DoD - Cryptic Entry.indd

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Dungeons On Demand
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Cryptic
Entry
Tips for the Game Master
Cryptic Entry
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This is your dungeon adventure. If you don’t like how something works, change it. If you think an item or NPC from
your campaign world works better than an item or NPC
presented here, make the switch. If a puzzle is too hard or an
encounter is too easy, drop some hints or add some monsters
- do whatever is best for your game. You’re the master of your
gaming world, this packet is just a guide to help you. It will
present hints and opportunities for you to customize, but
ultimately everything is up to you. You don’t need permission
to break the mold.
The encounters listed within this packet were designed by
the book - but by the book isn’t always the most practical for
every party of adventurers. You may need to give a monster
fewer hit points, fudge some dice rolls, or just plain ignore
some of the rules if you think an encounter is a risk of killing
the entire party.
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This adventure will work best when you take the time to read
through the packet first, so you’re familiar with everything
that’s going on. Sometimes the monsters that lie in wait to
ambush the party, traps that are hidden from sight, or the
clues to a puzzle may be glossed over if you’re not prepared.
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The goal of each adventure is to give the party enough
experience points to advance one level. This depends on a
lot of things however - the party needs to complete most of
the encounters and be of the appropriate size and level for
that to work out. Ultimately, you might want to go without
experience points altogether, and simply allow the players to
advance to the next level once they’re finished the dungeon.
This means a lot less record-keeping on you part!
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The ultimate goal is to have fun! If you’re having fun while
playing, then you’re playing correctly.
Copyright © 2016 Dan Coleman. This Dungeons on Demand product is published through the Open Gaming License. See the License section for complete details.
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Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................ 4
Adventure Hooks................................................................................................................................................ 5
Dungeon Overview Map................................................................................................................................... 6
Prelude................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Encounters........................................................................................................................................................... 8
Wrapping Up....................................................................................................................................................... 20
Appendix A: New Monsters & NPCs............................................................................................................... 21
License................................................................................................................................................................. 22
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Dungeons On Demand
Dungeons On Demand are designed with Game Masters in mind,
created to be instant adventure sites a GM can wholly customize to fit his or her campaign. Unlike lengthy, full scale published
adventures, Dungeons On Demand can often be played in a single
gaming session, requires little planning beforehand aside from
reading the packet, and gives plenty of options to make the dungeon fit seamlessly within the owner’s campaign. Each dungeon
has enough encounters and challenges to advance the party playing through it by one level.
When Nera came of age, she was bequeathed the journal Reslin
had kept with the details of his secret vault. The young girl had her
father’s drive for adventure, and she soon found herself seeking
out the secret place.
Cryptic Entry is designed for a party of 4 to 5 1st-level adventurers. If your game has more or fewer players, you can adjust the
number of monsters present in each encounter to fit the proper
difficulty.
Dungeon Background & Information
Unfortunately, the rest of his life would come too soon. It was
only a week after he learned his wife was with child that Reslin
fell ill to the malady which would ultimately lead to his death.
He’d be denied the chance at being a father, but he’d be damned if
anyone would deny his son his inheritance.
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In the few short months before his passing, Reslin spent his
remaining energy, and plenty of gold constructing an elaborate, underground vault. The vault was secured in the mountain
Skysplinter, its entrance hidden behind Razorfall, one of the
mountain’s three water falls. The entire thing was created in
secret, and Reslin spared no expense in its making. He employed
the talents of skilled dwarves to carve out the vault, and the magic
of wizards to secure its treasures. Upon its completion, Reslin
ordered the majority of his wealth, including a sryix (sree – ex) – a
magic relic of beauty and the crown jewel of Reslin’s finds – to be
moved there. The vault was sealed with a magic ward thereafter.
Cryptic Entry
Reslin kept a journal throughout the vault’s development,
addressing each entry to Nero, his unborn son. The journal
contained many of the instructions Nero would need to find the
vault, enter undeterred, and claim his inheritance. Reslin entrusted the journal to his wife to give to their son when he came
of age, passing away days after the vault was sealed.
The following developments have occurred leading up to the
events of Cryptic Entry, and should be kept secret from the players at this time.
Developments
No Son of Mine
Nero would turn out to be Nera, for Reslin’s wife bore him a
daughter instead of the son he had hoped for. While there was
little doubt Reslin would have loved his daughter, the matter of
her inheritance was more complicated.
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Introduction
Staking a Claim
Nera was heartbroken. It seems her father had only intended the
inheritance to be claimed by a male heir; she could not claim what
was hers. Not alone, at least. It would seem Nera needed a man
to bypass the wards which secured the vault, and she was determined to find one she could trust.
And so she did. Nera’s mood was lifted by Creed, a wily and
muscular man a mere two months her elder. Nera and Creed
were cut from the same cloth, sharing a passion for life and adventure. The two became lovers, and before long Nera entrusted
Creed with her father’s secrets. The two left together for the vault
hidden in Skysplinter for another chance to stake a claim at its
treasures within.
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The intrepid Reslin Kine spent many of his years as an adventurer.
A life of exploring ruins and fighting monsters garnered Reslin a
modest reputation and a modest fortune, enough so that he could
retire young from the dangerous career to live out the rest of his
life on his plunder.
Nera made her way right to the vault’s doorstep, ready to claim
what was hers, but was unable to enter. No matter what she said
to appease it, the magic ward which sealed its entrance would not
allow her to pass. “No son of mine would speak as such” a magic
voice replied to each of her attempts.
An Undying Mistake
Nera and Creed were the first two to step foot into Reslin’s vault in
over two decades. There they found the wealth that was promised
from her father’s journal – racks of swords and other weapons,
impeccable suits of armor, chests filled with coins and gems, and
treasures collected from around the region.
None of its splendor, however, compared to the sryix. Reslin had
dedicated an entire room of his vault for its display. Such was its
beauty that Nera reached to touch it, forgetting to dispel the magic
wards that protected it.
In one awful moment, Nera fell victim to the magic placed upon
the relic; her hair fell from her head, her skin withered and
tightened, and she retched bile on the vault’s stony floor. Terrified,
Creed fled from the place, taking Reslin’s journal and sealing the
door behind him. Nera was cursed to become a ghoul. The vault,
promised to hide her treasures, her eternal prison
Making a Breath Through
Nera has wandered aimlessly throughout the vault’s halls over the
years, driven mad with regret and hunger, and bereft of any remaining ounce of humanity. Creed never dared to return to rescue
his love or put her out of her misery, and as the years passed both
faded from memory.
In recent years, portions of Reslin’s vault have come crashing
down, the result of an ankheg burrowing through the area. The
tumbled walls have exposed the vault’s northern section to the
caverns within Skysplinter, along with the creatures that make
such places their home.
Slowly, many such creatures have crept into the vault. Most have
fallen victim to the vault’s magic defenses, or been slain and eaten
by the ravenous Nera. Those that have been able to survive, come
and go as they please, giving the vault and adjoining caverns their
own ecology.
In the event you need a random encounter anywhere, you can use
the following monsters:
Random Encounter: flying swords
2 flying swords (MM pg. 20) 100 XP
Adding Cryptic Entry to Your Campaign
Structured Progression
The entrance to Reslin’s vault is located beneath the waterfall
Razorfall, and once inside, the party is presented a fairly linear
path. The party can explore the available areas in the vault before
heading north through the caverns and finding Nera in the vault’s
Grand Chamber.
No Light
There is no light in Reslin’s vault or the cavernous expanse beneath Skysplinter. Player characters will need a light source if they
are unable to see in the dark. The read aloud text of this adventures assumes the party has such a light source.
Magic Detection
A few magical treasures are squirreled away in Reslin’s vault.
However, a player casting detect magic cannot perceive their auras
from anywhere but the encounter areas they are located in.
Reslin’s Journal Pages
Hook 1: A Fated Find
The party discovers the journal pages among some other find;
perhaps included with treasure from a different adventure. The
journal pages suggest that treasure is hidden in the location,
which is enough to direct the party’s attention to finding it.
Hook 2: Relic Recovery
The sryix hidden in Reslin’s vault is of great importance to an
NPC; perhaps as a religious relic or archaeologic find. The NPC
hires the party to recover the sryix, offering a reward of 200 gold
pieces for its safe return. In return for agreeing to take on the
quest, the NPC gives the party the journal pages.
Hook 3: Family Secrets
One of the party members is actually a descendant of Creed (and
perhaps Nera as well, if you like the idea of the couple having
children before going to claim the vault’s treasures). The journal
pages have been passed down the family line to the party member,
who intends to finally unearth the family’s secret.
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Entries from Reslin’s journal play a central role in completing the adventure and navigating the vault. These entries are
provided in a player handout. Cryptic Entry assumes the players
begin with this handout.
If you’re unable to come up with a reason why the party would be
at the adventure site, consider using one or more of these hooks:
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Exploration
The sryix is never given a full description; it is a plot device you
can modify to suit the game world. You can decide what the sryix
looks like, and what purpose it serves, if any. The text of this
adventure treats it as a beautifully crafted object; you can treat it as
an art object worth 100 gold pieces.
Optional Encounter
Cryptic Entries
Some locations and events throughout the
adventure are hinted at (or told directly) in the
Journal Pages handout provided to the players. At
these adventure scenes, a sidebar similar to this
one will call out a particular entry’s relevance to the
environment or scenario.
The ankheg responsible the vault’s dilapidated portions occasionally burrows through the mountain. The party can encounter it
in the cavern’s east expanse as an optional event. You can use this
encounter if the party has stopped to rest in this area, you’re in
need of an additional encounter for XP, or are simply looking to
challenge the party.
Adventure Branches
The branches of Skysplinter Caverns extend up and out to other
locations beyond the map provided. The adventure treats these
areas as inaccessible when the party first encounters them, but
they may lead to new adventures if the party returns better
prepared. You can use these undefined routes as the way to a new
location for the party to explore!
Random Patrol
Reslin’s vault bears many old wards and enchantments made to
punish those that would steel from the old adventurer. Intruders
would find swords flying from weapon racks on their own, swinging madly at any would-be thieves.
Introduction
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Dungeons On Demand
Plot Driver
Trap
Treasure
NPC
Cryptic Entry
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Hostile Creature(s)
1 square = 5 feet
S
Indicates the location of a secret door.
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Introduction
Puzzle