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I'm working on what seems to be a megadungeon, and I need some ideas for the sewer level. PCs are expected to be first level when they enter.
So far I've got an encounter with a Lacedon that pulls one of the PCs into the water and tries to grapple him/her underwater. Other encounters could be made up of rats, a young otyugh and a blind albino alligator.
I need an encounter that provides a hook for the players though. I'm thinking of something simple like a missing or kidnapped child. A lycanthrope would be a nice encounter, but a wererat would be a bit cliche, so I was thinking of something like a werecrocodile. Now I think a werecrocodile would be too strong if I add in his pet crocodile. Are there any other lycanthropes that could live in the sewer? I'm thinking CR2 with a CR1/2 pet.
How strong are the PCs? Like what are the classes? Do the play work well together? Do they make powerful PCs?
The Croc would be a fun encounter, just shave a few numbers if you need to... make it a newly cursed Crocogator and maybe it's unused to it's form and doesn't bother with it's tail attack?
Wererat
Early adventuring parties always need to fight a wererat. There's like one in every single adventure path.
Large Mutated Goldfish, out for revenge.
Sewer encounter... Hmmmm...
Maybe upon entering the sewer, they find a cursed, intelligent item, that wants to be free of its curse; the only way to do that is further in the dungeon. Then, as the party is debating how to procede, a hook-horror grabs one of the party members from the ceiling, and then after fighting it off, the ruckus causes a flash-flood that sweeps the party further into the dungeon!
If you can do it at level 2:
Four Kappa each wielding a different monk weapon with one level in monk would be beautiful. Have a Wererat Monk 4 show up after they are beaten crying about "My sons! Why have you shredded my sons!"
For additional fun have the wererat flush away the bodies of the Kappa and jump after them only to show up later as an encounter with his reborn sons, empowered by the "Ooze" he has used to restore them to a mutated semblance of life. Template here
*Giggle*
Speaking from experience, cisterns with water monsters are consistenly deadly encounters.
If you want a CR 2 werecritter that isn't a wererat, just take a humanoid and a CR 1 or less animal and work out the changes. A weretiger fish dwarf fighter 2 who drags enemies underwater into his filthy lair perhaps.
Make some Skinwalker enemies. You can make them rats or crocodiles or bats, and it's just a playable race that you can put class levels on to make as poweful as you want. Perhaps there's a tribe of Skinwalkers hiding from the surface world down there.
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I'm gonna use a tatzlwyrm in place of the crocodile encounter. The mutant template is also a great suggestion, I'll definitely use that on something. I might even use it to replace the lycanthrope.
I'm not sure about gelatinous cubes, but I might be able to use some kind of ooze, or maybe a water elemental.
Sewage elemental? Excremental?
I'll add in some kind of hazard too.
An algae covered slope makes a great hazard combined with an encounter at the bottom, like nesting dire rats that immediately pounce on those who end up prone at the bottom.
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I've already pointed out that I'm gonna replace the alligator with a tatzlwyrm. I'll take a reefclaw over a lobster, and aboleths might have to wait a few levels.
So:
- Tatzlwyrm
- Mutant Something
- Lacedon
- Reefclaw
- Young Otyugh
- Sewage Elemental/Excremental
- Hazard/Trap
- Rat Swarm
- 3 Dire Rats
Not so sure about the rats. I don't just want to throw them in because it's a sewer. The other stuff is a definitely.
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If you're looking for plot hooks:
1. Stores are getting robbed; kobolds from the sewers.
2. Sentient humanoids in the sewers are trying to flood the city above
3. Mites using vermin empathy have been culling in all manner of insect and are going to destroy the city; termite swarms, spider swarms, etc.
If you're looking for less "whole campaign" arcs and need just one-shot adventure hooks:
1. An evil ranger is training, housing and feeding mutant animals in the sewers
2. A local ratcatcher and his apprentice niece need help recovering loot from an underground cache accessible through the sewers; the niece is a budding sorcerer though and the ratcatcher needs the money from the score to get the girl the help she needs
3. There is an evil cult meeting taking place in the sewers that needs to get broken up... or else.
As for sewer monsters I've used:
1. Reefclaws reskinned as "mereclaws" since there was a swamp nearby the creatures were coming from
2. dire rats
3. oozes, especially alchemical ooze swarms being used by an evil alchemist
4. Small to Tiny sized humanoids and fey
5. bats and dire bats
6. Juvenile black dragon
7. tatzlwyrms adapted to sewer environs
8. evil grippli
9. dretch demons
10. chokers
11. any kind of Undead, though Beheaded variants are my fave
12. bullywugs
When it comes to sewers I like a lot of monsters with a Climb or Swim speed. If not that I look for things that can fly or would be smart enough to use tools and flotillas. I'm a big fan of monsters using their environments to their advantage and making PCs crawl through slime at a snail's pace while the monster(s) speed along the walls or pop up out of the water is lovely.
The other thing to think about is if this is part of a megadungeon, how do the sewer monsters interact with the other levels? Maybe dire rats and bats are completely natural here but in another level kobolds use them as guard animals. Where do the kobolds GET their pets? They keep an outpost with a ranger and a bunch of subservient warriors in the sewers. The ranger manages the training, the warriors monitor the breeding and growth and, when not whelping litters of rats these warriors sneak out into the city using their Small size and their own Escape Artist skills to break in through Tiny size shop windows and rob the locals.
I've already pointed out that I'm gonna replace the alligator with a tatzlwyrm. I'll take a reefclaw over a lobster, and aboleths might have to wait a few levels.
So:
- Tatzlwyrm
- Mutant Something
- Lacedon
- Reefclaw
- Young Otyugh
- Sewage Elemental/Excremental
- Hazard/Trap
- Rat Swarm
- 3 Dire RatsNot so sure about the rats. I don't just want to throw them in because it's a sewer. The other stuff is a definitely.
Wow, I probably should've read the entire thread before posting my list. Still I like also adding the fey angle. Do you have a plot or hooks in mind?
Town decides to clear out the sewers and the PC's are just one of a few groups sent in... PC's (and the other parties) are contacted one-by-one by the Assistant/Under-mayor who says the sewer creatures are being bred and attacking at the behest of a hideous creature making his home there, and he has been authorized a bonus for the party that kills it.
After a few decent fights, a mongrelman Urban Druid is encountered who makes the case for "keeping the balance" and is not violent or a threat. Some of the attacks from the sewers were misunderstandings or instigated by the town.
Through the Urban Druid's vermin spies he knows the Assistant/Under-mayor (actually the BBG) plans to assassinate the mayor, blaming a rival (insert city/trade guild/race here) and taking his place, but being hideous, the Druid is an outcast and afraid to appear in public.
Oh, and if you want - the mongrelman and the BBG are actually brothers (maybe he was reincarnated and had a bad roll, or the BBG is a mongrelman also, only very mildly deformed and covers it up; whatever DM fiat) and the BBG knows he is down there and is either ashamed and wants him killed or knows he knows the plan and wants his own brother killed.
PC's may or may not decide to track down the other groups and try to convince them to stop, and maybe one or two of the parties WANT that bonus and will not stop (or are evil parties relishing the bloodshed) but definitely must stop the plan also.
Gives the sewer-delve encounters, PLUS possible NPC party fights and a decent amount of roleplay for the social skill monkeys.
A dwarven cleric in masterwork stone plate who has a severed otugh tentacle crawling on his shoulder, drinking ale when they meet.
He says..."Didn't expect to see any fancy folk down here!....Names Donagar, what brings you here?
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Town decides to clear out the sewers and the PC's are just one of a few groups sent in... PC's (and the other parties) are contacted one-by-one by the Assistant/Under-mayor who says the sewer creatures are being bred and attacking at the behest of a hideous creature making his home there, and he has been authorized a bonus for the party that kills it.
After a few decent fights, a mongrelman Urban Druid is encountered who makes the case for "keeping the balance" and is not violent or a threat. Some of the attacks from the sewers were misunderstandings or instigated by the town.
Through the Urban Druid's vermin spies he knows the Assistant/Under-mayor (actually the BBG) plans to assassinate the mayor, blaming a rival (insert city/trade guild/race here) and taking his place, but being hideous, the Druid is an outcast and afraid to appear in public.
Oh, and if you want - the mongrelman and the BBG are actually brothers (maybe he was reincarnated and had a bad roll, or the BBG is a mongrelman also, only very mildly deformed and covers it up; whatever DM fiat) and the BBG knows he is down there and is either ashamed and wants him killed or knows he knows the plan and wants his own brother killed.
PC's may or may not decide to track down the other groups and try to convince them to stop, and maybe one or two of the parties WANT that bonus and will not stop (or are evil parties relishing the bloodshed) but definitely must stop the plan also.
Gives the sewer-delve encounters, PLUS possible NPC party fights and a decent amount of roleplay for the social skill monkeys.
That actually fits perfectly, though I'd make it a mutant druid. The monsters in the sewer keep the undead from the catacombs below the sewer away from the city? I think that could work.
Othyiguth
Slimes (for cleansing)
Glad to be of help. It is just an RPG "thing" that the stated mission never ends up being exactly as straight forward as PC's think or hope.
Substitute some Leveled Mutations.
The Abolith and mutagens that make the creatures are on lower levels.
Giant ticks that drop from the ceiling will get their attention.
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If you want a noncombat encounter or two, perhaps there's a friendly otyugh cluster down there?
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If you want a noncombat encounter or two, perhaps there's a friendly otyugh cluster down there?
Pygmy otyughs even.
*looks into the thread to see if there is any gloffy garbage around*
