Arelithian Forest Tweaks

[Daedin]

Yep, yet more forest suggestions from me. I am very aware that the devs seem to be doing 457383038 things at the same time right now, but if these ideas spark some inspiration, I am happy. The ideas I will braindump here will be an addition to these:

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viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6516


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-Forest Ogres-

As much as I loved the forest expansion that introduced them, the ogres always felt like one of those things that were just...suddenly there. No real justification,no Arelithian lore behind them, and no area nor design clues as to their history/origin/motives. They are there to populate the areas,period. This is fine and understandable, but I always felt like there could be improvements. With that in mind, what if:

A) They were given a small basecamp within the forest, or somewhere in its outskirts. Ideally, I'd see them overun the Snake Cultists (I will get back to them in a little bit.), and take over those caves. Here, there could be some manner of hint at where they came from.

Something that would make sense to me, would be if they used to live in what are now the Shadowwoods. A tribe related,perhaps opposed to, the mountain ogres of the nearby Crags, that got pushed out of those foothills by the shadows.

B) Add a bit more variety to their spawn groups. Perhaps replace the bugbears with a couple more ogre variants.


-Snake Cultists-

I..have a particular loathing towards these. Mainly, because they just feel shoehorned into that one specific area. Furthermore, they repeat a thematic that is already present elsewhere in the module, where it makes more sense (swamps, quagmires, jungles).

And, maybe because of this bias, other than outright removing them and replacing them, I have no other alternative suggestions.

-Shadowood

I really like this area and it, together with neighbouring Benwick, actualy looks and feels like a proper representation of the story behind it. The ideas I have for this place are, in fact, an attempt to expand and capitalize on its mysterious and dark aura.

A) This one might be a bit crazy but, what if one could only access this area, in its true shadow form, at a certain time of day? Let us say midnight.
By doing this, rather than encountering a series of ruins, the buildings would actualy be there,as well as its shadowy inhabitants, including the hag, who I do think is a bit too..easy to reach and out in the open right now.

Going there at any other time of day would reveal the place as we currently have it, dark, eerie and ruined, but with a lot less fully extra planar creatures, and in their place corrupted natural beasts, sentient, evil vegetation and perhaps corrupted ogres.

Shadowdancers would be able to chose between either place at any time of day and bring their party with them.

-Fallen Benwick-

Once more, an area that exudes lore and history and depth and that presents a decent enough challenge. For the inside of the keep itself, the only thing I would add would be a few more explorable buildings. Small areas, with tidbits of information and a chest or bookshelf or two.

As for the outside, I have several different ideas:

A) After all this time, one would think that the devils would've spread out a little bit more. Perhaps replacing the night time shadowspawns for minor devils could represent this.

B) That poor man by the gate could likely use some npc backup from neighbouring druids and elves..perhaps a proper siege to keep the devils inside, rather than just the solitary, and granted, poeticly dramatic lone defender.

C) Destroy the bridge. It would be the most logical thing to have happened after the keep's fall. Add some more secret route that involves either diving into the moat, or climbing the walls.

-The Green Dragon-

I don't want to spoil much about this one spawn but..in general, I think we could use less dragons around the module as a whole, so that those that do remain, feel more..important and noteworthy.

This particular one..I would just remove completly, because I am unsure of why, exactly, it was introduced to where it spawns. Not everywhere, everytime,needs to be a combat instance or a reason to kill stuff and get xp.

If it was added to add an extra layer of difficulty to the area it gives access to..meh. I would rather see it turned to a lasso-rope-dex challenge than yet another monster.

If it has to be a monster to do the job,why not replace it with a more bestial/aberration kind of deal? Perhaps something that jives off of thaf minotaur looking statue not too far away, and actualy makes some sense out of it?



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And..this is it.