Overland Questing and Kellar's Keep

[Big Bene]

Nicely done.
I would put some more work into the skull at the top right. The "relief" doesn't fit the style of the rest of the map, looks too smooth and too flat.

[knightkrawler]

I photoshopped it there

Oh, Andreas, du Guter!

[Anderas]

Nicely done.
I would put some more work into the skull at the top right. The "relief" doesn't fit the style of the rest of the map, looks too smooth and too flat.

You're right.
So i took my lunchtime and photoshopped it again.
There are two versions now: Everybody can decide themselves how many hints they want to give their players by using a part from the one map or from the other map.

Click for big, as always. The original has 400px per inch, that should suffice for any professional printer.

First one, re-shopped hints:


Second one, the same, without hints:

[Big Bene]

Great!

Now do a 3-dimensional version

[Daedalus]

. . . So i propose to use 1, 2, 3, 9 as entry points to 4, 5, 6, 7 and make logically connected pairs of them:
1- The Great Gate leads to 6 - The great Citadel.
2 - The Warrior Halls leads to 4 - The Dwarven Forge
3 - The Spiral Passage leads to 5 - Hall of the Dwarven Kings.
9 - The East Gate will contain two things: A piece of Grin's Stone Map and hints plus a door to 7 - the Eastern Passage, which turns out to be blocked.

So finally the heroes enter
8 - Belorn's Mine as another entry to 10 - Grin's Crag.

So that makes five game evenings with two quests each, and an story-based acceptable opportunity to buy equipment between the quest pairs.
I also propose to make a finer resolution stone map so that it actually becomes useful - perhaps on the quest map there could be some more rooms, but filled with deadly traps, so that it finally becomes useful to read the map and avoid those rooms.

Side quest opportunities:
-[proposals]

Let me read your thoughts about it!

I'd say be sure to differentiate the entry points, either with the spiral stair tile or a mention in the Parchment Text. Also, a side Quest to exit the mines could be required to reach one of the entry points.

I always remembered the East Gate as a particularly uninspired roll-fest to get every Hero through the magic door at the end. Maybe this post will help provide some ideas, including another use for the map.

[Anderas]

Thanks for those proposals!
A side quest to exit the mines? You mean, i prepare a quest that the heroes can play any time to exit the mines?

Sounds good!

For the east gate, i am fully your opinion. Too many monsters, too less inspiration, too much standard, not enough specials.
I just read your proposals - i guess i will even go a step further, but they are definitely a good start!

[Spookyhappyfun]

This is really cool, stuff. Especially the new map with hints. Thanks! I think I'm gonna be using some of this.

[mikemacdee]

Necrobump! I put together some new story text and whatnot based on the OP. I always found the story for this quest pack to be pretty weak and even confusing.

--

INTRODUCTION
If it hadn’t been for the riot, you would never have escaped the slave camp, nor taken the slave master hostage in the process. In exchange for his life, he allowed you to take all of his belongings, including a box of mostly useless letters.

Only one letter caught your attention: a correspondence from a friend named Grin. It mentioned a rendezvous in the city of Thale, near the World’s Edge Mountains. Grin was eager to discuss his discoveries about the “vaults of Kellar’s Keep.”

Lost on the other side of the world and forced to start your life over, you found the word “vaults” enticing. It suggested money. Hoards of it. So you used the last of your gold to charter a ship, and set course for Thale.

Grin was not pleased to meet unfamiliar faces in the Thale tavern, but a company of former adventurers was just what he needed. Grin was a dwarf, descendant of the dwarves who once lorded over the now decrepit Halls of Belorn, a vast sprawl of subterranean cities and tunnels beneath the mountains. On the far east side of the mountains was Kellar’s Keep, the stronghold of Grin’s ancestors, where untold riches supposedly sat waiting to be claimed.

Many had sought the treasures of Kellar’s Keep, but none had returned. All had fallen victim to the perils of Grin’s Crag -- the only way in or out of Kellar’s Keep, a gauntlet constructed by Grin’s ancestors.

But Grin was not deterred by legends of ancient peril. He had discovered hieroglyphs in the Halls of Belorn, at the cost of the lives of many friends. His ancestors had constructed a stone map safely navigating Grin’s Crag, which was broken into four pieces and hidden throughout the ancient Halls. Grin discovered the location of each piece, but exhausted his resources acquiring these priceless clues.

After much bartering and many ales, you came to an agreement: to brave the perils of the Halls of Belorn, reassemble Grin’s Map, and lead the way to Kellar’s Keep. In exchange, Grin promised a bountiful share in the treasure of his ancestors -- more wealth that you could ever imagine...if the treasure indeed exists...

--

THE HALLS OF BELORN
The heroes can quest for the map fragments in any order, but can only enter Grin’s Crag (Q10) once they have assembled the map. Each area consists of two consecutive quests which cannot be interrupted by visits to the armory.

The Great Citadel (Q1 & Q6). This once magnificent citadel is now the headquarters of a monstrous legion led by the terrible warlord Gragor. He may have already discovered the map fragment hidden here, though whether he understands its value is anyone’s guess.

The Dwarven Forge (Q2 & Q4). An ancient forge where many legendary treasures were created. It hides the second map fragment, but the forge lies on the other side of the Warrior Halls, the proving grounds for countless dwarves of legend.

Hall of the Dwarven Kings (Q3 & Q5). At the end of a deadly spiral passage is the resting place of King Belorn and his descendants. Here the third map fragment has been buried with these bygone heroes, whose valor is formidable even after death.

The East Gate (Q7 & Q9). This gate once guarded against intruders who would dare enter the mountains from the eastern shores. The final map fragment lies here, between two insurmountable perils. On one side, the orc warlord Ogrok and his marauders, hiding from the Emperor’s noose. On the other, the guardian of the East Gate itself, a beast so terrible no one can describe it.

Grin’s Crag (Q10). Only with the reassembled map can the heroes brave this treacherous gauntlet and enter the vaults of Kellar’s Keep. All others who approached these vaults became tragic legends of foolhardiness.

OTHER NOTES
Change the flavor of the monsters on occasion to spice things up. I plan to have some quests feature henchmen in place of the greenskin monsters (such as the war party, or the enemies in the forge) to suggest other groups of mercs or adventurers also seeking the treasure.
Move the shapeshifter of Quest 9 to the center room to serve as the dungeon "boss" rather than a chance encounter. Maybe the door to the exit has the same puzzle as the trick door in Quest 7.

[Showdown35]

So happy I looked here! My current group is about to start KK, and I wanted a way to spice up the monotony of grinding through the keep, and offer a choice of direction. This is perfect! Exactly what I was planning, and now it's all nicely played out so I can skip that step! Thank you so much for this.

Also, I am adding a puzzle to the final quest. The map will have 4 rooms marked I, II, III, and IV on Grin's map, and each of those rooms will reveal a lever when searched. So the heroes will have to pull the levers in the correct order to open a secret door that will contain an artifact they need to defeat the Guardian! Should make the map a little more valuable and worth the 8 quests to acquire it!

[Weltenlaeufer]

And another excellent thread just discovered! You guys are awesome!