Welcome To My Process (part 5)

New here?  This is where you begin.

Before I forget, the blog has a new heading.  Jon Mollison did the last one based on The Outer Presence, and he created this one for Cha'alt.  Let's give him a round of applause.  Yes, slap those slimy tentacles together in appreciation.  Huzzah!

Ok, everything is taking shape and we're close to the "finished" stage.  Once the writing's done, I'll start handing things off to professionals who can take the rather rough material and make it look awesome.

Specifically, I'll need to find one or more artists.  The cover image is key, but this could do with a couple additional pieces of interior art, as well.

As I mentioned before, the map should be re-imagined by someone who draws maps every day and is head and shoulders beyond my passable skills.  So, find a suitable cartographer.

What else?  Oh yeah, layout.  I don't do my own layout.  That, too, gets farmed out to someone who'll do a great job.  Obviously, if you're creating an adventure for home use, you don't have to do any of this.  And if you're just starting out or really want it to be a DIY project, feel free to go it alone.  That's up to you.

As I reach out to those individuals, I will refine what we already have, embellishing the good, pruning the bad, and turning what's ugly into beauty.  Basically, it only needs a bit of TLC from this point until we're ready for the tedious but necessary writing-it-all-out phase.

Let's work on that random table for those touching the green slime dripping down the curving crimson-brown walls.

1. It stings a bit, but nothing serious.
2. You get a nasty chemical burn (take 1d3 points of damage).
3. Whatever touched the slime and the surrounding flesh pulses with an eldritch green glow (save or die in the next 10 minutes).
4. You're mutated into a screeching, hot-to-the-touch, green and hairy primordial man-wolf [props if you get that reference].
5. You get a psionic ability.
6. The flesh that touched the slime is forever stained with Old One ichor - the next time you're knocked unconscious, a ghastly visitation of horrors beyond time and space take you on a little tour of your own past, present, and future.  Each stop contains gratuitous and unwanted groping by one or more tentacles. 

I might change things later, but that's a good start.  Want my generic advice on creating a random table with various effects?  Here we go...

• One result where nothing much happens.
• One result where something bad (minor) happens.
• One result where something bad (major) happens.
• One result where something weird happens that could be either beneficial or detrimental.
• One result that's clearly a benefit.
• One result that's just plain weird.

Ok, what now... the dimensional toxic waste?

I'm thinking a pile of sludge on the floor that's a melange of strange, constantly changing colors.  Touching it won't do anything, but lengthy handling of the waste will transport one to another dimension... maybe through time, as well.

Now, onto Queen Tresillda's personal magic item!

What about an anklet of youth?  Wearing it makes one look and feel like they're 25 years old.  I may decide to give her another one, something with offensive power... or possibly her sorcerer Xa'algex.

Last but not least, there should be some kind of twist or revelation at the end.  Something to make the adventure pop, taking it to the next level... 

What if the PCs eventually (either before the Queen is killed or just after) learn that Queen Tresillda was right all along?  The priesthood disavowed and banished her because of their idiotic hypocrisy and cowardice, and the Queen's revenge was not only justified but thoroughly righteous.  Perhaps the PCs would even be willing to help her, or finish her task if they killed her off before realizing the truth?

Now, that we have a strong foundation, we write it out, revising little details as we go, making improvements.  That's how adventures get finished.  Before too long, you just have to get in there and get to it.  Remember to feel the flow, ride the snake, and make it awesome!

Good luck,

VS

Welcome To My Process (part 3)

Ok, based on the title alone... this dungeon should focus on the queen and her slimy green concubines.

Hello.  Confused?  Start here.

FYI, I'm about to go off on a tangent.  At any point, we should feel ok about abandoning a certain aspect of our project if it moves us towards the end goal.  And what's that pray-tell? 

When this is all said and done, we going to have a finished dungeon that excites us to run, and will be fun to play.

So, if during the middle of this project, I decide to change the adventure's title to Mauve Something Or Other, that's ok.  If I feel the need to make it an 8 or 10-room dungeon, that's also fine.  However, I'm going to try my best not to alter what I've already come up with.  If I have to work a little harder to make ideas cohesive, so be it.

Alright, where were we?  Ah yes, the queen and her concubines!

What's the queen's name?  How about Tresillda until I come up with something better?  What's she the queen of?  Probably just this little dungeon inside a Great Old One.  Although, she could have been queen of some other place, too, before she was banished.  Banished?  Yes, banished.

Banished along with her concubines that are perpetually bathed in green slime because... it's sexy to those who both A) worship the Old Ones, and B) are quite mad.

Maybe the slime does other stuff, too.  Perhaps it's zoth or some kind of zoth / green slime hybrid that's transforming the concubines into... creatures?  No.  A gestalt entity that could be a conduit or lifeline for the Great Old One Tsuma'al, in order to reawaken it so Queen Tresillda can extend her rule to various realms, such as Cha'alt?  Yes, perhaps...

Why is Queen Tresillda splattered with blood?  Is she just some kind of sadist, are people trying to kill her, both?  I'm thinking some freaky Hellraiser shit, but don't have anything pinned down yet.  Let's keep that on the back-burner. 

PRO TIP: Sometimes when I'm trying to get a handle on who an NPC is, I use a familiar character or combination of characters to help visualize what that new NPC is all about.  

In this case, I'm going with "the mad queen" Daenerys after she snapped.  Queen Tresillda's thoughts are consumed with revenge against... uh, the priests who exiled her to the dead husk of Tsuma'al.  Maybe they were her own priests?  She's some kind of High Priestess with royal blood (also blood-splattered high priestess is too much of a mouthful).  They turned against her once the priesthood realized she was power mad in a narcissistic and destructive way... and maybe her brother's a more legitimate heir and beat her to the throne while she was off torturing and killing infidels in the wasteland.

When the PCs arrive, what's going on?  What's about to happen that makes interfering or intervening fun, exciting, or at least interesting and entertaining for the players and their characters?

• The Queen has just acquired the missing ingredient to shape her concubines into that aforementioned entity.
• It's some kind of artifact or relic (a reason for the PCs to venture into the dungeon) of great power... manifested by the Queen's sorcerer Xa'algex.
• Some dude (is he an alien priest; another species who worships a foreign god?) was brought back along with the magic item.  The PCs can overhear him and the Queen discussing the whole thing.
• Before she can use it, the PCs are able to interrupt her.
• If the PCs fail, she will awaken Tsuma'al and wreak havoc on countless worlds.

Ok, there's lots that I'm still missing; half the puzzle pieces are still scattered before me, waiting to be fit into place.  That's perfectly fine, normal even.  Who has a finished draft of an adventure sitting inside their head, ready to spill out?  

Not me.  Steps must be taken.  These are the steps.  Incremental progress!

VS

p.s.  Happy Father's Day!