- It can be worthwhile to total up an estimate of the gold piece value of the treasure on a level and compare it to how much XP a character of the appropriate level need to gain a level, that way you can figure out "This region for 6th-level character has enough treaure XP for 10 6th level characters to reach 7th level."
- When you're generating treasure hoards with multiple gems and jewelry (such a treasure type 5-30 gems and 10-60 jewelry) save yourself some hassle and make one gem or jewel of incredible worth; i.e. instead of rolling for 20 gems rolls one gem and multiply the value by 20. This way you end up with fabulously valuable treasures that may have rumors about them.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Megadungeon Centred Campaign Musings
- While stocking a level with random procedures, it can be fun to mix things up, roll two encounters, and combine them. It can be simple, like "Okay, this gang of evil Clerics has a Manticore pet/mount" or "If I combine a Disenchanter and a Flail Snail I'll have a super-awesome Fiend Folio Fiend!" This is something that Type IV got right in principle, regardless of the Affliction-shirt wearing Poochy-esque EXXXTreeme! implementation.
- Having a variety of human-types on the megadungeon monster stocking matrices works out pretty awesome; it's definitely something OD&D got right with all the Lords, Necromancers and Evil High Priests on the dungeon encounter tables. With my tables I have the AD&D standby bandits, berserkers, and NPC parties, but I also have Clerics, Fighters, Magic-Users and Thieves. You end up with wacky cults, super-villains, and Dr. Frankensteins in your dungeon.
- Jeff Rients' XP For Exploration idea is pretty awesome, and genre-appropriate, and I do try and implement with having bonus XP for compiling a caver/explorer-esque of an area, but you can also put it into effect by having extra money randomly scattered on the floor when you stock.
- When mapping it's fun to put in areas that are inaccessible, incomplete trans-level connections, etc., and put in something down the line. This can Jaquay your dungeon.
- Dark Souls, Dwarf Fortress and Nethack are all great console and computer rpgs that are full of awesome megadungeon DM inspiration, everything from layout to mercilessness.
- You can never have enough monster books. If you have enough you can stock a "kiddie pool through to shit creek without a paddle" megadungeon without doing the giant rat/kobold/centipede/goblin/orc/etc. thing. You can even be counterrevolutionary, a do the whole Raggi-sian "Only Unique Monsters According to Trve Literary Principles" by cherry picking from a pile of books and not reusing.
- It would be nice to have a set of wide and deep megadungeon monster stocking tables that has sub-matrices by level for categories such as Undead, Guardian, Ecology, Soldiers, etc. like the awesome tables that Roger from Rules, Roles and Rolls compiled and the procedures for stocking Tekumel dungeons from the Pettigrew selections.
- The AEG Ultimate Toolbox random table book would be a lot more useful if the ink-guzzling photshop margins had a header that stated WHAT the chapter was about (such as DUNGEONS or NPCs) instead of just saying "CHAPTER 5." Also if you have five d20 tables for the same thing you could have one d100 table instead.
- I wish Michael Curtis wrote a "Dungeon Encyclopedia," Zak S. wrote a Vornheim-equivalent for dungeons, that the OSR publishers were releasing MORE monster books instead of variantions of the Keep on the Borderlands and the Holmes Basic dungeon.
- This and This are really useful for stocking a megadungeon (and is why I'm always whining about Swords & Wizardry not using Treasure Type); did anyone ever make one for dungeon-by-level stocking according to OD&D and the DMG Appendix A?
- The way OD&D gave every sword and Alignment (and a 50% chance to be intelligent) makes sense when you realize how many dang magic swords piles up in a megadungeon; it's worthwhile to take some time to differentiate them.
- If the party is surprised by a monster, it's really fun to do as Raggi suggest and not even describe the monster at all, "Bradan stumbles back with a bloody gash across his torso and 13 points of damage!" leaving the players to confusedly sputter about what's going on.
- It's even more fun for the DM to take a smoke break at this exact point.
- When the party is beat up and bailing on the dungeon back to town it's fun to make the players roll the random encounter dice.
- Having a variety of human-types on the megadungeon monster stocking matrices works out pretty awesome; it's definitely something OD&D got right with all the Lords, Necromancers and Evil High Priests on the dungeon encounter tables. With my tables I have the AD&D standby bandits, berserkers, and NPC parties, but I also have Clerics, Fighters, Magic-Users and Thieves. You end up with wacky cults, super-villains, and Dr. Frankensteins in your dungeon.
- Jeff Rients' XP For Exploration idea is pretty awesome, and genre-appropriate, and I do try and implement with having bonus XP for compiling a caver/explorer-esque of an area, but you can also put it into effect by having extra money randomly scattered on the floor when you stock.
- When mapping it's fun to put in areas that are inaccessible, incomplete trans-level connections, etc., and put in something down the line. This can Jaquay your dungeon.
- Dark Souls, Dwarf Fortress and Nethack are all great console and computer rpgs that are full of awesome megadungeon DM inspiration, everything from layout to mercilessness.
- You can never have enough monster books. If you have enough you can stock a "kiddie pool through to shit creek without a paddle" megadungeon without doing the giant rat/kobold/centipede/goblin/orc/etc. thing. You can even be counterrevolutionary, a do the whole Raggi-sian "Only Unique Monsters According to Trve Literary Principles" by cherry picking from a pile of books and not reusing.
- It would be nice to have a set of wide and deep megadungeon monster stocking tables that has sub-matrices by level for categories such as Undead, Guardian, Ecology, Soldiers, etc. like the awesome tables that Roger from Rules, Roles and Rolls compiled and the procedures for stocking Tekumel dungeons from the Pettigrew selections.
- The AEG Ultimate Toolbox random table book would be a lot more useful if the ink-guzzling photshop margins had a header that stated WHAT the chapter was about (such as DUNGEONS or NPCs) instead of just saying "CHAPTER 5." Also if you have five d20 tables for the same thing you could have one d100 table instead.
- I wish Michael Curtis wrote a "Dungeon Encyclopedia," Zak S. wrote a Vornheim-equivalent for dungeons, that the OSR publishers were releasing MORE monster books instead of variantions of the Keep on the Borderlands and the Holmes Basic dungeon.
- This and This are really useful for stocking a megadungeon (and is why I'm always whining about Swords & Wizardry not using Treasure Type); did anyone ever make one for dungeon-by-level stocking according to OD&D and the DMG Appendix A?
- The way OD&D gave every sword and Alignment (and a 50% chance to be intelligent) makes sense when you realize how many dang magic swords piles up in a megadungeon; it's worthwhile to take some time to differentiate them.
- If the party is surprised by a monster, it's really fun to do as Raggi suggest and not even describe the monster at all, "Bradan stumbles back with a bloody gash across his torso and 13 points of damage!" leaving the players to confusedly sputter about what's going on.
- It's even more fun for the DM to take a smoke break at this exact point.
- When the party is beat up and bailing on the dungeon back to town it's fun to make the players roll the random encounter dice.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Fortress Eibon Rumor Mill
Talk heard around the camel-kebab and fermented-goat's milk vendors in the itinerant camp outside of the walls of Yam.
From a mercenary equipped with plate mail and a spear:
"We found a hole in the murder floor above the western main gate entrance tunnel. The little man-child Columbo threw a rock tied to a rope through the grating of the murder floor and bravely ascended and scouted ahead by himself. We found a room full of decayed furniture and foodstores and three white devil-hounds with blazing blues eyes like that of a sabre-toothed tiger killed three of my mercenary brothers and crushed the windpipes of three of the adventurers: the old sorcerer, the dwarf-slave with the girl-like face, and Gagner the fighter. It took many many blows but we slew the demon beasts. Two of the adventurers were living but comatose after the battle, but the feminine dwarf-slave's throat had been torn out! Although the sorcerer and fighting-man recovered, Gagner was so unmanned by his battle-wound that he left their party!"
A week later from another mercenary in new plate mail with a polearm:
"We climbed a rope up into the murder floor above the western gate tunnel. We found the scene of a bloody slaughter with the scattered and gnawed remains of huge white devil-hounds and fighting-men. The delver's gathered several measures of silver from the unclean beasts feces-strewn lair. We encountered some eagle-sized moths that flew at the delver's glowing swords. The cleric was lighting a torch to burn the moths; they all flew at it, became engulfed in flames and began flying at us while dripping burning oil. The graybeard wizard, girl-child and the cleric ran away but the pygmy and loud one and my brothers but them down. We found some hashish and opium worth 600 gold coins, the loud one kept trying to attempt a deceit and keep the intoxicants for himself but we were like iron-jawed wolves my friend and did not let these itinerant tomb-robbers take our share of the bounty.
We went down a long tunnel and came upon a swarm of child-sized fleas. The old man used a sorcery to render them all asleep and they were crushed. We were flanked by a band of unclean shriveled grabbing man-things but they were cut down.
We ascended a stair and came upon a hideous slime slug-thing that attacked our heads and made some of us attack each other while others babbled and defecated like animals. The cowardly old warlock attacked it with a stick and beat it soundly before the loud one, who had been cowering using some invisibility charm, cut it down.
We found some treasure and decided to return to Yam. Reflecting upon our lucartive yet risky venture one fact was distinct in the minds of all us mercenary brothers. The loud one had tried to get us to open chests for him and set off traps in his stead. He was like an oily weasel-snake that hisses loudly and schemes to take all for himself and I would not work for his gold ever again my friend!
On our way back to the exit the little pygmy warrior found a purse of gold coins that ate part of his hand before it was sent back to the hells of greed."
From a mercenary equipped with plate mail and a spear:
"We found a hole in the murder floor above the western main gate entrance tunnel. The little man-child Columbo threw a rock tied to a rope through the grating of the murder floor and bravely ascended and scouted ahead by himself. We found a room full of decayed furniture and foodstores and three white devil-hounds with blazing blues eyes like that of a sabre-toothed tiger killed three of my mercenary brothers and crushed the windpipes of three of the adventurers: the old sorcerer, the dwarf-slave with the girl-like face, and Gagner the fighter. It took many many blows but we slew the demon beasts. Two of the adventurers were living but comatose after the battle, but the feminine dwarf-slave's throat had been torn out! Although the sorcerer and fighting-man recovered, Gagner was so unmanned by his battle-wound that he left their party!"
A week later from another mercenary in new plate mail with a polearm:
"We climbed a rope up into the murder floor above the western gate tunnel. We found the scene of a bloody slaughter with the scattered and gnawed remains of huge white devil-hounds and fighting-men. The delver's gathered several measures of silver from the unclean beasts feces-strewn lair. We encountered some eagle-sized moths that flew at the delver's glowing swords. The cleric was lighting a torch to burn the moths; they all flew at it, became engulfed in flames and began flying at us while dripping burning oil. The graybeard wizard, girl-child and the cleric ran away but the pygmy and loud one and my brothers but them down. We found some hashish and opium worth 600 gold coins, the loud one kept trying to attempt a deceit and keep the intoxicants for himself but we were like iron-jawed wolves my friend and did not let these itinerant tomb-robbers take our share of the bounty.
We went down a long tunnel and came upon a swarm of child-sized fleas. The old man used a sorcery to render them all asleep and they were crushed. We were flanked by a band of unclean shriveled grabbing man-things but they were cut down.
We ascended a stair and came upon a hideous slime slug-thing that attacked our heads and made some of us attack each other while others babbled and defecated like animals. The cowardly old warlock attacked it with a stick and beat it soundly before the loud one, who had been cowering using some invisibility charm, cut it down.
We found some treasure and decided to return to Yam. Reflecting upon our lucartive yet risky venture one fact was distinct in the minds of all us mercenary brothers. The loud one had tried to get us to open chests for him and set off traps in his stead. He was like an oily weasel-snake that hisses loudly and schemes to take all for himself and I would not work for his gold ever again my friend!
On our way back to the exit the little pygmy warrior found a purse of gold coins that ate part of his hand before it was sent back to the hells of greed."
Hint for using the Fiend Folio with Megadungeons
Double check whether an encounter is with Death Dogs or Devil Dogs before commencing with surprise and initiative, "Jeez... I thought these things had only two hit dice?"
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tales From Fortress Eibon...
"We had heard rumours of bejeweled skulls, occults of death, and swords that protected and aid in the slaying of an oppenent. So far two parties had died in these towers. one total party death and another where only one survived. He was our leader as we entered through the Northern sallyport, one of the three entrances, across the courtyard inhabited by distracted but none the less size of the dogs cricket like creatures.
There were five of us, three fighters, a cleric and a magic user. We made our way into the building off the East side of the courtyard encountering nought but a large empty chamber. We followed our leader to the place where he had recently fled and lost all companions. It was the farthest door on the North side of the wall. We peered inside to see bodies piled on one another. Pale and shrunken, loose skin weighing heavy on empty dehydrated tissue. There was the sound of a fountain to accompany us while we stripped these dead companions of anything useful.
After we were done we maneuvered over the fallen to fight these giant grotesque deadly fleas, with compact dark shelled bodies, their disgusting sharp proboscis finding any weakness in our armour. There were but three left and still they damaged our prepared party. It wasn’t until broadswords were drawn and injuries sustained that the fleas were finally conquered. The platinum and gold pieces were gathered from the stone floor as quickly as was able and we all came out of that room a fair bit richer but we wanted more. Exploring the South wall we came upon a hall that led off to up to five different rooms. The first held nothing and the second four mushrooms up to ones waist grew out of a floor thick with musty rotting burlap sacs. We moved on
Room with rotting sacks, one was cut open to reveal decaying bolts of cloth with nothing of worth but a gaudy tapestry of a woman in an erotic pose.
Monsters: Hags with cleavers. camouflaged as burlap sacs. Emit an odour comparable to rotting vegetables. Killed the one who led us, quickly and easily. We fled as there were eight of them but when we did return thes only sign of the hags or our fallen ally was a stain of blood on the floor. This was a room off the West side of the corridor we found on the East South entrance out of the main hall. As we exited we were assaulted by the flying heads of the three four feet high mushrooms. They came whirring at great speeds with clear intent of harming us..."
There were five of us, three fighters, a cleric and a magic user. We made our way into the building off the East side of the courtyard encountering nought but a large empty chamber. We followed our leader to the place where he had recently fled and lost all companions. It was the farthest door on the North side of the wall. We peered inside to see bodies piled on one another. Pale and shrunken, loose skin weighing heavy on empty dehydrated tissue. There was the sound of a fountain to accompany us while we stripped these dead companions of anything useful.
After we were done we maneuvered over the fallen to fight these giant grotesque deadly fleas, with compact dark shelled bodies, their disgusting sharp proboscis finding any weakness in our armour. There were but three left and still they damaged our prepared party. It wasn’t until broadswords were drawn and injuries sustained that the fleas were finally conquered. The platinum and gold pieces were gathered from the stone floor as quickly as was able and we all came out of that room a fair bit richer but we wanted more. Exploring the South wall we came upon a hall that led off to up to five different rooms. The first held nothing and the second four mushrooms up to ones waist grew out of a floor thick with musty rotting burlap sacs. We moved on
Room with rotting sacks, one was cut open to reveal decaying bolts of cloth with nothing of worth but a gaudy tapestry of a woman in an erotic pose.
Monsters: Hags with cleavers. camouflaged as burlap sacs. Emit an odour comparable to rotting vegetables. Killed the one who led us, quickly and easily. We fled as there were eight of them but when we did return thes only sign of the hags or our fallen ally was a stain of blood on the floor. This was a room off the West side of the corridor we found on the East South entrance out of the main hall. As we exited we were assaulted by the flying heads of the three four feet high mushrooms. They came whirring at great speeds with clear intent of harming us..."
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Fortress Eibon Exploration Protocols
RULES
The Sunday games with Yee Olde Groupe uses Blair's houseruled OD&D & Supplements.
The Thursday games with Red Box Vancouver uses RBV's houseruled Basic/Expert D&D rules.
As this is a Flailsnails dungeon PCs from other games, campaigns, and editions are welcome, subject to an editing pass by the DM. NO CHEESE!
Thursday games are open to the public, Sunday games require an invite.
INCENTIVES
Players in the Sunday games (and Thursday games if this passes RBV approval) are entitled to a % bonus if they post a useful account or map of their delve. This bonus is determined by the highest of the character's intelligence, wisdom or charisma scores:
3-6 : +5%
7-8 : +10%
9-12 : +15%
13-14 : +20%
15-18 : +25%
For both an account and a map add an extra 5% to the above figure.
Also, a proper survey of a room, area or level, with description and map, allows the surveyer to officially name the aforementioned region.
I will also be incorporating rumor cards with xp bonuses for accomplishing goals associated with said rumor cards.
SCOPE
Currently this campaign involves the mapped and stocked regions of Fortress Eibon (delve to the limits of the stocked regions for an xp bonus...). In the future play may also encompass the city of Yam and the wilderness hexes of the Yam Plateau.
MONSTERS
Don't count on many of them being familiar...
The Sunday games with Yee Olde Groupe uses Blair's houseruled OD&D & Supplements.
The Thursday games with Red Box Vancouver uses RBV's houseruled Basic/Expert D&D rules.
As this is a Flailsnails dungeon PCs from other games, campaigns, and editions are welcome, subject to an editing pass by the DM. NO CHEESE!
Thursday games are open to the public, Sunday games require an invite.
INCENTIVES
Players in the Sunday games (and Thursday games if this passes RBV approval) are entitled to a % bonus if they post a useful account or map of their delve. This bonus is determined by the highest of the character's intelligence, wisdom or charisma scores:
3-6 : +5%
7-8 : +10%
9-12 : +15%
13-14 : +20%
15-18 : +25%
For both an account and a map add an extra 5% to the above figure.
Also, a proper survey of a room, area or level, with description and map, allows the surveyer to officially name the aforementioned region.
I will also be incorporating rumor cards with xp bonuses for accomplishing goals associated with said rumor cards.
SCOPE
Currently this campaign involves the mapped and stocked regions of Fortress Eibon (delve to the limits of the stocked regions for an xp bonus...). In the future play may also encompass the city of Yam and the wilderness hexes of the Yam Plateau.
MONSTERS
Don't count on many of them being familiar...
[Flailsnails] Prepare to Die - Fortress Eibon
This past Sunday saw the initial session of my Dark Souls-inspired [Flailsnails] Fortress Eibon Megadungeon, using OD&D with supplements as the rules.
The basalt towers of Fortress Eibon, located outside the archaic silk road city of Yam, was inhabited by untold generations of a clan of Sorcerer-Aristocrats until a hundred years ago when it's masters were overwhelmed by the black magic they sought to control and their names were erased from history.
The Nine Towers of Fortress Eibon thrust 210 feet into the skies, it's walls stand 130 feet tall. Tales speak of dungeons extending as far below the earth as it towers above the ground.
This past Sunday several adventurers sought fortune within it's walls. Rumors speak of ten(!) of them falling to giant fleas, and one being cut down by sour-smelling bundles, as well as as Cleric reaching the second level of experience.
I currently have 9 levels comprising 829 rooms mapped and stocked of Fortress Eibon, and my intent is to run it at my home group games and Red Box Vancouver on a regular basis.
The basalt towers of Fortress Eibon, located outside the archaic silk road city of Yam, was inhabited by untold generations of a clan of Sorcerer-Aristocrats until a hundred years ago when it's masters were overwhelmed by the black magic they sought to control and their names were erased from history.
The Nine Towers of Fortress Eibon thrust 210 feet into the skies, it's walls stand 130 feet tall. Tales speak of dungeons extending as far below the earth as it towers above the ground.
This past Sunday several adventurers sought fortune within it's walls. Rumors speak of ten(!) of them falling to giant fleas, and one being cut down by sour-smelling bundles, as well as as Cleric reaching the second level of experience.
I currently have 9 levels comprising 829 rooms mapped and stocked of Fortress Eibon, and my intent is to run it at my home group games and Red Box Vancouver on a regular basis.
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