Need suggestions

[Worldmaker]

While I still need more thoughts about underground, I now also need ideas for an extended sea voyage. Bring on pirates and sea monsters.

You can't beat the giant turtle that looks like an island but sinks out from under anyone setting foot on it.

[Shadowsoul]

There's a webcomic called Neo Earth which has just moved into a sea adventure arc.

The first page might give you some ideas. Book 4, Page 1. http://www.neo-earth.com/latest.php

[CTaylor]

City adventures are interesting to spice things up: political intrigue, mysteries, an assassin after someone and you have to find them to protect the guy (the more obnoxious and unhelpful they are, the better).

Throwing in an odd complication to a mundane adventure adds a lot too - what if the dungeon is flooding? During an earthquake? The party has to escort a non-combatant to a certain place in the dungeon? What if the party has been hired by a thrill seeking noble to see what it's like? What if instead of a kill and grab, the party has been hired to scout the place out and leave as little evidence as possible they've been there? How about an archaeologist who goes along? What if one of these escorts is actually a werewolf, and doesn't show until a critical fight? What if the dungeon is actually made up of noble, good creatures, and the party has to get into it to get an item without really hurting anyone? What if the party is chased into the dungeon by a rampaging horde they can't beat and has to flee the pursuers while trying to make it through a monster- and trap-infested passage through a mountain?

Hazardous environments are useful as well. Lava, desert, undersea, outer space (!), extreme cold are all possibilities. What if the party has some disaster and loses their gear, facing a dungeon practically (or really) naked? No lights, no weapons, no armor. Now those wimpy creatures you ignored are dangerous and a rusty sword is treasure.

[palaskar]

Way back in '92, the people at Princecon (that was my gaming group) had decided on the exact same thing.

The "top" of the world was a suppressed, socially stagant place where magic had literally died out. The "bottom" was where magic had survived, complete with teleport mazes and killer hobbits. Reverse thing for your world.

It didn't help, though, that we kept calling the world "the chipwich."

"Will you STOP CALLING IT THE CHIPWICH!" True quote from one of us.

As a pointless aside: I played an NPC in some of the games, and tried to catch the last batch of killer hobbits we faced in a Web spell. The GM refused to let -- or even comprehend -- the casting of the Web spell horizontally, so it would catch all the hobbits, and not just the ones in front.

That's what you get when you play with an evolution of the Blackmoor rules (as far as I could tell, anyhow.)

[csyphrett]

Thanks, guys. Maybe a joint mission through a mountain at sea could be good. I like the sea devils and serpents. Donnie would recognize the turtle but maybe I can use it somehow (He's beaten about half of the zelda games and Smash Bros melee). Good points about the environment hazards.

Donnie has thrown this out for play ideas: Capsules that can be bought that hold monsters, spells, temporary skills.
CES

[The Monster]

The 'top' of the world is the one tha campaign runs in - normal fantasy world, with all the trimmings.
The 'bottom' of the world is a blissful paradise, filled with the departed spirits of those who were a blessing to those around them.

In other words, the 'bottom' world is heaven; which means the 'adventure' world - the one with all the wars and monsters and turmoil - is... (cue theme music and Rod Serling: 'Submitted for your approval...')

[csyphrett]

The 'top' of the world is the one tha campaign runs in - normal fantasy world, with all the trimmings.
The 'bottom' of the world is a blissful paradise, filled with the departed spirits of those who were a blessing to those around them.

In other words, the 'bottom' world is heaven; which means the 'adventure' world - the one with all the wars and monsters and turmoil - is... (cue theme music and Rod Serling: 'Submitted for your approval...')

That's good. Maybe I can use it. I don't know how. Life is extended immeasurably thanks to instant reincarnation.

On the other hand, the turtle did get some action tonight.
CES

[Worldmaker]

Okay, spill! How'd you use the turtle?

[csyphrett]

As a roving sea monster that attacked their ferry to Queen Lamia's Grasslands where they were supposed to pick up the boat. Donnie and his team of Npcs did okay but they only made it pause. It plowed into the ferry and ripped the back end off so Donnie is thinking about trying to save the ferry before it sinks.
CES

[Worldmaker]

That sounds very cool. Good luck to him!

[csyphrett]

I'll have the adventure posted on the Dragonia thread eventually. Right now all the countries have gotten together to build a motorized boat to sail to the edge of the world. It might take months of game time to get there.
CES

[Markdoc]

You could always nick some stuff from Pirates of the Caribbean. Fish people, skeletal pirates etc. Perhaps a dashing pirate captain who signs on as a henchman in return for help in getting his ship back.

I'm running that one right now, though of course it took about half a session before it became "Listen, who's the captain on this ship?" "I am!" "That was a rhetorical question!" etc, etc

cheers, Mark