulnerable to raids by goblins and kobolds? I sure as hell wouldn't.
PJSlavner 02-03-05, 12:07 PM	One thing you can do with the tight spaces is have them only in the offshoot tunnels that do not really go anywhere. You can have the tight spaces half a mile or more down an offshoot tunnel. Clever parties might figure out that if they have to crawl, they are probably not going towards the drow city.