MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Public discussion of the extensive development of new levels in the Ruins of Undermountain.

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Halaster Blackcloak
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MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Post by Halaster Blackcloak »

Ok folks, this has me so excited I cannot sleep!

For those of you familiar with the original Ruins of Undermountain box set, you will recall that it came with 2 booklets...the Campaign Guide to Undermountain and the Undermountain Adventures booklet. The Campaign Guide described all the rooms in the original release, and the Undermountain Adventures booklet offered several tiny adventure scenarios and a bunch of story hooks. There were basically 7 tiny mini-adventures (more like half-developed hooks) and 5 several-paragraphs-long adventure hooks.

We decided to do something just a little bit different but likely far more useful to the DM. We decided to go with 3 actual mini-adventures, not 5 semi-developed adventure hooks. We will probably also forgo the 7 bare-bones adventure hooks, as any DM can figure out tons of hooks from his own adventures. Already-developed, playable material trumps undeveloped ideas any day, in my view at least.

But the great news about this is that it allows us to explore new territory in Undermountain. There are several things about Undermountain that most people overlook or misread. Consider:

"It [Undermountain] is a dungeon complex of nine known levels and over 14 sub-levels of dungeons..."

- RoU Campaign Guide, pg. 3

"Veteran Undermountain delvers report that the dungeon is riddled with little hidden sub-levels, above and below the known passages.

- RoU Campaign Guide pg. 56.

So there are nine known major levels, likely more (which remain unknown). And there are over 14 sub-levels. Undermountain is also riddled with little hidden sub-levels.

We have lots of room to work with.

Originally, Ruins of Undermountain III: The Deadly Levels was going to detail 2 major levels (Levels 7 and 8 ), and a major sub-level (name withheld until the release). And we were gonna do an Adventures of Undermountain booklet similar to the original.

But then I thought...if I'm gonna put in so much work and crank out 32 pages of auxiliary adventure material, why make it 32 pages of undeveloped hooks and partial adventure ideas? Why not instead reveal and detail 3 of those mini sub-levels that branch out all over the place, and fully develop them (12 pages each)? :D

Hell, some of the original 1E adventure modules were only 8-12 pages long! :shock:

So this release will feature the complete detailing of:

2 major Levels (Levels 7 & 8 )
1 major sub-level (this one is about the size of Level 1 or 2)
3 small sub-levels (each being about the size of a 1E adventure)

That's 6 levels being done in one product! :shock:

What's more, since we wanted to definitely pull out all the stops on this one, we're also detailing (among the dozens of new spells, magic items and monsters) a brand-new quest-level priest spell (quest spells appeared in the Tome of Magic hardcover), a new relic/artifact, and the resurrection of a god/power thought to be dead! :shock:

That last part is just absolutely mind-boggling, and it fits established canon so well! Research through obscure sources of published FR material really paid off on this one!

Yeah, it's gonna have a laxative, punch-in-the-head sort of effect. :twisted:
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Beowulf
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Post by Beowulf »

I'm looking forward to seeing this one! :twisted:
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Tawnos76
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Post by Tawnos76 »

This sounds awesome. I cannot wait to get this one out and run some of my players through it.
IXOYE
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