Cloud Cities
 

Has any worked up a good abandoned cloud city as a dungeon? It's both a good "flip the script" and presents interesting new problems challenges.

Re: Cloud Cities
 

I did one a few years ago, there was a subplot that the bad guy in charge of it had populated it with minions and planned to crash land it on a city and invade. The PCs hacked the controls and ended up landing it in the sea where it became a floating island.

Re: Cloud Cities
 

There is a Jack in the Beanstock type dungeon in a Pyramid issue. I believe ti was in the Combat Writ Large issue.
If that is suitable I can dig around for the issue number

Re: Cloud Cities
 

Thinking about it I have a pseudo cloud city on my to do list. The capital of an empire with powerful magic and common runic enchanted infrastructure experiences a cataclysmic earthquake powerful enough to alter the topography under the city. Many of the buildings and most of the major roads have sufficient enchantments on them to stay intact, in their original positions even though the ground beneath has shifted.

Re: Cloud Cities
 

Other than weak floors, flying monsters, and storms at high altitude, what perils would you put in a cloud city?

Re: Cloud Cities
 

I did this a couple of years ago:

• The city's levitation was maintained by four cardinal towers, each having since been taken over by a faction (and thus being a separate sub-dungeon). One was taken over by demons, because there was originally a demonology lab there and they left the portals running, one was haunted and infested with undead, one was the eirie of giant eagles, and the last was the foothold of the winged elves who were trying to reclaim it.
• The top of the city was all parkland and a village of fae folk was nestled in the forest there. There was also a herd of unicorns and a pride of karkadann.
• In the center at the lowest level there was a village of gnomes, who were the descendants of the original engineers that maintained the place.
• Key parts of the city were still defended by orichalcum golems.
• The central tower was inhabited by a dragon, who had long ago swallowed the crown needed to control many of city's functions.
• A building next to the central tower was the wheelhouse, which contained The Steersman, an ancient elf who was doing his best to keep the thing from crashing into stuff despite it being nearly out of control now, and waiting for relief that was hundreds of years late. He prompted an interesting meta-discussion about how you don't mess with guys who are called "The [Ordinary Job Title]".
• Once a pet, now feral, a psychically invisible and unaging three-headed tiger, with a bell on its collar hunted throughout the interior of the city, though its lair was in the old residential district. The gnomes called it "Fluffy" and were terrified of it. The PCs went out of the way their way to avoid encountering it and never did.

Most of these things showed up on the random encounter tables (of which there were three: interior, surface, and sky). The only exception was The Steersman who never leaves his post.

Re: Cloud Cities
 

Stealing this. It sounds awesome.

Re: Cloud Cities
 

I almost forgot; while the PCs were able to access the city (because it was low enough to jump from mountain cliffs, so was a large goblinkin band which was also running around getting into fights with the inhabitants.

Re: Cloud Cities
 

I like the idea of the PCs being stuck. Try this, the PCs are lost in the mountains being chased by nasty mysterious humanoids and, not knowing the city is mobile, seek cover/shelter in a fortress and trigger the end of a spell that anchored the city in place.

Do you think the set up is fair-ish or too railroad-y?

Re: Cloud Cities
 

As too fair, if the Players are on board with these sorts of shenanigans it's perfectly fine.

As for railroad, it's absolutely a railroad if the PCs have no means of leaving. But then if they signed up for the rails, who cares.