Caution – Danger Ahead: A Labyrinth Lord Short Adventure

Get Ready

As the party works through a labyrinth they spy an unmoving elf standing a few feet outside of a closed door. The elf does not even twitch nor will he again.

Get Set

The elf has been turned to stone. His pose indicates he was just about to enter the doorway. One arm extends forward and the opposite leg hints at being raised. The eyes are wide open as if astonished by what he saw. Around his waist, chip marks are evident as if something was removed from his body. In addition to the petrified elf, a single word has been chiselled into the wall in the dwarven tongue – ‘Danger’.

A sharp odour of acid wafts in the air within a few feet of the close door. The odour is not overwhelming. Easily detectable, it is more dominant within a foot of the doorway. Anyone moving in front of the statue near the door will get a whiff.

The door is bound iron. Rust lines all the outer edges and fades gradually toward the center. The rust has cut deeply into edges of the door and the hinges. The middle of doorway is covered by light surface rust.

Go!

Should the party decide to ignore the warnings, the door is stuck closed due to the rust. Opening it will require a strength of 15 or more to pry it open a few inches after which multiple characters can combine their strength to open it completely. The hinges of the door will squeak loudly as it initially opened alerting the occupants. The sharp acidic odor expands as the door is opened.

Four basilisks lie in wait staring at the door as it is opened (if they are alerted by the squeals of the hinges). They rest atop a platform 3 feet above the entry floor. In addition to the basilisks, yellow mold colonies have covered the walls on both sides of the door. A newer colony has begun to spread to the right of the door along the floor. The yellow mold cannot directly attack but is generally fed by startled adventurers turning to run and hitting the walls as they attempt to exit.

Notable NPCs

Basilisk (4) [AL N, MV 60’ (20’), AC 4, HD 6+1, #AT 2 (bite, gaze), DM 1d10/petrify), THAC0: 13, SV F6, ML 9, XP 570, LL 63, HC XVII] Total XP: 2280. HP: 28, 33, 22, 34.

Treasure: GP: 4000, Gems : 20 – Total Value: 4345 gp., Magic: Feather Token, Scroll: Treasure Map (Value 2 magic items), Armor –1 (cursed), , Potion of Plant Control, Scroll: Ward against Undead

Yellow Mold (3) [AL N, MV 0, AC NA, HD 2, #AT Spores, DM 1d6 + special, THAC0: 18, SV F2, ML NA, XP 38, LL 103, HC None] Total XP: 114. HP: 6, 5, 11.

One Eye’s Wine: A Labyrinth Lord Short Adventure

Get Ready

The party is hired to retrieve a load of highly prized win from the legendary One Eye Vineyard. The vineyard is located within a series of steep, rugged hills a few days journey away.

Get Set

The vintners of the One Eye Vineyard are 3 cyclops — a male, female and younger son. Known only as One Eye, Bihar, the male, handles all public transactions while his wife and son generally handle all the brewing related tasks. Amyon, the son, is responsible for the rising fame of the winery due to his brewing talent. The matriarch of the family, Imeyna, oversees all the details of the operation and coordinates delivery of supplies and goods. She is the dominate force within the family — nothing happens without her approval. Bihar is always suspicious of new comers but is easily amused. He enjoys a good joke especially at the expense of elves.

Go!

The party are equipped with a cart and two mules to fetch four 10 gallon casks of the newly released vintage. The players are given permission to spend up to 100 gp per cask and have been given 40 pp to cover the transaction.

Upon nearing the winery, Bihar will greet the party when they are still 200′ from the winehouse. A large pile of rocks sit on either side of the double doors, which he will utilize as weapons if he feels the party is being deceptive. Since the party has not visited previously, Bihar is very suspicious of their intent. Shortly after he greets the party, he will be joined by his wife who steps out of the large double doors from the brewery.

The party must convince him of their intent to carry out an honest transaction. Perceptive individuals will note that Bihar occasionally glances at Imeyna, as if checking for her approval. If either of the cyclops feel threatened, they will be ordered to leave and not return. If the party persists or advances, both Bihar and Imeyna will lob rocks in front of the party as a warning. Neither wants to engage in conflict but will protect themselves if necessary.

Once the pair are convinced the party actually want to buy wine, they will invite them up to the winery. They will be invited into the front of the building into a tasting room and given samples along with a light meal. The building is built onto the face of the hill and quite obviously opens into a large tunnel, which descends deeper into the hillside. The tunnel has been expanded from but was a natural feature. The caverns below the building are used for storage and ageing of the wines.

As the party samples the wine and eats, Bihar will tell a few jokes mostly regarding the questionable heritage of elves. After they finish, he’ll get down to business unless distracted by other humorish tales. The price for the wine has gone up due to high demand. The price per cask is now 150 gp rather than the original 100. If careful in the negotiations, the party can get the price lowered to 120 gp/cask or opt to take a lesser vintage for two of the four casks. The vintage being sought is quite spectacular and worth the additional cost if the party is prepared to cover the extra cost from their own pockets.

Notable NPCs

Cyclops (3) [AL C, MV 90’ (30’), AC 5, HD 13, #AT 1, DM 3d10, THAC0: 10, SV F13, ML 9, XP 2,400, LL 69, HC XVII + 5,000 gp] HP: 70, 64, 46.

A September of Short Adventures — Completed

I hope the Moustache Dragon is pleased. My twenty-fifth adventure is done and scheduled to post on Thursday. Some of them are good, some are sketchy, and a few are little more than a general concept. Still, hammering out 25 shorts in 30 days made me proud.

I covered a wide variety of ideas and a few different systems. The Boot Hill discussion late last month got my juices flowing and I actually managed to put together a half dozen adventures one could stitch together as a campaign. Every time I’ve attempted to run it has been from the hip. Longevity rarely comes from seat of the pants.

On the fantasy front, I labelled several as Labyrinth Lord adventures. I admit I’d probably play them under 2E AD&D rather than LL but they can probably be retooled to play under any early variant or clone quite easily.

The challenge has been very trying at times. The one thing it did was force me to be creative and imaginative even when stretched for time. Perhaps a few of the posts will inspire others. It has been a good time and I’m glad I signed up.

Thanks go to /Matt at Asshat Paladins for organizing the challenge. I’ll post a recap of all of my entries on Friday.

Silence on Deck: A Labyrinth Lord Short Adventure

Get Ready

A ship floats silently into the harbor directed only by the wind; her sail shredded into strips. Not sound other than lapping waves breaks the still of the moonlit night.

Get Set

The ship is a single masted cog bearing the name Kateryn proudly on her stern. Aside from the damage to the sail, the ship has no obvious damage. The breeze drives the ship aground on rocks on the outskirts of the harbor shortly before high tide.

As the sun rises, the ship is tilted to starboard. Her fore keel perched top the rocky point and her aft settled into the mud flat exposed by the low tide.

Rumors spread of disease, ghosts, looted treasure and sea monsters. The harbor master has ordered no one to approach the vessel until it can be inspected. His order deflects only the scrupulous. Others plot to recover whatever bounty the ship holds.

Go!

The PC’s may be hired to inspect the ship either by the harbor master or buy agents of the local thieves guild. The former is interested in determining if the ship holds any risk to the town while the latter want to acquire any easily gained loot if possible.

The Kateryn contains no cargo and few valuables. Only a few personal possessions are of value. The ship is well stocked with food, water and other necessities for a voyage of five weeks.

A series of glyphs forming a rough circle have been carved into the top deck in a small region. Several of them are obscured by what appears to have been localized, intense fires. Near the center of the circle, a small splatter of blood still stains the deck boards.

All evidence indicates the crew and passengers, if any, just disappeared instantly. A plate of uneaten food lies on the floor in the crew area. The tiller was set to a fixed position and bound into place. The sail looks like it was being lowered but never secured before it was ripped apart by the winds on the seas.

Perhaps the captain’s journal can be found and provide an explanation.

[Crew and passengers were drawn through an incomplete Gate spell. The mage, uncertain at best, was attacked by a superstitious crew member just as the gate was beginning to open. The cruft is left open.]

Boar Bounty: A Labyrinth Lord Adventure set in Korton Forest

Get Ready

A drift of hogs has taken over the forest and have begun to forage into nearby fields. The mayor of Korton has issued a bounty of 1sp per head with a bonus silver for boars.

Get Set

Korton is set in the the forest of the same name. Korton Forest is a small woodland of mixed conifer and deciduous trees. The town of Korton is set in a clearing near the edge of the forest. The town economy is intertwined with the health of the forest including wood cutting, nut harvesting and gathering of woodland edibles. Many of the resulting goods are sent to the capital city as trade materials.

The original infestation of boars were normal hogs escaped from farms in the region. They began to breed and spread throughout the forest. The boars caused little damage and were considered something of a boon by the huntsmen of the forest as an additional game animal.

Gradually, the population began to swell beyond what hunting could control The larger population attracted giant boars from the far reaches of the forest. The larger beasts easily dominated the smaller rivals and began to interbreed with the normal boars. The more aggressive cousins caused more destruction and also caused a population spike due to rampant breeding.

A pair of Demon Boars eventually heard of the infestation and has moved into the forest. They rarely appear in human form. Instead, they use the large population as camouflage to stay hidden. The two are responsible for the majority of deaths in the forest and prey upon the hunters seeking the bounty on the other boars.

Go!

The boars are not a cohesive group. They are spread among the forest in smaller bunches and occasionally encountered separately. A normal encounter will be several normal boars with 75% chance of giant boars being part of the group. Only two demon boars currently reside in the forest near Korton.

Before beginning the play, the GM should roughly estimate the overall population in the forest and the breakdown between the normal and giant boars. The game play should be split into a number of encounters with varying numbers along with a series of clues leading to the demon boars. Once half of the overall population has been killed, the infestation will be under control by the bounty payments.

The GM may also want to adjust HD for the normal and giant boars downward to include a diversity of hog ages. Piglets are common and can make the encounters more exciting while dramatically reducing risk to the party.

The overall hunt should be a series of individual encounters. Each should have a few details to add suspense to the otherwise dull task of hunting down pigs. The following are a few suggestions. Use a few or invent your own.

Farmers Field: Just on the outskirts of town a group of hogs is destroying a field and garden. The farmer has rushed to town to seek help. The hogs arrive near dusk or dawn and set about rooting out all the edible plants in the field. [3 piglets, 2 normal boars, 1 giant boar]

Dead Orc: A small number of hogs is feasting on the carcass of a dead orc. One hog lies dead nearby impaled by a crude spear. [2 normal boars, 1 giant]

Footprint of a Fatman: A huntsman has been killed and the corpse is little more than scattered bones. Based on the hoofmarks around the corpse, a large number of beasts were involved or came to feed. Amid the hoof prints are massive bare footprints of a human in the nearby mud. A skilled tracker may note the prints end in close proximity to unusually large hoof prints. The party can track down several beasts in the area as smaller encounters.

Injured Woodcutter: A lone woodcutter has survived a deadly assault. He managed to escape the battle and crawl up a tree. He’ll aid the party in finding the original location of the attack along with telling the tale of two massive hogs killing and feasting upon his fallen comrades.

Dazed and Confused: A pair of humans have setup camp in a small clearing. Both are well equipped but were obviously in battle. The male has a bandage on his leg and head. The female’s left arm is in a sling. The humans are seeking to escape the woods. They will share the story of 7 hogs led by two massive hogs surprising them on a narrow path in the woods. After killing several of the smaller beasts, neither of them can recall the remainder of the battle. Both were charmed by the Demon Boars. Luckily another group of hunters distracted the Demon Boars who chose to retreat rather than fighting a pitched battle. Unfortunately, the second group did not find the humans.

Each encounter should be memorable. Liberally drop clues pointing toward the presence of the menace of the Demon Boars.

Notable NPCs

Boar (d6) [AL N, MV 150’ (50’), AC 7, HD 3, #AT 1 (tusk), DM 2d4, THAC0: 17, SV F2, ML 9, XP 50, LL 66, HC None] HP: 17, 12, 17, 10, 12, 11.

Boar, Giant (d3) [AL N, MV 120’ (40’), AC 6, HD 5, #AT 1 (tusk), DM 3d4, THAC0: 15, SV F5, ML 9, XP 200, LL 66, HC None] HP: 19, 27, 26.

Demon Boar (2) [AL C, MV 120’ (40’) Boar 180’ (60’), AC 3 (9), HD 9, #AT 1 (gore or weapon), DM 2d6/weapon, THAC0: 12, SV F9, ML 10, XP 3,800, LL 69, HC XX] HP: 38, 56.

The Petrified Man – A “Soapy” Smith Adventure for Boot Hill

Get Ready

The petrified man discovered near Creede, Colo., April 9, 1892, is now on exhibition. A marvel of wonders; every muscle, the pores of the skin, the finger nails and toe nails all complete, in a perfect state of preservation, as natural as life. 10¢ Admission (SoapySmith.net)

Get Set

Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith has already been used as the basis of a previous con based adventure. Smith was legendary in his ability earn money and one of his stranger baits was the introduction of “McGinty” the petrified man during his time in Creede, Colorado (and later in Denver). According to Smith, McGinty was purchased from miners in the area who unearthed him while working a claim.

The McGinty man is designed to draw visitors into The Orleans Club in Creede. While waiting in line, every visitor is encouraged to engage in games of chance, all favoring the house. The games include shell games and 3-Card Monte.

Go!

This short adventure is a sidebar to any ongoing campaign idea allowing for open-sandbox style running. Perhaps the characters are drinking heavily and want to see the petrified man. Along the way, they gamble more than they should and take heavy losses.

Alternatively, they may be trying to meet Soapy for another reason. He’s preparing to move McGinty to Denver and needs some help. Transporting an artifact, even one of questionable origins, is going to be a challenge over the rough roadways.

The McGinty story is a good story as added flavor to add to any adventure featuring Creede or another fictional locale. During its reign as an exhibit, the petrified man will certainly draw attention.

Notable NPCs

Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith – a charismatic fellow with the gift of gab. Dark hair, full beard, well dressed.

Learn more about Soapy at his great grandson’s comprehensive site and blog or buy his book as I mentioned previously.

Here Be the Goblins – A Lair Level Encounter for Labyrinth Lord

Get Ready

Really? Another goblin adventure? Whatever, Quantum Ogre man, we’ll head out toward the village. Can’t you come up with something interesting?

Get Set

All who have ventured into the goblin village to date have made delicious soup. The goblins are happy, thriving and apparently breeding prodigiously. The goblins have formed a minor religious sect toasting the “Stupid Humans” as each group attempting to kill them has ended up filling the cook pots.

The goblin village is set near the edge of a swamp. A muddy walkway 100 feet long leads through the bog onto a thin island where the encampment has constructed huts, centralized cooking pits, and homes amid the overhanging trees. The primary island is a thin spit, only about 50 yards wide but extends nearly 500 yards. Several additional paths connect the primary island others nearby.

The entry path way will support light-weight humans and demi-humans. Anyone wearing metal armor will struggle through the mud, sinking deeper than the lighter companions. Unless very stealthy, the PC’s will be greeted when they are about halfway across the path by a smiling goblin with strange features.

The smiling man is a mottled gray rather than the yellow/orange/red skinned goblins the party has encountered before. His frame is nearly 4 feet. Taller than other goblins they have seen. Running a hand through his iron grey hair, he beams a broad smile of yellowish teeth before yelling, “Welcome to dinner, my new friends.”

Behind him are many goblins with hair and skin colors the party is accustomed to seeing. Just as many taller ones of the same mottled grey skin along with mottled green and pale grey skin stop to look at the party struggling through the muck. The taller ones range from 4 feet to 6 feet tall. The tall ones chuckle when the smiling man speaks. The short folk begin to slink away from the entrance to the village.

Be descriptive indicating the differences between the tall folk and the normal goblins. Should no one take note, let the feast begin. Even if they are wary, their bones look succulent.

Go!

The village is not a normal goblin encampment. It is well organized and the “Tall” folk dominate the village. Neither party should be surprised during the encounter. Both should be well aware of the others and the goblin encampment will be much more aggressive than expected.

The tall folk are Pygmy Trolls — mixed breed trolls and goblins. Not nearly as tall or strong as normal trolls, the pygmy’s are just as aggressive and retain the ability to regenerate as trolls. They are also very crafty and know most people underestimate them as lesser beings.

The smiling man will heckle the party continuously, confident they can overcome and eat them in the end. His barbed remarks will be targeted at anyone in armor who is struggling across the pathway. Rage and oversight are on his side.

The PC’s should recognize something is not as they expect it to be. The heritage of the monsters should be hidden other than physical cues. Ideally, they should engage and be overwhelmed and flee back across the path. If they return to town, they will be mocked by other adventurers due to their failure to beat mere goblins.

The PC’s should survive the initial attack unless they are stupid. They will be chased but only within a couple of miles. After they lick their wounds, the party should begin to recognize these are not normal goblins. If they don’t, they may become soup. Yummy, tasty adventurers.

Notable NPCs

Goblin (29) [AL C, MV 60’ (20’), AC 6, HD 1 -1, #AT 1 (weapon), DM 1d6 or weapon, THAC0: 19, SV 0 human, ML 7, XP 5, LL 78, HC XX] Total XP: 145. HP: 7, 4, 5, 1, 4, 3, 3, 7, 6, 3, 5, 1, 4, 1, 1, 5, 3, 7, 7, 3, 5, 3, 4, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2.

Pygmy Troll (18) [AL C, MV 120’ (40’), AC 4, HD 4, #AT 3 (2 claws, bite), DM 1d3/1d3/1d6, THAC0: 16, SV F4, ML 10, HC XIX]. HP: 22, 22, 22, 15, 14, 9, 13, 15, 16, 8, 19, 23, 11, 10, 11, 14, 12, 19. – All special abilities as Trolls.