Version 3.0 the Higher Production Values Update Coinsandscrolls.Blogspot.Com Introduction Group Size and Balance
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Version 3.0 The Higher Production Values Update coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com Introduction Group Size and Balance When you first start up Super Mario Brothers, the game This dungeon is designed for level 1 characters. I have doesn't give you any instructions. The first level is de- tried to make this module as system-neutral as possible. signed to teach you the rules: jump on enemies, pick You can run this dungeon for one player or ten. The up mushrooms, look for secrets, get coins, avoid pits. encounters are not balanced. They don't have difficulty There is no tutorial. The game itself is a tutorial. ratings. There are very few rewards for fighting and many for executing a good plan. Everyone can name "classic" dungeons { Tomb of Hor- rors, Barrier Peaks, Ravenloft, etc. { but for those Treasure value is balanced around the idea that 200gp adventures to make sense, there needs to be a sort of is enough to level a single character. By the end, surviv- introduction. Tomb of Horrors and Death Frost Doom ing PCs should be level 2 or 3, assuming usual rates of are both reactions to something, but what they are re- attrition, loss, and panic. Adjust the value of treasure acting to doesn't really exist as a published product. accordingly. Large groups will have it easier (and get less treasure per PC). A solo player who survives will be rich. It's like all the adventures we have are Bach concer- tos. People are writing works of staggering genius, but Damage is scaled around PCs having 4 to 16 hit points, someone needs to write a book on how to play the piano. and daggers dealing 1d6 damage. Saves are listed in a general format (Save vs. Poison, Save to Dodge, etc.). This dungeon is designed to be "classic" without being full of callbacks and nostalgia. It has some, but not all, A group of mid-level PCs, run by an experienced group of the major tropes. It also has full design notes. of players, could demolish this dungeon in record time. They might still enjoy it. A group of low-level PCs run by new players will hopefully have a great time. This Module is For Depending on play style, side adventures, downtime, and 1. Experienced GMs with new players other diversions, it could take between 12-24 hours of 2. GMs who want to learn about dungeon design game time to completely explore the dungeon. In a first session that involves character creation, the party should 3. Experienced GMs with experienced players, but be able to explore Level 1 fully. who are new to OSR-style content As a completely new GM, you can still use this dun- Before You Begin geon and learn a lot from it, but it will test your skills immediately. Experience players may also enjoy it. 1. Read the entire module 2. Make notes on things you like and don't like I Disagree With... 3. Print pages 1-12 and the map on page 3 Chances are pretty good that any experienced GM will 4. Replace the monsters listed on pages 12-15 with disagree with a few lessons, traps, or encounters in this equivalents from your system of choice dungeon. That's completely fine! This isn't supposed to 5. Adjust treasure values where needed be a handbook on the "one right way" to run a beginner dungeon. It's just one way to do it. Luring the PC's If you think diplomacy is vital, put a helpful but cow- ardly goblin named Smee in 7: False Temple. If Here are some ways to get the PC's to the dungeon, as- you think time pressure and a sense of looming danger suming they start broke and know that tombs contain are important from the start, add Wandering Monsters treasure. You can set this dungeon anywhere. to all levels of the dungeon, not just Level 3. If you 1. They find an ancient map to a long-forgotten tomb don't like snakes, replace them with goats. Add folklore tropes. Add your favorite traps, or remove the traps 2. A landslide reveals the tomb's entrance entirely. 3. The goblins kidnap someone close to the PC's At the very least, by disagreeing, you're learning some- 4. Xiximanter's experiments induce strange dreams thing about your own preferences. That is valuable in- formation. Learning what you don't like is as valuable as 5. They find the tomb's entrance by accident learning what you like. Maybe this module will inspire 6. They are sent to explore the newly-discovered you to write a "learning dungeon" of your own. tomb by a powerful patron I Lessons Thematic Areas There are little boxed lessons scattered throughout the The False Tomb text. Every room, trap, or encounter is designed to teach new players (and GMs) a useful lesson. Some of them Represents the joy of discovery, the "Oh, I see!" moment, are general lessons, while some are specific to this dun- and the thrill of possible treasure. Be sure to praise any geon. The structure, nature, and dangers of the dun- players who figure out it's a false tomb. Cleverness geon should slowly become predictable and exploitable. should be rewarded. The dungeon also gets weirder and These lessons might seem trite for experienced GMs, but less mundane as you descend. Initially, you're cracking I think it's useful to list them anyways. wooden coffins to loot tiny amulets. By the end, you're digging through fungus goblin muck for crowns, trading with a dead snake-man, or hauling treasure chests of Structure gold to the surface. Tomb of the Serpent Kings is a buried dungeon with 3 Describe this area with words like "shoddy" and levels and 4 main themed areas. I've included very mini- "chipped" and "damp." It's a root cellar. There are mal descriptions in the text and Quick Reference section little white roots in the ceiling and gravel on the floor. (pages 16-17). There are no "read-aloud" text boxes. The True Tomb Level 1: The False Tomb Represents power and unspoken threats. Statues loom. Introduces the very basics of dungeon design and explo- Things shudder in locked coffins. Giant lizards stalk ration in 7 rooms. It's just the right length for a first you in the darkness, immortal wizards cut deals, and session, assuming character creation is fairly quick and invincible undead-oozes slither after you. you give the PCs a good reason to explore the tomb. Describe this area with words like "enormous" and Level 2: The Upper Tomb "looming" and "cold." This area is the work of a civ- ilization older, wiser, and crueler than the PCs. The Still linear, but with more branching rooms and some deeper they go, the jumpier they should be. terrain hazards. There is still a clear path "forwards," but the side rooms are tempting. This section is where the lessons of Level 1 are tested and applied. It might The Chasm take two or three sessions to explore, and possibly re- Represents the unknown, and the wonder of the un- quire a trip back to civilization to resupply. known. There could be anything down there. It could go to the core of the world. There could still be snake- Level 3: The Lower Tombs men living untroubled lives in the depths. It's a blank canvas for GMs to add things to this module. There are two main "horizontal" paths and three main "vertical" paths. The dungeon branches and loops. You Describe the chasm with words like "bottomless" and can reach the surface. You can go deeper. You can "distressing. It's like the world just falls away." and end up back where you started. This level is signifi- "quiet, restless sounds, if you are patient." The PCs cantly more dangerous than the preceding levels. Dun- should not want to spend any time near the chasm. geon diplomacy and trade also comes into play, as do wandering monsters. You can explore Levels 1 and 2 at your leisure, but if you spend too much time on Level 3 The Goblin Warrens you are taking a grave risk. Level 3 is open-ended. You Represents the mirror of the PCs. They live in filth, can add material to extend the dungeon as far as you they respawn and make the same mistakes, they are like. By this point, if you are a new GM or new to OSR hungry, foolish, superstitious, murderous, and somehow games, you should be ready to write your own material. sympathetic. The warrens are the intrusion of vital and noisy barbarism into cold and moribund civilization. Describe the warrens with smells and sounds. It stinks. You'll stink if you spend any time in them, and the Tomb of the Serpent Kings doesn't have any complimentary baths. Tiny red goblin eyes glow in the darkness. Chat- tering teeth and sharp knives wait in the darkness. II III Level 1 1: Entrance Hall A long corridor with 4 open rooms, 2 on either side. The hallway end at a large, barred door leading to 6: False Burial Chamber. 2: Guard Tombs These small rooms are identical in size and content. They both contain a wooden coffin with a clay statue of a snake-man warrior inside. The statues are hollow and each contain a gold amulet worth 1gp, a dried snake skeleton, and a cloud of poison gas (d6 damage, can only reduce a PC to 0 HP).