Bath Imaginable

I finished drawing the entire map of the Balcony Cliffs. My process on this was very inefficient, I kept jumping between writing, drawing, and designing in cyclical rotation until I finally figured out what the deal with this dungeon is. Once I knew what I was making, I locked in and let the visuals lead the way.

Now it’s time to go through and season each apartment, and make sure there are plenty of branching paths for the Players–I don’t want the space to feel like a linear climb with a bunch of meaningless interludes–I want navigating the entire apartment building to feel like climbing across something that was once alive and is now in decay.

The Keys
I want some lock-and-key type barriers, but I also want the design of the dungeon to be robust enough that if one of the players has an iron-jaw that can bite through locks, or a vial of acid that disintegrates metal, the dungeon is still fun and playable in any order. Mostly, the lock-and-key design keeps the Wandering Residents confined to their floors.

History. Seventy years ago, the Lab built the building for their elite. Today, no one remembers its name. The ground floor has been swallowed by the salt, leaving the structure to tilt precariously south. Between the jagged, collapsing terraces and its desperate lean toward the water, it is known only as the Balcony Cliffs.

Three groups maintain a tense struggle for control of the building.

The Old Guard. What’s left of the senior leadership from the Lab. Driven to see their research through to the bitter end.

The Scabs. Former contractors brought in to replace Lab employees gone missing or on stress leave. Driven to prevent the spread of the Lab’s corruption.

Subjects. Residents born of the Lab’s prior research. Driven to protect their Mother, the Subject from which they were all born.

Adventure Hooks d6

1. A drug dealer in Bastion will pay good money (£1,000) for a sample of Slug, a new drug that’s popular on the Fading Coast. Slugheads say you can get it from Apartment 504.
2. One of the Ferrymen, Gregory, left his HBC Gorline parked underground at the Balcony Cliffs a few decades ago (before it sunk). It was mint (£1,200 easily). Someone should dig their way in and take it.
3. The Players are contracted to work as part of a documentary crew by their creditor in Bastion. They’ve been given a hand-cranked camera (Bulky) and a list of scenes: a shot of the building’s main entrance, a shot from the rooftop, and an interview with a long-time resident about living in the building (-£1,800 from total debt).
4. The founding Director of the Lab, Dr. Alvarado, has returned from his failed expedition (he hasn’t aged a day in the sixty-odd years he was gone). He is ready to get back to work, but he needs his personal files from Apartment 803. He will pay a small fortune (£2,500) to anyone who recover the documents.
5. The Acting-Director’s newest assistant, Emily, is the daughter of a Councillor in Bastion. He fears for her safety, he’s offered a reward (£5,000) to anyone who can convince her to move back to the City from Apartment 603.
6. Zack, a grieving Science Mystic from Bastion, is working with the Council (from the Scrapyard) to destroy Mother (and her hidden eggs). He’ll pay the Players to exterminate the monster (whatever it costs, up to £9,000), but he doesn’t know where its nest is (or how to kill it, exactly).

Entrances. There are 2 ground-level entrances (203 and 204), and one subterranean entrance (the Main Entrance). The ramp descending into the parking garage is buried under a pile of salty soil and debris. The balconies can be climbed from outside, but the building sways precariously in the wind–it’s not stable, and a climb could risky (especially the higher one climbs).

The Lift. Doesn’t respond when called (it’s locked on SERVICE on 6). Requires the E8 Key.

Parking

Parking. Collapsed garage, pristinely clean (the only sound is dripping water). The exit is buried under layers of salty sediment (the bar gate is closed).

Parking Office. Dim electric light (slatted blinds). Home of the Parking Attendant; he’s trapped in the garage (although he’s never tried to leave) On his desk is an M2 Key* (for padlocks and wheel clamps).

Ruins. Rubble piled in the southeast corner (can be climbed up to Main). Water pours in through cracked concrete in the southwest corner (where the chopping machine is plugged in).

Jerry-Rigged Chopping Machine. Made from repurposed machine parts (towing vehicle).

Capital Crusader. Dead car (corroded battery). Locked doors (something shiny visible through tinted windows).

The Landlord’s Walking Stick. Go wherever. As long as you hold this copper-wrapped walking stick with both hands, you can walk on walls (and even ceilings) effortlessly.

SC Mudviper HP 9
An absolute classic.
Armour 2 (Steel Frame), Seats 5, Trunk Space 2
Throttle. Accelerates quickly; +d8 damage against other structures/vehicles in close quarter collisions.

HBC Gorline HP 9
You can always tell a Gorline Crash.
Armour 1 (Vitralloy), Seats 5, Trunk Space 6
Sturdy. Ignore the d6 HP loss from driving off-road.

CONDUCTORS’ NOTES
There’s lots of toys in the Parking Garage. The crushing machine is a deadly obstacle, but it can easily be turned against the Parking Attendant. It’s plugged in dangerously close to a source of constant, trickling water. The SC Mudviper is a lightweight sportscar, perfect for a demolition-derby style confrontation, but the Players will need to explore the upper levels of the Balcony Cliffs to find the keys. The HBC Gorline is valuable treasure, but it’s not obvious how to get it out from the underground garage, plus it’s been booted. However, the Parking Attendant wants it gone and the penalties paid (he might be open to negotiations).

Now I just have to work my way up toward the roof, where Mother nests.