WARLOCK!

The wishing well An adventure for Warlock! by Lee Rimmer inspired by the original Fighting Fantasy Adventure by Steve Jackson

Introduction

“If you like Fighting Fantasy, you’ll love roleplaying…” I can’t remember if those were the exact words, but that was the sentiment. I was around 11 or 12, a young boy at the dawn of an era that would one day be referred to by sages as “the 90’s”. My mum and dad had just gotten divorced, and I dealt with my issues by reading. My dad got me watching Clash of the Titans when I was around 7, and from there I got into mythology, history, monsters and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. And then an older friend told me there was something better than Fighting Fantasy- of course I assumed he would go on about Lone Wolf, but he instead introduced me to the world of RPGs, and it was the original Fighting Fantasy: The introductory roleplaying game book by Steve Jackson- the one with a tiger-man bursting out of a six-sided die on the cover. He ran me through “The Wishing Well”, a short dungeon-crawl with a series of disjointed encounters- not just combat, but problem solving and roleplaying. What hooked me about the adventure, more than anything else was, was the hook- the idea of an old wishing well. The idea was princes of old tossed coins down there and made their wishes and in time rumours told of all that gold down there waiting to be collected. There was also rumour of something called “The Spider King”- well, the young explorer in me could not wait to climb down there and investigate. And the rest is history.

Today I am still roleplaying, and I recently discovered Warlock! By Greg Saunders of Fire Ruby Designs.Strongly influenced by Fighting Fantasy amongst other classic British RPGS. Now it is my goal to earn £1 writing for RPGs, and this requires practice. So in honour of my RPG roots, and as homage to the adventure that started me on this path, here I present my love letter to Fighting Fantasy and the Wishing Well.

This is a reimagining (thank you Hollywood for such an ambiguous term!) of the adventure for use with the Warlock! RPG. It isn’t the same adventure as before, but an adaption flavoured with 30-odd (very odd) years of role playing and GMing. I have no involvement with the original Fighting Fantasy authors, or with Fire Ruby Designs, and this is not meant to challenge the original authors or any of the copyrighted material. This is my homage, a practice in adventure layout and design dedicated to the heroes of my childhood.

As such, this is completely free. A fan-work and nothing more. If you enjoy it (or not) I welcome any feedback. And with no more ado, welcome to the Wishing Well...

Background Not too far from a larger town, somewhere in the Kingdom of Man, is a small village near a ruined castle. This village is one of those “middle of nowhere” kind of places that has mostly been forgotten by folks in the current age, but in times past the castle was a place of great importance. When the treacherous Warlock revealed himself he and his vile army lay siege to the castle, destroying it, but not before the wizard Nandras unleashed spells of his own. Though the Kingdom of Man saw the Warlock’s army off, the castle lay in ruin, what’s more, one of the Warlocks minions, the Legendary Spider-King hid, deep beneath the castle. Nandras the wizard followed- and was not seen again.

Today all that remains of the castle is a few ruined walls and tumble-down stones. No way can be found to the chamber below. But not too far away is an old well- perhaps it was once the castle well, but after the siege it dried up. When two local village children climbed down the well and returned with a handful of silver coins a rumour began that the well was once an old wishing well, and that treasure lies down there, waiting to be discovered. Those of a more scholarly bent have also heard of Nandras and the Spider-King, and perhaps something remains of those two powerful beings somewhere down the well…

Background tables In true Warlock! style, below are a few tables to customise your version of the adventure. Use them as in, or as inspiration for your own grand designs.

The village near the well is… (roll a d6) 1. Mitterdorf, with its brightly painted houses and quaint gardens 2. Laustoft, with its grim sense of humour and carved ravens 3. Auldenwald, a forest village of woodcutters and herbalists 4. Shaffenholt, with its rolling hills and shepherds 5. Gaskanmeete, a crossroads village with a fine inn and shop 6. Valheim, once prosperous now abandoned and empty.

The ruined castle was once…. (roll a d6) 1. Castle Adelstein, home of Lord Rikkard Adelstein the Courageous 2. Castle Grimmenstein, home of the treacherous Lord Cornelius Dyre 3. Castle Weissenholme, home of the cunning and savvy Lady Sophia Weiss 4. The Nameless Castle, none alive remember it’s name. 5. The Citadel of Stars, home to a long forgotten order of Mages 6. Blackstone, home of the Valiant Lady Eloise Blackstone

The reason you are exploring the Wishing Well is… (roll a d6) 1. Debt, you heard about Princes of old tossing gold coins down there. 2. To kill a spider, you have been charged to slay the Spider-King 3. Lost relic, a mysterious orb is said to be hidden down there 4. Lost lore, what remains of Nandra the mage and his secrets 5. A bet, someone dared you to go and explore the well 6. The Spider-King's treasure, is it real?

Rumours about the Wishing Well (roll a d6) 1. A bandit chief called “Marg the Slaymaster” hid here in his final day 2. Nandras collected strange things from all around the world 3. A mad old dwarf was seen in these parts recently around the well 4. Nandras hid his secrets deep within the complex 5. It is said the tunnels connect to an even older ruin 6. The Spider-King still lives and is gathering a cult

The map This is the original map from Fighting Fantasy : The Introductory Roleplaying Game from Puffin Books. According to the credit in the book Duncan Smith was the artist. It is used here without permission.

Keyed locations As per the original adventure, the map above features the corresponding keyed locations. And for those who remember the original adventure BEWARE, for things have changed ere you wandered these dark passages…

The Well The well is a traditional looking one made of grey stone with the remains of a wooden roof and rusted winch mechanism. The rope and bucket is nowhere to be seen, but a new rope could be tied off around the mechanism. It’s still a tricky climb with a rope, and as such an Athletics SKill Test should be called for. Someone could use the Repair skill (or appropriate career skill) to fix the mechanism and then lower people down. They could of course climb down without a rope, but the walls of the well are slippery. A penalty of -4 should be levied if this is the case. Any who fail and fall take 2d6 damage as they land in the mud below.

1.Bottom of the Well It’s the bottom of a dried up well. The floor is still damp and muddy. A muddy passageway winds northwards with large, bare footprints leading that way. Old bones are strewn about, and horrid worms and other bugs crawl about the filth. A mud-covered silver coin can be found if they scratch about in the filth dated around a hundred years ago. It’s dark by the way. A little bit of daylight shines from down the well, but beyond that it gets dark quickly- time to light some lanterns.

2.Muddy Passageway A muddy passageway winds north a little before stopping at an old wooden door. The doorframe is topped by a crude artefact- a skull which has twigs and sticks fashioned almost as spider-like legs emerging from it. The door is a little swollen from damp but scrape marks in the mud show it has been used lately. If anyone listens at the door they may hear babbling in the dwarfish tongue.

3.The Mad Dwarf As the door opens a wild-eyed, wild-haired dwarf looks up from being sat in a corner and shrieks. His beard is very long, knotted and very unkempt. He is clutching a large rat which he strokes like a cat.

The rest of the room is stone with flagstones indicating this is no mere chamber at the bottom of a well. Including the door the players came from there are four doors in this room. There is a battered iron brazier burning in the corner providing heat and light.

The dwarf is a mad old hermit known by some as Ratbeard. He is quite mad and lives down the bottom of the well. He doesn’t really venture beyond this room, and will climb out of the well using hidden handholds when he needs things. The rat is called Barnabus, and is the dwarf’s only friend. Being mad, Ratbeard dreams of strange things, somewhat influenced by the strange magicks that permeate the place. He often dreams of “The King of Spiders on his cobweb throne!”, and “The Wizard who is not here!”. At his most lucid he will babble about a “Crystal key”. Ratbeard is quite harmless, but if they players want to pick a fight he will arm himself with a stout club. (use Dwarf stats from the Bestiary).

4.Hidden Sanctum Note: If approaching from the south the door to this chamber is locked (the key may be found in room 9). Strange arcane sigils are carved into the doorframe as some sort of warning. A successful Incantation check reveals the door has a magical trap upon it. Those who attempt to cross the threshold without permission must Test for or suffer from a random spell effect from the below table:

Spell affects (roll 1d6) 1. Nothing but a tingly sensation that makes you hair stand on end 2. Fear (p.101) 3. Blast (p.99) 4. Fumble (p.102) 5. Lightning (p.104) 6. Sleep (p.107)

This room appears to be an empty stone chamber with doors to the north, east and south. At first there appears to be nothing else…

The room is enchanted, and was once the hidden sanctum of the mage, Nandras. Nandras is no longer here, but he did leave something of himself here- a sentient illusionary simulacrum.

If the players poke around something starts to happen. A shimmering mirage-like haze manifests and shapes begin to form. Bookcases, shelves, an ornate fireplace, a strange pedestal on top of which a glass bowl of bubbling blue liquid fumes. The shape of a man also appears- lean, tall and angular dressed in a fine dark doublet and hose, and long dark coat. He gives a mocking flourish; “So! Nandras has some visitors, eh? And what do these intruders want in here?”

As mentioned this is not the real Nandras, but an intelligent simulacrum made of illusionary matter. Think of him like a holographic Artificial Intelligence. He has personality and some of Nandras’ power, and as such can cast a few spells if needed. He lives to continue Nandras work, sadly knowing Nandras will not be returning.

Nandras can be conversed with, if the company is polite, and may answer any questions. There are gaps in his knowledge (being a magical construct will do that), but he enjoys the company. He will give whatever hints you as a GM wish to provide. He can share that the real Nandras went after the Spider-King and, being weakened in battle, trapped it within a crystal of ice. Of late the magic of the place is waning, and the Spider-King is free once more. The illusion of Nandra knows it will be a matter of time before he fades and the spider-king is free. As such he may propose a bargain with the players- defeat the Spider-King, and his masters treasure, and secrets, are theirs. To claim the treasure- which the master hid in a secret chamber near the Spider King, they will need the Crystal Key, which the master kept in the eastern room. Strangely the simulacrum has no knowledge of what lies in that room beyond “something my master brought up from the desert lands to study…”

If the players are rude or aggressive he will cast a few spells (GMs choice), but ultimately will just fade away taking the room’s contents with him.

5.Mummy’s Tomb Note: The door has inscribed upon it: “"Death shall come on swift wings to ​ those who disturb the peace of the King". This room looks very different to the others. The walls are sandstone adorned with Hieroglyphics, resting up against the eastern wall is a large upright sarcophagus. In each corner of the room is a canopic jar- sealed with animal-headed lids.

Nandras (the real one) managed to procure a mummy from the desert lands to the far south, as well as much of it’s burial goods and parts of it’s tomb. He brought it here to study, and to guard the Crystal Key.

Of course, when the players enter the sarcophagus opens and the mummy shambles out (see stats below). Even if completely slain, the mummy will come back to unlife unless all of the canopic jars are destroyed. For each jar that still stands, the mummy regenerates 1 stamina a round.

Hanging from the Mummy’s neck is the Crystal Key. In the sarcophagus is an ornate scarab brooch worth 3d6 gold coins.

Mummy Type Otherworldly Actions/round 2 Weapon/Skill/Damage Mighty bandaged fists/8/1d6+2 Armour 1d3 enchanted wrappings Adventuring Skills 2 Stamina 28 Notes: Regenerates 1 stamina a round for each canopic jar that remains, fire ​ does an extra d6 damage to the mummy and ignores armour

Extra nasty ability (optional): The Mummy’s . Whoever lands the killing ​ blow on the mummy is assaulted by a blast of black sand and dust. They take 1 stamina damage from this- and nothing can reduce it, and nothing can cure it. Every day, as the sun sets, they take another 1 point of stamina damage. This cannot be cured in any way. The GM can think of an interesting way to end the curse, otherwise the victim of the curse will slowly rot away.

6.Old Stores This chamber was once part of the castle stores. Now rotted wood and bits of old crates and barrels. A secret passage can be found along the western wall- a false wall that opens when a switch is hit.

7.A Dead End? After a short while the passage ends. It has seemingly collapsed. Once this may have once led to the castle proper. Maybe instead of a dead end it leads into more chambers…?

8.The Castle Dungeon Once this room was part of the castle dungeon. The walls are bare, the floor dirty strewn with bones and strange stains. The air in here is foul. Five skeletons are manacled to the wall along the eastern side, some in better condition than others, held together with bits of dry sinew, skin and muscle. Though not new additions by any stretch, these skeletons are more recent victims of the Wishing Well. At the feet of these unfortunates are three small chests. They are all locked. The first chest contains 2d6 silver pieces. ​ ​ ​ ​ The second chest contains an ornate dagger with a hawk-head pommel. ​ ​ The third chest holds what appears to be a magic wand. It is infact a type of ​ ​ semi-magical creature called a Chameleon serpent. It will transform in the hands of the first person to pick it up, and will attempt to bite the hand that holds it (test for luck or take 1d6-2 damage plus poison).

Chameleon Serpent Type Monster Actions/Attacks 1 Weapon/Skill/Damage Bite/6/1d6-2 Armour 0 Adventuring Skills 4 Stamina 6 Notes: Poisonous; can shapechange to look like sticks, wands, quills, twigs, ​ coils of rope and so on- when in this form if handled it automatically inflicts bite damage and poison.

9.Spider Cultists This former store room has been converted into a shrine to the Spider-King by a small band of cultists. These goblins came along the tunnel near the river (area 11) and converted the first room they found into a shrine. Filthy bedrolls lay in one corner, and on the eastern wall is a crudely painted mural of a human-headed spider surrounded by smaller goblin-headed spiders. The Spider Cult is quite small at the moment, being only 4 members. What it lacks in numbers however it makes up in fanaticism, and the four will be eager to bring sacrifice to their hungry king. Use the goblin statistics in the bestiary. They are dressed in ragged robes, armed with daggers, and bare crude spider-shaped .

In the filthy bedrolls there is a single copper piece, a key to room 4, and a dried frog.

10. The Underground River A slow-flowing underground river. A rickety old bridge of wood and rope crosses the river, lit by torches on either side. A goblin spider cultist (see room 9) guards the bridge. This goblin isn’t 100% onboard with the cult, and is easily bribed. The bridge isn’t too safe, and those crossing should test their luck. The first failure results in one of the planks coming loose, but nothing else. The second failure results in someone falling through. A second luck check should be allowed to see if they can grab the edge of the bridge. Those who fall in have d3 turns to swim to shore and climb back up. If this is failed they are swept down the river to who knows where (GM decision).

11. The way out? This tunnel seems natural, and after following it along for a while seems to lead to a small cave in some nearby hills. The way out is well hidden from the outside, and provides an alternative way out rather than backtracking and climbing the well again. This is how the cultists and some of the animals found within the dungeon got here.

12. The Shaft A deep, dark shaft plunges into the darkness. Narrow ledges line the walls near each of the two doors into this room. Each sticks out about a foot and a half from the wall. The gap between the ledges is about 5ft. An athletics skill check to leap across is the most obvious solution- allow for a luck roll to catch hold of the ledge if a character fails. Reward player ingenuity if they come up with a solution for crossing. If they fall down the shaft it’s probably instant death!

13. A Bandit’s Treasure This stone room has three doors leading from it, and looks like some sort of shrine. A bandit by the name of Marg hid here to escape the law, and seeing this as his final resting place laid his ill gotten treasures in this chamber. He was a vain fellow, was Marg, as one will see, as he commissioned a portrait of himself which is hung on the Southern wall. He wasn’t a handsome fellow, but the artist tried his best (probably at knifepoint!). Beneath the picture is a plaque that reads “Here is the legacy of Marg the Slaymaster, touch not these artefact lest you forfeit your life”. The objects in question are an unlit torch (that might just be a light fixture); a silver necklace, a leather pouch, an axe, and a blueish jewel in a pendant. The Silver necklace A very fine lady’s necklace. Worth 1d6 gold coins. Leather Pouch It seems to jingle with coins, but if you put your hand in it, it will bite! This is a Biting Pouch, made by mad goblin wizards. It does 1d6+1 damage and ​ ​ armour only counts if it's from a glove or gauntlet. If you take a critical hit from the Biting Pouch, don’t roll on the table, just lose d3 fingers! Axe This is a fine looking axe-but time has taken its toll. Whilst it will be serviceable for the first strike, the second time it hits the head will fall clean off. Blue Jewelled Pendant This is a fabled ice-gem that Marg managed to steal in times past. Marg probably didn’t understand it’s value but this pendant, when worn, makes one immune to the cold. If it’s worn for too long however one takes on a bluish hue, and your breath mists as if cold. What’s more, whilst wearing this pendant you take double damage from fire!

14. The Caverns A long natural cavern with three cave tunnels in the north (which strangely have doors at the end of each. In the north-east corner there is a dark alcove covered by a huge spiders web.

Note: The door to room 18 is locked with a crystal lock and adorned with magical glyphs. Anyone with sufficient knowledge of magic will notice that both a key and a password is needed to open this door.

Hacking through the spider’s web (or burning it down), reveals a hidden passageway and a series of hewn stone steps that eventually lead to another passageway that emerges somewhere above the underground river (area 10). A narrow ledge leads to the area with the bridge.

Note: This is the perfect site for a confrontation with the Spider-King (see Final Confrontation). Once the players have both the key and the password from area 16 and they return to this cavern is the ideal time!

15. The Room of Darkness This room is pitch black, thanks to magical darkness (as per the Night Spell on page 105).

As they grope around a small pale light will appear illuminating the seemingly floating head of Nandras (see area 4). This is also a simulacra, but it is up to the GM to decide if it’s the same one.

“So” it says in mocking tones, “looking for Nandra’s treasure area you?” It may be up for some chit chat, but the floating head should have a sardonic sarcastic personality. If they say they are seeking the treasure it will say “well, my master and creator left this place ‘ere long ago, and perhaps will not return. You may take his treasure if you are cunning enough to do so.” Of course he is going to ask a bloody riddle!

“If I eat, I grow strong; if I drink, I die. What am I?”

The answer is, of course, “fire” to which the apparition will say “truth accepted”, and as it fades away, a door to the north is illuminated.

If they get it wrong it will laugh and mock them. “Return when you have grown wiser” it chides.

Feel free to replace the riddle with a tougher one if your players can handle it!

16. The Magician’s Treasure This small chamber has a small table along the far wall upon which is a heavy looking leatherbound book. Two large candles flank it.

This is Nandras’ spellbook. It has the illusion spell and 2 more of the GMs choice. It also has the password to open the Treasure Chamber door when used in conjunction with the crystal key.

The words are “Fanananana Cosim Patana”

That is pronounced “Fa-nah-na-nah-na Coe-sym pah-tah-na”

17. The Crystal Prison This room is perilously cold, and fragments of broken crystal, freezing to the touch, lie scattered about the floor. Webs cover the walls of the room. A magic circle lies on the floor that has lost its magical potency- this was where the Spider King was imprisoned!

Note: It is clear the Spider-King is no longer here! He could be anywhere in the dungeon, but, of course, he is best used dramatically when the players return to the caverns (area 14).

18. The Treasure Chamber Note: The door to this is locked with a crystal lock and adorned with magical glyphs. Anyone with sufficient knowledge of magic will notice that both a key and a password is needed to open this door. And yes, the password needs to be spoken exactly!

This room is quite small, with a sturdy wooden table and an ornate chest upon it. The chest is not locked or trapped (unless you want it to be…). Inside is what remains of Nandra’s treasures- a pouch with 46 gold coins, a gem worth 2d6 gold coins, a fine looking book that depicts the history of the castle and the family of it’s lord, a strange sword of silver with a moonstone pommel (this is magical and does +2 damage to otherworldly creatures), and a strange dark purple orb- what is the orb?

Strange dark purple orb (roll 1d6) 1. Orb of Whispers 2. Orb of Shadows 3. Orb of Storms 4. Orb of the Dragon-Seeker 5. Orb of Hidden Path 6. Orb of the Warlock’s Bane

As for what it does...well you’re the GM, you decide!

Confrontation with the Spider King When dramatically appropriate, the Spider-King will appear, probably from the ceiling. The ideal moment is when the player characters are moving across the caverns one they have the password and key, but you might have other ideas.

The Spider-King is a grotesque mutant- his body is that of a huge spider about the size of a mule. The head is that of a man, but with huge mandibles painfully protruding from his mouth so that he rasps and slobbers when he speaks. A crown of sharpened bones sits atop his head. “Impudent fools” it rasps “bow before the Spider-King or die”

Chances are there will be a fight, or the characters will run away. The Spider-king might be placated with gifts if the giver is sufficiently sycophantic. Otherwise it will attack.

Spider King Type Monster Actions/Attacks 2 Weapon/Skill/Damage Mandibles/7/2d6 Armour chitin d3 Adventuring Skills 5 Stamina 28 Notes: Intelligent, poisonous, can shoot web as a ranged attack vs opponents ​ Dodge skill- if successful they are held in place for d3 turns unless an ally spends a full turn cutting them free.

When at half stamina the Spider King will ascend on a thick strand of web and spend d3 turns shooting webs at the characters before descending. During this time he may be targeted by ranged weapons with a -4 penalty.

Concluding the Adventure Hopefully your players would have grabbed the treasure, and slain the Spider-King. Now they have to flee the Wishing Well. They can either come back the way they came, or cross the bridge and escape through the caves. But what next? This adventure has set up a couple of threads for them to follow; firstly what became of the real Nandras? What is the strange orb in his treasure? What became of the family who once ruled this land- are any of their relatives alive? Did the Mummy’s curse affect anyone, if so they will want to find a cure. This might even launch an entire campaign of Warlock!

Appendix: random tables And what would Warlock! Be without a plethora of random tables- use these to spice up your version of the Wishing Well, add replayability, or truly surprise your players!

Random Dungeon Sounds (roll a d6…) 1. Drip, drip, drip… 2. Squeak! 3. Cracking of old masonry 4. Running Water 5. Whispers 6. A Scream!

Random Dungeon Smells (roll a d6…) 1. Mud- loamy and earthy 2. Musty dust and decay 3. Animal droppings/Urine 4. Damp stone 5. Ash/Burning 6. Blood

Random Trinkets and Junk (roll 2d6…) 2. A stone in the shape of a heart 3. A fragment of bone 4. A rat skull 5. A single 6. A broken comb 7. An ivory needle 8. A copper cup 9. A pouch with a hole in the bottom 10. A bottle of cheap wine, half full. 11. A crude pendant made of stone in the shape of a spider 12. A tarnish silver coin.

Random Treasures (roll 2d6…) 2. A copper earring (1d6 ) 3. A silver-tipped arrow/bolt (2d6 silver) 4. Ornate writing set (2d6 silver) 5. A finely crafted flute (2d6 silver) 6. A pouch of runestones (1d6 silver) 7. Silver holy symbol (2d6 silver) 8. Silver ring with lapis lazuli stone (1d6 gold) 9. Silver necklace (1d6 gold) 10. Gold bar stamped with the seal of a local city (1d6 gold) 11. Gold ring with strange writing on it (1d6 gold) 12. A spell torn from an old book.

Random Encounters (roll 1d6…) 1. Rodent of Unusual size (see below)- 1d6 2. Spider-King Cultist (Goblin, p.121)- 1d3 3. Ex-Convicts (use human, p.126, armed with club, broken manacles)-1d3 4. Ghoul (p.120)-1 5. Skeleton (p.131)- 1d3 6. Unmen (p.133)- 1d3

Rodent of Unusual Size Type Monster Actions/Attacks 1 Weapon/Skill/Damage Bite/6/1d6-1 Armour 0 Adventuring Skills 4 Stamina 6 Notes: Filthy bite- if you are bitten by a Rodent of Unusual Size there is a ​ ​ chance you will contract a foul disease. At the end of the encounter test your Luck, and take a penalty of -1 for each Rodent that bit you after the first. If you fail you are at -2 to all actions for 2d6 days. Every day you also lose 1d6 stamina, and armour doesn’t count. This cannot be recovered naturally until you are no longer diseased. Someone with the medicine skill and the right tools can cure d6 stamina lost this way, but only once per day. When the disease has run its course, make another luck roll- if you succeed you are forever immune to Filthy Bite (and similar diseases at the GM’s discretion).

Random Rooms (roll 1d6…) 1. Cistern room. 2. Room filled with old lead plumbing 3. Old store room 4. Pool of stagnant water. Frogs 5. Collapsed room 6. Hidden bandit cache