Author Topic: High level dungeon advice needed  (Read 1397 times)

Offline Braininthejar2

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High level dungeon advice needed
« on: April 06, 2022, 07:32:08 PM »
So, I'm playing a mage in a 3.5 solo campaign, and I'm kind of BBEG there, seeking to usurp divine power (have been done in Krynn before)

Since gods can sense stuff about their portfolio  two weeks in advance, I need to defend the ritual site for two weeks, so I decided to build a dungeon of my own (the god in question can't intervene personally, but I'm expecting some high level mortal adventurers.)

How would you defend such a dungeon? I have some trap ideas that will get rid of low level attempts, but I need to defend myself from some high level shenanigans:
- people wishing themselves to the ritual site (or trying to wish me out)
- using teleportation / gaseous form to bypass all the traps
- digging/earthgliding in
- earthquaking the whole thing from the outside without even going in.

Pocket dimensions are out - I need to stay on the prime for this to work. What would you do?

Offline ketaro

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2022, 02:43:23 AM »
Whats your level?

Epic or regular sub-20th?

How're you at crafting magic items?

Do you have leadership?

What is your budget?

Basically what are you on paper.
« Last Edit: April 07, 2022, 02:50:38 AM by ketaro »

Offline Braininthejar2

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2022, 06:01:18 AM »
I'm 16 now, but expect the campaign to end at early epics - I want to plan ahead.

On paper, I'm a mage geared towards transmutation and necromancy. I can do wonderous items and can commission other stuff.
I don't have leadership, but I am currently a duke - Let's say I can get a level 12 party if needed.

Money... my duchy is coming out of debt left by the previous guy, but I can do some adventuring to make more cash if needed. Recently I've been dabbling in exotic wares trade using long distance teleportation and in rare component hunting for other mages

Most importantly, I have a deal with a genie that grants me a wish once a year in return for epic tales of my adventures she can share in her master's court.

Offline Jatmaj

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2022, 08:16:41 AM »
(Caveat: I wrote this before your previous replies, and so was not clear on what sort of resources you have or what sort of opposition you're expecting.)

It's very difficult to make a dungeon that will stop high-level adventurers - they're pretty much built to not be stopped by dungeons. My general line of thinking is that if you're in a position to attempt this, you're one of the highest level people around, so it might be better to focus on designing a dungeon that will put them in situations where you can fight them yourself, on advantageous terms. Ambush points, environmental damage you're immune to, and so on.

- people wishing themselves to the ritual site (or trying to wish me out)
- using teleportation / gaseous form to bypass all the traps
Forbiddance and/or dimension lock is the obvious option for teleportation. I'd think they'd cover wishes as well, but unsure. Gaseous form is foiled by making things airtight, and/or environmental harm that bypasses the damage reduction from it. (Gaseous form moves pretty slow.)

- digging/earthgliding in
Environmental hazards, contact poison inside the walls, burrowing monsters that can attack them while they're trying it? Antimagic fields that surround but don't reach into the dungeon? (I think there's a way to craft them as a trap, don't remember for sure.) Also, Walls of Force, if you can.

- earthquaking the whole thing from the outside without even going in.
Have the ritual room more than 80 feet down so they can't  reach it with an earthquake from the surface. Also, Walls of Force, if you can.

Haven't looked into costs, so I'm not sure if this makes sense, but at the moment, one idea I'm imagining is that I might set up a ritual room - or an entire dungeon, resources permitting - with layered Force and metal walls, with a region of overlapping antimagic fields surrounding but not reaching into it, submerged in magma. (Volcano lairs are a classic.) Of course, I'd prepare in advance by buying up or destroying any items of fire immunity I could find... need to come up with a way to sense through molten rock, too. Hm.

Offline Braininthejar2

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2022, 09:03:45 AM »
I really don't want a volcano lair. That's just begging for it to erupt at the exact worst moment

Offline ketaro

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2022, 01:21:20 AM »
Ah, all these problems get solved by the Mythal spell seed but that's an epic level thing. Literally just making a Mythal that forbids entry into the area by anyone not attuned to the Mythal.

For fortifying a dungeon, my ideas lie a little ahead of your current level though. Such as Halaster's Scrying Cage (9th lvl, Undermountain book), a permanent effect that prevents all scrying effects into and out of the area. It is 10 cubic ft/level in area, but multiple castings are explicitly allowed to merged together into a single larger effect.

Anticipate Teleportation, or if possible, the Greater version from Complete Arcane, permanancied on yourself. The Greater one is preferred because it lets you detect anybody teleporting into an area that emanates from you AND lets you delay their arrival by several rounds for you to prepare without them having any awareness of the delay.

Also invest in acquiring or making a Retributive Amulet. All damage you take is halved and who ever hit you takes the other half. No saves no SR just straight screws. You could get Sublime Revelry with a permanent duration crafted into a wondrous item, or this same item, to gain another halving of damage and immunity to mind affecting. Yes this doesn't have much to do with your dungeon but when was the last time you saw a dungeon run not end with a confrontation with the BBEG that resides within? Pretty sure both those things are from Exalted Deeds and no do not have alignment requirements just cause it is Exalted Deeds.

Putting Mana Flux (5th lvl, PH2) through the dungeon at major fighting/ambush/trap points would be great because forces a 20% spell and psionic failure chance that can not be reduced or negated in any way. Also affects spell-like abilities AND Supernatural abilities. Yeah, 20% failure chance on supernatural abilities. Delicious. Also affects scrolls and other spell completion items but whatever.

Another nifty and kind of out there spell to put anywhere or everywhere in your dungeon is Dampen Magic (4th lvl, Complete Champion). This spell not only reduces the caster level of spells cast within its area, but also reduces the Save DCs and even the raw + enhancements on weapons (i.e. a +3 longsword would only function as a +2 longsword). The reduction is 1 plus 1 for every six levels above 7. So at 13-18 its -2 and at 19 it becomes -3. Break into epic levels and it's even better. This one is a Cleric only spell but hey, just buy a 13th level cleric for at least that 2 point debuff to throw around either in traps or as a permanent effect build throughout the dungeon.

And if you make it to 9th level spells, maybe consider reaching for Invoke Magic in the off chance your DM decides the opposing adventuring party thinks they can just Anti-Magic Field you into the ground.

Submerge your dungeon in water, preferable deep deep in the ocean and have it completely flooded with water. Force 3-Dimensional combats and environments because water. Put it deep enough in the ocean to trigger rules for water pressure and a freezing cold environment. Sure the darkness doesn't mean much to adventures, and even cold can be conquered, but literally no one prepares for water pressure. Even less so are adventures prepared for extended periods of swimming at any depth. The rules are in Stormwrack but the short version is that you take a dice of damage every minute for every 100 feet beneath the surface. A Fort save holds off the damage, but the DC gets higher and higher the longer you stay down there. Then fill all that water with Fog and Cloud type spells. And squids. Ink clouds everywhere.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2022, 01:40:19 AM by ketaro »

Offline Braininthejar2

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2022, 08:42:59 AM »
aren't mythals strictly Toril?

Offline kitep

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2022, 12:50:53 AM »
Most importantly, I have a deal with a genie that grants me a wish once a year in return for epic tales of my adventures she can share in her master's court.

This reminds me of a webcomic I just saw yesterday. A guy gets 3 wishes from a genie. His first wish is that the genie can't count :)

Offline ketaro

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Re: High level dungeon advice needed
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2022, 07:49:58 PM »
aren't mythals strictly Toril?

Nothing is strictly anything until a DM decides to shut it down. Otherwise probably half of 3.xs source books would be off the table without explicit permission granted for each one per DM.