BlazingTornado Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 23 hours ago, Doug Sundseth said: It might help to have some idea what sort of encounters you're looking to run. An assignation in a formal garden might not work especially well in the same castle that you're running the escape from the dungeon or the aerial raid on the great hall. Aside from some hobgoblin henchmen I don't have much planned because I don't know what the decided map'll be. Right now it's just a vague idea of such and such evil person took over this abandoned keep for so and so vile reason, hired/coerced/tricked various evil humanoids and beasts and the likes into inhabiting it and working for it, and the party is basically coming to claim it, as it was meant to be a reward to them from the nation's king, for retrieving Blackrazor from White Plume Mountain. So really, I'm flexible. Might throw in an ogre cook if the kitchen on the map is big enough. Maybe a chimera in the courtyard it the size allows. Who knows. 12 hours ago, TheAuldGrump said: Look at Darkfuries Publishing. Their Masterwork Maps series is very good. They have both collections of smaller scale maps and a few individual maps in scale for battle maps. Thanks Grump, I'll try and check em out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sundseth Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Ah, so you're talking about encounters as the players try to capture the place? Nearly any castle should be usable for that. I'd recommend choosing the size of the castle for the number of enemies that you want in it. If it's too big for the defenders, getting in will probably be easier than you would like. Too many and it will be a straight up continuous fight, which is also less interesting, I think. At any rate, I'd probably set up the encounters like a sword and cloak movie rather than especially realistically, so something like: Getting through the outer wall (over the wall, through the sally port, sneaking through the sewer, whatever). Small fight on top of the wall/in the gatehouse/in the basement of the keep/in the kitchen. Noise or an escaper awakens the garrison. Big fight in the courtyard/great hall. If the PCs have troops, they only have to get through and leave the cleanup to their guys, but this will strip the remainder down to the PCs if necessary. Running fight up the spiral staircase. Difficult terrain, disadvantage for right-handed attackers, and height advantage for the defenders. Boss fight in the Donjon (at the top of the tallest tower). All of that subject to change by PC actions, of course, and it's pretty easy to add encounters of a size to maintain a good pacing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Jack Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 On 10/26/2017 at 6:07 PM, TheAuldGrump said: I blame Tolkien.... Even his dwarves sing. My halfling thief Ripper is fond of singing Elven dirges at the top of his lungs in Orcish, and soulfully crooning Dwarven bar songs in Elvish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlazingTornado Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 18 hours ago, Doug Sundseth said: Ah, so you're talking about encounters as the players try to capture the place? Nearly any castle should be usable for that. Sure, but I'd still like something that speaks to me and that the players may see as an exciting venture. Managed to find this one recently... definitely has been the one that's spoken to me the most. https://imgur.com/a/8gyX8#LSmxITg Definitely has a "we built this for encounters" flavor to it, I could see hobgoblins guarding the entrance, maybe a few wargs in the stables, a couple of Duergars (or just surface dwarves of less scrupulous nature) working the forge, etc. Adequate size for an adventure letting the players go from level 9 to 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocPiske Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 7 minutes ago, BlazingTornado said: Sure, but I'd still like something that speaks to me and that the players may see as an exciting venture. Managed to find this one recently... definitely has been the one that's spoken to me the most. https://imgur.com/a/8gyX8#LSmxITg Definitely has a "we built this for encounters" flavor to it, I could see hobgoblins guarding the entrance, maybe a few wargs in the stables, a couple of Duergars (or just surface dwarves of less scrupulous nature) working the forge, etc. Adequate size for an adventure letting the players go from level 9 to 10. OK, pretty cool map. But did you see the video linked off to right on the same page labeled "Sam, get the holy water"? I almost cried I laughed so hard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 About 2/3rds done with the first draft of Sam's Beyond the Borderlands. Mostly, it is an area as an excuse for a lot of small dungeons, one big dungeon, and a background for why the dungeons are there. Quests... I am stealing a format from the Kingmaker adventure path - quest notices as handouts. The first few will be posted back at The Keep. Only one is a Clear the Dungeon quest - pretty much dead center of the campaign and the biggest dungeon. (The Cruel Dwarf Mines - pretty much a straight up dungeon crawl, with the big baddy being an orc Barbarian/Antipaladin/Vampire named Azsharag the Thirster. And he doesn't just stay around the dungeon.) Clearing the dungeon also means that a town will form - the mine is far from played out - the orcs used it as a fortress, but did almost no mining themselves. The Auld Grump - there is an encounter with a rust monster that I think Sam will enjoy... it imprints on one of the PCs as its mommy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 45 minutes ago, DocPiske said: OK, pretty cool map. But did you see the video linked off to right on the same page labeled "Sam, get the holy water"? I almost cried I laughed so hard. I had to share that video with others.... The Auld Grump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Remember that scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? Where Drax jumps down the throat of a space froghemoth? Jon's barbarian is about to reenact that scene, with a purple worm.... (Showing how brave he is by jumping down the throat of a fire breathing purple worm - one that has enough intellect to pose dramatically before attacking.) The Auld Grump - who is still disappointed that they didn't get to play Blood Pig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 I have warned them that purple worm castings are not a great start if they need to have Jon Raised from the dead after this.... The Auld Grump 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlazingTornado Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 3 hours ago, DocPiske said: OK, pretty cool map. But did you see the video linked off to right on the same page labeled "Sam, get the holy water"? I almost cried I laughed so hard. I did not, no. I don't even see it when I load the page. Meanwhile, a sneak peek at just what Xanathar's Guide To Everything will be about, with a table of contents released thanks to meeting a goal on ExtraLife. http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/DnDXL2017_XGE_TOC.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlazingTornado Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Started putting down that map, and getting tired with laying down dynamic lighting lines fairly early on, I started figuring encounters... And goshdarn, Worgs are kind of cruddy enemies. CR½? Think I'll seek out more powerful beasties to populate the stables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 The barbarian almost died inside of the purple worm - and would have, if the Shadowdancer had not popped in with some healing potions, and then popped back out again. The upside is that the party has now impressed the Shoanti barbarians, and Jon is once more accepted as a Shoanti. (Background - he got kicked out of his tribe, which is why he was in Korvosa.) And the purple worm also survived the encounter. Then the PCs got back in time for a massive attack against the Shoanti they had just joined. 14 hours ago, BlazingTornado said: Started putting down that map, and getting tired with laying down dynamic lighting lines fairly early on, I started figuring encounters... And goshdarn, Worgs are kind of cruddy enemies. CR½? Think I'll seek out more powerful beasties to populate the stables. They were CR2 in 3.5, and I think that they still are in Pathfinder. Maybe 5e has relegated them to just being mounts? The Auld Grump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlazingTornado Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, TheAuldGrump said: They were CR2 in 3.5, and I think that they still are in Pathfinder. Maybe 5e has relegated them to just being mounts? Sorta? They mention them as both fierce predators and chosen mounts of goblins and hobgoblins, but they're still weaker than a dire wolf, a lion or a tiger. I guess it's to stay within the realm of CR as those riders, gobbos are CR¼ and Hobs and Orcs are CR½... Maybe I'll give them some barding and throw in the Dire Wolf's "pack tactics" feature to make them a bit more of a threat. Also, a very useful lesson my players learned yesterday. If you find a halfling's heart in a jar amongst the belongings of a vile hag you slew... maybe the respectful way to send it off is a viking funeral, not placing it inside the grove of a tree. That, as it turns out, warps the poor tree into a Tree Blight. Edited November 5, 2017 by BlazingTornado 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) Just added the smallest dungeon to Sam's campaign - which can only be found twice a day - at sunset, when the bats fly out, and at daybreak when the bats fly back in. A five chamber barrow, with wights and a dead king. (The dead king is staying dead - and the wightes are there to make sure of it.) Treasure includes a magic sword, and enough bat guano to allow a wizard to cast fireball for the rest of his life. (Yes, I am giving a nine year old girl a dungeon filled with bat poo - about a foot deep, and with things living in it.) The bats cause a non-damaging Swarm effect - so the PCs will likely be sickened while fighting the wights - but then add in the bat guano, and.... *EDIT* There is no door - getting in involves shovels and sledgehammers - no sneaking in. The Auld Grump Edited November 6, 2017 by TheAuldGrump 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuldGrump Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 I am thinking about putting at least some of the maps into the ProFantasy repository - so that Sam et ali can print them as battle maps, if they are so inclined - and putting smaller versions into the PDF. First draft done - sending it to Sam's parents - then I will make any changes and check the math. The last addition was a magic sword that is... semi-cursed? No real negative, just really LOUD. CLANG! BONG! SWOOSH! - forget about using it for a stealthy mission. It is being used by a bad guy that really likes the weapon... he is not a subtle guy. More subtle is the father of one of the major NPCs - not a bad guy, but he has a dark secret... He is not a half-orc. (And is happily married to the NPC's mom. Hated his orcish father, loved his orcish mom.) The Auld Grump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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