I would like to bring my PCs back to the area now that the dust has settled and create a memorable dungeon crawl. I'm really not a huge fan of creating dungeons (oh, the heresy!), so I was wondering if anyone had any sugessions about printed sources? Any published megadungeon module which would be suitable for insertion as the ruins of Lavv? I've considered the Ruins of Undermountain from Forgotten Realms, but it looks a bit too convoluted to double as a credible ancient Traladaran city.
Thanks in advance for the input.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ru/20050309a
--Ray.
I also make frequent use of WotC's old 'Map a Week' series.
http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/mw
Another great resource is the Theban Mapping Project, an atlas of the two most important ancient Egyptian burrial areas, including the Valley of the Kings and the Theban Necropolis. (This is especially useful for ancient sites on the Isle of Dawn or under Ylaruam.)
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com
Another great resource is the Theban Mapping Project, an atlas of the two most important ancient Egyptian burrial areas, including the Valley of the Kings and the Theban Necropolis. (This is especially useful for ancient sites on the Isle of Dawn or under Ylaruam.)
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com
Cool! Considering that most of the ruins would be parts of the city that were originally underground, like sewers (if they existed in Lavv), defensive systems of passages, cellars, and especially tombs, these maps could be very useful.
If you want to go megadungeon-style, you could use these maps stacking the tombs in two levels (the area is probably too large for Kelvin).
More than two levels for the Traldar complex is probably not so realistic, but lower levels could be designed as older ruins, e.g. a Taymoran temple of Thanatos, built by enslaved Stone Giants.
Below these there could be tunnels excavated by burrowing monsters, leading to the Shadowdeep.
GP
If you want to go megadungeon-style, you could use these maps stacking the tombs in two levels (the area is probably too large for Kelvin).
More than two levels for the Traldar complex is probably not so realistic, but lower levels could be designed as older ruins, e.g. a Taymoran temple of Thanatos, built by enslaved Stone Giants.
Below these there could be tunnels excavated by burrowing monsters, leading to the Shadowdeep.
GP
Thanks for all the great ideas so far! Agathokles, you really hit the nail on the head! I envision this adventure being a megadungeon with 3 separate adventuring parties attempting to explore it at the same time: the PCs, an evil party competing with them, and a third group completely oblivious to the other 2 groups competing with each other. The area below Kelvin would probably be too small in area for a dungeon of this size, unless I stack levels like you suggested. I could also move the setting to another area in Karameikos like Krakatos or a subterranean complex in the Black Peak mountains.
:D
I could also move the setting to another area in Karameikos like Krakatos or a subterranean complex in the Black Peak mountains.
:D
Krakatos makes for a good setting, since you can use the above ground part as well (more realistic for a Traldar city).
The Black Peak mountain don't seem as good for staging a "lost city rediscovered by workers", but could go for a different type of dungeon (natural caves, most likely).
You could also consider Specularum: the city has a millenary history, is built over an ancient Traldar town (the one ruled by King Milen before the invasion), and covers a much larger area than Kelvin. There you could easily have:
- Modern sewers (with Veiled Society hideouts, Iron Ring wererats, modern crypts and cellars, and secret passages built during the turbulent times before the Grand Duchy);
- Remains of Marilenev as it was in 450 AC (many abandoned lycanthropic hideouts, old cellars, crypts, and possibly CoT temple basements; some odd undead, many traps, possibly a flooded sublevel with some water-breathing community)
- Remains of the Traldar town (similar to the Lavv idea, could use gnoll mummies and ghostly hordes)
- Natural caverns (accessible from the Traldar town, these were originally used in part as dwellings, cellars or storage areas by the Traldars; some undead, but mostly natural underground stuff like fungi, cave locusts, etc).
- Remains of a Taymor underground temple complex (this part never was above ground, and could be filled with Grey Philosophers, Guardian Warriors and other constructs, as well as ancient undead)
- More natural caves, down to the Shadowdeep (the major parts of the Shadowdeep are under Darokin and the Broken Lands, but additional areas could easily be designed, giving space for different races)
That would easily make for a 6 to 12 levels dungeon.
GP
I happen to own the AD&D Ruins of Undermountain boxed set and have used sections of it for various dungeon-style locations -- very handy.]
What levels of PCs is the Undermountain boxed set written for?
What levels of PCs is the Undermountain boxed set written for?
I haven't actually looked at thoses details lately. I do recall that fairly low levels are fine at first. The further the PCs get from the entry location, the more difficult it gets. What is most useful for me is that large areas of the map are left completely un-detailed, just waiting for a DM to fill in with something unique to his campaign.