After running a number of one-shots with the new D&D Next playtest, I wanted to see how the rules held up over the course of a proper campaign. With the release of advancement up to 10th level, coupled with reasonable xp progression, encounter building guidelines, and loot tables, the tools were all there to put a full-fledged campaign on the table. And so I dusted off an idea I'd been kicking around ever since I read this excellent story hour.
A Town Called Fortune
Twenty years ago, an adventurer named Brom discovered an elaborate dungeon complex carved into a mountain, filled with elaborate traps, fabulous treasure, and all the foul denizens who made the place their home. Brom made several forays into the dungeon, but ultimately fell prey to its peril. But not before others heard of the riches he'd pulled from that foul place.
A gold rush began. Adventurers of every stripe flocked to the dungeon, but they found that natural forces had blocked the cavern's entrance; a rushing underground river now flowed through the chamber that had been the entrance. One of the first true authorities to arrive was the Church of Tiamat herself; ever diligent in their pursuit of wealth, the Church seized control of the area and built a town. They called it Fortune, and the Exarch ruled over it. She commanded her magi to make open the way once a week by magically stopping the river, that adventurers could enter and seek their riches.
Now, the town of Fortune is abuzz with activity. Once every week, the forces of Tiamat hold Parade Day, where they march to the dungeon's entry with all the adventurers brave or foolish enough to enter. The whole town caters to the adventurers; the notary signs people up in advance for funerals (if you don't have one purchased, your body defaults to the Church of Tiamat after death for 'questioning'). The Mourning Girls offer their services, both to mourn at your funeral and as whores. Coffin shops are common, as are armories, weaponsmiths, and mercenary companies.
Those who have braved the dungeon and returned with noteworthy treasure are awarded an enchanted iron bracelet by the Church. Thus adventurers of great experience may wear a number of such bracelets, and command the respect of those in town. They may also draw the eyes of the noble Patrons, most of whom are masked, who may choose to sponsor adventurers on certain tasks. Furthermore, the higher-ups in the Church of Tiamat are always watchful for those who may become strong enough to become a threat. Better they die in the dungeon than cause problems later.
The Original Party
They numbered four, initially. Here is a quick rundown of the PCs:
Brolf, Male Human Fighter - Endurance Specialist, Thug Background - A big, dumb, extra-burly warrior. Did I mention dumb? Not very observant either. Typically rolled a d4 for listen checks.
Handmaiden Valanthe Siannodel, Female Elven Cleric of Pelor - Healer Specialty, Sage Background - A zealous cleric seeking to burn the scourge of undeath wherever she can find it. Also zealous in recording her findings on undeath in a big book.
Estoriel Trelayen, Female Elven Wizard (Academic) - Arcanist Specialty, Thug Background - An ambitious young scion of the Trelayen crime family (elven mafia who control a human town). She's seeking power and resources to take over the family business. By force.
Mink of the House of Mork and Mindy, Male Dwarven Monk - Endurance Specialist, Bounty Hunter Background - A monk. Not a lot of character to this one (as the name might suggest). He was mostly quiet.
The First Delve
The four PCs had all been hired on to guard a wagon with a huge cask of ale bound for the town of Fortune. Over the course of the two day trip to the town, they discovered they shared a common interest in seeing what the dungeon had to offer, so they decided they'd best join forces and venture down. There was a fair bit of drinking and partying once they arrived in Fortune, where they spent a couple days lingering in town.
After learning the fate of those who didn't have a funeral, all but Mink decided to put ten gold down with the notary so their remains wouldn't be disturbed by the Church of Tiamat. They also hired on a mercenary, an elven rogue named Palisa, who agreed to accompany them for thirty gold pieces. Prepared for their venture, they joined the procession on Parade Day, and made their way out to the dungeon.
They ventured inside, avoided several traps, then found their way down to the first level of the dungeon proper. They travelled south, and found the lair of the kobolds. In short order, Brolf fell into a thirty foot pit and nearly died. They climbed back out, Valanthe offered up some of Pelor's healing, and they carried on. They found an underground lake, with some fire beetles lurking on the shore. Though the beetles were not aggressive, Brolf was not to be denied the chance to smash things with his maul, so he attacked. Two of the beetles had the chance to sink their mandibles into poor Brolf, critting once and dealing eight damage in total. But Brolf and his friends prevailed, slaughtering the beetles.
Under the hood: The beetles totalled 40 xp, which is an easy encounter for the party. Only some dice luck on my part made it anywhere near threatening, and the outcome was never in doubt.
The warrior was patched up once again, and the party proceeded into the water. They began to swim when they heard something moving through the water towards them. Rapidly, they made an attempt to cut back to the beach, but only the wizard Estoriel and Mink managed to reach the shore! Palisa and Valanthe were near the shore, but Brolf was still well out and moving slowly, thanks to his heavy armor.
Under the hood: A pair of giant snakes are worth 200 xp, which is a challenging encounter for a group of five 1st level PCs. This was meant to be a challenging encounter.
One of the snakes attacked and coiled around Brolf, dealing a substantial amount of damage! The poor warrior's AC of 16 was doing nothing for him. The PCs struck back, but Mink's lack of any ranged weaponry and Estoriel's lack of a 0th level offensive spell were proving to be serious deficiencies. Valanthe managed to reach the shore, where she used lance of faith to great effect, but the second snake attacked Palisa and bit her in half and pulled her into the water.
Brolf managed to land the killing blow on his snake. Wounded, and desperate to get out of the water, he drew an opportunity attack from the second snake, who handily hit and dropped Brolf to -10 (not enough to kill him). Mink used his rope to lasso the warrior, but he couldn't pull him from the snake's clutches. The others managed to harm the snake, but not before it made another attack, this time lunging for the cleric, Valanthe! Her AC of 17 protected her, however, and the snake was slain.
Brolf was healed with a potion, and with Estoriel out of spells, it looked like it was time to rest.
For session two, the fifth member of our group was able to make it. He rolled up a character, and I placed him as the surviving member of a group of adventurers who hadn't fared so well.
Rosco Tealeaf the Impostor, Male Halfling Rogue - Ambush Specialist, Guild Thief Background - A friendly halfling. The Impostor title was added later.
The Delve Continues
Battered and bloodied, but still alive, our heroes decided to hole up in an abandoned room. But before they could get there, they heard footsteps approaching. Lo and behold, they made the acquaintance of Rosco Tealeaf! The halfling told them he'd heard something coming their way.
The PCs accepted the halfling into their little company (after all, with Palisa dead, they had need of a rogue), and they set about preparing for combat. Sure enough, a pair of troglodytes, their giant spider pet, and a captive goblin attacked! The battle was ferocious (especially with Estoriel at a loss for spells), but the PCs managed to win without serious injury. They killed both troglodytes, and the spider, but the goblin slave surrendered, and was set free.
Under the hood: This was one of my random encounters, valued at 150 xp. By the book, it should be somewhere between an average challenge and a tough challenge, and it lived up to that in play.
One of the conceits of this dungeon is the random encounters; I'm rolling frequently, and I have a list of encounters ranging from 100 xp to 550 xp, with the frequency heavily tilted towards lower level encounters (though that changes on lower levels). My players have been informed that not every fight will be winnable, and that the dungeon will not play fair.
Following the battle, the party set about holing up for the night. Everyone gathered in the abandoned room. They lit a cook fire and began roasting the snakes they'd killed. Mink, meanwhile, decided he'd go exploring. He climbed up a shaft in the ceiling and explored some cramped tunnels, eventually coming across the kobold's main lair. But on his way back, he heard the sound of more foosteps approaching; what sounded like dogs, and some heavy paws.
Unfortunately, Mink was cornered, and the pair of dogs turned out to be hell hounds, in the service of a rather unsavory gnoll named Obrist the Ravenous. The party heard the hounds growling, and decided to emerge from their room to do battle in the hallway. Mink was holding off some gnolls as they tried to climb up to get him, but the rest of the party fared very poorly. They charged out, then everyone but Brolf and Rosco were felled by the hell hound's breath weapon. Then the other hound bit Brolf, dragging him down too. Only Rosco was left alive, and he made an ill-fated dash past the hounds only to be brought down by the opportunity attacks. Mink fought in the tunnel, dispatching the two normal gnolls, but Obrist, his hounds, and his carnivorous monkey were still lingering below. With no other option in sight, Mink tried to use step of the wind to outrun the hounds, but some poor rolls saw him caught and brought down.
Under the hood: Unfortunately for my PCs, I decided the smell of roasting meat would call for a random encounter roll, and it came up positive. And then I rolled a 98%, just within the 5% chance for the toughest encounter on my list. 550 xp: Gnoll leader, 2 gnolls, 2 hell hounds, and a carnivorous monkey. This would be well beyond a challenging encounter for a first level party, and it worked out exactly as expected: TPK.
On one hand, I felt like a dick throwing an encounter like that at my PCs, especially worn down by the day's encounters. But on the other hand, one of the central themes of the campaign is the deadliness of the dungeon. The very idea that the dungeon isn't fair, that not all fights are winnable, that I'm not going to pull punches simply because the chips are down. In this place, the heroes make their own luck, and sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.
Besides, maybe it's better to get a TPK out of the way early, to knock the complacency out of my players.
We set about creating new characters. Everyone decided to play the same class, though stats were re-rolled and some backgrounds / specialties were changed up.
The Second Party
Brelf, Male Human Fighter - Endurance Specialist, Guide Background - Brolf's older, wiser brother. Brelf is everything Brolf ought to have been but wasn't. Where Brolf was just big, Brelf is actually in shape. He is looking for his brother, and he fears the worst.
Handmaiden Meriele, Female Elven Cleric of Pelor - Healer Specialty, Sage Background - A very proper, feminine cleric who is looking into Valanthe's disappearance. She is intending to write a detailed treatise on undead creatures. Nowhere near as zealous as Valanthe was.
Estel Farwatch, Female Elven Wizard (Academic) - Arcanist Specialty, Spy Background - She's the assassin hired by House Trelayin to kill Estoriel, and bring back proof that the deed is done.
Mork of the House of Mink and Mindy, Male Dwarven Monk - Endurance Specialist, Bounty Hunter Background - Another monk. Not a lot of character to this one either.
Rosco Tealeaf, Male Halfling Rogue - Ambush Specialist, Guild Thief Background - The real Rosco Tealeaf, wondering who's been impersonating him these last couple of days? Turns out the last one was an impostor!
The Second Delve
The newly-formed party met in the Hall of the Lost, where friends and relatives of missing adventurers come to share information and hold out hope for their loved ones. They decided to join forces (conveniently). A mercenary named Drekkis offered his services for thirty gold, which they accepted, and the six of them made their way into the dungeon on the following Parade Day.
They navigated the traps at the entry with little trouble, and found their way down into the dungeon proper. They wound up in the same area as before, and discovered quickly the evidence of their previous characters' rather gruesome demises. Chewed bones and the remnants of some gear, all except Mink (who died running, and this died elsewhere). They decided to take out their anger on the kobolds, and using the secret shaft in the roof, they came upon the kobold lair from behind.
Under the hood: Fifteen kobolds is worth 150 xp, which ought to be somewhere between average and tough. It was firmly in the easy camp. But I wasn't too surprised at the outcome.
They quickly butchered the fifteen kobold warriors in the main hall, though during the battle, an escapee notified the chief of the attack. He began to setup a defense in the halls, using the trapped section to his advantage.
The PCs emerged, but they detected the traps, and while the rogue tried to disarm them, one of the kobolds blasted at him with a wand of magic missile. Not being a wizard, he needed to make an attack roll (which he missed). Rosco wisely decided to take cover. The PCs also discovered a secret passage that let them bypass some of the traps, however, so using that, they attacked.
There was a pitched battle: the chief (an improved dragonshield) and his hobgoblin ally fought alongside a kobold trapmaster and two dragonshields. The hobgoblin was taken down with a single radiant lance crit, while a crit from Brelf took down the trapmaster. Brelf then crit the chief to wrap up the fight and claim the spoils.
Under the hood: Two encounters ran together here. The chief was worth 25 xp, the hobgoblin was worth 40. The trapmaster was worth 70 xp, and the dragonshields 20 each. So all put together, it was 175 xp worth of trouble, most of the way to a tough encounter. The battle played out accordingly; the PCs had the upper hand, but they took their lumps, including a savage blow that took the NPC warrior Drekkis well into the negatives. Meriele had to heal Brelf during the fight, as he had been taken down to 2 hit points. But only Drekkis actually went down.
Looting, and gathering together, they rigged the trapped corridor again and decided to camp in the middle of it, using it as the more defensible ground. They posted watches, and managed to avoid any further encounters through the night. With the dawn, they had enough xp to reach second level, and we called the session there.
Two sessions in, and I'm already noticing a few things about this latest playtest.
The rogue doesn't feel as gimped as I was expecting. Instead, Rosco was consistently dealing sneak attack damage, hitting regularly, and was almost always effective. His skill bonuses came up a fair bit too.
The encounter guidelines feel spot on. The xp values seem to be a good gauge of how difficult an encounter will be. They also mention that lower level monsters won't be so much of a threat as higher level ones, which was completely accurate in my findings, despite not a huge disparity in attack bonus.
Economy is something I like. The amount of treasure feels pretty good, actually; silver is worth something, and a gem worth 10 gp is actually a reasonably big deal at 1st level. I would still love to see them switch to a silver standard as they were discussing, but I'm pretty pleased with how things are now.
On the same note, equipment is pretty useful. After the TPK, the PCs were stocking up on caltrops, hunting traps, and all sorts of other useful things.
Area of effect attacks are extremely deadly in this edition. The biggest damage dealers were the hell hounds with their breath, and the kobold trapmaster's fire bomb. Those attacks were dangerous!
The rogue doesn't feel as gimped as I was expecting. Instead, Rosco was consistently dealing sneak attack damage, hitting regularly, and was almost always effective. His skill bonuses came up a fair bit too.
I don't think you're DMing sneak attack properly. Let's put it this way:
You're in a fist fight. In real life. You and this guy are slugging away at each other, face-to-face. Now, someone else comes from out of nowhere and puches you in the side. Are you going to feel it? Probably not.
Now, let's change the scenario. You're in a sword and shield fight with someone, squared up, bashing away. You hit his shield, but dodge his counter. All of a sudden, you feel a stab in your side. Are you going to notice?
No, sneak attack.
Uh, what?
What about people who are with you, perhaps behind you throwing arrows. They're not going to notice the sword darting out of a shadow?
The rogue doesn't feel as gimped as I was expecting. Instead, Rosco was consistently dealing sneak attack damage, hitting regularly, and was almost always effective. His skill bonuses came up a fair bit too.
I don't think you're DMing sneak attack properly. Let's put it this way:
You're in a fist fight. In real life. You and this guy are slugging away at each other, face-to-face. Now, someone else comes from out of nowhere and puches you in the side. Are you going to feel it? Probably not.
Now, let's change the scenario. You're in a sword and shield fight with someone, squared up, bashing away. You hit his shield, but dodge his counter. All of a sudden, you feel a stab in your side. Are you going to notice?
No, sneak attack.
Uh, what?
What about people who are with you, perhaps behind you throwing arrows. They're not going to notice the sword darting out of a shadow?
I agree with MortalPlague. The rules in the playtest say that the rogue gains sneak attack when another friendly is attacking a foe that the rogue attacks. It makes sense. If an opponent is distracted by another friend, even if the opponent knows the rogue is there, the rogue is crafty enough to exploit the weakness. It works. In fact, just tonight, we played again and the rogue player in our group said the exact same thing as MortalPlague. We were all surprised that the rogue played better than it looked on paper. For many monsters having just 1d6 extra sneak attack damage at 3rd level was enough since the rogue only attacked engaged opponents so he could add the 1d6 every attack.
Well played MortalPlague. (p.s. I also read your post on ENWorld and commented as Neechen. I post here as Rhenny.) You should definitely post more on these boards, too!
Great writeups! Sounds like your group had a lot of fun, even if they learned caution the hard way.
Where do the monsters in the dungeon come from? I'm planning a similar type of mythical dungeon in my game, but I'm not sure how I want to handle that worldbuilding aspect.
"What's stupid is when people decide that X is true - even when it is demonstrable untrue or 100% against what we've said - and run around complaining about that. That's just a breakdown of basic human reasoning." -Mike Mearls
Well played MortalPlague. (p.s. I also read your post on ENWorld and commented as Neechen. I post here as Rhenny.) You should definitely post more on these boards, too!
Oh hey Neechen! Your stuff's always a good read over on ENWorld. I was on these boards before, up until the gleemax fiasco. That's when I left and found ENWorld. I definitely intend to start posting more over here from now on.
Where do the monsters in the dungeon come from? I'm planning a similar type of mythical dungeon in my game, but I'm not sure how I want to handle that worldbuilding aspect.
The ecology of the dungeon is probably the hardest thing I've been trying to figure out. On one hand, I want things to make sense in world; I want the characters to be able to use politics and make alliances, to play sides against each other. I want them to be able to destroy the monsters' food sources. I want the dungeon and its denizens to react to the characters in a believable way. On the other hand, I do want the dungeon to be a little bit 'gamey'. There are deathtraps with little real explanation. There are a whole bunch of bands of monsters living here with only the most tenuous of reasons to be there. So in the interests of explaining things, here's what I've got.
Where do all these monstrous humanoids come from?
The dungeon has one main entrance / exit, but it has many secret ones as well. The denizens of the dungeon have arrived mostly through those secret tunnels. Some such tunnels connect up with the Underdark, while others offer alternative exits to the surface world. Either way, the location of those exits would be valuable information for any PC.
What stops one faction from wiping the others out?
There are two main reasons for the fragile peace between factions. The first is physical separation: the dungeon is shaped like a cross, with each tribe occupying a section that opens into a large cavern 400 feet wide and long, and 50 feet tall. This cavern is full of relatively docile fire beetles (a ready source of food), who only attack if provoked. So the various lairs are separated, and each group has plenty of food available.
Secondly, there is a human camp called Refuge on the first level. It is ruled over by a mad swordsman who styles himself "King Hydra the Brilliant". He has a retinue of criminal followers, who share the space with a band of aloof elves, and a dwarven expedition. King Hydra is no gentleman; given the chance, he will enslave any hapless adventurers he can trick. Once taken, he sells them to the gnolls (who then have dinner), or to the orcs (who put them in the arena). The gnolls have a steady source of high quality food (adventurers taste better than beetles), and being lazy, they are content with their situation. The leader of the orcs, a lady named Rusalka keeps her bloodthirsty forces in line with regular pit fights (it's an outlet for their orcish aggression), ensuring that they don't destroy their own strength with a futile war against the gnolls.
So yeah... there are politics at play. I really can't wait to see how the PCs handle the situations.
I like the internal cavern politics and ecological system. Do the humans etc. Keep torch supplies, or rely on firebeatles for illumination? I am intrigued by what alliances they may form (or destroy).
I'm thinking of having traps in my dungeon summon monsters and/or create undead. I worry that side tunnels would provide access too easily for pillagers to loot the treasures before the party gets there.
"What's stupid is when people decide that X is true - even when it is demonstrable untrue or 100% against what we've said - and run around complaining about that. That's just a breakdown of basic human reasoning." -Mike Mearls
I like the internal cavern politics and ecological system. Do the humans etc. Keep torch supplies, or rely on firebeatles for illumination? I am intrigued by what alliances they may form (or destroy).
The advantage the humans of Refuge have over the other dungeon denizens is that they can walk among the people of Fortune with few problems. It's easy for them to duck out of the dungeon and re-supply. In fact, that could be a plot hook, where someone is buying up supplies for the other factions...
I'm thinking of having traps in my dungeon summon monsters and/or create undead. I worry that side tunnels would provide access too easily for pillagers to loot the treasures before the party gets there.
Traps that summon monsters are lots of fun. I think the best sort are the mechanical ones; the trip rope that rings a bell or clatters some pots. If the PCs are clever, they can prepare themselves for combat, whereas an unwary party may just be ambushed.
