Hey, what's in those ruins?

[Supreme Serpent]

Hi all. In my sometimes-run fantasy campaign my players are about to enter a lost ruined city from a loosely Roman-type civilization. The basic city layout is going to be based on Pompeii.

http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/pompeii/PanPompeii.htm

It's been a number of centuries since the city was abandoned after having been stormed in the Brothers' Wars. It's going to be pretty overgrown and crumbling from neglect and time, though it's only really been looted once during the intial takeover, so some valuables that were too hidden for the initial invaders to notice might still be around if their owners were either killed or just didn't have time to retreive them before fleeing. Various critters have moved into the area, but no people. The city is located in a temperate region, deep in what is again a dense forest, though the area immediately around the city is clearer but more overgrown than it was when the city was inhabited.

A city, even a ruined one, is a pretty big place. I haven't had a lot of time to put things down for it lately, and I'm hoping for some ideas to make the various ruined buildings and such more interesting. Doesn't have to be anything dramatic or dangerous - though those are good too - even relatively mundane things like "This is what a bakery might look like after a few centuries of neglect" would be good. Gotta let the players let their guard down, after all. :p

I hope a lot of the ideas floated here can be incorporated into my game, but I hope others find them useful too. :) While I'd especially appreciate thoughts that fit with the basic premise above, others are of course welcome as someone else might find them a good fit. We've had some similar threads on the boards (Creepy Hotel, etc.) and I've always enjoyed the results.

Thanks in advance!

[Sweeper]

Well, aside from the various nasties that would move in, the is one hazard that most folks, GMs and players alike, tend to miss, (I know I do most of the time). The hazards of the terrain itself. Condemed buildings have rotting floors, ceilings, walls and the like that can trap, and injure unwary PCs.

Intelligent Monsters might have mapped out the worst and use them to trap an intruding party that isn't paying attention. If you're using Pompei as the model, maybe the area's due for a volcano or earthquake eruption.

There's a whole lot of nasty things the unwary can fall victim to. Maybe I'm just an evil GM. Whatever the reason, enjoy!:D

[sbarron]

People frequently bury in the ground valuables they want to hide. Depending on errosion patters, stuff that was not reclaimed may be buried even deeper, or it might be sitting right on the surface.

There could some hiding places that still hold the occupants, just waiting for the PCs to open the door and have the bones spill out onto them. Not zombies, just clear, tragic stories that can be deduced from setting.

- A wooden cabinet with a spear sticking out of the front of it. The body of the child that was hiding still pinned within.

- An attic that still has the whole family in it. They died of smoke inhalation before the fires could be put out. Nobody bothered to check to see if anyone was in the attic before the invaders left town. If you want to get really heavy into this, the daughter/son is still clutching a diary, detailing the events leading up to the fire. Family's heirloom might be found in such a way. Burying the dead might merit bonus exp, or might activate the heirlooms powers which previously only worked for the family members.

- a barricks or fort area where the evidence of failed organized resistance is still evident. A barricaded door that was never breached, smashed gates, broken walls, etc. Litter bodies around as appropriate.

- An abondoned barn with farm animal remains still tied to their posts.

[Thia Halmades]

The zone will have a new established eco-system; all kinds of strange plants that may have once been simply sitting in someone's windowsill as a conversation piece may have now taken over entire zones (see: Kudzu, but think an evil, intelligent Kudzu). In the game Mass Effect, a similar premise (intelligent plant) was used, so for a non-traditional, mind-controlling type threat (see also: Outlaw Star) this could go a long way towards being both different and dangerous.

A broken down smithy, where rain has punched through the roof and ruined everything except the extremely well preserved anvil, forge and a couple of tools that appear to be entirely free of rust (enchanted tools that he couldn't take with him; remarkable in that they grant Forging bonuses (+X skill levels to taste) and are impervious to decay. Why would someone leave something so shockingly valuable? Did he expect to return? What could have happened here? As to why they're there, the aura of magic is extremely faint and most people wouldn't "waste the effort" to carry something so "simple."

Most cities are built near sources of water; the river running beneath the area may have very well popped up and severed the city in half. If they had a sewage system, it's long since cleaned out as water always finds a way. Odds of "no locals" of any kind are low; they may not be the best & brightest, but odds are someone down on their luck (a plot hook) has found shelter here and of course, with no real competition, plenty of food.

Some thoughts.

[Lord Liaden]

Murals - painted, relief-carved or in inlaid tiles - are some of the most useful archaeological finds in ruined cities. They may record religious subjects, major events, notable personages, or representations of ordinary daily life. Just having them present in the rooms the PCs explore can add a lot of local color, and give them a sense of how the people in this city lived and what they valued. OTOH they can also provide valuable background information and give clues to where important sites may be found.

I'm sure you could Search for lots of appropriate online examples to show your players.

[The Monster]

A few buildings, especially on the outskirts, could actually still be maintained, after a fashion, and used by hunters (or bandits, or vagrants) for occasional shelter while in the forest.

A city scriptorium, with walls featuring stacks of cubbyholes, in which are the moldering remains of ancient scrolls. A few (perhaps magical ones?) may have survived and still be legible. This can be played as a source of cluues/hooks, or simply the sad remains of a once-vital civilization.

City baths, with large open pools, can be found. Some may still have water in them, stagnant pits of runoff, thick with algae and worms (mosquito heaven!). Others may actually be fresh, fed by surviving remnants of the aqueduct system.

Some graveyards might be partially dug up - were/are there undead here? Or is it simply the signs of grave robbers? Fancy tombs would almost certainly have been broken into by looters, but some may have been too tough to crack, or have secret chambers still lying undiscovered.

If there are apes or monkeys in the area, bands of them might have moved in and established territories, some perhaps for many generations. Some areas where they have lived would bear the signs of their dwelling - i.e., bones, manure, etc.

A city like this might also be a fine place for magical experimentation, especially of the heavy demolition type. Blasted buidlings, craters, and strewn rubble that is clearly more recent than any invasion might cause some head-scratching among the players. Of course, some of the experiments may have gone awry, leaving the bodies the of experimenters (and their guards and assistants) in place, or even caches of (unstable!?) reagents. (Sweaty dynamite, anyone?)

If the ground was originally reclaimed from swampland (or has since sunk because of seismic events), the swamp will have moved back in, making parts of the city very wet and mossy, very treacherous footing.

[Vestnik]

How come nobody's been back since the place was sacked? Scared of something?

[Supreme Serpent]

Well, aside from the various nasties that would move in, the is one hazard that most folks, GMs and players alike, tend to miss, (I know I do most of the time). The hazards of the terrain itself. Condemed buildings have rotting floors, ceilings, walls and the like that can trap, and injure unwary PCs.

Oh, definitely. Already plan on a number of those sorts of things. :)

People frequently bury in the ground valuables they want to hide. Depending on errosion patters, stuff that was not reclaimed may be buried even deeper, or it might be sitting right on the surface.

There could some hiding places that still hold the occupants, just waiting for the PCs to open the door and have the bones spill out onto them. Not zombies, just clear, tragic stories that can be deduced from setting.

Both good things to keep in mind. :)

The zone will have a new established eco-system; all kinds of strange plants that may have once been simply sitting in someone's windowsill as a conversation piece may have now taken over entire zones (see: Kudzu, but think an evil, intelligent Kudzu). In the game Mass Effect, a similar premise (intelligent plant) was used, so for a non-traditional, mind-controlling type threat (see also: Outlaw Star) this could go a long way towards being both different and dangerous.

:) Ah yes, definitely plan on a dangerous "garden" or two.


A broken down smithy, where rain has punched through the roof and ruined everything except the extremely well preserved anvil, forge and a couple of tools that appear to be entirely free of rust (enchanted tools that he couldn't take with him; remarkable in that they grant Forging bonuses (+X skill levels to taste) and are impervious to decay. Why would someone leave something so shockingly valuable? Did he expect to return? What could have happened here? As to why they're there, the aura of magic is extremely faint and most people wouldn't "waste the effort" to carry something so "simple."

Good thought. Some valuable things that could be overlooked in a kept-up setting could stand out a lot more in an otherwise run-down one. Flipside of time obscuring some other things.


Most cities are built near sources of water; the river running beneath the area may have very well popped up and severed the city in half. If they had a sewage system, it's long since cleaned out as water always finds a way.

Wells, broken fountains and the like fed from the river plan on, don't think I'll go with the river actually having come to the surface for this one, but a good thought - could be fun having some of the places PCs want to get at be submerged. Plan on plenty of basements and tunnels, adding sewers onto that is a good thought. :thumbup:

Murals - painted, relief-carved or in inlaid tiles - are some of the most useful archaeological finds in ruined cities. They may record religious subjects, major events, notable personages, or representations of ordinary daily life. Just having them present in the rooms the PCs explore can add a lot of local color, and give them a sense of how the people in this city lived and what they valued. OTOH they can also provide valuable background information and give clues to where important sites may be found.

I'm sure you could Search for lots of appropriate online examples to show your players.

Ah, excellent idea. Planned on tilework and such being around, but hadn't considered using them as clues. :thumbup:

[Supreme Serpent]

How come nobody's been back since the place was sacked? Scared of something?

The war led to the Empire's fall and splintering, and each of the resulting areas had their own issues to deal with. Too dangerous for small groups to try to reclaim, too much effort for any large-scale effort. Rumors (perhaps with some basis, since the Brothers' Wars involved a good bit of magic) of the place being cursed helped keep the casual visitors away, and as remaining trade routes didn't need to pass through the area it gradually became forgotten. I'm sure that over time some folks have come across it, but by then the place was dangerous enough that few if any made it back out. After all, they aren't PCs! :p I'll make a note to include some signs of previous ill-fated expeditions.

(lots of good stuff)

:)

[Vestnik]

I don't know how your game's theology works, but if cities have patron gods, maybe those of this city are still around somewhere beneath the ruins, but weakened and driven mad from lack of worshippers, time and loneliness. Maybe they've been built up some kind of erzats cult based on whatever goblinoids/rat people/four-eyed mutants live in the area, resulting in a mad perversion of the noble rites the inhabitants of the city once carried out in its prime.

(I like Lovecraft. Can you tell?)

[The Monster]

There may be survivors ... in the form of magically altered objects! People turned to stone (though many such "statues" may have eroded badly over the centuries), or polymorphed into other inanimate objects, just waiting for someone to cast dispel, or kiss them, or whatever (maybe even a wizard who did it to himself to escape pillagers, in the assumption that someone would come rescue him).

Is there anyone taking an active interest in keeping the place forested? This could be anything from elves, to tree-people, to radical ecoterrorists, to a secret society which guards against the Ancient Evil which (supposedly) lies trapped within (like that group (Medji??) in The Mummy I & II).

[Shadowsoul]

One quite amusing idea I came across in a fantasy book was an ancient city that had a fashion for large bell towers in its prime. Some bells still remained and caused all sorts of interesting clanking noises and odd glimpses of movement which were perfect for making jumpy characters even jumpier.

Perhaps a young artist has come to this area seeking inspiration amongst the grand ruins, ancient courtyards and broken statues of the city. Pity his rogue magical talent has just manifested and he's managed to awaken some of the ancient guardian spirits by painting their likenesses.

A paranoid merchant protected his subterranean horde of coins with a small maze and many, many vicious traps. He hid himself down there when the invaders came and eventually died of starvation ... For an amusing twist the party could just be passing through the area and then set off a cave in or landslide and end up falling through into the hidden treasure chamber. Score! They've got the loot! Problem is the only remaining way out is through the lethal maze they accidentally avoided on the way in.

A few other ideas for buildings.

A mysterious museum or gallery filled with occult objects, strange that no one has stolen them yet ...

An abandoned villa filled with gorgeous mosaics and occasional wafts of weird yellow smoke. The owner had a special alchemical hot spring style bath installed in the central courtyard. A nice conversation piece and good for those 'special' parties. Over the years the healing vapours have transmuted into something rather more poisonous.

Guard tower filled with bodies and rusted weapons. At the top stand ancient catapults and ballistae, the ropes that hold them together and keep them from going off have been fraying for some time now.

[Supreme Serpent]

I don't know how your game's theology works, but if cities have patron gods, maybe those of this city are still around somewhere beneath the ruins, but weakened and driven mad from lack of worshippers, time and loneliness. Maybe they've been built up some kind of erzats cult based on whatever goblinoids/rat people/four-eyed mutants live in the area, resulting in a mad perversion of the noble rites the inhabitants of the city once carried out in its prime.

(I like Lovecraft. Can you tell?)

Hmm, maybe something will consider the city to be essentially one big tomb/graveyard and be upset when people come to disturb the dead...

There may be survivors ... in the form of magically altered objects! People turned to stone (though many such "statues" may have eroded badly over the centuries), or polymorphed into other inanimate objects, just waiting for someone to cast dispel, or kiss them, or whatever (maybe even a wizard who did it to himself to escape pillagers, in the assumption that someone would come rescue him).

Is there anyone taking an active interest in keeping the place forested? This could be anything from elves, to tree-people, to radical ecoterrorists, to a secret society which guards against the Ancient Evil which (supposedly) lies trapped within (like that group (Medji??) in The Mummy I & II).

Both good thoughts. I had planned on an ancient evil being interred below, some sort of Magi-like group could be good. Another reason for keeping the city "undiscovered" for so long.

One quite amusing idea I came across in a fantasy book was an ancient city that had a fashion for large bell towers in its prime. Some bells still remained and caused all sorts of interesting clanking noises and odd glimpses of movement which were perfect for making jumpy characters even jumpier.

Perhaps a young artist has come to this area seeking inspiration amongst the grand ruins, ancient courtyards and broken statues of the city. Pity his rogue magical talent has just manifested and he's managed to awaken some of the ancient guardian spirits by painting their likenesses.

A paranoid merchant protected his subterranean horde of coins with a small maze and many, many vicious traps. He hid himself down there when the invaders came and eventually died of starvation ... For an amusing twist the party could just be passing through the area and then set off a cave in or landslide and end up falling through into the hidden treasure chamber. Score! They've got the loot! Problem is the only remaining way out is through the lethal maze they accidentally avoided on the way in.

A few other ideas for buildings.

A mysterious museum or gallery filled with occult objects, strange that no one has stolen them yet ...

An abandoned villa filled with gorgeous mosaics and occasional wafts of weird yellow smoke. The owner had a special alchemical hot spring style bath installed in the central courtyard. A nice conversation piece and good for those 'special' parties. Over the years the healing vapours have transmuted into something rather more poisonous.

Guard tower filled with bodies and rusted weapons. At the top stand ancient catapults and ballistae, the ropes that hold them together and keep them from going off have been fraying for some time now.

Neat stuff. :) Maybe some magical springs are the source of some of the critters lurking about.