Beneath the Cliffs - part 3

This week was rough. I got behind quickly due to a lot of other demands on my time.  I discovered another person writing their descriptions in Obsidian, and I'm thinking about doing some reorganization based on some of their comments. 

On Thursday, my wife had a late class, and I was able to use that time to write up my missing days' descriptions.  I've also gone back to some earlier entries to connect them to things I wrote this week and I touched up the map (including adding numbers for two more encounter areas). You might notice I skipped a couple of rooms. I plan on going back to fill those in this week. I was trying to hit some of the areas that I felt inspired about.

8 Chapel 

This room is filled with broken, wooden pews that once faced a statue at the front of the room. The statue is gone, leaving on an empty plinth, and scratches in the floor leading to the North Transept.  

Frescoes adorning the walls have been defaced. 

If anyone shows signs of regret for the damage, or reverence for what was once a sacred space, a sorrowful voice will whisper "Cleanse my house. I will reward thee." 

9 Northern Transept 

The burnt and rotting remains of a wicker man. The charred skeleton of a person lies within the litter of branches that remain. Soot stains the ceiling. 

10 Southern Transept 

Broken pews and litter are pushed back against the walls. A thaumaturgic circle is inscribed in chalky brown on the floor in the cleared space. Some of the tracings has been rubbed through, although this is hard to detect without a careful, knowledgeable search. 

Anyone using this circle for spell casting is in for a nasty surprise. 

11 Garden Hall 

A 10' wide covered walkway surrounds the monastery garden. A plinth stands in each corner of the hallway. Deep gouges along the floor show something heavy was dragged away from the plinths and into the garden itself. 

12 Outer Kitchen 

Large kitchen tables are overturned, thick wooden tops facing the north doorway. The wooden slabs are marred with deep gashes. Smashed crockery and simple tableware litter the floor. A skeleton, missing the skull lies in front of one of the tables.

A POLTERGEIST haunts the room hurling debris at anyone entering and muttering or wailing indecipherable words.

If the skull in the Dining Hall and the skeleton are appropriately laid to rest, the POLTERGEIST will be appeased and show their benefactor the hidden silver place setting in the Dry Pantry 

14 Dry Pantry 

There is a secret panel behind a pile of broken pottery shards. It conceals a small compartment. The nook contains a finely made, complete place setting in silver, including a wine jug, goblet, charger, and plate. 

17 Well 

The well is solidly constructed and still has clean water at the bottom, though there is neither rope nor bucket with which to draw it. 

Vines have overgrown the shaft, hanging down some 20' along the walls. A silver holy symbol can be seen glittering on a ledge about 15' down. 

A VENOMOUS WATERSNAKE hides in a hole in the wall just above the ledge. It can easily climb the vines and hunts small animals in the area. It will not attack, except to defend itself from anything drawing too close to its lair. 

The snake wants to be left alone. The shaft of the well gives access to the crypt. 

18 Dining Hall 

A pair of large tables run nearly the length of this room. Cracked pottery plates, bowls, and mugs are set out as though for a meal, but any food in them has long since rotted away. 

A human skull lies on a wooden carving plate at the head of one table. This belongs to the POLTERGEIST in the Outer Kitchen

Weekly Update - 2022-01-13

 This has been a busy week with a big project at work, my wife starting a new term in her Theater Ed program, and her attending a Theater Conference where she taught a class on using RPGs to develop characters in theater. Needless to say, this has bit into all of my gaming activities.

What I'm reading

As part of my Dungeon 23 interest, I've been going through Cyclical Dungeon Generation and Jaquaying [sic] The Dungeon, combing for ideas. I really like both concepts, and I'm trying to find a good way of interleaving them. 

I'm following a few Dungeon23 aggregators and the hashtag on Twitter. There are so many great maps and rooms being posted. Eg., this one. And of course, Dyson is getting into the act, twice 

I also found an old post about Downtime - Finding the Right Buyer, which is based on Ben L's Downtime in Zyan.  I'm going to be integrating this into my current AD&D campaign and the OSE (probably) campaign I'm planning to replace it.  It has a nice table of complications. I added a set of benefits to go along with it:

d8	Description
1	The buyer pays an extra 20%-50% (1d4+1) for this sale.
2	The sale gives the seller(s) an extra step on their renown tracker
3	The sale embarrasses a rival party who was publicly seeking the item.
4	The buyer becomes a new Relationship
5	The sale embarrasses the rival of an NPC the seller has a relationship with.
6	The sale adds a step on a tracker for an institution the seller has a relationship with or starts a new tracker for an institution for the seller if they don't already have one.
7	The seller may take an extra Revelry downtime action as a part of selling or celebrating the sale of the item.
8	The buyer also provides a scenario hook.

 I play a lot of podcasts and youtube stuff in the background. This week a really enjoyed getting back into some Monster Man - my only complaint is that after almost every episode, I want to start a brand new campaign to riff on James' ideas. I also like the new episodes of 3d6 Down the Line's Arden Vul play-through and The Dungeon Minister's family BECMI game recaps.

What I'm writing and drawing

I'm about 1/2 way through the base maps for Fettered Factory. I've still got to label them and do a bit more cleanup. Each map is being done in a DM's map with labels, secret doors, and the like, and a player-facing map that can be used in the VTT of the DM's choice. 

I'm plugging away at Dungeon23. You can read this week's update here.

What I'm playing, running, and planning

Due to work constraints, we only played our Wednesday game this week. We managed to defeat the wraith and take our prisoner to the authorities who'd hired us to find her. I'm looking forward to figuring out who she's working for as we work our way up the food chain of a conspiracy that seems aimed at bringing down the kingdom where the game is set.

Beneath the Cliffs - pt 2

I've been moving right along on my #Dungeon23 project.  I drafted three hooks/rumors. I only feel like one of them is actionable so far:

The monks of Saint Amruss once collected maps, tales, and recollections from adventurers returning from The Land of Ten-Thousand Thousand Shrines. These records may still lie in the Underground Library of the monastery. 

I'll see what comes of the others as I add more room descriptions. Speaking of which, I added five more :

2 Southern Stairs

A rickety, wooden staircase ascends to the upper floor of the main chapel.  Rubble and debris are piled against the walls and the supports for the stairs. The piles are home to a dozen gaunt GIANT RATS. They want food and will attack anything but the MAGULIN to get it. They will also be distracted by any food tossed their way.

Hidden among the rubbish is a golden ring set with an opal.

The stairs are trapped, the landing has been weakened and will collapse under the weight of a person. In addition to falling damage, the noise will alert the MAGULIN above.  

3 Tithing Room

The doors have been ripped off their hinges and are nowhere to be found. Faded frescoes adorn the walls, showing adventurers paying offerings of treasure to bald priests. Webs crisscross the ceiling, concealing two LARGE SPIDERS. They are hungry.

In the debris on the floor is the shriveled husk of a small humanoid.

4 Washing Room

This room is free of debris and trash, the frescoes on the walls are less worn than the others in the ruins. They show adventurers receiving ablutions from robed priests in this room. Gem-encrusted bowls and cups are pictured but are nowhere to be seen.

5 Blessing Room

The door into this room is trapped. It is jammed closed, and a layer of loose stonework will fall on any character trying to shoulder it open or pass through it (1d6 damage unless they make a DEX check.)

The room has been stripped and any frescoes on the walls have been destroyed. "Die Followers of the Usurper!" is painted sloppily on the back wall in large, red letters. 

6 Northern Stairs

Four MAGULIN are supposed to be guarding the stair. Instead, they are rolling dice against the wall. Each has 3d4 sp, and there is another 24 sp in the pot. Their weapons are nearby, but not ready to hand. If they seem overmatched, they will try to flee up the stairs.

The room is strewn with trash. A small fire burns in the southwest corner with a pot of stew keeping warm at the edge of the fire. Four dirty wooden bowls and spoons are scattered on the ground nearby.

Week of 2023-01-07

 This has been a busy week, getting back from vacation, diving into my new job, and suffering through a cold with my wife.  We've come out to the other end, feeling better and looking forward to 2023. I hope y'all had a great holiday season and feel good about heading into the new year.

What I'm reading

As I ramp up in my new job, my free time to read, watch, and listen to stuff is suffering. I have been enjoying Zedeck's Dungeon23 cohost, and the latest podcast from The Gauntlet, The Darkened Threshold.

 I grabbed David Schirduan's birthday gift to the world, Overpowered Solo Roleplaying, which looks like a really fun time. As soon as I find a half hour that's not otherwise spoken for, I'm going to give this a try in U1, U2, and U3.

What I'm writing and drawing

I'm still working on maps for Fettered Factory. This has been moving more slowly than I'd hoped, but it is moving. 

I'm also working on a daily entry for #Dungeon23. I'll put weekly-ish updates here.

What I'm playing, running, and planning

I loved my regular Wednesday (player) and Thursday (DM) games. 

On Wednesday, we hightailed it back to the town of Ila with a prisoner but were cut off by a pack of wild dogs that held us in place until a wraithlike being caught up to us and attacked. At first, the wraith held the upper hand, but a series of lucky strikes turned the tables and by the end of the session, we had it on the ropes. 

On Thursday, the players made their way through the "back door" tunnel into the Forbidden City. They found a shrine to a snake-woman with 6 arms, then stole a set of canoes to cross an underground lake. As they paddled along, they were attacked by a group of crocs. The reptiles tipped one canoe, but the spell casters made short work of them before anyone suffered significant damage. One of the warriors who had gone overboard saw wreckage and treasure at the bottom of the lake, but our session ended before the party could investigate.

Beneath the Cliffs

 After taking a couple of weeks away from things over the holidays, I've started in on my Dungeon23 effort. Beneath the cliffs that rise to the land of ten-thousand thousand shrines lies a heavy forest. Within that forest are the ruins of the storied Monastery of St Amruss and the library that lies beneath it.  

Each area will have a map, one or more establishing questions, hooks, keyed locations, and an encounter table. 

My establishing question for this location is to be asked as the adventurers first spot the ruins trhough the forest - What about the structure hints at the fall of the order that once walked its halls?

Here are the first two "rooms" in this location:

Main Entry -

The great double doors are hanging from their hinges, standing upright against the pull of ages. On either side of the doors are empty plinths. Shattered statuary litters the ground around them.  

Opening the doors will cause them to collapse unless some measures are taken to prevent it. The noise will alert the MAGULIN that are camped on the upper floor of the main chapel.

The statues were of Saint Amruss, the patron of adventures.

1) Cathedral -

A great open room, two stories tall and littered with detritus. Four pairs of columns support the ceiling and an open balcony on the upper floor of the main chapel wraps around this room. A series of four statues represent an adventurer progressing from a neophyte to a great hero.

A walking path inlaid in the tile floor winds around the statues. The first person to walk this path after sunset gains the blessing of Saint Amruss, +1 on their next saving throw.

I'll be fleshing out the rest of the rooms, the hooks, and an encounter table during the rest of the month.  

Week of 2022-12-16

 I'm still neck-deep in my job transition, so that's got me more than a bit busy. I'm trying to write these weekly updates even if they're shorter than normal just so I keep up the habit. If there's something you'd like me to write about, please let me know.

What I'm watching, reading, and listening to

I just listened to the latest Fear of a Black Dragon podcast (about The Isle of Dread). As usual, I'm excited to go off and run a lost world adventure, or maybe just work some of those ideas into my Land of Ten-Thousand Thousand shrines Dungeon23 project. 

I also picked up a new podcast, Fine Blueprints, and listened to their episode about Bump in the Dark. The podcast seems like a good addition to my queue, and I'll be listening through the back catalog. Bump seems like a great game, and I'm left wishing I had so much more time to play all these cool games. 

I mentioned this in my #Dungeon23 writeup, but Ben Laurence's Catacombs of the North Wind post is an awesome trove of Zyanese goodness. It's an example of what a Dungeon23 project can be like if set in an existing world, drawing on lore that already exists. It's also a teaser/trailer of incredible things to come from the Through Ultan's Door line of zines. 

Graphite Prime wrote a good post about improving the playability of non-room, transitional spaces in dungeons, Liven up Those Corridors. 

Luke Gearing has written three (so far) posts recording his Pariah campaign. You should read part 1, part 2, and part 3 for a good look at what "Old School Roleplaying When the World Was Young" could look like. I'm excited to read future updates.

What I'm writing and drawing

For the first location in the Land of Ten-Thousand Thousand Shrines, I redrew an old map of a monastery using my new digital tools/workflow and touched it up with ideas from Liven up Those Corridors. I'll be releasing it next week on itch in my map collection there. I'll be doing the same thing for the next two sets of maps I'm going to use in my Dungeon23 work, a catacomb beneath the monastery and a reworked The Climbing Tomb. These will also get some significant Jaquaysing to help improve them. 

I'm also working on the maps for Fettered Factory, a commission from the Kickstarter. 

I've got two little writing projects that are just waiting for the new job and commission loads to subside - one on city crawling, transitional spaces, and eliminative lists, the other is about relationships and renown. Tell me which you think I should pick up first.

What I'm playing, running, and planning

We only played two of our regular games this week, and the next couple of weeks will also be disrupted by holiday schedules at work. On the other hand, I'm planning on running a game of Mausritter for my wife, son, and daughter-in-law when we visit them over Christmas.

OSE - Winter's Daughter 
The group avoided combat with the floating skeletons and explored a couple of additional rooms. They're now in the statuary room and I don't know if they realize that something important is hiding under all that mold. We'll get to that in the New Year though.

Hochheim 
We were missing a player so instead of following up on the main group, we used the Downtime in Zyan zine to run downtime activities for other PCs of the players in the session. (Playing an old school game, each player has a couple of PCs with retainers so they can pick and choose which character to play on any given adventure.) They're in a small fishing hamlet that has swollen to four times its size due to troop movements in the civil war/invasion that are happening in my campaign. The illusionist attempted to gather intelligence about the enemy forces in the next town but rolled a 3, and failed to find anything useful. The ranger went Carousing with the troops, we had some fun with a couple of role-playing bits there, including (accidentally) nearly encouraging some troops to desert and chase after treasure in a nearby dungeon. The thief was thinking about investing in one of the temporary bars to create a local institution, so I created three possible options for the thief to choose from:

• Leon Radnitzer's dockside shack, where they fish in the morning and sell cheap booze and fried fish at night.
• Basti Schau's farm, where the widow sells pies and drinks in the old barn on the property.
• Jacob Henschel's egg farm, where he's sold poultry and egg dishes alongside mead and cheap ale.

Sadly, the thief didn't bite on any of these. 

Next week, we'll snap back to the revolt and duel at the bugbear encampment in the Forbidden City. The players will run Shuzgrap and Yrak. I'll be adding a pair of clocks (a la Blades in the Dark) - a 3-step clock to turn the crowd in favor of the chief and a 4-step to turn the crowd in favor of Shuzgrap. 

When we finish there, we'll turn to the battle between the fishing community and the next town over, using the Battlesystem mini-rules.

 

The Land of Ten-Thousand Thousand Shrines

My #Dungeon23 Project (expect this page to be updated) 

A small forested expanse lies at the foot of a mighty cliff. Above the cliff sits a vast plateau, home to the Ten-Thousand Thousand Shrines.

I'm collecting inspirational links here:

• Sean McCoy's writeup of Dungeon23
• Ben Laurence's response to Sean's article
• Ben Laurence also wrote an introduction to his Catacombs of the North Wind Dungeon23 project
• Eric Nieudan is jumping in as well and blogging about it at Macchiato Master.
• some good thinking about making passages more interesting from Graphite Prime.
• Twitter threads for Dungeon23 and City23
• Shouting Crow's Monthly Mega Dungeon Maker
• Z.W. Garth's The Dungeon Architect's Woorkbook
• Spicy Tuna created a daily creation notebook
• Hexed Press created a tri-fold Dungeon23 Helper

Each week will have a brief description, a map, an establishing question, a system-neutral key, and a random encounter list (using expanded elimination lists).

As I fill in the various locations I'll list and link them below:

• Before the Cliff
• The Climbing Tomb
• The Steepest Stair