TEXT: Page 1
  
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  The Tomb of 
  SoTark The DeSTroyer
  By Daniel J. Bishop • Editor: Reverend Dak • Art: Doug Kovacs • Layout / Art Direction: Joseph Goodman
  Copyright 2015 © Goodman Games. Published under the OGL as defined in DCC #84: Peril on the Purple Planet.
  Background
  W
  hen the Purple Planet began its slow decline, fac-
  tions arose to vie for the final resources of the 
  dying world. In the days of the Last Wars, the 
  Ascendant Masters used their knowledge of cybernetics 
  and genetic engineering to create increasingly powerful 
  and grotesque biological weapons. One such weapon was 
  Sotark the Destroyer of the long lost House Memniscene. 
  Damaged and placed in a cryogenic regeneration capsule, 
  Sotark has slept away the ages while the House above him 
  eroded away under the weirdling sun. Over time, the cap-
  sule has failed, but still Sotark sleeps on, diminished, but 
  not destroyed.
  The hibernation chamber of Sotark the Destroyer may be 
  placed anywhere in the wastes. The judge is encouraged to 
  have the PCs sight the entrance at the start of a dust storm, 
  offering both potential shelter and doom!
  Encounter List
  Area 
  Type 
  Encounter
  1 
  T, C 
  Ancient death ray traps, strekleons (2)
  3 
  T 
  Rune panel shocks
  4 
  T 
  Umbilicus trap, super-cold fluid
  5 
  C, T 
  Sotark the Destroyer, super-cold fluid
  Read the following when the players come within sight of 
  the tomb:
  The ruined outlines of ancient walls, stones softened by the end-
  less dust, appear out of the wasteland. Amid the swirling waves 
  of dust, a dark passage is visible, partially shielded by the still-
  standing remains.
  Area 1 – The Passage of Death: Through the opening you 
  can see a hall, its floor coated with the dust of the wastes. After 
  about 10 feet, the hall seems to descend along a flight of stairs, to 
  some darker place below.
  There are three flights of stairs and two landings. Each 
  flight of stairs descends 20’ at a 45 degree angle, so that area 
  2 is 60’ below the entrance. Examining the dust on the first 
  flight of stairs or lower (where tracks are not obscured by 
  wind action) reveals strekleon prints. A character with an 
  appropriate background making a DC 10 Intelligence check 
  can determine that there are two of the creatures.
  Death rays: In the center of the ceiling above each of the 
  two landings, there is a small inactive black node, not un-
  like a modern grocery store security camera. When active, 
  it shoots a death ray at any creature standing on the land-
  ing. It can only shoot one ray per round, so if multiple crea-
  tures pass over the landing quickly, have each roll 1d20 + 
  Luck modifier. The one with the lowest result is targeted.
  The death ray is not as powerful as it once was, and does 
  only 4d6 damage. The target can attempt a DC 15 Reflex or 
  Fort save (whichever is better) for half damage.
  If the black nodes are attacked, they are AC 20 and take 10 
  hp from a single attack to destroy.  If active, they shower 
  harmless black sparks.
  Just before each landing, on the south wall, there is a pan-
  el with the 8 standard Runes. It is automatically found if 
  looked for, but otherwise passes unnoticed unless the lead 
  character succeeds in a Luck check. Rune 8 activates the 
  death ray trap; Rune 3 deactivates it. (The trap begins play 
  activated.) The other Runes have no effect. These traps also 
  automatically operate if Sotark the Destroyer is awakened 
  (see area 5).
  The Strekleons: There is a 1 in 6 chance that characters 
  will notice an animal smell at the first landing, and a 1 in 3 
  chance that they will notice it on the second landing (they 
  notice automatically if they ask). Area 2 is the lair of a mat-
  ed pair of strekleons. As the PCs begin their descent down 
  the final stairway, the creatures come up out of the dark-
  ness and attack! The strekleons fight to the death. 
  Any character making a melee attack against a strekleon 
  with a longsword or shorter weapon must make a DC10 
  Ref save or be speared by quills for 1d3 damage. Characters 
  in plate mail armor or silver suits are immune to the quills.
  Strekleons (2): Init +3; Atk claw +3 melee (1d6) or bite +0 
  melee (1d10); AC 15; HD 3d12; hp 20, 15; MV 60’ or spring 
  45’; Act 1d20; SP quills; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will –1; AL N.
  Area 2 – Strekleon Lair: The stairs end at the entrance of 
  a 30-foot square chamber of grey stone. The ceiling is about 10’ 
  high, but sags ominously in places, reminding you of the vast 
  weight of stone and dust above your heads. The floor is littered 
  with the bones of old kills – mostly those of gribb, but a few kith 
  remains are scattered among them. The air is heavy with the 
  smell of the dead strekleons which laired here. An archway leads 
  into another area to the south.
  As the Purple Planet fades, conception rates among large 
  mammals continue to decline. The strekleons had no cubs. 
  Each breeding season, fewer are born. Both they and the 
  kith are within a few generations of extinction.
  Searching through the bones here uncovers nothing of val-
  ue. The kith whose bones lie herein died elsewhere, and the 
  strekleons left whatever arms or relics they may once have 
  carried when they dragged the corpses back to their lair.
  The secret door opens using a hidden control in area 3. 
  When the control is depressed, the door slides rapidly but si-
  lently into the floor. If it is released, the door silently returns 
  
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  to its original position. If a PC is in the doorway at that mo-
  ment, allow a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid 2d6 damage. Sur-
  viving PCs have an equal chance of being on either side of 
  the door, unless the player swiftly picks a direction to jump.
  Area 3 – Despoiled Tomb: The passage beyond the arch is a 
  mere 5 feet long, opening into a rough room fully 50 feet wide and 
  20 feet deep. This must have been a place of burial – many cloth-
  wrapped kith were laid in here once, but they have been despoiled 
  by both the strekleon and time. 
  This area was not always a tomb, but it was used as one by 
  a group of kith over a period of a century several decades 
  ago. It was the scent of the dead kith that first attracted the 
  strekleon to this area. Searching this area uncovers the re-
  mains of weapons, long ago fallen to ruin. In addition, a 
  tile on the floor in the northeast corner is marked with 8 
  familiar runes.
  Pushing Rune 6 on this tile causes the tile to depress into the 
  floor. At the same time, the secret door in area 2 opens silent-
  ly. Pushing Rune 2 resets the tile and closes the secret door. 
  Pressing any other rune causes a shock (1d3 damage; no 
  save). This differs intentionally from the normal activation/
  deactivation sequence of the Purple Planet function runes.
  Unless a PC happens to be in area 2 when this is investi-
  gated, they are unlikely to be aware of its purpose. If they 
  reset it before leaving this chamber, they may never dis-
  cover what lies beyond. 
  Area 4 – Passage of Rebirth: This low passage is 20’ wide 
  and 30’ long, ending in a set of elaborate double doors made of 
  an unknown reddish-brown metal. It is cool in here, almost cold. 
  Large cylinders are spaced evenly along the north and south 
  walls, each about 4 feet in diameter and as tall as the 7-foot-high 
  ceiling. Thick coils run from the cylinders into the walls, and into 
  the eastern wall on either side of the door.
  There are 12 cylinders; 6 each along the north and south 
  walls. They are cold to the touch, as are the coils running 
  from them. Each cylinder has an obvious location where 
  two hands can be placed. In ages past, this allowed the ex-
  traction of genetic material from donors (willing or not) to 
  be added to the matrix banks of House Memniscene. Now 
  they form an unintentional trap.
  If a character places both hands on a cylinder in the indicat-
  ed spot, an umbilicus tube extends from the cylinder and 
  fastens itself to him (surprise melee attack +6, 1d3 damage). 
  If successful, it begins to drain the PC, causing 1d3 dam-
  age to Strength, Agility, or Stamina each round (determine 
  randomly). The umbilicus can be yanked out with a DC 10 
  Strength check; this causes an additional 1d3 damage.
  If either coils or cylinders are damaged (AC 10, 5 or 20 
  points of damage with a single attack, respectively), a su-
  per-cold fluid spews out, causing the room to instantly be-
  come frigid and spraying all within 5’. This fluid causes 2d6 
  damage from a coil or 4d6 from a cylinder (DC 15 Reflex 
  save for half), and sprays for 1d3 rounds before the damage 
  is automatically sealed.
  The double doors have neither handles nor hinges, but 
  contain a panel with the familiar 8 runes. Touching rune 8 
  causes the doors to open, sliding into the walls to the right 
  and left. No other rune has any effect. If the doors are left 
  unobstructed for 1 minute, they close. A similar panel is on 
  both sides of the doors.
  Area 5 – The Hibernation Chamber of Sotark the 
  Destroyer: The doors slide open to reveal a chamber some 50 
  feet wide and 40 feet deep, its 15 foot ceiling held up by pillars 
  to the north and south. Cold air wafts outward, so that you can 
  see your breath. Thick coils run from the walls to a raised object, 
  not unlike a large casket or sarcophagus made of glass and metal. 
  Two control panels with three levers each are located to the north 
  and south of this “casket,” along the east wall, but they appear 
  to be dormant.
  This is the hibernation chamber of Sotark the Destroyer. PCs 
  examining the “casket” can see him within his stasis pod:
  Within you can see a mummified humanoid form, clearly some 
  form of kith. Metallic helixes wind under its taut skin, and in 
  some places protrude where the flesh has broken. The figure ap-
  pears to have metal hands, or to be wearing some form of flexible 
  metal gauntlets. One of its eyes – which are open and unseeing 
  – has been replaced with a smooth red gem. 
  There is no obvious way to open the stasis pod, and it is 
  resistant to damage from the weapons that the PCs have 
  available.
  Each of the control panels has three levers as well as the 
  familiar 8 runes. Rune 6 activates the control panel – there 
  is an audible hum of power. Rune 2 deactivates the control 
  panel. Each control panel must be activated separately to 
  be used. 
  If any other rune is pressed, the power of the machine 
  ramps up, the hum increasing in frequency and pitch. Af-
  ter 6 rounds (or approximately 1 minute), if rune 2 is not 
  pressed, the control panels explode, doing 3d6 damage to 
  all within 15’ (DC 10 Reflex save for half), the stasis pod 
  opens, and Sotark the Destroyer arises.
  If the machine is active, the levers have the following ef-
  fects, from north to south:
  
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  Lever
  Effect
  North panel, lever 1
  The control panel begins to smoke. The smoke is green, cold, and stinks of rotting meat. If 
  not returned to its original position, the control panel will begin to spark after 1d5 rounds. 
  1d7 rounds later, something inside burns out with a flash of green light, and the control 
  panel becomes permanently inert.
  North panel, lever 2
  If south panel, lever 2 is also pulled, the stasis pod opens and Sotark arises.
  North panel, lever 3
  The control panel makes a whirring, clicking noise, and a warm green fluid seeps from the 
  base of the stasis pod. It smells and tastes like honey, and is not harmful. A full gallon of 
  this fluid seeps out.
  South panel, lever 1
  The room begins to cool noticeably, the temperature dropping by 1 degree each minute. 
  Returning this lever to its original position maintains the current temperature; the room 
  does not become warmer.
  South panel, lever 2
  If north panel, lever 2 is also pulled, the stasis pod opens and Sotark arises.
  South panel, lever 3
  The ceiling of the room emits bright greenish-yellow light, equal to daylight. 1d7 minutes 
  later, it dims to be roughly equal to torchlight. 2d7 rounds later, it dims again to but a soft 
  glow. 3d8 rounds later, the light goes out. No amount of playing with the lever restores 
  this light.
  All levers thrown except 
  north and south panel, 
  levers 2
  The stasis pod opens without awakening Sotark. The PCs may destroy the Destroyer if 
  they so desire. 
  Sotark the Destroyer has atrophied during his long hiber-
  nation. Even so, he is a formidable opponent, and is alert as 
  soon as he is awakened. Sotark is not immediately belliger-
  ent unless the PCs are. His immediate priority is to deter-
  mine who the PCs are. 
  After observing them for about a minute (unless they are 
  hostile) he will be able to understand them (mostly; see 
  The Hands and Eye of Sotark, below), and will demand 
  to know what House they are allied to. If a PC claims any 
  House other than House Memniscene, Sotark attacks. Clev-
  er characters may reverse the question, and if they claim 
  that they are testing him after his long sleep, Sotark will 
  answer. This allows the PCs to claim an immediate alliance 
  with the Destroyer. If they are clever enough, the PCs might 
  even convince Sotark that they are his superiors.
  Sotark the Destroyer can cause a “sword” of green energy 
  to appear in his right hand at will and a “shield” of green 
  energy to appear in his left hand. Neither requires an ac-
  tion die, and both can be invoked or dispelled in the same 
  round. He regenerates 1 hp/round until dead. His cyber-
  netic eye allows him to see invisible creatures, to under-
  stand all spoken languages he observes for about a minute, 
  and to compute optimal tactics (which is applied as a +2 
  bonus to any single die roll each round). Sortark has a d5 
  deed die (as a warrior or dwarf), but cannot apply his bo-
  nus to affect his chance of a successful deed. Sotark cannot 
  handle greenstones or greenstone shards without destroy-
  ing them (see The Hands and Eye of Sotark, below).
  Sotark the Destroyer: Init +5; Atk energy blade +6 +1d5 
  melee (1d12+4 +1d5) or buffet +4 +1d5 melee (1d3+4 +1d5); 
  AC 13 (17 with energy shield); HD 8d12; hp 50; MV 30’; Act 
  2d20; SP Deed die (1d5), see invisible, regenerate 1/round, 
  +2 bonus to one roll each round, energy sword and shield, 
  faulty translation; SV Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +10; AL C.
  The coils contain super-cool fluid, as in area 4. While PCs 
  may use target these coils to catch Sotark the Destroyer in 
  their spray, Sotark’s programing prevents him from doing 
  so. He cannot intentionally damage this chamber.
  When Sotark is awakened, the death rays in area 1 become 
  activated.
  The hands and 
  eye of soTark
  When Sotark is slain, the cybernetic cables in his body reel 
  back into his hands, and both hands fall off. A character 
  who is missing a hand may attach the corresponding Hand 
  of Sotark merely by pressing it against the stump. Cables 
  in the hand grip the arm and drill into the muscle, causing 
  extraordinary pain (DC 25 Fort save or pass out for 1d7 x 
  10 minutes) as they enhance the character’s musculature. 
  Each hand gives a +2 bonus to Strength checks; a character 
  with both hands gains a +4 bonus.
  The left hand can create a green energy shield, which 
  grants a +4 bonus to AC with no check penalty. Each use of 
  this shield lasts up to 1d5+5 rounds and uses 1 charge. The 
  right hand can create a green energy blade which has a +2 
  bonus to hit and does 1d12 damage on a successful strike. 
  Each use of this sword lasts up to 1d7+10 rounds and uses 
  1 charge. A character possessing either hand is automati-
  cally aware of this ability, and the hand’s current number 
  of charges. When Sotark is defeated, each hand has 1d5-1 
  charges remaining.
  These abilities are recharged using greenstone shards. If ei-
  ther of Sotark’s hands comes into contact with a greenstone 
  shard, including contact through up to 1 inch of material, 
  the shard is absorbed, granting 1d6+2 charges to the hand. 
  The hand can also absorb greenstones, through up to 1 foot 
  
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  of material. In this event, roll 1d7 + the character’s Luck 
  modifier. If the roll is 5 or under, the hand explodes, causing 
  the character 2d12 damage and destroying the greenstone. 
  If the roll is 6 or higher, the hand gains 2d12+10 charges 
  and the greenstone is destroyed.
  Likewise, Sotark’s cybernetic red eye may be placed in an 
  empty eye socket, and cables will worm into the character’s 
  brain. Thereafter, the character can always see invisible 
  creatures (although this ability does not extend to ethereal 
  or out-of-phase creatures), can gain a +2 bonus to one die 
  roll each round (due to the eye’s computational abilities), 
  and can understand any language he has the opportunity 
  to observe being used for 1 minute. 
  This last ability is faulty; one out of every 1d100 words 
  is mistranslated randomly, both in the character’s under-
  standing of the language, and in the character’s use of it. 
  The judge and players are encouraged to have fun with this 
  fault.
  In addition, the eye begins to rewire the character’s brain, 
  encouraging allegiance to House Memniscene in dreams 
  and visions. Even when the character returns to his own 
  world, the eye urges him to recreate the House Memnis-
  cene, and to make it preeminent over all others! This may 
  lead the character into many other adventures. If the char-
  acter refuses to act in the interests of House Memniscene, 
  the eye may create visual hallucinations, interfere with 
  speech or understanding of speech, or even render the 
  character blind.
  soTark Lives!
  If the characters awaken, but do not defeat, Sotark, he will 
  become a disruptive force on the already unstable Purple 
  Planet. Determined to restore House Memniscene, he de-
  mands the PCs’ absolute loyalty and punishes any devia-
  tion with brutality and death. He demands any greenstone 
  shards that are found, using them to fuel his cybernetic 
  hands (and preventing the PCs from returning home there-
  by). He will seek the overthrow of Houses Cotcyst and 
  Reagen’Tor, and when this is accomplished, he will seek to 
  purify his own House.
  When Sotark is first awakened, quick-thinking PCs may 
  convince him that they are his superiors. In this event, So-
  tark can be a powerful weapon against the PCs’ enemies. 
  Sotark is no fool, however, and he will not remain fooled 
  for long. After a week at most, Sotark will realize that they 
  are not members of House Memniscene and demand that 
  they instead serve him.
  Unchecked, Sotark the Destroyer of House Memniscene 
  will be the last living being beneath the weirdling sun be-
  fore he, too, is found unworthy by the relentless program-
  ming of his cybernetic enhancements and genetic grafts. 
  And then Sotark too shall fall.
  The longer Sotark is awake, the more powerful he becomes, 
  until he is restored to his pre-hibernation peak after 1d3+3 
  months. The Judge should modify Sorark’s original stats 
  incrementally towards his peak form as time passes.
  Sotark the Destroyer (peak form): Init +9; Atk energy 
  blade +10 +1d7 melee (1d12+4 +1d7) or buffet +8 +1d7 me-
  lee (1d3+4 +1d7); AC 16 (20 with energy shield); HD 15d12; 
  hp 95; MV 30’; Act 3d20; SP Deed die (1d7), see invisible, 
  regenerate 3/round, +2 bonus to one roll each round, en-
  ergy sword and shield, faulty translation; SV Fort +12, Ref 
  +8, Will +20; AL C.
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  Page 6
  The Tomb of The ImmorTal kahl
  By Terry Olson • Playtesters: Steve Bean, Nigel Duffy, Topher Gadd, David Leavenworth, Doug Lomas, Andrew Mcallister, Mike 
  Olson, Aaron Teixeira
  Background
  D
  iscovering a once-hidden passage in the Purple 
  Planet’s Ancestor Peaks, the PCs enter the tomb 
  of the Immortal Kahl. The party must survive 
  deadly chambers fraught with alien life and technologies 
  while unraveling the tomb’s mysteries. Ultimately, the 
  party faces a choice unlike any encountered before, and a 
  reward which will change them forever.
  This adventure is designed for 4-6 4th-level characters.
  Kahl was an ancient sorcerer-king who was born a cripple. 
  Over his lifetime he developed an apparatus of two thrones 
  that allows two bodies to swap consciousness. He used this 
  technology to trade his crippled form for an athletic one. 
  Whenever his current body became too aged or damaged, 
  he used his thrones to swap into a young healthy physique. 
  As the ruler of his tribe, he experimented with many life-
  styles, e.g., being a woman, a combat-hardened warlord, 
  and a gluttonous aristocrat. Eventually the multiple trans-
  fers of consciousness killed him, and his tribe interpreted 
  this as the Gods’ disfavor; he and his technology were bur-
  ied with the intent of never being found. The PCs are the 
  first in millennia to view the tomb, and his thrones are still 
  in working condition deep within.
  While exploring, the PCs will encounter both written and 
  spoken passages from Kahl’s time. His royal line used 
  a now-extinct dialect of the Kith language that is written 
  with a flowing glyphic script. Wizards and elves may trans-
  late “Kahlian” with a DC 15 Intelligence check; similarly, 
  Thieves’ read languages check is DC 15. Note that PCs who 
  can read the language of Law receive a +5 bonus to their 
  translation check. The language is terrestrial when consid-
  ering results from a Comprehend Languages spell. 
  Unless otherwise mentioned, the tomb’s passages are dark 
  without any sources of light. The stair-stepped halls before 
  and after areas 1 and 2 are too small to accommodate a full-
  sized skiff, should the party have one. The tomb doors are 
  atypical from a medieval perspective; they are thin stone 
  slabs, slightly recessed, that slide into the wall (A Strength 
  of 8 required to move). They have no locks to pick, but have 
  depressions to make sliding them easier. 
  Encounter List
  Area 
  Type 
  Encounter
  1 
  P/T 
  Trapped false doors and secret door
  2 
  C 
  Nanite Swarm
  3 
  C 
  2 Thawed Ones
  4 
  P/T 
  Trapped well shaft and hidden entrance
  5 
  P 
  Kahl’s thrones
  Area 1 - The Will to Transform: Amongst the boulder 
  fields you note a large piece of stone unnaturally shaped. The 
  bottom left corner has broken away, revealing a hollow darkness 
  underneath the slab.
  A combined strength of 20 is required to move the slab. PCs 
  investigating the darkness note the following: 
  A carved, stepped hallway of stone descends steeply, ending in 
  a square chamber roughly 30 feet below the surface. Each of the 
  three walls of the chamber has a closed stone door. Above each is a 
  series of characters carved into the rock with a flowing script; the 
  characters are the same on each wall. The doors have no hinges 
  and are somewhat recessed, appearing to require pushing or slid-
  ing to open. 
  Each of the doors is a false door (DC 15 Intelligence check to 
  spot, dwarves and elves receive +4, and thieves may make 
  a passive find traps check). Each door is trapped (DC 15 to 
  find and remove). If a PC disturbs a door beyond gentle-
  touch inspection, then Lyiart mushroom spores shoot out 
  from hidden chambers of the disturbed door (DC 10 Will 
  save or violent madness for 1d5 rounds, see page 9 of Peril on 
  the Purple Planet). Trying to open, budge, tap, etc., a door sets 
  off that door’s trap. The spores affect all PCs in a 10’ cube. 
  The way into the tomb is via a secret door in the floor (DC 15 
  Intelligence check to find); a 3’ by 3’ stone slab slides into the 
  other floor stones to reveal a 15 foot drop to the floor of area 
  2. The walls of area 2 are DC 20 to climb due to the loose san-
  dy nature of the nanite swarm, which will not treat climbing 
  as an aggressive act (see area 2). The identical phrases above 
  each door are written in the Kahlian dialect. If translated (see 
  Background), the glyphs hint at the secret door, saying, “The 
  journey begins where your foot meets the ground.” 
  Area 2 - Hall of the Husks: You descend through the ceil-
  ing to one corner of a rectangular chamber. Along the smooth 
  steel floor are six evenly spaced glass panels, below which float 
  bodies in a luminescent violet liquid; the chamber is lit by this 
  purple glow. The walls are coated with glittering metallic sand. 
  One long wall contains six stone doors, each aligned with the 
  glass panels in the floor.
  The glass panels are tops to individual tanks containing 
  Kahl’s discarded bodies, each of which appears well pre-
  served. From east wall to west wall, the tanks contain:
  a. a young man, late 20s, with deformed shrunken legs 
  (Kahl’s original body);
  b. an elderly man who might have been quite an athlete 
  in his younger years;
  c. a middle-aged, muscular man with a gash in his abdo-
  men that is horribly discolored (thieves recognize it as 
  a fatal poison wound);
  d. an elderly woman with a regal aura about her;
  e. a terribly obese man in his late 50s;
  f. only violet liquid (intended to house the body Kahl 
  died with).
  
  Page 7
  The “glittering metallic sand” covering the walls is actually 
  a nanite swarm, a cloud of tiny nanoscale machines that 
  projects images and sound, but also delivers deadly electric 
  shocks. As discussed below, it leaves the stone walls and 
  attacks if the PCs press incorrect runes, try to open any of 
  the doors, attempt to break the glass panels, or are attacked 
  themselves. Describe the swarm as a sentient cloud; if an 
  attack misses the swarm, mention that the cloud opens a 
  space of air around the weapon, etc. On a fumble the swarm 
  vibrates coherently in place and receives a -2 penalty on its 
  next attack. A critical hit by the swarm results in significant 
  damage, debilitation, and possibly death; see the bestiary 
  for more information.
  Nanite Swarm: Init +4; Atk swarming shock +5 melee (2d6 
  + DC 15 Fort save vs. paralyzation for 1d3 rounds, -4 to save 
  if in metal armor); AC 17; HD 8d8; hp 32; MV fly 40’; Act 
  d20 special; SP shock all targets within 800 sq. ft. area (10’ x 
  80’, 20’ x 40’, etc.), half damage from non-area attacks, takes 
  -2d electrical damage, takes +2d water damage, immune to 
  mind altering spells. SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +8; AL N.
  If a PC steps between a door and glass panel, read the fol-
  lowing to the players:
  Rays of light erupt from the walls in green, red, blue, and two 
  “colors” that are beyond your experience. The light coalesces 
  above the nearby glass panel, forming a translucent colored three-
  dimensional person. The image speaks in a foreign tongue, its 
  voice echoing throughout the chamber and seeming to come from 
  everywhere at once. 
  Stepping in front of any door causes the nanite swarm to 
  produce a pre-programmed series of images and sounds. 
  The speakers use the Kahlian dialect, saying, “I, Kahl, ac-
  knowledge the sacrifice of this vessel and pledge increasing 
  prosperity in my continued rule.” Astute PCs (DC 13 Intel-
  ligence check) notice that the speaker is a younger version 
  of the person lying in the succeeding tank, i.e., the person 
  from tank b speaks in front of tank a, the person from tank 
  c speaks in front of tank b, etc. The person who speaks in 
  front of tank e is currently unrecognizable, though this may 
  change when PCs enter area 5. 
  The south side of each tank is bordered along the floor 
  with the eight runes found on Purple Planet artifacts (page 
  31 of Peril on the Purple Planet). The tanks may be opened 
  by breaking the glass (50 hp) or by pressing rune 4. Press-
  ing rune 3 causes the tank to go dark, while pressing rune 
  8 lights the tank. Trying to break the glass with force, or 
  pressing any runes other than 3, 4, or 8, causes the nanite 
  swarm to attack. If the PCs reach the liquid they find that it 
  suspends all organic cellular activity, having three progres-
  sive stages that must be checked each round of exposure: 
  numbness (DC 10 Fortitude save); paralysis (DC 15 Forti-
  tude save), and death (DC 20 Fortitude save).
  All of the doors, except that corresponding to tank b, are 
  false doors (DC 15 Intelligence to spot, dwarves and elves 
  receive +4, and thieves may make a passive find traps 
  check). Trying to open any of the doors (even the correct 
  one) causes the nanite swarm to attack.
  Area 3 - Hall of the Vessels: The stairs lead to a white-tiled 
  square chamber housing four man-sized glass cylinders. The cyl-
  inders stand erect and are connected by a series of pipes, gears, 
  and hoses, with some having been crushed by stones from the 
  ceiling. A cold mist leaks from the wreckage, adding a faint hiss 
  to the tomb’s silence. Three of the cylinders are empty, their glass 
  shattered. The fourth contains a sleeping man with an amazing 
  physique: sturdy, swift, and strong. The room is dimly lit by a 
  single greenstone crystal shard atop the man’s chamber, with a 
  green-lit script floating on the glass. Large chunks of fallen stone 
  litter the floor, and an open doorway stands at the opposite end 
  of the room. Clay urns lay smashed in puddles of mushroom milk 
  amongst a partially-devoured shriveled body.
  This chamber is the repository for Kahl’s future bodies, 
  each placed in cryo-stasis until needed. Three of these be-
  came rapidly thawed due to their machinery being crushed 
  by ceiling stones. Violently insane from their rude awaken-
  ing, they attacked each other until two survivors remained, 
  which transformed into un-dead Thawed Ones. They cur-
  rently hide in a ceiling alcove created by the falling stones 
  (DC 15 Intelligence check to spot). They attack if spotted, 
  if PCs attempt to thaw the remaining body, or if PCs ap-
  proach the doorway toward area 4. 
  Thawed Ones (2): Init +2; Atk fist +4 melee (1d6+4) or ne-
  crotic breath +3 cone 5’x5’ (1d4 strength damage); AC 13; 
  HD 8d12; hp 48 each; MV 30’; Act 3d20 special; SP damage 
  reduction 3, takes +2d fire damage, un-dead traits; SV Fort 
  +4, Ref +4, Will +10; AL C.
  Thawed ones appear as hairless humanoids with gray flesh 
  mottled with blue and green patches. Their eyes are entire-
  ly black (no irises), and their fingers, toes, and lips a dark 
  purple. Thawed Ones are un-dead, and thus can be turned 
  by clerics. They do not eat, drink, or breathe, and are im-
  mune to critical hits, disease, and poison. As un-dead, they 
  are immune to sleep, charm, and paralysis spells, as well as 
  other mental effects and cold damage. The transformation 
  from human to Thawed One creates a lithe, resilient, but 
  shriveled body; it resists the first 3 points of damage caused 
  by any strike (taking 1 point for damage rolls less than 4). 
  See the bestiary for more information.
  PCs searching the rubble find 3 piles of green ash near each 
  broken cryo-station (from the exhausted greenstone shards 
  that supplied power).
  The floating green script is Kahlian for “Vessel Number 
  One.” Vessel, the man remaining in cryo-sleep, is a geneti-
  cally engineered “vessel” for Kahl. The PCs may attempt to 
  awaken him by studying the pumps, gears, and attached 
  controls. The process requires PCs to make a DC 15 Intel-
  ligence check (thieves may use disable traps with the same 
  DC). Failing the check does 1d6 points of damage to Vessel’s 
  Strength, Agility, and Stamina (roll separately for each). 
  Fumbling the check kills Vessel instantly and causes an 
  explosion doing 2d10 cold damage in a 10’ radius around 
  the cylinder (DC 15 Reflex to avoid damage). Removing the 
  greenstone shard also kills him, but does not harm the PCs.
  Vessel: Strength 17, Agility 17, Stamina 17, Personality 4, 
  Intelligence 3, Luck 5;  
  
  Page 8
  Having been bred for speed, stamina, and brawn while 
  sheltered in a lab, Vessel has no strength of will, speaks 
  with the vocabulary of a four-year old child (in Kahlian), 
  and is illiterate. PCs gain limited information from him, 
  such as his function to be the vessel for Kahl’s being, and 
  that Kahl waits beyond the “Well of Commitment.” He 
  knows nothing of Houses Cotcyst or Reagen’Tor. He can, 
  however, teach the PCs how to safely use one artifact of the 
  judge’s choosing. Even if the party is unsuccessful in com-
  municating with him, he says his name and points at him-
  self. Astute PCs (DC 13 Intelligence check) notice that the 
  same Kahlian word “vessel” was used by the projections 
  in area 2. Vessel is extremely submissive and begs to serve 
  his purpose for Kahl; he does not believe he can survive as 
  he is. 
  Area 4 - The Well of Commitment: A 10’ by 10’ shaft 
  carved from the earth descends into darkness. The natural walls 
  appear fatally smooth to the novice, but a skilled climber may be 
  able to negotiate them.
  The walls of the well are very smooth (DC 15 to climb); it 
  was intended to be traversed with a mini-skiff (one is in 
  area 5). The well is riddled with blade traps sprung by hid-
  den pressure plates along the walls (DC 15 to find and dis-
  arm, a successful check clears a 10’ region). For every 10’ 
  of climbing in any direction there is a 13% chance (subtract 
  luck modifier) that a PC springs the trap. Blades swing out 
  of the walls in a 10’ region centered on the PC, automati-
  cally cutting any ropes, causing 1d8 points of damage, and 
  requiring a DC 15 Reflex save to keep from falling down 
  the well. If a PC is lowered with rope and does not touch 
  the walls, then the traps are avoided. 
  The “well” is 100 feet deep and ends in solid ground, so the 
  fall is quite deadly. Recall that falling damage is 1d6 per 
  ten feet, and every natural 6 results in a broken bone and 1 
  permanent loss of Strength or Agility (player’s choice).
  Clever players may choose to drop a torch down the well 
  to gauge its depth. The torch has a 50% chance to extin-
  guish when it hits the ground. Note that the doorway to 
  area 5 is designed to be hidden from above when looking 
  from area 3, so PCs cannot see it unless they view the fall-
  ing torch from the opposite wall (e.g., a climber, magically 
  suspended PC, etc.).
  PCs descending to the bottom of the well find a few crushed 
  skeletons, frayed rope, and a hard wooden box containing 
  a greenstone shard wrapped in multiple straps of linen. At 
  the well’s bottom, dwarves, miners, and stonemasons note 
  that the earth changes to a form unsuitable for further dig-
  ging.
  Area 5 - Chamber of Rebirth: Two copper thrones sit back-
  to-back on a common raised dais in the center of this circular 
  room. The now-familiar flowing script repeats a phrase around 
  the dais’ circumference. Each throne holds a slumping decayed 
  body, one wearing the tattered clothes of royalty, both adorned 
  with steel skullcaps. A tangled web of copper, gold, and silver 
  wires connects the caps to each other, while braided strands snake 
  from the thrones to the base of a waist-high obsidian obelisk at 
  the dais’ edge. The top of the obelisk has two shard-sized indenta-
  tions, each of which spills over with green ash. A single silvery-
  blue glyph adorns the obelisk’s face, with surrounding grooves 
  suggesting that it may be pressed. A three-foot diameter metallic 
  disc rests on its side near the entrance while fifteen stone chairs 
  encircle the dais, bearing silent witness to the thrones.
  Here lies the final resting place of the Immortal Kahl and 
  his next vessel. Kahl changed forms too many times and 
  could not survive the process. Astute characters (DC 13 In-
  telligence check) recognize the royal clothes as being those 
  which clothed the projected speaker at area 2’s tank e. The 
  other body has traits similar to Vessel. The Kahlian script 
  around the dais reads, “Honor to those who witness the 
  rebirth of Kahl into the younger, stronger, healthier Vessel. 
  Hail the Immortal Kahl!”  The Kahlian glyph on the obelisk 
  means “Rebirth.”
  If Vessel is present he collapses in disbelief and begs to be 
  used on one of the thrones. He understands only that the 
  thrones allow Kahl to inhabit his body; he does not know 
  any of the details (what abilities are retained, the penalties, 
  the Will save, etc.). 
  Kahl’s Thrones: Requiring 2 charged shards for power and 
  a single press of the silvery-blue glyph, Kahl’s thrones al-
  low two beings to permanently swap bodies via a trans-
  fer of consciousness. Each gains the Strength, Agility, and 
  Stamina of the new body, while retaining his Personality, 
  Intelligence, Luck, and class knowledge. Note, however, 
  that the Gods do not approve of such blasphemy, so both 
  participants permanently lose 1 point of Luck (this may 
  not be regained by halflings and thieves). Transferring con-
  sciousness requires a DC 10 Will save, but additional trans-
  fers by the same being increase the DC cumulatively by 2, 
  e.g., the first transfer is DC 10, the second DC 12, the third 
  DC 14, and so on. Transferring to a different sex incurs a 
  -2 penalty, transferring to a different race incurs a -10 pen-
  alty (note that Vessel from area 3 counts as human for this 
  check). If both sitters fail their save, then they die within 
  their own bodies. If only one fails his save, then that person 
  dies outside his body, his soul unbound, and may not be 
  resurrected without divine intervention. 
  When observing how the party decides to use the thrones 
  and Vessel, the judge is encouraged to reward players with 
  experience or luck, based on consideration of alignments, 
  patrons, deities, etc. 
  The metallic disk by the doorway is a mini-skiff, a one-per-
  son version of the skiff vehicle described in the Purple Plan-
  et Companion (page 21). Operation via runes is the same 
  as the skiff, although the mini-skiff cannot hover without 
  power. This particular mini-skiff was used by Kahl to safely 
  traverse the Well of Commitment (area 4). Note that it has 
  no power and must be charged with a greenstone shard.
  PCs gathering the metal wires collect 1000gp worth of gold 
  wire, 100gp worth of silver wire, and 10 gp worth of cop-
  per wire. Each collection of wire is as cumbersome as 50’ 
  of rope.
  
  Page 9
  
  Page 10
  The Tomb of DuST
  By Edgar D. Johnson III • Playtesting: Jen Brinkman, Eric Hoffman, Rick Hull, and Jürgen Mayer.
  inTroducTion
  O
  n the Purple Planet, amid the frosted Ancestor 
  Peaks, the adventurers have encountered a small 
  pyramid thrusting skyward from the bottom of a 
  ravine. This is the Tomb of Dust, one of the ancient cairns 
  found throughout the area. Here, the PCs find deadly puz-
  zles, encounter the Moth Mother and her hungry brood, 
  and face the tests of Anh-Tho the Learned, a forgotten 
  scholar of a bygone age. If they manage to thwart these 
  dangers they gain access to Anh-Tho’s Archive, a perilous 
  repository of potent lore!
  This adventure is designed for 4 to 6 4th-level characters, 
  and for use in DCC# 84: Perils of the Purple Planet, or another 
  appropriate DCC RPG adventure.
  Background
  The Tomb of Dust is the grave of Anh-Tho the Learned, a 
  renowned sage whose works have been lost to the sands of 
  time…until now. Hidden within is the Archive, a strange 
  device which can bestow great power to those who pass its 
  test. The tomb has four major areas: a cracked pyramid, a 
  subterranean antechamber shaped like an hourglass, a false 
  tomb, and the Archive of Anh-Tho.
  The Cracked Pyramid was carved from purple stone, and 
  broken at some point in the past, leaving a narrow, verti-
  cal crack near its sealed entrance. The entrance portal is a 
  monolithic slab, mortared into place. Opening it is unnec-
  essary because the crack provides ingress for the adventur-
  ers. It already has admitted one who would oppose their 
  intrusion: the Moth Mother. The Moth Mother resembles 
  a huge, terrestrial moth with wildly colorful, iridescent 
  wings, their colors swirling hypnotically, their ever-chang-
  ing patterns mesmerizing its potential victims. Then it can 
  use its tongue-like ovipositor to implant eggs in them, cre-
  ating hosts for its voracious offspring. The Moth Mother is 
  also capable of emitting a shriek that can stun its targets, 
  and shatter glass and other crystalline substances, includ-
  ing greenstones. 
  The Hourglass Antechamber is a room with a floor deeply 
  covered in fine, purple sand. Attempts to dig in the sand 
  suggest great depth, except along the edges of the room. 
  The room itself is both a portal and a trap, as it is con-
  structed as the top chamber of an hourglass. Opening the 
  release valve empties the room within 3 rounds, dropping 
  any character sucked down by the sand into the lower part 
  of the “hourglass” (area E). Releasing the sand also exposes 
  both a curved ramp on the western side, and a panel, down 
  to which the ramp runs. The panel hides the Archive of 
  Anh-Tho (area D). The Antechamber also contains a door, 
  which leads to the False Tomb (area C).
  The False Tomb is the “obvious” resting place of the tomb’s 
  host, but contains only a trap and a host of mechanical 
  guardians. 
  The Archive of Anh-Tho holds a device capable of mani-
  festing Anh-Tho and bestowing strange boons on those 
  who pass its test. It also contains an electrical trap to punish 
  those who prove unworthy.
  Encounter Table
  Area 
  Type 
  Encounter
  A 
  C/P 
  moth mother
   
   
  puzzle door
  B 
  T 
  hourglass trap
  C 
  T/C 
  trapped sarcophagus
   
   
  guardians of Anh-Tho
  D 
  P/T 
  Anh-Tho’s test of knowledge
   
   
  Archive of Ahn-Tho
  Area A-1—Cracked Pyramid: The narrow crack in the side 
  of the pyramid is a tight fit, but you are able to move through into 
  the shadowy interior. In the center of the floor a low circle of stone 
  rises approximately 2 feet, and several low, humped shapes litter 
  the area beyond it, but it is difficult to see what they might be. The 
  ceiling above rises steeply, and its highest point is lost in shadow.
  The space is 60’ by 60’ square, and the ceiling rises to a point 
  50’ above the floor. Directly below the point of the pyramid 
  rests a raised and carved circle of stone, in four concentric 
  rings, engraved with an unknown language (area A-2).
  In the shadows obscuring the ceiling lurks the Moth Moth-
  er, now at rest, camouflaged against the purple stone of the 
  pyramid’s interior. Once a PC with a light source enters the 
  pyramid, the creature awakens and attacks.
  The humps on the other side of the puzzle door are three 
  desiccated corpses, former victims. One of them carries a 
  greenstone shard.
  Moth Mother: Init +2; Atk shriek (special) or mesmerize 
  (special) or ovipositor +2 melee (1d4 + poison); AC 12 (at 
  rest) or 17 (when in flight); HD 4d8; hp 22; MV fly 50’ or 
  crawl 20’; Act 1d20; SP shriek (area effect 30’ radius, DC 
  18 Fort save or stunned for 1d6 rounds, each character car-
  rying greenstones should make a Luck check; if failed, the 
  greenstone carried is destroyed, causing an explosion), 
  mesmerize (DC 15 Will save or drop weapons and move 
  toward the moth mother), poison (DC 15 Fort save or sleep 
  for 2d4 turns); SV Fort -1, Ref +0, Will +2.
  The Moth Mother resembles a terrestrial moth with wildly 
  colorful, iridescent wings, their patterns swirling hypnoti-
  cally. The creature dazzles its victims with these ever-chang-
  ing patterns, making them easy targets for its sharp and 
  poisonous ovipositor. It also is capable of emitting a shriek 
  that can stun its victims, and shatter glass and other crystal-
  
  Page 11
  line substances, including greenstones. A destroyed green-
  stone shard explodes for 1d6 damage per shard carried. A 
  complete greenstone explodes for 20d10 damage within 
  25 feet, and half damage within 50 feet. Should the moth 
  mother strike a character with its ovipositor, the victim is 
  poisoned and implanted with 1d3 eggs. If not removed, the 
  eggs incubate in the host for 3 days before hatching, and 
  the moth mother’s offspring eat their ways out of the host’s 
  body, causing 2d4 damage each. However, the victim may 
  not even be aware of the growing threat within until the 
  eggs hatch. It will just seem like a large, painful, and itchy 
  bug bite. Judges should be careful not to let slip this detail 
  to the players. The eggs can be removed by a lay on hands 
  attempt resulting in at least 3 dice of healing. Rolls resulting 
  in less than 3 dice heal the external wound but do not affect 
  the pain and swelling, a clue pointing to the real danger.
  Area A-2 – The Puzzle Door: Having defeated the Moth 
  Mother, you turn your attention to the strange device set in the 
  floor of the pyramid. The stone circle consists of four concentric 
  rings, each about 15 inches wide. In each ring is a socket. In three 
  of them rest gem-like stones, purple, black, and white, going in 
  sequence from the center. The outermost socket is empty. 
  Only with a greenstone shard in the outer circle can the 
  three inner circles be rotated. The outermost ring (with the 
  empty socket) cannot move. When a greenstone shard is fit-
  ted into the empty socket, the other “gems” blaze with in-
  ternal light, and a low hum emanates from the stone itself. 
  To open the door, the sockets of the other three circles must 
  be lined up the non-rotating, greenstone shard socket, but 
  this must be accomplished in a particular order: outermost 
  (white) first, then middle (black), and then innermost (pur-
  ple). Once this is done, there is an audible thump and the 
  stone circle recedes into the floor, and slides out of sight, re-
  vealing a shaft about 5 feet in diameter. The shaft drops 50 
  feet straight down before opening 30 feet above the sandy 
  floor of a domed room (area B).
  Area B—Hourglass Antechamber: The floor of this dome-
  shaped chamber is covered with deep, soft sand of purplish hue. 
  The interior walls are carved from the native rock of the Ancestor 
  Peaks, their surrounding expanse broken only by a single door at 
  the northernmost edge of the dome.
  This 50 foot diameter chamber is the topmost chamber of 
  an “hourglass.” The sand on the floor is 30 feet deep at the 
  center of the chamber, and the walls below funnel steeply 
  down to an opening 7.5 feet in diameter, leading to area 
  E. In order to reach the Archive (area D) the adventurers 
  must open a valve to release the sand. The valve itself is 
  buried about a foot below the surface, on the wall opposite 
  the door to area C. Though it could be difficult to find, its 
  presence is suggested by two “bumps” in the sand, which 
  conceal stone “columns” lying beneath the surface of the 
  sand. These two columns are flush with the wall, about 4 
  feet apart, and project about two feet, toward the center of 
  the chamber. The valve release is large lever just inside the 
  right-most column, and a narrow, metal ladder is fixed to 
  the wall just inside the left-most column. Both lever and 
  ladder are buried about a foot beneath the sand. The lad-
  der leads down 10 feet to a narrow (2 feet wide) ramp, cir-
  cling clockwise, downward, to the other side of the funnel, 
  and a door-sized, plain metal panel about 30 feet below the 
  entrance to the false tomb. This panel conceals the tunnel 
  leading to the Archive of Anh-Tho the Learned (area D). A 
  narrow platform rings the funnel, two feet below the sand.
  When the release valve is triggered, the sand at the center 
  of the room begins to drain first, drawing anyone or any-
  thing on the sand toward the bottom of the funnel. Anyone 
  within 3 feet of the edge of the room should make a DC 14 
  Ref save to reach the ring platform. Anyone on the west-
  ern side of the chamber who does not manage to reach the 
  ring platform must make a Luck check. Success allows a 
  PC to make an additional DC 16 Ref save to grab onto the 
  ramp that descends to the panel concealing the entrance 
  to the Archive. Characters at the center of the chamber, or 
  on the eastern side will have no such opportunities. They 
  are drawn inexorably down, barring heroic efforts by their 
  comrades, and fall through the hole at the bottom of the 
  funnel 3 rounds after triggering the release valve. The 
  drop below the release valve is 60 feet, onto sand (3d6+3 
  fall damage, with chance of broken bones as per DCC RPG 
  rulebook, p. 96), in area E.
  Area C—False Tomb: Beyond the now-opened portal is a 
  round room, about 50’ in diameter, its circumference punctuated 
  about every 15 feet with a plain metal panel (ten in all). At the 
  center of the stone-floored chamber, a smoothly rounded capsule 
  studded with jewels floats in mid-air above a stone bier. The sur-
  face of the capsule crawls with multicolored light resolving into 
  weird, constantly changing symbols. The ceiling of the chamber 
  dances with patches of light and shadow cast by the glow.
  
  Page 12
  The bier rises 4 feet from the floor. Floating above it is the 
  sarcophagus of iridescent, alien metal, studded with pre-
  cious stones (5d100 gp value) and patterned with constant-
  ly changing geometric figures and alien script. 
  Wizards or elves who spend some time analyzing the fig-
  ures and symbols should make a DC 16 Will save. A failure 
  causes nausea and dizziness for 1d3 turns. Those affected 
  feel a sense of impending doom, and those who rolled less 
  than 5 for the Will save attempt to flee from the pyramid. An 
  additional DC 15 Will save must be made to reenter the tomb 
  (may be reattempted once every turn). Succeeding on the 
  initial Will save allows the reader’s mind to expand to allow 
  memorization of one additional known spell at 1d3 level.
  Touching the sarcophagus or panels trigger an electrical 
  shock (2d8 damage to all characters within 10 feet, DC 18 
  Fort save for half), and causes the panels to open, releasing 
  10 guardians of Anh-Tho.
  Guardians of Anh-Tho (10): Init +1; Atk sword +1 melee 
  (1d8+1); AC 15; HD 1d10+2; hp 7 each; MV 30’; Act 1d20, 
  1d16; SP machine (immune to sleep or charm, electrical at-
  tacks cause double damage); SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +2; 
  AL N.
  The Guardians of Anh-Tho are two-legged mechanical 
  humanoids, 7.5 feet tall, with four arms arranged radi-
  ally around the torso, their heads able to rotate a full 360 
  degrees. They may attack toward any 120 degree arc, but 
  only with the closest two arms. The guardians carry large, 
  kopesh-like weapons in each hand.
  Area D-1—Entry to the Archive of Anh-Tho: The metal 
  panel removed, you make your way down and into a narrow cor-
  ridor leading north. About 30 feet away, you see a doorway lead-
  ing to another room. Every few seconds a brief flash of blue-white 
  light illuminates the space, causing the dusty floor to shimmer 
  like stardust.
  The tunnel is 5 feet wide and 8 feet high, its walls carved 
  from the purple stone, and stretches northward to an open 
  doorway. The floor of the tunnel is covered with a fine, pur-
  ple-white dust, which shimmers in the flashing light and 
  any source of illumination carried by the adventurers. 
  Area D-2—The Archive of Anh-Tho: Stairs descend to a 
  floor thickly covered in sparkling dust. The room is dome-shaped, 
  like the rest you’ve seen, but just below the ceiling floats an orb 
  about 2 feet in diameter. Every few seconds, it flashes briefly and 
  then goes dark, each pulse of blue-white light is like a lightning 
  strike upon your eyes. On the other side of the room is a low 
  console, shaped to fit the curve of the wall. Equally spaced around 
  the perimeter of the room are 8 tall posts of silvery metal, topped 
  with knobs of glass surrounded by rings of the same silvery metal.
  Beyond the doorway is a wide landing and stairs descend-
  ing about twenty feet onto the floor of a domed chamber. 
  The console is Anh-Tho’s Archive, a recording of his con-
  sciousness. It consists of a rounded, metal substructure, 
  with three glass panels equally spaced across its angled 
  top. The panels are dark when the characters enter the 
  room, but touching any of them brings the console to life. 
  When the console activates, the flashing orb begins to glow 
  steadily and more and more brightly. Arcs of energy begin 
  to stream between the orb and the 8 posts, and within a few 
  moments the dust on the floor is drawn toward the center 
  of the room, like iron filings to a magnet, slowly taking the 
  form of a tall and regal humanoid male, aged but preternat-
  urally beautiful. Once formed, the image begins to speak, 
  and the language can be understood by any creature with 
  13 (or higher) Intelligence.
  Anh-Tho regards each of the PCs in turn and says the fol-
  lowing: 
  You have come for learning? This is correct in every way. Who 
  among you is worthy?
  He points to the least intelligent member of the party.
  Not you, certainly. 
  And then he looks at the most intelligent member of the 
  party.
  samPLe QuesTions (area d-2)
  Class
  First Question
  Second Question
  Third Question
  Cleric
  What is the greatest abomina-
  tion?
  When is it sinful to heal and to 
  harm?
  What is the nature of the After-
  life?
  Dwarf
  Why do you live underground?
  Who are the greatest enemies 
  of your people? 
  What happened to the chil-
  dren?
  Elf
  Where do the elves really come 
  from? 
  How do you avoid iron poison-
  ing?
  What are the true goals of the 
  elven people?
  Halfling
  What is the essence of comfort?
  Why do you adventure?
  What is true happiness?
  Thief
  How do you choose a mark?
  To whom should you be loyal?
  When is it good to break one’s 
  word?
  Wizard
  Natural philosophy
  The Planes of Existence
  Techniques of necromancy
  Warrior
  What use is glory?
  How can one win without fight-
  ing?
  What is best in life?
  
  Page 13
  
  Page 14
  But perhaps you will do. 
  He cries out:
  Who then will submit to the Test of Knowledge? Stand forth and 
  face Our reckoning!
  Anh-Tho tests each PC in turn, from most to least intel-
  ligent, until someone refuses the test. Once refused, Anh-
  Tho disappears and the machinery powers down. It will 
  not restart again for this party. If any PC fails the Test of 
  Knowledge, the Archive attacks.
  Tests of Knowledge: Three increasingly difficult Intelli-
  gence checks (DC 8, DC 12, and DC 16) are required to pass 
  the test. If more than one character takes the test, then these 
  base DCs should be increased by 1 for each new testing. 
  Judges are encouraged to ask questions related the class 
  of the adventurer in question (“Anh-Tho asks…”) and 
  require an Intelligence check of the appropriate DC. The 
  characters’ answers to these questions could add interest-
  ing new spins to the “mythology” of the judge’s campaign 
  (see examples in sidebar). Alternately, use other resolution 
  mechanics to run this test (e.g., answering riddles or trivia 
  questions, recalling details of the adventure itself, etc.). 
  No matter which method is used to ask the questions, each 
  check must succeed or the apparition of Anh-Tho disap-
  pears and the Archive attacks the party with lightning.
  Archive of Anh-Tho: Init +3; Atk lightning +3 missile 
  (4d4, DC 15 Fort save for half); AC 18; hp 55 (any damage 
  to poles, orb, or console); MV n/a; Act 3d20; SP machine 
  (immune to sleep or charm, electrical attacks to the con-
  sole itself cause double damage), passive defense (attacks 
  on the orb or the 8 poles causes an electrical shock to the 
  attacker, as lightning, above); SV Fort +4, Ref -, Will -; AL N.
  If a PC passes the test, Anh-Tho says:
  You are worthy! Now make a choice! Which is best: knowledge, 
  power, or virtue? Choose!
  Once a choice is made, a pseudopod of sparkling, purple 
  dust touches the PC in question, who receives the follow-
  ing, depending on the answer given:
  • Boon of Knowledge: The Dust of Anh-Tho flows over 
  your head, forming a shimmering skullcap permanent-
  ly affixed to your head. Your consciousness shifts to 
  encompass a greater truth. PC now has the capacity to 
  learn one additional spell of 3rd level or less (choice of 
  level is permanent).
  • Boon of Power: The Dust of Anh-Tho flows up your 
  arms, permanently fixing symbols of alien power to 
  your skin. Choose one: Pick one spell to cast at +3 to 
  the casting roll, or three spells to cast at +1.
  • Boon of Virtue: The Dust of Anh-Tho flows over your 
  body melding with your skin. Increase AC by 1d3+1, 
  permanently. Skin is permanently purple and sparkly.
  Note: The first two Boons of Anh-Tho are oriented strongly 
  toward magic users. However, if non-wizard/elf characters 
  opt to participate, the Boon received could be adapted to 
  the class in question. For example, a thief character could 
  gain an enhanced die for Read Languages or Cast Spell 
  from Scroll. A warrior could realize insight into the use of 
  a particular weapon, gaining a second “lucky weapon.” A 
  cleric is a bit easier, as a spellcaster, but the judge should 
  also consider a Boon that matches with class a bit better 
  (e.g., the Boon of Power could be applied to Lay on Hands, 
  or enhance the cleric’s ability to appeal for Divine Interven-
  tion. Use your imagination.
  Area E—Sand Repository: If the characters reach area 
  E, they either fell or are investigating from above, after the 
  funnel has been drained of sand. Choose the read-aloud 
  text that best captures your situation:
  • If PCs fall: The sand sucks you down and, though you 
  struggle desperately, you cannot escape. Within sec-
  onds you are in freefall, and then slam into the ground 
  below. 
  • If the PCs investigate from above: A chamber of inde-
  terminate size gapes below, its walls sloping steeply 
  down and away from you, into the darkness.
  Area E is a cone-shaped chamber, containing only sand 
  drained from the funnel above. From the sandy floor, walls 
  slope upward and inward to the valve neck of the “hour-
  glass,” 60 feet above. There is no easy escape, without help 
  from above. The walls can be climbed using spider climb 
  spell. A thief attempting to climb must make a DC 30 climb 
  sheer surfaces check, as the walls slope inward and have 
  few handholds.
  
  Page 15
  The bunker
  By Daniel J. Bishop
  Background
  T
  he Bunker transports the party from their starting 
  hex to a destination 2 hexes away. It can be placed 
  anywhere on the Purple Planet map that does not 
  already contain a numbered encounter. It could be hidden 
  beneath the fecund growth of the mushroom forests, lost in 
  the broken lands, amid the Ancestor Peaks, or uncovered 
  by a sand storm in the wastes.
  Encounter List
  Area 
  Type 
  Encounter
  1 
  T 
  Malfunctioning elevator
  2 
  C 
  18 Cyber-zombies
  3b 
  T 
  Collapsed tunnel floor
  3d 
  C 
  3 Damaged cyber-zombies
  4 
  T 
  Electrical arc trap
  5 
  T 
  Malfunctioning elevator
  Begin by reading or paraphrasing the following:
  You discover a rounded shape of stone, its surface marred only 
  by a pair of gleaming double doors. Neither handles nor hinges 
  are visible, but one of the doors is marked with the now-familiar 
  sequence of eight runes. The doors face the northeast.
  The doors open, sliding silently into the walls, when runes 
  8 and 1 are pressed in sequence. After 1 minute, the doors 
  close again, so long as nothing is blocking them. Rune 3 
  deactivates the doors. If any other rune is pressed, there is 
  a 10% cumulative chance that a loud klaxon goes off, which 
  can be heard miles away, and which requires those in the 
  immediate vicinity to make a DC 5 Fort save each round or 
  be deafened for 1d3 turns. Check for random encounters 
  each round the klaxon is active. Pressing rune 3 deactivates 
  the klaxon as well as the doors.
  This klaxon also awakens the cyber-zombies in area 2, below.
  Area 1 – The Elevator:  Beyond the doors is a circular cham-
  ber, 10 feet in diameter. The floor glows softly as you step within, 
  illuminating all who enter with a ghoulish yellow-green light.
  The doors close 1 minute after 100 lbs or more is placed 
  upon the floor of area 1. A panel with the usual 8 runes is 
  set into one of the inner doors. Pressing runes has the fol-
  lowing effects:
  Rune 
  Effect
  1 
  Causes the room to descend as described below. If 
  the elevator is at the bottom of the shaft, this rune 
  causes the elevator to rise rather than descend.
  2 
  Causes the doors to open. If the elevator is moving 
  at this time, it stops immediately (DC 10 Ref save 
  to avoid being thrown to the floor; DC 15 Ref save 
  to avoid being thrown to the floor and taking 1d3 
  damage if the elevator is moving quickly (see rune 
  4); automatically thrown to the floor and 2d7 dam-
  age if moving very fast, DC 20 Ref save for half, any 
  natural “7” indicates a broken bone (see rune 5).  
  3 
  Deactivates the elevator, with the same result as 
  pressing rune 2 if the elevator is moving when this 
  occurs.
  4 
  If the elevator is already moving, rune 4 causes the 
  elevator to descend quickly, arriving at its desti-
  nation in half the normal time. If it is not moving, 
  there is no effect. If the elevator is ascending, this 
  rune causes the elevator to rise quickly (rather than 
  descend).
  5 
  If the elevator is already moving, rune 5 causes the 
  elevator to move very fast (ascending or descend-
  ing, as appropriate), arriving in one quarter the 
  normal time. If it is not moving, there is no effect. 
  6 or 7 
  These runes cause the elevator to begin to shud-
  der and buck, throwing everyone to the ground for 
  1d3 damage. All creatures in the elevator take 1d3 
  damage each round until the elevator is stopped 
  (with the usual effects) and must succeed in a DC 
  15 Reflex save in order to stand sufficiently to press 
  any rune.
  8 
  Activates or reactivates the elevator.
  A slight tremor shakes the room. With a grinding noise of metal 
  on metal, ancient machinery begins to work, slowly at first, and 
  then more swiftly. The room drops, moving down a vertical shaft, 
  into the unknown bowels of the alien world. From time to time, 
  the room lurches to one side, as if travelling along a horizontal 
  shaft for a short period, before dropping once more. 
  The elevator ride to area 2 takes 20 minutes normally, but 
  can take as little as 10 or 5 minutes. On arrival, the doors 
  automatically open to area 2, and the elevator deactivates. 
  The doors close (and the light goes out) only when all 
  weight is taken off the floor. Runes 8 and 1 must be pressed 
  again in order to reactivate the elevator.
  Area 2 – The Bunker: If the PCs have triggered the klax-
  on, they are immediately attacked by the cyber-zombies 
  (see below).  Barring magic, there is no way to close the 
  doors or cause the elevator to rise until all weight within it 
  is removed.
  The area beyond the doors is dark, but the dim lighting from the 
  room you are in shows a large space, vaulted to a height of 20 feet. 
  The remains of metal cots line the walls, stacked six high, many 
  still containing dark and unmoving forms.
  From the outside, the silver doors are marked with the 
  same 8 standard runes. Runes 8 and 1, pressed in order, 
  open the doors, and rune 3 deactivates the doors.
  The bunker is 80’ long and 40’ wide, with a total of 1,920 
  bunks along its northwest and southeast walls. 60% of these 
  contain the mummified remains of cyber-zombies. There 
  are also 18 cyber-zombies still active, which will arise if the 
  
  Page 16
  klaxon is sounded (see area 1). There is also a 1% cumula-
  tive chance of triggering the cyber-zombies if any of them 
  are disturbed (whether an active cyber-zombie or not).
  The cyber-zombies are clearly related to the kith, although 
  they are closer to human. These creatures are neither alive 
  nor un-dead, and cannot be turned by clerics. Rather, they 
  are corpses which are still animated by the programing of 
  their cybernetic implants. The machines are actually mov-
  ing the bodies, which now serve no function beyond hous-
  ing them.
  While the cyber-zombies can be targeted by backstabs and 
  critical hits, most critical effects do not actually impair 
  them or cause extra damage. Cyber-zombies are immune to 
  pain and mind-affecting attacks.  See the Bestiary chapter 
  for more information.
  A PC who is bold enough to tear out the cybernetics of one 
  of these creatures and affix it to his own body is not reward-
  ed for his bravery; those who created these monstrosities 
  didn’t want the fallen to arm their foes. Active cybernet-
  ics attempt to dig into the body of their would-be “host” if 
  this is attempted, causing 1 point of Stamina damage each 
  round. A DC 10 Strength check can remove the cybernetic 
  harness on the first round; each round thereafter the DC 
  increases by 2. If a PC is reduced to 0 Stamina, he becomes 
  a cyber-zombie and immediately attacks. Worse, any green-
  stone shards the character had are consumed in powering 
  the cybernetics, yielding only 1d3-1 remaining shards (but 
  never more than the character initially had) if the cybernet-
  ics do not explode when the PC is defeated.
  Cyber-zombies (18):  Init +0; Atk claw +2 melee (1d3); AC 
  15; HD 1d8+2; hp 7 each; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP death throes, 
  immune to most critical effects, mind-affecting, and pain; 
  SV Fort +5, Ref –4; Will –4; AL N.
  Characters who perform an exhaustive search are reward-
  ed: one of the inert cyber-zombies was a “sergeant,” and 
  has a rayrifle clutched in its hands. Moreover, this weapon 
  still has 6 charges remaining! For information on rayrifles, 
  see page 14 of Peril on the Purple Planet.
  The secret door is operated by a square panel placed just 
  above head height beside the door. If a hand is placed upon 
  this 1’-square panel, the door slides soundlessly upwards. 
  It remains in this position for 10 minutes, and then slides 
  back downward. A similar panel inside the tunnel can open 
  it from the other direction.
  Area 3 – The Tunnel: Beyond the doorway a tunnel stretch-
  es, 20 feet wide but only seven feet tall, the ceiling buttressed by 
  archways every 20 feet that extend perhaps 2 feet from the wall. 
  The tunnel continues in a straight line for as far as you can see.
  The tunnel continues for 12 miles (or 2 hexes on the over-
  land map). It is unlit; adventurers who wish to traverse it 
  must either supply light sources or grope in the dark. The 
  judge must describe (or omit) the following tunnel features 
  based on the available light:
  3A. Water: At 1 ½ miles, water trickles from the ceiling 
  along the northwest wall before pooling on (and eventu-
  ally passing through) the floor. This water is audible if the 
  characters have no lights, and is potable.
  3B. Collapsed Floor: At 5 ½ miles, the floor is collapsed 
  in a heap of rubble and dirt. The collapse reaches a depth 
  of about 1/5th of a mile, and is half a mile long. Characters 
  can scramble down and up the slopes easily enough if they 
  can see, but if they have no light sources the first rank must 
  succeed in a DC 20 Reflex save or fall down the rough scree 
  for 2d6 damage (any “6” indicating a broken bone). If the 
  first rank falls, the second rank must succeed in a DC 15 
  Reflex save to avoid falling. The third rank must succeed in 
  a DC 10 Reflex save, and the fourth in a DC 5 Reflex save, 
  until either the fifth rank is reached or one rank succeeds in 
  their saves. Where the collapsed area begins to rise to the 
  northeast, the bodies of three cyber-zombies can be found. 
  1d3-1 greenstone shards can still be dug out of the body of 
  one of them.
  3C. Cyber-zombie Remains: The remains of two cyber-
  zombies lie near the southeast wall 8 miles down the tun-
  nel. One of them is missing an arm.
  3D. Cyber-zombies: 10 ½ miles down the tunnel, the re-
  mains of 5 mutilated cyber-zombies are strewn across the 
  hall. One is severed from the waist down, another has no 
  head. Three are still active enough to arise if examined. 
  Treat these as the cyber-zombies in area 1, except that they 
  roll 1d16 for initiative and have 1d16 for their action die. If 
  these cyber-zombies do not explode, they may yield 1d3-2 
  greenstone shards (minimum 0).
  The tunnel comes to an apparent dead end, although anoth-
  er 1’-square panel within the tunnel opens the secret door. 
  Area 4 – The Far Bunker: The door slides upward to reveal 
  another large room, some 40 feet wide and 80 feet deep, lit spo-
  radically by flickering electrical arcs coming from bare cables on 
  the ceiling. This room once contained stacked bunks, like those in 
  the chamber far behind you, but many have been twisted by the 
  partial collapse of ceiling and walls. A titanic battle must have oc-
  curred here long ago, for a great death orm, nine feet in diameter, 
  extends partially into the room from the southeast wall. What 
  you can see of it is at least 30 feet long, and more disappears into 
  the rubble of the collapsed wall. Dozens of the zombie-like beings 
  you fought earlier lie around it. Both the death orm and its grisly 
  opponents are still, covered with a thin layer of rock dust and 
  debris. A pair of metallic double doors is placed in the center of 
  the far wall.
  Characters who search in this room may attempt a Luck 
  check for every 10 minutes spent. If the check succeeds, a 
  relic is found (as indicated on the Relic Table, page 12 of 
  Perils of the Purple Planet). However, every 5 minutes spent 
  in this chamber by a character wearing metallic armor or 
  carrying significant amounts of metal results in a 1 in 3 
  chance of an electrical arc lashing down to strike the un-
  fortunate, doing 2d10 damage (DC 12 Fort save for half). 
  Multiple characters can be struck by these arcs within the 
  same 5-minute period, and they do not need to all occur at 
  the same time – the judge is encouraged to check various 
  characters throughout the 5-minute period.
  
  Page 17
  The exterior of the death orm is almost mummified, but 
  where it has been scored by electrical arcs it still oozes a 
  fetid puss from its rotting interior. Intrepid PCs who cut 
  into the thing discover that it takes a very long time for 
  such a creature to dry out. About a foot below the surface is 
  a festering miasma of rot and tiny parasitic worms. These 
  parasites present no danger to the PCs, but there is no rea-
  son that the players must be told this!
  As with the other elevator, runes 8 and 1, pressed in se-
  quence, open the doors. Rune 3 deactivates the doors. No 
  other runes have any effect.
  Area 5 – The Second Elevator: The doors slide into the 
  wall to the right and left, revealing a familiar-looking round 
  chamber, 10 feet in diameter, its floor glowing with a pale green 
  radiance. There is an open panel in the wall opposite the door, 
  about a foot square.
  This elevator is identical to that in area 1, except for the 
  open panel.  When the panel is fed three greenstone shards, 
  it closes seamlessly and the elevator can be operated. Oth-
  erwise, this elevator no longer has the power to move, and 
  pressing the interior buttons has no effect (except rune 2, 
  which still opens the doors).
  When the characters reach the top of the shaft (2 hexes from 
  their starting hex), they discover that the doors are buried. 
  This may be by rocks and scree, fungal growth, or drifted 
  sand, depending upon where the elevator is located. The 
  PCs should be able to clear the doors with 1d3 x 10 minutes 
  of labor, but if they are more careful they might be able to 
  use the hidden exit strategically. 
  Taking twice the time needed to clear the doors, it is pos-
  sible to open a small “viewing port.” The PCs can then use 
  the elevator like a blind, watching whatever occurs outside 
  while remaining hidden themselves. With 4d3 x 10 min-
  utes of labor, the PCs can carefully prepare the exit to allow 
  them a sudden and surprising exit. 
  Remember that the elevator cannot be taken back down 
  the shaft until the doors are closed, however, and that the 
  doors will not close until all weight is taken off the floor.
  oTher Bunkers
  If the judge chooses, other bunkers may still exist on the 
  Purple Planet. Not all of these are in as good of condition 
  as the bunker presented above. The opportunity to travel 
  below the surface of the Purple Planet allows characters to 
  avoid some dangers, but it has more than one chance to 
  introduce dangers of its own – even if that danger is only 
  wasted time and resources. 
  When an additional bunker is located, there is only a 1 in 
  3 chance that the elevator and doors are working; if they 
  are not, there is a 1 in 3 chance that they can be made to 
  work by sacrificing 1d5 greenstone shards. This allows 1d5 
  trips before the elevator seizes up. On the last trip, there is 
  a 1 in 3 chance that the elevator seizes up, coming to a halt 
  after traveling 1d5 x 10 feet. The adventurers may call upon 
  patrons, deities, magic, or muscle power to extricate them-
  selves from the situation.
  If the lower area can be accessed, there is a 1 in 3 chance 
  that the entire area is choked with sand and/or rubble. If 
  not, there is a 1 in 3 chance that the tunnel is collapsed 1d3 
  hexes along its length. The elevator on the far side also has 
  a 1 in 3 chance of working, with sacrificing 1d5 greenstone 
  shards having only a 1 in 3 chance of powering it enough 
  to use 1d5 times, with the same chance of seizing up on its 
  last trip as described above.
  To determine the direction the tunnel moves in, roll 1d6 
  and consult the Lost chart on page  11 of Peril on the Purple 
  Planet. If the judge desires, there is a 1 in 3 chance that an 
  additional bunker connects to two or more separate bun-
  kers (determine the direction of each randomly) 1d5 hexes 
  away. Roll the chance of each tunnel being blocked, or each 
  elevator not working, separately.
  The judge may place encounters or artifacts in the bunkers 
  or tunnel as desired. Finally, there is a 1 in 7 chance that 
  the air in the bunkers and tunnel is contain bad air, as de-
  scribed in the Player Start in Peril on the Purple Planet. 
  
  Page 18
  The Tomb of 
  The organon magISTeroS 
  By Tim Callahan
  Background
  D
  uring the Last War, the ancients deployed their 
  war-skiff assault units from elevator platforms that 
  now dot a sector of the wasteland like a ravaged 
  forest of rusted steel stumps. Most of the platforms are bur-
  ied by the shifting sands or stand as shattered reminders of 
  a war that was once meaningful, but one of these decaying 
  steel stumps still remains partially energized, layered with 
  tunnels below ground, and powered by a unique extra-di-
  mensional reactor core beneath the surface of the planet.
  Recently, the control center of this still pulsating war-skiff 
  platform has become the hive for a tribe of half-man/half-
  beetle humanoids known as trillimites. They have discov-
  ered the strange potency of the energies deep underground 
  and they have begun to breed at a hyper-active rate.
  Tapping into the power of the strange reactor, the trillimite 
  larvae now grow at an accelerated speed and their frenzied 
  need for sustenance has triggered a kind of pheromone-
  drenched hypersonic beacon that lures prey to them, so 
  they may feed their ferocious hunger.
  The PCs will likely be drawn to the trillimite hive, because 
  to ignore the hypersonic beacon causes them pain (and In-
  telligence loss), but the hive is a deadly blend of ancient 
  technologies gone awry, trillimite guardians, and a frenzied 
  larvae swarm that wants nothing more than to devour any-
  thing that enters the central nest. If the PCs find and disable 
  the reactor core, the larvae swarm will no longer torment 
  them with its hypersonic wails, but there’s a catch: the re-
  actor core is a living tomb for the Organon Magisteros, an 
  extradimensional sentient being of pure geometry who 
  was summoned by the ancient masters and used, against 
  its will, to power this unique reactor.
  The destruction of the reactor core or substantial damage to 
  its control panel will free the Organon Magisteros and un-
  leash a force wave of matter reconstruction as it departs from 
  this plane of existence, leaving the PCs possibly trapped in 
  a tomb all their own, with newly-mechanized hybrid tril-
  limites seeking revenge in the depths of their former hive.
  Judge’s noTes
  The trillimite larvae beacon lures the PCs to the hive by 
  constantly inducing pain and Intelligence loss until the PCs 
  move toward the hive. The judge should determine the 
  outer range of the beacon and when it begins to impact the 
  characters, but once the PCs begin to succumb to the penal-
  ties of the hypersonic beacon, they each lose 1 hit point and 
  1 point of Intelligence per hour until they progress directly 
  toward the vibrating steel stump in the distance. The effect 
  should manifest as a faint, but shrill, hum and an inability 
  for the PCs to sustain concentration;  hit point and Intel-
  ligence loss cease as the PCs head directly toward the loca-
  tion of the trillimite hive, and the PCs regain any hit points 
  or intelligence points as soon as they spend at least 1 turn 
  in the underground war-skiff deployment center beneath 
  the steel stump, or if the trillimite larvae hive is destroyed 
  or rendered silent. 
  Once the PCs are within closer range of the hive, the pen-
  alties for turning away increase: if the party is within 100 
  feet of the hive and they move away from it for more than 
  1 turn, or make no progress toward entering the vibrating 
  steel stump and climbing down into the tunnels below, 
  each character takes 1 hp of psychic damage per round and 
  also loses 1d3 Intelligence points per round. Again, the hit 
  points and Intelligence points will cease if they continue to 
  progress underground toward the hive or toward the reac-
  tor core, and the hit points and Intelligence points will be 
  restored if the PCs spend at least 1 turn in the trillimite hive 
  or destroy or silence the larvae.
  The steel stump and the trillimite hive are both places fraught 
  with danger. For each turn spent exploring any of the areas 
  in and around those locations prior to the deactivation of the 
  reactor core or the release of the Organon Magisteros, the 
  judge should roll a d8 to determine if a random encounter 
  occurs, and, if a 1 or 2 is rolled, roll a d6 to determine the type 
  of encounter on Table 1-1 below: (For random encounters af-
  ter the deactivation of the reactor core, or the release of the 
  Organon Magisteros, see Table 1-4 on page 24.)
  Table 1-1: Random Encounters (1d6)
  1 
  Defective war-skiff engine. A sleek metal cylin-
  der embedded within a corroded frame begins to 
  crackle and shake, revealing a sliver of greenstone 
  shard as a power supply. Anyone or anything mak-
  ing contact with the cylinder or the shard will trig-
  ger a small explosion, dealing 1d10 damage to ev-
  eryone within 20’ of the cylinder, unless they make 
  a DC 20 Reflex save. After the explosion, a single 
  greenstone shard is recoverable to any one charac-
  ter who makes a successful Luck check.
  2 
  1d3 Trillimite Outcasts: Init +2; Atk tarsal claw +2 
  melee (1d4) or barbed chains +2 (1d8) or special; 
  AC 14; HD 2d8; hp 14 each; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP 
  cannot be surprised by normal means, wall-crawl-
  ing, pheromone blast 20’ radius once per turn – all 
  living creatures in range must succeed on a DC 20 
  Will save or become confused and attack a random 
  target in the area; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4; AL L.
  3 
  Energy field malfunction. Ancient wiring running 
  beneath the ground has decayed and begun to cre-
  ate an energy feedback loop in what used to be a 
  component of a force field generator. The energy 
  field is visible as an arc of crackling electric energy, 
  and it strikes all targets within 30’ wearing metal ar-
  
  Page 19
  mor (or, if no metal armor is worn, the closest target 
  within range holding a metal weapon) at +8 to hit, 
  dealing 1d12 damage. The arc of electric energy con-
  tinues to strike metal-laden targets until they move 
  outside of the 30’ range or throw water or another 
  form of liquid on the ground to short out the wiring.
  4 
  1 Spined Trillimite: Init +2; Atk rusted sword +3 
  (1d8); AC 16; HD 2d8; hp 16; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP 
  cannot be surprised by normal means, wall-crawl-
  ing, any successful attacks against this trillimite 
  deals damage, but any melee attacker must suc-
  ceed on a DC 15 Reflex save or take 1d8 damage 
  from the sharp spines and then succeed on a DC 
  12 Fortitude save or take an additional 1d6 poison 
  damage; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1; AL L. 
  5 
  1d4 Trillimite Guardians: Init +2; Atk tarsal claw 
  +2 melee (1d4) or spear +3 (1d6); AC 18; HD 2d8; hp 
  10 each; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP cannot be surprised 
  by normal means, wall-crawling, on any successful 
  melee attack against Trillimite Guardian damage is 
  dealt as normal but non-magical weapons shatter 
  unless attacker succeeds on a Luck check; SV Fort 
  +5, Ref +2, Will +1; AL L.
  6 
  Telepathic Contact by the Organon Magisteros. 
  All PCs are contacted by the entombed being of 
  pure geometry. Lawful characters will get a brief 
  glimpse of the reactor core and a vision of lifting 
  the metallic sphere out of the reactor stabilization 
  fluid. Neutral characters will get a brief glimpse 
  from inside a sphere—the orb glows blue and yel-
  low and fills them with warmth. Chaotic characters 
  will get a glimpse of an explosion of blue light in-
  side the reactor core and new tunnels opening up 
  underground as the bedrock tears open.
  Encounter Table
  Area 
  Type 
  Encounter
  1-1 
  C 
  Trillimite guardians (6)
  2-1 
  T 
  Waste disposal unit
  2-2 
  C 
  Trillimite outcasts (4)
  2-3 
  P/C 
  Bypassing electrified wires, prisoners (3)
  3-1 
  C 
  Trillimite acid spitters (8)
   
   
  Sentient bacteria tendrils (3)
  4-1 
  T 
  Feeding frenzy in the larvae nest
  4-2 
  C 
  Trillimite overlord, egg-mothers (3)
  4-3 
  P 
  Deactivating reactor via the control room
  5-1 
  P/T 
  Freeing Organon Magisteros from reactor
  PLayer sTarT
  The sands of the wastes are speckled with shimmering gems and 
  rusted fragments of twisted metal. The shrill hum that has been 
  so distractingly painful seems to emanate from a large vibrat-
  ing reddish gray stump in the distance. As you move toward it, 
  though the hum continues, the pain lessens.
  The “shimmering gems” are small fragments of shattered 
  glass, caused by the intense heat of the ancient war-skiff 
  battles and the utter devastation of the Last War. The glass 
  fragments are essentially worthless as trade items. The 
  twisted metal represents pieces of war-skiff platforms, now 
  in ruins. Only one platform remains, and that is the reddish 
  gray stump, vibrating like a tuning fork from the trillimite 
  larvae beacon below.
  Area 1-1 – Steel Stump/War-skiff Platform: The con-
  cave rusted steel walls rise twenty feet into the air around this 
  vibrating circular structure. The arched doorway is piled to the 
  top with metal plates and stones, blocking any clear passage as 
  they shake from the vibrating hum echoing through this edifice.
  There is no roof on this structure, and a party may attempt 
  to gain entrance a number of ways, including climbing over 
  the walls or pulling the blockage out of the doorway. Six 
  trillimite guardians stand ready inside the steel stump, ex-
  pecting more victims to be lured toward the hive below by 
  the subsonic beacon of the larvae, which has been magni-
  fied by the strange acoustics of this still-standing structure. 
  The vibrating walls are unpleasant for the trillimite guard-
  ians, though they will climb up to position themselves to 
  pounce down on any party that shifts the blockage from the 
  archway and enters via that passage. If a party climbs over 
  the walls, two trillimite guardians will stand their ground 
  inside the steel stump while the remaining four will at-
  tempt to close in on the intruders by climbing along the 
  walls on either side.
  The interior of the steel stump is almost completely clean of 
  ancient machinery and the remnants of the war-skiff elevator 
  platform have been torn away long ago, leaving just a hint 
  of what was once here via the gouges in the wall where the 
  platform would have been tracked for upward movement. 
  In the floor of the steel stump, a maw door lays partially 
  open, leading to a ladder descending into level 2 below.
  This maw door, circular, with metal “teeth” that open and 
  close, is disabled, leaving just a hint of its potential danger 
  in the form of jutting blades of metal that line its perimeter. 
  Unless precautions are declared, all PCs must make a Luck 
  check when climbing down through this maw door to the 
  ladder below. Failure results in the character taking 1 hp of 
  damage from the sharp edges of the not-fully-open maw. 
  The ladder downward is illuminated by thin glowing yel-
  low strips along its edges, faintly powered by the still op-
  erational reactor in Area 5-1.
  Trillimite Guardians (6): Init +2; Atk tarsal claw +2 melee 
  (1d4) or spear +3 (1d6); AC 18; HD 2d8; hp 12 each; MV 
  40’ or special; Act 1d20; SP cannot be surprised by normal 
  means, wall-crawling, on any successfully melee attack 
  against a trillimite guardian damage is dealt as normal but 
  non-magical weapons shatter unless attacker succeeds on a 
  Luck check; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1; AL L.
  A Note about Levels 2 through 5: All areas on these lev-
  els are lit with thin glowing yellow strips along the ceiling, 
  and these provide sufficient, but dim, light, unless the reac-
  tor core shuts down. The maw doors leading to each room 
  on level 2 are closed and locked. They can be each be pried 
  open with a DC 20 Strength check, disabled with a DC 22 
  
  Page 20
  lockpicking check, or destroyed if dealt 30 points of dam-
  age or more (the trillimites come and go by easily prying the 
  doors open with their multiple tarsal limbs). If pried open, 
  the blades will hold in place temporarily, but unless the door 
  is wedged open by something made of steel or sturdier, the 
  blades have a chance of slamming shut on any character 
  passing through the open door. Each character who walks 
  or crawls through a pried-open maw door must roll a Luck 
  check. Failure results in the blades closing on the victim, 
  dealing 1d12 damage immediately, and an additional 1d6 
  damage each round until the victim is freed from the closed 
  maw door by opening it again or destroying the teeth.
  Area 2-1 – Trillimite Guardian Nest: Sickly greenish goo 
  sticks to the walls, and other than piles of rags in each corner of 
  this white room, the only notable feature is the pillar near the cen-
  ter of the far wall. The pillar seems unable to support any weight, 
  with its midsection completely missing.
  This is the sleeping area for the trillimite guardians, who 
  normally rotate their watches with four guardians in area 
  1-1 and two guardians sleeping at all times, but with the in-
  creased feeding frenzy of the larvae, all six guardians have 
  remained on watch for three days straight, and they have 
  not used this room during that time.
  The pillar with the midsection missing is a remnant of ancient 
  technology – a kind of waste disposal unit that disintegrates 
  anything placed in its opening. Powered by the reactor in 
  area 5-1, this unit lacks any kind of markings to indicate any 
  way to turn it on or off. To use it, someone must simply place 
  an object (organic or inorganic) into the opening, and with-
  in one second, beams of brilliant blue light will flash from 
  the top and bottom of the pillar, immediately disintegrating 
  what was placed inside. If a PC places his hand or any other 
  body part inside the opening, a DC 20 Reflex save is needed 
  or that body part disappears forever, though the PC takes 
  only 1d3 damage, since any wound is immediately cauter-
  ized. The judge may determine additional penalties.
  The greenish goo on the walls is trillimite saliva used to 
  mark their territory and is utterly harmless.
  Area 2-2 – Trillimite Outcast Area/Prison Guards: 
  Four men with multiple insectoid legs glare out from the door-
  way for an instant before grabbing spiked chains off the floor and 
  charging directly toward you.
  Subtle mutations have turned a small group of trillimites 
  into outcasts from the main nest and they have currently 
  been redeployed by the trillimite overlord to serve on pris-
  on duty, protecting some of the recent victims who have 
  been lured to the nest by the larvae beacon. This is fresh 
  meat, maintained in area 2-3 for the next larvae feeding 
  time, the outcasts’ most important job has been making 
  sure the trillimite guardians haven’t tried to steal away any 
  of the prisoners for their own meals. But the outcasts im-
  mediately recognize the PCs as potential threats to the hive, 
  and a captive party to be used to feed the larvae would 
  please the trillimite overlord. Unconscious PCs will be im-
  mediately chained up and brought into area 2-3 once any 
  fighting has ended. Dead PCs would be brought into that 
  area also, awaiting orders for the next round of feeding.
  This room was once the heart of the control room for war-
  skiff deployment, metal panels and blackened rectangles of 
  glass line the walls, one on each side marked by the eight 
  ancient runes that can be used to activate this information 
  center, though many of the runes are splattered with green 
  goo from the trillimites. The PCs would not be able to acti-
  vate the terminals in any meaningful way to control any part 
  of the underground area from here due to the damage to the 
  infrastructure over the years. But if they seek information, a 
  PC who activates Rune 8 then immediately activates Rune 1 
  before touching anything else can discover the basic layout 
  of the tunnels, the location of the reactor core and the reac-
  tor control room, and the blackened rectangles of glass will 
  provide brief glimpses of each room in Levels 2-5. 
  Any PC who touches any of the runes in this area, whether 
  successful at activating the information center or not, will 
  trigger telepathic contact for the whole party by the Orga-
  non Magisteros. He will embed the following image in the 
  characters’ mind (read aloud to all players): You go blind for 
  an instant, then see a series of geometric shapes – a sphere trans-
  forming into a cube, then a pyramid then a shape that you can’t 
  quite understand, and it fills your field of vision – pulsating with 
  light and soothing calmness. You feel connected to something 
  greater than yourself, but you also feel that whatever is reaching 
  out to you needs your help. The final vision you see in your mind 
  is a horizon line with an inverted pyramid pointing downward. A 
  rainbow arcs along the left-side of that pyramid, then pulses with 
  blue light before the images disappear. 
  Trillimite Outcasts (4): Init +2; Atk tarsal claw +2 melee 
  (1d4) or barbed chains +2 (1d8) or special; AC 14; HD 2d8; 
  hp 14 each; MV 40’ or special; Act 1d20; SP cannot be sur-
  prised by normal means, wall-crawling, pheromone blast 
  20’ radius once per turn – all living creatures in range must 
  succeed on a DC 18 Will save or become confused and at-
  tack a random target in the area; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will 
  +4; AL L.
  Note that the outcasts’ pheromone blast also affects them-
  selves, and yet they will use it as their first response to any 
  stressful situation, which is why they have been pushed 
  away from the central hive area.
  Area 2-3 – Trillimite Prison Area/Food Supply: Three 
  strange creatures wriggle inside metal nets that crackle with 
  energy. One vulture-like reptile, one white-skinned humanoid 
  with a missing arm, and a shaggy boar with protruding tusks, all 
  trapped and clearly suffering.
  This room was once a control annex and war-skiff work-
  shop, but now this makeshift prison area has been repur-
  posed by the trillimites as a food storage room. The metal 
  nets holding the prisoners are barbed chains lined with an-
  cient hard-wired circuits pulled from the walls. The nets 
  pulsate with electric power coming from the reactor core, 
  keeping the prisoners paralyzed, though they still kick 
  with an occasional involuntary spasm. The wires of the net-
  ting crisscross the room, making it impossible to traverse 
  the room and avoid contact with the nets unless a DC 20 
  Agility check is made.
  Any contact by the PCs with the circuitry netting will deal 
  electricity 1d8 damage to each prisoner and to the PC who 
  
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  Page 22
  touched the net (with a body part or with a metal object). 
  The only way to disable the electrified net is to turn off 
  power to the complex by disabling the reactor core or by 
  smashing the source of the wiring – the metal wall panels in 
  this room – by dealing 20 points of damage to each side. If 
  the 20 points is dealt, the PC dealing the final blow to a wall 
  panel must make a DC 20 Reflex save or become blinded 
  for 1d6 turns by the flare-out, unless precautions are taken.
  If the PCs free the prisoners, intentionally or unintention-
  ally, the gribb and kith will try to escape to the surface and 
  attack anything standing in their way, while the tusk terror 
  will accompany the party for the rest of their time on the 
  Purple Planet and attack any obvious enemies, becoming a 
  loyal companion animal to the PC with the lowest Personal-
  ity score.
  A thorough search of the walls of this room will reveal a se-
  ries of drawers containing components for war-skiff manu-
  facture and a greenstone cache with 1d5 greenstone shards 
  still intact.
  The far corner of this room also contains a ladder leading 
  down to the reactor areas below. 
  Prisoner #1 – Gribb: Init +2; Atk beak +3 melee (1d4) or 
  talon +0 melee (1d6+2); AC 13; HD 1d10; hp 5; MV 50’ (fly); 
  Act 1d20; SV Fort -1, Ref +2, Will +0; AL C.
  Prisoner #2 – One-Armed Kith: Init -2; Atk punch -1 melee 
  (1d3) or improvised weapon +1 melee (varies); AC 10; HD 
  1d12+2; hp 8; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +2, Ref -1, Will +1; 
  AL Var.
  Prisoner #3 – Tusk Terror: Init +3; Atk adhesive spew +3 
  missile fire (special) or charge +6 melee (1d12 or special); 
  AC 14; HD 8d6; hp 23; MV charge 60’; Act 1d20; SP tar-
  get immobilized by adhesive spew unless Ref save is made 
  against the attack roll, charging gore after successful adhe-
  sive attack for +10 to hit, dealing 2d12 damage; SV Fort +5, 
  Ref +2, Will +0; AL C.
  Area 3-1 – Trillimite Nest (Former Hydroponic Gar-
  den Walkway): Dripping vines of glowing reddish-brown 
  reach aggressively from a murky rectangular pool toward a clus-
  ter of five-legged beetle men who defend themselves by spitting 
  green globs of burning acid from their mouths. The humming 
  sound has become increasingly louder.
  This former hydroponic garden has become stagnant as the 
  water supply has not been properly maintained, and the 
  bacteria carried into the room inadvertently by the trillimites 
  has mixed with the radioactive energy remains inside the 
  pool to become a hostile, sentient force, lashing out at any-
  thing nearby.  The trillimite acid-spitters are the equivalent 
  of soldier ants working to protect the hive, and as they cut 
  down the tendrils from the water, new tendrils rise up. 
  The southern edge of this area overlooks the nest in area 
  4-1, and the broken stairway leads downward towards the 
  hyperactive buzzing of the frenzied trillimite larvae below.
  Sentient Bacteria Tendrils (3): Init +1; Atk toxic touch +4 
  melee (1d8); AC 10; HD 1d8 plus special; hp 4 each; MV 
  special; Act 1d20; SP destroyed tendrils regenerate com-
  pletely in bacteria-laded water after 3 rounds unless water 
  is treated with soap, alcohol, or a purification spell, tendrils 
  cannot move out of the water, but can reach 30’ from the 
  water; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -1; AL N.
  Trillimite Acid-Spitters (8): Init +4; Atk tarsal claw +2 me-
  lee (1d4) or acid spit +2 missile fire (1d6); AC 14; HD 2d8; 
  hp 11 each; MV 40’ or burrowing 30’; Act 1d20; SP cannot be 
  surprised by normal means, wall-crawling, acid spit range 
  20’; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1; AL L.
  Area 4-1 – Larvae Hive: The stairway below leads to an arched 
  vault of a room filled with nooks that seem to be writhing with 
  greyish pink worms the size of small cats. The worms have teeth, 
  and their screeching echoes off the metal walls in a deafening hum.
  Note, if the reactor has been de-powered previously, the 
  “deafening hum” would be replaced with “muffled hum.”
  The damaged stairway is difficult and dangerous to climb, 
  with loose metal slats and jagged edges. A character at-
  tempting to climb up or down the stairs in this area must 
  make a DC 15 Agility check or fall prone to the ground and 
  take 1d8 damage.
  If the 100 trillimite larvae are still frenzied (because the 
  reactor is still operational, pumping irradiated fluids into 
  the walls of the nest), then they will attack via the rules 
  outlined below. Otherwise, a small group of them attack 
  defensively as individual small creatures, while the rest re-
  main curled up and quivering.
  Frenzied Trillimite Larvae Swarm (special): Roll initiative 
  for the Larvae Swarm at +5. Any PC in the Area – on the 
  stairs or lower – will be attacked with a roll of 3d24 and sub-
  tracting the PC’s full armor class. If the result is a positive 
  number, that character takes that many points of damage. If 
  the result is zero or a negative number, that character takes 
  no damage.
  The trillimite swarm has an effective AC of 15, and any suc-
  cessful attacks against the swarm reduce its attack by one 
  die along the dice chain, regardless of the damage dealt. 
  Thus a successful attack against the swarm would reduce 
  the swarm to a 3d20 attack, while a second successful at-
  tack would reduce the swarm to a 3d16 attack, etc. If an 
  opponent succeeds on an area attack, a magical effect, or 
  a mighty deed which hits 2 or more targets, the Swarm at-
  tack is reduced by two dice, so 3d24 would immediately 
  drop to 3d16 for the Swarm’s next attack.  Note, when the 
  swarm dice reach 3d3 and then take any additional dam-
  age beyond that, the swarm is considered destroyed as the 
  remaining larvae curl up and play dead.
  If the swarm is not frenzied due to reactor shutdown, then 
  2d10 of them crawl from their resting areas and attack in-
  dividually:
  Regular Trillimite Larvae (2d10): Init +1; Atk bite +2 melee 
  (1d4); AC 9; HD 1d8; hp 1 each; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SV Fort 
  +1, Ref -1, Will -2; AL C.
  Area 4-2 – Trillimite Overlord: A bloated, grotesque beetle-
  man lies across several piled mattresses. He is attended to by three 
  females with multiple insectoid legs that pull cabbage-sized tubers 
  from beneath the skin of his belly with a horrible splurching sound.
  This former living quarters area for a forgotten ancient 
  
  Page 23
  master has been taken over by the trillimite overlord who 
  has become the egg-bearer for his tribe. According to tril-
  limite biology and culture, the females of the species lay 
  small eggs in the flesh of the belly of the most corpulent 
  male in the hive, and that male becomes the tribal overlord 
  as the eggs grow ready to hatch beneath his skin, attended 
  to by the trillimite egg-mothers. 
  Because of the effects of the radiation from the reactor, this 
  trillimite overlord is engorged to an extraordinary degree, 
  nearly filling the room with his girth, as the egg-mothers 
  pull six eggs from his body each hour, some ready to hatch, 
  some deformed and rancid with radiation rot.
  The egg-mothers will ferociously protect the well-devel-
  oped eggs and the safety of the trillimite overlord, who is 
  unable to move in his current state. But he may still reach 
  out feebly with his tarsal claws and infect nearby enemies 
  with radiation rot.
  The walls of this room feature three secret compartments, 
  each holding an ancient relic: 1 suit of silver armor, 1 ray-
  rifle, and 1 plasma torch.
  Trillimite Egg-Mothers (3): Init +4; Atk barbed tarsal claw 
  +4 melee (1d8+2) or deformed irradiated egg throw +3 mis-
  sile fire (1d6+special); AC 13; HD 3d8; hp 17 each; MV 40’; 
  Act 1d20; SP cannot be surprised by normal means, wall-
  crawling, may throw up to two deformed irradiated eggs 
  (range 30’) which cause minor corruption effects at any-
  thing hit by them in addition to damage dealt; SV Fort +6, 
  Ref +3, Will +3; AL L.
  Trillimite Overlord: Init -5; Atk infected tarsal claw -2 me-
  lee (1d3+special); AC 9; HD 4d8; hp 21; MV 0’; Act 1d20; 
  SP unable to move, but may reach out with infected tarsal 
  claw attacks at anyone within 5’ and anyone hit by the at-
  tack must succeed on a Reflex save (DC = attack roll) or 
  become inflicted with a radiation rot disease which pre-
  vents all normal healing during rest and requires the daily 
  consumption of 1 greenstone shard or the victim takes 1d4 
  damage each night; SV Fort +3, Ref -5, Will +2; AL L.
  Area 4-3 – Abandoned Reactor Control Center: Green 
  goo covers metallic panels along the walls. Eight golden, glowing 
  runes surround a circular mirror of cracked, blackened glass.
  The ancient relic in this room can be used to monitor and 
  control the reactor core in area 5-1. The trillimites explored 
  this area when they first arrived here weeks ago, and their 
  tampering led to some damage, resulting in feedback that 
  killed a trillimite explorer (who was since eaten by the tril-
  limite outcasts). 
  The runes around the blackened glass mirror can be used to 
  trigger the ancient technology in this control panel in three 
  different ways: (a) as an observation portal, (b) as an irradi-
  ated liquid drain, and (c) as general reactor power control. The 
  three effects work as follows:
  Control Panel
  Activate: Rune 8
  Function: Rune 1 (activates observation portal), Rune 4 (acti-
  vates irradiated liquid drain), Rune 3 pressed twice in a row 
  (activates general reactor power control)
  Deactivate: Rune 8
  The control panel will not respond at all until Rune 8 is 
  pressed, at which point the runes will glow a bright blue, 
  and it will become active. Pressing rune 1 immediately after 
  activation will create a vision of the interior of area 5-1 on the 
  cracked, blackened glass mirror, and the vision will rotate 
  360 degrees to show the viewer all sides of the room and give 
  a full picture of what they would see inside (though it does 
  not show the interior of the sphere where the Organon Mag-
  isteros remains entombed). Pressing Rune 4 immediately af-
  ter activation will cause a loud clanking sound below and 
  then the sound of swiftly running water as the irradiated 
  liquid in the tomb is drained into a reservoir below. Pressing 
  rune 3 twice, immediately after activation, will shut down 
  the reactor core and turn off all power to the complex, turn-
  ing everything dark and reducing the frenzy of the trillimite 
  larvae.
  If any other runes are pressed, or if two of the different 
  function runes are pressed without first deactivating and 
  reactivating the relic, bluish lightning will fly out from the 
  cracks in the blackened glass, dealing 1d12 damage to ev-
  eryone in the room unless they make a DC 20 Reflex save.
  If the reactor core is shut down, this control panel may not 
  be activated again unless a greenstone shard is held up to 
  the runes, transferring its power into the relic.
  Area 5-1 – Reactor Core: A bluish glow fills this circular 
  room, reflecting from the shimmering water below. In the center 
  of the room a large metallic sphere, pulsating with energy along 
  its strange markings, atop a winged pedestal. You can feel an 
  alien mind reaching out to you.
  The Organon Magisteros is imprisoned here in this “tomb” 
  of a reactor core, trapped by the ancients to power this spe-
  cial energy supply. This extradimensional being of pure ge-
  ometry – manifesting as a display of multi-colored lights in 
  different shapes depending on viewer alignment (see Table 
  1.2) – is trapped inside the metallic sphere in the center of the 
  reactor core. If the sphere is shattered by dealing 40 points or 
  more damage to it, the Organon Magisteros will escape im-
  mediately and restructure the matter in and around the area 
  of the trillimite hive, rewriting the direction of passageways 
  or room locations and recombining organic and inorganic 
  materials into strange hybrids of ancient relics and insectoid 
  creatures, leaving the PCs trapped and in need of a new way 
  out (see Table 1-3 to determine the restructuring of the facil-
  ity and Table 1-4 to determine the new random encounters 
  that emerge). If the reactor is shut down via the control panel 
  in area 4-3, the Organon Magisteros will be able to escape 
  after 1d10 rounds if the PCs don’t smash the sphere before 
  then, and the matter reconstruction will take place after that.
  If the irradiated water in this area has been drained away 
  via the use of the control panel in area 4-3, then the PCs 
  may safely stand upon the pedestal or atop the sphere. Oth-
  erwise, even if attempts to avoid the irradiated water are 
  made, there is a 10% chance that a PC on the pedestal will 
  be afflicted with a greater corruption and a 70% chance that 
  a PC on the pedestal will be afflicted with a minor corrup-
  tion. Only by draining the water, or avoiding contact with 
  the sphere or the pedestal, can this be avoided.
  After being set free from his entombment, the Organon Mag-
  
  Page 24
  isteros will telepathically communicate with the PCs via col-
  ors and shapes and will not directly affect the matter of their 
  minds or bodies. He does not realize, or does not care that 
  he has possibly trapped the PCs underground with some 
  deadly enemies. He bathes the PCs in multi-colored lights 
  of various geometric patterns that are beyond their compre-
  hension before floating up through the walls of the complex 
  and up into space where he will teleport back to his home 
  dimension.
  Table 1-2: The Organon Magisteros, 
  Manifestation by Alignment
  Lawful Characters: See the Organon Magisteros as flicker-
  ing cubes of red, yellow, and blue. The cubes dance around 
  each other in perfect harmony.
  Neutral Characters: See the Organon Magisteros as a 
  golden orb, radiating with blue-white light in its center. It 
  throbs like a heartbeat.
  Chaotic Characters: See the Organon Magisteros as a blue 
  pyramid that shifts into an orb, and beams of light continu-
  ally explode from its center, shooting out spiked silver and 
  gold cones in irregular fashion.
  Table 1-3: Reconfigured Passageways 
  After Release of Organon Magisteros
  Roll 1d5 twice and incorporate both changes.
  1 
  The entire complex shifts 20’ underground, leaving 
  the maw door in the steel stump buried under 20’ 
  of wasteland and no open exit to the surface with-
  out substantial digging. 
  2 
  Area 4-2 switches places with area 4-3.
  3 
  The maw door connecting area 2-2 and area 2-3 be-
  comes replaced by a solid metal wall and no trace 
  of a door. It would take 30 points of damage to de-
  stroy and reopen the passageway.
  4 
  Area 3-1 switches places with area 2-1.
  5 
  A new tunnel opens up to directly connect area 3-1 
  with area 5-1.
  Table 1-4: Random Encounters After 
  Release of the Organon Magisteros
  Random encounters on a roll of 1-5 on 1d8. Check each turn; if 
  a random encounter occurs, roll 1d6 below. Ignore each result if 
  rolled a second time.
  1 
  Insectoid War-Skiff: Init +1; Atk rocket claw +2 me-
  lee (1d10+2); AC 14; HD 2d8+2; hp 17; MV fly 40’; 
  Act 1d20; SP cannot be surprised by normal means, 
  wall-crawling; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will -1; AL L.
   
  This hideous hybrid of a trillimite and war-skiff 
  components can fly and attack with razor-sharp 
  rocket claws. Significant damage to this creature 
  will expose 1 greenstone shard in its back that can 
  be reused  if recovered.
  2 
  Cyborg Trillimite Outcast: Init +4; Atk tarsal claw 
  +2 melee (1d4) or laser eye +2 missile fire (1d8+2, 
  100’ range) or special; AC 14; HD 2d8; hp 11; MV 40’; 
  Act 1d20; SP cannot be surprised by normal means, 
  wall-crawling, pheromone blast 20’ radius once per 
  turn – all living creatures in range must succeed on 
  a DC 20 Will save or become confused and attack a 
  random target in the area; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will 
  +2; AL L.
   
  A trillimite with metal plates across its face and a 
  glowing red eye, this cyborg trillimite outcast is 
  suffering from intense pain but will lash out at any 
  potential threats to its survival.
  3 
  Floating Field Wave: A sheet of blue energy zaps 
  through the room at 6’, causing anyone of human 
  height or taller to succeed on a DC 15 Reflex save 
  or take 1d8 damage.
  4 
  1d3 Trillimite Sand Striders: Init -1; Atk stone 
  claws +2 (1d6); AC 16; HD 2d8; hp 16 each; MV 40’ 
  or special; Act 1d20; SP may move at 20’ per round 
  through solid objects (including walls), no need to 
  breathe and are unaffected by sleep effects or mind 
  control spells; SV Fort +8, Ref +1, Will +0; AL L. 
   
  A few trillimites were merged with the sand and 
  rock of the wasteland by the matter manipulation 
  of the escaping Organon Magisteros, leading to 
  these hybrid creatures who look like carved tril-
  limites made from wet sand and stone. These crea-
  tures can shift their own body mass in such a way 
  as to move through the earth of the wasteland as 
  they travel, seeking to quench their now-insatiable 
  thirst with the blood of living creatures.
  5 
  1d3 Trillimite Guardian Disintegrators: Init +1; 
  Atk tarsal claw +2 melee (1d4) or disintegration 
  ray +2 missile fire (2d6+special, range 50’); AC 18; 
  HD 2d8; hp 12; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP cannot be 
  surprised by normal means, wall-crawling, disin-
  tegration ray may be used once every two rounds 
  and any victim hit by the ray must make a Luck 
  check or one item in his possession disappears in 
  this order shield> armor> melee weapon> ranged 
  weapon> backpack> boots; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will 
  +0; AL L.
  6 
  Telepathic Boon from the Organon Magisteros. 
  All PCs are contacted by the Organon Magisteros, 
  who is attempting to leave this plane of existence, 
  and once again thanks the PCs in a complex geo-
  metric pattern inside their minds that they cannot 
  fully comprehend. As a reward for their help in his 
  escape from his entombment, any Lawful PCs per-
  manently gain one point of Luck. Any Neutral PCs 
  permanently gain one point of Intelligence. Any 
  Chaotic PCs permanently lose one point of Luck.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (osr)/Adventures/DCC - 084 Peril on the Purple Planet - Box Set/PP-TombsOfAncients.pdf