Editing Beneath Castle Everglory: LEVEL 2: Vault of the Scribes
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This 4 yard by 4 yard room contains a wooden desk and chair, and some balls of animal dung on the floor (anyone with Naturalist, Survival (Underground) or Zoology has +3 to recognize it as the dung of Giant Rats). The walls are stamped all the way around with the emblem of a hand holding a quill. | This 4 yard by 4 yard room contains a wooden desk and chair, and some balls of animal dung on the floor (anyone with Naturalist, Survival (Underground) or Zoology has +3 to recognize it as the dung of Giant Rats). The walls are stamped all the way around with the emblem of a hand holding a quill. | ||
− | + | ||
+ | '''Monster''' | ||
+ | |||
Hiding above the doorway waiting to drop on anything that comes through is a predatory Hell Slug. | Hiding above the doorway waiting to drop on anything that comes through is a predatory Hell Slug. | ||
− | + | '''Hell Slug''' | |
+ | |||
The Hell slug is a broad, flat invertebrate of roughly oval shape that hides in trees or on ceilings, dropping onto creatures passing below to grapple and smother them. It has a limited ability to alter the color of its rough, slimy hide for camouflage and may vary in color from light brown to dark brown or green, to black. The slug waiting on the ceiling here is dark brown and well-concealed against its background. PCs coming through the door above which it waits are at -6 to notice it. PCs entering through any other door are at -2. The Hell Slug’s pink blood is extremely thick and sticky. Anyone who damages the slug with a weapon of Reach 1 or less must roll Dodge or be splattered with blood on the attacking limb or limbs (no Dodge permitted if striking bare-handed). If a character is splattered, consider their limb to be covered by units of goo equal to the damage they just caused to the slug (example: a sword blow to the slug causing 4 points of damage will produce 4 points of goo). Until the goo is removed, use of the limb will require the character to win a contested ST roll every second against the cumulative amount of goo on it. The goo can be removed at a rate of one unit per second of cloth-wiping or five units per second of washing. | The Hell slug is a broad, flat invertebrate of roughly oval shape that hides in trees or on ceilings, dropping onto creatures passing below to grapple and smother them. It has a limited ability to alter the color of its rough, slimy hide for camouflage and may vary in color from light brown to dark brown or green, to black. The slug waiting on the ceiling here is dark brown and well-concealed against its background. PCs coming through the door above which it waits are at -6 to notice it. PCs entering through any other door are at -2. The Hell Slug’s pink blood is extremely thick and sticky. Anyone who damages the slug with a weapon of Reach 1 or less must roll Dodge or be splattered with blood on the attacking limb or limbs (no Dodge permitted if striking bare-handed). If a character is splattered, consider their limb to be covered by units of goo equal to the damage they just caused to the slug (example: a sword blow to the slug causing 4 points of damage will produce 4 points of goo). Until the goo is removed, use of the limb will require the character to win a contested ST roll every second against the cumulative amount of goo on it. The goo can be removed at a rate of one unit per second of cloth-wiping or five units per second of washing. | ||
− | + | ST: 40 HP: 50 Speed: 5 | |
+ | |||
+ | DX: 12 Will: 11 Move: 5 | ||
+ | |||
+ | IQ: 3 Per: 10 | ||
+ | |||
+ | HT: 12 FP: 40 SM: 2 | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dodge: 9 Parry: N/A DR: 2 (8 against crushing damage) | ||
+ | |||
+ | Squeeze (16): 4d crushing | ||
+ | |||
+ | Traits: Constriction Attack, High Pain Threshold; Infravision; Invertibrate; Vermiform. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Brawling-16; Stealth-16. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Class: Dire Animal. | ||
=2. Kitchen= | =2. Kitchen= | ||
+ | |||
This 5 yard by 5 yard room contains four scratched wooden tables and rusty iron cooking implements hanging from hooks on the wall. The rear wall is lined with empty wooden shelves. There are balls of dung here, as in room 1. | This 5 yard by 5 yard room contains four scratched wooden tables and rusty iron cooking implements hanging from hooks on the wall. The rear wall is lined with empty wooden shelves. There are balls of dung here, as in room 1. | ||
=3. Bedroom 1= | =3. Bedroom 1= | ||
+ | |||
This 5 yard by 7 yard room contains three wooden beds and what looks to be scraps of torn linen sheets and woolen blankets on the floor. The walls have been painted with fake windows, looking out onto a sun-filled garden. There is a small wooden locker at the bottom of each bed. They can be opened with a straight lock-picking roll or by doing 10 damage to them (they have DR 2). Smashing the boxes may damage the contents at the GMs discretion. | This 5 yard by 7 yard room contains three wooden beds and what looks to be scraps of torn linen sheets and woolen blankets on the floor. The walls have been painted with fake windows, looking out onto a sun-filled garden. There is a small wooden locker at the bottom of each bed. They can be opened with a straight lock-picking roll or by doing 10 damage to them (they have DR 2). Smashing the boxes may damage the contents at the GMs discretion. | ||
− | + | ||
+ | '''Treasure''' | ||
+ | |||
'''Locker 1''': 26 silver pieces, an ivory makeup kit engraved with a picture of a sleeping white tiger (1 oz, $200), 5 ounces of Frankincense ($80) and a bottle of Jasmine-scented perfume (6 oz, $500). | '''Locker 1''': 26 silver pieces, an ivory makeup kit engraved with a picture of a sleeping white tiger (1 oz, $200), 5 ounces of Frankincense ($80) and a bottle of Jasmine-scented perfume (6 oz, $500). | ||
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=4. Bedroom 2= | =4. Bedroom 2= | ||
+ | |||
This 5 yard by 7 yard room contains three wooden beds and what looks to be scraps of torn linen sheets and woolen blankets on the floor. The walls have been painted with fake windows, looking out onto a sunny beach. There is a small wooden locker at the bottom of each bed. They can be opened with a straight lock-picking roll or doing 10 damage to them (they have DR 2). Smashing the boxes may damage the contents at the GMs discretion. | This 5 yard by 7 yard room contains three wooden beds and what looks to be scraps of torn linen sheets and woolen blankets on the floor. The walls have been painted with fake windows, looking out onto a sunny beach. There is a small wooden locker at the bottom of each bed. They can be opened with a straight lock-picking roll or doing 10 damage to them (they have DR 2). Smashing the boxes may damage the contents at the GMs discretion. | ||
− | + | ||
+ | '''Treasure''' | ||
+ | |||
'''Locker 1''': 4 gold pieces, 66 silver pieces, 37 copper pieces, and four small stones in a green velvet bag. To the untrained eye, the stones look quite like diamonds and are as hard as rock. They are, however, a form of sugary candy, and will dissolve pleasantly in the mouth. They are worth a copper piece each. | '''Locker 1''': 4 gold pieces, 66 silver pieces, 37 copper pieces, and four small stones in a green velvet bag. To the untrained eye, the stones look quite like diamonds and are as hard as rock. They are, however, a form of sugary candy, and will dissolve pleasantly in the mouth. They are worth a copper piece each. | ||
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=5. Bedroom 3= | =5. Bedroom 3= | ||
+ | |||
This 5 yard by 7 yard room contains three wooden beds and what looks to be scraps of torn linen sheets and woolen blankets on the floor. The walls have been painted with fake windows, looking out onto a sun-dappled forest. There is a small wooden locker at the bottom of each bed. They can be opened with a straight lock-picking roll or by doing 10 damage to them (they have DR 2). Smashing the boxes may damage the contents at the GMs discretion. | This 5 yard by 7 yard room contains three wooden beds and what looks to be scraps of torn linen sheets and woolen blankets on the floor. The walls have been painted with fake windows, looking out onto a sun-dappled forest. There is a small wooden locker at the bottom of each bed. They can be opened with a straight lock-picking roll or by doing 10 damage to them (they have DR 2). Smashing the boxes may damage the contents at the GMs discretion. | ||
− | + | ||
+ | '''Monster''' | ||
+ | |||
The room is currently being used by a spherical, brown, five-limbed earth elemental, who is sitting on the floor and slapping it with its hands/feet, for reasons only an earth elemental can understand. | The room is currently being used by a spherical, brown, five-limbed earth elemental, who is sitting on the floor and slapping it with its hands/feet, for reasons only an earth elemental can understand. | ||
− | + | '''Five-Limbed Earth Elemental''' | |
+ | |||
The elemental has a rough, brown-black round body with five supporting limbs, each ending in five fingers/toes. It has ten mouths in a horizontal ring, rocky, toothless holes that are strong enough to crush rocks. The creature has a name, but to PC ears, it sounds like rocks grinding together. | The elemental has a rough, brown-black round body with five supporting limbs, each ending in five fingers/toes. It has ten mouths in a horizontal ring, rocky, toothless holes that are strong enough to crush rocks. The creature has a name, but to PC ears, it sounds like rocks grinding together. | ||
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In Combat, the Elemental likes to cast Mud Jet on groups of enemies, followed by Stone Missile. Anyone who damages the elemental in combat will really annoy it and is likely to be the subject of a Flesh to Stone spell. If fearing for its life, the elemental may cast Walk Through Earth to get away from the PCs, but it will be back to finish the fight as soon as it thinks the PCs don’t know where it is, hoping to come at them from an unexpected direction. If defeated, the elemental will be willing to cast Flesh to Stone on any petrified characters, as well as doing whatever else it needs to do to survive long enough to escape. | In Combat, the Elemental likes to cast Mud Jet on groups of enemies, followed by Stone Missile. Anyone who damages the elemental in combat will really annoy it and is likely to be the subject of a Flesh to Stone spell. If fearing for its life, the elemental may cast Walk Through Earth to get away from the PCs, but it will be back to finish the fight as soon as it thinks the PCs don’t know where it is, hoping to come at them from an unexpected direction. If defeated, the elemental will be willing to cast Flesh to Stone on any petrified characters, as well as doing whatever else it needs to do to survive long enough to escape. | ||
− | + | ST: 25 HP: 40 Speed: 4 | |
+ | |||
+ | DX: 11 Will: 12 Move: 6 | ||
− | + | IQ: 8 Per: 9 | |
+ | |||
+ | HT: 14 FP: 40 SM: 1 | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dodge: 9 Parry: 9 DR: 4 | ||
+ | |||
+ | Punch (16): 2d+2 crushing | ||
+ | |||
+ | Traits: Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Extra Limbs (5 Arms / Legs), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Injury Tolerance (NoBlood, No Vitals). | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Brawling-16, Jet-15. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Spells: The elemental knows all of the Hard spells of the Earth College except Entombment and Steelwraith at level 20. | ||
+ | Class: Elemental. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Notes: Speaks the language of Earth Elementals and broken Dwarvish. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | '''Treasure''' | ||
− | |||
'''Locker 1''': The locker contains a thick sheaf of yellowed papers, under which are 44 silver pieces, and a bronze ring engraved with the image of a lotus ($30, 0.1 lb). The top sheets of paper are the alphabet written out carefully again and again, as though someone had been practicing their calligraphy. After that are 40 pencil drawings, all of the face of the same man, somewhat fat, balding and middle-aged and with a faint sneer to his expression. The pictures are signed “Marf”. They aren’t bad but nobody is going to pay money for them. | '''Locker 1''': The locker contains a thick sheaf of yellowed papers, under which are 44 silver pieces, and a bronze ring engraved with the image of a lotus ($30, 0.1 lb). The top sheets of paper are the alphabet written out carefully again and again, as though someone had been practicing their calligraphy. After that are 40 pencil drawings, all of the face of the same man, somewhat fat, balding and middle-aged and with a faint sneer to his expression. The pictures are signed “Marf”. They aren’t bad but nobody is going to pay money for them. | ||
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'''Locker 3''': Locker 3 is trapped with a magical trap. | '''Locker 3''': Locker 3 is trapped with a magical trap. | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ''Shocking Runes Trap'' | |
+ | |||
+ | Detect: Per-based Thaumatology, or Per-based Traps -2. It is assumed that the Traps skill includes instruction on recognizing magical traps. | ||
+ | Disarm: No. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Circumvent: DX-based Traps roll to scrape the runes off the locker without setting them off. Once removed, the runes are harmless. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Evade: No. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Effects: Resist with Will or suffer 3d electrical damage (burn). | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shots: Infinite. | ||
+ | |||
60 silver pieces and 3 books, all bound in codex form and written in Common. | 60 silver pieces and 3 books, all bound in codex form and written in Common. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | '' | + | ''Jade Path of the Magus''. Primer: Occultism, Thaumatology. Spell: Ignite Fire (which the book calls “Sacred Flame Ritual”). $250, 9 lbs. |
− | : | ||
− | |||
− | + | An introduction to thaumatology and the occult, this book harps heavy on the awesome responsibility of being a magus and includes many exhortations for the student to lead a virtuous and upstanding life. | |
− | |||
− | |||
+ | |||
+ | ''The Five Cryptic Keys of Lao''. Textbook: Cryptology, Mathematics, Thaumatology. Spells: Create Fire (“Manifestation of the Sun”), Extinguish Fire (“Banishing the Sun”), Ignite Fire (“Evocation of the Sun”), Seek Fire (“Pilgrim of the Sun”), Shape Fire (“Possession of the Sun”). $850, 14 lbs. | ||
+ | |||
+ | This meandering text can be a little hard to follow, not least because of the author’s reliance on complicated metaphors and cryptic hints. The book includes many logical puzzles which serve no practical use, but might provide some light entertainment over the campfire. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ''The Last Wizard''. Heavy leather covers decorated with swirling scratches. Thesis: Psychology, Thaumatology, 4 points in each. Spells: Burning Touch (“Close Melee Burn”), Explosive Fireball (“Tactical Area Burn”), Fireball (“Targeted Range Burn”), Firecloud (“Firestorm“), Flaming Weapon (“Armed Melee Burn”), Flame Jet (“Flamethrower”), Heat (“Targeted Armor Scorch”), Ignite Fire (“Targeted Incendiary”), Rain of Fire (“Surface Denial Incendiary Area Burn”), Shape Fire “Tactical Incendiary Area Denial”. $1,500, 24 lbs | ||
+ | |||
+ | This text is essentially the anonymous autobiography of a mage for hire, woven through with digressions on the subjects of Thaumatology and human psychology and concluding with a grimoire. The mage sees his life as a tale of human triumph. Rising from extreme poverty as a child in the big city, he found success as a mercenary wizard specializing in fire magic, flinging off the chains of morality along the way as he slowly came to realize that only a fool gives a damn about anyone else. | ||
=6. Meeting Chamber= | =6. Meeting Chamber= | ||
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Once the rats have become aware of the PCs, combat is almost certain. If the PCs invade the rats’ lair, the rats will attack (-4 to hit them through all the paper). On the other hand, if the PCs leave, the hungry rats will take this as a sign of weakness and will follow and attack them. | Once the rats have become aware of the PCs, combat is almost certain. If the PCs invade the rats’ lair, the rats will attack (-4 to hit them through all the paper). On the other hand, if the PCs leave, the hungry rats will take this as a sign of weakness and will follow and attack them. | ||
− | |||
− | + | '''Monsters''' | |
− | + | ||
+ | '''9 Giant Rats''' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ST: 9 HP: 9 Speed: 6.50 | ||
+ | |||
+ | DX: 13 Will: 10 Move: 7 | ||
− | + | IQ: 5 Per: 12 | |
− | + | HT: 13 FP: 13 SM: -1 | |
− | + | Dodge: 9 Parry: N/A DR: 1 | |
− | + | Bite (15): 1d-1 cutting. | |
− | + | Traits: Night Vision 5; Semi-Upright; Striking ST +2 (ST 11); Wild Animal. | |
− | + | Skills: Brawling-15; Stealth-15. | |
− | + | Class: Giant Animal. | |
− | |||
− | + | '''Treasure''' | |
The pages seem to have scribbled writing on them in a number of hands, but the ink has all run, rendering them illegible. Any PC who has experience with old books will know that ink just doesn’t do that naturally. | The pages seem to have scribbled writing on them in a number of hands, but the ink has all run, rendering them illegible. Any PC who has experience with old books will know that ink just doesn’t do that naturally. | ||
− | |||
=10. Temple= | =10. Temple= | ||
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Despite the desecration, the temple is an area of High Sanctity for clerics of Knowledge. Any spells cast to write something somewhere are cast at +6. Any spells that harm a living creature are cast at -4. Mages as well as divine spell-casters are subject to these modifiers. | Despite the desecration, the temple is an area of High Sanctity for clerics of Knowledge. Any spells cast to write something somewhere are cast at +6. Any spells that harm a living creature are cast at -4. Mages as well as divine spell-casters are subject to these modifiers. | ||
− | |||
− | + | '''Monster''' | |
+ | |||
+ | '''Lurker in Filth''' | ||
+ | |||
The pool is home to a Lurker in Filth, presently happily submerged beneath the surface and impossible to see. The Lurker in Filth is not looking for a fight, but it will not hesitate to defend the great heap of garbage and Orc dung in which it lives. In practice, this means that anyone who touches the heap will immediately be attacked. | The pool is home to a Lurker in Filth, presently happily submerged beneath the surface and impossible to see. The Lurker in Filth is not looking for a fight, but it will not hesitate to defend the great heap of garbage and Orc dung in which it lives. In practice, this means that anyone who touches the heap will immediately be attacked. | ||
The Lurker in Filth is a slimy, greenish-brown, invertebrate scavenger that lives on rotting organic matter and dung. It has six short legs, three on each side of the body, and four tentacle arms that feed the toothless mouth found on the underside. The Lurker can see and hear perfectly well, despite the lack of any visible sense organs apart from a mass of feeler-tentacles at one end (the end that happens to contain the brain, such as it is). In battle, the Lurker will do its best to face away from danger, which does not hamper its ability to perceive its enemy or to fight, but will convince most enemies to attack its rear end rather than the end that contains its brain. | The Lurker in Filth is a slimy, greenish-brown, invertebrate scavenger that lives on rotting organic matter and dung. It has six short legs, three on each side of the body, and four tentacle arms that feed the toothless mouth found on the underside. The Lurker can see and hear perfectly well, despite the lack of any visible sense organs apart from a mass of feeler-tentacles at one end (the end that happens to contain the brain, such as it is). In battle, the Lurker will do its best to face away from danger, which does not hamper its ability to perceive its enemy or to fight, but will convince most enemies to attack its rear end rather than the end that contains its brain. | ||
− | + | ST: 40 HP: 40 Speed: 8 | |
+ | |||
+ | DX: 15 Will: 15 Move: 4 | ||
+ | |||
+ | IQ: 3 Per: 14 | ||
+ | |||
+ | HT: 12 FP: 40 SM: 2 | ||
+ | |||
+ | Dodge: 9 Parry: 11 (Tentacle) DR: 3 | ||
+ | |||
+ | Barbed Tentacle Slash (15): 3d cut, 2 attacks per turn. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Traits: Discriminatory Smell; Doesn’t Breathe; Extra Arms (4 Tentacles), Extra Legs (6 Legs), High Pain Theshold, Infravision, Invertibrate, No Fine Manipulators. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Skills: Brawling-15. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Class: Mundane. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Note: The Lurker in Filth’s barbed tentacles both filthy and envenomed. Any character wounded by the Lurker in Filth must roll vs. HT. Failure will reduce that characters HT by 1 for a number of days equal to the degree of failure. Effects are cumulative. | ||
+ | |||
=11. The Stairs Down= | =11. The Stairs Down= | ||
+ | |||
A short corridor terminates in a stone stairway, spiraling downwards. Characters walking down the stairs will descend 10 yards until they arrive at the main corridor. | A short corridor terminates in a stone stairway, spiraling downwards. Characters walking down the stairs will descend 10 yards until they arrive at the main corridor. | ||