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Hey all. To make it short, I want to challenge my group with some interesting terrain. I was wondering if anyone had any past favorites, or some ideas I can steal, or if you even know about any Pathfinder modules I can pick up that might have some memorable terrain-heavy encounters in them?
For the record, this current group is lvl 6, and the campaign is set in Eberron. I have used more than a few airship-based encounters to spice things up, these guys love movement.
I'd love to hear from some players and DMs on what was their favorite module/encounter in some sort of awkward (balance, swim, fly rolls, etc) terrains!
Ice bridges from DMG II (3.5)
We had this killer battle inside this factory Aubrey's Eberron Campaign.
Metal walkways all over above the ground, then these big machines on the floor of the factory with assembly lines you could get paralyzed, fall on, and get mashed by machines...and like vats of molten metal here and there...
Then we had to fight some wyverns once hanging off a cliff we were climbing down.
Warforged paladin went human cannonball on one of them.
I ran an encounter in waste-deep in a flooding river one time. 1/2 movement, no running, and anyone knocked prone moves 30' downstream. The players said they really enjoyed the challenge.
Crowds make great terrain.
Sandstorm - Where are they anyway?
Swamps are just awesome (potentially)
Different boats on a fast flowing river headed towards a waterfall.
Quicksand
Agree that crowds are great.
I ran an encounter in waste-deep in a flooding river one time. 1/2 movement, no running, and anyone knocked prone moves 30' downstream. The players said they really enjoyed the challenge.
Crowds make great terrain.
I like this one.
Made me think of the swamp scene in The Princess Bride.
Three terrors of the Fire Swamp
1. Flame Spurt
2. Lighting Sand
3. R.O.U.S.’s (Rodents Of Unusual Size) – Not really terrain, but you could make them burrowers that create natural pit traps.
I have a trick I pull out every so often, though I usually don't combine it with combat. Create a grid of multiple different colored squares (4 to 6 colors). Whenever somebody enters a square or starts a round there they take an effect(1d4 points of damage, slow for 1 round, etc). You have to touch the square to take the effect so jumping and flying offer some protection. challenge them with weaker than normal flying monsters.
there was a group of moduals, classic dungeon crawls... one ofbthem was I think lair of the were rat king. there were two terrain based encounters thatvreally stood out for me.
the first our boat bwas going toasted a waterfall with a dock onnthe side of the river our paladin with jistower shield coulnt make the jump, werecrats attack while my barbarian was reeling the boat in. an otherwise easy fight became hard.
the second involved crossing over the tops of slave pens while level 1 goblins fired poisoned arrows.
An ancient, desecrated cemetary with crumbling statues (for toppling onto enemies), overturned tombstones (which can be used as improvised greatclubs), and empty graves (which act like pit traps to bull rush enemies into). Now imagine zombies pulling themselves out of the earth. If you're particularly mischievous, make the unearthed graves water-filled and have a submerged zombie try to pull someone under and drown him.
The remote hovel of a crazy old trapper. In his paranoia, he has surrounded his home with booby traps: leg-breaking bear traps, leaf-covered net traps, and spiked logs that swing down from the canopy. The PCs come to him seeking information or perhaps blood, but he flees and the players must navigate past his deadly traps in their chase to find him through dense forest and narrow mountain passes. If you're feeling evil, have the trapper harass them with arrows whenever they fall prey to his devices.
A dangerous snowed-in mountain pass. Marauding giants begin throwing boulders down on the PCs, but they are perched above and below a treacherous snow slope (which Knowledge Nature determines can be damaged to trigger a small avalanche). Jagged rocks nearby provide partial cover from attacks, and a small cave on the far end of the pass forces the giants to fight crouched over in single file. One of the giants might get the idea to rip a tree from the earth and use it as a club. If you want to be cruel and unusual, have the giants seal the entrance of the cave with debris once the players have taken shelter in it -- although this presents no immediate danger, the cave might harbor other dangerous inhabitants or lead into a dungeon.
Terrain can be 33 1/3 of any good adventure! So, here's some stuff that worked out well:
Floating cubes over an abyss that the PCs had to leap onto. If they leaped onto the wrong one, it was either a grey ooze or a gelatinous cube. Too many PCs on a given cube and it sank. (This adventure was deemed "mean" by the great Tarondor, a veteran of many a D&D Open. :D )
Contracting walls of force (almost like a moat) barring the PCs from a castle. In between the walls I had some golems attacking them. If they didn't figure out how to open at least one wall within 7 rounds - squish! Loved how much panic this one caused.
Little islands in a marsh with tents upon them. The PCs had to pole a mashuf around past sentries, find a specific tent, and rescue a trapped girl. Ghouls and men in sentry tours vexed them, and then when they tried to get away - objective accomplished - the dire crocodiles really bugged them. This one was real. The Ma'dan have existed for a very, very long time. And I've verified good amounts of the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_Arabs
A gallant ballroom or dining hall, inhabited with many enemies. A chandelier overhead is attached to a rope on the wall (which can be cut, dropping the chandelier on enemies). A stairwell ascends one of the walls, near some long curtains on an adjacent wall (which can be used to slide down quickly or even sneak behind). Tables can be overturned to be used as cover. Bottles, tankards, and chairs can be used as improvised weapons. Decorative suits of armor might line the walls.
A fight amidst a crumbling, burning building. Charred timbers occasionally fall from overhead. A clever enemy might try to bull rush a PC through a damaged wall (perhaps even revealing a secret room). Spreading patches of fire present a constant threat. Any burning object can be used as an improvised weapon. Knowledge Architecture can be used to tactically collapse parts of the structure atop your opponents.
The classic gladiator pit, but turned up to full volume. Sand can be thrown into an opponent's eyes. Wild animals or monsters might be tethered with chains. Spikes line the walls. Discarded weapons from fallen warriors litter the ground. Pillars and pits dot the arena. Spectators throw roses, rotten food, or even weapons into the ring.
A sawmill in a haunted forest. Animated trees attack anyone who tries to escape. Giant mechanical saws grind through lumber and flesh alike. Lumber axes and saw blades can be used as weapons. Lumber racks can be damaged, sending piles of logs rolling over enemies. Poltergeists interfere with the combat at inappropriate times.
A fight on a rope bridge overlooking a deep crevasse. Water and jagged rocks lie below. The bridge can be cut. Flying monsters might harass the PCs.
A damp, moldy dungeon. A slippery, rusty stairwell threatens to collapse at any moment. The floor of the room has a large grating, below which a dangerous monster is caged (think tentacle monster or rancor). A large pile of bones rests in the corner, which a necromancer continually uses to summon skeletal minions (one of those bones could even be a magic wand).
An ancient ruin where the floors could give out at any moment causing characters to plummet...
Snowy mountains where loud noises could cause an avalanche while fighting wraiths of people who lost their lives on the mountain.
A burning castle with smoke to choke and interfere with vision, extreme heat, and pathways cut off by fire, if they don't get out soon, the the castle could crumble around them. Good enemies would be fire or earth aligned creatures.
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There was a series of three adventures in the old Dungeon days that I ran to great effect: The Shards of Eberron Trilogy.
Additions I added (spoilers eminent):
In the first adventure I added a battle with a Dragon as they flew back to Sharn from the dungeon on an airship. Still one of the most fun encounters I ever ran.
In the second adventure I added a battle with a truly colossal spider in an area filled with webs.
In the third adventure I added a lava tube between the first floor and second floor that was inhabited by a swarm of mephits. The PCs had to climb down and fight in a situation where they were at a distinct disadvantage and they loved it!