2ND ADVENTURE – THE TOWER OF BONES
“Listen up, listen up, folks!”, Megalomagna said unnecessarily loud to the Party, drawing the attention of everyone present at the Bard's Tavern, the chosen location for the team to unwind after their challenging first mission together.
"Quiet, Megalomaniac!", Donovan whispered. "If they find out you're a talking sword, they'll try to kill me to steal you".
"My name is not Megalomaniac, it's Megalomagna!", the sword declared. "I don't like my name being mispronounced. Apologize!".
"Okay, okay, what do you want? Spit it out; we're trying to have a beer here", Bosco said, interrupting the argument.
“Damn midget...”, Megalomagna muttered to itself. “So, I know of a place with a magnificent treasure, if you're willing to go there”.
"What treasure?", Korvac asked, not inclined to believe the sword.
"That's the thing... I don't remember!", Megalomagna said. "Even swords forget things, okay?".
"Memory is a poorly understood subject, especially concerning intelligent weapons", Kharius added.
"Concerning me, neither you nor any wizard understands anything!", Megalomagna lashed out.
"What's your problem with wizards, huh?", Donovan asked, annoyed by the sword's impatience near spellcasters.
"Humph. Now you want to know? Well, fine. I was created by a wizard named Orion, one of those Greyhawk big shots with a level over 8000. Despite being all-powerful, the wizard could not avoid losing his hearing during the experiments to creat me. Upon finishing his enchantments on me, he realized he had given me more than power. He gave me intelligence and the ability to speak. Realizing he lost his hearing because of me - and therefore couldn't even hear my voice - the wizard lost his temper and went mad with rage, throwing me into a cell with other equipment he deemed 'failures.' I stayed there for a long time until Brian Tristan, a famous and very rich warrior, became interested in me and made an offer to the wizard. And the wizard sold me! A powerful and unique sword like me was sold for money, can you believe it?”.
"And just because of that, you have developed so much hatred for all wizards?", Korvac asked innocently.
The sword began emitting a purple light, and the Party Members panicked.
"Hold on, no need to get so angry!", Donovan intervened. "Don't cast your spells against us, okay? They’re dangerous. We are just trying to understand your reasons here".
"You don't understand. I, such a unique and irreplaceable weapon, was treated like a failure, imprisoned and then sold! Imagine one of you being treated that way, and maybe you'll start to understand my hatred. The damn wizard just couldn’t accept that he was the sole responsible for losing his hearing. He had to take it out on me".
"Fair enough. Let's change the subject then", Korvac said, trying to smooth things over. "Tell us what happened to Brian, the warrior you mentioned".
"We've never heard that name before", Donovan added.
"You're newbies, I get it. He died in the most ridiculous way", Megalomagna said, chuckling. "You wouldn't believe", and it continued to laugh.
"Tell us already!", Kharius said, impatient.
"He got beaten to death by a Giff", the sword said, abruptly interrupting her speech. The Party members exchanged confused glances.
"HAHAHA, didn't I say it was ridiculous? The guy wanted to brawl with a monster with a hippopotamus face – and the strength of one too. His fault for accusing the Giff of bribery...".
"And what did you do?", Bosco asked. After all, you were there with Brian, right?".
"I was there indeed. It was I who actually planted the idea in Brian's head that the Giff was being bribed. But I swear it was without malice! I just had a hunch, and decided to go with it. At that time, I didn't know how crazy Giffs were about law and order so…yeah, we screwed up".
"I'm starting to doubt that your alignment is really good as you claim", Kharius pondered.
"Next to people like you, my alignment is always chaotic, wizard", Megalomagna replied.
"Okay, enough of this nonsense", Donovan interrupted. "You said you know of a treasure somewhere. I want to know more".
"I already told you I don't remember!", Megalomagna emphasized.
"But if you know there's a treasure somewhere, there has got to be some information in that…mind of yours", Bosco reasoned. "Give us at least a location so we can decide if it's worth going there to explore".
“All I know is that the place is in ruins right now”, the sword answered.
“Are you talking about Castle Greyhawk’s ruins?”, Donovan asked, interrupting the sip of his beer. “Because I don’t think going there is a good idea right now”.
“Nope. Not those ruins. I’m talking about Myth Drannor”, Megalomagna said, solemnly.
“Are you planning on sending us to the fiend-infested Myth Drannor?”, Kharius questioned, upset. “Do you want to have us killed?”.
“What is this Myth Drannor?”, Donovan asked. “That name has an elven ring to it”.
“It was an elven city”, Kharius responded, nervous and breathless, before anyone else could. “Formerly known as Cormanthor, it enjoyed great glory until the Weeping War, when it was destroyed by the Army of Darkness”.
“And now it’s in ruins, right?”, Bosco asked. “Is it still that dangerous?”.
“Of course it’s dangerous”, Kharius replied. “The powerful mythal employed to keep the city protected has corroded with the passing of time and is now corrupt, enabling the appearance of terrifying illithids and baatezu that could kill us instantly and even make a meal out of us”.
“You are well versed for a newbie, wizard”, Megalomagna remarked. “But worry not. The place I intend to take you is not close to where those monsters dwell. The chance of encountering one of them monsters is close to none”.
"Close to none is not none", Korvac pointed out.
"Listen here, if you don't wanna take any risks, you shouldn't have become adventurers", Megalomagna retorted bluntly. "You can keep killing goblins for the rest of your boring life and live on 10 silver coins a day if you want. How about that?".
"Ok, we accept the challenge", Donovan finally spoke up, not giving Korvac any time to argue. "If anyone disagrees, speak up now".
"I think we should stock up before we leave", Kharius pondered. "If we can do that, I agree".
Bosco and Korvac nodded in agreement.
"That's good, that's good! You've finally stopped being so stubborn! It's been a while since I went on a decent adventure! I hope you don't disappoint me!", Megalomagna said loudly as they proceeded to leave the tavern.
“Likewise, sword”, Kharius muttered. “Likewise”.
***
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QUEST START
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DONOVAN STRIDE (Warrior/Human) - LVL 9
* Strength: 16 (+2 damage)
* Dexterity: 13
* Constitution: 15 (+2 HP per level)
* Intelligence: 9
* Wisdom: 10
* Charisma: 10
* HP: 79 (max)
* THAC0: 8 (+2 STR bonus)
* Attack dmg: 1d8+5 (+3 Megalomagna / +2 STR bonus)
* AC: 4 (plate mail)
* XP: 2.850
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KORVAC THE BLESSED (Cleric/Human) - LVL 9
* Strength: 12
* Dexterity: 10
* Constitution: 13
* Intelligence: 10
* Wisdom: 16
* Charisma: 14
* HP: 46 (max);
* THAC0: 11
* Attack dmg: 1d8 (morning star)
* AC: 5 (chain mail)
Spells:
* 1st circle – Cure Light Wounds (7x a day)
* 1st circle – Detect Evil (6x a day)
* 1st circle – Protection from Evil (3x a day)
* 2nd circle – Augury (5x a day)
* 2nd circle – Resist Fire/Resist Cold (4x a day)
* 3rd circle – Dispel Magic (4x a day)
* 3rd circle – Cure Disease (2x a day)
* 4th circle – Cure Serious Wounds (1x a day)
* XP: 2.850
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BOSCO TUMBLEFOOT (Thief/Hobbit) - LVL 8
* Strength: 14
* Dexterity: 17+2 (Hobbit bonus)
* Constitution: 14+2 (Hobbit bonus) – (+2 hp)
* Intelligence: 12
* Wisdom: 14
* Charisma: 12
* HP: 43 (max);
* THAC0: 14 (-3 DEX bonus)
* AC: 4 (leather cape / leather clothes / +2 DEX bonus)
* Attack dmg: 1d6 (short sword)
* XP: 2.950
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KHARIUS BLOODMOON (Wizard/Half-Elf) - LVL 7
* Strength: 10
* Dexterity: 14+2 (Half-Elf bonus)
* Constitution: 12
* Intelligence: 16+1 (Half-Elf bonus)
* Wisdom: 13
* Charisma: 14
* HP: 20 (max);
* THAC0: 17 (+2 DEX bonus)
* AC: 3 (Elven Chainmail / +1 DEX bonus)
* Attack dmg: 1d4 (dagger) or 1d6 (bow and arrow)
Spells:
* 1st Arcane Level: Magic Missile (5x a day) – 4 missiles (4d4+4 total dmg)
* 1st Arcane Level: Detect Magic (4x a day)
* 1st Arcane Level: Burning Hands (1x a day)
* 2nd Arcane Level: Levitate (3x a day)
* 2nd Arcane Level: Melf’s Acid Arrow (3x a day)
* 3rd Arcane Level: Fireball (2x a day)
* 3rd Arcane Level: Lightning Bolt (2x a day)
* 4th Arcane Level: Charm Monster (1x a day)
* XP: 2.850
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The Party will buy 9 more healing potions for 150 gold.
The Party will buy 5 scrolls of Cure Light Wounds for 255 silver.
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PARTY BELONGINGS
* 500 gold
* 300 silver
* 15 healing potions (2d4 hp healing)
* 1 potion of poison
* 5 scrolls of Cure Light Wounds (1d8 healing)
* 1 arcane spell scroll – Magic Missile
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***
“Are we really going by caravan? This is very, very vulnerable to raids, you know?”, Bosco said, looking around nervously.
"Whatsoever appears, we can handle", Donovan replied. "There's nothing too dangerous on the way there".
"That's the spirit!", Megalomagna exclaimed enthusiastically. "If you get all scaredy cats, you'll never go down in history as the great adventurers who died facing tremendous perils".
"We're not interested in making history or dying in great perils", Korvac admonished. "We only agreed to join this adventure because you convinced us that the location is far from where the demons dwell".
"Don't worry, okay?" Megalomagna said. "I'm he—wait. I sense life forms".
"Where?", Kharius questioned, startled, but the Party didn't have enough time to react. Suddenly, a dozen creatures resembling bipedal frogs leaped from somewhere and began to attack. The poor caravan driver was stabbed by a spear coming out of nowhere and had absolutely no chance to react. He is dead.
"Bullywugs!", Donovan shouted. "To battle!".
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10 common bullywugs, 3 bullywug subchiefs, 1 bullywug chieftain and 1 bullywug shaman have appeared!
Common Bullywug (10):
* AC: 6
* HP: 1d8 (6) (2) (7) (3) (5) (1) (4) (8) (3) (7)
* THAC0: 19
* Attacks: 1d2, 1d2, 1d4+1
* XP: 150
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Bullywug Subchiefs (3):
* AC: 4
* HP: 2d8 (8) (7) (6)
* THAC0: 18
* Attacks: 1d4, 1d4, 1d6+1
* XP: 300
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Bullywug Chieftain (1):
* AC: 2
* HP: 3d8+3 (20)
* THAC0: 16
* Attack: 1d8+2 (spear)
* XP: 750
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Bullywug Shaman (1):
* AC: 10
* HP: 3d4 (8)
* THAC0: 20
* Attack: 1d4 (sling) or spells
* XP: 500
The bullywugs have ambushed the Party and will attack first.
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ROUND 1
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Four Common Bullywugs will attack Donovan.
Common Bullywug 1 rolls a 17, 16, and 8. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 1, 1.
Common Bullywug 2 rolls a 14, 12, and 19. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 1, 1.
Common Bullywug 3 rolls a 6, 18, and 20. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 1, 1.
Common Bullywug 4 rolls a 9, 11, and 16. One Hit. Rolling for damage: 3.
Donovan takes 9 damage and his HP is reduced to 72.
Four Common Bullywugs will attack Korvac.
Common Bullywug 5 rolls a 14, 16, and 7. One hit. Rolling for damage: 1.
Common Bullywug 6 rolls a 12, 18, and 20. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 1, 1.
Common Bullywug 7 rolls a 6, 17, and 19. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 1, 5.
Common Bullywug 8 rolls a 10, 14, and 16. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 1, 3
Korvac takes 13 damage and his HP is reduced to 33.
Two Common Bullywugs aim at Bosco.
Common Bullywug 9 rolls a 17, 8, and 16. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 1, 1.
Common Bullywug 10 rolls a 6, 18, and 14. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Bosco takes 4 damage and his HP is reduced to 40.
Now two Bullywug Subchiefs leap at Donovan. They need to roll a 14 or higher to hit.
Subchief 1 rolls a 16, 9, and 15. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 3, 5.
Subchief 2 rolls a 12, 17, and 20. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 2, 4.
Donovan takes 14 damage and his HP is further reduced to 58.
The third subchief goes for Korvac. It needs a 13 to hit.
Bullywug Subchief 3 rolls a 14, 8, and 12. One hit. Damage: 1d4. Rolling for damage: 3.
Korvac takes 3 damage and his HP is further reduced to 30.
The Bullywug Chieftain, bigger and sturdier than the rest, attacks Donovan with its spear. It seems as though the creature want to prove itself stronger than the Adventurers’ Party leader.
The Bullywug Chieftain has a THAC0 of 16 and its spear deals 1d8+2. It needs a 12 to hit Donovan. Rolled a 15. Rolling for damage: 6.
Donovan takes 6 damage and his HP is further reduced to 52.
The Bullywug Chieftain laughs, satisfied with its performance.
The Bullywug Shaman will attack Kharius with Magic Missile. It casts spells as a 2nd level wizard, so the spell will deal 1d4+1 damage to Kharius. Rolling for damage: 3.
Kharius takes 3 damage and his HP is reduced to 17.
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PARTY INITIATIVE ROLL
* Bosco (+2): 8
* Korvac: 7
* Kharius: 6
* Donovan: 3
Bosco will attack Bullywug Subchief 3. It has AC: 4, so Bosco needs a 10 to hit. He rolls a 12 and hits with his short sword. Rolling for damage: 5. Bullywug Subchief takes 5 damage and is left with 1 HP.
Donovan will face the Bullywug Chieftain. He needs a 6 to hit, and rolls a 17. Rolling for damage: 10. The Bullywug Chieftain takes 10 damage and its HP is reduced to 10.
“The Troll Killer…”, the Bullywug Chieftain muttered, its webbed hand pressing the deep wound caused by Megalomagna.
“Forget that stupid frog, Donovan! Go for the shaman! Kill the shaman!”, Megalomagna yelled.
“I’ll kill it as soon as the leader is dead! Calm down, buddy!”, Donovan retorted.
“If you don’t attack it next time, I’ll make you regret it, you understand?”, Megalomagna threatened. Donovan scowled at the sword’s sass, but had no time to argue. The fight had to go on.
Korvac will attack Common Bullywug 5 with his morning star. He needs a 5 to hit and rolls a 14. Rolling for damage: 3. Common Bullywug 5 takes 3 damage and its HP is reduced to 2.
Kharius wants to get rid of the Chieftain and will attack it with Burning Hands. The spell automatically deals 1d6+14 damage. Rolling for damage: 16.
The monster's body is engulfed in flames that crackle wildly, causing the creature to howl in pain for a few seconds until its charred remains fall to the ground, inert.
Although startled by the horrendous spectacle, the bullywugs are resolute enough to keep fighting even without their leader.
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ROUND 2
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Two Common Bullywugs are enraged at the death of their leader and will attack Kharius. They need 16 to hit.
Common Bullywug 1 rolls a 15, 7, 18. One hit (1d4+1). Rolling for damage: 4.
Common Bullywug 2 rolls a 10, 2, 19. One hit (1d4+1). Rolling for damage: 2.
Kharius takes 6 damage and his HP is further reduced to 11.
Three Common Bullywugs will attack Donovan. They need 15 to hit.
Common Bullywug 3 rolls a 14, 5, 8. Missed all attacks.
Common Bullywug 4 rolls a 6, 16, 3. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Common Bullywug 5 rolls a 12, 19, 4. One hit. Rolling for damage: 1.
Donovan takes 3 damage and his HP is further reduced to 49.
Another three Common Bullywugs will attack Korvac. They need 14 to hit.
Common Bullywug 6 rolls a 8, 13, 1. Missed all attacks.
Common Bullywug 7 rolls a 17, 9, 5. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Common Bullywug 8 rolls a 11, 20, 6. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Korvac takes 4 damage and his HP is further reduced to 26.
The two remaining Common Bullywugs will attack Bosco. They need 15 to hit.
Common Bullywug 9 rolls a 3, 14, 7. Missed all attacks.
Common Bullywug 10 rolls a 16, 4, 10. One hit. Rolling for damage: 1.
Bosco takes 1 damage and his HP is reduced to 39.
The three Bullywug Subchiefs will attack Donovan. They need 14 to hit (1d4, 1d4, 1d6+1)
Bullywug Subchief 1 rolls 8, 17, 12. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Bullywug Subchief 2 rolls 14, 6, 19. Two hits. Rolling for damage: 5.
Bullywug Subchief 3 rolls 3, 11, 20. One hit. Rolling for damage: 7.
Donovan takes 14 damage and his HP is further reduced to 35.
The Bullywug Shaman will cast Entangle on Donovan. He must roll a saving throw vs. spell or be trapped in vines, bushes and the trees that surround the area for 1 turn. As a level 9 warrior, he needs a 11 to be successful. Rolling: 13. Donovan is able to escape from the area of the spell unharmed.
The Bullywug Shaman is throwing a tantrum for failing to entangle Donovan.
Megalomagna forces Donovan to charge at the Bullywug Shaman and he will attack first. His THAC0 is 8 and the Bullywug Shaman’s AC is 10, so the attack connects automatically. Rolling 1d8+5 for damage: 13.
Having only 8 HP, the Bullywug Shaman’s frail body is severed in two without ceremony. Megalomagna trembles with excitement.
The Party is surprised by Megalomagna’s behavior, but Donovan acts quickly and rallies everyone to keep fighting. Kharius shouts at everyone to stay clear so he can cast a Fireball at the Common Bullywugs. Five of them will be targeted by the spell, that deals 1d6 per spellcaster level (7d6). Rolling for damage: 24.
A saving throw could reduce damage by half; it won’t be necessary since even half damage would be enough to kill all the targets of the spell.
Once again the Bullywugs see their kin burning like charcoal. They start to feel nervous and will endure a -1 penalty to their attack rolls next time due to the fear of iminent death.
Common Bullywugs 1 to 5 are killed.
Bosco will attack Bullywug Subchief 3. He needs a 10 to hit. He rolls a 18. Rolling for damage: 4.
Bosco’s short sword rips the subchief’s belly open and its innards leak out as it kneels and dies.
Korvac casts Cure Serious Wounds on Donovan, healing 2d8+1. Rolling for healing: 10. Donovan HP is increased to 45.
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ROUND 3
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The first three Common Bullywugs will attack Donovan. They need 16 to hit due to the -1 penalty.
Common Bullywug 6 rolls 16, 8, 12. One hit. Rolling for damage: 1.
Common Bullywug 7 rolls 3, 18, 7. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Common Bullywug 8 rolls 10, 5, 14. Missed all attacks.
Donovan takes 3 damage and his HP is reduced to 42.
The two remaining Common Bullywugs will attack Korvac. They need 15 to hit due to the -1 penalty.
Common Bullywug 9 rolls 20, 2, 11. One hit. Rolling for damage: 1.
Common Bullywug 10 rolls 6, 16, 9. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Korvac takes 3 damage and his HP is reduced to 23.
The first subchief will attack Bosco. It needs 16 to hit due to the -1 penalty.
Bullywug Subchief 1 rolls 13, 4, 17. One hit. Rolling for damage: 5.
Bosco takes 5 damage and his HP is reduced to 34.
The other subchief will attack Kharius. It needs 16 to hit due to the -1 penalty.
Bullywug Subchief 2 rolls 1, 19, 10. One hit. Rolling for damage: 2.
Kharius takes 2 damage and his HP is reduced to 9.
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Kharius casts Magic Missile on Bullywug Subchief 1. The spell deals 4d4+4. Rolling for damage: 14.
The Bullywug Subchief is bombarded by the Magic Missiles and falls dead with a heavy thump.
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Bosco will attack the other Bullywug Subchief. He needs a 10 to hit. He rolls 16. Rolling for damage: 3.
The subchief is left with 4 HP.
Donovan will also attack the Bullywug Subchief. He needs a 4 to hit. He rolls a 12 and hits. No damage roll is necessary, as the subchief is torn apart like a piece of meat by Megalomagna’s ruthless blade.
Korvac will cast Cure Light Wounds on Kharius. Rolling 1d8 for healing: 7.
Kharius’s HP is increased to 16.
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ROUND 4
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Two Common Bullywugs will attack Donovan. They need 16 to hit due to the -1 penalty.
Common Bullywug 6 rolls 14, 6, 18. One hit. Rolling for damage (1d4+1): 3.
Common Bullywug 7 rolls 3, 11, 7. Missed all attacks.
Donovan takes 3 damage and his HP is reduced to 39.
Two Common Bullywugs will attack Korvac. They need 15 to hit due to the -1 penalty.
Common Bullywug 8 rolls 9, 2, 15. One hit. Rolling for damage (1d4+1): 5.
Common Bullywug 9 rolls 12, 5, 19. One hit. Rolling for damage (1d4+1): 2.
Korvac takes 7 damage and his HP is reduced to 16.
Common Bullywug 10 will attack Bosco. It needs 16 to hit due to the -1 penalty.
Common Bullywug 10 rolls 8, 1, 13. Missed all attacks.
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Bosco will attack Common Bullywug 10. He needs a 8 to hit. He rolls a 15. Rolling for damage: 4.
Common Bullywug 10’s HP is reduced to 3.
Korvac will attack Common Bullywug 8. He needs a 5 to hit. He rolls a 11. Rolling for damage: 5.
Common Bullywug 8’s HP is reduced to 3.
Kharius will cast Magic Missile on Common Bullywugs 6 to 9. Rolling for damage:
Common Bullywug 6 dies on the spot.
Common Bullywug 7 takes 5 damage and fades from existence.
Common Bullywug 8 takes 3 damage and dies as a missile explodes inside its ear.
Common Bullywug 9 takes 2 damage and its HP is reduced to 1. It looks like an undead frog but still lives.
Donovan will attack Common Bullywug 10. He needs 2 to hit, and rolls a 14. No need to roll for damage, as Megalomagna makes short work of the bullywug.
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ROUND 5
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Common Bullywug 9 falls into despair and will have a -2 penalty to its attacks. It will try to attack Donovan, and it needs now a 17 to hit. It rolls 8, 16, 5 and misses all attacks.
Donovan has the bullywug at the reach of Megalomagna. He rolls a 19 and hits. The bullywug’s head is promptly severed from its body. The creature shakes grotesquely as it falls to the ground, its head tumbling with eyes open wide.
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The Party has emerged victorious, defeating the 10 common bullywugs, 3 bullywug subchiefs, 1 bullywug chieftain and 1 bullywug shaman. Each member earns a total of (150*10) + (300*3) + 750 + 500 = 3650 XP for the defeated monsters in this encounter.
* Donovan Stride has accumulated 6500 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 11.
* Donovan Stride’s HP up by 2d10+4 (CON bonus). Rolled a 13. Donovan Stride’s max HP is now 92.
* Donovan Stride can now attack twice per round.
* Korvac the Blessed has accumulated 6500 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 10.
* Korvac the Blessed’s HP up by 1d8. Rolled a 7. Korvac the Blessed’s max HP is now 53.
* Korvac the Blessed has learned the spells Remove Paralysis, Neutralize Poison, Cure Critical Wounds and Raise Dead.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has accumulated 6500 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 10.
* Kharius Bloodmoon’s HP up by 3d4. Rolled a 9. Kharius Bloodmoon’s max HP is now 29.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has learned the spells Enchanted Weapon, Haste, Conjure Elemental and Feeblemind.
* Bosco Tumblefoot has accumulated 6600 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 10.
* Bosco Tumblefoot’s HP up by 2d6+4. (CON/Hobbit bonus). Rolled a 12. Bosco Tumblefoot’s max HP is now 55.
The following items have been looted from the bullywugs:
* A dead snake.
* A silver fork.
* A portion of cattails.
* A rather sizeable fish with sharp teeth.
* A lump of swamp paste.
* A turtle shell.
* A spear.
* A gem pouch containing 10 malachites worth 10 gold each.
* 150 silver.
The Party takes the 10 malachites and the 150 silver and leaves the rest.
***
“I’m beat!”, Bosco complained. “When you said we could handle whatever appeared, I thought nothing dangerous would appear!”.
“Well, we did handle them”, Donovan replied, looking at Megalomagna. “But I can see us getting into trouble if we keep being ambushed like this. The poor caravan driver had no chance”.
“That’s why I said a caravan was a bad idea!”, Bosco remarked.
“Stop whining, you crybabies!”, Megalomagna interjected. “You can rest now. I sense no life forms in the vicinity. We’ll arrive at our destination in less than a day now”.
“I told you to stop talking to us like that”, Donovan admonished. “I’m starting to understand what Kharius said about you”.
“And what is that?”, Megalomagna asked, challenging.
“That you’re too good to be true”, Donovan responded. “You’re extremely powerful, but that comes with a price. Your ego is so high it’s ridiculous!”.
“Well…are you willing to pay the price, warrior?”, Megalomagna answered, in a mix of threat and provocation. “With great power comes…great danger? Is that how it is?”.
“These conversations always lead nowhere, I’ve realized”, Korvac said. “Let’s rest for a while and then we can continue with our journey”.
***
After waking up to the sound of unknown creatures, Donovan quickly got up on his feet and checked his surroundings.
Kharius was already awake, looking in the direction from where the sounds were coming. The rest of the party woke up shortly afterward.
"We better move on, and quickly. Those sounds don't belong to this world", Kharius said.
"I agree", Korvac said. "I sense an ominous aura coming from that direction", and Korvac pointed to where the sounds were coming from.
“As I have told you before, there are no life signs coming from that direction”, Megalomagna said. “Whatever you are sensing is not a living being, I’m sure of it”.
“Great”, Bosco said, ironically. “Undead. We better keep our distance”.
“Don’t you worry, my dear midget, for your great Korvac the Stressed will protect you from this unworldly danger!”, Megalomagna declared. The Party gave the sword disapproving looks as they marched towards Myth Drannor.
As the Party traversed through the woods, they felt a chill run down their spines. The sound of growling and hunger moans could be heard in the distance, and the reek of death and rotten flesh filled the Party members’ nostrils. They quickened their pace towards a clearing until they realized they were inside a graveyard. A monument stood in front of them, with a base stone carved out of white-colored stone and, from the base, three tall marble warrior statues rose up, an elf, a dwarf, and a human, with their weapons drawn.
“This is the Polyandrium”, Kharius said, maintaining a serious tone.
“The place where we must go is to the north”, Megalomagna said. “The tower is tall enough that you can see it from here”.
“The Tower of Bones?”, Kharius questioned. “Are you planning on having us invade the Tower of Bones? You do know a very powerful and evil priest lives there, right?”.
“I do know, wizard”, Megalomagna replied. “And I also know you people can defeat him. Eliminating him from existence would be good for Myth Drannor, don’t you agree?”.
Kharius was about to curse the sword for using such a cheap argument when the moaning sounds got louder.
“There are undead closing on us”, Bosco alerted everyone.
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2d6: 7 zombies appeared!
Zombies are slow and always attack last.
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“There’s no need to be startled”, Korvac said, calmly. “I can turn undead like this with little effort. My God has given me the power for such a deed”.
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Korvac will use his Turn Undead powers on the zombies. By being level 10, the cleric can utterly destroy common zombies without the need to roll any dice.
All 7 zombies have been destroyed. The Party earns 700 XP. No loot has been found.
* Korvac the Blessed has accumulated 7200 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 11.
* Korvac the Blessed’s HP up by 1d8. Rolled a 5. Korvac the Blessed’s max HP is now 58.
* Korvac the Blessed has learned the spell Flame Strike.
***
“Are you willing to stay here?”, Megalomagna asked. “There’s a big chance more zombies will appear…or even stronger undead, the likes of which your turn abilities might not work on”.
“We got it, okay?”, Donovan said, impatient. “We are going to the tower. Now be quiet, for all the Gods’ sake”.
“Blasphemy, Donovan”, Korvac admonished, and for the first time since they started adventuring together, they laughed a little.
***
The Tower of Bones is a three-story structure, imposing but at the same time sinister in appearance. A massive wooden door is located at the base of the tower, and two gargoyle statues adorn the tower's low-parapeted roof.
"Ready to go in?", Donovan asked. Before the party members could respond, Megalomagna intervened.
"Stop. I sense life forms. Those statues up there are not really statues".
"What do you mean? Are they gargoyles?", Kharius asked, looking up to the roof.
"Yes, and they'll attack you from behind as soon as they get the chance. Cursed aberrations!", Megalomagna exclaimed.
"What can we do? Attacking them with arrows won't be effective; they're practically made of stone", Bosco pondered.
"Don't worry! I'll make them come down here!", Megalomagna said, and its blade began to glow purple.
"Wait, you're not doing what I'm thinking, are you?", Donovan asked, concerned.
----------------------------------------
Megalomagna casts Taunt.
----------------------------------------
"Oh no no no no, you damn swo...".
Before Donovan could complete his cussing, Megalomagna began swearing and cursing at the gargoyles in their own language, just as it had done to the goblins in their previous adventure.
----------------------------------------
The gargoyles must roll a saving throw vs. spell or will be taunted. Having 4 Hit Dice, they roll as a 4th level warrior, so they need a 14 to be successful. Rolls: 12, 8. Failed.
The gargoyles have been taunted and will attack exclusively Donovan with a -2 penalty for the duration of the spell (3 rounds).
2 gargoyles appeared!
Gargoyles’ stats:
Gargoyle 1
· AC: 5
· +1 or better weapon to hit
· HP: 4d8+4 (22)
· THAC0: 15
· Attacks: 1d3/1d3/1d6/1d4
· XP: 600
Gargoyle 2
· AC: 5
· +1 or better weapon to hit
· HP: 4d8+4 (22)
· THAC0: 15
· Attacks: 1d3/1d3/1d6/1d4
· XP: 600
INITIATIVE ROLL:
Party:
* Donovan: 8
* Bosco (+2): 7
* Kharius: 6
* Korvac: 3
Monsters:
* Gargoyles: 4
The Party will attack first.
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack Gargoyle 1. His THAC0 is 6 and the gargoyle’s AC is 5, so he automatically hits. Rolling 1d8+5 for damage: 12. Gargoyle 1’s HP is reduced to 10.
Donovan attacks Gargoyle 1 again. Rolling 1d8+5 for damage: 8. Gargoyle 1’s HP is reduced to 2.
Bosco doesn’t have a magic weapon so his attacks are not effective.
Kharius will cast Magic Missile on the Gargoyles. The spell deals 5d4+5. Kharius will send 1 missile on Gargoyle 1 and the remaining on Gargoyle 2.
Gargoyle 1 takes a missile to the face and falls to the ground before it can even attack anyone.
Gargoyle 2 takes 4d4+4 damage. Rolling for damage: 14. Gargoyle 2 takes 14 damage and its HP is reduced to 8.
Korvac doesn’t have a magic weapon so his attacks are not effective.
The remaining gargoyle will attack Donovan with its claws, horns and tail. It needs a 13 to hit. Rolling 1d20: 18, 5, 13 and 9. Two hits. Rolling for damage (1d3, 1d6): 2, 5.
Donovan takes 7 damage and his HP is reduced to 85.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 2
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack Gargoyle 2. His THAC0 is 6 and the gargoyle’s AC is 5, so he automatically hits. Rolling 1d8+5 for damage: 11. The gargoyle is utterly destroyed and his remains crumble to the ground.
----------------------------------------
The Party has emerged victorious, defeating the 2 gargoyles. Each member earns a total of (600*2) = 1200 XP for the defeated monsters in this encounter.
* Donovan Stride has accumulated 7200 + 1200 = 8400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 12.
* Donovan Stride’s HP up by 1d10+2 (CON bonus). Rolled a 10. Donovan Stride’s max HP is now 102.
* Korvac the Blessed has accumulated 8400 XP in total.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has accumulated 8400 XP in total.
* Bosco Tumblefoot has accumulated 8500 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 11.
* Bosco Tumblefoot’s HP up by 1d6+2 (CON/Hobbit bonus). Rolled a 6. Bosco Tumblefoot’s max HP is now 61.
***
“That was…anticlimactic”, Megalomagna said. “I thought those gargoyles were stronger”.
“Maybe we are the ones getting stronger”, Korvac replied.
“Whatever”, Megalomagna retorted. “Take their horns”.
“What?”, Donovan asked, tilting his head.
“Take the gargoyles’ horns. Do it! You will thank me later”, Megalomagna insisted.
“God, you’re insufferable”, Donovan vented. “All right, I’ll take them”.
----------------------------------------
2 gargoyle horns have been looted from the gargoyles.
----------------------------------------
“Can we finally go in?”, Bosco asked Megalomagna.
“YES! Be my guests. The tower is yours”, Megalomagna answered, flippant.
“Enough with the buffoonery”, Donovan said. “Let’s go”.
***
Entering the Tower of Bones, the first thing the party noticed was the lingering stench of decay that was barely shifted by the air moving through the narrow arrow-slit windows. Most of the rooms, from what they could see, were lit with wall fixtures enchanted with the continual flame spell. The doors were made of wood, and the main hall behind the entrance door led to stairs up and down.
"What do you guys think? Should we go up or down?", Donovan asked the Party.
"The smell of decay is even stronger going down", Kharius replied.
"Megalomagna, what do you say? Can you detect anything?", Donovan asked the sword.
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"Below us, I detect scattered magical sources, but there are no life forms there. On the upper floors... there are definitely life forms", Megalomagna answered.
"The foul scent coming from downstairs certainly indicates the presence of undead", Korvac reasoned. "Although I am confident that I can keep us safe against most of them, I cannot guarantee anything if we encounter something very uncommon or powerful".
"The only thing I can guarantee is that you won't find vampires or liches here", Megalomagna interjected. "Those nasty creatures are too proud to live in a tower that doesn't belong to them".
"I don't know if that's a reason to be at ease, but whatever. I'm interested in those magical sources you mentioned, so maybe it's worth exploring even if we have to destroy some undead along the way. What do you say?", Donovan looked at the other Party members, and they all nodded in agreement.
"So it's decided. Downstairs it is", Donovan settled.
***
As the Party walked through the halls, it became clear that the basement levels of the tower were used as a prison. There were remains scattered here and there of a variety of living and deceased creatures. Going down another set of stairs, the Party found a number of storage rooms, where they could see rusty items and coins laying on the ground.
“Wait”, Bosco said. “I can see something moving beneath the pile”.
“Well noted”, Kharius added. “Whatever it is, it has sensed our presence. Get ready to fight!”.
Slowly, a figure that more resembled a ghoulish collection of stolen human body parts stitched together, taller than a normal human being, wearing a ragged pair of trousers, appeared in front of the Party from beneath the pile of junk. Its odor was a mix of freshly dug earth and dead flesh.
“It’s a flesh golem”, Megalomagna explained. “Look out for it or you’re gonna get punched really hard in the face!”.
The flesh golem walked towards the Party with a stiff jointed gait, emitted a hoarse roar and raised its dreadful fists.
----------------------------------------
A flesh golem has appeared!
Flesh Golem
* AC: 9
* +1 or better weapon to hit
* HP: 40
* THAC0: 11
* Attacks: 2d8/2d8
* XP: 4000
* Can only be struck by magical weapons.
* Fire and cold based spells merely slow them for 2d6 rounds.
* Electrical attacks restores 1 hit point for each die of damage it would normally have done.
* All other spells have no effect.
----------------------------------------
INITIATIVE ROLL
* Party: 8
* Flesh Golem: 3
----------------------------------------
PARTY INITIATIVE ROLL:
* Bosco (+2): 9
* Kharius: 6
* Korvac: 5
* Donovan: 2
----------------------------------------
Bosco will attack with his short sword. The attack has no effect on the Flesh Golem.
“What is going on? The monster is unfazed”, Bosco said, confused.
“It seems to be immune against common weapons, like the gargoyles”, Korvac pondered.
“Dammit! I should have known this sooner!”, Bosco grumbled.
Kharius will cast Magic Missile. The spell has no effect either.
“What kind of creature is that?”, Kharius yelled, frustrated.
“Golems are magical constructs”, Korvac said. “It makes sense that they are immune to most magical attacks”.
“You guys better stay back, then!”, Donovan rallied. “Let me do the hard work and just keep me alive, is that acceptable?”.
They all nodded. Korvac will refrain from attacking and will stand back, giving Donovan room to attack the Flesh Golem.
Donovan attacks. The Flesh Golem’s AC is 9, so both Donovan attacks connect. Rolling for damage: 1d8+5, 1d8+5: 11, 9.
The Flesh Golem has taken 20 damage and its HP is reduced to 20.
----------------------------------------
The Flesh Golem will attack Donovan with its fists. It has THAC0 11, so it needs 7 to hit. It rolls a 14 and a 7, hitting twice. Rolling for damage (2d8, 2d8): 10, 9.
Donovan takes 19 damage and his HP is reduced to 95-19 = 76.
“This…thing is dangerous!”, Donovan yelled. “Heal me, guys! Quickly”.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 2
----------------------------------------
Korvac will cast Cure Serious Wounds on Donovan. Rolling for healing (2d8+1): 11. Donovan has recovered 11 HP and has now 76+11 = 87.
Donovan will attack the Flesh Golem. Rolling for damage: 1d8+5, 1d8+5: 18.
The Flesh Golem has taken 18 damage and its HP is reduced to 2.
“It’s still alive?”, Donovan asked, nervous. “What the hell, man!”.
“Don’t be such a wuss, Donovan!”, Megalomagna yelled with the thunderous voice the Party often forgets it can have. “This freak is almost done, I can sense it. Keep bashing and you’ll kill it”.
----------------------------------------
The Flesh Golem will attack Donovan again with its fists. It rolls a 16 and a 3, hitting once. Rolling for damage (2d8): 12.
Donovan takes 12 damage and his HP is reduced to 87-12 = 75.
Donovan will attack the Flesh Golem. Rolling for damage: 1d8+5, 1d8+5: 18.
The Flesh Golem has been destroyed. Its remains fall to the ground, inert as if they had never moved at all.
----------------------------------------
The Party has emerged victorious, defeating the Flesh Golem. Each member earns a total of 4000 XP for the defeated monster in this encounter.
* Donovan Stride has accumulated 12.400 XP in total.
* Korvac the Blessed has accumulated 12.400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 12.
* Korvac the Blessed’s HP up by 1d8. Rolled a 3. Korvac the Blessed’s max HP is now 61.
* Korvac the Blessed has learned the spells Divination, Heal and Conjure Fire Elemental.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has accumulated 12.400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 11.
* Kharius Bloodmoon’s HP up by 1d4. Rolled a 2. Kharius Bloodmoon’s max HP is now 31.
* Bosco Tumblefoot has accumulated 12.500 XP in total.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has learned the spells Knock, Ice Storm and Cone of Cold.
Searching through the pile of junk, the Party gathered the following items:
* A sharp and well-crafted sword.
* A book.
* 50 gold.
* 500 silver.
* A vial of transparent liquid.
* A cloak.
***
“What a strange…creature?”, Bosco said, uncertain.
“I don’t think we can call it a creature”, Korvac corrected. “It is merely a collection of organic material tied together with magic. It could be made of things other than flesh, like clay or stone”.
“But, since this is the Tower of Bones, and its owner is an evil priest, then it was made of his victims’ flesh”, Bosco guessed.
“Pretty much, yes”, Korvac agreed.
Megalomagna’s blade shimmered a light purple, attracting the Party’s attention.
“All right, since I’m so magnanimous, as my name faithfully implies, I’m gonna let you goofs in on a secret: the sword, the book, the vial and the cloak you have found are all magical. Guess you found quite a treasure!”.
“You’re the only goof here!”, Bosco complained. “But I guess we can’t complain. This is quite a haul!”.
“Don’t touch them”, Korvac admonished. “I was taught by my superior that being magical isn’t necessarily a good thing. Cursed weapons also emit magic”.
“So what do you suggest?”, Donovan asked. “I can see the sword is well-crafted and sharp, the cloak is beautiful and the book is just a book. Even the vial has a transparent liquid inside. Nothing out of ordinary”.
“There is a spell named ‘Detect Evil’ that can tell us whether an item is cursed or not. Allow me”, Korvac said, and as he stood quiet and concentrated, his holy symbol shone beautifully before him. His eyes opened wide at the items presented, until he focused on the book. He immediately frowned.
“That book is evil”, Korvac said. "We must destroy it immediately”.
“Why?”, Bosco asked. “We can still make some money out of it”.
“You don’t understand, Bosco. This book can kill you”.
“And what would it take to destroy it?”, Donovan asked.
“Step aside”, Kharius said, extending the palm of his hand toward the item.
----------------------------------------
Kharius casts Fireball. The spell has no effect.
----------------------------------------
“This is not good”, Korvac said, worried.
“All right, put it in the bag”, Donovan said, not wanting to waste more of their time. “We’ll deal with this cursed book when we finish this mission”.
They all agreed. Out of spite, Bosco surreptitiously took the short sword and the cloak with him–being a thief allowed him to do so unnoticed by the Party. Except Megalomagna.
***
Going down another set of stairs, the Party came across what looked like a repository of corpses, and a morgue. Someone, it seemed, was keeping their victims’ bodies as preserved as possible there so they could animate them later as needed.
The stench became unbearable. The Party must save vs. poison or they will be nauseated for 1d4 turns, incurring in a -1 penalty to their attack rolls and will attack last every round.
----------------------------------------
* Donovan needs a 5. Rolled a 14. Saved.
* Korvac needs a 6. Rolled a 19. Saved.
* Kharius needs a 11. Rolled a 7. Failed.
* Bosco needs a 9. Rolled a 12. Saved.
Rolling 1d4: 3. Kharius will be nauseated for 3 turns.
----------------------------------------
The reason of such a foul stench suddenly became apparent. Four humanoid creatures of gray skin and a hateful light burning in their eyes got up and, without a hint of warning, attacked the Party.
----------------------------------------
4 juju zombies appeared!
Juju Zombie
* AC: 6
* +1 or better weapon to hit
* HP: 6d8 (27), (24), (26), (28)
* THAC0: 15
* Attacks: 1d10+2
* XP: 1500
* Blunt and piercing weapons cause half damage.
* Immune to mind affecting spells and psionics, illusions, and to electricity and magic missiles.
* Fire causes only half damage.
----------------------------------------
INITIATIVE ROLL
* Party: 6
* Juju Zombies: 4
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack first. Juju zombies have AC: 6, so he needs 1 to hit. Donovan automatically connects, hitting Juju zombie 1 twice. Rolling 1d8+5, 1d8+5 for damage: 10, 12.
Juju zombie 1 takes 22 damage and is reduced to 5 HP.
Korvac will try to use his Turn Undead ability on the undead. The tentative fails due to the high level of Negative Plane energy permeating the tower.
“We are gonna have to kill them the hard way”, Korvac yelled. “My powers are not working!”.
“That was to be expected, I guess”, Bosco said. “This is an evil tower of evil, after all”.
Bosco will attack Juju zombie 2. His THAC0 is 11, so he needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 18. The juju zombie has been damaged by 1d6+1. Rolling for damage: 5.
Juju zombie 2 takes 5 damage and is reduced to 19 HP.
Kharius will attack Juju zombie 3 with his bow and arrow. He has THAC0 14, so he needs a 8 to hit. Rolled a 10. The arrow hit the juju zombie but doesn’t even leave a scratch.
“Those monsters must be immune to regular weapons!”, Donovan yells. “Kharius, you gotta cast a spell next time if you wanna be of any help”.
“So that means my new short sword is really magical…guess I finally got lucky”, Bosco muttered to himself.
----------------------------------------
Two juju zombies will attack Korvac, as they especially hate priests of a good alignment. Having THAC0 15, they need 10 to hit. Rolled 15 and 7.
The first juju zombie hits Korvac. Rolling 1d10+2 for damage: 10.
Korvac takes 10 damage and is reduced to 51 HP.
One juju zombie will attack Donovan. It needs 11 to hit. Rolled a 19. Rolling 1d10+2 for damage: 6.
Donovan takes 6 damage and is reduced to 69 HP.
One juju zombie will attack Bosco. It needs 13 to hit. Rolled a 3. Missed.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 2
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack Juju zombie 1. Rolling 1d8+5: 12.
Juju zombie 1 takes 12 damage and is utterly destroyed, remains of rotten organs splattered on the ground and walls.
Korvac will cast Cure Serious Wounds on Donovan. Rolling 2d8+1 for healing: 9.
Donovan’s HP is increased to 69+9 = 78 HP.
Bosco will attack Juju zombie 2. His THAC0 is 11, so he needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 14. The juju zombie has been damaged by 1d6+1. Rolling for damage: 4.
Juju zombie 2 takes 4 damage and is reduced to 15 HP.
Kharius will cast Burning Hands on Juju zombie 2. The spell deals 1d6+22 damage. Rolling 1d6: 2.
The spell should have caused 24 damage to Juju Zombie 2 but instead only caused 12. It is reduced to 3 HP.
“Are these creatures resistant to fire? What’s going on with this tower?”, Kharius asked, confused and still nauseated.
----------------------------------------
Juju zombie 2 will attack Kharius. Having THAC0 15, it needs 12 to hit. Rolled 16. Rolling 1d10+2 for damage: 9.
Kharius takes 9 damage and is reduced to 24 HP.
Juju zombies 3 and 4 will attack Korvac. They need 10 to hit. Rolled 8 and 12. Juju zombie 4 hits Korvac. Rolling 1d10+2 for damage: 7.
Korvac takes 7 damage and is reduced to 44 HP.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 3
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack Juju zombie 3 twice. Rolling 1d8+5, 1d8+5 for damage: 10, 13.
Juju zombie 3 takes 23 damage and is reduced to 3 HP.
Korvac will cast Cure Light Wounds on Kharius. Rolling 1d8 for healing: 6.
Kharius’s HP is increased to 24+6 = 30 HP.
Bosco will attack Juju zombie 2. His THAC0 is 11, so he needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 17. The juju zombie has been damaged by 1d6+1. Rolling for damage: 5.
Juju zombie 2 takes 5 damage and its body suddenly dismantled like a doll’s, collapsing to the ground to never get up again.
“Nice work, folks! You’re halfway done! Keep bashing those jujus!”, Megalomagna screamed.
“Shut up and fight, Megalomagna!”, Bosco replied. “You damn hobbit, you better treat me better or I’ll let your Party know what kind of adventurer you are!”, the sword threatened.
“Stop it now!”, Korvac admonished. “The battlefield is no place for bantering”.
Kharius casts Cone of Cold on Juju Zombie 3. The spell has no effect.
“A level 5 spell has no effect?”, Kharius asked, perplexed.
“Kharius, those are not your average zombies. They exude powerful Negative Plane energy. Refrain from using magic against them”, Korvac advised.
“But then what can I do?”, Kharius replied, confused. “Maybe I should enchant my arrows. Yes, I’ll do exactly that”.
JUJU ZOMBIES’ TURN
Juju zombie 3 attacks Donovan. It needs 11 to hit. Rolled a 9. Missed.
Juju zombie 4 attacks Korvac. It needs 10 to hit. Rolled a 16. Rolling 1d10+2 for damage: 10.
Korvac takes 10 damage and is reduced to 34 HP.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 4
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack Juju Zombie 3. Rolling for damage is unnecessary.
Juju Zombie 3 is shredded to pieces like a ragdoll in a chainsaw factory.
Donovan will attack Juju zombie 4. Rolling 1d8+5 for damage: 10.
Juju Zombie 4 takes 10 damage and is reduced to 18 HP.
Bosco will attack Juju Zombie 4. His THAC0 is 11, so he needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 13. The juju zombie has been damaged by 1d6+1. Rolling for damage: 6.
Juju Zombie 4 takes 6 damage and is further reduced to 12 HP.
“Kharius, use that fire spell again”, Korvac shouted.
“But isn’t it resistant against it? I think we should stick to the plan”, Kharius said, stubbornly.
“Do it, wizard!”, Megalomagna roared. Reluctant, Kharius complied.
----------------------------------------
Kharius casts Burning Hands on Juju zombie 4. The spell deals 1d6+22 damage. Rolled a 3.
----------------------------------------
The spell should have dealt 25 damage, but instead it deals only 12.
The juju zombie, even engulfed in flames, still tried to go for Kharius. He must succeed on a dexterity ability check or he will catch fire and suffer 1d10 damage.
Kharius dexterity: 14+2. Rolled a 18. Failed. Rolling 1d10 for fire damage: 7.
Kharius takes 7 damage and is reduced to 23 HP.
The Party has emerged victorious, defeating the 4 juju zombies. Each member earns a total of 1500*4 = 6000 XP for the defeated monsters in this encounter.
* Donovan Stride has accumulated 8400 + 6000 = 12.400 XP in total.
* Korvac the Blessed has accumulated 8400 + 6000 = 12.400 XP in total.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has accumulated 8400 + 6000 = 12.400 XP in total.
* Bosco Tumblefoot has accumulated 8500 + 6000 = 12.500 XP in total.
***
“This is getting really troublesome”, Kharius said, exhausted. “Most creatures in this tower are immune to magic, and even the undead are resistant to Turn”.
“I never said it would be easy, folks. I just said it would be worth it”, Megalomagna responded.
“You’re not at risk of being eaten by the undead, you damn piece of steel”, Kharius retorted.
“Look, you’re still alive because of me, okay? Look at those damned zombies lying on the ground. They are there, stone cold dead, because I killed them. Even the ones I didn’t kill, I told you exactly how to. You have to realize you owe me”, Megalomagna declared.
“How self-pretentious can you be?”, Donovan asked, looking at the sword. “You didn’t kill the zombies, we did it. By yourself, you’re just a sword. And those stupid zombies wouldn’t even care to give you the attention we do”.
“Don’t act like your attention is all I could ever want”, Megalomagna said.
“This is tiresome”, Korvac vented. “Can we just finish this quest already? I can’t stand this smell any longer”.
“Good idea”, Kharius agreed.
“Since there are no other places to explore here, let’s go upstairs. It’s time to meet this tower’s master, after all”, Donovan said.
***
Going up the stairs, the Party could notice the first and second floors were repurposed into barracks. Old, rusted weapons were arranged in racks and stands, while javelins and arrows lied on the floor. The atmosphere seemed suspiciously calm, and as the Party traversed through the rooms, all they could hear was their own steps on the wooden floor.
At the end of the second floor, they finally caught a glimpse of the stairs going up. Up there was High Priest Ryngoth’s room, one of the most powerful and evil priests in the world.
Before they could put their feet on the stairs, a growling voice stopped them in their tracks.
“Go no further”.
The Party looked back, startled. The figure of a cracked and yellowing skeleton, covered with shards of decaying flesh, stood up from a chair, previously unnoticed by them.
Clad in blackened armor and rotted trappings, the skeleton had black holes containing pinpoints of reddish light instead of eyes, and held a fearsome two-handed sword.
“This is bad news”, Korvac said, concerned.
“I know. He even looks stronger than anything else we’ve encountered so far”, Donovan added.
“My master has ordered me to not let anyone leave this tower alive”, the skeleton said, with a cavernous voice that seemed to come straight from the pits of hell, holding his sword up in attacking stance.
“Well, if destroying you is the condition we have to meet in order to meet your master, so be it”, Donovan said, pointing Megalomagna towards the enemy. “Megalomaniac, if you have any cards up your sleeve, now is the time to put them on the table!”.
“My name is Megalomagna, jackass!”, the sword roared, and its blade glowed purple.
----------------------------------------
Megalomagna casts Strength. Donovan’s Strength attribute is increased by 1d8. This spell has no attribute restriction. Rolling 1d8: 6. Donovan’s Strength attribute is increased to 22 and is akin to a Fire Giant’s (+4 to hit, + 10 damage) for the duration of the spell.
----------------------------------------
A skeleton warrior has appeared!
Skeleton Warrior
* AC: 2
* +1 or better weapon to hit
* HP: 99
* THAC0: 11
* Attacks: 1d10 (+3 to attack roll only)
* XP: 10.000
* Immune to all kinds of magic
----------------------------------------
INITIATIVE ROLL
* Party: 3
* Skeleton Warrior: 7
----------------------------------------
ROUND 1
----------------------------------------
The skeleton warrior will attack Donovan. It has a THAC0 of 11 and has a +3 bonus to its attack roll, so it needs 4 to hit. Rolled a 11. Rolling 1d10 for damage with longsword: 9.
Donovan has taken 9 damage and is reduced to 78-9 = 69 HP.
----------------------------------------
INITIATIVE ROLL
* Donovan: 9
* Bosco (+2): 7
* Korvac: 6
* Kharius: 3
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack the skeleton warrior twice with Megalomagna. It has AC: 2 and Donovan has THAC0 5, but the Strength spell grants him a +4 bonus to attack rolls, so he automatically connects. Rolling 1d8+13, 1d8+13: 17, 20.
Skeleton Warrior has taken 37 damage and is reduced to 99-37 = 62 HP.
Bosco will attack the skeleton warrior with his short sword. He needs a 9 to hit. Rolled a 15. Rolling 1d6+1 for damage: 7.
Skeleton Warrior has taken 7 damage and is reduced to 62-7 = 55 HP.
Korvac will cast Cure Light Wounds on Donovan. Rolling 1d8: 3.
Donovan has recovered 3 HP and now has 72 HP.
Kharius will cast Enchanted Weapon on his arrows. Two arrows have been enchanted and are now +1.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 2
----------------------------------------
The skeleton warrior will attack Donovan again. It needs 4 to hit. Rolled a 12. Rolling 1d10 for damage with longsword: 5.
Donovan has taken 5 damage and is reduced to 72-5 = 67 HP.
----------------------------------------
Donovan attacks the skeleton warrior twice again. Rolling 1d8+13, 1d8+13: 19, 16.
Skeleton Warrior has taken 35 damage and is reduced to 55-35 = 20 HP.
Bosco attacks the skeleton warrior with his short sword. He needs a 9 to hit. Rolled a 16. Rolling 1d6+1 for damage: 5.
Skeleton Warrior has taken 5 damage and is reduced to 20-5 = 15 HP.
Korvac will protect Kharius as he prepares to throw an arrow.
Kharius attacks the skeleton warrior with his bow and an enchanted arrow +1. He has THAC0 of 14 (+1 bonus), so he needs a 11 to hit. Rolled an 8. Missed.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 3
----------------------------------------
The skeleton warrior will attack Korvac. It needs 3 to hit. Rolled a 19. Rolling 1d10 for damage with longsword: 7.
Korvac has taken 7 damage and is reduced to 34-7 = 27 HP.
----------------------------------------
“Let’s finish this!”, Donovan rallied. “I won’t allow this pile of bones to hurt my comrades any longer!”.
Donovan attacks the skeleton warrior twice again. Rolling 1d8+13, 1d8+13: 17, 19.
Skeleton Warrior has taken 36 damage and is reduced to 15-36 = -21 HP.
----------------------------------------
Although having its Hit Points reduced below 0, the skeleton warrior is still standing.
----------------------------------------
“What? Isn’t it supposed to be dead by now?”, Donovan asked, confused.
“Well…it is dead, technically”, Megalomagna said, laughing. “It seems brute force isn’t going to be enough to destroy it, though”.
“Korvac, do something!”, Donovan yelled.
“What do you expect me to do? My Turn Undead powers do not work inside this place”, Korvac retorted, nervous.
“This monster is a guardian. I’m sure of it”, Kharius reasoned. “Dispel it! Maybe we can dispel it”.
Korvac will cast Dispel Magic on the skeleton warrior. It will roll a saving throw vs. spell as a 9th level warrior, needing a 11 or higher to succeed. Rolled a 14. Saved.
----------------------------------------
The spell has no effect.
----------------------------------------
“It didn’t work”, Korvac said, frustrated. “What are we gonna do?”.
“You must try again, Korvac!”, Kharius said. “I can see it resisting the spell, another one will do the trick!”.
----------------------------------------
The skeleton warrior is possessed with anger and will attack Korvac again with a +3 bonus to damage roll. It needs 3 to hit. Rolled a 18. Rolling 1d10+3 for damage with longsword: 12.
Korvac has taken 12 damage and is reduced to 27-12 = 15 HP.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 4
----------------------------------------
“Do it now, Korvac!”, all Party members shouted.
Korvac will cast Dispel Magic one more time on the skeleton warrior. It will roll a saving throw vs. spell as a 9th level warrior, needing a 11 or higher to succeed. Rolled a 3. Failed.
The Skeleton Warrior dropped its weapon and began to crumble, its joints detaching from one another until nothing remained but a lifeless pile of bones.
----------------------------------------
The Party has emerged victorious, defeating the skeleton warrior. Each member earns a total of 10.000 XP for the defeated monster in this encounter.
* Donovan Stride has accumulated 12.400 + 10.000 = 22.400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 13.
* Donovan Stride’s HP up by 1d10+2. Rolled a 11. Donovan Stride’s max HP is now 113.
* Korvac the Blessed has accumulated 12.400 + 10.000 = 22.400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 13.
* Korvac the Blessed’s HP up by 1d8. Rolled a 5. Korvac the Blessed’s max HP is now 66.
* Korvac the Blessed has learned the spell Resurrection.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has accumulated 12.400 + 10.000 = 22.400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 12.
* Kharius Bloodmoon’s HP up by 1d4. Rolled a 3. Kharius Bloodmoon’s max HP is now 34.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has learned the spell Chain Lightning.
* Bosco Tumblefoot has accumulated 12.400 + 10.000 = 22.500 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 12.
* Bosco Tumblefoot’s HP up by 1d6+2. Rolled a 6. Bosco Tumblefoot’s max HP is now 67.
***
Megalomagna”, Donovan called. “Is the skeleton’s sword magical?”.
“What do you think I am? Your personal magic detector?”, Megalomagna retorted, defiant.
“If you wanna be a member of this Party, you gotta help us with everything you have”, Donovan replied, standing his ground.
“Member of this Party…more like master of you all simpletons”, the sword grumbled.
The Party stared at the sword, waiting for an answer.
“Fine, fine! The sword is not magical, okay? But there is something magical at the Library, upstairs”.
“Great! We’ll browse through the books. Oh, and thank you for the Strength spell. I’ve never felt that strong in my life! I felt like a giant for a moment there”, Donovan remarked.
“Yeah, and you also realized that sheer strength is not always the answer, ain’t that right?”, Kharius added.
“You do know you can continue this chitchat at the tavern, right? Don’t test my patience”, Megalomagna interjected, annoyed.
The Party Members looked at each other, laughed a little, and went up the stairs.
A longsword has been found among the skeleton warrior’s remains.
***
Going up the stairs, the Party immediately noticed the atmosphere shift. Instead of the foul stench of the undead, they felt the ominous aura of something cruel and ruthless.
A considerably-sized library could be seen, containing countless books on its shelves. Strangely, neither the books nor the wooden furniture caught fire despite being exposed to the continual flame spell crackling on the walls.
"I sense magic coming from one of these books. It's well-hidden: point me to the left until we are in the right direction", Megalomagna said. Donovan randomly pointed the sword until it exclaimed. "Stop! It's here. Go forward in this direction", the sword insisted.
Donovan moved towards the book. Distracted, he didn't notice he had stepped on something that, too late, he realized was a kind of pressure plate on the floor, and a powerful jet of fire was launched in his direction.
----------------------------------------
Donovan triggered a trap. He must save vs. breath weapon or will suffer 4d10. A successful save will reduce damage by half. Donovan needs a 5 to save. Rolled a 15. Saved.
Donovan takes 2d10 damage. Rolled a 15.
Donovan takes 15 damage and is reduced to 78 – 15 = 63 HP.
----------------------------------------
“Ouch, that hurts! Goddamit, Megalomagna! What the hell are you doing?”, Donovan yelled.
“Why are you blaming that on me? I can’t detect traps! It’s the midget’s job over there!”, Megalomagna retorted in the same tone.
“Stop calling me a midget, will ya?”, Bosco pleaded. “There wasn’t even time for me to check for traps, so gimme a break”.
“Okay, now let’s get the magical book we are here for”, Donovan said, putting out the fires.
----------------------------------------
The Party has obtained a magical tome of unknown effects.
----------------------------------------
“I see there are rats wandering around our home”, a guttural voice echoed. Suddenly, a humanoid figure became visible. What caused the Party members to disbelieve their own eyes were the draconic features, scaly skin and reptilian eyes the humanoid possessed.
He wore cultist robes, was 1.9 meters tall and held a fearsome heavy mace in his right hand. Although visibly a Priest, that creature seemed anything but God’s envoy.
“Are you hungry, Zulkir?”, the priest asked.
An enormous badger answered with a high-pitched sound.
“Ryngoth”, Megalomagna stated. “Are you ready for your demise?”.
“A talking sword? And the Troll Killer, nonetheless?”, Ryngoth replied.
“I don’t like that name”, Megalomagna retorted. “I brought friends, I hope you don’t mind. They’re probably gonna kill you, though. Sorry about that. It’s just that I hate spellcasters, and you happen to be one of them. Just die quietly, will ya?”.
“And what a sword with a mouth can do against me?”, Ryngoth roared. “Zulkir, kill those pests for me and I promise you the best meal afterwards”.
Zulkir, the giant dire badger, assumed an offensive stance and darted towards the Party.
----------------------------------------
Dire Badger Zulkir has appeared!
Dire Badger Zulkir
* AC: 2
* HP: 30
* THAC0: 14
* Damage: 1d6, 1d6, 1d8 (claw, claw, bite)
* Morale: 20 (fights to the death)
* XP: 1000
----------------------------------------
INITIATIVE ROLL
* Party: 9
* Dire Badger Zulkir: 7
----------------------------------------
ROUND 1
----------------------------------------
Zulkir will attack Donovan three times. It needs a 10 to hit. Rolled 8, 16, 5. One hit (1d6). Rolling for damage: 4. Donovan is reduced to 63-4 = 59 HP.
----------------------------------------
PARTY INITIATIVE ROLL
* Kharius: 9
* Donovan: 7
* Bosco (+2): 7
* Korvac: 3
----------------------------------------
Kharius will attack Zulkir with his bow and arrow. He needs 11 to hit. Rolled a 12. Rolling 1d6 for damage: 2.
Zulkir has taken 2 damage and is reduced to 30-2 = 28 HP.
Bosco will attack Zulkir with his short sword. He needs 7 to hit. Rolled a 9. Rolling 1d6+1 for damage: 6.
Zulkir has taken 6 damage and is reduced to 28-6 = 22 HP.
Donovan will attack Zulkir twice with Megalomagna. He needs 2 to hit. Rolled 15, 7. Rolling 1d8+5, 1d8+5 for damage: 8, 11.
Zulkir has taken 19 damage and is reduced to 22-19 = 3 HP.
Korvac will attack Zulkir with his morning star. He needs 7 to hit. Rolled 18. Rolling 1d8 for damage: 7.
Zulkir has taken 7 damage.
----------------------------------------
Reduced to less than 1 HP, Zulkir’s appearance seems to fade and it disappears with a flash.
----------------------------------------
“Of course you would defeat Zulkir. You have even defeated my guardian downstairs”, Ryngoth said, unfazed.
“It’s your turn now, evil priest!”, Donovan shouted.
“Come, show me what you’ve got! I’ve been in need of fresh corpses!”, Ryngoth declared, raising his mace and preparing to charge.
----------------------------------------
High Priest Ryngoth has appeared.
High Priest Ryngoth (Human/Priest LEVEL15)
* Strength: 10
* Dexterity: 6
* Constitution: 12
* Wisdom: 16
* Intelligence: 14
* Charisma: 8
* HP: ???
* AC: 4 (+1 magic chainmail)
* THAC0: 7
* Attack dmg: 1d8+1 (heavy mace +1); 1d4+1 (dagger +1)
Spells:
* Death Touch ability (1x a day)
* 1st circle: Curse
* 1st circle: Cure/Cause Light Wounds
* 1st circle: Detect Good/Evil
* 1st circle: Light/Darkness
* 1st circle: Cause Fear
* 2nd circle: Enthrall
* 2nd circle: Hold Person
* 2nd circle: Speak with Animals
* 2nd circle: Obscurement
* 3rd circle: Animate Dead
* 3rd circle: Cause Blindness/Deafness
* 3rd circle: Speak with Dead
* 3rd circle: Summon Insects
* 4th circle: Cure/Cause Serious Wounds
* 4th circle: Free Action
* 4th circle: Protection from Good, 10’ Radius
* 5th circle: Cure/Cause Critical Wounds
* 5th circle: Raise Dead
* 6th circle: Heal/Harm
* 6th circle: Forbiddance
* 7th circle: Circle of Doom
* 7th circle: Restoration/Energy Drain
* 7th circle: Resurrection/Destruction
----------------------------------------
INITIATIVE ROLL
* Party: 8
* High Priest Ryngoth: 4
----------------------------------------
PARTY INITIATIVE
* Bosco (+2): 9
* Donovan: 6
* Kharius: 4
* Korvac: 3
----------------------------------------
ROUND 1
----------------------------------------
Bosco will attack High Priest Ryngoth with his short sword. He needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 15. Rolling 1d6+1 for damage: 5. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Donovan will attack High Priest Ryngoth twice with Megalomagna. He automatically hits. Rolling 1d8+7, 1d8+7 for damage: 9, 12. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Kharius will attack High Priest Ryngoth with the Feeblemind spell. Ryngoth must save vs. spell. He needs a 9 or higher to negate the spell. Rolled a 12. Saved.
Korvac will cast Protection from Evil on Donovan. All attacks made by evil creatures against him will receive a -2 penalty to each roll, and any saving throws caused by such attacks on Donovan will be made with a +2 bonus.
----------------------------------------
High Priest Ryngoth will attack Donovan with his heavy mace. He needs 4 to hit. Rolled a 19. Rolling 1d8+1 for damage: 4. Donovan has been reduced to 59-4 = 55 HP.
“I guess this will be enough for the warm-up”, Ryngoth said, clenching his fist. “You will pay dearly for invading my tower, pests!”.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 2
----------------------------------------
Bosco will attack High Priest Ryngoth again with his short sword. He needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 18. Rolling 1d6+1 for damage: 5. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Donovan will attack High Priest Ryngoth twice with Megalomagna. He automatically hits. Rolling 1d8+7, 1d8+7 for damage: 13, 10. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Kharius will attack High Priest Ryngoth with the Magic Missile spell, dealing 6d4+6 damage. Rolled 22. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Korvac will cast Flame Strike on High Priest Ryngoth. Ryngoth must save vs. spell. He needs a 9 or higher to reduce damage by half. Rolled a 14. Saved. Ryngoth suffers 3d8 damage. Rolled a 14. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
----------------------------------------
“Children like you should know your place”, Ryngoth said, raising his left hand. "THIS is a real spell”.
----------------------------------------
High Priest Ryngoth has cast the spell Circle of Doom.
All Party members suffer 1d8+15 damage.
Donovan has taken 21 damage and is reduced to 55-21 = 34 HP.
Korvac has taken 18 damage and is reduced to 34-18 = 16 HP.
Bosco has taken 22 damage and is reduced to 67-22 = 45 HP.
Kharius has taken 17 damage and is reduced to 23-17 = 6 HP.
“Guys…this is bad news…I think that dragon-faced priest is trouble”, Bosco said.
“We’ll endure, Bosco. Don’t falter!”, Donovan said, fighting through the pain caused by the negative energy burst.
“How have you liked it, adventurers?”, Ryngoth said, laughing. “That was just a taste of my powers! Are you ready to become my servants?”.
“We haven’t come this far to become servants to a corrupted priest”, Kharius shouted. “Let’s give it our all!”.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 3
----------------------------------------
Bosco will attack High Priest Ryngoth with his short sword. He needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 9. Rolling 1d6+1 for damage: 4. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Donovan will attack High Priest Ryngoth twice with Megalomagna. He automatically hits. Rolling 1d8+7, 1d8+7 for damage: 14, 11. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Kharius will attack High Priest Ryngoth with the Cone of Cold spell, dealing 12d4+12 damage. Ryngoth must save vs. spell. He needs a 9 or higher to reduce the spell damage by half. Rolled a 15. Saved. Rolling for damage: 44/2 = 22. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Korvac will cast Cure Critical Wounds on Kharius. Rolling 3d8+3 for healing: 19.
Kharius has recovered 19 HP and has now 19+6 = 25 HP.
----------------------------------------
It seems Ryngoth is weakening. His heavy mace started to feel heavy on his hand.
Ryngoth will attack Donovan with his Death Touch. He needs a 4 to hit. Rolled a 9. Donovan must save vs. death or he will die. Rolled a 15. Donovan is damaged by 1d8 by the freezing cold touch of Ryngoth’s spell but his amazing fortitude and willpower helps him fight through certain death. Rolling 1d8: 7. Donovan has been reduced to 34 – 7 = 27 HP.
“I saw my life flash before my eyes now”, Donovan vented, appalled. Ryngoth scowled.
“You may have escaped certain death, amateur. But it doesn’t mean you will defeat me”.
“He won’t, Ryngoth. WE WILL!”, Megalomagna roared with its thunderous voice. The sword forces Donovan to attack first.
----------------------------------------
ROUND 4
----------------------------------------
Donovan will attack High Priest Ryngoth twice with Megalomagna. He automatically hits. Rolling 1d8+7, 1d8+7 for damage: 11, 13. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to ??? HP.
Ryngoth is attempting to escape. He started running to the tower windows.
Bosco will try to backstab High Priest Ryngoth with his short sword. He needs 5 to hit. Rolled a 14. Rolling 1d6+1 for damage: 5. The successful backstab multiplies the damage by 4, according to Bosco’s level. High Priest Ryngoth has taken 20 damage and has been reduced to ??? HP.
High Priest Ryngoth spat blood after being wounded by Bosco. In a desperate move, he will attempt to use Cause Fear on the Party, bypassing Kharius’s turn. If Kharius rolls a higher number than Ryngoth on an initiative roll, he will be able to interrupt the spell casting.
----------------------------------------
INITIATIVE ROLL
* Kharius: 8
* High Priest Ryngoth: 3
----------------------------------------
Kharius will attack first.
Kharius casts Lightning Bolt. High Priest Ryngoth’s concentration has been broken. He must save vs. spell or suffer 12d6 damage. A successful save will reduce damage by half. He needs a 9 to save. Rolled a 5. Failed. Rolling for damage: 42. High Priest Ryngoth has been reduced to 0 HP.
The powerful electric shock caused by Kharius' spell makes High Priest Ryngoth's body burn as if it had been set on fire. Any and all fluids his body might have had were completely consumed by the electric current, and only a dried husk remained in its place. The priest's open eyes causes the Party to doubt whether he is truly dead, but the fact that he let go of the unholy symbol that remained in his left hand seems to be proof enough that he is no longer a threat.
The Party, at last, has defeated High Priest Ryngoth and conquered the Tower of Bones.
The Party has emerged victorious, defeating Dire Badger Zulkir and its master High Priest Ryngoth. Each member earns a total of 1000 + 30.000 = 31.000 XP for the defeated monsters in this encounter. Donovan has been rewarded with an additional 5000 XP for surviving Ryngoth’s Death Touch.
* Donovan Stride has accumulated 22.400 + 31.000 + 5000 = 58.400 = XP in total, leveled up and is now level 15.
* Donovan Stride’s HP up by 2d10+4 (CON bonus). Rolled a 14. Donovan Stride’s max HP is now 113 + 14 = 127 HP.
* Korvac the Blessed has accumulated 22.400 + 31.000 = 53.400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 14.
* Korvac the Blessed’s HP up by 1d8. Rolled a 5. Korvac the Blessed’s max HP is now 66+5 = 71 HP.
* Korvac the Blessed has learned the spell Restoration.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has accumulated 22.400 + 31.000 = 53.400 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 13.
* Kharius Bloodmoon’s HP up by 1d4. Rolled a 2. Kharius Bloodmoon’s max HP is now 34+2 = 36 HP.
* Kharius Bloodmoon has learned the spell Stone to Flesh.
* Bosco Tumblefoot has accumulated 22.500 + 31.000 = 53.500 XP in total, leveled up and is now level 13.
* Bosco Tumblefoot’s HP up by 1d6+2. (CON/Hobbit bonus). Rolled a 5. Bosco Tumblefoot’s max HP is now 67+5 = 72 HP.
***
“YES! We finally got rid of that irritating old man!”, Megalomagna exclaimed effusively.
"Now you hate priests too?", Korvac asked, panting and exhausted.
"I don't particularly like anyone, but that lizard guy was too fond of messing with arcane magic. He saw it coming", Megalomagna replied.
"I don't see why anyone would call you a Troll Killer", Donovan pondered, sitting on the ground. "You don't give a crap about trolls".
"Trolls are too stupid to avoid me", Megalomagna remarked. "Mages aren't that dumb, so they don't die by my blade as often".
"Well, you got what you wanted, which was to eliminate Ryngoth. It's time to get our payment", Bosco said.
"Greedy as always", Megalomagna responded. "But be my guests! In the late priest's chamber, you'll find what you seek... if you have the stomach to stay there for more than 1 minute!".
Upon entering Ryngoth's chamber, the Party members quickly understood what Megalomagna meant. The room was decorated with tapestries and art depicting bloody sacrifices, many of which represented sacrifices the evil priest had conducted himself.
Nauseated by the grotesque images, the Party members quickly looted the chamber and escaped as fast as they could.
----------------------------------------
The following items have been found with High Priest Ryngoth’s and in his chamber:
* A chainmail.
* A dagger.
* A heavy mace.
* A pair of shoes.
* A wand.
* A pearl.
* 2 platinum ingots.
* A diamond.
* A page from the Testament of Jade.
***
Going back home, the Party members visited the wizard for advice.
“Hello, my friends! You look even stronger than last time, huh? I think even a powerful archmage such as myself wouldn’t be a match for you now!”, the wizard said, chuckling.
“We know what kind of mage you are, old man”, Donovan said, dismissively. “We need your services in identifying some items we have found”.
The old wizard’s eyes widened. “You never cease to impress me, young warriors! These items are very rare…especially this page. It belongs to the Testament of Jade! Where did you find it?”.
“Let’s say we fought for it, and a very fierce battle”, Korvac answered.
The old wizard looked at him over his glasses, then looked away for a second. “Very well, I won’t ask anymore. Let’s see what you’ve brought here”.
Checking every item carefully, the old wizard started talking to himself.
“Let me see…amazing! A short sword +1, a cloak of protection +2, fascinating! A magic chainmail +1, a dagger +1, a heavy mace +1, marvelous! What a haul you’ve got here! Slippers of Spider Climbing, a Wand of Magic Missiles, what a discovery! A Libram of Silver Magic! Look at this: a Pearl of Wisdom +2! And this one is the most intriguing: a Potion of Gaseous Form! You drink it and become gas! Such fun! I wish I was young again so I could drink one of those in the middle of an adventure. I’m kinda jealous…".
The smile on the wizard’s face quickly faded as soon as his eyes met the cursed book.
“Why did you bring this to me?”, the wizard asked, nervous, pointing a finger at the book's dark cover.
“What? The book?", Donovan asked. “We've found it along with the other items and wanted to know what it is”.
“This is evil. It’s the epitome of evilness in the form of a book”, the old wizard said.
“We've tried to destroy it, but to no avail”, Kharius said.
“How naïve can you people be? This book will not be destroyed unless all evil in the universe is destroyed first", the wizard said.
“Is it that powerful?”, Korvac asked.
“The Book of Vile Darkness”, the wizard said, solemnly. “Remember that name. And don’t ever think of reading it! Better yet, leave it here with me. I’ll keep it locked up so it won’t cause anyone harm. What do you say? I won’t even charge for the identified items, and I’ll also buy the longsword, the platinum ingots, the diamond and the malachites for 32.000 gold pieces! Even better, I’ll take those gargoyle horns and make you 2 potions of invulnerability for free! What do you say?”.
“Wow, I guess that’s quite the bargain”, Donovan reasoned. “Is anyone against it?”.
The Party members acquiesced. But Megalomagna did not.
“Hey old man!”, the sword yelled. “What are you really gonna do with that cursed book, huh?”.
“What? You again? What do you think I’m gonna do with it? It’s a cursed book! I’m gonna lock it up, that’s what I’m gonna do!”, the old wizard retorted, upset.
"What are you doing, Megalomaniac?", Donovan asked, annoyed. The sword ignored him.
“Let me tell you something, archmage. No matter how powerful you really are, if you do anything with that book that might cause me trouble, I’ll come after for you. And I’m always angry. Do you understand?”, Megalomagna threatened, its blade starting to glow purple.
“You don’t threaten me, you blabbering rusted sword! Get outta here before I regret doing business with you all!”, the old wizard yelled, summoning a Gust of Wind that sent everyone away from the shop.
“I DON’T TRUST THAT OLD MAAAAAN!”, Megalomagna screamed, as the Party went flying towards the street.
***
----------------------------------------
QUEST END
----------------------------------------
DONOVAN STRIDE (Warrior/Human) - LVL 15
* Strength: 16 (+2 damage)
* Dexterity: 13
* Constitution: 15 (+2 HP per level)
* Intelligence: 9
* Wisdom: 10
* Charisma: 10
* HP: 127 (max)
* TAC0: 4
* Attack dmg: 1d8+5 (+7 against wizards) – attacks twice per round
* AC: 4
* XP: 58.400
----------------------------------------
KORVAC THE BLESSED (Cleric/Human) - LVL 14
* Strength: 12
* Dexterity: 10
* Constitution: 13
* Intelligence: 10
* Wisdom: 18 (pearl of wisdom +2)
* Charisma: 14
* HP: 71 (max)
* TAC0: 9
* Attack dmg: 1d8+1 (heavy mace +1)
* AC: 4 (chainmail +1)
* XP: 53.400
SPELLS:
* 1st circle: Cure Light Wounds (7x a day)
* 1st circle: Detect Evil (6x a day)
* 1st circle: Protection from Evil (4x a day)
* 2nd circle: Augury (5x a day)
* 2nd circle: Resist Fire/Resist Cold (5x a day)
* 3rd circle: Dispel Magic (4x a day)
* 3rd circle: Cure Disease (4x a day)
* 3rd circle: Remove Paralysis (3x a day)
* 4th circle: Cure Serious Wounds (5x a day)
* 4th circle: Neutralize Poison (4x a day)
* 4th circle: Divination (2x a day)
* 5th circle: Cure Critical Wounds (3x a day)
* 5th circle: Raise Dead (3x a day)
* 5th circle: Flame Strike (2x a day)
* 6th circle: Heal (3x a day)
* 6th circle: Conjure Fire Elemental (2x a day)
* 7th circle: Resurrection (1x a day)
* 7th circle: Restoration (1x a day)
----------------------------------------
KHARIUS BLOODMOON (Wizard/Half-Elf) - LVL 13
* Strength: 10
* Dexterity: 14+2 (Half-Elf bonus)
* Constitution: 12
* Intelligence: 16+1 (Half-Elf bonus)
* Wisdom: 13
* Charisma: 14
* HP: 36 (max)
* TAC0: 13
* AC: 3
* Attack dmg: 1d4 (dagger +1) or 1d6 (bow and arrow)
* XP: 53.400
ITEMS:
* Wand of Magic Missile (5 charges)
SPELLS:
* 1st Arcane Level: Magic Missile (6x a day) – 6 missiles (6d4+6 total dmg)
* 1st Arcane Level: Detect Magic (5x a day)
* 1st Arcane Level: Burning Hands (4x a day)
* 2nd Arcane Level: Levitate (5x a day)
* 2nd Arcane Level: Melf’s Acid Arrow (5x a day)
* 2nd Arcane Level: Knock (1x a day)
* 3rd Arcane Level: Fireball (4x a day)
* 3rd Arcane Level: Lightning Bolt (4x a day)
* 3rd Arcane Level: Haste (3x a day)
* 4th Arcane Level: Charm Monster (3x a day)
* 4th Arcane Level: Enchanted Weapon (3x a day)
* 4th Arcane Level: Ice Storm (2x a day)
* 5th Arcane Level: Conjure Elemental (4x a day)
* 5th Arcane Level: Feeblemind (3x a day)
* 5th Arcane Level: Cone of Cold (2x a day)
* 6th Arcane Level: Chain Lightning (2x a day)
* 6th Arcane Level: Stone to Flesh (1x a day)
----------------------------------------
BOSCO TUMBLEFOOT (Thief/Hobbit) - LVL 13
* Strength: 14
* Dexterity: 17+2 (Hobbit bonus)
* Constitution: 14+2 (Hobbit bonus) – (+2 hp)
* Intelligence: 12
* Wisdom: 14
* Charisma: 12
* HP: 72 (max)
* TAC0: 10
* AC: 2 (cloak of protection +2)
* Attack dmg: 1d6+1 (short sword +1)
* XP: 53.500
ITEMS:
* Slippers of Spider Climbing
***
----------------------------------------
UPDATED PARTY BELONGINGS
----------------------------------------
* 32.550 gold
* 950 silver
* 15 healing potions (2d4 hp healing)
* 1 potion of poison
* 5 scrolls of Cure Light Wounds (1d8 healing)
* 1 arcane spell scroll – Magic Missile
* 2 potions of invulnerability
* A short sword +1
* A Potion of Gaseous Form
* A Cloak of Protection +2
* A Libram of Silver Magic
* A Chainmail +1
* A Dagger +1
* A Heavy Mace +1
* Slippers of Spider Climbing
* Wand of Magic Missiles (5 charges)
* A +2 pearl of wisdom
* A page from the Testament of Jade
***
----------------------------------------
ITEM DESCRIPTION
----------------------------------------
Book of Vile Darkness: This is a work of ineffable evil—meat and drink to priests of that alignment. To fully consume the contents requires one week of study, but once this has been accomplished, the evil priest gains one point of Wisdom and enough experience points to place him halfway into the next level of experience. Priests neither good nor evil who read the book either lose 30,000-120,000 experience points or become evil without benefit from the book; there is a 50% chance for either. Good priests perusing the pages of the unspeakable book of vile darkness will have to successfully save vs. poison or die; and if they do not die they must successfully save vs. spell or become permanently insane. In the latter event, even if the save is successful, the priest loses 250,000 experience points, less 10,000 for each point of Wisdom he has. Other characters of good alignment suffer 5d6 points of damage from even leafing through the book, and if they actually read something, there is an 80% chance a night hag will attack the character that night. Nonevil neutral characters suffer 5d4 points of damage from opening the book, and must succeed on a save vs. poison or become evil, immediately seeking out an evil priest to confirm their new alignment.
Potion of Gaseous Form: By imbibing this magical liquid, the individual causes his body, as well as anything he's carrying or wearing, to become gaseous. The gaseous form is able to flow at a base speed of 3/round. (A gust of wind spell, or even normal strong air currents, will blow the gaseous form at air speed.) The gaseous form is transparent and insubstantial. It wavers and shifts, and can't be harmed except by magical fire or lightning, which do normal damage. A whirlwind inflicts double damage upon a creature in gaseous form. When in such condition the individual is able to enter any space that is not airtight—even a small crack or hole that allows air to penetrate also allows entry by a creature in gaseous form. The entire potion must be consumed to achieve this result, and the effects last the entire duration (4+1d4 turns).
Cloak of Protection +2: Cloak of Protection: The various forms of this marvelous device all appear to be normal garments made of cloth or leather. However, each plus of a cloak of protection betters Armor Class by one and adds one to saving throw die rolls. Thus, a cloak +1 would lower Armor Class 10 (no armor) to Armor Class 9, and give a +1 bonus to saving throw rolls.
Libram of Silver Magic: This mystic book contains much arcane knowledge for wizards of good alignment. If a character of this class and alignment spends a full week cloistered and undisturbed, pondering its contents, he immediately gains one level and experience points sufficient to place him exactly at the mid-point of the next higher level. When this occurs, the libram disappears—totally gone—and that character can never benefit again from reading such a work. Any non-good wizard reading so much as a line of the libram suffers 5d4 points of damage, falls unconscious for a like number of turns, and must seek a priest in order to atone and regain the ability to progress in experience (until doing so, he gains no further experience). Any nonwizard perusing the work must roll a saving throw vs. spell in order to avoid insanity. Characters who go insane can be healed only by a remove curse and rest for 1 month or by having a priest heal them.
Slippers of Spider Climbing: These shoes appear unremarkable, although they will give off a faint aura of alteration magic if detected for. When worn, a pair of these slippers enable the individual to move at a 60-foot rate on vertical surfaces or even upside down along ceilings, with hands free to do whatever the wearer desires. Extremely slippery surfaces—ice, oiled, or greased surfaces—make these slippers useless.
Wand of Magic Missiles: This wand discharges magic missiles similar to those of the 1st-level wizard spell of the same name. Each missile causes 1d4+1 points of damage. It always hits its target when the wand is wielded by a wizard, otherwise an attack roll is required. Each missile costs one charge. A maximum of five may be expended in one round. The wand may be recharged.
Pearl of Wisdom +2: Although it appears to be a normal pearl, Ryngoth’s pearl of wisdom causes a priest to increase two points in Wisdom if he retains the pearl for one month. The increase happens at the end of 30 days, but thereafter the priest must keep the pearl with him or the one point gain will be lost.
A page from the Testament of Jade: The Testament of Jade is a large book, bound in green leather, inset with small pieces of jade, with a sunburst etched on the front, and a green silk bookmark. It is a testimonial of Dennison the Jade, a cleric of Lathander who inhabited Myth Drannor in the years just before the fall of the city. A devout man, he had served as the senior priest of Lathander for over twenty years and fought alongside the heroes who attempted to save Myth Drannor from the humanoid hordes that eventually consumed the city in its last days.
The book contains not only personalized devotions to Lathander, but also journalistic thoughts and observations of Myth Drannor’s final days. It details the efforts of the citizens who threw together the defenses they could and includes some cryptic notes about the locations of caches of weapons and valuables that were hidden before the city was overrun.
The testament teaches the value of self-sacrifice and of giving what you can to others. Any Evil creature reading so much as a single word of the Testament must make a Wisdom save or be permanently blinded. The readers eyes vanish with a whiff of smoke and are completely, though painlessly, destroyed. Vision lost in this way can only be restored by a regeneration, wish, or similarly powerful magic.
Even though the book was ripped to pieces during the Weeping War, the enchantments kept the binding, cover, and pages, safe and intact through the centuries that followed. It was possible that the same enchantment also attracted the pieces of the book to each other slowly overtime, repairing them.
When the book is assembled, a good-aligned cleric is able to tap into its magic. The person owning the book gains a boost to their wisdom and charisma and is given the ability to cast the following spells: protection from evil (once a day), cure light wounds (thrice a day), cure serious wounds (twice a day), cure critical wounds (once a day), heal (once a day), and raise dead (once a day).
A Good or Neutral creature who carries the book feels the influence of Lathander. Every week they must make a Wisdom save or begin to experience personality changes: Jade becomes their preferred precious stone, green becomes their favorite color, they unconsciously pick up traits of Lathander’s faithful, and so on. The creature does not think these changes are unusual and resents allegations that these habits are artificially induced.
There are currently 22 pages missing from the book. It is clear that the completed book would possess additional powers, but in its incomplete state, it is impossible to know what those powers might be.
***
EXPERIENCE TABLE
CLASS
Warrior (Human):
Cleric (Human):
Wizard (Half-Elf):
Thief (Hobbit):
LEVEL 11
5000 XP
7000 XP
10.000 XP
8000 XP
LEVEL 12
8000 XP
10.000 XP
20.000 XP
15.000 XP
LEVEL 13
15.000 XP
20.000 XP
50.000 XP
35.000 XP
LEVEL 14
30.000 XP
40.000 XP
80.000 XP
60.000 XP
LEVEL 15
50.000 XP
70.000 XP
125.000 XP
100.000 XP
LEVEL 16
75.000 XP
100.000 XP
200.000 XP
150.000 XP
LEVEL 17
100.000 XP
140.000 XP
325.000 XP
225.000 XP
LEVEL 18
150.000 XP
200.000 XP
450.000 XP
300.000 XP
LEVEL 19
225.000 XP
275.000 XP
600.000 XP
450.000 XP
LEVEL 20
300.000 XP
350.000 XP
800.000 XP
650.000 XP