Megadungeon plans!

So after going back and forth a bit, I've started working on a major dungeon crawl.  I started my first map, and have since sorta sat down and planned out the whole thing, although I've added a few extra parts here and there.  The basic gist came from the first map, which was actually a test for crosshatching in gimp.  On paper I drew out where the maps all lead, so for example from the original caverns map, there are 3 exits, 1 of which winds it way to a dragon, one goes to a dwarfen settlement, and eventually some dark elves, and the last exist ends up at a old forgotten temple.

As i was drawing it out, lots of things came to me, little ideas and tibbits.  The premise of the whole dungeon crawl is a Wizard looking for ingredients for potions.

Random Wilderness Encounter Table

1      Deer Carcass

2      Unmarked grave

3      Slaughtered kobolds

4      Abandoned farm

5      Old shrine to a god covered in moss

6      Chicken Eggs

7      Cow

8      Old scabbard for dagger (no dagger)

9      Old wooden chest (a few sp’s)

10  A few arrows in a tree

11  Pool of fresh water

12  Dead hill giant

13  Letter from a lover

14  Broken lute

15  Broken wagon (nothing inside)

16  Iron ore

17  Treasure map (DM’s choice)

18  Wandering beggar

19  Merchant caravan

20  Priest

21  Adventuring party

22  Farmer

23  Fruit tree

24  Remains of a camp fire

25  Broken wand remnants

26  Alchemical ingredients in satchel

27  Rusted axe in stump

28  Farm equipment

29  Small sack

30  15 feet of rope

31  Page torn from a book

32  Empty waterskin

33  Vial of acid

34  Pouch of pipe weed

35  Ruined painting

36  D4 wooden stakes

37  Pair of boots

38  Fishing rod and line

39  Cask of brandy

40  Small drum

41  2 candles

42  Magic ring

43  Wild deer (alive)

44  Sword (good quality)

45  Straw broom

46  Small bear cave

47  Spell book with 2 first level spells

48  Dead adventurer (with chain mail) some coins

49  A small bag of uncut semi-precious stones

50  Scroll of sheet Music 

51  Dice

52  Bloody rags and blood trail

53  Wooden mallet

54  Wandering beggar

55  Merchant caravan

56  Priest

57  Adventuring party

58  Farmer

59  Old shrine to a god

60  Unmarked grave

61  Slaughtered kobolds

62  Abandoned farm

63  Remains of a camp fire

64  Backpack with nothing in it

65  Horse tied to tree

66  Pouch of pipe weed

67  Battle axe stuck in wood

68  Bones of animal

69  Cattle

70  Innkeepers daughter lost

71  Elf party

72  Carriage with slaughter humans

73  Mass grave

74  Haystack

75  Bear

76  Giant fly carcass

77  Old book

78  Stack of playing cards

79  Quiver with 1d6 arrows

80  1d4 torches

81  Orca raiding party in burning pile

82  Small Halfling village

83  Dwarf miners

84  Magical creature (leprechaun? fairy)

85  Broken spear

86  Large snake skin

87  Bag full of deer pelts

88  Band of NPCs (maybe join them?)

89  Bandits attacking a merchant caravan

90  Weather gets really bad!

91  Stray cat that follows group

92  Dead adventurer doppelganger wearing same clothes as PC no head

93  Pit trap

94  Wandering beggar

95  Merchant caravan

96  Priest

97  Adventuring party

98  Farmer

99  Treasure map (DM’s choice)

100        Bear

Adventure Seed

Introduction

Long ago lived a race of extremely intelligent dwarfs; they toiled in their mines, creating inventions never before seen on the face of the world.  Although Dwarfs still live among the races of man, they differ greatly from the Ancient Dwarfs “The Ackna-mar”.  The Ackna-mar were very rarely seen upon the surface of the world, as they were able to support themselves.  They had acquired special magic’s that allowed them to live longer than average dwarfs, they were not war monger’s, instead spent years in search of the knowledge of the unknown.  All this information was acquired from an old tome, written by a elder elven sage, who had meetings with the Ackna-mar. 

Adventure Seed

You have received a letter on your doorstep from a young wizard by the name of Eron Azizah, within the letter details a strange account that Eron had while searching for ingredients.  Along with the letter was a accompanying map.

“Dear Sirs,

I have heard of your adventuring exploits from afar, your renown as heroes has increased ten fold from when you first graced this land.  I ask you to hear my story, and I hope that it may intrigue you as much as it did me.  First I must preface this letter by giving you a bit of background that I have recently found out.  Along time ago a ancient race of Dwarf’s named the “Ackna-mar” lived within our borders.  More importantly they lived under our borders.  They were a highly intelligent race, and spent much of their time creating new wondrous inventions & tinkering with magic and steel alike.  They Ackna-mar were rarely seen upon the surface world, but they did happen stroll upon its great land when in need of supplies, trading with the Elves mostly.  It has been 1000 years since one of these dark dwarfs has strode upon the surface.  I acquired this knowledge from a old crusty tome I found in a ruin.  This mystery of course perplexed me, what happened to them?

Further, while out hunting for rare magical ingredients I stumbled upon a very interesting site.  An old ruined keep, set against the wall of the mountain.  Within the keep I quickly realized that this was a lost city of the Ackna-mar, I found writings and booklets detailing the history of the Ackna-mar.  The most interesting site that I found however was not a book or an old glyph, but a dwarf himself! Frozen in time.  I tried my best to wake him, but failed miserably.  The ruins have been overrun with monsters and creatures, it became extremely dangerous for me to stay and try to wake the Dwarf. 

I ask you, to travel to this ruin, to try and find out what happened to this ancient race.  Maybe you will have better luck than I did. I offer you no reward, but a chance to write history, and maybe find a few treasures along the way.

Sincerely

Eron Azizah

Mage

Couple Of Maps

I hand drew one map last night, which is a possible idea for a Dwarfen Mine Delve.  The second map is a GIMP map I tried to create using some tile downloads from dragonsfoot.org I attempted to make it very OSR, I think I succeeded.

What Kind Of D&D Character Am I!

I Am A: Lawful Good Halfling Paladin/Sorcerer (3rd/2nd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-11
Dexterity-13
Constitution-14
Intelligence-12
Wisdom-13
Charisma-13

Alignment:
Lawful Good A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Race:
Halflings are clever, capable and resourceful survivors. They are notoriously curious and show a daring that many larger people can't match. They can be lured by wealth but tend to spend rather than hoard. They prefer practical clothing and would rather wear a comfortable shirt than jewelry. Halflings stand about 3 feet tall and commonly live to see 150.

Primary Class:
Paladins take their adventures seriously, and even a mundane mission is, in the heart of the paladin, a personal test an opportunity to demonstrate bravery, to learn tactics, and to find ways to do good. Divine power protects these warriors of virtue, warding off harm, protecting from disease, healing, and guarding against fear. The paladin can also direct this power to help others, healing wounds or curing diseases, and also use it to destroy evil. Experienced paladins can smite evil foes and turn away undead. A paladin's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast. Many of the paladin's special abilities also benefit from a high Charisma score.

Secondary Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Finding Inspiration everywhere - Star Wars

Just finished up watching "a new hope".  The whole time Luke, Han, and Leia were in the death star I'm thinking this is a DUNGEON waiting to happen!  The bridge you have to swing over, the room with the walls that close in.  The bad guys shooting at you from above and below.  Trying to get to the Millennium falcon (or whatever other escape route).  What about when the X wing fighters are trying to blow up the death star and they have vader and other pilots breathing down there neck.  How about a Dragon flight? Air warfare.  There is so much there you could incorporate.  I'm actually thinking about trying to use as many of these references into one adventure, and see how long it takes the players to catch it.  nudge nudge wink wink.

Just an idea to come back to.

I nabbed this from http://rpg-directory.com/threads/another-sandbox-fantasy-idea.40921/

Terror has gripped Durandal like never before. For the past year, the land has changed from a relatively normal place to a land filled with magical and dangerous creatures. The lands of Durandel have been swarmed by all manners of creatures that prey on citizens of all nations. Creatures like the Gorgos, Imps, Harpies, Succubi and Incubi, the undead, and many more move about the country side killing and ravaging everything in their wake. The entire known world is caught under the terror of the tales of these creatures. There seems to be no ending to the stream of these new beings causing the rich and poor to be caught in fear.

There is no known source of the apparition of these creatures, only rumors exist. They are numerous, from the end of the world to even new lands being found and people shipping these creatures here. A rumor that seems to stand out is one of a rogue wizard trying to create new life through magic. It is said that these creatures are his failed experiments he wrought upon the land. One of his creations that stand out in the tales is the Black Dogs. Giant undead dogs with red eyes the size of a cow. Whenever the dog appears, someone is taken to never be seen again.

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