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Heyo all.
I'm going to be starting up a new campaign after the new year and it is going to take place entirely underground. Anyone know of anything that I might not be thinking about for a whole underground setting?
Anyone done something like this before and have some advice on the matter they could give?
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A few things to note:
You will need to memorize The rules for lighting and, to a lesser extent, perception. This will play a huge role in your game.
You will probably find most PC's going for the same races:dwarf and half-orc. for darkvision. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to keep in mind.
As far as the terrain itself is concerned, maneuvering will be something to consider, and it is very easy to fall into a rut of constantly using straight, empty tunnels as battlegrounds. Make sure that you keep a good variety in your terrains so as to keep the PC's engaged and intrigued. Even something as simple as a high roof so that the wizard can fly overhead.
Consider the implications of life that grows without sunlight. Geothermal energy will likely become a source of life. If you're dealing with a low level campaign, food should be a serious concern to look at.
Suffocation, drowning, cave-ins, extreme temperature, and poison gases will be a staple of encounters. Use these to your advantage.
That's about all I have off the top of my head. I like underground stories myself, I'd be interested in hearing how your story progresses.
Read "into the darklands" for its section on terrain and natural hazards.
Consider the vertical aspect of encounters, walking on walls and ceilings is relevant and makes for interesting tactics.
Defending tanks become more viable in corridors, archers take a hit from cover/soft cover in narrow places.
Consider what your ecology is like. Where does the food come from? This is different in a cave vs city catacombs.
NO DEEP GNOMES, NO NOBLE DROW! never let players use them. They're too good.
... Wow, Looks like Magnu123 already stated most of these, but I second the comments.
Look into Dungeon tiles, random sections of rooms/tunnels that fit together and can be rearranged.
Consider a dragon with a burrow speed if youre gonna use one.
Heyo all.
I'm going to be starting up a new campaign after the new year and it is going to take place entirely underground. Anyone know of anything that I might not be thinking about for a whole underground setting?
Anyone done something like this before and have some advice on the matter they could give?
While you would need to convert the game mechanics, I have found the dungeoneer's survival guide to be invaluable for underground campaigns. One of the better AD&D books, in my opinion:
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide|
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Into the Darklands, got it! Mmmm, excellent ideas so far. Not planning on letting them go crazy with races, especially since this will be the first Pathfinder game for some of them.
Oh-ho, poisonous gases, I like that. And I'll definitely look at recovering a copy of the DSG. Haven't had one in a while but that's a good one.
Excellent suggestions all, I do appreciate it greatly! :)
I should look at using some of my combat paper to build some random tunnel maps. I don't want to get too annoying as a GM when it comes to tight spaces but it should come up.
Burrowing Monster encounters will be exciting!
Don't forget about water. It's everywhere underground. There could be entire civilizations buried in the aquifers. Being able to breathe water is a huge advantage! And water is not terribly compressible, so water caves should be less subject to collapse - therefore probably bigger. Aboleths have this covered, of course, but they won't be the only race to take advantage of this. Amphibious critters FTW.
Then there's temperature. Assuming a molten core, deeper = hotter. Forget about the 'cold underground' we have near the surface. Drow ladies in skimpy outfits = sensible clothing! ;-) Really deep underground will be hotter than desert climates (and still damp, hooray humidity...). Add in some artificial lights and you can have jungle caves, complete with subterranean dinosaurs!
Flash floods in the tunnels.
Geothermal blistering heat in some, bitter cold in others.
Dry tunnels that have no water to drink.
There is a mention In "Into the Darklands" of a light detection plate. You can tell when uplanders have passed.
creepy and horrific monster time! good chance to break out the most freakish foes in your book. Oozes, and undead, and abberations, oh my!
There is a mention In "Into the Darklands" of a light detection plate. You can tell when uplanders have passed.
I think most intelligent races would use lights from time to time. Darkvision provides no color information, for example. Sure, you don't want to skulk around the underdark at random with lights - dead giveaway - but putting lights around your (fortified) community lets you see incoming problems a LOT further away than 120 feet!
Besides, topsiders are the LEAST of your problems in the underdark. The nasty stuff comes from below, not above!
Think about light sources your players might be giving off. Any light in the underdark is a dead give away.
I'd also give your players a break down of the types of creatures that they might run into or a history of this particular stretch of the underdark.
There is a mention In "Into the Darklands" of a light detection plate. You can tell when uplanders have passed.
I think most intelligent races would use lights from time to time. Darkvision provides no color information, for example. Sure, you don't want to skulk around the underdark at random with lights - dead giveaway - but putting lights around your (fortified) community lets you see incoming problems a LOT further away than 120 feet!
Besides, topsiders are the LEAST of your problems in the underdark. The nasty stuff comes from below, not above!
True, but it implies that you should think of equipment differences too. That kind of thing is unique to the underground and has potential uses, really selling the setting. (portable walls are great btw)
Regarding darkvision.
- If no PCs have darkvision, managing light will be a big part of the game. Where is the light source, who's carrying it, etc.
- If only one PC has darkvision, they make a great scout and will frequently have darkness available. This is a great role for a rogue, giving a substantial bump to a class that many feel is weak.
- Half & half darkvision, you have a divide in the party. Some want light, some don't. I'd avoid this if you're not sure your players will have fun roleplaying working out their differences.
- If all but one PC has darkvision, that character is essentially crippled compared to the others. He'll end up being an annoying burden, in my experience. I recommend against this situation.
- If everyone has darkvision, light problems are a smaller part of the campaign - less hassle for everyone.
Heyo all.I'm going to be starting up a new campaign after the new year and it is going to take place entirely underground. Anyone know of anything that I might not be thinking about for a whole underground setting?
Anyone done something like this before and have some advice on the matter they could give?
While you would need to convert the game mechanics, I have found the dungeoneer's survival guide to be invaluable for underground campaigns. One of the better AD&D books, in my opinion:
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
I'd second Da'ath's opinion on the DSG. Barring that the 3.5 Dungeonscape book would be useful, done by some guy named Jason Bulmahn :)
The DSG is an excellent source on the underground environment. Dungeonscape is a 3.5 work with material that is easily converted to PF. I still use both as sources when I work on the extensive underworld in my game.
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Make sure it's a "World" w/ lots of communities, settled areas, wilderness areas, etc. (even if undeveloped until later).
Map many paths into and out of any & every region (unless you have reasons not to) and make free use of all three dimensions in development. (Why should all entrances be on the side wall? Some communities might just be two big walls in a chasm.)
If the party needs light, they should get ambushed a lot. Think about glowing fungus, wandering motes, etc. to balance the playing field.
(Some monsters might use light to attract victims.)
Use an unnatural amount of water/flora/fauna to enrich the world (& justify populations/predation/etc.) Does it feed on rock? Magical radiation? If so, is the radiation seasonal? Constant/inconsistent?
As well as being a place predators come from, Underground is also a place people flee to. Persecuted communities, such as those with odd/evil religions, last survivors, etc. can all have fled below.
Random flavor:
-Community built around waterfall(s), w/ nets strung across. Maybe they scavenge interesting things from above.
-Quest for the Surface: Maybe the PCs are the last hope of a colony trying to return to the surface (mapping out route up while community chased by evil folk from behind). PCs alternate time defending/stalling evil guys behind and clearing path ahead (finding food/water/allies/markets). Gives a good throughline, consistent NPC base, and stable influx of new enemies/allies/terrain.
-Chasms=terror. Instill a healthy fear of deep holes w/ tougher monsters (some which have to be fled from) at each one. Then, when they have to go deeper...they'll know it's an adventure.
-Elementals: Their abilities would be more valuable. Maybe they function in the economy. Air elementals to draw in good air, out bad. Earth to mine, send message 'straight'. "As the crow flies"="As the Earth Elemental burrows".
-Animals (even if not animals): What are the standard 'cattle'? Fish? Turkey? Steed? Pack animal? Scout/hawk? Pet?
Are these more reptilian/insects/squat builds/climb walls?
-What prevents borders from being walled up/collapsed both ways? (Think how bad trench warfare was, and the whole world is a trench...)
-What builds new corridors/caverns?
Have fun,
JMK
I am getting ready to run a campaign also that is entirely underground, the first thing I found I needed was/is a map covering enough area to run a campaign and not just a single adventure type thing. I know I could of easily pieced things together but felt that was more like just jumping from adventure to adventure and less like a real campaign setting. So about 4 months ago I started drawing maps for my campaign, if you want them they are freely available for download at http://www.rpgattitude.com/joomla/forum-rpgattitude/maps-of-an-uncharted-wo rld.html
I am also starting to pick or develop the content I want for the campaign and plan to sharing that on the website next month.