My One Page Dungeon Contest 2015 Entry

This year, I entered the One Page Dungeon Contest for the first time. My entry does not aim to be earth-shattering or genre-defying or anything other an introductory adventure with the potential for multiple avenues of expansion. It is designed for use with any system, although for my own purposes I would stat it for Swords & Wizardry White Box or OD&D. Eventually, I'll run it for one of my gaming groups and post a session report.

As always, comments are welcome.

View, print, and/or download Goblin Shrine of the Spidergods.

#1pdc #OnePageDungeonContest

Random Psychic Power Generator Example 2

Here is another example of the Random Psychic Power Generator in action. Once again, I rolled 3d6 in order and generated another lackluster character:

Strength: 6
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 12
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 11
Charisma: 13

Unlike the first example, this character actually has an above average attribute (Charisma) and only one below average attribute (Strength). The highest class-related attribute is Wisdom, so I'll make her a cleric. Of Chaos. Meet Kyraptica, Priestess of Phlaagra.

Rolling All Dice, my results were d4: 3; d6: 5; d8: 5; d10: 6; d12: 1; d20: 1.

The d4: Psychic Fuel

With a roll of 3, Kyraptica's Psychic Fuel is her Constitution, which is average. She is fortunate she does not have to draw upon her Strength to fuel her Power.

The d6: Psychic Focus

With a roll of 5, her Psychic Focus is Intelligence and Charisma. Her Intelligence is average, but her Charisma has a bonus of +1, which is added to her roll whenever she uses her Psychic Power.

The d8: Psychic Rejuvenation

With a roll of 5, Kyraptica restores her lost Constitution by merely clapping, for which she regains 1d4 points. She may do this once per day. (She can clap all day if she likes, but she will still only regain 1d4 points.)

The d10: Psychic Enhancer

With a roll of 6, her Psychic Enhancer is a gong. Kyraptica's cult makes use of the gong in ceremonies, so it's a multipurpose musical instrument. The reverberations caused by striking a gong intensify her concentration and give her a +1 bonus to Psychic Power rolls.

The d12: Psychic Failure Consequence

With a roll of 1, any failed Psychic Power roll results in psychic paralysis for 3d6 rounds, during which time she is effectively non-psychic. This may seem like a minor setback, but in the presence of another psychic it is tantamount to revealing that you are dangerous and then dropping your weapons, shield, and armor.

The d20: Psychic Power

With a roll of 17, Kyraptika's Psychic Power is Pyrokinesis, which suits her fiery temperament. This is the paranormal ability to produce and control fire with the mind. Control can be maintained as long as complete concentration is possible. Anything that interferes with concentration requires another Psychic Power roll to be made.

Summary

Kyraptica, Priestess of Phlaagra, has the gift of Pyrokinesis, which marks her as chosen by her deity to spread the message (and Chaos, which is pretty much the same thing). Her use of this gift drains her health, but she can revitalize herself by merely clapping her hands. Her control of the gift is guided by the strength of her personality and by the sounding of a sacred gong, which she carries with her. Should she stumble in the use of her Power, however, she loses that Power and all of its defenses until she can summon her resolve.

[Edit: I changed the term "Wild Talent" to "Psychic Power." 2015-05-13]

Random Psychic Power Generator Example

To demonstrate how the Random Psychic Power Generator may be used, I rolled up a character and applied the results. I rolled 3d6 in order, and the Fates were not kind:

Strength: 7
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 8
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 9
Charisma: 8

This poor soul qualifies as a Hopeless Character with four below average attributes and two average attributes, but such is life. The highest attribute is Dexterity, so I'll make him a thief named Shufflo. It's really a nickname because he shuffles everywhere, except when he's on a job — then he is light on his feet. No one but a fellow member of his Thieves' Guild would ever suspect him of being a burglar.

Rolling All Dice, my results were d4: 1; d6: 2; d8: 3 d10: 1; d12: 12; d20: 8.

The d4: Psychic Fuel

With a roll of 1, Shufflo's Psychic Fuel is his Strength. Each time he uses his Psychic Power, his Strength is reduced by 1 point (as if it wasn't low enough already).

The d6: Psychic Focus

With a roll of 2, his Psychic Focus is Wisdom. Unfortunately, he has little of that at hand, so his roll when using his Psychic Power will carry his Wisdom penalty of -1.

The d8: Psychic Rejuvenation

With a roll of 3, Shufflo is a bit luckier. The method by which his Psychic Fuel (Strength) is restored is simple immersion in water, which restores 1d4 points. This happens each time he immerses himself completely in water. To qualify for the rejuvenation of Strength points, he must be completely dry between immersions. He'd better not be a hydrophobe.

The d10: Psychic Enhancer

With a roll of 1, his Psychic Enhancer is crystal. Shufflo's grandmother once gave him a small crystal, telling him to rub it when he was worried about something, and it would put his mind at ease. Coincidentally, Shufflo's Psychic Power becomes easier to control when he is in the presence of crystalline structures, so every time he rubs that crystal as he uses his power, he gets a +1 to his Psychic Power roll, which negates his Wisdom penalty.

The d12: Psychic Failure Consequence

With a roll of 12, the consequences of failure to control his power result in physical injury. That's 1d6 hit points of damage each time he fails his Psychic Power roll. If he were wise (which, obviously, he isn't), he would wait to experiment with his power until he were more experienced or had an edge. Just what is that power anyway?

The d20: Psychic Power

With a roll of 8, his Psychic Power is Etherealness, the ability to become noncorporeal in the physical world, and even to travel to the Ethereal Plane of Existence. In this regard the Fates have been kind indeed, for here is a thief with the power to walk through solid walls. It may come with a risk, but here is a means for a burglar with no special talent to do the impossible.

Summary

Shufflo the Thief, a nondescript nobody who survives by stealing, has a secret talent, a Psychic Power, that enables him to walk through walls, perhaps even to pass into a higher plane of existence. He is a phantom, but his power weakens him, and he is not a strong man. Luckily, a simple plunge into ordinary water miraculously revitalizes him. He is not especially wise, but the crystal his grandmother gave him seems to help him control the power, so he is never without it. The power comes with a great risk, however, for should his control of it falter, his body may suffer grievous wounds.

[Edit: I changed the term "Wild Talent" to "Psychic Power." 2015-05-13]

Random Psychic Power Generator and Psychic Combat Simulator

[This article is my contribution to Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day 2015.]

These rules are my version of psionics intended for use with Swords & Wizardry White Box, but they are compatible with any version of Swords & Wizardry (or any version of the Original Fantasy Role-Playing Game). They could also be used for any role-playing genre using Swords & Wizardry (or similar games) as a framework.

Psionics can easily unbalance a game, so I decided to design my rules in such a way that emphasizes the unpredictability and relative unreliability of psychic abilities. In some fiction (and even in some alleged nonfictional accounts), psychic powers are described as Wild Talents. Why and how they manifest is not fully understood, and they can typically only be tapped with sporadic success. Despite attempts to study these phenomena from a scientific (i.e. parapsychological) perspective, they have consistently defied, well, consistency. Apart from debunking hoaxes, the realm of the paranormal yet lies beyond our ability to scrutinize it objectively. In that spirit, I present a random generator for your psychic role-playing needs. I thought the Roll All Dice method was appropriate to the subject, but some explanations are in order.

To generate a random Psychic Power for any player character or non-player character, merely roll 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and 1d20. What qualifies a player character to roll for a Psychic Power depends on the discretion of the referee, but if more than one Power is desired for a given character, it is recommended that only the d20 be rolled again for further Powers. All Powers for a given character should share the same Psychic Fuel, Psychic Focus, Psychic Rejuvenation, Psychic Enhancer, and Psychic Failure Consequence.

To use a Psychic Power, a character must make a saving throw, with a bonus or penalty applied according to his or her Psychic Focus and (if applicable) Psychic Enhancer.

Psychic Fuel is the attribute that is drained each time the character uses a Psychic Power even if the attempt fails. If the attribute falls into a bracket that would deprive the character of a bonus or impose a penalty, such is the result until the attribute is restored.

Psychic Focus is the bonus or penalty to a character's Psychic Power saving throw based on the bonuses or penalties a character gets for certain attributes.

Psychic Rejuvenation is the specific method by which a character may have his or her Psychic Fuel attribute restored (apart from the usual methods such as healing in the case of hit points or certain spells in the case of actual attributes).

Psychic Enhancer is the specific object or element that the character may use, if present, to increase his or her chances of succeeding in using a Psychic Power. This is a bonus that is added, along with the Psychic Focus bonus, to the saving throw.

Psychic Failure Consequence is what happens to the character whenever he or she fails a Psychic Power saving throw in addition to being unable to manifest the Power effectively.

Psychic Power, of course, is the psychic ability itself. They are largely self-explanatory, and referees may modify them as desired. Powers, once activated, occur immediately and remain in effect until concentration is broken. Certain effects, such as damage caused or cured, last normally. Powers that affect an unwilling target may entitle the target to its own saving throw to resist its effects. Deliberate distractions, injury, or extended periods of concentration may require additional Psychic Power saving throws to maintain concentration, each of which reduces the character's Psychic Fuel attribute.


Random Psychic Power Generator
(Roll All Dice)


Psychic Fuel
That upon which the Psychic Power draws
(Each use drains 1 point from indicated attribute.)

Roll 1d4

1. Strength
2. Dexterity
3. Constitution
4. Hit Points


Psychic Focus
That which harnesses the Psychic Power
(Apply bonus/penalty from indicated attribute/s.)

Roll 1d6

1. Intelligence
2. Wisdom
3. Charisma
4. Intelligence and Wisdom
5. Intelligence and Charisma
6. Wisdom and Charisma


Psychic Rejuvenation
That which restores the Psychic Fuel
(Attributes reduced by use of Psychic Power may be restored by indicated method.)

Roll 1d8

1. Meditation (1 point per hour)
2. Chanting (2 points per hour)
3. Complete immersion in water (1d4 points)
4. Complete immersion in mud (1d6 points)
5. Clapping (1d4 points, once per day)
6. Assumption of sacred postures (1d6 points, once per day)
7. Sleep (1d8 points per night)
8. Suspended animation (all points restored; minimum one week)


Psychic Enhancer
That which heightens control over the Psychic Power
(Apply +1 bonus when indicated Enhancer is present.)

Roll 1d10

1. Crystal
2. Fire
3. Water
4. Wind
5. Mirror
6. Gong
7. Bell
8. Chime
9. Amulet
10. Body Art


Psychic Failure Consequence
That which befalls one who fails to control the Psychic Power

Roll 1d12

1. Psychic paralysis (inability to exercise Psychic Power) for 3d6 rounds.
2. Nosebleed for 3d6 rounds.
3. Double vision for 3d6 rounds (-2 penalty to appropriate actions).
4. Mute for 3d6 rounds.
5. Unconsciousness for 3d6 rounds.
6. Dizziness for 1d4 rounds (will fall or move in random direction).
7. Stunned for 1d6 rounds.
8. Blindness for 1d8 rounds (-4 penalty to appropriate actions).
9. Deafness for 1d10 rounds.
10. Overpowering headache for 1d12 rounds (concentration impossible).
11. Nausea for 1d20 rounds (concentration impossible; vomiting probable).
12. Physical injury (1d6 hit points of damage).


Psychic Power
The nature of the Psychic Power
(All Psychic Powers manifest instantaneously and last as long as concentration is maintained.)

Roll 1d20

1. Astral Projection (as the spell Astral Spell).
2. Cellular Adjustment (as the spells Cure Light Wounds and/or Cure Disease).
3. Clairaudience (enables one to hear sounds in distant or obstructed locations).
4. Clairvoyance (enables one to see things in distant or obstructed locations).
5. Cryokinesis (enables one to mentally control coldness).
6. Density Control (enables one to float like a feather, walk on water, etc.).
7. Empathy (enables one to sense and project emotions).
8. Etherealness (enables one to assume ethereal form).
9. Hypnotic Suggestion (as the spell Suggestion).
10. Levitation (as the spells Levitate and/or Fly).
11. Mind Control (as the spells Charm Person and/or Charm Monster).
12. Mind Reading (as the spell Detect Thoughts (ESP)).
13. Mind Shield (protects one from magical scrying and psychic detection).
14. Precognition (enables one to see flashes of future events).
15. Psychic Invisibility (as the spell Invisibility).
16. Psychometry (enables one to read psychic impressions on objects and places).
17. Pyrokinesis (enables one to mentally control fire and heat).
18. Telekinesis (as the spell Telekinesis).
19. Telepathy (enables one to communicate with thought).
20. Teleportation (as the spells Dimensional Portal and/or Teleport).


Psychic Combat Simulator


Beings with Psychic Powers may engage in combat with one another or with non-psychic beings by using their Psychic Attack Bonus, which is equal to their level or, in the case of monsters, their hit dice. (Thus a 5th level magic-user — or fighter, or cleric — who happens to have a Psychic Power would have a Psychic Attack Bonus of +5.) This operates exactly like a Base Hit Bonus. To make a psychic attack, a character must roll 1d20, add the Psychic Attack Bonus, and equal or exceed the defender's Psychic Defense Rating (in the manner of Ascending Armor Class), which is equal to the defender's Wisdom. Psychic beings add their Psychic Focus and Psychic Enhancer (if applicable) to their psychic attack rolls and their Psychic Defense Rating. For monsters that lack a Wisdom attribute, the referee may roll randomly as follows: 1d6 for lower animals, 2d6 for higher animals, 3d6 for sentient species, 4d6 for superhuman/supernatural beings.

In a psychic duel, both combatants attack and defend simultaneously each round. The effects of successful hits by both are counted and inflict damage even if one of the characters is killed or defeated during the round. In a conflict between a psychic being and a non-psychic being, the latter may only defend against psychic attacks, but may engage in other actions such as physical combat, spellcasting, etc.

Psychic attacks, just like uses of a Psychic Power, reduce the attacker's Psychic Fuel attribute by 1 point.

If a psychic attack is successful, the attacker causes 1d6 points of damage to the defender's Psychic Fuel attribute, or, in the case of non-psychic beings, the defender's Wisdom. If the Psychic Fuel attribute is reduced to 0, the defender dies. If the non-psychic defender's Wisdom is reduced to 1 or 2, he or she effectively becomes a robot under the attacker's command. If the defender's Wisdom is reduced to 0, the defender dies.

Summary of Psychic Combat

• Psychic Attack Bonus = character level or monster hit dice of psychic being.
  
• Psychic Defense Rating = Wisdom.
  
• To make a psychic attack against a psychic defender, roll 1d20 + Psychic Attack Bonus + Psychic Focus + Psychic Enhancer equal to or greater than defender's Psychic Defense Rating + Psychic Focus + Psychic Enhancer. A successful hit reduces defender's Psychic Fuel attribute by 1d6.
  
• To make a psychic attack against a non-psychic defender, roll 1d20 + Psychic Attack Bonus + Psychic Focus + Psychic Enhancer equal to or greater than defender's Psychic Defense Rating. A successful hit reduces defender's Wisdom by 1d6.
  
• Psychic attacks reduce the attacker's Psychic Fuel attribute by 1 point.
  
• Psychic Fuel attribute: 0 = death.
  
• Wisdom: 1 or 2 = robot.
  
• Wisdom: 0 = death.
  

[Psychic Power Generator: example #1 and example #2]

[Edit: I changed the term "Wild Talent" to "Psychic Power." 2015-05-13]

White Box and a Question of Dice

If I have one reservation about Swords & Wizardry White Box (and, by extension bare bones OD&D), it's the fact that there are fewer opportunities to use dice other than the d6 or the d20. This is a minor misgiving given that some of my favorite role-playing games use no other dice than six-siders (or in some cases percentile dice), but I have a number of players who are new to our beloved hobby, and they have an understandable urge to collect the polyhedral dice that are so intertwined with the popular concept of Dungeons & Dragons. I imagine they would like an excuse to use them for something other than stacking, but maybe I'm wrong.

So, why don't I move on from White Box and use the varied hit dice by class and varied damage dice that all other versions use? If only it were that simple. Reverting to d6 for damage and hit dice, you see, stabilizes a game that otherwise deteriorates into one of power inflation. At the moment, I am enjoying a game in which the players are motivated by what their characters want, and they are not obsessed with optimization or min-maxing like the average power gamer. They choose weapons according to what they imagine their characters would prefer, and the system doesn't penalize them for it. Varied hit dice by class has never made sense to me in a game in which monsters do not enjoy the same variety. Why should all monsters, regardless of size or ferocity, be limited to d8 hit dice? Should not monsters of a frailer, more cerebral nature be limited to d4 or d6 hit dice? Thankfully, White Box puts monsters and player characters on the same d6 playing field. Honestly, the game should go entirely one way or the other. I can imagine a workable system in which wee folk roll d4 hit dice, giants roll d12, and everything in between rolls d6, d8, or d10. In such a system, varied damage dice are completely justified. Perhaps one could even justify linking the hit die type to the damage die type for both character classes and monsters. Maybe this is a valid divergence for a possible variant of White Box (hm...), but shy of this, is there another way to bring the fun of rolling polyhedral dice back to White Box without destroying its delicate balance?

Random tables are always an option for referees, but this still leaves the question open for players (and I certainly don't want an overlay of new rules that require players to roll on lots of random tables). I am open to suggestions, but perhaps in the meantime I'll write up the variant rules and try it with a one-shot adventure.

Back to the Alternate Past

Currently, the version of the Original Fantasy Role-Playing Game I am refereeing is Swords & Wizardry White Box, which may be obtained in PDF format (free of charge) from Mythmere Games or in hardcover or softcover from Lulu.com. So far, this is the version that most closely emulates and facilitates my preferred style of Dungeon Mastering from the beginning to the present (with the inevitable help of some house rules, of course), despite the fact that I have neither owned nor played (yet!) the White Box edition of OD&D that it models.

Spellcasting in my campaign, however, has been unsatisfying, as the magic system in every incarnation of D&D has failed to live up to my lofty expectations. Until, that is, I purchased Wonder & Wickedness by Brendan S (available in both softcover and PDF). Here is the magic system that offers the ultimate combination of elegance, exoticism, and awe inspiration in the tradition of Vancian fantasy. I may not have been lucky enough to start my current campaign using this system, but it's perhaps not yet too late for some world-shattering event to herald the dawn or rediscovery of another method of wielding mystical forces...

Destination One Page Dungeon

The One Page Dungeon Contest for 2015 is on, and there will be a prize of $500 for the first place winner. The deadline is 30 April 2015. Read about the 2015 contest and don't forget to use #1pdc when discussing the topic in social media. Good luck and game on.

Year's Beginning

Welcome to the year 2015, wherein I seek to fulfill my promise to update Applied Phantasticality with greater regularity. I previously alluded to several projects I would attempt to finish this year. Now I shall unveil the nature of those projects.

Project #1: My Swords & Wizardry White Box variant (the title of which will be revealed when it is ready to be released into the wild). This is simply a codification of the rules I currently prefer to use when I run anything related to Dungeons & Dragons. Whereas I used to run a hybrid of Basic/Expert D&D and 1st edition AD&D, I now prefer a system that is closer to how I have always actually run D&D, which is a lot closer to OD&D. The difference now is that I have embraced the unified saving throw and ascending armor class of Swords & Wizardry. I can't leave well enough alone, of course, which is why I need to present my version of the Original Game with all of my house rules properly integrated. This will make things easier for players and referees alike.

Project #2: Cargoes & Castaways. This is my role-playing game of 19th Century fantastic survival adventure inspired by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Ray Harryhausen. I originally designed it as my entry for the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day contest, but Blogger had trouble presenting something so large even after I broke it into chapters, so I deleted the posts with the intention of releasing it at a later date as a PDF. I still intend to do this, but the rules need to be revised, playtested, and revised again. Once I do that, I'll release it. If I can find appropriate illustrations, I might even make it available on Lulu as a print-on-demand book.

Project #3: My Empire of the Petal Throne-to-Swords & Wizardry White Box conversion. I hope to do this quickly so I can run it this year as part of the Tékumél anniversary. I'll probably release the rules before they have been playtested in order to get as wide a range of responses as possible. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to get a chance to play some games set in Tékumél at BASHCon or Origins this year. I don't even care which system is used. [Edit: Incidentally, literally none of this came to pass, and now I am relieved it didn't. (23 March 2022)]

Project #4: One Page Dungeon Contest? Maybe...

Those are my Big Four OSR projects for 2015. I have other gaming projects in the works, but they are mostly outside the scope of this Web log.

Year's End

Well, the year has ended with a sigh for Applied Phantasticality (and my other Web logs for that matter). Moving to another city, working longer hours, and actively gaming with other beings in person has resulted in a bit of neglect here. May the coming year find me far more productive in all of my writing endeavors including those that are related to gaming.

In 2015, I hope to run events at two conventions, coordinate up to four different gaming groups that will meet with varying regularity, finish work on at least three of my projects, restore my domain sites, and resume regular Web log updates.

Meanwhile, I am awaiting the arrival of three new publications: The Excellent Travelling Volume (#1), A Red & Pleasant Land, and Wonders & Wickedness. Recently, I received The Dungeon Dozen and Swords & Wizardry White Box. As you may surmise, these days I am interested in minimizing rules and maximizing whimsy.

Happy New Year to all of you, and remember to game on!

Session Report 2014-08-10

SETTING: Some Dread Land

CAST:

Fiona, 1st level Human Fighter (Pirate) and her hen, Frederique
Volka, 1st level Halfling Fighter (Hunter) and her hawk, Artemisia
Daedriin, 1st level Halfling Thief (Specialist)
Tilly, 1st level Elf Cleric
Potato, 1st level Dwarf Magic-User


Session IV

Closing the door on the ominous starry void, Tilly invoked the sacred power to detect evil, not having heard Daedriin's opinion (colorfully expressed) that it would be nigh useless in surroundings as steeped in evil as the tower. Indeed, it revealed that the very stones of the floor, ceiling, and walls around them were soaked with evil.

Having decided to return to the doorway to what was presumably the top floor of the tower, the party headed back in the direction of the spiral staircase leading up to the ground floor. Returning to the kitchen, they realized there was a corridor to the west they hadn't explored, and thought they'd better explore it in case the ghouls Tilly had turned were lurking there. No sooner did they start toward it than Tilly sensed burning evil in the shape of a man approaching them from the dark corridor, beyond the light of Daedriin's lantern. Tilly told the rest of the party what she detected, and they prepared to meet their adversary. Soon a man in mail armor — and a surcoat matching that of the warhorse they found outside the tower — stepped into the light. His expression was that of a horror-stricken victim, but the party wasn't fooled and greeted him with harpoon, dagger, hand axe, rock, and arrow. By the time he was close enough to strike them, he was a bludgeoned, hacked pin cushion of his former former self. Tilly performed a quick ritual to put his soul to rest, and Fiona searched the corpse, finding only an empty scabbard, clothes, boots, and armor. Fiona removed her scale armor in favor of the superior mail armor (although it was a little too large for her).

Continuing down the corridor, they found that it ended in a circular room. The floor was littered with human skeletons. Tilly could sense no evil emanations from the bones themselves (surprisingly), so Daedriin inspected them more closely. They appeared to have been human... once. Every bone was strangely distorted or twisted. The skulls appeared to have been stretched and warped as if they were made of dough, but they were as solid as any normal skull. Daedriin found nothing else of interest, Tilly prayed over the remains, and the party resumed their hike to the top floor.

They made their way without incident to the floor above the ground floor, and looked in at the sitting room. Satisfied that it was safe, they looked in again at the library and the bedroom. They library was as they had left it: with a pile of crystals where the living statue had been shattered. The bedroom, too, had been undisturbed by anyone but them. They decided this might be their best and only hope for the possibility of rest in a locked, windowless tower, so they locked the door and tried to sleep, taking turns keeping watch (and using candles to measure the passage of time). As disturbed as they were by their situation, they were also exhausted, in pain, and in an amazingly comfortable bed, so they were able to get some much needed rest. After an appropriate interval, the awoke. Tilly prayed for a light healing spell, and Potato memorized the spell of magic missiles. Tilly then healed Fiona's wounds, which greatly relieved everyone in the party. Girding themselves again for whatever might lie ahead, they exited the bedroom, crossed the sitting room, and proceeded up the staircase.

At the next floor, they looked in at the chart room, entered, and opened the door to the laboratory. Finding nothing out of the ordinary (and no ghouls), they looked up at the ceiling of the chart room before they left. The ceiling dissolved and revealed a seascape of saffron-colored waves under a yellow sky with red and orange clouds. Above the sea there was a haze of glistening gold and orange particles. The party marvelled for a moment and then exited to resume their ascent up the stairs.

Standing once again before an arched doorway of impenetrable darkness, Daedriin poked his head in, but could see nothing. (Again, Potato felt that strange psychic twinge.) He held his lantern through the doorway, and the light it cast instantly changed to blue. Ahead, as before, stood the pale pillar with its steps spiraling around it. The pillar extended above and below. Apart from the pillar, he could see nothing. Turning his head to look back through the doorway, it was illuminated by the party's torchlight, and his comrades were perfectly visible, but nothing else could be seen. It appeared to be a doorway floating in a void, with no connection to any architecture. Turning his head forward, Daedriin knelt to touch what he hoped would be a floor, and felt a smooth, hard surface like obsidian. He stepped onto it, was satisfied that nothing ill befell him, and briskly made his way to the steps of the pillar. It supported him. The rest of the party quickly made their way to join him. (Potato felt a sensation like that of passing through a giant bubble.) Tilly's nostrils stung from the stench of sulphur, but the rest of the party didn't seem to notice it much. Everything around her emanated evil. Daedriin looked back at the doorway again, but it was now indiscernable from the surrounding darkness.

"Does somebody want to carry me on their back?" Potato asked.

No one volunteered.

The individual steps that wound around the pillar were unconnected to anything but the pillar itself, and there was no railing, so the ascent was precarious. The blue light from the lantern and the torch illuminated only the party and the strange staircase. The darkness felt close and oppressive. Presently, they thought they saw a deeper darkness flowing around them as if in invisible channels or tubes. Potato extended a finger and touched what appeared to be an artery floating near him. He felt a slight resistance, but his finger passed through it. His finger was coated with a black substance.

Volka: "You are not going to taste that."
Potato: "Can I lick it?"

Despite not tasting it, Potato ascertained that it was ichor, the lifeblood of supernatural beings. Excited by its potential uses, he borrowed a waterskin from Daedriin and filled it with the demonic fluid.

A few steps higher, and the party could hear a slow, rhythmic sussurus growing louder as they went. Above, they could see two enormous, sooty, blackened bags, expanding and contracting in time with the wheezing sussurus. Lungs! As if to confirm an unspoken thought that they had hoped was not true, one of the adventurers exclaimed, "We're inside a creature!" The party was not heartened by the realization. There was a discussion about whether to return to the tower proper, but Daedriin informed them that it would be impossible to find the doorway again. They decided to continue upwards.

A few steps higher still and they could hear a loud, rhythmic beat that sounded like huge stone blocks being pushed back and forth. Soon they saw its source: a titanic heart made of blocks of basalt, pulsating like a giant three-dimensional puzzle with a sound like a controlled avalanche. The party stiffened its resolve and continued upward past the thing.

They emerged at last in a spacious cavern. Daedriin touched the floor before stepping on it. It was smooth yet grainy in texture and it was as solid as rock. The party climbed into the chamber and looked around. Along half the chamber's perimeter they saw a single row of stalactites and stalagmites. "Teeth!" Daerdiin exclaimed. "We're in its mouth!" The party was eager to exit as quickly as possible, but the only other opening they found was in the ceiling away from the "teeth." Fiona held Volka's 10' pole up to the hole to let Volka and Daedriin climb up to it, and they in turn lowered a rope for Fiona, Potato, and Tilly. The five then made their way through a tortuous tunnel that twisted both horizontally and vertically until they found themselves in another cavern.

For the first time since walking through the eerie doorway, they could see light of a color other than blue. A yellowish orange radiance filled the chamber, pouring forth from two huge, almond-shaped windows in the opposite wall. Potato ran toward the windows and gazed through one of them. He saw a vast sea of fire. From time to time he could see fountains of lava spurting like blood. Red light etched the sooty black clouds that filled the sky. "We're in Hell!" Potato wailed. Daedriin approached and stuck his head through the window, looking around at the structure they were inside. They were in the body of an enormous demonic form perched on the edge of a very tall cliff overlooking the sea of fire. Part of its body appeared to be fused with the cliff. Investigating the rest of the chamber, all they found was a grayish dome protruding downward from the center of the ceiling. Its lowest point was about 15' high. Fiona poked at it with Volka's 10' pole. It seemed to have the consistency of gelatin, although it was opaque. Daedriin shot an arrow at it. It passed through easily, leaving no trace. Daedriin shot a flaming arrow through it. Again, it passed through, leaving no trace. (On each occasion, Potato felt a psychic ping.) The party briefly argued about whether they should try to retrace their steps back to the doorway or climb through the windows. Potato emphatically rejected any suggestion that they venture outside, refusing to venture into what was obviously Hell. At last they decided to continue investigating the weird reverse dome in the ceiling. Fiona, with help, held the 10' pole up and Daedriin climbed up it until he could touch the dome. He poked his finger in it and held it there. Potato could sense — almost as if he were both hearing it and feeling it — a sustained vibration like that made by a tuning fork. Daedriin withdrew his finger and the psychic tone that only Potato was aware of ended. Potato informed the party of what had just occurred, but Daedriin shrugged and poked his head through.

Daedriin could see a square room, approximately 40' by 40', constructed of stone, with a hole in its ceiling through which normal daylight shone. From his worm's eye view he could see a few stone edifices. On the walls there were charts with mystical symbols written on them. He pulled his head down to report what he had seen, then popped his head back inside and pushed his hands through. When his hands were in the room, he touched the floor. It was solid. He lifted his body inside and stood on the solid stone floor. There was no trace of the gray gelatinous substance. (What Potato experienced when Daedriin disappeared through the dome was a psychic "Pop!") The rest of the party followed him into the dome through a series of tricky maneuvers until they were all inside the room. They speculated that they were once again in the tower.

Looking around, they determined that this must be the summoning room. One of the stone edifices was a lectern, upon which lay a book. Nearby, they saw a stone pedestal upon which rested a large gem. Before the lectern, there was a stone altar with a lower trough that narrowed to a channel leading to a circle with a pentagram in the center of the room. There were candles positioned at the pentagram's points, but they were cold. Embedded in the floor within the magic circle was a strange metallic rock about the size of a melon. Fragments of stone littered the floor surrounding the rock.

Potato scurried toward the book. It was a large volume bound in scaled hide. On its cover was the image of a crocodile devouring the sun. "We found it!" Potato shouted. He wanted to open it and read it, but the book had a locked clasp, and the lock was decorated with mystical sigils. Potato knew that the power to unlock it was beyond his ken. Now that they had the book, they reasoned that they could just take it and hand it over to Tayzhen, but there was the nagging question of the scroll they were supposed to deliver to Syrifex, whom they still hadn't met. That reminded them that they hadn't determined how they would exit the summoning room, since the way they entered was apparently a one-way portal. They found the door and Daedriin checked to see if it was booby-trapped. He wasn't sure, but they opened it anyway and hoped for the best. Beyond, they saw a spiral staircase leading downward. Closing it again, they searched the room for any clues of Syrifex's whereabouts.

Fiona, however, was most interested in the rock embedded in the floor within the magic circle. Looking at it closely, it appeared to have been a molten metal that had cooled. It was covered with bubbles. It resembled iron, but it was oddly unlike iron in some undefinable way. She speculated that it was probably very valuable and that it wouldn't be right to leave it there. Tilly, despite her intolerance of coming into contact with iron, touched it. She did not suffer the pain that elves usually feel, but she experienced a kaleidoscope of rings of fire and whirling planets and stars. Frightened, she quickly stepped away from the rock and warned the others about what she had seen. Daedriin smiled and placed both hands on the rock.

Immediately Daedriin felt as if he were falling through a kaleidoscope of celestial bodies and rings of fire, until at least he stood on the edge of an enormous cliff under a coal black sky, looking through the eyes of another at an endless ocean of fire. Periodically he saw arms outstretched in anguish from the fiery waves and heard piteous moans amidst the roar of the flames, and it gladdened him greatly. He was disconcerted, however, when he felt himself being pulled away from this enjoyable scenery. He tried to resist, but the pull was strong, and the comforting warmth and glow receded, to be replaced by an increasing coldness. He hurtled through an inky void until at last a blueish green sphere appeared before him, growing larger. In a flash he found himself in an impossibly small place, cold and gray. He was confined in an invisible prison. A small being, a soul encased in mortal flesh, stood with a bloody dagger and a corpse on an altar before it. It was shouting an incantation, but before it could finish, he felt something strike the back of his head. The pain was excruciating. By the time the worst of it subsided, he was no longer confined in a circle within the room. He was the room, and the tower itself, and the rooms and passages beneath it. He could observe nearly everything at the same time, but the being that had sought to enslave him was gone.

Daedriin removed his hands from the rock. He told the party that this was apparently the brain of a demon that Syrifex had summoned, and that something had gone wrong and it was now fused with the tower. The rock was too well lodged into the stone floor to remove easily, so he tried to pry it out with Volka's pole, but he couldn't budge it. Then he remembered he had a crowbar. As soon as he started to pry it, the floor swelled beneath their feet, receding when he stopped. "Brace yourselves, everyone," Daedriin warned his comrades. They followed his advice to the best of their ability, and Daedriin tried again, giving a mighty heave-ho. The floor buckled violently beneath them, causing two of the party to be knocked off their feet, banging their heads on the floor. Daedriin dislodged the rock, and the floor receded immediately. Tilly looked around. The floors, walls, and ceiling no longer emanated evil, nor did the rock itself. She touched it. It didn't affect her. Daedriin stashed the now demon-free lump of meteoric iron in his backpack.

With that bit of drama over, Volka inspected the gem on the stone pedestal. It was an unusually large amethyst of exquisite cut, with a word she couldn't read inscribed on one facet. Potato took a look at it. It bore the word "NAZDREL." They also noticed a tiny human figure inside the amethyst. He had a short, dark beard and wore a robe and a metal skullcap. In fact, he resembled the description of Syrifex that Jilsen the Tax Collector had given them. Volka seized the amethyst and interrogated the figure within it.

"Can you hear me?"

The figure nodded.

"What is your name?"

The figure answered, but they couldn't hear him.

Volka turned to Potato, hiding her mouth and told him they needed to know whether he could hear them or was just reading their lips. She repeated the question, "Can you hear me?"

The figure did not respond.

"So, you were lying! See how you like this, little human!"

Volka shook the amethyst and the figure tumbled inside the gem. When she saw that shaking the amethyst had an effect on the figure, her eyes glowed with wicked delight.

"I have my own human now! Truly a wonderful toy!" she said triumphantly to the others.

There was a moment of awkwardness as the rest of the party looked with embarrassment at Fiona.

Volka continued her interrogation of the gem's prisoner, and whenever he was uncooperative, she shook the gem with glee. By this method, the party learned that the figure claimed to be Syrifex and he wished to be freed. Daedriin suggested crushing the gem to release him, but Syrifex made known to them in the strongest terms that he preferred them to recite the word inscribed on the gem.

The party decided they should first find their way outside the tower before freeing Syrifex (and potentially placing themselves at his mercy), so they exited the summoning room via the door to the spiral staircase, descended to the reception room, and tried the door, knowing that it demonstrated strange properties upon their entry. It opened as normal doors do. Happily, they rushed out of the tower, noticing that the octagonal patch of brittle grass surrounding the tower was now the normal yellowish brown of dead grass instead of its former purplish gray. Not stopping until they were standing on normal green grass, Tilly looked for the warhorse they had seen grazing there. It was not far off, and approached when it saw them. Now that its owner was known to be with his maker, the horse's future was discussed. It was initially dubbed Harvey, but after some consideration they decided to name him (for it was a he) Princeton. Daedriin informed the party that a warhorse typically fetches a very high price, but Princeton demonstrated an unparalleled devotion to Tilly. For the moment, Princeton would remain with the party.

Returning to the matter of Syrifex, the gem was placed on the ground, the party stood back, and the name "NAZDREL" was spoken aloud. Syrifex stood before them in a flash! He thanked the party for freeing him, and as they conversed, Volka crept with the intent of surreptitiously snatching the gem that had been his jail. Perhaps unconsciously, Syrifex stepped on the gem, foiling her plan. Seeing that Syrifex intended them no immediate harm, Potato presented the scroll Tayzhen had hired them to deliver. Syrifex accepted it and opened it curiously, wondering aloud what his former student wished to communicate, a student whose personality had changed so dramatically and who had left so abruptly. About to say more, his eyes fell on the writing and he paused. The party waited expectantly for him to continue, but he had turned pale as marble and uttered not another syllable, for he had turned to marble. The man was now a statue, and the scroll fell from his inanimate fingers.

The party was stunned by this turn of events. First things first, they decided it would be unwise to leave a petrified wizard standing in the field, so with great effort they moved him back inside the tower and closed the door, hoping they would never be connected with his fate.

Next things next, they deliberated what to do with the book they had been hired to retrieve. Potato argued that they ought to keep up their end of the bargain, give the book to Tayzhen, their employer, and accept the payment of gold that was their due. Daedriin argued that they had already accrued treasure far exceeding the value of their promised payment, and the rest of the party distrusted putting what was surely a powerful and evil book (that could apparently sway the morals of any who read it) in the hands of a treacherous sorcerer who would so callously turn his former teacher to stone. The party (despite Potato's reservations) decided that instead of taking the book to Tayzhen, they would go in the opposite direction, north towards the tower of Kal-Dokk, with the intent of preventing him from undertaking the dangerous summoning that the previously sane Syrifex had meant to warn him against.

Almost forgetting that they had promised Tilsen the Tax Collector that they would free him from his cell once they had rid the tower of undead threats and found a way out, the adventurers went back inside to retrieve him. They briefly considered going back to the cellar to liberate some of the bottles of rare wine, but had second thoughts and decided they should waste no time in returning to the village of Safe End. To their profound surprise, they found that it was active with normal village life. Villagers were tending gardens, carrying water from the well, and airing out their cottages. Down the road, they could see more villagers returning, often with livestock bearing floral wreaths indicative of prizes won.

"The villagers really had gone to a fair!" the adventurers exclaimed incredulously more than once. The kind old lady had spoken truthfully!

They visited the Trinarian church and the priest was overjoyed that they had returned safely and that the aura of evil had left the land. He also confirmed that he had seen not one, but two shooting stars fall from the sky recently, both to the north (in the direction of the towers of Syrifex and Kal-Dokk). He and the rest of the village opened their arms to the party and provided them with food, shelter, and medical aid with no thought of recompense. Tilly, however, donated the gold pieces she had found in Princeton's saddlebag to the church, for which the priest was very surprised and grateful.

Gains: Suit of mail armor, waterskin filled with ichor, lump of meteoric iron, large amethyst, book bound in crocodile hide (the Object of the Quest), a warhorse named Princeton
Kills: One ghoul (formerly a human knight).
Losses: None.

[Edit: The third from the last paragraph was revised to include a missing detail.]

[This campaign uses the silver standard. 10 c.p. = 1 s.p.; 20 s.p. = 1 g.p.]

[The system used for this session was Swords & Wizardry White Box with a helping of house rules and a dash of Lamentations of the Flame Princess.]

[The session report format is inspired by Patrick Wetmore's session recaps in Henchman Abuse.]

ALSO SEE:

• Session I
  
• Session II
  
• Session III