Mark Chance
Boingy! Boingy!
The Set-Up
The valley of Haven was once a peaceful land. Its crops were abundant, and its citizens prosperous. Elves, dwarves, halflings, and humans lived together in harmony. Guarding the pass through the Thunder Mountains, Haven was a safe place to live, with sweet rivers and pleasant weather. No one remembers how and why Haven remained so peaceful despite its proximity to the monster-infested Thunder Mountains. What is remembered is the last ruler of Haven, the Princess Argenta. She lived in a palace of white shining marble, which glowed like silver when the sun set. Princess Argenta was beloved by all her people for her justness.
Old timers also remember the start of the trouble. On the anniversary of Argenta's birth, the dwarves brought her a priceless ruby the size of an apple. When the ruby, called My Lady's Heart, was presented to Argenta, disaster struck. Dark clouds hid the moon and a freezing wind blew through the valley. The crops withered in the fields. Cattled died. From the palace came an explosion that breeched parts of the walls. When the dust cleared, it could be seen that a ruby glow surrounded the entire palace.
That was nearly a century ago. The people of Haven mostly fled to the south, into the neighboring Realm. Unfortunately, the forces of evil have started to test the Realm's borderlands. Evil creatures -- orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and worse -- have infested a warren of caves now called the Caves of Chaos. The brave defenders of Borderland Keep are hard-pressed. And so the call went out: Adventurers needed!
You and your companions have answered that call. You have traveled for many days, leaving the Realm and entering the wilder area of the Borderlands. Farms and towns have become less frequent and travellers few. The road has climbed higher as you enter the forested and mountainous country. Ahead, up the winding road atop a sheer-walled mount of stone, looms Borderland Keep. Here, at one of civilization's strongholds between the Realm and cursed valley of Haven, you plan to base yourselves and equip for forays against the wicked monsters who lurk in the wilds. Somewhere nearby, amidst the dark forests and tangled fens, are the Caves of Chaos where the fell creatures lair.
Characters
I'm taking four players for an adventure set in and around the classic B-series modules.
Characters start at 1st-level with 450 gold to buy equipment. PH, DMG, Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, and Expanded Psionics Handbook only are allowed. If you want to use an LA +1 race from ExPsiH, go for it. LA +1 is worth ignoring.
Use the elite array for ability scores: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8. Don't forget to apply racial adjustments. Maximum hit points at 1st level as normal. Characters start with 750 XP, none of which can be used for item creation before the game starts.
Good-aligned characters only.
House Rules to Pay Attention To
1. Armor bonuses do not add to AC. Instead, armor bonuses only convert lethal damage to nonlethal damage. For example, a chain shirt (+4 armor bonus) would convert 6 points of lethal damage into 2 points of lethal damage and 4 points of nonlethal damage.
2. No Conjuration (Healing) spells exist for spellcasters of any class. Likewise, psionic powers with the Healing descriptor do not exist. Cure potions (and equivalent psionic items) can be bought as starting equipment, and they can be made by adepts, clerics, et cetera.
3. Turn undead works according to the Variant Turning Rules: Destruction of the Undead on p. 87 of the Complete Divine.
4. Add BAB to AC as a dodge bonus.
The valley of Haven was once a peaceful land. Its crops were abundant, and its citizens prosperous. Elves, dwarves, halflings, and humans lived together in harmony. Guarding the pass through the Thunder Mountains, Haven was a safe place to live, with sweet rivers and pleasant weather. No one remembers how and why Haven remained so peaceful despite its proximity to the monster-infested Thunder Mountains. What is remembered is the last ruler of Haven, the Princess Argenta. She lived in a palace of white shining marble, which glowed like silver when the sun set. Princess Argenta was beloved by all her people for her justness.
Old timers also remember the start of the trouble. On the anniversary of Argenta's birth, the dwarves brought her a priceless ruby the size of an apple. When the ruby, called My Lady's Heart, was presented to Argenta, disaster struck. Dark clouds hid the moon and a freezing wind blew through the valley. The crops withered in the fields. Cattled died. From the palace came an explosion that breeched parts of the walls. When the dust cleared, it could be seen that a ruby glow surrounded the entire palace.
That was nearly a century ago. The people of Haven mostly fled to the south, into the neighboring Realm. Unfortunately, the forces of evil have started to test the Realm's borderlands. Evil creatures -- orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and worse -- have infested a warren of caves now called the Caves of Chaos. The brave defenders of Borderland Keep are hard-pressed. And so the call went out: Adventurers needed!
You and your companions have answered that call. You have traveled for many days, leaving the Realm and entering the wilder area of the Borderlands. Farms and towns have become less frequent and travellers few. The road has climbed higher as you enter the forested and mountainous country. Ahead, up the winding road atop a sheer-walled mount of stone, looms Borderland Keep. Here, at one of civilization's strongholds between the Realm and cursed valley of Haven, you plan to base yourselves and equip for forays against the wicked monsters who lurk in the wilds. Somewhere nearby, amidst the dark forests and tangled fens, are the Caves of Chaos where the fell creatures lair.
Characters
I'm taking four players for an adventure set in and around the classic B-series modules.
Characters start at 1st-level with 450 gold to buy equipment. PH, DMG, Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, and Expanded Psionics Handbook only are allowed. If you want to use an LA +1 race from ExPsiH, go for it. LA +1 is worth ignoring.
Use the elite array for ability scores: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8. Don't forget to apply racial adjustments. Maximum hit points at 1st level as normal. Characters start with 750 XP, none of which can be used for item creation before the game starts.
Good-aligned characters only.
House Rules to Pay Attention To
1. Armor bonuses do not add to AC. Instead, armor bonuses only convert lethal damage to nonlethal damage. For example, a chain shirt (+4 armor bonus) would convert 6 points of lethal damage into 2 points of lethal damage and 4 points of nonlethal damage.
2. No Conjuration (Healing) spells exist for spellcasters of any class. Likewise, psionic powers with the Healing descriptor do not exist. Cure potions (and equivalent psionic items) can be bought as starting equipment, and they can be made by adepts, clerics, et cetera.
3. Turn undead works according to the Variant Turning Rules: Destruction of the Undead on p. 87 of the Complete Divine.
4. Add BAB to AC as a dodge bonus.
Last edited:
