With all this OGL controversy, I took down my one and only stab at self-publishing: a 5e adventure for DM's Guild called "Elf-bane"—just in case. Some are claiming WotC can potentially "seize" content created under
previous versions of the OGL, and I wouldn't want that to happen to
anything I made. It's nothing special—I only sold 22 units for a net of $72.38 and a paid (50%) royalty of $36.89—but it's mine.
Ironically, this adventure spun out of a submission to become a writer for Adventurer's League back in the early-early days of 5e. I was just dipping my toes back into D&D and wasn't aware how much the game had changed, sociologically, since I left it in the late 80s. Naive might be a better word for it, but I was excited by the prospects of 5th edition.
The submission instructions were...
Send back to your point-of-contact two different scenes or encounters each designed for five 3rd-level characters using all of the following design elements between both of them. You do not need to use all of the elements listed for each scene or encounter, but you may reuse elements for either one.
Each scene or encounter should be a maximum of one page. You do not have to include stat blocks for the monsters. One scene should emphasize exploration or social interaction (your choice) and the other should emphasize combat.
- Setting/environment: ruined temple
- Feature: secret door
- Feature: hidden spiked pit
- NPC: elf noble
- Monster: manticore
- Monster: orc(s)
- Monster: skeleton(s)
WotC rejected the adventure I wrote from these guidelines. My point of contact asked if I would like a critique of the adventure, but he never responded to my request for one. I have a feeling I know why: The "elf noble" in my adventure was a female ranger being tortured by "orc(s)" who intend to sacrifice her in the "ruined temple."
Yikes! I had no idea that sort of thing was frowned upon these days. I thought I was leaning too heavily into the D&D trope. I also gave them a mini-dungeon adventure with the ruined temple setting, which might have been more content than they wanted (although the original version met the one-page scene guideline).
At some point, I expanded the dungeon slightly and put the adventure up for sale on DM's Guild, but I don't really want to associate with that site anymore. I've decided to rewrite the adventure to be compatible with AD&D and post it here for anyone who wants it. (Thank you to everyone who bought the PDF.)
Introduction
In a strip of broken, craggy hills as night begins to fall...
–Guttural sounds (shouting, cursing, etc.) echo off the steep gully walls.
–An orc camp sits in a box canyon below a 100-ft. high cliff.
–A switchback path ascends to a dark entrance in the cliff face, framed by carved pillars—the ruins of an orcish temple.
Overview
Long ago, a tribe of orcs led by Thrugg the Unyielding ruled here, before the elves and humans drove them out. Thrugg was entombed within this temple, and legends say he was buried with a fabled magic spear called Elf-bane.
In recent weeks, a band of orcs began roaming these hills searching for the temple. After finally reaching the site, the orcs have so far failed to discover the tomb's location. They are frustrated, and their current leader suspects a revolt is in the making.
Orc Camp
Three hide tents surround a modest fire in an isolated canyon protected by cliffs on three sides. The orcs feel secure in the canyon and are not very alert; (4) orcs sit around the fire cooking a fat boar, while a fifth orc snores loudly inside a tent.
- Orc (AC 6, HD 1, HP 4,5(x2),6,7; AT 1; DAM 1-8). Each carries 4d6 sp and 2d6 gp.
–Inside his personal tent, the orc leader torments a barely-conscious wood elf captive.
- Orc Leader (AC 5, HD 1+2, HP 8; AT 1; DAM 1-8+1). He carries double loot, plus a silk pouch containing (7) gems (worth 50 gp ea.)
Development
If the characters sneak past the camp, the orcs will enter temple area 2 in 2d3 hours with their elf captive in tow. They intend to sacrifice her before the statue and beseech the god to reveal the tomb entrance. If the secret door to area 3 is open, the orcs enter the tomb instead and use the elf to test for traps.
Temple Ruins
The temple is cut into the natural rock of the hillside. The stonework is rough and crudely-hewn, but well-engineered.
A narrow switchback path ascends 40 ft. to a darkened shelf of rock below an overhang supported by four thick pillars. The walls are carved with orcish petroglyphs. Pottery sherds and old skulls litter the floor. A rugged entrance leads inside.
2) Temple Chamber
Thick pillars carved with orcish petroglyphs support a 15-ft. high cavernous ceiling. A central altar stone is stained black from countless sacrifices. On the far wall is a raised platform and an 8-ft. high statue, crudely sculpted from a massive block of stone. A patinaed bronze brazier stands to either side of the platform.
The chiseled walls are covered with primitive cave paintings (scenes of orcish combat, hunting, the slaughter of enemies, etc.) The walls are also marked with evidence of the orcs’ fruitless excavation. Various digging tools litter the floor.
The statue depicts an orc deity with a snarling face seated on a throne. A bronze ring hangs from its wide nose. One of its clenched fists has a 2-in. diam. hole that once held a ritual spear. If a pole (spear haft, tool handle, etc.) is inserted and the bronze ring is pulled down, the statue and rear wall pivot to reveal area 3.
3) Star Chamber
Narrow steps descend from this anteroom to areas 4 and 5. Painted on the 10 ft. high ceiling is a crude mural of a star-filled sky with a dire yellow eye ringed by lightning in the center. Wall murals depict orc supplicants reaching for the eye. If the eye is struck forcefully, a clay panel behind the thin plaster breaks apart, revealing a 4-ft. sq. opening to area 8.
4) Hall of the Dead
Steep steps descend 30 ft. to a wide passage. The walls are painted with crude frescoes of orc warriors marching toward the far end of the hall. A thin layer of plaster and lattice conceals six alcoves—three to a wall—with an orc skeleton secreted in each. A panel can be discovered as a secret door, but the plaster screen must be smashed open. Doing so triggers all six skeletons to animate and burst from their alcoves.
At the end of the hall stand heavy timber doors with bronze strapping and pull rings. The doors are false; trying to open them triggers a 10-ft. deep spiked pit trap (3d6 damage). In addition, the (6) orc skeletons emerge from their hidden alcoves and attack (if they haven't already).
- Orc Skeleton (AC 7, HD 1, HP 3,4(x2),5(x2),6; AT 1 (club), DAM 1-6; SD immune to cold, sleep, charm, hold and other mental based attacks; edged weapons do half damage, piercing weapons do 1-2)
5) False Tomb
Steep steps descend 10 ft. to a crypt. The walls are carved with crude orcish glyphs praising Thrugg. Two stone sarcophagi are carved with hundreds of skull-like faces. Lifting either lid triggers a trap.
- (a) Dozens of iron darts fire from the carved skulls in every direction. Everyone in the room or at the entrance is struck by (1d4+2) darts, each of which does 1d3 damage.
(b) Scythe blades spring from beneath the lid and strike anyone standing next to it for 1d10+2 damage. This sarcophagus has a false bottom that conceals a 4-ft. sq. shaft to area 6
Each sarcophagus holds moldering bones and jewelry worth 200 gp. One also has an ornate (non-magical) spear.
6) Trapped Hall
The shaft from area 5 drops 10 ft. into a narrow passage with a 5-ft. ceiling. A pressure plate at ‘x’ releases (2) spring-loaded iron spears from the walls (each spear attacks the same target as a 3 HD monster for 1d8+1 damage).
Beyond the trap, the passage widens to 10-ft. with 10-ft. ceilings and turns east, sloping down to a pair of heavy timber doors with bronze strapping and pull rings. The slope descends 10 ft. over its length. At the base of the slope on the south wall is a secret door (simple hinged panel) that can be pushed open into area 7.
The doors are false; trying to open them triggers a 10-ft. deep spiked pit trap (3d6 damage). Simultaneously, trapdoors in the ceiling open at the top of the slope, depositing a gelatinous cube into the hall. It slides down the slope over (3) rounds, scooping up prey before dropping into the pit .
- Gelatinous Cube (AC 8, HD 4, HP 23; AT 1, DAM 2d4; SA paralyzing touch, surprise on 1-3; SD immune to electricity, fear, sleep, hold, paralysis, and polymorph; cold slows it but does max 1d4 damage, or no damage if save is made). The cube is centuries old, having subsisted on bugs, rodents, and rainwater seepage.
7) Treasure Vault
The secret chamber holds a stone coffer containing 1,200 ancient silver coins, 10 gems worth (1d6)x50 gp ea., and a Horn of Bravery—see New Magic Items.
8) Antechamber
The trapdoor from area 3 opens into a short passage to area 9. A pressure plate in the floor triggers a 10-ft. deep spiked pit trap (3d6 damage) on 1-3 in 6.
9) Chieftain’s Crypt
Thick pillars support a 20-ft. high ceiling. Orcish scrawls cover the walls, praising Thrugg the Unyielding and praying for his glorious passage to the eternal battlefield.
A jagged fracture in the stone cuts across the walls, floor, and ceiling—evidence of a past earthquake that damaged the crypt. Portions of the upper walls and ceiling in one corner have collapsed, opening a large hole and scattering rubble across the floor.
- A manticore lurks in the darkened hole (area 10); it will investigate any noise or light in the crypt.
In the center of the room, Thrugg's mummified body sits on a crude throne made of rocks and skulls, draped with moldering animal furs. Propped against the shrouded body is an orc-crafted long spear. Dozens of skeletons—Thrugg’s sacrificed concubines and loyal followers—are laid out on straw mats surrounding the throne.
A stone chest buried beneath the throne pile contains 7,500 ancient silver coins, ten gold bars (worth 50 gp ea.), a jeweled goblet made from a rival chieftain’s skull (worth 500 gp), a wolf’s pelt mantle that acts as a Cloak of Protection, and a +1 Flint Hand Axe. The long spear in the chieftain's grasp is the orcish relic called Uulfbahn ("Elf-bane" in their tongue)—see New Magic Items.
- Manticore (AC 4, HD 6+3, HP 33; AT 3, DAM 1d3/1d3/1d8; SA tail spikes)
Further Development
Alwyth and Ulthwyn are the children of an important elf lord in the forest bordering these hills. If the party rescues Alwyth, she asks the party to escort her to her forest home for a proper reward.
New Magic Items
The following unique items can be found in the adventure.
Horn of Bravery
This item is made from a black ram’s horn and carved with images of battle. Once per day, when the horn is sounded, the user and all allies in a 60-ft. radius who can hear it become immune to fear or bad morale for 1d4+2 turns. While immune, the user's current hit points are also increased by 1 hit die + Constitution bonus (if any).
Uulfbahn <Elf-bane>
This +1 Spear is made of cold iron and inscribed with various orcish curses. It is a +3 Spear vs. Elves, Sylvan, and Faerie Creatures, and does twice the base weapon damage (2d6) to all such beings.
No comments:
Post a Comment