Rumours
1: The Royal Emerald was stolen a few weeks ago.
2: There’s a gang hiding out in the old alchemist’s shop.
3: Smugglers operate out of the Goose Egg Tavern
4: Pale gures have been seen in the cemetery.
5: Criminal gangs use the sewers as a highway.
6: The Old Church is haunted.
2. Alchemist’s Workshop
6. Old Church Basement
• 2d6 Merry Japers (1HD, knife 1d4 or alchemical liquid*)
• Tartaglia (leader) (2HD, knife 1d4 or Oil of Slipperiness)
This old workshop is the hideout of the Merry Japers, a
criminal gang. There’s 100gp and 1d6 bottles of alchemical
uid in a cupboard and 1,300gp hidden under a oorboard.
*Each member carries a bottle of alchemical liquid which will
be drunk (1-4) or thrown (5-6) as a last resort (see table).
• 1d6 Dead Men (1HD, axe 1d6)
• 1 Half-dead (1HD, axe 1d6, non-magical attacks do 1hp
damage.)
The secret passage is concealed behind loose boards.
b
8
Encounters
1-3: 1d4 Giant Rats
4: 1d6 Dead Men
5: 1d6 Merry Japers
6: Blind Betty
7. Old Church, Lower Basement
• 1d3 Dead Men (1HD, axe 1d6)
This is the meeting room of the Dead Men, the city’s
dominant criminal enterprise. Ostrato, a city of cial, is here
negotiating a bribe.
200gp is hidden under the table. Stairs deeper further into the
dungeon.
8. The Gurgler
Entrances
5
9
a) Sewer Entrance. This ladder
descends from an entry hatch in a
disused alley.
b) The Goose Egg Tavern.
These stairs descend from behind
the bar of the Goose Egg Tavern.
Good luck reaching them without
drawing the attention of Bill the Bouncer.
c) Alchemist’s Shop. This ladder leads to a trapdoor in
the back of a boarded-up alchemist’s shop.
d) Family Crypt. Stairs descend from a decrepit crypt
in the city cemetery.
e) The Old Church. These stairs lead to
the back room of an old abandoned
church.
1. Sewer Thoroughfare
a
There’s a narrow path along both sides
of the sewer, but it’s slippery and
cramped. The water is 10’ wide and
waist deep, with a steady current
towards the Gurgler (room 8). Anyone in the water attracts
Blind Betty in 1d4 rounds. The broken bridge will (4 in 6)
collapse underfoot.
Alchemical liquid effects (1d8):
fl
fi
5: +1d6 temporary hit points
6: Inky cloud, 15’ darkness
7: Fire breath, 1d8 damage
8: +4 STR
fl
fi
fi
fi
1: Explodes, 2d6 damage
2: Sleep, 15’ radius
3: Acid, 1d8 damage
4: No effect
fi
fl
Level 1: The Gurgler
e
4
6
9. Blind Betty’s Nest
2
7
d
10. Crypt antechamber
12
3. Store Room
• Blind Betty the Albino
Alligator (4HD, armour as plate,
bite and roll 2d6. Additional 50%
miss chance for targets on land)
Entangled in the nest are rotting
corpses and a satchel containing
50gp. In Betty’s stomach is the
Royal Emerald, worth 3,500gp.
c
3
1
The current is stronger here, and characters
in the water must save or be sucked down,
taking 2d6 damage and falling to the next
level of the dungeon. A grate in the ceiling
emits a shaft of light from above.
11
Crossbow trap, 1d8 damage.
4. Goose Egg Tavern Lower Basement
• 1d6 Dead Men (1HD, axe 1d6)
Smuggled valuables worth 1d6x100gp.
5. Goose Egg Tavern Basement
• Bill the Bouncer (1HD/8hp, billy club 1d6)
There’s a secret passage behind a loose board.
10
A secret panel in the wall has long ago been broken
down, and the niche behind looted of its treasures.
11. Lesser Crypt
• 1 Man-Maggot (2HD, lthy mouth 1d4 and save or be
paralysed for 1d6 rounds)
The cof ns contain nothing but cracked dry bones and rags.
12. Crypt
Cof ns have been torn open, their contents gone. A hole has
been burrowed through the tile oor, leading deeper into the
dungeon.
Level 2: King Garibald’s Curse
3. Empty Room
7. Blind Tunnel
There’s nothing here but the smell of earth and damp.
Rumours
4. Sealed Room
1: Several prominent citizens stand accused of grisly murders.
2: King Garibald’s shield can only be borne by his true heir.
3: Don Pasquale was a rich underworld boss before he died.
4: The Wax Cauldron feeds on discord and suspicion.
• 1d2 Man-maggots (2HD, lthy mouth 1d4 and save or be
paralysed for 1d6 rounds)
The door here has been nailed shut. A slimy tunnel has been
burrowed to room 6.
• 1 Man-maggot (2HD, lthy mouth 1d4 and save or be
paralysed for 1d6 rounds)
The cramped tunnel penalises ghting with anything longer
than a dagger.
c
Encounters
10
Crypt section (rooms 1-3): 1d6 Dead Men
Crypt section (rooms 4-8): 1d2 Man-Maggots
Room 9: Fumo, the Grey Ape (see Level 3)
Sewer section (rooms 10-12): 1d3 Wax Men
11
Entrances
2. Statue Corridor
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
The statues are of prominent members of the Pasquale family,
now deceased. The secret door behind one of the statues is
opened by manipulating the statue’s arm. The door to room 4
has been nailed shut.
fi
5. Upper Crypt
Slimy tunnels have
been dug down into
the soil around this
room.
9. King Garibald’s Tomb
Niches along the east wall contain skeletons, 36 in total, each
with a silver coin in its mouth. The King’s cof n sits atop an
inlaid catafalque, and mosaics decorate the oor.
The cof n contains the King’s body, wearing ne mail and a
jewelled longsword worth 250gp. On the wall is the King’s
shield +2, bearing the Garibald crest. If any other than the
rightful heir to Garibald’s throne takes the shield from the
wall, the 36 skeletons rise from their
niches and attack anyone nearby.
The stairs lead down to the third level.
2
10. Deluge
• Don Pasquale (4HD, choke 1d4 and dread gaze
1d6, immune to non-magical damage, victims
rise as Half-dead)
Don Pasquale lies in the cof n in the south annex.
Even in undeath he remains the leader of the
Dead Men, conferring nightly with his lieutenants and raising
those who fail him as Half-dead. He will rise to deal with
intruders, preferring to surprise them if possible. His cof n
also contains the gang’s treasury, 3,000gp.
The north annex is raised and the cof n bears ne inlays of
ivory and onyx. Interred with the body is a gold chain of of ce
worth 500gp.
fi
a
12
1. Pasquale Family Crypt
fi
• 1d2 Man-maggots (2HD, lthy mouth 1d4 and save or be
paralysed for 1d6 rounds)
The urns contain silver coins to the value of 250gp. A tunnel
leads down to the third level.
9
a) Old Church lower basement. These
stairs lead to the basement of the Old
Church (Level One, room 7).
b) Crypt. The pile of rubble here is from
a hole in the ceiling, which leads to a
crypt (Level One, room 12).
c) The Gurgler. This torrent of water comes from
a hole in the centre of the domed ceiling. Getting
back up there would be next to impossible, but it
comes from the Gurgler (Level One, room 8).
fi
8. Lower Crypt
3
4
1
• 2 Wax Men (2HD, razor 1d4, double
damage from re.)
Falling water creates a thunderous noise.
The edge of the sewer is slippery and wet.
The current is strong and the water deep.
b
5
6
7
6. Antechamber and
collapsed corridor
The tunnel down leads to the third level of the dungeon. A
niche behind a plastered wall panel holds a chest with funerary
goods worth 1,800gp. A tunnel leads down to the third level.
11. Cauldron of Wax
• 1d6 Wax Men (2HD, razor 1d4, takes
double damage from re.)
The cauldron is full of multicoloured
liquid wax. There’s a 50% chance each
round that a Wax Man climbs from it,
looking like a copy of one of the PCs. A
party which encounters the Wax Men and
retreats will be framed for a horri c murder the next night.
8
12. Sewer Maintenance Room
An old supply room for sewer workers. A rope is neatly coiled
by a hole which down to the third level of the dungeon.
Level 3: The Skull of Malabranche
Rumours
1: The Arch-demon Malabranche was slain many years ago.
2: Fashionable youths are seen visiting a cave outside the city.
3: Nobles once had a passing fad for exhibiting exotic beasts.
4: There are secret ways into the royal crypt.
Encounters
A shallow stream ows through the dripping cavern to a
distant cave mouth. Foot traf c has left muddy prints. The
southwest passage leads to the fourth level of the dungeon.
• Basilisk (6HD, armour as chain, gaze save or turn to stone,
noxious breath save or be confused 1d4 rounds, bite 1d10)
There’s a 10% chance that a ceremony is taking place when
the lair is discovered.
• 2d6 youths (noncombatants)
• 1d4 bodyguards (2HD cuirass armour, cinquedea 1d6)
The basilisk is the subject of a local cult. Fashionable youths
offer gifts to the basilisk and breathe its fumes, becoming
intoxicated. They prepare themselves for turning to stone,
remaining young and beautiful forever. The basilisk is adorned
with golden chains, jade-panelled barding and a feather
headdress. The assemblage is worth 3,500gp.
3. Cave
A hole in the ceiling is almost impossible to spot. It leads up to
level two of the dungeon.
1: …on hats
2: …on sleeves
3: …on shoes
4: …on gloves
5: …on belt
6: …on leggings
6
Iron hand-holds have been
hammered into the side of
the passage, allowing easier
climbing of the ledge.
5: Fumo, the Grey Ape
6: 1d6 Troglodytes
The youths are (50% chance) accompanied by a bodyguard
(2HD cuirass armour, cinquedea 1d6)
Crypt section (rooms 4-8): Fumo, the Grey Ape
Youth fashion (roll 2d6 twice):
1: Tassels…
2: Brims…
3: Bells…
4: Ruffs…
5: Pom-poms…
6: Ruf es…
6. Basilisk Temple
4. Waterfalls
Room 1: 1d3 Man-Maggots
Cave section (rooms 2-3):
1-2: 1d4 youths
3-4: 1d3 Wax Men
2. Underground stream
3
7. Fumo’s Lair
c
5
4
a
2
7
Entrances
a) Cave outside town. A stream emerges
from this cave among ancient ruins
outside the city walls.
b) Crypts. These slimy tunnels lead steeply
down from rooms 6 and 8 in the level above.
c) Sewer. A hole in the ceiling leads up to
the sewer (Level Two, Room 12).
d) Tomb. These stairs lead down from King
Garibald’s tomb (Level Two, Room 9) and
continue on to the fourth level.
9
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fl
fi
• Maggot Queen (4HD armour as chain,
acid vomit: 2d4 10’ area recharges on 2in-6, or claws 1d6, ying)
• 1d8 Man-Maggot Eggs, 1 in 6 chance of one
hatching each round (2HD, lthy mouth 1d4 and save
or be paralysed for 1d6 rounds).
Demonic scenes are carved on the walls. The MaggotQueen’s lthy nest has 400gp in stolen grave-goods.
fl
d
8. Crypts
These two rooms contain cof ns
with long-dead inhabitants. Eight
cof ns each contain funerary goods
worth 1d6 x 20gp.
The stairs to the east continue down
to the fourth level. One plaster
panel hides a secret door.
9. Skull of Malabranche
1. Temple Hall
fi
• Fumo, the Grey Ape (4HD armour as leather,
bite 1d8 or grapple and drag)
Fumo, a carnivorous grey ape from the remote
mountains, escaped from a noble’s menagerie
years ago. He hides in shadows and above
doorways, ambushing the vulnerable and
avoiding combat. His lair contains the bones of
past meals and a silver bauble worth 50gp.
1
8
b
5. Statue room
This room holds several
lifelike statues of nude
youths in artistic poses.
Some can be recognised
as minor nobles.
Painted sigils inside the archway project a shimmering barrier
blocking the entrance to this room. If the sigils are erased the
barrier falls.
Malabranche’s indestructible skull contains remnants of his
consciousness. He can speak telepathically and cast Charm
Person and ESP once each per day. He offers to teach magic
spells in exchange for attracting worshippers to restore his life.
His power cannot penetrate the shimmering barrier. His one
remaining canine tooth functions as a dagger +1. Those cut by
it must save or else crave to be cut again.
The stairs lead down two levels, to the dungeon’s fth level.
Rumours
1: A race of subterranean people lives in the caverns.
2: The evil sword Nightwand is hidden under the city.
3: In times past the nobility were buried with their riches.
4: The child-Princess Euphemia was kidnapped 20 years ago.
5. Six heroes of old were buried here with their raiment.
6. Mysterious nighttime raids plague surrounding villages.
4. Troglodyte cave
6. Sacred chamber
• 2d6 Troglodytes (2HD armour as leather, spear 1d6 or
thrown rock 1d6)
• 2 Giant Guard Bats (3HD armour as leather, bite 1d6 or
shriek: save or ght at disadvantage)
This is the sleeping-chamber of the troglodytes. The ledge at
the back of the cave holds three leather-covered tower shields
and a heap of heavy rocks for throwing down onto intruders.
The guard bats have clipped wings and crawl across the cave
oor. A pot of herbs provides immunity to mushrooms at (3).
• Troglodyte priest (3HD, 1d4 stone knife or Stinking Cloud)
• 1d6 Troglodytes (2HD club 1d6)
This cave contains sacred icons of Troglodyte ancestors. Any
outsiders who enter this cave are hunted without mercy.
Encounters
5
The Great Cavern (rooms 1-3):
6
1-2: 1d10 Troglodytes 5: 1d6 Cave crickets
3-4: 1d6 Oozefolk
6: 1d4 Giant rats
Entrances
a
a) Sloping tunnel. This tunnel descends from
an underground stream above (room 2, level 3).
b) Crypt stairs. These stairs lead down from
the crypts above (east of room 7, level 3).
9
2
1
3. Great Cavern, East
fi
fi
fi
fl
Enormous mushrooms grow to head height at this end of the
cavern. The spores of the mushrooms act as a Sleep spell cast
on the party. Sleeping characters will be captured (80%) or
robbed (20%) by Troglodytes (60%) or Oozefolk (40%).
The eastern tunnel leads to the fth level of the dungeon.
fi
9. Crypt
b
• 3d6 Giant cave crickets (1hp,
bite 1d2)
Here is a 6’ deep trench, with a
pool of water at its west end,
connected by an underwater passage to the waterfall in room
1, level 5. Giant cave crickets swarm from burrows in the
walls. Their chirping will (50%) attract further encounters.
fi
8
3
A maze of stalactites and
stalagmites causes player
characters to move at 25% speed
and ght at a disadvantage.
fi
• 2d4 Oozefolk (2HD pseudopod 1d6 damage, if touched save
or turn to ooze over 1d4 days, defeated oozefolk reform after
a turn unless burnt)
Oozefolk cling to the ceiling of these tunnels. The huge
crystals glow when there are nearby vibrations, and shards
give light as a candle for 1d4 weeks. The stairs lead down to
the fth level of the dungeon.
• Giant Spider (4HD bite 2d4 and poison, Web 3/day)
This poison deals 1d6hp
each round if the victim
moves.
The webs act as a Web
spell affecting the room.
4
1. Great Cavern, West
2. Great Cavern, Central
7.South tunnels
8. Spider nest
Crypt section (rooms 9-12): Giant spider
fi
fl
Level 4: The Great Cavern
10
7
Six mouldering cof ns
hold long-dead warriors.
Their possessions include
a mithril shirt and a Cloak
of Elvenkind.
10. Room of swords
11
5. Throne room
• Troglodyte adviser (3HD, armour as leather, 1d8
broadsword)
• Princess Euphemia (noncombatant)
Princess Euphemia was kidnapped as a child twenty years ago
to serve as Queen. She now rules as best she can, waging war
on the oozefolk and raiding the surface world.
Her ragged nery includes jewellery worth 800gp.
Twenty swords are thrust
into the earthen oor. One
of them is Nightwand, a
chaotic intelligent longsword +2, with the following abilities:
• The wielder can cast Darkness, 15’ radius 3/day
• While drawn, the wielder has darkvision 60'
If any other sword than Nightwand is drawn from the earth, all
of the swords rise and ght as Flying Swords (1HD armour as
plate, slash 1d8).
11. Treasure trove
The treasure chest is trapped (poison gas, save or take 3d6
damage). The chest behind the secret panel contains 3,000gp.
Level 5: The Hexumvirate
Rumours
1: A cabal of Wizards called themselves the “Hexumvirate”.
2: The Hexumvirate once experimented with creating life.
3: The city was founded on a prehistoric holy site.
4: The Wizardess Aradea just disappeared one day.
Encounters
4. Wizards’ Study
6. Experiment Chamber
The shelves are stuffed with books, scrolls and various
implements. Amongst these are 6 randomly-selected scrolls of
2nd or 3rd level, a potion of true seeing, and a pair of
spectacles that allow the wearer to see through up to 1’ of
organic material. In addition, a
detailed drawing of the sword
Nightwand, and the three-sigil
combination that allows the portal
in room 5 to access Aradea’s tower.
Characters take 1d4 damage each round spent on the oor of
this chamber. If a character drops to zero hit points, they
become an ooze. Oozefolk here regain 1d4 hp each round.
The bars on the arched doorway are xed in place. Ooze folk
can freely pass through the bars.
e
Ancient Temple (rooms 2-3): None
Laboratory (rooms 4-10): 1d4 Oozefolk (2HD pseudopod
1d6 damage, if touched save or turn to ooze over 1d4 days,
defeated oozefolk reform after a turn unless burnt)
7. Glass Barrier
A one-foot thick glass barrier completely lls the corridor. The
long-dead body of the wizard Aradea
lies here. She wears a glass ring. The
ring can be used to create or destroy
glass walls. For every 10’ square of
wall created, the player must cut a 1”
square from their character sheet.
1
Entrances
8. Autopsy Room
a) Sloping tunnel. This tunnel descends from the Great
Cavern (room 3, level 4).
b) Long stairs. These stairs lead down two levels, from the
Skull of Malabranche (room 8, level 3).
c) Spiral stairs. From the South Tunnels (room 7, level 4)
d) Portal. This portal can be entered from elsewhere.
e) Waterfall. This waterfall connects to the pool on level 4,
room 2, through a long underwater passage.
2
3
The table is covered with bloodstains,
and sharp implements hang on the
wall. Nine levers raise and lower the
bars in rooms 6, 9 and 10.
c
9. Upper Kennels
b
9
1. Crab Cavern
d
• 1d3 Cave Crabs (1d6HD,
armour as plate, claw 1d4/1d4,
increase die type for every HD
over 1)
Cave Crabs are well camou aged
among the stalagmites. A bridge
across the stream has collapsed.
The stream ows onwards to the
waterfall in level 6, room 8.
4
8
7
5
10
2. Ancestor Statues
5. Portal
The three hideous statues have glowing yellow eyes. Three
shadows emerge from their mouths (3HD, touch drains 1
level, immune to non-magical damage).
3. Sacred Pool
fl
fl
fi
fi
fl
fi
Characters drinking the water of this clear pool will fall into a
death-like state for 2d6 turns, during which their soul is freed
from their body and can move through the world as a ghost.
fl
a
6
A glistening portal is
suspended between two
stone pillars. On a round stone slab there are etched arcanex
symbols. Three st-sized half-round sapphires (worth 500gp
each) are each positioned over a symbol. While they are in this
position, the portal leads to a wizard’s tower.
The long-dead body of a wizard lies here.
• 3 Mistakes (4HD, maul 1d8,
roll attack and defence on table
below)
Bizarre-looking creatures are
trapped but may be able to
attack through the bars. One of
the kennels holds nothing but
twisted bones.
10. Lower Kennels
• 2 Mistakes (see above)
Two of the cages hold
desiccated remains. One of the caged creatures is highly
intelligent and can speak. It tells a tale of mistreatment at the
hands of its creators, the wizards, and begs to be released. It is
dangerously insane and hungers for human esh.
Attack
1: Poison, save or go mad
2: Spit acid, 1d8 15’ range
3: Tentacles, 1d4/1d4
4: Despair, save or cry
Defence
1: Illusion, 50% miss chance
2: Acid blood, 1d4 damage
3: Regenerates, 1d4hp/round
4: Impervious skin
Rumours
1: An ancient creature under the city grants wishes.
2: Terrible sacri ces were made under the earth.
3: Primitive peoples worshipped a huge nugget of gold.
4: A prehistoric god is the protector of the city.
Encounters
4. A House with No Doors
6. Collapsing room
The building here is made of ancient wood, coated with
mineral deposits that have dripped from the ceiling above. It
has no doors or windows. Inside, on an inverted tree stump, is
a huge nugget of quartz and gold, weighing 650lb and worth
10,000gp. 1d6 days after the nugget is broken or removed
from the dungeon an earthquake will destroy the city and
collapse the dungeon.
An underground river cuts through the room, and has
collapsed one corner.
6
a
Roll encounters at double the normal rate.
Temple (rooms 1-5): 1d6 Psychic leeches (1HD,
insubstantial, latches on to soul for -1 CHA).
Cave (rooms 6-8): Troll (see room 7)
1
3
Entrances
a) Temple. Rough stairs lead down
from the upper temple (room 2,
level 5).
b) Waterfall. This waterfall is fed
by the stream in room 1, level 5.
• 1d4 Psychic leeches (1HD, insubstantial, latches on
to soul for -1 CHA).
There’s nothing here.
b
• 1d4 Animal-headed skeletons (1HD, bite/claw 1d4/1d4)
Countless clay urns are buried in the oor of this room, which
is thick with ash. Every round, 1d4 animal-headed child
skeletons burst from the urns.
3. Prayer tablets
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fi
• 1d4 Psychic leeches (1HD, insubstantial, latches on to soul
for -1 CHA).
Towering heaps of prayer tablets ll two corners of the room,
with a path between. Each clay tablet contains an inscription
in an ancient language. Roughly one in fty tablets is made of
copper (worth 10cp), one in a hundred silver (10sp), and one
in a thousand gold (10gp). Every turn 1d6 gold tablets can be
dug from the piles, along with similar ratios of the other kinds,
to a total of 2,000gp.
fi
7
• Troll (6HD, claws 1d6/1d6 or thrown stone 2d6, regenerates
3hp per round unless burnt)
The troll was once a human who asked the Wishing
Olm for immortality. It is still missing the nger it
used for the wish. It hides underground eating what
it can catch and muttering about how the “Pink shy
stole my nger”. Its cave is decorated with little
trinkets it has found over the years. Bones, pieces of
glass, and 50gp in valuables.
8
5
2. Tophet
fi
7. Troll cave
2
1. Empty Room
fi
fi
Level 6: A House with No Doors
8. The Wishing Olm
4
5. The Toads
In this room are four jade toad statues. They psychically call
out to anyone who gets near their room, begging to be fed. If
anyone with a psychic leech attached to them approaches a
statue, the toad will “eat” the psychic leech. If any one toad
eats more than four leeches in a week, it becomes strong
enough to break the spell that holds it.
• Psychic toad (4HD, bite 1d8 and save or be swallowed
whole for 2d6, hold person 3/day, held characters fail save)
An underground lake lls this cavern, fed by a roaring
waterfall. A ledge juts out from the falls, 20’ up. The water is
frigid; anyone fully submerged must save or go into shock.
In the deep black water there is a single olm: a blind pink
salamander as long as a man’s forearm. It will hide so long as
the troll is a threat. Once a year, the olm can bite off a human
nger and grant a single wish, as the Wish spell. Sel sh or
destructive wishes are more likely to be misinterpreted, while
altruistic wishes will be granted as requested.
The End
I hope you enjoyed this adventure! Please send any feedback
to simoncarryer@gmail.com, or @simoncarryer on Twitter.
- Simon Carryer