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!§!©•Basic Game Adventure

KING'S FESTIVALby Carl Sargent

Credits:Design: Carl SargentEditing: Jim LowderCover Artist: Clyde CaldwellInterior Artist: Valerie ValusekCartographer: DieselTypographer: Gaye O'KeefeKeyliner: Stephanie Tabat

C1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Primed in U.S.A.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and D&D are registered trademarksowned by TSR, Inc.The TSR logo is a trademark owned by TSR, Inc.Distributed to the book trade in the United States by RandomHouse, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd.Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. Dis-tributed in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.

This module is protected under the copyright laws of the UnitedStates of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use ofthe material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express *written permission of TSR, Inc.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 2Dungeon Master's Guide to D&D Adventure 3Dungeon Master's Guide to Karameikos 10DM's Introduction 11Players' Introduction 12

SPECIAL PULL-OUT PLAYERS' REFERENCE SECTION

Players' Reference Sheet 13Dungeon Mapping Sheet 14Ready-to-Play Characters 15What You Know about Karameikos 18Character Record Sheet 19Area Map and Handouts 20Adventure Clock (DM Play-Aid) 20

KING'S FESTIVALDungeon Level I 21Dungeon Level II 27New Monsters 31Experience Reference Chart 32

DUNGEON MASTER'S MAPS

Area Map 20Dungeon Level I inner coverDungeon Level II inner coverKarameikos and its Neighbors inner cover

ISBN 0-88038-746-7 9260

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intRo6uction

Welcome to the endless realms of TheDungeons & Dragons® game, players andDungeon Masters! King's Festival is anadventure pack or module, filled with in-formation and play aids to introduce youto a fantasy world where dragons wheelin the skies and terrible monsters stalkremote wastelands, where creatures ofdarkness lie in wait in the gloom ofdungeons and adventurers sharpen theirswords and ready their spells to over-come the forces of evil and Chaos! A firstadventure for heroes beginning their ad-venturing careers completes King's Festi-val. You stand on the threshold ofthrilling adventures!

If you are going to be a player in theD&D® game contained in this product,you should read no further. Much of thematerial in the following pages is only forthe eyes of the Dungeon Master (DM)—the person who will unfold the adventurebefore you.

This module has been specifically de-signed for inexperienced players andDMs, and it is an ideal first adventure forfour or more 1st level characters. Pages3-9 are the Dungeon Master's Guide toD&D Adventures. There you will find awealth of tips on how to run any D&Dadventure, not just the one you will find

in this product. Creating characters, or-ganizing play, playing the roles of mon-sters and other characters, dealing withcommon problems that crop up fromtime to time—these and many more top-ics are discussed in depth. You will be amuch better prepared DM after readingthis section, and you can be confidentthat players will soon be clamoring foryou to run other challenging adventuresfor their characters!

The DM's Guide to Karameikos onpage 10 gives background informationon the fantasy setting of this adventure.Next you'll find a special introduction toprepare everyone for the adventureahead. Page 12 gives a full introductionto the adventure and setting for the play-ers. Then, pages 21-31 hold the adven-ture itself, with monsters and dungeonrooms and treasures: the real heart of theaction.

On pages 13-20 is a special pull-outsection of game material for the players.You can detach this and use it separatelysimply by opening out the staples, re-moving these pages, and pushing the sta-ples flat again. In this section, you willfind characters for players to use if theydo not yet have their own; a mappingsheet for recording details of the dungeonto be explored; a character sheet on

which players can record details of anycharacters they play; a map to be given tothe players; a reference sheet of impor-tant details in the D&D game; and back-ground on the game world for players.

Finally, pages 31-32 give more refer-ence material and the details of two newmonsters players will encounter in thedungeon. Especially useful is the Experi-ence Reference Chart (page 32), whichhelps you keep track of treasure and ex-perience gained as the player characters'use weapons, magic, and wit to over-come enemies and attain their goals.

Even the cover of this package is spe-cially designed for beginning DungeonMasters. Folded out, the inner 2 panelsof the cover contain the maps you need torun the adventure. You can use this coveras a "screen" during play by standing itaround your notes and the text of thegame. This will keep details of the adven-ture away from the prying eyes of theplayers while letting you have the mapsyou need right in front of you.

So read on and begin the adventure!

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Getting Started

You and the players should read throughmost of the rulebooks in the D&D® BasicSet before you begin play. Players shouldstart by reading pages 2-12 of the PlayersManual, then pages 48-52 (which won'tbe fully clear to them at this stage), thenpage 55 on Alignment. Next, theyshould read pages 23-28 and 37-47 on thedifferent character classes in the D&Dgame. Finally, they should reread pages48-52, then read pages 53-61. The DM,should read this material, as well as theDungeon Masters Rulebook. (You canskip pages 4-13 since you have an excel-lent first adventure in this product!)Later, players will want to read throughthe whole of the Players Manual, andyou should browse through all sections ofboth the books in the D&D Basic Set.

Characters

The player characters (PCs) are the char-acters in the D&D game whose actionsare decided by the players. Help yourplayers as their characters are created sothat everyone has a good idea of whotheir PC is, what their character wants toachieve, and what resources are availa-ble to that character.

Players may use the pregenerated PCsprovided in the Players' Pull-out Sectionon pages 15-18, or generate new charac-ters using the rules in the Players Man-ual. We suggest using the pregeneratedcharacters. This saves time, and playersusually want to start adventuring asquickly as possible.

The abilities, special talents, equip-ment, and money of the pregeneratedPCs are fully detailed, but many of thePCs' characteristics have been left up tothe player. The sex, age, alignment, ap-pearance, and personality of each PC hasnot been filled in, so players may person-alize their characters. Finally, the pre-generated PCs are a well-balancedadventuring group. Even if you decidenot to use them, they are a useful guideto equipping and preparing groups ofPCs for any adventure.

Which pregenerated PCs should be

used depends on the number of players.(Playing this adventure with fewer thanfour players is not recommended.) If youhave four players, use PCs #1 through#4, and PC #6 should be used as a Non-Player Character (NPC) accompanyingthe group. You, the DM, play the role ofthe dwarf as a "sidekick" of the party. Ifyou have more than four players, addPCs #5 through #7, in order. We don'trecommend you run more than sevenplayers in this beginning adventure, asthere will be too many people for gameplay to run smoothly.

If players strongly prefer to createtheir own characters, fine. Go throughcharacter generation with them, so thatthe rules are followed. The Players Man-ual is very specific here, but you shouldpractice generating a few sample charac-ters yourself so that you are familiar withthe rules and can help a player if a prob-lem arises.

We also suggest you allow a minimumscore when the first hit dice roll is madefor PC hit points. The minimum is 5 fora fighter or dwarf; 4 for a cleric, elf, orhalfling; and 3 for a magic-user or thief.If the dice roll is below the minimum fora particular character, use the minimuminstead. These minimums do not includeany Constitution bonuses or penalties—which should be applied as normal—andapply only to the first dice roll for hitpoints. Allowing minimum hit pointsgives PCs a better chance to survive theperils of lst-level adventures.

Next, go through the ability scoreswith players to be sure that they have thebonuses and penalties for their PCs prop-erly recorded and the players know whatthey mean. Ability scores are straightfor-ward, but special abilities may needmore attention. Elves, dwarves, half-lings, and thieves all have special talents(infravision, detecting sloping passagesor secret doors, backstabbing). Playerswill learn to use these special skills astheir PCs go on more adventures, butthey should be well aware of them andhave a few ideas on how to use them rightat the start. Going through them with theplayers will also refresh your memory ofthe uses of all these special abilities.

Finally, spellcasters (magic-users,elves, and eventually clerics) are a cru-cial part of any successful adventuringparty. Make sure that players are wellaware of what their spells can and can'tdo and what the ranges, areas of effect,and other specifics of their spells are.Since spellcasters have few spells in theirspellbooks to begin with, this won't betoo difficult to deal with quickly.

Equipment

Of course PCs must have weapons, ar-mor, and the like, but there's more toproperly equipping a party of adventur-ers than that. A cleric cannot turn un-dead without a holy symbol; a thiefcannot open locks or check for trapswithout his tools. If a character falls intoa pit, a rope is vital for getting him out.PCs finding a big pile of treasure coinscan't carry it without sacks, and so on.

So a well-equipped party has a majoradvantage, and it's a good idea to havethe players check through the equipmenttheir PCs have between them and listwhat new equipment they need, as wellas ideas for how each item could be usedeffectively. This just might save a PC'slife during the adventure. Give the play-ers time to think this through. Remem-ber to check the cost of their purchasescorrectly when they finally outfit theirPCs.

Preparing to Play

Completed character sheets, dice, pen-cils, rulebooks, and erasers should behandy as you prepare to play. It's helpfulto use paper for notes that can be kept ina ring binder so players can store and re-vise useful information they come acrossin the game. Also, the mapping page onpage 14 of this product is crucial for play.As with the Character Record Sheet, thismapping page may be photocopied forpersonal use.

There is a special reference section onpage 13 of the Players' Pull-out Sectionof King's Festival that lists lots of useful in-formation players will need during thegame. Your players will want to have this

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handy for combats so that checks can bemade quickly when needed.

Finally, you should photocopy theback outside cover of the D&D® BasicSet's Dungeon Masters Rulebook—theIndex. This makes it easy locate the an-swers to rules questions quickly.

Now you and your players are ready toundertake an adventure!

The Organized Dungeon Master

Players have less to do in a game thanyou do. Each player usually plays butone PC. You've got to run the whole ad-venture! In addition to keeping track ofall the players' actions, you play all themonsters and people they encounter. Agood DM gives the players descriptionsof the lands and creatures they encoun-ter, too. There are many practical waysin which you can lighten the burden ofgood DMing.

First, the adventure you plan to runmust be ready for play. Here, life is easy,since you have a fully developed adven-ture in this product. When you write

your own, there will be much more to do!You must have maps of the area wherethe action will take place, an introduc-tion with background information for thePCs, full lists of monsters with armorclass, hit points, and other stats fully re-corded, and perhaps hand-outs for play-ers (if PCs find some message or map).This is a lot of paper to have floatingaround at a game. Minimize the workrequired to keep track of it all by beingorganized.

Separate sets of notes, covering differ-ent dungeon levels or NPCs the playerswill encounter, can be kept in individualpackets. Different colored paper can bevery useful for this. Then, during thegame when you've finished with onepacket of game material, put it to oneside so it doesn't get mixed with the notesyou still need.

Also be sure that you, like the players,have paper, pencils, dice, and erasershandy. You'll need a good place to play,too. Usually a solid table, with comfort-able chairs and a place at the head of itfor the DM is best. You can keep your

game notes out of sight of the players be-hind the cover of this module.

When the adventure begins, help theplayers organize their characters as agroup. The PCs will usually have astandard "marching order" in adungeon, the relative positions the PCsoccupy when moving—usually withfighters at the front, magic-users andthieves in the middle, and so on. It'shelpful to make a note of this so youdon't have to keep asking during thegame.

Organize how players will give infor-mation on their characters' actions toyou, too. Having a Caller—a personwho tells the DM what the party isdoing—is helpful. However, be sure toencourage players to discuss their actionsbefore the Caller says who is doing what.And, of course, players other than theCaller will sometimes need to tell whattheir PC is doing (if, for example, a thiefis acting as an advance spy, moving si-lently and alone down a hall).

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Time and Movement

Time in the game, referred to as "gametime," is often crucial, but don't be pre-cise when it isn't necessary. If PCs need tospend a day on the road traveling, don'tcount Turn (10 minutes) by Turn. Thatwill only slow things down unnecessarily.If there are no encounters in the morning,for example, just say "you spend a pleas-ant morning strolling along through theautumn sunshine and eat your lunch un-der the shade of a beech tree" (or what-ever fits the circumstances).

When time does matter, monitor itcarefully. In combat, measure time inRounds. With many spells that have adefinite duration (like shield, which lastsfor 2 Turns), keeping track of time in ei-ther Rounds or Turns will be vital. TheAdventure Clock on page 20 will be veryhelpful here—while this is in the Players'Pull-out Section, it is primarily for youruse. You may photocopy this for personaluse.

Time spent searching rooms may beimportant if PCs have spells running. Tomake life easy, say it takes 4 rounds for aparty to make a basic search of a room20' x 20' or smaller; 7 rounds for 20' x 20'to 40' x 40' (or equivalent); 1 Turn foranything bigger. This does not includesearching for secret doors or carefullyhidden items.

Keeping precise track of movement isusually only important in combat or at-tempted escapes, when characters are us-ing their per Round movement rates toclose on enemies, rush to aid their col-leagues, or flee from some angry andpowerful monster. Can the cleric get tothe fighter to help him before the ogrelands a killing blow? Can the armor-claddwarf escape from the goblin horde?Movement and time are important insuch common situations.

Keep things simple: in normal combatsituations, just make a rough check onyour dungeon map for the relative posi-tion of, say, a PC fighter and a potentialopponent. If a PC wants to rush to the at-tack and can cover the distance in around let him or her make the attack.With longer chases or other more com-

plicated scenarios, see pages 16-17 of theDungeon Masters Rulebook.

Experience and Experience Points

As the adventure progresses, PCs will ac-cumulate experience points (XPs) formonsters and enemies overcome, andtreasures gained. You can record these asyou go along, keeping a list, but there isanother way of doing this in this particu-lar product that is even faster—the Expe-rience Reference Sheet on page 32,which lists all the monster XPs and trea-sure to be found in the dungeon.

When the PCs defeat a monster, sim-ply put a check by the monster—which islisted together with the numbereddungeon area it is in—to record that thePCs have overcome it. Then, at the endof the adventure, you can simply add upthe total monster XPs earned by theplayers. A similar procedure can be usedfor treasure gained. Note that the Expe-rience Reference Sheet does not giveXPs for magic items the players mightfind. These items have no XP value: themagic is reward enough.

Finally, as the Basic D&D DungeonMasters Rulebook notes, XPs areawarded at the end of an adventure, notat the end of an evening's play. Charac-ters should complete the adventure totheir satisfaction and reach a place ofsafety before any XPs are awarded.

The Descriptive Dungeon Master

Never forget that you are the eyes andears of the player characters during thegame. Players are wholly dependent onyou to tell them what their PCs see, hear,and so on. Good DMs are able to conveythe feel and atmosphere of an adventure,the thrills and scares, by using good de-scriptions of what actions are takingplace and what the PC can see aroundthem.

King's Festival has sections of boxedtext for you to read to players that willshow you how to describe adventure lo-cations and events. It's a skill you ac-quire with experience. Just avoid the twoextremes of DM description!

First, don't be too sparing with de-scription. Players will quickly becomebored if you describe all the rooms sim-ply by their dimensions. Players will sim-ply sigh, "Oh, it's another 30 foot squareroom with a door opposite us" if all therooms in your dungeon look the same. Afew well-placed spider webs, dustyfloors, creaking (wooden) or slippery(stone) floors, squeaks, odd noises (batsin the attic, harmless beetles scuttlingunderfoot) can add a lot to a game.

The other extreme to avoid is overdo-ing your description. If most rooms havesymbols of evil all over the walls anddried blood on the floor, or every doorthe PCs open creaks, the overuse of repe-tative sights and sounds destroys a genu-ine build-up of tension and excitement inplayers. Remember, some locations maybe mundane and not worth a lengthy de-scription. A good DM will know whatthe PCs need to see, hear, and smell.

An important final point is that a goodDM details more than simply what PCssee. Don't forget noises (scurrying ver-min, voices, whistling wind, owl hoots,the scraping of something on stone—is itmetal, chitinous claws, or somethingeven more horrid?), smells (food, gar-bage, the reek of a filthy ogre aiming aclub at a PC), and tactile senses ("youfeel hair rising at the nape of your neck,"or "the stone feels cold and slimy as youtouch it").

Monsters and NPCs

Playing out encounters—whether it's abattle with a giant or a meeting with a pa-tron at a tavern—is the heart of the D&Dgame. The following notes on how todeal with this important part of DMingshould be very helpful to you as you runthis or any adventure.

Wandering Monsters. Be careful withwandering monsters (or WMs for short).It can be a disaster to have a weakenedPC party meet a nasty WM because of arandom dice roll. Use your best judge-ment. If the players have been playingwell or a battle with a wandering monsterwould hurt the flow of the game, over-

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