Dungeon suggestions - making the challenge more exciting

[Arael]

I find hard to read lore book and such during a party dungeon... they don't give you time to read it. Is it possible to copy a book in a blank paper and read it later?

Returning IT, as said:

-more random, you already know where they can spawn and such.
-more magic dispel, wards makes huge difference but this will really make things harder.
-more unique monsters, they can be felt to be the "boss" of a dungeon.

[Telkar]

I find hard to read lore book and such during a party dungeon... they don't give you time to read it. Is it possible to copy a book in a blank paper and read it later?

Would be nice to be able to do that. Could be scripted! Otherwise, I've used screenshots.

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

A lot of great stuff coming already, but when I say specific, I mean the very concrete stuff mainly - like the end corridors of (some dungeon) could do with more traps, or some ambush points (at some room) would really make this dungeon come alive - and conversely, all the creatures spawning in (some particular spot) is making it more trivial than exciting, etc. etc.

[dutchy]

A lot of great stuff coming already, but when I say specific, I mean the very concrete stuff mainly - like the end corridors of (some dungeon) could do with more traps, or some ambush points (at some room) would really make this dungeon come alive - and conversely, all the creatures spawning in (some particular spot) is making it more trivial than exciting, etc. etc.

will try but will be a slow process  atm i got a lowbie im lvling up, so if i come across dungeons at that lvl that i think hmmm needs a bit of paint here some art deco there i'l write it down pass it along.

[dutchy]

like this??? or you wish more info or something?  don't mind writing these up as i pass areas and such, seems the team is open for suggestions

Barovia-Southern-forest-east----
theres a small outpost like ruin ontop of a hillside, it could use a little spice either some yellow text or some stuff laying around that you have to use a shovel for and dig something up then use lore or something along those lines.

Barovia-southern-forest-east-underground caverns---
how about something that would block a road? like a cave in at random as it doesn't always happen, and blocks fall down like the terg ruins that you have to cut trough?

Barovia-Vallaki-Southern forest-river luna south-ruined outpost---
 inside and outside  LORE, maybe even add a lever to something that would require a str check or something of the sorts.

[Apocrypha]

"Bosses" are very exciting I think, the Khan of the Invidians and the Hags, Jezra, being higher level examples and lower level examples being Magravelle in the Orphanage, Gilos in the Monastary.

All are great fun to take on with a party of the appropriate level, so if I could suggest one thing it'd be more types of bosses.

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

A lot of great stuff coming already, but when I say specific, I mean the very concrete stuff mainly - like the end corridors of (some dungeon) could do with more traps, or some ambush points (at some room) would really make this dungeon come alive - and conversely, all the creatures spawning in (some particular spot) is making it more trivial than exciting, etc. etc.

will try but will be a slow process  atm i got a lowbie im lvling up, so if i come across dungeons at that lvl that i think hmmm needs a bit of paint here some art deco there i'l write it down pass it along.

No rush here, I'm hoping to keep this topic for a long time... well, perhaps even permanently.

like this??? or you wish more info or something?  don't mind writing these up as i pass areas and such, seems the team is open for suggestions

Barovia-Southern-forest-east----
theres a small outpost like ruin ontop of a hillside, it could use a little spice either some yellow text or some stuff laying around that you have to use a shovel for and dig something up then use lore or something along those lines.

Barovia-southern-forest-east-underground caverns---
how about something that would block a road? like a cave in at random as it doesn't always happen, and blocks fall down like the terg ruins that you have to cut trough?

Barovia-Vallaki-Southern forest-river luna south-ruined outpost---
 inside and outside  LORE, maybe even add a lever to something that would require a str check or something of the sorts.

Yeah, that's exactly the stuff I was hoping for, more of that please!

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

Oh, another concrete thing is making suggestions of revising the spawn setup in a dungeon. Like if a dungeon could need the addition of flesh golems, sneaking things etc. Every dungeon shouldn't feature everything (or it would just be more trivial), but if you got suggestions for adding a certain type of creature in a place that would make the dungeon a lot more interesting, that would be much welcomed.

Or things like an effect you feel could enhance a dungeon, like a dizzying stench, pools of acid, etc.

[Mayvind]

Suggest adding aboleths again for greater acid varnish as to where some place wet down in the sewer perhaps

[monsinyana]

In one of the Har'akir tomb hallways - lined on either side with guardian statues.

PCs must go through on search mode (Move silently checks) if they fail they spring to life (like the second level of the outskirt morning lord temple)





Here is something VERY scary from the Zombie survival mod.
getting from one place to another can be very harrowing. the creatures (in that case zombies) are very hard to kill, do massive damage and dont really give XP so often time everyone has to work as a team to lure them to make enough space just to run through. hits cause con checks or you get diseased and cant run.

you can clear an area for a short while.
how it works is -
say each area spawns 10 (or 20) monsters
every time you kill one, another spawns on the other side of the board. the only way to actually 'clear' it for a while is to build a barricade on the spawners (holes in the ground, doorways, etc. etc.) or to lead them into a room and shut the door (they may open it eventually)

you collect resources (in this case crafting 'points') and can build a barricade. how good you roll determines its quality and depends how long it lasts
on barricades on doorways wandering monsters might eventually smash them.

using a barricade on an open doorway spawns the boards. using one on a hole spawns a trapdoor model that doesnt open

you could also lay down the spiked barricades


another game (i forget the name) had the premise where every 20 minutes the server reset and you had ever increasing (power) forces attacking you and you had to keep them out. you could also drop barricades in that as well


so those general ideas- can make most existing dungeons dynamic if you cant kill some or all of the monsters- where maybe you have to lay down a barricade to block them for a short amount of time allowing you to get in and out.



the invidian terracotta dungeon seems like a great place where you would need to hold off the dead long enough for others to get in and raid it and you all escape.

the haunted forest (the one near midway) would be another scary place if things just kept coming  

the ant or beetle hive

the wererats in the village

the werewolves den near the fishing lodge

ever increasingly tough scrags with greater and greater size and regen and damage with thier hits.. so eventually you just have to retreat


maybe instead of each creature giving xp- you get a bulk award (25 -50 etc) at the end as you exit depending on how many waves you fought off/ through



anything that promotes a helpless feeling that we really arent making a difference against the forces of the night and our 'reward' is we survive to see another sunrise im in favor of.



so could also be where youre in an interior and there are doors and windows and holes and you have to barricade them because the monsters are trying to get in. and it just gets tougher and tougher until sunrise

[Tyras]

I would like to see the Terg Ruins changed.  Vampires are the alpha creature in the much of Europe's horror folklore.  The vampire spawns in the Terg ruins are nothing to be feared once one achieves the apropriate level for the place.

Changes I would like to see:

-More use of vampiric abilities such as level drain and dominate person.

-Vampires and spawns should have a better grasp of their class abilities.  Why would a vampire turn a mundane fighter, rogue or caster rather than just kill them?  Those that they do turn should be exceptional.  Fighters should make use of more special attacks, and perhaps be given some weapon master levels.  Rogues should be more stealthy and rather than just stand there and shoot at you until you run up and smack them around they should seek to keep some range from their target and run away to hide again (similar to how wounded deep forest wolves do) to regenerate if they are damaged.  Sorcerers seem pretty good, except they should also seek to keep range in between them and their enemies, and should likely make use of imp invisibility and DR spells.

-Vampires not found in a sarcophagus should be in the company of other creatures unless thematically it doesn't make sense like a vampire might not have a bunch of other vampires or creatures around them if they spawn in a room made to be a study or something (such as Lyssa's room).  Vampires spawning in the open should have other creatures with them.  Either undead, or living thrall minions or other vampires.  A mix of ranged and melee vampires in a group would be good.

-Bone golems need to be buffed.  They drop a decently high level alchemist reagent, but are plain easy to kill.  The reward versus risk is too good.

-The area past Lyssa's underground tower and closer to the wierd negative energy basement could use some more of the negative energy mists, those really add to the atmosphere there and make players use more in the way of tactics in choosing where they fight.  Some lore there to expalin what the basement is would be cool too.

Overall I think the entire dungeon should be oriented to a higher level range.  The whole Strahd / Lyssa story is cool and it would be nice if more of the Von Zarovich family was feared than just Strahd and Talena (it would also be cool if Talena's place was made available, but alas it's on the Gundar river, so not part of the server)

[Lucadia]

Bone golems need to be buffed.

They require a +2 weapon to strike for melee.

Overall I think the entire dungeon should be oriented to a higher level range.

Terg ruins was rebalanced less then a year ago to accommodate the lower level party range that should be going there for a Barovia  area and encourage higher levels to not farm it/move out of Barovia.. Previously it was still a good place for up to 15. Those elite shadow dancer monks was such a pain

[Ellana Twiggy]

why change terg as far as how it is on the main level? There is a blocked stair way there which could lead to a potentially more dangerous and deeper section of terg that might allot the elites and what not. Add to it, there is the space as far as door ways, and I am sure a nice little rp clearing of the  stairs would open up a host of opportunities for in game progression as well as dungeon addition.

[Tyras]

They require a +2 weapon to strike for melee.

Even so they die very quickly, and when I was in there around lvl 8 I was in there frequently and never really saw them as a threat.  Maybe more HP, or offensive power.

Terg ruins was rebalanced less then a year ago to accommodate the lower level party range that should be going there for a Barovia  area and encourage higher levels to not farm it/move out of Barovia.. Previously it was still a good place for up to 15. Those elite shadow dancer monks was such a pain.

That bums me out.  Lyssa Von Zarovich is not a pushover and her base of operations, where she seeks to cause trouble for her Great Uncle Strahd, should not be a place that characters seek to venture without a large measure of trepidation.  Vampires on a whole should be more fearsome creatures.  Nerfing the dungeon for the sake of trying to encourage higher level players to move to other areas is disappointing to me.  It's ok to have places where more powerful people go in the proximity of lower level areas as long as the nasties within, stay in.  As far as higher levels being around Vallaki or encouraged to move elsewhere, the martial law and crackdown on outlanders (not complaining about that.  I love the situation there and the RP it creates) that drove most established characters away didn't improve the situation in the Outskirts and people have even complained about the place being dead now.  It just changed the hangout for a bunch of people and now the Mist camp is full of crossed armed characters leaning on stuff the same way they did in the outskirts before the current situation.

[Dread]

Good, the Vistani can have those arm-crossing hood-wearing ne'er-do-wells.

In all seriousness, though, I like the change to the Terg ruins made recently, mostly in that you have a balanced party of vampires generally in place (fighters and rogues doing the heavy-hitting, with vampire sorceresses doing negative energy burst for healing), and there's not an 'I WIN' button that the monsters have that can wipe out a whole party of players (looking at YOU, Evard's). If you want a challenge, there are still plenty of places nearby that offer a challenge (Elketh's tower nearby, for one).

I have some thoughts on how to spice up a couple of dungeons:

Anthill next to VoB: This is a popular dungeon, because of its XP output. Not saying that the XP the dungeon's monsters give should be interfered with (that would just make people not frequent the dungeon at all), but what about the possibility of the halflings in the burrow nearby having laid traps at the mouth at the mouth of the anthill (talking around the transition outside, and just inside the first chamber) to keep the ants from overwhelming them the second they step outside? That way rogues receive some utility. Also, maybe give the queen some spell-like abilities to rain down upon people fighting their way into the chamber? Acid fog, for instance, just as a thought. (The soldier ants do acid damage with their bites).

Fiery canyon in Hazlan before Itu Skoven: Fire traps. I don't know if this is possible, but EfU had these neat little traps where you had to time your movements just right to run through or take damage; like steam vents that fired off from time to time and would scald you if you passed through them. That's the sort of stuff I'd like to see more of, and I believe there's an opportunity for something like that here. Something like a wall of fire spell popping up at certain times?

[Avatar6666]

In blaustin I would really like to see more dungeon's, maybe an underwater dungeon with dead pirates and sharks and things. I think that would be very cool indead. Something dealing with maybe davey jones locker having a secret door or hidden door down to the dungeon would be neat. Also Like to see a Hidden cove in a cave only accessable by a boat, so you could have boat fighting each other and pirates and party members fighting back and forth from the boat.

[Tyras]

I guess the issue I have is that the Vampire dungeon got nerfed instead of some other place.  Just personal opinion that Vampires should be the most challenging thing in Barovia.

[Avatar6666]

I guess the issue I have is that the Vampire dungeon got nerfed instead of some other place.  Just personal opinion that Vampires should be the most challenging thing in Barovia.

I think it should go demons\devils and then vampires...and so on...I agree that vampires should be tuff to be honest. I would like to see some vampires in a dungeon where you have to track the mist back to the coffin in the dungeon and kill it there with a stake. Not sure how feasible that is but I think it would be cool. If you did not track them down they should show back up when fighting the boss of the dungeon, maybe in the tower....now that would cool!!

[APorg]

I think the Village Well dungeon is one that badly needs a revamp. As it stands it's not really rewarding for the XP it gives, it's long and boring, and you can't exit it without either completing it or logging out...

[swbf2lord]

I think the Village Well dungeon is one that badly needs a revamp. As it stands it's not really rewarding for the XP it gives, it's long and boring, and you can't exit it without either completing it or logging out...

I'd agree with that. Though, the crypts in the Village might do with a bit more spice themselves, both under the temple, and behind it.

[dutchy]

places like the obandoned inn or observetory near the troll in barovia.
now thats a great example of the real feel of a house or area  in the middle of nowhere, it is excellent done with the info the looks etc.

a proper place that reflects the server thus a good example for other places.

[Old Nights Caress]

I don't recall the area names exactly, but I know of two areas with dread treants in the mod (one in hazlan, the other in Barovia near the abandoned inn)

Add to the OnDeath scripts a chance for the treant to splinter into 3-6 twigblights of varied strength/ability.   



Ogre Lair on the road to the Village -

Include a chance for an Ogre Ranger to spawn, give him a strong companion or simply have him spawn in with a bear or dire wolf at his side somewhere a bit off the main road.




Spider Caves -

The ambush spawns are a nice touch, but they become overly predictable.  I'd say give them a few waypoints to potentially spawn at, perhaps even surrounding the players on all sides.  Perhaps even having them spray a barrier of webs to prevent a PC's escape(bashable obviously)

For some of the cocoons add a chance of spawning a small spider, but have it spawn and immediately attack with an instant True Strike spell, your bound to have trouble avoiding getting bit by a spider when your elbow deep in their webs.

[Lucadia]

Barovia Village Well:

Add in additional escape routes such as click able ropes, maybe one per map for those that get stuck with the puzzles and searching. Maybe add in a few more ropes that are trapped .

The well seems to be missing lots of rp flavor text as well. Theres no emotes. A few book cases where you can "look" at a book and it offers a bit of story, if you can find them.

[monsinyana]

Port:
Something along the road. Good place for a hidden adventure

Blaustein:
Something else. There is only one adventure there.

Kroftburg:
Outback around the orchid
A lot of us love the design of this place. Its a good place for some low level adventures. it would be nice to draw more people out here. it is a much more gothic-looking setting as well.


Instead of designing a whole area it would be neat if new dungeons added were in different areas accessable by the Vistani like an undead magical adventure in Darkon or Wolfware adventure in Kartakass

This is my own personal opinion but the swamp by the village - you could switch out the moormen for goblyns and add some Forlorn plants/ brewing and make it a Vistani destination to forlorn instead.
or for some more setting spice- have the way to get there and back be a Druid guide instead of a vistani. the way to get there could be south of vallaki.
just my opinion. there is past precedence for re-purposing dungeons on the server like when all the infernal stuff was reloacated to Perfidus

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

Updated the OP.