To reach the Shadow Rift

[Joël of the FoS]

My players will go there eventually, and I'm exploring the idea of removing the Fracture. I'm not I like the idea of a "two days spent battling monsters but we can't remember anything". Not sure my players will like it.

What about using other ways to reach Shadow Rift? The Midnight Market? An oubliette?

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Catch or make a deal with a lesser fiend, like an imp, and use its reality wrinkle to breach the closed border effect?

[Joël of the FoS]

Yeah, that's a possibility.

Using the vistani or the Carnival won't work as I guess they've never been there.

Or I could try to make the Fracture more interesting: what could happen during this two days trip?

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Yeah, that's a possibility.

Using the vistani or the Carnival won't work as I guess they've never been there.

Or I could try to make the Fracture more interesting: what could happen during this two days trip?

On the other hand, you could have some Shadow Fey pretending to be Vistani or Carnival as part of a plan to lure mortals into the Rift.

[TheArcaneWeirdo]

My players will go there eventually, and I'm exploring the idea of removing the Fracture. I'm not I like the idea of a "two days spent battling monsters but we can't remember anything". Not sure my players will like it.

What about using other ways to reach Shadow Rift? The Midnight Market? An oubliette?

Mist talisman?

[Joël of the FoS]

Yeah, that's a possibility.

Using the vistani or the Carnival won't work as I guess they've never been there.

Or I could try to make the Fracture more interesting: what could happen during this two days trip?

On the other hand, you could have some Shadow Fey pretending to be Vistani or Carnival as part of a plan to lure mortals into the Rift.

Could work!

[Joël of the FoS]

My players will go there eventually, and I'm exploring the idea of removing the Fracture. I'm not I like the idea of a "two days spent battling monsters but we can't remember anything". Not sure my players will like it.

What about using other ways to reach Shadow Rift? The Midnight Market? An oubliette?

Mist talisman?

Could work too. Something Meave gave the PCs.

[Teravala]

An agent of Maeve who is actively trying to bring adventurers of note and worth into the Shadow Rift on the orders of the Fae Queen, so she can have agents at her disposal who are unbound by the Law of Arak could do the trick? I've been working on a bard/warlock character who is pledged to Maeve in hopes of being able to transcribe their history into a tome of their history, exploits, magic, and stories. I've always kind of felt that if a powerful Arak wants you to be able to get there, they have their ways.

[Mistmaster]

How do you enter in the kingdom of the Fey? Through a fairy circle, the back of a waterfall or a hole under or inside the older tree of the forest.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Different kingdom, different rules. The Shadow Rift's borders are always closed due to Gwydion's rage.

[Joël of the FoS]

Indeed, the borders are closed.

An agent of Maeve who is actively trying to bring adventurers of note and worth into the Shadow Rift on the orders of the Fae Queen, so she can have agents at her disposal who are unbound by the Law of Arak could do the trick? I've been working on a bard/warlock character who is pledged to Maeve in hopes of being able to transcribe their history into a tome of their history, exploits, magic, and stories. I've always kind of felt that if a powerful Arak wants you to be able to get there, they have their ways.

Interesting idea, and very fey-like (a bard to record the epic trip, and to spy on behalf of Maeve on the PCs - also to report: is there one worthy of being her lover?)

---

But I’m thinking of redesigning the Fracture, and remove the "you spent two days going down and battling monsters but we can't remember anything" part.

It is played during the game and the PC remember everything.

So what if the Fracture was a vertical dungeon crawl pit that obeys strange laws (mix of the fey / fiend roots of the Rift)?

While on the border of the rift, the PCs open a pit (with an object / ritual Maeve gave them). They get in it and it closes after them. There are stairs going down for the first hundred feets but after, they have to climb down the pit.

… they have to descent the rough pit for what seems like days…

… where they hear things or voices echoed in the pit, driving them nuts

… and where gravity reverses once in a while, forcing them to climb up instead of going down…

… where there are a few caves to get rest. (one of these is larger and has trees growing upside down)

… where they see traces of themselves passing there hours ago - marks they left, or a camp site (a loop thing, bonus if I think of a Moebius type loop) …

… where after sleeping in a cavern, after a few gravity changes, they eventually fight as to what is the up and the down …

… and monster attacks are viscious (ropers, otyugh, fiendish giant centipedes, underground dryads, and similar fiendish abberations)

… where a flight of powrie passes quickly through the pit after a few viscious attacks

… with memory drain – the fighter eventually do not remember how to use his bow, the cleric do not know his friend’s name, the wiz forget a spell, etc. They eventually do not remember at all what they are doing there.

OPTION : … This has a cumulative despair feel, and the only way to reach the exit is to throw ourselves in the pit (aka suicide by jumping in the pit).

You awaken in the Rift, near the cliffs.

That could work I think? It's unique and terrifying.

[Teravala]

Also it might just be because I've got them on the brain, but I'm willing to bet a reality wrinkle could get your party in, memories intact.

[Mistmaster]

Gwydion has another role in the Mistworld.

[Teravala]

Indeed, the borders are closed.

An agent of Maeve who is actively trying to bring adventurers of note and worth into the Shadow Rift on the orders of the Fae Queen, so she can have agents at her disposal who are unbound by the Law of Arak could do the trick? I've been working on a bard/warlock character who is pledged to Maeve in hopes of being able to transcribe their history into a tome of their history, exploits, magic, and stories. I've always kind of felt that if a powerful Arak wants you to be able to get there, they have their ways.

Interesting idea, and very fey-like (a bard to record the epic trip, and to spy on behalf of Maeve on the PCs - also to report: is there one worthy of being her lover?)

---

But I’m thinking of redesigning the Fracture, and remove the "you spent two days going down and battling monsters but we can't remember anything" part.

It is played during the game and the PC remember everything.

So what if the Fracture was a vertical dungeon crawl pit that obeys strange laws (mix of the fey / fiend roots of the Rift)?

While on the border of the rift, the PCs open a pit (with an object / ritual Maeve gave them). They get in it and it closes after them. There are stairs going down for the first hundred feets but after, they have to climb down the pit.

… they have to descent the rough pit for what seems like days…

… where they hear things or voices echoed in the pit, driving them nuts

… and where gravity reverses once in a while, forcing them to climb up instead of going down…

… where there are a few caves to get rest. (one of these is larger and has trees growing upside down)

… where they see traces of themselves passing there hours ago - marks they left, or a camp site (a loop thing, bonus if I think of a Moebius type loop) …

… where after sleeping in a cavern, after a few gravity changes, they eventually fight as to what is the up and the down …

… and monster attacks are viscious (ropers, otyugh, fiendish giant centipedes, underground dryads, and similar fiendish abberations)

… where a flight of powrie passes quickly through the pit after a few viscious attacks

… with memory drain – the fighter eventually do not remember how to use his bow, the cleric do not know his friend’s name, the wiz forget a spell, etc. They eventually do not remember at all what they are doing there.

OPTION : … This has a cumulative despair feel, and the only way to reach the exit is to throw ourselves in the pit (aka suicide by jumping in the pit).

You awaken in the Rift, near the cliffs.

That could work I think? It's unique and terrifying.

Sorry, was working last night and somehow missed this. I love a lot of the ideas you've got here. I instantly was on board with the feelings of disorientation and unnatural feels to the "dungeon", especially the gravity reversal, and the looping. What's more, is before I even got to the end I said to myself "I bet the way in is by jumping into the pit", so it stands to reason that the party will be able to figure out the puzzle as well, and it won't feel clunky or weird because it is a natural conclusion to the cumulative experiences of disorientation, fear, and despair.

[Jonathan Winters]

Hey buddy !!

I remember a few years ago someone had a Shadow Forest or something similar instead of a Rift in their campaign.

I thought it was really neat. More Ravenloft-y.
And much less Fearun like (no offense meant here).

I am toying with the idea that the Shadow Rift is there BUT as you enter, the "disintegration" is an illusion.... if you press on, (I have not decided on the details, you slowly make your way down... into a Shadow Forest / whatever your SR is.

Just my two cents.



Patrick