Spicing up a campaign

[Joanna Swiftblade]

I am currently running the FGG conversion of Rappan Athuk with about 8 or 9 PCs (usually only 4-6 show up at any given session). Right now they're sitting at level 5-6 and are dead set on the long and arduous task of clearing out entire dungeon levels before moving on. Sadly, this has caused them to not move past the level 1-2 area. You can see the problem.

I have a few ideas for compelling them to move on:

1. The easy way: The floor collapses and they fall relatively unharmed to the next level down. Replace floor collapsing with a wandering, crazy, wizard who likes to cast teleport for even more flavor.

2. Roleplaying: I have an idea for two NPCs to show up and give them a quest that will bring them to the lower levels or farther east into the wilderness to face higher level encounters.

3. The rip-off: Anyone who has play Nazi Zombies knows the mystery box, and how it has a bad habit of teleporting across the map when a teddy bear pops up. I was basically going to do this, but with a statue they found in dungeon that... well lets just say they're particularly fond of it.

Which ones are good, which ones are bad, should I do something entirely different? Let me know!

[Twoswords]

Joanna Swiftblade wrote:

I am currently running the FGG conversion of Rappan Athuk with about 8 or 9 PCs (usually only 4-6 show up at any given session). Right now they're sitting at level 5-6 and are dead set on the long and arduous task of clearing out entire dungeon levels before moving on. Sadly, this has caused them to not move past the level 1-2 area. You can see the problem.

I have a few ideas for compelling them to move on:

1. The easy way: The floor collapses and they fall relatively unharmed to the next level down. Replace floor collapsing with a wandering, crazy, wizard who likes to cast teleport for even more flavor.

2. Roleplaying: I have an idea for two NPCs to show up and give them a quest that will bring them to the lower levels or farther east into the wilderness to face higher level encounters.

3. The rip-off: Anyone who has play Nazi Zombies knows the mystery box, and how it has a bad habit of teleporting across the map when a teddy bear pops up. I was basically going to do this, but with a statue they found in dungeon that... well lets just say they're particularly fond of it.

Which ones are good, which ones are bad, should I do something entirely different? Let me know!

Why not have them meet a group inside the dungeon who speaks about he great treasures they have found below and how they will be back once they have been to a close city and sold the items they have found and taken a brief rest?

This would mean that the party need to get a move-on as they do not know if nore partys are around as well as when the other group comes back. <Once the party ges below, have them find traces of a few rooms plundered and monsters killed.

[Broken Arrow]

Your PC's are relying on their intimate knowledge of these levels now. They are coming to think of the level as almost safe, controlled... tamed! They have likely become complacent!

1. The Priests of Orcus are meant to be active in the dungeon. They would obviously come to know about the PC's freely roaming their dungeon. The priests logically would set a few surprises for the unpalatable to the PC's: A deadly ambush? A new deadly trap in an area that was previously safe?

2. What happened to Dungie? If I recall he's the unbeatable dung monster on level 1. If the PC's are just avoiding his slow movement, remember he is a master of ambush.

3. the Priests of Orcus decide to gate in a horrid demon into level 1 to deal with those pesky PC's...

4. Levels 1 and 2 are subject to continuous effects - meaning the PC's will eventually succumb. If the -2 penalty is not a deterrent, you may want to consider a taint system.

Hope that helps!

[Blueluck]

Why are all the CR1-2 monsters hanging around with a 6th level party on the rampage? I'd pack up my belongings and move to a safer neighborhood! (Which also happens to solve your problem.)

[Joanna Swiftblade]

@Twoswords: I thought about that, but I choose to go with option 2 instead from my original post.

@Broken Arrow: The PCs are in the Mouth of Doom and Demon's Gullet area so Dungie is a long way off, and there are no continuous effects to speak of in these first two levels