From: Andy Utech Date: Wed, 8 Jan 1997 16:24:49 PST Subject: Warpstone Warriors deep one A bit late, but that's better than never, eh? This is the first of several dungeons that make up the "Warpstone Warriors" adventure I am currently running. I will be submitting the next dungeons as I am able and will submit the overall outline of the adventure soon. TREASURE HUNT - A level Two dungeon This adventure takes place in and around the city of Quenelles on the border of Bretonnia and the Loren Forests. NPCs should reflect this position. Humans and Elves enjoy a healthy trade and good relations here while Dwarfs are less common and eyed with some suspicion. Chivalry is the watchword for those of high birth and something generally aspired to by the peasants. Brutes such as the Barbarian and the Pit Fighter will be considered uncouth brash and annoying by city officials and store owners while the Imperial Noble and the Elf Ranger Knight/Mage will be warmly received as long as they maintain their civility. The important thing is to show a difference between this city and those generic settlements generally encountered. Specific information on the settlement events and places in the city will be forthcoming. Start: The warriors meet on neutral ground -- the traditional tavern meeting works here if you pardon the incongruity of certain characters associating with the others or even walking into the same type of establishment in the first place -- and get to talking. Tales of their deeds and accomplishments are shared, blown out of proportion, deflated, argued over, and generally tossed about until the individuals find themselves longing for further adventures. A pact is made. At least one of the adventurers knows of a newly discovered map which shows a forgotten entrance to the chambers carved under the Black Chasm. It is agreed that killing Skaven is a noble way to pass the time, adventurous, fun, and profitable. The warriors agree to follow the map and explore the Black Chasm. The journey to the Black Chasm is uneventful due to good planning and good luck. The Black Chasm: The caverns in question are in fact an ancient abandoned and forgotten Dwarf cache point. It includes store rooms, secret armories, and a spring-fed fountain. Any Dwarf with the warriors will quickly identify the place as such and should have additional bonuses for finding the secret doors and pressure plates. The current occupants of the caverns is a good sized group of Skaven, their Warlock leader and their twisted pets. Craven the Corruptor (the Warlock) created the map used by the warriors and made sure that it would find its way to Quenelles. He hopes to attract groups of Bretonnians and Wood Elves to capture and impregnate with Warpstone fragments. Craven does not have everything prepared to his satisfaction yet, but he feels his forces are ready for a group of low level warriors. The adventurers are walking right into a trap. Map: XXXX XXXX XXXX XFFX XFFX XXXX XXXX XXXX door XX XX XX XX XX XXXX XX XXXX XXXX door XXXX XXXXdXXdXXXXXXdXXdXXXX XXXXoXXoXXXXXXoXXoXXXX oXXo XX oXXo r XXr XX rXXr XX fur XX XX XX XX door XX door XXXXdXXXXXXdXXXX XXXXoXXXXXXoXXXX XXXXo fur oXXXX XXXCr BXXX rXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX door SS SS The Stairs Down (S) "Your map has served you well! After several days of rough travel up mountain passes, along rivers, and across crumbling ledges you have come to the end of your journey. An ancient set of stairs -- beaten and worn by time and the elements -- leads down below a granite cliff. A heavy wooden door, banded with iron, stands at the bottom of the mossy stairs. The stones surrounding the portal are weathered and whatever signs indicating what lays within have long since disappeared." Use the chit that comes with the game to represent the narrow stairway the adventurers find with the help of their map. The door at the bottom is made of heavy wooden planks banded in iron and is locked. The lock may be picked with lock picks and an initiative test with goal 7. If the adventurers lack lock picks they will have to bash down the door. Those hitting the door must make a strength test (7) and then apply the damage from their strike. Note that on this door as on every door throughout the caverns swords cannot add their damage for the purposes of bashing down a door! Axes and blunt weapons may add their damage. After the door takes 15 wounds it will splinter and fall apart. The warriors may push aside the planks and enter the room on the next turn. The Entry Room "You find a square room that reeks of animal waste, rot, and decay. The walls are riddled with holes of all sizes, the floor is covered in filth, and the ceiling is bowed beneath the weight of the mountain above. Directly across from you, a filthy patchwork of cloth is stretched across a doorway. In one corner stands a rotten and teetering barrel. Each of you gulps in the fresh air from outside before entering into this gloomy and filthy place." Use the Monster's Lair board section to represent this room. The barrel chit should be placed in the Northwest corner of the room. This room is currently occupied by a dozen sick and twisted Chaos Rats. Craven found the caverns filled with Giant Rats when he and his companions moved in and immediately set about his foul experiments with them. The resulting monsters live in the holes of the walls and in the barrel in the corner. After the warriors enter the rats will burst into the room. Neither the warriors or the monsters will have an opportunity to attack this turn with the following exceptions: 1) The Wizard may cast an attack spell if you allow him to do so. 2) Any warrior who wanted to look in the barrel is immediately attacked by the rat living inside. 3) Any warriors standing next to a wall must pass an initiative test (7) or be knocked prone by the rats leaping from their lairs and must spend their next turn standing up and retrieving dropped equipment. Give a bonus to the initiative test if the character states that he is specifically expecting an attack from the holes in the walls. 4) The Pit Fighter or characters with the Reaction Strike skill may use their ability to attack newly placed monsters as usual. The Chaos Rats want to die. Craven's experiments on them have left them bloated, twisted, and in terrible and unending pain. Their attack on the warriors is primarily to provide the warriors with an incentive to kill them. When the Chaos Rats turn comes up have them move one at a time as fast as possible, and ignoring pinning, towards the character that killed the most rats on his turn. Chaos Rats will continue attacking this character until the character falls prone, then they shift to the character who killed the next highest number of rats on his turn and so on. When the warriors have killed all of the rats they may search the holes in the walls in which case they come across bags of gold determined as usual for finding gold as a treasure. If the warriors investigate the barrel they find it quite empty and quite foul. It does, however, rest upon a pressure plate. This is one of three pressure plates which, when all are pressed down at the same time, will open the secret door leading to the Objective Room. During the fight allow warriors with the proper orientation to make an initiative test (9) to spot a Snotling sent by Craven to spy on the warriors and report on their progress. The Snotling has lifted up a corner of the fabric stretched across the doorway and will run squealing to the North if he is spotted or at the end of the combat, whichever comes first. After the warriors have left the Monster's Lair, they should see the Snotling pulling with all his weight on a lever. Suddenly the lever snaps down and the Snotling rolls across the floor with the lever still in his hand. Place the portcullis in the doorway leading to the stairway. The portcullis is very heavy and solid and the dropping mechanism has been damaged. It cannot be lifted at this time without summoning every monster in the place. If the warriors insist on banging on it then start having the monsters from the unexpected events chart and the other rooms wander in to see who's making all the racket. The Snotling should once again flee in terror -- later to be seen again in the Snotling unexpected event. The Southwest Room: "Another square room. The general state of neglect and disrepair hardly registers as you size up the inhabitants. Four Minotaurs glare at you from the far corner!" Use the Dungeon Cell board section for this room. The doors to this room, like the other interior doors are made of stout planks of wood and is locked. The locking mechanism is quite simple and anyone may attempt to open it even without lock picks. The initiative test is a 7 or a 5 with lock picks. If the warriors decide to bash down the door then they must make a strength test (7) and cause 10 wounds before the door is destroyed. Allow the warriors an initiative test of (9) to notice that the Minotaurs are chained to the floor. The monsters are still quite fierce in appearance and the warriors will not immediately notice that they are chained. The Minotaurs are a recent acquisition. Craven has been "working" on them. They are sick and half-mad. They will not attack anyone who does not attack them. Each warrior who decides not to attack the Minotaurs in any way will gain 440 gold. The Minotaurs are exactly like regular Minotaurs except that they cannot move from their squares and they have only 10 wounds each. A chest in the Southeast corner contains the Whip of Flaying. This magical and very evil device causes the warrior's damage dice + 4 damage at a distance of 2-3 squares with no deathblows. It is a black leather weapon with sculls worked into the handle and razors twisted into the tip. The Whip of Flaying is cursed so that anyone who uses it too long will refuse to use any other weapon. If any warrior takes the Whip out of this room he will become attached to it and refuse to part with it. If he then uses it in combat he becomes convinced that it is the only weapon he should ever use and will not let it out of his sight. Eventually he will begin a process of self flagilation whenever he goes back to town that is so bizarre that every shop in town raises the stock number by two for anything that warrior wishes to buy. The Minotaurs have been periodically beaten with the Whip of Flaying. If they see a warrior take it out of the chest then they go berserk. They immediately break the chains that hold them and move to attack the person holding the whip. After the whip-wielder has gone prone they will attempt to leave the dungeon as quickly as possible -- attacking anyone who pins them. If any of the Minotaurs make it out of the room they will spend the rest of the time in the Monster's Lair making a terrible racket. Tell the warriors that they hear it banging on the portcullis. Later tell them that the Minotaur's racket has suddenly and inexplicably stopped. It is dead. The chest is sitting on top of the second pressure plate used to open the secret door leading to the Objective Room. When all three plates are pushed down, the door will open. The chest is not heavy enough to keep the plate here pushed down. If the warriors search the area where the Minotaurs were chained they find that the block holding the chains is loose. They can pull up the block with a strength test (7) to discover several old bags of flash powder. Only one bag is actually useful anymore as the others are worm eaten and fall apart as the warriors carry them. The skeleton is that of a Dwarf. The Skaven keep it around just for fun. Craven had it rigged up with the hapless adventurer's last firebomb. Any attempt to move the skeleton will trigger the firebomb which does 1d6 damage with no deductions for armor or toughness to everyone in those four squares. The Southeast Room: "The stench of decay, filth, and foul excretions makes you gag. The floor of the square room beyond is covered with a disgusting slime. In the center of the room a barred grate covers a hole from which the stench seems to emanate." Use the Well of Doom board section for this room. This room has the same doors as does the Southwest Room. Strength test (7) to bash down, 10 wounds or initiative test (7/5) to pick the locks. This is where Craven keeps a dozen warped Snotlings. His corrupting Warpstone has changed them forever. No longer cringing Goblin-wannabes, these Snotlings have learned to harness the Winds of Magic. They are a Snotling Wizard Mob. The Snotlings are currently invisible in the Southeast corner of the room. They will wait there until all of the warriors have entered the room, then they ambush -- casting their spells and then leaping from each other's shoulders in a rain of Snotling terror! The first two spells the Snotlings will use are Cataclysm and Cause Animosity. After that they will do their best with whatever numbers they have left. The sword on the floor is a Magic Sword. It is not special beyond being considered a magic weapon. The skeleton is that of a terribly stretched Snotling -- one of Craven's experiments. Next to the skeleton is a small backpack filled with 8 provisions. These provisions are poisoned and will cause the wounds they are supposed to heal. The Southeast corner of the room is the third pressure plate used to open the secret door leading to the Objective Room. The Northwest Room: "The wall which appeared solid just a moment ago swings back to reveal a square room. Broken furniture and barrels suggest this was once a hidden barracks. Other, more immediate evidence suggests that it might have returned to that use." Use the Guard Room board section for this room. Note that the door to this room is a secret door. Do not place a gateway on the corridor board section unless the warriors discover the door or the monsters inside open it to attack the warriors from behind. Note that if the warriors miss the secret door and continue down the corridor, the room's occupants will definitely creep up on them from behind and ambush on the next turn. The room is the current abode of one of Craven's strike forces. 3 Skaven Gutter Runners, 3 Plague Censer Bearers, and 3 Poison Globadiers had been busily laying bets on the time it would take for their playmate to expire. Then the warriors entered the dungeon the Skaven's sharp ears picked up their movements even beyond the closed secret door. They are ready for the warriors. After the warriors kill the Skaven they will discover a dying Dwarf. This one does not have a key to the portcullis. He DOES have horrible writhing tentacles sticking out from his head which will do 2d6 damage to anyone who touches him until he dies 3 rounds after the Skaven are killed. The Dwarf is carrying and Axe of Death. This weapon acts exactly like a Deathsword except that it may be use twice per adventure if used by a Dwarf. The Northeast Room: "The stony wall swings open revealing a square room -- empty save for cracked flagstones. Wait! Springing from the shadowy corners! It's...." Use the Torture Chamber board section for this room. This is the residence of Craven's second personal guard. 8 Skaven Stormvermin spend their days here fighting each other and waiting their chance to torture the Minotaurs down the hall. The Stormvermin will attack the warriors as they open the door. If the warriors miss the secret door then they will attack from behind -- ambushing on a 4+. If the Stormvermin are killed outside of their secret chamber then tell the warriors that springing from the shadowy corner is a single Chaos Rat. The Stormvermin leader has tried to squeeze into a pair of Boots of Swiftness with little success. Hidden under a loose flagstone is a chest with a poison gas cloud trap (see Encounter number 36 for the details) containing Darting Steel Blades. The Southern T-Junction: "The lantern light plays upon a corridor. The floor here is as filthy as in the last room -- and the stench as bad. The walls are less riddled with holes, though the ceiling appears just as bowed." After the warriors have all entered the T-Junction, the Snotling will pull the lever and drop the portcullis as described above. The doors to the East and West have been described above. To the North is another piece of filthy cloth covering the doorway. If the warriors take the time to look at the cloth from the other side they will see it crudely printed with the Skaven symbol. The Northern T-Junction: "Again you find yourselves in a T-Junction. More doors, filthy floors, and the stench of the foul rat creatures." Note that the door opposite the vertical passage is a secret door and should not be placed on the board or described unless the warriors specifically search the area. The door is easily found (perhaps a Dwarf with the Stonemaster skill should find it automatically), but is not so easily opened. In order to open the door from this side, the three pressure plates found elsewhere in the deep must all be depressed. Any heavy object can be used to hold them down. Alternatively, a warrior may attempt to freeze the mechanism down with an initiative test of 10 -- modified for race and profession! Once all of the pressure plates are opened, the door sinks into the ground with a terrible grinding sound audible throughout the dungeon. Any of the monsters not encountered to this point (in the NE, NW, SE, and SW rooms) will make their way towards the warriors as quickly as they are able to run. The Fountain Room: "The door opens and you find yourselves staring into inky blackness. Suddenly huge arms reach out from inside, grab a warrior and drag him, screaming, into the dark." Use the Fountain Room board section for this room, but do not lay it on the board until the players have entered the room. The door to this room is a banded wooden door identical to the one found at the start of this adventure with the exception that it is unlocked and may be opened easily. The blackness is a result of Cravens sorcery and prevents the warriors from seeing what lays within the room until they have entered. The arms belong to a Rat Ogre who simply reaches through the doorway, grabs one of the warriors in front and tosses him into the room. Hopefully the others will decide to rush to his aid. If not, Craven's companions can start fighting their way down the corridor. This room contains Craven the Corruptor, a Skaven Warlock with his force of Skaven -- 6 Plague Monks, 2 Jezzails, 12 Clanrats, and 2 Rat Ogres. The Rat Ogres will get stuck in with the players as soon as possible with the Plague Monks rushing in to attack whomever seems the most wounded. The Jezzails will fire at the Wizard every turn. The Clanrats will form around Craven while he concentrates all of his efforts on spellcasters. Note that it is vitally important that the players lose. Remember that Craven's Magic Dispel should be used against EVERY spell that the Wizard casts, including Healing spells. If you must, provide Craven with a healing potion or two so that he can survive enemy artillery. After the players lose they should be rather upset. Take each one aside as he falls irretrievably dead and give him this message, "As you drift off towards oblivion, you hear a terrible hissing voice saying: "Brave warrior. Brave warrior. So strong. So good. So full of life. No longer. But fear not, brave warrior. Craven will not let you die. Craven is here. Craven is in the darkness. Craven will heal you and send you home. Craven will not let you die. Not when you can help in Craven's work. Craven the powerful. Craven the Skaven. Craven the Corruptor!'" Allow the player to make of it as he wills and tell him not to let on to the other players that he is not really dead -- let them find out in their own good time. After all of the warriors are dead instruct them to take one from their starting wounds. Tell them that they find themselves outside the door to the caverns -- it is once again whole and locked. The warriors are at their full (though altered now) wounds, but feel terrible. If they wish to re-enter the caverns, tell them that the mere thought of that churns their stomachs and makes them fall to the ground. They need help and they need it quickly. No amount of healing will make the warriors feel better. If they examine themselves thoroughly they will find that each of them has an identical wound in the center of their chests. This is where Craven placed a small piece of Warpstone into each of the warriors. The wound is infected and oozes a sticky green substance no matter what the warriors try to do to staunch it. Allow the players to make their way back to a settlement. Arrange for them to come upon other people in their travels and make sure that at least one of them is infected. Craven's plan is truly evil. Each of the warriors now carries a piece of Warpstone in their bodies. They have been shielded from the effects of the Warpstone with the exception of the wound in their chest and the fact that if they attempt to remove it, they will die hideously. More importantly, the Warpstone will infect and mutate individuals encountered by the warriors. Every time any of the warriors encounter another non-monster individual, roll a die. On a roll of 1 roll the die again. On a 2-5 the individual is suddenly wracked by nausea and refuses to deal with the warriors any further. On a 1 the individual suddenly and horribly mutates, turning into a Chaos Spawn before the warrior's very eyes. The players must realize that the only way to save their warriors from this curse is to find a powerful Wizard who can cure them. Such a Wizard could only be found in a City. The nearest City is Quenelles. They should start making their way back there. Once back in the City they can train, shop around and do whatever they wish -- but if they're found dealing with Chaos Spawn they will be immediately kicked out of the settlement. The Wizard will find someone in the Wizard's Guild who can help them, but that is the next deep.....