why would adventurers want to go to Spiderhaunt? [Archive] - Wizards Community

why would adventurers want to go to Spiderhaunt? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
chris7476
10-07-03, 06:39 PM I'm going to be starting a campaign based in the Dales and I'm a big fan of spiders so I'm looking for possible reasons to send the PC's into Spiderhaunt.

I have a good supply of FR resources, including Spiderhaunt (like the 2ed Spiderhaunt module). Does anyone have any good plot hooks for adventures in Spiderhaunt?

I was thinking something along the lines of feral, insectoid halflings that live alongside the spiders or maybe an outcast drow/drider/druid that commands the spiders.
avian tiefling
10-07-03, 07:30 PM the renegade drow idea would work, or the druid. not the drider, though. a drider would make an awful criminal mastermind.

if you've ever played Icewind Dale, they use the idea of a merilith comanding hordes of lizardmen to plague the village of kuldahar. you could do something like that. have one of Llolth's fiendish minions (like a yochlol, or some other form of demon) driving armies of arachnoids to terrorize some nearby town or city.

if you want any of the many other ideas i have, E-mail me.

aviantiefling@hotmail.com
Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black
10-07-03, 07:45 PM Originally posted by chris7476
I'm going to be starting a campaign based in the Dales and I'm a big fan of spiders so I'm looking for possible reasons to send the PC's into Spiderhaunt.

I have a good supply of FR resources, including Spiderhaunt (like the 2ed Spiderhaunt module). Does anyone have any good plot hooks for adventures in Spiderhaunt?

I was thinking something along the lines of feral, insectoid halflings that live alongside the spiders or maybe an outcast drow/drider/druid that commands the spiders. Do Not take the Spiderhaunt woods lightly. There is a Mysterious Giant White Spider that commands the other arachnids such as Phase spiders, Ettercaps, and several other VERY dangerous, monstrous spiders.

I remember reading about this under the Spiderhaunt wood paragraph back in the 2'ndED FRcs. Drow? Maybe if Lolth intervined herself. Otherwise, this White spider seems to be the Ruler.
chris7476
10-07-03, 08:12 PM Well I'm basically looking for something that would be a good side quest or stand-alone adventure. I'm not really looking for a campaign idea.

I just want some good hooks to get the characters into the forest, fight some spiders and related baddies, and then heda home.

This is the entry on Spiderhaunt in the 2ed campaign setting boxed set:

"Located on the western slope of the Desertsmouth Mountains, the Spiderhaunt Woods are a thick wood of spikey oak, thistletree, and pine. It is heavily overgrown and dark as the night beneath the trees' canopy. Travel through them is well-nigh impossible, and most travelers who have business in the area prefer to skirt their edges.

Adding to the ill repute of this forest, it is the home of a huge number of spiders and ettercaps. Local legend states that a spider lord rules from the center of the forestís web, and all that happens within the Dales is merely the result of his wishes. A small Beast Cult has grown up around this unseen and likely fictitious creature, but any traveler who passes within the forestís borders is warned that the spiders rule here, regardless of their master."

I haven't found anything with more detail than that. Even the module (9485) The Secret of Spiderhaunt has very little detail on the forest itself. Heck, once the players get into the forest, they encouter a gnomish spider hunter and an entire gnomish village. It seemed kind of comical to me actually.

not the drider, though. a drider would make an awful criminal mastermind.

Why is that? I don't really need a mastermind. Just some nasty villain that likes spiders. I thought it would be cool to have an outcast drider take up residence in the forest, become a druid, and ally himself with the spiders and other inhabitants.
Dungeon Mastr
10-07-03, 08:13 PM You could just have the PCs hired out by a wizard to gather weird spell components (i.e. large spider eggs, bits of spider web, spider eyes, etc).

Kind of lame, but it should work. ;)
Asser Carabel
10-08-03, 10:25 AM Look what is at the other side of that forest ?

Maybe you have a religious characters (make the item to be some altar that church needs to be sifted from bad point to better).

Maybe you have a possibility to made a stupid bet in local tawern that these bighmouths (your players) cannot deal the task of bringing the statue of the governor of the rival city in one week to new erecting place.

One possibility is that to show your manhood one have to do something like that (barbarians maybe even elfs might be intrested by single handed to carry the thing themself to show local people that they are the muscle power enough to protect the willage)

If they are not taking any hints make them be there after next teleport and restrict any teleportation spells working in that area of the woods .... temporary drift in magic prevents such an acts don't make the characters to loose the spells even if they try to teleport. Instead give them a divine voice telling that they are in area needing immendiate actions by them .... even might give the 10 words description on what and who is the requester (make it to be avatar of your clerics or something similar).

Anyhow make them intrested on delivering/bringing something to/from there.

Make it to be heavy enough so no shrinking/teleporting will work or restrict teleportation by some quatas from the owner "Item has been tried to teleport earlier and the best results been sofare getting it only wrong places".

It will also give the players some reason to bye/loan/stole/whatever transportation means among the normal habit of spending the extra cash to the boose and social counterparts.

Give a few alternative paths to reach the goal ...
No matter what path they will choose will eventually lead them to the forrest (use tunnel trough mountain ending in forest, force them to avoid some warbands that are obviously too much for them ... and only way it is to back to the woods. from slopes they might be forces to come down simply because of the climate hazard ...)

They might even been given the idea of this old rarely used road trough the woods might be the best choise for their mounts / wagons / whatever.

If they are flying hamper the visibility by standard means (wind/rain/cold/fog/whatever to get them ground in suitable place)

Remember that you can later the existence of the forrest in your campaing a bit even if the characters have maps or similar since the mappings are not 100% accurate...
Asser Carabel
10-08-03, 10:28 AM If players get the divine voice make it clear at the end game that it was the false voice produced by this big spiderlord ;) to have them in the nets. So you don't need to actually messaround any avatars etc.
Plectrum
10-08-03, 11:10 AM 1 a group from a local village has disapeared whilst gathering things from the edge of the forrest, or one of the local villages has had people going missing during the night and the Pc's just happen to stop there for a night- if you are controlling a NPC in the party have him disapear whilst they are there eg they are escorting a merchant daughter to her wedding she goes missing they have to find her she just happens to have been took to the woods.

2 some refugees flee to the village that the PC's are in and tell that something has driven the spiders out of The woods - achallenge to findout what could have driven alot of spiders out of the wood could be some uber monster that can controll spiders or just something that they r scared of.

3the PC's are sold something that guarentees them invisability from spiders so they decide to test it, unfortunately the spiders dont necessarily need so see them they can hear and feel where they are or it only protects the single PC that is carrying it.
ericlboyd
10-08-03, 12:51 PM There are actually 2 adventures set in the Spiderhaunt Woods.

One was the 3rd Marco Volo novel (bad) and one was the 2nd Sword of the Dales module (good).

If you have access to the second one, I would suggest using it as part of a Daggerdale-based low-level campaign and building from there.

--Eric
Kuje31
10-08-03, 01:19 PM Originally posted by ericlboyd
There are actually 2 adventures set in the Spiderhaunt Woods.

One was the 3rd Marco Volo novel (bad) and one was the 2nd Sword of the Dales module (good).

If you have access to the second one, I would suggest using it as part of a Daggerdale-based low-level campaign and building from there.

--Eric

3rd Marco Volo novel? What novel is that? Is it part of the Double Diamond novelettes? Or did you mean the Marco Volo trilogy of modules?
chris7476
10-08-03, 03:08 PM One was the 3rd Marco Volo novel (bad) and one was the 2nd Sword of the Dales module (good).

I assume you meant the third module in the Marco Volo trilogy. The third one is Arrival.

I actually was pretty disappointed with both modules. Neither really deal with the forest itself. They just use the forest as the setting for some bad guy's lair or tower.

I also thought both modules were pretty campy as well. Heck, when the players actually get to the forest in the Secret of Spiderhaunt module, there is a picture of a gnome pushing a giant spider into a cage on wheels. There is also a gnomish village right in the middle of the forest as well.
Arthedain
10-08-03, 07:39 PM Originally posted by chris7476
I assume you meant the third module in the Marco Volo trilogy. The third one is Arrival.

I actually was pretty disappointed with both modules. Neither really deal with the forest itself. They just use the forest as the setting for some bad guy's lair or tower.

I also thought both modules were pretty campy as well. Heck, when the players actually get to the forest in the Secret of Spiderhaunt module, there is a picture of a gnome pushing a giant spider into a cage on wheels. There is also a gnomish village right in the middle of the forest as well.

Not really related to the original poster, but since someone mentioned good 'ol Madarn Spiderhunter and Sturmpemhauder, I just had to drop in a little story from my ongoing Realms campaign :

My characters met Madarn Spiderhunter (the gnome pushing the giant spider), and he accompanied them through the dense Spiderhaunt Forest. The session after I had a new player join the group, and he took over Madarn and played him for several months, gaining 2 or 3 levels. However, after dying once, the player felt that Madarn got somewhat scared of adventuring. Madarn and the rest of the party put all their gold together and started a brewery in (the now liberated) Dagger Falls. So now, as of 1370 DR (I don't follow the official timeline exactly), Madarn Spiderhunter is the head of Dagger Ale, the largest brewery in Dagger Falls :)
Roflin
10-09-03, 11:42 AM Does anyone have the Daggerdale Trilogy of modules converted to 3.0 or 3.5? I am thinking on running them and looking to save some time. Thanks.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
chris7476 10-07-03, 06:39 PM	I'm going to be starting a campaign based in the Dales and I'm a big fan of spiders so I'm looking for possible reasons to send the PC's into Spiderhaunt. I have a good supply of FR resources, including Spiderhaunt (like the 2ed Spiderhaunt module). Does anyone have any good plot hooks for adventures in Spiderhaunt? I was thinking something along the lines of feral, insectoid halflings that live alongside the spiders or maybe an outcast drow/drider/druid that commands the spiders.
avian tiefling 10-07-03, 07:30 PM	the renegade drow idea would work, or the druid. not the drider, though. a drider would make an awful criminal mastermind. if you've ever played Icewind Dale, they use the idea of a merilith comanding hordes of lizardmen to plague the village of kuldahar. you could do something like that. have one of Llolth's fiendish minions (like a yochlol, or some other form of demon) driving armies of arachnoids to terrorize some nearby town or city. if you want any of the many other ideas i have, E-mail me. aviantiefling@hotmail.com
Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black 10-07-03, 07:45 PM	Originally posted by chris7476 I'm going to be starting a campaign based in the Dales and I'm a big fan of spiders so I'm looking for possible reasons to send the PC's into Spiderhaunt. I have a good supply of FR resources, including Spiderhaunt (like the 2ed Spiderhaunt module). Does anyone have any good plot hooks for adventures in Spiderhaunt? I was thinking something along the lines of feral, insectoid halflings that live alongside the spiders or maybe an outcast drow/drider/druid that commands the spiders. Do Not take the Spiderhaunt woods lightly. There is a Mysterious Giant White Spider that commands the other arachnids such as Phase spiders, Ettercaps, and several other VERY dangerous, monstrous spiders. I remember reading about this under the Spiderhaunt wood paragraph back in the 2'ndED FRcs. Drow? Maybe if Lolth intervined herself. Otherwise, this White spider seems to be the Ruler.
chris7476 10-07-03, 08:12 PM	Well I'm basically looking for something that would be a good side quest or stand-alone adventure. I'm not really looking for a campaign idea. I just want some good hooks to get the characters into the forest, fight some spiders and related baddies, and then heda home. This is the entry on Spiderhaunt in the 2ed campaign setting boxed set: "Located on the western slope of the Desertsmouth Mountains, the Spiderhaunt Woods are a thick wood of spikey oak, thistletree, and pine. It is heavily overgrown and dark as the night beneath the trees' canopy. Travel through them is well-nigh impossible, and most travelers who have business in the area prefer to skirt their edges. Adding to the ill repute of this forest, it is the home of a huge number of spiders and ettercaps. Local legend states that a spider lord rules from the center of the forestís web, and all that happens within the Dales is merely the result of his wishes. A small Beast Cult has grown up around this unseen and likely fictitious creature, but any traveler who passes within the forestís borders is warned that the spiders rule here, regardless of their master." I haven't found anything with more detail than that. Even the module (9485) The Secret of Spiderhaunt has very little detail on the forest itself. Heck, once the players get into the forest, they encouter a gnomish spider hunter and an entire gnomish village. It seemed kind of comical to me actually. not the drider, though. a drider would make an awful criminal mastermind. Why is that? I don't really need a mastermind. Just some nasty villain that likes spiders. I thought it would be cool to have an outcast drider take up residence in the forest, become a druid, and ally himself with the spiders and other inhabitants.
Dungeon Mastr 10-07-03, 08:13 PM	You could just have the PCs hired out by a wizard to gather weird spell components (i.e. large spider eggs, bits of spider web, spider eyes, etc). Kind of lame, but it should work. ;)
Asser Carabel 10-08-03, 10:25 AM	Look what is at the other side of that forest ? Maybe you have a religious characters (make the item to be some altar that church needs to be sifted from bad point to better). Maybe you have a possibility to made a stupid bet in local tawern that these bighmouths (your players) cannot deal the task of bringing the statue of the governor of the rival city in one week to new erecting place. One possibility is that to show your manhood one have to do something like that (barbarians maybe even elfs might be intrested by single handed to carry the thing themself to show local people that they are the muscle power enough to protect the willage) If they are not taking any hints make them be there after next teleport and restrict any teleportation spells working in that area of the woods .... temporary drift in magic prevents such an acts don't make the characters to loose the spells even if they try to teleport. Instead give them a divine voice telling that they are in area needing immendiate actions by them .... even might give the 10 words description on what and who is the requester (make it to be avatar of your clerics or something similar). Anyhow make them intrested on delivering/bringing something to/from there. Make it to be heavy enough so no shrinking/teleporting will work or restrict teleportation by some quatas from the owner "Item has been tried to teleport earlier and the best results been sofare getting it only wrong places". It will also give the players some reason to bye/loan/stole/whatever transportation means among the normal habit of spending the extra cash to the boose and social counterparts. Give a few alternative paths to reach the goal ... No matter what path they will choose will eventually lead them to the forrest (use tunnel trough mountain ending in forest, force them to avoid some warbands that are obviously too much for them ... and only way it is to back to the woods. from slopes they might be forces to come down simply because of the climate hazard ...) They might even been given the idea of this old rarely used road trough the woods might be the best choise for their mounts / wagons / whatever. If they are flying hamper the visibility by standard means (wind/rain/cold/fog/whatever to get them ground in suitable place) Remember that you can later the existence of the forrest in your campaing a bit even if the characters have maps or similar since the mappings are not 100% accurate...
Asser Carabel 10-08-03, 10:28 AM	If players get the divine voice make it clear at the end game that it was the false voice produced by this big spiderlord ;) to have them in the nets. So you don't need to actually messaround any avatars etc.
Plectrum 10-08-03, 11:10 AM	1 a group from a local village has disapeared whilst gathering things from the edge of the forrest, or one of the local villages has had people going missing during the night and the Pc's just happen to stop there for a night- if you are controlling a NPC in the party have him disapear whilst they are there eg they are escorting a merchant daughter to her wedding she goes missing they have to find her she just happens to have been took to the woods. 2 some refugees flee to the village that the PC's are in and tell that something has driven the spiders out of The woods - achallenge to findout what could have driven alot of spiders out of the wood could be some uber monster that can controll spiders or just something that they r scared of. 3the PC's are sold something that guarentees them invisability from spiders so they decide to test it, unfortunately the spiders dont necessarily need so see them they can hear and feel where they are or it only protects the single PC that is carrying it.
ericlboyd 10-08-03, 12:51 PM	There are actually 2 adventures set in the Spiderhaunt Woods. One was the 3rd Marco Volo novel (bad) and one was the 2nd Sword of the Dales module (good). If you have access to the second one, I would suggest using it as part of a Daggerdale-based low-level campaign and building from there. --Eric
Kuje31 10-08-03, 01:19 PM	Originally posted by ericlboyd There are actually 2 adventures set in the Spiderhaunt Woods. One was the 3rd Marco Volo novel (bad) and one was the 2nd Sword of the Dales module (good). If you have access to the second one, I would suggest using it as part of a Daggerdale-based low-level campaign and building from there. --Eric 3rd Marco Volo novel? What novel is that? Is it part of the Double Diamond novelettes? Or did you mean the Marco Volo trilogy of modules?
chris7476 10-08-03, 03:08 PM	One was the 3rd Marco Volo novel (bad) and one was the 2nd Sword of the Dales module (good). I assume you meant the third module in the Marco Volo trilogy. The third one is Arrival. I actually was pretty disappointed with both modules. Neither really deal with the forest itself. They just use the forest as the setting for some bad guy's lair or tower. I also thought both modules were pretty campy as well. Heck, when the players actually get to the forest in the Secret of Spiderhaunt module, there is a picture of a gnome pushing a giant spider into a cage on wheels. There is also a gnomish village right in the middle of the forest as well.
Arthedain 10-08-03, 07:39 PM	Originally posted by chris7476 I assume you meant the third module in the Marco Volo trilogy. The third one is Arrival. I actually was pretty disappointed with both modules. Neither really deal with the forest itself. They just use the forest as the setting for some bad guy's lair or tower. I also thought both modules were pretty campy as well. Heck, when the players actually get to the forest in the Secret of Spiderhaunt module, there is a picture of a gnome pushing a giant spider into a cage on wheels. There is also a gnomish village right in the middle of the forest as well. Not really related to the original poster, but since someone mentioned good 'ol Madarn Spiderhunter and Sturmpemhauder, I just had to drop in a little story from my ongoing Realms campaign : My characters met Madarn Spiderhunter (the gnome pushing the giant spider), and he accompanied them through the dense Spiderhaunt Forest. The session after I had a new player join the group, and he took over Madarn and played him for several months, gaining 2 or 3 levels. However, after dying once, the player felt that Madarn got somewhat scared of adventuring. Madarn and the rest of the party put all their gold together and started a brewery in (the now liberated) Dagger Falls. So now, as of 1370 DR (I don't follow the official timeline exactly), Madarn Spiderhunter is the head of Dagger Ale, the largest brewery in Dagger Falls :)
Roflin 10-09-03, 11:42 AM	Does anyone have the Daggerdale Trilogy of modules converted to 3.0 or 3.5? I am thinking on running them and looking to save some time. Thanks.