More Aliens for the Dungeon.

Lizard-Folk in Space

My original idea, going way back, was to have the star ship populated by a consortium of "evil" alien species. Each one of the "fins" on the ship would house a different type of alien, and considering it was going to be a megadungeon, this made sense to have four or five unique starship environments and sets of foes.

I have whittled it down to one ( the Ta'ak) and potentially the wisps, although they are more "tools" of the Ta'ak than a separate species occupying their own wing of the starship bent on galactic domination.

I have been giving more thought to introducing another type of alien, residing deeper in the wreckage and preserved in a self induced state of hybernation or stasis.

Where the Ta'ak are my version of orcs, this particular species would be my "lizard men from space". I like the idea of these creatures becoming active as a result of the actions of the characters (either from restoring power to their portion of the wreckage, or some other means).  There would probably be a small amount of these creatures within the dungeon, but again, I like the idea that they have been in stasis until the characters manage to disrupt them. The look and feel of this section of the dungeon could be considerably different from the tech level that is occupied, or was occupied, by the Ta'ak. Their energy weapons would be more refined than those used by the Ta'ak, and perhaps would use internal power sources, although the number of charges would be limited to reduce the potential disruption of the game world. This would allow for a mix of tech and fantasy in the "ancient dungeon level".

-Aaron

Adding Punch to the Goblin Level

New monster based on Slivriss from "Meckwick's Challenge".

Thinking about the goblin level, it feels a bit bland.  I have goblins with bits of technology and weapons made from scraps of tough starship metal, I have a shaman who is leading them on a doomed quest to get to the base of the dungeon, but I want more for what may be the players first impression of the dungeon.

One monster that I created for Meckwick's Challenge with +Random Wizard  was Slivriss, a sort of other-dimensional insect/snake hybrid. He is still one of my favorites, and I thought that creating a variation of him/ his theme as another challenge the goblins and ultimately the characters will face could  help the level.

The introduction of this creature to the level also gives me the ability to introduce a magic sword I have created much earlier in the story. Due to its snake-like form, the monster can travel through narrow spaces, and go "off map" to different locations to attack the players, making the battle with it span several levels and the duration of the adventure itself.  Encounters will be brief, with the monster retreating whenever it takes damage. My aim is for the players themselves to hate this bastard, and relish the thought of eventually trapping and killing it.

-Aaron

Goblin Level: First thoughts

I have been giving more thought to the NPCs and opponent characters that will populate the adventure.
In particular, I have been thinking about the goblin caves that lie just above the tech level of the dungeon.

Previously, I was thinking that the goblins would be holed up above the town, waiting to mount an offensive to overrun the humans below, all the while being influenced by the strange effect of the mountain itself.  Thinking about it more, I think that the goblins should be indifferent to the humans. One of the features of the dungeon is a sort of pull exerted from the lower levels, which compels occupants to delve ever deeper. Such is the case with the goblins, who aspire to travel to the lowest depths of the dungeon, They have had little success, unable to overrun the cultists and Ta'ak below.

The goblins have been pilfering gear and objects from the tech level, with hopes that they use them against their enemies below.

-Aaron

Populating the Fantasy Setting: NPCs for the town

I have spent a lot of time thinking about, and working on the starship level of the dungeon, but since getting the new Manga brushes from Frenden, I have been thinking more about the look of the adventure. The mining town can provide lots of opportunities for character interaction, provided there are lots of interesting people for them to encounter.

Two groups of concern for the players are the mercenary guards hired by the mining companies. They are a mixed group of hardened bastards that will likely not get along well with adventurers.  The other armed group are the guards affiliated with the church. They are a more organized group, and although they serve in large part as jailers for the church prison mine, they also maintain what little sense of order can be found in the settlement.  The two groups often clash, and the results are usually bloody.

The three NPCs I have sketched are a brothel worker, a street urchin/ magic user and a ranger who is exploring the source of spreading  devastation on the environment in the area.

-Aaron

Frenden-deed!

I picked up another set of Frenden's brushes over the weekend. I have to say I felt like a kid on Christmas as I was installing each of them. Manga Studio only lets you install one at a time as far as I can tell, and  I was so tempted to stop installing them and mess around with the brushes I already added to my tools. With one hundred brushes included in the set, this was went on for a while.

I don't want to fanboy out, but this guy and his brushes are incredible.
I made some quick concept sketches using the one of the concept brushes from the Paint and Wet Media set. If you have Manga Studio, you owe it to yourself to check out Frenden.com. You can pick up the brush sets from $4.99 -$5.99 each, or get the super set with over 200 brushes for $14.99.

The sketches are two goblins, a leaner variant of a Ta'ak, and a brutal NPC guard I am working on.

-Aaron

Boss Monster

The Cultist Leader has ventured deep below the Starship wreckage.

Fleshing out one of the Boss enemies.

Thinking about the NPC and enemy ideas from my previous post, I naturally fleshing one out that wasn't even on my list.  The Cultist leader will have found a universal translator (of sorts), Yeah, the thing I said I wasn't going to include. It only works with written language, and since Ta'ak written language is rudimentary,symbolic, and instinctive (thanks for that idea "We're Alive" podcast!) the translator works rather well.  Using it, he has uncovered many secrets, and understands that the bomb will not function in its current state. It needs a replacement energy source, and as fate would have it there seems to be one in the primitive environment of the fantasy setting.

Adding NPCs and Monsters to the Dungeon

Ceci n'est pas une elfe

I have a rough idea of the town, the church, and the dungeon, but to flesh any of these elements out further, I will need to think about the people and things the characters will likely interact with.  The picture above features one of the NPCs I have created for the "spaceship level" of the dungeon. A lone survivor of the crash, preserved in green gel (or what passes for green in greyscale).

Mapping the Star Ship Dungeon Levels

3D Model of the "Destroyer" star craft I made several years ago.

I need to map the star ship interior. I made a generic fantasy dungeon map at first, and it did not resemble a space ship in any way.  I found my old model of the Ta'ak destroyer ship and figured it makes sense to base the map on the thing I am supposed to be mapping.

Alien Technology for the Medieval Mind

This is a Fantasy Adventure, I swear!

I'm a little ahead in the process of creating the adventure than I have had time to blog about.  This is an example of the layout and some of the art I have already created.

This is a two page spread that I have worked out for one of the locations (rooms) in the "tech" level of the dungeon. The Mysterious chamber serves as a "virtual reality" training simulator and indoctrinates the characters in the use of alien weapons and technology through what is essentially a "small science fiction adventure module" with the adventure itself.

Adventure Hooks

I now have a rudimentary setting for the characters to explore. I don't foresee it growing large enough to support full sandbox style play, but it is working for me.  I need to find ways for a GM to nudge the players towards the dungeon that is a little more fleshed out than a rumor table.

This is where my hooks will come in. Hooks can work just like railroading, in that instead of ram-rodding your players on a liner path, you drag them through it. I haven't encountered anyone advocating "on rails" roleplaying, so my hooks will have to be somewhat subtle.  I suppose I can provide  a few ranging from dragging the players towards the dungeon to "what, the mountain? Nah, its the woods to the east you have to worry about."

Sand-Road? Rail-Box? Trying to find a happy medium

That didn't work so well...

Looking at the story outline from the beginning, I can see the railroad tracks. The players are given a specific reason for entering the mountain lair of the cultists, and then proceed to work their way through the toxic environment for reason x.

Of course I do want the players to get into the mountain, and I am not exactly dropping them in by way of giant eagle, but I need to flesh out some alternatives.

Orcs with blasters no more.

Concept sketch of a Ta'ak warrior.

My original concept for the menacing alien humanoids was simply
"orcs in space". I derived the name "Ta'ak" from the monster
Untaak who was featured in one of the One Page Dungeon
Contest entries that +Random Wizard  and I submitted.

Downsizing: From Megadungeon to Kilodungeon

And in the first post there was a cover shot.

I am currently creating an "old school" fantasy adventure, and will use this blog to capture as much of the creation process as possible. I hope to include elements of the story as they are further refined as well as some "concept sketches" and finished art. I was (am) inspired by Jason Brubaker's Remind blog where he does a similar thing but on a much grander scale. If you are at all interested in what goes into creating a graphic novel, then you should click those "grayed out" words in the previous sentence!