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Then add in a weeping angel and watch the mayhem...
That last one is either SCP-173 or SCP-689. Either one of them would make for good dungeon hazards, in a "Roll incrementally higher will save/concentration check not to blink" fashion. Since SCP-689 is persistent, the adventurers might have to break a curse before they continue.
I don't have "Classic Horrors Revisited", but I heard that book had a gargoyle variant like that. It was mentioned in the discussion thread a few times, including here, here, here, and here.
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A large room containing a village of animals that talk, have building suited for them, politics, etc.Mickey Mage's Tomb Town, ha-HA!
Yes, let's have a dungeon with a bouncy-room (and a badass combat encounter in it)!
Every corporeal, surfacebound being in it gets a -2 attack roll penalty, a 5-foot penalty to land speed and cannot run, a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves, and a +10 circumstance bonus to Acrobatics checks!
Goblin clowns with the Roll With it Feat? :D
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Hmm... cool. I thought you were going to go with the Hall of Wooden Men kind of thing.Tons of creepy old toys along with terrifying wooden statues that look like they could come to life and eat you.
** spoiler omitted **
Nope, the whole thought was oh my god, wooden golems, or animated objects, kill it with fire.
Only to find out that minus the usual beasts that move in afterwards, this place isn't dangerous and just the workshop of a master artisan.
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Then add in a weeping angel and watch the mayhem...
That last one is either SCP-173 or SCP-689. Either one of them would make for good dungeon hazards, in a "Roll incrementally higher will save/concentration check not to blink" fashion. Since SCP-689 is persistent, the adventurers might have to break a curse before they continue.
Set them facing each other in opposite corners of the room.
Congratulations, you win!
Then add in a weeping angel and watch the mayhem...
That last one is either SCP-173 or SCP-689. Either one of them would make for good dungeon hazards, in a "Roll incrementally higher will save/concentration check not to blink" fashion. Since SCP-689 is persistent, the adventurers might have to break a curse before they continue.
Set them facing each other in opposite corners of the room.
Congratulations, you win!
That only works with multiple weeping angels. If you only put one in... :)
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A load of Giant's poop.
A load of Giant's poop.
I have a what's in the monster poop list and a what's in the <insert container here> list. They're pretty funny. I also have a "what do I do with this?" list of random things you can find in a pocket.
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If you ever need an idea for creating a monster to mess with the PCs, this article has the answer to all of your inquiries.
Speaking of which the creators of the original "tome of horrors" released a revised version for pathfinder. It makes a good reference for when you need the right amount of weird stuff in your campaign.
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Played in a dungeon once where the key to escaping from the room we were in was hidden inside a stuffed toy teddy bear. The trouble was there were dozens of them, each one treated as an Exploding Runes spell when cut open. We went through every healing potion and spell before finding the key, then opened the door into something worse.
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Played in a dungeon once where the key to escaping from the room we were in was hidden inside a stuffed toy teddy bear. The trouble was there were dozens of them, each one treated as an Exploding Runes spell when cut open. We went through every healing potion and spell before finding the key, then opened the door into something worse.
And you didn't just put all the exploding teddies against the door as an improvised breaching charge because?
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Just remembered something I did to players in an Evil adventure -- by accident, but it was priceless. They were raiding a monastery, and decided to desecrate the altar in it, among other things, by pooping all over it. Now even in 1st Edition days (which was the only time I really had a chance to do anything anyway) I had a penchant for having dungeon "levels" be not so level, even ignoring the "maze of twisty passages" and "impossible cube" areas I developed a few years later. So I had overpasses and underpasses. Well, the players later got into an underpass passage, and weren't really keeping track of where they were. They saw a trapdoor in the ceiling, opened it, and then asked about something dread falling on them (I can't remember whether they thought monsters were going to come down on them, or just a ceiling collapse). I said "Some poop falls on you". They had come up right under the altar they had visited earlier -- like I said, priceless.
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_(For a new, unexplored dungeon they don't have much knowledge about, ideally one discovered completely by accident)
Some hex dolls or other replicas of the player characters, along with a lock of hair/other personal possession of the player characters' to serve as a focus. When a hex doll is poked with a pin, it causes a bit of a piercing sensation in the corresponding player character's corresponding body part.
Scattered about the room are records of their past deeds, stories, interviews, pictures, news clippings, mementos, from their every past adventure. They seem to have a diehard fan.
As disturbing as all of this is, the players' don't ever remember meeting their mysterious new malefactor. In fact, they just stumbled onto this dungeon by a fluke. Who or what force has been keeping tabs on them? And, looking at those hex dolls, does it go beyond merely following what they've been doing?
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Such as a... I dunno... a succubus and a tendriculos?
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Played in a dungeon once where the key to escaping from the room we were in was hidden inside a stuffed toy teddy bear. The trouble was there were dozens of them, each one treated as an Exploding Runes spell when cut open. We went through every healing potion and spell before finding the key, then opened the door into something worse.And you didn't just put all the exploding teddies against the door as an improvised breaching charge because?
We tried that. The DM didn't allow it. We had to find the key.
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A Starbucks ("They're everywhere!!!")
It would be interesting to see what critters show up on a Starbucks wandering monster random encounter table.
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Tax collectors. Seriously, think about all the treasure adventurers typically haul in that don't go taxed at all. If you're seriously vile, you could send IRS* Auditor Devils after them.
*Infernal Revenue Service
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A kissing booth
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A Starbucks ("They're everywhere!!!")It would be interesting to see what critters show up on a Starbucks wandering monster random encounter table.
Right as the PCs arrive a beholder explodes at some poor kuo-toa barista about how he needs non-dairy creamer for his mocha frappacino because he's lactose intolerant. Meanwhile her illithid manager puts one more tic in her column on his clipboard; first one to reach ten tics gets their brain eaten. That one sensible customer is a drider who has otherwise been poking away at a small machine in a ceiling corner; she finally rouses her attention from whatever etherealnet she's been messing with to tell the beholder to calm down, the poor girl's just trying to do her job.
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Right as the PCs arrive a beholder explodes at some poor kuo-toa barista about how he needs non-dairy creamer for his mocha frappacino because he's lactose intolerant. Meanwhile her illithid manager puts one more tic in her column on his clipboard; first one to reach ten tics gets their brain eaten. That one sensible customer is a drider who has otherwise been poking away at a small machine in a ceiling corner; she finally rouses her attention from whatever etherealnet she's been messing with to tell the beholder to calm down, the poor girl's just trying to do her job.A Starbucks ("They're everywhere!!!")It would be interesting to see what critters show up on a Starbucks wandering monster random encounter table.
I would add to that the manager is a low level devil with the district manager being a slightly higher level devil. If you look at the fine print of the employee benefits papers, yes, people unknowingly mortgaged their soul to work there.
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No floor in the room, yet they must reach the other side.
Fortunately they see a portal there, however......the connecting portal is opened down below. They must jump into a deep, deep, deep pit to get onto the other side. They gain an automatic featherfall before entering the pit-portal, so they don't take dmg when exiting at the other side.
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A kissing booth
Operated by an illithid.
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Flumphs.
What are Flumphs?
How about throwing in some Pink Elephants on Parade?
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:(
:(
What's with the sad faces? Need some cheering up?
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I think that's his response to you not knowing what Flumphs are.
Flumphs are Lawful Good aberrations that resemble a flat mushroom-like jellyfish or mini-octopus with snail-like eyestalks. They're Small-sized so about as big as a Halfling or a Human child. Google should bring up a picture of one quick if you search. They float and have an acid spray attack.
They're one of the oldest monsters that are original to D&D and not pulled from some mythology, appearing all the way back in 1st Edition. They are sort of cult-classic misfits, rejected by a lot of gamers because they're goofy looking and their Lawful Good alignment doesn't make them into good enemies for most adventuring parties, but a lot of gamers, especially older ones, have a special fondness for them.
Paizo updated them to Pathfinder in Misfit Monsters Redeemed, along with a bunch of old similarly-fated monsters from early editions like the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, the lurking rays, and the flail snail. You can also find their stats on the PRD or on d20PFSRD.com.
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Ahh. I didn't start playing D&D until 3.5 when I was in my 20's, so I miss a lot of the old monster references. I think I like these Flumphs and may have to find a place to use them someday...
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They do show up in the Pathfinder Bestiary 3, you know - they're pretty good as summoned monsters, if your DM will permit it.
Hmm, I will keep that in mind. I think my cleric has a summon monster spell in one of her domains... lol
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:)
Slendermans spanx
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One of my favorite things to do with treasure, not just for dungeons, is to describe them. They aren't just coins, I describe the coins. If there is a bolt of silk, I try to give it a color or pattern. This has led to some great parts of campaigns. Take just a bit of extra time describing loot, and players will think it's more important and start handing you plot hooks by the bucket load.
"The next item is an elaborate blue silk dress, done in a classic Cheliaxian style."
"Wait, we're like, really fair from there right?"
"Yes."
"So... why do goblins have a fancy dress. Do people dress like that here?"
"You've never seen anyone dress like this in Sandpoint."
*And now a new side adventure begins.*
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They do show up in the Pathfinder Bestiary 3, you know - they're pretty good as summoned monsters, if your DM will permit it.Hmm, I will keep that in mind. I think my cleric has a summon monster spell in one of her domains... lol
Tbey're also kind of cute, in a weird, aberrant horror from beyond the stars kind of way.
For the thread: An Elohim looking around the dungeon and commenting to himself. "I've done good. Who'd have thought it'd grow from a single floor to an entire planet?..." Before disappearing.
How about throwing in some Pink Elephants on Parade?
Speaking of elephants, this, i'm giving it 90% facepalm or a wtf look on the face.
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One of my favorite things to do with treasure, not just for dungeons, is to describe them. They aren't just coins, I describe the coins. If there is a bolt of silk, I try to give it a color or pattern. This has led to some great parts of campaigns. Take just a bit of extra time describing loot, and players will think it's more important and start handing you plot hooks by the bucket load.
"The next item is an elaborate blue silk dress, done in a classic Cheliaxian style."
"Wait, we're like, really fair from there right?"
"Yes."
"So... why do goblins have a fancy dress. Do people dress like that here?"
"You've never seen anyone dress like this in Sandpoint."
*And now a new side adventure begins.*
This is why I take every generic pile-o-loot from the APs and replace it with an excerpt from the Mother of All Treasure Tables of approximate equivalent value. There's some fun detail in those entries, and even if they don't spawn a sidequest, there's usually some object in one or another loot pile that usually isn't worth a whole lot and is never magical (nothing in the MoATT is magical) but yet some party member or another will latch onto. Every campaign.
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Some letters of correspondence showing the group the dreaded truth that the BBEG they've fought and despised for so long isn't the snake's head they need to cut off to kill the rest of his operations. No, he's part of a greater conspiracy; merely the tip of the iceberg. In fact, he's part of an entire organization full of abominations like him (and worse!)
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Some letters of correspondence showing the group the dreaded truth that the BBEG they've fought and despised for so long isn't the snake's head they need to cut off to kill the rest of his operations. No, he's part of a greater conspiracy; merely the tip of the iceberg. In fact, he's part of an entire organization full of abominations like him (and worse!)
Yeah, don't think that's particularly surprising or will mess with the players, seems pretty standard fare.
Now false letters that detail the king's conjunction with the bbeg on the other hand.
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Some letters of correspondence showing the group the dreaded truth that the BBEG they've fought and despised for so long isn't the snake's head they need to cut off to kill the rest of his operations. No, he's part of a greater conspiracy; merely the tip of the iceberg. In fact, he's part of an entire organization full of abominations like him (and worse!)Yeah, don't think that's particularly surprising or will mess with the players, seems pretty standard fare.
Now false letters that detail the king's conjunction with the bbeg on the other hand.
Try The Snape Maneuver: The BBEG turns out to be on the same side as you - and the real BBEG was someone who'd been hiding in plain sight.
Even more impressive...
The Lucifer Scenario: As the PCs learn about the campaign world, gradually guide them to waking up to the unavoidable conclusion that the BBEG represents the GOOD GUYS of the campaign, and the party's been working for the wrong side the whole time! CHAAANGE PLACES!!!
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The thread...
Memorable Campaign Twists Your Players Never Saw Coming
...had a couple of stories like that.
(And you know, at the beginning of that thread, jemstone mentioned the discovery that the Heroes have really been the Villains the entire time. I could swear I remember reading a story on these boards about a PC beginning the campaign with amnesia, much later finding out that the villain he'd been seeking was himself. The player never saw that one coming. But I can't find that story now.)
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Earlier in this thread, I think it was Mark who worked with a player of his who wanted Amnesia as a backstory and played a paladin. Turns out, he'd been a psion/Mage who'd set up an evil ritual to kill what the PCs thought was the BBEG (who was, in fact, evil), to tear a hole to the Abyss, then gave himself amnesia and a burning desire to cleanse the world of evil...
This is why I take every generic pile-o-loot from the APs and replace it with an excerpt from the Mother of All Treasure Tables of approximate equivalent value. There's some fun detail in those entries, and even if they don't spawn a sidequest, there's usually some object in one or another loot pile that usually isn't worth a whole lot and is never magical (nothing in the MoATT is magical) but yet some party member or another will latch onto. Every campaign.
I must have said table. Where do you get it???
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I once had two pits side by side, the one immediately beside the door is closed, with the one beside it open. Floating above it was an illusory fairy looking down the open pit madly clapping hands and repeating over and over the phrase...
"I do believe in humans, I do, I really do, I believe in humans!"
Lol, the party never checks for a pit when there is an open one in sight! :P
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I must have said table. Where do you get it???
This is why I take every generic pile-o-loot from the APs and replace it with an excerpt from the Mother of All Treasure Tables of approximate equivalent value. There's some fun detail in those entries, and even if they don't spawn a sidequest, there's usually some object in one or another loot pile that usually isn't worth a whole lot and is never magical (nothing in the MoATT is magical) but yet some party member or another will latch onto. Every campaign.
Here's one place (assuming this is the same product) and here on the Paizo store too!