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Post by AtlanteanAscendant on Dec 25, 2003 11:51:51 GMT -5
for those whove read or purchased a good deal of DnD adventures, ever notice how the sheer majority are little more than wilderness based adventures or randomly generated dungeon crawls?
simply put, those who play in my 3.5 game noticed this trend and are a tad sick of wandering into dungeons of late, so if anyone knows where i can lay hands on some city adventures for a large DnD city for characters of a low to mid level i would appreciate it.
much obliged folks.
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Post by Hussar on Dec 25, 2003 21:41:51 GMT -5
As far as I know, there aren't a whole lot of modules for adventuring in cities. What there are however, are quite a number of sitting settings that you can use as a backdrop for your own adventures. Here's a short list out of my head:
Stormhaven, Mongoose Press
City of Mithril, Sword and Sorcery
Hedrada, Sword and Sorcery
Maybe someone can add to the list. I know that those city settings do come with a large number of hooks.
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Post by ShonenSenshiDave on Dec 28, 2003 11:36:23 GMT -5
I would be more than happy to provide some "hooks" that I've used/plan on using:
a. My OA 3.0 adventure just had the characters recover an important suit of armour and daisho. It was mostly dungeon stuff, but it certainly can provide some interesting dilemmas both before the PCs go off to find it and after the PCs have found it; I cannot wait to see what happens when they waltz back into the city and try to explain why they have this stuff, as well as the ramifications of their success, which will be played out in later adventures.
b. One of my online games involves a kidnapping ring. Each PC had a little bit of info, and they all had to put it together. It's not a lot of combat, but it involves a lot of roleplay. Until you find the "mastermind", of course, then all hell will break loose, lol.
The great thing about both is that they can play on after the quest/mission is completed... who stole the items/kidnapped the Mayor's brat. Why? And who do they answer to? The great thing is that the PCs never know if something that happens later is totally random or related to something they accomplished in the past.
c. There's always the straightforward "capture the villian". And the 3.0 Masters of the Wild Handbook has some great ideas on how to incorporate the Ranger into a city campaign... for example:
Swich out Animal Empathy and Knowledge (Nature) for Gather Information and Knowledge (local).
Switch the Track Feat for Shadow Feat. Shadow: you have a better chance of following trailing someone unnoticed. Benefit: +2 on Hide and Spot checks. Also, Hide can be used to track/follow someone...
Create an organization for the Ranger to take as a favored enemy instead of the standard favored enemies.
Switch some Ranger spells for Bard spells: detect snares and pits for detect detect secret doors, speak with animals becomes message, speak with plants for detect thoughts, plant growth for phantom steed, and tree stride for dimension door.
These are all suggestions from the book.
Obviously certain classes work better for an urban campaign than others. Barbarians, Druids, Rangers (without the above urban modifications) will probably be out of place in a large city, and a monk, although not out of it because of abilities, may be out of place culturally (although the Diplomacy skill should help). Obvioulsy Bards, Fighters, Clerics, and Rogues would prosper in a city; Wizards would do well in a city with a high mage population or Wizardry School, although Soreror prolly wouldn't get along with the schools, since they share a number of traits with the bard, they wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
Also keep in mind that demi-humans would prolly be at a disadvantage unless the city has a peaceful and large demi-human population. For example, a city plagued by constant orc attacks probably wouldn't welcome a half-orc PC with open arms.
Watch shows like CSI, Law and Order, etc. Although the focus of these shows is always the same, they can help with interesting city hooks. I also drew a lot of inspiration from the Book of Vile Darkness; I find that a lot of the material covered in that book is more applicable to city life than the wild...
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Post by Nikolai Plogojowitz on Jul 30, 2004 15:23:23 GMT -5
I would go with the book of Vile Darkness and the urban adventure section in the 3.0 DM book. There you go, you have an adventure where the PCs must venture into a city of thieves, or must rescue a kidnapped merchant who is being held in the near abbandonned section of the city, held by an evil cult.
Or perhaps, the escort a caravan of merchants to a MASSIVE zartan-like floating island with cuthroat port cities and feral villages, ruled over by a ruthless Vampire and his mercenary army of orcs and human constables who police the island.
The plot ideas are endless, jsut ask me for some and ill come up with something, but the hard part is getting the crowded mood of the cities for the PCs to adventure in.
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