kestrel.ca
Underboss
1687 Posts
    
 | | 07/25/2006 2:10 PM |
| Using Heroes of Horror and Libris Mortis, I'm adapting the White Plume Mountain into White Plume Mountain of Horror -- a taint filled pit of evil so vile it is negatively affecting the surrounding wilderness and corrupting the natural life for miles around.
The PCs may ask how they can rid the mountain of taint once and for all, and I figure the best way is to burn the taint out in a fiery eruption of lava. However, what would you suggest as a triggering event for starting up a dormant volcano? I'm looking for trigger events which may or may not be inspiration for another quest.
The party is an average of 10th level, and may make 12th by the end of the adventure so they have access to some reasonable spells. The party currently includes a fighter, monk, cleric of Heironeous, rogue, and wizard. | |
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zenthrus
Warlord
5132 Posts
SLC, UT
| | 07/25/2006 2:13 PM |
| They could always have to go on a quest to find a Wish (or Miracle) scroll.
Several liberal applications of Stone to Flesh, Stoneshape, or Transmute Rock to Mud in just the right place could probably work as well.
If they figured out how to create an earthquake of sufficient magnitude, that could also work. | |
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Malin Lug
Sergeant
742 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 2:25 PM |
| This sort of magic is usually reserved for epic level spells that cost thousands of EXP to cast and months and hundreds of thousands of gold to research. Just remember that if you alllow it for one special situation, what is to stop your pc's from doing it again to stop a rampaging army or to stop the bad guys from doing it to blow up the PC's home base and surrounding towns. An errupting volcano is one incredibly devastating and can destroy every living creature for miles around (what the players want I guess.) But the effects are far reaching, ash from Mount St Helens was found in eastern Montana.
I would not let the players off the hook so easily, I would make it a great quest and not let them complete it untill either epic level or untill they can get a friendly epic level spell caster to do it for them. Not even a wish spell can duplicate the effects of a natural disaster.
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Nobody Important
Sergeant
718 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 2:38 PM |
| Pressure is what makes a volcano blow. After all the explosion is just the release of that excess pressure. Your problem then becomes how to build up pressure inside the mountain until it blows. The two things that make pressure are a limited space (so shut down any place gas may vent) and heat to cause expansion so the confined material wants to take up more room but can't.
Such activities may be accomplished by mid-high level PCs but you may be better off trying to locate some of that very powerful magic that could set it off more easily.
Destroying a complex inside a mountain shouldn't take a very big erruption. A major explosion however could have devestating effects globally and may be worse than the evil in the mountain before hand. Mount St. Helens may have been a major US eruption but there have been far worse in history. I believe Krakatoa was heard over two thousand miles away and created an ash cloud that affected weather worldwide for more than a decade.
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delguidance
Sergeant
394 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 2:43 PM |
| Duh, throw the ring of power into it.
The one ring
TO RULE THEM ALL. | |
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Skyscraper
Sergeant
659 Posts
Montreal
| | 07/25/2006 3:27 PM |
| Perhaps through some suitable detection magic, they could find a "weak point" of some kind, some place that if provoked it will cause a minor innner eruption leading through a chain-reaction to the eruption of the volcano. To get to this point, the PCs could have to "swim" through the lava, requiring suitable protective magic. Or, go through some hot tunnels near the lava (still requiring protective magic because of the heat, but not so bad as swimming through the lava). At their level, they can cast fireball i assume, perhaps 3 or 4 properly placed fireballs could do the trick.
Sky | |
The wise man doubts often. The ignorant, sometimes. The fool, never. | |
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dagonet
Sergeant
442 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 3:53 PM |
| Or just have the volcano be fully active right now, but "capped" by a magical ward or series of wards. Perhaps the current inhabitants have tapped into the heart of the mountain in order to power their experiments or defenses, and the party can set the system on overload while they're trashing the rest of the complex.
Some time ago, Dungeon Magazine had a two or three part Eberron mini-campaign which culminated with the big baddie opening up a stable portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire. Setting up one of those (perhaps the party has to go on a series of side quests to assemble the components) deep in the volcano could work, especially if it burns itself out (or shuts itself down) after a month or so.
Cheers,
Dagonet | |
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Count Dooku
Commander
4637 Posts
New York
| | 07/25/2006 4:03 PM |
| Have the players go on a quest for some kind of artifact of goodness. If its thrown into the heart of the volcano the vile evil of volcano it will be "clensed"
dagonet's idea is good to..the volcano is already ready to burst and magic is holding it back. Have some kind of alter or magic device that needs to be destroyed so nature can take its course and the volcano erupts. | |
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Zenako
Commander
3472 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 4:36 PM |
| Give them a real conundrum. The volcano is active and ready to blow at any time, BUT, the key vent is currently being blocked and held back from erupting. Remove that blockage and the volcanoe will erupt in short order (a matter of minutes or rounds, your choice), however, the sticky point is that the blockage is a living barrier, something immune to fire and heat damage, that is acting to prevent the eruption since they "know" that the eruption will not only cleanse the mountain, but also cleanse the area far beyond the mountain and claim many more lives as well, unless things change. This being could be something like a Solar or some other good being that was forced into this role and when told of the consequences of leaving, decided that they could not leave or the volcano would erupt. Kind of like Atlas holding up the world on his shoulders, if he Shrugs the world could crumble.
How to get out of the problem, find another method of blocking the vent and release the Good dude? Or find a method of redirecting the force of the volcano into some other dimension, perhaps the plane of fire, which might welcome such a thing, so need to work with beings from the plane of fire to create a portal or passageway that the lava could erupt through? Perhaps you could induce the PCs to work with the enemies of the masters of the mountain, even if those enemies are also evil, but not currently a great threat. The enemy of my enemy is my ally for the duration or something like that. The possibilities are endless and quite intriquing to speculate on. | |
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Username
Warlord
5692 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 4:48 PM |
| | What about a druid or some type of fire elementalist to 'charm' the lava? | |
Originally posted by Schooly_D
Username - he deals in minis
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kestrel.ca
Underboss
1687 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 9:07 PM |
| Wow! Lots of ideas -- I had no idea this simple question would generate such interest. Thanks guys!
I like some of the ideas here. I'm leading primarily towards a mini-eruption at the moment -- mostly just enough to fill the inside of the volcano without going into full eruption mode.
I like the idea of the lava being held back from the "usable" space by magic of some type and so the PCs job is to remove or damage the barriers holding it back so it can flow back into its "proper" location.
Some of the suggestions involving stone shape spells (and that family of spells) and/or traveling through lava are good as well. Hmmm, maybe I'll even get to use one of my Hellspike maps again. [:D] | |
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CarrionCrawler
Underboss
1760 Posts
| | 07/25/2006 11:05 PM |
| Just to chime in, I thought I saw some spells in Sandstorm that might fit the bill. Also, check out http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20031017a, http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20031227a, and thishttp://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20031123a
Also, it could be a kobold trap. | |
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kestrel.ca
Underboss
1687 Posts
| | 07/26/2006 11:48 AM |
| CC: those links are excellent.
Hmmm, volcano seed.... Good ideas, specific spells, and lots to work with. | |
Completed Trades/Transactions: 94 || Bad Trades: 3 (Chaotic Good x2, MackeyV) | |
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CarrionCrawler
Underboss
1760 Posts
| | 07/26/2006 7:43 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by kestrel.ca
CC: those links are excellent.
Hmmm, volcano seed.... Good ideas, specific spells, and lots to work with.
No prob. I always wanted to use those articles in particular. Please let us know how everything turns out. I'd like to hear the details and how the players thought of it! | |
Vindicated Night Below Champion of the Digestor!!! Knight of the OozesIcons called shot: Angry MobThe stink of rotten meat surrounds this multilegged creature with a segmented, 10-foot long body. Eight writhing tentacles protrude from its head, growing directly from below its clacking mandibles and tooth-filled maw. | |
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Omand
Commander
3120 Posts
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | 07/26/2006 10:58 PM |
| Hello,
My vote would be for an Earthquake spell. Nice, simple and to the point. In White Plume Mountain I would suggest it needs to be cast in the bubble of force area with the giant crab (in the steam bath of the crater lake basically). Just rule that the earthquake there splits an active magma fault further down the volcano that causes magma to bubble up. Of course, the PCs might be in a bad spot if they cannot get out quickly enough after setting the eruption off.
Cheers [:)] | |
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kestrel.ca
Underboss
1687 Posts
| | 07/27/2006 2:49 AM |
| Looking at the map provided with the revised version (available on the WotC website) the cut away view shows that the bubble is separated by lava/magma by only a thin layer of rock.
I'll probably give them some options -- some direct, some not so direct. One of the direct ones would be to swim down through the steam bath (need some major protective magic to protect against boiling water!) and cast earthquake, or other stone spell, allowing the magma to break through into the water chamber, and from there into the rest of the complex to properly "cleanse" it. Then of course, there's always getting out again![}:)] | |
Completed Trades/Transactions: 94 || Bad Trades: 3 (Chaotic Good x2, MackeyV) | |
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