Okay this isn’t actually my last post about the Keep On The Borderlands, but pretty close.  I’m going to go in depth on how I made my map of the keep and how I made my map of the Caves of Chaos, which I haven’t previewed yet.  Both are pretty spectacular, and I will begin those for next time.

Today I just wanted to go over what else is going on besides the keep and the caves.

First of all there is a small group of lizardmen who occupy a marshy area along the river.  They have no interest in the keep and so long as they are left alone they won’t bother anyone.  Eventually, however, Lord Drell will want to know what is going on in the marshes and will ask the PC’s to investigate.  Or they will go wandering around and find them.

There are no maps for these encounters in the original module and I haven’t made any either - so do your best.

Encounter groups in the marshes include:

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Not much else to say about that.  The other big group is the raiders that are working in conjunction with the temple of Cyric.  They hang out in the woods to the west of the keep and avoid the caves as much as possible.  To start with their group includes Tandoro and :

The raiders will attack pretty much anyone coming from the west or north.  They are avoiding the area around the caves of chaos on purpose.  Flin follows orders pretty well, but he is an opportunistic sort of fellow and will suggest that the PC’s speak with his boss, Simiobolt.  If the PC’s attack him he will look out for his own life before worrying about his troops.

Throughout the course of the adventure it is possible that the raider group will grow.  Chant Havelove will recruit kobolds, goblins, orcs, possibly even gnolls or bugbears.  If the raiders manage to get a large enough group, Chant will have them attack at night.  He and his followers will arrange to have the gate open.  If the raider group has 30 or more members the raid will be successful.  If there are between 20 and 30 members there is a 50% chance of success plus 5% for each member over 20.  If there are less than 20 members there will be no attack.

If the PC’s join the raiders, then success or failure will depend on their actions.

Okay, a quick preview of my map of the Caves of Chaos.  I’ll be explaining what it is and how I made it next time.

Just a link because it is a very large, non-optimized file.  Map-sample.

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This is the final installment of the Caves of Chaos section for my Keep On The Borderlands series.  Next time I will wrap it all up with notes about the raiders and other things outside of the keep.  Today, though it is all about gnolls and the Cult of Cyric.

At the end of this post is a list of all the treasures available.  As described in an earlier post, the dungeon is very open in its design, so just drop treasures of the appropriate levels when the characters earn them.  There are a couple of points that should definitely have treasures, like the orc chieftains and the minotaur, but otherwise there isn’t much set.  This also allows for greater flexibility in case the PC’s don’t end up fighting much of anything.

Cavern J: Gnolls

The immediate entrance to this cave is a natural, unworked cave that has nothing of note about it.  DC 19 perception will reveal the presence of footprints that have been concealed.  The guards are actively listening, however, and if the characters make much noise the guards will come to investigate.  When they see that there are intelligent creatures they will put away their weapons and offer to talk.

Lighting:  The entrance cave is always dark.  Other areas of the cave are dark during the day except for fires to keep the creatures warm.  These fires give off dim light.  At night the caves have bright light.

Terrain:  The entrance cave is difficult terrain.  Other areas of this complex are normal terrain except where there is furniture.  Furniture is difficult terrain.

The gnolls are much more powerful than a low level party can easily handle.  They are not immediately aggressive and will in-fact be friendly and approachable.  All of the gnolls speak common fluently.  If the PC’s start aggressive actions it would be wise to warn them that this does not look like a fight they can win.  Allowing a wisdom check DC 10 should allow them to feel that these are dangerous adversaries.

If provoked, the gnolls will fight.  They will fight to the death, however they will capture the PC’s if possible.  If they do capture the PC’s they will strip them naked and march them to the gates of the keep in broad daylight.  They will demand to speak with Lord Drell.  Drell will parley with them from the battlements.  The gnoll chief will demand to know the purpose of the intrusion on his home.  Drell will suggest that they speak together more comfortably.  Drell will hire the gnolls as guards to help build a town, lumber mill, and ferry near the river.  The PC’s should receive no XP for getting captured in this manner.

The gnolls only recently came to the caves after facing blizzard conditions and starvation.  They came begging for food and were turned down by everyone.  Eventually they moved into these caves, choosing to slaughter the little goblin tribe that lived here before them.  The keep was just beginning to become active again at that time and they didn’t like thier chances against the soldiers.  Since coming here the gnolls have discovered that they do not like the politics of the situation.  They cannot afford to lose any of their number and will not risk open conflict if they don’t have to.

Area 46: Guard Room

The gnolls are alert and actively guarding.  They will approach intelligent creatures peacefully, and invite them to talk rather than to fight.  They will invite the PC’s to talk come in and talk with their leader, but will agree to send a messenger and have him brought to the entrance chamber as well.

Area 47: Lounge

The gnolls here are the back ups for the guards in area 46.  If a fight breaks out they will immediately run to help.  Otherwise they pass the time here drinking and talking.

Area 48: Store

The gnolls keep a store here where they sell common items.  The store is locked during the day but open at night when the gnolls are active.  The chief has the key.  Items for sale include basic adventuring equipment, 2 suits of medium sized chainmail, and 3 longswords.

If the PC’s ask about food or lodging they will be directed to the bugbears.  If the bugbears are no longer available then they will allow them to sleep in the entrance area for 1sp each per night.

Area 49: Sleeping Chamber

The gnolls gather here when off duty or during times of council.  If the PC’s parley with the chief it will happen here.

If the PC’s somehow to get here without alerting everyone, there will be only one gnoll here tending to a pack of hyenas.

Area 50: Chief’s Chamber

The gnoll chief takes council here with his advisors.  He is an old, battle-scarred creature that is worried about the continued survival of his tribe.  Before the winter blizzards his folk numbered nearly a hundred, but they have come south from the drought and unkind lands of Netheril.  At first they sought refuge at the abbey, but were immediately attacked by undead and withdrew.

The gnolls can be convinced to speak with Lord Drell rather easily, however they will request to do so in person and at the keep.  If the PC’s ask to look around for mining possibilities, the gnolls will agree for 10gp.  There are no immediate indications that there is good ore on this side of the valley.

If the gnolls parley with Drell, he will hire them as described in the introduction.  The gnolls can only be hired as mercenaries if they are guaranteed a permanent residence as a reward.  The PC’s don’t really have this to offer.

If by some chance Chant Havelove or Simiobolt Hold gets a chance to negotiate with the gnolls they will agree to join the raiders because Chant will promise them the keep as a reward.

Area K: The Cult of Cyric

To quote original text “Red strata intertwines with bulging black veins running through the hewn rock walls beyond the entrance. The wide corridors and chambers are deathly still. A faint groaning sound, and a shrill piping may be occasionally heard, barely perceptible even if the party is absolutely silent and listening.”  This cave has clearly been worked, even to the casual observer.  In addition there is a faint smell of decay on the air, though it is by no means overpowering, and after a few moments inside the characters will get used to it.

The cult is here to regroup and then further its own plans.  At the moment thier primary objective is to figure out what to do about the keep.

If the PC’s attempt to negotiate, Simiobolt Hold will attempt to get them to join his side and lead the raiders against the keep.  As a reward they will be given control over the keep (the PC’s will have to work out their own deal with the gnolls if they also join).  He will also pay the PC’s up to 50 gold to spy for him at the keep, though he will not reveal Chant’s identity until he fully trusts the PC’s.  He will offer a reward of 100 gp for rescuing Deliria from the hobgoblins.  He will pay them to assassinate Drell’s officers and advisors for 50gp x the target’s level.  After the first assassination he will trust the PC’s fully and will reveal Chant’s identity and ask the PC’s for advice on how to proceed.

If the party is playing evil characters, and they are doing so from the start the GM may want to consider having Chant approach them openly and invite them to meet with Simiobolt early on.  If any of them have prior connections with the cult of Cyric (or if they would like to) they could come to the keep on false pretenses of helping Drell, but really be looking for Simiobolt.  Conquering the keep could be a fun adventure all its own.

For most games, however, the PC’s will see the undead guards and just start killing everything, which works just fine.

Lighting: All passages have bright light.  All rooms have bright light unless otherwise noted.

Terrain:  The terrain is normal except where there is furniture.  There is no risk of fire like other areas of the caves because the humans are smart enough to keep their fires in fireplaces or stoves.

Area 51: Boulder Filled Passage

This passage suffered a cave in.  It leads to the Caves of the Unknown, which is to say it leads to an adventure you will have to make yourself.  It will take a good team a month to dig it out.

Area 52: Hall of Skeletons

Evil energy fills this hall.  The power of undeath is almost tangible here.  The altar at the far end of the hall glows with a very, very faint purple light (dim light on the altar squares and for 1 square away from it).  Otherwise this room is completely dark.

A DC 18 religion or arcana check will tell the characters that the skeletons in this room draw their power from the altar.  Any undead within 10 squares of the altar receives resist 10 to radiant damage.  The altar can be disabled by a skill challenge DC 18 with 3 successful religion or aracana checks before 6 failures.

The undead will attack the PC’s unless they are accompanied by a member of the Cult (including Deliria).

Area 53: Guard Room

This room is always dark.  The undead will attack the PC’s unless they are accompanied by a member of the Cult (including Deliria).

Area 54: Acolyte’s Chamber

There are 2 Acolytes here.  They use the statistics for human mages, but they are wearing holy symbols and their powers are radiant rather than arcane.  They will act surprised and ask the PC’s what they are doing.  If they wish to negotiate, they will bring them to the guest room and ask them to wait.  Simiobolt will meet them there with his personal undead attendants as well as the acolytes and their guards.

If the PC’s can offer no reasonalbe explanation the acolytes will attack.  One of them will run to alert Simiobolt.

Area 55: Chapel of Evil Chaos

Okay this is a throwback to the original module and is pretty out of place in 4th edition.  If you want to play it nice and keep it 4th edition, just leave out the jewels and make the room essentially empty except for the altar.

From the original text: “This place is of red stone, the floor being a mosaic checkerboard of black and red.  The south wall is covered by a huge tapestry which depicts a black landscape, barren trees, and unidentifiable but horrible black shapes in silhouette - possibly demons of some sort - holding aloft a struggling human. A gray sky is torn by wisps of purple clouds, and a bloody moon with a skull-like face on it leers down upon the scene. Four black pillars support the domed ceiling some 25’ overhead. Between these columns, just in front of the tapestry, is a stone altar of red veined black rock, rough-hewn and stained brown with dried blood. Upon it are 4 ancient bronze vessels - a shallow bowl, a pair of goblets, and a ewer, a vase-shaped pitcher. They are also bloodstained but obviously worth a great deal of money. (The value is 1,000 g.p. for each cup, and 2,000 g.p. for each of the other items, but these are relics of evil, and any character possessing them will not part with them or sell them nor allow others to handle them.)

If a character picks up a relic, the relic makes an attack +14 vs. Will.  If it misses the character gets an immediate feeling of utter evil and can be allowed to put down the relic.  On a hit the character is immediately overcome with an obsession about the object.  Within 6 days the character will become a servant of chaos and will return and replace the relic and then stay to guard the altar forever.

If someone attempts to destroy the altar or the relics the bell in room 58 will sound.  All of the cult members and their guards will immediately come to this area to investigate.

Area 56: Adept’s chambers

The adepts will behave the same as the acolytes in room 54.

Area 57: Hall of Undead Warriors

From the original: “There are four files of the undead here, two of 10 skeletons each, two of 10 zombies
each. The former face south, the latter north.”

If the bell in room 58 is struck they will issue through the doors and attack anyone in the temple who is not a member of the cult.

Area 58: Temple of Evil Chaos

From the original: “This huge area has an arched ceiling some 30’ or more in height. The floor is of polished black stone which has swirling patterns of red veins through it. The walls behind the draperies, and the ceiling as well, are of dull black rock, while the west wall is of translucent red stone which is seemingly one piece, polished to mirror-like smoothness. A great bell of black iron stands near the entrance point, with a pair of mallets beside its supports. To the south are several long benches or pews. There are three stone altars to the west, the northernmost of pure black, the middle one of streaked red and black, the last of red with black flecks. At the western end of the temple area is a dais of black stone, with four lesser chairs on its lower tier and a great throne above. The chairs are of bone; the ivory throne is set with gold and adorned with gems of red and black (10 black stones each worth 100 gold pieces, 10 red stones each worth 500 gold pieces, and one large red stone worth 1,000 g.p.). The signs and sigils upon these seats are of pure chaos and evil. The other walls are covered by draperies of deep purple with embroidered symbols and evil sayings, done in scarlet and gold and black thread. As soon as the party enters the place, black candles in eight great candelabras on either side of the place will come alight magically, shooting forth a disgusting red radiance. Shapeless forms of purple, yellow and green will dance and sway on the western wall.”

If anyone looks at the shapes on the wall for more than a moment they will suffer an attack +12 vs. will.  On a hit they will “be mesmerized into chanting a hymn to chaotic evil.”  While chanting the character is able to perform other actions, but will not be able to leave the temple.  In addition they take a -4 penalty to insight and perception checks while the curse lasts.  The curse can be broken by Simiobolt.  It will also automatically be broken if the character is attacked by any of the residents of the temple.  An unaffected character may make3 successful DC 22 religion or arcana checks to disable the wall.

The relics in this area are not cursed, but anyone attempting to sell these items in civilized lands will have to explain their association with the cult of Cyric.  Lord Drell will demand that the characters destroy the items immediately or try them as cultists.  The characters will meet a similar fate in all good lands.

“Should three or more voices be so raised, the iron bell will sound automatically by magic, but even one such chant will alert the guards (in area 59).”  Even if the characters are quiet and avoid the trap, the guards from area 59 will arrive in 3 rounds.

Area 59: Chambers of the Evil Priest.

Simiobolt Hold is here.  If his guards are summoned to the chapel he will follow 10 squares behind them.  If the PC’s arrive here somehow without an invitation he will kill them without mercy.

Area 60: Guest Chamber

This is Chant Havelove’s room when he visits the temple.  It is plainly furnished and currently dark and empty.

Area 61: Torture Chamber

There is a rack and various items used for torturing people here.  The torturer is a rather unstable individual who will invite the players to voluntarily participate.  Failing that he and his assistants will attempt to coerce them, shouting “come play with me, we’ll have fun!” while he attacks.

Area 62: The Crypt

This is an ancient burial site.  The cultists do not come here.  It is always kept pitch black here.  There are 3 sarcophogi here, each requiring a DC 18 strength check to open.  1 of them is empty (optionally place a treasure in it).  The other two each contain a battle wight.  If one of the sarcophogi containing a wight is opened, the other wight will automatically awake and foce open it’s own sarcophogus the following round.  Both will attack any intruders, including cult members.

Area 63: Storage Chamber

This is a place where the cultusts have recently started storing stuff. They probably won’t be using it for long because a pair of gelatinous cubes have taken up residence here.  The cubes will attack and eat anything they can get their hands on.

Area 64: Cell

As the PC’s approach this area they will hear moans and angry hisses.  If the PC’s listen (perception DC 16) they will hear “die Simiobolt” and “release me” in very slurred, snakelike common.  The medusa was tricked and trapped here by Simiobolt.  He is simply waiting for her to starve to death.

The PC’s can negotiate with her through the door if they choose.  She will agree to help them kill Simiobolt.  A successful insight check, however, will reveal that she is lying - at least partially.

If the PC’s open the door, she will take them to the temple and will fight Simibolt with them.  Afterwards, however, she will turn and attempt to kill the PC’s as well.

If the PC’s just release her and don’t go with her to fight Simiobolt, she has a 50% chance of winning that fight.  If the PC’s come back and she was victorious, she will have turned the acolytes to stone and will have placed the statue of Simiobolt on one of his altars.  She will attack and turn to stone anyone entering her lair.

Okay folks, that’s it for the Caves of Chaos.  Really not much else to it except for a few things that can happen out of doors.  Except for the raiders these are essentially unecessary for the core of the adventure.  64 rooms to go through is an awful lot.  Doing this module will easily take the PC’s to level 4.  My suggestion for handing out treasures is to make sure that 2 or 3 are given out in each cave section, either one at a time or in bunches.  The first level treasure with lots of coins is intended to be handed out a few coins at a time as the players search bodies of dead guards.  But it could also be used as a treasure all on its own.

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If you’ve been following along, then you’ll know that this time I’ll be talking about the hobgoblins and bugbears found in the Caves of Chaos near Drell’s Keep.  This is an update to 4th edition for TSR’s Keep on The Borderlands module B2.

Cave F:

The initial entrance to this cave has been swept clean, except for some obvious blood stains on the ground.  A stout iron-reinforced door is here at the back of the cavern it is DC 20 to break through the door.  Over the door is a sign in goblin and common “Come in for dinner!”  The handwriting is very poor, and it appears to be written in blood.

Terrain: Movement here is normal.  The floors and walls have been worked and are kept clean and neat.  Squares with furniture in them should be considered difficult.

Lighting: Bright light at night time.  Dim light during the day.  The hobgoblins have lanterns spaced evenly to keep all areas lit.  They shutter the lanterns during the day when they sleep.

The hobgoblins have claimed this series of caverns as their own.  They have enslaved the goblins, and view the kobolds and bugbears as nothing more than servants.  In their opinion they already own all of Areas A, D, F and H.  They are aware of the cultists in area K and the gnolls in area J, but are ignoring them for the moment in hopes of conquering the orcs first.

If the PC’s attempt to negotiate with the hobgoblins, they must treat the hobgoblin king as they would any noble.  Derisive remarks or hints that they are not civilized or are less than human will be met with immediate and harsh violence.

A couple of notes on playing the caverns.  The hobgoblin quarters are cramped and crowded with furniture.  Everything is in neat and precise order as a good military installation should be, but the caverns restrict movement.  The PC’s should take this into consideration in thier tactics.  The hobgoblins are used to these quarters and will certainly us it to their advantage.

The PC’s should expect a long, drawn-out slugfest here as the hobgoblins all all fight to the death, attempting to amass as many of them together as possible and surround and cut down the PC’s if possible.

If the PC’s take the time to figure out if Drell can do any mining here they will not find any area that are good prospects.

Area 23: Common room.  This is where off duty hobgoblins rest.  There are females here and young (represented by the hobgoblin grunts) who will take up arms in defense of the king.

Area 24: Torture Chamber, Storage, Playroom

The hobgoblins here attack on site if they haven’t already been alerted.

There are six cells here, five of which hold prisoners, and one which is crammed full of food storage.

Cell 1: Flid Havrang a member of the lost patrol.  He is a 1st level fighter and will accompany and fight with the party if asked.  He will scavange weapons and armor from dead hobgoblins.  He will stay with the party until they return to Drell’s Keep.

Cell 2: An Orc.  He is very thin from starvation and more than half crazy.  If released he will immediately scavenge weapons and begin hunting hobgoblins.  He only speaks giant, but will respond only to offers of food, drink, or killing hobgoblins.  When he fights he will mutilate any hobgoblin corpses he finds, often cutting off ears or tongues as souveniers.

Cell 3: Deliria, a young woman.  She was brought here originally by Chant Havelove, and joined the cult of Cyric.  She is a 1st level cleric.  Since her capture by the hobgoblins and their horrible treatment of her, she has decided that she does not wish to remain in the wild lands, and she will kill Chant Havelove if it is the last thing she does.  If asked how she arrived here, she will explain that she is an adventurer and that her two companions were killed.

If somebody’s insight beats her bluff, then she can be confronted.  She will not betray the location of the cult or her involvement, but she will admit that she was brought to the area by Chant Havelove.  If further pressed she will explain that Chant betrayed and lied to her and that she wants him dead.  This could be confusing to the players because she will most likely come off as very deceptive and evil whereas hopefully Chant will not be quite as evil.

Cell 4: Bliss Hardblood a woman-at-arms and companion of Flid and the lost patrol.  She will likewise help out the party until they can get back to the keep.  Bliss is looking for adventure and will ask the party if she can join up with them.

Cell 5: An insane gnoll.  He speaks broken common, and complains constantly about the snow.  The gnolls finally kicked him out a few weeks ago and the hobgoblins captured him.  He is pretty much oblivous to what goes on and will simply go looking for food and a bed if freed.  He is unable to give clear answers to any questions, but can indicate that his brothers are nearby.

Area 25:

Another common living chamber.  See area 23.

Area 26: Guard room.

The guards will challenge the PC’s and threaten them.  If the PC’s choose to negotiate they will offer to accompany them before the king.  The PC’s will be taken to area 25 and asked to wait.  A messenger will go and get the king.  The party will be asked to wait in the center of the room while the hobgoblins will surround them.

If the PC’s do not negotiate or show signs of weakness or agression the guards will attack.  The first time one of them is bloodied, one of them will attempt to get away and alert the others.

Area 27: Armory

Anyone entering this area without authorization will be attacked immediately.

The racks hold 2 suits of chainmail, 5 longswords, 3 small shields, 3 longbows as well as arrows, spare parts for repairs, tools for sharpening, as well as a stock of oil.

Area 28:

This is a store room.  The guards attack all unauthorized visitors.

Area 29:

Another guard room.  See area 27.

Area 30: King’s chambers.

If he PC’s manage to get here without alerting them the will attack.

If the PC’s attempt to negotiate with the king, the hobgoblins will not agree to leave the caverns, but will rather suggest that Drell “return to the slums of Cormyr and build his huts in safety.”  The hobgoblin king will agree to hire the PC’s to exterminate the orcs, agreeing to pay the sum of 100 gp.  However he will double cross the PC’s after they have completed the task and attempt to take them prisoner or kill them.

If asked about prisoners he will admit that he has three human prisoners from Drell’s keep.  He will demand a ransom of 200gp for each prisoner.  The party should realize that only 2 members of the patrol are unaccounted for, but they may still be unsure.

If they offer to go and get the ransom he will request that they leave one member behind.  A successful diplomacy or bluff check will convince the king that it is an unecessary precaution.  If the party returns with the money, he will simply take the money and then try to kill or capture them.

Area 31: another guard room

See area 27

Cave H: The bugbears.

There are a hodgepodge of signs adorning this entrance in common, goblin, draconic, and giant.  All are very large with very large, neat lettering.  All of them say “Top wages!  Food and money!  Report to the first guard on the left!”

The bugbears can be extremely difficult opponents if brought into combat while the party is still low level.  If this happens the bugbears will attempt to capture them and then ransom them.  They will demand 50gp each, which Drell will pay, but he will then ask that they repay the amount.  If they don’t have the cash they can either complete their task for free or else “volunteer” for his army for 2 years.

The sign on the front door should indicate that these creatures would rather make money than fight.  The bugbears will make no hostile moves, but will rather say “put that away before somebody gets hurt.  I never met a face I couldn’t share a drink with.”

Area 35 Guard Room

The guards here are drinking and gambling.  Despite the party, they are alert for visitors, and will hear anyone approaching who does not pass a DC 19 stealth check.

They will offer the PC’s a drink and then ask their business in the caves.  If the PC’s want to talk to the person in charge the bugbear strangler will take them to see “the boss” in area 36.

If attacked the strangler will go and get the boss and then run and get the guards in areas 38 and 39.

Area 36: The boss

The boss, refers to herself as “Freya the Free Fighter” and will address herself using her name rather than saying I or me, i.e. “Freya thinks that is a bad move.”  She has a gangster mentality and should talk more or less like a mobster.  She is actually part demon and part goblinoid, but is not particularly evil or malicious. I’ve use the stats of an Oni Night Haunter to represent her, but suggest changing the alignment to unaligned.  The bugbear stranglers she keeps around as consorts.  She is hoping to raise her “family” and make them wealthy.

If the PC’s talk with Freya, she will offer them goods and services.  She runs a small store out of room 37, and offers all basic adventuring equipment as well as simple weapons.  In addition, if the PC’s need a place to sleep, she will allow them to sleep in area 38 for 5 cp per night per person, meals are complimentary.

If the PC’s ask about work, she will suggest that the hobgoblins are hiring to raid the orcs and the orcs are hiring to raid the hobgoblins, but will also suggest that the hobgoblins can’t be trusted.

Freya will tell about the “black and red robes” in area K.  She doesn’t know what they are up to, but they have been trading with her and they always pay in coin.  She has only dealt with 3 of them, and doesn’t know how many there are.

Freya knows about the raiders that camp near the keep.  She has dealt with them in the past, but isn’t sure how many there are.  She will freely admit that she would go to work with them if they offered enough money.

The PC’s can hire Freya’s gang for the price of 10gp per day per person, though she will not go herself.  The cash needs to be paid in advance so the party will need to come up with the 10 gold first and then the bugbear will work for the next 24 hours.

If the PC’s ask to look around for areas to mine, Freya will agree for 5 gp.  They will find that areas 40 and 41 are actually old mining starts and probably useful to lord Drell.

If the PC’s explain that Drell wants to mine in the caves, Freya will want to stay put, but will agree to move for 200gp.  If the hobgoblins are dead she will agree to move there for only 50gp.

When the PC’s mention Drell, she will want to speak with him in person and will ask them to take her there so that she can negotiate with him face to face.  Drell will agree to see her.  The PC’s will not be part of the negotiation process after that.  Freya will convince Drell to hire her gang as guardswhile his men start to build a little town near the river and to start construction on a ferry and a lumbermill.  Drell is perfectly willing to risk the bugbears’ lives out in the open.

If the PC’s ask about magic items or the like she will suggest that they explore the abbey across the river.  It is a place of powerful magic.  She will also suggest they find the gnolls and talk to them.  They run a competing trading post and may have what they need.

Area 37: Store room

Here Freya keeps the goods for her store.  The door is locked and she has the key.  See area 36 for what she has for sale.

Area 38 Bert’s Tavern.

There are signs over the entrance to this area labeled “Bert’s Tavern” in a variety of languages.  Bert, the bugbear warrior outlined below keeps his pets here.  He charges 5cp to stay the night and sells drinks and food.  Food is free with a night’s stay.

Meal 1 cp

Drink 2 cp

The drink is fermented beet whiskey.  It is very strong and tastes horrible.  A character will become drunk very quickly drinking this stuff.  There is also water to drink.  The food is a mixture of vegetables (mostly potatoes and cabbage) and bits of unidentified meat.

Area 39 Dirk’s Gambling Joint

This is ostentatiously a guard room to look out for the pens in area 40 and 41, but has recently been converted into a casino of types.

Dirk, the bugbear strangler is dealing blackjack for the two bugbear warriors.  They will suggest to the PC’s that there isn’t much to see here.

Area 40: Holding Cell

If there are prisoners they are kept here.  At the moment they don’t have any.

Area 41 - Bree’s Place

A big sign says Bree’s Place.  It is vacant.  If asked, the bugbears will explain that Bree used to be a prostitute that lived and worked there, but since she found her one true love a week or so ago she moved out and is staying with him.  They are looking for someone to start the business again if any of the PC’s are interested.

Bree is the ogress in cave E.

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I’m skipping a bit out of sequence for those of you who have been following along.  We’ve covered the kobolds, orcs and goblins.  Today, rather than continue with the hobgoblins I’m going to cover the minotaur cavern and the shunned cave, areas I and G.

Cave I: Minotaur cave.

The garden in front of this cave is neatly tended and organized.  Rows of potatoes, turnips, beets, cabbages, carrots, and chard are visible.  The pepper plants appear to have succumbed in the last frost.  Small footprints are visible, and it is clear that whoever works this garden is of small size wearing poorly made shoes (Nature or Perception DC 17).  A DC 18 nature check will reveal that bits of dung in the garden belong to various different creatures including orcs, goblins, and kobolds.  The cave itself has nothing of note about it.  It appears to be a completely natural cavern.  There are no footprints in the unworked stone floor (though a DC 30 perception will reveal movements of a large hooved creature).  There are no small footprints leading into the cave.  A DC 20 perception check will note 1 large hoof print near the cave entrance that is mostly obscured by the other small footprints.

When he needs food the Minotaur comes out to hunt at night.  Usually he quickly scours around for any stray or careless humanoids and then heads into the hills looking for big game.  He took down a large elk not too long ago, however, and hasn’t needed to leave the valley.  He still likes to come out at night to keep abreast of any changes in the immediate area.  If the PC’s come to the area at night there is a 50% chance that he will not be home and they will encounter him out of doors.  If the minotaur is not in the caves the Minotaur Dizziness effect of his cavern is not in place.

Terrain: The floors of this cavern are difficult terrain.  It is unworked, natural cavern flooring.

Lighting: Bright Light from lanterns.  (Minotaurs in this edition don’t have darkvision (or infravision))

Minotaur Dizziness (zone, arcane, illusion):

Your head swims.  The walls of this place seem to waver just a bit.  After a moment you feel better, but a faint buzz persists.  You can’t seem to locate the source.

All (non-minotaur) intelligent creatures that enter the cavern are susceptible to the minotaur dizziness effect.  It is a zone that covers all squares of the minotaur cavern.  A creature that starts its turn in the cavern must make a saving throw.  If it fails each step it moves that round will be in a random direction rather than its intended direction.

DC 18 arcana check will reveal the presence of the zone.  DC 22 will reveal that it is not native to the area, i.e. that it is caused by a present living force such as a creature rather than being a persistent magical anomaly.  A character can remember a legend about a minotaur that caused people to become lost forever with a DC 20 history check.  After a character has seen the minotaur, a DC 16 arcana check will reveal that the zone is caused subconsciously by the minotaur and that it is not affected by it.

Suggested implementation:  Make the saving throw secretly for each character each round.  If they fail, wait for them to declare their move and then randomly decide which direction they move.  If you are using minis, then tell them their new location (or place thier mini in the new location) otherwise secretly keep track of where they are.

Area 42: Stirge Cavern.

I took this encounter straight from the original.  It is definitely more than should be included, but it can be easily toned down by simply removing some of the stirges.  The stirges are starving and will attack anything with blood in it.  Alternatively you could have the stirges be affected by the Minotaur Dizziness, making them easier prey for the party.

Area 43: Fire Beetles

There are 5 fire beetles scavenging here.  They will not attack unless a character gets within 4 squares of it.  Once provoked, they will fight until reduced to 25% of their HP.

Area 44: Spiders

Silken sticky strands cover the floors, walls and ceilings of this area of the caverns.  The cavern floors are already difficult terrain, but if they weren’t they would be now.  If it comes to matter, the walls and ceilings are also difficult terrain here.  The spiders will only attack creatures that touch their webs.

Area 45: Minotaur Den

Here he lives, the big baddy himself.

Make perception checks for the minotaur as soon as the characters enter the caves.  As soon as he hears them he will begin to hunt them, preferably sneaking up and taking them from behind.  If he encounters the players in the wild he will try to use the same tactics.  If you wish to make the encounter more difficult, then have him use hit and run tactics as he moves throughout the caverns.  With the dizziness in effect he should be able to separate out the party and pick them off.  If this will be too difficult for your players, then have him rush in slashing and goring.

His home cave is decorated with patterns of bones and skulls.  He has patiently crafted for himself a large throne made from the bones of his victims.  It is held together quite sturdily by sinews taken from his victims.  The throne wieghs 200 pounds and is worth 350 gp if the PC’s can find a buyer.  The throne would only sell to someone with an evil bent or an obsession with death.  There is no-one in the keep who will buy the throne, but Jothran Yolandus, Marlin Drouhust, or the Mason’s Guild can all help them find a buyer.  They will all charge 25 gp for thier services (payable up front) and the transaction will take 3 weeks.  There is a 10% chance that the throne will be lost or stolen.  Jothran will re-imburse 200 gp, Marlin will re-imburse nothing, and the Mason’s Guild will pay full value if this unhappy even happens.

He keeps a horde of captured items behind a big rock in the back of his cave.  It isn’t really a secret door (DC 12 perception to find) so much as a big rock.  It takes a DC 26 strength check to move to rock enough for a small creature to get through.  Another DC 26 strength check will allow a medium creature to move through.

Cave G: Shunned Cavern.

This is a very dark cavern.  It smells musty, even near the entrance.  A DC 19 perception will reveal the sound of dripping water.

Lighting: Darkness (I’m giving the owlbear darkvision rather than low-light vision)

Terrain: Difficult.  This is unworked cavern floor.

Area 32: Waste pit. This is where the owlbear dumps all her trash.  There are scattered bones, bits of tattered clothes and armor and rusted weapons.  There are also 2d4 copper, 1d6 silver, and 1d4 gold scatterd amongs the refuse.  If the characters do any searching, make a perception check for owlbear.  If it beats a DC 27 it will come to investigate.

Area 33: Underground pool.

The  sounds of dripping water grow louder here.  In this cavern small rivulets of water drip into a large pool of water.  Something catches your light at the far end of the pool.

The light at the far end of the pool is a patch of fungus that glows under ultraviolet radiation (like light).  When the characters move within the tremorsense range of the ochre jellies they will move to attack.

Area 34: Owlbear.  This is where the owlbear lives.  She goes out to hunt when she’s hungry, but a surprising amount of creatures come here for the water.  She is hungry and will attack unless given food right away.

That’s it for today boys and girls.  Back next time with more.

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Okay, today its all about goblins.  The ogres are more of a side show.  In the other caves that I’ve outlined so far the creatures were very willing to talk and negotiate.  The goblins will not talk.  They are fiercely territorial and under the thumb of the hobgoblins.  However, they will not fight to the death.

They will surrender or attempt to surrender in any given battle if they fail a moral saving throw.  Make these checks for each creature, once when the first goblin is killed in a combat and again when half of the creatures have been killed.  Those of you who played basic D&D back in the day may recall this use of the morale rule.

The PC’s may end up with a bunch of prisoners this way.  Having them role-play what to do could be an interesting dynamic.  The goblins have committed no crimes against the keep that can be proven.  If tried, they will blame the lost patrol’s death on the hobgoblins, and any kobolds involved will corroborate their story.  Lord Drell doesn’t want them around, but he won’t kill them because they haven’t really done anything wrong.  The keep laws won’t allow them to remain in the keep without employment, but they have nowhere to go.  Any prisoners that escape or are turned loose will join the raiders.

Note that if the hobgoblins are dealt with first, the goblins will try to make peace with the PC’s and save thier own necks.

Cave D: Goblins

This cave entrance has been swept clean.  The goblins are neat and tidy (mostly because if they aren’t the hobgoblins will whip them).

Lighting: All areas are lit with bright light.  The goblins keep oil lanterns burning along the walls at all hours.

Area 17: Guard Room. The guards will attack on site.

There is a 50% chance that the goblin blackblade will remember his instructions to alert are 23.

Area 18:  Guard Room. The guards will attack on site.

These goblins are much better trained than those in area 17.  These will also probably be the first goblins the PC’s encounter.  During the first round one goblin will run to the secret door and shout “Bree-yark” into the ogre cave.  He will also toss in a bag of coins.  Bree is the ogre’s name, and yark is giant for help.  Bree, the ogre skirmisher will then push open the secret door and join the fight.  If the goblins surrender, the ogre will move back to her lair if possible, assuming that the battle is over.  If the PC’s try to stop her she will fight to the death, calling through the door for her mate, who will then come and help.

Area 19: Common room.  These goblins spend their time avoiding hobgoblins.  They will scream and holler before attacking.  One of them will try to run and alert their king in area 20.  This room is piled high with pillows and furs.  There is a small table, but no chairs.  Fires in opposite corners of the room keep the room warm and well lit.  There is a high risk of fire in this room if fighting gets close to the fire places.

Area 20: The goblin King

The goblin king is really just a pawn of the hobgoblins.  He is more afraid of them than of anything else.  He will fight for his own life and to avoid being killed by the hobgoblins.  If the PC’s subdue him and his guards and manage to take them prisoner, he will cooperate with them only if they succussfully intimidate him.  They must make a DC 24 intimidate check in order for this to happen (They have to beat the hobgoblin king’s intimidate).  Other attempts to pursuade him while he is in the area of the caves will simply fail.  If taken away from the caves he will be much more cooperative, offering information on successful bluff, diplomacy, or intimidate checks.

The PC’s can learn about the location of the hobgoblins, the orcs, the kobolds, the bugbears and the gnolls from the goblins.  No goblin will voluntarily enter the domain of the hobgoblins or the orcs.  The goblins are not aware of the cult of Cyric, the minotaur, the gnolls, or the owlbear.

Area 21: Storage

The goblins keep a guard up in their storage area because stuff has been disappearing.  They have yet to figure out that the hobgoblins are doing it (why would the people that deliver the goods steal the goods?)  The guards will attack on site.

There is a secret door here that the hobgoblins use to get in and take what they want.  Perception DC 18 to find it.

Cave E

Area 22 Ogre cave. The floor of this cavern is difficult terrain.  It is a large natural cave.  There is a big rock hiding an entrance to the goblin caves in the back.  Perception DC to spot the opening is 16, but it requires a DC 24 strength check to move the rock.

There is a large fire burning in the middle of the room for warmth and light.  The area is brightly lit.  The ogres will attempt to bullrush opponents into the fire if possible.

Bree and Iork live here happily.  They are not involved in any of the cave politics, and take pay from the goblins from time to time.  If the PC’s approach peacefully, the ogres will not attack right away (they have plenty of food for now).

The ogres only speak giant (but they don’t read).  They can be convince to act as mercenaries (by either Drell or Chant Havelove).  They can be convinced to live at the keep, though Drell will only accept this on a DC 26 or higher diplomacy check.  If posted at the keep they will be outfitted as fighters and trained.

If Chant gets a chance to recruit them they will join the raiders.

The ogres cannot be convinced to simply pack up and move without a place to go.  If offered no alternative they will fight to the death.

So that leaves F through K, see you again tomorrow!

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Just a note as I progress through this.  The posts on the Keep On The Borderlands should not be considered 100% final.  I really appreciate any feedback I get.  I’ll incorporate that will my own playtest restults when I put up the full module in the downloads section.  If you have ideas and inspiration, let me know.  I really appreciate the feeback that I’ve received so far.  Also, I don’t think I have all the monster cards posted for that I use in this module.  I might, but I’m not 100% sure.  If you can’t find a specific monster and you need its stats, just email me and I’ll get it to you.

Cave B: Irontooth Orcs.

Lighting: Orcs in 4th edition don’t have darkvision, so they keep torches or fires burning to light thier caverns when they are awake.  During the day (which is the Orc’s night) all passages will be dark.  Areas 7, 8, 10, and 12 will be dimly light.  Area 9 will be dark.  At night (the Orc’s day), all areas except area 11 will be brightly lit and all passages will be dimly lit.  Area 11 will always be dark.

Entrance:This cave is littered with many heads of several different humanoid races, including, dwarves, halflings, humans, elves, goblins (many goblins), kobolds, hobgoblins, and orcs.  Some are more fresh than others.  If the characters look closely they will discover that three of the human heads appear to be quite fresh.  A perception check DC 20 will reveal to any character who received the description of the lost patrol that these heads match the description of three of the patrol members.  The heads are on the outside of the cave as well as the entrance to the cave and the entrance area.  One of the heads is an actual live orc who is on watch here.  A DC 22 perception check is required to notice that the head is not damaged like the others.  The orc is on a raised platform and the PC’s will have to climb up to inspect it closer.  If anyone attempts to make this inspection, the orc will run to raise the alarm rather than risk getting stabbed in the eye.

If the PC’s haven’t learned it already, they will discover that they absolutely must not allow the monsters to band together or the will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.  If the PC’s fight and then run away, the orcs will be much more watchful for the next month.  Orc losses cannot be replaced, so it may become a tactic to whittle down the orcs bit by bit.  Grimtooth, the chief and his guards will fight to the death if provoked, though the orc eye of Gruumsh (the tribe shaman) will lead away all the orc drudges (minions) to join the Fearclaw clan if half the guards are killed.

Area 7, Guard Room: The watcher in the alcove of area 8 ducks down and slips another orc head in his place as soon as the PC’s turn their back.  He will alert the other guards in area 8.

The guards in area 7 will be very tired during the day, and will take a -2 to any perception checks that they make until fully roused.  At night they will be wary.   If the PC’s make no overt threats, they may attempt diplomacy to convince the guards to find someone in charge.  If the watcher has alerted the guards in area 8, they will set up an ambush in the passages between areas 8 and 9.  They will hold their ground, allowing the guards in area 7 to handle the situation.  The guards in area 7 will attempt to push or lure the PC’s into the ambush.  If the sounds of combat die down, the guards will wait for one of their comrades.  After 2 rounds if nobody comes they will send someone to alert their chief in area 12.  The chief will come to join his guards and send the messenger to alert the rest of the tribe in area 10.

There is a fire burning here, and the area is cluttered.  There is a risk of fire if combat takes place in squares adjacent to the fire.

If the PC’s try to negotiate, a they will have to speak Giant. Or become creative in how they act (putting away weapons, offering gifts etc.)  Only the chief, and the shaman speak common.  The Bluff/Diplomacy DC is 15 to convince the guards not to attack.  The PC’s can retreat without harm, though they will be warned not to come back.  Another successful bluff/diplomacy check will convince the guards to take them to their chief (in area 12).

Area 8: Guard Room

This guard room is set up very much like area 7.  The guards here tend to play more dice and cards and rely heavily on the watcher.  They take a -2 to their perception checks at all times because they are focused on thier gambling.

If alerted they will attempt to work an ambush.  They will try to take advantage of the darkness in area 9 when setting their ambush.

Area 9: Banquet Hall. This area is cluttered with tables and chairs.  This room should be considered difficult terrain, and it is dark during the day.  The tables are cluttered with dishes and scraps of food.  Nobody is in this room right now.

Area 10: Common Quarters. This is where everyone sleeps.  There are beds for the guards, but they will be empty as the guards will be on duty.  The drudges and shaman spend much of their time here.  If you are running a more mature game, then this area would also be treated as an orc brothel.

If the PC’s have somehow managed to reach this area without alerting the entire tribe, then the shaman will first attempt to negotiate.  The drudges here should be played as women and children.  In combat they will reach for any improvised weapon they can.  It should be clear to the PC’s that they are cutting down innocent bystanders with no aggressive intentions.

If the PC’s convince the shaman that the guards are dead (either through truth or lies), he will ask to take the women and children to safety.  If allowed he will take them to Cave C area 15.  If the orcs in cave C are dead he will lead them into the wilderness.

Area 11: Storage. The door is locked.  The chief has the key.  This is a storage area full of food and supplies.  There are two battle axes here in good condition, but otherwise there is nothing of real value here.  The dried meat is from different animals and humanoids.  The alcohol in the barrels appears to have been made with beets.

Area 12: Chief’s quarters. Grimtooth and his two concubines live here.  He values the females for their ferocity and strength.  The floor is covered with furs, and a fire in the corner keeps things warm.  A tapestry conceals a secret door leading to area 13 and another tapestry covers the small alcove to the west.  The alcove is used as a treasury.

If the PC’s gain an audience with him, he will happily negotiate.  Otherwise he will fight to the death.

At this point it should be noted that this combat is going to be extremely difficult for a low-level party, if not impossible.  If combat is going to happen there are different ways of making it easier:

• Having the bloodragers (guards) be out scouting and return later.
• Have the PC’s come in during a conflict, i.e. one of the concubines attacks him in a jealous rage or they both attack him to try to supplant him.
• The Chieftain is sick and unable to fight.

In any instance modify XP appropriately.  If the PC’s choose to negotiate, and come before him in peaceful terms it should be clear that he is a powerful adversary and will have to be dealt with carefully.

If the PC’s try to negotiate a deal to explore the caves for ore, he will charge them 10 gp, and allow them to search every room (under guard), except his own quarters.  The treasure room, however, is the only room that shows signs of ore.

He is willing to hire his guards out as mercenaries to Drell (or pretty much anyone), but Drell will not hire them at any cost.  If the PC’s try to negotiate a deal, allow them to start a skill challenge, but they will fail.  After their failure, Chant Havelove will approach the PC’s and offer to negotiate with the orcs.  Chant will attempt to recruit the orcs to fight for the cult of Cyric.  He will convince the orcs to take their stuff and join the raider camp.  If this happens, the shaman will lead the drudges into the wilderness and the military orcs will all join the raiders.

Chant’s negotiations should appear to be positive.  The PC’s should be rewarded with XP and treasure for clearing out the cave area.

The PC’s can also ally themselves with the orcs to attack the goblins and hobgoblins.  Managing such a large group in the narrow tunnels might be difficult, but it could be managed.

These orcs did not attack or kill the patrol that was sent.  They pay the kobolds to bring them heads.  If asked about the heads they will refer to the kobolds.  The kobolds will inform the PC’s that they heads were collected in the hobgoblin caves.

Area C: Fearclaw clan.

This cave is littered with dried leaves and debris.  This debris has been placed here intentionally, and anyone with a DC 18 perception will notice this.  The debris makes sneaking very difficult (stealth at -4).

The fearclaw orcs are much more subtle and sneaky than their cousins.  They have strung a series of tripwires throughout their halls.  The perception DC to spot a tripwire is 20, but can be disabled with a DC 15 thievery check.  Tripping a tripwire causes  a clutter of debris to fall that makes a loud noise which will alert the guards in room 14 and 15.

The fearclaw orcs originally migrated here from the abbey across the river.  When the dragon began enslaving the humanoids there they fled here.  None of the orcs like to talk about that past and won’t bring it up.  If asked they will simply say that life is better now than before.  If pressed, any of them might reveal that they fled a dragon beneath the abbey across the river.  If asked how they managed to cross the river, they will tell a terrifying story of building a shoddy raft and many of the orcs drowning in icy waters.

Lighting: During the day the halls are dark and the rooms are dimly lit by small stoked fires.  At night time, when the orcs are active the halls are dimly lit and the rooms are brightly lit.

Area 13: This is a secret room linking the chieftains of the two orc tribes.  It is essentially empty, but if either chief is hard pressed they will flee here to get help.  This room is always dark.

Area 14: This is a common chamber or hall.

If any of the wires are tripped, the orcs here will be armed and ready.  The orcs will not immediately attack.  If they are not provoked, they will direct the PC’s to the chieftian.  Then they will move to block the exits.

Area 15: Lounge

The bulk of the orc population hangs out here.  If no wires have been tripped they will be found eating, drinking, and relaxing.  Otherwise they will behave like the orcs in area 14.

Area 16: Gripclaw

These are the quarters of chief Gripclaw and his fellows.  Gripclaw is at heart lazy.  He has no real desire to fight with the PC’s and no real desire to negotiate either.  If they walk away and leave him alone he will be perfectly content.  However it will be immediately obvious to anyone with any mining experience that these caves hold the most promise.

If pressed to negotiate with Lord Drell, Gripclaw will agree to leave for 100 gp.  He will not accept any offers for mercenary work, but Chant Havelove will seek to participate in negotiations if approached.  Chant won’t be able to convince them the join his side, however, Gripclaw can be bribed to give away Chant’s intentions.

Gripclaw will join in an attack on the goblins if the PC’s can convince Grimtooth to approach him personally.

If the tribe faces extenction, Gripclaw will take any remaining followers, including any of the orcs from area B, and flee into the wilderness.  If the raiders are still alive he will find them and join them.  Being driven from his home again and losing everything in the process will stir the bitter taste of revenge in Gripclaw.

If the PC’s attack and withdraw, Gripclaw will try to evaluate their strength.  If none of his men were killed he will try to improve his defenses and stay alert.  If he lost men, he will consider hiring the bugbears or ogres to help him out.  If he lost more than 40% of his force, he will flee.

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Ok, so we’ve covered the keep.  The most interesting aspect of the adventure should be the Caves of Chaos, although there are plenty of people to talk to in the keep.

The Caves of Chaos are quite close to the keep, and can be reached in a couple of hours on foot.  There are possible adventures outside of the keep, but I will detail those later.

First a general description of the caves and how they work.  For those of you who’ve played the original basic D&D module, you’ll remember that they were a winding maze of narrow caverns.  Well, that style of play can be a bit cumbersome to pull off with minis.  So I more or less revised the map with that in mind.  However, the update can be played just fine with the old map, just remember that everything may not fit.  In order to keep the same crowded feel, however I did try to keep some of the passages narrow and some of the rooms small.  Hopefully this will make for a variety of interesting and different combat situations.

My group likes to talk and interact a lot with the bad guys rather than just bash them in so I’ve tried to include quite a few political/role-playing alternatives in the descriptions.  Please be aware that this is designed for low level characters (1st through 3rd roughly), but to keep in theme with the original I went ahead and included some out of depth monsters.  This means that when GMing the module you will need to be careful.  Make sure the PC’s understand that when they deal with the gnolls, for example, that they will have zero chance of winning a fight, and that they better take the minotaur seriously or he will crush them.  If your players only do bash and grab, then you may want to manually tone down some of those encounters or you may want to just drop some sets of caves entirely.  The orcs, kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins will all be fine.  The bugbears, ogres, dark cavern, minotaur cave and temple of chaos will be challenging and may need a tweak.  The gnolls are dangerous.

Please note that all of these creatures are nocturnal.  They sleep or lounge during most of the day and are very active at night.  The exception is the kobolds who are scurrying around the caverns doing work for everone else while they sleep.  If the PC’s come at night then some of the guards will be out hunting or scavenging, or else partying riotously.

Some notes on general politics within the caves (I’ll recap with each description of a cave area):

The two tribes of orcs are allies.  They have an active gang style war with the goblins and hobgoblins, who are alos allies.

The kobolds sell their services to everyone.  Their services include janitorial, trap-making, maintenance, fetch and carry, and other menial tasks.  They are on good terms with everyone, except the cult of Cyric.

The bugbears also sell their services to anyone who can pay - but they don’t come cheap.  Thier services include assassinations, holding prisoners, torturing, and enforcement.  They also run a small trading post.

The minotaur has no allies and hunts whatever comes his way.  He is active at night and may be encountered outside of his cave if the PC’s are exploring at night.  This is also true of the owlbear, who generally sleeps during the day.

The gnolls have no allies and have made no enemies.  They are clearly the most powerful, having made an example of the previous occupants of the cave.  They run a shop and keep an eye on everything within the caves.  After the kobolds the gnolls are the most active during the day.  They speak common and will actively choose to engage the PC’s in conversation rather than start a combat.  They are prepared to deal with anyone who comes with reasonable offers, including any of the other humanoids.

The cult of Cyric is also active during the day, though generally they sleep late and stay up late.  They are aware of the other humanoids, but do not deal with them much.  They supply themselves by raiding travellers, rather than warring with the other occupants of the caves.  They despise the orcs and goblins, but have some limited dealings with the gnolls.  Their primary concern now is dealing with the keep.

Fire Risk: There are fires in several of the rooms.  These are usually rather open affairs next to rugs and other flammable stuff.  The risk of anything becoming ignited is very high.  If combat takes place in a square adjacent to a fire, there is a 5% chance (1 on d20) that a flammable object like a pillow or blanket has been accitdentally kicked into the fire.  If it ignites the fire will spread at the rate of 1 square in radius, extending from the point of origin, every round.  A creature that starts its turn in a fire square takes 5 fire damage and any unattended flammable objects he or she wears will ignite.  A character that takes 10 fire damage will continue to take 5 fire damage (from ignited clothes and smoke inhalation) after leaving the area (save ends).  Smoke in fire squares provides concealment.

Lighting: The cave entrances are all unlit, though most have some decoration.  It is clear to any character trained in nature or perception or who has a wisdom of 12 or higher that the area is travelled by humanoids frequently.

Finally a word about treasure.  I have NOT included treasures in the individual area descriptions.  Rather, I will post a list of the possible treasures that the PC’s can find.  Because this is such an open-ended adventure (i.e. there is no way to know which caves the players will be interested in), I suggest handing out 2 or three of the treasures in each cavern complex.  Be sure that the PC’s get all of the level one treasures about the same time they get enough XP to reach level 2 and so forth.

Area outside of the caves:

The caves are located in a little narrow valley.  The valley is filled with grass and trees.  Wisps of smoke are visible coming at random out of the canyon walls.  There are signs that some of the trees have been cut down.  The area appears to be devoid of natural wildlife.

Cave decoration and description:

A: A foul odor wafts out of this cave entrance.  Bits of dirt, trash, and dung litter the area.  Parts of the cave, up to about 4′ high on the walls have been painted a variety of different colors using natural and manufactured dyes.  The floor is also splattered with paint.  A fait odor of perfume mixes with the other revolting smells.

B: This cave is littered with many heads of several different humanoid races, including, dwarves, halflings, humans, elves, goblins (many goblins), kobolds, hobgoblins, and orcs.  Some are more fresh than others.  If the characters look closely they will discover that three of the human heads appear to be quite fresh.  A perception check DC 20 will reveal to any character who received the description of the lost patrol that these heads match the description of three of the patrol members.  The heads are on the outside of the cave as well as the entrance to the cave and the entrance area.  One of the heads is an actual live orc who is on watch here.  A DC 22 perception check is required to notice that the head is not damaged like the others.  The orc is on a raised platform and the PC’s will have to climb up to inspect it closer.  If anyone attempts to make this inspection, the orc will run to raise the alarm rather than risk getting stabbed in the eye.

C:  This cave is littered with dried leaves and debris.

D: This cave entrance has been swept clean.

E: This cave entrance is hidden behind some very large trees.  Sounds of something very large moving can be heard.  A DC 18 perception check will reveal grunts and growls.  If the person speaks giant, they will understand the words “give it back, Bree,” and “No, it’s mine you jerk!”

F: The initial entrance to this cave has been swept clean, except for some obvious blood stains on the ground.  A stout iron-reinforced door is here at the back of the cavern it is DC 20 to break through the door.  Over the door is a sign in goblin and common “Come in for dinner!”  The handwriting is very poor, and it appears to be written in blood.

G:This is a very dark cavern.  It smells musty, even near the entrance.  A DC 19 perception will reveal the sound of dripping water.

H: There are a hodgepodge of signs adorning this entrance in common, goblin, draconic, and giant.  All are very large with very large, neat lettering.  All of them say “Top wages!  Food and money!  Report to the first guard on the left!”

I: The garden in front of this cave is neatly tended and organized.  Rows of potatoes, turnips, beets, cabbages, carrots, and chard are visible.  The pepper plants appear to have succumbed in the last frost.  Small footprints are visible, and it is clear that whoever works this garden is of small size wearing poorly made shoes (Nature or Perception DC 17).  A DC 18 nature check will reveal that bits of dung in the garden belong to various different creatures including orcs, goblins, and kobolds.  The cave itself has nothing of note about it.  It appears to be a completely natural cavern.  There are no footprints in the unworked stone floor (though a DC 30 perception will reveal movements of a large hooved creature).  There are no small footprints leading into the cave.  A DC 20 perception check will note 1 large hoof print near the cave entrance that is mostly obscured by the other small footprints.

J: The immediate entrance to this cave is a natural, unworked cave that has nothing of note about it.  DC 19 perception will reveal the presence of footprints that have been concealed.  The guards are actively listening, however, and if the characters make much noise the guards will come to investigate.  When they see that there are intelligent creatures they will put away their weapons and offer to talk.

K: To quote original text “Red strata intertwines with bulging black veins running through the hewn rock walls beyond the entrance. The wide corridors and chambers are deathly still. A faint groaning sound, and a shrill piping may be occasionally heard, barely perceptible even if the party is absolutely silent and listening.”  This cave has clearly been worked, even to the casual observer.  In addition there is a faint smell of decay on their air, though it is by no means overpowering, and after a few moments inside the characters will get used to it.

On to the specifics about the caves.  Cave complexes are all labeled with a letter A through K.

Complex A - The kobold warrens.

His majesty King Ungblot the Mightily Witted rules the kobolds with an iron claw - that is to say nobody else wants the job after a rock fell on his predecessor and everyone believes the king’s job to be cursed.  They had to have a king, however, so they stole some dice and gambled for it - Unblot lost.

The tradition of the kobolds is one of diplomacy, stealth, and hiding.  They are puposely active when others are not, keeping a low profile when possible.  They run a janitorial service for all of the major tribes.  If the PC’s are exploring during the day they will encounter the kobolds from area 6 running tasks.  If the PC’s take time to explore the outside area of the caves, then this encounter will happen in the kobold gardens.  Otherwise it will happen just outside of the first other cave the PC’s are about to enter or spend any time exploring.  At night all kobolds will be home.

Lighting:  The kobold warrens are dark unless otherwise described.  The kobolds actively use their darkvision.

Terrain: Terrain should be considered normal unless otherwise noted.  Areas with furniture are difficult terrain and provide cover for any small creature that enters their square.

Area 1:  Entrance and guards. The kobolds have constructed a pit trap across the entrance to their warren.  This is a false floor pit trap see page 87 of the DMG.

If the kobolds hear the PC’s coming they will send out 1 pikeman as an envoy.  If the PC’s talk, they will send for their king.  The king will not come out himself (he is scared), but he will send word. If it is day, the king will invite the PC’s to meet him at the gardens.  If it is night, he will ask them to come back tomorrow.  If they press, he will invite them to his chambers.  The guards will remain on post, but the guards from area 4 will crowd into the chief’s area.

In addition there are a few guards here on look out.  They are, of course completely aware of the trap and will avoid it at all costs.

Theh pikemen will use their reach to engage enemies across the pit while the hurler will attempt throw stuff from down the narrow passage.  The Slyblade will hang back in hiding in the dark corridors and try to catch PC’s from behind as they chase down the hurler.

If things go badly the huler will flee for help.

Area 2: Trash Heap. The source of the fould odors is this room.  The kobolds bring all of the refuse that they cannot otherwise use and dump it here.  Over time it has attracted quite a bit of vermin, which the kobolds use in their traps and projects.

The rats and scorpions will come out and attack if the trash is bothered by anyone other than the kobold vermin handler.

Area 3: Storage. This room has a door that is locked.  Break DC is 16.  The kobold king has the door.  The door is also rigged with a poison dart that will trigger if the key is not used or the door is hit hard.  It makes one attack +4 vs. Reflex against the person adjacent to the door.  Hit: 1d10 poison damage and ongoing 5 poison damage, save ends.  There is only one dart.  The DC to find and disable trap is 15.  If there is nobody adjacent to the door when the trap triggers it has a range of 2 squares.

Inside of the room are a variety of sacks, crates, and barrels.  Mostly stuffed with odds and ends gathered from the other tribes.  There are pieces of fur, dried meat, bits of broken furniture, cracked mugs, wooden bowls, and other assorted junk.  Nothing here has any real market value, but the PC’s should get the impression that the kobolds didn’t make this stuff themselves and that most of it did not come from human lands.

Area 4: Guards These guards usually sit around playing cards or dice.  Since the selection of the new king they are all practicing their skills so that they won’t be next.  If the PC’s are meeting with the king they will follow them to the king’s chambers.  Otherwise they will be here.  If any of the guards escapes in area 1 they will alert the guards here.

There is a small fire here that the kobolds use to keep warm.  The fire gives off bright light in the room.

If the battle goes poorly, the kobolds will attempt to flee in any direction they can find.

Area 5: King’s Throne Room. This is really just a den for practical jokes and gambling.  The scene should be described as chaotic.  The kobolds will be constantly moving during any conversation, each vying for a better spot from which to listen.  The chief is much more wise and experienced than he lets on.  He has worked hard to extablish peace and to ensure the longevity of the tribe.  He encourages cunning, crafting, and practical jokes among his little tribe.  He has chosen his guards more for thier intelligence than for their strength.

If the PC’s start a fight, the stronger kobolds will fight while the weaker ones will alert anyone else in the complex and then flee.  They will run to the garden area and hide there.  If possible they will lure the PC’s into the bugbear caverns or into the orcs in area C.  There is a fire in the corner of this room that provides bright light and warmth to the room.

King Ungblot the Mightily Witted will listen with interest to anything the PC’s have to say.  He doesn’t know anything about mining, but will allow the PC’s to explore his cavern for 5 gp in goods or coin.  A DC 18 dungeoneering check will reveal that there is ore present and that a shaft could be started in area 4 or in area 3 (though the PC’s will likely have to kill the vermin).

The King will offer the services of his tribe to Lord Drell, performing the same work they do here, though he will slyly ask for much more money than he is currently getting.  He will ask for the outrageous sum of 5 silvers per week for the services of his entire tribe, but will settle for 1 silver if the PC’s haggle.

Convincing Lord Drell to take the kobolds is a skill challenge requiring 4 successes DC 18 before 8 failures.  Diplomacy, Bluff, and Streetwise could all be put to good effect here.  The 4 successes must come from any of these possible sources, Lord Drell, Essentia Nells (advisor), Freela (scribe), Harnost (guild master) or Curtis (chaplain).  There is endless room for role-playing this out, such as convincing Curtis that the kobolds seek to join his flock or telling Freela that the kobolds have new and amazing stories to tell.  If the PC’s do get the PC’s into the keep (they will have to relocate to allow for mining to begin) award them with the same XP they would have received for defeating the entire tribe in combat.  This will vary depending on if some of the kobolds are already dead.  The PC’s could then find treasure packets in the abandoned kobold warrens or they could come as awards from Lord Drell.

If Lord Drell is not willing to hire the kobolds (they fail the challenge), he will be willing to purchase the rights to the kobold warrens from them.  He will offer 25 gold pieces for them to leave.  The kobolds will request that he also give them a cart, a mule, and a permit to travel the king’s road.  Drell will accept these terms.  The kobolds will take every scrap that they can fit onto the cart and head south along the main road into Cormyr.

Please note that there are many other possible outcomes available here.  The kobolds are very willing to negotiate.  Also, once they vacate the area, the orcs from area B will immediately move in.  They will send guards from area 8 and hire the bugbears from area 38 to begin squatting.

Area 6: Common Chambers. This is the common sleeping area for the kobolds.  They all share a great big fur rolled out in the room.  There are several pillows, blankets, as well as a large table and a couple of overstuffed sofas.  The kobolds climb all over and around the furniture at will.  The kobold horde described here is really the mass of kobolds that do not qualify as guards or other important people.  The scene should be described as one of chaotic fear if the PC’s enter this area when the kobolds are home.

There is a fire burning at one end of the room in order to keep the place warm.  If a fire breaks out in the room the kobolds will immediately flee.

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In my quest to pull together a variety of links that can be helpful to character creators everywhere I’m providing a link today to a pirate name generator.

This is a pretty good generator that also provides ship names that can be used.  Ship names are often overlooked by DM’s, so this may be one of the more useful aspects of this tool.

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Creating suspense in a game session is a matter of creating risk for the players.  There are several kinds of risk that are valuable to different players.  The most common is danger to the characters, but other kinds of risk can also be important.  Loss of riches.  Potential gain can also create suspense.

Once you have decided on a type of risk, then the level of risk needs to be set correctly.  An overwhelming risk – such as a Red Dragon at level one is overwhelming and feels more like insanity than suspense.  If the risk is too low again it doesn’t feel like risk.  Typically the risk should feel slightly beyond the capabilities of the party.  Something that will cause a stretch for them, but which will be worth it in the end.

Presenting the risk in a meaningful way is also very important.  The presentation must be geared to the players as well as the characters.  Different players value different aspects of the game.  Some appreciate the excitement of combat – others like mysteries and role playing.  Present the risk in a way that appeals to the various players in the group.

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Diseases are an often underutilized tool in the DM’s box of fun tricks.  Typically they come about as a side effect of throwing in a monster that hasn’t been used in a while – such as a lycanthrope.  Only after the rules complications enter play does the DM remember why they don’t use them.

Then one of two things typically happens – either the party (or at least the afflicted member) dies because the party is completely unprepared, or the disease has almost no effect at all and presents no real challenge or change of pace.

In order to make diseases interesting they need to be introduced at a point in the campaign when they will be challenging and fun.  Putting in a disease that will cripple or kill a party member in the middle of an already challenging dungeon is a recipe for party wipe.  Put that same disease around the corner from a temple with all the cures at a reasonable price and nobody even notices.

In 4th edition there are levels associated with the various diseases.  This makes figuring out their difficulty fairly easy.  Once again, however, the options for curing a disease need to be considered carefully as well as their potential effects.

First, consider how likely a party member is to become afflicted with the disease.  What is the actual likelihood that the afflicting monster will hit with the given attack.  If the character is afflicted, what is the likelihood that a party member will recognize the disease?  Unless the party started somewhere around level 5 you probably have a pretty good idea of their play style and the disease question hasn’t come up yet.  In other words these shouldn’t be difficult questions to answer.

Consider the consequences of the disease on the party.  Who is most likely to be afflicted and how will they deal with it.  If it all seems too easy, then consider making the challenge a bit more difficult.  In general it is easier to make an encounter or dungeon easier on the fly than it is to make it more difficult, so plan for the party to handle your situation better than anticipated.

I recommend against introducing a disease if there is only one option for curing it – unless you can carefully control who gets the disease.  One typically very challenging situation is when the party healer gets diseased and nobody can help him out.  If there is only one person who can tend diseases with any reasonable hope of success, then as a DM you should have a backup plan for the party.  An NPC that can cure them, a magic item or something.  They may not need the help, but spending an entire session watching the party healer slowly degrade may not be the most fun.

There are situations where it is a good idea to afflict the party this way.  There are times when it can be a learning experience for the players and the characters.  It can open up new adventure hooks, but in general it is a better idea to treat diseases like all the other challenges – they are something the party is supposed to beat and be rewarded.

Like everything else, have fun with diseases!

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According to me, probability is the chance that something will happen.  Look it up in a dictionary and you may find three or four other definitions.  If you play a tabletop RPG, then you should have some bit of understanding of probability.  Because dice are involved, probability is involved.

If you get onto the forums, you can find some pretty in depth discussions of the topic.  Not surprisingly, Dungeons and Dragons attracts some pretty bright mathematical minds.  Actual statisticians and mathematicians play the game and in their off time they go through studies to determine various outcomes of various theoretical D&D situations.

For the average player this level of discussion is not necessary.  However, some understanding of probability is necessary.

For example, what is the difference in damage between something that does 1d8 damage and something that does 2d4 damage?  On average they will both do 4 points of damage per hit.  However, the item that does 2d4 damage will never do only 1 point of damage.  This means that in general your lower damage limit will be higher using the 2d4 damage.  But what about maximum damage?

This is where probability does come into play.  For something that does 1d8 damage, the probability that you will get max damage is 1 chance in 8 (12.5%).  For something that does 2d4 damage, the probability that you will get maximum damage is 1 chance in 4 times 1 chance in 4 or .25 x .25 or 6.5%.   Because you are rolling more dice, the chance that both dice will come up at maximum is actually less.  The trade off becomes dealing slightly more damage more consistently with less chance of doing maximum damage.

The concept here is to pay attention to what is actually going on when you are rolling all those dice.

Two key principles to watch are the law of averages and the gambler’s folly.

The law of averages says that the more dice you roll the more likely you are to get the average value of those dice.  This means that a 10d6 fireball is more likely to get 30 as its result than anything else and that it will be rare to find anything more than 40 or less than 20 as a result.  It also means that the difference between a 10d6 fireball and an 11d6 fireball is 3 points of damage, not 6.  Take it up to 20 dice and you start to get closer to that average number even more consistently.

This also means that over time the damage that your character deals will also average out.  If your character wielding her longsword is going to make an average of 50 damage rolls per level (10 encounters with an average of 5 hits per encounter) then he or she is going to do 50d8 damage during that level.  There are enough dice here to fully invoke the law of averages, so the character will do about 200 points of damage – not much more and not much less.  Kick this up to a Battleaxe and you’ll do another 50 points of damage during that level.

The gambler’s folly is nearly the opposite of the law of averages.  It says that each roll of the die is independent of all other dice rolls.  So just because you rolled 3 20’s in a row doesn’t affect the chance that you are going to roll a 20.  In essence it says that all the superstitions about dice rolling are just bunk, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

The hang-up that players get caught in is when they try to circumvent probability with probability.  Doing more damage by adding more dice is deceptive.  Doing more damage by adding bonuses – by eliminating probability is generally better.  Players read the PHB and when they see an entry like 2d6 they immediately think 12 damage.  The way they should read it is 6 damage with an equal chance of doing 2 or 12 damage.  Only when they roll a 7 damage 6d6 fireball (yep, it happened at my table) do they realize that the odds swing both ways.

On average something that does 1d4+2 will do more damage than a regular old longsword (1d8).  Though it will never do 8 points of damage, it will always do at least 3 and usually 4 damage, and the odds of doing maximum damage are 25% instead of 12.5% so it may not be a bad choice.

Math behind probabilities of chances to hit are a bit more complex, but only because you have to also understand the probabilities of different opponents having different defenses.

What does this all mean, and why should you care?  It means that if you want to get the most from your character you need to look at more than just the numbers in the book.  Think about what they actually mean during play and what they will mean during session ten and twenty.

Or just skip the math and have fun!

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So the party decided to go off in a completely unexpected direction.  Is this the end of the world?  No.  Is it inconvenient?  Maybe.  Can it be solved easily?  Yes.

Remember that in a game as open ended as Dungeons and Dragons, there is no such thing as the “wrong way.”  There are unexpected directions and events.  There are unplanned and unprepared areas, but there is not a “wrong way.”

Dealing with the unexpected is an art that can really only be learned by doing, but it isn’t that difficult to get the hang of it.  Understanding the elements of an encounter can help.

Encounters have 4 essential components.

-People
-Place
-Thing

So far sounds like the elementary school definition of a noun.  But the fourth element is probably the most important.

-Purpose

Getting the people, places, and things together are the bits that make encounters difficult.  These have to be prepared ahead of time.  It takes too much game time and effort to pull together the statistics of monsters on the fly.  Players can get bored pretty quickly while they are waiting for you to pull together the stats of that big red dragon.

So prepare ahead of time.

There are some things you can prepare ahead of time and some things you can’t.  In the manufacturing world there are things that can be done while the machine is running and things that can’t – this is referred to as internal and external setup for those of you keeping tabs.  The idea is the same in a game situation.  There are things you can prepare ahead of time and some things you can’t.  Doing as much ahead of time as possible will save you headaches later.

So what can you prepare ahead of time?

-Purpose.  This is crucial.  There had better be a purpose to whatever happens, and it is up to the DM to decide this.  So figure it out ahead of time.  Without this you are just playing a mini’s battle game, not an RPG.
-Things.  The stuff that the NPC’s have.  All of the key items – the stuff relating to the purpose should also be prepared ahead of time.  In most cases things won’t alter the people they are with.  Just stick it in a trapped box and the box then can be put in any encounter you want.
-Place.  You don’t get to pick the place.  The players do.  But you do get to pick which choices the players have.  I generally divide my encounters into a couple of categories.  Either they will happen in a dungeon, outdoors, or in a town.  What do I prepare ahead of time?  The dungeon map, a couple of outdoor encounter maps, and the town.  In any given session (even a really long session) it is pretty difficult for a party to visit more than one dungeon or town and do much more than knock on a few doors.

That leaves us with people.  Some people are more key than others.  Random XP fodder can be prepared pretty easily.  Use the monster manual or download monster cards and there you have it.  Make sure that the encounter fits your purpose and you have it.

Some people need more details.  These are the key NPC’s that you spend time crafting and really want the characters to interact with.  Generally when a party goes “the wrong way” it means that they have chosen not to meet the NPC’s you wanted them to meet in the place you wanted them to meet at the time you wanted them to meet.  Get over it.

If you really want the interaction of those NPC’s, then move the people to a different place.  Keep the purpose and the things the same and the players will not know the difference.

The trick here is that the 4 elements of an encounter can all be swapped out at any time.  An encounter’s purpose can be altered simply by the actions of the NPC’s.  The people can be altered by swapping out one stack of stat cards with another.  The things can be swapped out just as easily.

Make sure that all of the elements are prepared individually, without context, and add the context during the game.  The end result will be encounters that do not lack crucial elements and that don’t take extensive time to set up during the game.

If you happen to be lucky enough to have your players right where you want them, then even better.  No changes are necessary and you get to enjoy everything just the way you planned it!

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A table top role playing game is a bit different from an MMORPG or some other activity.  Not all of the parts and pieces may be readily available.  Things like character sheets, minis, dice and so forth are the responsibility of everyone involved.

In addition there are often some responsibilities that need to be dished out as well.  Mapping, treasure division, leadership roles, tracking initiative and any number of other administrative tasks need to be handled.  Often the DM will handle some of these for the players, often she will not.

There are a couple of ways of making these assignments.  Where possible I recommend asking for volunteers.  Someone who wants to do a job is more likely to do a good job at it than someone who doesn’t really want the responsibility.  It is important to remember that these assignments don’t necessarily have to be role played.  The player drawing the map may not be the character drawing the map.  This makes it so that the fighter in the party doesn’t have to be walking around with a piece of paper in his hand rather than a shield.

Helping out with these tasks can take a lot of the burden off of the DM.  This in turn will make the game run more quickly and smoothly.  If the DM is not having to worry about whose turn it is she may be able to put more effort into the witty remarks of the NPC noble.

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A small town differs from a village not only in size, but also in feel and scope.  Whereas a village will have but a few houses and perhaps an inn or one shop or irregular market, a small town will have greater organization.

Some of the houses will at least look permanent.  There will probably be at least three or four places of business.  Some degree of trade will have been established with both larger and smaller towns, cities and villages in the area.

For the designer this means a couple of things.  First it means that there will be more NPC’s.  This also means that the players will have more options.  There will also be more buildings.  This could mean that you have to go through a ton more work than you would in order to design a village, but in truth you don’t have to do that much more work.

In order to avoid going through a lot of work that is never used, plan the approach and exit of the PC’s.  Are they going to be doing a lot of clue hunting or adventuring in the town?  If not, why not?  What is going to motivate them to move on?  If they are going to stay, why?  Where will the action take place?

If there are three inns or taverns in the town, most likely they will choose only one to deal with.  They may make superficial inquiries to all three, but will probably settle on one as the primary base of operations in that town.  I suggest making one grid of the inn.  Make it complete, but don’t put any names on it.  Whatever inn they happen to choose gets to be that inn.

The same principle would hold true for any guilds, major houses or other places of interest.  There may be multiple, but the adventure will only happen in one of them.

This simplicity can be assured by providing little of interest in the other options.  If there are no NPC’s, no treasures, no clues and so forth the players will tire and move on to the interesting bits.  Make sure that the interesting stuff really is interesting and as fully developed as you can make it so that the players enjoy it.

Another part of capturing the essence of a town is giving it a purpose and a feel to it that fit well with your campaign.  The predominant race will give clues about what is readily available and what is scarce or entirely unavailable.  The age of the town will help determine the types of buildings, the level of influence that different people have in the community, and the sources of income.  Capturing this flavor can go a long way towards convincing the players that it is worth their while to stop and explore.

Like any other aspect of campaign building, making a town should be fun!

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Making a battle grid is essentially as simply as making a large piece of graph paper with 1” by 1” squares.  One question that comes up from time to time is choosing the size of battle grid to use.

There are two ways to approach this question, but they all tend to come down to the size of the encounter that will be used.  If you are going to use a magnetic battle grid, then the size will be determined by the size of magnetic surface that you purchase.  I recommend getting the largest that can be most easily moved, usually 18” x 36”.

If you are doing something more fancy, like dwarven forge or some other 3D dungeon then be sure that all of your rooms are large enough for a battle to easily take place.  In general anything smaller than 3”x3” is going to be too small for maneuverability and players with fat fingers will have difficulty.

No this is not realistic.  There are no buildings that I know of where the smallest rooms are 15’ x 15’.  Most bedrooms are 10’ x 10’ and there is plenty of room for more than 4 people in most of them, but this is one aspect of the game where realism really does get in the way of the fun.

If possible, I would really recommend that you keep your rooms in general to at least 4 squares wide or deep, and all passageways should be at least 2 squares wide.  This will make for more tactical choices as well as allow for more terrain options and features.  Also players will appreciate the added room for their hands.

Be sure to have fun with it!

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