C is for Castellan Keep

[over the course of the month of April, I shall be posting a topic for each letter of the alphabet, sequentially, for every day of the week except Sunday. Our topic for this year's #AtoZchallenge? Revamping the Grand Duchy of Karameikos in a way that doesn't disregard it's B/X roots]

C is for Castellan Keep, AKA The Keep on the Borderlands.

Before I begin, let me first acknowledge the pointlessness of nit-picky nerd-rage one encounters around the internet and in certain geeky circles. "Aunt May couldn't have lived on such-and-such street; there's a deli and laundromat that's been at that address for 50 years" or "The Flash couldn't run at full speed without causing a firestorm in his wake due to friction build-up" or whatever. "Those two characters would never hook up because of this-that-and-the-other." Whatever.

[man, I am feeling LAZY this morning, otherwise I'd scour the web for some actual, real examples. But y'all have google, right?]

Someone smarter and more famous than me once said something like "Don't let the facts get in the way of telling a good story." And while this philosophy is uber-obnoxious when it comes to, oh, say FOX News or a sitting president, I'm talking about role-playing games at the moment. And while RPG campaigns aren't "stories" per se, they are fictional, imaginary content which is akin to what one finds in a story. As such, me nerd-raging over a handful of problematic, hard-to-reconcile "facts" are probably...in the long run...a waste of my time (and that of this blog's readers).

NOW...having gotten that "disclaimer" out of the way, let me ALSO say that while it may not be utterly crucial to having a good time, I still think it's pretty important that DMs and designers strive for some sort of internal consistency when it comes to both rules and setting elements as things that break our players' suspension of disbelief can wreck the immersive experience...one of our main reasons (if not THE reason) for playing the game! Not good.

Okay...on to the post.

Gary Gygax wrote module B2: The Keep on the Borderlands as a replacement for B1: In Search of the Unknown (the adventure included in the first printings of the Holmes-penned Basic set). Here is a compilation of quotes (from Gygax and others) explaining the process/reasons. Despite being written for - and included in later printings of - an earlier edition of Basic D&D, B2 was included in every single box of the Tom Moldvay (B/X) Basic set. The adventure is thus ubiquitous to B/X players and many, many B/X campaigns.

It was NOT, however, written specifically for Karameikos. As I wrote back in March, the Known World setting (later renamed "Mystara") was originally the home campaign of Moldvay and Lawrence Schick. It was dusted off, cleaned up, and modified for inclusion as a sample wilderness in the new (1981) Expert set (Dave Cook/Steve Marsh) and for use with module X1: The Isle of Dread (Moldvay). Karameikos, originally a city-state, became an entire region ("The Grand Duchy") in the new publication...but nowhere did it contain the adventure site of B2.

This changed in 1983. Frank Mentzer's Expert set, mostly a reprint of the B/X book, included an additional map of "The Lands and Environs of the D&D Wilderness." While superficially similar to the northern half of the "Continental Map" found in X1 (i.e. "the Known World"), Mentzer's map additional notes the locations of several already-published adventure modules, including the first four B-series modules, and the first five of the X-series. The first three B modules are all nestled within the boundaries of Karameikos, with The Keep being located in the Altan Tepes mountains of the duchy, in the northeastern region marked "Frost Giants" on all small scale maps of Karameikos.

The 1987 GAZ1 elaborates the location further. Now called "Castellan Keep," the fortress is located at the head of Castellan River, one of the main tributaries feeding into the main Highreach (Volaga) River that passes by Specularum on its way to the sea. Alston writes of the Keep:

"This lonely, cold fortress lies in the Altan Tepes mountains, and the only way to reach the fort is by riverboat. The garrison...is supposed to keep an eye on possible invasions from the north and east, and to watch the activities of the frost giants known to live in these wild lands. If you have adventure B2 (The Keep on the Borderlands), you can set it here; eliminate the large town the adventure mentions for the area, and leave only the cold and stubborn garrison."

So, I read this and my first thought was "what is this large town they're talking about?" I ended up spending more time than I probably should have re-reading my old copy of B2 and could find only this (from the "Start" section of the module):

"You have travelled for many days, leaving the Realm and entering into the wilder area of the Borderlands. Farms and towns have become less frequent and travellers [sic] few. The road has climbed higher as you enter the forested and mountainous country."

That's the only mention of any town at all...unless Allston is referring to the community of the Keep itself? i.e. the expected "home base" for beginning adventurers? Is that what he wants to cut from the location, leaving a handful of men-at-arms with no real reason to stay and fight in a fortress that can only be reached "by riverboat?" Do you know how hard it would be to re-provision such a place, considering we are talking about going UPRIVER into the mountains?

Is this a fracking joke? How long are those first level fighters going to be able to last against even a handful of attacking frost giants? Do people understand each giant is a walking siege engine (frost giants do as much damage as a light catapult!)? Castellan Keep would never have gotten built in the first place!

Yeah...no.

No, that's ridiculous. Allston was just riffing off Mentzer and Mentzer was just trying to stash adventures on the map, but you're not going to convince me that this was well thought out. A far more intriguing location for the Keep would be 40-50 miles west, replacing the fortress called "The Duke's Road Keep:"

"This fort lies in the mountain pass on the Duke's Road, right at the border between Karameikos and Darokin. Though also mountainous and cold, this is a more cheerful place because of the constant traffic passing through from Selenica to point south. This fort is garrisoned by the Fourth Division, Duke's Road Battalion (nicknamed "The Goblin -Crushers" for their successful military operations carried out against the mountain goblins)."

Can folks see how this might work better? The place is still three or four days walk from the nearest Karameikan town (Penhaligon) and a week or more from Selenica. It's in "goblin territory" giving a good reason to stash the Caves of Chaos nearby, you have a reason for a thriving community, and a reason for the existing warehouses and inns and stables (passing merchant caravans). Plenty of things for low-level adventurers to do (look into bandit activity, act as caravan guards, sniff out a newly formed Chaos cult organizing the humanoids, etc.). Yes, it still has a river (the "Chutcurgal"...must be a goblin word...) so you can retain your swampy lizard-folk marsh and bandit hideouts,  but it's got a road, too.

And best of all, no frost giants.

For other ideas about re-skinning the Keep, I'd direct you to GusL's essay on the adventure module. But I think you can 'port B2 just fine into GAZ1...if you put it in the right location.

Later, gators.

Land of Ice (Monsters, Part 2)

[continued from here...finally!]

Fen Troll

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 4+2
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1D8+3
No. Appearing: 1-4 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter 2
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: C (+ see below)

Standing seven to nine feet tall, these scaly, hairy humanoids are semi-aquatic, living in swampy grottos occasionally found dotting the icy countryside due to the presence of soil breaking hot springs. Solitary and territorial, when multiples are encountered they are usually a family unit. They have exceptionally sensitive hearing and have been known to travel miles to attack the source of raucous noise and happy celebration. Fen trolls covet shiny baubles and coins and will always have an additional 50 gold marks worth of treasure in their lair.

Frost Worm

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 15*
Move: 60’ (20’)
Attacks: 1 bite/1 sting
Damage: 2D8/1D8 + poison
No. Appearing: 1 (1-4)
Save As: Fighter 5
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: D

The largest land predator in the LAND OF ICE, these huge creatures burrow beneath the ground only surfacing to devour their prey. Frost worms are found mostly in the northernmost section of the continent, strong enough to dig through soft rock and frozen tundra. While lacking the strong tearing jaws of the dragon, their mouth is large enough to swallow most prey whole, including trolls and horses. If the monster’s attack roll is 4 greater than the number needed to hit, the target is swallowed taking an automatic 2D8 damage every round thereafter until digested or cut free. The frost worm has a poisonous tail sting (save versus poison or die) that it may use against creatures to its rear or flank. Treasure possessed is usually undigested material carried in the creature’s innards.

Ghoul

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 2*
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 2 claws or weapons
Damage: D4/D4 or D6/D6
No. Appearing: 1-6 (2-16)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: Nil

A ghoul is a psychic northman whose personality has been consumed in hyper-aggressive psychosis, living only rape, kill, and consume its prey (not necessarily in that order) in a cannibalistic orgiastic frenzy. What’s more, the creature constantly broadcasts a psychic contagion: any individual with psychic talent that is wounded by a ghoul and not killed must save versus poison or become a ghoul within D4 turns. Ghouls are drawn to psychics and seek to increase their community, forming packs of ravenous berserkers bent on destruction. They are relentless in combat, striking twice during their own turn and using filthy, blood-crusted nails like claws, even if disarmed. They have no fear, never check morale, cannot be reasoned with, and are devoid of mercy.

Hawk

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1D4 hit points
Move: flying 480’ (160’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1-2
No. Appearing: 0 (1-2)
Save As: Normal Human
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: Nil

Used by the northmen for hunting, hawks are sometimes found in the wild (and will avoid characters when encountered). A trained hawk can be used to attack or snare small game by a person skilled in falconry.

Herd Animal

Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 3 to 4
Move: 240’ (80’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1D6 or 1D8
No. Appearing: 0 (3-30)
Save As: Fighter 1 or 2
Morale: 5
Treasure Type: Nil

Any of the large fauna, bred and hunted for meat in the LAND OF ICE. A three hit dice animal is usually a large deer or stag, while a four hit dice creature would be something the size of a moose. If panicked to stampede, a herd is capable of trampling any creature that gets in its way.

Hill Troll

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3+1
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2D4
No. Appearing: 2-8 (5-20)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: B

Smaller and hairier than their lowland fen cousins, hill trolls are decidedly sneakier (surprise opponents on a 4 in 6 chance) and more cunning. They can use group tactics, communicating with each other through grunts and snarls, and there has been talk of hill trolls learning man-speech though this is generally considered an outlandish tale. They are completely nocturnal, undergoing temporary paralysis and dermal calcification in strong ultraviolet light (like bright sunlight); however, they quickly recover in darkness.

Horse

Armor Class: See below
Hit Dice: See below
Move: See below
Attacks: See below
Damage: See below
No. Appearing: See below
Save As: See below
Morale: See below
Treasure Type: See below

Save for the fact that they were genetically engineered and bred by the original star-faring ancestors of the northmen, these creatures are the same as those described in the Expert book. A “poor horse” (see the equipment section in Chapter 2) has -1 hit point per hit die and only two-thirds the normal daily overland movement allowance.

Ice Kraken

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8
Move: 90’ (30’)
Attacks: 8 tentacles + bite
Damage: 1D4 x8, 1D8
No. Appearing: 0 (1-2)
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: Nil

A monstrous cephalopod-like creature found near either pole of the planet, they can be encountered in coastal waters during the long winter months when seeking to supplement their diet with extra prey, dragged screaming from the shores (and the occasional ship). Ice kraken are fully capable of dividing their attention (and attacks) between multiple targets, and have the same ability to do hull damage as other large sea creatures (1 hull point for every full 5 hit points of damage inflicted in the round). A humanoid struck by a tentacle has a 75% chance of being grabbed (-1 to victim’s attack rolls per tentacle while grappled) and takes an automatic D4 constriction damage each round thereafter. In addition, the kraken may automatically bite a grabbed opponent (no attack roll needed), though only one such bite attack may be made in a round. The creature's tentacles are especially slick, tough, and covered in chitin-like scales, but an appendage can be severed by an edged weapon doing 8 or more points of damage.

Ice Toad

Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 3*
Move: 60’ (20’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 1D6
No. Appearing: 1D4 (1D4)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: Nil

As tall as a small horse but much heavier, these cold-blooded amphibians have a bony carapace that makes them especially durable in combat, and their coloration can make it difficult to distinguish them in a rocky environment (surprise on a 1-3). Meat eaters, they are not afraid to attack men and can strike from 15’ away, grappling their prey with a strong prehensile tongue, and immediately drawing their target in for a bite attack (D6 damage).

Iceland Wolf

Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2+2
Move: 180’ (60’)
Attacks: 1 bite
Damage: 1D6
No. Appearing: 2-12 (3-18)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8 or 6
Treasure Type: Nil

One of the most common predators of the frozen steppes, the wolves of the LAND OF ICE are large (close to 4’ or more at the shoulder), grizzled, and unafraid of northmen. They hunt in packs and their morale is reduced in smaller numbers (6 instead of 8 when fewer than 4 wolves are encountered or if more than 50% of their number are slain).

Jotun*

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8* (add ** if psychic)
Move: 120’ (40’)
Attacks: 1
Damage: 2D8
No. Appearing: 1-4 (2-8)
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: E (+ see below)

Jotun are the starfaring race originally responsible for the planet-fall of the northmen’s ancestors (see Chapter 1). They resemble giant humanoids (two to three times man height) of mostly foul and twisted countenance, though there are some that are quite beautiful in form. Likewise, the giants are of varying intelligence, with the leadership caste (about 1 in 8 encountered) having incredible technological savvy and the equivalent of psychic talent (see below). Jotun are unharmed by normal weapons.

Jotun are un-bothered by extremes of temperature, including fire, and and do massive amounts of damage in melee combat. They often carry high-tech energy weapons that do 3D6 damage at a range of 200’ (200 yards in the outdoors) with a 5-shot ammunition capacity. They also decorate themselves in jewelry of precious metals and gems, adding the equivalent of 250 gold marks per giant to any other treasure carried.

Jotun leaders are generally larger (+1 or +2 hit dice) and possess psychic talents equivalent to a 3rd or 4th level magician. Such creatures are terribly cunning and prone to whimsy and madness, as well as diabolical sadism. They may have access to tremendous technology and machines outside the scope of this book.

NOTE: Jotun should never be encountered randomly unless player characters are exploring a jotun ship or stronghold. It is up to the DM to decide if and when such monsters will even discover the LAND OF ICE and the descendants of their age-old enemies. Some DMs may choose to keep such creatures purely legendary.

Killing Giants Is My Business...And Business Is Good!

I said earlier that I was going to explain why I don't include G1-3: Against the Giants in my top ten list of all-time favorite adventures, and this is that post.

Let me say right off the bat, that I like the G trilogy...it's definitely up there in the top 15 or so. I've run it at least four or five times (twice completely, once only as G2: Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl).  For a straight up dungeon crawl, it is excellent and a pretty damn tough challenge.

Heck, I even attempted to convert it to D20 when I first got my hands on D&D 3.  Easy enough, except the encounter levels are waaaay out of range of an 8th - 10th level party (even a LARGE party). And the conversions I've seen that nerf the treasure level (to keep in line with the standard D20 fare)...ick. What would a giant chieftain do with only a paltry handful of gold coins. Totally bogus, in my opinion.

OH...and the conversions I've seen remove the Hammer of Thunderbolts. What the F?!

G1-3 is a great "hack and slash" dungeon. Seven levels of monsters of the meanest stripe (GIANTS!) plus assorted beast and DRAGONS.  You really can't complain if you're a DM looking for a fun adventure romp for high level characters.

Let's talk about giants for a moment.  As a monster, one would usually think to encounter them in 1s and 2s. Heck, the oldest fairy tales and modern fantasy include giants as antagonists, but I can't think of a single literary reference where you find more than one at a time. And even for a party of low to mid level characters, a single giant (depending on the type) can be a challenge. A fire giant?  Immune to most of a magic-users offensive spells (the fire ones, in other words) one of those big boys requires A LOT of chopping due to their high hit point totals.

And WHILE the party is chopping away, the fire giant (or any giant) is going to inflict a tremendous amount of damage. High hit dice means a high percentage chance to hit, and of course the damage per blow can be devastating (especially for pre-D20 D&D PCs where hit dice/Constitution bonuses usually ends at level 9, save for some bonus hit points).

Now look at the giant as a society. A tribe or stronghold filled with these behemoths. Holy smokes!

It's like Gygax said, "All right Robilar, you want me to write-up a dungeon crawl for you even though you're 23rd level and outfitted to the teeth with magic items? Try THIS on for size!"

And that's how I like to run the G modules...as a super dungeon ROMP for high level characters. Sure, sure...the party can plot and plan and adopt a cautious strategy for waging a battle of attrition against the giants (such is even suggested in G1: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief). But I prefer the gung ho/gonzo style of blasting their way through group after group of heavily armed opposition in a frantic frenzy of carnage, occasionally finding respite in a random empty room (though I can recall a certain party that used a "hamster ball" tactic with an Ottiluke's resilient sphere to great effect as a method of escaping a particularly brutal encounter in G3: Hall of the Fire Giant King).

The war of attrition may be more "winnable" for lower level characters (I have NOT necessarily found this to be the case), but it is also drawn out and BORING. It's one thing to have PCs retreating from an excursion, resting up, and heading back down into unknown depths.  It is quite another when they know about 85% of what they expect to find ("oh, whadya' know...ANOTHER squad of giants...").

That isn't to say G1-3 isn't worth playing, even for those mid-level 8th to 10th level characters. There are some great tricks, traps, and treasure, not to mention GIANTS and DRAGONS the epitome of fantasy adventure of any stripe.  G1-3 also introduces one of my favorite Gygax created NPCs of all time...not King Snurre or even Eclavdra, but Obmi the Dwarf.  This little runt is so downright mean, vicious, and despicable that he's practically a one-dwarf justification for multi-class all by himself (Obmi is a fighter/thief). His inclusion is one of several things that prevents me from converting the modules to a B/X or Labyrinth Lord format (would even a 12th level Dwarf lord really do him justice? Maybe).

G1-3 is one of the last modules I found in that Montana used book store, and I know this because I'd already discovered Obmi in Gary Gygax's Gord the Rogue books. Finding the NPC in the Giant modules was one helluva' "Easter Egg" for me, and I couldn't wait to sic the dirty little bugger on my PCs.  However, I strangely cannot recall any actual fights between Obmi and my PCs...either they turned out anti-climactic, or he got avoided all together. I just can't remember off-hand.

Anyway, G1-3 is a great series, and I'd be tempted to include it at #10 except for the fact that it is sooooo long.  For some folks, it makes an excellent mini-campaign by itself (assuming you have the PCs or at least the pre-gens for it). For me to include it in my Top 10, I need a slightly smaller scope.