This is a map of the hedge maze from the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Somebody ought to make this into an encounter area. Let's crowdsource this bad boy: what should be within the hedge maze? GO!
1: range of wandering flail snail with yellow mold encrusting shell. Each dead end has a 1 in 4 chance of holding a dead adventurer level 2-7 with appropriate loot.
2: 1D6 giant ants and 1D6 lepanthropes fighting a surface skirmish. Each turn of movement or round of combat carries a 1 in 6 chance of collapse per human-sized individual, into tunnels of either 1) the ants' nest, 2) the lepanthropes' warren or 3) territory currently disputed. Each dead end holds an entrance.
I think Gygax's game has deep roots in the landscape of the American continent and was as much influenced by John Ford as JRR Tolkien and taverns in published D&D modules always struck me as saloons.
In Europe the typical adventurer (of course there would be derelict mercenary too) with sufficient means to equip and arm themselves would have been low knights and their retainers and they would seek sanctuary, when far travelled, in castles and their alcoholic recuperation would have taken place in more intimate surroundings.
So Fritz Leiber and Vance's drinking dens to my eyes are saloons in those kinds of villages that Americans with optimism called towns. I believe if Howard et al. had written wild west fantasies with horrors and wizards then D&D might have lurched towards that as the default setting. On film the Western has established itself as a mature sophisticated genre a position fantasy is far from reaching.
The saloon is much more of a social hub for growing towns than the tavern was.
A minotaur (it's a maze after all), that bears the visage of a grinning, deranged Jack Nicholson...holding an axe...that shouts "Here's Johnny" as it decapitates the mo-fos.
wandering somewhere in the maze is a panicked female ghoul. only upon death do the pcs realize it was shelley duval. she really did look terrible in that movie.
Somewhere near a hedgerow on an outside border, a swath of smoldering hedge with 7d6 dead hobgoblins and the carcasses of six fire aphids. One hobgoblin is alive, his legs trapped under a fire aphid's thorax, his own torso badly burnt by what looks like acid, not fire. When the PCs approach, he whispers, in Common, something about the "red death from above". This is all the PCs can get out of him. He has a Gem of Seeing wrapped in silk hidden between his ass cheeks, but no other possessions of note.
If the PCs investigate closely, they will discover a cluster of 5d10 large, golden oval-shaped eggs hidden deep beneath the burnt portion of hedge. This is a clutch of giant ladybug eggs.
The maze is not topiary at all - it is a hexed maze of delicately carved white stone, deep underground and the plaything of a vain former sorceress, now lich ( almost skeletal, though her face is life-like though still). She rest clad in robes on a bier in the center of area 4 contemplating the mysteries of the universe. All the other arrows represent the directions that a web of confusion and misdirection spells will push the adventurers (Secret save at every junction to declare direction - and retrace steps at dead ends). The numbers indicate the type of monsters trapped (mostly reanimated explorers) and still roaming the maze.
Somewhere on the left side of the map, in one of the dead ends labeled with a 1: An normal-sized unwrapped ham-and-cheese sandwich sits on a checkered cloth napkin. Crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and crinkles of pickles are also layered in the sandwich, and fresh mustard and mayonnaise drip from the sides onto the checkered cloth in slow, luscious, tantalizing drips -- not so much as to be disgusting as to arouse hunger.
If a PC decides to try the sandwich, he or she must make a Save vs. Poison. If the check is good then the character gains an immediate and permanent +2 to CON.
If the save is failed, the PC finds that they cannot stop eating for 1d6 turns. They will consume the entire sandwich, the checkered cloth, the grass upon which the cloth was spread, and then begin to eat the dirt beneath the grass.
If they eat for an entire 6 turns, they will unearth a small wooden box buried beneath the sandwich's resting place. The box is covered with ancient goblin runes which spell out "what you seek you already own." The box is protected with an Arcane Lock spell. Inside the box is a shriveled hand that looks exactly like the hand of the PC that opened the box, except that it wears two rings.
Touching the hand has no effect. The hand is impervious to all attempts to destroy it except for magical fire. Destroying the hand destroys the rings, too.
The two rings are worn on different fingers, one on the ring finger and one on the pinky finger. Only one ring can be removed. The moment one ring is removed from the hand, the other ring corrodes to dust.
The ring on the index finger is a Ring of Cursing; anyone who tries on the ring can't stop spewing obscenities until the ring is removed--which can only happen after 1d6 days or until Dispel Magic or Remove Curse spell is cast by at least 7h level caster.
The pinky ring is a Ring of Divine Favor that may be used by any character class. The ring grants a +1 on attack and a +1 weapon bonus on damage for every three character levels (at least +1, maximum +3). This bonus does not apply to spell damage.
The sandwich, by the way, tastes like a normal sandwich.
A magical Zhar-Pitza bird has built its nest on the ground in the center of the maze. The bird's single egg cannot be incubated artificially or by any other bird, and it has no magical properties other than being unbreakable from the outside. However, a single tail feather from the bird would be beyond price for any alchemist.
On hearing the least disturbance in the maze the bird will simply fly away, to return only when the maze is empty.
DM's option: a mischievous sprite is watching the party's attempts to sneak silently through the maze and will attempt to make them laugh by tickling, scream with rage when doused with a bucket of goblin dung, cry out in anguish when sprayed with itch powder, etc.
1: range of wandering flail snail with yellow mold encrusting shell. Each dead end has a 1 in 4 chance of holding a dead adventurer level 2-7 with appropriate loot.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what to do with the dead ends...and that is perfect. The mold-encrusted flail snail is a thing of beauty as well.
DeleteGhoul gardener with pruning-shears as hands, offers to cut a way out for the body of a random PC...
ReplyDeleteUndead scissorhands! That's great.
DeleteA pile of treasure.
ReplyDeleteIt's a hedge fund.
Hahahahhaa.
Delete(3): A Weeping Angel in front of you.
ReplyDeleteNothing seems to freak adventurers out more than weeping. Seriously.
DeleteSorry - wrong number.
ReplyDelete2: 1D6 giant ants and 1D6 lepanthropes fighting a surface skirmish. Each turn of movement or round of combat carries a 1 in 6 chance of collapse per human-sized individual, into tunnels of either 1) the ants' nest, 2) the lepanthropes' warren or 3) territory currently disputed. Each dead end holds an entrance.
I love it when the characters wander into a territory dispute.
DeleteI think Gygax's game has deep roots in the landscape of the American continent and was as much influenced by John Ford as JRR Tolkien and taverns in published D&D modules always struck me as saloons.
ReplyDeleteIn Europe the typical adventurer (of course there would be derelict mercenary too) with sufficient means to equip and arm themselves would have been low knights and their retainers and they would seek sanctuary, when far travelled, in castles and their alcoholic recuperation would have taken place in more intimate surroundings.
So Fritz Leiber and Vance's drinking dens to my eyes are saloons in those kinds of villages that Americans with optimism called towns. I believe if Howard et al. had written wild west fantasies with horrors and wizards then D&D might have lurched towards that as the default setting. On film the Western has established itself as a mature sophisticated genre a position fantasy is far from reaching.
The saloon is much more of a social hub for growing towns than the tavern was.
I think your comment belongs to the Penultimate post.
DeleteThe numbers are weird as they don't seem to mark areas but character movements, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, 3 animate topiary creatures: A lion, an elephant, and the last: a horse made from thorns.
Yeah, I have no idea what the numbering system is for on that.
DeleteI like the horse made of thorns a lot; I'd call it "Lady Godiva's Lament."
Also, I think a topiary loin would be pretty terrifying.
No doubt.
DeleteSomewhere in the middle:
ReplyDeleteA minotaur (it's a maze after all), that bears the visage of a grinning, deranged Jack Nicholson...holding an axe...that shouts "Here's Johnny" as it decapitates the mo-fos.
I was wondering what to do with a Jack Nicholson analog, and I think you've cracked it.
Deletewandering somewhere in the maze is a panicked female ghoul. only upon death do the pcs realize it was shelley duval. she really did look terrible in that movie.
ReplyDeleteAwww, Shelley Duval is a doll!
DeleteHey, we just had a bunch of pictures of your favorite dolls, so that might speak to justin's point...
DeleteSomewhere near a hedgerow on an outside border, a swath of smoldering hedge with 7d6 dead hobgoblins and the carcasses of six fire aphids. One hobgoblin is alive, his legs trapped under a fire aphid's thorax, his own torso badly burnt by what looks like acid, not fire. When the PCs approach, he whispers, in Common, something about the "red death from above". This is all the PCs can get out of him. He has a Gem of Seeing wrapped in silk hidden between his ass cheeks, but no other possessions of note.
ReplyDeleteIf the PCs investigate closely, they will discover a cluster of 5d10 large, golden oval-shaped eggs hidden deep beneath the burnt portion of hedge. This is a clutch of giant ladybug eggs.
I don't think anyone will check for that gem. At least I hope not.
DeleteThe maze is not topiary at all - it is a hexed maze of delicately carved white stone, deep underground and the plaything of a vain former sorceress, now lich ( almost skeletal, though her face is life-like though still). She rest clad in robes on a bier in the center of area 4 contemplating the mysteries of the universe. All the other arrows represent the directions that a web of confusion and misdirection spells will push the adventurers (Secret save at every junction to declare direction - and retrace steps at dead ends). The numbers indicate the type of monsters trapped (mostly reanimated explorers) and still roaming the maze.
ReplyDeleteHmm, that explains the arrows!
DeleteA Statue of a Black Angel
ReplyDeleteIf a character touches or kisses it, they will be struck dead! A ghost of a pregnant woman haunts the statue at night.
That's some interesting folklore!
DeleteReminds me of Black Aggie!
DeleteSomewhere on the left side of the map, in one of the dead ends labeled with a 1: An normal-sized unwrapped ham-and-cheese sandwich sits on a checkered cloth napkin. Crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and crinkles of pickles are also layered in the sandwich, and fresh mustard and mayonnaise drip from the sides onto the checkered cloth in slow, luscious, tantalizing drips -- not so much as to be disgusting as to arouse hunger.
ReplyDeleteIf a PC decides to try the sandwich, he or she must make a Save vs. Poison. If the check is good then the character gains an immediate and permanent +2 to CON.
If the save is failed, the PC finds that they cannot stop eating for 1d6 turns. They will consume the entire sandwich, the checkered cloth, the grass upon which the cloth was spread, and then begin to eat the dirt beneath the grass.
If they eat for an entire 6 turns, they will unearth a small wooden box buried beneath the sandwich's resting place. The box is covered with ancient goblin runes which spell out "what you seek you already own." The box is protected with an Arcane Lock spell. Inside the box is a shriveled hand that looks exactly like the hand of the PC that opened the box, except that it wears two rings.
Touching the hand has no effect. The hand is impervious to all attempts to destroy it except for magical fire. Destroying the hand destroys the rings, too.
The two rings are worn on different fingers, one on the ring finger and one on the pinky finger. Only one ring can be removed. The moment one ring is removed from the hand, the other ring corrodes to dust.
The ring on the index finger is a Ring of Cursing; anyone who tries on the ring can't stop spewing obscenities until the ring is removed--which can only happen after 1d6 days or until Dispel Magic or Remove Curse spell is cast by at least 7h level caster.
The pinky ring is a Ring of Divine Favor that may be used by any character class. The ring grants a +1 on attack and a +1 weapon bonus on damage for every three character levels (at least +1, maximum +3). This bonus does not apply to spell damage.
The sandwich, by the way, tastes like a normal sandwich.
A magical Zhar-Pitza bird has built its nest on the ground in the center of the maze. The bird's single egg cannot be incubated artificially or by any other bird, and it has no magical properties other than being unbreakable from the outside. However, a single tail feather from the bird would be beyond price for any alchemist.
ReplyDeleteOn hearing the least disturbance in the maze the bird will simply fly away, to return only when the maze is empty.
DM's option: a mischievous sprite is watching the party's attempts to sneak silently through the maze and will attempt to make them laugh by tickling, scream with rage when doused with a bucket of goblin dung, cry out in anguish when sprayed with itch powder, etc.
Diabolical.
DeleteSooo.....PDF?
ReplyDelete