Anybody want to help collaberate on a Volcano Dungeon? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Anybody want to help collaberate on a Volcano Dungeon?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
jack_of_all_trades_02
Jan 09, 2010 13:28:34 Note: I realize that this is a long post but you can skip the Backstory section to cut down some of the reading if you want.

A friend and I Co-DM a custom world campaign together where I'll run a 3 to 4 game story-arc and he'll play and then we'll switch. The players are coming up on level 10 and one of them is going to be moving away after the next game. So we decided that instead of alternating from my story-arc to his we are going to instead collaberate on a super dungeon.

The idea is that we are going to go real big and then make a two year leap. We want to sew up our Florida bound player's plot seeds and give his character Mathemiria a bit of magnum opus to go out on.

Backstory: (You can skip this section if you want to cut out some of the reading)
Mathemiria and my antagonist's back plot comes from a 3rd Edition game.

The antagonist Seith Xzahl, a Drow prince, Dark Paladin, and conquerer destroyed Mathemiria's hometown of Luminost 17 years ago. His forces overwhelmed the Eladrin/Elven city in an attempt to steal one of its prized artifacts a dragon orb (I did not borrow this very cliche plot device btw). Szieth Xzahl is motivated by vanity and pride. The Eladrin Nobles of Luminost claimed to be the original jailers of the drow and claimed that they are direct descendants Correlon.

Mathemiria was a child of a Noble House pledged to defend the royal family. Not only did Szieth ****, brutalize, and murder the royal family but he slaughtered the royal guard as well. During the final battle with Xzahl one of the player's used a Heat Metal Spell on his full body armor, burning and scarring his whole body.

Now his anger against the Eladrin has spread to the Humans who did this to him as well.

Plot Setup:
For my game's plot I've decided that during his occupation of Luminost he raided their library where he discoverd some information about astrophysics (earth is round and revolves around the sun, planets, gravity, etc). He specifically learned about a Comet that comes near the planet every 300 years. It just so happens to be flying near the earth any day now.

Several years ago a piece of this comet broke off and colided with the earth several centuries ago. Szieth Xzahl is going to use this comet piece and some rituals he stole to summon it from space. I'm thinking that Szieth is not powerful enough to do this himself so he'll need to summon something else powerful enough to do it for him.

Now Szieth's plan is obviously flawed, but so is he. He wants to summon a comet to destroy the atmosphere and block out the sun. Locking the earth in perpetual darkness, lowering the tempreture and making the Underdark the only habbitable place on earth. The Surface Dwellers who don't die will not be able to survive and we'll have to accept a life of slavery to thier new masters. Of course this plan will have devastating economic and probably climate reprecussions for the Underdark but Szieth doesn't know this and he doesn't really care to investigate.

Dungeon Details:
So I'm thinking that because comets are essentially a flaming ball of ice that they should have a connection to the elemental chaos. So, since We're doing it big, we decided that a Volcanic Lair is the only way to go. I'd like to use fire themed creatures, drow, and undead creatures.

Problem #1: I can't really find a good BBEG near level 10 with enough power to summon a comet. I originally invisioned an ifreet or another primordial type of creature. I can use Adventure Tools to lower it's level and make excuses for its lower power level, maybe an astral influence is weakening it.

If anybody has any ideas or better ideas. I'd love to here them.

Problem #2: Lava/Magma. If you fall in lava you die, no save. You can't have a Volcano dungeon without lava. I need some creative and player friendly ways to use lava in this dungeon.
#2
blackknight1239
Jan 09, 2010 13:59:50 #1: Hmm...what about a Fire Archon with a template? Like Cleric or Wizard? Or prehaps an Adult Volcano Dragon?

#2: The first thing that comes to mind is the Legend of Zelda and Link falling into lava. Maybe, when a PC falls in, some external forces magically pulls them out, and leaves them bloodied on a nearby platform? Prehaps it's some kind of protection magic?
#3
jack_of_all_trades_02
Jan 09, 2010 18:50:04 That's not a bad idea. Maybe a temporary magic item or spell that teleports a party member to a safe square when pushed into lava. As soon as they touch the lava they bamf off to a square determined by me. The heat from it would still do a ton of damage and actually touching it for a split second would more than scrape your elbow.
#4
Grimbus
Jan 10, 2010 11:31:52 Why not put machine or artefact at the top/bottom of the volcano that allows the BBEG to summon the comet. That would explain why the evil character picked that volcano and give the players something to aim for. In the climatic battle at the end the players have to take possession of the machine to stop the comet.

There are several ways around the lava problem - a magical spell that protects the PCs from the worst of the lava, magical armour or amulets or perhaps a blessing form the cleric's god or something. Of course these might need to be earned through a previous adventure or bought for an exhorbitant price. If you give the players a limited number of charges, it will limit the amout of resting they could do and might speed things up and make the last fight more desperate.
#5
skurvyninja
Jan 11, 2010 8:04:57 The Lava Problem is simple. Just don't involve the Lava terrain that much. The volcano lair can be carved into the inside rim of the volcano, a structure attached the one side of the volcano on the inside, or attached to the outside of the volcano. The structure or dungeon areas can be sealed off from the majority of the lava with some creative uses for lava streams here or there. You don't necessarily have to have combat take place on a narrow bridge or cliff edge bringing the PCs one push effect from certain PC Death. But if you wanted to bring that sense of Danger to the PCS you could put the battles near Lava, and just don't use a lot of creatures that have push or slide affects, or let them think they would land in Lava, but instead they land on just a lower cliff edge or something.
#6
vman3force
Jan 11, 2010 9:15:46 in Okami (a great game) the protagonist had to swim through a lake of fire inexplicably housed at the top of a wooden tower. To do so she had to go retrieve an artifact that made her immune to the fire. I would do something along the same lines. Have armor, a ring or some other object that grants resistance to fire damage.

The lava pool trap mechanics would work well here: +23 v FORT, 2d6+7 fire damage, and anyone starting their turn in it takes 20 fire damage and is knocked prone. You could have the magic item grant resist 5 all fire damage, and resist 10 fire damage from lava.
#7
jack_of_all_trades_02
Jan 13, 2010 21:44:30
Why not put machine or artefact at the top/bottom of the volcano that allows the BBEG to summon the comet. That would explain why the evil character picked that volcano and give the players something to aim for. In the climatic battle at the end the players have to take possession of the machine to stop the comet.

There are several ways around the lava problem - a magical spell that protects the PCs from the worst of the lava, magical armour or amulets or perhaps a blessing form the cleric's god or something. Of course these might need to be earned through a previous adventure or bought for an exhorbitant price. If you give the players a limited number of charges, it will limit the amout of resting they could do and might speed things up and make the last fight more desperate.

A machine is a great idea... It may be a great substitute for a monster. Although the idea we've been kicking around is that the bad guy (Xzahl) is using this Volcano because the Elemental Chaos is seeping into it. I figure that since a Comet is a thing of Earth, Fire, and Ice it too has got to elemental in nature. The plan is for Szieth Xzahl to use a ritual to summon a creature that can pull the comet down. I've established that even though Xzahl is a Dark Paladin he's not powerful enough to summon this thing himself. Also, I need another boss for the players to fight. Since both the other DM and myself are both going to play in this thing we're going to split up the various rooms and encounters and both of us need a boss to fight. He picked Szieth Xzahl, so I need a boss as well....

The lava problem is not a problem that I can't avoid. Its only a problem that I don't want to avoid it. I could always right it out, but I don't want to. Why have a dungeon in a volcano and Not use lava? That's just silly.

I'll probably just give the players some temporary gear that they can loot from enemies in the dungeon that diminshes the effect of lava down to a healing surge of damage. This limits the amount of lava a player can physically deal with in a manageble way. The items are attuned to the volano and will deteriorate if removed from it.

I just need a good boss.
#8
jack_of_all_trades_02
Jan 14, 2010 10:00:14 Sorry to double post but I think I found my boss. I think I'll use Piranoth's diminished form from Revenge of the Giants (level 19 solo) and delevel him to level 12 with the Monster Generator. I'll justify the deleveling by diverting his attention to summoning the comet. Does anybody have a picture of him? Has anybody here any experience with him?

I know he's nasty, he gets 3 immediate interupts per round. I'm wondering if should magically heal my level 10 party up to full before fighting him?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 jack_of_all_trades_02 Jan 09, 2010 13:28:34	Note: I realize that this is a long post but you can skip the Backstory section to cut down some of the reading if you want. A friend and I Co-DM a custom world campaign together where I'll run a 3 to 4 game story-arc and he'll play and then we'll switch. The players are coming up on level 10 and one of them is going to be moving away after the next game. So we decided that instead of alternating from my story-arc to his we are going to instead collaberate on a super dungeon. The idea is that we are going to go real big and then make a two year leap. We want to sew up our Florida bound player's plot seeds and give his character Mathemiria a bit of magnum opus to go out on. Backstory: (You can skip this section if you want to cut out some of the reading) Mathemiria and my antagonist's back plot comes from a 3rd Edition game. The antagonist Seith Xzahl, a Drow prince, Dark Paladin, and conquerer destroyed Mathemiria's hometown of Luminost 17 years ago. His forces overwhelmed the Eladrin/Elven city in an attempt to steal one of its prized artifacts a dragon orb (I did not borrow this very cliche plot device btw). Szieth Xzahl is motivated by vanity and pride. The Eladrin Nobles of Luminost claimed to be the original jailers of the drow and claimed that they are direct descendants Correlon. Mathemiria was a child of a Noble House pledged to defend the royal family. Not only did Szieth ****, brutalize, and murder the royal family but he slaughtered the royal guard as well. During the final battle with Xzahl one of the player's used a Heat Metal Spell on his full body armor, burning and scarring his whole body. Now his anger against the Eladrin has spread to the Humans who did this to him as well. Plot Setup: For my game's plot I've decided that during his occupation of Luminost he raided their library where he discoverd some information about astrophysics (earth is round and revolves around the sun, planets, gravity, etc). He specifically learned about a Comet that comes near the planet every 300 years. It just so happens to be flying near the earth any day now. Several years ago a piece of this comet broke off and colided with the earth several centuries ago. Szieth Xzahl is going to use this comet piece and some rituals he stole to summon it from space. I'm thinking that Szieth is not powerful enough to do this himself so he'll need to summon something else powerful enough to do it for him. Now Szieth's plan is obviously flawed, but so is he. He wants to summon a comet to destroy the atmosphere and block out the sun. Locking the earth in perpetual darkness, lowering the tempreture and making the Underdark the only habbitable place on earth. The Surface Dwellers who don't die will not be able to survive and we'll have to accept a life of slavery to thier new masters. Of course this plan will have devastating economic and probably climate reprecussions for the Underdark but Szieth doesn't know this and he doesn't really care to investigate. Dungeon Details: So I'm thinking that because comets are essentially a flaming ball of ice that they should have a connection to the elemental chaos. So, since We're doing it big, we decided that a Volcanic Lair is the only way to go. I'd like to use fire themed creatures, drow, and undead creatures. Problem #1: I can't really find a good BBEG near level 10 with enough power to summon a comet. I originally invisioned an ifreet or another primordial type of creature. I can use Adventure Tools to lower it's level and make excuses for its lower power level, maybe an astral influence is weakening it. If anybody has any ideas or better ideas. I'd love to here them. Problem #2: Lava/Magma. If you fall in lava you die, no save. You can't have a Volcano dungeon without lava. I need some creative and player friendly ways to use lava in this dungeon.
#2 blackknight1239 Jan 09, 2010 13:59:50	#1: Hmm...what about a Fire Archon with a template? Like Cleric or Wizard? Or prehaps an Adult Volcano Dragon? #2: The first thing that comes to mind is the Legend of Zelda and Link falling into lava. Maybe, when a PC falls in, some external forces magically pulls them out, and leaves them bloodied on a nearby platform? Prehaps it's some kind of protection magic?
#3 jack_of_all_trades_02 Jan 09, 2010 18:50:04	That's not a bad idea. Maybe a temporary magic item or spell that teleports a party member to a safe square when pushed into lava. As soon as they touch the lava they bamf off to a square determined by me. The heat from it would still do a ton of damage and actually touching it for a split second would more than scrape your elbow.
#4 Grimbus Jan 10, 2010 11:31:52	Why not put machine or artefact at the top/bottom of the volcano that allows the BBEG to summon the comet. That would explain why the evil character picked that volcano and give the players something to aim for. In the climatic battle at the end the players have to take possession of the machine to stop the comet. There are several ways around the lava problem - a magical spell that protects the PCs from the worst of the lava, magical armour or amulets or perhaps a blessing form the cleric's god or something. Of course these might need to be earned through a previous adventure or bought for an exhorbitant price. If you give the players a limited number of charges, it will limit the amout of resting they could do and might speed things up and make the last fight more desperate.
#5 skurvyninja Jan 11, 2010 8:04:57	The Lava Problem is simple. Just don't involve the Lava terrain that much. The volcano lair can be carved into the inside rim of the volcano, a structure attached the one side of the volcano on the inside, or attached to the outside of the volcano. The structure or dungeon areas can be sealed off from the majority of the lava with some creative uses for lava streams here or there. You don't necessarily have to have combat take place on a narrow bridge or cliff edge bringing the PCs one push effect from certain PC Death. But if you wanted to bring that sense of Danger to the PCS you could put the battles near Lava, and just don't use a lot of creatures that have push or slide affects, or let them think they would land in Lava, but instead they land on just a lower cliff edge or something.
#6 vman3force Jan 11, 2010 9:15:46	in Okami (a great game) the protagonist had to swim through a lake of fire inexplicably housed at the top of a wooden tower. To do so she had to go retrieve an artifact that made her immune to the fire. I would do something along the same lines. Have armor, a ring or some other object that grants resistance to fire damage. The lava pool trap mechanics would work well here: +23 v FORT, 2d6+7 fire damage, and anyone starting their turn in it takes 20 fire damage and is knocked prone. You could have the magic item grant resist 5 all fire damage, and resist 10 fire damage from lava.
#7 jack_of_all_trades_02 Jan 13, 2010 21:44:30	Why not put machine or artefact at the top/bottom of the volcano that allows the BBEG to summon the comet. That would explain why the evil character picked that volcano and give the players something to aim for. In the climatic battle at the end the players have to take possession of the machine to stop the comet. There are several ways around the lava problem - a magical spell that protects the PCs from the worst of the lava, magical armour or amulets or perhaps a blessing form the cleric's god or something. Of course these might need to be earned through a previous adventure or bought for an exhorbitant price. If you give the players a limited number of charges, it will limit the amout of resting they could do and might speed things up and make the last fight more desperate. A machine is a great idea... It may be a great substitute for a monster. Although the idea we've been kicking around is that the bad guy (Xzahl) is using this Volcano because the Elemental Chaos is seeping into it. I figure that since a Comet is a thing of Earth, Fire, and Ice it too has got to elemental in nature. The plan is for Szieth Xzahl to use a ritual to summon a creature that can pull the comet down. I've established that even though Xzahl is a Dark Paladin he's not powerful enough to summon this thing himself. Also, I need another boss for the players to fight. Since both the other DM and myself are both going to play in this thing we're going to split up the various rooms and encounters and both of us need a boss to fight. He picked Szieth Xzahl, so I need a boss as well.... The lava problem is not a problem that I can't avoid. Its only a problem that I don't want to avoid it. I could always right it out, but I don't want to. Why have a dungeon in a volcano and Not use lava? That's just silly. I'll probably just give the players some temporary gear that they can loot from enemies in the dungeon that diminshes the effect of lava down to a healing surge of damage. This limits the amount of lava a player can physically deal with in a manageble way. The items are attuned to the volano and will deteriorate if removed from it. I just need a good boss.
#8 jack_of_all_trades_02 Jan 14, 2010 10:00:14	Sorry to double post but I think I found my boss. I think I'll use Piranoth's diminished form from Revenge of the Giants (level 19 solo) and delevel him to level 12 with the Monster Generator. I'll justify the deleveling by diverting his attention to summoning the comet. Does anybody have a picture of him? Has anybody here any experience with him? I know he's nasty, he gets 3 immediate interupts per round. I'm wondering if should magically heal my level 10 party up to full before fighting him?