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mikie
Seeker
USA
73 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Dec 2012 : 02:06:22
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Well met all!
It has been many, many moons since last I've entered these hallowed halls. Finally dusting off my books and notes to start the campaign again. My question is this. Can anyone tell me how long it would take for a party (7 adventurers) to get FROM Mantol-Derith TO Waterdeep? Any information would be greatly appreciated. My thanks!
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4702 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2012 : 02:21:16
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Well, because the tunnels go up, down and side ways the one guidance offered years ago was three times the distance compared to surface travel between the two locations. It appears Mantol-Derith is close to Waterdeep, however 3 or 4 miles down. Without knowing for sure how far not directly under Waterdeep Mantol-Derith is it is very hard to give estimate of travel time. Actually time of travel, walking clearly depends on the party membership.
I would say it is at least a few days trip, and clearly can be much longer. In part it depends on distance, it also depends on how fast a party can move, how many encounters to avoid or win, healing, food collection if not well supplied.
Oh it also might be longer if party gets lost, however could be very quick with use of a portal or teleportation spell. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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dwarvenranger
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2012 : 02:40:38
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| It's about a one day trip to the Darklake from Mantol-Derith. Supposedly there are portals to the surface around the Darklake. Where such a portal would come out at is up to you as the DM I think. Perhaps a cave in the Surbrin Hills? |
If I waited till I knew what I was doing, I'd never get anything done.
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2012 : 03:37:07
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IIRC, there are access points closer to Waterdeep, and not just in Skullport. I recall something about a gnome hermit... or was it a dwarf? Just NE of Waterdeep in the Sword Mountains*... some sort of ruins and/or dungeon complex.
There is also some Drow House that controls a lot of gates in that intervening area - subterranean Gates that provide quick travel between Underdark points.
*EDIT: The place is called Melairrin (I checked a map). Not sure where the lore was located. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 02 Dec 2012 03:41:02 |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4255 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2012 : 04:09:47
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While travel in the Underdark between established places is not easy for many reasons, I've tended to make the going as slow as possible. It is, after all, almost like constantly walking through an ever shifting dungeon filled with monsters!
Travel is up and down, with backtracking due to tunnel directions, and so I make the travel rates of the Underdark the same as travel in rugged mountains. I then usually make it half as slow again for constant wary actions of the party...those wishing to travel faster suffer the consequences. |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Kris the Grey
Senior Scribe
USA
422 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2012 : 04:43:03
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As it happens, I'm running a game that has (in the last few months) dealt a lot with events in and around Waterdeep, Silverymoon, Mithral Hall, Blingdenstone and Mantol Derith.
My players were staying at the Promenade near Skullport and found themselves having to decide whether it was faster to travel from Skullport through the Underdark to Mantol Derith or teleport to Mithral Hall, then travel to Blingdenstone and move on to Mantol Derith from there.
I did a goodly amount of research only to discover there really wasn't a lot of solid detail on the precise travel distances between Underdark locations. If you look at the 2E and 3E sources ('DD's Guide to the Underdark' for 2E and 'Underdark' for 3E) you can get a decent idea of where Mantol Derith is relative to Blingdenstone, Menzoberranzan and even some surface locations, but details are lacking as to the times and routes for travel between them. I was basically forced to make some common sense calls on time frames.
In doing so, I used the basic principle that, even given vague statements about gates and such being scattered here and there around the Underdark, travel times there should be much slower than similar travel on the surface. There just is no 'as the crow flies' nor any 'the shortest distance between two points is a straight line'. Routes climb, decline, narrow, turn back on themselves in great looping paths, etc. At the end of the day, I basically decided that:
- a trip from Skullport to Mantol Derith (which, remember is in an out of the way location known only to key merchant groups) or back would take around a month of Underdark travel
- a trip from Mithral Hall to Blingdenstone would take between 6 to 8 days (depending on whether you are talking a small group moving at a good clip with an ability to see in the dark and a good guide or a full caravan moving slowly)
- a trip from Blingdenstone to Mantol Derith would take between 8 and 12 days (noting the variations above)
- a trip from Mantol Derith to Menzobarranzan would take between 8 and 14 days (here I was actually relying on times provided by the 2E Menzoberranzan boxed set)
From there you get a good sense of my general distances and times. Your mileage my vary.
I also found a fairly helpful map here: http://vnfiles.ign.com/nwvault.ign.com/fms/files/gameworld/1213/FRTNPlayersGuidev3.0.pdf a Neverwinter Nights mod site which gives you a nice sense of 'what lies between point A and point B' throughout the Northdark (and beyond).
Now, as an aside, after making all these judgment calls my players and I made the long trek to GenCon 2012 and tried the 5E play tests. One of them ran the PCs through the reclamation of Blingdenstone and took the PCs on a trip from Blingdenstone and Mantol Derith. Fancy that! Lol. When I asked, 'what is the travel time on that?' I got the answer of 'two days'. So, I'm not sure if that is the official WOTC canon answer on that one...
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Kris the Grey - Member in Good Standing of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, the Arcane Guild of Silverymoon, and the Connecticut Bar Association |
Edited by - Kris the Grey on 03 Dec 2012 18:35:16 |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4255 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2012 : 05:05:59
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| Totally off topic: I wish I had enough loot to buy a really nice high end computer to play games online...perhaps one day...when I finish college...in about twenty years or so perhaps... |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4702 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2012 : 05:19:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Dalor Darden
...when I finish college...in about twenty years or so perhaps...
*Blink* In school for half your life? |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4255 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2012 : 06:02:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
quote:
Originally posted by Dalor Darden
...when I finish college...in about twenty years or so perhaps...
*Blink* In school for half your life?
Sorry to derail the thread, but my college life feels like a long trip through the Underdark!
I was just poking fun at myself for having been "back to college" now for nearly five years and not finishing yet! |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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underdark travel
