TEXT: 93 
  The Vengeful Wyrm
  the vengeFul wyrM
  The Vengeful Wyrm is a mighty adversary from legend. 
  It makes its lair in the region of the characters’ home, 
  and has slept for many generations of men. Now it is 
  beginning to stir, hunt, and look for treasure for its 
  bed. Even the heroes of old could not stand against the 
  Wyrm, but the characters must find a way to protect the 
  village from this mighty beast. To complicate matters, 
  the bloodline of the Vengeful Wyrm runs through the 
  human inhabitants of the land, and blood calls to blood.
  This Threat Pack will create a very powerful villain in 
  your campaign. The Wyrm begins rather inactive, and its 
  attacks grow in frequency at a slow pace. However, the 
  Vengeful Wyrm will prove an almost impossible foe for 
  your characters to face. This Threat therefore is a good 
  choice for a long-running campaign.
  During Character Creation
  Many generations ago, the Wyrm took the shape of a 
  mortal, and at least one of the characters bears the blood 
  of dragons. The Vengeful Wyrm desires its mortal kin, 
  wanting them for servants and playthings. 
  1d6
  How did the Vengeful Wyrm affect your childhood? 
  Gain
  1
  When the dragon first flew from its lair and went hunting, you were in its path 
  and were scorched by its fire. 
  -1 Str, +1 Con
  2
  When you were growing up, stories of the Wyrm fascinated you more than any 
  others, and you have learned everything you could of the beast.
  -1 Wis, 
  Skill: Dragon Lore
  3
  You met the dragon alone one evening by chance. You were frozen with terror, 
  convinced of your death, but the dragon said you were too small to eat, and spoke 
  with you instead. It laughed and said it enjoyed your company. 
  -1 Cha, 
  Skill: Riddles
  4
  Your grandparents told you recently that you are descended from a mighty hero 
  who died in combat with the Vengeful Wyrm, and warned you that the beast 
  remembers its foes.
   -1 Int, +1 Str
  5
  You lost your little finger while trying to save one of the village’s sheep from the 
  hunting Wrym. 
  -1 Dex, 
  Skill: Animal Ken
  6
  During that month you spent sick playing chess, a stranger with red eyes and hair 
  came and challenged you to a game, which you promptly lost. When the stranger 
  left, you heard the flapping of great leather wings. 
  -1 Con, +1 Int
  Randomly determine one of the characters to be the 
  inheritor of this bloodline. Any other characters related 
  to the wyrm-blooded individual are therefore also 
  related. These characters can sense when the dragon is 
  near, getting an immediate sense of its presence when it 
  is within one mile. This can serve to help them hide from 
  the Wyrm when it is in its wrath. Characters descended 
  from the dragon can even home in on its precise loca-
  tion by making a successful Wisdom check, given they’re 
  within that one mile limit. However, the Wyrm will 
  recognize its own; it can detect its descendants by smell, 
  and its perverse sense of family will ensure the beast 
  pay close attention to its kin. It is up to GM and group 
  preference whether the characters know that they are 
  related by blood to the Vengeful Wyrm.
  The third table in every playbook determines an NPC 
  with whom the chosen character has a special connec-
  tion. One of the NPCs determined in this manner has 
  recently stumbled upon the lair of the Vengeful Wyrm, 
  and knows where it sleeps. This NPC is reluctant to 
  speak of the matter, as a great fear gripped him and he 
  ran from the location.
  
  94            Further Afield
  Finally, at least one character should make a roll on the 
  above table as their fourth roll during character creation.
  On the Campaign Map
  After the characters have determined all of the major 
  locations on the campaign map, secretly mark one of 
  them as the lair of the Vengeful Wyrm. It is likely that 
  this is a remote location, such as a far away mountain 
  or cave complex. However, it is not out of the realm of 
  possibility that the dragon sleeps beneath any number 
  of locations, including a major city or human settle-
  ment. In such a case, come up with a convenient means 
  of entrance and egress for the dragon; the locals may or 
  may not realize what lives beneath them. In all cases, the 
  GM will have to determine how the dragon interacts with 
  the other creatures or secrets at the location.
  Additionally, the GM should choose two other major 
  locations created by the players which are quite far apart 
  from one another. These should be the resting places 
  of the two pieces of the magical sword, Scalebreaker, 
  detailed below.
  Finally, the GM should add the Scorched Stone minor 
  location somewhere roughly two days’ travel from the 
  characters’ home village. This location is presented in 
  full below
  The Scorched Stone
  This minor location is the site of an ancient and famous 
  battle in which a hero and a simple farmer fought against 
  the Vengeful Wyrm and drove the beast back to its lair 
  using a magical sword. A standing stone was erected in 
  commemoration of the battle.
  The Scorched Stone is an opportunity for players to 
  search for clues and solve a little puzzle. Along the way, 
  Intelligence checks for searching and Wisdom checks 
  for noticing details may be called for. Let the players use 
  their wits to put things together, but do not be afraid to 
  use ability score checks in a pinch.
  The farmer’s house was made of stone and still stands, 
  though it is very dilapidated from neglect. There is 
  an inscription on the standing stone in a very ancient 
  language. Assuming the characters are able to decipher 
  this description, they will learn that three stones of the 
  farmer’s house were removed and used in three other 
  locations in the area: a small well on the grounds, the 
  base of the standing stone itself, and a bridge over a 
  nearby stream.
  If the characters are able to discover these three stones 
  and put them back in their proper places in the house, 
  a small nook in the corner of the house will be revealed. 
  Contained in the nook is a small leather bag the size of a 
  man’s fist. The bag is magical, and nothing placed within 
  it will spoil. Within the bag is a pristine bronze key. This 
  key plays an important role in completing the artifact 
  described below.
  Scalebreaker
  There is a mighty but broken artifact in the land, a 
  magical sword made to slay the Vengeful Wyrm and 
  its kin. Named Scalebreaker, its blade and hilt are now 
  separated and housed in two different locations, both 
  difficult to find. The gamemaster should place these two 
  treasures at major or minor locations across the map. 
  Diligent characters might be able to discover clues about 
  the sword and its locations if they study hard enough or 
  ask the right questions.
  Wherever the gamemaster places the blade and hilt of 
  the Dragonslayer Sword, the key found at the site of the 
  Scorched Stone opens a vault containing the hilt of the 
  sword. On its own, the hilt gives its possessor a +5 to all 
  saves versus breath weapon.
  The blade is housed elsewhere. On its own, the blade is 
  relatively useless, but if attached to an ordinary hilt, it 
  becomes a +3 longsword.
  Combining the two pieces of the sword is not difficult, and 
  any skilled blacksmith can manage it. Once completed, 
  Scalebreaker becomes significantly more powerful. The 
  whole weapon is a +3 longsword, does double damage to 
  all dragons and all who bear their blood, grants its wielder 
  +2 AC, and gives a +5 bonus to all saving throws versus 
  breath weapon. More importantly, the bearer instantly 
  knows the true name of the Vengeful Wyrm.
  There is a drawback to this mighty weapon. The Vengeful 
  Wyrm can sense the presence of this blade and hates that 
  character with a passion. Anyone within about a mile 
  of the dragon will immediately be known to the beast 
  unless it is in a deep sleep.
  
  95 
  The Vengeful Wyrm
  The Dragon’s Lair
  The Vengeful Wyrm’s lair is beneath one of the major 
  locations on the campaign map. Unless the location is 
  extremely secluded, the entrances to the lair are hidden. 
  The lair will have a minimum of two such entrances, 
  one human sized, and one large enough for the dragon 
  to squeeze its massive body through. If it is at all appro-
  priate for the location of the lair, there will also be a 
  third entrance located in the ceiling through which the 
  Wyrm can fly.
  The tunnels twist and turn and defy mapping. Instead of 
  using a set map for the lair, make sure that the following 
  important locations are present and describe to the char-
  acters the confusing passages between.
  The man-sized entrance to the lair passes directly by a 
  chamber occupied by the Dragon Born servants of the 
  Wyrm. The servants live in a single chamber, and the 
  Dragon Born like to place traps near their home; they 
  are particularly fond of placing lit braziers throughout 
  and using their Flame Charm spell to direct the flames 
  outward and burn any unwary intruders. The fires are 
  small but burn hot, and cause 1d6 damage if directed at 
  the characters.
  A series of twisting caverns lead to the central chamber 
  of the lair, an enormous, roughly circular room filled 
  with the treasure hoard of the Vengeful Wyrm. The 
  caverns wind back on themselves numerous times and 
  lead ever downward. Several of the twisting caverns lead 
  to small ledges overlooking this central chamber, while 
  others lead to the ground floor. This is where the dragon 
  sleeps. If there is an aerial entrance to the lair, it is in the 
  ceiling of this chamber.
  A hidden door within this chamber leads to a smaller 
  room which houses the dragon’s more delicate treasures, 
  such as its spellbooks, scrolls, and tapestries. The Wyrm 
  must change into human form in order to access this 
  room, and likes to do so frequently so that it might bask 
  in its hoard.
  The amount of treasure contained in the Vengeful 
  Wyrm’s lair is beyond calculation. The gamemaster 
  can place any number of magical items here. The coins, 
  gems, and other valuables will make the characters rich 
  beyond comparison. They will require concerted effort 
  to transport home, and are likely to wreck the economy 
  of any place other than perhaps the largest of cities or 
  kingdoms. For certain, there is more than enough trea-
  sure here to make all of the characters kings of their 
  own realms.
  Imminence and Schemes
  The Vengeful Wyrm is a destructive beast with few goals 
  beyond feeding, gathering its family members, and 
  acquiring treasure. At the beginning of the campaign the 
  characters may be able to avoid the Wyrm and go about 
  their adventures. As the campaign progress, the dragon 
  will become more and more active, until it is impossible 
  for the characters to ignore the beast’s predations.
  The Vengeful Wyrm begins the campaign with an Immi-
  nence Rating of 1. Mark a date on the calendar every 
  six months thereafter. Alternatively, use the solstices 
  or equinoxes if you find it more convenient to do so. 
  On each of these dates, the Wyrm’s Imminence rating 
  increases by 1 as it increases its activity in the world and 
  ceases its long periods of sleep. It uses the following acti-
  vation table, regardless of its Imminence rating:
  1d6
  Threat Effects
  1
  A random village or settlement other than 
  the characters’ home village is burned by the 
  Vengeful Wyrm.
  2
  A farm at the characters’ home village loses its 
  crops and livestock to the beast, or a large swath 
  of the village’s hunting grounds are turned to 
  ash. Meat will be even scarcer this winter.
  3
  The Vengeful Wyrm is out and about. If the 
  characters have an encounter this week it will 
  be with the Wyrm itself. They should probably 
  hide when this happens.
  4
  The Wyrm sends agents looking for his descen-
  dents. If one of the characters is a descendent of 
  the Wyrm, then any encounter rolls this week 
  will be with 1d6 Dragon Born.
  5
  The Wyrm sends agents to a city or village 
  looking for delicate artifacts to add to his hoard, 
  such as books or scrolls.
  6
  The Wyrm comes to a human settlement in 
  human form to challenge people in games and 
  contests. If the characters are at home, they will 
  probably be the ones challenged.
  
  96            Further Afield
  Player Actions
  Unimpressed with intrigue or indirect pressures, 
  the Wyrm is likely to continue in its rampages until 
  destroyed or somehow compelled to sleep for another 
  generation. However, the beast does have a strong sense 
  of self-presevation, and will likely go into hiding and 
  nurse its wounds if attacked. Therefore, if the PCs (or 
  another group of heroes) manage to significantly harm 
  the dragon, causing 20 or more points of damage in an 
  encounter, its Imminence rating will decrease by 1. If 
  reduced to zero Imminence in this manner, the Vengeful 
  Wyrm will return to Imminence 1 as usual after six 
  months of sleep.
  If the characters are desperate to stop the Vengeful 
  Wyrm’s rampages but do not wish to resort to violence 
  (a wise group of heroes indeed!), then the gamemaster 
  is encouraged to come up with another way that the 
  Wyrm might be forced into far away lands or back into 
  its slumber. Perhaps there is a powerful ritual which will 
  cause the beast to sleep for fifty generations of men, or 
  perhaps a mate could be found for the Wyrm in a distant 
  land uninhabited by men. Alternatively, if the characters 
  do wish to rid the world of the dragon forever but fear 
  facing it themselves, they may be able to mobilize a great 
  army and find some way to help the soldiers approach 
  the Wyrm’s lair unnoticed.
  Whatever approach the players choose, the Wyrm is a 
  very formidable foe, and it should prove no easier to deal 
  with the monster by using these other methods than it 
  is to face it in combat. Solving this problem will be very, 
  very difficult.
  NPCs and Monsters
  The Vengeful Wyrm
  The Wyrm itself is a massive beast, a creature of legend. 
  The dragon is a difficult challenge even for experienced 
  heroes, and the group will have to leverage every advan-
  tage available to them in order to defeat the it. The stats 
  below are for a useful example dragon, but the GM 
  should tailor the dragon to its part in the campaign. 
  You could just change out its breath weapon for the 
  water dweller trait to make a decent ocean dragon, or 
  you can design a weaker or different dragon using the 
  Making Dragons rules on p.103 of the ‘Bestiary’ booklet 
  of Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures.
  Hit Dice: 18d10 (101 HP)
  AC: 30
  Attack: +18 to hit, 1d10/6d6 damage (claw/bite)
  Alignment: Neutral
  XP: 18,000
  Notes: Breath Weapon (once every five rounds the 
  Wyrm may breathe fire, causing d12+36 points of 
  damage to all in near range; targets who pass a saving 
  throw take only half damage), Dragon Fear (all foes must 
  make a saving throw versus polymorph or be gripped 
  by a powerful physical fear, receiving a -3 penalty to all 
  rolls unless they flee the dragon’s presence), Flight (the 
  Wyrm may fly on its huge wings), Magician (the Wyrm 
  may cast cantrips, spells, and rituals as a mage of 4th 
  level and is assumed to have an Intelligence and Wisdom 
  of 16 if needed to make a test), Smell Kin (when in Near 
  range, the Vengeful Wyrm can smell its descendants and 
  immediately identify them), Swift (the Wyrm gains a 
  number of attacks equal to the number of opponents in 
  close range of it, up to a maximum of two claw attacks 
  and one bite), Transformation (the Wyrm can adopt 
  human form at will, though it always appears somewhat 
  dragonic and fiery), True Name (the Wyrm has a true 
  name which gives his foes power over him)
  The Dragon Born
  These mortal descendants of the Vengeful Wyrm guard 
  its lair, gather treasures for their master, and leave it 
  offerings. Their draconic master has taught them some 
  spells so that they may better protect its lair and commu-
  nicate with one another. The Dragon Born have set traps 
  throughout the lair so that they can take advantage of 
  their Flam Charm spell, and they use Whispering Wind 
  to let each other and their master know of impending 
  dangers. They typically travel in packs of three or four 
  when out and about, but the Wyrm may have gathered 
  as many as twenty to its lair.
  Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 HP)
  AC: 12
  Attack: +2 to hit, 1d8 (sword)
  Alignment: Chaotic
  XP: 100
  Notes: Smell Kin (when in Near range, a Dragon Born 
  can smell its relations and immediately identify them), 
  Spellcasting (a Dragon Born may cast two spells per day 
  as a level 2 mage and knows the Flame Charm and Whis-
  pering Wind spells)
  
  The Vengeful Wyrm
  LOCATIONS
  The Wyrm Sleeps Beneath ______________
  Its Lair Contains
  The Chamber of the Dragon Born
  Traps: Braziers + Flame Charm: 1d6 damage
  Many Twisting Caverns
  Chase scenes (DEX)
  Risk of getting lost (WIS)
  The Massive Central Chamber
  The Dragon's Rest: Face the Wyrm
  Overlooks: Spying and Sneaking
  The Hoard
  Concealed Treasure Room
  The Dragonborn
  Number Appearing: 3-4
  Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 HP)
  AC: 12
  Attack: +2 to hit, 1d8 (sword)
  Alignment: Lawful
  XP: 100
  Smell Kin: identify relations by smell in Near range.
  Spellcasting: 2 a day of Flame Charm and Whispering Wind
  The Dragon's Lair
  Hit Dice: 18d10 (101 HP)
  AC: 30
  Attack: +18 to hit, 1d10 (claw), 6d6 (bite)
  Alignment: Neutral
  XP: 18,000
  Breath Weapon: use once every ﬁ ve rounds: damage d12+36, 
  engulfs those in near range, victims may save for half damage
  Dragon Fear: foes save versus polymorph or fear,  -3 to all rolls or ﬂ ee
  Flight: the Wyrm may ﬂ y on its huge wings
  Magician:  as a mage of 4th level , with Intelligence and Wisdom of 16
  Smell Kin:  when in Near range, the Wyrm can smell its descendants
  Swift: up to two claw attacks and one bite per round, 1 per opponent in near range
  Transformation: adopt human form at will, but always appears somewhat dragonic and ﬁ ery
  True Name: this dragon has a true name which gives its foes power over it
  THE DRAGON
  Threat Effects:
  1
  A random village or settlement other than the characters’ 
  home is burned by the Wyrm.
  2
  A farm at the characters’ home village loses its crops and 
  livestock to the beast, or a large swath of the village’s 
  hunting grounds are turned to ash. Meat will be even 
  scarcer this winter.
  3
  The Vengeful Wyrm is out and about. If the characters 
  have an encounter this week it will be with the Wyrm. 
  They should probably hide.
  4
  The Wyrm sends agents looking for his descendants. If 
  one of the characters is a descendent of the Wyrm, then 
  any encounter rolls this week will be with 1d6 Dragon 
  Born.
  5
  The Wyrm sends agents to a city or village looking for 
  delicate artifacts to add to his hoard, such as books or 
  scrolls.
  6
  The Wyrm comes to a human settlement in human form 
  to challenge people in games and contests. If the charac-
  ters are at home, they will probably be the ones chal-
  lenged.
  Imminence
  Scalebreaker
  The Blade 
  The Hilt
   Assembled • +3 to hit and damage
  • 2 damage to dragons and dragonkind
  • +2 AC
  • +5 save vs breath weapons
  • the true name of the Vengeful Wyrm
  • Wyrm knows sword's location if nearby
  • +3 longsword
  • +5 save vs breath weapon
  Name:
  Appearance:
  Peculiar tastes:
  PERSONALITY
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Beyond the Wall (osr)/Beyond the Wall Threat Packs/Beyond the Wall Threat Pack The Vengeful Wyrm.pdf