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Post by scalydemon on Mar 28, 2017 22:06:50 GMT -6
This is a workshop type thread, not sure if best to discuss here for fun, or if the Mods have a place to move it(?) I want to prep for an upcoming Con in August. Making Isle of Dread into a sandbox type one shot for Con use. Using ideally around 50% of material from the module and 50% change/add/modify. The addition/modify part will be 1880's - 1930's pulp with a focus on King Kong and Hyborian Sword & Sorcery. Please feel free to comment and add ideas, thank you. Outline KEEP: Dinosaurs, basic premise, plot hook letter (probably), getting to the island DISCARD: The lawful mini raccoon things ADDITION IDEAS: More Apes, white apes, 4 armed gorillas, Sabre toothed Tigers MODIFY:  |
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Post by scalydemon on Mar 28, 2017 23:04:40 GMT -6
ADD:
Voormi
Neanderthals
Picts
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Post by foxroe on Mar 28, 2017 23:11:35 GMT -6
Very "John Carter and the Isle of the Ape-God". I like it!
Sticking with the iconic "boss(es)", or doing something different? Will the players be native to the Isle, or recently arrived?
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 0:14:43 GMT -6
Random pulpy weird-tales IoD hex description:
"At the apex of a long and winding rocky trail into the mountains, three lozenge-bodied, tentacled, and multi-eyed beings emerge from the shimmering air enclosed by an annular rock formation. Muffled cries can be heard from the writhing bundle that the strange creatures are carrying."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 0:22:05 GMT -6
Another idea: I1-Dwellers of the Forbidden City (also by David Cook) can be inserted anywhere in the mountainous regions of the island.
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 0:31:46 GMT -6
More hex-splat:
"Towering above the jungle is a murky jade spire, home of the Keeper of the Skulls of Orbuhn. This sorcerer commands a legion of fifty Golden Apes."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 0:43:35 GMT -6
Another idea: Make one of the villages in the SE portion of the map a small ancient Southeast Asian-style city, or Mesoamerican-flavored center of worship. Could make for an interesting base of operations for the players if you wanted to expand the setting into a campaign.
Edit: ...or perhaps a lawless, pirate port-haven.
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Post by makofan on Mar 29, 2017 7:30:32 GMT -6
JN2 - Monkey Isle may have some ideas you can steal. Should be freely available on teh web
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 21:50:06 GMT -6
"The cliffs along the river at this location are home to 2d8 pterodactyl (AC7, HD1). It has been a while since their last meal, so they will savagely attack any party they outnumber traveling through this hex."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 22:03:07 GMT -6
"A recent rainstorm has exposed a gleaming, human-sized, crystal skull in the mud among the roots of a massive kapok tree. While the skull is not obviously magical, it will fetch 1,000 g.p. at market. However, the Keeper of the Skulls of Orbuhn will pay 5,000 g.p. in precious stones for its return (refusal of the offer will be met with hostility)."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 22:10:53 GMT -6
"Along the river bank, a lone native warrior slowly paddles a long canoe made of reptile skins. He is searching for the abode of the Great Toothed One, on whom he has sworn vengeance."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 22:16:12 GMT -6
"At night, dark ape-like figures dance hideously about an inscrutable stone pillar in the center of a clearing. If approached, the figures disappear, leaving only the uneasy stare of the demonic faces of the towering totem."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 22:23:10 GMT -6
"A jungle-choked ruin of unknown architecture rises from the swampy forest floor. When the midday sun touches the top of the structure, the glowing outline of a door is revealed at its base. The door pushes inward ponderously, revealing a dark and damp stairway descending into the earth."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 22:24:42 GMT -6
Sorry, having fun pouring out the random hex contents. Say when.  |
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 22:31:26 GMT -6
A little nod to Morrowind: "The monotonous drone of jungle fauna is broken by the sound of a blood-curdling scream, followed by something crashing through the trees up ahead. Investigation leads to the body of a robed wizard, his body badly mangled as if by a great fall. The mage's backpack contains a scroll with the spells Levitate and Fly."
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Post by foxroe on Mar 29, 2017 22:35:58 GMT -6
It never really occurred to me how great a campaign setting Isle of Dread can be. There's tons of fleshing-out room and plenty of replayability in those 30 or so pages! The 6-mile hexes are perfect.
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Post by scottenkainen on Mar 30, 2017 7:39:12 GMT -6
Another idea: I1-Dwellers of the Forbidden City (also by David Cook) can be inserted anywhere in the mountainous regions of the island. Coincidentally, our very own dtspurrier did the same thing when running the Isle of Dread. I thought the two modules meshed pretty well! |
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Post by kenmeister on Mar 30, 2017 10:00:41 GMT -6
Another idea: I1-Dwellers of the Forbidden City (also by David Cook) can be inserted anywhere in the mountainous regions of the island. Coincidentally, our very own dtspurrier did the same thing when running the Isle of Dread. I thought the two modules meshed pretty well! The classic troika is Isle of Dread + Dwellers of the Forbidden City + Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. I'm told Drums on Fire Mountain can be added as well, but I haven't read that one. I'm pretty sure you can also add in Lost Island of Castanamir. And if you want to go crazy, Bloody Jack's Gold from 3.5. ****************** I personally think Isle of Dread needs more ruins from those badguys in the final encounter. I don't remember what they're called; kopru maybe? Gotta love Lovecraftian baddies! |
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Post by foxroe on Mar 30, 2017 18:26:03 GMT -6
"A damp and seemingly endless cavern descends from the sea shore into utter darkness. After a few miles the cave complex opens into an eerily glowing grotto, the center of which is dominated by a large, stone ziggurat. Atop the pyramid structure is a strange half-lobster, half-human statue." <-- Insert D2 Shrine of the Kuo-Toa here.
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Post by scalydemon on Mar 30, 2017 19:15:12 GMT -6
Thanks for the replies so far. Just to re-iterate this is for a 4 hour one shot at a Con.
Along these same lines, what do people think of the outdoor wilderness adventure rules found in the Expert book? In reality when played on the table they seemed to not really work well for me back in the day. Everyone got lost which may be fine I suppose.
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Post by foxroe on Mar 31, 2017 5:10:23 GMT -6
What? You can't squeeze all of that into a 4-hour con block? I think the Expert rules are pretty simple with respect to wilderness travel (they're pretty much the same as the OD&D Book 3 method). There is the added caveat that if they have a landmark, map, or guide, the party won't get lost. Given that the Isle is fairly diverse in geography and there are plenty of potentially visible landmarks about, I would think that getting lost should be uncommon (DM's call on whether to make the check or not) - might be something to ignore for a con game. Or maybe have a native guide tag along with the party. |
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Post by aldarron on Mar 31, 2017 10:19:30 GMT -6
Foxroe: those are some awesome ideas! This is a workshop type thread, not sure if best to discuss here for fun, or if the Mods have a place to move it(?) Well, there is a workshop section..... <shrug> Anyway I really think you are on to something here. It would be cool if you wrote up a little something when you are done. As for other material you might profitably pilfer.... I'll second the recommendation to have a look at X8 Drums on Fire Mountain In addition to what's been mentioned, this Lost Treasure of Actzimotal A2 which has a decent village map, some illustrations and other stuff that can be almost direct ported into Isle of Dread. On it's own it's not so great - see this review link - but the cooler parts can easily be cut and pasted right in. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2017 11:34:36 GMT -6
What? You can't squeeze all of that into a 4-hour con block? I think the Expert rules are pretty simple with respect to wilderness travel (they're pretty much the same as the OD&D Book 3 method). There is the added caveat that if they have a landmark, map, or guide, the party won't get lost. Given that the Isle is fairly diverse in geography and there are plenty of potentially visible landmarks about, I would think that getting lost should be uncommon (DM's call on whether to make the check or not) - might be something to ignore for a con game. Or maybe have a native guide tag along with the party. is on a roll!!!!  |
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Post by foxroe on Mar 31, 2017 18:35:30 GMT -6
Thanks everyone! Forgive my exuberance. I love creative brainstorming threads like these, and I'm a sucker for those terse hex descriptions. scalydemon, how will you be starting the players off? Just arriving by boat, at one of the villages, astral projection from an ancient aboriginal burial cave? And a slightly off-topic question for anyone (as this doesn't apply to a con-style game), what would be a good "intro" adventure for low-level characters if this were to be developed into a campaign setting? |
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Post by foxroe on Mar 31, 2017 18:40:54 GMT -6
I had an idea pertaining to your vision of a Phanaton-less island. Since you're going with a more simian feel, perhaps just make them more ape-like (think Yazirians from Star Frontiers).
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Post by foxroe on Mar 31, 2017 18:47:40 GMT -6
The Temple of the Frog from Blackmoor (Supplement 2) would make a nice set piece somewhere...
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Post by aldarron on Mar 31, 2017 19:59:12 GMT -6
....And a slightly off-topic question for anyone (as this doesn't apply to a con-style game), what would be a good "intro" adventure for low-level characters if this were to be developed into a campaign setting? The PC's are slaves on a slave galley. Just as the galley nears the island a revolt happens and during the struggle the ship is wrecked and sinks. Only the PC's and maybe a couple NPC's manage to make it onto the island alive.... The Temple of the Frog from Blackmoor (Supplement 2) would make a nice set piece somewhere... Er, well ToTF is a temperate northern locale, in a swamp kinda like Dead Stream Swamp in northern Michigan. LINKY ,but I suppose if you wanted to de-Blackmoorize the thing you could. |
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Post by foxroe on Mar 31, 2017 20:58:42 GMT -6
The PC's are slaves on a slave galley. Just as the galley nears the island a revolt happens and during the struggle the ship is wrecked and sinks. Only the PC's and maybe a couple NPC's manage to make it onto the island alive.... I like it! Sure, it's really just set dressing. The Temple could easily be nestled in a steaming jungle-swamp. Although, it would be interesting for it to be reworked as a ruin, with the descriptions used to flavor what used to be there. Hmm... the more I think about it, it would probably be better off on another island in the Thanegioth chain. |
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Post by foxroe on Mar 31, 2017 21:00:10 GMT -6
Couple of ideas here. I like the encounter timing idea. |
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Post by aldarron on Apr 1, 2017 6:07:30 GMT -6
Sure, it's really just set dressing. The Temple could easily be nestled in a steaming jungle-swamp. Although, it would be interesting for it to be reworked as a ruin, with the descriptions used to flavor what used to be there.... For that case, WoTC's Return to the Temple of the Frog is probably just the ticket - free here LINKY. It has a silly backstory about Steven becoming a vampire and cyborg explosive charges, but that could easily be ignored or transformed into some native lich or something. They also leave out the dungeon, but that could be left virtually unchanged from what is in Supp II. |
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