Quantum Dungeons Preview 3B

This is part B of the Shadowdark adventure begun in part A.

Recap

Concerned rangers sent Ragnar and his Crew to a creepy old house around which people were disappearing and berserkers and beastmen seemed to be working together. There they found a heap of bodies, beastmen and berserkers acting oddly, giant rats, a giant spider, a bear, skittering eye creatures, and odd of strange mucus which are probably nothing. So far the loot has been strange but sub-par.

They are now going upstairs to find some real loot, I mean figure out what is going on in this house.

Correction

Ragnar should have been Triaged at the end of the bear fight. Let’s do that now:

• Ragnar spends a Hero Point to reroll a bad Triage roll, and gets a 7. He will need two weeks in a healer’s care to recover.

Mithrius notices Ragnar’s bleeding, and insists the Crew leaves the house at once and return to civilization. Taran the guide provides additional first aid, and the Crew return to the village. In the meantime more people disappear …

Playtest 2: Red Moon Harvest, continued

Return to the House

The Crew return to the House, rested and ready to take on whatever horror awaits. This time the Crew head immediately upstairs.

Upstairs

Moving as quietly as possible, the crew reach a landing on the second floor.

The walls are paneled wood, and dark black stains mark the floor from some desperate battle decades before.

Ragnar, Mithrius, and Duri scrutinize the walls and floor, and spot:

mucus droplets on the floor, leading into the northern hallway and trailing off towards the east wing.

But Ragnar grins and points down the narrow hallway toward the west tower. “Let’s see what’s down there first.”

Down The Hall

As the crew go down the west hall, they open any closed doors and peek inside. One of them finds a huge hall, ornately decorated. “Save it for later,” Ragnar hisses. He’s being as quiet as possible, which for a man in full plate armor is not very quiet.

A berserker appears at the other end of the hall, half in a daze. He spots the Crew and yells, “INTRUDERS!” Other voices respond, and there’s a clatter of weapons.

Initiative

1. Berserkers (12)
2. Ragnar (10)
3. Aelfred (9)
4. Duri (9)
5. Giles (9)
6. Mithrius (7)
7. Berthold (5)

Round 1

In the narrow corridors, only one Berserker can attack at a time. So can only one Crew member … unless their weapon has reach.

• The first Berserker throws a spear, which manages to strike Ragnar for 6 points of damage. The others have to push him out of the way to get their shot.
• Ragnar charges forward and strikes the first berserker for 5 points of damage.
• Behind Ragnar, Aelfred lines up his shot and hits. He uses a Hero Point to do 6 damage with his Marksman talent. The first berserker is down.
• Duri jumps the line and aims a hammer strike at the second Berserker. He uses a Hero Point to reroll a bad roll, and hits, doing 3 damage.
• Giles throws a dagger at the second berserker, uses a Hero Point, re-rolls, and hits for 3 damage.
• Mithrius casts sleep at the half-dozen guards he can sense. One succumbs.
• Berthold, last in line, charges forward and strikes with his hammers. Both strikes hit, each doing 4 damage. Berserker #2 is down. In a Frenzy he steps forward again, striking the next berserker he sees for 3 damage.

Round 2

1. The three remaining berserkers enter a Rage. One channels his Rage at Berthold, one at Ragnar, and one at Duri. All three hit with battleaxes, but Ragnar parries; Duri takes 6 damage, and 7 to Berthold. Berthold is down, and Duri isn’t looking good.
2. Ragnar unleashes his own form of rage at the berserker Berthold hit, using his Heavy Hitter Talent to do maximum damage (6).
3. Aelfred lines up another shot … and misses.
4. Giles throws another knife … and hits. Berserker #4 is down.
5. Mithrius moves up to cast Respite on Berthold. His Stamina returns to full, but he retains a Wound.

Round 3

1. Seeing a new target, Berserker #5 aims a blow at Mithrius … but misses. The other Berserker aims a blow at Duri, which hits. Duri is now down and Wounded.
2. Ragnar strikes Berserker #5, doing 2 damage.
3. Aelfred aims, shoots, and hits, doing 5 points of damage.
4. Giles strikes Berserker #5 with his machete, doing 2 points of damage,
5. Mithrius casts Respite on Duri, who is now back at full Stamina, but with a Wound.
6. Berthold’s hammers lash out at Berserker #5, who falls, and at Berserker #6, who takes 2 points of damage.

Round 4

1. Berserker #6, still in a rage, lashes out at Berthold, for 10 damage. Berthold is down again.
2. Ragnar strikes Berserker #6 for only 2 points of damage.
3. Aelfred shoots Berserker #6 … and fumbles his bow. It drops from his hand.
4. Duri hits for 3 points of damage.
5. Giles curses and strikes Berserker #6 for 4 points of damage.
6. Mithrius cast Respite on Berthold again. He is back to full, but now has two wounds.
7. Berthold rises.

Triage

Berthold was wounded twice, so he rolls on the Triage table with Disadvantage. He rolls an 8, even with Disadvantage; he needs five weeks of a healer’s care.

Duri was wounded only once; he rolls a 7. He needs six weeks of a healer’s care.

Giles escorts Duri and Berthold to Taran’s camp, then comes back. In the meantime he and everyone else hear the strange ringing noise from upstairs, coming from the eastern part of the mansion.

Meanwhile, all Berserkers need Triage, except for the sleeping one. Instead the remaining Crew first ties them all up.

“Now, you can tell us about the rest of this house and we can bind your wounds, or you can stay silent and we’ll just leave you here.

“The Masters command …” they all mutter, thankfully not in unison.

“Fine. We’re leaving.” And they did.

As they passed by doors they had already checked, Aelfred murmured something to Ragnar. “Sure,” Ragnar replied. “Let’s visit the big room.”

The Grand Hall

The Grand Hall is a …

35 foot by 15 foot hall, appointed with leafy frescos, elaborate cornicing and moth eaten (but once luxurious) dark blue curtains. A fireplace adorns the western wall, set with a life size alabaster statue of a man holding a book and staff (a tribute to a long dead historian and reputed wizard).

The walls, ceiling and floorboards are badly damaged; indeed, a large 5-foot-wide hole occupies the centre of the floor. The room otherwise appears empty.

Giles looks the room up and down. “Well, nothing to steal here. Let’s go.”

As he says this, a hazy figure materializes in the center of the room: the specter of a hooded servant carrying an ornate candlestick.

“And who might you be?”, Ragnar asks.

“… the fleshy ones return …” the specter mutters. “… they’ll help me, they must …” The specter gestures emphatically at the statue.

As Aelfred look aghast, Giles wanders over tho the statue. Mithrius tries to talk to the specter, to no avail, while Ragnar keeps careful watch on everyone from near the center of the room.

“Oho, what have we here?” Giles says at last. He reaches out for the book the statue carries, but stops himself. Giles runs the edge of one of his knives along what appears to be a gap between the stone book and the rest of the statue. At last Giles removes the book, revealing a small nook. Within it, wrapped in a blue cloth, is an amulet.

The specter surges forward and attempts to touch the amulet. As its spectral fingers grab at the amulet, it unravels and dissipates like smoke.

Mithrius inspects the amulet. It is a gold amulet with a red ruby teardrop at the center. Giles reaches for it, but Mithrius pulls it away. “I think we should entrust this to young Aelfred,” he said, cryptically, putting the gold chain over Aelfred’s head. “Here, lad. This may solve one of your problems. Then again it might not.”

The Library

After checking other rooms, Ragnar wants to check the rooms north before heading back east. The final room they check appears to have once been a library:

This roughly 15 foot by 25 foot chamber was a library, its bookshelves and reading desk broken, shattered or burnt. Every tome is ash but one: an archaic map from the prior age, written in Draconic.

Here sleeps a strange creature: an 8 ft gaunt, milk-white fur-less hound with a flat skull and an undulating tail. Ragnar doesn’t want the beast to come up behind him, so he whispers to the remaining Crew to attack.

Initiative

1. Ragnar (13)
2. Aelfred (10)
3. Mithrius (8)
4. Hound (surprised) (12)
5. Giles (9)

Round 1

1. Ragnar attacks the hound and hits, using his Heavy Hitter talent to do 6 damage.
2. Aelfred looses an arrow at the hound, and uses a Hero Point to activate his Marksman Talent, doing 6 damage.
3. Mithrius casts Sleep on the creature to put it back to sleep, and it fails the save.
4. The Hound is surprised and very sleepy.
5. Giles attacks with his machete, but misses.

Round 2

1. Ragnar attacks again, this time doing 5 damage.
2. Aelfred looses another arrow, doing 3 damage.
3. Mithrius strikes the creature with his staff, doing another 5 damage. It is out, before it can even act.

Triage

The hound rolls a 10: it will be OK after a few days of rest.

The Crew leave it to its fate, and continue exploring.

The Greenhouse

The Crew explore the room next to the Grand Hall.

This 15 ft by 30 ft chamber is a greenhouse with a glass ceiling, allowing inordinate amounts of sunlight into the room. Two small storage sheds are set into the eastern wall.

Whatever once grew in here however is long dead, shrivelled and desiccated plant husks lay in dozens of large clay pots and troughs. The plant remains are extremely fragile and crumble if touched.

Giles starts to search the room for loot when a caustic mist exudes from the northern storage shed. All characters must make a Physical 7+ throw

• Aelfred’s amulet helps him pass the test.
• Giles fails, taking 5 points of damage.
• Mithrius barely passes.
• Ragnar, clad in head-to-toe plate armor, has Advantage and passes.

The crew quickly leave, but not before Giles finds two vials of some sort of potion.

The Tower Room

The Crew make their way to the East Tower, peeking in rooms as they go to make sure no enemy is lurking.

The tower room used to be a bedroom, but everything has been smashed, bent, or torn. In the center of the room floats a strange creature:

an 8-foot-tall aberration with a bulbous, pufferfish like head and beaked, toothy maws.

Ragnar, uncharacteristically, motions the Crew away from the door and away from the room. “There’s only four of us,” he explains. “If we get careless, we’ll end up like Berthold and Duri. Or worse.”

The Alien Room

Giles scouts ahead, silently, while the others wait down the hall. The last room in the northeast wing is strange. Giles relates what he saw in his usual idiom; the others piece together the following description.

The original purpose of this 30 foot by 30 foot chamber was erased by the [aberrations], who cleared it and covered most surfaces in viscous, glistening mucus. At the back of the room is a 10 foot, cut stone runed archway, the apex of which is unnaturally suspended in the air, spinning freely.

Two [aberrations] are present, milling back and forth around the portal in an unfathomable ritual. The space between the arch wavers like a heat haze, and observation discerns a shimmering red moon in black starlit space. A discordant droning emanates from the portal, causing hair to prickle.

Ragnar nods, satisfied. “Let’s get ’em.”

Initiative

1. Ragnar (14)
2. Mithrius (10)
3. N’Tarc (8)
4. Giles (5)
5. Aelfred (4)

Round 1

1. Ragnar charges into the room and swings at the nearest N’Tarc. He connects, using his Heavy Hitter Talent and doing 6 damage.
2. Mithrius casts Sleep at the two N’Tarc, and the unwounded one fails its Physical save.
3. The wounded N’Tarc responds by using Telekinesis to slam Ragnar against a wall, doing 3 damage.
4. Giles strides in and swings his machete, using a Hero Point to reroll damage and get a 5.
5. Aelfred fires an arrow that does 4 points of damage.

Round 2

1. Ragnar is still pinned against a wall.
2. Mithrius strikes the N’Tarc with his staff, hoping to break its concentration. He does 4 damage.
3. The N’Tarc drops the Telekinesis and instead opts to bite Mithrius, doing 4 damage. It then tries to catch Giles in a time-loop, and succeeds.
4. Giles loses his turn.
5. Aelfred fires another arrow, doing 4 damage. The N’Tarc falls to the ground, with the other, sleeping one.

After Battle

“We have to destroy that arch”, Mithrius says. Ragnar thinks for a minute, than says, “Aelfred, lad, watch the door for that other one.” Together Ragnar, Mithrius, and Giles hammer on the archway with Ragnar’s hammer, Mithrius’s staff, and Giles’s machete. Soon the eldritch artifact breaks and begins to fold in on itself.

– You Must Not, an alien voice said in their heads. But it was too late.

The N’Tarcs, those present and others further away, spiral into the shrinking gateway like water in a drain. Ragnar and Giles manage to resist the pull, but Mithrius is sucked through the portal too, into that alien landscape with the red moon.

The Aftermath

Ragnar’s Crew’s role is over now. The Rangers step in.

A squad of Rangers rout the last few beastmen and berserkers, now released from alien mind control. One of the Rangers find the basement, where many of the missing farmers were held in cramped, filthy conditions. The survivors said the others were taken away by “them squid things”. They also find a torture chamber, well-used.

One of the rangers picks through the rubble of the archway, and finds a curious grey rock with pulsing red veins. But that is a tale for another time …

Further Comments

• In order to roll on some of the random tables, I had to break out my polyhedral dice. So Quantum Dungeons does not completely run on six-siders only, in all cases.

• That said, I got some very lucky rolls, particularly in the number of creatures in a room. I probably did not roll for enough random encounters. I certainly did not roll for the contents of each room after that one time with the mound of bones and the rats. Otherwise this adventure would have been much longer.

Next Time

After reviewing some recent rules changes, I will explore a high-level AD&D dungeon with some new characters.