Level Designs
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DOCUMENT 1: The Ziggurat
Gameplay style: 1st person shooter, team-style
Player count: at least 7 vs. 7
Setting: dystopian sci-fi
Overview
This level is designed to create a unique setting and style of gameplay that incorporates familiar elements of other multiplayer titles in a unique, dystopian sci-fi environment. Taking place within a destroyed city – located within a massive pyramidal dome – the goal of the match differs depending on the site the player is on, and allows for variations on how each side achieves their aims.
Gameplay Concept
Basically, the Ziggurat level is a variation on the “Capture Territory” gameplay style of Battlefield 2 and the Arathi Basin Battleground from World of Warcraft. The high-level concept covers the transference of large swaths of territory - Planetside-style - from one faction to the next, and gives the entrenched faction (”Home” team) a different style of gameplay and strategy than the invading faction (”Away” team). Ideally, held territory could convey various rewards and advantages on the faction that holds it - honor points, access to special stores, unique buffs (much like the rewards delivered in World of Warcraft for capturing World PvP objectives like Halaa, but allowing for longer-term rewards as well).
Story Concept
Within the game world, owning territory isn’t as much a matter of placing gun turrets or controlling natural resources, but having access to nodes of a massive, territory-wise network. Much of the area is blasted and destroyed due to a recent, devastating war, and while human reclamation of a zone is conceivable, effort is instead given to the AI systems that produce food, route water and power, and provide automated defenses. AI’s – known as “gods” – control these systems, and the only way to displace a faction’s AI is to get access to a number of key mainframes and upload a virus, locking out the enemy AI and allowing a new one to access and control the system.
AIs cannot remotely link themselves into the system, but must rely on a physical upload of the virus. This requires well-armed individuals to overcome any enemy defenses to reach any available network nodes, of which there are three: two remote mainframes and a massive CPU. The goal of the invading team is to reach these nodes and upload the virus that gives their AI control: at 100% infection, they own the territory. However, this window of opportunity is limited, so it’s up to the controlling team to keep their enemies at bay long enough for their virus to become invalid, forcing their retreat.
Once an AI holds sway in a system, there is a brief “lockdown” (i.e. cooldown period) when enemies cannot attempt to recover the node, and systems to benefit the conquering faction come online - story-wise, this means starting up systems like life support, food production, etc, but gameplay gives access to new areas and stores.
Gameplay
NOTE: this system is constructed to be equally possible for both Source and Unreal 3 engines, minimizing the indoor-outdoor transfer to the small (largely open-air) building in which the CPU is housed. Gameplay was constructed assuming the following standard weapon setup – pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and grenades – and a standard, non-class-based FPS system. However, the system was also created to be flexible enough to allow for variants on this theme, such as non-standard weaponry and upgrades, player classes (much like Team Fortress 2), and rule variants (which will be expressed in detail later).
At the beginning of the match, Home (controlling) and Away (invading) teams have a one-minute “strategy” break: they are spawned into small, indistinct rooms with three teleporter pads, each leading to a distinct location on the map - which is prominently featured in the center of the room, so players know where they’re going. Each location carries a unique advantage or disadvantage, and frees the player from losing valuable seconds attempting to get their bearings - once they arrive, they should know precisely where they are. This system could allow for a Commander-type figure (as in Battlefield 2) to coordinate attack/defense strategies, or simply give a window of time for players to communicate with each other, as in the Battleground matches in World of Warcraft.
NOTE: A variation on this theme could allow simply for players to be presented with a map pop-up listing the applicable spawn locations, where they select with a simple click. It should be noted that it is intended for the map layout to be immediately familiar and accessible to all players, so that there is no challenge finding their way around it. Graphically, the different quadrants of the map should be immediately recognizable, and while the height differences throughout the map should not be extreme, they should stand out enough to be suitable landmarks.
The match should also allow for infinite respawning, with one key difference: Away team members will respawn at the closest Start Point for their team (either the Neighborhood, the Underground, or the Manor) - but Home team members will always spawn at the CPU (there will be four distinct spawning alcoves within the CPU room, allowing for spawn randomization and preventing Away team members from camping the spawn points). This will ideally allow for flexibility of territory, keeping Home team members entrenched while encouraging Away team members to move in and capture nodes.
To assure Home team members don’t sit in the CPU and snipe any newcomers, two auxiliary mainframes sit at halfway points within the territory - Home team members can’t simply let Away teams capture the auxiliary points and try to wait it out… but also, to assure a win within the time limit, Away teams are encouraged to capture the CPU, which assures them the quickest AI upload time.
To aid the Home team in keeping territory by the Mainframes, long-range turrets (accessible only to the Home team) are placed near the Mainframes. During the “strategy” break at the start of the match, Home team players will be able to decide if they want to start at one of the turret areas or at the CPU. The CPU tower itself will be armed with rocket turrets, but these will be far shorter-range than the turrets in the field.
NOTE: a variation on this theme – to encourage the Home team to be more active and not just wait out the clock – might allow for the Home team to upload “countermeasures” to the two outside mainframes, preventing the Away team from using them to upload the virus. If this variation is active, the “countermeasure” should require either two players to begin the upload, or cause the process to upload at 1/2X speed, and allow the Away team access to the turrets.
Objective Locations and Values
NOTE: As values within a system of this nature not only require lots of tweaking to get right for a single playthrough but could be adjusted to allow for difficulty settings, I’m opting to obfuscate time and percentage settings into vague algebraic values.
Mainframe Alpha
· Located in western zone of the map - large open area half-concealed by rubble (good ground cover, but bad against the higher-ground advantage of the Roof turret)
· Covered by the Roof turret
· requires a single member of the Away team to activate
· X upload time, 3X when both Mainframes captured, 7X when CPU also captured, 10X when all points captured.
Mainframe Omega
· Located in eastern zone of the map - on top of second-story building, only accessible by walkways on either side (SW and NE) with exterior staircases
· Covered by the Elevator turret
· requires a single member of the Away team to activate
· X upload time, 3X when both Mainframes captured, 7X when CPU also captured, 10X when all points captured.
CPU
· Located at dead center of map
· requires TWO members of the Away team to activate
· 5X upload time, 7X when one Mainframe captured, 10X when all points captured.
(Alternative gameplay - force the player to use every mainframe by giving a cap on uploading percentage, allow Home team to upload “countermeasures” to reduce the virus - but also allowing the Away team to use the turrets)
Spawn Points
Away Team
The Neighborhood - inspired by a Battlefield 2 level, this spawn point allows for the player to emphasize sneaky maneuvers, sticking to the cover of ruined buildings, ladders, stairs, and rooftops to make their way to key positions. The “sneaky” option.
The Underground - this spawn point is protected by a short tunnel, but leads into a long canal that leaves the player exposed to a nearby turret. The bonus side of this is the straight-shot it gives to the CPU and the southern mainframe, so more gung-ho, damage-heavy characters can take their chances and charge to their goal. The “risky” option.
The Manor - located on higher ground, along a zig-zag road, this places the player further away from trouble… but also farther from their goals, while still giving an excellent view of what those goals are. Good start point for newer players, who might not know the precise layout of the area. The “safe” option.
Home Team
CPU - The headquarters of the Home team, the location of all the respawn points, and armed with short-range rocket turrets on all four sides (180-degree rotation on turrets). Two-story walls, with an open entrance at the front and another over the walls - CPU unit is on first floor. Safest option, and most necessary to protect from the Away team.
Roof - Northwestern turret located on second story of a decrepit building - clear shot into canal, Mainframe Alpha. 360-degree rotation on turret.
Elevator - Southeastern turret, located on elevator platform (can be raised or lowered from ground to second story - provides partial cover, but also restricts fire somewhat) - clear shot into canal, Mainframe Omega (only when raised), near CPU.
Map Concepts
Standard View
Topographical View
CPU Concepts
DOCUMENT 2: Only You Can Prevent Forest Firefights
Gameplay: Squad-based tactical FPS
Setting: Present-day
Style: Military
Background: A domestic terrorist group known as the Followers of the Founders have stolen radioactive material from the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant , and are allegedly planning to use it to make a dirty bomb. The group’s current target for that bomb is unknown, but they have been suspected of dealing with Alexei Kustinov, a Ukrainian expatriate and known international terrorist. Kustinov has had extensive experience dealing with both explosives and radioactive materials, and supposedly has brokered a deal to help the Followers construct the bomb in exchange for half of the nuclear material.
The Followers are not a run-of-the-mill extremist militia: they are a well-armed and organized domestic terrorist group. Most of its members have had a military background, and it suspected that at least five of its members are ex-Special Forces and at least one internal affairs . The robbery at Palo Verde was professionally done, and the Followers had members working there for over a year in order to access proper security clearance. Multiple members work for ADOT - both in construction and management – and nearby ADOT offices in Payson, Prescott, Pinetop, and Flagstaff have reported additional shipments of concrete barricades and aluminum barriers… only to have those same shipments disappear a few days later. It is suspected that Followers have seized these supplies in order to bolster their security – preliminary surveillance of the area showed metal fences constructed around the compound perimeter.
The current base of the Founders of the Followers is located in a large cabin near Payson, Arizona, and only accessible by back roads. The area is located at the top of a hill protected by large pine trees, rock outcroppings, and metal barricades. The Followers have made no attempts to be subtle about their presence - although they interact very rarely with the residents, who mostly dismiss them as “mountain crazies.” Most of the residents around Payson are vacationers, who are unaware of the remote cabin’s presence - only the locals who have seen the quiet residents for their occasional foray into civilization know about them, and find them unnerving… none really pry into their business.
Mission: Raid the home of the Followers of the Founders.
· PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: secure the nuclear material
· SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: identify where the meeting with Kustinov is supposed to take place, neutralize the terrorist group
Level Goal: To create a varied level that incorporated exterior as well as interior space, strategic uphill firefights with quick downhill battles, and maximum re-use of level space (and additional non-linearity).
Environment: I chose Northern Arizona as a location because it’s not what the typical person thinks of when they imagine that state (i.e. not desert) – it has very rocky mountains, huge Ponderosa pine trees (long, tall trunks with very little foliage), and a fair amount of vegetation. Although I was limited somewhat by the existing color scheme present in Unreal , ideally the landscape would focus on the deep greens of grass and pine trees and rich red of the dirt and boulders in comparison to the dull grays and browns of the Followers’ compound, stable, and barricades.
Playthrough: The team arrives at the base of the compound at late evening, when the shift changes are supposed to happen for the compound guards, and just before they turn on the large floodlights that illuminate the wide swath of property in front of the cabin. The mission is supposed to be low-maintenance and mostly stealth (hence the neutralization being a secondary objective), so the group is lightly armed and armored.
However, as the team begins to head uphill towards the cabin , urgent chatter comes in over the radio – the Followers have somehow been warned of the team’s presence, and supposedly have taken hostages within the lodge. Floodlights snap on, shouts are heard, and the player and the rest of the team hurriedly take cover as gunfire barks from nearby barricades . The mission changes to an uphill battle against superior numbers, moving from natural to manmade cover .
Once the team has reached the cabin, there is a large firefight in the open front room . Once the team has neutralized the bottom floor, they hear a woman crying from a room to the east side of the building - she claims she’s a hostage who managed to escape and lock herself in the bathroom in the confusion. After the woman tells her story , a new group of enemies starts firing from the bedroom on the western corner, forcing the team to change their attention to another side of the house. Once the team has cleared out that side of the house, they gain access to the group’s computer. A quick search tells the squad two things – one, where the meeting with Kustinov will take place – and two, that the leader of the Followers of the Founders is a woman, not the man they’d previously thought.
Once the group gets that intel, they hear the crash of a window breaking from the other side of the house, and shouts of “Get the material!” The leader was the woman in the bathroom, and has broken out the window and escaped from the second story. The team now has to pursue the fleeing militants down the hill and towards their jeeps , where a final firefight finishes off the last of the terrorist group and nets the radioactive material. Although there’s a feeling of success in having the mission accomplished, there should be lingering concerns on the player’s part of who let slip that the team was arriving, and who either misled the higher-ups or concealed information on the true identity of the Follower’s leader.
Gameplay overall should move like this:
Stealth mission (red herring) -> slower cover-to-cover uphill firefight
-> strategic interior room-to-room clearing -> quicker downhill gun battle
DOCUMENT 3: Edanwil’s Dig Site
Gameplay style: classic RPG (uses Neverwinter Nights 2’s Electrion engine)
Setting: D&D fantasy (possibly Forgotten Realms)
Players: one or multiplayer
Environment:
Basic marshlands, although the foliage has been hacked away at the edges, and the ground cleared of any large plants (although the fact that it is largely swamp grass hints that there has been something – NOT the expedition – keeping this area free of large growth for a while). The area is bordered by a large cliff to the north, east, and south, and a waterfall pours over the east side of the cliff, into a pool, and creates a small stream that meanders along the south border of the area before merging into the rest of the marsh.
In the center of the area is what appears to be a large but dilapidated structure, roughly resembling a temple. However, due to the writings and strange holes all over the building, it almost seems as if it has a purpose aside from the purely decorative. In the center of the structure – which is roofless, only covered by stone crossbars between opposing pillars (and half of which have already fallen) – is a statue perhaps twelve feet tall, although time and the elements have worn away any preciseness in the features. It is a hooded humanoid, its face cracked and indistinguishable, with two hands stretched forward: the left hand flat, palm up and waiting; the right hand raised as if in greeting, but closed into a weak fist. A basin sits at its feet, with a niche in the bottom – as if to hold some sort of small stone – and two braziers sit on either side of the basin. The temple and its surrounding area have been swept as clean as possible, the rot and overgrowth of ages removed and disposed of, and the ground pitted here-and-there from some overzealous digging.
To the south of the temple are the tents of the recalcitrant adepts from the nearby magic academy, and the cooking fire they share. They’ve obviously been trying to take advantage of any bounty the nearby stream might offer them, by the looks of the rack nearby holding their fishing poles and equipment – however, their success at this practice is debatable.
To the east is the pool by the cliff, and next to it, a pair of tables for more precise work on any artifacts, and a large tent for holding any delicate equipment or performing magical experiments. Rather incongruously, there is a sturdy cottage here, as well – Edanwil’s quarters (as it were), a near-constant casting of his favored spell, Leomund’s Secure Shelter. As with a normal casting of the spell, every entrance is not only arcane locked, but protected with an alarm spell. Edanwil, being as he is, is not keen on inviting anyone in, and commonly spends most of his time outdoors anyway, studying the ruins.
Characters:
· Edanwil Llyriwyd, elven 7th level wizard (diviner) – Pompous leader of the expedition
· Mynah Amakiirth, half-elven 4th level wizard/2nd level rogue – Edanwil’s long-suffering “assistant” and the representative for the nearby magical academy
· Dec Dymar, human 6th level ranger – Hired as a bodyguard/guide by Mynah, he tends to hang around the borders of the encampment, looking uneasy.
· Kees “Corkscrew” Nackar – gnome 6th level wizard (illusionist) – Wizard from the magical academy, although he is currently more interested in the possible relationship between the nearby lizard-folk and the ruins than the ruins alone.
· Corug – half-orc 5th level barbarian – The hired muscle of the archeological party: if nobody else can lift it, he can. While Edanwil openly detests him and the other individuals from the magic academy basically ignore him, Corug does his best to remain positive and is actually a rather kind individual.
· Dita Kerywd – human 3rd level wizard – An adept from the academy.
· Iyarvin Thenuwis – elven 3rd level wizard – An adept from the academy.
· Syld Belwir – half-elven 3rd level wizard – An adept from the academy.
· Ysenni Haversen – human 3rd level wizard - An adept from the academy.
Map:

Quests:
· Package Delivery
+ Speak with the innkeeper in Arusol (nearby town). He will mention being delivered a package recently to give to an elf named Edanwil, who has recently departed to the nearby marshlands. He mentions that the usually-peaceful lizard-folk in the area are acting aggressive lately, and it’s too dangerous for him to go. He asks if you could deliver the package for him, and is willing to pay your for your trouble when you return with proof of your delivery (a signed slip or some such).
+ Enter the Marshlands, and travel east to the dig site. Edanwil will confront you irritably as soon as you enter, and demand to know your business. Avoid irritating him too much, and mention that you have a package to deliver from the innkeeper. He’ll acknowledge your need for payment and send you over to talk with his “assistant,” Mynah.
+ Give the package to Mynah, who will ask you to keep the contents secret. You can use this opportunity to threaten her with blackmail, use her request to wrangle a bigger payment, agree to keep it secret, or refuse to do so (if you refuse to do so, she’ll be far less inclined to speak to you later on). After this, bring up the need for evidence that the package was delivered, and have her either jot down her initials on a piece of paper, sign her full name and title, or write a quick acknowledgement letter. Depending on how much you have her write, she will give you a larger or smaller reward (less writing – larger), BUT the more you have her write, the greater your bonus modifier to Forgery will be when trying to duplicate her handwriting (0+ for initials, +2 for full name and title, +5 for a full letter).
· Corug’s Recommendation
+ Speak with Corug, the half-orc laborer at the dig site. It turns out he feels he’s getting on in years and would like to settle down somewhere, and has taken a liking to the nearby town of Arusol. After the job at the dig site is complete, he’ll have enough money to buy a place of his own, and he’s got his eye on a small house that the innkeeper owns. But poor Corug is not a very good negotiator, and is bad with first impressions – so he’s afraid to go and talk to the innkeeper on his own. He asks you if you might be willing to negotiate for him. You can say no, charge him, volunteer to do it for free, or declare that you’ll think about it.
+ If you accept Corug’s request, head to the innkeeper and speak to him about Corug. If you have a high Diplomacy skill, there’s a chance the innkeeper will take you at your word and allow Corug to buy the property (similarly, if you have a very low Charisma, he’ll just tell you to get lost). Otherwise, the innkeeper needs some convincing before he’s willing to sell his property to the half-orc. He’ll need a letter of recommendation from someone of authority at the dig – either Edanwil or Mynah.
+ Return to the dig site and ask either Edanwil or Mynah for a letter of recommendation. Unless you get on Edanwil’s (semi-) good side (via Diplomacy or Intelligence), there’s no way to get a recommendation letter from him. Mynah will be more willing to help, but you have to convince her that Corug would be a good fit for the property. Failing that, if you got her to write some form of acceptance letter for the Package Delivery quest, you can attempt to forge a letter of recommendation in her name (DC 17 skill check – the innkeeper saw her write a bit on the check-in/check-out guestbook when she was staying at the inn previously).
+ Once you have a letter (from whomever or however you got it), take it to the innkeeper as proof. He will accept the letter (unless it is a forgery and he manages to detect it) and grant Corug the right to buy the property.
+ Go back to the dig site and tell Corug the good news, and he’ll happily give you some money and loot for your trouble.
· The Natives Are Restless
+ When the innkeeper in Arusol asks you to take the package out to the dig site, he mentions that the lizard-folk have been more aggressive than usual recently, and that it’s too dangerous for him to venture out on his own. Once you arrive at the dig site and initially speak with Edanwil – provided you get somewhat on his good side – you can ask him why he thinks the lizard-folk have been so agitated. He waves the question off, but directs you to talk to Dec, the ranger, about it.
+ When you ask Dec about the lizard-folk, he admits he’s not entirely sure why they’ve been so irate lately – he wasn’t hired until after the dig started – but believes that the dig could have intruded upon their territory. The dig area contains a water source separate from the marsh, so he believes that might be the primary cause of their distress. In order to be sure, he’d like to investigate the marsh further and see if he can locate another pure water source, or some method by which lizard-folk purify water so they do not need to rely on outside sources.
+ A bit of investigation into the marsh itself reveals a small, recently-deserted encampment, which reveals both a little spring of water (Spot check) and what appears to be a small magical stone (Detect Magic) that seems to be able to purify small amounts of water and food much like a Bless spell (via Identify or a successful Spellcraft check at a DC 18).
+ You take this news back to Dec, who replies that it is as he feared: unless some strange alternate force is at work harrying the lizard-folk, they are likely irate because the archeological party is in their territory – perhaps even what they consider to be sacred ground (due to the upkeep of the area). He half-heartedly suggests proposing the idea of an envoy to the lizard-folk to Edanwil in order to negotiate some kind of peace treaty, but doubts Edanwil will listen (if you attempt to talk Edanwil into it, he will flatly refuse, worried that he might be asked to abandon his prized dig site). Concerned, Dec predicts trouble between the lizard-folk and those at the dig, and goes to ask Mynah to add additional magical wards to the area.
· The Dead Deity
+ If you speak with Edanwil and are able to get on his good side (or the closest thing to it), talk with him at length about the ruins. It seems the temple-like area acts as both a resting place for a dead god and the means that killed it – that the ancient race found a way in which to draw energy out of a god and turn it into objects of power. However, the archeological team has found no objects yet. (With an Intelligence of 17 or higher, you can reveal that the god in question might not even be fully dead – that perhaps the process did not work fully enough for the Iquar’Tel’Quessir to conquer the world with it) During the conversation, mention that perhaps the lizard-folk might have a few artifacts of power, and Edanwil will declare that he is going to send the gnome illusionist, Kees, out to test this theory.
+ Speak with the various adepts – Dita, Iyarvin, Syld, and Ysenni – about the temple, and gain an understanding of its layout (Edanwil won’t let you near it, and will cast a kind of ward around it if he sees you get too close). Through speaking with them, you can determine the basic layout of the insides of the temple: namely, the form of the statue, and what they believe its function to be (uncovering the purpose for the basin – stone in the bottom, possibly to purify the offered liquid; the outstretched palm, to give forth whatever object had been created and imbued with the god’s power; and the raised hand, closed into a fist now to represent the death of the god). There is only one thing missing – the object that controls the transfer of power, depicted in etchings and drawings all over the temple, but nowhere in sight.
· Save Kees
+ Not long after Edanwil sends out Kees to investigate the possibility that the lizard-folk might have any artifacts (after you either bring up the possibility in a conversation with him, or speak with the adepts about the temple’s missing powerful object), Mynah receives a Message spell from Kees, saying he has been taken prisoner by the lizard-folk. Edanwil demands Kees’ safe return by any means necessary (and you get the feeling he would prefer violence, especially if it can net him the missing artifact), while Dec advises caution and even volunteers to come along and help, pointing out that unless you also speak Draconic, any sort of negotiation is unlikely to happen. You can choose whether or not to try and save Kees, and if so, whether or not to take Dec with you.
+ Set out into the main marsh area, and head towards the southwest, where the lizard-folk’s main encampment is said to be. In addition to various random encounters throughout the swamp, as you approach the village you will quickly encounter a troop of dire wolves, who will attack you on sight. Once you defeat them, you can enter the lizard-folk camp.
+ The moment you enter the encampment, you will be confronted by a handful of lizard-folk warriors, who bark at you in Draconic to surrender. You can choose to fight them or attempt to explain yourselves. If you have Dec with you, he can translate for you, or if you can speak Draconic yourself, you can try negotiating.
§ If you choose to FIGHT, you will face a total of 9 creatures (8 4th level creatures – 6 barbarians, 2 clerics – and a 7th level druid leader), and will not be able to complete the The Sleeper Awakens quest without an Intelligence of 17 or greater and a successful Search check of DC 20 at the dig site to not only figure out the location of the artifact of power, but to find it in the sacred pool (note: the Detect Magic spell does not work, due to magic wards and traps on the chest that contains it)
§ If you choose to NEGOTIATE, you must carefully pick your words to illustrate that the archeological party means the lizard-folk no harm, will not damage their sacred temple (nor defile the pool near it), and is only there to study the ancients. Poorly-chosen words will cause the lizard-folk to attack; careless ones will cause the lizard-folk to try and force the dig team out or they will kill Kees; careful ones will let them agree to release Kees in exchange for allowing a small force of their people to watch over their sacred area; and the best Diplomacy will have them release Kees and detail their knowledge of the area to you in hopes it will help the dig team to leave more quickly.
· If you get the lizard-folk to be friendly enough that they release Kees, you can engage them in conversation about the temple at the dig site. Apparently they also feel that the god within is not fully dead: however, they do not worship it, but rather respect the structure as a relic of “the ancients” and try to keep it safe. It is not the temple but the nearby pool that the lizard-folk focus on, saying it is a “source of power.” Provided your character is astute enough to catch the reference (Int check), you can take this as that the missing artifact might be closer than you previously thought. In addition to this, you can uncover the knowledge that the small purification stones you found earlier (provided that you found them!) are a tool passed down from generation to generation, typically found among scouts, and sometimes hidden in outposts or encampments for later use. They “make water worthy,” the chief claims, which (another Int check) could make it clear that they were objects used in the ceremony to draw power from the god.
§ When you return, likely either Mynah or Edanwil will be upset at you, depending on the outcome. If you slew the lizard-folk, Mynah will be angered at your destructive act, but Edanwil will be glad you “got rid of a nuisance” and pay you for your trouble. If you return bearing news that either the academy vacates the area or the lizard-folk will kill Kees, both will be irked at you, and will take the population of the camp (except for Dec and two of the adepts) to go kill the lizard-folk to get him back (resulting in Kees’ death, Edanwil being wounded, and both of the adepts being slain) – no reward, and the final quest of the area cannot be completed. If you manage to negotiate for Kees’ release with the provisos of either a group of lizard-people watching the area or to keep the land largely undisturbed, Edanwil will be furious, but Mynah will shout him down and congratulate you on your work, as well as giving you a random magical item (appropriate to your level).
+ Once the situation is taken care of (either the lizard-folk slain or properly negotiated-with), return to the dig site and speak with Mynah.
· The Sleeper Awakens
+ Once you’ve completed all elements of the quest The Dead Deity and managed to save Kees (i.e. either killed all lizard-folk OR negotiated successfully for his release), meet Kees back at the dig site. He will tell you that during his time in imprisonment, he uncovered what may be the dead god’s name. Coax him into revealing the title, as well as his theory – that if the artifact of power took life away from the god, maybe attempting to reverse the process by giving the artifact back to the god would bring it back to conscious life.
+ Using either the information gleaned from the lizard-folk OR a combination of an Intelligence of 17 or greater (guiding you to look in the pool at the dig site) and a Search check at a DC 20 (to find the chest in the water), check in the pool and unearth the hidden chest. There are several magical wards protecting the contents (and a 90% chance that a Bash will destroy everything within – coupled with a 50% chance that it will also rupture the wards, causing a combination of 3d6 cold damage, 2d8 fire damage, and 1d6 sonic damage to everything in a 60’ radius), which can either be overcome with a Disable Device check (DC 15, 20, and 25 for the cold, fire, and sonic respectively) or a single Dispel Magic spell.
+ Once you have opened the chest – without destroying yourself or the content – you will find the Artifact of Power. You can choose to give this artifact to the lizard-folk (who will thank you, give you some money, and declare that they will keep it safe), Mynah (who will donate it to the magical academy), Edanwil (who will keep it for his own use), or keep it for yourself. Or you could use it to test Kees’s theory…
+ Once you know the name of the god (from Kees), have the Artifact of Power, and have acquired a purifying gem (if you didn’t acquire one from searching the lizard-folk campsite for the quest The Natives Are Restless, and you didn’t kill the lizard-folk and loot one off of their corpses, you can go back and search a camp or two in the main marsh to turn one up), fill a waterskin (you can steal one from the research tent) with water from the pool. Since Edanwil will be distracted by speaking with Kees – and thus not warding you from entering the temple – walk into the structure and up to the statue. Place the gem in the hole within the basin and fill it with the spring water, then place the Artifact of Power in the statue’s outstretched hand. Finally, use a torch to light the two braziers, and call out the god’s name (as a command word).
+ A cutscene will begin showing the statue coming to life – the outstretched hand closing on the Artifact, the hooded eyes beginning to glow, the water in the basin evaporating into the air, and the upraised palm slowly eking partly open. Edanwil finally notices what is happening and cries out in rage, rushing into the statue and throwing you aside with a spell of telekinetic force – only to have the statue’s gaze captivate him – the eyes of the statue flash brightly – and lose their light entirely as the elven wizard collapses to the ground.
+ When the cutscene is over, Edanwil will begin to speak, but seems overcome with a kind of joy and stammers himself into wordlessness. Then his eyes glow green, and another voice begins to speak: that of the god that was formerly trapped. It seems that his power has been so depleted for so long that now he is little more than a wisp of thought, more a ghost than a god – but his knowledge (patched as it may be) is so vast that the mere idea of sharing his body with a formerly-divine creature has put Edanwil into a state of near-bliss. The god thanks you for freeing him, but warns that although this experiment of the “creator race” was eventually abandoned, other artifacts of great and terrible power remain in existence, carved out of his own essence – and that the creator race may not be as extinct as many believe. After consenting to pack up the dig site – they have little more to learn that he cannot teach them! – Edanwil/the god creates one last object to your specifications (either armor or weapon, +3, either protection from/damage dealt by either 1d8 fire, 1d6 cold, 1d8 lightning, or 1d6 sonic damage), instructs Mynah to pay you, and teleports you back to the inn in Arusol. Either Edanwil was more powerful than you knew, or that god may have been exaggerating on how much his powers were depleted…
Scripting/AI Issues
Ideally, there should be no major issues with scripting or AI. None of the characters in the dig site should ever attack the player (unless they are chaotic evil and go around killing absolutely everything), and the lizard-folk won’t attack the player unless they either refuse to surrender initially or fumble in the negotiations. The quests in the area are primarily designed to suit characters with high Intelligence or Charisma scores (although the larger range of characters to talk to makes many of the quests solvable without – only careful play and persistence will win out the very last quest pertaining to the dead god), and any dialogue options that rely on such boil down to a basic Intelligence score (17 or higher, usually), or Diplomacy check (where the DC is set for each value, and the method is based on the usual formula and easy to calculate without issue). The one action that triggers a cutscene – bringing back the god – is dependent on a number of key factors that cannot be triggered unintentionally (i.e. the options to place certain items in key spots on the statue do not appear as options until the player both knows what to put there and has the item in their inventory).




