Selected Lairs

In an effort to fully digest ACKS II, I've been spending some time going through the Monstrous Manual alphabetically and developing lairs for each of the monsters there in. These lairs are designed to go somewhere in the Flooded Realms, and help me see where my setting doesn't line up with the Auran Empire (Bel and Iskara for example, don't exist). This has the added benefit of generating table material for me to use, and giving me an excuse to finally learn how to sketch well enough to spark my own imagination. This process has been very helpful for developing my creative muscles, as generating interesting lairs for everything is actually quite difficult. Most monsters can live quite happily in a cave, and so caves are very common already even though I've just finished with the B's. Trying to branch out from "cave in the wilderness" helps tremendously with world building.

So far, I've settled this issue by doing a mix of wilderness and dungeon lairs. A dungeon lair is just a series of small connected rooms that contain my monster and can be added in when stocking a dungeon. "Keystone" monsters like the Carrion Horror are more likely to get a dungeon lair. I've also exuded some normal animal "monsters" like bears as their environments tend to be the blandest. From time to time as I work through this, I'm going to select some lairs and publish them here for people to see. These are the ones I'm most proud, but still probably aren't worth refining into an actual product. Hope you enjoy!

Giant Ant Lair

The Base of Mount Goldbleed

This was where I first stumbled upon the idea of doing dungeon lairs. Though this one is closer to a mini-dungeon on its own, rather than something that easily placeable in a dungeon I am building. Mount Goldbleed was one of the most important early Dwarven Sea Mines. This volcano is set in Drake Scale volcanic chain and was a major point of trade during the days of the Trifold Compact. However, the continued rising of the waters eventually made sailing to it unfeasible and the outpost was slowly abandoned. In the intervening years, a Giant Ant Queen migrated here and took over some of the old delving. The ants feast mainly on birds the seek shelter here, however the chewed remains of shipwrecks dot the shore.

Treasure

5,000 GP 800 GP in gold nuggets Wrought Gold Necklace with Sardonyx pendant 1275 Ivory Comb set with Zircons 875 Potion of Cure Light Wounds Scroll of Magic Warding

Arane Lair

Webbed Towers

In the aftermath of the Deluge, many risks were taken by those seeking to discover the cause and perhaps a way of reversing it. Of these, a notable group of spell-casters begun studying the mutagenic properties of deep water. It is unknown if their evil nature prefixed their transformation into giant arachnids or if their personalities simply morphed to fit their new forms better. Regardless of the truth, Arane are hideously evil and crafty beings. This particular specimen of the spell-caster variety has taken up residence in a dilapidated pair of towers on the far outside of Idletwine. He speaks a spidery dialect pre-deluvian Elven and commands a small band of evil Glass Order dropouts.

Chalifer, Arane Mage

HP: 29 Spells Known:

• Level One

  • Beguile Humanoid

  • Desiccate

• Level Two

  • Conjure Petty Elemental

  • Bewitch Humanoid

• Level Three

  • Deflect Ordinary Missiles

  • Dismember

Treasure

11,0000 SP 4,000 EP

Foul Attercop Lair

Abandoned Swamp Hut

Attercops of all sorts are ultimately descended of demonic influence. Most peasants believe they are born when normal spiders lay their eggs in an unburied corpse. However, the scholars of the Sea-glass tower hold that they are a separate species, descended from a true demon whose shape was like a spider sometime in the distant past. Attercops are found in abandoned places and speak a language all their own. This language bears no relation to any known language. The Attercop who now dwells in this swamp-witch's hut has placed webs in a circle 30' away from the hut and awaits petitioners who would have sought favors of the witch. It hides on the ceiling of the hut and will drop down on the first person to enter. It's eggs are secreted in a pouch woven in the webbing that keeps the hut from collapsing.

Inhabitants

• 1 Foul Attercop

• 3 Eggs

Treasure

• 1 Scroll of Cure Disease (In a scroll tube buried under a sleeping mat in the hut)

• 1000 Silver (Purse hastily buried in the center of the floor, make a secret Searching check for all characters at +2 to notice the disturbed earth)

Petrifying Basilisk Lair

Riverside Tunnel

The river that runs from city of Kingsbelt to the Great Bay Falls is called the River Basilisk. It is known to be a favored nesting ground of the scaly beasts, though one has not been spotted in several years. The danger remains and river captains are sure to not allow their gaze to linger on the many holes in the river bank. Howver, foolish treasure hunters often delve in front of the riverbank, searching for victims who might give a reward.

Inhabitants

• Two Petrifying Basilisks

Treasure

The victims of the basilisk are petrified and lie on the bottom of the river in front of the tunnel. They may be retrieved by swimming down and pulling them up (requires 10 STR), however doing so has a cumulative 30% chance to alert the Basilisks in the tunnel per victim retrieved.

• Victim 1: Human Jewel Merchant from Falsmoth, has 2 flawless diamonds worth 4000 Gold each in a pouch on his side. Will part with 1 after being restored to flesh

• Victim 2: Minor Human lord, bears a fur cape worth 1000 Gold and a signet ring with his house symbol worth 3000 gold. Will part with the ring and beg that news of his restoration be carried to his family in Bastion.

• Victim 3: Lizardman Warrior: Bears a +2 scimitar, +1 leather armor and a treasure map to a type H treasure. He will part with all three

Giant Vampire Bat Lair

Bed and Larder

This sealed chamber is accessible by descending a 40' drop in a natural rock chimney. Inside is a crudely carved set of rooms which smell of old blood and stale air. A pair of Giant Vampire Bats and their offspring make these chambers their home and food storage. In the east room through the archway lies the remains of prisoners. 4 Goblin miners and 2 humans remain in here alive, but barely. Their legs have been broken and they will require assistance to leave. To the south beyond a door locked with a crude, talon operable lock (+1 to lock picking checks) lies the bat's sleeping chambers and treasure horde. The adult bats may be used as a wandering encounter in the dungeon this is attached too, but will always return in 1d4 rounds if the Juveniles are attacked and able to raise a cry. If the bats return and find a rope, they will attempt to cut it before continuing into the chambers (make and attack throw vs AC zero).

Inhabitants

• 2 Giant Vampire Bats

• 2 Juvenile Vampire Bats

Treasure

• 5000 Electrum (Scattered on roost floor)

• Shell necklace, 100 GP (hanging on roost)

• Copper Bracelet, 90 GP (on floor)

• Ivory Comb, 600 GP (matted in fur of one of the Juveniles)

Conclusion

Well, that's all that I have for now. These will be a semi-regular style of post as I have more lairs I think are good enough to share. Hope you enjoyed it, and if you like you can buy me a coffee. So for now,

Sail On

-ShockTohp