Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Delver-proofing lairs and dungeons

Dalin · 07-10-2019, 01:57 PM

A few random ideas related to the environment:

Using simple darkness against adventurers seems sensible since many cannot naturally see in the dark. Perhaps combined with a No Mana field or other ways to inhibit light and/or vision.
Messing with the quality of the air might work well for creatures that have wider tolerances. Maybe the dungeon is filled with billowing, potentially toxic (and blinding) smoke from volcanic vents. This doesn't bother the lava lizards, but at a minimum requires delvers to burn FP on air spells. (This also affects vision.) Similarly, perhaps the fungus cavern (every dungeon has one, right?) produces toxins that are bad for surface mammals. Careful cultivation and placement might allow most of the dungeon to be thus infected.
Underwater, as mentioned in the OP, can be especially dangerous. Consider, for example, an extended submerged passage that one must swim through. Add a No Mana field in the middle, and it might be a lovely way to collect drowned delvers for dinner.
Alchemically inclined monsters should stockpile grenade potions (Adventurers, p. 116) to fire at delvers through murder holes or arrow slits. Even lowly goblins with a few brew masters could mount an impressive defense if they learned to throw waves of multiple potions in concert. Imagine being hit with Death, Magebane, and Sleep simultaneously. (I've seen an entire group of PCs fail their HT -4 rolls against Sleep in one go.)

07-10-2019, 01:57 PM	#6
Dalin Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Saint Paul, MN	Re: Delver-proofing lairs and dungeons A few random ideas related to the environment: Using simple darkness against adventurers seems sensible since many cannot naturally see in the dark. Perhaps combined with a No Mana field or other ways to inhibit light and/or vision. Messing with the quality of the air might work well for creatures that have wider tolerances. Maybe the dungeon is filled with billowing, potentially toxic (and blinding) smoke from volcanic vents. This doesn't bother the lava lizards, but at a minimum requires delvers to burn FP on air spells. (This also affects vision.) Similarly, perhaps the fungus cavern (every dungeon has one, right?) produces toxins that are bad for surface mammals. Careful cultivation and placement might allow most of the dungeon to be thus infected. Underwater, as mentioned in the OP, can be especially dangerous. Consider, for example, an extended submerged passage that one must swim through. Add a No Mana field in the middle, and it might be a lovely way to collect drowned delvers for dinner. Alchemically inclined monsters should stockpile grenade potions (Adventurers, p. 116) to fire at delvers through murder holes or arrow slits. Even lowly goblins with a few brew masters could mount an impressive defense if they learned to throw waves of multiple potions in concert. Imagine being hit with Death, Magebane, and Sleep simultaneously. (I've seen an entire group of PCs fail their HT -4 rolls against Sleep in one go.)