Kage Gordain Chapter 9: The Tunnels

(Read previous chapter here.)

Game System: Tunnels & Trolls

Tools: rpgsolo.com solo engine; John Fours’ 5-Room Dungeons; Age of Fable Treasure Tables; other generators

[Setup]

I realized that I forgot to formally mention that the cave with the Shadow Creatures was Room 4 of the Crossbones Island 5-Room Dungeon, the Final Big Battle or Climax. This adventure will start with Room 5.

[Scene 1-Room 5:Reward, Revelation, or Twist]

“Blessed giant’s grave!” Dalen exclaims, motioning the others over to get a better look.

After catching his breath, the dwarf began to investigate the cave where the four adventurers had just defeated shadow versions of themselves. The cave walls were very irregular and outcroppings blocked their view, leaving many possibilities for entrances to other tunnels or chambers. Dalen rounded one such rock formation to discover a deep alcove filled with various chests, boxes, urns, and sacks.

[4d4=12 Containers. 1d4 for each container to determine the type (chest, small box, sack, urn). Each type required a different number of rolls on my treasure type table (i.e. chest=4 rolls, urn=1 roll). Each roll on the treasure type table directed me to consult either the standard T&T treasure table, Age of Fable’s Treasure Tables, or nothing. There was also a chance that each container was trapped and that any traps might be ineffective due to their age.]

The party begins to carefully open the containers, searching each for traps. The collection contained a variety of coins, weapons, armor, and other odds and ends. Only one box appeared to be trapped, but the mechanism looked old and worn. Still, Sylralei was careful to disarm it just in case it was still working. [Successful L1 INT SR] Inside one chest they found a ring. Another box held a paintbrush. Syl detected magic on both of the items but couldn’t begin to guess what power they held and now was not the time to experiment. A potion was recovered from the same chest that held the ring, unfortunately, it wasn’t labeled. [checked using the “Drink Me” table found on Alea Iactanda Est.]

The most disappointing find among the trove is a moldy, torn (possibly chewed by scrats?) sack that contained the remnants of a book. It appears to be some sort of journal, however, most of the pages are torn or water damaged. Included in the journal is what the group guesses is some sort of treasure map, but the ink on what remains of the page is so splotched and washed away that this conclusion is mere speculation.

“What a shame,” Dalen sighs, examining the damaged book. “This could have been the most interesting thing in the lot.”

In the end, the final tally is as follows (I’ll list gem values, but obviously the PCs won’t know how much each item is worth until it is appraised):

Coins=230cp, 770sp, 660gp

A comb adorned with a sapphire. (300gp)

40’ of rope

2 steel helms, one decorated with coral (5gp).

A sack of unidentified powder

Knife with pearl (100gp) set in the pommel

Ring (of unknown magic)

Potion (unidentified)

Paintbrush (of unknown magic)

[Is there a passageway leaving out of the cave?

(Likely (natural cave was blocked off, probably part of a system) | 9[d10]) Yes]

Further exploration of the cave reveals a second tunnel leading out of the chamber.

“Should we take this stuff back to the ship or explore further?” Kelseen asks.

“Treasure is nice,” Dalen admits, “But it’s not why we are here.”

“We still have no explanation as to what happened to the scouting vessels,” Kristopher adds in agreement. “They obviously weren’t killed by the shadow trap. Perhaps they were killed by jungle creatures, but it’s hard for me to believe that two entire crews, one of which was warned there might be some danger, would have been eliminated. And even if that did happen, where are their ships?”

“You have a point,” Sylralei agrees. “We should press on.”

Kelseen shakes her head. “The cave wall was intact. Whatever happened to them it will not be found in this cave.”

“Unless these caves exit somewhere else on the island or end in another false wall.” Dalen counters.

“Right now we have no guarantee that if we leave this cave the way we came in we will be able to get back in without having to fight the shadow creatures again,” says Sylralei. “I would suggest we explore the tunnel and see what we find. If it’s too extensive or it turns out to be a dead-end we just come back.”

Dalen grabs the lantern and Kelseen joins him at the front of the line. Syl and Kris, holding a torch, follow behind. After several feet, the tunnel splits into (1d4) two branches. [Each branch will require a successful L2 LCK SR to find something of interest (i.e. exit, treasure, etc.), as well as one encounter check. Also, for those keeping track, Syl has regained 3 WIZ during this time.]

The first branch winds into the rock a couple hundred feet before ending in a dead-end. They head back to the split and investigate the other passage. After about 5 minutes they see a faint glow ahead of them.

“There’s light up ahead!” Dalen tells the group. “Maybe it’s another cave.”

The party eagerly moves forward and rounds a bend where the tunnel walls widen. Instead of an exit, they see a lit lantern sitting on the ground. Next to it are three men. One stands alone, sword at the ready. The other two stand next to each other. One is clearly the other’s prisoner, as he has the point of a sword held against his gut.

“Hold it right there!” the man restraining the prisoner commands. “Don’t take another step.”

“Listen, I’ll help you,” the prisoner pleads to his captor. “I promise, just let me go so I can fight.”

“Shut up! Ya think I’m stupid!”

While this exchange is going on, Sly leans forward and quietly whispers in Kel’s ear, “Keep them distracted.”

[Rolled an encounter in the second branch. A few rolls on encounter and reaction tables resulted in 2 Pirates and 1 prisoner with a hostile reaction to the party.  The Pirates passed a L2 LCK roll to detect the approaching PCs, but failed a L2 LCK roll to surprise. The oracle told me that the pirates would use the prisoner as a hostage, but also mentioned an event: Cruelty/Misfortune - PC Negative. My interpretation was that the prisoner would offer to help the pirates. However, an opposing stat roll (Prisoners CHA vs. Pirates INT) determined that the Pirate didn’t believe him.]

“Okay. Okay. You can put that sword down,” Kelseen assures the pirate. “We are not going to attack.”

“I feel more comfortable with it right here,” the pirate says, denying Kelseen's suggestion. “You try anything, he’s the first to die. Who are you and why are you in these caves?”

“We’re shipwrecked on this island . . . just looking for shelter,” Kel lied.

“With weapons drawn? Unlikely. Drop them, all of you, come with . . . Oh, no you don’t!”

While he conversed with Kelseen, the pirate keeps his eyes on all the party members. Syl particularly catches his attention. From her cloak and staff, he suspects she might be a wizard and, when he sees her mouth move he acts quickly, driving the point of his sword into the prisoner. [11 CON damage, dropping the prisoner to -5 CON].  As the stabbed man falls to the ground, Syl finishes casting her Oh Go Away spell. A blank look crosses the pirate's face. He lowers his weapon, turns and begins to walk away in the opposite direction.

[Who made the first move, Syl or the Pirate, was dependent upon a challenge roll between Syl’s SPD and the Pirate’s DEX. Kel failed a CHR roll, meaning she was unable to sufficiently distract the pirate. Syl’s SPD roll would be adjusted by -3.  After assessing the penalty, Syl’s SPD roll totaled 10, the Pirate’s DEX roll totaled 20. The Pirate acted first and stabbed the prisoner.

As for the Oh Go Away spell, there is a chance that the spell will fail, however, since T&T rules base that possibility on a player not knowing the enemy’s stats, I had to modify the mechanics for solo play. I will leave that explanation for the wrap up at the end of this chapter for anyone who is interested. What is important now is that the spell was successful and the pirate was magically compelled to leave the battle.]

The remaining Pirate, seeing his partner leave him to fight alone, thinks better of taking on four-to-one odds and turns to flee. [Fails morale check] Kelseen and Dalen act quick and strike at the fleeing man before he can escape. He is dead before he can take two steps. [Free attack at full strength per SPD SR, Kel and Dalen’s combat roll is enough to kill the Pirate.]

“Quick! Stop him before he can warn others,” Syl commands, directing Kris to go after the retreating Pirate. She then attends to the fallen prisoner, casting Poor Baby on him to slow some of the bleeding. He doesn’t open his eyes, but the elf can tell that the man is still alive.

[At -5, the prisoner is eligible for a roll on my Death Table. The roll determined that he is alive, but with a serious wound. Based on the table found here, he suffered a gall bladder injury and will be spitting up/defecating blood for 1 day. In-game mechanics, whenever he tries to move I will roll a STR SR. He needs a L2 to remain conscious, L3 to do more than just move. Those SR levels drop as he regains CON. He must receive significant medical help within (1d6) 3 days or he will die. Extended rest will only recover 1-3 CON.]

Kristopher easily catches up to the Pirate and grabs him. The man snaps out of his spell induced stupor but is easily overcome and thrown to the ground. [Kris made L2 STR SR] Dalen soon catches up to Kristopher and helps him bind the captured man with a length of his rope.

[The following interrogation was generated using multiple oracle rolls and UNE. Unless the oracle is clear as to the truthfulness of any statement, anything the pirate says will be subject to a “Truth Check” using Alea Iactanda Est’s Rumour Table. Before the conversation, I rolled a CHA SR using Kris’ stats to determine how intimidated the Pirate would be. The result was L1, which meant the pirate will speak freely and there will be no modification to the truth roll.]

By now the wounded prisoner has regained consciousness and Syl and Kel have assisted moving him to where Kris and Dalen were finishing binding the Pirate. Kris begins to grill the man for information.

“Who are you? What are you doing on this island?”

The bound man snorts, “I’m a pirate. What else would I be?”

“How many other pirates are on the island?”

“Besides me and Cooper there are only a few of us. We stopped at this island to restock our food and water. Most of the crew stayed on the ship.” 

“Who’s your Captain?” Kris asked, hoping he’d have a chance to settle the score with Frogbeard, though he knew it was unlikely that this pirate was one of his crew.

“You’ll find out soon enough when he runs you through with his sword.”

“If you are just looking for food, why are you in these caves? Last time I checked pineapples don’t grow underground. And why were you holding that man prisoner?”

“Capt’n wanted us to find a good place to set up a treasure cache. We found these caves and were checking ‘em out. As for the prisoner, he was with us to help haul back any food . . . or feed to the jungle cats if necessary. Y’know, to keep ‘em from eatin’ us.”  He laughs at his own wit.

By this time Kris feels he has extracted as much from the Pirate as he believes he can get. He walks over to where Sylralei is tending to the wounded prisoner.

“How’s he doing?”

“Not well,” the elf answers. “He’s alive and conscious. I cast Poor Baby to slow the bleeding, but his wounds are more serious than a simple healing spell can fix. [See discussion at the end of the chapter]  He’s weak and can barely walk.”

Kris turns to the man. “Hi, my name is Kristopher. What’s yours?”

“Jochim,” he says weakly.

“Jochim, we need some information about this island. Are you able to answer some questions?”

Jochim nods his head.

“Have you been their prisoner for long?”

“A month . . . maybe two. Don’t know. I’m from Sirisea. I . . . we were sent to survey the island.”

“And you were captured when you got to the island?” Kris asked surprised.

Jochim nods again.

“The Pirate who stabbed you said you just arrived at the island to gather food.”

“Lies . . . The island is a safe harbor for the pirates. They built bedhouses, storage rooms, even a jail for us prisoners.”

“How many prisoners?” Syl asks.

“Ten. Most of my crew. Some from another vessel sent to find us and a couple that were already here.”  He coughs violently, spitting up blood.

“It’s okay. Rest.” Syl instructs him.

Jochim raises a hand a few inches in an attempt to wave away her concerns but is too weak and lets it drop back down. “No . . . I can go on. They made us dig in the caves. We only cleared this passage a couple of days ago.”

“To find a hiding place for the captain’s treasure,” Kris finished, more of a statement than a question.

“No.  Looking for treasure.”

“That’s not what the pirate said.”

“He knew. We all knew. Captain Helton was looking for a hidden treasure . . . supposed to be hidden on the island.” [Truth check indicated that the pirate was not telling the truth regarding his knowledge of the treasure.]

“How many pirates are on the island?”

The wounded man closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths before answering. “Not sure. Could be around thirty if the ship is just off-shore, less if it is out to sea. We can’t tell from the jail.” 

[Per Oracle, he couldn’t confirm the number of pirates]

“One more question, then you can rest. Captain Helton, what can you tell us about him?”

“Her,” Jochim corrects Kris. [Truth roll indicated that the pirate’s information about the captain was not completely true.] “Udele Helton. Some of the crew calls her ‘Smelly’ Helton. She has the respect of the crew, but that’s all I really know, other than her first mate is ‘Cruel’ Peyton.”

While Kris spoke with Jochim, Kelseen and Dalen gather around to listen. He asks if any of them have heard about Udele “Smelly” Helton. None had. 

[Scene 2]

After some discussion, the group devises a plan to continue down the tunnel and see what the situation is at the other end. They secure the pirate firmly to a stalagmite and put Jochim in a safe place out of the pirate’s view. Leaving a lantern to provide light for both men, the four adventurers continue along the tunnel, Kris carrying one of the pirate’s short swords.

When they near the end Kris volunteers to go alone and scout out the situation. He comes upon a large wall of stones, boulders, and rubble. In the center of the wall is an opening a few feet wide that appears, from the tool marks and bits of broken rock on the ground, to have been recently excavated. Kris carefully peers through the opening. Sitting against a wall wearing chains are a ragged looking man and woman. He suspects they are two more prisoners. Standing completely in the cave are three pirates, one of which is female. Kris wonders if that is “Smelly” Helton, but quickly dismisses the thought when it is clear that she lacks any air of authority. Just outside the cave entrance, Kris can see other pirates milling about. He thinks there might be only two, but can’t be certain. He remains for a couple of minutes before heading back to tell the others. [Kris easily made a L1 LCK roll to successful spy on the group without being seen]

“Back in the Bronze Horn we had a system of ‘lure and ambush’ that should work,” Kris suggests.  “We’ll hide and I’ll call out to them, doing my best to sound like the pirate. When they pass by, we attack.”

All are in agreement.. Once they have found hiding places Kris calls out.

“We found the treasure! Could use a little help carryin’ it out!”

[Scene 3]

“. . . Could use a little help carryin’ it out!”

Up in the cave, the short, yet muscular, female pirate grows excited and begins to head for the opening recently made through the cave wall.  ‘Cruel’ Peyton, however, puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from going any further.  He can’t be sure with the echo, but he doesn’t think the voice sounds like Clifford Penny.

“Mr. Penny,” the first mate calls back. “Do you have your dagger?”

The other pirate looks questioningly at her supervisor as they wait for a response. After a long hesitation, they hear, “Yeah. Got it right here.”

“What’s that about,” the female asks. “Why do you care if he has his dagger?”

“A while back I caught Penny on patrol without his dagger. As punishment I made him clean the entire ship’s deck with nothing but a hand brush. Since then, whenever I ask about his dagger his answer is always the same. ‘For you Peyton, I’ve got two.’ That is not Clifford Peyton!”

[Scene 4]

Kristopher looks across the tunnel at Dalen who is crouched behind a pile of boulders. “Why is he asking about my dagger?”

Dalen shrugs but keeps silent waiting for a response or the sounds of people coming through the tunnel. After a while, the voice sounds again.

“C’mon out with what you got! I want to see some of it first before we all head in there.”

“Giants!” Dalen curses. “They’re onto us!”

End of Chapter 9

[Chapter Wrap-Up]

Syl told Kris the prisoner’s wound were, “more serious than a simple healing spell can fix.” Mechanically, this statement is probably not true. When a PC gets fried by a dragon, yet survives with at least 1 hit point, enough healing spells and potions can bring him back to full health in a short amount of time, possibly before the party moves on to the next room. Syl has enough WIZ to heal Jochim to a state better than he was before being stabbed and still have enough WIZ to deal about 30 CON of damage with TTYF. However, this would make the roll on the “serious wound” table rather pointless. Therefore, to honor the table and “raise the stakes,” I am going to rule that while magic can maintain Jochim’s stability, the wound will require greater attention than Syl can offer to permanently stop further damage. Mechanically, I will require him to make a SR simply to move or remain conscious and, if he is not cared for in three days (medic on naval boat will be sufficient), he will drop to 0 CON and die. I also leave open the possibility of a slow CON drain during that time, depending on how things go.

Oh Go Away!  This is a T&T spell that compels the victim to simply walk away. Officially, a wizard is supposed to declare they are casting the spell before they know their opponent’s stats. Then the wizard’s combined INT, LCK, and CHA is compared to the same of the opponent (or MR if it is a monster). If the wizard’s is higher, the opponent is affected by the spell.

This doesn’t exactly work for solo play, as my PC’s will always know the stats they have to beat and would easily avoid wasting WIZ on a spell that fails to work. To account for this I changed the way the spell works. Basically, the wizard and opponent each roll a d6. If the wizard rolls higher the spell worked. However, the more experienced the wizard is compared to the opponent increases their chances of winning the roll. As with the original spell, the Wizard’s INT, LCK, and CHA is compared to the opponent's stats or MR. If the difference is four or less in either direction, each combatant rolls a single die. If the difference is greater than five, the opponent with the higher number gets to roll an additional die for every additional 5 points (5-9=+1d6, 10-14=+2d6, 15-19=3d6, and so on.). The highest die roll is then compared to the opponent. If a tie, the entire roll is repeated.

For instance, a Wizard has stats equalling 28 against a 35 MR monster. The monster wins by 7 points, giving him an additional 1d6. Wizard rolls a 4. Monster rolls a 1 and a 5. The monster’s 5 beats the wizard’s 4.

However, if the monster only had a 15 MR, the wizard would roll a total of 3d6. (28-15=13. 13/5=2.6 or 2 dice)

(Read next chapter here.)