Very soon in my campaign, my players will be retrieving a magic item that is guarded by an aboleth in an underwater ravine. They are well equipped for the exploration, and have spent some time underwater so they know the mechanics.
However, I’m not sure how to organize encounters in the ravine. I’m hoping to have a few encounters or situations before the characters reach the aboleth, but I’m not sure how to get a dungeon feel from a relatively open ravine.
Also, most of my encounters so far have not involved the height factor. I play on a grid with minis and dry erase maps. Any tips for showing height would be appreciated, because it will certainly be a factor when descending into the ravine.
However, I’m not sure how to organize encounters in the ravine. I’m hoping to have a few encounters or situations before the characters reach the aboleth, but I’m not sure how to get a dungeon feel from a relatively open ravine.
Dramatically reduce vision distances; most of what makes the dungeon feel is just that you don't know what's up ahead until you're right on top of it.
Very soon in my campaign, my players will be retrieving a magic item that is guarded by an aboleth in an underwater ravine. They are well equipped for the exploration, and have spent some time underwater so they know the mechanics.
However, I’m not sure how to organize encounters in the ravine. I’m hoping to have a few encounters or situations before the characters reach the aboleth, but I’m not sure how to get a dungeon feel from a relatively open ravine.
Also, most of my encounters so far have not involved the height factor. I play on a grid with minis and dry erase maps. Any tips for showing height would be appreciated, because it will certainly be a factor when descending into the ravine.
Maybe use sticky notes to display height (either write on them or stack them to show height)
Maybe a structure in the ravine which has sunk into it which you have to enter to get to another part maybe could give a more organized feel
An open ravine prevents a constraint of that 3rd axis of movement - up/down. It also allows for any point along the ravine to be a point of entry. An open ravine that enters into a cave at the bottom or along one of the sides, allows for your to have an undergound dungeon feel.
As for something to show height (depth), I've used combat risers to define surface height and subsequent risers for each PC to hold them "up off the floor of the ravine", in this case. Swimming and Flight are effectively the same from a perspective view. The bottom of the body of water is "ground level" anything above that is "swimming/flying". This only works if the entire party is underwater. Trying to accomplish this "at sea level" with parties both flying, standing on ground/treading water, and swimming below surface becomes an absolute nightmare.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
It depends how much effort you're willing to put into it. Depending on space restrictions, you could have multiple maps next to each other, each one containing a plane of the ravine. Kind of like the maps of ships, where each floor is one deck. Have each plane be of a reasonable height, perhaps 50ft. Or you could have it be 30ft, and it takes one turn's worth of movement to move between maps. While in each plane, you don't really move up and down, but as I said, you can use your turn's movement to move between planes. It's a but clunky, but you're already accepting the whole turn based system, isn't anywhere near as clunky as that.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Assumng that you want to give them a route to follow instead of just dropping straight down to the prize, I would have strong currents or hydrothermal vents over the top of the far end of the ravine, preventing entry there. I would have arches across the raving working as rooms, so each arch they swim past presents a new challenge to deal with. Include outcrops they have to decide to swim over or under, perhaps have some caves in the ravine walls as side-rooms, have down-currents to suck them away as traps, and so on. Good side-effects for poor decisions might include disturbing clouds of silt and becoming blinded and disoriented.
It's also worth noting that if you want a dungeon-feel, then you need (to some extent) a dungeon. I would try to keep the ravine feeling different, so that it is a different place and worth existing - otherwise you could have just done a sunken, flooded dungeon. I feel like a ravine needs a differnet feeling - being so open, they should feel exposed, rather than confident that things can only come from one of two doors. Ambush them from different angles, perhaps have a large beast detach from the walls and start slowly approaching them, making them flap for cover. That sort of thing.
If you got more then one dry erase map line one map on the edge of a table, the other map on the floor, use the drop in height to show the drop in height.
Here is how i would solve the two issues you describe
1: How to make it feel like a dungeon. Describe it as dark and cold, Your deep underwater with likely little light, No light means no warmth. This alone sets the stage for an eerie environment such as a dungeon. Keep in mind an abeleth tends to set up in a fallen abeleth city, so describe them coming upon some derelict ruins in the center of this ravine, Then from there the abeleth, A creature similar to the size of a whale may be seen as a silhouette in the distance
2: How to show distance. This is far more simple. Legos or other sorts of building blocks could be used to make a wall around your ravine. make sure the players know that it is meant to be the wall, and give it a height so they know how deep they are
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Very soon in my campaign, my players will be retrieving a magic item that is guarded by an aboleth in an underwater ravine. They are well equipped for the exploration, and have spent some time underwater so they know the mechanics.
However, I’m not sure how to organize encounters in the ravine. I’m hoping to have a few encounters or situations before the characters reach the aboleth, but I’m not sure how to get a dungeon feel from a relatively open ravine.
Also, most of my encounters so far have not involved the height factor. I play on a grid with minis and dry erase maps. Any tips for showing height would be appreciated, because it will certainly be a factor when descending into the ravine.
Only spilt the party if you see something shiny.
Ariendela Sneakerson, Half-elf Rogue (8); Harmony Wolfsbane, Tiefling Bard (10); Agnomally, Gnomish Sorcerer (3); Breeze, Tabaxi Monk (8); Grace, Dragonborn Barbarian (7); DM, Homebrew- The Sequestered Lands/Underwater Explorers; Candlekeep
Dramatically reduce vision distances; most of what makes the dungeon feel is just that you don't know what's up ahead until you're right on top of it.
Maybe use sticky notes to display height (either write on them or stack them to show height)
Maybe a structure in the ravine which has sunk into it which you have to enter to get to another part maybe could give a more organized feel
An open ravine prevents a constraint of that 3rd axis of movement - up/down. It also allows for any point along the ravine to be a point of entry. An open ravine that enters into a cave at the bottom or along one of the sides, allows for your to have an undergound dungeon feel.
As for something to show height (depth), I've used combat risers to define surface height and subsequent risers for each PC to hold them "up off the floor of the ravine", in this case. Swimming and Flight are effectively the same from a perspective view. The bottom of the body of water is "ground level" anything above that is "swimming/flying". This only works if the entire party is underwater. Trying to accomplish this "at sea level" with parties both flying, standing on ground/treading water, and swimming below surface becomes an absolute nightmare.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
It depends how much effort you're willing to put into it. Depending on space restrictions, you could have multiple maps next to each other, each one containing a plane of the ravine. Kind of like the maps of ships, where each floor is one deck. Have each plane be of a reasonable height, perhaps 50ft. Or you could have it be 30ft, and it takes one turn's worth of movement to move between maps. While in each plane, you don't really move up and down, but as I said, you can use your turn's movement to move between planes. It's a but clunky, but you're already accepting the whole turn based system, isn't anywhere near as clunky as that.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Assumng that you want to give them a route to follow instead of just dropping straight down to the prize, I would have strong currents or hydrothermal vents over the top of the far end of the ravine, preventing entry there. I would have arches across the raving working as rooms, so each arch they swim past presents a new challenge to deal with. Include outcrops they have to decide to swim over or under, perhaps have some caves in the ravine walls as side-rooms, have down-currents to suck them away as traps, and so on. Good side-effects for poor decisions might include disturbing clouds of silt and becoming blinded and disoriented.
It's also worth noting that if you want a dungeon-feel, then you need (to some extent) a dungeon. I would try to keep the ravine feeling different, so that it is a different place and worth existing - otherwise you could have just done a sunken, flooded dungeon. I feel like a ravine needs a differnet feeling - being so open, they should feel exposed, rather than confident that things can only come from one of two doors. Ambush them from different angles, perhaps have a large beast detach from the walls and start slowly approaching them, making them flap for cover. That sort of thing.
Good Luck!
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You can use lego or paper cups to ho height differences.
If you got more then one dry erase map line one map on the edge of a table, the other map on the floor, use the drop in height to show the drop in height.
Here is how i would solve the two issues you describe
1: How to make it feel like a dungeon. Describe it as dark and cold, Your deep underwater with likely little light, No light means no warmth. This alone sets the stage for an eerie environment such as a dungeon. Keep in mind an abeleth tends to set up in a fallen abeleth city, so describe them coming upon some derelict ruins in the center of this ravine, Then from there the abeleth, A creature similar to the size of a whale may be seen as a silhouette in the distance
2: How to show distance. This is far more simple. Legos or other sorts of building blocks could be used to make a wall around your ravine. make sure the players know that it is meant to be the wall, and give it a height so they know how deep they are