Mega-dungeon recommendation

[JohnnFour]

A mega-dungeon will soon be discovered underground in my Riddleport campaign. It will be another option for the PCs, should they choose to visit. I'm looking for product recommendations, preferably D&D 3.5 to minimize conversion hassles. (I'd love to run Undermountain, for example, but probably do not have time to convert it from D&D 2E to PFRPG.)

So, what do you think I should run?

 

[Aberzanzorax]

I recommend first, Rappan Athuk by Necromancer Games. It is, in my opinion, THE megadungeon for 3e.

After that, potentially Castle Whiterock boxed set by Goodman Games.

Beyond that, there are some smaller megadungeons by Necromancer available.



I do not think it a poor product per se, but would not recommend World's Largest Dungeon by Alterac Entertainment Group. I have heard it turns into a bit of a slog and many groups get bored rather than finishing it. It may be due to the size rather than the quality. For instance, it's so large that they recommend not giving players full xp because their level would soon outpace the challenges.

I own all three of these recommendations (have not had the chance to run any of them yet, but I've read them all), and I'd certainly choose the first two over the third.



OH YEAH! I totally forgot about this, but have heard good things about Monte Cook's Dungeon a Day website based dungeon. I don't know more about it than that it's received fairly good reviews.

 

[Ryltar]

Re: your Untermountain idea, did you know that WotC converted (parts of) the dungeon to 3.5E prior to the edition change? You can find these articles here:

Return to Undermountain Archive

This might save you some time, should you choose to run Undermountain; the rooms are generic enough, however, to be used within any other dungeon.

Also, I can recommend Monte Cook's Dungeon-A-Day project; you can get the compiled PDF editions of each level separately at low cost: Dungeonaday.com Store - Dungeonaday.com. Note that this does not require you to be a DAD subscriber, as far as I know.

Personally, I would recommend going with one "larger" dungeon first (as opposed to a true megadungeon) to gauge interest, adding material from other sources if necessary (because there is always room for that extra secret door ); I share Aberzanzorax's concerns with regard to losing player interest over time if the Dungeon is too huge.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Hmmm I DO like the idea of multi-dungeons.


To ask a question of the OP, would you be interested in suggestions for a number of smaller dungeons you could potentially link to BECOME a megadungeon?


Lost City of Barakus, Maze of Zayene, Necropolis, Tomb of Abysthor, and others are all great, great necromancer games products. There are a few pretty fantastic Goodman Games dungeon products as well. Other fantastic publishers for dungeons include Monkeygod, Paizo, WotC, Malhavoc, and a couple of others who have a great dungeon here and there.

 

[IronWolf]

After that, potentially Castle Whiterock boxed set by Goodman Games.

I second this recommendation. While being a mega-dungeon it has a "reason" for things being the way they are which helps it feel more than a massive randomly generated map with equally random critters placed within.

 

[ruemere]

Banewarrens by Monte Cook.

This is probably one of the greatest dungeon campaigns. It's 3.0, so you need to replace monsters with their PFRPG counterparts (with the exception of a two or three creatures, you can do that easily, as Monte's forte is the use of MM1 creatures).
Due to the nature of the challenge, it is extremely portable. Thanks to the number of mobile factions involved, you have the tools to scale difficulty of challenges (and to keep players on their toes).

The way I ran it, it was like adventuring in Chernobyl with a second meltdown looming on the horizon. The sense of urgency does not disappear despite campaign length, and in order to avoid boring players with repetitive dungeon crawling, there are several twists introduced.

Finally, the two simultaneous showdowns at the end of the campaign are very memorable. My players keep talking about them years afterwards.

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[JohnnFour]

Excellent suggestions, thanks!

I forgot about Rappan and my other Necro products!

My aim is for the dungeon to open up next session and rumors to reach the PCs. Then they can either go in for as long as they want - along with rival NPC groups - or get involved with short missions and politics once the effects of the dungeon start to evolve.

I think I would prefer a product without a lot of plot. I will already have a handful running the city and effects of the dungeon. I do not need another set of timelines or dependencies.

 

[DaveMage]

I recommend first, Rappan Athuk by Necromancer Games. It is, in my opinion, THE megadungeon for 3e.

After that, potentially Castle Whiterock boxed set by Goodman Games.

OH YEAH! I totally forgot about this, but have heard good things about Monte Cook's Dungeon a Day website based dungeon. I don't know more about it than that it's received fairly good reviews.

This + Ptolus and you've covered all I would recommend.