I designed this to be a one-shot, and intro scenario- it’s pretty linear, I put in a ton of loot- what felt right, knowing that they probably won’t be able to haul it all out, and might not even find the second half of the dungeon.
I have the following sample goals:
I will rescue my friend so-and-so, who was lost on the expedition.
I will loot the Barrow of the Dreaming King for all it’s worth.
I will make an accurate map of the dangers within the Barrow.
I will impress my companions with my bravery.
I will recover the Dreamstone.
I will make my own way around the traps and hazards in the Barrow.
The barrow is set up like this:
There is a large burial mound. The entrance to level A is at ground level, each level up is B, C, D, and E, which has a secret staircase going all the way down below all the other levels to level F, which then goes down to G, H, I, J, and K. Level L is at the very very top of the dungeon, but can only be accessed by digging down from the top of the mound, or some sneaky climbing by a small character to level G.
A: Entryway/Workers Tombs
Contains looted urns and casks, walls torn open. Additional loot is buried, if players can find it. Area is mazelike.
Opportunity: Find Treasure. Any character can spend a turn making a Scavenger test ob 3 to loot the area. Success grants a roll on Loot table 2.
Challenge: Find way to stairs going up: ob 3 Cartographer or Dungeoneer
Twists: Walls or ceiling collapse, closing or opening passages. Giant Rats (page 154, 1/player, plus 1)
B: Murals
Defaced murals depicting life of the Dreaming King and construction of the Barrows.
Opportunity: Gain clues about dungeon or Dreaming King: ob 3 Scholar Test, offers a clue
Opportunity: Crack open walls to find more treasure: ob 3 Stonemason
Challenge: Fight tomb guardians: (page 157, 1/player)
C: Spike Chamber
Mazelike chamber. Lost person from expedition is hidden here.
Challenge: Find ways to stairs going up: ob 2 Cartographer or Dungeoneer
Opportunity: Talk to person- possible conflict, or vs. Will
Opportunity: Disable spike trap: ob2 Dungeoneer
D: Pit Trap
Passageway. Contains trap that drops adventurers on spikes below. Murals the Dreaming King flying over the land.
Challenge: Pass Hallway.
Ob 2 Scholar test identifies nature of Hallway
Ob 4 Scout test detects trap (can help with Scholar if Scholar succeeded)
Ob 4 Dungeoneer test to disable, or ob 3 just to bypass (a tight squeeze)
Bad things happen to anyone who blunders into the trap: candles and torches may be extinguished, things might be smashed. ob 6 Health or be injured if Spikes are in place, ob 3 Health or be injured if they are not.
Twists: A companion blunders forward into the trap. Conditions
E: False Tomb
Treasure. Stairway down is hidden in bottom of sarcophagus.
Opportunity: Loot Treasure
Treasure is all sprawled about the room.
*False Dreamstone: Pack/Carry 4, Worth 6D. Person who carries it is plagued with nightmares. +1 ob to all recovery tests. Ob3 Loremaster can identify as fake
*Silverware and Plate: Pack/Carry 3, Worth (2d3-1D)
*5 batches of Copper Coins (Pack 2 each, 1D)
*Spell Supplies: Celestial Music
*Spell Supplies: Wisdom of the Sages
*Spell Supplies: Fury of the Lords of Life and Death
*In the coffin is Chainmail Armor, a Helmet, and Sword, all well-preserved. They may each be sold for 1D, assuming they are not beat up.
Scraping gold out of decorations and the such is an ob2 Criminal test, and yields gold scraping weighing 1 load and worth 1D.
Anyone examining the bottom of the sarcophagus in detail finds the hidden catches. Ob4 criminal to open
Dart Trap: ob3 Scout to find dart holes and triggers in the room. Ob4 Dungeoneer to disable.
Twist: Poison Dart trap. Everyone in the room must test ob3 Health or become Sick.
F: Labyrinth
Maze of passages, filled with undead stalker.
Challenge: Find way out. Ob 3 Cartographer or Dungeoneer
Challenge: Avoid/drive off/kill the Stalker
Twists: The Stalker finds you. The Stalker counts as a Barrow Wight (page 151), but has Nature 8, and +2 to all Dispositions.
G: Deadly Gardens
Strange plant gardens. Reflected light brightens up the chamber.
Opportunity: Find food- see Scavenger: ob2 for one portion
Opportunity: Find light tunnel. Ob4 Scout test to spot exact location of tunnel entrance.
Challenge: Fight carnivorous plants.
Venus Fly Trap
Might: 3 Nature: 6
Descriptors: Creeping, Entangling, Devouring
Conflict types
Kill: 8
Kill weapons:
Attack: +1D, Persistent Jaws
Manoeuvre: +2D, Grabby Tendrils
Flee: 7
Feint: +1D, Sneaky Tendrils
Manoeuvre: +1s, Larger than you’d think.
Instinct: Spring into action when a victim comes close and slows their movement.
The venus fly trap is a black plant that ensnares its victims with its vines and pulls them into its pink jaws. The creature has secondary sets of jaws beneath the main ones which allows it to eat several meals at once. The roots of the Venus Fly Trap run deep, even under the face of a cracked rock wall or under flagstones, by the time you know you’ve encountered one the vicious tendrils are already moving behind you.
(Thanks to board user Totally Guy for the writeup!)
H: Underground River
Rushing river. Water is pumped up to level G.
Opportunity: Get water: No roll- it’s just a Good Idea.
Challenge: Cross river.
Making a Boat is ob4 Survivalist or ob3 for Carpenter. It’s ob 4 to Scavenge enough Wood in the Gardens, ob 5 anywhere else. Once a boat is built, it is probably an ob 4 Sailor test to cross.
A Pathfinder 5 test can help you find a place to ford the river more or less safely.
A Dungeoneer 5 test can swim across the river.
I: Pit Trap
Unadorned Hallway. Pit drops adventurers onto spikes in level J.
Ob 4 Scout test detects trap
Ob 4 Dungeoneer test to disable, or ob 3 just to bypass (a tight squeeze)
Bad things happen to anyone who blunders into the trap: candles and torches may be extinguished, things might be smashed. ob 6 Health or be injured if Spikes are in place, ob 3 Health or be injured if they are not.
Twists: A companion blunders forward into the trap. Conditions
J: Spikes
Spikes and Tomb Guardians
Opportunity: Disable spike trap: ob2 Dungeoneer
Also Tomb Guardians: (page 157, 1/player)
K: True Tomb of the Dreaming King
Contains Dreamstone, lots of loot
*True Dreamstone: Pack/Carry 2, Worth 9D. Person who wields it adds +1D to spells involving information gathering.
*Silverware and Plate: Pack/Carry 3, Worth (2d3-1D)
*Silverware and Plate: Pack/Carry 3, Worth (2d3-1D)
*5 batches of Silver Coins (Pack 1 each, 1D)
*3 batches of Gold Coins (Pack 1 each, 1D)
*Spell Scroll: Supernal Vision
*Spell Scroll: Wisdom of the Sages
*Spell Scroll: Eye of Omens
*Spell Scroll: Lord of Dreams
*Spell Scroll: Vision of the Lords of Chaos and Law
*In the coffin is the Dreamer’s Helm. He who wears the Dreamer’s Helm has +1D to all recover tests.
Scraping gold out of decorations and the such is an ob3 Criminal test, and yields gold scraping weighing 1 load and worth 3D.
L: Secret Mirror Chamber. Small stone tunnels with mirrors to reflect light to area G. A halfling or other small character might be able to squeeze though- ob 3 Dungoneering.
Twist: You get stuck, now what?