Abstract Dungeon

A Fast and Easy RPG by Matthew J. Hanson Beta Test v. 3/30/13

Contents Introduction

3

Character Creation

6

Playing the Game

11

Game Master Guidelines

17

Treasure

24

Monsters and Other Challenges

43

Into the Forest Dark: A Sample Adventure

58

The Orcish Baker: A Sample Adventure

64

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Written by: Matthew J. Hanson Edited by: Michael Border Cover Illustration: Whitney Misch Interior Illustrations: André Castaigne, Canaletto, Edward Theodore Compton, Caspar David Friedrich, Gerard de Lairesse, Arthur Rackham, Humbert Robert, George Stubbs www.sneakattackpress.com/abstractdungeon www.facebook.com/abstractdungeon Abstract Dungeon Published by Sneak Attack Press, Copyright 2013. Sneak Attack Press and the Sneak Attack Press logo trademarked by Sneak Attack Press. 2

Introduction Welcome to Abstract Dungeon! This is a beta-test version of a new roleplaying game designed to be super fast and rules-light. Because this is the beta test version of the game, it is still evolving and your feedback is welcome. You can learn more about the playtest process at www.sneakattackpress.com/abstractdungeon. What Is a Roleplaying Game? In a roleplaying game (also called RPG), you get together with a bunch of your friends and create a story together. Most of the players control one character, appropriate called a player character (or PC). Players interact with a fictional world through that character’s eyes. One player, called the Game Master (GM for short) controls the rest of the world, including friends and foes of the player characters. Most RPGs don’t have a way to “win.” You might have goals for your character, such as to gain wealth, find a missing loved one, or found a kingdom, but these are decisions you make, not a game mechanic. The main goal of an RPG is just to have fun. Abstract Dungeon is just one of many games out there, and all of them (including Abstract Dungeon) have their strengths and weaknesses.

To play a roleplaying game, you get together with a bunch of your friends and create a story

So What is Abstract Dungeon’s Strengths? Fast and Easy Abstract Dungeon is one of the fastest playing RPGs out there, in every respect. You can create a character or run an epic battle in just minutes, and you can run a whole adventure in just an hour or two. There are only a few general rules that you can apply to nearly every situation (spending dice), so the rules are easy to master. Once you’ve played a few sessions, you should never have to pause the game to look up how to do something. Abstract Dungeon also makes things easy for the GM. It’s easy to create monsters and other challenges for your PCs, so you can focus on crafting a story for them. It’s also super easy to whip things up on the fly when the PCs inevitably make choices you didn’t expect. Flexibility and Control In many roleplaying games, the designers try to create rules that represent different actions in the fictitious world. Abstract Dungeon instead has a basic mechanic (spending dice) and asks the players to describe what the spending of those dice means for each situation in the fictions world. Because your character’s abilities and actions represent general abstractions, you can do just about anything. Most RPGs also have a random mechanic that determines whether your actions succeed or fail. In Abstract Dungeon, you determine if you succeed or fail by whether or not you spend your resources (your dice). If something is important, you can always succeed... until you run out of dice. With no more dice, you have no more resources, and failure is inevitable. 3

This document uses sidebars to help convey additional information. Large text is used to reinforce important points. Small text is for examples.

And Because It’s Good at Those It’s Also Good For... Story and Character Because you spend less time worrying about rules and because battles go so quickly, in Abstract Dungeon, there is more time to focus on roleplaying your characters and developing a shared story. The game also has a trait mechanic which further encourages players to roleplay their characters by giving them mechanical benefits for acting in character. The GMs’ section of the book also gives other suggests on how to entice your PCs to contribute to the story. Beer and Pretzels The speed and simplicity of Abstract Dungeon also makes it great for a casual style of play where people just want to get together to have fun, and nobody worries to much about the rules. (This is often called “beer and pretzel”, though neither beer nor pretzels are required .) PCs can use random character generation to make a character in minutes. The GMs can use the Random Plot-Hook Generator (page 23 to kick off an adventure and encounters are easy to build that they come up with the rest on the fly.

Wow That’s Amazing! This Game Does Everything! Well... maybe not everything. Like everything else there are trade-offs. While Abstract Dungeon does some things extremely well, it does not work for all play-styles. But don’t dismay, if you prefer these other play styles there are other great games out there that might be a better fit for you.

So what are Abstract Dungeon’s Weaknesses? Grim and Gritty It’s really hard to die in Abstract Dungeon. Really hard. In fact either the PC or the GM needs to make a conscious decision to have the PC die. Some players feel that without this risk, they don’t get as much of a payoff when they succeed at their goals. Other players feel like letting the PCs have any kind of “plot protection” breaks their sense of verisimilitude, or what they think could actually happen. If you feel this way, Abstract Dungeon might not be for you.

Speaking of Verisimilitude Abstract Dungeon relies on the players and GMs to impose anything resembling verisimilitude. Many games try to enforce this sense of reality with mechanics, like rules that say a two-handed sword deals more damage than a dagger. To keep Abstract Dungeons quick and simple, we don’t worry about these with codified rules, though GMs are free to make such rules if it’s important to them. PCs in Abstract Dungeons also play by different rules than everybody else. They are innately more powerful than the vast majority of NPCs. NPCs don’t even use the same mechanics to accomplish their 4

A “beer and pretzel” game technically requires neither beer nor pretzels. (Though my editor begs to differ.)

goals. In fact NPC’s mechanics only exist in relation to the PCs. If NPCs interact with each other, the GMs simply decides what they wants to happen based on the needs of the story. While we think this helps Abstract Dungeon focus more on the PCs and their stories, some players prefer a rule set that helps create an simulated world, where NPCs have mechanics to reflect their place in that world, not their place in the PC centered story..

Tactical Wargaming and Power Gaming There is some strategy in Abstract Dungeon, mostly dealing with resource management: deciding when to spend your dice and how to spend them most efficiently. That being said, the strategy in Abstract Dungeons does not compare to the amount of tactical decisions found in many RPGs. While tactical combat is fun, it also takes a lot of time and requires a lot of game knowledge. Abstract Dungeon sacrifices hefty tactical rules on the altars of speed and simplicity. Similarly many people who enjoy the tactical element also enjoy trying to create the most powerful characters they can with the options and resources they are allowed. Because we keep the rules so simple for Abstract Dungeon, there’s not much opportunity for this. When it gets right down to it all characters are basically the same pile of dice. It’s how you interpret the dice that matters.

5

Character Creation Before you can play the game, you need to have a character. While many game offer pre-made characters for those who want to get started right away, character creation in Abstract Dungeon is so quick, we recommend you create your own. You can use the character sheet on the final page of this document to record the result of your character creation.

Step 0: Talk to Your Group Before you start to make your character, talk to the GM and the other players about what kind of game you all want to play. Some people enjoy off the wall character concepts, like a talking monkey who rides a giant bee. Others find these characters distracting and take away from their experience. When conflict arises between players, do your best to work them out amicably. Additionally, if your GM has a specific type of campaign in mind, she might stipulate certain conditions for your character, like they might all have to come from the same town, be the same race, or characters cannot be wizards. You will also want to decide if you are making your characters randomly, choosing ability, or doing a mix of the two.

Josie, Jim, Simon, and Riley get together Friday night to play some Abstract Dungeon. They decide they want a casual game, so anything goes.

Step N: Character Concept At some point you need to create a concept for your character. This is Step N because it can happen at any time. Your character concept describes who your character is in the fictitious world of the game. It might be something as simple as “A dwarf with a big axe,” or it might be something more complex like, “The last scion of a noble line of dwarven kings. Though his kingdom fell long ago, he seeks to reclaim it from the orcish scum who have defiled his halls. He wields Grief Bringer a magical axe forged by his grandfather’s grandfather in the heart of a live volcano.” If you are choosing your abilities and traits, you probably want to have at least a general concept in mind when you start, but if you are creating a character randomly, your concept might not come until the end. Further, your character concept will probably evolve as you play.

Step 1: Abilities The first step in creating your character is to assign your ability dice. All characters start with the following: One ability with four dice (this is your primary ability). One ability with three dice. One abilities with two dice. One ability with one die. You may assign these dice in an order you choose, or roll randomly on the random ability flowchart on page 9. If you use the flowchart begin in 6

Jim doesn’t have a character concept in mind, so he decides to roll randomly.

Jim rolls on the ability flow chart, and ends up with four in Toughness, three in Intellect, two in Spirit, and one in Agility.

the middle (where it says "start here"). You will make a series of three die rolls. Follow the die roles until the bring you to the final box which gives you the values for your four abilities.

Toughness Toughness represents your physical strength and endurance. It is the primary ability for tasks such as climbing, jumping, swimming, and breaking things. Attacking with Toughness usually represents melee weapons, unarmed combat, or throwing heavy items. It might also represent intimidating somebody with your strength, absorbing the negative effects of alcohol, or entertaining a crowd with your feats of strength. Attacks against Toughness represent physical threats such as weapon attacks, suffocation, or poisons.

The four in Toughness makes Jim think his his character is a strong warrior, maybe a half-orc.

With a one in Agility, Jim decides his character is big and slow.

Agility Agility represents both your speed and your dexterity. It is the primary ability for tasks such as balancing, tumbling, dodging, as well as delicate tasks like opening locks and disarming traps. Attacking with Agility usually represents ranged attacks and light melee weapons like daggers or rapiers. It might also represent impressing a crowd with acrobatics, or tripping somebody up with fancy footwork. Attacks made against Agility represent things that the character must dodge away from, such as most ranged weapons, explosions, and dragon breath.

Jim’s character has a three in Intellect, so he’s pretty smart. Jim decides his character uses magic to enhance his fighting skills.

Intellect Intellect represents how intelligent and well educated you are. It is used to locate clues, solve puzzles, harness arcane magic and recall important information. Attacking with Intellect often represents casting magic spells. It may also represent attacks made with clever inventions, attempts to confuse foes with words, or persuade them with a well reasoned argument. Attacks against Intellect represent psychic attacks, charms, and compulsions. They might also represent verbal assaults.

Spirit Spirit represents your sense of empathy, your charisma, and your ability to connect to the spirit world. You will use it to sense danger, convince people with a passionate argument, or inspire your friends. Attacking with Spirit typically represents harnessing holy magic or tapping into the power of nature. It might also represent commanding your foes to surrender through your sheer force of personality, or channeling your emotions into physical attacks. Attacks against spirit represent things that demoralize, drain your will, or induce fear. Undead creatures like ghost and vampires frequently attack spirit. 7

The two in his character’s Spirit doesn’t inspire Jim to add any more details to his character, and that’s okay.

Step 2: Traits At character creation, you assign your character three traits. Traits are adjectives or short phrases that describe your character. Traits should be fairly specific. “Strong” is too generic, but “good at lifting things” might be appropriate. Traits do not have any description beyond the name, you simply bring them into play when you think they might be useful. You may either chose your traits or roll randomly. If you roll randomly consult the table on page 10. Roll three different-looking six-sided dice, and decide beforehand which die result will go in the hundreds place, the tens place, and the ones place. Alternatively you can roll on die three time, the first being the hundreds digit, then the tens, then the ones. (Either way, this is called a hundreds-tens-and-ones roll.) We’ve organized traits into several categories so that if you or the GM wants to ensure that you have a trait in a certain category, you can pick the category and just roll a tens and ones roll. The table have also been organized so that the more “out there” traits have high numbers for their tens digit. If you are trying to run a serious campaign, you might reroll any tens digit that comes up a six. If you chose traits, you are not limited to the ones on this list, but consult you GM when assigning other traits.

Step 3: Bonus Die Every character begins play with one bonus die, and may gain more as they level up. At any point during play you may add the bonus die to the die pool of any abilities, traits, or magic items. Typically players save their bonus die until they have exhausted at least one die pool.

Step 4: Fleshing your character The final step is to flesh out your character. Fill in any details about your character’s appearance or personality that are not covered by traits. You can decide what species you want your character to be and what kind of training and attacks the PC uses (does he fight with sword or spell?) Feel free to give you character any equipment that you and the GM agree is reasonable, but in most cases this will not count as treasure and does not have a die attached to it. In order to get treasure that grants you dice, you have to go adventuring.

8

Jim also rolls randomly for his traits, and comes up with Forgiving, Animal Handler, and Pointy Teeth.

The Pointy Teeth trait reinforces the half-orc idea, so he goes with that, and names the character K’thax. Jim decides that K’thax is forgiving because he’s used to being misjudged. As a boy K’thax was a sheep herder before a hedge wizard recognized his potential. The wizard trained K’thax to us magic, and the boy taught himself sword play. Now K’thax roams the land in search of wrongs to right and gold to line his pocket. Oh, and he fights with a katana, because Jim thinks katanas are cool.

Ability Generation Flow Chart 4 Toughness 3 Agility 2 Intellect 1 Spirit 4 Toughness 3 Agility 2 Spirit 1 Intellect 4 Toughness 3 Intellect 2 Agility 1 Spirit

4 Toughness 4 3 Intellect 2 Spirit 1 Agility

1

4 Spirit 3 Agility 2 Intellect 1 Toughness

Your primary 4 Toughness ability is Tough2 ness. 5 3 Spirit 2 Agility 1 Intellect Roll 1d6 for your final stats. 4 Toughness 3 Spirit 3 6 2 Intellect 1 Agility

4 Spirit 3 Agility 2 Toughness 1 Intellect 4 Spirit 3 Intellect 2 Agility 1 Toughness

1

2

Roll 1d6 for your final stats.

Roll 1d6

1-3

1-3

Start Here!

4-6

Roll a six-sided die.

4 Agility 3 Toughness 2 Spirit 1 Intellect 4 Agility 3 Intellect 2 Toughness 1 Spirit

1

2

Your primary ability is Agility. Roll 1d6 for your final stats.

3

Your primary ability is mental. Roll 1d6

4-6 4 Agility 3 Toughness 2 Intellect 1 Spirit

4 Spirit 5 3 Toughness 2 Agility 1 Intellect 4 Spirit 6 3 Toughness 2 Intellect 1 Agility

3

1-3

Your primary ability is physical.

Your primary ability is Spirit.

4 Spirit 4 3 Intellect 2 Toughness 1 Agility

4-6 4 4 Agility 3 Intellect 2 Spirit 1 Toughness

4 Intellect 3 Agility 2 Toughness 1 Spirit

5 4 Agility 3 Spirit 2 Toughness 1 Intellect

4 Intellect 3 Agility 2 Spirit 1 Toughness

4 Agility 6 3 Spirit 2 Intellect 1 Toughness

4 Intellect 3 Toughness 2 Agility 1 Spirit 9

1 Your primary ability is Intel2 lect. Roll 1d6 for your final stats. 3

4 Intellect 4 3 Toughness 2 Spirit 1 Agility 4 Intellect 5 3 Spirit 2 Agility 1 Toughness 4 Intellect 6 3 Spirit 2 Toughness 1 Agility

Traits Social Traits 111 Smooth talker 112 Seductive 113 Intimidating 114 Good at reading people 115 Liar 116 Honest 121 Well connected 122 Shunned 123 Feared 124 Pariahs 125 Misunderstood 126 Unflappable 131 Trusting 132 Blends into a crowds 133 Bombastic 134 Forgiving 135 Knows how to party 136 Creepy 141 Loner 142 Honest 143 Humble 144 Condescending 145 Good with kids 146 Good at insults 151 Knows how to find people 152 Famous 153 Streetwise 154 Orator 155 Pitied 156 Forgettable 161 Negotiator 162 Knows everybody’s secrets 163 Divides and conquers 164 Looks that can kill 165 Has groupies 166 Loves everybody

Motives 311 312 313 314 315 316 321 322 323 324 325 326 331 332 333 334 335 336 341 342 343 344 345 346 351 352 353 354 355 356 361 362 363 364 365 366

Mental/Emotional Traits 211 Cowardly 212 Easily offended 213 Hot-headed 214 Friendly 215 Scheming 216 Naive 221 Prudish 222 Stern 223 Fickle 224 Imaginative 224 Practical 226 Level-headed 231 Forgetful 232 Depressed 233 Over confident 234 Superstitious 235 Cautious 236 Dependable 241 Reliable 242 Well-prepared 243 Resourceful 244 Skeptical 245 Patient 246 Fearless 251 Optimistic 252 Pessimistic 253 Obsessive compulsive disorder 254 Phobia 255 Schizophrenic 256 Multiple-personality disorder 261 Unforgiving 262 Angsty 263 Compulsive liar 264 Breaks out spontaneously into song 265 Paranoid 266 Insomniac

Physical Traits 411 Cast Iron stomach 412 Keen eyed 413 Foul mouthed 414 Fleet footed 415 Sharp eared 416 Strong armed 421 Strong scented 422 Luxurious hair 423 Always land on your feet 424 Wicked scar 425 Acute sense of smell 426 Bad breath 431 Built like a brick wall 432 Tall 433 Short 434 Sure footed 435 Soft footed 436 Captivate stare 441 Significant tattoo 442 Exotic hairstyle 443 Dirty 444 Albino 445 Double Jointed 446 Slender 451 Pointy teeth 452 Raze-sharp nails 453 Evil Eye 454 Thick Skinned 455 Fur 456 Halfbreed 461 Element infused 462 You are missing one of your body parts 463 You have an extra one of your body parts 464 Prehensile tail 465 Prehensile tongue 466 Part machine

On a mission from god Greedy Vengeful Prideful Defender of the weak Thrill-Seeker Obsessed On the run Cursed In love Inferiority complex Owe a debt Show off Bloodthirsty Want to redeem the wicked Looking for conversions Disgusted Seeking self-perfection Want to see the world In lust You’re a hero Seeking knowledge Copy cat Need to regain what’s lost World domination You are the chosen one It is your destiny Terrified Loyal Adhering to a code Making amends for past sins Quest for immortality Born to rule They all laughed Trying to win a bet Why not?

10

Skills and Hobbies 511 Good with languages 512 Student of history 513 A head for business 514 Master storyteller 515 Reads a lot of maps 516 Nature lore 521 Inventor 522 Has a pet 523 Heavy drinker 524 Likes to tell long stories 525 Burns things 526 Reads the stars 531 Gambler 532 Ambidextrous 533 Collector 534 Good sense of balance 535 Weather sense 536 Talented rider 541 Eidetic memory 542 Amateur athlete 543 Stage magician 544 Cultured 545 Alchemist 546 Knowledge of foreign lands 551 Snake charmer 552 Psychic 553 Sees dead people 554 Dancer 555 Singer 556 Mime 561 Does complex math in your head 562 Sleeps with your eyes open 563 Good at finding shiny things 564 Whittler 565 World champion whistler 566 Metagame knowledge Background Traits 611 From a wealthy family 612 Of noble birth 613 Expert Smith 614 Animal Handler 615 Farmer 616 Street urchin 621 Orphaned 622 Squire 623 Ran away from home 624 Imprisoned for a crime you didn’t commit. 625 Imprisoned for you crime you did commit. 626 Cook 631 Hunter 632 Lumberjack 633 Pirate 634 Raised by another race 635 Raised by wild animals 636 Military Brat 641 Preacher’s Kid 642 Escaped Slave 643 Pit fighter 644 Artist 645 Wandering minstrel 646 Rat catcher 651 Tinker 652 Tailor 653 Soldier 654 Spy 655 Last heir to a ruined kingdom 656 From a land across the sea 661 The only one of your kind 662 Stolen by faeries 663 A formerly inanimate object given life 664 From another world 665 From another time 666 You have died

Playing the Game Now that you’ve got a character, you are ready to play the game. There are only a few rules that you need to know to do so.

Dice Pool The central mechanic of the Abstract Dungeon system is the dice pool. One thing that sets Abstract Dungeon apart from most games is that you don’t roll the dice your character takes action in the fictional world. Instead you roll all the dice at the start of the game or whenever you refresh (see page 14). When you start play each ability has a number of dice equal to your score in that ability. You also roll one die for each trait, and a single bonus die (after you’ve leveled up you might have more than one die per trait, or multiple bonus dice. See page 15). As you adventure you will also find permanent treasure that have dice attached to them. You also roll permanent magic item dice at the start of the adventure, but not single-use treasure like potions. Make sure to keep them organized according the ability, trait, or treasure that granted you the die, because for most things it matters what kind of die you use. The easiest way to do this is to place your character sheet flat on a table, then put your dice on the corresponding part of the character sheet. You can also use different color dice to represent the different abilities. If you have the dice for it, we recommend matching the dice color to the ability ovals on the character sheet (red dice for Toughness, etc.)

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You don’t roll the dice your character takes action. Instead you roll all the dice at the start of the game.

Each round, every player can spend up to one ability die, one trait die, and one treasure die.

As you go about the adventure, you will slowly deplete the number of dice you possess. There are two ways that you reduce your dice pool: spending them to accomplish goals and taking damage. When you make attacks you always spend one or more dice. You must spend the entire die and may not save some of it for later. When you take damage however, you take a value of damage. This might eliminate entire an entire die, or reduce the value of one or more dice.

Challenges Things that require PCs to spend dice are generally known as challenges, and they come in two main varieties: conflicts and obstacles. The main difference is that in a conflict PCs are in danger if they do nothing, but against an obstacle they are not. A band of hostile goblins is a conflict, while a locked door in an obstacle.

Conflicts Conflicts are challenges that the PCs need to overcome that include danger. Battles are the most common type of conflict in Abstract Dungeon, but conflicts might also include negotiations, interrogations, and environmental dangers. Conflicts involve some sort of danger to heroes, may it be physical, social, or psychological. If there is little danger, the conflict is either an obstacle or not a really a challenge at all. In the latter case simply allow the PCs to succeed. Climbing a tree is not worthy of a conflict. Climbing a tree while its on fire is. Haggling with a sword merchant for a lower price is not worthy of a conflict, but trying to negotiate the surrender of an opposing army qualifies.

Setting up a Conflict The first thing that happens in a conflict is that the GM sets up the opposing side by rolling dice for each opponent in the fight. Weaker opponents are represented by single dice, while stronger opponents are represented by more dice (bosses are represented by lots and lots of dice).

While Jim created K’thax, Riley created a drunken dwarf warrior named Bob, and Simon made a wizard named Sargos with a fondness of cartography. Josie is the GM and will run the rest of the world.

K’thax, Sargos, and Bob are exploring some ruins, hoping to find treasure. Instead they stumble upon three goblins and an ogre. The goblins are each 1 die creatures, so Josie rolls three separate six-sided dice resulting 3, 4, and 2. Because the ogre is much stronger Josie rolls three dice scoring a 4, 5, and 6. This is going to be a tough ogre!

Making Attacks Each round the players take turns to declare what they want to do and how to spend their dice. The player character always act before their opponents. Each player can spend up to one ability die, one trait die, and one treasure die per round (a maximum of three dice). Players may spend fewer dice, and need not spend any dice if they so desire. Among the players there is not set order to who goes first, and most usually players just speak up when they have a good idea. These dice defeat any number of enemy dice whose total is equal to or less than the PCs total dice spent. If the hero’s dice are enough to defeat the enemy’s dice, then any extra value from the dice is lost. It may not be banked or partially applied to enemies. If the PC’s die is less than the enemy’s, then they have the option of working towards a partial defeat. In this case place the PC die next to the 12

Goblins Ogre

enemy die. Other PCs can, on their turns, use their dice to work toward further defeating the challenges dice. When the total value of the PCs’ dice is equal to or greater than the enemy;s die, then remove that die from the challenge. When all the dice of the challenge are removed, the challenge itself is also defeated. The specifics of “defeated” means depends on the nature of the challenge, and how the PC acted. In combat it often means slaying the monsters or knocking them out, but it can also mean forcing them to flee or surrender. If defeated by magic, enemies might be put to sleep, blown up, or turned to stone. In a social conflict defeating the challenge means that the PCs convinced their opponent to agree with them, forced them to back down, or negotiated an arrangement that works for everybody.

Bob’s player has a 5 die in Toughness which he decides to apply to defeat both the 3 and 2 value goblin. He also has a 4 in his Intimidating trait, which he’ll use to finish off the last goblin. Bob’s player describes how he cleaves the two goblins in half with a single blow, then lets out a blood curdling scream that causes the final goblin to turn and flee.

Resist and Vulnerable Some monsters resist or are vulnerable to certain kinds of damage. If a monster resists an ability, such as Toughness, attacks made with those dice are considered to be one value lower for the purposes of defeating the monster. If it is vulnerable to a specific ability, dice made with those attacks are considered to have a value one higher. Even if attack die is used against more than one enemy, the resist and vulnerable only change the die value by one.

Taking Damage After the player characters act, any threats they have not defeated get to act and deal damage. The challenges statistics describe the amount and type of damage (see Monsters and Other Challenges on page 43). Damage is always a value rather than a die. When you take damage subtract the value of the damage from dice in the appropriate dice pool. If you wish, you can spread this among several dice in the ability pool or take it all from a single die. So if you take two damage to Agility, you may lower of your Agility dice by two, or two dice by one. Because damage is a value, you cannot place it all on a die whose value is less than the damage value (though you can place enough on that die to reduce it to zero, in which case you discard the die). Damage targets one of the four one or more ability scores by default. If the damage scores are listed with an “or” (Toughness or Agility) the player may chose to remove the damage from either or both abilities. If the damage is separated by an “and” (Intellect and Spirit) then both of these dice pools suffer that amount of damage. Players may attempt to divert damage to a different ability or a different player may volunteer to have his character take the damage instead, however both these options increase the amount of damage dealt. The first step in diverting damage is convincing the GM that it is possible by describing how you are going to do it. For example a holy knight hit by an orc’s blade might say that he’s using Spirit to cast a healing spell to cure the physical damage, and thus takes the damage from Spirit. 13

Sargos’s player decides to spend a 4 from his Intellect pool to defeat the ogre’s 4 die. He describes shooting a blast of colored lights into the ogre’s eyes, dazzling the brute. Because the ogre sill has two dice left however, the it is not defeated.

K’thax knows that he will not be able to take out the ogre this turn, so he decides to use one of his low dice. He applies a 1 that he rolled for Intellect to partially defeat the ogre’s 5 die. Later K’thax or an ally will add more dice to K’thax’s 1, so they only need a value of 4 more to defeat the ogre’s 5. K’thax casts a spell to create a gust of wind, but the wind does little more than distract the ogre.

If the GM accepts your rational, you may deduct the damage from the other die pool. Doing this, however, increases the damage you take. If you use an ability adjacent to the default ability or use a trait instead of the ability, increase that damage by one. If you use the ability across from the default ability increase the damage by two. Taking damage for another character is also possible, but also requires you to give the GM a good explanation for what you want to do (perhaps you leap between your friend and the dragon). Doing this also increases the damage by one. Furthermore, if you choose, you may both take the damage for a friend and use a different ability, but the damage increases both for changing the ability and for changing the target. If you use Intellect to divert an attack against your friend that normally deals one damage (Toughness) you would deal four damage to your Intellect, one extra for changing the target and two extra for changing to a non adjacent ability. This might represent cast a spell to summon a magic shield to block an spider’s bite. Because you cast the spell so fast, you experience additional mental exhaustion. Some magic items have dice pools that can be used specifically to absorb certain types of damage. Using magic items to absorb damage in the manor that they are intended does not increase the damage taken. If your GM is especially generous she might allow you to use magic items in unconventional ways to absorb damage. Again, this would increase the damage. For example the GM may allow you to use your flaming sword to prevent cold damage. If you are so lucky, the damage increases by one.

Obstacles Obstacles are similar to conflicts, except they do not have a damage phase. In general an obstacle should offer the PCs some kind of a rewards. This might be a concrete reward like extra treasure, or a story based reward, like giving the PCs clues to solve a murder. If the PCs action does not offer any kind of reward, just let the PCs do it. For example a PCs who wants smash a treasure chest to get the gold inside is facing an obstacle, but a holy zealot who wants to smash some idols of an evil god should just go ahead and narrate it. Because obstacles do not deal damage, you do not need to take turns as with conflicts, nor are you limited to spending a single die from each category.

Refreshes In Abstract Dungeon, you may sometimes be able to refresh some or all of you dice pools mid adventure. These generally fall into two categories depending on who initiates them. These are either PC refreshes or GM refreshes.

PC Refreshes When player characters initiate refreshes, you typically get rid of all dice you currently have, and re-roll all your dice pools (as though you started a new adventure). The PCs also need to justify why they are regaining 14

The ogre blinks, shrugs off the blindness and swings a massive club at Sargos. The ogre normally deals 3 (Toughness or Agility) damage. Unfortunately Sargos’s player rolled poorly for both of these dice pools today, with only a value of two in his Toughness Pool, and value of three in his Agility pool. He could use his Bonus die to survive the roll, but instead K’thax (who rolled very well for his Toughness pool) takes pity on Sargos. Jim decides that K’thax pushes Sargos out of the way, but in doing so takes the brunt of the ogre’s attack. Because K’thax is takes damage for an ally, that damage increases by 1, for a total of 4. K’thax has a 6, two 5s, and a 3 in Toughness. He could split the damage among the dice, but decide to apply it all to one of his 5 dice, reducing it to a 1.

their strength and energy. Most often PC refreshes represent spending some time to rest and heal from their wounds, though their might be other possible options. PC refreshes often have consequences, such as decreased experience or missing time-sensitive opportunities.

GM Refreshes When the Game Master grants the PCs a refresh, the PCs keep all dice they have not spent and gain additional dice. The GM might allow you to regain all of your dice (in which case you wind up with more dice in many pools than you initially started with), or she might allow you to only refresh some of you dice, such as gaining back three Ability dice and one Trait die. GM refreshes are commonly used to reward the PCs or as tool to propel the story. What might seem like a generous refresh may actually signify that you are about to face a terrible battle (have some dice... you’ll need them).

Experience and Leveling Up As you complete adventures your character gains experience points (XP) and levels up. In the default method of character advancement, each adventure is worth a certain amount of XP, and when you successfully complete the adventure, you gain that amount of experience. However, each time you take a PC refresh during the adventure, the XP you receive decrease by 15

Each time you take a PC refresh during an adventure, the XP you receive for that adventure decrease by one.

one. So if the adventure is initially worth three XP, and you take one PC refresh before completing it, you instead receive two XP. As you gain XP, you level according to the level advancement chart on page 17. (For math geeks out there you increase in level when your XP = [current level]2). Variation: GM Fiat This optional rules replaces the standard rules for leveling and advancement. Instead of tracking XP, the GM simply tells the PCs to periodically level up. This method saves time on book keeping, but if you use this rule also consider modifying when the PCs are allowed to initiate refreshes. Without the XP sacrifice there are no mechanical intensives for them not to refresh often. Benefits of Leveling Up As you level up you gain additional dice in your dice pools. Every time you level up, you add one die to one of your dice pools. A default progression is suggested on the table below, but the GM is free to alter what pools you add to at which levels. When you add dice to traits, you may either increase the number of dice dedicated to a single trait, or add a new trait. Your primary ability is the one that started at four at level one, and all other abilities are nonprimary. Level Advancement Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Total XP 0 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100

Die Pool Increased Trait Primary Ability Trait Non-Primary Ability Bonus Trait Primary Ability Trait Non-Primary Ability Bonus

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Game Master Guidelines The gamer master (GM) is another player in the game, but your role is different. Instead of controlling a single character, you control everything else that happens around the characters. You can think of it being like the narrator of the story, or the director of a film. The PCs are the protagonists of the story, while you play all the extras and minor characters.

GM Jobs

Never forget, this is a game!

As a GM, you typically have to wear several different hats, and frequently need to do more work than the player typically does. It can sometimes seem a little overwhelming, but it here are a few of the most important guidelines to keep in mind.

Have Fun Never forget, this is a game, and people play games to have fun. You and the rest of the players should have fun or there’s no point. All of the rest of the guidelines below (and all the rules in this book) are designed to help you have fun. We think they should help, but if any of them get in your way, feel free to disregard them. That being said everybody has bad nights, and some game sessions are less exciting than others. However if you find that you or another player is not having fun it’s time to have a talk. Maybe you need to take the campaign in a new direction, or maybe you’d like to step down as GM and become a regular player. In extreme circumstances you might even switch to a game other than Abstract Dungeon (yes there are such things) or even another hobby.

Make The Players Describe Their Dice Abstract Dungeon is not a game about winning, it’s a game about creativity. The most important part is not that the PCs spend the right dice to defeat their challenge, it’s how they describe spending those dice. Sometimes players will see a die value that perfectly matches the threat they face, but they don’t know quite how the source of the die matches the challenge. (How can I use my keen sense of smell to slay this orc?) In these circumstances players may be tempted to just push out the die and move on. Don’t let them! Players always need to describe what their characters do, and if it’s not clear, they need to explain why the sources of the dice can help in the current conflict. What you can do is give the player some suggestions of how they might describe their dice, or better yet, solicit ideas from the other players. Frequently somebody at the table will have a good idea of how to describe using the die a productive way, and encouraging other players to help out keeps them engaged and reminds the players that they’re a team. As GM you also get to decide whether the player’s description is enough to justify the dice the spent. Do you let the PCs use his sense of 17

[The party is trying to convince the guards to let them into town with all their weapons, and Riley’s character Bob is the last to act.] Riley: I’ll just spend my six from Intellect to defeat the last guard. Josie: Okay, so what does that look like? Riley: Umm... I use my dwarven debating skills to convince him that they should listen to us. Josie: Cool. So what exactly are you saying? Riley: [Thinks for a few seconds.] I’ll point out that the mayor’s hired us to deal with the dragon near town. “What if the dragon lands in the middle of town. We’ll need our weapons to fight the beast. Unless ye want to fight the dragon, Do ye? Josie: Panic flashes in his eyes. “Well... if you’re working for the mayor. Move along then.”

smell to detect the orc sneaking up behind him, and give him a thwack when the orc is not looking? It is a little far fetched. Maybe if the PCs are in a lightness environment and the heightened sense of smell really would be useful. In general you want err on the side of letting the PCs do their thing, but sometimes there will just be no good explanation on how that die can work. That’s okay. The PCs will still survive the fight, and the player will get another chance to spend that die.

Enforce The Tone What explanations you accept from your PCs is on of the biggest factors on the tone of the game. Initially you should have a conversation with the players to determine what tone of game everybody wants to play in. Do you want a more serious game where the PCs actions need to follow real-world logic? A silly game where you try to come up with the most hilarious descriptions you can? Or a low-key game where you just let everybody do their own thing? All of these are fine choices, the important thing is that everybody knows the expectations and try to follow those. As the GM, you are the final arbitrator of what the PCs can and cannot do, therefor you have a lot of responsibility for enforcing the tone once everybody has agreed on one. This is most important in a serious game, since silly things in a serious game are more distracting than serious things in a silly one. If you’re running a game based in reality, and a player tries to kill an opponent by convincing the foe into believing he is already dead, you should probably say no. The player might be disappointed in the short term, but in the long term it will strengthen the campaign. If you find that you frequently have to say no to silly requests, it might be time to have another talk with your group and see if you as a group want to change the tone.

Come Up With Ideas... When you come to the game table each play session, you want to have at least some idea of things that could happen that night. This might be a fully fleshed out adventure that you wrote or found in another source (such the sample adventure Into the Forest Dark on page 58). It also might just be a collection of notes or a few ideas for adventure hooks. In general, the newer you are to GMing the more you want to be prepared. If this is your first time playing a game of Abstract Dungeon, we strongly recommend that you play a pre-written adventure, such as Into the Forest Dark. You want to come to the table prepared, because players (especially beginning players) frequently act more reactively that proactively. Their character are usually assumed to be hanging out in a tavern until mysterious old man appears to offer them employment. If you have an idea for some threat to be stopped, a magic item to recover, or a dungeons that needs to be explored, that at least gives the PCs are starting point for what they should do. 18

If you’re starting a new campaign, you’ll also want to give the players a rough idea of what the world is like. You don’t have to have an entire atlas and history created (in fact we recommend that you don’t). You do want to have a name for the town that PCs start out in though, including a few ideas of who important NPCs might be and what some major threats and mysteries in the region are.

...But Don’t Be Afraid To Improvise... You want to have something to bring to the table, but there’s no way that you can plan for every possibility. Nearly every session the players will ask you questions you had not thought of, attempt tactics you had not considered, or explore areas you did not think they’d go. When this happens don’t panic, just roll with it. Fortunately Abstract Dungeon makes it extremely easy to improvise. All challenges are represented by dice pools, and it does not matter if the PCs try to stab the kobolds to death, or convince them to abandon their guard post to get some delicious soup. Either way it comes down to the players spending their dice to defeat the challenge. Sometimes it will make sense to change the way that the challenge respond to the PCs however. Kobolds normally attack by stabbing with their spears (dealing Toughness or Agility damage), but if the PCs use the soup tactic, the Kobolds might instead insult the PCs’ cooking (damaging Intellect or Spirit). It’s also quite easy to create challenges on the fly if your PCs end up exploring an area you had not detailed. You can quickly come up with an idea of what might be lurking out there, then make some encounters using ideas found in the Challenges on page @@, or create your own challenges using those challenges as a base.

...Or Ask the Players Sometimes the players will hit you with a real stumper. Instead of going east (as you expected) they go west. So you throw down some ruins of an ancient tower populated with goblins, but that’s not enough. One of the players asks who built the tower. You have no idea and your Mountain Dew saturate brain cannot come up with a good response. What should you do? Turn to the player and ask, “who do you think built the tower?” Involving the PCs in adventure and world creation can be an tremendously rewarding and entertaining part of the game. Some players shy away from it (that’s why they’d rather play PCs instead of GMing), but others are happy to jump in. There are several advantages to this. For one it takes some of the pressure off of you, and you’ll find that players often come up with interesting ideas you never considered. It also helps keep the players engaged and makes them feel a part of the campaign world. Because players know their character better than you do, they are also likely to create adventure hooks and story ideas that have a greater impact on their character than a generic adventure might. 19

[The adventuring party is traveling to the tower of the evil wizard Nosnah, who has been threatening the kingdom. Josie has prepared for a battle at the tower, with no obstacles along the way, but she decided to add some scenic description.] Josie: You walk along the dried remains of a river bed. The canyon is pockmarked with caves. As you proceed... Simon: Hold on guys. I think we should check out these caves. Jim: I don’t know, I rolled poorly for today, so I’d like to save my dice. Riley: Bob likes caves. Caves have treasure. Plus Josie wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t important. Let’s check them out. Jim: Fine. But if we’re going in though I want to be prepared. I look for tracks and listen at the mouth of the cave. [Josie could just say the caves are empty, but she decides to go with it. She rolls on the random plothook table, and after a couple results she doesn’t like, she gets “A kobold king want to open a gate to another plane.] Josie: Okay then. You find some tracks that look like small humanoids, and you hear a faint echoes of what you think is high pitched chanting.

As you get comfortable with Abstract Dungeon and your gaming group, you may even want to create opportunities for the players to contribute to the story line. For example if there’s an long abandoned wizard’s tower not far outside of town, the PCs have doubtlessly heard rumors about it. Ask them to each write down a rumor of terrible danger and another rumor of great reward that can be found in the wizard’s tower. You can then use these rumors to help shape the adventure, and of course, like all rumors they may not all be entirely true.

Creating Your Game Preparing to GM Abstract Dungeon means a number of different thing, from coming up with a few specific events to creating a world of warring nations and petty gods. Abstract Dungeon breaks down some of the decisions you make into categories of different “sizes.” You can think of these as different units of measurements, like inches, centimeters, miles, or kilometers. From largest to smallest these are the campaign, adventure, and encounter. While we describe them in order from largest to smallest, when you are preparing your game, you don’t really create them in any order. Indeed creating an encounter is part of creating an adventure, which in turn is creating part of a campaign, so in most cases you are doing all three at the same time.

Campaign Building The campaign is the largest unit of game planning that you’ll deal with. A campaign is an ongoing narrative that last for many gaming sessions. You can think of it as a television series or an ongoing series of books. Typically a campaign features a set group of PCs and a world that remains constant from game session to game session. Sometimes campaign have overarching plots and recurring villains that tie the various adventures together. Other campaigns are just tied together by the characters and players who run them, and like many television programs the campaign resets to the status quo at the end of each week.

Setting Building Creating your campaign often includes information about the world the PCs live in, like the town they are based in, the kingdom they live in, and the powerful enemies they might face. Don’t feel like you need to create all of this information up front. Start small, and add to the setting as the story demands. Also feel free to enlist your players in this process, especially when related to their PCs. If one of the PCs comes from a distant land, ask them to describe it. If a PCs was trained in a special war academy, ask the hero where it is, and what it taught.

Adventure Building Adventures are the middle length unit of story in Abstract Dungeon. It is equivalent to and episode of TV, or a single book in a series. In an adventure there is a beginning, middle, and end. In most adventures the 20

[The party has defeated the kobolds and stop their plans to open a portal. Now they examine the aftermath.] Riley: I'd like to examine the remains of the ritual to see if I can find where it was going to go. Josie: Okay, sounds like you're using Intellect, you can do that with a [rolls on die] three. Riley: {Spends a die.] Yeah, I remember reading about something similar. Josie: Yes you do. What do you remember? Riley: From the arcane runes I can tell that the portal would have opened to the afterlife, allowing spirits of the dead to return. Jim: Wait, wasn't there something about Nosnah going crazy after the death of his wife? Maybe he was using kobolds to open the portal so he could bring her back. Simon: But why would he use kobolds instead of doing it himself? Josie: It occurs to Sargos that opening such a portal can be extremely dangerious, and you might want to test it on somebody expendible. [Going into this Josie was not planning for Nosnah to try to bring back his wife, but now that her player's though of it, it's too good of an idea to pass up.]

PCs learn about a problem at the beginning of the adventure. Then they work to solves this problem, and uncover more information about the problem. At the end of the adventure they solve this problem. Because Abstract Dungeon is such a quick game, you can complete most adventures in a single game session lasting between two to four hours, though some adventures make take two or more sessions.

Experience When you craft an adventure to try to think about how many dice of opposition the PCs are likely to encounter. The amount of opposition determines how much XP the adventure should be worth. In general an adventure is worth a number of XP equal to the number of dice people are likely to face, divided by six, and then divided again by the number of PCs. (So a group of four PCs who face defeat 48 dice worth of challenges would receive 2 XP each) If you have developed the adventure before hand, you can let the PCs know how much potential XP the heroes gain. Then if the players decide to take a refresh, the potential XP decreases by one. If you make up the adventure as you go along, you can instead count the number of dice as the PCs defeat them. Then grant them one XP per six dice per PC.

Treasure As you create your adventure, you should also think about what kind of treasure the PCs might find during the adventure. This treasure could take any form, from gold to magic swords, to a lifetime supply of pies (see the Treasure Chapter on page @@ for more). In a default campaign PCs should have a number of permanent treasure dice roughly equal to their level. Keep track of this, and when you see some PCs falling behind on the treasure track, try to customize the treasure to be something that appeals to those characters.

Encounter Building The encounter is the shortest story unit in the game Abstract Dungeon. It is the equivalent of a scene in a book or movie. In it, the PCs typically encounter a single challenge, or possibly a few linked challenges. When you create an encounter you are focused on the immediate level, thinking about what the PCs will do in a very short amount of time.

Encounter Difficulty PCs are likely to overcome nearly any encounter because the odds are so heavily weighted in their favor, but some encounters take more effort than others. Easy: Easy encounters have fewer dice than there are PCs. They are just about always resolved in one round, and frequently do not require all the members of the party to participate. You should include a few easy encounters in an adventure for small problems that the PCs can easily overcome. 21

PCs should have a number of permanent treasure dice roughly equal to their level.

Standard: A standard encounters has more dice than there are PCs, up to double the number of PCs. If the PCs want to overcome the challenge in one round, they must all participate, and must either spend some of their higher-value dice, or spend dice from multiple sources. Standard encounters often last more than a single round and thus have a chance to damage the PCs, but they seldom last a a third round. Most encounters in your game should be standard encounters. Difficult: Difficult encounters have dice equal to more than double the number of PCs. PCs are unlikely to defeat the challenge in one round, even if they spend multiple dice. The final encounter of an adventure is typically a difficult encounter, and longer adventures might have a few more difficult encounters along the way.

Challenge-Free Encounters Not every encounter needs to contain a challenge. This frequently occurs in social encounters, where the PCs just want to talk with some NPCs, or maybe have a drink in the pub. These challenge-free encounters are an important part of the game an add a lot flavor.

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Not every encounter needs to contain a challenge.

Random Plot Hook Generator A... 11 Goblin king 12 Kobold chief 13 Orcish hoard 14 Hobgoblin war leader 15 Gnoll pack leader 16 Lizardfolk king 21 Necromancer 22 Enchanter 23 Illusionist 24 Transmuter 25 Diviner 26 War wizard 31 Councilor to the King 32 Escaped prisoner 33 Fallen knight 34 Traveling bard 35 Forgotten princess 36 Misguided zealot 41 Cult 42 Thieves’ guild 43 Merchants’ guild 44 Secret society 45 Adventuring party 45 Druid’s circle 51 Dragon 52 Demon 53 Angel 54 Troll 55 Giant 56 Golem 61 Vampire 62 Lich 63 Ghost 64 Werewolf 65 Sphinx 66 An elemental

Random Plot Hook Generator 11 12 13 14 15 16 21 22 23 24 25 26 31 32 33 34 35 36 41 42 43 44 45 46 51 52 53 54 55 56 61 62 63 64 65 66

Wants... To loot To steal To pillage To conquer To devour The bones of a fallen comrade To raise an army of undead To enslave the masses To pit enemies against each other. The philosopher’s stone To change the future The greatest war on earth To assassinate the King Revenge Redemption A powerful secret Attention To make everybody understand Release an unspeakable terror To control the streets To control the economy To control the government What the PCs have To reclaim the wild A horde of treasure To corrupt the pious To cleanse the impure Dinner A powerful magic item To live Blood Immortality Closure A cure To solve the ultimate riddle. To open a gate to another plane.

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You can use the random plot hook generator to spark ideas whenever you need them. You might use it whenever the players throw you a curve ball, or when you just want to come up with some potential plot hooks that the heroes might investigate. To use the random plot hook generator, just make two tens and ones rolls. The first tells you who the primary antagonist is, and the second tells what that antagonist wants.

Treasure Treasure is a major tool that you can use to reward your players. Treasure typically comes in the form of money, magic items, or wealth. A die worth of gold represents a large some of money that the PCs can spend to acquire expensive items. Magic items are enchanted items like flaming swords and boots that let the PCs fly. Wealth represents nonmagical property that still give the PCs power and influence, such as a tavern or the rights to a silver mine. Treasure is also separated into permanent treasure and single-use treasure. As the names imply, PCs can only use single-use treasure once, but they keep permanent treasure until they are otherwise parted from it. Treasure has dice just like abilities and traits do, and PCs can spend these dice to overcome challenges when it seems reasonable the treasure would be useful. In most cases PCs roll their dice for permanent treasure at the start of their adventure, but don’t roll for single-use treasure until they actually use it.

Money Money represents whatever currency is present where the PCs live, most commonly coins of gold, silver, and copper. In more unusual settings it might also represent paper notes, coca beans, or living souls. Money can also represent valuable goods that are easy to find buyers for, such as precious gems. Money is by default a single-use item (though the GM’s section contains ideas for making it a permanent item). PCs can use it directly, such as by bribing a corrupt official, or they can use it to buy other treasure. By default, PCs can only use money to buy wealth, not magic items (though as always the GM can adjust this). To purchase single-use treasures, the PC just removes the money die and gains a die for that item. To purchase permanent wealth, the PCs must spend an amount of money equal to five times the value (in dice) of the item purchased. PCs can also upgrade their items by spending five dice worth of money for each die added to the permanent treasure. See the chart below for details. Treasure Dice 1 2 3 4 5

Cost New Cost to Upgrade from... 1 2 3 5 10 5 15 10 5 20 15 10 5 25 20 15 10

4 5

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As the names imply, PCs can only use single-use treasure once.

Random Treasure You can easily generate a random treasure by rolling on the tables below. For completely random treasure, start with the treasure dice table, then move on to the kind of treasure table, and proceed from their. You begin on another table if you already know some of the details (if you know you have want to give out a two dice weapon, just roll on the weapon table). The top of each table tells how many dice you should roll using the d6 notation. For random treasure tables add dice together. Treasure Dice Table (2d6) Roll Treasure Dice 2 5 3 4 4 3 5 2 6 1 7 1 8 1 9 2 10 3 11 4 12 5 General Treasure Table (1d6) 1-4 Single-use treasure 5-6 Permanent treasure Single-Use Treasure Table (1d6) 1-3 Gold 4-6 Potions Permanent Treasure Table (1d6) 1 Weapon 2 Armor 3 Ring 4 Rods, staffs, wands 5 Miscellaneous items 6 Wealth

Random Potion Table (2d6) 2 Flying 3 Love 4 Invisibility 5 Shrinking 6 Mana 7 Healing 8 Dragon Breath 9 Growth 10 Fire Resistance 11 Shape Stealing 12 Heroism Magic Weapon Table (2d6) 2 Holy Avenger 3 Talking 4 Phasing 5 Dancing 6 Winter 7 Flame Tongue 8 Slaying 9 Seeking 10 Disrupting 11 Venomous 12 Vorpal

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Magic Armor Table (2d6) 2 Breastplate of the Silver Host 3 Snake Skin Suit 4 Interposing Shield 5 Shadowed 6 Dwarven Plate 7 Elven Chain 8 Glamored 9 Throwing Shield 10 Bone 11 Dragon Shield 12 Mail of the Burning Legion Magic Ring Table (2d6) 2 Spell Turning 3 Regeneration 4 Mind Shielding 5 Elemental Command 6 Animal Friendship 7 Ring of Feather Fall 8 The Ram 9 Invisibility 10 Shielding 11 Wizardry 12 Three Wishes Rod, Staffs, and Wands Table (2d6) 2 Death Stick 3 Rod of Lordly Might 4 Fairy Wand 5 Staff of Healing 6 Icicle Wand 7 Immovable Rod 8 Staff of Fire 9 Staff of Snakes 10 Transmuter’s Staff 11 Wand of Wonder 12 Staff of the Arch Magi

Miscellaneous Magic Items Table (3d6) 3 Crystal ball 4 Glasses of x-ray vision 5 Necklace of vermin friendship 6 Figurine of wondrous power 7 Portable hole 8 Chain of binding 9 Elven cloak 10 Boots of water Walking 11 Boots of jumping 12 Hat of disguise 13 Rope of climbing 14 Spoon of sustenance 15 Ever-full stein 16 Coin of good luck 17 Flying carpet 18 Helm of telepathy Wealth Table (2d6) 2 Mine* 3 Crafting Shop* 4 Library 5 Boat 6 Art Object 7 Bling 8 Fancy Clothes 9 Mount 10 Hirelings* 11 Tavern* 12 Castle* *These items are unlikely to be part of an actual treasure hoard. The result might represent a deed or contract, or you can simply reroll.

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Jim: So what do we find in the kobold hoard? Josie: [Rolls some dice.] Looks like there’ s a suit of dwarven plate armor. Riley: Dibs! Jim: I don’t know. K’thax could use some magic armor. Riley: But I’m a dwarf, and it’s dwarven armor. Riley: Fine, but I get the next cool treasure. Josie: Bob notices some dwarven writing and a family crest on the armor. What does it say and whose crest is it? Riley: [Thinks for a minute.] It’s the crest of the Ironguard clan. The entire clan was destroyed by... something? Simon: Demon invasion. Riley: Yeah, that’s the ticket. And the righting says it once belonged to the hero Bosrack Ironguard. Hey I found the armor of a hero! Riley: Any other treasure? Josie: Let me see. [Rolls some dice.] Looks like you also found an ever-full stein. Riley: Dibs!

Sample Treasure The treasures described in the following section are examples of treasure that player characters might find in your campaign. These are not the only treasures they might find, so please come up with your own ideas for new items to discover.

Weapons Weapons are items that can be used to physically harm somebody, such as axes, swords, or nunchucks. Dancing Weapon At your command this weapon can animate and fight against your foes. Disrupting Weapon These weapons are particularly effective against undead, by disrupting the necrotic energies that fuel the creature’s unlife. A single blow from a disrupting weapon can reduce an undead creature to dust. Disrupting weapons are frequently bludgeoning weapons like maces and hammers. Special: When used against undead, treat any dice from the weapons as though they had a face value of six. Flame Tongue Weapon Upon command this weapon bursts into flame. It sheds light as torch, and burns anything the blade touches. Holy Avenger Weapon These weapons appear to be fairly ordinary in the hands of most characters, but in the hands of the most pious warriors, they explode with radiant power. If you are such a warrior, can use the holy avenger to create a divine barrier to protect you and your allies from harm, in addition to using the weapon to attack. Special: Most characters cannot use more than 1 die from a holy avenger. Holy warriors who can unlock its full potential can use all of its dice. If you are such a character, when you use the weapon against demons, devils, or undead, treat the value of any dice spent as one higher than face value. Talking Weapon When drawn from its scabbard, this weapon immediately begins speaking. Each different weapon has its own personality and you may wish to roll on the Traits Table on page @@ to determine just how the weapon acts. Talking weapons grant their bonus dice either because they give you advice, or because they hurt your foes. 27

Phasing Weapon This weapon is typically a missile weapon such as a bow or crossbow. Projectiles fired from this weapon pass through solid obstacle until it strikes a living target. Venomous Weapon This weapon secretes a poison that is passed into the bloodstream of any creature it hits. Though many such poisons are deadly some merely paralyze their victims, or render them unconscious. Seeking Weapon Seeking weapons are ranged weapons. When the weapon is thrown it homes in on its target, changing its path to go around corners, or follow escaping foes. The ammunition from bows and crossbows similarly follow their targets. Special: This must be a ranged or thrown weapon Slaying Weapon This weapon is designed to slay a particular kind of creature, chosen at the moment of its creation. They are often carved with runes to state their purpose, and glow whenever their designated foe is near. Special: When used against creatures that the weapon is keyed against, treat the value of any dice spent as though it were one greater than face value. When you discover a slaying weapon, make a tens and one roll to determine what kind of creature it is keyed against. Slaying Weapon 11 Angel 12 Beast 13 Bird 14 Cleric 15 Construct 16 Demon 21 Dinosaur 22 Dragon 23 Dwarf 24 Elf 25 Elemental 26 Fish

31 32 33 34 35 36 41 42 43 44 45 46

Ghost Giant Gnome Goblin Halfling Hobgoblin Human Insect Kobold Lizardfolk Lycanthrope Mummy

51 52 53 54 55 56 61 62 63 64 65 66

Ooze Ogre Orc Plant Rabbit Reptile Skeleton Spider Troll Vampire Wizard Zombie

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Vorpal Blade Weapon These legendary blades are impossibly sharp, forged in a process long since forgotten. They say that these swords can be used to slay even the most powerful monsters. Special: The dice in the vorpal blade’s pool are all sixes. They can only be used to defeat a creature that has a head, and in defeating the creature you chop off its head. Winter This weapon in perpetually covered in a layer of frost. It is cool to the touch, but that is nothing compared to the devastating cold it delivers to any foe it strikes.

Armor All armor and shields have a special use for their dice. When you takes damage from a source that the armor might protect against, you may reduce the damage from the armor instead of the ability. This does not change the value of the damage (unless otherwise noted). Bone Armor This suit of mail is made from the bones of people or animals. In addition to protecting you, it is a ghastly sight to behold. At least to most people. Necromancers and the like might find it stylish. Breastplate of the Silver Host Armor This silver plate armor seems to always be polished to a perfect shine. Upon command, white feathered wings spring from the back of the armor and carry you aloft. Special: When damage from demons is applied to the armor, reduce the value of the damage by one (minimum of zero). Dragon Shield Armor This shield is engraved with the face of a fierce dragon. It is particularly the effective against attacks made by dragons. Special: When you apply damage from a dragon to the shield, reduce the value of the damage by one (minimum of zero). Dwarven Plate Armor This heavy plate armor was forged by ancient dwarves using long lost techniques. It is nearly indestructible. Elven Chain Armor This fine chain shirt is made from mithral and crafted by the elves. It is 29

so light and flexible, it feels like a cloth shirt, yet it is strong enough to withstand any arrow. Glamored Armor This suit of armor is enchanted with powerful illusionary magic so that it can take the appearance of any kind of outfit you wish. Interposing Shield Armor This shield is enchanted with magic runes that help it protect not only you, but also your allies. Special: If you take damage for an ally that you could reasonably apply to the shield, you can apply the damage to the shield without increase the amount. (Normally you increase the damage amount when taking it for an ally). Mail of the Burning Legion Armor This black iron mail is hot to the touch but does not burn the wearer. Upon command a dozen chains burst forth from the armor. You can command these change to attack foes, or use them to carry yourself along like they were spindly legs. Special: When damage of an angel is applied to the armor, reduce the value of the damage by one (minimum of zero). Shadowed Armor Darkness clings to this armor. It not only protects you, but also aids in attempts to go unseen. Snake Skin Suit This armor is made from snake skins and grants you extra protection from poisonous attacks. Special: When damage of venomous creature is applied to the armor, reduce the value of the damage by one (minimum of zero). Throwing Shield You can use this circular shield to block attacks or throw it at enemies like a discus. When thrown it always returns to your arm.

Rings Rings are small metal bands that you can place on your finger. While the magical effects might occur whenever you wear the ring, you only get a benefit from it when you spend the dice. Animal Friendship Ring When you wear this simple loop of leather, animals seem less hostile and more likely to follow your commands. 30

Elemental Command Ring These rings come in for different varieties, each allows you to control one of the four classic elements, air, earth, fire, or water. In addition, while wearing the ring, elemental creatures of the appropriate type are more likely to parlay with you or consider you an ally. To determine the nature of the ring roll on the table below. Ring of Elemental Control 1 Air 2 Earth 3 Fire 4 Water 5-6 Reroll Invisibility Ring This plain gold ring makes you disappear from sight whenever you place it on your finger. Feather Falling Ring A feather pattern is engrave along the edge of this ring. If you fall while wearing it, the ring slows your descent, protecting you from harm. Special: When you take damage from falling, you may apply the damage to the ring’s dice without increasing the damage. Mind Shielding Ring Runes of protection adorn this jade ring. It helps keep your mind safe from psychic intrusion. Special: The dice from this ring cannot be used to make attacks. Instead they absorb damage from mental attacks without increasing the damage value. The Ram Ring This bronze ring has a head of a large ram engraved on the front of it. Upon command, a battering force erupts from the ram’s head, bursting down doors or knocking down foes. Regeneration Ring This ring greatly speeds up natural healing allowing you to recover from mortal wounds in just a few hours. Special: You can transfer dice from the ring of regeneration to Toughness or Agility, You may only do so while you are not in a conflict, and you cannot increase these abilities beyond their normal value. 31

Shielding Ring This ring creates an invisible shield of force roughly three in diameter. It floats several inches away from the ring. You can move the force shield with a wave of your hand. Special: The dice from this ring cannot be used to make attacks. They can be used to absorb damage from anything that a shield of invisible force could block without increasing the damage value. Spell Turning When magic spells are cast at you while wearing this ring, you are able to turn them back at their caster. Special: When you are damaged by a magic spell, you may apply the damage to the ring’s dice with no increase in damage. If you do, the caster suffers an equal amount of damage. Three Wishes Ring This platinum ring has three large rubies clustered together in a triangle. When you make a wish, one ruby turns to dust, but your wish is granted. Special: This treasure does not have permanent dice attached to it. Instead when you make a wish, you may roll six dice to represent the outcome of that wish. Unlike the standard rules for magic treasure, you may spend all six of those dice in a single round. When you have used all three wishes, the ring loses its magical powers (though it’s still a nice ring). Alternatively, with GM approval, your wish might grant you a single permanent die in one ability, trait, or treasure. Wizardry Ring This silver ring is engraved with arcane runes. It allows spell-casters to draw power from the ring to fuel their spells allowing them to cast more each day. Despite the name it works for all kinds of magic, not just wizard magic. Special: You can transfer dice from the ring of wizardry to Spirit or Intellect, You may only do so while you are not in a conflict, and you cannot increase these ability beyond their normal value.

Potions Unlike most treasure, you do not roll your potion dice at the start of the adventure. Instead roll your potion dice only after you decide to use the potion. Once you have used the potion you may use the dice at any time until the potion’s duration expires, or you refresh your dice. After you consume a potion it is gone forever. Dragon Breath Potion The cloudy reddish-brown liquid is so spicy it feels like your mouth is on fire. As you breath out a gout of flame bellows from your mouth. 32

You do not roll your potion dice at the start of the adventure. Instead roll your potion dice only after you decide to use the potion.

Fire Resistance Potion This orange potion is numbs your mouth as you drinking it. Though there is no immediate effect, but should you stick you hand in a fire, you feel nothing but a slight tingle. This potion lasts for one day, or until you spend the dice. Special: You cannot use these dice to make attacks. Instead when you drink the bottle, you gain a die pool that you may use to absorb damage dealt by fire. Flying Potion This cloudy white potion has no flavor and you barely can tell you are drinking it. Once you have, however, you are able to fly off the ground though pure force of will. This flight lasts 10 minutes, or until you have spent all the dice. Gaseous Form Potion This bottled is sealed with wax, but has no liquid within it. However if you inhale the air inside, your form loses substance, so you resemble little more than a billowing cloud. In this form you can pass through any opening that is not air tight, and most attacks pass right through you. You remain in this form for 10 minutes or until you have spent the dice. Growth Potion As you drink this potion it seems to produce far more liquid than the beaker indicated. Upon drinking it you grow to double your height and gain tremendous strength. This growth lasts for one hour, or until you spend the dice. Healing Potion These crystal blue liquids have a sharp bitter taste. Drinking them causes cuts, bruises, and burns to repair themselves and after drinking it you feel refreshed. When you drink the potion, before rolling assign the dice to either Toughness or Agility. You cannot assign more dice than your maximum value. Heroism Potion This sparkling golden drink tastes like all the greatest flavors from a sumptuous feast. When you drink it you become the paragon of battle. All your attacks, whether sword or spell are tremendously effective. Invisibility Potion Upon drinking this potion you become invisible. Other creatures cannot see you, though you can still be heard, smelled, and touched. You 33

become visible again after expending all the dice of the potion, or after 1 hour, whichever comes first. Love Potion This clear liquid is sweet almost to the point of decadence. After consuming it, the drinker becomes completely enamored with the next creature of the species and gender that the imbiber would normally be attracted to. This infatuation lasts for one day, or until the dice granted are used up. Special: Unlike most potions this potion is not intended to be drunk by a PC, and they gain no dice for drinking it. Instead they gain the dice benefit if they are the object of the drinker’s affection. Mana Potion These sparkling red liquids bubble and fizz in your mouth. It restores your mystical power and mental energy. When you drink the potion, before rolling assign the dice to become either Intellect or Spirit. You cannot assign more dice than your maximum value. Shape Stealing Potion This liquid appears clear until you add the final ingredient, a hair from the creature you wish to duplicate, at which point it takes on a flavor and color distinct to that creature. It allows you to take on the form of one creature roughly equal in size and shape (a dwarf might imitate and elf, but not a giant or a wolf). This transformation lasts four hours. Shrinking Potion There is only a tiny drop of flavorless liquid in the vial. After drinking it, you shrink down to just one tenth your size. You remain that way for one hour, or until you expend the dice pool.

Wands, Staffs, and Rods Wands, staffs, and rods are sticks of various lengths. They are frequently used to channel magic attacks, though some can be used by anybody. Death Stick Wand The elegant wand is made of wood from the elder tree. It radiates as seems to move on its own in your hand. The death stick enhances necromancy magic and death spells.

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Icicle Wand Wand This wand seems to be a broken icicle that never melts. It is cold to the touch but does not damage your skin. It magnifies the power of coldbased magic. Immovable Rod Rod With a click of a button this rod freezes in place, and cannot be moved by any means. Fairy Wand Wand This wand seems to be a living branch of oak that continues to grow leaves even though it is not attached to a tree. Fairy wands amplify the power of enchantments that alter target’s emotions, feelings, or thoughts. Rod of Lordly Might Rod This metal rod has a large ball at the top and several buttons. Pushing these buttons can transform the rod into several shapes, including a sword, axe, spear, ladder, or vaulting pole. Another button can make the rod point to magnetic north. Staff of the Arch Magic Staff This powerful staffs are prized by spell casters everywhere. They enhance any kind of magical attack that the you make. In desperate situations you can even break the staff to unleash its power all at once. Special: You may break the staff in a retributive strike. If you do you do, you gain a number of dice equal to ten times the number of dice that the staff had. You must immediately use these dice to attack your enemies (this ignores the normal limit for magic item dice). Unfortunately your allies also take damage equal to five times the number of dice the staff possessed (applied however they wish). You must roll on the table below to determine your fate. Retributive Strike 1 You take damage equal to five times the number of dice the staff possessed 2 You take damage equal to ten times the number of dice the staff possessed 3 You teleport to far off location 4 You teleport to another plane 5 You instantly die 6 Roll again twice

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Staff of Healing Staff This staff is infused with healing magic. It can close wounds and remove disease with a gentle touch. Special: You can use a die from the staff to replenish a die of Toughness or Agility to one PC (this cannot increase the PC’s die pool beyond its maximum). Staff of Fire Staff The oaken staff seems to constantly smolder. It is warm to the touch and emits a thin trail of smoke, but it is never consumed. Upon command, some or all of the staff bursts into flame. It also enhances any fire spell cast while wielding it. Staff of Snakes Staff Upon command, this staff transmutes into a venomous snake. The snake follows your commands to the best of its ability. Transmuter’s Staff Staff This staff can change its shape into anything you desire. It enhances magic that alters the physical form, such as turning somebody into a newt. 36

Wand of Wonder Wand These powerful but dangerous wands directly channel chaos magic. They produce different results nearly every time that they are used. Special: Do not roll the die for a wand of wonder until you decided to use it. In addition to rolling the die you spend, you should also roll two tens-and-ones rolls and consult the tables below to see what the wand produces. If the you can find a way to justify why the result of the tens-and-ones roll is useful, you may spend the die. Otherwise the GM may attempt to justify why the result backfires, and if she does so, you take damage equal to the die. If she does not, than no result comes from the die. Wand of Wonder Table 1 11 Explosion of 12 Ray of 13 Beautiful 14 Spell of 15 Flying 16 Spray of 21 Venomous 22 Binding 23 Smelly 24 Invisible 25 Golden 26 Boiling 31 Transformed into 32 Flesh to 33 Shimmering 34 Sleeping 35 Ninja 36 Man-eating

41 42 43 44 45 46 51 52 53 54 55 56 61 62 63 64 65 66

Hallucinogenic Rapidly growing Flaming Cloud of Invincible Rabid Forgotten Bolt of Hail of Rain of Mocking Screeching Cone of Ravenous Undead Overwhelming Slimy Biting

Wand of Wonder Table 2 11 Fire 12 Shrinking 13 Music 14 Gender Reversal 15 Piranhas 16 Flowers 21 Snakes 22 Chains 23 Cheese 24 Stalkers 25 Coins 26 Acid 31 Newts 32 Stone 33 Colors 34 Dragons

41 42 43 44 45 46 51 52 53 54 55 56 61 62 63 64

35 36

65 Worms 66 Skulls

Monkeys Plants

Miscellaneous Items

Miscellaneous items are magic items that do not fit easily into other categories. Boots of Jumping Miscellaneous Item The stylish boots have thick rubber soles that put a bounce in your step. When you wear them you gain the ability to make leaps of astonishing distances. Boots of Water Walking Miscellaneous Item These fine leather boots are well oiled. They enable you to walk on water (and other similar liquids) as though it was solid ground. 37

Mushrooms Vines Swords Fog Armor Badgers Tome Lightning Arrows Stones Laughter Eels Cold Zombies Spiders Darkness

Chain of Binding Miscellaneous Item Upon command, these thick iron chains wrap themselves around a target of your choice, and do not release the creature until you issue another command. Coin of Good Luck Miscellaneous Item This appears to be a simple copper coin, but it is said to bring great fortune on any who possesses it. In addition, when you flip it, the coin always lands on the side (heads or tales) that you call out. Crystal Ball Miscellaneous Item Crystal balls are powerful tools of divination. They allow those who stare into them to view far off places. You can also attempt to use a crystal ball to peer into the future, however, such visions are often shadowy and imperfect. Elven Cloak Miscellaneous Item Though it is made from a thing and light material, this cloak keeps you warm in all but the coldest environments. Ever-Full Stein Miscellaneous Item This large silver beer stein always remains two-third full of ale regardless of the how much is drunken from it. Despite this it never spills, and the ale cannot be poured into other containers.

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Figurine of Wondrous Power Miscellaneous Item Most of the time these objects seem to be a small replica of a particular animal made from a range of substances. However when you speak a command word, the figurine grows to life-size (or giant-size) and animates. In this form it follows your commands to the letter. When you first encounter a figurine of wondrous power, make two tens-and-ones rolls to determine the material it is made out of and the animal it depicts. Figuring of Wondrous Power Table 1 11 Bone 41 Terracotta 12 Ivory 42 Oak 13 Jade 43 Tin 14 Agate 44 Amber 15 Bronze 45 Emerald 16 Gold 46 Porcelain 21 Silver 51 Mithral 22 Ebony 52 Adamantine 23 Marble 53 Pewter 24 Obsidian 54 Sapphire 25 Onyx 55 Quartz 26 Serpentine 56 Malachite 31 Granite 61 Amethyst 32 Glass 62 Turquoise 33 Ruby 63 Jet 34 Iron 64 Mahogany 35 Copper 65 Teak 36 Paper 66 Plush

Figuring of Wondrous Power Table 2 11 Whale 41 Warrior 12 Goat 42 Bear 13 Serpent 43 Woodcutter 14 Moose 44 Scorpion 15 Griffin 45 Crocodile 16 Lion 46 Dancer 21 Raven 51 Dragon 22 Fly 52 Tortoise 23 Elephant 53 Python 24 Horse 54 Shark 25 Dog 55 Wolf 26 Owl 56 Monkey 31 Rhinoceros 61 Hippopotamus 32 Spider 62 Kraken 33 Phoenix 63 Panther 34 Dragon 64 Camel 35 Cobra 65 Eagle 36 Crane 66 Tiger

Flying Carpet Miscellaneous Item This carpet is a yard wide and twice as long. It is woven in an intricate patter by what must be a talented artist. Upon command the carpet rises into the air and bears you aloft. Glasses of X-Ray Vision Miscellaneous Item These anachronistically named glasses allows the wearer to see through nearly any solid substance. Lead and possibly certain other substances determined by the GM block the x-ray vision. Hat of Disguise Miscellaneous Item This hat first seems to be a simple gray wool cap, but when worn, it transforms to match whatever outfit the character wears. The hat has 39

the power to cloak you in shroud of illusion. It can make the you look like any creature of similar size and shape. Helm of Telepathy Miscellaneous Item This ornate helm allows you to both project you thoughts to others, and read the surface thoughts of nearby creatures. Necklace of Vermin Friendship Miscellaneous Item This necklace is made of fine amber. It is enchanted with powerful magic that causes insects, arachnids, and similar creatures to perceive the wearer as a friend. It also enhances magical spells involving such creatures. Portable Hole Miscellaneous Item This seems to be a simple piece of black cloth, a circle measuring three feet across. However when you place it on a surface and speak the command word, a hole appears where none existed before. Rope of Climbing Miscellaneous Item This strong hempen rope can be commanded to animate itself, stretching upward so that creatures can climb it, even if there is nothing for the rope to affix itself to. You can also command the rope to tie and untie itself. Spoon of Sustenance Miscellaneous Item When you place this wooden spoon in a bowl or similar vessel, it fills that vessel with a bland but nourishing gruel.

Wealth Wealth includes just about anything that is valuable and useful, but not magical. In general wealth tends to be more useful outside of fights. Art Object This is a beautiful work of art. Most often it is a statue or painting, but art objects also include fine rugs, illuminated manuscripts, or ornate versions of mundane items. Most people value art objects for their aesthetic qualities, but some people appreciate the art based on who created it or purely for its monetary value. Bling Wealth Bling is valuable jewelry, including necklaces, rings, bracelets and piercings. It is not a single item, but a collection of several items. Bling is intended to show off your wealth and impress other people. 40

Boat Wealth You have a boat. It might be anything from a canoe to a three masted sailing ship. Boats are most frequently used when crossing bodies of water, including lakes, rivers, and oceans. Castle Wealth This is a large fortified structure. The main function of a castle is to protect the land against invading forces, but they can also be used as leverage in negotiations among nobles.

Crafting Shop This is a small building that both manufactures and sells a particular type of goods, such as clothing, shoes, weapons, armor, pottery, or carpentry. Shops can provide you both with those goods, as well as a steady income. Fancy Clothes Wealth These clothes are particularly stylish and likely to impress the people who see them. Their dice are likely to be used in social situations when it’s important to give off an air of wealth or style. Multiple dice typically reflect larger wardrobes filled with many fancy outfits. 41

Hirelings Wealth You have several employees who you pay a decent wage, and in return they provide you with labor. These includes porters, butlers, stewards, cooks, and the like. Hirelings are seldom skilled in combat. Note that you do not actually own the hirelings, this just represents the fact that you have enough money to regularly pay them. If you mistreat your hirelings they will go elsewhere, and if you earn a reputation for causing their deaths, you are unlikely to acquire more. Library Wealth You own a large collection of books. These frequently help you look up a specific piece of information on a particular topic. Mine You own the mining rights to underground minerals. This includes precious metals like silver and gold, gems like diamonds and emeralds, and more practical minerals like iron, tin, or salt. Mines are beneficial both because they can provide you with the mineral in question, and also because the can produce a stead source of income. Mount This is a riding animals, most typically a horse, but it could be a more exotic animal like an elephant, griffin, or giant bee. You are encouraged to come up with descriptions and names for your mounts. Mounts are frequently used when traveling, and possibly during mounted combat. Tavern This is a drinking establishment and meeting place. It may also serve food and offer lodging. You might use the dice of your tavern to gather rumors or bribe somebody with free alcohol. More dice often represent a larger or more popular tavern.

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Monsters and Other Challenges A challenge can be anything that prevents the PCs from obtaining their goal, such as monsters, environments, or obstacles. Whatever the challenges represent, their mechanical statistics look pretty much the same.

Reading a Stat Block Basic stat blocks follow the same format. If a challenge does not have a resist, vulnerable, or special entry, those do not apply to that challenge. [Name] # Dice [Type] Attack: [Description], damage Resist: (Optional) Vulnerable: (Optional) Special: (Optional) Name: The name of the challenge. Dice: How many dice you roll to represent the challenge. Type: This says what type of challenge it is, such as a monster, environment, or obstacle. It also notes if it is a boss or super-boss. Attack: This is the most common way for the challenge to attack. You can always change this to better fit the story or situation, but use the suggested values as a guide. Resist: Dice that come from sources listed here have their value decreased by one. Usually this lists abilities, but sometimes includes other things. Vulnerable: Dice that come from sources listed here have their value increased by one. Usually this lists abilities, but sometimes includes other things. Special: This lists other rules that apply to the challenge.

Monsters Monsters are the most likely conflict for PCs to encounter. The represent animate creatures that may have hostile intentions.

Boss and Super Boss Monsters Boss monsters and super boss monsters are similar to regular monsters, with a few exceptions. Boss monsters are meant to represent a major threat, and they typically are found at the end of the adventure. Super-Boss monsters are even greater threats, and can drain an entire adventure’s worth of dice from the PCs. Boss and super boss monsters have more dice than the typical monster, and their total number of dice typically depends on the number of PCs in the adventure. Boss monsters also attack slightly differently from most monsters. They may spend their dice to make more powerful attacks. These are listed in the attacks section. To make a more powerful attack the 43

Boss monsters are meant to represent a major threat.

monster spends a die with a value equal to or greater than the value of the attack it wants to make. Like PCs spending dice, if the die is greater than the value of the attack, any extra is lost.

Dragon Dragons are fearsome magical creatures that look like giant winged reptiles. They come in several varieties that have different breath weapons and prefer different environments. All dragons tend to be greedy and arrogant. They hoard treasure and consider themselves superior to all those around them. Frost Dragon 10 Dice per PC Super-Boss Monster Attacks 6: Breath Weapon, 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) to all enemies. 5: Entomb, 3 damage (Toughness) to one enemy. That enemy is encased in ice and cannot take other actions until it breaks out of the ice (4 dice). 4: Spawn Icelings, 3 icelings (1 die each) appear to attack the PCs. Icelings deal 1 Agility or Toughness damage. 3: Aura of Fear: 1 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 2: Tale Slap: 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 1: Icy Bite: 3 damage (Toughness) to one enemy. 0: Claw: 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. Vulnerable: Fire Special Abilities: Double Attack (A dragon can make two attacks each round. These attacks must have different values.)

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Forrest Dragon 14 Dice per PC Super-Boss Monster Attacks 6: Breath Weapon, 4 damage ( Toughness or Agility) to all enemies. 5: Cloud of Poison, 1 damage (Toughness) to all enemies. The cloud hangs in the air and causes an additional 1 damage (Toughness) to all enemies until the cloud is dispersed (4 dice). 4: Acid Spittle: 2 Damage (Toughness) to three enemies. Each target also is taking continuous acid damage represented by one die on each PC. Until the acid is removed the PC takes an automatic 1 Damage (Toughness) durring each of the dragon’s turns. 3: Aura of Fear: 2 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 2: Tale Slap: 3 damage ( Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 1: Poisonous Bite: 3 damage (Toughness) to one enemy. 0: Claw: 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. Special Abilities: Double Attack (A dragon can make two attacks each round. These attacks must have different values.) Fire Dragon 20 Dice per PC Super-Boss Monster Attacks 6: Breath Weapon, 5 damage ( Toughness or Agility) to all enemies. 5: Dancing flames, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to all enemies. The landscape is also set on fire. This fire is treated as five dice challenge, and until it is defeated it deals 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to each enemy every round. 4: Ignite: 3 Damage (Toughness or Agility) to three enemies. Each target also is set on flame represented by one die on each PC. Until the acid is removed the PC takes an automatic 1 Damage (Toughness or Agility) during each of the dragon’s turns. 3: Aura of Fear: 3 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 2: Tale Slap: 4 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 1: Fiery Bite: 4 damage (Toughness) to one enemy. 0: Claw: 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. Special Abilities: Double Attack (A dragon can make two attacks each round. These attacks must have different values.)

Dwarf Dwarves are a proud race of fierce warriors and expert craftsman. They they are shorter than humans but way just as much, and the men typically grow long beards. Though generally friendly, their stubborn pride can put them at odds with others. Dwarf Warrior 1 Dice Monster Attack: Battle Axe, 1 (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Resist: Toughness Vulnerable: Agility

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Dwarf Berserker 3 Dice Monster Attack: Sweeping Axe, 2 (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. Resist: Toughness Vulnerable: Agility Dwarf King 3 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 4: Intimidating War Cry, 2 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 2: Sweeping Hammer, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to three enemies. 0: Crashing Hammer, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. 0: Dwarven Curse, 2 damage (Spirit or Intellect) to one enemy.

Elf Elves are a people with deep ties to nature and magic. They look like splendor humans with pointed ears. Elves are generally good but can be xenophobic and haughty. Elven Archer 1 Die Monster Attack: Longbow, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one target Resist: Agility Vulnerable: Toughness Elven Battle Cat 2 Dice Monster Attack: Claws, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one target Resist: Agility Elven Enchanter 3 Dice Monster Attack: Charm, 1 damage (Intellect) to one target and 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to a different target. Resist: Intellect Elf King 3 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 4: Thorny Snare, 2 damage (Agility) to all enemies. 3: Condescending Monologue, 1 damage (Spirit or Intellect) to all enemies. 1: Twin Arrows, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 0: Elven Blade, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. 0: Snide Remark, 2 damage (Spirit or Intellect) to one enemy.

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Giant Giants generally appear to be large humans. There are several races of giants that stand anywhere from nine to twenty feet tall. Hill Giant 4 Dice Monster Attack: Club, 3 (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Resist: Toughness Vulnerable: Intellect, Spirit Frost Giant 5 Dice Monster Attack: Sweeping Axe, 2 (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. Resist: Toughness, Cold Vulnerable: Fire Fire Giant 5 Dice Monster Attack: Fiery Blade, 4 (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Resist: Toughness, Fire Vulnerable: Cold

Ghost Ghost are spirits of the dead who cannot pass through to the next world. They frequently have some tie to life that keeps them here. Individual ghosts often have unique powers. Ghost 4 Dice +4 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 4: Frightful Presence, 2 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 3: Paralyzing Touch, 3 Damage (Spirit) to one enemy and that enemy cannot attack next turn. 1: Ghostly Cleave, 1 damage (Toughness and Spirit) to two enemies. 0: Ghostly Blade, 1 damage (Toughness and Spirit) to one enemy. 0: Dark Stare, 2 damage (Spirit) to one enemy.

Goblins Goblins are small humanoids with sharp teeth and large bat-like ears. Their skin comes in a range of color from bright green, to rusty brown. They often live by stealing from other humanoid communities. Goblin 1 Die Monster Attack: Spear, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Toughness, Intellect

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Chief’s Guard 2 Dice Monster Attack: Hand axe, 2 damage (Toughness and Agility) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Toughness, Intellect Goblin Shaman 3 Dice Monsters Attack: Dark Curse, 2 damage (Spirit or Intellect) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Toughness, Intellect Goblin Chief 3 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 2: Sweeping Axe, 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 1: Soul-Crushing Insult, 3 damage (Spirit) to one enemy. 0: Battle Axe, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy.

Hangman Vine Hangman vine is a carnivorous plant that ensnares it’s food in powerful vines, than constricts it to death. After the food has died it secretes a digestive enzyme and absorbs the meal through its flesh. Hangman Vines 2 Dice Monsters Attack: Choking Vines, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) Resist: Spirit

Hobgoblin Hobgoblins are a humanoid race with pronounced teeth and graybrown skin. They revel in battle and frequently survive by raiding other communities. Hobgoblin Warrior 1 Die Monster Attack: Longsword, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) Resist: Spirit Hobgoblin Warmage 3 Dice Monster Attack: Elemental Bolt, 1 damage (Toughness AND Agility) Resist: Spirit Hobgoblin Warchief Goblin Chief 6 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 4: War Cry, 2 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 2: Flashing Blade, 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 0: Longsword, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. 48

Human Humans are a race of people similar to real world humans. Human Bandit 1 Dice Monsters Attack: Sword or Crossbow, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Human Master Illusionist 6 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 4: Shimmering Blast, 2 damage (Intellect) to all enemies 2: Illusionary Target, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy and 2 damage (Spirit) to another. (An illusion causes on target to attack its ally, and the attacker feels really bad about it) 0: Shimmering Ray, 2 damage (Intellect) to one enemy

Kobold Kobolds are a race of small reptilian humanoids. They are weak and cowardly, but also cunning and have a knack for traps. Kobold 1 Die Monster Attack: Spear or sling, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Toughness and Spirit Kobold Elite Guard 2 Dice Monster Attack: Short sword, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy Vulnerable: Toughness and Spirit Kobold Dragon Priest 3 Dice Monster Attack: Flame Blast, 2 damage (Agility) to two enemies Vulnerable: Toughness and Spirit Kobold King 3 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 2: Kobold’s War Cry, 2 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 1: Acidic Spittle, 3 damage (Agility) to one enemy. 0: Dragon Claws, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy.

Man Eating Plant Man eating plants are carnivorous plants similar to Venus fly traps, but much bigger. They wait until prey comes close, then snap their jaws around their meal.

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Man Eating Plant 3 Dice Monster Attack: Snapping Jaws, 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) Resist: Spirit

Mummy Mummies are corpses that have been preserved and animated with necrotic magic. They frequently protect tombs. Mummy 3 Dice Monster Attack: Rotting Touch, 1 damage (Spirit AND Toughness) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Spirit, Fire

Ogre Ogres are large brutish humanoids that stand nearly eight feet tall. They are often greedy and gluttonous and seldom very bright. Ogre 3 Dice Monster Attack 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) Vulnerable: Intellect

Orc Orcs are humanoid races with pronounced teeth, large noses, and green-tinted skin. They are slightly larger and more muscular than humans, and tend to live in societies where the strongest rules. Orc Warrior 1 Dice Monster Attack: Battle Axe, 1 Damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Resist: Toughness Orc Battle Priest 3 Dice Monster Attack: Necrotic bolt 1 Damage (Toughness AND Spirit) Resist: Toughness Orc Chief 6 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 4: Intimidating Attack, 4 damage (Toughness) to one enemy and 1 damage (Spirit) to all other enemies. 2: Sweeping Axe, 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 0: Battle Axe, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy.

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Oozes Oozes are amorphous creatures that appear similar to giant amoeba or shimmering cubes of gelatin. Flesh Eating Ooze 2 Dice Monster Attack: Flesh eating pseudopod, 2 damage (Toughness) to one enemy. Gelatinous Cube 4 Dice Monster Attack: Engulf, 2 damage (Toughness) to one enemy, and the target cannot attack until it escapes (1 die obstacle) or the gelatinous cube is destroyed.

Rat, Giant Giant rats are similar to their smaller kin, but larger and more vicious. Rat, Giant 1 Die Monster Attack: Bite, 1 damage (Toughness or Ability) Vulnerable: Toughness, Intellect

Skeleton Skeletons are the bones of creatures that have been animated through necromancy. They retain none of what they new in life, and do nothing but follow the orders of their master. Humanoid Skeleton 1 Die Monster Attack: Rusty sword, 1 damage (Toughness or Spirit) to one enemy. Resist: Agility Vulnerable: Spirit Bear Skeleton 3 Dice Monster Attack: Undead maul 2 damage (Toughness) AND 1 damage (Spirit) Resist: Toughness Vulnerable: Spirit

Spider Spiders are eight-legged creatures with thick exoskeleton. Some spin webs and some are venomous. They are not intelligent, but hunt or trap prey. Spider, Big 2 Dice Monster Attack: Poisonous Fangs, 2 damage (Toughness) to one enemy Resist: Agility 51

Spider, Really Big 4 Dice Monster Attack: Poison Fangs, 4 damage (Toughness) to one enemy Resist: Agility

Thornlings Thornlings are small plant creatures that can take on a vaguely humanoid shape. They are covered with thorns, which they can fire at attackers. Thornlings 1 Die Monster Attack: Thorn Toss, 1 damage (Agility) Resist: Agility

Troll Trolls are large misshapen humanoids with thick green hides. They can regenerate damaged body parts, provided they are not killed by fire or acid. Troll 4 Dice Monster Attack: Claw, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Special: If a troll is damage but not defeated at the end of the round, it regains on die (it cannot have more than its starting dice).

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Tyrannosaurus Rex The tyrant lizard king was once the greatest predator of its age, with teeth the size of daggers. Though most have died out, a few exist on secluded islands and in underground vaults. Tyrannosaurus Rex 6 Dice Monster Attack: Bite, 6 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy.

Werewolf Werewolves are cursed humanoids who turn into a terrible wolf-like creature on the nights of full moons. When in this form the lose their normal personality and become dangerous killing machines. Werewolf 4 Dice Monster Attack: Tooth and Claws, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. Resist: All attacks that are not made by a silver weapon. Special: Werewolves cannot be killed except by silver weapons. Anybody bitten by one risks turning into a werewolf.

Winter Wolf Winter wolves are giant white wolves that live only in the coldest climates. In addition to their terrible bites, they can also exhale a blast of icy cold breath. Winter Wolve 3 Dice Monster Attack: Freezing Breath, 1 damage (Toughness) to three enemies. Icy Bite, 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy.

Wyvern Wyverns are large flying creatures akin to dragons. Unlike dragons, they have two legs, a poisonous tale, and only animal-level intelligence. They tend to dwell in mountains and are sometimes used as mounts by those brave enough to train them. Wyvern 3 Die Monster Attack: Tail Stinger, 1 damage (Toughness and Agility) to one enemy. Resist: Agility, Toughness

Vampire Vampires are humanoid undead who survive by drinking the blood of others. As they age they slowly increase in power.

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Vampire 4 Dice Monster Attacks: Longsword 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. Enchanting Gaze, 2 damage (Spirit) to one enemy, and that enemy cannot attack the vampire next turn. Vampiric Bite (may only use on an enemy previously subjected to Enchanting Gaze), 1 damage (Toughness AND Spirit) to one enemy. Special: Vampires can only be killed by a steak through the heart, or exposing them to daylight. If defeated in other ways, they turn into mist and escape to their coffins. Targets bit by a vampire risk turning into vampires after their death.

Zombie Zombies are corpses that have been reanimated through dark magic. They are do not retain anything they remembered in life, and exist only to follow the commands of their master. Zombie 2 Dice Monster Attack: Slam, 2 damage (Toughness or Spirit) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Spirit

Environmental Challenges Environmental challenges are dangers posed by the world around the characters. It includes things like wilderness journeys and major obstacles that take hours or days to bypass. Environmental dangers almost always have a number of dice based on the number of PCs.

Climbing The climbing environment is used for long climbs such as a mountain or a magic beanstalk leading to a cloud kingdom. Climbing a wall or tree is either an obstacle or not a challenge (PCs can do it automatically). Climbing the Mountains 3 Die +3 Per PC Environment Attack: Nasty Fall, 3 damage (Toughness) to one PC.

Navigating Through Terrain Navigating through terrain includes not only the PCs finding their way through a place, but also avoiding dangers such as landslides, sink holes, and fallen trees. As you narrate them you might come up with specific dangers that the PCs face like crossing a raging river or climbing a steep slope. If you use specific dangers, feel free to alter the type and description of the damage PCs take. Navigating the Forest 1 Die +1 Per PC Environment Attack: Exhaustion, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to each PC. 54

As you narrate environmental challenges you might come up with specific dangers that the PCs face.

Navigating the Foothills. 2 Die +2 Per PC Environment Attack: Exhaustion, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to each PC.

Surviving PCs have to survive a lot of things, from spear wounds to the boring droll of a government bureaucrat. The surviving environment, however, applies to situations where the PCs are at risk of dying from starvation or thirst or in extremely hot or cold environments. Surviving challenges might apply in the desert or on a small lifeboat adrift at sea. Surviving the Desert 4 dice +4 Per PC Environment Attack: Dehydration, 1 damage (Toughness) to each PC.

Social Challenges Social challenges involve interacting with other people (“people” is used rather loosely in a fantasy setting). They frequently damage Intellect or Spirit.

Dealing with Government Bureaucrats Dealing with government bureaucrats can happen whenever the PCs have to talk to somebody at city hall or fill out monotonous paperwork. It might occur when the king imposes a tax on dragon plunder, or when the PCs seek at license to open a new tavern. Deal with Government Bureaucrats 4 Dice Social Attack: Tedious prattle, 1 damage (Intellect or Spirit) to each PC.

Get Past a Guard The get past a guard challenge assumes that the PCs want to enter someplace without a fight. They might want to enter a city without a contraband search, or get into a private manor to search for clues. Generally there is one of these challenges for each guard the PCs want to bypass. Get Past a Guard 1 Die Social Attack: Rude remarks, 1 damage (Intellect or Spirit) to one PC.

Find Somebody in Hiding This challenge is used to track down somebody’s whereabouts in a city, not to find the goblins hiding under the bed in the room where the PCs are. It likely involves asking for rumors or talking to information brokers. As the challenge progresses, you should narrate who the PCs meet and what information they give. 55

Social challenges frequently damage Intellect or Spirit.

Find Somebody in Hiding 2 Dice per PC Social Attack: Social humiliation 1 damage (Spirit) to each PC.

Negotiate a Surrender This challenge is designed to represent the PCs talking to generals, kings, orc chiefs, and others who might be leading an army or a nation to war. It is not meant to convince two kobolds to give up fighting. Negotiate a Surrender 3 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Social Attacks 4: Unreasonable demands, 2 damage (Intellect) to all PCs. 2: Going around in circles, 1 damage (Spirit or Intellect) to three PCs. 0: Pointed insult, 2 damage (Spirit or Intellect) to one PC.

Obstacles Obstacles are things that PCs need to expend energy to overcome, but that do not really threaten them if left alone. In general there should be some kind of benefit to overcoming obstacles. If there is no benefit, just let the PCs succeed. Obstacles are different from most challenges in that they do not deal damage. 56

Climb A climb is used when there is a small obstacle to climb such as a rope, a wall, or a tree. For longer climbs, like scaling a mountain, use the climbing environmental challenge. As with most other obstacles, there should be some kind of reward or time pressure for the climb, otherwise just let the PCs make the climb without spending dice. Climb a Tree 1 Die Obstacle Climb a Rope 2 Die Obstacle Climb a Wall 3 Die Obstacle

Lock Something is locked shut. It might be a door, treasure chest, or manacle holding the kidnapped prince. PCs most commonly overcome locks by picking them or breaking them. Poor Lock 1 Die Obstacle Average Lock 2 Dice Obstacle Good Lock 3 Dice Obstacle

Hidden Item An object is hidden someplace and the PCs want to find it. It might be a stash of gold, a magical artifact, or the key they need to escape the dungeon. Hidden Under the Bed 1 Die Obstacle Hidden in a Secret Compartment 3 Dice Obstacle Looking for a Needle in a Haystack 5 Dice Obstacle

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Into the Forest Dark A Sample Adventure

Disturbing reports have come from Morvan’s Hollow, and the merchant’s guild needs adventures to reach the isolated town and discover the problem. To do so heroes need to pass through a dark and treacherous forest. Into the Forest Dark is an Abstract Dungeon Adventure designed to serve as an introduction to the game and to the isolate community of Morvan’s Hallow. Adventure Background About a week ago a youth from Morvan’s Hollow named Eldin was exploring the nearby forest, when he discovered an ancient Cairn. He saw many things inside, including a necklace made of polished amber. Eldin took the necklace, and in doing so awoke the spirit of an elven druid named Haithot. Haithot is angry not only because of his stolen necklace, he also is upset by the deforestation and pollution caused by the nearby human settlements. He is using his druidic powers to turn nature against 58

Eldin took the necklace, and in doing so awoke the spirit of an elven druid named Haithot.

the any who attempt to pass through the Dark Forrest. So far several merchants and travelers have perished passing through. One escaped and lived just long enough to tell the tale. XP PCs who complete the adventure without refreshing receive 2 XP. Those who take one rest receive 1 XP. If they take two or more rests, Eldin tries to return the necklace. Haithot kills Eldin and reclaims the necklace, then returns to his slumber. The problem is solved and the PCs gain no XP. Player’s Introduction The adventure begins when a member of the Merchant’s Guild named Sylvist advertises that she’s looking to hire an armed escort to get her through the Dark Forrest, and more importantly to discover what happened to the others who passed through. Sylvist is a gregarious woman in her early forties. She is also a shrewd business woman who looks for any chance to squeeze another copper out of her clients. She tells the PCs that for almost a week no travelers have emerged from the Dark Woods, until yesterday. A man limped into town, half gnawed to pieces. He muttered something about “teeth and claws” before he passed away. Sylvist intends to leave for Morvan’s Hallow tomorrow at first light and hopes to hire the PCs to escort her there safely. She will give them a small some of coin (no mechanical effect) if they manage that, and a larger sum (one die) if they get her to Morvan’s Hallow and make the woods safe again. Sylvist is happy to answer an PC questions, but she does not know much about the threat they will face. Normally it takes about eight hours to reach Morvan’s Hallow, six of which are through the Dark Forrest. The Dead Man If PCs wish to examine the body of the man who came from the woods, they are free to do so. They can tell obviously that he suffered many bite wounds. Those who take a close look find more. If PCs investigate physically they have a one die obstacle (resist Toughness and Agility) to learn more. (Roll a single six-sided die. PCs must spend one or more of their dice equal to or greater than the obstacle die to overcome it. Treat PC dice from Toughness and Agility as though they were one lower than face value). The PCs should narrate how they are using that die, and it should make sense for both the source of the die and the problem at hand. (For example a player would need a good rational for using Toughness to investigate the body, as punching it until it talks would probably not reveal much). If the PCs succeed, they discover splinters of wood among bite wounds. The wood splinters seem to have impaled themselves in the victim. (These come from plants animated by Haithot.) If PCs attempt to sense the body for any lingering magic, it is a two dice obstacle (Resist Toughness and Agility) allows them to notice a lingering aura of nature magic. 59

Yesterday a man limped into town, half gnawed to pieces.

Into the Forest Dark True to her word Sylvist sets out at first light the next day. She brings with a single wagon pulled by two draft horses. The following encounters in the forest can happen in any order, and you need not use all of them. Try to gauge the mood of your players and offer them encounters they are ready for. Abandoned Caravan Not far into the forest, the PCs come upon an abandoned caravan. The horses lie dead and have been gnawed on by animals. There is not an immediate sign of the humanoids who led the caravan. The actual contents of the caravan have been largely ignored. The ground is covered with animal tracks. The PCs can also find a concealed compartment within one of the wagons by overcoming a two dice obstacle (vulnerable Spirit and Intellect). Inside the compartment they find a 1d6 random potions (see random potion table on page @@). A one die obstacle (vulnerable Spirit and Intellect) also allows the PCs to follow the animal tracks to a nearby wolf den where they find the corpses of two humans. Animal Attack The heroes have come to the attention of Haithot, and he dispatches a pack of wolves and a single grizzly bear to deal with them. The bear and wolves fight together, which anybody who knows much about nature can tell is not normal. There is one wolf per PC, and a single bear. Roll the dice for each monster present (keep the three dice for the bear together). The PCs act first and may spend dice to defeat the monster’s dice (and they should narrate how they do so). If any dice remain after the PCs act, the monsters respond and automatically deal the damage listed. Bear 3 Dice Monster Attack: Maul 3 damage (Toughness or Agility) Resist: Toughness Vulnerable: Spirit Wolves 1 Die Monster Attack: Bite, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) Resist: Agility Vulnerable: Spirit Journey to the Cairn At some point the PC are likely to figure out some sort of druidic power is controlling the forest creatures. When they try to track it to its source. When they do so make sure that they justify how they are trying to find 60

The bear and wolves fight together, which anybody who knows about nature can tell is not normal.

it, such as communicating with the wildlife or attempting to sense a magic source of greater power. If the PCs found Eldin and convince him to show the way, you should also run this challenge. While the challenge lists “fatigue” as the damage source, feel free to improvise something more specific, such as the PCs falling into a sink hole or being swept away while crossing a river. Navigating the Forest 2 Dice per PC Challenge Attack: Fatigue, 1 damage (Toughness) to every PC. Stick and Stones Haithot is not done attempting to destroy the PCs, and this time animates plants and animals from the forest to slay them. Thorn bushes twist into humanoid form, while stones sprout legs and try to crush the PCs. There is one thronling per PC and one animated stone per two PCs. Thornlings 1 Die Monster Attack: Thorn Toss, 1 damage (Agility) Resist: Agility Animated Stones 2 Dice Monster Attack: Slam, 2 damage (Agility or Toughness) Resist: Toughness

At the Cairn The entrance to Haithot’s Cairn is a rocky opening in the side of a small hill. PCs who examine the entrance find that it has been recently disturbed and they also see traces of ancient writing on a lintel stone above the door. As a one die obstacle (vulnerable Intellect) PCs can decode the ancient elven dialect and translate it as “Here Lies Haithot, protector of the forest. Do not disturb his rest.” The inside of the cairn is simple. A single hallway leads to Haithot’s burial chamber. Eternal Guardians There are many animal bones scattered through out the passage. As the PCs pass through, some of them assemble themselves into the forms of great bears. There is one bear skeleton for every two PCs. Bear Skeleton 3 Dice Monster Attack: Undead maul 2 damage (Toughness) and 1 damage (Spirit) Resist: Toughness Vulnerable: Spirit 61

Burial Chambers When PCs reach the burial chamber, they find a large rock pile at the center (Haithot’s body lies under the rocks). The rocks were recently moved (by Eldin) so the skeleton is now easily accessible. Haithot’s spirit rises from the stones. He appears as a spectral elf clad in animal skins are wielding an oaken staff. “Defilers,” he says to the PCs. “You shall pay for your crimes with blood.” Because Haithot is a boss monster, he has much more dice than most monsters, and he attacks slightly differently. He may spend any of his dice to make an attack listed in his description that has a value equal to or lower than the die he spends. He may always use his 0 attack without spending any dice. Also feel free to improvise new attack similar to those listed if you think a different description would better fit the battle. Haithot, Druid Ghost 6 Dice +3 per PC Boss Monster Attacks 5: Swam of Spectral Fangs, 3 damage (Body) to all enemies 2: Entangling Plants, 1 damage (Agility) to all enemy 1. Fire Toss, 2 damage (Body or agility) to one enemies. 0. Withering Touch, 1 damage (Body or Agility) to one enemy. 62

“Defilers, you shall pay for your crimes with blood.”

-Haithot, ghost druid

Treasure: If the PCs defeat Haithot and they search his remains, they find his magical staff. Staff of Fire Staff 1 Die The oaken staff seems to constantly smolder. It is warm to the touch and emits a thin trail of smoke, but it is never consumed. Upon command, some or all of the staff bursts into flame. It also enhances any fire spell cast while wielding it.

Routing Out the Cause Many PCs might be happy to defeat Haithot and move on, but some PCs might want to figure out what caused the druid to awaken. To do this they must first find Eldin, and then convince him to explain what he knows. Remember to have the PCs narrate their actions, and as they succeed you can narrate their findings, such as talking to informants, or having to navigate the city. Also feel free to alter the description of any damage they suffer to best fit the circumstances. Finding Eldin 2 Dice per PC Social Attack: Social humiliation, 1 damage (Intellect) to each PC. After the PCs find Eldin, they must convince him to tell what he knows. He is initially evasive, but through threats or flattery the PCs can convince him to fess up. After they defeat him, he tells how he took the necklace from the cairn just before the trouble started. If the PCs ask, he will also give them the necklace and tell them how to reach the cairn. Necklace of Vermin Friendship Miscellaneous Item 1 Die This necklace is made of fine amber. It is enchanted with powerful magic that causes insects, arachnids, and similar creatures to perceive the wearer as a friend. It also enhances magical spells involving such creatures.

Concluding the Adventure If the PCs successfully quell Haithot’s spirit, trade again resumes between Morvan’s Hollow and the rest of the kingdom. Assuming that they also escorted Sylvist to safety, the Merchant Guild give each of the PCs one die worth of gold. The PCs have also gained repute among the people of Morvan’s Hollow, which will doubtlessly lead to further adventures.

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The PCs have gained repute among the people of Morvan’s Hollow, which will doubtlessly lead to further adventures.

The Orcish Baker An Adventure for Abstract Dungeon

When an orc moved to Morvan's Hallow the neighbors got restless. When it opened a bakery they got confused. Convinced that it's part of an orcish invasion plot, a concerned citizen begs the heroes to get rid of the orc. But is this good Samaritan really worried about the public good, or is there an ulterior motive? The Orcish Baker is a low-level adventure for Abstract Dungeon. It is set in the isolated community of Morvan's Hollow.

Adventure Background The orcs of Stone Tooth Mountains never appreciated Harg's baking. Sure they'd eat pie, but they'd just as soon eat three-day-dead possum. So Harg traveled to Morvan's Hollow hoping the townsolk would understand the nuance of her baking. At first the locals resisted, on account of her being an orc and all, but once they tasted her scones they started to come around. Things were looking great for Harg. But for every silver lining, there's a cloud. 64

Harg traveled to Morvan’s Hollow hoping the townsfolk would understand the nuance of her baking.

The village's other baker, Melville, saw his customers dwindle, and it did not take long for him to figure why. Melville sought to undermine Harg's bakery, so he ordered his son Argon to sabotage Harg. But when Argon went to Harg's two very unexpected things happened. He ate a muffin, and he fell in love. Argon and Harg entered a whirlwind romance. For now they are keeping it a secret, because Harg is worried about the community accepting her, and Argon knows his father would be furious. Melville is no fool though. He's noticed his son sneaking out at night, and sees that Harg's bakery continues to prosper. To make the situation even more urgent, in just a few days Morvan's Hollow will host a regional baking competition, attracting bakers from nearby towns and villages. Melville thought he had the pie portion of the competition locked down, but now he's nervous Harg might best him, and he would feel completely humiliated if a savage orc took the top pie prize. Now Melville's decided to go to more extreme measures. He's looking for a band of mercenaries to get the orc out of here. One way or another.

When Argon went to Harg’s two very unexpected things happened. He ate a muffin, and he fell in love.

XP PCs who help either Harg or Melville win the baking competition without refreshing receive 2 XP. Those who take one rest receive 1 XP, as do PCs who simply drive off Harg and refuse to get involved with the baking competition. If they take two or more rests, they receive no experience. In this case they run out of time to influence the pie competition and somebody from out of town wins.

Players' Introduction The PCs are relaxing at their favorite hangout, when the baker Melville approaches them with an offer for work. He is concerned about a terrible orc that has moved into town, and he needs bold adventures to take care of the problem "the way that adventurers do." He offers to reward them handsomely for their efforts. Melville can tell the PCs where to find the orc, but he leaves out many key details. For example he neglects to mention that the orc is just trying to establish a small business for herself, or that her bakery is taking away his business, or that she has midnight rendezvous with Melville's son. Melville refuses to call Harg by name or even use a feminine pronoun. He calls her "the orc" and "it. If the PCs successfully get rid of Harg, Melville pays PCs handsomely, granting them a die worth of money. He then offers them another payment if they can help him win the upcoming baking competition. See Bake Off on page 4. Do not roll dice to represent Melville unless PCs come into physical or social conflict with him. If they decide to interrogate Melville they can get the true story out of him by eliminating half of his dice. (This represents that he is not completely defeated, but that he's beaten down enough to make some concessions). 65

If the PCs take two or more rests, they receive no experience. They run out of time to influence the pie competition and somebody from out of town wins.

Melville 6 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 4: Vapid Boasting, 2 damage (Intellect or Spirit) to all enemies. 2: Pie to the face, 2 damage (Agility AND Intellect) to one enemy. 0: Pie Cutter, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy

Other Townsfolk If the PCs ask other people in town about the new orc, opinions are divided into to camps, those who are terrified of her ("because... you know... she's an orc"), and those that are her loyal customers ("she might be an orc, but she makes a mighty fine danish.") PCs can find people who share either of these opinions with no effort.

Harg's Bakery Melville gives accurate directions to Harg's bakery, though of course he doesn't mention it a bakery, calling it a "lair" or "den." Other townsfolk can confirm the location. Harg's bakery is a small shop with a small living space on the second floor. Unless PCs arrive early in the morning (when she's baking) or late at night (when she's secretly meeting with Argon), Harg is working behind the counter. The bakery is filled with just about every baked good imaginable, from basic bread, to decedent pastries. Harg is polite but blunt. She has good intentions but is not good at small talk and is still confused about many elements of human language and culture. She probably greets the PCs by asking, "What do you want?" Harg opening answers most questions that the PCs ask about her shop and her background. The only subject she evades is her relationship with Argon. However if PCs defeat half of her dice, she confesses the truth of that relationship. (If they defeat all of her dice, she abandons her shop, moves out of town, or whatever else the PCs want). If the PCs befriend Harg, rather than drive her off as Melville requested, she asks for their help with the upcoming baking competition, offering the a life-time subscription to her pie of the month club. See Bake Off on page 4. Harg 6 Dice +3 Dice per PC Boss Monster Attacks 6: Delicious Pie: 4 damage (Spirit) to all enemies. 3: Tempting Tarts, 3 damage (Spirit) to two enemies. 2: Rolling Pin, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to two enemies. 0: Baking Jargon, 2 damage (Intellect) to one enemy.

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The only subject Harg evades is her relationship with Argon. However if PCs defeat half of her dice, she confesses the truth of that relationship.

Argon If the PCs learn about Argon, they might seek him out to get his side of the story. He is easy to find, but he is reluctant to talk. However he's a bit of a push over, and if PCs defeat him, he'll do what they ask. Argon 3 Dice Social Challenge Attack: Pitiful Story; 1 damage (Spirit) to all enemies.

Bake Off In a matter of days, Morvan's Hollow will host a regional baking competition. Both Melville and Harg hope to win, and ask for the PCs' aid (assuming they're on speaking terms). Melville offers cold card cash for their help. Harg can't afford to pay coin, but she makes a sweeter offer. She will give the PCs each a free life-time subscription to her pie of the month club if she wins the competiion. There are two main things the PCs can do help the bakers win the competitions. They can obtain some rare ingredients, or they can put in a good word with the judges. Whoever the PCs decide to help, the details of these choices remain the same.

The Secret Ingredient Is... Both bakers need three secret ingredients to make their perfect pies. They can tell the PCs where to find these ingredients and what troubles they might face. These ingredients are Morvan's salt, found in goblin infested caves, dire honey, which of course is made by dire bees, and ambrosial berries, which are found in the most remote corner of the Dark Forest.

Morvan's Salt One ingredient the bakers want for their pies is a very rare kind of salt, found only in caves near Morvan's Hollow, often called Morvan's salt. Unfortunately these caves are inhabited by a band of goblins. As soon as they see the PCs the regular goblins point their spears at the heroes and the goblin shaman shakes his staff, rattling the many animal skulls tied to it. There are a number of standards goblins equal to the number of PCs all lead by one goblin shaman. Goblin 1 Die Monster Attack: Spear, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Toughness, Intellect Goblin Shaman 3 Dice Monsters Attack: Dark Curse, 2 damage (Spirit or Intellect) to one enemy. Vulnerable: Toughness 67

Both bakers need three secret ingredients to make their perfect pies: Morvan's salt, dire honey, and ambrosial berries.

Dire Honey Dire honey is even more delicious than normal honey, and thus is prized by all the pie bakers of the land. Fortunately there is a dire hive not far from Morvan's Hollow. Unfortunately the dire hive is guarded by dire bees. There are two dire bees for every three PCs in the group (round bees up). Dire Bee 2 Dice Monster Attack: Sting, 2 damage (Toughness or Agility) to one enemy. Resist: Agility Vulnerable: Intellect

Ambrosial Berries The third ingredient the pie makers request is ambrosial berries. Rumor has it that there's a patch of berries growing in the Dark Forest near Morvan's Hollow. Rumor also says that the way there is treacherous. In order to get to the berries the PCs have to pass through several natural hazards. First they have to navigate the forest, then they have to cross over a gaping chasm, then finally they must force their way through a patch of brambles. Treat this as a single encounter in terms of the PCs spending their dice, but only have the hazard the PCs currently face attack during its turn. (So if they defeat all of navigating the forest and half of crossing the chasm in the first round, crossing the chasm attacks them, but not getting through the patch of brambles.)

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Navigating the Forest 1 Die +1 Per PC Environment Attack: Exhaustion, 1 damage (Toughness or Agility) to each PC. Crossing the Chasm 1 Die +1 Per PC Environment Attack: Falling In, 3 damage (Agility or Toughness) to one PC. Getting Through a Patch of Brambles 1 Die +1 Per PC Environment Attack: Thorns, 1 damage (Toughness) to each PC.

Schmoozing the Judges Of course bribing a judge is against the rules of the pie competition, and neither Harg nor Melville would want that. But if the heroes were able to put in a kind word with the judges, or at least get them to overlook Harg's orcish nature (or focus on it more to help Melville), there's no harm in that. The PCs can talk to some or all of the judges in the competition. They are Prince Draskle Bronzeback, Sorlasian Qualthios, and Bably Smagle. They are all minor celebrities for various reasons.

Of course bribing a judge is against the rules of the pie competition, but if the heroes put in a kind word with the judges, there's no harm in that.

Prince Draskle Bronzeback Prince Draskle Bronzeback is a boisterous dwarf with a thick red beard. PCs are likely to find him at the Saucy Carbuncle or perhaps another of Morvan's Hollow's fine drinking establishments. Prince Draskle was heir to the throne of a dwarven kingdom before it was overrun by goblins. He spends most of his time reminiscing about his homeland and talking about all the things he'll do "when I take back my mountain." Prince Draskle also has a special fondness for strong drinks and strong women. Schmooze Prince Draskle Bronzeback 3 Dice per 2 PCs Social Attacks: Long rambling story, 1 damage (Intellect or Spirit) to all PCs

Sorlasian Qualthios, Dragon Slayer Sorlasian Qualthios is a tall elf with pretty blond hair. Most people believe he is a glorious warrior who slew a dragon. He is actually a terrible cowards and the dragon accidentally impaled itself, but Sorlasian loves the attention he receives as a "dragon slayer" and is terrified somebody will figure it out. PCs can find Sorlasian at the Silver Swan, Moran's Hollow's fanciest inn.

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“When I take back my mountain...”

-Prince Draskle Bronzeback

Schmoosze Sorlasian Qualthios 3 Dice per 2 PCs Social Attacks: Too pretty for mere mortals, 1 damage (Intellect or Spirit) to all PCs

Bably Smagle Bably Smagle is a halfling food connoisseur who has written several popular cook books. She is also a snob about her food, and if she doesn't love it, she quickly lets the chef know everything he did wrong. If somebody does make a meal that impresses Bably, they will earn her genuine respect. Bably also has a short temper and misinterprets everything as a slight against halflings. "Which by the way is a word created by 'you people.' How you would like to be called double-lings? Halflings refer to themselves as 'hobin' but you can't say that. It's our word." Schmoose Bably Smagle 3 Dice per 2 PCs Social Attacks: No nonsense attitude, 1 damage (Intellect or Spirit) to all PCs

Conclusion When PCs are ready to proceed (or if they take two rests) it's time for the baking competition. If between obtaining ingredients and convincing judges, the PCs succeeded at least four times, then the baker they helped wins the competition with two out of the three votes. The baker gives the PCs the promised reward (either a die worth of gold from Melville, or a subscription to the pie of the month club worth one die from Harg). If the PCs obtained all the ingredients and talked up all the judges, the judges' decision is unanimous, and the baker is showered with fame and new business. The baker doubles the reward for the PCs (Melville gives two dice worth of gold, and the pie of the month club subscription is worth two dice instead of one). Of course while the PCs befriended one baker, they probably earned the life-long enmity of another. Life-Time Subscription to the Pie of the Month Club Wealth 1 or 2 Dice (see Conlclusion) You get a free pie each month for the rest of your life. Each month it's a different flavor. There's blueberry, apple, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb, coconut cream, French silk (even though there's no France), and many more possibilities. And man, them pies is delicious.

70

"How you would like to be called doublelings?" -Bably Smagle

Character Name: _________________ Player Name: __________________ Level: ___ XP: ____ Description:

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71

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