ckamel's page

christian mazel wrote:

May be he wanted to say: Transmute rock to mud....

And maybe he didn't. :p As a exercise for the reader: What happens to an arch when you stoneshape the keystone away?

We did that once in a game I was in (different campaign). Our DM required an appropriate knowledge check (eg. architeture, with appropriate bonuses for stonecunning, etc.) to pick the right spot to shape away. This didn't result in the immediate collapse of the bridge, but more of a mad rush to clear the area as it crumbled behind us.

That encounter also resulted in one of our most epic player deaths.

I typically draw as I go, and it can be slow. One alternative is to pre-draw rooms on overhead sheets and drop them down as players uncover the map. You may still show a bit more than the characters can see, but it won't be the whole map.

One of my former DMs would scan all the maps and import them into photoshop, masking them. He'd then connect the PC to the TV at game time and uncover them piece by piece as we moved through the dungeon. He's make us (the players) draw what was revealed on the battle mat while he took care of other DM type stuff. It takes a bit more pre-game prep work, and the right setup, but it worked out well for us.

With all the secret passages around, the labyrinth's inhabitants shouldn't have much problem avoiding traps (nor the PCs if they can find the doors!)

The first time I ran the labyrinth my players came out in rough shape - those weasels literally sucked the life out of them - even without traps. But they also managed to split up in there which didn't help their cause.

I'm actually making the maze a skill challenge (using 4e rules) that will take the group about 2-3 mins per skill check.

Each failure (total 3) gets them ambushed by a group of kenku or the dire weasels. With a complete failure resulting in the boss kenku encounter.

If they succeed at the challenge, they end up at the secret doors into the Vecna area.

So I'll only need portions of the map drawn out if they run into trouble.

That's a good idea. As much as I like the labyrinth as a set-piece, it seems difficult to run while still keeping a good balance between PC disorientation and drawing out a complex dungeon (and the slowdown that causes doing it "live"). I'm playing 3.5 so I'll have to read up on the skill challenge rules.

Maybe I'll go old-school and go strictly by description ("a dark passageway extends 30ft in front of you before branching off to the north and south") without mapping at all, except in the case of an encounter.

I'm a DM currently running the early stages of the Age of Worms AP. Does anybody know if any maps have been made up for Maptools? I run a 'face-to-face' game, but I can't help but think Maptools would be handy for running the labyrinth of Vecna from 3FoE (if only to save on drawing that complicated part of the dungeon)