Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Meta - Forums About Forums
Archive-threads
Time For Another Round Of Iron Dm!!!
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="arcseed" data-source="post: 206876" data-attributes="member: 3281"><p>A dark and lonely coast. The natives are a mistrustful sort, shunning strangers, shutting themselves up in their houses at night, whispering of foul things that lurk in the shadows. But there is one spot of light here, a small chapel with mysterious healing powers.</p><p></p><p>The chapel is one room, about 20 feet square, a grey, weathered wood, with a dirt floor. The floor is a couple feet below the bottom of the door, for it is the dirt itself that has the healing powers-- eating a small amount of the dirt will act as a gradual Greater Restoration, resoring one level/stat point per day, or a Regenerate that slowly takes effect over a week or so. The hermit who lives in the shrine implores the party to only take what they need, as the dirt loses potency within a few days of leaving the chapel, and warns the party against being out at night, inviting them to stay in the chapel.</p><p></p><p>As night falls, ghouls will appear and surround the chapel. The Hermit doesn't want to talk about them, but if pressed, will say there have always been a few around, but recently there have been a lot more. If the party chooses to investigate the next day, tracking the ghouls or a half-day searching the area will reveal an entrance to a partially flooded cave complex, inhabited by ghouls and a band of Kuo-toa. The ghouls will attack both the party and the Kuo-toa, although the Kuo-toa clerics will have used their turning to command as many as they can manage. The Kuo-toa will not immediately attack, but warn the party away. If questioned, they won't say much, but will let slip that they're only there temporarily. </p><p></p><p>In fact, the Kuo-toa are there to excavate and raise the gigantic evil skeleton of an ancient nameless evil. It is the presence of this skeleton which causes anyone in the caves or the land around to be raised as a ghoul d4 days after their death, just as if he were killed by a ghoul. The Kuo-toa have captured an earth elemental to speed the excavation, and in a large central room the skeleton is mostly uncovered, save for the skull and one leg. It is enormous: the rib cage alone is a good 20 by 30 feet, the bones are of strange proportions to humans, and detect as evil. The skeleton is bound in iron chains, with an arn padlock hanging down between the ribs, all of a scale with the skeleton, and unrusted, despite the age and the damp. The lock detects as good, and has a Magic Circle Against Evil effect around it, which extends up to any areas of the caves above it, and to the chapel, directly above. Kuo-toa clecics in this room can draw upon the power of the skeleton to add an extra 2d6 unholy damage to their lightning bolts against good characters. </p><p></p><p>In one of the submerged sections of the caves, in the head Kuo-toa priest's quarters, the party can find the key to the lock, as well as the vile tomes containing the rites the priest intends to use to control and bargain with the ancient evil. The tomes are bound in Kuo-toa skin, and will hit any good characters who read them with a negative level. The key is exceptionally heavy, weighing 50 pounds (-10 swim!), and will do one of those funny space-bending things if used on the lock, appearing to fit perfectly in both the lock and the hand using it. </p><p></p><p>If the party is sensible, they'll just off the Kuo-toa or steal the books and key to prevent the evil thing from coming back. They might also want to try to cover up the skeleton again-- this will return the ghoul creation to the previous, lesser rate. If they use the key without the evil rites, the skeleton will awaken, claw its way out of the caves (causing the ceiling to collapse, as the earthquake spell), and walk out into the sea. This will at least stop more ghouls from being created, though the party may want to deal with the unspeakable evil they've unleased on the world at some point. If the party wants to try the evil rites? Well. Give 'em a wish, to be carried out in the way that causes the most collateral damage, and then the thing starts giving orders, starting with sacrificing the hermit to it.</p><p></p><p>Oh: For some parties, the hermit being worried about the ghouls may not be enough of an adventure hook. I suggest having the party run into the slaughtered, eaten remnants of a group of Kuo-toa the next morning, with clues on them about the evil power below.</p><p></p><p>Props to China Mieville, the Santuario de Chimayo, and, of course, Lovecraft. Oh, and the Goonies, but not for anything direct. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="arcseed, post: 206876, member: 3281"] A dark and lonely coast. The natives are a mistrustful sort, shunning strangers, shutting themselves up in their houses at night, whispering of foul things that lurk in the shadows. But there is one spot of light here, a small chapel with mysterious healing powers. The chapel is one room, about 20 feet square, a grey, weathered wood, with a dirt floor. The floor is a couple feet below the bottom of the door, for it is the dirt itself that has the healing powers-- eating a small amount of the dirt will act as a gradual Greater Restoration, resoring one level/stat point per day, or a Regenerate that slowly takes effect over a week or so. The hermit who lives in the shrine implores the party to only take what they need, as the dirt loses potency within a few days of leaving the chapel, and warns the party against being out at night, inviting them to stay in the chapel. As night falls, ghouls will appear and surround the chapel. The Hermit doesn't want to talk about them, but if pressed, will say there have always been a few around, but recently there have been a lot more. If the party chooses to investigate the next day, tracking the ghouls or a half-day searching the area will reveal an entrance to a partially flooded cave complex, inhabited by ghouls and a band of Kuo-toa. The ghouls will attack both the party and the Kuo-toa, although the Kuo-toa clerics will have used their turning to command as many as they can manage. The Kuo-toa will not immediately attack, but warn the party away. If questioned, they won't say much, but will let slip that they're only there temporarily. In fact, the Kuo-toa are there to excavate and raise the gigantic evil skeleton of an ancient nameless evil. It is the presence of this skeleton which causes anyone in the caves or the land around to be raised as a ghoul d4 days after their death, just as if he were killed by a ghoul. The Kuo-toa have captured an earth elemental to speed the excavation, and in a large central room the skeleton is mostly uncovered, save for the skull and one leg. It is enormous: the rib cage alone is a good 20 by 30 feet, the bones are of strange proportions to humans, and detect as evil. The skeleton is bound in iron chains, with an arn padlock hanging down between the ribs, all of a scale with the skeleton, and unrusted, despite the age and the damp. The lock detects as good, and has a Magic Circle Against Evil effect around it, which extends up to any areas of the caves above it, and to the chapel, directly above. Kuo-toa clecics in this room can draw upon the power of the skeleton to add an extra 2d6 unholy damage to their lightning bolts against good characters. In one of the submerged sections of the caves, in the head Kuo-toa priest's quarters, the party can find the key to the lock, as well as the vile tomes containing the rites the priest intends to use to control and bargain with the ancient evil. The tomes are bound in Kuo-toa skin, and will hit any good characters who read them with a negative level. The key is exceptionally heavy, weighing 50 pounds (-10 swim!), and will do one of those funny space-bending things if used on the lock, appearing to fit perfectly in both the lock and the hand using it. If the party is sensible, they'll just off the Kuo-toa or steal the books and key to prevent the evil thing from coming back. They might also want to try to cover up the skeleton again-- this will return the ghoul creation to the previous, lesser rate. If they use the key without the evil rites, the skeleton will awaken, claw its way out of the caves (causing the ceiling to collapse, as the earthquake spell), and walk out into the sea. This will at least stop more ghouls from being created, though the party may want to deal with the unspeakable evil they've unleased on the world at some point. If the party wants to try the evil rites? Well. Give 'em a wish, to be carried out in the way that causes the most collateral damage, and then the thing starts giving orders, starting with sacrificing the hermit to it. Oh: For some parties, the hermit being worried about the ghouls may not be enough of an adventure hook. I suggest having the party run into the slaughtered, eaten remnants of a group of Kuo-toa the next morning, with clues on them about the evil power below. Props to China Mieville, the Santuario de Chimayo, and, of course, Lovecraft. Oh, and the Goonies, but not for anything direct. :) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Meta - Forums About Forums
Archive-threads
Time For Another Round Of Iron Dm!!!
Top