A Module for Character Levels 10-14 Under the Dark Fist
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Upper Deck 1 Ladder to Main Deck NIGHTWOLF 2 Ammunition Storage (Vodoni Scout) 3 Catapult Main Deck One Square = 5 Feet 1 Spelljamming Helm 2 Breeder's Quarters 3 Access Door (under wing) 4 Storage 5 Ladder to Upper Deck 6 Enforcer's Quarters 7 Jettison Upper Deck Sample file Main Deck UNDER THE DARK FIST by Grant Boucher A 64-page Campaign Adventure for the ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS® 2nd Edition SPELUAMMER™ Role-Playing Game TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 2 Appendix D: New Spelljamming Ships 58 Chapter 1: Small Universe 4 Appendix E: New Magic 60 Chapter 2: Strange Bedfellows 10 Appendix F: New Monsters 61 Chapter 3: Reconnoitering 18 Chapter 4: The Siege of Calandia 29 Maps Chapter 5: The Great Assault 35 Vodoni Ship Deck Plans cover Chapter 6: Crescendo 46 Palace of Power mapsheet Diamond-class Ship mapsheet Appendices: Imperial City/Undercity mapsheet Appendix A: The Vodoni Spheres 51 Calandia One Slave Camp 21 Appendix B: Non-Player Characters 54 The Mines of Calandia 33 Appendix C: Pregenerated Player Characters . .56 Sample file CREDITS Author: Grant S. Boucher Internal Art: Tom Baxa Editor: Jon Pickens Ship Design: Jim Holloway Cover Artist: Gerald Brom Typography: Gaye O'Keefe Cartography: David S. LaForce Keylining: Paul Hanchette ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DRAGONLANCE, FORGOTTEN REALMS, and WORLD OF GREYHAWK are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. SPELLJAMMER and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Distributed to the book trade in the United Stattes by Random House, Inc. and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. This module is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR Inc. °1991 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd. POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton Lake Geneva, Cambridge CB1 3LB Wl 53147 USA United Kingdom ISBN 0-56076-131-8 $10.95 U.S. £6.99 U.K. 9325XXX1501 "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, the equivalent of all of the dragons of Krynn PLUS all of How I wonder what you are. the Mordenkainens of Greyhawk PLUS every blessed be- Up above our world so high, holder in the Forgotten Realms . TIMES FOUR!!! Like an emerald in the sky." Any party that thinks they can handle that straight on —strangely familiar Vodoni rhyme should not even be brought into such an conflict. It would be wasting both your time and theirs. Only experienced players (and Dungeon Masters!) DM Notes should proceed with the events in Chapter One, "Small Bobbing majestically amidst the endless rainbow rivers Universe." Otherwise, lift what you want from this tome of of the phlogiston is a trio of crystal spheres, inexorably knowledge or save the whole thing for a later day. Don't bound together by the strangest happenstances of fate. say we didn't warn you. While few creatures that inhabit the fabled realms of Grey- space, Krynnspace, and Realmspace know or even dream Stand-Alone vs. Campaign of each others' existence, even fewer understand the ce- lestial bonds they secretly share. Adventuring Only a handful of brazen explorers, fearless scouts, and Still here? mystic travelers know with certainty that there are other Good, you obviously have what it takes to run an epic realms beyond this cosmic triad. And as the worlds of intergalactic war. men and elves, dwarves and dragons are about to discov- Now, it is certainly impossible to scrunch the equivalent er, not all of "out there" is friendly. In fact, many of the of the entire DRAGONLANCE® Saga into one 64-page spheres, twelve to be precise, are poised for war ... a war SPELLJAMMER1" adventure. However, we've done our the other side doesn't even know is coming. best to try just that. Twelve spheres against three—hardly fair odds for an More than enough information has been provided to intergalactic war. But then again, Emperor Vulkaran the take this adventure and expand it into years of epic cam- Dark, Master of the Twelve Spheres and Ruler of All paigning. For example, we've provided useful information Known Space, doesn't like a fair fight. He's never fought on all of Vulkaran's twelve crystal spheres. Just imagine one yet. that every one of these is as fascinating and fantastic as And amidst the vast emptiness of Wildspace, who have Greyhawk or Krynn alone, and you can see that your hori- the Fates chosen to carry the banner of resistance? Why, 4 zons are truly endless. to 8 heroes and heroines of from 10th to 14th level, of This is the first campaign adventure for the course. That is, if they're up to it... SPELLJAMMER setting, and as such, gives you just Sampleenoug fileh campaign material to get you rolling, but doesn't weigh you down with our vision of how your own No Novices Please SPELLJAMMER campaign is run. By virtue of this philos- DMs, one thing right from the top. This is NOT an ad- ophy, this product can also be used as a stand-alone ad- venture for novice players! While the recommended levels venture, similar to the usual offerings from TSR. and numbers of player characters should scare off new- If you don't want to interfere too much with your own comers to role-playing, it is important to realize that raw campaign, but like the epic quality of this humble tale, character power is not enough to defeat Vulkaran the just ignore the many campaign tie-in notes and adventure Dark and his dread breeders, enforcers, and conquerors. leads we've scattered throughout the journey to come. There will be times during the course of the campaign As always, do whatever it takes to create an exciting ad- when discretion is the better part of valor (read: they venture for you and your players. Hopefully, you have might have to run away once in a while). This campaign is many memorable gaming nights ahead of you. pitting a handful of mid- to high-level characters against Story Background Adventure Summary Without further ado, the adventure begins. The PCs happen upon a Vodoni scout in their own home For hundreds of years, unbeknownst to the gods and space. One way or another, they become one of the few to mortals of Untouched Space, a tyrant has slowly worked actually see and combat the strange were-warriors. his way across the infinite vastness. The few hearty trav- Searching the captured ship, the Black Dog, the charac- elers who braved the unseen boundary of the Vodoni Em- ters discover some very interesting clues about the pire in search of legends or lost artifacts never returned, strange invaders. Their second encounter with the Vodoni giving rise to new legends still. enforcers involves a disabled gnomish sidewheeler, and The might of the Vodoni Empire is unmatched in the this time elven forces mistakenly apprehend the PCs. universe, of this there is no doubt. But as with most great The PCs are taken to the Rock of Bral, where they are war machines, one critical part stands between efficient privileged guests of an unprecedented gathering. Unbe- operation and crippled inactivity. For the Vodoni, that fo- knownst to the rest of Free Space, a top-secret meeting of cus is Emperor Vulkaran the Dark. all of the space- faring races is under way. And by virtue of Vulkaran rules Twelve Spheres of Known Space the old- the party's recent encounters with the Vodoni, they are re- fashioned way: kill your enemies before they kill you; quired to attend. At the meeting, it is decided that some- crush all resistance before it grows; mercy is for the weak one, hopefully the PCs, should scout the Vodoni home and gutless; and the end always justifies the means. sphere. The PCs can use their own ship, the captured Needless to say, the Vodoni people aren't the happiest mind-flayer vessel (if its capture remains a secret from the in the universe, and neither are the inhabitants of eleven illithids), or the captured Vodoni scout for the mission. other spheres. During their visit to the Vodoni sphere, the PCs learn Vulkaran rules with the proverbial iron fist, but in his much about Vodoni and its people. It is obvious that case it's mithril. Yes, when you have total and utter control Vulkaran is a despot and even his own people are against over the resources of over five dozen planets, you develop him. Rumors that the sphere's gods have been imprisoned a taste for the rare, the exotic, and the infinitely valuable. by Vulkaran add to the intrigue. But Vulkaran's mithril armor is just a device, a black After the PCs report, the newly-formed Free Space Alli- knight's standard so to speak. Vulkaran's power rests not ance decides to establish a beach head on the prison plan- in his hands, but at his side. The merciless Vodoni enforc- et of Calandia in the Vodoni system. From there, the ers are the scourge of the universe—horrible lycanthropic major assault on Vulkaran is planned and set into motion. werewolves with a taste for blood and a respect for no liv- The PCs get to spearhead the critical space-based as- ing thing. And as will be seen later on in the taleSample, even the saul filet of the Imperial City, as well as lead a "decapitation" vicious and powerful Vodoni enforcers, whose numbers mission into the Crystal Palace of Vulkaran itself! More run into the tens of millions, are nothing compared to than a few plot twists and nasty surprises await the "this year's model." party .