So I am running a long going 5e campaign that are stuck in the plane of Limbo. They are level 12 and of various morals. They are just starting to see their actions are capable of universe changing events.
So to escape limbo I have a plane of them going through Pandemonium and getting to the River Styx and venturing out.
What I would love are some encounters to have them go through. Some ideas I am working on.
The winds will make some characters develop certain dementias towards the beginning with possible long term effects.
Encounter a session long event where the characters worst fears threaten the party. I have been slowly gathering these from the players, and only have my new or part time players to gather.
The third is the unseelie court. Here they would be brought to a mock trial of sorts(since this is a place of chaos) where they petition Titania's corrupted half, Zeboim the god of strife, and maybe some corrupt derro god. Then while there they need to appease the gods with permission to leave. Also I will have some dark fey try to corrupt my paladin with lust and power. That seems something they might try
So please any ideas would greatly be appreciated. I plan on my PCs being there for a month worth of sessions.
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It sounds very Dante-esque. I would consider having many encounters that really evoke who they are, rather than what they can do. Run them up against some social or thematic encounters. If there is combat, make the consequences really mean something. Get all "Waiting for Godot" with it.
For instance, let them stumble into two groups of whatever (demons, fey, etc) and have the groups entreat them to help wipe out the other side of the conflict. Then have a somber funeral staged by the winning side, where the winning group mourns the losing group.
Or you could have them stumble upon a knight, a dragon or monster, and a captive (doesn't have to be a princess or even a woman... the knight could be female too, for instance). So the group could intervene, and help the knight, or whatever, but whatever of the three group survives, they merely fall into a fugue and lament that they have no further role to play, and let them turn gray and still.
Or you could have the group stumble into some sort of war zone. Make it clear that they can't so much defeat the other side (the numbers are overwhelming), but they have a choice of either staying out of it, or saving some refugees. But there they have to make a more serious choice of who to save. Play that up. Make sure that there are some hard choices. Who do they smuggle to safety? What is safety? Do they leave the old and infirm? Do they split up families so that they can maximize the number of people saved? These are some hard choices. Make sure that they don't get caught up trying to decide, just drive home that the choices are hard. If they get bogged down in trying to find the best solution, remind them that there is no best solution, and let the refugees make the decision for them. This might even drive the point home further. If the group comes up with a great plan that saves more lives, that's awesome. Just make sure to remind them that this scene is probably playing out in several places throughout the war zone.
Ultimately, you should set your players really see that they are not so much in another dimension of living breathing thinking sentients, but active fables and parables that try to drag them in and afflict them with ennui and moral dilemmas.
Then, invite the player to discuss what they (or better yet, their characters) thought about the interactions. THERE is where you may learn their fears and thoughts, and there is where you will get fodder for some further encounters that will really hit home.
The whole Pandemonium is heavily taken from Dante's inferno. The names and what can happen.
My core players this is their first D&D characters. I want to introduce them to the unique and cool things the game has to offer. I am looking for more ideas to let them see the uniqueness of being in the plane. I always try to teach them about the places within the game.
Lorathorn, i like the ideas you have, but I am looking for ideas that would only happen there. This is the realm of chaos that borders evil.
Maybe do the opposite of what Lorathorn is suggesting.
Make them make really difficult decisions, and then show how their choices are inconsequential.
Is your Pandemonium like the old 2nd Edition Planescape Pandemonium?
When I think of Pandemonium, I think of madness and dark tunnels filled with howling winds. Maybe look into encounters that do psychic and thunder damage, Strength saves to avoid being blown away, and Wisdom saves to avoid getting Insane (using the Insanity rules from the DMG).
Maybe a bunch of Shadow Demons? How many would be a fun challenge for a CR 12 party? What about a Shadow Dragon?
Also, does Pandemonium have gravity towards the walls of the tunnels, away from the centers of the tunnels? If so, emphasize that somehow. Maybe use clear plastic tunnels with the pawns stuck to the interior, so it is kind of disorienting for the players, but still capable of regular grid-based combat.
Maybe do the opposite of what Lorathorn is suggesting.
Make them make really difficult decisions, and then show how their choices are inconsequential.
Is your Pandemonium like the old 2nd Edition Planescape Pandemonium?
When I think of Pandemonium, I think of madness and dark tunnels filled with howling winds. Maybe look into encounters that do psychic and thunder damage, Strength saves to avoid being blown away, and Wisdom saves to avoid getting Insane (using the Insanity rules from the DMG).
Maybe a bunch of Shadow Demons? How many would be a fun challenge for a CR 12 party? What about a Shadow Dragon?
Also, does Pandemonium have gravity towards the walls of the tunnels, away from the centers of the tunnels? If so, emphasize that somehow. Maybe use clear plastic tunnels with the pawns stuck to the interior, so it is kind of disorienting for the players, but still capable of regular grid-based combat.
It is closest to 2ed since that is where my information is from, but nothing is concrete.
I plan on using weird gravity at some point. I already did mention using the winds to give players dementias. I have plans for that. I do like the idea of using thunder to have them knocked away. Thank you that is a great idea.
Banshees and Will 'O Wisps can be a deadly combination. Fomorians might be fun, too. Or CN/CE air elementals, maybe with a Wisdom save or take 1d10 psychic damage each round (kind of like a fire elemental's burn ability). Maybe use ghosts with possession? Jump from PC to PC as a bonus action or reaction or even Legendary Action might be bewildering.
So I have a chapter and an appendix dedicated to Pamdemonium in my 5e conversion of Dead Gods, available on the DMs Guild.
The appendix can help you out right away, but the chapter conversion will require the original adventure for it to make sense. Or you can just use the monster stat conversions I made and make up your own adventure.
I can also do any other translation of a 2e to 5e pandemonium (or anything else) adventure that you like. Just let me know which one.
Ok the first trip brought them to the outer edge I rolled each round for the winds and they got super lucky about how weak they were. One person has a permanent madness(they rolled a 98 and discovered they enjoyed killing people).
The encounter was a crazy storm giant guarding a huge door to inside the place. I changed the rules for lightning bolt and had the bolt send them prone and do less damage. But I ruled the ground on pandemonium is razor sharp and falling did damage so it ended up the same amount. I likened it to Tsingy De Bemaraha in Madagascar. The giant deemed anyone not freely listening to the winds an enemy and players just went murder hobo on him.
They eventually got past the door.
Or CN/CE air elementals, maybe with a Wisdom save or take 1d10 psychic damage each round (kind of like a fire elemental's burn ability).
I like this idea, thank you for sharing it.
Since I am stressing madness especially for mortals in this area I will change it's mechanics from your idea. For every failed save I will tally points into madness instead of damaging. Once they hit so many they will roll for a short term madness.
Hear is my idea. It will be a living embodiment of the winds of madness. It is willing to converse with the PCs in riddles and such about what they should expect of they earn the respect of it. Although talking with it can cause that same effect. Fighting it will cause it to do that as well.
Maybe combine them?
1d10 psychic damage per round, with a Wisdom save (DC = twice the psychic damage) or gain Madness.
Maybe combine them?
1d10 psychic damage per round, with a Wisdom save (DC = twice the psychic damage) or gain Madness.
Yeah I could do that. My table floats between 5 and 9 players depending what personal things happen int he week,
SO depending on how many I have I do calculations based on how many people I have. So I have templates of monsters with adjustable stats when I come in so I can balance it for them.
That's a really big group!
That's a really big group!
I run at the local game store and I have 6 regulars. Then anyone who else wants to play I make sure they get a seat.
Cool! :-D
Ok, so the next series of encounters was in a large town in pandemonium. I described as a constant rough bar. The entire town was a rowdy no holds rule bar. Poodles of all types of bodily fluids and bits were skewered across the place. After some silliness they went to find an air elemental I discussed. I had him a belligerent drunken air elemental. Despite his initial abrasiveness the party surprised me and did not try to kill him. So they spoke with. One person went crazy listening to his words and they found directions to the unseelie court.
Any ideas about that place would be appreciated.
Do you have Kobold Press's Tome of Beasts? It has lots of neat evil fey in it. I'm particularly fond of the Sluagh swarm. A swarm of Tiny fey with writhing tentacles below the waist, all wearing black cloaks.
Do you have Kobold Press's Tome of Beasts? It has lots of neat evil fey in it. I'm particularly fond of the Sluagh swarm. A swarm of Tiny fey with writhing tentacles below the waist, all wearing black cloaks.
No, I do not. I have plenty of store credit, but I highly doubt my store carries it.
My plan is to have them be at first welcome guests. As these fey try to corrupt them. Then send them the PCs on their way. The reason I have them there is that a gossip monger told them she would have a vessel for them to cross the river styx without Charron harassing them. So my goal is to have the PC dink around in the unseelie court with the uniqueness of the place. Then after they get to see the place the Queen has a series of appearing simple tasks that is meant towards corrupting the PCs.
But specifically I am looking for encounters in the unseelie court to give the place flavor.
Maybe make 7 encounters based on the 7 deadly sins? But kind of subtly?
A feast for gluttony, a dance (masquerade?) for lust, someone else dancing with your intended dance partner for jealousy, gambling for greed, sumptuous guest quarters for sloth, etc.
Maybe make 7 encounters based on the 7 deadly sins? But kind of subtly?
A feast for gluttony, a dance (masquerade?) for lust, someone else dancing with your intended dance partner for jealousy, gambling for greed, sumptuous guest quarters for sloth, etc.
I know my players for 13 levels, I have great ideas for each individual player. I am looking for the flavor of the unseelie courts. I am not great with my knowledge of the place.
The Unseelie Court isn't necessarily evil, they're just dark and creepy and cruel and amoral (as opposed to immoral). They're the shadowed mirror of the Seelie Court, which is all beauty and sunshine. Many Unseelie have an obvious deformity that keeps them out of the Seelie Court. This makes them bitter. They might have hidden deformities as well. Many deformities are physical, but many are mental or spiritual as well (madness and insanity). Sometimes the Unseelie Court is called the Winter Court.
The Unseelie Court isn't necessarily evil, they're just dark and creepy and cruel and amoral (as opposed to immoral). They're the shadowed mirror of the Seelie Court, which is all beauty and sunshine. Many Unseelie have an obvious deformity that keeps them out of the Seelie Court. This makes them bitter. They might have hidden deformities as well. Many deformities are physical, but many are mental or spiritual as well (madness and insanity). Sometimes the Unseelie Court is called the Winter Court.
They are not evil, but they accept evil where the seelie court is less prone too. The queen or air and darkness is evil though. The PCs are level 13 and have now become movers and shakers of the world. So I am having the higher powers notice them and try to sway or bend them in directions they want. Thats what I am trying to introduce to the players. Now they are becoming heroes and stories are being noticed on larger scales. Even in the Fae.
Thank you for letting me now it is also called the winter court. I can use that to scour the interwebs for more ideas. So knowing this I can style it to a cold, harsh, and yet beautiful winterty place. Many of the fae will show these features with ice blue eyes, stark white layered as if the wind just rippled through it. Then I can get in the occasional mutation and such as a they see side of a beautiful nymph but she turns to them revealing the rest of her a monsteours mutated thing.
I think I like the way this is going.
Changeling Art might be inspiring.
Changeling Art might be inspiring.
I am thinking of mixing that with HR giger.
Horrifying! :-D
Xenomorphs are my spirit animal.