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  BONE HOARD 
  OF THE DANCING HORROR
  by Daniel J. Bishop
  PURPLE DUCK GAMES PRESENTS...
  AL  1
  
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  Bone Hoard 
  of the 
  Dancing Horror
  A Level 2 Adventure Locale
  By Daniel J. Bishop • Cover Design: Mark Gedak • Cartog-
  raphy: Kristian Richards • Editing: Perry Fehr • Interior 
  Art: Pawet Dobosz, John Hazen, Ryan Rhodes • Playtest-
  ers Alan Bean, Anna Breig, Dardrae Breig, Kaylina Breig,  
  Marv “Finarvyn” Breig, Ryan Breig, Jez Gordon, Clayto-
  nian JP, Tanya Leventard, Paul Luzbetak, Jon Da Silva Pola, 
  Matt Rundle
  All products in the Adventure Locale line present 
  one or more dungeons that can be quickly picked up 
  and used for a session of the Dungeon Crawl Classics 
  Role Playing Game. 
  Background
  In ages past, a cult worshiping the Chaos Lords Yvis 
  and Balmug created a temple deep underground.  
  There they trafficked with dark things from beyond 
  this plane, calling forth a weird growth that dripped 
  a strange nacreous fluid with the power to transform 
  men.  When they were driven forth by the forces of 
  law, rumours were whispered of weird music, hu-
  man sacrifices, strange hopping dances, and even 
  stranger growths upon the cultists.
  The scourged temple stood empty for a long time, 
  lost to history, until Dellspero the Philosopher, a 
  neutral wizard interested in artifice, learned rumours 
  of the temple and of the strange fluid once found 
  within it.  Although the search took years, Dellspero 
  was able to locate the temple.  Within it he placed 
  his workshop and made his home.  He found a rem-
  nant of the dripping growth and nurtured it back to 
  cancerous health, believing that the fluid it created 
  could be bound into a blade that would turn its own 
  power against chaos.
  In this regard Dellspero was correct, and it became 
  the Fellblade of Dellspero.
  Such a creation offended the Chaos Lords, however, 
  and they sent an earthquake in revenge.  The temple 
  cracked.  Areas of it were buried in rubble, and a 
  vast crack filled with the nacreous fluid opened be-
  neath the wizard’s feet.  Dellspero fell into the fluid-
  filled rift.  When he emerged, he was…changed.  As 
  a Nascent Piper, Dellspero took the bones of his 
  apprentices and allies alike.  Thus he began the accu-
  mulation of his hoard of bones, and the Chaos Lords 
  were contented.
  For the Judge
  This adventure is intended to be played on its own, 
  or easily inserted into an ongoing campaign.  You 
  may wish to place this adventure in the characters’ 
  path if they travel down a corridor that you have not 
  yet detailed.  As an alternative, they may have heard 
  rumours of the Fellblade of Dellspero, and be active-
  ly seeking out Dellspero the Philosopher’s workshop.
  The adventure is designed to flow from east to west, 
  so it is better to have the players begin at the east-
  ern entrance.  Although the Dancing Horror is not as 
  effectively foreshadowed, the adventure can work 
  from west to east as well.
  Likewise, although the adventure is designed for 
  Level 2 characters, the judge can increase or de-
  crease the difficulty to suit his own group.  
  Because the area was a wizard’s workshop, there 
  are more magical items available here than in a 
  typical Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure, and few 
  treasures of a more common sort.  This is actually 
  in keeping with the advice in the rulebook:   “A core 
  concept of the DCC RPG is lack of predictability in 
  the nature of foes encountered, both in their com-
  bat abilities and the treasure that is rewarded.”
  Most of the magic awarded here is single-use.  Some 
  requires additional work to determine how to use 
  it or to learn command words (which places its 
  availability in the hands of the judge).  One item is 
  extremely fragile when used.  Only the Fellblade of 
  Dellspero is a clearly useful magical treasure – and 
  it has its own agenda!  Finally, the judge can and 
  should ensure that other spellcasters seek out any-
  one who displays magical wealth.  That is the nature 
  of the DCC universe!
  
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  General Layout
  The map shows several areas where rubble has fallen, 
  in some cases blocking off passages.  It takes 30 minutes 
  of labour to clear a single five-foot square enough for a 
  single character to pass through these areas, and there 
  is a 1 in 7 chance every 5 minutes of work that a mi-
  nor rockfall occurs, causing 1d4 points of damage to all 
  within 15 feet.  If a minor rockfall has occurred, the odds 
  increase to 1 in 6 of a major rockfall per 5 minutes of 
  work, resulting in 2d6 damage to all within 20 feet.
  The Judge should feel free to describe minor (non-ob-
  structive) rubble in any passage, indications of the quake 
  that occurred here long ago.
  Area Descriptions
  1. Old Storeroom:  Whatever was once kept in this 
  dusty storeroom has long since fallen to dust.  Cob-
  webs adorn the corners, as well as the partially 
  collapsed wooden shelves.  Only a tarnished brass 
  candlestick remains on one of the far shelves.
  Pulling the candlestick causes the secret door catch to 
  softly click open, which opens the door a crack, but actu-
  ally opening the door requires about 10 minutes work 
  clearing wooden debris out of the way.
  2.  Scything Blade:  The narrow passage leads into 
  a smallish room, seemingly empty save for dust and 
  old cobwebs.  An archway exits through the centre of 
  the left-hand wall.
  The archway is trapped with a pressure plate and a scyth-
  ing blade (Atk +4, 1d8 damage), but it is easily found and 
  disarmed (DC 10 each).  It can be bypassed by pressing a 
  discoloured brick near the arch, which disarms the trap.  
  There is a 1 in 6 chance of the trap being triggered each 
  time a creature passes the arch, until it goes off.
  3.  Alchemical Stores:  This small room is filled with 
  wooden shelves, many of which have collapsed, and 
  shards of broken glass.  There is a chemical smell in 
  the air, which is vaguely disturbing.  Near one corner, 
  a golden-coloured balloon bobs near the ceiling.
  This was once an alchemical storeroom, although noth-
  ing now remains save the Golden Balloon of Dallspero:  
  This is a golden coloured bladder of some unknown 
  substance, extracted from some creature from another 
  plane of existence.  It floats freely, being lighter than air, 
  and is anchored with a three-foot long twine string.  The 
  golden balloon holds the breath of life, which can be 
  used once to restore any recently slain creature back to 
  life, although it does not repair massive wounds (thus 
  potentially creating something horrible).  Any creature 
  so restored permanently loses 1 point of Stamina.  The 
  golden balloon may then be filled with up to 1 cubic 
  foot of any other gas or liquid the owner places within it.  
  The golden balloon is fragile, and is easily popped (AC 
  10, 1 hp).  If popped, there is a thunderous noise, and the 
  contents are spread over a 20-foot radius.  This may have 
  some strange effects, if the Judge so desires.  Any crea-
  ture within 60 feet must make a Fortitude check (DC 10) 
  or be deafened for 1d6 hours.  The pieces of the popped 
  balloon disappear, never to be found again.
  Reference to the golden balloon, and what is within it, 
  can be found in Area 11.
  4.  Store Room:  Beyond the door is a small room.  
  Several wooden shelves once lined the walls, but 
  they have collapsed from the passage of time.
  Searching this room uncovers two vials of a glittering, 
  opalescent liquid.  These are samples of the nacreous 
  fluid found in Areas 7 and 10, and has the same proper-
  ties.  Brief contact causes a curious sensation, as though 
  the liquid were attempting to bond flesh to bone.  Pro-
  longed contact or sipping the liquid causes 1d3 points of 
  permanent Agility damage as flesh becomes bone, but 
  increases Armour Class by +1.  Actually drinking the liquid 
  causes 2d6 points of permanent Agility damage as bones 
  and flesh fuse (Fort save DC 15 for half), but Armour 
  Class is increased by +2.  This liquid can be used to at-
  tempt to restore victims of the Dancing Horror (see Area 
  10). Treat multiple sips as actually drinking the liquid.
  5.  Boneless Leech-Rats:  This is a larger room, sup-
  ported by a central pillar.  Bits of rock and masonry, 
  fallen from the ceiling 20 feet overhead, are scat-
  tered across the broken slate tiles of the floor.  A 
  hissing comes from the dark corners, as several rat-
  like monsters pull themselves out of the darkness, 
  each the size of a small dog.  They flop and writhe 
  like boneless worms, pulling themselves toward you 
  seemingly by sheer force of will.
  There are 25 of these boneless leech-rats, creatures cre-
  ated by the combined effects of the Dancing Horror and 
  the nacreous fluid found in Area 7.  They flop and writhe 
  bonelessly, but the flesh of their mouths has fused into 
  a cartilaginous leech-like mouth, which can latch onto a 
  victim and allow the creatures to feed.  
  There are 8 leech-rats in the room when the characters 
  first enter; thereafter waves of 2d6 leech-rats enter from 
  the west every 1d5 rounds until all are slain.
  
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  Boneless Leech-Rats (25):  Init -2; Atk bite +0 melee 
  (1d2 + blood drain); AC 9; HD 1d4; HP 1 each; MV 20’; Act 
  1d16; SP blood drain (1d4 hit points, automatic damage 
  each round after successful hit until killed), half damage 
  from bludgeoning weapons, infravision 30’; SV Fort -3, 
  Ref -1, Will +0; AL C.
  6.  Empty Chamber:  This is an irregularly-shaped 
  room.  Apart from bits of fallen rubble and masonry 
  along the floor, it appears to be empty.
  Searching characters find only rat droppings – but there 
  is a strange opalescent sheen to the droppings.
  7.  Shrine of the Nacreous God:  The passage leads 
  into a wide, narrow chamber vaulted to a height of 
  about 20 feet.  Alcoves to the right and left contain 
  daises where strange and warped statues stand, a 
  man to the right and a woman to the left, their flesh 
  seemingly melted and rubbery, their faces nothing 
  more than blank stone.  Several small unlit yellow 
  candles are before each statue; many have fallen, 
  but some remain upright.  Directly opposite the en-
  trance is another alcove, where a pearly liquid drips 
  steadily from a weird barnacle-like growth, forming 
  a small puddle before disappearing into cracks in the 
  floor.
  Clerics of any god will find this place disturbing; wizards 
  and elves will sense its inherent power.  Any spell cast 
  here to summon or control extra-planar forces has a +4 
  bonus to the spell check, but it also has a 1 in 10 chance 
  of summoning a Nascent Piper (see Area 10), which will 
  form from the nacreous fluid dripping from the barna-
  cle-like growth.
  This nacreous fluid is the same as that found in Areas 
  4 and 10, and has the same properties (see Area 4 for 
  details).  Drinking the fluid here transformed the bone-
  less rat victims of the Dancing Horror into the boneless 
  leech-rats found in Areas 5 and 8.
  The barnacle-like growth has AC 14 and takes 20 hit 
  points of melee damage to destroy; it is immune to arrow 
  fire and similar missiles.  Destroying the growth stops 
  the drip of nacreous fluid.  However, each successful 
  attack spatters that fluid, so that the attacker must make 
  a DC 5 Reflex save or take 1d3 points of temporary Agility 
  damage.  This damage heals at a rate of 1 per minute 
  after 1d5 minutes have passed (but there is no reason to 
  let the players know that!).  Lawful characters destroying 
  this growth gain a permanent +1 bonus to Luck, and the 
  removal of the growth will eventually cause the rift (see 
  Area 10) to drain away.
  There are three candles before the male statue.  These 
  are candles of the silver flame.  They can burn for 10 
  minutes each, with a brilliant silver flame.  So long as the 
  candle burns, no chaotic creature from another plane 
  (including the Dancing Horror or any Nascent Piper; see 
  Area 10) can approach within 10 feet of the candle.
  The five candles before the female statue are candles of 
  the dark flame.  These candles can burn for 10 minutes 
  each.  When set alight, their flame instantly becomes 
  dark beyond human understanding of darkness, and a 
  feeling of bleakness enters the souls of all living mortal 
  creatures within 10 feet.  These creatures must succeed 
  in a Will save (DC 15) to take any action.  The candle itself 
  sheds no true light.
  There is no way to tell the candles apart, unless the char-
  acters mark them or keep them separately.
  8.  Enhanced Boneless Leech-Rats:  The passage 
  enters a large chamber, with a ceiling some 15 feet 
  overhead supported by a single central pillar.  The 
  northeast and southwest corners have collapsed into 
  mounds of rubble.  More rubble is scattered through-
  out the room.   There is another exit to the north.
  Five enhanced boneless leech-rats are hiding in this 
  room, hoping to catch unwary explorers.  They are better 
  at moving – humping and stretching like inch-worms – 
  and are better able to attack.
  Enhanced Boneless Leech-Rats (5):  Init +0; Atk bite 
  +1 melee (1d3 + blood drain); AC 10; HD 1d6; HP 4, 5, 3, 
  3, 2; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP blood drain (1d4 hit points, 
  automatic damage each round after successful hit until 
  killed), half damage from bludgeoning weapons, infravi-
  
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  sion 30’; SV Fort -1, Ref +1, Will +2; AL C.  Crit M/1d4.
  The secret door to Area 9 is 5 feet above the floor, and 
  is opened by pushing inward and sliding upward.  The 
  tunnel to Area 9 is a mere 3 feet high.  Humans and elves 
  must crawl to enter here.  Dwarves may crouch or crawl, 
  and halflings can walk merely by ducking their heads.
  9.  Hidden Shrine:  The passage leads into a small, 
  narrow shrine, apparently dedicated to a skull and 
  a pair of shin bones, which rest upon a dusty velvet 
  pillow in the farthest part of the room.   The skull is 
  covered in weird spirals and sigils that glow with a 
  faint blue light.  This entire area is thick with cob-
  webs and dust.
  These are the Skull and Shinbones of Val’Kalru.  The 
  shinbones can be used by a chaotic cleric to turn un-
  holy with a +2 bonus if both are held aloft and used as a 
  holy symbol.  A chaotic wizard who mediates upon the 
  skull for at least one hour gains the ability to cast scare 
  through the skull once per day.  If the wizard can already 
  cast scare, he gains a +4 bonus to his spell check so long 
  as he uses the skull as a focus for the spell.  
  A single character who presents both skull and shin-
  bones to the Dancing Horror is ignored by that creature 
  so long as the character does not attack it.  However, the 
  Hoardling will have a +4 bonus to attack rolls and dam-
  age.  See Area 10 for details.  A lawful character who 
  destroys both skull and shinbones gains a permanent +1 
  bonus to Luck.
  10.  The Bone Hoard of the Dancing Horror:  The 
  doors pull open to reveal a vast hall, at least 35 feet 
  high, supported by four pillars.  To the right, a circu-
  lar dais is all but hidden under a pile of spilled bones 
  – human, animal, and otherwise – that must have 
  come from hundreds of creatures over decades or 
  longer.  To the left, a set of double doors is marked 
  with a strange glowing orange sigil – the mark of 
  Dallspero the Philosopher, a wizard who disappeared 
  from history centuries ago.  Between you and the 
  marked door, though, is a rift in the stone floor that 
  runs the length of the room, splitting the walls north 
  and south.  A weird and shimmering opalescent light 
  comes from this rift, reflecting off the ceiling, and 
  lighting the room with swirls of nacreous colour.
  The nacreous fluid in the rift is 5 feet below floor level, 
  and the fluid itself runs in the rift to a depth of 1d5+2 
  feet at any given point.  This nacreous fluid is the 
  same as that found in Areas 4 and 7, and has the same 
  properties (see Area 4 for details).  A normal character 
  submerged in the fluid must make a DC 10 Will save 
  or emerge as a Nascent Piper (see below).  Even if the 
  character succeeds, he suffers 1d6 points of permanent 
  Agility damage each round, as bones and flesh fuse, until 
  he has escaped the rift.  The Dancing Horror and any Na-
  scent Piper created are immune to these effects.  Leaping 
  over the chasm is a DC 10 to 15 task, depending upon 
  where it is attempted.
  After 1d7 rounds in the room, the characters begin 
  to hear an eerie, toneless piping that seems to echo 
  around the chamber.  1d4 rounds later, the Dancing Hor-
  ror appears atop its bone hoard, in the far east part of 
  the room.  It was meditating and dreaming its strange 
  dreams behind the bone hoard prior to this.
  Dancing Horror:  Init +2; Atk touch +4 melee (hold and 
  bone theft); AC 14; HD 6d6; HP 22; MV 40’; Act 1d20; SP 
  dancing, leg regeneration, hold, bone theft, connection 
  to victims, bone sense 120’; SV Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +4; 
  AL C.  Crit M/d12.
  The Dancing Horror looks like a faceless, vaguely man-
  shaped insect with opalescent skin, and long spindly 
  limbs.  Each hand and foot has six long fingers or toes.  Its 
  back is hunched with an enormous pocked hump with 
  tumorous growths like weird white corals growing from 
  it.  The weird piping it makes comes from these growths.  
  The Horror hops, spins, and whirls rapidly as it moves, in 
  a strange and graceful dance, both beautiful and repel-
  lent.  The weird piping and dancing together fascinate 
  creatures that can see the Dancing Horror; they must 
  succeed in a DC 10 Will save to take any action.  A Mighty 
  Deed of 3 can injure a leg enough to stop the Horror’s 
  dancing for 1 round.  A Mighty Deed of 4+ severs a leg 
  and stops the Horror from dancing until it uses its ac-
  tion to grow a new one, which folds out of its body with 
  a repulsive squelching noise.  A Mighty Deed to trip or 
  otherwise halt the Horror allows the creature a Reflex 
  save with a DC of 10 + the result of the Deed Die to avoid 
  the special effect.
  When the Dancing Horror successfully attacks an op-
  ponent, it holds fast, and can only be dislodged with an 
  opposed Strength check (the Horror has a bonus of +6 for 
  this purpose) or a Mighty Deed.  A Warrior or Dwarf must 
  have at least 4 on the Deed Die to dislodge the Horror; 
  otherwise it is merely unable to do damage on its next 
  action as it gains a firmer grip on its victim.
  On each action, including that of the initial attack, it can 
  attempt to draw the bones forth from its victim’s body.  
  The initial attack only causes 1 point of Stamina dam-
  
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  age, but each subsequent action causes 1d5 points of 
  temporary Stamina damage.  A character can make a Fort 
  save (DC 10) for half damage (rounded down, so that it is 
  possible for the Horror to do no damage), or a Will save 
  (DC 15) to take no damage.  Players should be told their 
  options before deciding what save to roll.  If a character 
  reaches 0 Stamina, its skeleton is pulled from its body.
  As soon as the first point of temporary Stamina damage 
  is done to a victim, diaphanous tendrils of shimmering 
  ectoplasm connect the head of the Horror to the heads 
  of  each character until the Horror is slain or  all of their 
  bones are extracted.  A character  who is reduced to 0 
  Stamina can still speak, but his voice comes from the 
  Dancing Horror.  Each character must make a  DC 5 Will 
  save or take 1 point of temporary Personality damage.
  Although the Dancing Horror cannot see, it can sense 
  bones within 120 feet, and knows whether or not the 
  bones it senses are still encased in flesh.
  Characters reduced to 0 Personality are not slain, but join 
  in the Dancing  Horror’s dance,  mimicking its hops,  
  spins, and other motions, so long as it exists.  Neither 
  are characters reduced to 0 Stamina slain in this case, al-
  though they may well wish they were, for they are bone-
  less creatures able to do little more than flop and slither 
  at a speed of 20 feet per round when they are restored to 
  1 point of Stamina.  The remainder of their lost Stamina 
  is lost forever, unless they can somehow be rejoined with 
  their skeletons!
  Note that the Dancing Horror only does hit point damage 
  on a critical hit.
  When the Dancing Horror is slain, it explodes into a 
  shower of opalescent ichor.  This ichor is attracted to 
  exposed bones, and begins to flow toward them as 
  though pulled by gravity.  The coated bones take on an 
  opalescent sheen.  Ten minutes later, they begin to move 
  on their own, slithering together over the course of the 
  next 2d24 minutes to form the Hoardling.  
  Area 18, or the long hallway on the western edge of 
  the map, are perfect places for the Hoard-
  ling to attack!
  Hoardling:  Init +4; Atk bite +3 melee (1d6 + poison DC 
  15 Fort or 1d6 Agility) or bone spear +4 melee (1d4 + 
  impale); AC 12; HD 8d6; HP 27; MV 50’; Act 2d20; SP un-
  dead traits, infravision 80’; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +6; AL 
  C.  Crit U/d12.
  The Hoardling looks like an 80-foot long centipede, made 
  of a conglomeration of bones.  It walks on thousands of 
  splintered ribs, leg bones, and arm bones.  Its body mass 
  is a twisting column of spines, pelvises, skulls, and the 
  small bones of wrists and ankles.  Its head is the skull of 
  a gigantic serpent, and its fangs drip opalescent venom!  
  Rising from its body behind its neck are two spears made 
  of sharp, jointed bones.  Two more bone spears are lo-
  cated at its rear end.
  Any creature bitten by the Hoardling must make a DC 15 
  Fort save or begin to slow down (measured by a loss of 
  Agility).  Unlike normal ability damage, this Agility loss 
  heals at a rate of 1 point per 10 minutes.
  A creature struck by a bone spear is impaled, and the 
  Hoardling can do automatic damage with any action die 
  (an attack roll is still made to determine if a critical hit 
  effect occurs).  A character who makes a Strength check 
  (DC 15) can end the impalement.
  Characters that have their skeletons removed have three 
  hopes of restoration:
  1. They can attempt to drink a vial’s worth of the 
  nacreous fluid, which allows a Fort save (DC 15) 
  to grow a new skeleton over a period of 2d10 
  minutes.  This is painful, and causes 1d6 damage.  
  Failure causes the normal result:  2d6 points of 
  permanent Agility damage and a permanent +2 
  bonus to AC.
  
  8
  2. Complete submersion of both the character’s 
  skeleton and body in the nacreous fluid will 
  merge them again if the character makes a DC 
  10 Willpower save.  If successful, the character 
  permanently loses 1 point of both Agility and 
  Stamina.  If the Will save is failed, the character 
  instead emerges as a Nascent Piper (see below). 
  3. A cleric may beseech his god for divine aid (see 
  pages 357-358 of the core rulebook), DC 18, to 
  restore a single character.
  A Nascent Piper appears exactly like the Dancing Horror, 
  and has the same abilities.  However, characters gain a +4 
  bonus to all saves vs. its special powers, and a Nascent 
  Piper requires days to regenerate lost legs.
  11.  Dallspero’s Forge:  These doors are magically 
  warded so as to require a DC 20 Strength check to open.  
  Up to 4 characters can participate in the check.
  This room is set up as a forge, with a great iron anvil 
  in the centre of the area.  Various tools lay, rust-
  ing away where they were placed centuries ago.  
  Other tools, destroyed by time, hang from pegs on 
  the walls.  A small shelf still contains a few mouldy 
  books.
  The anvil has a minor enchantment on it that has pre-
  vented if from rusting, but it weighs 350 lbs. and is dif-
  ficult to move.
  Perusal of the books shows that they are all mouldy, 
  and much of the writing has been effaced.  Even flipping 
  through them, however, will uncover a line that reads “…
  my golden balloon, wherein I have stored the breath 
  of life…” (see Area 3).  It also mentions the Fellblade of 
  Dallspero (“my greatest work at last complete!”).  A 
  wizard who takes these books and spends time study-
  ing them can use them to learn ward portal and sword 
  magic, although the Judge may require that the char-
  acter seek out missing parts of the latter formula else-
  where.
  12.  Empty Room:  The passage leads to a small, 
  pentagram-shaped room.  Apart from dust and cob-
  webs, it appears to be empty.
  13.  Partially Collapsed Chapel:  This area was once 
  a chapel.  Its walls still contain muted bas-relief 
  sculptures of insect-like men, and dancing pipers, but 
  they have been damaged by time and the collapse 
  of the south-western corner of the room.  A dais at 
  the far end of the room is now empty.  A single pillar 
  holds the ceiling up.  The room has a melancholy 
  feeling to it.
  There is nothing of interest here.
  The jump DC to cross the rift to Area 14 is DC 5.  The 
  nacreous fluid in the rift there has the same properties as 
  in Area 10.
  14.  Dallspero’s Living Quarters:  This is a large and 
  irregular area, which was obviously once a grand 
  bedchamber.   The remains of a great bed, woven 
  tapestries and rugs, a desk, and a dressing set can 
  be seen, although they have been damaged by time 
  and masonry falling from the ceiling long ago.
  Three enhanced boneless leech-rats hide beneath the 
  ruined bed.
  Enhanced Boneless Leech-Rats (3):  Init +0; Atk bite 
  +1 melee (1d3 + blood drain); AC 10; HD 1d6; HP 6, 3, 3; 
  MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP blood drain (1d4 hit points, auto-
  matic damage each round after successful hit until killed), 
  half damage from bludgeoning weapons, infravision 30’; 
  SV Fort -1, Ref +1, Will +2; AL C.  Crit M/1d4.
  Searching this room uncovers the following loot:  a small 
  jade statuette of a wood nymph worth 50 gp, a set of six 
  horn spoons worth 2 cp each, a silver candelabra worth 
  15 gp, and a gold bracelet set with rubies worth 250 gp.  
  In addition, a false back behind one of the desks drawers 
  hides a small black velvet bag containing three jet black 
  marbles.  These marbles can each be crushed to create 
  the effect of a ropework spell with a Spell Check of 18-
  19.
  The jump DC to cross the rift to Area 13 is DC 5.  The 
  nacreous fluid in the rift there has the same properties 
  as in Area 10.
  15.  Closet:  This small room contains the rotting 
  remains of once-fine robes, dust, cobwebs, and noth-
  ing else.
  Searching uncovers two rotting small sacks containing 
  200 sp each.
  16.  Empty Room:   This round area has a high 
  domed ceiling, some 20 feet up. 
  17.  Biting Spiders:  This round area has a high 
  domed ceiling, some 20 feet up.   It is thick with 
  cobwebs.
  
  9
  immune to critical hits and mind-affecting spells, resis-
  tant to non-magical weapons ; SV Fort +8, Ref +6, Will 
  +8; AL N.  Crit III/d4.
  Dallspero’s tin soldiers appear as 6-inch high 
  soldiers made of tin and bearing spears.   Each of 
  these soldiers can be commanded to attack (or 
  perform other tasks) by a creature who knows 
  the proper command word.  They have an ef-
  fective Strength of 4 for physical labour, and 
  can carry out instructions in an intelligent 
  manner.  They take half damage (rounded 
  up) from non-magical weapons and attacks.
  Any creature struck by one of Dallspero’s 
  tin soldiers takes a cumulative -2 penalty to his 
  Initiative count that lasts for 1d6 minutes after the 
  last successful attack.  A creature whose Initiative count is 
  brought below 0 by these attacks is slowed to immobility, 
  allowing the tin soldiers to automatically hit with every 
  attack.
  22.  The Hidden Library:  Beyond the secret door is a 
  small room containing a shelf of dusty books marked 
  with arcane symbols.
  There are ten books related to arcane theory here, and 
  each is large and bulky.  A wizard who studies them all 
  may learn three first level spells of the Judge’s choosing.  
  Shoved under the lowest shelf is a long wooden box con-
  taining six more of Dallspero’s tin soldiers.  There are 
  empty places in the box for fourteen more.  Their com-
  mand word has been lost to time, however (and may be 
  the subject of a new quest of the Judge’s devising).
  23.  Empty Room:  This door opens into a small 
  room, empty now save for dust and old cobwebs.
  23.  Empty Room:  This door opens into a small 
  room, whose far left corner has collapsed.  It is 
  empty now save for rubble, dust, and old cobwebs.
  25.  The Fellbade of Dellsparo:  This room has an 
  alcove in the far wall, which contains a stand for a 
  single blade – a glittering two-handed sword whose 
  blade gleams with an opalescent sheen.  Three great 
  opals adorn the sword’s pommel and crossguard.  
  Seven metal figures clutching spears, each 6 inches 
  high, stand guard before the sword.  The walls of this 
  room are covered with bits or broken mirror, layered 
  into a confusing mosaic that reflects everything 
  within a thousandfold.
  Within the room, a magical confusion effect causes 
  A narrow crack in the domed ceiling winds its way to the 
  surface, allowing a group of 3 biting spiders to colonize 
  this area.  They are aggressive, but their poison is not 
  very strong.  Each is roughly the size of a human palm.  
  They automatically gain free attacks with surprise, 
  attacking from above with a +2 bonus to their 
  initial attack rolls, if a group passes this way 
  incautiously.
  Biting Spiders (3):  Init +0; Atk bite +1 melee 
  (1 + poison DC 10 Fort or nauseated 1d4 
  rounds); AC 15; HD 1 hp each; MV 20’; Act 
  1d20; SP poison; SV Fort -4, Ref +4, Will +0; AL 
  N.  Crit M/d4.
  The spider’s nausea causes a -2 penalty to every 
  d20 roll while the venom is active, and the venom 
  from multiple bites is cumulative.
  18.  The Old Crypt:  This long hall has niches on 
  either side which were once used to hold human 
  remains.  Some dried bodies still line the walls on 
  either side, having been pulled from their niches long 
  ago.  The area is thick with dust and cobwebs.
  The dried corpses are all boneless, having been dragged 
  from their niches by the Dancing Horror.  This area, or the 
  long hallway to the west, are perfect locations to stage a 
  battle with the Hoardling.  See Area 10 for more details.
  19.  Empty Room:  The door opens into a small 
  room.  It appears to have been long deserted, con-
  taining only thick dust and bits of fallen masonry.
  20.  Empty Room:  The door opens into a small 
  room.  It appears to have been long deserted, con-
  taining only thick dust and bits of fallen masonry.
  21.  Secret Door:  The door opens into a small room.  
  It appears to have been long deserted, containing 
  only thick dust and bits of fallen masonry.
  The secret door is opened by tripping a hidden catch on 
  the floor.  When the catch is tripped, the door slides up 
  silently, revealing Area 22.  However, seven of Dallspe-
  ro’s Tin Soldiers were left on guard within Area 22, and 
  as soon as the door is opened, they leap out and attack!  
  If characters are not being cautious as the secret door 
  opens, there is a 3 in 6 chance that the soldiers will get 
  surprise, as they are able to exit the secret door as soon 
  as it has raised six inches.
  Dallspero’s Tin Soldiers (7):  Init +7; Atk spear +2 me-
  lee (1 + slow); AC 16; HD 2 hp each; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP 
  
  10
  Designation of Open Content: All text on pages 3 through 9 are designated as Open Gaming Content.
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  System Rules Document Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte 
  Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  DCC RPG, copyright © 2012 Goodman Games, all rights reserved, visit www.goodman-games.com or 
  contact info@ goodman-games.com
  Adventure Locale: Bone Hoard of the Dancing Horror © 2012, Purple Duck Games; Author Daniel J. 
  Bishop. 
  Look for more Adventure Locales coming soon from Purple Duck Games and Daniel J. Bishop!
  characters to make a Will save (DC 10) to take any action 
  as they intend.  On a failed save, a character may still act, 
  but has a 50% chance of targeting a friendly figure rather 
  than the intended target with any attack or spell.
  The metal figures are Dallspero’s tin soldiers (see area 
  21).  They are not affected by the confusion effect in this 
  room.  If targeted by ranged weapons or spells, all may 
  take cover behind the sword stand, only attacking targets 
  outside the chamber if their destruction seems likely 
  otherwise.
  Dallspero’s Tin Soldiers (7):  Init +7; Atk spear +2 me-
  lee (1 + slow); AC 16; HD 2 hp each; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP 
  immune to critical hits and mind-affecting spells, resis-
  tant to non-magical weapons; SV Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +8; 
  AL N.  Crit III/d4.
  This sword is the Fellblade 
  of Dellsparo, a lawful +1 
  two-handed sword with the 
  following characteristics:
  Intelligence 8 (Empathy)
  Special Purpose:  Jail the Guilty
  Detect Water within a 40’ radius
  Great Strength:  Wielder’s Strength 
  is increased by +4 while wielding 
  the blade
  Purple Duck Games Note: Thank you 
  for picking up the first release in our 
  adventure locale line. It was a blast 
  to work with Daniel and the playtesters 
  to bring this adventure to you. 
  More adventure locales are in 
  development and we hope to see you 
  again. If you have any questions do not
  hesistate to email me at 
  gedakm@gmail.com.
  This product is based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics 
  Role Playing Game, published by Goodman Games. 
  This product is published under license. Dungeon 
  Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Good-
  man Games. All rights reserved. For additional infor-
  mation, visit www.goodman-games.com or contact 
  info@goodman-games.com.
  
  11
  Blank Player’s Map
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon Crawl Classics/DCC Adventures & Settings/AL1 Bone Hoard of the Dancing Horror (DCC).pdf