From: larwick2476@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Help! Tips Needed on Dungeon Construction
Date: 13 Nov 92 16:39:32 -0600
Organization: University of Northern Iowa


   Here's another idea for you out there.  Perhaps instead of the infamous
dungeon hunt, throw in some new twists to the game.  In the adventure that I am
preparing for next week, I am sending the party out to find and kill an
illusionist in his keep.  His keep is essentially a tower with a moat
surrounding it.  The nice thing about illusionists is that NOTHING is as it
seems, and yet you can throw in something real all of the sudden and catch
EVERYONE off guard.
   The next thing you want to do after you have a general idea of what the
party is going to do and some of the "general" tricks you might play on them
(i.e. traps, illusions, monsters, NPC thieves, etc.) then you have to add to
the color of them and make them interesting.  For example, let me go into one
of the rooms that I have created for my tower.  The party will come upon this
room after meeting up with an NPC thief who will join their party whether they
like it or not... he will be a very important FORESHADOW of what is to come and
what the party can expect in this tower.

THE ROOM:
   Description -- This room is circular with a 50' diameter.  The room is
well-lighted by torches in holders that are about 5' apart along the walls.  On
the far side of the room there is an elaborate pedestal with a gold dagger
shining in the torch-light.  There appears to be some kind of a glimmering,
magical wall preventing anyone from taking the dagger.  The room is made out of
fine stone with an outlined circle in the center of the room.  This place
appears as if it was used for worship.

   DM information -- As soon as the party enters the room, the NPC thief bolts
off after the dagger (not caring to much about the magical wall... probably
thinks it's an illusion, which it is).  He is wearing a cloak of displacement
so any physical attempt to stop him will fail and magic will not be able to be
chanted in time.  After running for about 5' the thief disappears through the
floor with a scream.
   This room is full of 15' deep pits with spikes at the bottom -- each pit is
covered by an illusion of normal floor.  The gold dagger is really just an
ordinary dagger made to look golden through use of paint (close inspection will
reveal this) and the wall protecting it is just an illusion.  The circle in the
middle of the room is a pressure plate (bet you weren't expecting that, huh?),
but it acts a lot different from a normal plate.  Many a party will be tricked
by this one... when the plate senses pressure it does nothing, but when that
pressure is removed then the trap activates (Can't just wait outside the room,
toss something onto the plate, see that nothing happens, and then pick up what
you threw... whoops!).  The plate activates an illusion of the ceiling dropping
on the party.  This has several effects.  One -- the party scrambles towards
the door with a chance of falling in a pit.  Two -- each PC jumps into a pit
taking damage to avoid the ceiling.  Three -- they waste spells that have no
effect.  OR Four -- The ceiling comes crashing down on them and (for all who
did not disbelieve the illusion) have to make a system shock check to avoid
dying. NASTY!!!
   If the party seaches the room there is one pit that has a notches cut out of
the side of the pit leading down (i.e. a ladder) to the next level.
   Illusions can be a VERY nasty thing if not dealt with properly.  The party
the passes through this room will not only be jumpy at every that happens for
a while to come, but they will also have some extreme mental problems that will
have to be dealt with with some long good rest when they get back to town.
   Never mess around with illusionists!
      
                    
                                                       /^\
  Bret R. Larwick                            /^\      /   \__
  256B Bartlett                             /   |    |       \/^\
  Cedar Falls, IA  50613                   |     \  /            \
  larwick@wehner.cs.uni.edu              _/       \/              \
  (319)-273-4742                        /        _/                \
  Computer Science Major               /        /                   \
  University of Northern Iowa      Keep your eyes on the journey ahead...
                                        Not on the journey behind.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd