Dashing through the Halls

I have run a total of seven sessions now on Roll20 using the Swords & WIzardry rules. I am running a series of old school dungeon adventures that started with In Search of the Unknown. Before the sessions started I thought it might be cool to have no VTT maps and let the players map the dungeon. I did create a few one-room battle maps so that character placement during combat would be clear.

But then I bought some highly-detailed VTT maps for In Search of the Unknown and I wanted to use them. So the rest is history. I love creating maps so I do not mind that the players do not have to worry about mapping.

But I have found that I am struggling to keep up with the players. I don’t know if anyone else has encountered this phenomenon. It never came up in previous online games I played as a player. As soon as I reveal 60 feet of the corridor the players race their tokens to the end of the corridor. If I reveal a room they all race into the room.

The problem is trying to keep up with them. If there is a trap in the corridor keyed as room 21 and I still have the adventure open at room 12 I could miss it. I have taken to scribbling a lot of notes on the GM layer of the map. Short notes so I know that something is coming up and I can stop play. Usually by saying “freeze”. Then all of the players stop moving as they know they have run right over a trap.

I had one trapped hallway with three separate spear traps at 10-foot intervals. I revealed the entire hall from the fog of war and the lead character moved his token right to the end of the hallway. I was charitable and had him move back to the first trap that he triggered.

I do not have the time to write original material but I am re-writing everything we are playing so I think a few more hallway traps are going to come into play.

Anyone else experiencing this phenomenon?

In Search of More Adventures

Our group playing Swords & Wizardry using Roll20 has decided to press on to new adventures after completing In Search of the Unknown. I want to continue the old school dungeon crawl vibe so I have adapted the Dungeon of the Fire Opal which is itself an adaption of the sample dungeon in the 1st edition Advanced Dungeon & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide.

In this session we had some overland travel and I tried out my spin on the overland encounters suggestion from the Dungeon Crafter youtube channel. I made up 5 charts of random events each with 20 listings. First I rolled a d6 and checked if it was 1 hostile, 2 negative, 3-4 neutral, 5 positive, and 6 friendly. Then I asked my players to roll a d20 and I checked the result. Only the 1 on 1d6 results in a definite fight. Although some of the negative events could lead to a fight. I did this three times per day. At night I used normal wilderness encounter rules. It had mixed results I think. It added some interesting plot hooks. I found I had to adlib a lot to make the results fit the situation.

Session 5: Dungeon of the Fire-Opal

Rounding up the bandits they encountered the Adventurers set out for Larm which is at least four days hard walk. They have three riding horses that they use to lighten their load. On the first day they meet a well-dressed man named Gareth Stanford who tells them he is a scribe bound for Edgerton from Larm. He could not afford the boat fare so he decided to walk and became hopelessly lost. He begs the party to take him with them. They are wary at first and keep him under watch but eventually accept Gareth into the group. Later in the day Gaeleath spots a black dragon flying overhead.

During the night on the second day a pair of goblins set off the tripwire trap they set around their campsite. Raeish is on watch and he kills one of the goblins with an arrow. The other goblin gets away. The next day they meet a wagon loaded with convicts bound in the opposite direction. The wagon is escorted by four men in the livery of Calwell. Their leader, who introduces himself as Sir Drexel, claims that they are headed from Edgerton to Wolford. Once he hears their tale of capturing the bandits he insists on taking the bandits in hand. He tells them they can collect any reward owing to them in the town of Wolford once the story has been checked. Gareth offers to write up a contract and does so on the spot, but Sir Drexel, the leader waves impatiently and the cart continues on its way. Manny decides to keep the letter Gareth wrote and pays him for it.

On the last day before getting to Larm they overtake a fellow traveler, who runs in terror once he spots them. Early on the fourth day they make it back to Larm. Not much as changed. Manny, Gaeleath, Raeish, and Daen head directly to the Borderland Tavern for a good meal. Marta heads to the smithy to pick up the holy symbol he commissioned and then he heads over to the Temple of Law to speak with the abbot. He picks up some more Holy water as well.

Manny and Raeish fill the Tavern owner, Haldo Bramwise, with tales of their adventures in the Stronghold of Quasqueton. Haldo tells them that copies of the maps of the stronghold location have been making the rounds to every adventurer for miles. He does tell Manny that he has a very interesting map that the group might want to purchase. Manny purchases a map of an adventurer who entered the Monastery of the Fire Opal. The map notes a previously undiscovered secret door. After a few hours the Captain of the Militia arrives and asks for their report on the Orc band he asked them to check into. They tell the tales again, this time to the captain. The captain is impressed and picks up their bar bill.

The next day they make plans to take the riverboat down to Edgerton. The large boat arrived in the morning. For the small fortune of 128 gold coins they pay for passage for themselves and their horses all of the way to Edgerton.

Before leaving Larm, Gaeleath and Raeish go to visit the mayor of the village. Haldo had told them that the mayor is also a mage. The mayor, Claus Oland, agrees to identify some of the items they picked up in the stronghold. The magic wand turns out to be fake. He is startled by the Bag of Devouring and suggests that they should destroy it immediately. Raeish manages to convince the mayor that he fully intends to destroy it.

Marta is convinced by Haldo Bramwise to sell the Firefly lantern to the halfling and it goes on display behind the bar at the Borderland Tavern.

Manny checks in on Dankmar the merchant and exchanges some gold to gems. Dankmar tells her that he has been staying in the warehouse at night to protect his goods. Someone broke in a week ago and smashed a number of wine barrels.

The riverboat trip to Edgerton is uneventful. They do make note of the terrain around the moors where the Monastery is supposed to be located. They have heard the stories of the monastery themselves. It existed here for at least 100 years before being destroyed by an army of marauders 30 years ago. Since then it has the reputation of being a hiding place for bandits, monsters, and murderers.

In Edgerton everyone takes a day to do some shopping with the gold they have acquired. Marta and Daen go to an armorsmith and each gets a set of plate mail. Raeish purchases a dagger made of silver. They also purchase a lot of camping equipment, 2 mules and a pony. Raeish manages to find a buyer for the painting he found of Rogahn and Zelligar. While trying to find a buyer some of the stories of their exploits get out and soon people in the streets of Edgerton are pointing out the now-famous adventurers.

After two days in Edgerton they set out on horseback (and pony) for the Fire Opal Monastery. They hope to discover the location of the legendary Fire Opal. A gem said to be as big as a fist. Or possibly shaped like a fist. The stories are unclear.

After two days in the wilderness they come to the Brownwash creek and cross then head into the moors. The fog rolls in and it began to drizzle rain. It is only midday but it is already dark.  They look for shelter and see a small cottage on the other side of a shallow creek. Raeish wades across while the others wait. As he approaches the cottage a voice calls out to him. After a short exchange, Raeish convinces the fisherman Hamish that they mean him no harm. Hamish is a local fisherman. In fact the only local of any sort if you do not count lizardfolk. Hamish strikes a deal with the adventurers to look after their horses, pony, and mules while they investigate the monastery. He also tells them that recently in the last few weeks a Black dragon has taken up residence in the monastery. Hamish takes the heroes in his fishing boat right up to the edge of the island the monastery is built upon. He tells them he will not wait but they should signal him with a lantern when they want to be picked up. He assures them he will look after their animals. But he also says if they do not return in a week he will sell the animals.

The heroes approach the ruins of the monastery and find a single intact building with a stair descending into the ruins. Descending they come across a room where there are signs of battle both very old (broken weapons) and recent (spider carcasses and burnt webs). To the west they find a room with a pool full of freshwater fed by a quickly running stream. They spot a skeleton at the bottom of the pool but do not investigate. An ooze approaches off one of the walls and they beat a hasty retreat.

There is a discussion to head south immediately. Their purchased map shows a secret door to the south. But they decide to explore to the east. They immediately see lots of foot traffic and the signs of the passage of a large beast. Scratches on the walls and floor. They follow these markings to the east passing up many other chambers. Including a hallway filled with unmoving skeletons that do not appear to be human. Some of the chambers they pass have stone tiles carvings on the walls showing the monks of the monastery engaging in martial pursuits.

Entering a large chamber the signs of a large creature lead them to a door. Manny listens at the door and reports that she can hear loud breathing. Manny attempts to climb over the door but falls to the floor. The sound of regular breathing is interrupted and then starts up again. Manny tries again and is successful. She motions for the others to enter and draw out the dragon. Daen misses this message and kicks open the door to the chamber. They are confronted by a room filled up with a Black Dragon at least 20-30 feet long (depending on who you ask). Raeish speaks in Draconic praising the dragon and expressing their honor at meeting it, but Daen has already loaded his crossbow and fires. The dragon which was slumbering rouses itself and lumbers across the room toward them. Raeish, Gaeleath, and Daen are pressed against the wall by the enormous dragon which proceeds to attack with its claws and teeth. Gaeleath is struck with a claw to the chest and is barely hanging on to life. Raeish moves off to check for treasure - specifically looking for a large opal. Marta moves to Gaeleath’s side and prays, healing the elf to full health again. Daen and Gaeleath both hit repeatedly but their blows bounce off the armored hide of the dragon. Realizing the danger, Gaeleath casts Magic Missile striking the Dragon and scorching its hide. The dragon roars in anger and unleashes its dragon breath on Gaeleath. A stream of acid. Gaeleath is burned to a blackened, steaming pile of flesh and bone and collapses to the ground dead.  Daen roars in anger and the sight of his downed comrade and strikes the dragon with two huge blows. The final blow cutting the dragons head off and the neck.

Fight against the Black Dragon

Outside the room, clinging to the wall in the shadows. Manny notices two lizardfolk approach with their pet giant lizard. Likely, attracted by the dragon's roars. The lizardfolk confer amongst each other and then turn and head to a door to the south.

In the dragon's chamber, Raeish finds a backpack, likely from some unfortunate adventurer that has some gold, silver, and a gem in it. Otherwise the dragon appears to have no treasure. After a careful search the heroes leave the room (not before taking a few trophies). In the large chamber outside the lair they spot two demonic creatures fluttering about on bat wings.  Raeish fires an arrow at the creatures who fly away to the north.

The heroes follow quickly after the two creatures and trap them in a chamber. One creature is hacked to pieces but the second flies up to the ceiling out of reach. Their non-magical missile weapons seemingly doing no damage. The demonic creature (who Marta suspects is an imp) pleads with them in halting common to be allowed to flee. In the conversation they learn that the imps were sent by a more powerful demon (their master) to spy on the comings and goings of another, rival demon. But the imps were not able to find the other demon. They knew it was somewhere in the dungeon but they explored everywhere without finding it. During the conversation the imp moves closer to the door and lower from the ceiling. When it makes a move for the door to leave the chamber, Raeish stabs and impales it to the door with his spear.

And at that point, it was quite late so we paused the events.

In Search of the Unknown

"WHO DARES ENTER THIS PLACE AND INTRUDE UPON THE SANCTUARY OF ITS INHABITANTS?" 

"ONLY A GROUP OF FOOLHARDY EXPLORERS DOOMED TO CERTAIN DEATH!"

TSR Adventure Module B1: In Search of the Unknown is an introductory module designed to help teach novice gamemasters. Back in the 1980s, just about everyone who played D&D had run it at some point because there were so few modules and because it was in the blue box version of the rules.*

I did not drop it into my B/X campaign until my player’s characters were around the 4th level so rewrote it more than most. But everyone rewrote B1 because it has the unique feature that most of the dungeon stocking was up to the DM. A list of 25 monsters and 34 treasures was made available for stocking the dungeon (not all of which was designed to be used) so everyone’s dungeon would be slightly different.

In the published In Search of the Unknown, the players find a map to the lair of a pair of famous adventurers of questionable reputation who are reputed to have died far to the north some time ago. Hints in the text suggest that their stronghold, Quasqueton, may have been abandoned up to three decades ago. All that remains now are some of the former inhabitants, human berserkers, orc slaves, and kobold slaves and creatures that have wandered into the caves.

When I ran the adventure using the B/X Moldvay rules in 1982 I stocked the dungeon for levels 3-6 (the original was for levels 1-3) and I had a background plot to make sense of the monsters that the players came across.

I also redrew the maps. I do not remember exactly why I bothered because looking at a copy of the maps now they are not a lot different.  I am posting my maps here.

My Version of Quasqueton

The big difference in the plot in my version was that the owners, Rogahn and Zelligar, had very recently returned. But in their absence, the stronghold had been overrun by Orcs belonging to a tribe the pair had been fighting in the north. The orcs trapped the pair in a magical vault in the cavern level of the stronghold. It was up to the player’s characters to discover that the pair had returned, what had happened to them, and how to release them.

Reading through my version of the adventure I am not very impressed. If I was to redo it now, and it occurs to me that I might, I would go back to something closer to the original plot. Perhaps the kobolds worked for Zelligar and the orcs worked for Rogahn. When their bosses disappeared the Orcs wanted to take over but the kobolds remained loyal and blocked access to the upper levels. Now the orcs use the lower level secret entrance as the main entrance (it is two way now). The orcs have been raiding the local valley and the players’ characters follow their trail up into the hills to the lower level entrance, not even aware that this was once Quasqueton. They have to fight past orcs and then kobolds to gain access to the best treasure in the upper level of the stronghold.

Perhaps it would make something interesting to run online now that we are all trapped indoors because of the pandemic. It would certainly be easy to write up.

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*I was lucky enough to purchase a copy of the 1979 printing in the 1990s when I bought a battered blue box version of the rules at auction.

Dragonlance Sandbox

I keep thinking about running the classic Dragonlance modules from the mid-1980s as an open sandbox.  I have even done a little planning on how it would work.

When the modules came out, (I think the first was in 1984), they were really something different. First of all, they grabbed your attention with first-class artwork, and more famously, the style was very different and had a focus more on role-playing. I was in the middle of a long B/X campaign so it did not make sense for me to buy them. But I did anyway because of the production values and because of the accompanying books. The modules were not of a style to easily allow you to drop them into another campaign so I never used any of them.

The Dragonlance modules followed a defined plot to an extent that seemed just as odd when they were released as it does today. Even with most of my players loving the books we had no interest in playing the modules if we were going to be held to a plot. This was far more than a railroad. The motivations and to some extent the actions of the player’s characters were controlled. Famously, characters and important NPCs were to die off stage (the obscure death) so they could be brought back when the plot demanded. None of this was a motivation for me to play the modules. What is motivation is the fully realized world, events, and some really cool locations.

Xak Tsaroth and the Dragon Onyx

Locations

There are some pretty neat dungeons scattered through the Dragonlance modules that I have in my possession. Xak Tsaroth which is an underworld greek style ruin in a swamp. Pax Tharkas which an enormous gate to a mountain pass. Skullcap mountain which is the classic skull-shaped mountain with a dungeon. Finally, the floating dwarven tomb is one of my favorites.

Cosmology

One of the things I did borrow from Dragonlance when I was creating a new campaign in the 1990s was the idea of the balanced group of gods. There is no real precedent for this but it is pretty interesting. There are 21 gods, 7 are neutral, 7 are good and 7 are evil. It makes it feel like any outcome from the coming war is possible.

Uniqueness

There are some unique things in the Dragonlance setting. I would set it the game in the same timeline as the modules. Civilization is broken. There are small communities but not much in the way of central authority. The gods have seemingly abandoned the world, and at first, dragons are creatures of myth. I can take or leave the idea of steel coins being the standard rather than gold. I do not think it is central to the idea.

Sandbox How?

First off, if I want to run Dragonlance as a fairly open sandbox, the whole idea of playing the novel has to go. I want to get rid of all of the Heroes of the Lance. The players would just create their own characters as normal. Probably using something simple like the Swords & Wizardry rules. Important villains from the books may exist but there are no reasons characters could not avoid them, never meet, or even kill them. Any character that chooses cleric magic would start without spells or possibly should start as a fighter and if they discover access to a god could multi-class as a cleric.

I would definitely want to start with DL1 Dragons of Despair. I think the idea of having everyone’s origin be in the town of Solace is a good start. I would not have them all off searching for gods and meeting up years later. The idea that a group of friends could spread out into the world for 5 years and all arrive back in Solace on the same day seems pretty far-fetched. I also would not want to put the quest to find the lost gods on all of the players. I would rather everyone create characters and decide what they have been doing and what is their motivation. No matter what they have been up to they are all currently in Solace. They either live in Solace or are passing through.

The Dragons of Autumn compilation module that was released for D&D 3.5 in 2006 actually does provide some of this concept already. The option is laid out for the players to play their own characters. Although these characters are expected to fill archetype roles in the party. Basically, playing the Heroes of the Lance characters in all but name. The module also allows for the characters to drift into Solace separately and provides more than one encounter for separate groups. One of which is the classic DL1 encounter with Fewmaster Toede.

From this start in Solace, I would more or less follow the timeline of the world events laid out in Dragons of Autumn. Other than slowing down the advance of the Draconian army to allow more time to get things done. But this timeline would be background events for the characters. They can interact or not. At some point, in this region of the world, they are going to want to flee south to avoid the Army of Draconians coming from the north.

I am still going to want to provide a hook that will make the players consider heading to Xak Tsaroth. I have not completely worked that out yet. The modules are written with one of the characters having the Blue Crystal Staff.  But I resist that idea somewhat. It could be something as simple as finding a treasure map showing the ruins or a prophecy suggesting a weapon could be found in the ruins. I would have the Blue crystal staff in the temple ruins and information allowing a character to become a cleric of a god.

Once the Draconian army sweeps through Abanasinia the players are going to want to get their characters to the south to avoid the army which kills or enslaves everyone in its path. This will make DL2 and Pax Tharkas an option, but I would like to allow the characters to choose any method of getting to the south. There is the possibility of a ship leaving New Ports.

I do not have it all worked out but I do have some thoughts on running at least a part of the Dragonlance saga.

AFF Combat

To get a feel for the Advanced Fighting Fantasy rules and how they work I ran a quick fight between a pair of combatants. The generic adventurer archetype from the rules and a skeleton.

Gavin the gladiator is a fighter in the fighting bits of Port Blacksand. Today he meets a skeleton on the sandy surface of the arena.

Gavin (Human)

Skill 7, Stamina 16, Luck 10, Magic 0, Magic Points 0

Special Skills: Armour (2), Awareness (2), Brawling (1), Swords (1), Climb (1), Swim (1).

Weapon 1  2 3  4 5 6 Armour 1  2 3  4 5 6

Sword 2  3 3  3 3 4 Leather 0  0 0  0 1 1

Large Shield 0  0 0 +1 +1 +1

Skeleton

Skill 6, Stamina 5, Attacks 1 sword, No armour

Weapon 1  2 3  4 5 6

Sword 2  3 3  3 3 4

Special: skeletons take only 1 point of damage from weapons with an edge or point.

To attack both combatants roll 2d6, and add their skill score and appropriate weapon Special skill if possessed. So Gavin has a modifier total of +8 to attacks with his sword (Skill 7 + Sword 1). The skeleton has a modifier of +6.

Round 1: Gavin rolls a total of 14. The skeleton gets a total of 10. Gavin wins the round and gets a damage roll (1d6) of 5. This would normally do 3 Stamina damage but because he is using a sword the skeleton only loses 1 Stamina.

Round 2: Gavin rolls a total of 19 and the skeleton gets a total of 12. Gavin wins again and does 1 more point of Stamina damage reducing the skeleton to 3 Stamina.

Round 3: Gavin rolls a total of 17 and the skeleton gets a total of 17. It is a draw and no damage is done this round.

Round 4: Gavin rolls a total of 12 and the skeleton gets a total of 15. The skeleton wins the round and hits Gavin with his sword rolling a 5. However, Gavin rolls a 4 on his armour roll and deducts 1 point from the damage as he deflects the skeleton’s sword strike with his shield. Gavin loses only 2 points of current Stamina.

Round 5: Gavin rolls a total of 15 and the skeleton gets a total of 15. Again it is a draw and no damage is done this round.

Round 6: Gavin rolls a total of 18 and the skeleton gets a total of 12. Gavin hits the skeleton reducing its Stamina to 2.

Round 7: Gavin rolls a total of 17 and the skeleton rolls a total of 14. Gavin hits again reducing the skeleton to 1 Stamina.

Round 8: Gavin rolls a total of 15 and the skeleton rolls a total of 13. Gavin cleaves the skeleton’s skull from its spine and the bones fall to the sand. It is defeated.

It would not normally have been such a long fight. It took Gavin more than a minute to dispatch the skeleton. But the skeleton’s special ability against edges weapons delayed the inevitable.

The system appears to be quick and functional.

The Dragon's Lair

Holidays so I am on the road. I decided to write up an encounter based on an oil painting my mother did a year ago showing a dragon demolishing a cliffside structure.

It does not fit perfectly into the Stillwater further afield outdoor sandbox map but I think I can fit it into hex 0903. In this location is an outcrop of rock called the “Severed Tip”. A 1500 foot tall spire of rock rising up in the Talenwood. The rock outcrop looks to be finger-like except it is cut off at the knuckle.

The Dragon attacks the Monastery

The Dragon’s Lair (hex 0903)
When people talk about “the dragon” in Stillwater valley they are referring to the old dragon who resides in tunnels carved into the side of the Severed Tip. The dragon has been a legend in Stillwater valley for as long as anyone can remember. Historians and sages say that the dragon took possession of the tunnels more than 300 years ago. At the time the tunnels were the monastery of a sect of monks of the god Ecix. The dragon forcefully evicted the monks and moved in. The dragon is occasionally a menace, going on month-long rampages, every few decades. There does not seem to be any pattern to the beast’s behaviour. The dragon has been sleeping quietly in his lair for the past seven years.

Reaching the Lair
The monks of Ecix were a reclusive group of scholars well known for their peaceful ways. They chose a very remote location in the wilderness to build their abode. The tunnels that the dragon now lairs in are built into the side of a cliff on the Severed tip at a height of 1100 feet. Access is possible by an overgrown trail to a location 200 feet below the entrance in the cliff face. To enter the monks used to let down a basket. The ropes, crane and basket are long since gone. Characters will have to scale the cliff face (or fly) to reach the entrance. A second entrance is possible in an opening above one of the interior chambers. The broken remains of a statue of Ecix (a bald, robed man with a look of contemplation) lies in the dirt at the base of the cliff.

Area 1: The Cliffside entrance
The entrance is an elaborate column and lintel facade carved from the mountain and faced with marble. Some of the marble has crumbled and fallen to the ground. One of the columns is broken off 3 feet up from its base. The dragon smashed the column as he chased the monks who survived his original attack. The entire facade is forty feet wide and forty feet tall. At its back are two narrow passages that lead to the main hall.

Area 2: The Temple Nave (Hall of the Dragon)
This is the largest chamber in the tunnels. An 8 foot tall statue of Ecix was against the east wall at one time. The dragon kicked it off the side of the cliff. The chamber is huge, with a 30 foot tall ceiling held up by five stone pillars. Colorful tiles decorate the chamber walls but they are blackened by fire. The tiles are arranged in geometric patterns. The dragon sleeps in this chamber on a mound of what it considers treasure. This is a 30 foot long pile of bones, cloth, broken wood and a fair share of gold, silver and copper coins.

The statistics for the dragon are left to the Gamemaster to develop as appropriate for your campaign. I would suggest that the dragon is a made a formidable monster that is a legend in the setting that players are always aware of and can aspire to confront. The dragon is getting on in years and can sleep for months without stirring (especially after a rampage). But its senses are still sharp. It can smell food (adventurers) that come within 100 feet of its lair and will be roused from sleep. The dragon has chosen this lair for the final sleep so it will fight to defend it to the death but it is not suicidal. The dragon would be willing to bargain if confronted with adventurers that it fears could kill it.

In the dragon’s treasure pile, amongst the debris, animal and human sized bones, are 2,000 silver coins, 9,000 copper coins and 1,200 gold coins. Also in the pile is a magic sword (+1 or equivalent), a magic wand (magic missile or equivalent), and a suit of magic chain mail (+1 or equivalent).

Area 3: The Kitchen (Northern Chamber)
To the north of the large hall is a debris filled chamber that was once the kitchen of the monastery. The alcove to the west is a stove with a chimney leading out to the cliffside (it is only 1 foot in diameter). A few of the monks died in this chamber. Their skeletal remains lie on the floor near a fire charred wooden table that was pushed on its side. There is nothing useful in this chamber.

Area 4: The Sleeping Chambers (Southern Chamber)
The monks slept in this chamber. All slept in equal wooden bunks. The lowest acolyte sleeping in a bunk beside the leader of the monastery. Most of the monks died in this chamber. A scattering of 10-12 blasted skeletal remains are scattered amongst the ruins of charred bunks. The former leader of the monastery remains as an embittered ghost. Long years of unrest have driven the monk (Brother Gitte) mad with anger. He wants the dragon to die but does not have the power to confront the beast. He will try to possess characters and attack the dragon without concern to the damage the possesed body takes.

Area 5: The Garden
The monastery had an outdoor garden and place of contemplation maintained by the monks to provide for their food. The area is 40 feet square. The walls are carved from the rock of the mountain and most of the ceiling 20 feet above the ground is removed allowing the sun to shine into the chamber. The floor of this chamber is covered in a deep layer of soil. The area is overgrown with bushes and small trees. There is a rough path crushed through the plants where the dragon lands and lumbers into his chamber. The tunnel to the Dragon’s hall is smashed from the dragon’s passage (he is no longer as slim as when he first moved in).

Hidden in the debris is the body of a famous warrior who challenged the dragon from lower down on the mountainside path. The dragon swooped down and chomped down on the warrior carrying him up to his lair. The dragon dropped the warrior’s corpse when it found it could not peel off the warriors armor to get to the tasty part. The warrior is wearing surprisingly intact magic plate mail armor (+2 or equivalent) and still clutches a magic longsword (+3 dragonslayer or equivalent).

Area 6: The Scriptorium
The “treasure” of the monastery was their unrivaled (for the area) collection of historical and magical scrolls and books. They were carefully cared for in this large chamber. The alcoves were individual study chambers for each senior monk. The dragon unleashed a blaze of fire into this chamber destroying most of the paper stored here. The initial blast of dragon flame destroyed a lot of the books but the subsequent fire burned for hours and destroyed what was left.

In the center of the chamber is the charred wreckage of several large tables and chairs. Some bits of paper still remain. The walls of the chamber are lined with the wreckage of wooden shelves and charred bundles of paper. The alcoves contain burned desks and shelves. The lone alcove to the north escaped most of the fire and the desk is fairly intact. If the 4 drawers beneath the desk are forced open (they were warped by the fire) a number of scrolls and books will be found intact.

I might detail the books found in a later post. Or it can be up to the individual gamemaster. Depending on the challenge offered by the dragon this could be a great way to offer the characters an appropriate reward. The adventurers could also be drawn to the dragon’s lair by rumours that a valuable magic book resides in its ruins.

Further Afield

I spent a few hours coming up with a sandbox style map for the region around Stillwater village and lake. Like all of the world creation I have done for Stillwater related material I did it without any planning or researching.  Just whatever, popped into my mind and looked good.

I should note that the original genesis of the Stillwater village map was the Lake. I was thinking about a local lake called Lake on the Mountain. Which is a bottomless lake on top of a hill not far from where I live. It is feed by a few streams but basically looks like a huge cistern. The rock “cup” of the lake is fairly impermeable to water. It drains slowly out of the bottom.  I have not decided where exactly Stillwater lake drains, but I am thinking it drains into an underground river that emerges further south. Like the real lake, Stillwater is “bottomless”. Locals believe it extends deep into the earth.

The Players Map of the Setting

I have already established that Stillwater is a backwater village at least a full day travel by foot to the nearest towns of Grimwall and Pirn. So I kept that theme and made the map area a rocky shield of hills, valleys and forests. There are a few other hamlets on the map, Ravenroost, Whitewater, Padoton and Yarrow. Also a small keep maintained by the nearest realm (Mhorg Hall) to protect the area. There is also a small ruined keep at Galenford. All of the small rivers and streams of the areas are crossed by fords, there are no bridges. The largest village in the area is Padoton with a population of 200.

On the GM version of the map I placed the two dungeons I posted recently. The Barrow of the Forgotten Legion is located at Stillwater. The Crescent Moon Maze is 5 miles upriver. I also noted five other locations where I want to create random dungeons.

There is no suggested ruleset for this setting. But it is certainly in the style of OSR style rules.

GM Map with Dungeon Locations

Stillwater Inhabitants

The village of Stillwater map I threw together on a whim a month ago has gathered in detail so I decided to make a larger detail map and give name to the inhabitants and their homes. In total there are 57 permanent inhabitants of the village. Stillwater is located on the main road between the towns of Grimwell to the west and Pirn to the east. Each of these towns is a full day walk from Stillwater.

Stillwater Village Detail Map

Cottage of Tholes Forde

Tholes is a hunter and he is charged with maintaining the ford for which he gets a small stipend. He has 2 grown boys aged 16 and 14. His wife died in childbirth.

Cottage of Reder Dage

He farms a patch of land near the Innkeeper’s house. Reder has a wife and 4 children (boy 14, boy 12, girl 9, boy 5).

Braden the Miller and Brewer

Braden runs a mill located on the river. The mill uses a simple water wheel. All of the local farmers come to Braden to mill their crops. He takes a portion. Braden is also the local brewer. In addition he and his two sons live at the mill. The sons are grown (Aldos 22, Sheeve 18). His wife went missing 2 years ago.

Cottage of Richyi

Richyi is a farmer with the help of his wife and 2 girls (age 16 and 14).

Cottage of Burgos

Burgos is a single man who has the largest cultivated field in Stillwater.

Blacksmith Phomas

The smith Phomas has an open air smithy (building to the east) and a cottage for him, his wife Gwenir and two sons Baxter (21) and Bain (18). The two sons are apprenticed but his best apprentice is Samara (16) the daugher of Signe the fisherman.

Cottage of Alter

Alter makes a living hunting game in the Talenwood and bartering for what else he needs. He also collects firewood in the winter for several of the other villagers. He is unmarried with no children.

Cottage of Ernard

Ernard is the Barber, herb specialist, and healer of the village. He has no real training aside from what his gran taught him before she died. He is often found wandering well afield and know the local lands well.

Toppled Tankard Inn

Detailed in a previous post. The home to Waldemar the innkeeper, Byri the cook, Bricea the barkeep, Bricea’s son Carlow and the orphan Stub.

Shoppe of Aniew Drery

Drery is a clothier and outfitter. Anything that can be purchased in Stillwater (aside from food and drink) is found in his shop. The clothier’s shop is the largest building in Stillwater. It is also home to his wife Lisabet and their five sons (ages 16, 14,12, 12, and 8). The Drery boys are something of a terror in the village, always in trouble.

Players should not expect to find weapons and armor at the Clothiers’ shop. He sells used clothes, blankets, and household items. Things that might be of interest to adventurer’s are sturdy boots, blankets, backpacks, rope, candles and the like.

The Bakery

Wake & Leise are a husband and wife team of bakers. They take local flour and make barley bread, wheat bread and some pastries.  Wake travels once per week to the market in Pirn.

They have 2 children (girl 14, boy 12).

Cottage of Thamond

Farmer Thamond works a plot behind his cottage with the help of his wife Gerti and there three children (boy 14, boy 9, girl 6).

Cottage of Menga

Menga is an apprentice carpenter to Hruria. He is the son of the fisherman Tane.

Cottage of Tane

Tane is an elderly fisherman (50+). His wife died this past winter. He has one grown son Menga who is apprenticed as a carpenter and a second son, Guthrie, who is only 10. The younger son helps with the fishing.

Cottage of Signe

Signe is a fisherman working 2 boats on Stillwater lake with the aid of his son Talon (18). He has a wife and two daughters. Samara 16 is an apprentice to the blacksmith, and Hana 12.

Shop of Hruria

Hruria is a foreign man who is the village carpenter, roofer and boat builder. He has a large shop near the lake that also is home to his wife Erika and his two children (boy 14, girl 8).

Shack of the Hermit

The hermit answers to the name Holes. Coined because his dirty clothes are heavily patched but still full of holes. He makes a living fishing and digging up things on the old battlefield to the northwest of the village. There is a rumor around the village that Holes has a stash of gold coins under the floor of his shack. The Drery boys tried digging up his shack floor when he was out wandering. They did not find anything and when Holes returned he chased the boys all the way to their home with a rusty old sword.

Player's Map Version

Roll20 Gamemaster Chronicles Episode 1

A few nights ago I played D&D 5th Edition online with Roll20 as the Game Master.  I have played games on Roll20 many times but this was the first time as the Game Master (and the first time I have been “behind the screen” in a very long time).

Things went reasonably well from an entertainment standpoint.  I think the players enjoyed themselves and there were no long pauses to consult the rules.

We did experience some problems with the Roll20 interface.

I sent the game invite out to my regular local game group through Roll20.  So we used the Roll20 in app voice/video rather than through Hangouts.  Unfortunately we could not get voice or video to work.  We had a connection and a screen but the only person anyone could hear was me (I was the host/game master).  Since there did not seem to be anyway to correct the problem we switched to Skype for voice.  This was fine for a first session but I would like to get this straightened out.  I went to the wiki for Roll20 and really did not find anything that would explain the problem.  This was our only major problem.

Another problem, though a minor one, was that I could not figure out how to align the squares on my map with the squares in Roll20’s play area.  So we just ignored it.

The next issue we had was that I could not figure out how to get tokens to work. I have a pro license so I have free tokens.  I could place them on the map, but I could not figure out how to scale them and I do not believe my players (who have free versions) could see them. So the players each drew a square or circle or squiggle on the map and moved that about as a token.

Another thing I wondered about was doing my GM rolls in Roll20.  I do not know how to put the monsters in the app so I can roll their attacks so I just rolled dice outside of the app.  It might be best for fudging rolls anyway.  But I wonder if there is a way to put the monsters in the app.

Any help more experienced Roll20 players can provide is appreciated.

Roll 20 Players perspective of the dungeon

As far as the game, it is a short introductory scenario I wrote for D&D 5th edition when I first got the rules a year ago. “The Sleeper Wakes” was written to be a lead-in to the Starter set adventure Phandelver, although we are not planning to run Phandelver.  I might post the map after the adventure is completed along with a session report.

One thing I did have to juggle is the introduction. The players are travelling to Neverwinter and stop at an Inn when a widow enters and asks for help because her son, clever Cynric has found a way to enter The Sleeper's Tomb. The players are asked to rescue him.  With a party composed of such an interesting group of races I had to come up with a reason why anyone would approach them for help rather than hiding in the cellar as soon as they entered the village.  So I told the players that this was their favorite inn on a regular caravan route they had been travelling all year.  The locals were used to the dwarf, dark elf, tiefling and half-orc caravan guards.