[BFRPG] Ruby Mountain

[Solomoriah]

More than a hundred years ago, a dwarvish delegation descended from Mount Parranis to attend the court of the Baron of Wellonas, human lord of the territory. They told him they wished to build a new delve within the mountain, and that they wished him to cede it to the dwarvish kingdom for that purpose. The Baron asked why he should do such a thing, when they made him no offer of taxes or tribute. The dwarves replied "We plan to mine rubies deep within the mountain, and we will sell them to your merchants; them, you may tax as you wish."

Wisely the Baron agreed to their plan, and soon his small barony on the edge of the kingdom became a wealthy place indeed. The dwarves were, indeed, happy to sell most of the rubies they found within their mountain to the humans (keeping the best for themselves, of course), but it was not for precious stones that they came to Parranis. Rather, it was for rich veins of a metal which, if not unknown, is at least unfamiliar to humans, a metal both light and strong and much sought-after within the dwarven kingdom. They did not tell the Baron, or any human, of this metal, for they intended to use it all themselves.

The Baron, and his son, and his son after him, became very wealthy and important within the kingdom. Then came the day when a merchant returned to town emptyhanded, telling all that the dwarves had closed their gates and would not answer. Soon it was discovered that they had left, evacuating the delve completely; and many of those humans who sought them within did not return to tell what they had seen.

So the Barony of Wellonas found itself in hard times, falling from riches back into rags. The ruby merchants left, of course, as did all those who catered to their needs or wants; the Baron, grandson of the Baron who made treaty with the dwarves, disappeared, and many believed he had killed himself. Since then Wellonas, or what remains of it at least, has been adminstered by a governor appointed by the Duke of the region.

What became of the dwarves, no man knows.

-----------

This will be a true megadungeon, a small one perhaps, but a megadungeon nonetheless. I am planning to post maps for the following levels:

The Gatehouse (giving access from the south side of the mountain)
The East Gate (or Postern Gate)
The Delve Proper (two levels)
The Cave of the Pool (where the high-class dwarves once dwelled)
The Mines (three levels)
The Lakeside Gate (giving access to a captive lake which supplied water to the entire complex)
plus two or three small sublevels

These levels are scattered around the interior of the mountain, connected by long hallway/stairway tunnels. I don't plan any lifts, unless perhaps I place one within the Mines.

Now here's the deal. This is a big dungeon for me. Each full level will have between 10 and 30 numbered areas; this is an average of about 180 rooms plus whatever rooms are in the small sublevels. I'd like assistance with this behemoth.

I plan to publish this as a BF series module on the website. I want to do it multi-stat style, so that it will be immediately usable with BFRPG, LL, and OSRIC, along with any compatible game systems you may have heard of. I'd like to limit the monsters used to the Core Rules monsters plus those from the Almanack, omitting only the Thulids (unless someone can give me a real good reason to include them). I have no idea what drove the dwarves from the dungeon... I haven't figured it out yet. Perhaps they broke into someone else's caves or tunnels while mining...

Oh, and the entire dungeon should be reasonable for a party of 4-8 adventurers of levels 4-8.

Is anyone interested in contributing to this?

[Maliki]

I will give a hand.

[Rosisha]

Count me in. I already have a few ideas.

Ros

[deadfishe]

I would be happy to contribute a few rooms. Sounds like fun.

Mark

[Torctref Spleenkiller]

I like the brief on the background and history...this sounds very promising.

[Solomoriah]

Great! I'll try to get at least the Gatehouse map uploaded in the next few days.

[Solomoriah]

... just so you all know I haven't forgotten this... I'm trying to get my MapMatic +1 software into a usable state so I can use it to get my maps online. I've hand-drawn the gatehouses, the Delve proper, and a sublevel on the way to the Cave of the Pool (but not that cave itself).

[Premier]

This sounds fun. I'd be glad to help. What sort of help are you looking for?

[Solomoriah]

... excuse me while I take a deep breath.

Okay.

As of right now, MapMatic +1 is usable, though far from pretty. Anyone who wants to play with it can go here:

http://basicfantasy.org/mapmatic.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Right now, it doesn't handle creating a new map very well. Choose a sample map, then click the "Edit with MapMatic +1" button.

AND... as promised: Click the link below to view the first map for Ruby Mountain:

http://basicfantasy.org/mapmatic.cgi?on ... 121.32.map" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's my thinking: The challenges of the gatehouses should be lower level, while the tough stuff is deep inside. I'm thinking that there should be a party of gnolls in the South Gatehouse, and some hobgoblins in the East Gatehouse. In fact, the gnolls might even use the obvious defenses of the South Gatehouse to attack the player characters (though, being somewhat disorganized, the gnolls might not do it so well). The hobgoblins could similarly use the defensive features of the East Gatehouse (map to come soon) in the same way, and being disciplined they will probably do it right.

Note the throne in room 12; this area was used by the dwarves as a meeting place to conduct official business with humans and other barbarous sorts. The East Gatehouse will have no such place. Room 8 was an armory, while rooms 9-11 were barracks for the gatehouse guards and their officers. Room 15 is directly above the arrow-slitted part of room 2, and there are grates in the floor allowing acid to be poured onto anyone trying to force the gate. I think there ought to be a barrel or two of acid still present (in barrels made of dwarfmetal, of course). They couldn't use flaming or boiling oil as there is not good enough ventilation for the necessary flame.

[Solomoriah]

This sounds fun. I'd be glad to help. What sort of help are you looking for?

Dungeon stocking, mostly.

As I said above, I'd like to stick to the monsters from the Core Rules and the Almanack, and minor variations thereof. I don't want to involve Thulids in this one for personal reasons. The adventure should be suitable for 4-8 player characters of levels 4-8. All submissions will be credited, but don't submit if you aren't happy with your text being considered Open Game Content. Eventually, this megadungeon will become a print module in the BF series. I'll multi-stat it for LL and OSRIC as I did Morgansfort.

[Solomoriah]

Oh, also... each level will be numbered separately, so if you claim a room, don't just list the number, also tell what level it's for.

Thanks!

I'll be filling in and/or editing the rooms to make them work together, and I'll detail unclaimed rooms myself.

[Rosisha]

I'll take 9, 10, and 11, on level 1 (entrance!) the thing you just posted. I'll do them up tomorrow (I want to finish my first rough copy of my alternative magic system first!)

Ros

[Solomoriah]

Gatehouse 1:

The gateway to the interior of the mountain, though obviously in disrepair, still presents a formidable appearance. Peering into the arrow slits, you see nothing in the gloom. The great doors are slightly ajar.



... well, that's the descriptive text I've come up with. If there are, in fact, gnolls here, they aren't paying attention from rooms 5 or 7; likely they are gambling or fighting over females elsewhere in the dungeon (perhaps in area 8?)

Please note, I'm open to suggestions and will happily rewrite anything if I'm shown a more interesting way to go. Also, note that there does not need to be something "interesting" in every room.

[SmootRK]

I like the map so far, but I have a minor critique...

The little audience chamber (throne area) should have a rear entrance and a few private areas for the liege, all connected to another area of the map. You could tweak this by providing a small chamber connected to a simple spiral staircase, leading down to the next lower area (which I would assume is not drawn yet). A lord likes to make an entrance, and his guards would of course want a route to escape through if the folks in audience got rowdy.

[Solomoriah]

Good point.

This isn't a layer-cake dungeon, by the way. The level-groups will be separated by some fairly long tunnels and staircases. So a spiral down to the next lower level wouldn't work all that well.

However, I can put a small sub-level down a ways, with the "public" and "private" staircase both connecting to it. I'll revise the map later to reflect this.

Also note, this complex was evacuated (by the dwarves) about 30 years ago. Monsters prone to digging or building might have made changes. If anyone sees a place where such a change would be beneficial, just holler.

[Solomoriah]

Here's the new map:

http://basicfantasy.org/mapmatic.cgi?on ... 121.32.map" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Solomoriah]

Okay, I've drawn up the lower level of the Gatehouse (where the secret stairway goes). Here's the map:

http://basicfantasy.org/mapmatic.cgi?on ... 870.75.map" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm calling it "South Gatehouse Level 2" so that's what you need to tell me if you want to claim rooms therein.

Let's tag rooms like this:

SG1/5 for room 5 in the South Gatehouse level 1
SG2/2 for room 2 in the South Gatehouse level 2
EG/3 for room 3 in the East Gatehouse

I'll add tags as we go along.

[deadfishe]

I'll take SG1/13 and 14. Just for clarification, the symbol between the two areas is a portcullis correct?

Just in case I drop off the face of the earth for the next few weeks (I will be out of town with limited access to internet during that time) and don't get this done before I leave, here is a brief synopsis of my thoughts for these two rooms.

In area 13 will be some gnoll (or what ever is decided on) guards here guarding the portcullis, making sure that the whatever that is down the stairway off of area 14 stays out. There will be some traps to help keep the potential invaders out. Likewise in area 14 will be designed by whatever it is down the stairs to keep the gnolls out, including traps and such.

Mark

[Solomoriah]

Swinging gate, actually. A portcullis would have dots for the bars but no little brackets. I need to get a map legend posted somewhere...

Welcome aboard, O ye smelly one!

SG1/14 is the "entryway" to the main staircase. That stair runs a hundred or more feet down to the Delve proper, the center of the former Dwarven underground city. The other stair runs down to SG2. The gate is actually meant to keep people out of the Delve, so perhaps the gnolls are trying to get it open?

Or maybe something nasty lives downstairs and they want to keep it out of the gatehouse... but they don't know about the secret stair... hmm.

I look forward to seeing your take on this.

[Maliki]

Are the gnoll & hobgoblins meant to be allies or adversaries? Are they fighting for control of the gatehouse, leave each other alone, serve the same master?

[mingus]

I'd love to help out. I'll have to take a closer look at the maps and pick something out.

What do you think of the idea that the dwarves were driven away by the environment? For example, miners were killed by a release of volcanic gases into the delve. The disappearance of the miners combined with the sulfur reek reaching up to the inhabited levels convinced the dwarves to abandon the mine. A hollowed out mountain was left behind to be occupied by anything looking for a hole to crawl into. A natural explanation would provide a twist to the Moria theme.

[Solomoriah]

The gnolls and hobgoblins aren't allies. Note that the south and east gatehouses are separated by a substantial distance, and there is no direct route between them (both are connected by long staircase-tunnels to the Delve proper).

I'm avoiding the Moria theme mainly in that nobody actually NEEDS to go into/through the mountain...

[Maliki]

The gnolls and hobgoblins aren't allies. Note that the south and east gatehouses are separated by a substantial distance, and there is no direct route between them (both are connected by long staircase-tunnels to the Delve proper).

I'm avoiding the Moria theme mainly in that nobody actually NEEDS to go into/through the mountain...

I should have read more carefully, I thought both were in the southern gatehouse, just on seperate sides of the entrance.

[mingus]

I'll take SG1/2. Are the squares five or ten feet?

[Maliki]

I will take SG12 & SG12a, if they are still open.

[Solomoriah]

Ten foot squares. Sorry I didn't note it.

When you all are ready, please just post your work here. If you provide "flavor text" please make it italic so I can easily tell where it starts and ends.

I'll upload the first manuscript as soon as I have a dozen rooms or so posted here. I wasn't available yesterday, but I will be tonight and I'll try to get the East Gatehouse map done. Possibly the first level of the Delve also.

[mingus]

SG1/2:

With the main door forced open, you see a wide passageway heading straight into the mountain. At the far end you see another large set of double doors. It isn't easy to see through the dust you've stirred up, but this second set of doors appears to be tightly closed. The rest of the passageway is bare, but you notice that about half way down its length the stone floor is discolored. It looks like large patches of the floor have been bleached to a lighter color.

The descriptive text assumes the characters enter during the day and let daylight in when they open the main door. If characters enter at night, the second set of doors would be barely visible at the edge of their torch or lantern light.

The floor discoloration is from the acid trap being used in the past. If the characters take a closer look at the passageway, they will see the arrow slits in the walls and the grating in the ceiling.



I'll take SG1/15 also. How many gnolls do you plan to have in the gatehouse?

[Solomoriah]

No idea. Gnolls are relatively weak, and the party will be 4th-8th level, so I'd think quite a few. A maximum or near-maximum in-lair group spread over probably half the gatehouse rooms would be about right.

Any other monsters in the gatehouse must be placed with an eye toward their interactions with the gnolls (or how the gnolls avoid interaction if necessary).

[deadfishe]

OK, here is what I have for SG1/13 and 14:

SG1/13 The passage opens up into a large rectangular room. The room was hewn out of solid granite, would have been a very grand entrance to something at one time. The floors are lined with polished marble and the walls are covered by intricate carvings, inlaid with various metals and crystals. The walls are lined with sconces holding oil lamps which fit in with the carvings, and there are ornate chandeliers hanging from the 20' ceilings. Despite the built in features for supplying light, none of them are in use. Unfortunately the room has seen better days. The northeast and southwest corners are filled with refuse. In a quick glance broken timbers, shreds of cloth, bones, dented armor and parts of broken swords, axes and other weapons are readily visible. In the center of the room is a fire, around which are 3 gnolls (HP: 11, 10, 14; AC 15; weapons: long swords and 2 have crossbows; they each have a small pouch containing 10 sp and 6 ep). 2 of the gnolls are sitting on small casks (one containing acid, the other beer). They are sitting so as to face the towards the south east corner. They appear to be cooking something over the fire, that or torturing their next meal, since whatever it is seems to be moving (it is a giant rat that is pretty near death). The gnolls continually make furtive glances to the south east corner. In the south east corner is a mirror that is aimed to look down the the passage way leading out of the north west corner of the room.

The gnolls are paying far more attention to the mirror than they are to the south entrance (though from their position it is readily visible). If the party quietly approaches from the south, they may not be seen arriving (though they won't get surprise). If they are making any noise (even as much as would happen normally walking in metal armor), they will be heard by the gnolls (though they may not be who the gnolls are expecting).

From the middle of the room looking at the mirror you can see down the passageway leading off to the north. The passage way goes a short distance and ends in an ornate dark gate. It is too far away to make out any details, but it seems that the gate is secured with a heavy lock.

The passage has been trapped by gnolls. Nothing elegant (they are gnolls after all). About every 3' down the passage way is a trip wire running across the passage. for a total of 5 trip wires. The trip wires do the following things in order from room 13 to the gate.

1. 5 flaming bolts are fired from the south wall of room 13 towards the gate, at least one will hit in the vicinity of the floor where the trip wire #3 dropped the oil.

2. 5 flint tipped bolts are fired (if they hit metal armor they will create sparks). and 3 steel tipped bolts are fired at the stone of each wall (they are angled to have glancing blows on the wall, making sparks)

3. oil spills across the end of the passage (near room 13), 4 flasks worth, as well as 5 flasks worth of oil dropping from the ceiling onto what ever is below

4. 2 crossbows mounted in the shadows of the ceiling will fire. The bolts will come from the direction of the gate, and are aimed to hit 3 1/2 feet above the trip wire. The bolts are poisoned with a weak poison save at +4 or take 3d6 damage and lose 1 pt strength for 24 hours, successful save for half damage and be sick for 24 hours.

5. 2 spears are aimed to hit 3 1/2 feet about the wire. They are poisoned with the same poison as the bolts.

SG1/14 The gate is made of finely wrought iron, and is very ornate. It is secured with a large heavy lock, which probably can't be broken. The gate is inset into a large stone arch. The arch has the following phrase carved into it, in dwarvish:

Welcome friends, Foes beware, the glory of the dwarves is upon you.

Once the lock on the gate is opened, the gate is still locked. On the inside of room 14 on the wall well out of reach (5' from the gate) is a large wheel which controls the locking mechanism of the gate. The wheel needs to be turned counter clockwise 2 full turns to unlock the gate. The wheel is stiff from lack of use (plus the pounding that the gate has taken), but will turn with effort.

The room beyond the gate is dusty and dirty from disuse. There are foot prints and tracks in the dust leading to and from the opening in the north wall to the gate, occasionally also over to the wheel. The room is bare aside from sconces similar to those in room 13 (though without the chandeliers) on the walls, though the floor is covered with dust and small stone chips (the largest are about fist sized, there are also several dark spots that could be old blood stains. If the room were cleaned and polished it would probably gleam and sparkle in light, but as it is, it looks dingy and dark. There is a cool humid light breeze coming from opening in the north wall. There is a foul feeling coming with the breeze

There are 2 pressure plates in room 14. One is in the center of the floor, and the other is just inside the north opening. The one inside the north opening can be pushed in and secured, and if this doesn't happen prior to the one in the center of the room being depressed, when the one on the floor is released a large block of stone (8'x8'x2' thick--doing 4d6 to all in the area of effect who fail a saving throw) will fall from the ceiling to crush what is below (between the pressure plate and the stairway). There is an audible click when the pressure plate in the floor is activated.

[Solomoriah]

Wow. I'll have to read that again, probably when I put the first manuscript together, but that looks pretty good.

Here's the East Gatehouse map:

http://basicfantasy.org/mapmatic.cgi?on ... 981.06.map" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On the East Gatehouse map, the staircase in room 10 descends about 80 feet to the Delve. The East Gatehouse is not quite as high up the mountain as the South Gatehouse. Also, the area outside the entrance to the East Gatehouse is overgrown with scrubby vegetation, and the path to it, never very visible in the first place, is almost impossible to detect now; Elves and woodsy sorts might be able to find it.

Next map: Delve, level 1