Hell's Own Temple

Here's a little treat for folks on a Friday before Halloween.

Hell's Own Temple is a short adventure I penned a couple months back for Prince of Nothing's No Artpunk Contest. Sadly (for my ego), my entry was not among the contest winners (the top eight submissions were pretty darn spectacular), but Prince still had some kind words for my attempt at a high level, one-off adventure.

Since it didn't make the cut for the compilation volume (Prince does plan on including it in a supplemental book along with all the runners-up), I've decided to make the adventure available to my blog readers. It's short (only about 10 pages) and not tarted up for publication, but it should be complete enough to run; you can download the files here:

Hell's Own Temple

Map 1

Map 2

There is no overland map of the island, although my original model for the thing was Easter Island, whose map can be easily found on the internet. My original concept was actually an island assault, but I scaled the whole thing waaaay back in order to meet the contest parameters (this also helped with the time crunch I was under). More background info can be found in this old blog post, for the interested.

An AD&D adventure suitable for six to eight PCs of 10th-14th level. Happy Halloween!

; )

High Level Work

September 1st, and the kids are off to school (at least till noon) for their first day of the school year. It does feel like summer's over...and I'm not terribly sad about it. Autumn has always been my favorite time of year.

I wonder if I'll still feel like that when they're grown and gone. 

*sigh* Melancholy thoughts.

Got through the soccer weekend...our matches went 6-0, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 and we came home with the trophy. My kid was a beast. I'd rather watch my own children play soccer then watch the Seahawks; funny how that it is. The drive back wasn't nearly as bad (three-and-a-half hours as opposed to five). 

Spent several morning hours Monday and Tuesday writing my adventure for Prince's contest. Got the thing done by the afternoon (no small feat considering everything else on my plate, including preparations for the start of school). Ended up being about ten pages (plus maps). I am, of course, less than happy with how it turned out, but that was going to be a given...no proofreading, no chance to edit, no chance to play test. Plus, me being me, I'm usually less than thrilled with my published work. Usually.

However, I'm not the judge of the matter. Prince's plan is to take the best eight to so submissions and compile them in a single book which will be sold (I believe) for charity. He received double that number...including my own humble work...which gives me a 50-50 chance of making the cut. 50% of being my first, published AD&D adventure. 

First days indeed. Never did complete that module for my B/X Companion.

[yes, I realize I did that thing for Patrick's adventure writing contest. That was more a challenge of inserting content into a predetermined format than creating an adventure from whole cloth]

For the interested folks: the adventure is a "short" excursion for high level (10th to 14th) characters. Originally conceived as an invasion/sacking adventure, the scale of the contest had me pare down the thing to (more or less) a single dungeon...a return to a location that had already been invaded/sacked, but that had more secrets to reveal. Spurning the usual demon cultist thing, I turned to the OTHER big baddies of the MM...the devils...to give me my adventure theme. I ended up using just about every "lawful evil" monster in the book.

Except beholders. I haven't written (or used) an adventure that included a beholder since I was 12 years old. One of these days, I'll go back to that particular well...

10th to 14th level is an interesting range of player characters. Generally, AD&D characters have hit their "name" level by then, and the experience point needs have leveled out (no pun intended). That is to say, a 10th level fighter needs just as many x.p. as the 14th level fighter to advance. Likewise hit points differences are far more compact between such characters (a +6 difference between a 12th and 14th? That's hardly a single dice roll difference, especially considering CON bonuses). 

Spell use, special abilities (especially turning), and access to powerful magic items DO, on the other hand, represent a significant difference between high level and the low-mid range, and these are the major hurdle for the DM seeking to create significant challenges for high level characters. However, AD&D is as much a resource-driven game at the high levels as it is at the low levels...all of these miraculous powers have their limits, even (and especially) in Advanced D&D.

This is why I found Prince's contest so particularly exciting. Use by the book monsters and magic items. Limit yourself to a single edition. Considering these constraints, and whether or not simple monsters could be made dangerous for high level characters in the space allotted (20-30 "rooms")...especially with my own personal constraint of a Lawful Evil-themed adventure (no vampires! no demons! no red dragons!)...well, now, THAT was a challenge!

[I know Alexis will be gritting his teeth at all this alignment talk. The adventure was written to use AD&D RAW...those were the design parameters. The adventure can still be run without alignment, and very little "fun" lost]

Much of the adventure's design was inspired by (or stolen from) my activities over the summer: Yellowstone, the Lewis & Clark Caverns, Fort Casey, and Orcas Island, as well as various blog posts and news stories I've been reading. The two levels of the temple are clearly modeled on the U.S. National Cathedral. Reflections on lies and hell and musings on how to make devils "interesting." Anthony Huso's essays on high level play. Etc.

[nothing related to Covid, Afghanistan, or politics (thank goodness). I've enough of that]

And despite my being "less-than-happy" with the quality of my writing, I'm fairly happy with the results of the design over all. I'd like to run/test it...and my kids are certainly excited to play it (they wanted to play test it before I emailed the thing to Prince; unfortunately, I was working with a tight deadline). Of course, they don't have high level characters, so I'd have to make some pre-gens for that to happen, and that is a tall order: you're not just talking a few stats and an equipment list, but followers and henchmen and strongholds, etc. Because those things are a part of "high level play," too.

[one might consider such NPCs as "bonus" hit points, attacks, and spells]

But we'll get something done. Probably not this week (still finishing up our Blood Bowl tournament...plus I'm coaching school soccer again). But soon...before the month is out.

Anyway, if the adventure does make Prince's cut, folks will be able to access it once he's done with his compilation. Otherwise, I'll give the thing a couple polishing passes and make it available myself. Just for fun. Just dipping my toe in the adventure-writing arena. See what people think, get some feedback, etc. I mean, why not?

By the way, the module's name is Hell's Own Temple, altered from a longer (and more pretentious) title. It is "modular"...that is, designed to be dropped into any campaign (well, maybe not a landlocked one, as it takes place on an island), so long as the campaign's run with first edition AD&D. The adventure is written using ONLY the PHB, DMG, and MM; no other books are required...and, in fact, I strongly suggest NOT using additional rulebooks when running it (especially not Unearthed Arcana). 

I will, of course, let people know when it's available.

; )

It's That Time of Year Again...

...the time of rolling blackouts in Asuncion, that is.

Summertime here is a bitch, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, and once again our home has had the power knocked out, almost assuredly due to everyone in the neighborhood running too many air conditioners. It's so strange...all around you see Santa decorations, Christmas trees (all fake), and snowflake art, but it's all a sham. The "white Christmas" tradition is something that belongs to the northern hemisphere of our planet; there isn't even a word in Guaranii for "snow."

I wonder how many swimsuits will be under fake Christmas trees this year. It's bikini season in the malls.

ANYway...thanks to the independent backup power our internet has (we didn't really get why the cable folks installed it back when we were first getting on-line...now it's readily apparent), I can still blog and use my laptop. At least till the power runs out.

Merry F'ing Christmas, Paraguay.

But, man, it is hot. My iPhone was outside for ten minutes and over-heated to the point of shutdown (just like a Battlemech! It had a little thermometer icon with a frowny face that I'm sure every BT pilot has seen at some point during a heated battle...). And I find myself wondering: do I really want to try to catch a showing of that Star Wars movie in a theater here? What if the power goes out halfway through the showing? What a frustration that would be!

I'm sitting in a cool, dark room at the moment and sweat is still pouring off my face.

Anyway, I'll be heading out to Mexico in a few days and I won't have to worry about it for a bit. Ha! How many Americans consider a trip to Mexico to be an upgrade in comfort, technology, and overall quality of life? But there it is...other than the cartels recently moving into Veracruz and the increase of random gang violence, Mexico is going to be a real treat for my family. My wife asked if it was okay if we could stay a couple extra days. A couple extra days away from Paraguay? Eating great food? Of course it's okay!

Ope! Power's back on. And currently 97 degrees and climbing...an oppressive, humid heat. I'm going to be humming the Heat Miser song for the next few days. "I'm Mr. Green Christmas, I'm Mr. Sun..."

Thursday Thief Musings

Ugh…when I got up this morning after an incredibly restless evening (it’s lie Albuquerque here, except you can’t buy Tanqueray (gin) at the 7-11), determined to NOT spend time blogging, so as to catch up on some work. Problem is, the moment I step into the office, a couple-three-or-four ideas pop into my head and I feel the need to get ‘em down and out onto the blog-o-sphere prior to losing them.

Part of this is I enjoy writing at work. This is a BAD thing, because my work is not one that allows for a lot of writing, especially not the creative kind. But at work, I have all those tools I don’t have at home…a rattle-proof internet connection, a full desktop computer (and a desk!), double screens, a quiet cubicle, and a comfy (for me at least) chair…plus hours of time uninterrupted by the call of the beagles, my wife, or the day-to-day chores of maintaining a household. I sit down and the mind opens as in a waking meditation.

Ah, well…I’ll try to keep it short.

I said earlier that this week was Thief Week, here at Ye Olde Blackrazor, and while I’ve only got three or so posts going on here, I’ve been reading and commenting other folks’ thief posts around the ‘Net. Thieves, I suppose, are in the air.

So talking about thieves and what it is they do, I can see why they’re percentages to accomplish things are so low. I mean, I’d have to check my Moldvay, but I’m pretty sure that ANY PC has a 1 in 6 (17%) chance of finding a trap, and thieves don’t even get above THAT until 3rd level…10% at 1st, 15% at 2nd, 20% (finally) at 3rd.

I can already hear folks saying: What’s up with that? This is supposed to be the thief character’s forte, and yet a fumble fingered 1st level Veteran, fresh from the war, has a better chance of finding a trap?!

I used to think this was kind of silly. Those folks over at D20 apparently do to, as they just gave everyone the same skills (search, for example) but made thieves the experts at it. Of course, a lot of “good ideas” from D20 have turned out to be retarded, missing the point by a fairly wide mark, and this is yet another example.

Thieves ARE the designated trap finder of an adventuring party. If there’s a thief in the party, no one is going to, say, tap the fighter or (gods no!) the cleric to look for that poisoned needle. The thief was brought along to perform a job, and by gum, if they want their share of the treasure, they better get to it. Call it the Bilbo Baggins Clause (in fine print, bottom of the contract).

That’s an awful lot of pressure for a guy. Unlike myself, cheerfully plugging along in relative comfort and seclusion, the thief is in the dark, in a grimy hole of a dungeon, working by torchlight, knowing full well the danger he’s putting himself in (the blissfully unaware fighter just sticks his hand into the hole, “duh, should I be careful?”), plus he’s got a half dozen armed mercenary types staring at his back while he’s doing it, getting ready to dock his pay should he slip up. Assuming he doesn’t get killed by the trap himself.

Most people would have a difficult time working under these kinds of conditions. A person needs a lot of presence of mind (and coolness of hand) to ignore both their own fear and the stench of it being generated by others. At 1st level, a thief is still getting used to this whole adventuring idea in the first place. At 2nd level, he’s wondering if he’s just been lucky, and he’s still sweating. By 3rd level he is confident and competent (and perhaps starting to get cocky…20% just ain’t that great!).

Oh, before I forget: has everyone read the Thieves description in Moldvay (page B10) regarding how thieves “can disarm small traps (such as poison needles)?” The emphasis is mine. Some people miss this and believe a thief can disarm ANY trap. Such is not the case. A thief can FIND traps, and then he and the party can devise a method of avoiding or counteracting them, but only SMALL traps can be disarmed…NOT spiked pits, rock falls, scything blades, rolling boulders, etc. How is a thief going to disarm that lava slide trap in the Tomb of Horrors, I ask you!

Let’s talk about the thieves tools of the trade; I believe they’re 25 gold pieces to purchase no matter which version of D&D you’re playing (though I admit I may be completely mis-remembering). What exactly are thieves tools?

“A set of lockpicks!” says the eager beaver down in front. Ok…and a shop keeper is going to sell these, why? What merchant sells a thief tools that can be used to burgle his establishment? Ridiculous!

When I think of a 1st level thief’s “lock picks” I’m thinking iron spike + mallet. At 2nd level it includes a crowbar. Maybe by 3rd level he’s put together a set of thin metal tools to manipulate locks, but chances are the thief has had to manufacture these himself to his own specification. It’s not like there’s an Acme lock pick factory churning out nice little packages at 25 gps a pop, like those ratchet sets you buy at Home Depot. Even the village (what, machinist? Who makes lanterns?) is probably NOT crafting lock picks for local thieves…not if the constabulary has anything to say about it.

Now it’s quite possible in a fantasy world filled with “thieves guilds” that the master thief has bequeathed a set to the young apprentice, possibly as part of his training (perhaps the 25 gps is the cost of “tuition” in thief school). Of course, this can make things problematic for thieves that somehow lose their tools. First they need to find a guild (not an easy task outside a large town), then they need to convince the guild to sell them a new set of tools…probably after making sure their guild dues are paid up. Which is fine for the wealthy thief of Greyhawk or Specularum…what about the kid whose home base is the Keep on the Borderlands? No guild there!

I prefer to think the thief acquires his tools of the trade in the “old fashioned way:” he crafts them himself. The 25 gold pieces is the initial outlay for materials (clay for molds, soft metal for the forging, fuel for a small furnace or the “rental fee” of a local blacksmith). As a thief increases in level, not only does his skill increase, but the craftsmanship of his tools increase. In between adventures (during that time when the “leveling up” occurs) the thief is re-smelting and re-crafting his tools, or perhaps creating all new ones. The lock pick set of a 14th+ level thief are going to be marvelous works of craftsmanship, light and dexterous, while still strong and flexible as opposed to the clunky hammer and railroad spike of the 1st level thief. This DIY version of the thieves tools leaves out any question as to why a merchant sells lock pick sets, and makes the guild unnecessary for the plying of one’s trade.

Just some things to think about. Ok…now back to work!

Hotter Than H-E-Double Hockey Stick

It is 102 degrees in Seattle...the record highest temperature in recorded history, and us temperate natives are melting while Californian transplants prance about with happy smiles (actually, that's not true...everyone is bitching and who can blame us?).

I have some free time to write, and should be working on my B/X Companion, but instead find myself listlessly surfing other peoples' blogs.  O the humanity!  I did get three pages written up at lunch (the classes from Part 2...all complete), but there are only three or four spells left, and I need to start writing blurbs...not to mention figuring out the magic item lists (have a couple ideas...a new category of books, I think, either separate or part of the scrolls...and of course, plenty o weapons for those high level fighters to be on par with their spell-slinging buddies), AND the new mass combat rules.

I always enjoyed the simplicity of Mentzer's battle system (never did warm up to the AD&D2 version), but I kind of want something distinct. I find myself completely intrigued by two things I've never owned: Chainmail and Swords & Spells. Truly, I'd like to get my hands on BOTH for perusal, but if I HAD to make a choice, I think I'd really want to read the later work.

My understanding of Chainmail is that it is a rules set for a medieval wargame...with some magic and monsters thrown in. OD&D is based off it, and B/X is extremely close to OD&D, so it would seem the Chainmail rules would be the easiest to adapt to a mass combat system.

However, Swords & Spells was published AFTER the advent of OD&D...about 4 years by my reckoning (Gygax's campaign starting in 1972, right?). As an old wargamer who thence adapted his play style to OD&D, I would think that the 1976 Swords & Spells would have been the culmination of 4+ years of thought on how best to work OD&D in a mass combat fashion. And since B/X is extremely close to OD&D...well, you can see why I'm intrigued.

Of course, the reviews all pan it. Don't even like to consider it part of the OD&D canon. This also intrigues me, and not just because I am a contrarian at heart (thieves roll D4 damn it, not D6!). I just can't help but think there are some ideas to mine in the book...things that folks haven't looked at too hard because it interfered with their preferred style of play.

Dammit!  I want a copy! 

Since it doesn't look like I'm going to be very productive in the near future (too damn hot, plus I've got a plethora of projects around the house in preparation for the in-laws arrival), maybe I should just surf around and look for a copy...either on eBay or for download. Normally, I am NOT a proponent of illegal downloading, but if WotC has "locked the vault" well...what's a guy to do?

[By the way...finishing up the classes gave me a lot of ideas for how to run dominions which is going to be much of the Part 4: Adventure chapter (I think); I hope to make it both simpler, and more interesting than Mentzer's version...no offense, Frank...wish me luck!]