Looking for ideas for adapting a dungeon from computer to pen and paper. (BGII)

[Braininthejar2]

Baldur's Gate II campaign, final dungeon.

The video game makes it a simple string of fights:

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The villain is shielded in the center of the dungeon, and siphoning power from the plane to power her ascension ritual. There are three spots around the dungeon, where the player can tap into the energy stream, disrupting the energy flow - each is guarded by a bunch of poweful enemies (although the player can use her 11th hour power up to subvert some of them to her cause)

Once all three are disrupted, the villain is forced to put the ritual on hold and deal with the player, and whatever forces she's managed to amass.

Now, that works well in a video game, but in pen and paper that's just a string of high level encounters with lots of maths. Do you have any ideas for how one could modify the setup to make it more interesting?

[LibraryOgre]

Keep the encounters, ditch the conflicts.

Sure, you want a couple of fights in there to soften up the PCs, but make some of them lower-end but still likely to result in costs in resources. Instead of making the encounters about the fights, make them about skill checks or role-playing chances.

For example, take a look at the end of Shadows of Amn, rather than the end of Throne of Bhaal. Sure, you've got that fight with Irenicus at the end, but before that, you've got several encounters that test your morals and require you to role-play. Do you expend time freeing the slaves from the soul-sucker, or do you just kill them? Do you take the evil artifact that will protect you, or do you brave the fear zone yourself?

If you want to drain them of resources, toss in some other foes. High level characters can pretty easily overcome a couple 9th level wizards, but if the wizards are well prepared, they'll still cause some damage, forcing the PCs to spend spells, time, HP, and other resources to overcome them.

[Braininthejar2]

I'm not looking to tire the party out (the campaign has gone for years, and really needs to end at this point)

but to make stuff more interesting. Yes, some RP challenges would be welcome, but what kind of RP challenges can one face in the middle of a dungeon in the Abyss?

Perhaps Yan-C-Bin decides he might abandon his post, and sit that confrontation out. But he was surely promised a lot by Melissan for his services. What is it he could gain from the party that would outweight whatever he was promised AND the risk of betraying a potential goddess?

[Nifft]

"You want what I guard, mortal? Then make me a better deal."

These powerful Chaotic Evil beings might not be loyal, nor have high expectations of receiving their promised reward.

What can you, a mortal whose powerful enough to potentially fight them on even terms, offer them instead of pain and inconvenience (while they reform after death)?


Obviously any deal with a demon-prince will be a viciously barbed plot hook that you can't remove easily.

[Braininthejar2]

Yan-C-Bin is an evil elemental prince.

And yes, a better deal is what I'm thinking of. As a servant of the Elder Eye, Yan-C-Bin is mostly interested in creating natural disasters - the more mortals he can kill, the better. If he was promised means to cause wanton destruction, that's not something the player would be willing to top, so the dialogue will be over pretty quickly...

I wonder if there is some alternative route that would make for a meaningful choice here...

[Nifft]

I wonder if there is some alternative route that would make for a meaningful choice here...

The PCs exist, right?

They're high level, and they've got histories and allies and social positions in the world?

"Sell out ${ALLY}."

"Give me access to ${DOMAIN}."

"Do not oppose my forces in ${REGIONAL_CONFLICT}."

"Marry my beautiful-yet-evil daughter in an evil ceremony at midnight of midwinter." <-- honestly Yan-C-Bin just wants her out of the house

"Slay that guy over there, the evil prince of elemental fire, and then oppose his forces in ${PLANAR_CONFLICT} so that my own forces can be preserved."

"Give me ${ARTIFACT}, which I know you have on you."

"Pay me a slave. That one, right there. You can get another cohort later, but this one is forever mine."


The PCs would need to be trustworthy in order to be able to trade on promises. Selling beloved NPCs or giving away powerful items might be applicable for untrustworthy PCs.

[Braininthejar2]

"Marry my beautiful-yet-evil daughter in an evil ceremony at midnight of midwinter." <-- honestly Yan-C-Bin just wants her out of the house

Considering that Yan-C-Bin is literally a super intelligent tornado, this mental image will stay with me for a while...

[Nifft]

Considering that Yan-C-Bin is literally a super intelligent tornado, this mental image will stay with me for a while...

Literally is a dangerous word. Without it, you'd be funny.

But with it, you're just plain wrong: Yan-C-Bin can be stabbed to death and reasoned with, while a tornado cannot.