DEN OF THE BEASTLORDS SHAMAN

Now let us return to a time when three alignments were enough, when a handful of character classes ruled, and when magic swords had their own ideas about who’s boss.

EMERGENT PLAY: Re-working & Expanding the Dungeon Delves

 

Now that we have all these dungeon dives under our belt, (10 official dives so far) not including side quests or one-shots I haven’t posted; I am slowly working on completely re-making the dungeons to include a lot of the encounters and areas that emerged through play but didn’t make it into the posts due to my laziness and lack of time.

Also now that I have a few dozen sessions under my belt, I have had time to reflect on what I feel would make for a more focused and enjoyable gaming experience. There are things I wish I had done differently and then of course unexpected things that just unexpected emerged through play that I just had to roll with like NPC’s, obstacles, traps, completely new areas like the Dreamlands, and other things that organically just grew out of our sessions. There were quite a few things that occurred that I really want to expand on in my re-works to make the dungeons a bit more interactive.

For example the whole Brass Gods theme. Most of the Brass God stuff I was just improvising on the spot and winging it as the opportunities arose which is why it doesn’t really feel to well though out in my opinion with the Necropolis of the Brass Gods feeling a bit disjointed. Then there is the Wall Of Mortok which I would like to connect to the other dungeons, with each providing a bit of lore and details about the Witches that created it and had a hand in the destruction of the Brass Gods.

In addition to eventually re-creating/drawing all new dungeon maps, I also want to expand on each dungeon with a bunch of bonus material- plus fully stat everything out so they are completely ready to play. Each dungeon would also include brief streamlined rules for getting the dungeon up and running for players and DM.

A new denizen of the 1st Dungeon Delve.

As an example the first dungeon has been completely re-worked and is now about twice the size of the original posting with more obstacles and encounters and 2 pages of rules. I ran it a couple of nights ago and it went really well. A few small changes to make and then I will figure out what to do with it and the others once they have been re-worked.

I am keeping things strictly to the Original 1974 Edition of Dungeons & Dragons & that includes the spell lists which I feel are perfect for the types of games I like to run. By limiting the spells to the 3LBB’s the players really have to think about the utility of each spell and how it may best serve the group and not the individual.

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For a highly informative post I recommend reading Dungeon Design Note: Obstacles Support Exploration by Gus L. here

As Gus L. beautifully stated in regards to spell utility on his All Dead Generations blog:

As opposed to combat spells, the sleep spell eliminates basically one encounter, light blinds one boss, fireball is ... well fireball.

The limitations on MUs isn't that they don't have powerful spells it's that the spells they have have very limited uses and if your MU picks "Knock" they can't pick "Invisibility" or "Web"... this is part of why these obstacles work, because:

A) Spells may trivialise an individual obstacle, but the can't run through the number of them that the party should encounter in a session.

B) Obstacles all have pretty easy to figure out physical hacks using equipment (which costs inventory), skills, or things found in the dungeon.

The difference is that these solutions (including just smashing open a door) take turns resulting in supply depletion and random encounter checks in a way the spell doesn't. This is fine the spell has the costs built into its limited uses.

Of course for any of this to work one needs to make sure there are reasons not to just rememorize spells in the dungeon, that wizards can't memorise too many spells (e.g. making light and things like "mage hand" cast on demand cantrips) or come and go from the dungeon without risk. The dungeon crawl is all about risk vs. reward, getting the players to want to push on for a few more rooms even when they are getting low on supplies, spells and HP.

Dungeon Delve #10 ~ NECROPOLIS OF THE BRASS GODS [Level 3A]

Now let us return to a time when three alignments were enough, when a handful of character classes ruled, and when magic swords had their own ideas about who’s boss.

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INTRODUCING OUR UNDERNAUTS

• Orgatto Snook, Esquire the 2nd (M-U)
  *Orgatto the 1st is now a Giant Brass Spider (R.I.P)
  
  
• Officer Belamere (Fighter)
  
  
• Esclamonde (Elf) Morpho-Synth
  
  
• Slurm the Sullied (Thief)
  
  
• Louise the Lush (Cleric)

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NECROPOLIS OF THE BRASS GODS [Level: 3a DUSKLANDS - The Land Before Time] is the tenth official dungeon for our campaign.

This is my modified version of the Delvers Delight: Land of Dusk by Tamás Kisbali of the Eldritch Fields blog. Tamás has kindly given me permission to share this on the blog. For the original version of this adventure, and many more adventures that I will definitely be using for future sessions- you can find them on the Eldritch Fields blog here:
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Note: I like working with simple frameworks. I don’t need backgrounds spanning centuries leading up to the adventure. Just give me some flavour, just enough to fire up the ol’ imagination, a map, and I will let my imagination squirt out the rest for better or worse.

Lets make running this dungeon simple. Grab OD&D (3LBB’s) or your clone of choice and have at it!
For my games I use the following:

• d6 HD
• d6 Damage
• Every 1 gp spent = 1xp
• 100xp per monster HD
• Oh yeah encumbrance & lighting matters. No infravision for PC’s

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LEVEL 3A: THE DUSKLANDS

An underground “lost world”, a perilous jungle with terrifying prehistoric creatures. It is The Dusklands, due to the perpetual dim light emanating from small grey geometric particles floating in the air,-shifting in size and shape (in the central chambers and every adjacent area). Everything is in Technicolor. Plants grow black and purple and thorny in this unnatural radiation.

BEWARE for the creatures here mother nature had no hand in creating, no not these foul monsters, for they were created by the Brass Gods for reasons unknown.

The areas on this level are bright orange limestone caves. The ceiling in the central chambers #1-3 rises up to 120’. The ledges along the side are 60’ high and quite steep. In the secondary caverns, passages are 8’ high, chambers 10-15’.

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WANDERING MONSTERS (roll 2d6 in #1-2; 1d6+1 in #4-33):

2. Rival Undernaut Party! A big-game hunter (Fighter 4), a Corporate scientist (Cleric 4), a wanted criminal (Thief 5), 2 hunters and 3 porters, looking for their lost leader

3. 1d6 Giant Brass Bee Workers, guarded by 1 Giant Brass Bee Soldier

4. 1d6 Dakons from #6, hunting and gathering

5. Smilodon, hunting or dragging its prey back to #29

6. 1d3 Giant Brass Centipedes come creepy-crawling

7. 2d6 Intelligent Velociraptors (once wizards) stalk the party

8. Quicksand! A random member of the party must save or start drowning

9. Trap! A random member of the party falls into a 10’ spike pit (2d6 damage)

10-11. 2d6 Brass Infected Wild Boars digging up mushrooms or tasty roots

12. Bernie the Allosaurus comes crashing through the jungle, Oh Yeah he's a zombie!

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0. The Brass Gate. The nexus between levels 3A and 3B. Thick brass grate, currently down. Giant chains run from it into the ceiling – the gate is operated remotely from Level 2 (#15). The hungry jungle encroaches up to the very threshold, with many vines grabbing onto the bars.

1-2. Tropical jungle. Movement is seriously hindered by the dense undergrowth and the vines.

A brass cable bridge connects the west and east ledges. When standing on the cliff in the middle (A), one can see an alternative version of the jungle, under the open sky, reaching beneath the horizon. The silhouette of a golden Brass city is visible in the distance. Jumping off the cliff or flying up do not work, but teleportation or similar dimensional magic is capable of transporting the party into this other dimension and to a jungle adventure of the Referee’s choice…

There is a small tree-house (B) near the south-east cave wall, at the 50’ level. It is a simple 8’ by 8’ cubical structure, with windows on all sides and a door on the east wall. Here, a rope ladder connects it to the ledge of cave #26. Inside, there is some DIY furniture (bed, table, chair) and a diary written in code (a month’s work, Intelligence 17 or more, or a hired sage required to decipher: it contains the notes of an explorer from a Planet Eris). There is a map tacked to the wall, depicting the lake area in #3, with entrance to the chamber behind the waterfall (#31) and the underwater passage (#30) clearly marked.

3. Lake, mildly salty, constantly engulfed in a 5’ layer of mist above its surface. The lake deepens rapidly, 10’ for every 10’, to 50’ at the lowest point. Below the 30’ line, there are large pearl oysters. For every turn spent diving, there is a 15% chance/character of finding a pearl (4d4 x 10 gp value). Random encounters in the lake are always with 2d6 Barracudas.

A cliff (C) emerges some 20’ above the water level. The grey marble statue depicts a young woman/queen riding a Triceratops into battle. Those knowledgeable in myth and lore recognise her as Cynisca, Battle Angel of Sparn, whose disappearance led to a great war between ancient kingdoms millennia ago. Her eyes are sapphires (1,000 gp each). The Triceratops has empty eye sockets: if gems of at least 100 gp value each are inserted; the whole statue comes alive. Battle Angel Cynisca was kidnapped and turned to stone by an evil Dervish Fakir in thrall to the Gods of Brass. She is a Cleric 5 with brass-themed spells. As a reward, she can cast spells on the party. She seeks revenge and ultimately the restoration of her kingdom of Sparn.

The sinkhole (D) from Level 2 (#20) opens into the ceiling of this cave, at the height of 120’.

The 80’ high waterfall (E) cascades down with a joyful racket, from a cave mouth (see #31).

An island of soft green sand (F) occupies the north-west section, with a black stone tower (#32) leaning against the cliff face on it. Digging reveals dozens of desiccated corpses of humanoids with crab claws.

4. Smell of decay. Loud buzzing of flies can be heard from the east. There is a Giant Ape skull mounted on a pole in the middle. The cliff to #27 is 50’ high. The pit traps are disguised with leaves, 20’ deep, with nasty spikes (3d6 damage). They were dug by the Dakons in #6 as a defence from the Albino Cannibal Apes in #27.

5. Thick bamboo bars keep 3 Giant Horseflies imprisoned. A desiccated humanoid corpse with a shiny golden bracelet (500 gp) lies in 2’ from the north bars.

6. Lair of 25 Dakons. Their fur is purple which turns black with age. The community is led by three of the darkest, Ghu, Rhaag and Pfhilth. These elders each also wear a brass circlet of telekinesis (the wearer can lift up to 25 lbs, two wearers in concert can lift 100, three – 400). The apes are usually engaged in crafts (basketry, puppets) or a capella singing. They are in war with the Apes in #27.

A large, formless dried mud idol stands in the north-east nook. Obsidian blades are stuck into it. The Dakons call it Nalaghoru the Evil One. It is their belief that the blades keep the evil forces at bay. They are right: if the blades are removed, a Lesser Brass Otyugh is released.

7. Dakon Nursery. 6 Brass Infected Dakon babies are tended to by 10 Dakons. One baby is playing with a rattle adorned with a large amethyst (500 gp).

8. 5 Brass Skeletons in a 10’ deep pit (“they never bothered us,” say the Dakons). When somebody enters the chamber, the skeletons start rattling their bones extremely loud, which might alert the Dakons.

9. The entrance is blocked by a large boulder (combined Strength of 40 to move). 6 Brass Pit Vipers with powerful Brass poison attack anybody who does not whistle a little tune known to Dakons. The treasury of the Dakon community is kept here in clay jars: 3,000 ep, 7,000 gp, a 3’ diameter round silver mirror (900 gp), a large pearl hidden in a lump of clay (500 gp), a gem encrusted comb (1,200 gp).

10. Layers of clay were applied onto the north wall, and shaped into an ape mask. The southbound passage connecting to Level 3B (#30) is closed off with thick brass bars.

11. Ochre-drawings of dinosaurs on the wall, created by the artistic Dakon living here. Was exiled from its tribe (#6). Vengeful, might share the location of their treasure (#9) and information about the “skeleton alarm” (#8).

12. Nest of dozens of large shy and exquisite birds of paradise. Their plumage shines with all the colours of the rainbow, and sometimes even change colour (a single bird has 100 gp worth of feathers). Roughly 2’ by 2’ openings overlook the main caves. The treehouse (#2 B) is discernible in the distance. A 3’ wide ledge starts below these “windows”, leading to the north along the cave wall.

13. 2 Giant Badgers.

14. Weirdly, there is a wooden door in the cave here, marked with a red ochre occult sigil, recognised by Clerics as the sign of lesser devils (same as Level 1 (#5). A gloopy sound can be heard from within. 9 Lemures live inside. For some reason, they are conditioned to obey “faceless” characters – those who wear any sort of mask or a helmet with the visor down. If there is such present, the Lemures line up and await instructions.

15. The northward passage caved in (one full day to clear).

16. 8 Hired Thieves. They brew a sweet-smelling tea from dried herbs, and are happy to share (save of fall asleep, the Hobs themselves are immune). Their leader is armed with a crossbow +1, shaped like a swan.

17. The cavern has a gradual elevation towards the north, leading to worked stairs and a steel sliding door. A brass-plated 8’ tall statue of a knight blocks the way. It faces towards the southeast. Its field of vision is a 45° cone, 30’ in length. If the knight notices anybody, it lifts its spiked gauntlets and the psionic message “HALT!” resonates in everybody’s head. It attacks those who approach, and defends the door to #20, but never goes far from this cave. It fights as a Caryatid Column; when defeated, it falls apart, and a Shadow emerges. There is also a black gem (1400 gp) inside it.

18. 5 Tomb Robbers, laying low, afraid of the knight in #17.

19. A glass tub, with around 10 gallons of liquid brass at the bottom.

Areas #20-23 are artificial, with solid grey walls (like concrete). All surfaces are covered in equidistant glyphs of an ancient language (a week to decipher: these are all coordinates to parallel worlds and other planets Ortix, Agol & Eris). Ceilings are 20’ high. Doors are steel sliding doors. Wandering encounters only occur here if the door to #20 is left open.

20. There is an 8’ crimson metal cube in the room (brass but covered in ritual blood offerings), warm and humming, with a Giant Monitor Lizard curled up around it. It is an albino, with a strange purple tint to its scales. A crossbow bolt is stuck in its body (an arrow of undead-slaying).

21. There are burn marks at eye-level on the side jambs of the door. Trap: when the door is slid half-way, there is a warning click, followed by a laser blast from inside (10d6 damage, save for half). The walls of this room are encrusted with beautiful pink, red and sky blue corals (total worth: 12,000 gp).

22. A transparent cylindrical cabin, 10’ in diameter, 15’ tall, stands on the platform. It is at a 30° angle. There is a large metal drill head attached to its top. Aligned with it, in the ceiling, there is the beginning of a shaft. The cabin has a sliding door. Six human-sized creatures can enter. Inside, there is a control panel with two buttons (“triangle” = start; “square” = stop). If activated, the drill starts rotating, then the whole cabin shoots up into the air. It has the capability to drill up to the very surface, creating a shortcut to this level.

23. Yellow Mould covers this room. The north-east corner is partially collapsed, leading to a very narrow passage (an adult human can only squeeze through if unarmoured).

24-25. Hive of the Giant Bees. Loud buzzing can be heard when approaching, and bees often fly out to collect pollen from the weird flowers of the jungle below. There is a pattern to their buzzing: after a turn of attentive listening, one can recognise the pulsing bass line of “Stayin’ Alive”. Humming along grants a 5-in-6 chance of passing undetected (rolled for every member of the party). The walls are covered with hexagonal cells. Every surface is sticky – a save against paralysation must be made every turn, otherwise a character or a carried object gets stuck.

There is a total of 16 Workers and 8 Brass Soldiers. Half are always present. If combat breaks out, the others sense the bad vibes and show up in 2d6 rounds time.

In #24, there is a metal barrel, half-embedded in the sticky wax. It contains 2,500 gp and a ring of spell storing. The immobile Queen lives in #25. Yes, there is royal jelly.

26. Ledge reachable via rope ladder from the treehouse (#2 B). A bead curtain hangs at the entrance. The curtain also obscures a thin tripwire, which activates an old-timey magnesium camera flash (blindness for 10 minutes). The chamber holds a barrel of gunpowder and a small lockbox (trapped with poison needle, 3 diamonds worth 1,000 gp each inside).

27. Nest of 5 Albino Carnivorous Apes (enemies of the Dakons in #6). The cliff to the south is 50’ above #4.

28. A collection of shiny things hangs from the walls: ruby-encrusted pendant (4,000 gp), a gilded silver & brass dagger (500 gp) and a gold ring shaped like two intertwined snakes (900 gp).

29. Smilodon cave. The pregnant Smilodon Mother is always here. There are 2 Smilodon Fathers, one is usually out hunting, the other now infected with brass guards the cave.

30. Underwater cave, with a small air pocket in the center (enough for 10 minutes). The 500’ long meandering submerged passage leads deeper, to Level 3C.

31. Cavern above the waterfall. A human skeleton, embedded knee-deep in the ground, wearing a silvery grey cloak (cloak of aetherealness).

32. A 70’ tall solid black stone tower connects the island (#3 (F)) and the cliff. The tower has sliding stone door slabs on both levels, marked with skulls. If any of the doors are opened, the bodies buried on the island rise as 32 Zombies with crab claws who never stop in their pursuit of the opener of the door.

Inside the tower, the cliff face continues. There is a spiral staircase connecting the upper ledge with the island level. The stairs also lead down, into a 20’ deep waterlogged shaft. At its bottom, there is a brass tablet, inscribed with three spells (works as a scroll): monster summoning I, II and III.

33. The large brass statue of a Triceratops with a naked person making ritual prostrations blocks the westward passage. Everybody sees the naked person as their own image. Any character who is undressed and not carrying any objects can pass through the statue as if it was immaterial.

The passage beyond the statue slopes downward and leads to Level 4.

To be continued!