Expert Game Adventure Quagmire! by Merle M. Rasmussen Expert Game Adventure by Merle M. Rasmussen TABLE OF CONTENTS PREPARING FOR THE EXPEDITION Adventure background .............. WILD LANDS ADVENTURES Area encounters ............... SPIRAL CITY ADVENTURES Level 1: Well area ................................. 22 Level 2: Entry areas ............................... 22 Level 3: Barracks .................................. 23 Editor: Tim Kilpin Level 4: Moneychamber............................ 24 Cover Artist: Steve Peregrine Level 5: Marketarea ............................... 24 Interior Artist: Jeffrey Butler Level 6: Servicearea ............................... 25 Graphic Designer: Ruth Hoyer Level 7: Private quarters ........................... 26 Maps: Diesel Level 8: Rentedrooms .............................. 26 Level 9: Diningarea 26 encounters, p. 6 ............................... Level 10: Ruler's quarters.. .......................... 27 Distributed to the book trade by Random House, Inc , and in Can- Levelll: Jail ...................................... 28 ada by Random House ofCanada, Ltd Distributed to the toy and hobby industry by regonal distributors Distributed In the United Level 12: Spiral staircase ............................ 28 Kinsdorn by TSR (UK) Lid Level 13: Pinnacle of flame.. ......................... 28 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and D&D are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc APPENDIX "1984 TSR, Inc All Rights Reserved Printed in U S A Monsters .......................................... 29 This adventure IS protected under the copyright laws ofthe United Thanegia wilderness encounter tables. .................. 30 States of America Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of Prerolled characters ................................. 32 the material or artwork contained herein 1s prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc New magic items. ................................... 32 encounters, p. 14 LIST OF PLAYING AIDS TSR, Inc. Table 1: Gales &Hurricanes.. ......................... 4 POB 756 The Mill, Rathmore Road Table 2: Map Hex Distances.. ......................... 5 Lake Geneva, Cambridge CB14AD Table 3: AreaEncounters ............................. 6 WI 53147 United Kingdom Table 4: StormstkEffects ............................. 7 Table 5: Subsurfaces ................................. 9 Table 6: Sandy Shoreline Debris.. ...................... 9 Table 7: Floating Flotsam ............................. 10 Table 9: High Seas Encounters.. ....................... 14 , Table 10: Island Gravesites.. ........................... I9 TU Trade Items Chart.. ................................... 12 Thanegia Wilderness Encounter Tables ................... 30 TSR, Inc. DM Map 1: The Wild Lands ...................... 16-17 DM Map 2: Quagmire Area.. ........................ 15 Appendix, p. 29 DM Map 3: Spiral City.. ................... inside cover DM Map 4: Spiral City - Side View.. ................ 18 Players' Map: The Wild Lands.. .............. outside cover ISBN-0-88038-112-4 394-54006-9TSR0600 908 1 Plot synopsis Waste (p. 7 in adventure X4, Master of the About this adventure Desert Nomads). The adventure begins when the characters The Map of Hule on p. 3 1 of adventure X5 Quagmire is a receive an urgent plea from the leader of a (The Temple of Death) shows the port city of combined wilder- city called Quagmire. The city, once a thriv- Slagovich and some of its surrounding ter- ness and dungeon ing trading port, is now sinking into the sea, rain. You may also find Slagovich on DM adventure design- and the city’s leader is calling for help. Map 1 in this adventure. Map 2 in the D&D® ed to provide play- If the characters decide to help the people Expert rulebook (p. 33) shows the sea trade ers with a wide of Quagmire, they may set out from any of routes the characters may travel from Specu- variety of new set- these locations: Slagovich, Specularum, Pra- larum and Ierendi in this adventure. tings in which their mayama, Ierendi, or the Isle of Dread. When the characters reach Quagmire, characters may ex- Statistics and abbreviations plore. Throughout they find that it is under siege by creatures out the course of the adventure, characters from the surrounding swamp. Once the char- Monster statistics are listed in the following travel across strange seas, swampy peninsu- acters enter the city, survivors there ask the order: las, and burning deserts. Each terrain holds characters to escort them to the legendary new challenges for the characters, some that city of Thanopolis. According to the survi- Monster/NPC Name (No. appearing, if pertain to the characters’ goals, and some vors, Thanopolis lies on the southwest side of more than one): Armor Class; Hit Dice or Clas/Level; hit points; Movement per that simply provide excitement. The adven- the island of Thanegia. turn (round); No. of attacks per round; ture also allows for characters to explore three Thanopolis does indeed exist, but it is separate cities. infested with denizens of the surrounding Damage per attack; Save As: Class/Level; Morale; Alignment; Experience Point The adventure is also designed to provide swamps and jungles. Within the legendary city, you, the Dungeon Master, with a wide range which is a duplicate of Quagmire, are clues to a value; and abilities for NPCs (such as of encounters set in various types of terrain. third sister city This third city sank centuries spells), when appropriate. How you run these encounters directly affects ago, and is now inhabited by mermen. The The following abbreviations are used in this how well the characters perform their duties, characters may also try to find this city adventure: and how excited the players get while taking part in the game. When characters are Encounter maps AC - Armor Class F - Fighter exploring swamps, give the encounters in HD - Hit Dice ML - Morale those areas an especially menacing and mys- DM Map 1 is a detailed view of the wild hp - hit points AL - Alignment terious feel. As characters move through the lands. It shows portions ofthe continent, Ser- MV - Movement L - Lawful desert or across the sea, describe their pent Peninsula, Thanegia Island, and the #AT - no. of attacks C - Chaotic encounters as sunny and monotonous. When surrounding seas. DM Map 2 shows the area D - Damage N - Neutral characters explore mudflats and estuaries, that surrounds the city of Quagmire. The Save - Save As XP - Experience describe these areas as sticky, dangerous, and large hexes on this map are equal in scale to Point value filled with thousands of strange life forms. the small hexes on DM Map 1. DM Map 3 There are six main areas of adventuring in shows the 13 levels of the spiral cities (Quag- The party of adventurers Quagmire: the continent, Serpent Penin- mire, Thanopolis, and the Sunken City). All Quagmire is designed for a party of 2-8 char- suia, the area surrounding the city of Quag- three cities utilize the same map. DM Map 4 acters. Each character should be between the mire, Thanegia Island, the spiral cities shows a side view of the spiral city. 4th and 10th levels of experience. A party of (Quagmire, Thanopolis, and the Sunken The outside cover gatefold features a play- characters should include a cleric who is no City), and the seas. ers’ map of the wild lands. Several areas on lower than 6th level. Each character should The areas introduced in Quagmire are this map have been left blank. As characters have two or three magical items, including designed to expand the D&D® world outlined explore the wild lands, the players may add magical swords and armor. All characters in the Expert rulebook and other Expert terrain and other notes to this map. The should be outfitted for a wilderness adven- adventures. reverse side of this map contains the parch- ture. You may also place the areas and events of ment the characters find at the start of the Quagmire within an already existing cam- adventure. It also features a rough map of the Wandering monsters paign setting, as long as you make sure the wild lands. This map shows how the wild geographical areas of your campaign match lands tie together with the areas of the world An east-west line runs through the city of those set forth in this adventure. outlined in adventures X1-X5. Quagmire on DM Maps 1 and 2. This line is Before beginning play, you should read the To get a better idea of how the wild lands the Wandering Monster line. entire adventure carefully and become com- relate to other areas of the D&D® world, note When you are checking for wandering pletely familiar with it. Most of the informa- that the eastern edge of DM Map 1 in this monster encounters, check to see if the char- tion given in the area descriptions is for your adventure is situated 11 hexes west of the acters are traveling above or below the Wan- eyes only, although you should read all boxed Continent Map on p. 16-17 in adventure X1, dering Monster line. If the characters are text to the players as their characters enter The Isle of Dread. above the line, use the Wilderness Encounter specific areas. Feel free to use your imagina- If you have adventure X4, you may line up Tables from the D&D® Expert rulebook (p. tion to embellish the encounters as you wish. the top 31/2 hex rows of DM Map 1 from this 30). If the characters are below the line, use Make sure you don’t give the players too adventure so that they overlap the bottom 3 the Thanegia Wilderness Encounter Tables many clues or suggestions, however. 1/2 hex rows on the Map of the Great on p. 31 of this booklet.