^AaVENTURE$

Old and NewThis issue’s authors are an even split of old and new faces,three of each. It may seem that DUNGEON® adventuresare written by just a few regular authors, but it’s not aclosed club. In fact, we’re constantly looking for new writ-ers. Some continue to write and become regulars; otherspublish once and then vanish. Even oim regular authorsmake it into these pages the hard way with every submis-sion, sending out a query and then a full adventime.DUNGEON magazine’s most prolific author, Willie

Walsh, returns this month with another fine adventure,“Fraggart’s Contraption” (and more are on the way). PaulCulotta seems like a regular—we’ve accepted four of hisadventures, though only “The Inheritance” has appearedin these pages (issue #26). This time, he won us over withthe tale of an assassin and a scholar, our first AL-QADIM®adventure. Christopher Perkins’s name may be familiarnow, but he first broke into print just 10 issues ago. It’salways a joy to find a first-rate manuscript in the enor-mous pile of queries, and Chris’s first query was soon fol-lowed by many, many more. He was the first regularcontributor I found.

Three new talents make their first appearance in thisissue. Rona Kreekel of the Netherlands presents “Smoul-dering Mane,” a SideTrek adventure with the unusualsetting of a fire on an African savannah. David Wrightrushed us revisions of “Shades of Darkness” just before heset sail to Japan. We hope to see more from him soon.Steve Loken got our attention by stressing details, captur-ing the mood of a lonely subarctic settlement perfectly in“When the Light Goes Out.”Finally, om- hoard of quotes for this page is running low.

If you send a quote and we use it, we’ll send you a nice

PUBLISHER: TSR, Inc.ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER:Brian ThomsenEDITORrlN-CHIEF:Kim MohanEDITOR: Barbara G. YoungASSOCIATE EDITOR:Wolfgang H. Baiu-

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT:Dale A. DonovanART DIRECTOE: Larry W. SmithCARTOGRAPHER: DieselTYPESETTING: Tracey IslerSUBSCRIPnONS:Janet L. Winters

ADVERTISING: Cindy Rick

David C. Wright SHADES OF DARKNESS(AD&D® adventure, levels 4-6) Evillurks in the shadows, but it mightnot be what you think 8

Christopher QUELKIN’S QUANDARYPerkins (AD&D® adventtire, levels 3-5)

Reports of the owlbear incident werevastly exaggerated 18

Rona Kreekel SMOULDERING MANE(AD&D Side'Trek adventure,levels 7-10) Only you can stopwildfires 30

Steve Loken WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT(AD&D adventure, Ist-level priest)Curse the darkness or light another

candlefish 32

Willie Walsh FRAGGART’S CONTRAPTION(AD&D adventure, levels 1-2) Theykidnapped the gnome for ransom.Now they can’t get rid of him. .. .44

Paul Culotta THE ASSASSIN WITHIN(AD&D AL-QADIM® adventure,levels 3-5) The god of knowledgewants Professor Hakim dead.Learn why, or face the finalexamination 60

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us thereforecast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armourof light.

Romans 13:11

Printed in U.S.A.

LEHERSPlease let us know what you thinkabout this issue ofDUNGEON*’ Adven-tures. Although we can’t print everyletter we receive, we read them all andseriously consider your comments andsuggestions. Write to: Letters,

DUNGEON Adventures, P.O. Box 111,Lake Geneva WI 53147 U.S.A. You canalso contact us by sending electronicmail to tsr.mags@genie.geis.com.

Excessive Role-Playing

Three cheers for John Nowakowski(“Letters,” DUNGEON #45)! Finally,someone is willing to address an issuethat has been sticking in my craw fortoo long: Namely, the insistence amongmany gamers to stress role-playingabove all else. I too have had run-inswith people who are wonderful role-players (or proudly claim to be) butlousy gamers. When I started gaming15 years ago, it was possible to finish anadventure in a single night. No more.Nowadays, people want to role-playevery last thing their characters do,often to the extent that the game nevergoes anywhere and single adventurestake weeks. Refereeing players like thisis endlessly frustrating, because theyspend too much time arguing aboutwhat their characters know or whatthey can do, just to be sure they’re“role-playing the character properly.” I

have even had a player let her charac-ter die because, as she put it, “My char-acter’s intelligence is too low to figure away out of this.” This, in my opinion, istaking things too far.Playing with role-playing-obsessed

DMs is even worse. I have often spenthours doing nothing but buying equip-ment and negotiating transactions thatought to be completed in a few minutesat most. If I want to spend an hour

buying something, I can go to the mall.There is nothing wrong with this sort ofplay when it involves something inte-gral to the plot, but nowadays DMsthink they have to role-play every lastlittle interaction or run the risk of hav-ing their campaigns tarred by the epi-thet “hack-and-slay.”

My recollection is that this phrasecame about to describe a type ofdungeon that was common in the earlydays, particularly with novice DMs:Enter dungeon, kill monsters, taketreasure. 'That, rightly, is a scenario tobe avoided, but the slur is now appliedto any adventure that puts combat onan equal footing with role-playing, or, asJohn pointed out, an adventure where—gasp!—the characters might end upgetting killed. This is stupid and ulti-mately self-defeating, because a gamewithout gaming is little more than anepisode of “cops-and-robbers.” In fact,

let me go even further: Campaigns thatare all role-playing are, to me, far moreboring than campaigns that are allcombat. At least in the latter form, theplayers are doing something. Advancedgaming is not just good role-playing. Itis, as John said, recognizing the properbalance between role-playing, problem-solving, and combat. Luckily, there arepeople who can do this. I just wish theyweren’t so hard to find.

Thomas W. Overton972 Hilgard #101

Los Angeles, California 90024

Setting the Scene

'The pot keeps bubbling about plots,and 'Thomas Whitten’s letter in issue#46 caught my eye, so here is a littlemore eye of newt and baboon’s blood toadd to the brew.

I totally agree with Mr.Whitten that

quality tools are always needed tointellectually stimulate both the play-ers and the DM. These tools can be thetype of detailed settings that he de-scribes. The question is whether theybelong in DUNGEON magazine asproducts separate and apart from plot-driven adventures.Are the quality tools Mr.Whitten

desires available elsewhere? Tb answerthis, all one has to do is look atDRAGON® Mageizine #200 and reviewthe product list for 1994. There areloads of detailed settings being pro-duced by TSR, and if no one has noticed,DRAGON Magazine itself has pub-lished campaign settings as featurearticles (“The City of Lofty Pillars,” by SSteve Kurtz in DRAGON #201 is just Hone example). And, as Mr. Whitten Imentions, POLYHEDRON® Newszine ®publishes articles on various places inthe Living City. (See the latest issue fora very nice piece on a brewery in Rav-ens Bluff.)So with all of this new material (not to

mention the reams of material previous-ly published), why would we want evenmore in DUNGEON magazine? Seri- _ously, folks, if you can’t get inspiration ^for your campaigns by the dozens anddozens of boxed sets, accessory packs,accessory books, adventure packs, Volo’sGuides, novels, short stories, and thelike, there are also dozens and dozens ofsettings in other game systems that canbe easily modified for the AD&D® game.Honest, Thomas, there is a lot of stuffout there that you can use for yourcampaign! And I’ll bet you haven’t readit all. Heck, I suspect that no one atTSR has read it all!This is not to say that I don’t appreci- .

ate a good adventure that has an excel-lent setting or tool for further

adventures as a byproduct. 'Ifed Zuvich’s

DUNGEON® (ISSN 0890-7102) is published bimonthly by TSR, Inc., 201 Sheridan Springs Road, Lake (Geneva Wl 53147 U.S.A. The mailing address for all material except subscription orders isDUNGEON®, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147 U.S.A.; telephone (414) 248-3625; fax (414) 248-0389.Distribution: DUNGEON is available from game and hobby shops throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and through a limited number of other overseas outlets.

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U.S.A.

6 Issue No. 47

LEUERS

“A Hot Day in L’Trel” (issue #44) andRandy Maxwell’s “CJoblin Fever” (issue#46) are fine examples of this. Anothergood tool was the pullout mockup of thebar in Willie Walsh’s “A Wrastle WithBertrum” (issue #30).But oh no, please don’t insist on put-

ting articles, settings, and other tools bythemselves in a great magazine that isalready focused well on providing quali-ty adventures that are easily adaptable,well written, and above all, fun. For methe answer is easy: If I want a settingfor a campaign I get it in one ofmanyother products. But if I want a greatadventure that I can quickly insert intoa campaign, I turn to DUNGEON Ad-ventures. That’s why I subscribe.

Paul F. CulottaFairfax, VA

Evolution ofa GamerI am writing this letter in response to

four letters, all of which are in issue#44, specifically those written by Rich-ard Marchal, Christina Stiles, MattMulcahy, and Mark Krzeminski. 'Thefirst two of these letters deal with “plot-less” adventures, the third with stupidplayers, and the fourth with inexperi-enced DMs. I think all four are related.First, plotless adventures are exactly

what stupid players need to get themstarted. I don’t think many players arereally stupid; they just don’t know howto play the game yet. I’ve had a fewplayers like that; they just need to learnhow to act, which is what role-playingis. 'There isn’t much that can go wrongwith the plot in a dungeon, except notbeing able to kill the kobolds that havethe key to the door to the treasure room.With enough experience points and agood sword, that problem can be easilyovercome.

Second, DMs who run their partiesthrough plotless dungeon adventuresdon’t have much to describe. I’ve foundthat if I put in enough monsters andtraps (and plenty of treasure—all silverand copper pieces), my players don’tcomplain about a lack of description. Infact, just describing the dungeon so theycan map it takes enough time.Next, once a DM gets good enough at

describing the plotless, dull, drearydungeon, he can add special effects suchas moans, cobwebs, or shadows (not themonster) that follow PCs around for noreason. Next thing you know, you’ll beout in the wilderness telling the players

what type of tree is most prevalent inthe area and how often quicksand isencountered.

Fourth, some people who were aroundwhen AD&D was still in its first editiongrew up on modules that took place in adungeon, had no plot to them apartfrom the gaining of wealth and experi-ence, yet were loads of fun. My favoritemodule is still “Horror on the Hill,” andwho can forget “'The Ghost of LionCastle”? Intricate adventures like thoserequired thought to make and weresome of the best times I have ever had.Finally, I would like to point out that

in adventures with plots, the DM endsup creating a lot of the characters’ per-sonality. In plotless adventures, theplayers are the ones who give personali-ty to the characters. In a plotless adven-ture, there is no reason for a fighter toalways use a dagger with a two-foot hiltto fight off ores, he just does. With ad-ventures with plots, rich uncles aredying off right and left, the belovedhome city is burning down, and thatnasty vampire lord is always after thecharacter. Where in the Abyss can youfind a vampire that can’t finish off aparty of 5th-level characters? Or a partyof 12th-level characters that can’t killthe vampire on the first or second try?There is no way that a plot like thatcould work for several adventures with-out the DM pushing things too far.

Hank Schaefer'Ibledo, Ohio

A Matter ofScaleFirst off, I’d like to tip my hat and

shake the hand of Randy Maxwell, whowrote “Goblin Fever” in issue #46.

1

thought it was an excellent adventureand deserves recognition.But there was just one thing wrong

with it. As I was reading over the “Tfem-ple of the Pools” section, somethingcaught my eye. It seems that the poolssurrounding the temple were suppos-edly 75' in diameter. “Big pools!” Ithought. Then I checked the scale of thetemple itself. From pool to pool it mea-sures 625'. Hmmmm. A temple that’sactually larger than the city tile it’sdepicted on (500' square). Then I smiledand thought, “'This town’s got one hellof an architect!”After bringing the scale down to a

more sensible one square = 10', every-thing was fine. 'The pools become 30' indiameter, and the size of the temple

shrinks to 250'. I don’t know whosefault this was (DUNGEON magazine’sor Randy’s), but I’m quite sure it wasn’tdone intentionally. I must say that I’venever enjoyed a typo this much before!

Edward A. JacobsCuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Any error that reaches the readers isalways the fault of the editors. Mr.Jacobs’s fix is appropriate, and we rec-ommend it to everyone running thisadventure.

Unorthodox MasterpieceTimothy Ide’s “'Train of Events” (issue

#44) is exactly the one-of-a-kind adven-ture that makes DUNGEON magazinethe great periodical that it is. Althoughfitting this type of adventure into acarefully prepared campaign worldcould lead to devastating repercussions,as 'Tim Scott’s letter in DUNGEON #46dealt with, I thank Mr. Ide for theunique opportunities surrounding hisadventure.

For all DMs using worlds created bycombining TSR-generated worlds, orinventing worlds of our own, unusualand high-character adventures like“'Train of Events” are gold mines. Us-ing our creative minds as the tools, wecan “mine” a year’s worth of adventur-ing from unorthodox masterpieces likeMr. Ide’s.

Mr. Scott’s letter refers to theDUNGEON MASTER™ Guide tableshowing items that should andshouldn’t be available to characterswithin a given historical framework.How many DMs, besides myself, havebeen using that table for way too manyyears? Mr. Ide’s adventure is a fantasticexample of the creative outburst thatall DMs should experiment with. Is thisnot DUNGEON magazine’s purpose?

Kurt DudasStevens Point, Wisconsin

Engines of the AncientsWhile I basically agree with Tim

Scott’s wish (“Letters,” DUNGEON #46)to “keep unnecessary anachronisms . .

.

to a minimum” and to “respect theexpectations” of the players (by whichhe seems to mean a western Europeantype world between the early MiddleAges and the late Renaissance), I think

Continued on page 16

DUNGEON 7

SHADES OFDARKNESSBY DAVID C. WRIGHT

Hear the voices from theshadows.

Artwork by Terry Dykstra

David is currently stationed in Japanwith the United States Navy. This is hisfirst module in DUNGEON^ Adven-tures. David says, “I would like to thankmy friend Larry for introducing me tothe AD&D“ game 15 years ago. Most ofall, I want to thank my wife, Nicole, forher invaluable support during my firstforay into writing.”

“Shades of Darkness” is an AD&D®game adventure for 4-5 neutral- or good-aligned player characters of levels 4-6

(about 22 total levels). A well-balancedparty including at least one PC of eachcharacter class will work best. Thisadventure may be placed in any rela-tively peaceful portion of the DM’sworld. The setting should be near asmall wooded area that is free ofmonsters.

Adventure Background

Safehearth is a small village located atthe crossroads of two trails, far fromany danger or excitement. Life here isquiet, with few visitors or distractions.The town was founded shortly after theestablishment of a manor house 40years ago by Jamisar Baylon, an advi-sor to the duke’s court. After Jamisarretired 15 years ago, he left the capitalto live the rest of his life in the p>eace ofthe country. Jamisar is technically thelord of the village, but he allows thevillagers to run their own lives. Jamisarlives with his wife, Falicia, and his sonMaxston.

For the DUNGEON MASTER™As mentioned earlier, the village ofSafehearth is ordineirily a quiet place.However, the day that the PCs arrive isfar from ordinary. The villagers are inan uproar concerning a raid on the localmanor house. A band of dwarves seenrecently in the area has apparentlyconducted an attack on the manor, kill-ing everyone they found. The only sur-vivor, the manor’s blacksmith, claimsthat the house was attacked by a groupof “grubby, short people.”

As the PCs will discover, dwarves arenot responsible for the raid. The culpritsare a group of dark creepors and theirleader, a dark stalker. These villainsentered the manor house by an under-ground waterway that runs through themanor’s celleu*. TTie dark creatures loot-ed the manor, taking all the magicalitems they could find.

8 Issue No. 47

SHADES OF DARKNESS

Lord Baylon had gone to retrieve a bookfrom his library when he stumbled on thedark creepers midway through their raid.He was cut down before he could raise thealarm. The dark creepers quickly killedhis wife and captured his son. After rem-sacking the house, the dark creepersretreated undergroimd to celebrate theirvictory and to divide the loot.During the adventure, the PCs are

persuaded to explore the manor houseand to find the culprits. While investi-gating, the PCs should find the under-ground stream and clues leading to thevillains.

Special Notes

The DM should be familiar with therules covering darkness, as well as themodifiers on page 119 of theDUNGEON MASTERS Guide and theentries describing dark creepers anddark stalkers in the Monstrous Compen-dium!^ FIEND FOLIO*' appendix(MC14).The dark creeper has the abilities of a

4th-level thief. The average dark creep-er has the following thief abilities: PP15%, OL 10%, FT 5%, MS 70%, HS 65%,DN 15%, CW 60%, RL 0%, and doubledamage from backstab. In addition, thevision of the dark creepers and darkstalkers is not hampered by their dark-ness. Infravision is useless in this dark-

ness, but the blind-fighting proficiencyprovides its normal bonuses. Also, be-cause dark creepers have the innateability to detect magic, they target PCsplanning to use magical items. Nearbydark creepers use overbearing attacks,then try to wrestle the item away. Thedark creepers are devious, connivingindividuals.

Arrival in Safehearth

Read or paraphrase the following to theplayers:

It is late in the afternoon of a drizzlyday. You have been traveling all dayalong a winding, wooded trail. Theonly people you have seen were agroup of dwarves and a gnome camp-ing along the trail. They said thatthere was a town neeirby namedSafehearth, and that it’s the onlyplace around where you could finddecent shelter. Of coimse, they alsosaid that it was only a short distanceaway. You hope that they weren’twrong on both counts. You sure could

use a warm fire, a tasty dinner, andsome stout drink to lift your spiritsafter this long, rainy journey.

As you top the crest of a hill, youspot a town spread out before you.Smoke drifting up from the chimneyscarries the aroma of venison, causingyour stomachs to growl with antici-pation. You notice a crowd gatheredin the center of town. Although fromthis distance nothing except occa-sional shouts can be heard, it seemsthat the crowd is excited.

As the PCs approach the village, theyhear scattered comments from thecrowd, including statements like: “Nev-er trusted ’em sneaky dwarves’’ “Theyhad trouble written all over them,” and“We should’ve chased ’em off when wefirst laid eyes on ’em.” The crowd seemsto be on the verge of violence. The vil-lagers eye any PC dwarves suspiciously,and they make no effort to conceal theircomments. If the PCs ask what is goingon, an old man approaches them andtells the following story.

“Oh, it’s terrible, me lords. All ofthem are gone. What shall become ofme? It was ’em dwarves I tell ya.Those greedy thieves. It was awful. IfI hadn’t hid. I’d be dead too. We needto go look for ’em. I tell ya, we needto make ’em pay. But what can I do?I’m just an old blacksmith. But LordBaylon was so good to me, and I feel Imust do somethin’. What can I do?”

The old man continues on like thisuntil the PCs interrupt him. If the PCsask him some questions, they can findout that the old man’s name is Guntharand that he was the blacksmith at LordBaylon’s manor. Apparently, the manorwas attacked last night by a band ofdwarves seen recently in the area, andGunthar is a witness to the attack. Ifquestioned, he tells this story:Gunthar was working in his smithy

when heard a noise. When he looked upfrom the forge, he saw a “typical, short,grubby dwarf’ standing in the doorway.Then everything went dark and he wasknocked unconscious. Gunthar awokeonly a few hours ago and searched thegrounds for survivors, but couldn’t getinto the manor house itself. However, hedid discover the corpses of the manor’sservants.

The villagers were deciding what to

do about the raid when the PCs arrived.Now the solution to the problem seemsat hand. Within a few minutes, the PCsare approached by a tall, middle-agedman who asks to speak with them pri-vately. He introduces himself as Vorcan,the mayor. He asks that the PCs go upto the manor and find out what hap-pened to Lord Baylon and his family. Aspayment, he offers honorary citizenshipin Safehearth, free room and board nowand whenever the PCs are in the area(including stabling and feed for theparty’s horses), and 10 gp per PC. Vor-can can be talked into increasing thisamount to a total of 20 gp per PC butcan offer no more, as this would bank-rupt the town treasury. If pressed formore money, Vorcan offers to send aletter to the duke describing the PCs’help and requesting that the peu1;y berewarded for its efforts.

If the PCs agree to help, they aregiven free rooms in the local inn, fedwhatever they can eat and drink, andtreated like honored guests. When thevillagers awake the PCs before sunrise,their horses stand ready to go, with foodand drink provided in the horses’ packs.Vorcan is present to wish them luck andto point them along a trail that windsoff to the northeast.

If the PCs think to ask, most of thevillagers can provide a description ofthe dwarves suspected in this treachery.The PCs may recognize the suspects asthe dwarves and gnome that they metalong the trail to Safehearth. The PCsmay decide to backtrack and find thedwarves instead of investigating themanor house. If the PCs express thisdesire to Vorcan, he attempts to per-suade them to seEurch the manor housefirst, but he will not discourage themfrom following their own course ofaction.

Mistaken Identity

If the PCs track down the dwarves sus-pected of raiding the manor, they canfind them at the same place where theycamped earlier. The dwarves invite thePCs to sit and to share their meal. 'Theyhave caught several large rabbits, andthey have more food than they can eatin three meals.

The dwarves will be surprised to hearabout the raid, since this area is usuallyvery quiet, with little trouble. If thePCs accuse the dwarves of committingthis heinous act, they plead their inno-

DUNGEON 9

SHADES OF DARKNESS

cence. They state that they are prospect-ing, searching for a new mine site. Thedwarves know the manor and its loca-tion, because they passed through towna week ago.

If threatened or accused, the dwarvesand the gnome all produce holy symbolsofMuamman Duathal, the dwarvendeity of “protection” (see Monster My-thology for details). The symbol is amace held in gauntleted hands. A dwarfor any PC with the religion proficiencywill immediately recognize it and cantell the party about Muamman’s pro-tective nature. The dwarves are opposedto violence, except in defense, andwould never attack the manor.Hopefully, the PCs will realize that

these dwarves did not raid the manorhouse. The encounter is not designed toend in melee, but it should make theadventurers ask, “If the dwarves didn’tcommit this crime, who did?” However,if the PCs are too quick to attack, or ifthey don’t believe the dwarves, theheroes could be in for a fight.

If the PCs attack, the dwarves sur-round the gnome and protect him whilehe casts spells. Galinexal, theillusionist/thief, casts a hold person

spell on three PCs to remove them fromthe combat. Next he casts a charm per-son spell; if the spell is successful, thegnome encourages the charmed PC toprotect the dwarves. Beyond this point,Galinexal ’s spell use depends on whatthe PCs are doing. If they are a seriousthreat, Galinexal casts his spook andspectral force spells. If the PCs are not aserious threat, he uses his improvedphantasmal force spells to assist hiscomrades.During this time, the dwarves attack

the PCs with the flat edges of theirweapons, attempting to overbear orwrestle the PCs. Their leader, Daggan,uses spells such as hold person andcommand to immobilize the oppositionwithout causing injury. The dwarveshave no desire to seriously hurt theparty. If any dwarf is gravely injured,the dwarves all surrender and aid theirwounded comrade.The defeated dwarves can be con-

vinced (or coerced) to go to Safehearthand plead their case before Vorcan.After they tell their story, Guntharconfirms that the dwarves do not looklike the villains who raided the manor.Vorcan offers his sincerest apologies to

the dwarves, and they are allowed toleave.

Despite this, the PCs will have madeenemies. The dwarves do not pursue avendetta against the PCs, but they dospread the word that the PCs are anunsociable bunch who would ratherfight than be civilized. This talk, coup-led with the dwarves’ good behavior andliberal spending, gives the PCs a badreputation among the villagers. Theheroes will be denied any special favorsor services in the nearby towns. Theyfind all the inns are full, dinners andequipment cost more, and the respectthey normally receive has vanished.

The full extent and duration of this badreputation £U"e up to the DM.

If the PCs believe the dwarves areinnocent, Daggan and his followersinsist on returning to Safehearth toprofess their innocence to the town.However, once they have cle£U"ed theirnames, they do not help the party ex-plore the manor.Daggan (dwarf leader); AL NG; AC 3;MV 6; F7/C7; hp 54; THACO 14; #AT 3/2or 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 16, D 12, C17. 1 9, W 14, Ch 12; ML 16; splint mail+ 1, footman’s mace +1, light crossbow,20 bolts.

Spells: bless, command, protectionfrom evil, purify food and drink, sanctu-ary; hold person, lighten load (fromIbme of Magic), spiritual hammer; dis-pel magic, meld into stone; tongues.Galinexal (gnome): AL CG; AC 6; MV

6; I5/T6; hp 16; THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmgby weapon type; S 9, D 18, C 13, 1 17, W11, Ch 13; PP 60%, OL 55%, FT 50%,MS 80%, HS 65%, DN 40%, CW 70%,RL 25%; ML 14; studded leather armor+ 1, dagger +1, short bow, thieves’picks.

Spells: audible glamer, charm person,detect magic, spook, ventriloquism; im-proved phantasmal force ( x 2), mirrorimage; hold person, spectral force.Trundar (dwarf); AL CG; AC 5; MV

6; F4; hp 36; THACO 17; #AT 3/2 or 1/2;Dmg by weapon type; S 18/16, D 8, C18. 1 9, W 7, Ch 9; ML 14; chain mail,broad sword (specialized), heavy cross-bow, 20 bolts.Cornym (dwarf): AL NG; AC 5; MV 6;

F3; hp 21; THACO 18; #AT 1 or 1/2;Dmg by weapon type; S 16, D 11, C 15,

1

12, W 10, Ch 10; ML 14; chain mail,battle axe, heavy crossbow, 20 bolts,hand axe.Therious (dwarf): AL CG; AC 5; MV

6; F3; hp 20; THACO 18; #AT 3/2 or 1/2;

1 0 Issue No. 47

SHADES OF DARKNESS

Dmg by weapon type; S 14, D 14, C 16,

1

13, W 7, Ch 8; ML 13; scale mail, shield,short sword (specialized), heavy cross-bow with 20 bolts.

Baylon Manor

Once the PCs are on their way to themanor, read or paraphrase the followingto the players:

As you travel, the trail levels out.The hills are farther apart, the woodsare thinning, and travel is becomingeasier. You have been traveling forabout 30 minutes, and you shouldarrive at the manor soon.As you turn a corner, you notice a

small bridge spanning a brook.Across the brook, you see plowedfields as well as a well-tended groveof apple and pear trees. It seems thatyou have reached your destination.Making your way through the fields,you can see a small outlying brickbuilding, obviously the smithy, aswell as a barn and corral. You noticeseveral horse carcasses lying withinthe fence. Apparently the animalswere killed during the raid. In thedistance stands a large, single-storybuilding, obviously the manor house.

The PCs have reached Baylon Manor.The smithy is not detailed here, asthere is nothing special about it. Thedead horses, however, are a clue. Ordi-nary bandits would have stolen thehorses, not slaughtered them. If the PCsdo not realize this, allow fighter or thiefPCs to make an Intelligence check tocatch the clue.As the PCs approach the house, read

or paraphrase the following to theplayers:

As you examine the manor houseitself, you notice that its beams aremade from the sturdy oak trees com-mon to this region. TTie glass win-dows are covered by iron grates. Nolights shine from within, and thewindows are too dusty to see throughclearly. A set of large double doors inthe south wall is probably the mainentrance. In addition, there are threesmaller, nondescript doors in the eastwall. Two chimneys rise from theroof, one each on the south and northwalls.

Before the PCs can begin their inves-tigation, they must gain entry to the

house. The two northeast doors eu*eunlocked, but they do not lead into themain house (see areas 2 and 3). Thedouble doors in the south wall arelocked from within by excellent-qualitylocks ( -20% penalty to thieves pick-locks rolls). The southeast door is lockedalso, but with only an ordinary lock.The PCs may also enter through thewindows if they remove the grates. Thisrequires a Strength of 21; however, twoPCs may work together to pry the barsapart. There is not enough space formore than two PCs to work on eachwindow.

1.

Foyer.

This 10' X 10' room is shrouded indarkness, the only light coming infrom outside through the open door-way. On the east and west walls,extinguished torches still sit in theirsconces. 'The floor is covered in finewool carpeting. Opposite the en-trance, a large ornate archway leadsfarther into the house. 'The peak ofthe archway is decorated with thesymbol of an owl on a banner drapedfrom a spear. The frame around thearchway is made of expensive teak.Along the north wall, on either sideof the arch, hang several fine capesand cloaks.

If the PCs search the room, they findnothing remarkable. 'The cloaks hang-ing from the pegs on the wall belongedto the Baylon family. They are of goodquality, worth around 1 gp each. Thetorches in the sconces are still usable.Each will burn for 20 minutes.

2.

Dining Room.

The centerpiece of this large room isa beautiful black marble table sur-rounded by six large oak chairs up-holstered in red velvet. 'Two sofasand a table stand before a large stonefireplace set in the north wall. Thesofas are upholstered in the samefine velvet as the oak chairs. Alongthe east and west walls, four unlittorches Eire set in sconces. The flooris covered in the same fine carpetingas the foyer. Over the fireplace hangsa painting depicting proud parentsand two sons.

'The painting depicts Lord Baylon andhis family while his sons were still

young. 'The younger son has since leftthe manor to study as an acolyte in theduke’s chapel. The large marble tablewas a gift from the duke in gratitude forLord BayIon’s faithful service. It weighsseveral tons and is impossible for thePCs to move without magical assis-tance. The table is polished to a highlyreflective shine and is obviously worth alarge sum. All the torches and the fire-place were lit during the raid, but thedark creepers used their darkness abili-ty to extinguish them.

3.

Servants’ Quarters.

This is obviously a servants’ room. Itcontains only a bunk bed, a smalldresser, a small unlit lantern, and acorpse.

The manor’s cook and maidservantwere killed in the southern room. Theyoung man in the northern room wasthe stableboy. Gunthar, the blacksmith,also lived here, but he was not in hisquarters when the dark creepers struck.There is nothing of value in either of

these rooms; they have been thoroughlyransacked. 'The lanterns not of standardadventuring quality, but they may beused by the PCs if needed. Each con-tains enough oil to burn for 6d20 (6-120)minutes. 'The lanterns were lit at thestart of the raid, but they were extin-guished by the dark creepers’ darknessability.

4.

Pantry.

This room contains shelves that holdvarious foods in glass jars and crates.Broken jars of fruits and vegetablesare strewn on the floor, and the roomsmells heavily of vinegar. There Eireseveral empty crates in the north-west corner, and a large patch ofwhite powder covers the floor in thesouthwest corner. In the oppositecorner, a loop of rope runs up throughthe floor.

'This room was used to store staplesand items that don’t require storage inthe cool air of the cellar. Most of thefood here has been pickled, thus theheavy scent of vinegar. 'The white pow-der on the floor is flour. If the PCs in-spect the rope in the northeast corner,they find a trap door set in the floor.They also notice many sets of smallmuddy footprints near the trap door.

DUNGEON 11

When the PCs open the trap door, a cooldraft rises from below. A ladder leadsdown about 12' into the cellar. Any PCswith exceptional hearing, or who havelived underground for most of theirlives, can also hear the light gurgling ofan underground stream. The muddyfootprints are an obvious clue to wherethe raiders may have entered the house.

5.

Kitchen.

This room is in a total state of dissir-ray. White powder has been thrownall over the floor and trampled bymany sets of footprints. All of theshelves have been dumped onto thefloor. Along the south wall stands afireplace used for cooking. There aretwo marble basins along the eastwall as well as torches and sconcesalong the east and west walls. Thetables in the center of the room havebeen overturned, and their legs havebeen hacked off. While there is nosign of battle, obviously this roomwas not spared during the raid.

The white powder is flour. Cookingutensils, pots, and pans have been

thrown everywhere, and smashed ce-ramic dishes cover the floor. If the ad-venturers check the fireplace, theydiscover that the coals are still warm.This fire wasn’t extinguished duringthe raid; it burned out by itself. PCsexamining the door into the pantry(area 4) or the lock on the east doordiscover several sets ofmuddyhandprints left behind by the darkcreepers. The mud has dried but is stillvisible.

6.

Sitting Room.

This room is filled with the samehigh-quality furnishings as the din-

ing room. An ornate, unlit lanternsits on a small table, and the heavysmell of tobacco lingers in the room.

A small box has been pushed underthe table.

The box under the table containsseveral pipes and some tobacco. Thelantern is fancy but fragile. It is worth

30 gp. Both the sofa and chair have thesame red velvet upholstery as in thedining room (area 2). There is nothing ofgreat value in this room other than the

lantern and the tobacco (worth around10 gp on the market).

7.

Library.

The door to this room is open, andyou can see a body within. Severalenormous bookcases line the walls,and a large desk occupies the centerof the room. Two bronze lanterns siton the desk, unlit. The room is lit bytwo windows, one each in the southand west walls.The body of an elderly gentleman

is lying behind the desk, with a bookopen on the desk before it. Oppositethe desk, under a small pile of ashes,you see the glint of metal.

The body was Lord Baylon, killed heretrying to fend off the assault of the dark

creepers. Although he was quickly blind-ed by darkness, he managed to slay oneof his attackers before succumbing. Thedark creeper’s remains are the pile ofashes in front of the desk. Lord Baylonslew the creature with his family heir-looni, a short sword ofquickness.However, he was startled by the sponta-neous explosion of the dark creeper

12 Issue No. 47

SHADES OF DARKNESS

and was overwhelmed and killed by agroup of its fellows. The sword wastaken below by the dark creepers.The metallic object is the dark creep-

er’s dagger. It is nonmagical and ordi-nary in every way, but it is the only

item that survived the dark creeper’simmolation.

The open book on the desk is LordBaylon’s personal journal, in which herecorded the household accounts andproceeds from the sale of livestock. All

the books on the shelves are ordinaryand deal with politics, economics, andmilitary tactics. The lanterns are not litand are ordinary in every way. Theupper right desk drawer contains a key

to the wine cellar (area 11).

8. Bedrooms. 'There are only minordifferences in the contents of each of

these three rooms. Each of the tworooms on the east side of the hallwaycontains a small bed; the west roomcontains a large one. Each of the roomsis furnished with a dresser and twolanterns. The northeast room is in totaldisarray. It was the scene of a strugglebetween Lord Baylon’s older son, Max-ston, and the dark creepers. Since bothlanterns were smashed during thestruggle, the room strongly smells of oil.Fortunately, the lanterns had beenextinguished by the dark creepers assoon as they were spotted. If they hadbeen lit, the whole house would haveprobably gone up in flames.A small mound of ashes like those in

the library is piled outside the door.

'These are the remains of a dark creeperwho learned about Maxston’s magicmissile spell the hard way. However,Maxston is only an apprentice magicianwith little formal training, and this washis only spell. Maxston was easily sub-dued after a short struggle, and he wascaptured and taken below.'The rooms contain nothing of value

except for the silk bedclothes in the west

room, usually used as a guest room. 'The

bedding may be sold for 15 gp.

9. Master Bedroom. Lord Baylon’swife was murdered in this room, whichis now the lair of a phantom createdfrom the trauma of Mistress Baylon’smurder. When the PCs enter the room,read or paraphrase the following to theplayers:

As you enter this room, you are star-tled to see a middle-aged womanlying in bed. As she turns to look atyou, two short, dark figures comerunning into the room. 'The woman’sface twists with fear, and you aresuddenly surrounded by darkness.

You feel several beings run past youtoward the bed. A piercing screamcuts you to the bone. After thesounds of a short struggle, you hearone final pitiful wail. Finally, thereis nothing but silence.

Each PC must make a saving throwvs. death magic with a -2 penalty. PCswho fail their saving throws panic andflee as if affected by a fear spell, with a60% chance of dropping whatever theyare holding (—5% per level above 1st).Affected PCs flee for ldl2 rounds attheir maximum Movement Rate. Ifaffected for more than 3 rounds, the PCswill flee from the manor house. In anycase, any PC struck by fear cannotapproach within 30' of this room with-out making another saving throw vs.death magic, this one with no modifier.Read the following to the players

whose PCs successfully made theirsaving throws:

'The darkness immediately disap-pears. You now see the woman’scorpse on the floor. 'The woman ap-pears to have been dead for at leastone day. TTiere is no sign of whatcaused the scene you just witnessed.An open chest stands along the southwall, and the contents of a dresserhave been dumped onto the floor.

'The dark creepers entered this roomsearching for the magical items they

detected here. When they found FaliciaBaylon, they killed her to facilitate

their thievery. Tliey dumped out thedresser looking for Lord Baylon’s ring ofmind shielding and took his shield +2out of the chest. 'The dark creepers thenreturned to their leiir to add up theirloot.

'The phantom in this room is physi-cally harmless to the PCs but has astrong psychological effect. 'The scenes

above occur half the time when the PCsenter the room, or until eliminated by aremove curse spell cast by a 12th-levelor higher priest.

Phantom: INT nil; AL N; AC nil; MV9; HD nil; hp nil; THACO nil; #AT nil;

Dmg nil; SA fear; MR special; SZ M; MLnil; XP nil; MM/287.Nothing of value remains in the room

except a pouch of 243 gp in the bottomof the chest.

10.

Cellar. Entry to this room isthrough the trap door in the pantry

(area 4). 'This cool room was used tostore perishable goods. 'The room’s chill

is due to the underground stream whosecold water flows swiftly through the

southwest corner. 'The ladder leading

down from the pantry is slick with mois-tm-e but not too hazardous. Several

small barrels in the cellar contain

cheese and meat. 'The door leading intothe wine storage (area 11) is locked, andthe key is in Lord Baylon’s desk (area7). When the PCs enter the cellar, readthe following to the players (if the PCshave brought in a light source):

Without your lights, it would bepitch black down here, and the air ischilly. The whole south wall has beenreplaced by an open, hinged grating,behind which flows an undergroundstream. Small barrels are piled about

the room, and there is a door in theeast wall. 'The floor is covered with

many small, muddy footprints thatall lead out of the water, apparently

from the southeast.

'The footprints indicate where thevillains came from. If the PCs enter thewater they will have some trouble mov-ing upstream because the ceiling is low.Any PC under 4' tall has little troublenegotiating this passage. Larger PCs,

however, must crawl through this pas-sage, making combat impossible. Fortu-nately, there is nothing to fight in this

area—yet!

11.

Wine Storage. Several old vin-tages of wine are kept here, as well askegs ofbrandy and rum. 'The contents ofthe room could be sold for 100 gp total.Other than the wine and spirits, thereis nothing of interest in this room.

It’s Always Darkest Just Before . .

.

'This section describes the undergroundlair of the dark creepers. It is a straight-forward cave crawl with a few difficul-ties thrown in. 'The PCs’ mainopponents here are not the physicallyweak dark creepers. Rather, darknessand sensory deprivation eire the mainchallenges. Weaker parties may have a

DUNGEON 13

SHADES OF DARKNESS

hard time surviving the combat in thissection. If this is the case, the DMshould reduce the number of dark creep-ers to make it less daunting.The cave floors are smooth, carved by

the stream over the course of severalcenturies. The floor is now dry becausethe stream’s water level has droppedover the past decade. The dmk creepersmoved in only six days ago through anatural chimney in what is now thed£u"k stalker’s lair (area 16). However,they have already made themselves athome by transplanting several shriek-ers in the entrance tunnel (area 12) as

well as creating darkness in the cave

system. The shriekers’ detection rangeis marked on the map.There are no area descriptions to read

to the players since, for the most part, itwill be too dark for the PCs to see. If adescription is needed, all of the caves

are ordinary with a few visual quirks.Be creative!

12.

Cave Entrance. When the PCsenter this eirea, all of their nonmagicallight sources are extinguished by thedark creepers’ darkness spells. If thePCs are using magical light, the dark-ness is dispelled automatically. As soonas the darkness is dispelled by magicallight, or when the PCs get within 10' ofthe three shriekers, the monsters steirtshrieking. The noise draws five darkcreepers from the larger area of thecave.

'The creepers first extinguish anyremaining light sources with their dark-ness ability. Then they surround theparty and attempt to backstab themwhile the heroes are busy dealing withthe shriekers. While the battle rages,one additional dark creeper moves tothe other caves (areas 13, 14, and 16) towarn the remaining dark creepers andtheir leader, the dark stalker Morag,about the intruders. All the dark creep-ers attack with normal daggers.Shriekers (3): INT non; AL N; AC 7;

MV 1; HD 3; hp 17, 12, 9; 'THACO 17;#AT 0; Dmg nil; SD noise; SZ M; ML 12;XP 120; MM/120-121 (Fungus).Dark creepers (5): INT average; AL

CN; AC 2 (10); MV 9; HD 1 + 1; hp 8, 6( X 2), 5, 3; THACO 19; ^AT 1; Dmg 1-4or by weapon t3q>e; SA darkness, detectmagic, thief abilities, blinding flash; SDdarkness-, SZ S; ML 12; XP 120; MC14.Each dmk creeper has 1-2 gems worth

IdlOO gp plus ld20 sp or cp (50% chanceof either).

13.

Main Lair. This cave is the lair of12 dark creepers, so the living condi-tions are very cramped.Several beds of rags and such are

spread throughout this room. 'The un-certain footing requires each PC in-volved in combat here to make aDexterity check every round. Those whofail their checks trip over some itemand end up on the floor. Any PC whofalls to the floor is subject to the follow-

ing penalties: Opponents get +4 totheir attack rolls; PC loses all shieldbonuses to armor class; PC must spendthe next attack to stand back up, orcontinue to fight from this position witha -4 penalty to attack rolls.As soon as the PCs enter the room,

the dark creepers attack. The six dark-ness spells covering areas 13-16 must bedispelled individually by the PCs if theywant to see. However, the dark creepersuse their darkness ability to keep thearea dark. The PCs will probably be indarkness (see the rules governing dark-ness on page 119 of the DMG). After thethird round of combat, the other darkcreepers and their leader Morag enterthe battle from areas 14 and 16, at-tempting to surprise the PCs by strik-ing from the rear.'The dark stalker uses his wall offog

spell as necessary to hinder the PCs, emdcQrects attacks against any obviousmagic-using PCs. The dark stalker directsthe action as long as possible, trying all

the while to stay out of combat. If seri-

ously threatened, he orders all his fol-lowers to overwhelm the PCs, and heflees down the chimney (in area 16) toescape.

If Morag is attacked and seriouslywounded, all the dark creepers mustmake morale checks. Those that failtheir checks flee to avoid the fireballeffect of the dark stalker’s death.Dark creepers (12): INT average; AL

CN; AC 2 (10); MV 9; HD 1 + 1; hp 9, 8(x2),7(x3),6(x2),5, 4,3(x2);

THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 or by weap-on type; SA darkness, detect magic, thiefabilities, blinding flash; SD darkness-,SZ S; ML 12; XP 120; MC14.Each dark creeper has 1-2 gems worth

IdlOO gp, plus ld20 cp or sp (50%chance of either). There is a 5% chancefor each dark creeper to have 1-2 gemsworth 2dl00 gp. One dark creeper has aring ofmind shielding bxiried beneaththe rotten layers of its clothing.

14. Spoils Room. The dark creepersuse this room to store their ill-gottengoods, and their booty is spread out allover the cave.

Eight dark creepers, Morag’s eliteguard, make their beds among the pilesof goods. 'These individuals are the

strongest dark creepers of the group,and Morag has recognized the advan- ?tage of using them as shock troops. Iffighting breaks out in the main lair(area 13), these individuals arrive three

rounds later to help repel the intruders.Dark creepers (8): INT average; AL

CN; AC 2 (10); MV 9; HD 1 + 1; hp 9( X 6), 8 ( X 2); THACO 19; #AT 1, Dmg 1-4 or by weapon type; SA darkness, de-tect magic, thief abilities, blinding flash;

SD darkness-, SZ S; ML 14; XP 120;MC14.'These dark creepers are armed with

short swords, except for one who uses adagger -*!. They each have ld2 200-500

gp gems plus 2d20 gp.Most of the treasime in this room is

worthless. Many crates of food takenfrom the manor house are stackedeverywhere, but they are all thoroughly

picked over. A bolt of silk in one comerserves as a bed for one of the occupants.In addition, bits of broken armor andweapons are spread throughout thearea. If the PCs spend several hours *

searching through this trash, they canrecover 543 gp, 2,540 sp, and over35,000 cp. In addition they can findIdlO gems ranging in value from IdlO

gp to 100-1,000 gp each.

15. Prison. A small niche behind theboulder currently houses the darkcreepers’ sole prisoner. Lord Baylon’sson Maxston, who was captured duringthe raid. The dark creepers subduedhim and brought him along after hekilled one of their number with a magicmissile spell. 'The dark creepers believethat Maxston is a powerful wizard andwant him to create many magical itemsfor them. Maxston, however, can’t un-derstand what the dark creepers aredemanding in their incomprehensiblelanguage. Even if Maxston could be ’

made to understand, he is only a lowlyapprentice wizard and doesn’t have theability to create magical items.Maxston has not been fed during his

captivity and is still weak from the ordealof the raid. Ifhe is foimd, or if he hearsthe PCs’ voices, he begs for rescue.

14 Issue No. 47

SHADES OF DARKNESS

Maxston; AL NG; AC 10; MV 12 (6);Wl; hp 3 (1); THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; S 12, D 11, C 13 (8), 1 14,W 10, Ch 14; ML 6. Maxston’s currentstatistics are in parentheses.

16. Dark Stalker’s Laic This cave isthe home of the dark stalker Morag andhis entourage. The cave is spacious, andthere are only three beds in this area. Thelarge pile of rags in the northernmost

comer belongs to Morag. Buried in thispile are his personal weapons: Lord Bay-Ion’s short sword ofquickness, a shield+2, and a wand offlame extinguishing.He retrieves these items before enteringcombat in the main lair (area 13).Stashed in the northwest niche is

Morag’s personal treasure. This cache

consists of a dagger +1, a potion of

plant control, and one burned-out wand(previously a wand offire, now totallydrained). In addition to the magicalitems, there are two diamonds worth750 gp and 500 gp, and 1,700 gp invarious coins, including some minted inthe Underdark.Two dark creepers guard Morag. After

three rounds of combat in the main lair(area 13), Morag emerges to direct anyremaining dark creepers. If seriouslythreatened, he retreats down the chim-ney, taking with him any treasure hecan salvage.Dark creepers (2): INT average; AL

CN; AC 2 (10); MV 9; HD 1 + 1; hp 8, 6;THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 or by weap-on type; SA darkness, detect magic, thiefabilities, blinding flash; SD darkness;SZ S; ML 12; XP 120; MC14.Morag, dark stalker: INT average;

AL CN; AC 2 (10); MV 9; HD 2 + 1; hp15; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; SA darkness, wall offog, fireballupon death; SD darkness, wall offog; SZM; ML 12; XP 175; MC14.Morag led his followers up from the

Underdark into this cave sifter he car-ried out an attack on a drow wizard fourweeks ago. Although he acquired hiswand from this mage, he also received adeath warrant issued by the deceaseddrow’s relatives. Morag decided that itwas smarter to move on rather thantake on more drow. After all, he hadlost five of his followers to a single drowmage. How many would he lose to aprepared drow war party?Morag has been trying to persuade

Maxston to make the magical items heneeds to protect himself when he re-turns to the Underdark. It is fortunate

that Maxston cannot understand thedark stalker’s requests, because Moragwill slay the young wizard as soon as itbecomes clear that Maxston has noability to enchant items.Morag is intelligent and will recog-

nize when the tide of the battle hasturned against him. He is a firm believ-er that the strong (and stupid) stand

and fight, while the smart get goingwhile the going is good. He avoids en-tering combat, preferring to have hisminions fight (and die) for him.

Concluding the Adventure

If the PCs find Maxston and return himto the surface, he will be extremely grate-ful. He allows the PCs to keep any magi-cal items taken from the dark creepers,including his father’s shield, sword, andring. After his health returns, Maxstonwrites the duke a letter requesting thatthe PCs be invited to the capital to behonored. Soon afterward, Maxston movesto the capital and becomes apprenticed tothe court mage. One month later, the PCsare approached by a knight who requeststhat the PCs accompany him to the capi-tal for an audience with the duke. Theknight will not be pleased ifthe PCs

refuse this offer.

The villagers of Safehearth stick totheir agreement and treat the PCs asheroes. After all, they did save the last

remaining member of the Baylon fami-ly. The adventurers are showered withsmall country gifts for their efforts: fine

wood for making bows and arrows,various dried meats and cheeses, newpairs of deerskin boots for all the PCs,

and so on. If the PCs performed excep-tionally well and are looking for a newbase of operations, they can convincethe duke to allow them to live in andmaintain Baylon Manor. This allows theDM to introduce the politics of landownership into the campaign. When thePCs are powerful enough, they mayeven be granted dominion over themanor and village as the duke’s vassal.

If the PCs fail, Morag and his darkcreepers may return to plague the village.They take over the manor house and castit into eternal darkness, using it as a base

to raid the village. The villagers send forthe PCs to eliminate the menace once andfor all. Of coimse, if the PCs go down thechimney (in area 16) to chase the survi-vors, they may be caught in a new cam-paign in the Underdark. D

DUNGEON 15

LEUERS

Continued from page 7

the objections to so-called 19th-centurytechnology are really unfounded.As an M.A. student of the history of

science, I have learned that many in-ventions we think of as belonging to oneage were anticipated in an earlier era. (Ihasten to add that even official AD&Dproducts, like Aurora’s Whole RealmsCatalogue, recognize this—viz. the “fly-ing machine” reminiscent of machinesthat Leonardo da Vinci sketched.) Thehistory of technology records the exist-

ence of what is almost certainly a proto-steam engine in late antiquity, usedperhaps only to open temple doors forworshipers while theatrically belching

awe-inspiring steeim. Not importantenough a use to be remembered, per-haps, so its secret was lost. My point?There is no reason why any society in

a given fantasy world has to parallelours in the sequence of developmentand application of science or technology.I’d also bet that, while the steam engineis a problem for some, most campaignsout there use concepts of hygiene anddevelopments in public sanitation (ex-tensive sewer systems) totally alien toeven western European society beforeSemmelweis, Koch, and Chadwick, whowere not around until the 19th century.Mr. Scott is undoubtedly familiar with

the science-fiction subgenre of alternatetimelines. Many such stories emphasizepolitical differences, the results of bat-

tles lost or won. Think instead aboutthe differences one light of knowledgenot extinguished might have made. Inour world, there was no reason, forexample, why western ecclesiastsshould be impressed by the engineeringof Islamic minarets, and therefore in-spired to build gothic cathedrals, only to

ignore other achievements of the sameMoorish society. So some advances hadto wait for the 19th century instead ofarriving in the 12th or 13th century. InAD&D worlds, almost anything shouldbe possible. If there can be a gieint’scastle in the sky, why not a dwarvenrailway in some small corner of themultiverse?

But while Mr. Scott is free to avoid allanachronisms in his campaign, it’s funto have a few around now and then. Iknow my players don’t want to wallowin the decidedly unheroic filth of a real-istic western medieval city’s alleys; theyeven like streetlamps after dark. Includ-ing anachronistic elements seems to me

a fresh approach and a great source ofnew possibilities for play. Kudos to Mr.Ides and DUNGEON magazine. I turnto the pages ofDUNGEON magazineoften, for different ideas, and I hope tocontinue to see something new underthe sun.

P.S. Lasers next? It’s already beendone. Remember S3 Expedition to theBarrier Peaks?

Steven F. BaljkasWinnipeg, Manitoba

Scarred for Life

I have been playing D&D® and AD&Dgames since 1976. 1 am both an ardentplayer and calculating Dungeon Master.Your magazine has been a great boon tome as a DM, but I must comment on arecurrent game theme that I finddistressing.

It seems that almost every beautifuland friendly female encountered by anadventuring party is either a thief, atrap, or an evil monster in disguise.Some examples from DUNGEON #45are Leishan (page 32), the bar-lgura(page 63), and Irinia (page 68). It hasbecome such a 'TSR cliche that, on themere mention of an attractive, enticingfemale, my players shout rapidly and inunison, “Kill, fireball, poison arrow,

grenade,” etc.

All ofmy adult players, and myself,are emotionally scarred for life. It maynot be too late for the younger, moreimpressionable players. Please try to

refrain from describing beautiful wom-en in the future, or at least deploy themin a more egalitarian fashion. Could itreally be possible that an attractivefemale would ever honestly be inter-ested in a beleaguered party of adven-

turers?

Louis LaMancusaMetairie, Louisiana

More Monster InformationNeeded

I am writing concerning a major prob-lem; the lack of information provided in

DUNGEON magazine about obscuremonsters from this plane and others. In“Deadly 'Treasure” (issue #41), for ex-ample, the dungeon is built in anotherplane and populated with that plane’sinhabitants. Most of the monsters, likethe chasme and the farastu gehreleth,are listed in Monstrous Compendium'^ 8(whatever that is). I don’t have it, and I

know nothing about these creaturesother than what is listed. I’m not askingfor a full page, but a brief listing ofcombat details and anything else thatcould affect play would be helpful. Mon-sters in Monstrous Compendium 1 and 2should be common enough not to re-quire this, but I don’t have the moneyor resources to buy every single supple-ment TSR produces. Other than that,and the issue brought up by Chris-topher Putnam in issue #43, “Deadly'Treasure” heis to be one of the best-crafted adventures I’ve seen. The partabout the falling building made meshudder with anticipation. Nice work,Coby Hedberg.

I would also like to voice my opinionon several issues. First, I’d like to thankthe editors for choosing so many regularAD&D adventures in the past few is-sues. They’ll all come in handy, and I’dlike to see this continue.

Second, I think that psionics should be

gotten rid of in all AD&D adventures.It’s just too powerful and complicated tobe used well and keep the balance of thegame even. I have never played withpsionics and I don’t plan to use them. Ido have a question, though. When a DMruns a monster with psionics butdoesn’t use them, what percentage ofthe listed experience points should the

PCs receive?'Third, I would like to see more “physi-

cal” adventures. I’m not asking for a“hack-and-slash” adventure, but all the

plot does is make for interesting read-ing for the DM. 'Ibo many times, theplayers need to be told afterward whatwas going on in the adventure regard-ing the plot. I just need to give the play-ers a place and a reason to adventure.When I DM for my brothers, they getvery frustrated when forced to think(which is a little like real life for them).

So, editors, give us more of what youare named for: Dungeons. After all, wetold you in the survey that we likedungeons the best. That’s why I like“Deadly 'Treasure” so much: little plotand lots of action.

Aaron “Electra” GulledgeNewport Beach, California

When figuring out the experiencepoints to award when a DM doesn’t usea monster’s psionic ability, consult tables

31 and 32 on page 47 of the DungeonMaster Guide. You can recreate the

Continued on page 59

16 Issue No. 47

QUELKIN’SQUANDARYBY CHRISTOPHER PERKINS

When is an evil magenot an evil mage?

Artwork by David Day

Chris writes: “In one sense, ‘Quelkin’sQuandary’ is akin to my earlier work, 'AWizard’s Fate’ (issue H37). Both featureNPC wizards who are reputedly evil butare actually misunderstood. With somany evil wizards running around, it’snice to meet a few who don’t foam at themouth when casting a spell.”

“Quelkin’s Quandary” is an AD&D®adventure suitable for any campaignsetting, although a temperate climate issuggested. The module is best played with4-8 player characters of levels 3-5 (about24 total levels). The PCs should possessroughly the same number of magicalitems as the NPC antagonists featured inthis adventure (1-2 items per character) tomaintain game balance.

Adventure Background

The adventure begins in the village ofCarthington Cross. The DM should reador paraphrase the following to the play-ers when the PCs are relaxing at thelocal pub;

Having had ymu- fill of adventuresrecently, you have come to the quietvillage of Carthington Cross to in-dulge yourselves in its peace andtranquility. The village inn is conge-nial, its patrons are friendly, and thebeds EU-e soft and warm.In the evening, you share wild tales

with the locals. They seem to envyyour exciting lifestyle, but they are notwithout their own adventures. Onepopular story involves an evil wizardnamed Quelkin who occupies a housein the nearby hills. Two years ago, heunleashed a terrible monster onCarthington Cross—half bear, half owl,with a voracious appetite. It requirednearly the entire village population tosubdue the creature, even with theassistance of three brave visitors froma distant city.Following the owlbear incident,

several villagers, including the may-or, stormed through the woods toQuelkin’s manor and demanded aformal apology. In the squabble thatensued, unkind words were ex-changed, and the wizard uttered aspell that turned the mayor’s skingreen and scaly. According to onelocal, it was hours before the poormayor returned to his normal self!Few residents of Carthington Cross

have met Quelkin face to face.

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QUELKIN’S QUANDARY

although the wizard’s servant,Jethro, appears once a month topurchase supplies. The mage, itwould seem, is too preoccupied withhis own sinister experiments to in-vite guests to his manor, and Jethroappears unwilling to divulge any ofhis master’s schemes. In fact, he hasnever spoken a word to anyone in thevillage—he simply pays for the sup-plies, climbs atop his horse, anddeparts without a word of gratitude.In many ways, he is as secretive andmysterious as his malevolent master.

The owlbear incident continues togenerate many fond recollections. Itseems the villagers miss—evencrave—those days of “high adven-ture.” As they continue to share theirmore mundane tales, you decide toget some sleep.In the morning, you awaken to the

rich aroma of eggs and ham cookingin the skillet. Once downstairs, yousettle in at your favorite table andwait to be served. As the waitresspours your drinks, a frantic figurebursts into the tavern, his eyes dart-ing wildly about. Everyone in thepub looks stunned, and someonewhispers, “Quelkin!” A flagon dropsto the floor, and your waitress scut-tles off behind the bar.

The disheveled figure who enters thepub is indeed Quelkin. If the PCs takeno offensive action against the mage, hespots them and hastily makes his wayover to their table. It would seem thateven notoriously evil wizards requireassistance from time to time.

The infamous wizard looks panickedand out of breath. “Help me . . . attack-ers . . . home,” he blurts out, collapsingon the edge of your table. His armknocks your beverages flying as hepants and puffs and struggles to re-main conscious. Instinctively, you helpthe aging man to a chair, into whichhe falls like a ragged old doll.

“I ran all the way from my manor,”he pants. “I need your help. A terri-ble thing has happened. Could I . . .could I have a drink, please?” Thenervous waitress pours a cup of wa-ter for the wizard, which you careful-ly place in his quivering hands.Several tense moments pass in si-lence before Quelkin again speaks.

“Last night, I was working late inmy study when I heard a knock onthe door downstairs. I thought itseemed peculiar that visitors wouldarrive so late in the evening, but myservant had already gone to open thedoor. I waited to hear who it was, buteverything remained disconcertinglyquiet. After several minutes, I heardtwo sets of footfalls nearing the doorto my study. The door opened, reveal-ing Jethro, my servant, and anotherman. 'The man was tall, lean of face,with a monocle in one eye. Withoutso much as introducing himself, heordered me to surrender and turnover my spell books to him.“Needless to say, I laughed. That’s

when the intruder drew forth a wandand pointed it at me. Despite the latehour, my reflexes enabled me tododge its beam. Having exhaustedmost of my spells earlier in the day-divinations, experiments . . . thatsort of thing—I had little means ofdefending myself from this unpro-voked attack.“By sheer luck, I had retained

memory of two spells. The first spellenveloped the chamber in magicaldarkness, allowing me to make myway to the window. I used my secondspell to drift from the window like afeather. Once my feet touched theground, I fled into the woods nearby.Moments later, when I felt a sharppain in my chest, and my legs sud-denly buckled, I knew that my famil-iar, Sasha, had been killed. Havingbarely endured this loss, I ran frommy manor and found myself here,looking for help.

“I know the people of CarthingtonCross have little reason to trust orhelp me, particularly after that un-fortunate owlbear incident. You mustunderstand, its escape was uninten-tional. As for the incident with themayor—things just got out of hand.But now I need someone to reclaimmy manor. Without my spell books, Iam virtually powerless. I cannotstand by and watch someone take allthat I have worked for.”

Until now, Quelkin has always beenlabeled an evil mage; in fact, he is neu-tral good. He is telling the truth aboutthe owlbear incident. One of Quelkin’scolleagues needed someone to look afterthe owlbear while his tower was being

refurbished. Quelkin thought he’d dohis fellow mage a charitable service.The homesick owlbear broke free of itsmagical leash and went on a rampagesearching for its master. Although thecreature was subdued peacefully, thecitizens of Carthington Cross immedi-ately accused poor Quelkin of maliciousintent. Because he was a private manwho rarely communed with the localvillagers, Quelkin quickly became thetarget of exaggerated rumors and un-founded speculations.Quelkin refused to surrender himself

into custody, claiming he had somedelicate experiments that could not beleft unattended (which was the truth).Annoyed by the villagers’ growing an-ger and stubbornness, Quelkin used acantrip to turn the mayor’s skin green.

With that, the villagers decided to leavethe mage alone.Quelkin is not a bane to Carthington

Cross, but the NPC adventurers whoraided Quelkin’s manor certainly are.Led by an ambitious mage named Ras-tull, this marauding band heard thestories of Quelkin and figxired no onewould care if they rid the world of an-other evil mage. Rastull, of course,wanted Quelkin’s spell books and magi-cal items. Figuring he could not matchspell power with Quelkin, Rastullbrought along six additional NPCs toprovide commensurate strength,stealth, and magical support.The other NPCs of “RastulTs Regi-

ment” include his apprentice, Aerzon; apair of hired henchmen fighters namedMarne and Ozwell; and three roguesnamed Lusk, Reltin, and Kett. Luskand Reltin are members of a thieves’guild allied with Rastull (only Lusk isevil in alignment, however). Kett is agypsy-bard searching for inspiration towrite songs.

Upon arriving at the manor, Rastullordered the fighters and rogues of hisband to keep a watch on the manorexits and perimeter. Rastull and hisapprentice then knocked on the door.When Jethro opened the door, Rastullcharmed him using his eye ofcharming(worn as a monocle). Once inside, Ras-tull made his way up the manor stairswhile his fighters searched the groundfloor.

Quelkin managed to flee the manorusing his wits and two spells: darkness15' radius and feather fall. However, heneglected to mention to the PCs that,after landing outside the manor, he

DUNGEON 19

QUELKIN’S QUANDARY

encountered Lusk and seriously wound-ed the thief with several magic missiles(cast from his ring ofspell storing).Quelkin is not generally a hostile per-son, but Lusk was certainly in no moodto pursue the wizard after that. Con-trary to his earlier remarks, Quelkinstill has some spells available to him(either memorized or stored in his ring),but they are mainly defensive in na-ture. fliie rest of his spell complementwas exhausted earlier that day whiledoing spell research.)Lusk staggered back inside the manor

to report Quelkin’s escape. In revenge,Lusk then slew Quelkin’s cat familiar.Luckily, Quelkin survived the shock ofhis familiar’s death (but he lost onepoint of Constitution).

Although Rastull was planning to sim-ply loot the memor and leave, he heistaken a liking to the place and plans tosettle in Quelkin’s abode, at least tempo-rarily. Using his newly acquired spellbooks, he may even terrorize CarthingtonCross. He has yet to devote seriousthought to the matter, but Rastull likeskeeping his options open. Rastull and hisband will still be at the manor if the PCsdecide to venture there.

Quelkin encountered only two mem-bers of Rastull’s Regiment (Rastull andLusk) and does not know ifthere eureothers. If the party agrees to helpQuelkin rid his manor of the unwelcomevisitors, Quelkin will provide roughlysketched floor plans of the premises (theDM should create these as required,based on the map on page 25). Stillfrazzled from the experience, he willprovide such maps only on request.While Quelkin is sketching the maps,the PCs have time to outfit themselvesfor the impending encounter. Quelkinhimself remains in Carthington Cross,seeking pity from the good citizens atthe pub (to little avail).Quelkin: AL NG; AC 6; MV 12; W8;

hp 17; THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg by spellor weapon type; S 11, D 16, C 10 (for-merly 11), 1 18, W 12, Ch 14; ML 10;cloak ofprotection +2, ring ofspellstoring (with the spells sleep, detectinvisibility, and knock). Spells remain-ing: detect magic, protection from can-trips, tongues.

Quelkin’s ring ofspell storing is invisi-ble, and the wizard uses its spells spar-ingly (and secretly, if possible).Quelkin will consider the party’s re-

ward only after the PCs rid his manor ofRastull and his cohorts (Quelkin has noidea how much money he has stashedaway and relies on his servant, Jethro,to keep an eye on the funds). He does,however, promise to “make it worthyour while.” 'The reward Quelkin offerswill depend on whether the PCs accom-plish their task without damaging themanor and whether they can saveJethro. See “Concluding the Adven-ture” for details.

Quelkin’s Manor

The jovu-ney to Quelkin’s abode is un-eventful if the adventurers stay on theroad (those who stray from the path willencounter nothing more dangerous thana giant skunk or two). Once the PCscome within sight of the manor, read orparaphrase the following to the players:

You follow an old road through thewoods north of Carthington Cross.After a long and winding trek, youreach a hilltop clearing in whichstands an odd yet well-kept manor ofgray stone. Quelkin’s home consistsof a three-story tower and two single-story wings. TTie manor entrance isflanked by a tilted pair of smiling

griffon statues embedded in thegrass, and the walls are covered withcreeping ivy. A weather vanesqueaks noisily atop the slate roof,while the witchgrass and smround-ing brush contribute to an overallsense of isolation.

If the PCs arrive at night, they seelight emanating from several of themanor’s windows and smoke rising fromits chimneys. During the day, however,there eu-e few signs to verify that thehouse is inhabited.PCs who approach the manor from the

front will be seen by Rastull’s sheup-eyed weasel familiar, T’bubnik, whokeeps watch through the south windowof area 16 (directly above the manor’sfront entrance). If alerted to intruders,

Rastull sends his apprentice, Aerzon, towarn the rest of his band. Each NPChas his own strategy for dealing withintruders. Nonevil NPCs may be co-erced into switching sides (see page 23).The NPCs are well coordinated and willretreat to the third floor (areas 14-16) tomake their final stand, if necessary.

Rastull’s Regiment

Rastull and his band are mobile and notrestricted to any room of the manor.Nevertheless, most NPCs remain intheir particular areas, depending on thetime. (See the sidebar on page 22.).Rastull expects that Quelkin might hiresomeone to retake the manor, so hisband is still on alert (although the arro-gant mage is not expecting any worthyopposition).

Rastull Fizzlewand, transmuter: ALNE; AC 8 (4 with armor spell); MV 12;W6; hp 17; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg byspell or weapon type; S 12, D 16, C 14,

1

17, W 10, Ch 14; ML 13; XP 1,400; dag-ger, wand ofparalyzation (eight charges;command word “wickstiff”), potion ofpolymorph self{two doses), eye ofcharm-ing (worn as monocle).Spells: color spray, enlarge, shield,

shocking grasp, spider climb; invisibili-ty, pyrotechnics, rope trick; haste, holdperson, wraithform.

Rastull is tall and thin with hunchedshoulders, a black two-pointed cap, anda long sallow face. His eyes burn withgreed, and his purple robe hangs looselyon his slender frame. While staying atQuelkin’s manor, Rastull keeps his spellbook in the workroom (area 16).Rastull already has an armor spell

20 Issue No. 47

QUELKIN’S QUANDARY

cast on himself. If alerted to the pres-ence of intruders, Rastull enlarges his

familiar, transforming it into a giantweasel. He then assumes the shape of abat (using his potion) and hangs incon-spicuously from a rafter. Alternatively,he may cast his invisibility spell onhimself. If any other NPCs are withRastull, he uses his magic to concealtheir presence as well.

When finally confronted, Rastull useshis eye ofcharming to charm anyonewho meets his gaze (save at +2). Hecasts his pyrotechnics spell to blind anyattackers, then follows up with his holdperson spell or wand ofparalyzation(taken from Quelkin’s workroom). Hesaves his haste spell for Marne andOzwell, the fighters in his band, dou-bling their number of attacks per round.Rastull reserves his wraithform spell (orthe last dose of his potion) for escapes.His rope trick spell is particularlyhandy, as it can conceal the entire NPCparty if necessary.

T’bubnik (weasel familiar): INT ani-mal; AL N; AC 7; MV 15; HD Vz; hp 4;THACO 20; HAT 1; Dmg 1 (1-2); SZ T (S);ML 11; XP 7; MM/241 (Mammal). Sta-tistics in parentheses are for T’bubnik’senlarged form.

T’bubnik does not get along well withAerzon’s lizard familiar, Llue. The wea-sel typically remains on guard in thewortooom (area 16), while the lizardusually dwells in the kitchen (area 5).Aerzon, apprentice mage: AL N; AC

10 (6 with armor spell); MV 12; W2; hp5; THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg by spell orweapon type; S 8, D 12, C 11, 1 16, W10, Ch 11; ML 8; XP 175; dagger, potionof invisibility (one dose), wand ofdaz-zling (13 charges; see details below).

Spells: phantasmal force, spider climb.Aerzon has an armor spell cast on

himself (courtesy of Rastull) and keepshis wand ofdazzling handy at all times.The wand is a special item crafted byQuelkin and taken from his workroom.The wand can create dancing lights (onecharge per use), color spray (two cheirgesper use), and pyrotechnics (fireworksonly, three charges per use). The com-mand words for the wand’s powers are“solaria,” “lumiere,” and “blazefire”respectively.

Aerzon reserves his potion of invisibil-ity for escape purposes. He is a mousyyoung man, slim of build, with oilyblack hair and shifty eyes. His robe issewn with multiple pockets for his spellcomponents. This apparel looks quite

ridiculous and is poorly fitted.Llue (young giant lizard familiar):

INT animal; AL N; AC 7; MV 15; HDVz; hp 4; THACO 20; #AT 1 (bite); Dmg1; SZ T dVz' long); ML 8; XP 7; MM/226(Lizard, modified). Aerzon recentlyacquired this familiar and is not awarethat this creature will eventually growto be 15' long.

Marne: AL N; AC 3; MV 9; F5; hp 39;THACO 16; #AT 3/2; Dmg by weapontype; S 18/23 ( + 1, +3), D 11, C 15, 1 12,W 11, Ch 14; ML 12; XP 420; chain mail+ 1, morning star +1 (specialized),shield, light crossbow, 15 bolts, 31 gp,35 sp, and five 10-gp frost agates inpouch.

Meime relishes any opportunity toprove his fighting skills but does notpartake in battles that are clearly not in

his favor. He prefers one-on-one duelsrather than fighting multiple adversaries,and will chedlenge any PC fighter whoconfronts him. Rastull pays Marne wellfor his loyalty, but Marne is not aboveswitching sides if the price is right.

OzweU: AL NG; AC 3; MV 9; F3; hp22; THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; S 16 (-, + 1), D 14, C 16, 1 9, W 9,Ch 10; ML 11; XP 120; plate mail, hal-

berd, short sword, light crossbow, 12

bolts, three bolts +1 , 18 gp and 21 sp inpouch.

Ozwell is Marne’s fighting companionand loyal friend. The two were oncemembers of 'The Flailing Eight, anadventuring party that disbanded aftera treasure-sharing dispute. Ozwell isnot especially fond of Rastull, but theevil wizard has so far proven himself tobe a worthy ally. Ozwell would neverperform an evil act by choice, but hesees nothing wrong with helping oneevil mage overcome another evil mage(and he has taken Quelkin’s reputationat face value).

Lusk: AL NE; AC 5; MV 12; T4; hp 9(19 at full); THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type (backstab x 2); S 11, D 17,C 15, 1 12, W 11, Ch 8; ML 10; XP 270;PP 50%, OL 47%, FT 35%, MS 38%, HS35%, DN 15%, CW 93%, RL 10%; leath-er armor, potion of thievery (adds twolevels, 2d6 + 1 hp, and +8% to all thiefabilities), short sword ofbackstabbing+2 (wielder backstabs at four levelshigher), 19 gp, and four 50-gp beryls inpouch. Lusk’s magical items are fullydescribed in the Complete Thiefs Hand-book (CTH).

DUNGEON 21

QUELKIN’S QUANDARY

Lusk is a vile individual, barely toler-ated by the other members of Rastull’sband but feared because of his cold,vindictive demeanor. His ultimate goalis to become guild master of the DeirkRing, a secret society of thieves. Lusk’ssuperiors are aware of his ambitionsand have a contract for terminationready should Lusk get out of hemd.Reltin, the other thief in Rastull’s Regi-

ment, has secret orders to slay Lusk ifhe does anything to confound the inter-ests of the Dark Ring. This sits wellwith Reltin, who has taken a liking toLusk’s magical sword.Lusk was wounded by Quelkin’s mag-

ic missiles and is still recovering (hecurrently has 9 hp). Because of hisweakened state, he will abstain fromdirect confrontation with the PCs andtry to use his concealment skills to besteffect. Any PC who strays from thegroup will be the recipient of Lusk’sbackstab attempt.Reltin: AL N; AC 6; MV 12; T3; hp

10; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype (backstab x 2); S 13, D 18, C 10,

1

13, W 9, Ch 11; ML 8; XP 120; PP 58%,OL 35%, FT 19%, MS 78%, HS 35%, DN22%, CW 87%, RL 0%; short sword,sling (10 bullets), two concealed throw-ing daggers, potion of gaseous form(from Rastull), 22 gp, and a 75-gp elec-trum brooch.Reltin is a young upstart whose sole

loyalty is to the Dsuk Ring, an influen-tial thieves’ guild. Both he and Luskjoined Rastull’s Regiment as guild rep-resentatives. The guild masters, havingfinanced a number of Rastull’s treasure-hunting expeditions, wish to keep theevil wizard as an ally. If Rastull’s loyal-ty tirnns elsewhere, both Lusk and Rel-tin have instructions to dispatch themage at once.Reltin is not a cold-blooded killer like

Lusk. He attacks only if threatened orharassed and will usually withdrawafter wounding an opponent. He killsunder contract, but the instructions of

the guild do not include murderingstrangers. Besides, he has to keep aneye on Rastull and Lusk. Reltin prefersnot to wear armor, as it hampers histhieving abilities.

Kett, gypsy-bard: AL N; AC 6; MV 12;B3; hp 15; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg byspell or weapon type; S 12, D 16, C 12,

1

16, W 10, Ch 15; ML 12; XP 175; CW50%, DN 20%, PP 10%, RL 5%; leatherarmor, dagger, 12 darts, gloves ofmissilesnaring, wand ofmagic detection (threecharges, command word “Zaru”), 25 gpin pouch, zither. Spells: change self,ventriloquism.

Kett is an unusual woman. In addi-tion to her extraordinary musical tal-

ent, she is a keen observer of the mostminute details and has the appraisingand blind-fighting proficiencies. If theDM uses psionics in his campaign, Kettalso has the following psionic wild tal-ents: Control Flames, Danger Sense,and Life Draining (each of which can beemployed once per day). So far, no oneelse in Rastull’s Regiment is aware ofKett’s psionic potential.

Kett joined Rastull’s band in search ofadventme and inspiration. She has notcomposed any new melodies for the lastseveral months and is searching for alittle action. She will defend herself andhelp protect the rest of the NPC party(except Lusk, whom she despises). Shewill not, however, attack the PCs with-out due cause. She may even be con-vinced to join the party if the PCs areadventurous enough for her tastes.

Playing the NPCs

When the PCs first arrive at Quelkin’smanor, the DM should refer to the “NPCLocations” sidebar (see below). The loca-tions of the NPCs vary from day to night.Quelkin’s servant, Jethro, wanders aboutthe manor in a charmed state, performinghis usual functions on Rastull’s behEilf. Hewill first be encountered in the kitchen

(area 5) day or night.

Rastull and his allies should be wor-thy antagonists for the PC party, andthe DM is encouraged to play theseNPCs as if they were his own charac-ters. The NPCs assume that the PCs areevil, hired by the “evil mage” Quelkin,and the PCs will have to work hard toprove otherwise. Likewise, the PCs mayeissume that the NPCs eu*e all evil,when in fact most of them are not. Re-gardless of their alignments, Rastull

and his company arc prepared to defendQuelkin’s manor and use the followingtactics to ensure victory:

• Once alerted to the PCs, Rastull hasJethro brought to him as a hostage.Rastull threatens to kill Jethro if the

PCs do not surrender themselves orretreat, and he is quite willing to backup his threat. If Rastull harms Jethro,certain members of his band (Ozwelland Kett in particular) will becomeuneasy and create ripples of dissensionthroughout Rastull’s Regiment. Cleverand attentive PCs may find ways tocapitalize on this situation.

• If the manor is breached, all surviv-ing NPCs immediately withdraw toareas 14-16 on the third floor, using thesecret staircase (area 8). Once assem-bled on the uppermost floor, they pre-pare their defense.

• Aerzon uses his familiar, Llue, tomonitor the PCs’ progress from a safedistance. Kett secretly uses her DangerSense wild talent to discern when thePCs are near.

• Rastull cetsts his rope trick spell,

enabling the entire NPC party to van-ish from sight. (The PCs may believethat the NPCs have fled.) Rastull andthe others remain hidden until the PCsleave or let down their guard, at whichtime the NPCs reappear to dispatchtheir unwanted foes.

• If the NPCs become divided, or if theI*Cs are in close proximity to Rastull,

the evil mage saves his rope trick spelluntil the PCs are out of sight and mostof his regiment is together. He casts hishaste spell on Marne and Ozwell, order-ing them to stand guard while he pre-pares his other defensive spells or

drinks his magical potion. Rastull con-siders the fighters to be the most ex-pendable members of his band.

• One of Aerzon’s favorite tactics is tocast his phantasmal force spell on anopen door, making the portal appearclosed. If the PCs approach the door,Rastull and Aerzon automatically catchthem by surprise with a few good spells.

NPC Locations6:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M. 6: