11 réponses à ce sujet

[Morbane]

 I have an area with a reasonably winding array of cave tunnels that meet up in a few spots with the sewer tileset. My design is pretty nice looking but the trouble is making it interesting. I have another area of caves and I added a generous supply of roots and jungle props, watery areas and rocky stalagmites - it feels pretty complete with the fina; adjustment of using cave texture #4 which is a mossy covering to everything. But back to the area I am making now... What kind of motif or feel can make a generic cave more interesting? the area is pretty big but there is a lot of space that is not tiled - that part looks good - I am hoping some inspired suggestions will help me make this somewhat important area look and feel unique.

[Shaughn78]

I would suggest creating some transitions between the two tiles sets. By placing wall placeables in the cave tilesets next to the sewer it will look like the walls are slowly falling appart as they clip into the cave walls. The deadend placeable, sunken city placeable and other stone-wall like placeables work well for this. Stone rubble on the floor in these transition also helps, as the walls and cieling collapse revealing the earthen cave walls.

Also what type of critters are going to be wandering around?

[Morbane]

The wall pieces are a good idea - I can do a lot with that - the sewers are supposed to be incomplete and the caves are the natural base for them. I was thinking about a few different critters - a different type for the separate sub areas - kuo toa - sahuagin - water type creatures in general; medium hitdice from around 7 -9 hd. maybe a hag will inhabit one of the larger caves.

I have decided to make the central megatile the home of the sahuagin and they will be crawling out of the water using a network of walkmesh helpers. I suppose it wouldnt hurt to have a swampy looking area even if I used that idea in another area - along with the crumbling walls that could account for much of the area - anyone have an idea for making pipe-looking placeables?

[kamal_]

There is a sewer tileset that includes pipe placeables.
http://nwvault.ign.c...l.Detail&id=528

Modifié par kamal_, 21 mai 2011 - 02:16 .

[Morbane]

BCK has lots of nice damaged walls - and fully tintable.

Thanks kamal_ I will check that out.

Modifié par Morbane, 21 mai 2011 - 04:46 .

[Shaughn78]

If it is going to be swampy foliage and fungus also work well.

Hags are always fun to design areas for as well. A run down area with te remians of their pevious victims. I used the giant cauldron and a couple of the coven hag placeables. The hags where lowered until the top of their bobbing heads were even with the cauldron's content, making a nice head stew.

Modifié par Shaughn78, 21 mai 2011 - 02:51 .

[Morbane]

Yep - the pipes look really good - there is a nice variety to link together and place behind the crumbling parts as if having been exposed. I added a bit more of the sewer tiles to extend the transitional sections. The tint doesn't match perfectly but once the lighting is switched from ambient to dim light objects the tinting will match nice and neat.

I am still drawing a blank on the atmospheric placeable issue - I am still not sure what the overall look will be. I am steering away from the swampy look except for one cave where the Hag will be.

Modifié par Morbane, 22 mai 2011 - 05:42 .

[PJ156]

Perhaps there are some clues in the placing (I personally find these cave tiles very difficult to work with. I would be tempted to try the area as a black skydome). Also it is a big area to single theme, at least it is fo me

What is the context? I am guessing the sewers are under a town and the caves also and the two networks have come together as time has aged the sewer system. You have a Suaghin lair and and a hag lair, she need to get out to prey on people since they are not going to come to her at any great rate. You would also most probably have a suaghin patrolled/guarded block in any cave tunnel that connect them to the Hag (self preservation and all that). That would suggest anything within that area is going to be only suaghin or something that gets along with them well.

You might use the curb placeables to create channels and fill them with water in the caves like a cave sewer highbrid but that is going to take some fancy walkmesh work. You could paint water on the floor running towards the suaghin pit from another cave with a spring in it. It could waterfall into the Suaghin pit. Tani's water mill sounds right for that (I have not used it) or use placeables to blind the change of stream direction with the water painted direct to the cave floor.

If we are under a town perhaps a cave has a rubbish pile from above or a cave where brigands live again protecting themselves from the hag with barriers. Perhaps a whole section could be a refugee type area with cursed persons and a temple to malar.

As for overall theme, all that water might create slimes and moulds and dripping cielings, perhaps areas with plants though I am not a fan of plants in caves unless there is light. Hey this is fantasy though. You could go green with green mist and slimes and moulds a plenty (or perhaps purple for a change). However that brings you back to swamp so what about:

1. Crystal caverns? White mist, crystals a plenty and variable light colours?
2. Ancient civilization caves (statues ruins and plinths, fallen wall where the caves were once sectioned into rooms)?
3. The lair of a fallen dragon. Lot's of skeleton placeables at marked battle spots, with a huge one to represent your beast. these could be milenia old and the reason why the hag has a magical suit of ancient armour protecting her.

The ancient cvi could allow you to use the curbs as well get foil some of that rubbish flat cave floor.

I hope that lot is helpful. I doubt your idea is there but maybe there's a seed or two sown.

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 22 mai 2011 - 07:59 .

[Morbane]

Good stuff PJ! Thanks!

My Hag idea is a bit out of context I think, because the outpost above the sewers is not supposed to be having any kind of trouble associated with the sewer. To replace the Hag I think I will have a Hermit who has all sorts of forgotten knowledge of the outpost. The outpost is actually an underground place that was built in empty caves centuries ago because the surface of their planet was scorched by a solar flare - they call it "the age of ancient flames"

The crystal idea can go a ways I think before it becomes too typical for a cave.

The curb idea sounds like a great way to extend the water thing into the caves, the only thing is - is I am not sure how to do it by your description. Any help on that would be great...

wandering monsters will likely include some slimes and maybe a Gelatinous Cube - I always thought those creatures were fun to DM in my pnp days.

Lastly the sewers connect to a long tunnel to a surface area where a ruined mountain monastery rests - that will be how the sewer Hermit survives but being a odd sort the hermit remains and because there are a few wildcats living in the rocks near the cave exit.

The outpost inhabitants do not know their world has begun to thrive once again.

[PJ156]

This is the kind of thing I had in mind in its most raw form.

1920x1080http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/3193/unledsu.jpg[/IMG]

Pick the tiles and curbs carefully and you can get the two to work together though maybe not in the tight map you have.

I set the height to 0.5m for the curb and the walkmesh sorted itself out so your pc can go from one level to the next with no problem.

Now I know your context i will sleep on it. I may have other ideas to help give you some inspiration to make the area you want to.

PJ  
 

[rjshae]

Not that it quite addresses the motif issue, but for variety I've used wooden balconies to build walkways over impassible jumbles of rocks, placed clumps of (walkable) hanging roots at a bend, and connected two downward cave stairs together by their doors, then filled up the depression with water.

[Morbane]

Rjshae - Those ideas sound really original - thanks for sharing. New ways to get water into this area are appreciated.

Ya, so the main creature type is going to be Sahuagins - and they live prettymuch in solitude - but once their network of caves are invaded they prove to be quite hostile and there will be several traps that are designed to catch human prey for meat to feed the clan. 

Plot: The old hermit has developed a sort of agreement with the Sahuagins and he lives in a cave out of their control area (upper left). The hermit has a secret that could change the lives of the people in the outpost and the party must decide if they will reveal it.

Modifié par Morbane, 27 mai 2011 - 10:26 .