H4 The Throne of Bloodstone.pdf - Free

More documents

Recommendations

Info

CHAPTER 4: THE ABYSSIAN FORTRESS The climax (but not the conclusion!) of the PCs’ adventure will occur in the castle of Orcus, deep in the Abyss. Here they will be challenged by adversaries far more mighty than the mortal foes who faced them in their own world. Stealth will be of prime importance, and conservation of magical power can make the difference between success and failure. Their goal here is to find and steal the Wand of Orcus — the most treasured possession of the Prince of the Undead, Orcus himself. They can accomplish this through stealth, if they are skillful, careful, and lucky, or they can try to accomplish it by force. The latter case will probably prove disastrous for all but the most capable of parties—and even those will no doubt suffer some losses in the process. If the PCs chance to meet up with the Prince of the Undead himself, they will find—regardless of their level—that they have a true fight for survival on their hands. And even if they manage, by force or by trickery, to get hold of the Wand of Orcus, their troubles will not be over. In fact, as they become the targets of a chase that spans many of the Outer Planes, they might conclude that their troubles are only beginning! Magic Resistance in the Fortress The citadel in the Abyss represents the focal point of Orcus’s power. As such, there are many magical effects that apply here and nowhere else in the known planes. Most of these are explained in text as they become necessary. However, one effect of this concentration of power is that the powers of many of the demon prince’s demonic subjects are enhanced. Most signifi- cant of these is probably magic resistance. Although the percentage chances of magic resistance given for most demons encountered here are not increased from those listed in the monster tomes, the magic resistance acts differently in the fortress of Orcus and in the cities around the periphery of the fortress. This is because the magic resistance applies across the board — it is not modified for the level of the PC spellcaster! A demon with an MR of 75% has a 75% chance to avoid a specific magical effect. This remains constant, whether the attacking PC is a 17th-level spellcaster, or a 95th-level spellcaster. Of course, this means that these demons are actually weaker against low-level attackers who have somehow made their way to the heart of the Abyss, but Orcus is willing to take that chance! I. Approaching the Fortress The chaotic terrain of the Abyss provides many glimpses of the looming bulk of the castle. All of these distant views will show the fortress in a different light—sometimes jagged and black, at other times rounded and crimson, while still other vantage points can cause it to look like a collection of odd angles, cast in a dirty white color. As the party reaches the last rise before the castle, however, the PCs will get a good look at it. Here you can show them the large map of the fortress—or at least, a censored version tailored for the players’ impressionable eyes. Remove pages 93-96 from the module and place the pages over the central part of the map, as indicated. The pages line up with the area on the 57 large map, thus preventing the players from seeing the part of the fortress that is inside the walls. The PCs can observe the castle from the jagged and rocky ridge line of a barren crest. There are many upthrusting crags and sharp-cornered boulders scattered along the ridge to provide good cover. The slope before them is steep. Although it, too, is covered with broken rock and crooked ravines, several routes appear to offer relatively smooth pathways to the bridge. This bridge is about a mile away from the top of the ridge, although—because of the distortion in distance that occurs around the castle—the bridge sometimes appears to be as much as 10 miles away, and at other times seems no more than 200 yards downhill. Give the players some time to look at the map. They can make notes (assuming that the PCs have some mapping or writing equipment, of course), and ask for a few additional details about the areas. Give them a limited time, however, before having them encounter Fyrillicus, the Abyssian Dragon. (See the NPC capsule on page 58) If the average level of the PCs is very high (75 or above), they should get no more than a minute to look at the map. Player Characters under 25th level can have as much as 8 or 10 minutes. Give your party an appropriate amount of time, considering the number of PCs, magical items owned by the group, and so on. (The amount of study you give them with the map can be important toward their success with the mission.)
The Sky and the Horizon Nowhere is the nightmarish nature of the Abyssian environment more apparent than here, around the fortress of its most powerful ruler. Lighting is constant, but of widely varying intensities. The sky might flash bright red one moment, and then fade to a dull crimson glow, before a wave of sickly green washes through it. The effect upon the land is a multicolored light show, pulsating and evolving to the accompaniment of unnatural wind and roiling clouds. Places upon the horizon seem to change color quickly. Even more bizarre, however, is that a location that seems to be many miles away might suddenly shift under the changing skies to appear much closer. All distances are constant, but the appearance is of continual movement. Visual Clues If the PCs ask for details about any specific areas on the map, they can discern the following things. Detailed descriptions of these locales, including encounters and other game details, are presented later. 1. The Bridge Two skulls stand guard at the bridge. Their eye sockets gleam, and occasionally the jaw of one will move. The other then responds, although no sound is audible at this distance. The bridge spans a moat deeper than any canyon in the realms. Not water, but fiery lava flares and bubbles in the distant depths, although mostly all you see is the orange glow on the dark stone sides of the moat. 2. Darkmists These areas are impenetrable to sight and magical detections, including true seeing. Each of these six areas looks the same when viewed from the outside: A twisting maelstrom of black smoke rises from the surface of the fortress, suddenly dissipating as the mist moves away from the ground. The smoke seems to move far faster than natural forces would allow, whirling and racing through tortuous patterns before it vanishes. 3. The Great Maze The walls, stairs, and pathways of this region are a muddy gray color. In some places, the angles of the corners do not seem quite right— or perhaps the stairways seem longer than they should be. Or are they shorter than they should be? 4. The High Cities In the near periphery of the castle sprawl many cities that teem with life. Few details are visible, but movement can be seen in the streets of the nearer ones. The buildings in many ways appear normal, except for the chaotic bends of walls or roofs, or the illogical twisting of important avenues. 5. The Low Cities Twisting and winding across the wide plain behind the castle are cities too numerous to count. Each is similar in its teeming chaos, yet each is also unique. One is wrapped in a sheath of hot flame, burning smokelessly in the distance. Another bucks and heaves 58 upon land that seems to writhe in its own torment. Still another blinks from white, blinding daylight to thick night, all in the space it takes to snap your fingers twice. NPC Capsule Fyrillicus, the Abyssian Dragon Red Dragon, Abyss-bred AC: -5 MV: 15”/36” Hit Dice: 25/50/100 hit points: 200/400/800 #AT: 3 Dmg: 2d20/2d20/4d20 Special Attack: Fire breath weapon (as red dragon) Magic Resistance: 70% Alignment: Chaotic Evil Size: L (100’ long) Spells: Level 1: magic missile (5 missiles), protection from good, read magic, shield Level 2: darkness 15’ radius, mirror image, stinking cloud, web Level 3: dispel magic (as 40th-level magic-user), haste, lightning bolt (40d6 dmg) Level 4: dimension door, ice storm, minor globe of invulnerability, polymorph self The exact size and hit points of this dragon should be determined as a balance to the relative power of the PCs. If the average level is 25 or less, use the smaller Hit Dice/hit point total; if the average level is 26-74, use the medium size; if it is 75 or greater, use the largest size listed. Fyrillicus, in any event, is far larger
Page 2 and 3:
Official Game Adventure The Throne
Page 4 and 5:
Some said that Zhengyi had enlisted
Page 6 and 7: After hearing this story, the adven
Page 8 and 9: Still, a character can acquire too
Page 10 and 11: Set-Up # 1: For New Players Use thi
Page 13 and 14: CHAPTER 1: CITADEL OF THE WITCH-KIN
Page 15 and 16: modifier to his Dexterity score. If
Page 17 and 18: just before it can be realized. Arc
Page 20 and 21: 3. Throne Room of the Witch-King Th
Page 22 and 23: ignore any other targets in an effo
Page 24: -4 penalty on all attack rolls. Spe
Page 27 and 28: into the room, however, they might
Page 29 and 30: A character dragged underwater can
Page 31: Now that it is clear that the pool
Page 34 and 35: Hydrodaemons: AC 2, MV 6”/6” Al
Page 36 and 37: In addition to the full range of de
Page 38 and 39: ocean. Such spells as water breathi
Page 40 and 41: of plant control, an alchemy jug, a
Page 42 and 43: ers. They are not interested in the
Page 44 and 45: Kostchtchie: AC -3, MV 6”, hp 192
Page 46 and 47: 24. Lair of Laogzed This is the lai
Page 48: 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 AL CE, Size M
Page 53 and 54: ty of humans appeared in the condui
Page 55 and 56: 9. Ghost Garden A tall wall of ston
Page 60: than any dragon living on the Prime
Page 63 and 64: Hazards of Climbing Although, the o
Page 65 and 66: 3. The Prison of Baphomet This open
Page 68 and 69: 67 Maze 2: The Octagon Maze The PCs
Page 70: Maze 4: The Pentagon Maze This maze
Page 73 and 74: his scrying room. When this occurs,
Page 75 and 76: Wisdom Checks occasionally—those
Page 77 and 78: Food is loaded onto one of the two
Page 79: Flight From the Abyss CHAPTER 5: IN
Page 82 and 83: Tiamat’s heads have one use each
Page 84: devised strange mystical arts that
Page 87 and 88: PREGENERATED PLAYER CHARACTERS Thes
Page 89 and 90: ine of wondrous power (marble wooll
Page 91 and 92: eyebite, guards and wards, invisibl
Page 93: geoneer’s Survival Guide and Wild
show all

H4 The Throne of Bloodstone.pdf - Free

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?