Written Illustrated by Ryan Durney with Further Design by Christopher Rush
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A 5th Edition Adventure for Levels 15-17 An Unforgettable, 300 Page Dungeon of Corruption & Destruction for 4 –12 Players! written & illustrated by Ryan Durney with further design by Christopher Rush sexy spine Why should you support an expensive print edition in the electronic media age? (Allow me the chance to make a case): It was nicely reviewed, but one strike was a lack of playable maps, so I added 12 in the final update. After the licensing & hosting take their cut, you are putting bill-pay $ directly into the creator's tip jar. I designed it for print all along. Physical books today are about holding an art & story experience in your hands. It took 4 years to finish 300 pages of content, with over 130 original art pieces, some of which are hand-drawn. With a decent amount of support, Uknown Tome will continue to produce the highest quality works for you. wife's toe-thumb this illustration doubles as an homage to an infamous mTG card This Adventure Offers Several MODES of PLAY: This adventure is somewhat of a Valentine’s Day card to Tomb of Horrors and other “snuff dungeons.” mirrors of the Abyss was once a birthday snuff dungeon that I ran to kill my players (haha...yet, if you are an experienced DM, you know that IS its own birthday present). Over the years, I began to enjoy the setting and the There's a crisis in Dungeons & Dragons...Too many characters are living too long. Too many Players have character of it. Things inevitably fleshed themselves from a lattice of bones into a meaty chaotic evil adventure, become smug and comfortable, knowing that their fantasy counterpart will prevail in their weekly pillow fight and, well...here we are. Or more importantly, here you'll be, for 7+ hours or so, at least. with toothless monsters, and that everything always works out in the end...Utter. Dribble. Parts of it were written with one-nighter party adventure rooms in mind, but other parts were written to really, Is that a reflection of life? Is that the world we live in? As Dungeon Masters, we have decisions to make. Are really hit the Abyss hard, and give it all the flavor I could imagine. you their tap-dancing, storybook-reading, omnipresent guardian angel, set to waddle in, in your red robe and fix die rolls? Or, are you their five senses upon an infinite and deadly fantasy universe, as you should be? Here are some ways that I've tried it: At some point, at every table, at least one Player gets the notion that they are playing the role of a super hero, and they are safe to wreak havoc then reload their last save point as if D&D were merely a video game. [KILL ALL MIN-MAXERS MODE]: You could run this game as a One-Nighter Party Game Adventure, for 4 It is not. It was designed as a true game for adults (truly one of the only!), and adventuring is a high risk, high –*12 Players, to see if they can get anywhere in just one night. You could even suggest that a smaller party each reward career choice in a fantasy paradigm absolutely brimming with danger. brings two character sheets, assuming one character will die (see also “Death is Not the End in Vulgarea”). You may need to skip to the “End Chamber” at hour 6 to offer a sense of finality towards the close of a single Party- Tomb of Horrors could make even the oldest, level 30 grognards cry a river of salt. Many classic modules Mode gaming session. (Always roll the chambers randomly, in my opinion, for most modes) were good at challenging the mettle of actual Players, and not just the min-maxed stats they’ve amassed on their sheets. This module, though classically influenced, promises a sugary touch of fair play sprinkled [Ryan'S One-NighTER MODE for MaximuM fuN & Interest]: throughout the big bowl of salt. But repeat after me: “In its total, it is not fair. It is not intended to be bal- 1) Use the Intro, and Chamber 00 “The Fossil ossuary.” anced. It is Abyssal...It's bat-poo crazy and it is as chaotic evil as it should be.” 2) Instead of rolling random chambers, consider one of the following next: Chamber 04: eshebala's obsequious mirrors of the Abyss has no official affiliations, though I would have been remiss not to acknowledge Iggwilv oubliette of mirrors, or Chamber 14: Floating the River of Snakes. and her well-known Demonomicon, at least in passing. Gary Gygax (the coauthor, and an original creator of 3) Next pick one of the more narrative-based sections, like Chamber 07: A Court of Two kings, Chamber 05: D&D / AD&D (along with Dave Arneson) and also the creator of Iggwilv and prime contributor to early Abys- An Abyssal orchard, Chamber 19: where Demons won't Go, or Chamber 15: Illegal Intervention. sal flavor) stated the following, roundabout, concerning Tomb of Horrors, which I hope is apt for my module: 4) Viable action climaxes would be one of these, possibly: Chamber 12: eshebala's Art Gallery or Chamber 20: Follow the white Rabbit. NOTE: If you choose the latter, instead of a random Demon Harbinger Aspect “This is a thinking person’s module. If your group is a hack and slay gathering, they will be unhappy...brain- from the table “Her Pagodas of mockery,” choose one of these: #81 Goap, #87 Samael, #91 Kundag or work is good for all players.” especially #95 Onoskelis. 5) End with The Forgotten narthex (of course, there wouldn't be any chance of actually vanquishing Eshebala). “The real enjoyment [of The Tomb of Horrors] is managing to cope, and those players who manage to do (This mode takes apprx. 7 hours, but always add more time per every Player beyond 4-5 Players!) so even semi-successfully will appreciate your refereeing properly and allowing them to ‘live or die’ on their own.” [TIBERION PEAKS MODE ~ (like a regular D&D campaign)]: You could run this adventure as the sequential “It is a killer.” successor to the extended campaign “Shadow Over Mt. Tiberius” which explains how the PCs came to brush up against Eshebala. You could offer a method of salvaging the party from the End Scenarios section to continue after this adventure wreaks havoc on their future. (At least 4 advanced Players, a little min-maxing on their part, and multiple 7-hour sessions would be required for this) [CAMPAIGN WIPE MODE]: You could run this game as a risky adventure to bring a homebrew / mixed cam- paign to a conclusion of a sort (for when you want to reboot and start them at Level 1). The PCs will have a high chance of dying (nix the optional death tables), and will simply have to deal with it. Should they be warned?? [GROGNARD MODE (like a regular D&D campaign)]: You could run this game as a Stand-Alone Adventure (this will take multiple sessions), for serious Players who want a shot at actually taking down eshebala, and eking out the next-to-impossible win scenario. Players cannot take advantage of "snuff dungeon foreknowledge / prep- ping for the Abyss / demons"...None of this "I spent all my gold on 1000 healing potions," or, "I have a bucket of Hey, pssst...DM...over here!...Are you & your group "in it to win it?" trained squirrels to find traps," etc. 1 Demonologist and 1 Exorcist permitted (transition must be in-game). Cham- bers are run in random sequence. (At least 5+ advanced Players) This adventure took an insane amount of time to create. Do you really like it? If so, would you like to win a very Limited Special Edition, remarqued by me, the author / artist? OK, welp, all you have to do is record say, 75% of your entire live session of this adventure (wherein you play all 20 chambers), and upload it to Youtube, because: Disclaimer: Ryan Durney, the author / artist of this book is confirming that he will, at his own pace and schedule, forge up to 24 (spanning "A" - "Z") Special Limited Editions (although Ryan will keep "A" and Christopher Rush a) willI would be gifted get "Z"a kick (so thatoutta leaves watchin' 22 total you))...that play could it. be awarded, 1 to each consistent, b) That ever-present helps this member adventure of a group become who known. finishes all 20 chambers of this adventure, *If you do have a hefty 8–12 Players, of course you will have to scale the challenges on-the-fly, and having a full all the way to the end (Grognard Mode), live on cam (with very minimal editing and no cheating (I will know!)). The sessions must be uploaded to Youtube, and then you can call my attention to what you've done. It goes without saying, it's my choice to judge the worthiness as to whether or not your group truly wins a set. Please make the play fun & flattering (no whinin' er bashin'). And remember, 12 Players means escalating the damage of monsters, hazards and traps. There would never be enough page real once the 22 are gone, they're gone. There are no guarantees whatsoever, but this is a real thing as of the first edition of this adventure. These will be unique hardback Limited Editions with pseudo-hand- estate to help with proper escalation, but this adventure was written with a Party Mode as a consideration.