my party recently fought a Kraken and no they've ended up on a deserted island I want to make some kind of ruins. How do I start? (this is my first time dming btw)
my party recently fought a Kraken and no they've ended up on a deserted island I want to make some kind of ruins. How do I start? (this is my first time dming btw)
If you want creepy eldritch ruins, I suggest looking at the design submissions for WIPP. Its a nuclear waste dump meant to last 100,000 years so they gave the architects the mission of creating a structure so foreboding that even if all knowledge of it is lost, it might deter people from accidentally unleashing a nuclear apocalypse. They are professionally designed to be creepy. https://wipp.energy.gov/pdfs/site_markers.pdf
Another suggestion is to take preexisting ruins from a module and put them on the island.
Ice wind dale rhyme of the frost maiden has several interesting ruins that could be buried in sand as well as they were in snow. These include a mind flayer ship and a lost magical city.
Princes of the apocalypse has allot of small dungeons and temples you can use as maps all with an elemental theme. Personally I like the idea of turning the npcs in there into elemental zombies, a punishment for failing they're gods. Like stone cursed or flameskull. You can also just take a zombie or other undead an give it and elemental theme, like water zombies who vomit up cursed water. Alternatively take an existing NPC like the fathomer, make it undead, and remove or replace anything that doesn't feel undead or reflavor it. For example with the fathomer, maybe when it dies the water serpent form is the elemental possessing it that bursts out of it's body. The reavers, could have swords for arms or be part sword fish. You get the picture.
Some other classics are the Amber temple and Tomb of the 9 gods and fane of the night servant.
To use any of the module dungeons just take the map and remove anything you think doesn't fit what you want and replace it with something else.
my party recently fought a Kraken and no they've ended up on a deserted island I want to make some kind of ruins. How do I start? (this is my first time dming btw)
The short answer is that a truly deserted island isn't interesting, what you want is an island that looks deserted but actually has something that the PCs need to deal with (either because it's a threat, or because it's the way off the island, or both). There's no shortage of possible answers, though; just pick some interesting threat that's appropriate to an island (usually, that means favored terrain includes coast).
Are you asking how to make ruins for an interesting dungeon delve or are you asking for ideas to make a deserted island interesting involving ruins?
My first thought after reading your post was that the easiest way to make a deserted island interesting is to make a mystery out of why it is deserted. A few examples of plots involving that would be:
1) The ruins are actually an abandoned village in good state save for neglect, although there is an unusually high number of animals in the island. There is little indication about why there are no people there, except that the possible boats are brokn and the tools to repair them missing. The mystery is that the people from the island pissed off either a god or a wizard and they put a curse on the island. People who live there become animals and are hunted by some creature. Some players might end cursed and start to become animals, they have to kill the monster to end the curse (idea inspired by a quest from TFS at the table)
2) The island was the home of a cult that woke what shouldn't be awoken (could be an aboleth, could be a vampire or another spirit). It has been years since the last sacrifice and the creature wants more, it is now hunting the players. They begin to suffer allusinations that turns them against each other to split them so that it can hunt them.
3) A storyline based on The Invention of Morel. An artificer wanted to live with his friends forever at his personal island so he made an invention that recorded their last days together and then sucked their souls. Now there are apparitions on the island that recreate those last days over and over again. It could be left at that or that might have caused a curse/resentful spirit to try to do the same to whoever visits the island. The players have to uncover the mystery by following the apparitions of both the inventor and his friends and the previous group of adventurers that got stranded in the island, all the while being recorded and their souls being sucked without them doing.
4) A village with recent signs of habitation, as if it was just abandoned a few hours ago. There is actually a spell preserving things, it has been abandoned for centuries.The truth is that there was a catastrophe incoming and as a way to preserve the village it was cut out of time but the release mechanism to tell when to bring back the people is broken. Players must recover it.
5) Zombie plague but the undead only appear at night. Maybe due to a pirate curse?
6) The village was actually built by aliens or a non-humanoid race that were stranded in the island. They were making experiments to see if they could recreate their lost technology/repair their spaceship and an experiemtn went out of control killing them. The ruins have strange architecture, fit for non humanoid bodies.
7)The ruins are filled with manniquins/statues that move when people are not looking. No explanation is given.
8) It is a volcanic island, the civilization that lived there was destroyed by an eruption. This was caused by elementals/spirit that don't like intruders on their turf. Lots of hazards like gaseous clouds, unstable ground, strangely hot ground, etc that is caused by the elementals to drive away the players.
9) Abandoned pirate hideout with hints of possible treasure. The pirates killed each other for it, there is though a last survivor that has been on the island for years and is obsessed with it. He thinks everyone wants to steal it.
Name the Flameskull "Wilson" and let the party take turns directing monologues at it, the party members taking high DC WIS saves to realize 1.) they're monologues are not in fact conversations and 2.) "Wilson" the flame skull is actually a sportsball used as an enchanted distraction by a Pact of the Deep Warlock named Chuck Noland. Noland's patron has deluded the Warlock into believing if he helps render the party to a watery end, he'll finally be freed to return to civilization, this time.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
If you want a mysterious island, then you want a Morkoth.
A morkoth claims dominion over an entire island, and it also maintains a central sanctum on that isle. This lair is most often a twisted network of narrow tunnels that connect several underground chambers, although other structural forms might be incorporated. The morkoth dwells among its most prized possessions in a spacious vault at the core of the warren, where the pearly matter of the island is also located. Sections of the lair and its center might be kept dry to better protect and preserve collected objects and creatures, but most of the lair is underwater.
Essentially the Morkoth is a collector of things and hypnosis expert. The party will gradually lose their items the longer they are there. Give the Morkoth some servitors who worship it as a God who will harass the party.
If you want creepy eldritch ruins, I suggest looking at the design submissions for WIPP. Its a nuclear waste dump meant to last 100,000 years so they gave the architects the mission of creating a structure so foreboding that even if all knowledge of it is lost, it might deter people from accidentally unleashing a nuclear apocalypse. They are professionally designed to be creepy. https://wipp.energy.gov/pdfs/site_markers.pdf
I think my favourite bit of this article is how they went out of their way to avoid saying "We asked sci-fi authors":
Another option is, the island could be exactly what it appears to be. A deserted island with fresh water, lots of fruit trees, animals to hunt or fish, and lots of trees and other plants to use as shelter.
Of course an isolated island like that will also be known to other creatures. Maybe a pirate crew uses it as a place to recover, maybe some sea elves (who could be friendly or unfriendly depending on how the PCs approach them) farm vegetables on it, etc..
Before you make it interesting you have to decide it's function.
For example, if the players don't have a ship or some teleportation etc,, the island needs to offer some way for them to get home, or you will have 1 interesting island exploration. and then a party that dies of old age trapped there.
-Provides exit (gives some direction to continue) -tied to plot? -tided to backstories?
how can I make a deserted island more interesting?
My immediate thoughts... Treasure island Plot/idea have the group come across the remains of a Pirate crew that a dread pirate captain landed with to bury his treasure before he bumped them off one by one and rowing back to his ship alone... The bodies might give subtle clues as to which direction to go to find the next body and so on till you find the site were the treasure was buried... (In the hidden ruins?) maybe ghostly apparitions play out their deaths at the hands of the treacherous pirate captains hands each night
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
my party recently fought a Kraken and no they've ended up on a deserted island I want to make some kind of ruins. How do I start? (this is my first time dming btw)
Make it a giant ancient dragon turtle.
If you want creepy eldritch ruins, I suggest looking at the design submissions for WIPP. Its a nuclear waste dump meant to last 100,000 years so they gave the architects the mission of creating a structure so foreboding that even if all knowledge of it is lost, it might deter people from accidentally unleashing a nuclear apocalypse. They are professionally designed to be creepy. https://wipp.energy.gov/pdfs/site_markers.pdf
Another suggestion is to take preexisting ruins from a module and put them on the island.
Ice wind dale rhyme of the frost maiden has several interesting ruins that could be buried in sand as well as they were in snow. These include a mind flayer ship and a lost magical city.
Princes of the apocalypse has allot of small dungeons and temples you can use as maps all with an elemental theme. Personally I like the idea of turning the npcs in there into elemental zombies, a punishment for failing they're gods. Like stone cursed or flameskull. You can also just take a zombie or other undead an give it and elemental theme, like water zombies who vomit up cursed water. Alternatively take an existing NPC like the fathomer, make it undead, and remove or replace anything that doesn't feel undead or reflavor it. For example with the fathomer, maybe when it dies the water serpent form is the elemental possessing it that bursts out of it's body. The reavers, could have swords for arms or be part sword fish. You get the picture.
Some other classics are the Amber temple and Tomb of the 9 gods and fane of the night servant.
To use any of the module dungeons just take the map and remove anything you think doesn't fit what you want and replace it with something else.
Do the Mysterious Island. That book has a ton of great plot ideas.
The short answer is that a truly deserted island isn't interesting, what you want is an island that looks deserted but actually has something that the PCs need to deal with (either because it's a threat, or because it's the way off the island, or both). There's no shortage of possible answers, though; just pick some interesting threat that's appropriate to an island (usually, that means favored terrain includes coast).
Are you asking how to make ruins for an interesting dungeon delve or are you asking for ideas to make a deserted island interesting involving ruins?
My first thought after reading your post was that the easiest way to make a deserted island interesting is to make a mystery out of why it is deserted. A few examples of plots involving that would be:
1) The ruins are actually an abandoned village in good state save for neglect, although there is an unusually high number of animals in the island. There is little indication about why there are no people there, except that the possible boats are brokn and the tools to repair them missing. The mystery is that the people from the island pissed off either a god or a wizard and they put a curse on the island. People who live there become animals and are hunted by some creature. Some players might end cursed and start to become animals, they have to kill the monster to end the curse (idea inspired by a quest from TFS at the table)
2) The island was the home of a cult that woke what shouldn't be awoken (could be an aboleth, could be a vampire or another spirit). It has been years since the last sacrifice and the creature wants more, it is now hunting the players. They begin to suffer allusinations that turns them against each other to split them so that it can hunt them.
3) A storyline based on The Invention of Morel. An artificer wanted to live with his friends forever at his personal island so he made an invention that recorded their last days together and then sucked their souls. Now there are apparitions on the island that recreate those last days over and over again. It could be left at that or that might have caused a curse/resentful spirit to try to do the same to whoever visits the island. The players have to uncover the mystery by following the apparitions of both the inventor and his friends and the previous group of adventurers that got stranded in the island, all the while being recorded and their souls being sucked without them doing.
4) A village with recent signs of habitation, as if it was just abandoned a few hours ago. There is actually a spell preserving things, it has been abandoned for centuries.The truth is that there was a catastrophe incoming and as a way to preserve the village it was cut out of time but the release mechanism to tell when to bring back the people is broken. Players must recover it.
5) Zombie plague but the undead only appear at night. Maybe due to a pirate curse?
6) The village was actually built by aliens or a non-humanoid race that were stranded in the island. They were making experiments to see if they could recreate their lost technology/repair their spaceship and an experiemtn went out of control killing them. The ruins have strange architecture, fit for non humanoid bodies.
7)The ruins are filled with manniquins/statues that move when people are not looking. No explanation is given.
8) It is a volcanic island, the civilization that lived there was destroyed by an eruption. This was caused by elementals/spirit that don't like intruders on their turf. Lots of hazards like gaseous clouds, unstable ground, strangely hot ground, etc that is caused by the elementals to drive away the players.
9) Abandoned pirate hideout with hints of possible treasure. The pirates killed each other for it, there is though a last survivor that has been on the island for years and is obsessed with it. He thinks everyone wants to steal it.
Name the Flameskull "Wilson" and let the party take turns directing monologues at it, the party members taking high DC WIS saves to realize 1.) they're monologues are not in fact conversations and 2.) "Wilson" the flame skull is actually a sportsball used as an enchanted distraction by a Pact of the Deep Warlock named Chuck Noland. Noland's patron has deluded the Warlock into believing if he helps render the party to a watery end, he'll finally be freed to return to civilization, this time.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
If you want a mysterious island, then you want a Morkoth.
A morkoth claims dominion over an entire island, and it also maintains a central sanctum on that isle. This lair is most often a twisted network of narrow tunnels that connect several underground chambers, although other structural forms might be incorporated. The morkoth dwells among its most prized possessions in a spacious vault at the core of the warren, where the pearly matter of the island is also located. Sections of the lair and its center might be kept dry to better protect and preserve collected objects and creatures, but most of the lair is underwater.
Essentially the Morkoth is a collector of things and hypnosis expert. The party will gradually lose their items the longer they are there. Give the Morkoth some servitors who worship it as a God who will harass the party.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
Another option is, the island could be exactly what it appears to be. A deserted island with fresh water, lots of fruit trees, animals to hunt or fish, and lots of trees and other plants to use as shelter.
Of course an isolated island like that will also be known to other creatures. Maybe a pirate crew uses it as a place to recover, maybe some sea elves (who could be friendly or unfriendly depending on how the PCs approach them) farm vegetables on it, etc..
Professional computer geek
Before you make it interesting you have to decide it's function.
For example, if the players don't have a ship or some teleportation etc,, the island needs to offer some way for them to get home, or you will have 1 interesting island exploration. and then a party that dies of old age trapped there.
-Provides exit (gives some direction to continue)
-tied to plot?
-tided to backstories?
There should be a treasure hunt on the island to search for 8 discs and 1 book.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Island_Discs)
how can I make a deserted island more interesting?
My immediate thoughts... Treasure island
Plot/idea have the group come across the remains of a Pirate crew that a dread pirate captain landed with to bury his treasure before he bumped them off one by one and rowing back to his ship alone...
The bodies might give subtle clues as to which direction to go to find the next body and so on till you find the site were the treasure was buried... (In the hidden ruins?) maybe ghostly apparitions play out their deaths at the hands of the treacherous pirate captains hands each night
wishing you all the best
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again