Help creating hedge maze encounter(s) - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Help creating hedge maze encounter(s)

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
thomo
Oct 14, 2010 18:18:27 In my current campaign the pc's are about to head out to the 'country estate' belonging to the parents of one of the pc's. Now, hte family in question is a minotaur family - but not your normal kind - the father is a retired bard and both parents are rather enamoured of elven/eladrin culture and abhor the 'base' violence and actions of most minotaurs.
However, they are still minotaurs and labrynth's do play a large part in their lives and histories, so I want to include a 'hedge maze' that they are having trouble with. (i.e. they have moved back into the country estate after a reasonably long absence and the hedge maze has gotten a little out of control, they've lost 3 gardeners already...)

Now I want to make this little side-quest have a number of encounters to level the party up (currently they're at level 4) and am looking for ideas for encounters.

What I have so far is:

The maze itself - i'm only going to reveal a turn at a time (i.e. what they can see) to enforce the feeling that they can get lost.

Some kind of Hazard/Traps (i.e. Daggerthorn Briar patch, sinkholes (pit traps) etc). Any ideas?

An infestation of violent plant life: Bloodthorn Vines, Vine Horror, Fungal Bloodthorn. What else?

An infestation of beetles/other swarm-like creatures (maybe combined with the Daggerthorn Briar)

I would like some kind of infestation of faeries/sprites/woodland critters who are somewhat opposed to outsiders.

Any ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions on how I can make this fun, interesting and challenging?
#2
Thangor
Oct 14, 2010 19:07:31 Sounds cool! I ran a hedge maze once. The PCs encountered some very life-like humanoid statues and decorative topiary monsters...

Fortunately, the PCs put two and two together and my living "Hedge Basilisk" didn't get the drop on them.

Feel free to steal that idea, I stole it from a comic book.

Also, tempt the PCs with something they can climb to see over the hedge, and then have it horribly trapped or alive or something.
#3
mathius78
Oct 14, 2010 20:34:14 For stats you can have them fight any monster you want, but as topiary. Mechanically it will be the same. Size small critters that have small tunnels to run around in can be fun, a hafling might actually follow them down a hole. As for maze itself, once the enter it is skill challenge to find you way back our, do not worry about a map, just say the mazy rearranges itself. Make a large map of the center to use as you battle map. If the leave this area have them make skill check to find the exit. If they fail the come back to center from a random edge.

Mathius
#4
calm
Oct 18, 2010 17:22:16 Add a pool at the center of the maze that is a crossover to the Feywild. Either the PCs enter that realm while in the central pool area, or creatures from that realm have come through to the maze. Then you can go whacky or deadly serious. Perhaps an elemental fey entity (water weird or whatever) is the source of all the maze problems. Or an annoyed pixie or whatever. Perhaps combine the above. Make the entity able to conjure servants, or turn mundane items into servants and guards (the stone gargoyles come to life, the topiary drakes tear free and attack, etc.) while the fey controller either just laughs and watches, or takes part as a controller or artillery. For future adventure, have the spited fey flee back through a portal when "killed," with words of warning and threats against a future meeting.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 thomo Oct 14, 2010 18:18:27	In my current campaign the pc's are about to head out to the 'country estate' belonging to the parents of one of the pc's. Now, hte family in question is a minotaur family - but not your normal kind - the father is a retired bard and both parents are rather enamoured of elven/eladrin culture and abhor the 'base' violence and actions of most minotaurs. However, they are still minotaurs and labrynth's do play a large part in their lives and histories, so I want to include a 'hedge maze' that they are having trouble with. (i.e. they have moved back into the country estate after a reasonably long absence and the hedge maze has gotten a little out of control, they've lost 3 gardeners already...) Now I want to make this little side-quest have a number of encounters to level the party up (currently they're at level 4) and am looking for ideas for encounters. What I have so far is: The maze itself - i'm only going to reveal a turn at a time (i.e. what they can see) to enforce the feeling that they can get lost. Some kind of Hazard/Traps (i.e. Daggerthorn Briar patch, sinkholes (pit traps) etc). Any ideas? An infestation of violent plant life: Bloodthorn Vines, Vine Horror, Fungal Bloodthorn. What else? An infestation of beetles/other swarm-like creatures (maybe combined with the Daggerthorn Briar) I would like some kind of infestation of faeries/sprites/woodland critters who are somewhat opposed to outsiders. Any ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions on how I can make this fun, interesting and challenging?
#2 Thangor Oct 14, 2010 19:07:31	Sounds cool! I ran a hedge maze once. The PCs encountered some very life-like humanoid statues and decorative topiary monsters... Fortunately, the PCs put two and two together and my living "Hedge Basilisk" didn't get the drop on them. Feel free to steal that idea, I stole it from a comic book. Also, tempt the PCs with something they can climb to see over the hedge, and then have it horribly trapped or alive or something.
#3 mathius78 Oct 14, 2010 20:34:14	For stats you can have them fight any monster you want, but as topiary. Mechanically it will be the same. Size small critters that have small tunnels to run around in can be fun, a hafling might actually follow them down a hole. As for maze itself, once the enter it is skill challenge to find you way back our, do not worry about a map, just say the mazy rearranges itself. Make a large map of the center to use as you battle map. If the leave this area have them make skill check to find the exit. If they fail the come back to center from a random edge. Mathius
#4 calm Oct 18, 2010 17:22:16	Add a pool at the center of the maze that is a crossover to the Feywild. Either the PCs enter that realm while in the central pool area, or creatures from that realm have come through to the maze. Then you can go whacky or deadly serious. Perhaps an elemental fey entity (water weird or whatever) is the source of all the maze problems. Or an annoyed pixie or whatever. Perhaps combine the above. Make the entity able to conjure servants, or turn mundane items into servants and guards (the stone gargoyles come to life, the topiary drakes tear free and attack, etc.) while the fey controller either just laughs and watches, or takes part as a controller or artillery. For future adventure, have the spited fey flee back through a portal when "killed," with words of warning and threats against a future meeting.