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ADVENTURES
By SampleMonte fileCook
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WWW.PTOLUS.COM 2 PTOLUS: ADVENTURES TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
■ Introduction Where Do I Start? ...... 4 Page Numbering ...... 4 Adventure in the Streets! ...... 5 Acknowledgments ...... 5 What is Ptolus? ...... 5
SCENARIOS FOR LOW-LEVEL PLAYER CHARACTERS
■ Adventures Phon and the Pale Dogs . . . . .8 Interested Parties ...... 15 The Flow of the Adventures . . . . .6 Further Investigation ...... 9 Enter: Mand Scheben ...... 16 Getting Started ...... 7 The Warehouse ...... 9 A Visit to Castle Shard . . . .16 Foreshadowing ...... 7 Toridan Cran’s House ...... 11 Linech’s Burrow ...... 17 1. Shilukar Wanted Poster . . . .7 Interlude 1: Returning to Castle Shard . .21 2. Shivvel Addicts ...... 8 The Trouble With Goblins . . . . .13 Going After the Arrowhead .21 3. Republican Rally ...... 8 The House ...... 13 The Underwater Caves . . . . .22 4. Blue Gnolls ...... 8 EndingSample the Adventure file ...... 14 Returning to Linech...... 26 Adventure 1: Adventure 2: Back to Castle Shard ...... 26 The Murderer’s Trail ...... 8 Smuggler’s Daughter ...... 15 Getting Lord Abbercombe . .26 Adventure 3: End of the Trail . .27 Helmut’s Horrid Scheme . . .27 Initial Inquiries ...... 27 Helmut’s House ...... 28 Wrapping Up ...... 29 Interlude 2: The Missing Wafers ...... 29 Set Up ...... 29 The Theft ...... 29 At the Gatehouse Pub . . . . .29 Finding Thord ...... 30 In the Gardener’s Shed . . . . .30 Adventure 4: Shilukar’s Lair . . . .30 Set Up ...... 30 Layout of the Lair ...... 31 Wrapping Up ...... 35 Further Adventures ...... 35 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
CREDITS WRITING: Monte Cook
EDITING AND PRODUCTION: Sue Weinlein Cook
COVER ART AND LOGO: Todd Lockwood
CARTOGRAPHY: Ed Bourelle
FEATURED ARTISTS: Jason Engle, The Forge Studios (Maciej Zagórski and Pawel Dobosz), Michael Komarck, Eric Lofgren, Howard Lyon, and Michael Phillippi.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: Toren “MacBin” Atkinson, Kev Crossley, Talon Dunning, Brian APPENDIX LeBlanc, Alan Pollack, rk post, Peter Schlough, J.D. Sparks, Arne Swekel, Sam Wood, and Kieran Yanner ■ Maps and More GRAPHIC DESIGN: Open Game License & Legal .36 City Map ...... 37 Lisa Chido and Brian Rasmussen Bonus Handouts ...... 38 TYPESETTING: Maps: The Murderer’s Trail and Lisa Chido The Trouble With Goblins . . .40 Maps: Smuggler’s Daughter Sample file PROOFREADING: and The End of the Trail . . . . .41 Brian Gute and Miranda Horner Map: Smuggler’s Daughter . . .42 Map: Shilukar’s Lair ...... 43 INDEXING: Lori Ann Curley Player Map: Linech’s Burrow .44 GUIDE TO THE PTOLUS PDFS Sheet of Bookmarks ...... 45 Throughout this book you will find MIDTOWN PARTISAN: Character Sheets ...... 46 references in the text and in the side- Erik Mona panels to other books in the PT series of Ptolus PDF editions. For your con- PTOLUS RESIDENTS: venience, here’s a listing of all the titles Michele Carter, Andy Collins, Sue in the series and their corresponding Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, Jesse Decker, title codes: Erik Mona, Christopher Perkins, Sean A Player’s Guide to Ptolus PT1 K Reynolds, and Keith Strohm The World of Praemal PT2 VISITORS TO THE CITY: Organizations PT3 Steven “Stan!” Brown, Jeff Quick, Keri Districts of the City, Vol. 1 PT4 Districts of the City, Vol. 2 PT5 Reynolds, Charles Ryan, Ed Stark, and DM’s Companion PT6 James Wyatt Beneath the Streets PT7 HEROES OF ANCIENT PRAEMAL: Adventures PT8 Michele Carter, Bruce R. Cordell, The Spire PT9 Christopher Perkins, John Rateliff, Teresa Reid, and Sean K Reynolds 4 PTOLUS: ADVENTURES
INTRODUCTION
This book presents a series of exciting linked adventures set in the streets of Ptolus to get your campaign started.
PAGE NUMBERING elcome to Adventures, a book those are for the DM to reveal as time goes on. designed to launch your campaign DMs should print out a copy for each player. Two sets of page numbers appear Sample file with scenarios for low-level charac- Let everyone have a chance to learn about the at the top of the pages that come W ters in the City of Ptolus. The material in this city and get a feel for the setting. after this introduction. The main book corresponds directly to Chapter 33 in Where you go next depends on how you’re page numbers correspond to this Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire. going to use Ptolus. If you want it to be your book’s table of contents. The ones This is one in a series of nine Ptolus PDF campaign setting, start reading The World of in parenthesis correspond to the releases from Malhavoc Press. When used Praemal and learn all the basics of the world. page numbers of the Ptolus print together, they comprise the entirety of the Ptolus If Ptolus is destined to become a city in your book. They are there so you can print book. Each one is also usable on its own existing world, jump straight to the Districts of properly check the side-panel cross- for city-based fantasy d20 roleplaying cam- the City PDFs and read about the various parts references of important words that paigns. of town. you’ll find boldfaced throughout If you only want to mine the setting for ideas, this book. These cross-references tell WHERE DO I START? flip through the various PDF releases that inter- you where to find more information If you’ve purchased this book as a general est you and look at whatever strikes your fancy. about a given term, character, or sourcebook and you’re not sure what Ptolus is, You’ll find interesting city locales, strange and place. They direct you to either a check out the sidebar on the next page for a fascinating NPCs, dungeon complexes, evil page number in this book, a chapter primer on the product and the city it details. If fortresses, haunted ruins, complex organiza- in another book, or a page number on the other hand you’re starting to plan your tions, a few new races, monsters, prestige class- and title code of another install- own Ptolus Campaign, here are a few guidelines es, spells, and a lot more. ment of the PT series. We reference on how to get started. Ready-made adventures for characters of the page numbers from the print Whether you are a player or a DM, start by level 1 to 4 are available in this book. For those book so that, whatever edition of reading A Player’s Guide to Ptolus. That of you who need adventures beyond those Ptolus you have, you can discuss book—free to download as a PDF at offered here, check out the ninety-six-page page references with friends and
If you want to read every last bit of information he wants. By the end, the characters will have met available on the city, look for two Ptolus-related some of the movers and shakers in the city and products previously released by Malhavoc Press: are likely to have made both allies and enemies. It The Banewarrens and Chaositech. also includes some short, independent “inter- To delve even deeper into Ptolus, check out the ludes” that can be inserted at almost any time. official comic book, published by DB Pro, available Throughout Adventures, all references to spells, from Diamond Comics. We’re also proud to offer feats, and other rules come either from this book metal miniatures from Paizo Publishing, specialty or from the v. 3.5 revision of the three Core map products from cartographer Ed Bourelle’s Rulebooks: the Player’s Handbook, DMG, and SkeletonKey Games, architectural sketchbooks MM. This book is protected content except for from The Forge, and the Ptolus Counter items specifically called out as Open Game Collection from Fiery Dragon Productions. Content on the Legal page. For full details, please turn to the Appendix. Open content is not other- ADVENTURE IN THE STREETS! wise marked in the text of this book. This book presents a series of exciting linked Bonus source material and ideas to augment adventures that take place in the streets of Ptolus the information in the Ptolus PDFs appear on my to get your campaign started. These short scenar- website. Find the links to these free web enhance- ios are designed to introduce players and player ments, my campaign journal, and much more ACKNOWLEDGMENTS characters to the ins and outs of the city. online at
ADVENTURES
This book presents a series of short adventures to introduce players and player characters to Ptolus. Characters of 1st or 2nd level can start with these adventures, and they could reasonably expect to be 3rd or even 4th level once they complete the scenarios in this book.
he adventures presented here are episodic, However, the brother of Toridan, Linech Cran, but they are designed to be run together, is also a criminal, as the PCs learn when they get Lords of Castle Shard, T one after another.Sample They involve gangsters,file involved with none other than the Lords of Castle PT5: page 286 politics, and a conniving dark elf manipulating Shard. These Ptolus notables want to know why events—and the PCs—to get what he wants. By Linech is seeking adventurers. The player charac- the end, the characters will have met some of the ters end up looking for a sunken ship that held movers and shakers in the city and are likely to the coffin of Linech’s deceased daughter. The cof- have made both allies and enemies. This book also fin holds more than just her corpse, however—it includes some short, independent “interludes” that also contains a demon-possessed watch very valu- Balacazar family, PT3: page 100 can be inserted at almost any time. able to Linech and the Balacazar family. When These adventures mostly do not involve dun- the PCs learn that the watch has caused Linech’s geon crawls. For dungeon crawl adventuring, use daughter to rise from the grave as an undead Temple of the Rat God, the Temple of the Rat God, the Ebon Hand creature, returning her to her father suddenly PT5: page 390 Temple (both in the Temple District), or the typi- becomes much more complicated. Ebon Hand Temple, cal ratman lair (in the sewers). Or mix in one or Further, Linech owns a solid gold statue. PT5: page 379 more of those dungeon raids with the ongoing Unbeknownst to him, it is actually a man named Typical ratman nest, adventures presented here, such as between Lord Abbercombe held in stasis. The Lords of PT7: page 442 “Smuggler’s Daughter” and “End of the Trail.” Castle Shard want Lord Abbercombe brought to them and restored. But the whole thing is a Lord Abbercombe, PT3: page 88 THE FLOW OF THE ADVENTURES setup. A dark elf named Shilukar has given the Things start, as they often do, with action. Some statue to Linech specifically so the PCs would The Night of Dissolution thugs accost a young woman named Phon. The find it and eventually get it to Castle Shard. Then adventure is meant to pick player characters intervene and discover that, the dark elf could offer to trade the magic to up where the adventures inexplicably, someone seems to have paid for an restore Abbercombe for the lords’ hospitality in this book leave off. assassination on the woman. They follow a trail and protection. of clues to an old warehouse and finally to the Next, the player characters learn that Phon has home of a minor criminal named Toridan Cran. disappeared, and their only lead is the name of Helmut Itlestein, PT5: page 389 But there the trail goes cold. her secret lover, Helmut Itlestein. Helmut is