Dungeon Crawl Classics #14 Dungeon Interludes by Jason Little SIX ADVENTURES for CHARACTER LEVELS 1-13

Sample file Sample file Sample file Dungeon Crawl Classics #14 Dungeon Interludes by Jason Little SIX ADVENTURES FOR CHARACTER LEVELS 1-13 Credits Sample file Table of Contents Writer: Jason Little Introduction . .2 Front Cover Artist: Chuck Whelon Chapter 1: The Eye of the Night . .4 Back Cover Artist: Brad McDevitt Chapter 2: The Defiled Sanctuary . .15 Interior Artists: Ian Armstrong, Stacy Drum, Jason Chapter 3: The Hunter of Worlds . .26 Edwards, Tom Galambos, Friedrich Haas, James Chapter 4: The Dünerain Mines . .38 Holloway, Cliff Kurowski, Brad McDevitt, Jesse Mohn, Chapter 5: The Sinking Spire . .49 Chris Watkins Chapter 6: The War of the Summoner . .60 Cartographer: Jeremy Simmons Appendix 1: New Items and Monsters . .73 Graphic Designer: Joseph Goodman New Magic Items . .73 Proofreader: Lisa Poisso Thornblood . .73 Playtesters: Dale Bollinger, Toni Easter, Haden Vapor Demon . .74 Huffaker, Stephanie Huffaker, Dave Husted, Craig Appendix 2: Player Handouts . .75 Lloyd, Brian MacMillan, Jon McDunn, Erin McSpadden, Maps . .83 Jeff McSpadden, Anthony Ruffus, John Weber, Melvyn Wise If you like this adventure, be sure to look for the rest of the Dungeon Crawl Classics series at your local game store. Log on to www.goodman-games.com for freebies, news, special offers, and more. 1 Dungeon Crawl Classics: Dungeon Interludes Introduction Getting the Players Involved Remember the golden days of role playing, when When there is fame and fortune to be had, some groups adventures were underground, NPCs were there to be need little else to dive into the action. Depending on killed, and the finale of every dungeon was the dragon your group’s play style and personalities, you may need on the 20th level? Well, those days are back. Dungeon to give them a bit of an extra push. Luckily, once the Crawl Classics feature bloody combat, intriguing dun- group has embarked on one of the adventures in this geons, and no NPCs who aren’t meant to be killed. series, there is a built-in incentive to follow subsequent Each adventure is 100% good, solid dungeon crawl, plot hooks – an evil summoner may conquer the realms with the monsters you know, the traps you fear, and the if the heroes sit back on their laurels! Since Interludes is secret doors you know must be there somewhere. split into several different chapters, each chapter will provide some hooks to get your players involved in that Dungeon Crawl Classics: Dungeon Interludes is a particular adventure. slightly different beast than other adventures in the series. Rather than presenting one epic module to test Each episode in Interludes includes lead-ins from previ- the mettle of your group, Interludes provides a series of ous episodes, as well as a number of stand-alone stand-alone adventures that can be linked into an exist- adventure hooks. This should be enough to get your ing campaign or played on their own. These six adven- players moving in the right direction. If they need addi- tures can easily be tied together using the over-arching tional help, consider using Knowledge (local) or Gather storyline or taken as separate, bite-sized nuggets. Information skill checks, or bardic knowledge checks. Ask the players to make a check when they encounter The chapters in Interludes range from low-level scenar- a potential hook in one episode, then “reveal” informa- ios perfect for starting adventurers to deadly scenarios tion that sends them toward the next adventure. that will test even the most seasoned veterans. Each individual chapter is designed around a compelling Background Story location and the dangers therein and can be played in one or two sessions. Dungeon Crawl Classics: Albrecht Skullshank, a human summoner of unspeak- Dungeon Interludes introduces new monsters, traps able evil, lies imprisoned in a sheath of crystal, deep and magic items along the way – and plenty of excite- within the bowels of a long-abandoned mine. ment to keep your gaming group engaged Samplefor some Skullshank file was defeated in battle nearly a century ago time. by a brave band of heroes and encased in the crystal for what they hoped would be eternity. As the years Note that the adventures in this module are not have worn on, memories of Skullshank’s evil have designed to be played consecutively. Although the level faded in the minds of everyone involved in that epic bat- ranges match up (for example, the first adventure, “Eye tle – except the summoner’s faithful minions. of the Night,” is for levels 1-3 while the second adventure, “The Defiled Sanctuary,” is for levels 3-5), the sce- Celestial events are taking shape, and the world is on narios don’t always give PCs enough experience to the brink of a grand astral conjunction. The stars and advance directly to the next episode. The idea is that planets will soon be in alignment to empower the most these adventures can be interspersed among other potent dark sorceries the world has seen in millennia. adventures in an ongoing campaign. At first, the players With this in mind, Skullshank’s minions are feverishly won’t even realize they’re connected. But as the plot scouring the land for the items needed to build his slowly unfolds over the course of several scenarios, grandest invention – the Oculum Infernae. they’ll see the bigger picture. This adds a thread of continuity to your campaign that can go on for many ses- Albrecht Skullshank was working on the Oculum sions. You can even use other Dungeon Crawl Classics Infernae when he was attacked. He saved what he modules as the “filler” between Interludes episodes. could from his precious device, scattering the core components to various laboratories and holdings under his control. The final plans for completing the Oculum Infernae lie encased in the crystal with Skullshank. Once the items are assembled and Skullshank is freed from his prison, it will only be a matter of time before the Oculum Infernae is complete and an army of demonic warriors is summoned to lay siege to the realms. 2 The Oculum Infernae is an enormous telescope with Adventure Overview magic lenses and cantilevers. When properly aligned and calibrated, the Oculum Infernae allows the user to The six adventures in the Interludes series are as fol- view the heavens with perfect clarity. This allows the lows: user to predict astral conjunctions and celestial events unerringly – knowledge that Skullshank can use to sum- • “The Eye of the Night” is for levels 1-3. It pits the mon an army with greater power than usual. With the characters against a fiendish wererat whose precise timing and information gleaned from the escapades have brushed up against those of Oculum Infernae, the summoning will become perma- Skullshanks’ minions. nent. • “The Defiled Sanctuary” is for levels 3-5. It sends Skullshank’s minions are many and their tasks numer- the characters into the defiled burial sanctuary of a ous. Scores of followers search for the missing pieces noble paladin, where they defeat one of to the Oculum Infernae while others toil refining the Skullshank’s undead lieutenants. lenses and complex instruments used by the infernal • “The Hunter of Worlds” is for levels 5-7. The char- device. Still more are working to extract Skullshank acters become aware that they are making power- from his crystal prison and bring forth a new age of ful enemies when a drow assassin poisons their dominance and evil to the land. The epic magnitude of rations. The drow escapes into a lair that turns out the undertaking provides a startling realization – should to be the domain of a xill trophy hunter, which the Albrecht be freed and the Oculum Infernae completed, PCs must defeat in order to escape alive. the entire realm will fall under the rule of his demonic armies! • “The Dünerain Mines” is for levels 7-9. After finding a map to the mines on the body of their would-be As the scenarios unfold, there are plot hooks, tidbits assassin in the previous episode, the characters and clues that can reveal this plot line and help tie one become aware of a connection between these adventure into the next. However, the adventures can seemingly distinct adventures. The characters also easily be played separately. The summoner and explore the mines and find plans for the Oculum his lieutenants make excellent villains, several of which Infernae left in the office of the ogre mage foreman. can resurface in different scenarios. • “The Sinking Spire” is for levels 9-11. Armed with a If you wish to skip past any particular adventures, you map found in the Dünerain Mines, the PCs set off can decide whether or not Skullshank’s minions were for Skullshank’s former wizard’s tower, now falling successful in completing their goal. Since the entire into ruin amidst a deep jungle. They arrive at the series of adventures is linked to a grand finale pitting wizard’s tower only moments after a pair of tieflings the party against Skullshank, there is an addedSample element filesent to recover magical components for Skullshank of continuity and impact to this final confrontation. himself. • “The War of the Summoner” is for levels 11-13. Having learned of Skullshank’s master plans, the PCs move to confront him. They must battle through alien wizardry in a strange elemental tower before finally confronting him and his Oculum Infernae. 3.

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