D&D General Trying different layouts with my DIY foam stackers for the intro to my ToEE-themed campaign

[el-remmen]

Before the party gets to Hommlet, there is a good chance they will get embroiled in a sidetrek along the way that is meant to show them the growing prevalence of varying cults in this part of the world, which can lead them to an unholy shrine in the wooded hills outside a small village whose residents are being exploited by the village leaders.

I spent some time yesterday playing with my DIY foam stackers and dungeon tiles to create a set up for the shrine and the confrontation that will likely happen there. These are just three examples. I like the third one best (with the secret staircase behind it - image 4) but I have to keep in mind that i may be re-building this thing on the fly based on session events so I want one that looks cool but is does not take up too much time to set-up.

I'll probably end up with something between the first two and the last one.

Anyway, I am not necessarily asking for opinions (tho this is ENWorld, so I am sure some people will have some) but thought it'd be cool to share. I made these stackers by hand, but I recently got a hotwire foamcutting table so I plan to make a second set to supplement these and hopefully it won't take as long to make them.

P.S. I found the skull out on the street soon after this past Halloween while walking the dog.

 

[not-so-newguy]

This is starting to inspire me to bust out my Modge-podge-covered sweats and hoody from the bottom drawer and get to crafting. I'm not motivated to get off my butt yet, mind you. Just inspired

Nice find on the skull

 

[aco175]

Are you able to add a magical circle of runes and a few burning braziers to give it the cult feel? Is the hotwire thing a pain to use?

 

[edosan]

Those are so cool!

 

[Stormonu]

Party: Why do we hear Tetris music?
Wizard: And how to I learn to furrow my bonebrow like that?

Great stuff @el-remmen!

 

[el-remmen]

Are you able to add a magical circle of runes and a few burning braziers to give it the cult feel? Is the hotwire thing a pain to use?

Well, as you can see, I have one brazier on there already, but I have a few more I plan to add (and a treasure chest). I don't have plans for a magic circle, but there will be a magic stone with runes painted on it that I am in the middle of crafting.

As for the hotwire table, I guess it depends on how you define "pain." It takes some time to get used to, but it allows for repeated precise cuts in a way that cutting by hand or a handheld hotwire foam cutter does not.

Using either should really be done in a well-ventilated place with a mask on, which I do in my garage with the garage door open.

 

[el-remmen]

Wizard: And how to I learn to furrow my bonebrow like that?

Bonebrow is a great NPC name!

 

[not-so-newguy]

Dollar Tree (or equivalent) is a good, cheap place to find stuff to fill out a dungeon. Not sure if that's available in your area.

 

[el-remmen]

Dollar Tree (or equivalent) is a good, cheap place to find stuff to fill out a dungeon. Not sure if that's available in your area.

I've seen a lot of videos of crafting DMs going to town at Dollar Tree and similar stores, but my experiences have always fallen short of the $1 ideal.

RIght now I am in the middle of a project built mostly around the cardboard cores of doggie poop bag rolls and the wooden stirrers I sto. . . uh, borrowed from a Starbucks.

 

[not-so-newguy]

I've seen a lot of videos of crafting DMs going to town at Dollar Tree and similar stores, but my experiences have always fallen short of the $1 ideal.

RIght now I am in the middle of a project built mostly around the cardboard cores of doggie poop bag rolls and the wooden stirrers I sto. . . uh, borrowed from a Starbucks.

Agree, your not going to find everything there. I just recall that there were more than a few times that I picked up items at a crafts & hobby store that were much cheaper at the dollar store. Things like tacky glue, wooden cubes, etc. My favorite crafting item is the 72 piece jenga game that they sell. It's a crappy ripoff of the real thing, but super useful for crafting.

I'm lucky enough to have a store that's pretty large and well stocked. I've been in other Dollar stores that were tiny in comparison that had mostly household items.