Sunday, June 27, 2010

I Thought You Said You Cleaned This Place

One of my players has decided to return to a dungeon she thought she was done with months ago. I'm figuring out what's happened since she left, plus what's behind all those doors she never checked. It's really fun--it's like writing an alternate-universe dungeon that hides behind the original dungeon. Ever done that?

My favorite kind of encounters aren't all surprises--they're the ones where the PCs know what they're getting into (mostly) and you get to watch them scheme before taking the plunge. Re-doing a dungeon over a few levels later gives you plenty of chances for exactly that.

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In other news, here's some recent things on the D&D internet I like:

-Hireling generator (via Grognardia). I'd use this if I could ever get used to having a laptop right there at the table.

-This "make combat suddenly more dramatic" idea from Monsters and Manuals. In general, I like options where players can voluntarily up the ante at any time. Plus anything involving d100 options always = rock.

-Swords and Dorkery found an interesting artist I've never heard of before.

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Also, remember the Secret Arneson Gift Exchange deadline is a scant 3 days away--send 'em if you got 'em.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

whoa, that rhinotown goes hand in hand with your turtle-opera!

awesome stuff!

mordicai said...

I have done that; sometimes I had a lot of ready corner stones in place-- "monsters" that were essentially terrain features become, well, monsters. You know, the giant sonic bat-dinosaur that makes the players have to sneak around or take damage or the giant spider they have to escape from. Othertimes, when they DID fully "clear" the dungeon, or solved the heart of it-- I would make the dungeon a little bit of a cheesy Eden. You know, move some cave-Bambis in, let them feel like they really "won."

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the mention. Tyukanov really is amazing.
And hey, thanks for doing the SAGE thing. That's a very cool idea. I hope I'll be DMing next time around; can't use it now :(

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite things is to reuse dungeons and have the effects of the previous character party's sacking still in them (plus, of course, some newly arrived critters). I use them even for different groups just to add flavor. "Why did someone set this sofa on fire? And why did they scrawl 'FUCK GNOMES' on all the walls in chalk? There is some serious sorcery going on here!"