[DF] Shadowyrm -- One-Shot Beginner Adventure

[Wraithe]

Originally Posted by Stripe

Wraithe -- My math gives me 98 points of disads counting what's in the goblin template, exactly 10 more than yours if you count the quirks. Perhaps you forgot to add a -10 point disad? If so, we have the same point total.

Looks like you guys have this nailed down, so I just wanted to note: GURPS Character Sheet (GCS) doesn't count disadvantages in your Race package against the disadvantages total, so that's where the discrepancy you're seeing comes in.

[Stripe]

Just woke from a wild dream that must have been inspired from writing Dungeon Fantasy all night (a different dungeon). I often remember my dreams when I wake.

The dream might sound kind of cool, but it was actually a borderline nightmare. I was genuinely scared for myself and comrades.

I was a knight in mail and carrying a greatsword in a classic murder hobo group. Beside me, a female elf wizard in red with purple hair. Yes, she was a "live action" ripoff of Vaarsuvius. There was a female thief behind me, kinda a bimbo blonde like the one from the Dragon Strike video. Then, there was another Order of the Stick ripoff for the cleric. My brain wasn't very original.

Blood spattered, we had just cleared the area and were descending the stairs into the Halls of Agony from Diablo III (a game I hate with a passion, seriously). It's basically a fiery labyrinth of furnaces and torture chambers and demon summoners and Hell spawn.

Anyways, the wizard and I get separated from the group in a seemingly infinite maze of halls. So, she starts casting Inscribe (from GURPS) on the walls, putting a tiny glowing sigil at the intersections. Well, our magic breadcrumbs don't work because when we turn the corner, there are tiny sigils on every wall as if dozens of mages had the same idea. Like, every wall was an initials tree.

After a while, we got to an area where the tortured zombies weren't trying to fight us. They just moaned and walked around aimlessly like the Borg from Star Trek. They were all standing in line waiting to step onto a creaking wooden elevator lift like a Ferris wheel suspended with large iron chains. It only accepted one rider at a time.

We had no where else to go, so, we followed them aboard. We knew we would become separated by whatever evil force was toying with us, so we promised to do our best to find one another.

Got down to the bottom and giant, fat, pig-like demons (nalfeshnee-ish) were herding the zombies, making them do backbreaking manual labor, like working in a forge, shoveling coal into furnaces, pushing carts of rocks, breaking up rocks with picks, turning massive wheels, etc.

Since I was alive, he made a big to-do and put me with some other humans who were all pallid, emaciated and wearing rags.

People were being tortured out in the open everywhere one went. If you freed them, as I did, they would get a horrified, distant look on their face, then sizzle and burn to ashes, screaming in pain. I learned that their torture kept them on the current plane of Hell. When the torture stopped long enough for whatever reason, their spirit descended to a much worse, lower level (lake of fire, I take it). In that respect, the torture was a good thing.

Everywhere one went, one was always thirsty and had to stand in a super long waiting line (queue). It was blazing hot. Embers everywhere. Spoiler alert: When I woke, the sun from this 104* day was coming through the skylight above my bed. I had a pillow over my face, but was uncovered. The sun was blistering hot! I was thirsty as all get out, too!

Before I woke, I basically learned that I had to work my way out of Hell earning, like, a copper coin a day. I had to pay for my meals, which took almost all my money. Then, I had to pay rent for a dark, dank prison cell, which basically took the rest. I figured it up with another wage slave in the mess hall over a bowl of cold offal and I was going to be about 80 years old by the time I earned enough to pay the gate fee out of Hell. However, expenses like medieval medical care would keep it from ever happening, he said. And, if I ever found a wife and had kids, I'd have to pay for their food and lodging, too. Thieves and prison gangs often took what little one had. One had to either pay them or join them to keep them off one's back. One could get promoted to better paying jobs, like "task master," but one would first have to buy better clothes and take interviews, etc. One would have to move out of the slums to the better slums, which would cost more money, etc. Basically, I'd never work my way out of Hell.

Other than Dungeon Fantasy, you can pretty easily imagine what was on my mind! XD

I fled, climbing back out of the Hellhole by way of the chains on the elevator. Miraculously, I found the wizard wandering the halls. She was all clean while I was soot-covered and had lost all my equipment. She explained that she used her magic to survive and observe the infernal rat race while looking for me and the others, while I was just a stupid Dungeon Fantasy Knight who could only survive using my dumb muscles.

We both resumed our quest to find a way out of the maze of torture chambers. Somehow, we found our other two friends, neither of whom were in the labor Hell, but had their own horror stories. Time seemed to pass differently for us.

We were just about to break out when one of the giant demons grabbed me by the back of my neck, picked me up off the ground, and started yelling in my face.

Thank God I woke up!

Inspiration for my next dungeon?

I think so! :D

Originally Posted by apoc527

This is great stuff, Stripe! I eagerly await the next installment.

Cool! Glad you like it so far!

Next installment will deal with what's on top of the precipice in area 3 and the magical treasure vault in area 6. What dangers are in those places? Tune in next time! ;)

Originally Posted by Wraithe

Looks like you guys have this nailed down...

He's on the level now! Thanks for your help! :)

[Stripe]

Update!

• Minor cosmetic edits and the addition of the campfire's location to the GM Map.
  
• Added a very rough and incomplete description as a placeholder to the top of the precipice in area 3. As with practically every area at this time, it's still pretty far from finished. Hopefully, it's obvious that it's not written to the standard of the rest of the dungeon!
  
• Added a plot hook for a further adventure and story behind Goreblood's weapons in area 6. His axe is now orichalcum, ornate 1, and Penetrating 1 taking its worth from $900 to $7,400.
  
• Added a very rough and incomplete description of area 8 including an as-of-yet unnamed orc NPC based on the wizard PC template. Note that much of the treasure here is delicate and/or flammable and a battle including fiery missiles will endanger it greatly!

To Do:

• Rewrite the entire introduction post (post #2) from scratch.
  
• Update area 5 to include rules for PCs with disadvantages such as Greed and Curiosity that will make the trap's bait more irresistible.
  
• Move the skeleton warrior with the broken tempered glass greatsword from area 4 to area 7 and place N/2 skeletons with it. Give it an elven back story centered on its death to the NPC orc shaman.
  
• Create a locked and/or barred door and/or gate in area 7 blocking passage to area 9 (and 8?).
  
• Include a monster entry for skeleton warriors, goblins and orcs.
  
• Possibly include an NPC bard held prisoner in area 6 and/or a real or illusion of a damsel in distress (zombie disguised with Illusion Shell?) suspended in a cage above the water in area 9.
  
• Add Shadowyrm himself in area 9!

Any suggestions about how to make the orc Wizard as effective as possible are welcome. Like most shadow dragons, the orc shaman is mainly a necromancer with Light and Darkness spells. He created the trap in area 5, so he needs the spells to do that, unless they were cast via scrolls.

[Stripe]

Before I add his racial template (other than adding its cost under advantages), if someone would be willing to run the orc wizard through their character generation program or just check the math and everything, I'd really appreciate it. I typed him out by hand here on the forum.

The skills, I'm certain, come out to 40 points. Now, hopefully their level is correct.

He should come out 2 points over budget, I hope, I hope, I hope!

Again, it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Stripe

Before I add his racial template (other than adding its cost under advantages), if someone would be willing to run the orc wizard through their character generation program or just check the math and everything, I'd really appreciate it. I typed him out by hand here on the forum.

The skills, I'm certain, come out to 40 points. Now, hopefully their level is correct.

He should come out 2 points over budget, I hope, I hope, I hope!

Again, it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Google Doc'd PDF linky sent to you via PM.

I'm getting:
Attributes [85]
Advantages & Perks [108]
Disadvantages & Quirks [-40]
Skills & Techniques [40]
Spells [60]
Total -- [253]

[Stripe]

Sunrunner! I was really hoping you'd do me the favor once more. XD

Looks like I've miscounted my spells by 1 somewhere as I'm showing 59 instead of 60. I'll find it in the morning. Bedtime now!

Thanks so very much! :D

Sleepy time... -_- zzZ

[Stripe]

Ego Archive, you've got mail! :) I sent you a PM a week ago. I know, they're hard to notice. :)

Looks like I'm going to send another asking Mateus to delete his as well. I've said this before, but surly that should be the last of the clearing since this is so close to finish (yet so far away...).


Anyone want to help me out creating some Pre-Gen PC's? It would be so very appreciated.

My only real request is that the templates in DF1 and DF 3 ONLY are followed without deviation and rules as written are strictly interpreted. All proscribed traits including disadvantages (anything with a negative point value, including reduced attributes and secondary characteristics) and advantages listed within the templates must be taken. Neither add nor remove anything in any template used.

These are intended to be so generic as to be on the cliche side.

Here's what I need:

1. A halfling Thief who's as good at throwing knives as possible within the bounds of the Thief and halfling template. Also, since we already have a Scout, he needs to be as good at Thief stuff, as apposed to Scout stuff, as possible.
   
2. A dark one Wizard. Please separate spells from skills.

After those are created, I could also use a faun Bard as well, but he's of much lesser importance.

Note that if you're reading this before I get a chance to edit the PC's currently on post #10, I'm going to go through them again to make sure they are all 100% template compliant. They are from my old Critique Five Pre-Gen Mass-Murdering Burglar Hobos thread and were to be intended for use in a one-shot, combat-only dungeon. Shadowyrm is intended to be a role-playing adventure connected to a broader-reaching campaign.

Thanks in advance for the help! :)

[Mateus]

If you want I have these characters ready to play in a fiable pdf form:

Dwarf - Knight - Thorin "Escudo de Carvalho" Grûm

Elf High - Elementalist Fire - Tigenadorian Galodir "Tig"
Elemental Fire - Krogerr

Gnome - Artificer - Besh "Cabeça de Vento" Dainarvdûm

Human - Barbarian - Kad "Gafanhoto" de Mutswa

Human - Clerig Healing - Gauwill Stone "Servo de Pelur" de Artin

Human - Scout - Dalseen Beni-Sabat "Sombra do Deserto"

All of them are 100% complete w/ grimoires sheets and equipment BUT I used 1pt = $1000 when trading for gear, because the group is formed of new players and them needed some help to survive =).

[Stripe]

Thanks a lot for the offer, Mateus! I really appreciate it. However, I'd like to use the characters I have envisioned. You know how it is.

I'll get around to making them soon. It just takes time. After getting more than 200 page views since my last post, looks like I'll be pounding them both out!


Anyone see anything missing or frivolous in my cleric's spell list? I think I'm going to have to cut either 5 or 9 spells for at least one Holy Ability. I've used all 25 points allotted for spells. XD

It seems to me necromancy spells do just about about as well as the really expensive, 24-point advantage of True Faith, so I just couldn't justify it. It's nice, especially the fact that it uses no FP and effects all undead in sight, but instead I'd rather have 24 different spells including ones that can do much the same thing in a pinch. That's a lot of spells that can do a lot of things.

Yes/no?

[apoc527]

I was looking for this post for inspiration in my upcoming 3 weeks of DF, but I notice it hasn't been updated in a while. Is there anything you need, Stripe, that would help you finish this project?