| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I have a great idea for a dungeon adventure for my group. I would love to get advice and insights from the brilliant folks on this board, especially in making the encounters feel interesting and fresh.
The Party
Five or six level 7 characters: Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Cleric, Wizard and Cavalier. They aren’t very optimized except maybe the cavalier. They haven’t really been challenged in a while and I want to give them a chance to stretch themselves without killing them.
Room One has beautiful stark landscapes painted on the walls with such verisimilitude that observers momentarily think they are standing in a broad plain. The terrain is bleak and foreboding with a winding river leading to a towering and intimidating city in the hills. Despite the austerity, the view is beautiful; think of Ansel Adams’ photographs of the desert. The homesickness of the artist permeates the work.
Room Two captures the view in front of the city gates that were in the distance of the previous room’s picture. The devil has taken up sculpture in this room. The city gates are wrought from iron and twisted into gruesome shapes warning the arriving souls of what awaits. A staggering mob of damned souls are arrayed before the gates, their faces capturing their agony and fear of their fate. A self-portrait statue of the devil towers over the march of the damned, swinging a barbed whip over its head. Think of Rodin’s Gates of Hell and similar works, except the statues have been painted to look lifelike. It takes an inspection by the party to determine that they are all wrought from iron and stone. The pride the devil takes in inflicting damnation permeates the scene.
Room Three represents a room inside the first level of Hell and gives the first indications of the artist’s diminishing sanity. The floor is riddled with real boiling pools of sulphured water. The walls are covered in images of damned souls performing their pointless eternal tasks, from smashing rocks to carrying loads. The realism of the previous rooms has begun to fade. The dimensions of the caverns seem warped and disorienting, which is only augmented by the distortion of the steam from the pools. Think of Salvador Dali painting the Guernica. The artist appears to have some sympathy for the mortals trapped in a place they cannot escape and tied to a task they resent.
Room Four is a ruined mess. In places on the wall, the party can see images of deeper levels of Hell painted in the Dali-esque style of the previous room, but burn marks sear the walls erasing most of the painting. The statues that were once carved in the room have been smashed into pieces or melted into blobs. A line of permanent flames swoop over the wall behind the party’s entrance writing ‘F**K ASMODEUS” in Infernal.
Room Five is where the devil has withdrawn permanently. He can’t bring himself to enter the first three rooms, lest he destroy that artwork in a fit of madness and the fourth room only escalates the madness. The walls of this room are covered in sketches of the earlier works and half made statues litter the ground. Graffiti covers everything, saying in Infernal, “Why am I here?”, “Why must I keep what I don’t want?”, “How do I go home?” If the party gets the chance to inspect, they will also find investigations into the spells which bind the devil, maybe offering a way to break them.
The devil is former Duke of Hell who discovered how fickle was the loyalty to him when he was yanked into the Material Plane and bound to these five rooms. Asmodeus has declined to reward the former Duke’s service by organizing a rescue and the creatures he could summon weren’t powerful enough. The key to this encounter is that the devil has been sooooo bored for so long that he wants to toy with the party rather than kill them. He might show them the McGuffin to taunt them. His binding is tied to chains that he wears. His insanity will allow him to accidentally drop hints to the party about how to break the chain despite being commanded otherwise by the ancient spellcasters that captured him.
*Entry door stays opens for 10 minutes
*Entry door closes. If there are any living beings in the room, summoned creatures/beings appear.
*Both doors closed for 10 minutes. (Combat likely)
*Exit door opens and stays open for 10 minutes (this is also the entry door the next room)
*Exit door closes
*Both doors closed for minutes
*Repeat
If the party stays in the room to rest, the summoned creatures will re-appear. If the creatures are intelligent, they remember the party and can adjust tactics accordingly. If the party retreats back out, they have to go through all the fights again.
Request For Help
I am most eager for guidance on designing the encounters in each room. I am looking for suggestions on what could be summoned that would make interesting opposition and keep the infernal theme.
In an ideal world, I would put lesser devils accompanied by some imps in the first rooms, but the party is too low level. They can probably survive a Bearded Devil or two, but a Bone Devil or a Fury would probably be too much. Maybe I can apply templates to Imps to make them a better challenge to level 7 characters? Or interesting tactics?
Excellent suggestions.
I really like the idea of making bull rush a feature of the sulphur pools. That could be fun.
I also like the idea of adamantine being the key to breaking the chains. The devil can have an adamantine throwing axe with the "Called" enhancement. He throws it at the party, aiming to miss as he taunts them, summoning it back into his hand on his next round. This gives the party the opportunity to pick it up and use it in the interval between his turns. When he is freed, he summons it back to Hell.
Just in case anyone wants to weigh in with final ideas, I am posting my plan for the dungeon. Many thanks to Meirril.
Before entering the dungeon, the party will find an empty campsite with still warm coals in the fire. There is another group seeking the McGuffin and they got here first!
Room 1
Map
“As you pass through the portal, you find yourself on a shelf high up on a mountainside. A stream of inky black water flows from a hole in the cliff wall to your left and across the shelf before plummeting down a waterfall and joining a large black river that winds through a stark, foreboding but strangely beautiful landscape. A wooden bridge spans the creek on the shelf, leading to another portal on the other side”
More information
“The landscape below is barren wasteland. Rolling hills of rock and dirt show no hint of vegetation. Pools of magma strew the valleys between the hills and you can almost smell the sulfur of the steam clouds that waft from them. The river has carved deep chasms which encircle a mighty fortress in the distance. A well-paved road leads through the land, past smaller fortresses and over massive bridges spanning the chasms.”
Looking up, you see a huge circle of rock hovering overhead. The perspective is disorienting, but you think it is a hundred miles up and a hundred miles in diameter. A cataract of black water flows down from the rock above and landing out of your sight where the black river originates”
The ground on the shelf has a few melted and burned weapons lying on the ground. Two long deceased corpses lie on the shelf, their broken and burned bones are their only legacy. An astute observer may even see an arrow floating in the air over the cliff drop.
After a few minutes of exploring, they will realize that they are in a large room. The view over the cliffside and the sky above is painted on the walls. A combination of phenomenal painting skills and permanent illusions create the compelling scene. The painter clearly wanted to evoke the beauty and majesty of the area, even though you never want to visit.
A decent Religion skill roll will remind a character that the River Styx flows black through the nine levels of Hell. A high Religion skill roll will bring to mind that Maleboge, the sixth level of Hell, is where the Archduke Moloch acts as general over the legions of Hell. The fortress in the distance could easily be Melgart Keep.
Eventually, the portal behind the party will close. A large magma elemental is summoned and appears near the exit door on the opposite side. Its first action will be to burrow into the ground. From there it will use its create magma pool attack to fill the space of the character nearest the exit. It will alternate between (surface and attack) and (attack and burrow). It will alternate between attacking the two characters furthest from the waterfall from the side away from the waterfall. (If one character ended up here alone, give them hints that hiding in the waterfall will protect them.)
A few minutes after the elemental is dead, the portal on the opposite side opens. If the party doesn’t go through, it closes and the cycle repeats.
Room 2
Map
“As you pass through the portal, you find yourself before a mighty fortress. Dozens of chained people are climbing the stairs to the entrance, while devils wielding spiked whips drive them forward. A massive devil in armor stands at the top of the stairs. Over the doorway at the top of the stairs is a coat of arms with a bull head in front of a yellow flame”
More information
It doesn’t take the party long to realize that everything in the room is a statue. The chained people are amazing lifelike, while also accentuating the agony and fear they are experiencing.
The large devil is a winged and horned devil, clad in armor. Easy Religion check to label him a pit fiend. Medium to hard Religion check to see that the armor and adornments are consistent with an infernal duke. Medium Religion check to remember that Moloch’s symbol is a bull in a yellow flame.
Attempts to damage the statues will work, but the party will observe that the broken pieces “heal”. Close inspection of the duke statue will show that the right forearm is made of clay, instead of stone like the rest. This is (I hope) a good clue for the party to figure out the final battle. The sculptor was just insane enough to slip that hint past the wards that bind him in this prison.
The devils are clearly the protagonists of this statuary display and there is a sense of pride in the rigid discipline that is delivered.
There are a few recently dead bodies from the party at the campsite. They died from bludgeoning or fire.
Combat
After a few minutes, the entry portal closes and the statues animate. Stats are based on Graven Guardians with some exceptions.
None of them move from their locations.
The tormented soul statues will attack any living being in an adjacent space. If noone is there, they will hold their action until someone is. They do not make attacks of opportunity.
The whipping devil statues have a range of 15’ with their whips. If no attack is possible, they hold their action.
The infernal duke launches a 3d6 fireball (DC 20) every round. The target is randomly chosen among the living. If his right arm is taken off by a called shot, the fireballs stop.
Once the party has stopped the fireballs, they should be able to huddle out of reach of the other statues until the exit portal opens. (The statues return to immobility when that happens.)
Room 3
Map
“As you pass through the portal, you find yourself in the forges of Hell … perhaps, literally. Pools of molten lava on floor fill the room with breath-taking heat. A cart full of ore sits on tracks, waiting to be smelted and shaped in the smithy on the far side of the room. A deep pit in the middle of the room leads to places you probably don’t want to know.”
“The art work on the walls lack the verisimilitude of the first two rooms. They depict scenes of torment and slavery in the mines of Maleboge. The figures of devils and damned souls are distorted and abstract representation. The spaces around them bend in unsettling incongruities.” (Guernica painted by Salvador Dali)
More Information:
The track under the ore cart doesn’t lead anywhere. The alcove stops just out of view.
The trap door in the far corner stores coal.
The artwork is interesting in many ways, but one that stands out is that the artist has more sympathy for the slaves trapped for eternity to perform a task they can never escape and never finish.
Combat:
After a few minutes, the entry portal closes. Two bearded devils appear on opposite sides of the pit. Three imps appear on the raised platform with the manacles. As long as one bearded devil is alive (telepathy), they fight very aggressively and coordinated. For example, one devil will charge an opponent. The other devil will teleport behind to a flanking position.
Depending on how well or poorly the party handled the previous encounters, I might remove one bearded devil or the imps.
Room 4
Map
“This room is quite different from the previous rooms. You can see the rectangular shape of the room clearly, though the walls and floor are riven by cracks. A few paintings in the style of the forge room can be seen on the wall, but they are scrawled over with black graffiti. The graffiti covers all of the walls.”
More information
The graffiti is mostly written in Infernal with some diagrams and stick drawings. Some things that are on the walls:
“%$#&! Asmodeus” in four foot high letters “%$#&! Moloch” and “%$#&! Maraaxaan” are nearby in smaller font
“Why? Why? Why?”
A diagram of the planes. Special emphasis is placed on Hell and the Material Plane.
A long description of extra-dimensional space and how that relates to the planes, how it can hide from even powerful scrying.
A long description of binding spells, ending in “NO ESCAPE”
A long rant about all the battles the author fought on behalf of Moloch and Asmodeus only to be abandoned. Blames his brother Maraaxan for why no-one has come for him.
The fissures in the floors and the walls appear to be holes in the extra-dimensional space you inhabit. Every minute or so, one of them crackles for a round and then erupts in a kinetic explosion. 5d6 damage to anyone within 15 feet. The party is in little danger once they see the pattern, but they can’t rest here.
Room 5
Map
“As you pass through the portal, you enter a mighty throne room. The majesty of the architecture is impressive, though somewhat diminished by the piles of crates, chests and books strewn around. Up two levels on the main dais, you see a pit fiend devil. He looks a lot like the fireball throwing statue you saw before, except that he is wrapped in chains. His wings are so tangled in chains as to be useless and the links bite into his flesh.”
“There are several fresh dead bodies on the floor. The last of the party at the campsite is cowering behind one pile of crates.”
“MORE PEOPLE! ARE THESE YOUR FRIENDS?” the devil asks the cowering figure. When the figure doesn’t respond, the devil flings his throwing axe which sunders the person in twain. “I WAS GROWING BORED OF HIM ANYWAY”
More Information
The devil, named Sargathaan, is in no hurry to kill the party, which is the only reason they have a chance. He has been trapped in solitary confinement for thousands of years and two groups showed up on the same day. It is easily the most interesting thing that has happened in a long time. He will encourage the party to come closer to him. He will swat away anyone who attacks him, but won’t follow up to kill …. Yet. He has all the time in the world to torment them before killing them. Have fun role playing this!
He will tell the story of how he was bound here. His fragile grasp on sanity is obvious every time he references time. He winces and stutters on words like “years”, “time”, “days” etc. He also flinches if a party member says any word referencing time. If a party member (or two) really talk about time, Sargathaan becomes stunned for one round. (He will be wroth at that person afterward though.)
The adamantine chains dig into his hide. They used to be looser, but any effort to escape was punished by tightening. It is particularly obvious on his right arm. A massive manacle has the McGuffin melded to it and has constricted such that his hide is cracked and raw on his forearm near the manacle.
Sargathaan on his turn will idly toss his axe at a square adjacent to a party member. On his next turn, the axe appears back in his hand for him to throw it again. While it is a throwing axe to him, it would be a great axe to any medium sized creatures. Quick appraisal also will tell them that it is adamantine.
The crates are filled with painting and sculpting supplies. They books are instructions on how to paint or sculpt from some of the great masters in history.
Resolution:
The goal is for the party to cut off Sargathaan’s arm upward of the manacle. This will separate him from the McGuffin and free him from his binding.
The main intent is that the party stun him by shouting about time, allowing a party member to pick up the adamantine axe and perform surgical amputation with it. Sargaathan wants this to happen, thus the clue with the clay arm on the statue in Room 2.
If the party comes up with another good idea, feel free to run with it.
Once Sargatthaan is separated from the manacle, he disappears. A split second later, the extra-dimensional space collapses. The party is back at the entrance to the dungeon amid a pile of paint filled barrels, chests and all the other items in the throne room. With detect magic, they can quickly locate the McGuffin amidst the debris. Dead bodies of the other party are also there. Between the old books and the magic items on the other party, they get a sizeable gold equivalent reward. And a Scroll of Teleportation to let them get home.
|
Here's a crazy idea, even though it's probably too late. Have you considered that an Archon would be the type to willingly protect such a McGuffin? A devil would probably request a soul (Or multiple.) in exchange for his prolonged services. An Archon would volunteer to do it. I suppose both could be tricked, if that's what you're going for.
The Archon will be a more interesting foe. The players are far more likely to have encountered devils anyway, so this could be something new for them. Then there's also the part where they might not want to defeat a good outsider for obvious reasons. Lastly, the Archon just won't give up. He has vowed to protect the McGuffin with his life, and that's what he will do.
Another twist is using a Devil, an Archon and an Inevitable to represent the forces of law. The players will wonder why they would work together until they realize that the lawful outsiders have united against the chaotic outsiders.
This is an awesome encounter idea that shouldn't be "wasted" on level 7's. You should have them do this when they're around level 11-14ish so you can really put some heat on the group in the various rooms in terms of CR difficulty (while still making the encounter near-impossible to defeat the devil at the end without using the proper tactics you mentioned-- i.e., stunning him with shouting about Time and amputating his arm with the adamantine weapon).
I think it would be a shame to have a dungeon this awesome only crawling with imps and 1-2 bearded devils, and honestly if the mcguffin is truly that powerful, why is it only being guarded by lesser devils and one devil that could get gunned down by a lvl 17+ party in less than 5 rounds of combat? I think it would make more sense to have the party accomplish this when they're higher level just so you can throw higher CR fights at them as they descend through the rooms.