Tunnels Beneath the Earth — Week 1 (#Dungeon23)

First week's work is complete, and I'm relatively satisfied with what I have so far. Section 1 is the environs immediately over the dungeon. Multiple entrances lead to different levels, and some areas are deadly for low-level characters. Experienced adventurers who overcome these tougher areas can access deeper dungeon levels by skipping the upper sections.

I experienced an unusual amount of anxiety about writing in pen on paper, rather than from the safety of a keyboard. I made a few errors which I mostly managed to cover (i.e., I incorporated the mistakes into the dungeon's reality) and I dripped coffee on it—but by Day 5 I finally came to terms that I'm writing this for myself first, so mistakes don't matter...just scratch it out or make a side-note and move on.

I also need to break my habit of continuing to develop ideas once they're on paper, which is sometimes complicating the writeup if I don't have the extra space to squeeze extra material in legibly. I want these surface pieces to have a lot of expansion potential, though, because they carry so much weight in setting up the rest of the dungeon. Some of them (the Necropolis or the Colossal Head, for example) could be fleshed out into mini-adventure areas of their own if gameplay develops in that direction. I anticipate my dungeon keys being much briefer for most rooms, however.

Here is the (slightly-edited) key if my chicken scratch is too hard to read. To save valuable page space, I only statted monsters that are unique to a location; monsters without stats are written up elsewhere.

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"The Surface"

Level 1 (JAN) – The Upper Works

Section 1 (1/1 – 1/7)

NOTE: All dungeon locations are numbered by level (mo.)/section (wk.)/room (day).

ENCOUNTERS (2d6)

2 = Rare

3-4 = Uncommon

5-6 = Common

7-8 = Common

9-10 = Uncommon

11 = Rare

12 = Unique

SECTION KEY — WEEK 1

1.1.1 The Ruined City (01/01)

The site covers 100+ acres on a 60-ft. high plateau above the river. The area is cursed with perpetual rain and damp (5% chance each day that the sun comes out for 1d3* hours = NO encounter checks). The ruins are mostly buried; sections still stand in spots; old streets and building foundations partially visible.

–Encounter Chance = Roll once per 30 min. (1:d6 (day), 1-2:d6 (night))

• Common = [#3d3*] giant bats (night), giant rats, wolves
  
• Uncommon = [#2d3*] norkers, thieves, skeletons, giant ants
  
• Rare = [#1d3*] carnivorous apes, ghouls, gray ooze, aspis warriors
  
• Unique = [1]  crone (1.1.1e), otyugh (1.2.4), wight (Vazimir's lieut. - 1.1.5)
  

            * = Exploding d3's (roll 1d6/2: on '6', roll another)

City Locations

(a) The path crosses a tributary here, but it is easy to ford. (6) giant frogs (AC 7, HD 1, HP 6 ea.; AT 1, DAM 1-3; SA tongue) lurk among the reeds. A nearby dead body has a pouch (24 sp, 9 gp).

(b) Forest edge; hungry wolves (AC 7, HD 2+2, HP 5-7; AT 1, DAM 1-4+1) roam the woods.

(c) A pair of 30-ft. high eroded stone pillars. 30% chance 1d3+1 norkers (see 1.1.2) loiter here.

(d) A rivulet tumbles out of the hills into a 15-ft. deep reservoir pond, which feeds tributary to river. A side channel diverts some of that flow to The Culvert.

(e) A crone ("Yara") lives in a ramshackle hut. Monsters don't seem to bother her. She makes potions and trades for monster parts. She knows the song to open the cellar hatch in The Pile (1.1.2) and will hum it in exchange for a nice magic item out of the dungeon. She curses anyone who tries to harm her.

(f) Runoff drains (3-ft. diam. shafts that descend 20 ft. into The Sewers).

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1.1.2 The Pile (01/02)

Once a proud fortress, now just a heap of rubble. A pair of carnivorous apes inhabit the tower shell and guard a broken stair down to the cellar Storerooms (1.3.1)—the lair of a norker tribe. One ape wears a long gold chain with a ruby pendant (600 gp).

• Carnivorous Ape – AC 6, HP 19, 24; AT 3; DAM 1-4/1-4/1-8; SA mangle (+1d8 damage if both fists hit); SD only surprised on 1)

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1.1.3 The Culvert (01/03)

A stone-lined channel diverts water from the tributary into the Sewers (1.2.1)—the lair of a gang of thieves who trouble the land. The culvert is watched by (3) hidden thieves in ghillie suits. They ambush attack with blowgun darts coated with paralysis poison (weak = +2 save or paralyzed 1d4 hours). Up-close, they use rusty daggers.

• Thief (as level 1) – AC 8, HP 5,6,6; AT 1, DAM 0 or 1-4; SA paralysis poison). Each carries 3d3* sp and 2d3* gp.

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1.1.4 The Necropolis (01/04)

Rows of hundreds of broken and plundered graves, cairns, and mausoleums line a grassy hill. A central cenotaph is a 40 ft. high hollow tower with a 10-ft. diam hole in the ceiling. Inside is an entrance to the Sewers (ghoul tunnel to 1.2.7) and the Crypts (stairs to 1.4.1). In the center of the cenotaph floor is a 10-ton pyramidal slab of black hematite (8x8x8 ft.) At night, a vargouille haunts the cenotaph.

–Encounters (1:d6, night only; roll each turn)

• Common = [1d3*] skeletons, giant bats
• Uncommon = [1d3] ghouls or shadows
• Rare = [1] spectre (an ancient spirit)
• Unique = [1] vargouille, wight (Vazimir's lieut. - 1.1.5)

• Spectre – (AC 2, HD 7+3, HP 35; AT 1, DAM 1-8; SA level drain; SD +1 or better weapon req. to hit, immune to cold, poison, paralysis, sleep, charm, hold, mental control, elemental spells). It drops a magic item the first time one is killed.

• Vargouille – (MMII = AC 8, HD 1+1, HP 8, AT 1, DAM 1-4; SA bite victim must save vs. poison or bite damage is permanent). NOTE: Even if killed, the vargouille reappears each night. Cleansing the crypt well ends its haunting.

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1.1.5 The Colossal Head (01/05)

A 60 ft. high, 100-ft. diam. tower in the shape of a giant head with a fierce visage. On the back side, stone doors at base lead inside. The head is built of quartz and protected by spells. It is the lair of a neutral evil lich ("Vazimir") who works to plumb the dungeon depths. He is not aggressive and mostly wants to be left alone to his research. He will be curious about adventurers and might even deal with them (for trade/aid).

–(4) gargoyles perch on the rampart and harass anyone approaching; if one or more is killed, Vazimir appears on the rampart and demands to know what the PCs want.

• Gargoyle (AC 5, HD 4+4, HP 24 ea.; AT 4, DAM 1-3/1-3/1-6/1-4; SD +1 or better weapons req. to hit)
  

–1d3*+2 skeletons (chain mail, shields, longswords, longbows) regularly emerge from the tower to patrol the grounds.

–Inside the head are entrances to the Crypts (1.4.7), plus routes to dungeon levels 2, 3, and 4.

–Vazimir has (3) wight lieutenants (1.4.7) and a small army of skeletons guarding the tower.

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1.1.6 The Quarry (01/06)

An immense hole in the ground. Square-cut terraces and ramps descend to a pond of dark water 100 ft. below.

–On a 15-ft. square-cut mound in the pond's center stands a 6-ft. high menhir made of pale white stone (surface is perfectly smooth; impervious to blows from non-magic weapons; warm, vibrates subtly; phosphorescent). Anyone striking the stone with a magic weapon triggers a force blast = 6d6 damage + thrown 3d10 ft. off platform (save vs. paralysis for half damage).

–Giant bats dwell in hollows in the quarry walls. Each turn 2d3*+2 giant bats attack PCs on the terraces. They do NOT approach the mound/menhir.

• Giant Bat (FF = AC 8, HD 1, HP 8; AT 1; DAM 1-4; SD Attackers w/<13 DEX are (-3) to hit w/missile weapons, echolocation)
  

–A giant octopus lurks in the quarry pond, which is 100 ft. deep and littered with sacrificial bones (several dozen SKELETONS march around the muddy bottom).

• Giant Octopus (MM = AC 7, HD 8, HP 42; AT 7, DAM 1-4 (x6)/2-12; SA constriction)
  

–Caves in the lower quarry wall (at pond/octopus level) lead to tunnels into dungeon levels 3 (3.3.1) and 4 (4.3.1).

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1.1.7 The Metal Cave (01/07)

A diamond-shaped cave mouth is cut into the hillside; the frame is made of impervious blue metal. Beyond, a 20w x 20h x 100-ft. long tunnel descends to a 120-ft. wide, diamond-shaped chamber with an 80-ft. ceiling, all made of same metal.

–In the middle of the floor is a perfectly round, 40-ft. diam. smooth-walled shaft of incredible depth (leads to dungeon level 6).

–Entering the room magically summons a full-strength* thessalhydra to repel intruders. It remains for 10 minutes after a threat retreats, patrolling the room until it vanishes.

• Thessalhydra (AC 0, HD 12 (body), HP 85; AT up to 10, DAM 1-6 (x8)/1-12/1-20; SA acid saliva/spit attack; SD immune to acid).

*Once killed outright, the thessalhydra will no longer appear; otherwise, it is fully-healed/regenerated each time it is re-summoned.

–The thessalhydra has no treasure hoard, as it swallows all victims and the acid in its gut destroys even magical items. Found in its gullet, however, are 12 diamonds (5k gp ea.) and a shield made of incredibly-tough ceramic plate (acts as a +3 shield that is impervious to acid; its bearer automatically takes half damage from any acid attack, or no damage with a successful save).

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