Temple of the final battle
So, I have been running and writing this D&D campaign for a really long time now. some of it are pre-written modules I've strung together, others are ones I have written myself. All of it takes place in my own homebrewed world.
In this, the players have found out that a demon lord is trying to ascend into godhood. If he is to succeed, there is no telling what havoc he would unleash upon the world. He has even created a cult to himself to aid in this endeavor. He was sealed away long ago by five of the lesser gods, each making a "display" weapon as keys, each one to represent their favored weapon. The keys were removed long ago and spread abroad, but (due to a whole side story I won't get into detail here) the spell has been weakening over the past few thousand years. If the keys are not replaced, and a new spell cast to reinforce the first, he will be set free.
at this point, the PCs have found all the keys and are returning to their B.o.Op to get their final mission where they gateway is located.
It's the end of the campaign and I'm having a little trouble designing the final temple. Heres what I have so far...
The PCs return to find their B.o.Op in flames. Their guide and mentor lays dying with no way to save him (he's a celestial being slain by a celestial killing blade) With his dying breath, he gives the PCs a hint to the location of his journal, which will give the details of their final mission.
The final temple is located in the region's equivalent of a rainforest. Due to the danger within, the local kingdom has posted signs along its border. Adventurers are highly encouraged not to enter, but it is not forbidden. The deeper into the forest one enters, the larger and more dangerous the local fauna and it's people become. I'm thinking some random encounters, rolled on a table and ending with a fight with a dire anaconda, leading to the next stage. Also, this forest is protected by the god of druids and the forest. He has imbued the forest with an antimagic field. Only druid and divine spells work here.
After the anaconda, the encounter will lead them to run into a tribe of forest giants. This will give the PCs a proverbial fork in the road. They may proceed straight to the temple, which the giants are willing to guide them to, or they may attempt to restore their arcane abilities by drinking from a local fountain. The catch? the fountain is guarded by a hydra. (unbeknownst to the PCs, the antimagic field extends only over the forest itself and does not enter the temple. So either way, the mage will get his powers back. the Hydra fight is merely to get them to burn resources)
The Temple is Mayan like in design with five floors above ground and five below ground. While it may look like your typical pyramid above ground, as a whole, it is designed in more of a diamond shape. The entrance to the temple will be on the top floor and will proceed downward, with the seal to the demon's prison being in the bottommost sub-basement level... and that's where I am stuck.
I have several trap and puzzle ideas that I've found here and there, and I know I want to scatter several Lizardfolk and Bugbears throughout the temple, but, as a whole, I'm not sure how I want to design this thing. Any advice would be gratefully accepted.
In this, the players have found out that a demon lord is trying to ascend into godhood. If he is to succeed, there is no telling what havoc he would unleash upon the world. He has even created a cult to himself to aid in this endeavor. He was sealed away long ago by five of the lesser gods, each making a "display" weapon as keys, each one to represent their favored weapon. The keys were removed long ago and spread abroad, but (due to a whole side story I won't get into detail here) the spell has been weakening over the past few thousand years. If the keys are not replaced, and a new spell cast to reinforce the first, he will be set free.
at this point, the PCs have found all the keys and are returning to their B.o.Op to get their final mission where they gateway is located.
It's the end of the campaign and I'm having a little trouble designing the final temple. Heres what I have so far...
The PCs return to find their B.o.Op in flames. Their guide and mentor lays dying with no way to save him (he's a celestial being slain by a celestial killing blade) With his dying breath, he gives the PCs a hint to the location of his journal, which will give the details of their final mission.
The final temple is located in the region's equivalent of a rainforest. Due to the danger within, the local kingdom has posted signs along its border. Adventurers are highly encouraged not to enter, but it is not forbidden. The deeper into the forest one enters, the larger and more dangerous the local fauna and it's people become. I'm thinking some random encounters, rolled on a table and ending with a fight with a dire anaconda, leading to the next stage. Also, this forest is protected by the god of druids and the forest. He has imbued the forest with an antimagic field. Only druid and divine spells work here.
After the anaconda, the encounter will lead them to run into a tribe of forest giants. This will give the PCs a proverbial fork in the road. They may proceed straight to the temple, which the giants are willing to guide them to, or they may attempt to restore their arcane abilities by drinking from a local fountain. The catch? the fountain is guarded by a hydra. (unbeknownst to the PCs, the antimagic field extends only over the forest itself and does not enter the temple. So either way, the mage will get his powers back. the Hydra fight is merely to get them to burn resources)
The Temple is Mayan like in design with five floors above ground and five below ground. While it may look like your typical pyramid above ground, as a whole, it is designed in more of a diamond shape. The entrance to the temple will be on the top floor and will proceed downward, with the seal to the demon's prison being in the bottommost sub-basement level... and that's where I am stuck.
I have several trap and puzzle ideas that I've found here and there, and I know I want to scatter several Lizardfolk and Bugbears throughout the temple, but, as a whole, I'm not sure how I want to design this thing. Any advice would be gratefully accepted.