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#1821 - 04/15/08 02:04 PM
Re: Area ideas - For ideas! No comments on posts!
[Re: Cerberus]
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Cerberus
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Registered: 11/28/07
Posts: 608
Loc: Arlee, MT, USA
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The Caves to Willow Deep
Goal: The halfling village of Willow Downs has been around for give or take 10 years. In this time it has dead-ended into an interesting appearing gate, leading to "Willow Deep". As there are very few cities that are dedicated to any particular race, let alone guild or clan, the hope would be to give players more options for classically "dark" races to originate.
Premise: The town of Willow Downs has flourished for as long as anyone can remember on the grain from their plentiful fields, and their trade with the mysterious neighbors underground. Since the Svirfnebli that surface only three times each year have never given their home a name, the town's citizens have taken to affectionately calling the tunnels beyond the gates "Willow Deep". None of the town's residents have ever entered their friendly neighbor's caves, as they are reputed to be guarded by powerful magic, and haunted by a full legion of Drow-Elves the Svirfnebli of Willow Deep defeated long ago.
Iconic Encounters: - The Legion - These ghostly apparitions of defeated Drow-Elves should appear in groups, and mercilessly attack any living they come across. Traveling about invisible and in random directions (as elemental instabilities used to), messages of stale winds and sounds of battle could echo in rooms they are adjacent to. The desire would be to cause fear and confusion within the Shifting Passages, as invisible monsters have rarely been used. Adding to the suspense, a player could never know which band of these spectral warriors they would be facing when they entered, as each time they entered battle a new war band would be concoted with minor strategies and special abilities.
- Frippizt, The Eternally Lost Tunnel Guide - Frippizt is concepted as an elderly Svirfnebli, the last of those who actually battled The Legion. When it was discovered that the Sword-Mages of The Legion had banded together and turned the ground in which the passages were situated into giant living weapon, Frippizt was chosen to chase every last one of the Legion to its grave. Because Frippizt is so old and nearly blind, she should take a little while to move from one room to another. Those who have followed her should be immune to discovery by The Legion, as she can never complete his task (and thus may never be in the same room as The Legion). Also, she gets lost and wanders in exactly the wrong direction whenever she comes within one room of any exit to the Shifting Passages.
- Shifting Passages - This is not an encounter proper, but a feature of the area. It would mean each time a room is entered the exits change. Frippizt should be the only one with any idea of which direction will be the shortest route either in or out, but there should be signs along the way to indicate to seasoned players whether they're close to an exit at all. The Shifting Passages should provide for plenty of time spent there - via rivulets of water, small fungi to eat, and wandering monsters that act as healing runes to others in the room.
- Petri, Lost Elemental - Petri is concepted as Frippizt's elemental pet. One who has grown so old and experienced that he's taken on personality attributes as well as sentience. Whereas Frippizt is largely useless to interact with beyond as a guide, Petri could begin teaching players some languages (notably whatever elementals, svirfnebli, or drow-elves speak), as well teaching elementalists practiced in the college of earth a new spell (Raise Elemental Wall [Earth] - Room effect tied to a specific exit. Rune-like in that walking through it should deal damage or stop motion. Pet-like in that it should be "killable" through certain actions based on the element used. If any wizard would like to code this, I can provide quite a bit of a head start - please speak to me.) Petri's main task, however, would be as a player boon - fighting against The Legion, casting beneficial spells, and otherwise being nicely suitable as an ally.
- Skafbrik, Elemental War Slave - This Rock-Troll gate guard is the last encounter from the Caves to Willow Deep before entering Willow Deep proper. He always requires news of the Caves and/or outside before allowing anyone through the gates, recommends sheathing weapons, and is a formidable opponent in combat. As his name suggests though, he is unable to enforce anything but the requirement for news, which he passes on to others inside the gates via yell. This will be the only way to open the gates, which should probably be extraordinary versions of "Raise Elemental Wall"
Ideas: This area isn't even the City of Willow Deep itself, just the entrance to it. As such, it should probably be fairly light on mobs, but those mobs should spawn randomly and span a large level set because anyone could be walking through. Most mobs should avoid Frippizt and Petri, and none should enter or exit from either end. The real crux of this area's interest comes from the maze, as I see it. A system by which there is never the same way through the place but a guide can show the way flawlessly every time is intriguing. In fact, it's something I believe The Warp (above) could use as well, so should probably be made to be used by any area.
The city itself should have excellent dynamics and political intrigue, allowing for questing and involvement by players in the overall workings of the city. It would be fantastic to have this as an outpost for the underdark I hope we'll eventually mold. Currently all the areas of the world map exist as entrances above ground, but this one should move you onto the map below ground after entering from within the Willow Downs area. From there it may be of some merit to consider using the same sort of map we use for the World Map for the shifting caverns and tunnels...
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