HEART OF STONE

Sample file

A TOME OF FOES ADVENTURE Credits Design & layout: R.M. Jansen-Parkes Sample file Maps created with Campaign Cartographer 3 Images sourced through Adobe Stock Images and the Dungeon Masters’ Guild. Special thanks to Lauren Jansen-Parkes Legal DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , , the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, , ’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. Heart of Stone ~ A three-hour adventure for levels 1-2 ~

omething strange lurks within the stony confines of an abandoned wizard’s tower. Some New Foes! S The sole surviving member of a forlorn HEART OF STONE is designed to give players and adventuring party is desperate to find out what DMs a chance to experience some new monsters happened to his friends and is willing to provide a found in ’S TOME OF FOES (MToF). generous reward to anybody willing to launch a This means that you will need access to that second expedition. book in order to run the adventure. Will the heroes uncover the secrets of the tower, or will they also disappear into the darkness? Summary Part One: Keep Hope Alive Part One: Keep In the wake of a disastrous trip to a local wizard’s tower, Kness Shatterbone is reconsidering her plans Hope Alive to become an adventurer. However, she is still desperate to find out what happened to her erstwhile The adventure begins with the party meeting Kness allies. Shatterbone. If they’re in a tavern she approaches Part Two: The Wizard’s Tower them after spotting their weapons and other The adventurers explore the former tower of the equipment. Otherwise, they likely go to find her after egomaniacal wizard Millano the Magnificent. Along reading a note or being told about her need for stout- the way they find a band of insectoid Kruthik hearted heroes. tearing through the walls, as well as hints that the Kness is a fairly young female dwarf, only a few mage was planning to find a way to guard hisSample tower years file into full adulthood. She looks tough, with from beyond the bounds of death. broad shoulders and powerful arms, but it’s obvious As they realise Millano’s plan to turn himself that she’s both bone-weary and deeply upset. into a living statue known as a stone cursed, the Any adventurer proficient in Medicine is fairly former mage attacks certain she hasn’t slept in more than a day. Part Three: Falling Down She explains that she urgently needs help from After Millano is defeated the tower begins to sink some people who know how to handle themselves in into the earth. Will the adventurers be able to find a fight. The details are: Kness’ comrades in time? ● She is also an adventurer – or at least she was, as she’s now reconsidering her profession. Beginning the Adventure ● Her group was formed of a band of friends from As with so many quests aimed at fresh-faced young their village. There were five of them all told, adventurers, Heart of Stone begins in a tavern. It is and all were very new to the adventuring life. here that Kness Shatterbone begins her desperate ● A couple of days ago they were hired to dispose search for anybody brave enough to find out what of a band of Kruthik – large insectoid monsters – happened to her friends. that had escaped the extermination of their nest Alternatively, the adventurers could see a note and had been seen roaming some nearby she has posted to a job board or hear about the moorland. dwarven woman looking for help from shopkeepers ● They tracked the monsters to an abandoned or other friendly NPCs. wizard’s tower The tower itself is built on the top of a low hill. ● The tower was weird. It didn’t seem as though As the adventurers approach, read aloud or anybody had been there in ages, but it was still paraphrase the following: clean and tidy. ● They had a poke around the place, and After having to push your way past thick bushes eventually discovered some of the monsters and weeds that threatened to overgrow the lurking in the upper levels. It was a tough fight, narrow path entirely, it comes as a relief when you and they made a bit of a mess of the tower, but enter the open ground surrounding the looming they killed most of the Kruthik. tower. The building is perhaps a little shorter than ● As they continued exploring, however, you expected, sitting at only three stories, but the something started picking her friends off. It sky-grey stones that make up its great bulk seem attacked from the shadows and before she knew much sturdier that the narrow, twisting spires that what was happening, Kness was the only one some mages seem to favour. remaining. Narrow windows dot the masonry here and ● Unsure of what to do, Kness fled the tower in a there, and over the wooden doorway you can panic. Now she’s trying to find people to head read the words “ etched back there, find out what happened to her into the stone. friends and destroy whatever or whoever The doorway is locked. It can be picked with a DC10 attacked them. Dexterity check using Thieves’ Tools or forced with a ● If the party help out, she is willing to pay the DC13 Strength (Athletics) check. 200gp down payment she and her friends received for the Kruthik disposal, as well as the The Gallery extra 100gp they will get from the town council As the adventurers open the door, read aloud or for a successful job. paraphrase the following: Details of the Tower You step into the building, feeling a comfortable If asked, Kness can provide a rough description of warmth as you move from the cold moorland to a the first two levels of the tower (see Part Two). She large, high-roofed chamber. Judging by the size also knows that: Sample file you’d guess that it takes up the entire ground ● The tower belonged to a mage known as Millano floor of the tower. the Magnificent. He was a human wizard who Just as Kness claimed, the tower radiates an died about 10 years ago. air of tidiness and well-scrubbed organisation that ● Nobody seems to have a claim on the tower, borders on the oppressive. There are no muddy ● He seems to be very proud of his work, and the footprints on the floorboards, nor any trace of the inside of the tower is stuffed with portraits and battle the dwarven woman claimed to have fought even a statue. here less than a day ago. ● The front door was locked, but her friend picked While there is little furniture in the room it. She did not lock it behind her when she left. beyond an expensive-looking table, the walls groan under the weight of paintings. All of them seem to show the same person – a pale human Part Two: the man in green robes – and in all of them he is shows committing some incredible deed; Wizard’s Tower communing with a god here, rescuing a child from trolls there. The wizard’s tower is several miles from town, and At the rear of the room you can see a statue Kness’ directions lead the adventurers down a of the same man mounted on a plinth, and narrow trail that winds its way through thick though he’s a little older than he is in the patches of heather and skirts around dark peat bogs. paintings he still bears the same knowing smirk. Gaining an Ally? Magical Helpers Kness is emotionally and physically drained from The tower is attended to by a group of four her experiences over the past day. She is ‘unseen servants’ that clean and tidy the building. conflicted about whether she should return to the They sweep and clean up as necessary, and repair tower to aid her friends, but even at a glance it’s any damage caused to the walls or fixtures. clear that her exhaustion means she will be of The adventurers may notice the unseen very little use. servants working to clean up muddy footprints However, if you are running the game with tracked in when they first arrive. only a few adventurers, Kness could help to round out their numbers and provide examples Each of the paintings is enchanted with a magic for newer players. If so, she uses the statistics of a mouth spell (see PHB p.257) that triggers when a Guard (MM p.347). creature approaches it. Either randomly select or choose a result from the table below. The voice speaks in a measured, cultured tone, as A staircase to the right of the room leads up to the you might expect to hear in a famous art gallery or Living Quarters. show. Each description only triggers once. A similar staircase to the left heads down to the The statue at the rear of the room shows Millano Dungeon. There is no visible lock or even handle, the Magnificent and stands on a sturdy stone plinth. but it is protected with an arcane lock spell. It can be This statue is secretly a stone cursed (MToF p.240) opened by speaking the password ‘open before your created from Millano himself. Thanks to its False master’ or forced with a DC25 Strength (Athletics) Appearance ability, the adventurers will find it check. almost impossible to distinguish from a conventional statue.

D6 Painting Description

1 Millano looking thoughtful as a robed This painting shows the moment Millano the Magnificent woman explains something to himSamplereceived thefile wisdom of the weave from , Goddess of Magic herself

2 Millano casts a spell at a troll with one Here we see Millano the Magnificent singlehandedly hand while using the other to clutch a rescue the grateful folk of Snudbury from fearsome trolls crying child

3 A heavily muscled Millano squares up This piece captures the mighty Millano the Magnificent to a devilish figure in burning armour just before his boxing match against one of the famed fire generals of the nine hells

4 Dwarves crowd around Millano with Millano the Magnificent’s skills extend far beyond mere awe on their faces as he forges a magic, and here we see him demonstrate his legendary sword smithing skills

5 Millano stops a frightened drawing As well as great power, Millano the Magnificent also a sword while reaching out to an possesses great heart, as seen when he saved the life of a injured bear cave bear threatened by an elven ranger

6 A young human boy watches with Millano the Magnificent has always been keen to share his admiration and love as Millano gifts with the world, as seen with his work helping to lectures from an open book teach less gifted students, such as his apprentice Texolo. Living Quarters A. Passageway Once the adventurers climb the stairs up to the living quarters they emerge in a passageway. There are three doors leading off to side- rooms and it continues around to the left. There are a handful of marks on the walls where the mortar is a slightly different colour, or the woodwork seems to have received fresh paint. A DC12 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows an adventurer to work out that the repairs all seem to have happened in Gallery N the last day or so. Adventurers with a passive Perception of 14 or greater will be able to hear movement nearby, as The passageway eventually leads to the though something is scuttling about in the rooms. Laboratory. As soon as they begin to open any door, theSampleB. fileApprentice’s Room adventurers hear a horrible scratching noise. This small chamber is rather dull compared to the Moments later a young kruthik (MToF p.211) bursts rest of the tower, with a narrow bed and small desk. through a nearby wall, leaving a roughly 2½ ft. hole There is a plain, empty chest in the corner. in its wake. On the desk, however, is a leather-bound journal. There are eight young kruthik in the living The name on the cover indicates that it belongs to quarters. Four of them burst through the walls ‘Texolo’. during the first round of combat, with the rest joining on the third round of combat (or whenever A Strong Kick you decide). The insectoid monsters use their ability to If the adventurers manage to break their way burrow through the walls to keep themselves safe into the dungeon without exploring the rest of until they can launch an attack on their target. Small the tower, you may need to re-arrange some of creatures can travel through the holes they leave the encounters. behind, but medium creatures must squeeze (need to Rather than battling the young kruthik in the expend double movement to move through the gap, living quarters, the adventurers find them and when there they have disadvantage on attack lurking in the basement, while the stone cursed rolls and Dexterity saving throws while all attack Millano attempts to ambush them as they move rolls against them have advantage). back through the gallery. It contains many pages detailing the life of a piece of parchment in his desk drawer – but this wizard’s apprentice, listing the routine tasks Texolo morning he confided in me that he is almost out of time. carried out and occasional grumblings about his He says there is one final thing he wishes me to do master. The part that attracts the most attention is before he dies. I’m not sure what it is quite yet, but I’m the final entry, which is dated from around 10 years guessing it’s something to do with the creatures he has ago. It reads: locked up in the specimen room upstairs. This shall probably be the final entry in this journal, as I For all his boasting and his bizarre obsession with don’t think I’ll be taking it with me when I leave. his legacy, Millano hasn’t been too bad a teacher. He’s I’ve known for some time that Master Millano’s certainly a better wizard than he thinks he is, once he health is failing, as has his memory – he forgot the drops the whole ‘magnificent’ act and actually gets some password for his treasure chest completely, so now he’s work done… taken to keeping the password to the old dungeon on a This time tomorrow I expect I shall be off home to Waterdeep.

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Living Quarters