TEXT: CROWN
  COMPENDIUM
  Editing & Words
  Mason Waaler
  Art
  Daniel F. Walthall
  June 2021
  Issue Five
  FUNNELS & WARBANDS
  
  2
  S
  ometimes you want to start a new campaign
  a little differently than before. Instead of
  making a new level one character, each player
  makes a handful (two to four) of level-zero
  characters. These lower level characters are
  then put through an adventure, and the players
  choose a character from the survivors.
  WHY USE A FUNNEL?
  Funnels help set the tone for a game without
  having players “waste” their time creating
  characters that will just die. A funnel allows
  players to experience their character’s origin
  story; characters are built during the game
  rather than beforehand. It binds the player
  characters together via shared experiences and
  trauma; everyone remembers the horror of Bill
  the potato farmer being torn asunder by the
  enraged troll. It can even be fun, in the same
  way that a horror movie can be very similar to a
  comedy - and of course there is a certain level
  of schadenfreude that occurs.
  Using a funnel means getting to the game
  faster, and lets players ease into it. There are no
  special class mechanics to learn, no equipment
  to purchase, and no backstory to create. Just
  roll the dice and name your characters.
  The funnel speeds up play and encourages
  players to think of creative solutions to prob-
  lems. They don’t simply rely on what is written
  on their character sheet because their charac-
  ters are very bare bones.
  Character Death
  Character deaths will happen often (it is almost
  the point of a funnel) and some people may lose
  all of their randomly rolled characters. You
  need to account for this; there needs to be a way
  that new characters can feasibly enter the ad-
  venture. More reinforcements from a nearby
  town, curious wanderers from a local trade
  route, or zealous pilgrims from across the land
  searching for glorious death.
  Each new character that enters the fray is cre-
  ated the same way as all those before it. Players
  should be able to make characters in a matter of
  minutes; allow them to bring in a new set of
  characters at once rather than one at a time.
  CREATING ZERO LEVEL
  Each level zero character is created the same
  way. Follow the steps as outlined below:
  1.
  Roll each character’s attributes, 2d6+3, in
  order without switching any of the values.
  2.
  Roll 1d3 to determine each character’s hit
  points value. If the character has 13+
  CON they get +1 to this value.
  3.
  Mark that each character has 10 AV.
  4.
  If the character has 13+ DEX they get a +1
  bonus to their initiative rolls.
  5.
  Record how many slots of encumbrance
  the character can carry (highest of STR or
  CON).
  6.
  Roll 4d6. Refer to the charts on the next
  page. Two of the dice are considered a
  pair and refer to the main chart about
  professions, the other two dice refer to
  the charts at the bottom of the page with
  random items.
  7.
  Give them a name and 1d6 crowns each (no
  time to spend them though).
  Class, XP, and HD
  Level zero characters have no class. They are
  common people forced into uncommon situa-
  tions. They have zero XP and cannot gain any.
  They have zero HD.
  Getting to Level One
  Once a zero level character has completed the
  funnel adventure, they become level one. They
  gain 1d3 hit points. They have 1 HD. They
  choose a class and gain any associated boons or
  class abilities (such as a new AV score or bonuses
  for certain 13+ attributes). This is also the time
  to spend any loot that the character gained
  from the dungeon that they just survived.
  Funnels
  
  3
  ZERO LEVEL CHARACTERS
  d66
  Profession
  Weapon
  Profession-Related Item
  11
  Animal Trainer
  Whip (Hand Weapon)
  Pack Mule
  12
  Barber-surgeon
  Razor (Small Weapon)
  Bandages (3)
  13
  Beggar
  Walking Stick (Hand Weapon)
  Begging Bowl
  14
  Blacksmith
  Forge Hammer (Great Weapon)
  Steel Tongs
  15
  Bounty Hunter
  Sword (Hand Weapon)
  Man Catcher
  16
  Butcher
  Cleaver (Hand Weapon)
  Dried Meat Rations (5)
  21
  Candle-maker
  Scissors (Small Weapon)
  Candles (5)
  22
  Carpenter
  Mallet (Hand Weapon)
  Saw
  23
  Charcoal Burner
  Club (Hand Weapon)
  Torches (3)
  24
  Cobbler
  Awl (Small Weapon)
  Shoehorn
  25
  Cooper
  Crowbar (Hand Weapon)
  Pliers
  26
  Costermonger
  Peeling Knife (Small Weapon)
  Dried Fruit Rations (5)
  31
  Dyer
  Knife (Small Weapon)
  Vial of Red Dye
  32
  Farmer
  Pitchfork (Spear)
  Grain Rations (5)
  33
  Fletcher
  Shortbow
  40 Arrows
  34
  Furrier
  Knife (Small Weapon)
  Fur Cloak
  35
  Grave Digger
  Shovel (Hand Weapon)
  Trowel
  36
  Herbalist
  Walking Staff (Staff)
  Poultice - Bandages (3)
  41
  Herder
  Shepherd’s Crook (Staff)
  Traveler’s Cloak
  42
  House Guard
  Spear (Spear)
  Leather Armor
  43
  Hunter
  Longbow
  20 Arrows
  44
  Lumberjack
  Axe (Hand Weapon)
  Bundle of Wood
  45
  Mason
  Hammer (Hand Weapon)
  Chisel
  46
  Merchant
  Walking Staff (Staff)
  1d6 Crowns
  51
  Miller
  Club (Hand Weapon)
  Flour (1 lb.)
  52
  Minstrel
  Sling
  Lute
  53
  Mountebank
  Misericorde (Small Weapon)
  Fancy Clothing
  54
  Prospector
  Pick (Great Weapon)
  Wooden Utensils
  55
  Rat Catcher
  Long Dagger (Small Weapon)
  Small but Vicious Dog
  56
  Rope-maker
  Sling
  Rope (50 ft.)
  61
  Sailor
  Rigging Knife (Small Weapon)
  Grappling Hook & Rope (10 ft.)
  62
  Scribe
  Knife (Small Weapon)
  Ink Jar and Quill
  63
  Street Performer
  Dagger (Small Weapon)
  Bright Costume
  64
  Thief
  Dagger (Small Weapon)
  Lockpick Set
  65
  Trapper
  Skinning Knife (Small Weapon)
  Bear Trap
  66
  Weaver
  Needles (Small Weapon)
  String (50 ft.)
  d6
  Random Equipment 1
  1
  Backpack
  2
  Cloth Armor
  3
  Chalk (1 piece)
  4
  Sack
  5
  Shield (makeshift)
  6
  Waterskin (full of water)
  d6
  Random Equipment 2
  1
  Flint & Steel
  2
  Lamp & Oil (8 hours)
  3
  Lockpick Set
  4
  Pole (10 ft.)
  5
  Rope (50 ft.)
  6
  Torch
  
  4
  C
  harismatic and wealthy characters tend to
  gather allies, hirelings, and mercenaries as
  they gain wealth and power. Soon enough their
  humble adventuring party gets so large that it
  transcends that classification. A warband is a
  group of twenty or more individuals working
  together. They may be followed by an equal
  amount of noncombatants.
  USING WARBANDS
  A warband operates very differently than an ad-
  venturing party. They are rarely the tomb-rob-
  bing itinerants that most adventurers are. They
  are formed with an express purpose (kill the
  Troll King of Mount Redshadow) or become
  mercenaries.
  Warbands made for an explicit purpose tend to
  break up after that purpose is completed. The
  characters will go back to their adventures and
  the others will return to their normal lives.
  Mercenary warbands become more involved in
  the politics of the region as those in power take
  notice of a large group of armed individuals.
  They may become an integral part of a greater
  struggle within the region (a local duke wants
  to drive out the savage elves of a nearby forest)
  or work as auxiliaries for factional infighting
  that might be taking place (the kobolds are
  willing to give the warband all the treasure
  from the goblin stronghold if the warband will
  help assault the fortress).
  Warbands are a good stepping stone to estab-
  lishing strongholds and engaging in domain
  level play. The large group will tend to want a
  headquarters to operate from. As the warband
  grows it will naturally begin to control land and
  eventually the players will find themselves en-
  gaging in domain level play more often than
  not. The warband might become an army and
  people might start settling nearby the head-
  quarters in search of work or safety. Soon the
  players will be “big names” in the region.
  MAKING WARBANDS
  Warbands form in two ways: a surge of people
  join together for a single mission (often only
  slightly better than a mob) or the characters
  have been hiring retainers over a long period of
  time and naturally formed a warband.
  Retainer Availability
  In a small town or village there might be one or
  two retainers available for hire. They will most
  likely be noncombatants. Walled towns, cities,
  or fortresses are where more combative retain-
  ers can be hired.
  If the situation is desperate, normal townspeo-
  ple can be drafted to assist (this is also similar to
  how funnels work, just common people doing
  what they can). This is usually considered a mob
  rather than a warband proper.
  Mercenaries
  Mercenaries can function as temporary retain-
  ers, they’ll be hired for a certain duration (usu-
  ally for a specific purpose or battle) and then go
  their own way. A normal retainer will remain
  with the characters until they stop getting paid
  (or if they are treated poorly). When the char-
  acters recruit large amounts of retainers in the
  same place, or around the same time, a good
  portion (most of them) should be mercenaries
  that have their own lives to return to after the
  conclusion of the adventure.
  WARBAND COMBAT
  When you run combat with a warband use the
  oversized combat rules (pg. 6). These rules are
  meant to simplify the combat to make it easy to
  run and fun to play.
  Warbands
  Settlement
  Total Retainers
  Village
  1d3 (1)
  Town
  1d6 (3)
  Walled Town
  3d6 (10)
  Small City
  6d6 (20)
  Port City
  10d6 (35)
  Major Urban Hub
  12d6 (40)
  
  Archer - Fighter
  AC 1 AV 11 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Longbow, Dagger Dmg: 1d6+1, 1d3
  Open Slots: 10 / 12 Armor: Cloth.
  Berserker - Fighter
  AC 0 AV 12 HD 1 MV 35 ST 6
  Attk: Paired Axes Dmg: 1d6+2
  Open Slots: 10 / 12 Dual Wielding.
  Crossbowman - Fighter
  AC 2 AV 11 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Crossbow, Dagger Dmg: 1d6+2, 1d3
  Open Slots: 9 / 12 Armor: Leather.
  Halberdier - Fighter
  AC 3 AV 12 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Halberd Dmg: 1d6+1
  Open Slots: 8 / 12 Armor: Brigandine.
  Hedge Knight - Fighter
  AC 5 AV 13 HD 2 MV 30 ST 7
  Attk: Great Sword Dmg: 1d6+4
  Open Slots: 6 / 12 Armor: Half Plate. Great
  Weapon Fighter.
  Spearman - Fighter
  AC 3 AV 12 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Spear Dmg: 1d6
  Open Slots: 8 / 12 Armor: Shield, Leather.
  Swordsman - Fighter
  AC 5 AV 12 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Sword Dmg: 1d6
  Open Slots: 7 / 12 Armor: Shield, Chain.
  Apotropaist - Mage
  AC 1 AV 10 HD 2 MV 30 ST 7
  Attk: Staff Dmg: 1d6
  Open Slots: 6 / 8 Armor: Cloth.
  Hex, Counterspell
  Rays of Protection: 1 BP, casting time instant.
  Cast when an ally with more than one hit point
  would be killed by an attack; despite how much
  damage they take, they remain at one hit point.
  Illusionist - Mage
  AC 1 AV 10 HD 2 MV 30 ST 7
  Attk: Dagger Dmg: 1d3
  Open Slots: 7 / 8 Armor: Cloth.
  Cloud of Mist, Disguise
  Illusory Armor: 1 BP, 1 minute casting. Cast this
  spell onto an ally before combat. For the dura-
  tion of combat they have +1 AC.
  Pyromancer - Mage
  AC 1 AV 10 HD 2 MV 30 ST 7
  Attk: Magic Missile Dmg: 1d6
  Open Slots: 8 / 8 Armor: Cloth.
  Magic Missile, Light
  Breath of the Dragon: 1 BP, 10 second casting.
  All creatures within a 15 foot cone in front of
  the caster make a saving throw. Fail: take 1d6
  damage. Pass: take 1d3 damage.
  Physician - Rogue
  AC 0 AV 10 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Unarmed Dmg: 1
  Open Slots: 9 / 10 Bandages (5).
  Skill: Healing (bandages heal 1d3+1 each)
  Scout - Rogue
  AC 2 AV 11 HD 1 MV 35 ST 6
  Attk: Shortbow, Handaxe Dmg: 1d6, 1d6
  Open Slots: 7 / 10 Armor: Leather
  Skill: Bushcraft or Sneaking
  Tracker - Rogue
  AC 1 AV 10 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Dagger Dmg: 1d3
  Open Slots: 9 / 10 Armor: Cloth
  Skill: Tracking or Bushcraft
  Trapper - Rogue
  AC 1 AV 10 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  Attk: Dagger Dmg: 1d3
  Open Slots: 7 / 10 Armor: Cloth
  Skill: Tinkering or Traps
  Bear Trap (2): Set them in a location, enemies
  must make a saving throw if they enter that area
  or take 1d6 damage and be crippled.
  5
  Retainers For Hire
  
  6
  I
  n between the massive, impersonal battles
  of armies on the field and the small, vicious
  fights that adventurers in a dungeon typically
  engage, in exists oversized combats. These are
  the “big” battles, the ones where the players
  and their allies (henchmen, friends, mercenar-
  ies, etc.) are facing an equally large group of
  enemies. These aren’t armies, they are War-
  bands. Roughly 10-50 individuals on either side,
  erring towards the 20 person range. The goal is
  to run these without slowing down the game.
  SIDE INITIATIVE
  Starting combat usually entails an initiative roll.
  Skip that. Each side will take its own turn; to
  determine who goes first use common sense or,
  if you really need to, have one person roll ini-
  tiative for their entire side while you roll for the
  antagonists. Everyone on one side takes their
  actions during their side’s turn.
  Round to Round
  The simplest way to progress from round to
  round is to let the turn pass back and forth be-
  tween the two sides during combat. If you are
  looking for some complications, each round
  roll the initiative again for each side (sometimes
  one side might go twice in a row).
  CONTROLLING WARBANDS
  Group any enemies in combat into groups of
  similar creatures. Have them do the same thing.
  If the characters and their hangers-on are fac-
  ing a group of 25 goblins split that into five
  groups of five - five discreet units to track dur-
  ing combat is much easier than twenty-five.
  Have each group of five do the same thing
  (melee attach, ranged attack, etc.)
  The NPCs following the players should be led
  by the players - split them between the players
  so that each player controls a few of the NPCs.
  Try to make the NPCs of similar types be in the
  same groups to ease their use. Whenever a
  player’s character acts, their NPCs act too.
  SIMPLIFYING COMBAT
  When there are over ten creatures on each side
  involved in a combat, you need to simplify what
  is happening. By using side initiative and
  grouping combatants you have set the stage for
  oversized combat to be simple.
  A group of enemies should attack a group of
  characters and retainers. Try to keep the groups
  separate in your narration and in the combat.
  Even though they may be close to each other,
  they are not interfering with other combats.
  As different groups defeat their enemies, have
  them join another combat group. The number
  of groups (and total number of creatures) fight-
  ing will go down as the fight continues.By the
  end of the battle there will be just one side left,
  as the other side has all fled or died.
  Morale and Casualties
  Unless the enemies are undead (or fanatics and
  the like), they will be affected by morale. Any
  retainers that the characters bring will be simi-
  larly affected. Typically a fight will be decided
  by morale rather than everyone fighting to the
  death.
  Morale is determine for both the group and the
  side. In each group fight when over half of that
  group is killed, they need to make a morale
  check. If they fail they will flee. If over half of
  the creatures on one side flee, every remaining
  creature on that side must make a morale roll
  every turn. They only stop making morale rolls
  if they either all die, or they manage to defeat
  the other side (killing them or forcing them to
  flee). The side that remains the longest wins.
  These larger battles are both more and less
  deadly. Lots of creatures will be taken to zero
  hit points, but there is a chance that they can be
  recovered after the battle (if you win). For each
  retainer “killed” in the combat roll 1d6, on a 5
  or 6 they return scarred but alive.
  Oversized Combats
  
  This does not apply to characters - a character
  killed during an oversized combat, and not
  tended to in time, needs to take a permanent
  injury to survive. If that character has already
  taken three permanent injuries they are dead.
  Tactical Considerations
  As the combat gets larger, the overall tactics of
  a fight change. Individual fighters begin to be
  less important, and with so many combatants on
  the field tracking who may be flanking who can
  be a chore. Ignore incidental advantages and
  disadvantages, the chaos of combat will even
  these things out; the exception is for character
  abilities (which at this scale of combat are still
  quite relevant).
  When one side outnumbers another by 50% or
  more, the combat is essentially finished; the
  losing side will attempt to flee (only creatures
  of particularly zealous persuasion will fight to
  the death). Many of the death’s in combat are
  simple injuries; allow some of the forces con-
  sidered “dead” to escape and live to see another
  day. Winning an oversized combat rarely (if
  ever) completely eliminates the enemies. After
  losing an oversized combat it takes time to re-
  group and recover, during this time the dis-
  parate elements of a warband could be killed.
  Combat Size and Terrain
  With as many creatures fighting as you’ll have
  in an oversized battle, the battlefield becomes
  much larger. Rather than exactly tracking the
  foot by foot movement of every creature, in-
  stead split the battlefield into zones of roughly
  equal area.
  Nine zones works well, but you may want more
  or less depending on the size of your combat.
  In a nine zone battlefield, the center three
  zones function as the “melee” space while the
  outer six function as “support” and “ranged at-
  tack” spaces. Only let a group of creatures ad-
  vance out of zones if they have cleared the ene-
  mies from that zone.
  Label each zone with the major features of that
  zone. Make them simple keywords that you can
  reference quickly. Some zones should affect the
  kind of combat in that area - areas of low visi-
  bility make it so that ranged attacks into that
  area have disadvantage, or an area 0f rocky ter-
  rain near a swiftly flowing river may be danger-
  ous to move through.
  An example of such a battlefield can be seen be-
  low. Use your own creativity to make the zones
  interesting to fight through/around.
  7
  ZONE 1
  Tall Hill (High Visibility: Ad-
  vantage on ranged attacks out
  of this zone), Grassy, Dry
  ZONE 2
  Flat, Grassy, Dry
  ZONE 3
  River Bank, Sandy, Wet
  ZONE 4
  Wide Depression, Grassy, Dry
  ZONE 5
  Flat, Clumped Trees (Low Vis-
  ibility: Disadvantage on ranged
  attacks into this zone), Dry
  ZONE 6
  River Bank, Rocky, Danger-
  ous (Moving through this
  Zone requires a DEX saving
  throw or suffer 1d3 damage)
  ZONE 7
  Flat, Thick Forest, No Visibil-
  ity (Cannot shoot ranged at-
  tacks into this zone)
  ZONE 8
  Flat, Clumped Trees (Low Vis-
  ibility: Disadvantage on ranged
  attacks into this zone), Dry
  ZONE 9
  Cliffside, Drop into ravine or
  river below, Otherwise flat
  
  8
  
  9
  SOLO OVERSIZED COMBAT
  Sometimes the characters will recruit a warband
  to take on a singular threat too large for them
  to handle alone. Things like dragons, hydra,
  and giants can pose a threat too great for any
  single group of adventurers.
  Solo Creatures
  Solo creatures need to present a great enough
  threat that a normal-sized group of adventur-
  ers wouldn’t be enough to kill it. Additionally,
  it needs to be interesting enough to fight that
  the combat doesn’t just boil down to two sides
  whacking each other until the hit points on one
  side or the other drops to zero.
  Some special abilities that solo creatures would
  benefit from in addition to their normal statis-
  tics and abilities:
  1.
  An area of effect ability that will hit the
  entire battlefield.
  2.
  A reaction ability that triggers when the
  creature takes damage.
  3.
  A mobility ability that allows the creature
  to move around the battlefield quickly.
  4.
  An aura that hinders enemies.
  5.
  A regenerative ability, or an ability to give
  the creature multiple hit point pools.
  6.
  An ability that modifies the battlefield to
  benefit itself or hinder enemies.
  One of the main problems that you’ll find run-
  ning a group combat against a solo creature is
  that the solo creature doesn’t have enough
  turns to contest the enemies. You can remedy
  this in two ways: give the creature many differ-
  ent reaction abilities or give it multiple places in
  the initiative order.
  Lairs
  The creature’s home can also serve as a part of
  its defense. It is built to be as advantageous to
  the creature as possible, and may pose serious
  risks to the enemy. Design lairs so that they
  pose interesting and tactical choices to the
  players as they fight the solo creature; at the
  same time make sure they help the creature.
  Lair abilities should be things that the environ-
  ment naturally implies. The lair of a dragon in
  the heart of a volcano might have lava eruptions
  that can kill anything except the dragon. A
  witch’s hut deep in the swamp might be able to
  move around on chicken legs and make attacks.
  Use the lair to make the battlefield more inter-
  esting, you want the players to be able to tacti-
  cally plan around the obtacles and give them
  something to interact with beside the monster.
  Named Creatures
  Solo creatures are naturally superior to their
  normal compatriots. A troll that has become a
  threat worthy of a warband is smarter, stronger,
  and meaner that an average troll. These crea-
  tures should have names. These can be proper
  names or epithets that are specific to them.
  Naming a creature makes it unique. It isn’t sim-
  ply another troll, its Urgthor the Troll King.
  Granting names also adds to the ambiance of
  the game, it makes the mundane exotic. Killing
  a troll, while difficult, doesn’t necessarily spark
  the imagination and wonder of the players;
  finding and fighting Urgthor the Troll King
  will. He is a part of the mythology of the game,
  people in other towns will have heard of the
  trollslayers who killed Urgthor in his lair atop
  Mount Redshadow.
  Rewards
  Solo creatures are particularly fearsome foes,
  and defeating them should grant singularly in-
  teresting rewards, especially if they are de-
  feated in their lair.
  Lairs should hold the creatures horde of trea-
  sure. This treasure should thematically fit the
  monster that lives there. A dragon’s horde
  should be full of coins, jewels, and shiny things.
  A lich’s sanctum should be full of magic items,
  spells, potions, and wands.
  In addition to actual treasure, make sure you
  grant the character’s prestige. Their names will
  become more famous around the local (or fur-
  ther) area for their great deed.
  
  10
  A
  troop of goblins has made their lair in the
  Old Myrn Mound just north of Waker-
  sham. Robbing farmsteads and attacking trav-
  elers they have become a local menace. Lord
  Waker has gathered a group of willing but
  scared townsfolk to flush out the goblins.
  STARTING THE ADVENTURE
  The characters begin directly outside of the
  mound. It is a large hill covered in grey-green
  grass. Broken stones litter the mound. If the
  characters can successfully eliminate the gob-
  lins within (or drive them off) the local lord will
  gift them 1d6 × 10 crowns each (plus whatever
  they can retrieve from the mound).
  There are no true random encounters, instead
  the goblins are alerted to the intruders. The
  first fight will alert the goblins in the Grand
  Hall and Goblin Hall. If the players wait too
  long after that fight, the goblins in the Barracks
  will be warned. After that the entire dungeon
  will know that they are there. Goblins aren’t
  brave, so they will hole up in their room and
  wait to ambush the characters as they enter.
  Entrance
  Crumbling stone, broken door. Dusty, humid.
  A staircase leads down into the Grand Hall.
  1. Grand Hall
  Arched ceiling held aloft by stone pillars. Gaping, dark.
  Spoils from the goblins’ raiding are pushed
  against one wall (basic farm goods, food, and
  butchered animals).
  Eight goblins (AC 2 AV 11 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  DMG 1d6) are inspecting their ill-gotten loot.
  When they spot the characters, one will run to
  alert the other goblins in the mound (north
  door). The others will fight.
  Door to the north leads to the Goblin Hall, a
  door to the east leads to another hallway.
  2. Old Crypt
  Cold and still. Five stone coffins. Skulls embedded into
  the wall leer at those within the crypt.
  Locked door to enter (DEX check, requires
  lockpick set) or knock it down (loud noise,
  chance t0 alert goblins in the Barracks 4-in-6).
  Stone coffins can be opened by sliding off their
  lids. Within each is a skeleton, bronze dagger,
  and 2 crowns laid over the skull’s eyes. One of
  the skeletons has an amulet (100 crowns).
  Touching the anything in the coffins awakens
  the Five Crumbling Skeletons (AC 0 AV 10
  HD 1 MV 30 ST 6 DMG 1d3). They will defend
  the Old Crypt, but won’t leave it.
  3. Makeshift Barracks
  Dirty bedrolls, foul body odor, and broken tools. Dirt
  floor and walls held up by wooden timbers.
  Five Goblins (AC 2 AV 11 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  DMG 1d6) are playing dice in the middle of the
  room (unless already alerted, in which case they
  launch a surprise attack as the characters enter).
  One of the goblins is equipped with a shortbow.
  A secret door is hidden behind a moldy tapestry
  hung haphazardly across the western wall. It
  leads to the Goblin Hall.
  Among all the goblin detritus there is a grand
  total of 1d3 × 10 crowns. Additionally, one of the
  goblins has a gold ring (15 crowns).
  4. Goblin Hall
  Food strewn across the floor, a crude firepit. Smokey
  and smelling strongly of charred meat.
  Six Goblins (AC 2 AV 11 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  DMG 1d6) are eating around the fire pit (unless
  already alerted, in which case they launch a sur-
  prise attack as the characters enter). Two of the
  goblins are equipped with slings (1d3 damage,
  attack twice per turn). One goblin may flee to
  alert their boss in the Boss’s Thinkin’ Place.
  The Myrn Mound
  A Funnel Adventure for 9-12 zero level characters
  
  5. Prison
  Rank and filthy. Rubble. Low ceiling.
  Locked door to enter (DEX check, requires
  lockpick set) or knock it down (loud noise,
  chance t0 alert the ogre 2-in-6).
  Inside the prison are three farmers: Dale, Ax-
  ton, and Maude. They have been trapped here
  for a week and are extremely grateful to the
  characters. They mention that the goblins hired
  an ogre mercenary. His name is Therold and
  “he’s pretty alright for an ogre.”
  6. Spiked Pit Trap
  A false floor falls, dropping the unfortunates into a pit
  filled with spikes and bones.
  Goblins are too light to set off the trap, the
  ogre is large enough to hop over it. The floor of
  above the trap is a different color than the rest
  of the floor (this should be made clear to the
  players). The pit is 10 feet deep and lined with 8
  inch spikes. It covers the entire T-intersection.
  Setting off the trap requires a DEX save or
  1d6+3 damage after falling into the spikes.
  At the bottom of the pit is the remains of two
  other unfortunates who died there. They have
  (cumulatively) 3d6 crowns, a bejeweled silver
  ring (20 crowns), a sword, a mace, and a shield.
  7. Ogre’s Room
  Cleaner than expected, lit by a lamp atop a pile of rub-
  ble. A half read copy of Dagreesh’s Treatise on
  Proper Gardening sits atop an ogre sized bedroll.
  One
  Ogre (AC 1 AV 14 HD 4 MV 30 ST 9
  DMG 1d6+3) is counting coins atop a makeshift
  desk (unless alerted to the characters, then he is
  waiting patiently for them to enter).
  The ogre introduces himself as Therold son of
  Therold. He was hired by the goblins to guard
  their hill while they are away raiding, but has
  found that they aren’t paying him as much as
  they promised. If the characters can provide
  him some monetary compensation he’d be
  happy to let them go on their way; he intends to
  leave the life of a mercenary behind and be-
  come a gardener.
  8. Boss’s Thinkin’ Place
  Stone floor, red tapestry next to a door. An oaken table
  dominates the center of the room.
  Four Goblins (AC 2 AV 11 HD 1 MV 30 ST 6
  DMG 1d6) and Fenk the Bloody-Handed
  (Goblin Chief +1 AV, +1 HD, +1 DMG), are
  talking about their next raid around the table
  (unless already alerted, in which case they
  launch a surprise attack as the characters enter).
  One of the goblins is equipped with a shortbow.
  Fenk has a key strapped to his belt. The red ta-
  pestry depicts a siege (25 crowns).
  9. Vault
  A sturdy door leads to a stone room. An old chest sits in
  the center, a massive padlock clearly visible.
  The chest requires Fenk’s key to unlock (or
  DEX check with lockpick set). Within the chest
  there is 3d6 × 10 crowns, 2 silver candelabras
  (each 10 crowns), Bejeweled Necklace (50
  crowns), and a Book of Basic spells (a zero level
  character may read the book and learn two ba-
  sic spells to become a level-one mage).
  NOTE ON ARMAMENTS:
  Goblins are armed with axes and swords unless
  otherwise noted. Ogre has a massive club.
  11
  
  Crown Compendium is a collection of tools and ad-
  vice for Game Masters and players. The material
  within each issue is optional; it can be dropped into
  an existing game, used for inspiration, or simply read
  for enjoyment.
  In this issue, Funnels & Warbands, you’ll find rules
  for starting games with an adventure funnel, using
  warbands, running oversized combats, and a variety
  of ready-made retainers for hire. Additionally you’ll
  find a sample funnel adventure - The Myrn Mound.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Crown/Crown Compendiums/Crown Compendium 5 Funnels & Warbands.pdf