So after my Book of Vile Darkness enhanced version of S4:The Lost Caverns of the Tsojcanth, the characters all for the most part hit 20th level and frankly I don't want to stop.
So I am pouring over the Epic Level Handbook now. This is not something I used back when I was play 3.x, and it has taken this long for the boys to get to this level. I have some issues with it, for example the editing seems bad in places. But man this book is just full of great ideas. Some of which would be great for Epic Level Play in D&D4 or 20+ level in D&D Bacic/BECMI.
Really it is kind of a fascinating book. It takes the rules into places the original designers I don't think expected, but yet there is such an enthusiasm for it that it makes the reality of a 30-level D&D4 a no brainer.
They have not leveled up yet, they are still in the caves. I am merging the 3.x rewrite of the LSotT with the Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun. I now have the temple far, far underground where the dengerate Norkers dwell and keep millennia old rituals alive to a God no one remembers. There will be demons, monsters of pure chaos and all sorts of evil. Maybe even a rogue Brain Collector. Love those guys.
To keep the sense of evil, dread and most importantly fear, I am still going to use the Book of Vile Darkness (both the 3.0 and 4.0 versions) but I'll also include some elder scariness from the Epic Level Handbook too.
The idea here is to build to something big, apocalyptic even. That is why I bought this thing.
The Mage Knight Apocalypse Dragon to stand in for the full Goddess form of Tiamat. That is the 3.x era Aspect of Tiamat and the 4e Orcus. I am not sure how powerful she is going to be, but I am expecting HP in the low 1000 area, at least 30-35 HD and enough magic the stomp a small city-state. I want it to be so epic that the boys will tell their own kids one day. Just like the time that my characters had to defeat Orcus in the original H4 Throne of Bloodstone back in that far off time of 1987 and that mystical land sages once spoke of, Southern Illinois.
But since I also want to make all the battles leading up to this one epic in feel I am also reading other's play experience with these two modules.
Beedo over at Dreams of the Lich House has a great post on his group's battle in the Temple of Tharizdun. This is a great run down and shows that all in not quiet in this so-called Forgotten temple. James of Grognardia gives us his retrospective as well. What both bloggers offer me is something I already knew, but was glad to see it all spelled out again. The Forgotten Temple is not a simple dungeon crawl. Sure it looks like one, but it isn't one. This is alien horror. This is Lovecraft meets the Satan Pit.
There is no over ridding goal to this adventure. This is uncovering a plot and then running the hell away. I'll give them chances to acquire some magic items, even face some ancient, eldritch evils.
If I ever do Tharizdun it will have to be even bigger than the Tiamat battle.
Tharizdun. Now there is name. You don't need to know anything else about this guy other than his name to know he is up to no good.
In Gygax's Oerth he is the next best (worst) thing to Satan. He is the Source of All Evil, to borrow a page from Charmed. He is the biggest baddie there is. I'll take his "Satan" aspects and his "Thasaidon" aspects and maybe even pepper in a bit of Lovecraft for good measure.
Links I am currently reading for "inspiration".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Temple_of_Tharizdun
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tharizdun
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Ashton_Smith_deities#Thasaidon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghaunadaur#Ghaunadaur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Evils
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Tharizdun
http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tharizdun
http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Elder_Elemental_Eye
http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=968
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/11/retrospective-forgotten-temple-of.html
http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/08/pulp-fantasy-library-dark-eidolon.html
http://ulmo.mux.net/greyhawk/tharizdun.html
Anyone else run an Epic level game? Or take on the Temple of Tharizdun.
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