So I am a stumped as what to do with a dwarf vault I created. My players are keen on getting into it, and several powerful factions also want whats inside. Pretty much all they know is its called "the black vault" in dwarven. Rumored to have magical artifacts within, which was lost when this ancient dwarven empire fell 100 years ago.
So I never got around to actually coming up with what it really is or whats inside. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated to get me out of this little bind and to give something fun for my players to discover.
So I am a stumped as what to do with a dwarf vault I created. My players are keen on getting into it, and several powerful factions also want whats inside. Pretty much all they know is its called "the black vault" in dwarven. Rumored to have magical artifacts within, which was lost when this ancient dwarven empire fell 100 years ago.
So I never got around to actually coming up with what it really is or whats inside. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated to get me out of this little bind and to give something fun for my players to discover.
The Chamber of Antiquities in this Dungeon magazine is a pretty cool I ran it several years ago for my PCs and it was a big hit. Part of Maure Castle. The issue should be available via DF here on the site relatively cheap and besides a bit of 3.5 to Pathfinder conversion would be an easy drop in.
Have you played Borderlands?
Trying to avoid using anything from borderlands as many of my players have played it.
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If the dwarven empire fell 100 years ago, why doesn't everyone know what's in the vault? Any dwarf that's middle-aged or older was alive when the empire was still around.
Typically an epic vault is built for an epic item. Pick a minor or major artifact and read the description for how to destroy it. When the vault opens, doing so proves the players are skilled enough and worthy enough to be given a quest from the ancient spirits of the dwarves to finally lay this foul creation to rest once and for all.
Then add a bunch of extra loot appropriate for the group's characters.
If the dwarven empire fell 100 years ago, why doesn't everyone know what's in the vault? Any dwarf that's middle-aged or older was alive when the empire was still around.
My apologies, I left out the part that this empire of dwarfs was wiped out by a combined attack by Drow and Duergar forces thus killing anyone off that might know its location or contents.
1. Something from the blackest part of the blackest black between the stars. The Darkest Tapestry. Where everyone has a goatee. Except Cartman.
2. River Tam.
3. Gwyneth Paltrow's giant undead head.
4. Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Jenifer Lewis, and Laurence Fishburne.
5. Evard's Tentacles.
6. some kind of Hole Sun.
7. Sarah Manning, Cosima Niehaus, Alison Hendrix, Helena, Rachel Duncan, Elizabeth "Beth" Childs, Krystal Goderitch, Veera "M.K." Suominen, Katja Obinger, Tony Sawicki, Jennifer Fitzsimmons.
8. Blackened Catfish.
9. Natasha Romanova.
10. YOUR SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. Gwyneth Paltrow's giant undead head.
You've convinced me on this one.
Hmm... The vault has had rumors of magical artifacts?
What I suggest:
The story has become bigger and bigger as the years have passed. Some believe that it is a stash of the dwarves greatest treasures locked in to keep the vile Drow hands away from them, others believe that all of the secrets to dwarven engineering are stored in it, still others believe it is an ancient dwarven weapon waiting to be unleashed on their enemies. Regardless of which it is, everybody still wants it.
What is really in it. Some manner of clockwork construct that the Drawves had actually made. Big, strong, hard to stop. You know the usual set up. If they beat it without totally destroying it, the players (if they search it) will find that it used several magical items to give it the abilities it had. If however they destroy it in a way that makes it unsalvageable, then they would not be able to claim the items.
The players could search and find information suggesting that the machine was built to combat the encroaching forces, but had proven to be uncontrollable, so it was locked away so that the dwarves could concentrate on the battle at hand. Unfortunately, the combination of the damage caused by the machine in conjunction with the loss of the expected fighting force it represented was enough to allow the Drow and Duergar forces to overrun the area.
Background information : The Drow are the ones who spread the information that it is a great treasure in hopes that if any dwarves were to come back they would greedily open the vault hoping to claim the riches and be wiped out.
Hmm... The vault has had rumors of magical artifacts?
What I suggest:
The story has become bigger and bigger as the years have passed. Some believe that it is a stash of the dwarves greatest treasures locked in to keep the vile Drow hands away from them, others believe that all of the secrets to dwarven engineering are stored in it, still others believe it is an ancient dwarven weapon waiting to be unleashed on their enemies. Regardless of which it is, everybody still wants it.
What is really in it. Some manner of clockwork construct that the Drawves had actually made. Big, strong, hard to stop. You know the usual set up. If they beat it without totally destroying it, the players (if they search it) will find that it used several magical items to give it the abilities it had. If however they destroy it in a way that makes it unsalvageable, then they would not be able to claim the items.
The players could search and find information suggesting that the machine was built to combat the encroaching forces, but had proven to be uncontrollable, so it was locked away so that the dwarves could concentrate on the battle at hand. Unfortunately, the combination of the damage caused by the machine in conjunction with the loss of the expected fighting force it represented was enough to allow the Drow and Duergar forces to overrun the area.
Background information : The Drow are the ones who spread the information that it is a great treasure in hopes that if any dwarves were to come back they would greedily open the vault hoping to claim the riches and be wiped out.
I like it, I like it alot.
It's infested with goblins... While your heaoes get down they suddenly hear lots of goblin wardrums and must go in pursuit getting down... At the bottom they find a stone bridge and a Balrog appeare, he grab the Wizard and break the stone bridge while shouting "Thou shall not pass" and fall whith the wizard, the heroes on one side, the goblins on the other... :p
It's infested with goblins... While your heaoes get down they suddenly hear lots of goblin wardrums and must go in pursuit getting down... At the bottom they find a stone bridge and a Balrog appeare, he grab the Wizard and break the stone bridge while shouting "Thou shall not pass" and fall whith the wizard, the heroes on one side, the goblins on the other... :p
Oh man, wish I had thought of this first! ;)
Inside the vault there is a Taotieh with a Taotieh swallowed in each of its 4 stomachs. In each of these 4 taotieh there is a (very) minor artifact, a 10'cube full of copper pieces, a stat-boosting belt (probably Str, Wis, Con, and Int) and a cache of assorted dwarven weapons. And of course, every copper piece has an explosive rune stamped on it (to guard the treasure with treasure).
Edit: Oops, wrong creature. Taotieh only have one stomach. Can't find the creature with 4, so instead just have Taotieh Nesting dolls adorned with treasure and put the copper piece dump in the last one.
Edit 2 electric boogaloo: Turns out it was the right creature, I just read it too fast and missed the last line.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Really helped me out of my dungeon masters block.
Is it in the vault? No one will know till they open it...