Legacy Module 2
Back to DMs Only: Legacy of Heroes
Contents
Title of Module: A Field Trip
Game: Legacy of Heroes
Projected Dates: February 2012 – April 2012
Author(s): Kathy Ice
Starting Party Level: 2
Summary of Module: Professor Goodnight takes the group on one of his famous field trips to a Woldian dungeon, the Maw beneath the Red Wyrm Inn. He sends the group to deal with a monster and a puzzle, which should be a perfectly straightforward trip. However, a disgruntled former pupil of Professor Goodnight has chosen this trip as the opportunity to make the professor look bad, and get a little payback of his own. He sabotages the PCs on their journey, hoping he will be needed to step in and save the day (he “just happened” to be adventuring in the dungeon at the same time). If those attempts fail, he has already re-routed the exit to the puzzle room so the PCs wind up in a cell. They must find a way to escape and re-join Professor Goodnight.
Changes to module when played: 1 paragraph (to be done when the module concludes)
Scene 1: An Excellent Adventure
[1 week] [100 xp]
The PCs learn that Professor Goodnight will be taking them on one of his famous field trips to a known Woldian dungeon. They will be going as a group, because they are a higher level than their classmates, and need a slightly tougher challenge. With the help of a couple of assistant professors from the Magic department, the group teleports to the Red Wyrm Inn in Plateau City. The professors sit down in the inn to enjoy a relaxing drink while the PCs descend into the Maw. Professor Goodnight tells them that there are a couple of typical dungeon hazards, one monster (“a classic!”), and one puzzle to solve. Once they have solved the puzzle, they will be in a passageway that will lead them back to the lift. If the PCs get into trouble, they should return immediately.
What Professor Goodnight does not know is that a former pupil of his, Udoril Fledd, is already in the dungeon and has prepared some unpleasant surprises for the PCs. His general plan is to make the challenges much tougher for the PCs, hoping that they will be injured or trapped. Udoril can then “happen by” and save them. In doing so, he calls attention to how very dangerous Professor Goodnight's outings are, and how he really should be more careful with pupils' lives.
Scene 2: Into the Darkness
[2 weeks] [400 xp]
The PCs head down the corridor. They encounter a couple of typical dungeon hazards.
First comes a steep escarpment—a cliff, really—which the PCs need to get down. It's about 30 feet to the bottom. The Climb DC to free-climb is 20, but hopefully somebody brought some rope. If nobody brought rope, Professor Goodnight has some, but that would mean returning to him and admitting that nobody brought any rope to a dungeon crawl. That's going to affect their grade.
There are plenty of sturdy rocks and outcroppings to tie a rope onto; this reduces the Climb DC to 5.
Udoril is lurking near the top of the escarpment, invisible thanks to a potion. When the last PC is on the rope, he cuts it. It takes him some time to sever the rope completely; the PC on the rope may detect something going on (with a DC 20 Perception check). Once the rope has been cut, the PC will get a Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid a fall.
If they examine the rope afterward, the PCs can determine that it was cut. (Udoril uses a potion of Fly to bypass this hazard and the river as he follows the PCs.)
Next, there is an underwater river that must be crossed. There is a strong current, so the Swim DC is 15. PCs can use ropes, or whatever magical means they have, to help everyone get across safely. Reward creative thinking; the point is not to harm the PCs but to make them work together to solve the hazard.
Scene 3: The Monster Mash
[4 weeks] [1000 xp]
(note: This scene will be run by ADM Nellie)
As they proceed down the corridor, the PCs begin to hear voices. They enter a large chamber and find the source of the voices: a Gibbering Mouther. This was the monster originally placed by Professor Goodnight. However, Udoril has also placed a trio of Darkmantles in here, just to liven things up.
(to avoid spoiling the plot, ADM Nellie will be told that the Darkmantles just happened to wander in here in a case of spectacularly bad timing.)
If they search the chamber, they find treasure (specifically, a cache of healing potions, one for each PC, and a golden cup worth 200 gold). Udoril left the treasure in place so that the PCs would not be further alerted to his presence. Besides, he can take it from them later!
The Gibbering Mouther's statistics can be found at http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/gibberingMouther.html#_gibbering-mouther; the Darkmantle's statistics are at http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/darkmantle.html#_darkmantle. Both have been copied below.
Gibbering Mouther CR 5
XP 1,600
N Medium aberration
Init +3; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12
Defense
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 46 (4d8+28)
Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +5
Defensive Abilities amorphous; DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune critical hits, precision damage
Offense
Speed 10 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee 6 bites +7 (1d4 plus grab)
Special Attacks blood drain, engulf (6d4 damage plus 2 Con damage, AC 13, hp 4), gibbering, ground manipulation, spittle (+6 ranged touch)
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 17, Con 24, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 12
Base Atk +3; CMB +3 (+7 grapple); CMD 16 (can't be tripped)
Feats Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Perception +12, Swim +8; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
Language Aklo
Ecology
Environment any underground
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
All-Around Vision (Ex) A gibbering mouther sees in all directions at once. It cannot be flanked.
Amorphous (Ex) A gibbering mouther's body is malleable and shapeless. It is immune to precision damage (like sneak attacks) and critical hits, and can move through an area as small as one-quarter its space without squeezing or one-eighth its space when squeezing.
Blood Drain (Ex) On a successful grapple check after grabbing, several of the creature's mouths attach to its target. Each round it maintains its grapple, its mouths automatically deal 1d4 points of bite damage and 1 point of Constitution damage as it drains its victim's blood.
Engulf (Ex) This ability functions as swallow whole, except for the following changes. An engulfed creature is trapped in the gibbering mouther's body, where several of its mouths continue to feed and drain blood. A gibbering mouther can engulf only one foe of its size or smaller at a time. If an engulfed creature cuts its way free (the mouther's damage reduction still applies to those inside), the mouther simply flows together again and can still use its engulf attack.
Gibbering (Su) As a free action, a gibbering mouther can emit a cacophony of maddening sound. All creatures other than gibbering mouthers within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Will save or be confused for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting compulsion insanity effect. A creature that saves cannot be affected by the same mouther's gibbering for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Ground Manipulation (Su) At will as a standard action, a gibbering mouther can cause stone and earth under its body to grow soft and muddy. The ground remains muddy for 1 minute after the mouther moves off of the location. A gibbering mouther can move through these areas with ease, but other creatures treat them as difficult terrain.
Spittle (Ex) Each round as a free action, a gibbering mouther can emit a stream of acidic spittle at one target within 30 feet. On a successful attack, the target is blinded for 1d4 rounds unless he succeeds on a DC 18 Fortitude save. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Disgusting, loathsome, and hungry—these are the only words that properly describe the gibbering mouther. A foul beast that lurks in underground caves, sewers, and nightmares, mouthers have no societal, ecological or religious significance other than their ability to drive those that listen to them mad. Some scholars believe that gibbering mouthers are a lesser variant of the much more dangerous shoggoth, while others theorize they are a punishment by some powerful being or deity inflicted on those who have offended it.
Darkmantle CR 1
XP 400
N Small magical beast
Init +6; Senses blindsight 90 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +4
Defense
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
hp 15 (2d10+4)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +0
Offense
Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor)
Melee slam +3 (1d4 plus grab)
Special Attacks constrict (1d4+4), grab (any size)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th)
1/day—darkness
Statistics
Str 11, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +1 (+5 grapple); CMD 13 (can't be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative
Skills Fly +5, Perception +4, Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth
Ecology
Environment any underground
Organization solitary, pair, or clutch (3–12)
Treasure none
A darkmantle's tentacle-span measures just under 5 feet—when attached to a cave roof and disguised as a stalactite, its length varies from 2 to 3 feet. A typical darkmantle weighs 40 pounds. The creatures' heads and bodies are usually the color of basalt or dark granite, but their webbed tentacles can change color to match their surroundings.
The darkmantle isn't a particularly good climber, but it can cling to a cave roof like a bat, hanging by the hooks at the ends of its tentacles so that its dangling body looks nearly indistinguishable from a stalactite. In this hidden position, the darkmantle waits for prey to pass beneath, at which point it drops and swoops down to attack its victim, slamming its body against the foe and attempting to wrap its webbed tentacles around the target. If the darkmantle misses its prey, it swoops back up and drops again until its prey is vanquished or the darkmantle is grievously injured (in which case the creature flutters back up to the roof to hide and hope its “prey” leaves it alone). The darkmantle's inborn ability to cloak the area around it in magical darkness gives it an additional advantage over foes that rely upon light to see.
Darkmantles prefer to dwell and hunt in the caves and passageways that are closest to the surface, as these tend to possess more traffic for the monsters to feed upon. Yet they do not confine themselves to these dark caverns, and can sometimes be found dwelling in ruined fortresses or even in the sewers of bustling cities. Anywhere food is plentiful and there's a ceiling to cling to is a possible den for a darkmantle.
A darkmantle's life cycle is swift—young grow to maturity in a matter of months, and most die of old age after only a few years. As a result, generations of darkmantles quickly accrue, and over the years the evolution of these creatures is similarly swift. In this manner, a cavern's ecosystem can have a significant effect on a group of darkmantles' appearance, abilities, and tactics. Aquatic caverns might develop darkmantles that can swim, while those beset with volcanism might generate darkmantles with a resistance to fire. Other darkmantle variants might develop much stonier hides, and instead of swooping down to crush prey might simply drop and pierce them through with their stalactite-like lengths. The deepest, darkest caverns are rumored to host darkmantles of incredible size, capable of smothering multiple human-sized foes at once in their leathery folds.
Scene 4: The Puzzle
[2 weeks] [400 xp]
After the monster, the PCs enter a room where they must solve a puzzle to exit. Here is the description on first entering the room.
The door slides shut behind you, leaving no seam or other indication that it is there. In contrast to the rough, natural tunnels and chambers you have been traveling, this room is clearly man-made. The room is round, and about 50 feet in diameter. The floor is white marble. A delicate, wrought-brass rail circles the room about 5 feet from the wall. Breaks in the rail accommodate four sets of shallow steps, leading to a sunken area in the middle of the chamber. Directly in the center of the floor is some kind of circular seal or glyph.
The walls are covered with murals, beautifully painted. On the wall behind you is a woodland scene, with elves, dryads, sprites, pixies, fauns, nymphs, and several forest creatures. The scene looks both peaceful and magical.
To your left, the woodland scene blends into a twilight scene set in a clearing. In this scene, several wemics take their ease next to a pool, while a minotaur and a centaur appear to be consulting one another about the stars, which are just beginning to shine in the purple light.
To your right, the scene shifts to a bustling port town, where tall-masted ships are being unloaded. Humans, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes all go about their business, smiling and occasionally waving to one another.
On the wall opposite you, a blue dragon is depicted on a desert mountaintop. Unlike the other scenes, which showed people and creatures in sociable, cooperative groups, the dragon stands alone.
Above the murals, the walls meet an ornate, domed ceiling.
[A closer examination of some of the room's features may yield more information.]
The idea of this puzzle is to provide a lot of detail, most of which is completely irrelevant. It doesn't matter what's in the murals, the important thing is the seal in the middle of the room. When examined, the seal is simply runes set in a circle. The specific runes are here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B4Faho8iFmRwMzU1ZDQ5YWMtNmFhOC00YzJmLWEyYmEtNGZiODBkYjRmZDM5
It is, of course, a substitution cipher. Translated, the runes read: I have a bed but do not sleep I follow the sun but have no feet. To exit the room, someone must say the answer aloud (“flower”; I'll also accept specific types of flowers).
Hints: If the PCs are spending too much time examining (and overthinking) the murals, they can be pointed in the direction of the seal. If they're having trouble with the cipher, they can make skill checks and/or cast spells to get clues (I will have to say, though, every time I've hit a group of Woldian players with a cipher, it's been cracked within an hour. Woldians are crazy good at this stuff). If they're having trouble with the riddle, they can make Knowledge (probably Nature) checks for hints.
Scene 5: Is This Part of the Test?
[4 weeks] [900 xp]
The exit from the puzzle room leads, not back to the platform, but directly into a large cage. Udoril is visible once again, and explains to the PCs that he has every intention of letting them go, but only after several hours have passed. He wants the professors to grow worried, and possibly have to contact the school, all of which will make Professor Goodnight look bad. He then sits down at a table across the room and begins reading.
He is “guarding” the PCs, but not watching closely. They can escape, if they can come up with a workable plan. Otherwise, they can wait until they are released.
He drinks another potion of invisibility before releasing the PCs, which will complicate any plans they may have had about rushing him once the door is open. However, if the PCs attack, he will fight back, which makes him visible again.
Once the PCs defeat Udoril, they find the treasure they were supposed to get after the puzzle room: a pouch containing one 100-gold-piece gem per PC. They also find some goodies on Udoril. Once out of the cage room, they can easily find their way back to the lift.
[If the PCs do not attack, but meekly return to their professors, they get half XP, and of course none of the treasure.]
For Udoril's statistics, I will probably start with the battle mage (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/mastery/nPCGallery/adventurers.html#_battle-mage), and add a couple of rogue levels.
End matter:
A: List all NPCs used in the module. Even if it is NOT the first time for that NPC to be used in the campaign, write a sentence or two describing the NPC. If there are changes in the NPC in this module, note that it is a change and what changed. An alternative to this is to have an NPC page on Woldipedia and link to that page where all NPCs are here.
Professor Goodnight (listed in the planning document and on the Woldipedia). Udoril Fledd (new NPC), a disgraced and disgruntled former pupil of Professor Goodnight.
B: List all locations used in the module. [same as for NPCs.] Describe the location. We’re talking places like inns, shops, temples, etc. If there are changes to the location from the last entry, note what has changed and that it HAS changed.
Red Wyrm Inn (existing location) The Maw (existing dungeon)
C: Magic Treasure: List all magic treasure given in the module. Check with the DM of the Catacombs if you are not sure about what their rules are for magic items, what can be sold, etc. This should be done to Woldian standards.
Potions of Cure Light Wounds, one per PC Udoril's gear (TBD)
D: List the experience for the module. [Remember we are advancing at 3 levels a year for levels 1-3, 2 levels a year after that until 20th level is reached.] I highly suggest dividing the xp for the module by the scene and then giving out “xp per scene.” Play-testing shows that this helps keep the interest of the players high.
2800 XP
General notes:
Give me the level of detail necessary to for a sub, not familiar with the game or campaign to run the module. Anything beyond that is up to you. Look at your module as you fill in the template with that "focus" in mind. Can my Asst. DM or a sub DM run this with this amount of information? I do not need monster details for the module -- just the name of the monster, etc. If strategy is needed, include that. You can work up the monster's stats when the combat comes. We are all honorable enough to not cheat "against" the players during combat. It is very easy however, to just paste monster stats from an online source into the module though. It puts everything in one place.
Back to DMs Only: Legacy of Heroes
