In response to Ari Mouseferatu Marmell asking if it would be possible to run a megadungeon that was about 1/3 combat (his preferred style of play, and one I often enjoy), I developed the following response. This is a glimpse into my adventure-writing mind. As long as your concept of mega-dungeon is broad enough, its absolutely doable. Have the first level be a community of outcasts and rejects who moved in to take cover from local threats. But they are a *real* community, with leaders, trade, religion, celebrations, a town council and so on. The next few levels are where they farm. Mushroom farms. Slug ranches. A half-flooded level where an underground river with fish and formed fishing ponds, and so on. Threats in these levels are like threats in any community. Derro bandits. An ankheg scaring the herds. A bear takes over the room just inside one of the entrances. Dungeon stuff, but tied to the environment. Then something happens. A lower level floor caves in, revealing dungeon levels below it. Maybe another community, Maybe a ruin. The same sorts of things you might find in a wilderness but underground. That connects to natural caverns even deeper. Some of those were used as dungeons for fallen angels, who try to convince those who walk by to release them. Does the community set guards on those cells? Bury them? How is such a supernatural threat handled? A plague strikes the top level, including friends and allioes of the PCs. One of the angels knows why and how to gain a cure... but shell only tell you if you recover something for her. Something from even deeper, using secret tunnels she knows about. On and on, downward and downward, as clues slowly pile up on WHY so many things are in this region of rock. Is it atop a fallen god who the fallen angels served? Then a cult to that god pops up. Is it a thin spot in the planar fabric so you can walk to other realities? Then some levels pop in and out, like the City of Brass, and pan-dimensional traders set up shop 10 level before the upper level community. Did a wizard build the place and leave a low-power attraction spell so folks come here with no idea why? If so, can the PCs find and remove its focus. If it means an end to the community, should they? Discussion, Ally-building, Exploration, And about 1/3 combat. All in the dungeon.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 04:33:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015