Episode 37

Transcription

Episode 37

EPISODE XXXVII:
Contagion
By: David Brainard
Edited by Jae Walker
Version: 2.0
Hard times can call for harsh measures, even from those who would
be heroes. When a lurking evil is revealed, can mercy survive?
A Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor adventure for heroes level 2-10.
Based on the original Blackmoor Setting, associated characters and places owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Used with permission, all rights
reserved© 1975 Wizards. Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: Episode XXXVII Contagion is ©2006 Zeitgeist Games, Inc. Zeitgeist Games is a trademark
of Zeitgeist Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This product contains no Open Gaming Content.
Preface by Dave Arneson:
One day, a little over thirty years ago, I
discovered that I was bored. The campaign that
I was running had become a drag. It was
consumed with these long tedious battles and
constant bickering over historical details. These
most recently uncovered details would mess up
next week’s battle. Curses on all such books!
Why not just use one source and be done with
it? CLICK! Graph paper, pencil, the old 20-sided
dice we never used, some really poorly sculpted
plastic monsters…I began to imagine a
dungeon. My mind raced…I began to draw.
Maybe I can fill it with critters and gold! This
dungeon needs a name? Hmm, it’s a dark place
in the wilds of wherever. Ahh! Blackmoor! By
Sunday night the first six levels of the dungeon
were done and the gaming table in the
basement had been transformed into a small
medieval town with a castle. A dungeon seemed
like a good idea since it would keep the players
from running all over the place. We still needed
some more details… Ah! I drew a map of the
town and the country around it. These last
details took me most of the rest of the week to
complete. I was really excited about this idea.
Now everyone could be a hero like in a book but
without a tight (and often dumb!) plot. They
could do just about anything that they wanted to
do, for better or for worse. In that short time,
Blackmoor was born. The campaign setting now
known as Blackmoor was done within the month
with additional details added as needed. Both
the setting and the rules continued to grow over
the weeks. Most, but alas not all, the guys liked
the game and wanted to keep playing. So the
next few weeks were spent fleshing things out
and trying to maintain the structure. In a very
real way I have continued to “flesh things out”
over the last thirty years.
I continue to run the Blackmoor campaign in the
games I judge at conventions and in my
classroom. Over the years some 5,000+ people
have adventured in Blackmoor in excess of
1,500 game sessions. The roads are well
traveled but the adventures never end. (Orlando,
2004)
Introduction to Blackmoor by Dustin
Clingman:
Welcome to the magical world of Dave
Arneson’s Blackmoor! The original Blackmoor
campaign began over thirty years ago and
served as the impetus for an entirely new
Episode 37: Contagion
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gaming experience where every player could be
both a fantastic hero and a winner. The game
that would become Dungeons & Dragons relied
heavily on the core discoveries made while
Dave Arneson created a new gaming genre
through his exploration of Blackmoor with his
core group of players.
So what’s the big deal with Blackmoor? It’s a
distinct and compelling world to adventure in.
Blackmoor provides a solid, almost classical
launching point for players of all gaming
backgrounds. Before there were adventure or
role-playing games, there was Blackmoor.
Blackmoor can be defined by its key precept:
High Fantasy. Powerful heroes defend the land
against impossible odds. What could be more
fun that that? The frontier kingdom of Blackmoor
sits in quite a precarious position. Ruled by the
young King Uther Andahar, Blackmoor is beset
on all sides by enemies and would be
conquerors. Blackmoor’s enemies range from
the savage Afridhi to the amorphous superbeing,
The Egg of Coot. On a moment’s notice, the
people of Blackmoor must be prepared to take
up arms to defend themselves from invasion or
even worse horrors. Compound this political
turmoil with the constant discovery of new power
and horrible monstrosities to find a populace
quite uneasy with their lot in life. Some of them
take up arms to define their destinies rather than
waiting to become victims of fate. These brave
adventurers serve a heroic purpose for both
people and country.
What is Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor:
The MMRPG (Massively Multiplayer
Role Playing Game)?
Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG is
designed to allow players to participate
alongside each other in groups of 4 to 6 players
(and up to 7 players when necessary) in the rich
fantasy world of Blackmoor that Dave Arneson
created over 30 years ago. The campaign allows
players to travel all over the world attending
conventions and game days that are running
Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor events. Since the
rules for the campaign are the same everywhere
in the world, players can quickly jump right into
the action just about anywhere people are
playing without having to worry about house
rules. These complete rules can be found in
Dave Arneson's Blackmoor: The MMRPG
Campaign
Sourcebook
or
by visiting
www.dablackmoor.com.
Time Units:
Notes to the Judge:
The most important part of Dave Arneson’s
Blackmoor: The MMRPG is to have fun. Both
your enjoyment and that of the players is
paramount to the game. With this in mind, you
may alter the episode as necessary to ensure
the enjoyment of the group and accommodate
any unforeseen actions of the players. However,
this ability should not be construed to reward
foolish actions by players. In those situations,
players should earn what they deserve. We ask
that you as the judge use common sense in
these situations.
The complete episode should be read by the
judge prior to play. The duration of the event
should be approximately three and a half (3.5)
hours of game play with time before and after
the event for brief record keeping and
preparation. When you run a Dave Arneson’s
Blackmoor: The MMRPG episode we assume
that you have access to the following books:
Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor, the Player’s
Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and
the Monster Manual. You should also have a set
of dice (at least one d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and
d20), a way to track combats (such as graph
paper or battle mat), some scrap paper, and a
writing implement. In addition, you should be
familiar with Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The
MMRPG Campaign Sourcebook.
The players should have fully completed
Blackmoor character sheet, a character log
sheet, a set of dice, a writing implement, and
any other useful tools for play such as scrap
paper or a miniature to represent their player
character. You should have at least four players
to have a sanctioned event.
Prior to beginning play, the ATL (Average Table
Level) should be determined to select the
appropriate level of play. To do this, the total
level of all characters including EL racial
adjustments (such as Westryn +1EL), followers,
and animals that are not “class features” are
added together (“Class feature” animals are
animal companions, familiars, and paladin
mounts and do not affect ATL.) The total levels
are than divided by six players regardless of the
number of players at the table. This number
constitutes the party’s ATL. The party may
choose to round up or down if the particular
number is not an offered ATL.
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The Blackmoor calendar has thirty-seven (37)
weeks, with each week lasting a ten-day (10).
Every character is allowed thirty-seven (37) time
units (each unit being a week) for the Dave
Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG campaign
year (January 1 to December 31). Playing this
event is a cost of one (1) time unit.
Playtesters
Chet Noll III
Carrie Neuman
Justin Hamill
Kris Wade
Daniel Grey
Sean Holmes
Mike Nichols
Cait Davis
Lisa Gamero
Joe Kavanagh
Phil Morey
Craig Norman
Jae Walker
Episode Background
The lands of the Westryn have been inundated
by a constant flood of undead. While the proud
wild elves have managed to keep the invasion
secret, a particularly nasty undead monster has
managed to break through their cordon and
wreak havoc in a frontier settlement near the
Westwood. A team of elite Westryn hunters has
been dispatched to contain the menace and
silence any who have learned of the elves’
misstep.
The small logging and farming village of Twiggs
has been under attack by the horrid spawn of
the original undead monster, the survivors
banding together to stave off frequent assaults
by flesh-hungry zombies.
One woodsman,
finding his brother wounded and near death,
made a desperate flight to King’s Crossing, the
nearest town with a temple large enough to offer
magical healing.
Preparation
Before play starts, find out if any of the player
characters have the following:
• Favor of Ams Parker
• Key to Kings Crossing
• Any knowledge skills
• Save bonuses and any additional
bonuses or certificates that may apply to
those saves
IMPORTANT JUDGE INFORMATION
Since the heart of this episode is the horror of
realizing that innocent victims are infected with a
disease that will not only kill them, but likely
many others as well, it is important to keep the
players in the dark as to whether they are
infected or not. Get the save bonuses for each
player ahead of time, and roll their save against
sarcophagia secretly each time a plagueborn
zombie succeeds with a claw or bite attack.
(Note: The smasher zombies’ slam attack does
not spread sarcophagia).
A character that makes a DC 20 Heal check
while trying to treat a victim of sarcophagia
realizes that traditional medicines do absolutely
no good in treating the disease, or even in
helping the victim fight it off on their own. A
healer who makes a DC 19 or lower Heal check
still believes that mundane healing will work, but
that their skill was not sufficient to help.
Inform any player whose character fails the save
that the character is infected once they fail a
secondary save and take enough Constitution
damage to change the Constitution modifier.
You may wish to do so with a note in order to
heighten suspense. As sarcophagia can only be
cured with remove disease or positive energy
such as cure spells (cure light wounds, cure
minor wounds, etc.) and turning undead, allow
characters who attempt to use Heal checks to
stave off the disease to believe they have
succeeded until they next time a victim fails a
saving throw.
If an infected character has been diagnosed,
then cured by application of positive energy (i.e.,
within the area of a successful turn undead
attempt), then diagnosed again, it only takes a
DC 10 Heal check to determine that the disease
has vanished. Allow the treating character (i.e.
the turning character) to make a DC 15
Intelligence check (with a +2 cumulative
circumstance modifier for each of the following
conditions: character has 5 ranks in Knowledge:
Religion; character has 5 ranks in Heal;
character is able to turn undead; character
knows that a turn attempt was mysteriously less
effective than it should have been). Success
confirms that the disease can be turned as if it
were an undead creature, purging it form the
body of victims with positive energy.
As characters are likely to be cured and reinfected several times in the course of the
episode (especially if the party contains a cleric
who attempts to turn undead), you may find the
Infection Tracking sheet in Appendix 2 helpful in
managing who is at what stage of infection.
A character may make a Heal check to
determine whether a creature has been infected
with sarcophagia; the DC varies with how far the
disease has progressed.
A character may
attempt to hide their symptoms with a Disguise
check opposed by the investigator’s Heal check.
DC 10: the victim has lost at least half their
normal Constitution to the disease
DC 20: the victim has taken some Constitution
damage, but not over half their original score
DC 25: the victim is infected, but has not yet
taken any Constitution damage
A living creature infected with sarcophagia
interacts oddly with certain divination and
necromantic spells. A detect magic reveals a
faint aura of necromantic magic suffusing the
creature; detect evil likewise reveals a faint aura
of evil, but there is no way to differentiate the
disease from a merely evil creature; a victim of
sarcophagia detects as faint undead when
subjected to detect undead; deathwatch shows
an infected creature as both undead and fighting
off death.
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Potential Alignment Issues
Decisions the characters make about the fate of
the townsfolk may affect their alignments.
Always warn players when their actions may
cause an alignment shift. As no evil characters
are allowed in Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor, a
shift to evil will remove a character from play. If,
after warning is given, the player chooses to
continue, let the chips fall where they may.
Some guidelines specific to this adventure
follow.
Binding and/or confining infected townsfolk are
morally
acceptable
acts,
given
the
circumstances.
Leaving infected townsfolk
behind when the rest of the townsfolk flee is
questionable, but not evil, unless the party has
the ability to cure them and chooses not to (for
instance, they don’t want to “waste” a scroll of
remove disease on a commoner), in which case
it is a highly questionable act, sufficient to count
as a gross violation of alignment for any
paladins, good clerics, or neutral clerics of good
deities (but not sufficient to remove a character
from the campaign).
Executing infected
townsfolk merely for being infected is a highly
questionable act, again sufficient to count as a
gross violation of alignment, unless the party
has the wherewithal to cure the victim and
chooses not to, in which case it is a heinously
evil act, and is sufficient to remove a character
from the campaign.
Characters who successfully completed Episode
18: Kissing Day and have the Favor of Ams
Parker and the Key to King’s Crossing are well
received in King’s Crossing and by the Church
of Pacuun.
Any such characters are
automatically eligible for the “Pacuun’s Reward”
certificate at the end of this episode even if they
did not speak with the prelate before heading
out to Twiggs.
Westryn characters have been away from their
homeland for some time, and have been listed
as “compromised” by the leaders of the
Westwood elves. Such Westryn characters
have no knowledge the plague of undead boiling
out of the Westwood. All Westryn border patrols
and hunters have been instructed to treat
compromised Westryn as outsiders until the
threat has been dealt with. Still, some Westryn
guards are willing to bend their orders enough to
warn compromised kinfolk away rather than
merely executing them on sight.
Zombie Coaching
The most important thing to remember is that
the villagers are there as fodder. One of the
main reasons there are so many is to build up a
decent body count without tearing into the PCs
right away and to provide examples of exactly
how nasty the zombies are. Villagers are a great
way to ease the pressure on a party that is doing
poorly: just have some zombies peel off to
chase easier prey.
If you get the sense that the party is a little
under-prepared for the zombie mayhem, have
an NPC in town steer them toward the church of
Pacuun; it might make the first encounter a little
more difficult, but the added preparations should
more than balance that.
With all the potential infections, re-infections,
etc., especially if a cleric is attempting to turn
undead, I recommend using the infection
tracking sheets. Be aware of the rules on
Turning Undead and how turning affects infected
victims, and how to figure out what it takes to
cure someone.
Remember that when a person who died while
infected rises, all other infected corpses within
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60' rise the next round, regardless of how much
time they had left.
The bulk of the episode occurs at night and it is
overcast, limiting visibility to what is provided by
the party’s light sources. Many of the zombies
have a movement rate of 40 feet, meaning they
can charge 80 feet and attack from outside the
range of torches (even for people with lowlight
vision). Keep the party scared and have a good
time.
Episode Hook
The characters are in King’s Crossing, a small
town in the west of Blackmoor. There are a few
local features that the heroes may be interested
in checking out, including a small shop that sells
magical devices, a Peshwah horse-trading post,
and a new cathedral of Pacuun that is still being
built four hours east of town.
Consult Appendix 4: King’s Crossing for local
shops, inns, and other points of interest. The
characters may have been in town for a day or
two before Clevon’s wagon tears through the
green, so allow them a chance to explore the
town if time permits. Likewise, they are free to
go shopping after they return from their mission
to Twiggs.
The characters are near the town square, either
enjoying a tasty meal on the front porch of the
Sleeping Noble or on their way to do some
shopping, when a startled cry rings out from the
west.
Chapter 1: Wagons Ho!
It is a peaceful afternoon in the idyllic village of
King’s Crossing. The town square bustles with
activity: farmers hawk their produce, a Peshwah
horse-trader haggles with customers, and
children whoop with delight as they chase a
runaway hen across the green.
The everyday chatter of the village is cut short
by a panicked cry from the west, soon followed
by the clatter of galloping hooves and the
screams of panicked horses!
Townsfolk dive out of the way as a pair of
lathered horses smash through a fruit stand,
pulling a wildly tilting wagon with a man feebly
twitching at the reins on the driver’s seat.
The draft horses have caught the scent of
Dorvil’s impending transformation and are
panicked. On initiative count 5, the horses drag
the wagon 240’ straight across the green,
trampling a small girl who stands terrified in their
path. The smashed fruit stand is about 60 feet
away from the Sleeping Noble’s porch.
Assuming the heroes wish to intervene, they
have several options available. A character who
manages to get within 30 feet of the horses may
attempt a DC 25 Handle Animal check to calm
them down; a character who succeeds on a
grapple check may attempt a Ride check as a
free action at the same DC instead. Dropping
one of the horses, either with a successful Trip
attack or by dealing enough damage to knock a
horse unconscious, causes the wagon to skid to
a halt. A variety of spells could also defuse the
situation, such as calm animals, calm emotions,
entangle, or any effect that renders a horse
unable to move or brings it out of a panic. If the
party comes up with a plan that seems viable,
allow it a reasonable chance of success.
Heavy Horses; hp 12, 13; see Monster Manual,
p. 273
Chapter 2: Is There a Doctor in the
House?
With the wagon brought to a stop, you finally get
a look at the cause of this near-catastrophe
while catching your breath.
A middle-aged Thonian man in rough
woodsman’s garb clambers uneasily down from
the wagon seat. He is pale and sweating,
apparently in shock from the excitement a few
moments ago. He mumbles “almost there,
Dorvil, almost there” as he shakily turns toward
a large bundle in the bed of the wagon.
At first, it appears to be a large pile of furs, but
after a moment you can make out the pale face
of a bearded Thonian man swaddled in a
winter’s-worth of blankets.
If left to his own devices, Clevon numbly carries
Dorvil to the east, collapsing after a few steps.
Should the party intervene, he shouts the
following, breaking off for occasional shudders
and bouts of panting:
“I gotta go! Gotta get Dorvil to the temple! He
took sick, but the friars can fix ‘im. I got furs, got
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gold to pay, they’ll fix ‘im!”
Clevon’s primary goal is to get treatment for his
brother. If a character offers aid, either by
helping to carry Dorvil to the temple, or with an
offer of medical treatment or healing magic,
Clevon is happy to accept. Use the following as
guidelines for Clevon’s response to the party.
Who are you?
I’m Clevon. My brother Dorvil an’ me are
trappers out west, near Twiggs.
What’s wrong with you/your brother? We was
out huntin’ last night, an’ Dorvil musta cornered
somethin’ nastier than he thought, ‘cause it tore
‘im up a bit afore he managed to get away. It
musta been sick or somethin’, cause he got the
chills right quick, even though we both been bit a
lot worse lotsa times. He’s been pretty out of it,
even tried to fight me last time I checked on ‘im.
What kind of creature attacked Dorvil?
I didn’t see it. He said something about it trying
to eat ‘im, an’ you can see where it scratched ‘im
up.
Where were you going in such a hurry? When I
saw Dorvil weren’t gonna get no better, I hitched
up the wagon and headed out here to King’s
Crossing. There’s a temple of those wandering
priests who follow Pacuun here, an’ I figured
they could help my brother. I guess I musta
been more tired than I thought after drivin’ all
night to lose control of the horses like that…
I’m a healer. May I examine you/your brother?
Yeah, praise be! I’m pretty worried; Dorvil was
moanin’ for most of the ride, but he’s been quiet
for a while now.
A character may make Heal checks on Clevon
and Dorvil.
Clevon:
DC 10: It appears that Clevon is in shock; he is
pale and clammy. He should lie down and be
kept warm. You feel that your quick treatment
may well have saved his life.
DC 15: Clevon seems to be suffering from
some sort of disease; his temperature is
abnormally low despite copious sweat, and what
appeared to be shivers are actually more like
spasms. He has a few small nicks on one hand,
obviously from the last hour or two. By keeping
him warm and administering proper herbs, you
feel fairly confident that you have slowed the
disease’s progress to a manageable rate.
DC 20: Clevon appears to be suffering from a
fast-progressing wasting disease. His vitality
has been badly eroded, and judging from how
much weaker he has gotten since you started
examining him, he will be lucky to live out the
hour. Even worse, it appears that your best
treatments are having no effect.
Dorvil:
DC 5: Dorvil is dead! Judging from his body
temperature, he died within the last hour or two.
DC 10: Dorvil’s only injuries appear to be a few
scratches and a bite on his left arm. The
scratches are largely superficial, but the bite,
while small, managed to remove a large chunk
of flesh.
DC 15: While his body is cool, Dorvil’s lack of
rigidity suggests that he has been dead for mere
minutes, rather than the hour or more his
temperature would suggest. His clenched fists
and tight-jawed grimace suggest that he died in
some pain. The tearing around the bite-mark
suggests that the attacker had fairly blunt teeth.
DC 25: While definitely dead, Dorvil’s jaw
muscles seem to still be working. You can
almost hear his teeth splintering as the corpse’s
jaw grinds tighter and tighter. The bite on his
arm was almost definitely made by a humanoid
of some variety. (This character is not surprised
when Dorvil animates.)
After the characters have had a chance to talk
with Clevon and examine the brothers, or when
the heroes prepare to leave the scene, Dorvil
completes his transformation into a feeder
zombie and lurches to feed, using his ravenous
surge ability to quickly reach his feet and attack.
Characters may make a DC 15 Spot check to
notice Dorvil’s preliminary twitches; those who
succeed may act in the surprise round. Dorvil
attacks the closest humanoid (most likely
whomever was examining him).
Unless a character cast a cure spell on Clevon
(or used magic to restore some of his lost
Constitution) before combat started, or a cleric
attempts to turn undead in the first round of
combat, Clevon expires at the end of the second
round of combat, rising as a second feeder
zombie 6 rounds later.
All ATLs (EL 2): Dorvil and Clevon, feeder
zombies; hp 16; see Appendix 1
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Once Dorvil (and possibly Clevon) have been
dealt with, the party must decide what they wish
to do about the matter. If Clevon was killed
without revealing that he came from Twiggs,
there are plenty of townsfolk in King’s Crossing
who can identify the brothers as hunters from
out west with a Gather Information check DC 5.
If the party decides to ignore the matter, they
spend a few pleasant days in King’s Crossing
before moving along to whatever their next
destination is. Some time later, they hear
rumors of frontier villages being burned out.
Should the party elect to visit the temple of
Pacuun, go to Chapter 3: Father Knows Best.
Characters who have not played Episode 18
Kissing Day receive the suggestion to check at
the Temple of Pacuun if a Gather Information
check is attempted.
If the heroes decide to pack up and head
straight for Twiggs, proceed to Chapter 4: Into
the Woods.
Chapter 3: Father Knows Best
Having decided to consult the clerics of Pacuun
about the unusual plague that killed Dorvil (and
possibly Clevon), it takes about four hours to get
to the new temple to the east of town.
It has taken four hours to reach the Temple of
Pacuun on the edge of the great swamp. The
locals mentioned that the wind has been blowing
into the fetid mire of late, keeping the stench to
merely disgusting levels.
The temple itself is a fairly imposing structure, a
large walled compound containing a spindly
lookout tower, a few storage sheds, and an
ornate chapel with a partially completed dome
still swathed in scaffolding.
An armored priest strides to greet you.
“Welcome, travelers!
Pacuun’s doors?”
What brings you to
The party is greeted by an acolyte at the door;
characters who successfully completed Episode
18: Kissing Day are greeted warmly by name.
Once they make the nature of their visit clear,
Ams Parker, the high priest, hurries to speak
with them. He is a handsome, middle-aged man
dressed in everyday clothes, lightly sprinkled
with dust from the stonework he was
overseeing.
Any characters, including Clevon (if he survived)
suffering from sarcophagia or Constitution
damage may be cured of their afflictions here at
the normal Player’s Handbook prices, per table
7-8: Spellcasting and Services or a character
may use their Favor of Ams Parker.
Once the party has explained the situation, Ams
appears quite concerned about the existence of
a disease that creates undead so quickly.
“This is indeed grave news that you bring.
Pacuun has surely smiled upon us to place you
in the path of this danger, rather than some
helpless townsfolk.
“I will organize an expedition to Twiggs to bring
aid to those who may be affected by this plague.
However, this will take some time to arrange,
and I fear that every hour wasted allows the
source of this infection to spread. Will you
undertake a holy quest to be our vanguard, to
investigate this matter in Pacuun’s blessed
name?”
Should the party accept his commission, he
provides each character with a potion of cure
light wounds, and provides two potions of
remove disease, and two potions of lesser
restoration to the group. He also promises a
greater reward if they are able to deal with the
source of the plague.
The temple also has a variety of items available
for purchase, either now or after the characters
return.
• Holy water
• Potion of cure light wounds
• Oil of magic weapon
• Potion of protection from evil
• Potion of cure moderate wounds
• Scroll of lesser restoration
• Scroll of remove disease
• Scroll of cure light wounds
• Scroll of protection from evil
• Scroll of lesser restoration
• Scroll of remove disease
• Wand of cure light wounds (limit 1)
• Fang Breaker, +1 undead bane silver
heavy mace (limit 1)
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All of this travel and conversation takes some
time; the party arrives in Twiggs after dark, and
certain events have progressed while they
delayed. Proceed to Chapter 4: Into the
Woods.
Chapter 4: Into the Woods
It takes about 6 hours for characters on
horseback to get from King’s Crossing to
Twiggs. All manner of horses are available for
purchase at the Peshwah trading post, should
any character lack a mount.
Remember that any characters who were
infected by Dorvil or Clevon must make a save
every 30 minutes; once a character has taken
Constitution damage, let them know that they
feel unwell.
If the party heads out immediately after dealing
with Clevon and Dorvil, they reach the vicinity of
Twiggs about an hour before sundown. If they
took the time to visit the temple of Pacuun, or
headed out on foot, they arrive after dark.
The first hour of the trip is through worked fields
and pastures of farms serving King’s Crossing.
Signs of habitation drop off quickly after that,
and the road meanders through hilly terrain with
many large copses of trees and scattered
woods.
About a half-hour out from Twiggs, the
characters pass a small farmhouse. There is no
sign of activity other than a few chickens
roaming about the yard.
Characters who investigate discover that the
kitchen door has been broken off its hinges. A
DC 15 Search check reveals congealed blood
and scraps of flesh caught in splinters on the
nearly shattered door, as if whatever broke in
smashed its own hands bloody in the attempt. A
DC 15 Track check reveals that there was only 1
attacker.
Inside, there are several large patches and
splashes of blood and signs of a struggle, but no
bodies. A DC 12 Track check reveals that the
bodies had lain in their own blood long enough
for it to congeal before they rose and exited via
the broken door. A DC 17 Track check reveals
that there were about 8 or 9 bodies, and they
headed west more than 12 hours ago.
Except for typical farmhouse implements and
furniture, there is nothing more of interest here.
As they proceed toward Twiggs, the heroes
pass a half-dozen more farms, none of which
are inhabited. Four of them seem to have
suffered similar attacks as the first (only with
larger and larger groups of attackers), while the
rest seem to have been hurriedly abandoned
(judging by the absence of items like cloaks,
boots, etc.)
Between farms, the road is frequently hedged in
by thickets and stands of trees. Have the
characters make occasional Listen check (DC
15) allow characters to hear distant thrashing in
the brush (the zombies blundering about are
gone by the time any characters arrive to
investigate; tracks indicate they are heading
toward Twiggs).
Chapter 5: Making an Entrance
Characters who left King’s Crossing immediately
arrive in Twiggs as the sun is nearing the
horizon; those who visited the temple of Pacuun
arrive at dusk (creatures beyond 20’ have
concealment). Have the party make Listen
checks (DC 20) to notice the sounds of conflict
ahead as they get into the town proper.
Success
means
they
can
approach
unobtrusively and gain surprise on the zombies
attacking the inn.
Faint moans and thumping noises, punctuated
by occasional panicked cries, greet your ears as
you enter the small village of Twiggs. Perhaps
two dozen cottages surround a central green,
and a sawmill stands by a fast-flowing stream on
the edge of town.
As you peer around the corner of a
cottage, you can see a knot of shambling figures
milling about in front of a large building, a wellcarved sign proclaiming it to be “Jack’s Rest, Inn
and Tavern”.
A few of the creatures hammer on the
front door with their fists, while others scrabble
at shuttered windows.
For parties that arrive after sundown, add the
following:
The front door appears to have been broken,
and later reinforced with tables and chairs.
Someone inside pokes a spear wildly through
the gaps in the barricade.
Page 9
If the party arrived early, the zombies have not
yet forced their way into the inn.
ATL 3 (EL 5):
Feeder zombies (6); hp 16 each; see Appendix
1.
ATL 5 (EL 7):
1.
Smasher zombie; hp 42; see Appendix 1.
ATL 7 (EL 9):
1.
Smasher zombies (4); hp 42 each; see
Appendix 1.
ATL 9 (EL 11):
Feeder zombies (12); hp 16 each; see
Appendix 1.
Appendix 1.
If the party arrived in Twiggs after sundown, the
zombies have already managed to break into
the inn and been repulsed. The townsfolk
managed to kill a couple of the undead, but
several were infected. After 3 rounds of combat,
one of the infected townsfolk who died rises as a
ripper zombie and attacks. The following round,
the rest of the infected corpses rise as well.
Screams from inside should alert the party that
something is amiss.
If there are no zombies in the two spaces
directly in front of the door, the townsfolk will
clear the barricade (taking 1 full round) if asked.
Until the characters get inside, assume that
each ripper zombie inside the inn kills a
townsperson every other round. Note that if a
character attempts to turn undead inside the inn,
that 11 of the townsfolk have been infected with
sarcophagia and are considered 1 HD undead
for the purposes of turning damage.
Zombies attack the nearest living humanoid;
townsfolk attempt to get away from zombies as
quickly as possible.
Consult Appendix 3: DM Aids, for timeline and
infection tracking charts.
ATL 3 (EL 5):
1.
Ripper zombie (inside inn); hp 29; see
Appendix 1.
ATL 5 (EL 7):
1.
Ripper zombies (3, inside inn); hp 29 each;
see Appendix 1.
ATL 7 (EL 9):
1.
Ripper zombies (3, inside inn); hp 29 each;
see Appendix 1.
Appendix 1.
ATL 9 (EL 11):
1.
Ripper zombies (6); hp 29 each; see Appendix
1.
Appendix 1.
Chapter 6: A Bit of a Breather
Once the zombies have been dispatched, the
surviving townsfolk invite the heroes into the
safety of the inn. There are 37 living townsfolk
in the inn (including 16 children), and 6 bodies of
villagers who have expired from wounds or
sarcophagia infection (depending on when the
characters arrived, these corpses may have
already animated; if not, they rise as feeder
zombies 10 minutes after end of the battle.
Actions by the characters may have rendered
this moot by the, of course).
Of the living, 11 have been infected with
sarcophagia. They have each suffered some
Constitution damage, and require a DC 15 Heal
check to diagnose.
One of the folk huddled in the inn is Calafel, a
wood-merchant who suffered a few minor
wounds while escaping from the zombies that
attacked the sawmill; he has been infected. He
actively hides any signs of the affliction,
requiring a healer to beat his Disguise check
(+10 bonus) with a Heal check to determine that
he is wounded. If asked whether he was bitten,
the merchant lies (Bluff bonus +12). If his
Page 10
affliction is not detected, he dies and rises as
undead in a later chapter.
Calafel backs
Brodrick’s decision to stay put, unless the
characters can offer a guaranteed plan for safe
escape (such as teleportation magic). If the
heroes begin doling out curative magic, and he
feels confident he’ll get a share, Calafel admits
he was bitten.
The leader of the survivors is Brodrick, the
innkeeper. The mayor was killed in the initial
assault (and, in fact, was one of the zombies the
characters dispatched outside.) Brodrick’s goal
is to keep as many townsfolk alive as possible;
he feels that the best way to survive is to fortify
the inn and wait for the undead to go away.
Alton Morely is a hunter, and the only one of the
survivors with any great skill in battle. He feels
that staying penned up in the inn is a death
sentence, and espouses making a break for it
and hoping to outrun the zombies. He hasn’t yet
seen how fast some of the undead can be.
Lorinda Stump is the matriarch of a large family
of farmers and hunters who live in a sprawling
farmhouse south of town. She is confident that
her sons and grandsons have secured the
homestead and taken in any survivors from
neighboring farms; Lorinda believes that uniting
the two groups of survivors will greatly increase
everyone’s chances of getting out alive. She
insists that any escape plan include measures to
bring her family out, as well.
The rest of the townsfolk are mostly women and
children, with a few mill workers and farmers.
Most of the men were killed trying to fight the
zombies, and only added to their numbers.
All of the villagers look to the heroes to save
them. Brodrick, Alton, and Lorinda each offer
their opinions on the best course of action, but
will defer to the heroes as long as they seem to
know what they are doing (although if the party
decides to leave without attempting to gather in
the Stump family, Lorinda sets off on her own to
rejoin them).
By this time, the party may begin to have some
concerns about infected townsfolk turning on
them. The bodies of the 6 villagers who have
already died (as well as any killed during the
latest battle) have been stowed in an unused
dining room. Removing a corpse’s head is
sufficient to prevent it from rising as a
plagueborn zombie, but the townsfolk are aghast
at the idea of desecrating a corpse (a DC 20
Diplomacy check, or successful Intimidate check
nd
with a +2 circumstance modifier against a 2
level character, is sufficient to convince them of
the need). Similarly, binding a corpse or locking
it in a secure room is generally sufficient to
render a zombie helpless (a Use Rope check
DC 22 is sufficient to beat a feeder zombie
taking 20 on an Escape Artist attempt, and a
check of 23 is sufficient to restrain a ripper
zombie; remember the +10 bonus for tying
someone up) although they will eventually
smash their way out if merely locked in a room.
If the heroes decide to start checking the
villagers for injuries, they find a total of 14 with
wounds.
Of those, 11 have contracted
sarcophagia; 10 of those may be diagnosed with
a DC 15 Heal check, while Calafel is actively
hiding his affliction. What the characters do with
the infected, and the consequences of their
actions, depends on their knowledge of the
disease.
A player who makes a DC 20 Heal check while
trying to treat a victim of sarcophagia realizes
that traditional medicines do no good in treating
the disease, or even in helping the victim fight it
off on their own. A healer who makes a DC 19
or lower Heal check still believes that mundane
healing will work, but that their skill was not
sufficient to help.
If an infected character has been diagnosed,
then cured by application of positive energy (i.e.,
within the area of a successful turn undead
attempt or curative magic), then diagnosed
again, it only takes a DC 10 Heal check to
determine that the disease has vanished. Allow
the treating character to make a DC 15
Intelligence check (with a +2 cumulative
circumstance modifier for each of the following
conditions: character has 5 ranks in Knowledge:
Religion; character has 5 ranks in Heal;
character is able to turn undead; character
knows that a turn attempt was mysteriously less
effective than it should have been). Success
confirms that the disease can be turned as if it
were an undead creature, purging it form the
body of victims with positive energy.
Decisions the characters make about the fate of
the townsfolk may affect their alignments.
Page 11
Always warn players when their actions may
cause an alignment shift. As no evil characters
are allowed in Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor, a
shift to evil will remove a character from play. If,
after warning is given, the player chooses to
continue, let the chips fall where they may.
Some guidelines specific to this adventure
follow.
Binding and/or confining infected townsfolk are
morally
acceptable
acts,
given
the
circumstances.
Leaving infected townsfolk
behind when the rest of the townsfolk flee is
questionable, but not evil, unless the party has
the ability to cure them and chooses not to (for
instance, they don’t want to “waste” a scroll of
remove disease on a commoner), in which case
it is a highly questionable act, sufficient to count
as a gross violation of alignment for any
paladins, good clerics, or neutral clerics of good
deities (but not sufficient to remove a character
from the campaign).
Executing infected
townsfolk merely for being infected is a highly
questionable act, again sufficient to count as a
gross violation of alignment, unless the party
has the wherewithal to cure the victim and
chooses not to, in which case it is a heinously
evil act, and is sufficient to remove a character
from the campaign.
Once the heroes have had a chance to deal with
the townsfolk (and, perhaps, a second zombie
uprising), they have 3 potential courses of
action: help fortify the inn (see Chapter 7:
Bunkering Up); leave the townsfolk in the inn
and head off to bring in the rest of the Stumps
(see Chapter 8: Birds of a Feather); or lead a
nighttime exodus to either the Stump farm or
King’s Crossing (in which case, the zombies
attack after the party discovers that the spooked
horses kicked their way out of their stalls and the
stable is empty, proceed to Chapter 7:
Bunkering Up).
Chapter 7: Bunkering Up
Should the party agree with Brodrick that their
best bet for survival is holing up in the inn until
dawn, the townsfolk are happy to follow the
party’s lead when it comes to securing the
building.
When the heroes arrive, Brodrick has all the
healthy townsfolk gathered in the common room.
He has put the sick and wounded in a pair of
bedrooms upstairs, tended by couple of the
older women, and the bodies of the dead in a
private dining room off the common room. He
has barred the front door (hardness 5, Break DC
25, 20 hp) and the door leading out of the
kitchen (hardness 5, Break DC 25, 20 hp), and
shuttered and barred all the windows (hardness
5, Break DC 20, 10 hp). If the characters arrived
after sunset, the front door has been smashed in
and hastily reinforced with a heavy table and
several chairs (total of 35 hp remaining).
Brodrick wields a wood-axe he kept by the
kitchen door, while a sawmill worker named
Stebin has a long spear that had been used as a
curtain rod, and Alton has a hand axe, dagger,
and heavy crossbow (but no bolts). There is
plenty of material to fashion clubs, and the
kitchen contains a heavy cleaver (treat as hand
axe) and 5 knives large enough to use as
daggers. There are 5 1-pint bottles of apple
brandy behind the bar (treat as alchemist’s fire if
thrown with a flaming wick inserted; on an attack
roll of a natural 1, the thrower must make a DC
15 Reflex save or take 1d6 points of fire damage
from an early detonation).
There are a total of 3 heavy tables (10’ x 4’) and
6 benches (10’ x 2’) in the common room, which
can be used to reinforce doors and windows (a
table or 2 benches increases the Break DC of a
door or window by 2, and adds 30 hp to the door
or shutter). There are plenty of lumber spikes
and a couple of hammers available to secure
reinforcement. With an hour’s worth of work, it
is possible to rip up enough of the bar to
reinforce one more window or door. If the
characters arrived after sunset, one of the tables
has already been used to shore up the front
door.
The cellar is large enough to hold 15 medium or
30 small creatures without squeezing; packing
more in is possible, but the air grows stale in an
hour if over filled. The door to the cellar is
identical to the front door.
The second floor overhangs the first by about 5’.
It is possible to attack creatures adjacent to the
ground floor walls from the windows with either
missile or reach weapons, but the targets enjoy
the benefits of cover, and the attacker must
make a DC 5 Balance check each round or fall
out (a DC 20 Reflex save allows the character to
grab the sill on the way down, but only if they
drop their weapon; a DC 15 Climb check allows
the character to clamber back inside as a move
action, provoking AoOs from all creatures below.
Page 12
A dangling character is within reach of Medium
and Small creatures on the ground and is denied
their Dex bonus to AC).
The upstairs bedrooms contain beds and
wardrobes that, with 2 hours worth of work, yield
enough lumber to reinforce one window or door.
If a character decides to leave the inn to look for
supplies elsewhere in town, they have a 20%
chance of encountering a ripper zombie every
10 minutes; this increases to 40% if they are
carrying a light source. There is little of any use
to be found in the village except at the sawmill; a
DC 10 Search check there turns up a log hook
(treat as ranseur), a pair of wood axes (treat as
battle axes), and a great axe.
Unless magically cured, 2 infected townsfolk
expire every hour. Unless otherwise directed,
Brodrick has the bodies moved to the dining
room and locked in.
About 4 hours after the characters settle in, a
large force of zombies arrives from the south.
Lorinda recognizes several as members of her
own family and faints.
It is almost midnight. The last few hours have
seen feverish work to reinforce the inn as
strongly as possible, and most of the townsfolk
are slumped, exhausted, on rough pallets on the
floor. Gods willing, the few hours before dawn
will pass uneventfully.
Soon enough, however, it is clear that gods do
not smile on you this night. The lookout’s
hoarsely whispered warning is unnecessary, as
all ears have grown keen enough to hear the
hurried, shuffling footfalls and frenzied gibbering
of the undead!
The zombies rush out of the darkness and batter
madly at the shuttered windows on the south
side of the building. Skittering zombies climb up
the chimney to the roof, then down to secondfloor windows, favoring any that are open with
character attacking out of them. Otherwise, they
converge on the first break-in one makes. Refer
to the Zombie Break-in Guide in Appendix 3:
DM Aids to track their success in getting into the
inn. Note any damage caused by area effect
spells that would include doors or windows.
As it is an overcast night, creatures without
lowlight vision are effectively blind, while
creatures with lowlight vision suffer a 20% miss
chance against creatures up to 10’ away, and
50% beyond that. The zombies focus their
attacks on the door or window closest to any
light source.
If Calafel’s infection hasn’t been exposed by this
point, he quietly expires in his hiding place
behind the bar and rises as a grabber zombie on
round 7 of the battle.
ATL 3 (EL 6+):
Feeder zombies (4); hp 16 each, see Appendix
1.
Skittering zombies (2); hp 16 each; see
Appendix 1.
Revin Stump, smasher zombie; hp 42; see
Appendix 1, but change AC to 21 for his +1
studded leather.
Calafel, grabber zombie (inside the inn); hp
55; see Appendix 1.
ATL 5 (EL 8+): feeder zombies (4); hp 16
each, see Appendix 1.
Appendix 1.
Appendix 1.
Revin Stump, grabber zombie; hp 42; see
Appendix 1, but change AC to 22 for +1 shadow
studded leather.
55, see Appendix 1, but change AC to 19 for +1
ring of protection.
ATL 7 (EL 10+):
1.
Appendix 1.
Appendix 1.
Grabber zombies (3); hp 55 each; see
Appendix 1.
Appendix 1 but change AC to 22 for +1 shadow
studded leather.
55; see Appendix 1 but change AC to 19 for +1
ring of protection.
ATL 9 (EL 12+): feeder zombies (4); hp 16
each, see Appendix 1.
Appendix 1.
Page 13
Appendix 1.
Grabber zombies (8); hp 55 each see Appendix
1.
silent moves studded leather.
75; see Appendix 1 but change AC to 20 for +2
ring of protection.
About 30 minutes after the latest zombie assault
is defeated, have every player make a DC 10
Fort save; those who fail are fatigued until they
get at least 4 hours sleep (or trance). Proceed
to Chapter 9: Red Sky at Night.
Chapter 8: Birds of a Feather
Having decided to gather in any other survivors,
the party heads south to the Stump farm.
Following Lorinda’s directions, they can get
there in about 30 minutes or so if they hurry.
Every 10 minutes, there is a 20% chance that a
ripper zombie charges out of the darkness; this
increases to 40% if the party carries an open
light source.
After about 15 minutes’ travel, the party passes
near the site of a battle between undead and a
Westryn strike force.
Roiling clouds black out the night sky, obscuring
the stars and allowing only the most fleeting
shimmers of moonlight through. Every ear
strains to pick out the telltale footfall that can
spell the difference between life and undeath.
An eddy in the breeze brings a strange scent,
the sickly stench of charred meat.
About 20 yards west of the road is a broad
clearing. Glowing coals among the dying
bonfires provide dim light. Perhaps 30 or 40
bodies have been roughly cremated on a pair of
large bonfires, while a smaller fire contains the
remains of a single creature.
Investigating the area takes about 10 minutes
(and may lead to a ripper zombie attack).
A DC 20 Search check turns up a few broken
arrows;
Westryn
and
Cumasti
elves
automatically recognize them as being of
Westryn manufacture; others can make a DC 20
Knowledge (Local: Westryn Realms) check to
figure out their origin.
to avoid being surprised when the zombies
charge out of the woods.
Examining the bodies reveals that those in the
larger bonfires were human men, women, and
children, and most were killed by dozens of
arrows. The lone body is that of an elf, and was
killed with a single blow of an axe to the back of
the head. Unlike the mass pyres, where the
bodies were piled on haphazardly, the elf was
carefully arranged atop the smaller fire. All of
the bodies have been reduced to charred bone.
On round 2, Revin the zombie charges out from
inside the house.
On round 3 of the battle, the ripper zombies in
the woods charge to attack.
On round 4, the remaining zombies in the woods
charge.
On round 6 of combat, a shrill cry rings out from
the house.
On round 7, 6 small children boil out of a dormer
window onto the roof, making their way
hesitantly to the edge. An older girl is visible
inside, fending off a zombie with a boar spear.
On round 9, 2 skittering zombies climb onto the
roof and begin attacking the children.
On round 10, the girl is killed, and a ripper
zombie moves onto the roof. More skittering
zombies move onto the roof. One child dies this
round, and two every other subsequent.
A Track check (DC 7) reveals that a group of
about 3 dozen zombies entered this clearing
from the south about an hour ago, coming from
the direction of the Stumps’ farm. A DC 25
Track check reveals that about 10 elves staged
the ambush and built the pyres, then headed
west about 20 minutes ago.
A group of Westryn rangers fought a battle
against a large group of zombies from the
Stump farm, burning the bodies of the fallen.
One of the elves had been bitten earlier, and
feeling the end approaching, asked her captain
to slay her before she turned. The rangers laid
her out with hasty respect before resuming the
hunt.
About 15 minutes after leaving the site of the
battle, the party reaches the Stump farmstead.
Unfortunately, the generous Stumps took in a
whole family that had been infected with
sarcophagia. When they turned in the midst of
an assault, the Stumps’ doom was assured. A
few children still survive, hidden in the attic, but
zombies still inside are being steadily drawn to
their scents.
The majority of the undead headed north and
was wiped out by the Westryn, but some remain
in the area, either inside the house or lurking in
the woods nearby.
The farmhouse ahead is clearly abandoned.
Shutters and doors lie on the ground or hand in
splinters on their hinges. Spent arrows and
crossbow bolts litter the ground, and a few gorestained axes and spears give mute testimony to
the futile courage of these farm folk. Now, all
that remains of them are great spatters of blood.
Allow the characters to make Listen checks
against the ripper zombies’ Move Silently checks
Page 14
The edge of the roof is 20’ high; convincing a
child to jump requires a DC 25 Diplomacy check
(note the -10 penalty for taking less than a
minute) or a successful Intimidate check against
st
a 1 level character. A character may attempt to
catch a falling child by readying an action to
make an unarmed touch attack against the
child’s AC of 11. A character may catch a
smaller child with no consequences; catching a
child of the same size deals 1d6 nonlethal
damage to the catcher. There are 5 small and 2
medium children (including Jenta, the girl who
fights the zombie). Any child who falls without
being caught takes 2d6 damage (each has 3
hp).
ATL 3 (EL 6+):
1.
Appendix 1.
1.
Revin Stump, ripper zombie (inside the
house); hp 29; see Appendix 1 but change AC
to 19 for +1 studded leather.
Grabber zombie; hp 55; see Appendix 1.
ATL 5 (EL 8+):
1.
Appendix 1.
1.
Revin Stump, ripper zombie (inside the
house); hp 40; see Appendix 1 but change AC
to 19 for +1 shadow studded leather
Grabber zombie; hp 55; see Appendix 1.
ATL 7 (EL 10):
1.
Appendix 1.
1.
Grabber zombie; hp 55; see Appendix 1
studded leather.
ATL 9 (EL 12):
1.
Appendix 1.
Ripper zombies (12); hp 29 each; see
Appendix 1.
Grabber zombies (8); hp 55 each; see
Appendix 1.
silent moves studded leather.
Once the zombies have been dealt with, the
party may wish to question the surviving children
(if any). Jenta Stump, the older girl who fought
the zombie, is their spokesperson, if she made it
alive. Otherwise, the eldest speaks.
Early this morning Mrs. Cuddy came poundin’ on
our door yellin’ about monsters. Pa let her in,
and was gonna let in ol’ Mr. Cuddy who was
comin’ up behind when the Mrs. Started cryin’
how he was the monster. When he didn’t stop
comin’ after Pa warned him, well, Pa shot ‘im,
an’ he just kept on runnin’! It took a lot of
shootin’ to put ol’ Mr. Cuddy down.
Pa sent out a few o’ the lads to look around, an’
some of ‘em come back with our neighbors, and
some come back an’ said the farms was empty,
an’ Wert, well, Wert didn’t come back at all!
We got everybody all hunkered down an’ such,
an’ Pa an’ the lads was keepin’ watch when this
big passle o’ folks come runnin’ up an’ started
poundin’ on the doors trying to get in! We was
Page 15
doin’ OK holdin’ em off when all of a sudden
Mrs. Leifert gets up from where she was restin’
an bit Pa on the neck, then her husband an’ her
kids an all were jumpin’ up and bitin’ an’ grabbin’
everyone, then everyone was all confused an’
the door got busted in an’ we ran upstairs to
hide cuz Ma said to.
We tried hidin’, an most of ‘em left, then after a
bit we saw Ma an Pa and everyone all leave too!
A couple stayed behind, though, sniffin’ around
an’ such. It sure is good you all showed up
when you did!
Searching around the farmhouse yields a few
useable weapons: 4 battle axes, 2 long spears,
6 daggers, 2 heavy crossbows, and Hartseeker
(MW/+1/+1 bane (animal) heavy crossbow), in
addition to Revin’s armor.
Once the party has gotten any surviving children
ready for travel, it is another 30 minutes back to
Twiggs. There is still a chance for an encounter
with ripper zombies every 10 minutes.
When the group returns to the inn, a few more
zombie corpses give testimony to another
assault successfully repelled, although 2 more
villagers have succumbed to sarcophagia and
been bound or mutilated. Lorinda makes a big
fuss over any children that are brought back,
saving her tears for later. She insists that the
party keep Hartseeker and Revin’s armor, if they
like.
After about 30 minutes, all characters must
make a DC 10 Fort save or become fatigued.
Proceed to Chapter 9: Red Sky at Night.
Chapter 9: Red Sky at Night
This encounter occurs after the party defeats the
zombies at the inn or the Stump farm. A
warband of Westryn elves has been dispatched
to contain this undead incursion, and having
seen first hand how virulent sarcophagia is, their
captain, Jaranrath, has determined that the best
chance of containment is to destroy all
potentially infected humanoids in the area.
The elves managed to destroy the bulk of the
undead from the Stump farm, and now seek to
eliminate the only remaining concentration of
potential zombies in the area: the survivors
holed up in Jacks’ Rest Inn.
After all the battles and skirmishes, it seems like
this night has gone on forever, but there are still
several hours before dawn. The long hours are
starting to wear on even the hardiest, and the
bulk of the townsfolk are exhausted from their
hours of terror.
A sentry snaps awake from where he was
nodding at his post. “I thought I saw a shooting
star a moment ago, but…
“Fire! The roof is on fire!”
The Westryn have launched a few fire arrows at
the inn; they are spread out in a loose circle
around the village where they can easily
dispatch anyone who attempts to flee the
burning building.
Jaranrath is not a heartless monster; he is
willing to give the humans a chance to die with
dignity. After the heroes have had a moment or
two to react to the fire, he announces his
generous offer.
A clear voice with a Westryn accent rings out
from the darkness.
“Humans! I have seen that you have children
with you; if you would spare them the agony of
burning to death, I advise you slit their throats
now. I give you the count of 50 to put them to
rest and make peace with your gods before we
sear this contagion from the face of the land.”
Any creature who leaves the building, or who
tries to put the fire out, gets shot at by a Westryn
ranger (attack bonus 5+ATL, damage 1d8+1 [+3
against humans]) every round they persist in
their action.
Characters who wish to talk may attempt a
Diplomacy check (Jaranrath’s initial attitude is
unfriendly). A Westryn or Cumasti elf, or any
character who speaks Westryn, recognizes
Jaranrath’s accent; addressing him in the
Westryn dialect of Elven garners a +2
circumstance bonus on the Diplomacy check;
revealing that there is a relatively easy cure for
sarcophagia (either the truth about the use of
positive energy, or a convincing lie [Bluff check
against Jaranrath’s Sense Motive of +1, or +3
against humans]) grants an additional +5
circumstance bonus.
Page 16
If the characters succeed in making Jaranrath
Indifferent or better, he will allow them to put out
the fire so they may continue talking.
However, before talks can begin in earnest (or
before the firestorm can commence, if diplomacy
fails), a high-pitched horn blast is cut off in a
chorus of screams as a new wave of undead
attacks.
On round 1, Jaranrath and two companions are
driven into the town square by half the zombies;
the sounds of battle ring out all around town.
The Westryn captain does not ask for aid, but is
not quite proud enough to refuse it if offered.
See Appendix 1 for Jaranrath’s statistics.
It takes 1 full round to open a reinforced door or
window.
On round 3, one of Jaranrath’s companions is
killed. Jaranrath suffers a bite to the arm.
On round 5, the rest of the zombies arrive.
Jaranrath’s other companion is killed. The
captain is backed up against the house across
the street from the inn.
On round 7, if left unaided, Jaranrath is killed,
cursing all humans as he falls.
Once Jaranrath is either snatched from their
grasp or killed, the remaining undead turn their
attention to the inn itself, attempting to batter
their way in.
ATL 3 (EL 6):
1.
1.
ATL 5 (EL 8):
1
1.
Smasher zombie (3); hp 42 each; see
Appendix 1.
ATL 7 (EL 10):
1.
1.
Appendix 1.
Grabber zombie (4); hp 55 each; see Appendix
1.
ATL 9 (EL 12):
1.
1.
Appendix 1.
Grabber zombie (8); hp 55 each; see Appendix
1.
Once Jaranrath is safe (or dead) the remaining
Westryn call a general retreat. If he survived,
Jaranrath gives grudging thanks for being
rescued and is willing to listen to renewed
discussion for allowing the remaining townsfolk
to depart in peace. If the characters know that
that channeling positive energy can cure
sarcophagia, sharing that information is enough
to convince the Westryn that letting them go is
not a threat. Otherwise, he exacts a strict
promise from each character that any of the
survivors, including any character, which shows
signs of infection, is to be bound, quarantined,
and executed when they turn. Jaranrath notes
the names and homelands of each character.
If a Westryn PC asks Jaranrath about what is
going on in their homeland, he looks sad for a
moment, then suggests that they find a home for
themselves outside the Westwood,
If the party comes to some sort of
accommodation with Jaranrath, they earn his
grudging respect. He orders some of his men to
provide a screen for the refugees, sparing them
any further attacks as they make their way to
King’s Crossing.
Should the party refuse his demands, he
realizes that with his forces scattered, he doesn’t
have the might to destroy all the townsfolk and
concedes their escape.
However, sporadic
attacks by ripper zombies during the first 2 hours
of the march cause 5 more villagers to die.
After waiting through the last tense hours until
dawn, Jaranrath takes his leave. Keeping him
prisoner should strike the characters as a very
bad idea; if they insist on doing so, they are
subjected to arrow attacks throughout their
return journey, targeting villagers as often as
characters (attack bonus 5+ATL, damage 1d8+1
[+3 against humans]) until Jaranrath is released.
Page 17
Finale
It takes almost the entire day to usher the weary,
ragged survivors of Twiggs back to King’s
Crossing. When you first got back to lands
occupied by the living, friendly farmers offered
their wagons up to carry the oldest and youngest
among the refugees.
Back in the town square, where this whole
adventure started only yesterday, a small
caravan of wagons is lined up. Priests and
knights in gleaming mail stride about seeing to
last-minute details, the Sword and Sun of
Pacuun emblazoned on every surcoat.
Upon seeing your ragged group, a young
acolyte sprints away to fetch Ams Parker while
kindly priests bustle up to offer aid and comfort
to the refugees.
Once the heroes have had a chance to refresh
themselves, and clerics of Pacuun have seen to
their hurts (including restoring and Constitution
damage), the high priest arrives to debrief the
party.
When I saw you leading this group of women
and children, I feared for the worst. Is there
anyone left in Twiggs for us to save? Please,
tell me what you have found there.
Ams’ responses to specific bits of information
are summarized here:
The whole district seems to have been infected
and have risen as undead! We brought out the
only survivors.
This is truly a sad day. I will regret for the rest of
my days not urging more haste…
Whatever this disease is, normal medicines
don’t work at all.
Alas, that any poor soul afflicted with this dread
disease should suffer in the certain knowledge
of their death and corruption. Pacuun’s knights
are few in number, but they will do what the
must to combat this fell threat!
It appears that channeling positive energy
affects the disease as if it were undead. Praise
be! The simplest of Pacuun’s blessings is still
his greatest gift, and now it may be our salvation
when battling this insidious contagion.
We encountered some Westryn who were
fighting the zombies, but they tried to kill us, too!
The elves of the Westwood adhere to a harsh
reality, and they have ever chosen the arrow
first. Still, though their borders have been
sealed, faint rumor hints that they battle some
menace in their own halls. Perhaps this plague
is a facet of that struggle…
It sure is thirsty work, rescuing women and
children…
Of course, of course. Such courage as yours
shall not go unrewarded. We shall begin with a
true heroes’ feast, and I am certain I can find
some appropriate tokens to show our
appreciation.
True to his word, the prelate throws a feast fit for
kings, much less heroes of the Realm. The
knights and warrior-priests of Pacuun spend
much of the evening quizzing you about the
undead you have fought and planning patrols
into the area around Twiggs to eradicate the
zombie threat for good.
The refugees, meanwhile, have settled into a
kind of incredulous relief, laughing a bit too loud
at bad jokes. Grief over all they have lost will
set in soon enough, but for now, they, and you,
are alive, and the moment is ripe for enjoyment.
The End
XP Table:
Reward the player characters experience points
for items completed below:
Chapter 1
Stop the Wagon
100xp
Chapter 2
Defeat Clevon and Dorvil
100xp
Chapter 5
Defeat the Zombies
100xp
Chapter 7 OR Chapter 8
Defeat the Zombies
100xp
Chapter 9
Defeat the Zombies
100xp
Come to Jaranrath’s Aid
150 xp
Good Role Play
100xp
Total Possible XP:
750xp
Mementoes
Chapter 2: Is There a Doctor in the
House?
Chapter 3: Father Knows Best
All ATLs:
Potion of cure light wounds (2) 50 gp each
Potion of remove disease (2) 300 gp each
Potion of lesser restoration (2) 300 gp each
Only characters who accepted a commission
from Ams Parker before setting out, or who
have the Favor of Ams Parker from Episode
18: Kissing Day, are eligible to become a
Questor of Pacuun
Questor of Pacuun:
For undertaking an
extremely dangerous quest to battle undead,
Ams Parker, High Priest of Pacuun has
recognized you as an ally to the faith. He has
granted you a masterwork silver light mace,
engraved with your name and the holy symbols
of Pacuun: the Sword and Setting Sun. While
openly displaying this mace, you gain a +2
circumstance bonus to all Charisma based
checks with followers of Pacuun. Further, you
may present this mace at any church of Pacuun
to receive the benefits of any first or second
level clerical spell free of charge (you must still
pay the price of any expensive material
components, however). (value 325 gp)
All characters who returned to King’s
Crossing with at least 1 survivor from
Twiggs, and who made a report to Ams
Parker, are eligible to receive Tokens of the
Prelate’s Esteem. This takes the form of
either gold or consumable magic items:
ATL 3: 150 gp or 300 gp toward Purchases at
the Temple of Pacuun
ATL 9: 600 gp or 1200 gp toward
The purchases must be made during this event
and may be retroactive to events during the
event. Circle the applicable award.
Award accepted: _______
Purchases at the Temple of Pacuun
Cross this certificate out when the token has
been used.
Purchases at the Temple of Pacuun: The
temple of Pacuun has the following scrolls and
potions available for sale:
Holy water 25 gp
All ATLs:
Wagon (35 gp)
Two Heavy Horses (200gp)
Total value 117gp
Page 18
Calafel’s Ring may be upgraded to gain
the powers of a ring of counterspells by a
character with the Forge Ring feat for 2000 gp
and 160 xp; or, the owner can pay 4,000 gp at
an official Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor market
place event.
Potion of cure light wounds 50 gp
Oil of magic weapon 50 gp
Potion of protection from evil 50 gp
Potion of cure moderate wounds 300 gp
Scroll of remove disease 750 gp
Scroll of cure light wounds 25 gp
Scroll of protection from evil 25 gp
Scroll of lesser restoration 150 gp
Scroll of remove disease 375 gp
Only one per character may be purchased.
Total value _____gp
ATL 3: golden ring with dispel magic spell
shard; Market Price 575 gp (with spell shard
unused) or 200 gp (if spell shard has been used)
The following unique items are available for
purchase by one character:
Fang Breaker: After some recent trouble with
vampires, the church of Pacuun in King’s
Crossing has begun producing these weapons.
Fang Breaker is a +1 undead bane silver heavy
mace. The head of the mace is sculpted to
resemble a flaming sun, and the weapon glows
with a pure golden light (equivalent to a torch)
for 1 minute after it strikes a vampire or vampire
spawn. Market Price: 8,402 gp (limit 1)
Wand of Cure Light Wounds: Forged in the
likeness of a small bastard sword, this steel
wand of cure light wounds is equally suited to
healing injuries and harming undead.
50
charges.
Market Price: 750 gp
Revin’s Huntin’ Togs: This studded leather
armor is painted in patterns of brown and green,
helping its wearer blend into the woods. It
belonged to Revin Stump, the best hunter in the
Stump clan. His mother, Lorinda, gave it to you
as thanks for saving the people of Twiggs.
ATL 3: +1 studded leather
ATL 5 & 7: +1 shadow studded leather
ATL 9: +1 shadow silent moves studded leather
Calafel gives his ring of protection to the
party as a reward if they manage to cure him;
otherwise, they can loot it from his corpse.
Calafel’s Ring: This finely engraved golden
band bears a jagged shard of purple crystal, a
spell shard containing a dispel magic spell at
caster level 5. (a spell shard is identical to a
scroll; it contains a single spell that may be used
once as a spell completion item).
Page 19
ATL 5 & 7: ring of protection +1 with dispel
magic spell shard; Market Price 2375 gp (with
spell shard unused) or 2000 gp (if spell shard
has been used)
ATL 9: ring of protection +2 with dispel magic
spell shard; Market Price 8375 gp (with spell
shard unused) or 8000 gp (if spell shard has
been used)
Hartseeker:
Hartseeker is a fine heavy
crossbow, crafted out of well-polished darkwood.
Simple but powerful images of the hunt adorn
both sides of the weapon’s stock. Hartseeker
belonged to Revin, the finest hunter in the
Stump clan. His mother Lorinda gave it to you
as thanks for saving her grandchildren.
ATL 3: masterwork darkwood heavy crossbow
ATL 5: +1 darkwood heavy crossbow
ALT 7 & 9: +1 darkwood animal bane heavy
crossbow
Characters only gain the Gratitude of the
Twiggs Refugees if they brought back at
least 10 survivors from Twiggs.
Gratitude of the Twiggs Refugees: The folk of
Twiggs owe you their lives, and stand ready to
repay their debt when you ask. You may call
upon their gratitude in one of two ways (mark off
when used):
--They will find you enough darkwood to make
any one shield or weapon or
--They will provide you with enough quality
lumber to reduce the cost of building one ship or
structure by 10%
th
Only a character of at least 5 level with the
Track feat may take Jenta Stump, Huntress
in Training, and only if she was rescued from
the Stump farmstead.
Jenta Stump, Huntress in Training: With her
father dead, then undead, then dead again,
Jenta Stump has latched onto you as a mentor.
She follows you around, performing small tasks
whether you want her to or not. Her loyalty
takes one of two forms:
--Characters without the Leadership feat gain
Jenta as if she were a cohort 4 levels lower than
their character level.
--Characters with the Leadership feat may take
Jenta as an extra cohort, two levels lower than
their current cohort. If you choose to take Jenta
as your only cohort, she can be up to 1 level
lower than you, rather than the usual two.
Jenta is a Chaotic Good 15-year-old female
Thonian with the following statistics:
Strength 14
Intelligence 10
Dexterity 15
Wisdom 14
Constitution 14
Charisma 12
She has brown hair and blue eyes, and a lanky
build.
Jenta only advances as a Ranger (favored
st
enemy – undead at 1 level). If Jenta dies, she
may not be Reincarnated, Raised, Resurrected,
or True Resurrected.
Jenta Stump is a unique certificate and only one
may be at a table at any time.
If more than one character is interested in taking
Jenta, she goes with the PC who has the most
ranks in Survival; if there is a tie, she prefers a
Chaotic Good mentor, then a Neutral Good
mentor, then the character with the most ranks
in Knowledge: Nature.
Characters only gain Bloodprice of the
Westryn if they made a deal with Jaranrath
and he survived.
Bloodprice of the Westryn
Days after your adventure in Twiggs, a large
raven drops a bundle of arrows at your feet.
They are wrapped in a note that reads:
A debt is owed for the blood that continues to
flow. A day will come when it will be repaid.
The arrowheads are of intricately carved bone
rather than steel, and they are fletched with
raven feathers.
+1 undead bane arrows (5); Market price 167 gp
each. Episode 37: Contagion
Page 20
Appendix 1: Creatures and NPCs
New Creatures: Plagueborn Zombies
The mangled corpse twitches wildly for a moment and lurches to its feet with unnatural celerity. The dead
eyes burn with an unholy hunger, and the zombie’s teeth clatter as it moans and gibbers while loping
forward.
Plagueborn zombies are the product of a foul necromantic disease that seeps through the
interdimensional rift in the lands of the Westryn elves. Those unfortunate enough to contract sarcophagia
almost inevitably succumb to the contagion, rising up as plagueborn zombies shortly after death.
While superficially similar to the usual zombies created by necromancers, plagueborn zombies
are noticeably faster and far more cunning in their hunt for living flesh. Plagueborn zombies are
motivated solely by a burning hunger for the blood and flesh of humanoids, especially blood-rich organs
like the heart and liver, and most particularly the brain. Most plagueborn zombies recklessly attack
humanoids as soon as they encounter them, although some more wily varieties have been known to stalk
their prey for a time before striking.
Combat
Most plagueborn zombies recklessly attack humanoids as soon as they encounter them, although some
more wily varieties have been known to stalk their prey for a time before striking. These undead focus
their attacks on their favored prey, ignoring non-humanoids unless there are no other creatures within 30’,
and even then only striking in self-defense.
Whenever a plagueborn zombie drops a humanoid opponent, it will spend its next action
performing a coup de grace on the fallen foe, ripping out a choice gobbet of flesh or brain and devouring
it. Feeder zombies gain power from devouring their victims, but all types of plagueborn zombies are
driven by their lust for humanoid flesh, and are willing to suffer attacks of opportunity to sate their hunger.
All plagueborn zombies share the following special abilities:
Ravenous Surge (Ex): When a victim of sarcophagia first awakens as undead, it is filled with an
incredible desire to feed. The new plagueborn zombie may stand from prone as a free action (provoking
attacks of opportunity as normal); in a surprise round, this allows the zombie to rise and attack at the
same time. Any other victims of sarcophagia within 60’ that have not yet risen as zombies do so one
round after a plagueborn zombie activates its ravenous surge ability, regardless of how much time would
normally be left before their transformation.
After this first surge of energy, a plagueborn zombie that ends up prone must use a move-equivalent
action to stand, as normal.
Sarcophagia (Su): Supernatural Disease—claw or bite, Fortitude DC 12, incubation period 1
minute, damage 1d4 Constitution. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Sarcophagia is an incredibly virulent supernatural disease; after initial exposure, the victim must
make a saving throw every 30 minutes, rather than every day. Unlike normal diseases, sarcophagia
continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured as described below.
The Heal skill is ineffective in treating sarcophagia. The disease may only be removed with a
cure disease spell or through the application of positive energy. Infected creatures are considered 1 HD
undead for the purposes of turning undead; a turn check sufficient to destroy 1 HD undead removes the
disease from a number of victims equal to the turning damage. Note that the presence of infected victims
may reduce the effectiveness of attempts to turn actual undead in the vicinity, as the diseased may
absorb some or all of the turning damage. There is no visible indication that a turning attempt has any
effect on a victim of sarcophagia.
Example: A cleric guarding 6 infected villagers attempts to turn the 4 feeder zombies battling his
allies nearby. He makes the check to turn 2HD creatures, and rolls a 7 for turning damage. This cures all
6 of the infected villagers (who each count as a 1HD undead), but the one remaining point of turning
damage is insufficient to turn even one of the feeder zombies (although it would cure one of his allies, if
they had been infected).
Page 21
A humanoid reduced to 0 Constitution by sarcophagia, or that dies of hit point damage while
infected with the disease, rises as a plagueborn zombie in 5d20 rounds, and is able to use its ravenous
surge ability immediately. Small humanoids always rise as skittering zombies; all other humanoids rise as
feeder zombies (40% chance), ripper zombies (20% chance), basher zombies (20% chance) or grabber
zombies (20% chance).
A living creature infected with sarcophagia interacts oddly with certain divination and necromantic
spells. A detect magic reveals a faint aura of necromantic magic suffusing the creature; detect evil
likewise reveals a faint aura of evil, but there is no way to differentiate the disease from a merely evil
creature; a victim of sarcophagia detects as faint undead when subjected to detect undead; deathwatch
shows an infected creature as both undead and fighting off death.
Feeder Zombie: CR 1; Medium undead; HD 2d12+3, hp 16, Init +1, Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 11, flatfooted 13 (+1 Dex, +3 natural); BAB/Grp +1/+3; Atk +3 melee (1d6+2/x2, bite); Full Atk +3 melee
(1d6+1/x2, bite) and +1/+1 melee (1d4+1/x2, claws); Space/Reach 5 ft/ 5 ft; SA feed, ravenous surge,
sarcophagia; SQ darkvision 60’, DR 5/slashing, scent, undead traits; AL CE; SV Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +4;
Str 15, Dex 13, Constitution -, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 3.
Skills and Feats: Listen +3, Spot +3; Multiattack, Toughness
Feed (Ex): A feeder zombie may perform a coup de grace as a standard action (rather than a
full-round action), provoking attacks of opportunity as usual. If the victim dies (or had already died within
the last round) the feeder zombie devours a major organ (rendering the body too damaged to a raise
dead spell to function) and gains fast healing 5 for 10 rounds.
Skittering Zombie: CR 1; Medium undead; HD 2d12+3, hp 16, Init +3, Spd 30 ft., climb 20 ft.; AC 16,
touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural); BAB/Grp +1/-1; Atk +5 melee (1d4/x2, bite); Full Atk
+5 melee (1d4/x2, bite) and +3/+3 melee (1d3/x2, claws); Space/Reach 5 ft/ 5 ft; SA ravenous surge,
sarcophagia; SQ darkvision 60’, DR 5/slashing, scent, scurry, undead traits; AL CE; SV Fort +0, Ref +3,
Will +4; Str 10, Dex 17, Constitution -, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 3.
Skills and Feats: Climb +11, Listen +3, Spot +3; Multiattack, Toughness, Weapon Finesse
Scurry (Ex): Skittering zombies suffer no penalty to attacks, armor class, or movement while
prone. They may move at full speed while squeezed (but suffer all other effects of being squeezed).
Ripper Zombie: CR 2; Medium undead; HD 4d12+3, hp 29, Init +2, Spd 40 ft.; AC 15, touch 12, flatfooted 13 (+2 Dex, +3 natural); BAB/Grp +2/+5; Atk +6 melee (1d6+3/x2, claw); Full Atk +6/+6 melee
(1d6+3/x2, claws) and +3 melee (1d4+1/x2, bite); Space/Reach 5 ft/ 5 ft; SA pounce, ravenous surge,
rend 2d6+4, sarcophagia; SQ darkvision 60’, DR 5/slashing, scent, undead traits; AL CE; SV Fort +1, Ref
+3, Will +5; Str 16, Dex 15, Constitution -, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 3.
Skills and Feats: Hide +6, Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Spot +4; Multiattack, Toughness, Weapon
Focus (Claw)
Pounce (Ex): If a ripper zombie charges, it can make a full attack.
Rend (Ex): If a ripper zombie hits with both claw attacks, it latches onto the opponent’s body and
tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d6+4 points of damage.
Smasher Zombie: CR 3; Medium undead; HD 6d12+3, hp 42, Init +1, Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 11, flatfooted 16 (+1 Dex, +6 natural); BAB/Grp +3/+7; Atk +8 melee (1d8+4/x2, slam); Full Atk +8/+8 melee
(1d8+4/x2, slams) and +2 melee (1d4+2/x2, bite); Space/Reach 5 ft/ 5 ft; SA ravenous surge,
sarcophagia, smash; SQ darkvision 60’, DR 10/slashing, scent, undead traits; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +3,
Will +6; Str 18, Dex 13, Constitution -, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 3.
Skills and Feats: Listen +5, Spot +5; Improved Natural Attack (slam), Power Attack, Toughness,
Weapon Focus (Slam)
Smash (Ex): Basher zombies ignore up to 5 points of hardness when attacking objects. They
typically combine this ability with a full power attack to break down doors or other obstacles keeping them
away from their prey.
Grabber Zombie: CR 4; Medium undead; HD 8d12+3, hp 55, Init +1, Spd 40 ft.; AC 18, touch 11, flatfooted 17 (+1 Dex, +7 natural); BAB/Grp +4/+13; Atk +10 melee (1d6+5/x2, claw); Full Atk +10/+10 melee
(1d6+5/x2, claws) and +8 melee (1d4+2/x2, bite); Space/Reach 5 ft/ 5 ft; SA gnaw, improved grab,
Page 22
ravenous surge, sarcophagia; SQ darkvision 60’, DR 10/slashing, scent, undead traits; AL CE; SV Fort
+2, Ref +3, Will +7; Str 20, Dex 13, Constitution -, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 3.
Skills and Feats: Listen +6, Spot +6; Improved Grapple, Multiattack, Toughness, Weapon Focus
(Bite), Weapon Focus (Claw)
Gnaw (Ex): Whenever a grabber zombie succeeds on a grapple check, it may make a free bite attack
against a creature it is grappling. Grabber zombies do not suffer the usual -4 penalty for attacking with a
natural weapon in a grapple when using their bite attack.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a grabber zombie must hit a Medium or smaller
creature with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an
attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple, it establishes a hold and can gnaw.
Jaranrath: Male Westryn Rgr 6; CR 6; Medium humanoid (elf); HD 6d8+12, hp 45, Spd 30’; AC 19,
touch 13, flat-footed 16 )+3 Dex, +5 armor, +1 shield); BAB/Grp +6/+9; Atk +10 melee (1d13+4/x3, MW
great axe) or +11 ranged (1d8+4/x3, +1 mighty composite (+3) longbow); Full Atk +10/+5 melee
(1d13+4/x3, MW great axe) or +9/+9/+4 ranged (1d8+4/x3, +1 mighty composite (+3) longbow);
Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA favored enemy (human +2, undead +4), spells; SQ lowlight vision, scent,
Westryn traits, wild empathy; AL LN; SV Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 17, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 9.
Skills and Feats: Climb +5, Hide +11, Jump +5, Knowledge (Geography) +4, Knowledge (Nature)
+4, Listen +12, Move Silently +11, Search +6, Spot +12, Survival +12, Swim +4; Endurance, Far Shot,
Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Track, Weapon Focus (Longbow)
Ranger Spells Prepared (2, base DC 11+spell level): 1—entangle (already cast), resist energy
Possessions: MW great axe, hand axe, MW buckler, 25 arrows, 10 fire arrows, +1 mighty
composite (+3) longbow, +1 chain shirt, 2 potions of cure light wounds
Physical Description: This tall Westryn is clad in dark leathers and sooty steel. His face has
been painted in an asymmetrical pattern of black and green.
Page 23
Appendix 2: Adjudicating Sarcophagia
Since the heart of this episode is the horror of realizing that innocent victims are infected with a disease
that will not only kill them, but likely many others as well, it is important to adjudicate the Sarcophagia
properly and keep the characters in the dark as to whether they are infected or not until the appropriate
time. Get the save bonuses for each character ahead of time, and roll their save against sarcophagia
secretly each time a plagueborn zombie succeeds with a claw or bite attack (Note: The smasher zombies’
slam attack does not spread sarcophagia).
Sarcophagia: Supernatural Disease—claw or bite, Fortitude DC 12, incubation period 1 minute,
damage 1d4 Constitution. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Sarcophagia is an incredibly virulent supernatural disease; after initial exposure, the victim must make a
saving throw every 30 minutes, rather than every day. Unlike normal diseases, sarcophagia continues
until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured as described below.
The Heal skill is ineffective in treating sarcophagia. The disease may only be removed with a cure
disease spell or through the application of positive energy. Infected creatures are considered 1 HD
undead for the purposes of turning undead; a turn check sufficient to destroy 1 HD undead removes the
disease from a number of victims equal to the turning damage. Note that the presence of infected victims
may reduce the effectiveness of attempts to turn actual undead in the vicinity, as the diseased may
absorb some or all of the turning damage. There is no visible indication that a turning attempt has any
effect on a victim of sarcophagia.
Example: A cleric guarding 6 infected villagers attempts to turn the 4 feeder zombies battling his allies
nearby. He makes the check to turn 2HD creatures, and rolls a 7 for turning damage. This cures all 6 of
the infected villagers (who each count as a 1HD undead), but the one remaining point of turning damage
is insufficient to turn even one of the feeder zombies (although it would cure one of his allies, if they had
gotten infected).
A humanoid reduced to 0 Constitution by sarcophagia, or that dies of hit point damage while infected with
the disease, rises as a plagueborn zombie in 5d20 rounds, and is able to use its ravenous surge ability
immediately. Small humanoids always rise as skittering zombies; all other humanoids rise as feeder
zombies (40% chance), ripper zombies (20% chance), basher zombies (20% chance) or grabber zombies
(20% chance).
A living creature infected with sarcophagia interacts oddly with certain divination and necromantic spells.
A detect magic reveals a faint aura of necromantic magic suffusing the creature; detect evil likewise
reveals a faint aura of evil, but there is no way to differentiate the disease from a merely evil creature; a
victim of sarcophagia detects as faint undead when subjected to detect undead; deathwatch shows an
infected creature as both undead and fighting off death.
Inform any character who fails their save that they are infected once they fail a secondary save and take
enough Constitution damage to change their Constitution modifier. You may wish to do so with a note in
order to heighten suspense. As sarcophagia can only be cured with remove disease or positive energy
such as cure spells and turning undead, allow characters who attempt to use Heal checks to stave off the
disease to believe they have succeeded until they next time a victim fails a saving throw.
As characters are likely to be cured and re-infected several times in the course of the episode (especially
if the party contains a cleric who attempts to turn undead), you may find the Infection Tracking sheet in
Appendix 3 helpful in managing who is at what stage of infection.
A character may make a Heal check to determine whether a creature has been infected with sarcophagia;
the DC varies with how far the disease has progressed. A character may attempt to hide their symptoms
with a Disguise check opposed by the investigator’s Heal check.
Page 24
DC 10: the victim has lost at least half their normal Constitution to the disease
DC 20: the victim has taken some Constitution damage, but not over half their original score
DC 25: the victim is infected, but has not yet taken any Constitution damage
A character that makes a DC 20 Heal check while trying to treat a victim of sarcophagia realizes that
traditional medicines do absolutely no good in treating the disease, or even in helping the victim fight it off
on their own. A healer who makes a DC 19 or lower Heal check still believes that mundane healing will
work, but that their skill was not sufficient to help.
If an infected character has been diagnosed, then cured by application of positive energy (i.e., within the
area of a successful turn undead attempt), then diagnosed again, it only takes a DC 10 Heal check to
determine that the disease has vanished. Allow the treating character (i.e. the turning character) to make
a DC 15 Intelligence check (with a +2 cumulative circumstance modifier for each of the following
conditions: character has 5 ranks in Knowledge: Religion; character has 5 ranks in Heal; character is
able to turn undead; character knows that a turn attempt was mysteriously less effective than it should
have been). Success confirms that the disease can be turned as if it were an undead creature, purging it
form the body of victims with positive energy.
Decisions the characters make about the fate of the townsfolk may affect their alignments. Always warn
players when their actions may cause an alignment shift. As no evil characters are allowed in Dave
Arneson’s Blackmoor, a shift to evil will remove a character from play. If, after warning is given, the
player chooses to continue, let the chips fall where they may. Some guidelines specific to this adventure
follow.
Binding and/or confining infected townsfolk are morally acceptable acts, given the circumstances.
Leaving infected townsfolk behind when the rest of the townsfolk flee is questionable, but not evil, unless
the party has the ability to cure them and chooses not to (for instance, they don’t want to “waste” a scroll
of remove disease on a commoner), in which case it is a highly questionable act, sufficient to count as a
gross violation of alignment for any paladins, good clerics, or neutral clerics of good deities (but not
sufficient to remove a character from the campaign). Executing infected townsfolk merely for being
infected is a highly questionable act, again sufficient to count as a gross violation of alignment, unless the
party has the wherewithal to cure the victim and chooses not to, in which case it is a heinously evil act,
and is sufficient to remove a character from the campaign.
Page 25
Appendix 3: DM Aids
Chapter 5: Making an Entrance
Round
Surprise
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Action
1 ripper zombie rises inside, screams erupt from inn
remaining ripper zombies rise inside, sounds of fighting from inside
first ripper kills townsperson
additional rippers kill 1 townsperson each
Page 26
Chapter 7: Holing Up
Zombie Break-In Guide
Location
Front Door
Reinforced
Kitchen Door
Reinforced
Common Room
Window
Reinforced
Dining Room Window
Reinforced
Kitchen Window
Reinforced
NE Bedroom Window
Reinforced
NW Bedroom Window
Reinforced
SE Bedroom Window
Reinforced
SW Bedroom Window
Reinforced
Break
DC
25
27
25
Hit
Points
20
50
20
27
50
20
22
20
22
20
22
20
22
20
22
20
22
20
22
10
40
10
40
10
40
10
40
10
40
10
40
10
40
Current
Up to 3 zombies can attacks a door or window on the ground floor, while up to 5 skittering zombies can
attack a single window on the second floor.
Feeder zombies run up to the closest door or window and attempt a Strength check against the Break DC
on the first round; if they fail, they simply attack the door or shutter, dealing 1d6+2 damage per round.
Smasher zombies attack the closest door or window, applying their full Power Attack to deal 1d8+7
damage per round, ignoring up to 5 points of hardness.
Skittering zombies climb up to the roof and make their way to the upstairs windows. If none are open to
allow characters inside to attack, they attempts Strength checks against the windows’ Break DC each
round. Note that it is impossible for a skittering zombie to damage a door or shutter, or to break in a
reinforced shutter.
Grabber zombies make Strength checks against the Break DCs of the closest door or window each
round.
Once a door or window has been smashed in, the zombies surge to the break. If the opening proves
impassable (for instance, if a character occupies the space) those zombies not directly involved in combat
for that entrance return to making breaches in the closest door or window.
Page 27
Chapter 9: Red Sky at Night
Surprise
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Jaranrath and 2 scouts move into town square
half of zombies engage Westryn
1 scout killed; Jaranrath wounded
remainder of zombies arrive; 2nd scout killed
Jaranrath pinned across from inn
Jaranrath killed
zombies attack inn
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Page 28
Contagion Tracking Chart
Player Character
Fort Bonus
Infected
Constitution
Damage
Died (5d20
rounds)
PC1:
PC2:
PC3:
PC4:
PC5:
PC6:
PC7:
Jack's Rest Inn
Brodrick
Alton Morely
Lorinda Stump
Calafel
Arden
Blaine (injured)
Corder (injured)
Dania
Eglantine
Fionelle (injured)
Greta
Hazel
Islip (injured)
Janessa
Kimbrick (injured)
Louvinia
Marik (injured)
Norry
Osera (injured)
Piers
Quomo (injured)
Ravelle (injured)
Sharimar
Trueby
Undina (injured)
Violanthe
Worgram (injured)
Xander (injured)
Yvelyne
Zulky
Astoria (injured)
Branchette
Chatelina
Dondrin (injured)
Elzabette
Fron
Gallor
italicized names are children; townsfolk have 12 Constitution,
children 10
+2
+4
+3
-1
yes
8
+1
+0
+1
+0
+1
-3
+1
+0
-3
+0
+1
-1
+0
+0
-1
+1
+0
-2
+0
+0
+1
+0
+1
-2
+0
+0
-2
+0
+0
-1
+0
+0
+1
yes
1
yes
4
yes
6
yes
4
yes
3
yes
3
yes
1
yes
7
yes
5
yes
4
Page 29
Appendix 4: King’s Crossing
King’s Crossing (village; population 900: wealth 9,000 gp; GP limit 200 gp; Power Center Conventional;
Alignment NG; Authority Mayor – San Callaway, and village council – Ams Parker, Tyndall Whitsitt, Serna
Pridelius, and with two open positions.
Demographics:
Characters by Class:
Adept
Arcane Warrior
Aristocrat
Barbarian
Bard
Cleric
Commoner
Druid
Expert
Fighter
Monk
rd
3 Level
st
1 Level
nd
2 Level
nd
2 Level
rd
3 Level
th
7 Level
th
8 Level
rd
3 Level
th
6 Level
th
4 Level
nd
2 Level
Noble
Paladin
Ranger
Rogue
Sorcerer
Warrior
Wizard
Wokan
nd
2 Level
1 Level
nd
2 Level
th
4 Level
nd
2 Level
th
4 Level
nd
2 Level
st
1 Level
st
Racial Mix: Thonians 50%, High Thonian 20%, Dwarf 10%, Cumasti 5%, Halfling 5%, Gnome 5%, Docrae
1%, Half-Elf 1%, Half-Orc 1%, Tenian 1%,
Religious Shrines: Pacuun
Background: Founded at the junctures of the Newgate and Ramshead Roads (via Boggy Bottom and the
Root River), Kings Crossing was established in 990 and recognized by King Uther in 995. Founded on the
spot where King Uther crossed the river doing the night and surprised his enemy, the founders hope that
its historical prominence as well as ideal location would bring much in the way of trade and wealth. The
centerpiece of this growing village is the floating bridge that crosses the Root River, and allows for a
bustling trading post on the far shore.
The ideal location of Kings Crossing has brought a trading agreement with the Peshwah, as well as a
group of alchemist commission to create anti-nausea potions to deal with the smells of the nearby
swamp. Recently, the town leaders have induced a small group of Pacuun clergy to begin building a
small temple that will serve as a staging ground for excisions into the Blood Lake area to investigate
reports of the undead. Though construction has not begun yet, it is hoped that once financing is in place
construction will start at the first of 1031.
The founders of Kings Crossing are a group of High Thonian merchants, whose lack of family ties and
rank saw them lacking any prospects to join the aristocracy. Seeing the advantages of having a wealthy
trading post bring much needed wealth into the kingdom, King Uther made with them a promise: if they
could not only build and maintain a safe productive community that contributes to the over all well being
of Blackmoor, the group would gain noble status in ten years. Since the village was recognized by King
Uther in 995, the group has been working extremely hard in ensuring that their end of the agreement is
met.
Hiring a group of dwarven engineers, the village has been laid out in a square, with straight streets and
stone buildings. The majority of the building has been constructed from timber, and though the village has
grown in size over the past few years, the stone conversion has been slow. The majority of the stone
buildings are devoted to centers of trade, fortifications, as well as mansions for the wealthy merchants.
Surrounding the village is a stout stonewall for defense. Currently the dwarves are busy at work finishing
the sewer system that will help keep the village clean. Though Kings Port is technically a village, enough
Page 30
space was left to allow for growth, and though this space currently serves as green space, the leaders
feel that within five years the village will double in size and be no longer seen as a village, but as a town.
All but two buildings are located within the village walls. The trading post, across the river is built from
stone, and looks more like a citadel then a center for commerce. Near the swamp, an area ha been
cleared for the eventually Pacuun temple that is to begin construction next year.
Kings Port’s population is mostly of Thonians and High Thonians. A large dwarven contingent still lives
here and they work as both engineers and builders, or have set up shop hoping to make their fortune
selling to the growing population. With the recent events in Ten, some refuges have managed to
escapee and begin rebuilding their lives in the growing village. Unknown to some, along with the Tenian
refuges, a few Afridhi spies have settled into the area. What their purposes are, no one knows.
There are two taverns and an inn that caters to the residents. The Crimson Manticore, caters mostly to
merchants and the wealthy, while mostly laborers and the working class patronize the Mutton and Ale.
The owner of the inn, The Sleeping Noble, is also the town mayor, San Callaway, who is constantly trying
to bring new business to his inn. His newest business scheme is the building of a basement theatre to his
inn. With this theater, Callaway has extended invitations to numerous traveling troubadours to stage
performances. By inviting invites nobles from all over Blackmoor to come stay at his inn and view the
plays, Callaway hopes the word of mouth is making King’s Crossing more and more popular.
In addition the mayor and town council have lured some of the most respected merchants from the city of
Blackmoor itself. There is a dressmaker who nobles willingly travel all the way from the cities nearby to
come be fitted, and once fitted they order all their dresses from her. The perfumer not only sells the antinausea potions, but also has developed such a popular line of perfumes and colognes that these too are
ordered from all over. One of the town council also discovered, not too far from town some hot springs.
The mayor has made a visit to these “wonderfully restful and rejuvenating” springs part of the cost of
staying at his inn. There is currently a plan underway to construct a spa and resort near these springs so
wealthy guests can use the springs in not only safety but in comfort.
Another member of the town council is Tyndall Whitsitt, who is highly respected by the Peshwah. Using
this to his advantage, Whitsitt uses his trading post to trade with the Peshwah who are willing to trade
horses with him for weapons and battle magic. The trading post is a small fortress in it’s own right, able
to deal with small groups of bandits and even a minor Afridhi raid.
The key feature of Kings Crossing is the bridge that spans the river. An engineering wonder built by
dwarves, it has a magical “steam engine” that can move the far end of the bridge quickly away from shore
should the Afridhi ever decide to try to attack across the river in force. In the event of this the trading post
would be temporarily abandoned.
A third member or the town council, Ams Parker, is a priest of Pacuun. He received permission from his
church hierarchy to found a temple outside of town to deal with rumored undead in the area. So far his
focus has been more on getting the temple built and on recruiting more followers than on searching out
and destroying undead. This may be due to the fact that he is a rather fastidious man and the undead
are supposed to be deep in the swamp. Also he discovered after they started building the temple that the
undead may have something to do with... Well and now he is unsure of how to proceed.
There is a small group of farmers and herders on the trading post side of the river who raise enough food
to feed the town, and there is a fairly strong militia to keep order and to discourage the bandits and
raiders who might otherwise try to prey on the locals. In addition there are always many adventurers and
traveling merchants with guards in town or at the trading post so King’s Crossing is well protected.
The majorities of the people in town are happy and feel secure. They are all slightly adventurous and
excited to be part of the founding fathers. They acknowledge the dangers they have heard, about undead
and Afridhi, and even Peshwah. They have adapted to the sometimes-strong smells from the marsh,
although usually breezes off the river blow the smells the other way.
Page 31
Inns and Taverns
The Sleeping Noble is an upscale inn and restaurant. It is owned by San Calloway, who is also the
mayor of King’s Crossing. A pair of irascible Docrae, Foley and Poul, see to the needs of the guests.
The Mutton and Ale is a working-class bar and chophouse. It is a raucous place, full of common folk
and laborers sharing drinks and talking loudly.
The Crimson Manticore is a posh dining establishment. It is well protected by a burly bouncer named
Digbey.
Shops
Wolnuk’s Wares is a perfumery run by Rosalind Wolnux, a shrewd old Thonian woman. She has a
variety of perfumes, colognes, and incense for sale.
Strorm’s Sundries is the shop of a retired adventuring wizard. He crafts and sells magical items on
occasion.
The Trading Post is located just across the river from King’s Crossing proper. It is operated by a
Peshwah half-elf named Tyndall Whitsett, who acts as a broker and middleman between the Peshwah
tribes and the folk of Blackmoor. Tyndall has had some success breeding the endurance of the steppes
charger into the bloodlines of the more massive Blackmoor and Tenian warhorses.
.
Page 32
Appendix 5: Tale of Heroes: Episode Summary
Make your results count!! Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG
wants to know what has occurred as this episode was played. We will
use this information to shape the future story of campaign.
Game master: Please fully complete this form and email it to stewart.larsen@dablackmoor.com after
completion of the event.
Episode XXXVII: Contagion
1. Were any characters killed by sarcophagia?
If yes, please provide:
Player Name
Yes or No
______________________________________
Player Email (or dablackmoor.com username)
______________________________________
Character Name, Class, Race and Level
______________________________________
2. Did the characters save any of the villagers?
If yes, how many?
Yes or No
1-9
10+
3. Did Jenta Stump choose a character to follow?
If yes, please provide:
Player Name
Yes or No
______________________________________
Player Email (or dablackmoor.com username)
______________________________________
Character Name, Class, Race and Level
______________________________________
4. Did the players have fun?
Yes or No
5. Please tell us about any interesting or heroic events that occurred.
Page 33
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights
Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content;(b)”Derivative
Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation,
modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be
recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise
distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such
content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open
Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law,
but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including
trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs,
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creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered
trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f)
“Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated
products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format,
modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this
agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used
under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or
subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content
distributed using this License.
3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free,
non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
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9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of
this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have
written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game
Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days
of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to
make it enforceable.
15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Rules Document Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.;
Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: Episode XXXVII: Contagion by David Brainard, Copyright 2006 Zeitgeist Games, Inc.
Page 34

Episode 37

Transcription

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