TEXT: DUNGEON OF THE 
  DRAGON MASTER
  Written and Illustrated by Elias Scorsone
  An Adventure for 4-6 1st or 0th level characters
  
  3
  DUNGEON OF THE 
  DRAGON MASTER
  Dungeon of the Dragon Master is copyright 2015, 
  Fireinthedust Productions, Toronto.
    Dungeon of the Dragon Master is published under the Open Game License.  
  Refer to the OGL in this work for additional information.  
  1st printing.
  Written and Illustrated by Elias Scorsone
  Special Thanks to my family, to Anna, my wife, and my children, for 
  their support while making this book happen.  And to my friends 
  Corey, Laura, Jesse, Amerino, Francie, and Anna, my first playtesters 
  and fans.  And to everyone who’s supported me in my publishing 
  dreams, and everyone who will play and enjoy this adventure.
  
  4
  The Heroes learn that an army of bandits are burning 
  the countryside, forcing the peasants on farms and in 
  villages to flee to the city.  A blind seer named Zodok 
  tells the heroes that the town well has tunnels leading to 
  an ancient testing ground for champions - the Dungeon 
  of the Dragon Master - which may hold treasures to 
  help them protect the villagers on the road to Highwall.  
  The heroes enter the tunnels, facing dangers and 
  solving puzzles left by the ancient Dragon Master, and 
  find magic items and training to become powerful 
  champions.  When they leave the dungeons, they find 
  a village that has been ransacked by bandits, who have 
  left the peasants caged in the cellar of the Inn while they 
  go to get more slaves from nearby farms.  The heroes 
  may find themselves trapped when the bandits return, a 
  situation that becomes even more complicated when a 
  hungry dragon jumps into the mix.  
  If the heroes can fight off the bandits, or merely es-
  cape, and bring the refugees of the village with them, 
  they arrive safely at Highwall with quite a few treasures 
  for their trouble.
  ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
  This adventure is intended to be an introduction for 
  a new campaign, both for new gamers and experienced 
  players alike. The first part of the adventure is a puzzle 
  dungeon, where the challenges can be solved without 
  class abilities, and only a little combat. The second part 
  involves a battle with the army of bandits, and a wan-
  dering fire drake.
  The adventure can be played in two forms: you can 
  either make standard 1st level characters using the core 
  rules, or you can try the optional origin-level option for 
  character generation, presented here.
  In Origin-level play, the heroes play simple com-
  moners without adventurer class levels, which they earn 
  during the first half of the adventure, in the Dungeon of 
  the Dragon Master.  They have their ability scores, their 
  racial abilities, 6+Con bonus hit points, and whatev-
  er equipment they can find. Solving the dungeon, they 
  gain their first level in an adventuring class, as well as 
  the treasures of the dungeon.  From there, they are set 
  loose upon the world above, and can enjoy their class 
  abilities while fighting bandits, a drake, and whatever 
  other dangers come their way in future adventures.
  Additionally, this is the first adventure in the High-
  wall series of adventures. While they are designed as 
  individual scenarios that should be able to fit into any 
  game world, they will be able to connect into a series of 
  adventures if you wish. Each will cover one level, from 
  1st to 6th, so will be able to cover that level of play.
  None of the parts of the adventure require any 
  particular class or race combination. In the dungeon 
  there is one combat with a number of skeletons, and 
  if this is done using the Origin level rules, the heroes 
  will have to think their way through the combat. The 
  USING THIS ADVENTURE
  last part of the adventure includes a large combat against 
  a group of bandits, with the wild card of a fire-breathing 
  drake; this should happen after the heroes have reached 
  level one, just so they have enough hit points and abilities 
  to stand a chance. Either way, encourage your players to 
  think through the fights, and drop hints about options other 
  than running at the fight. While you shouldn’t need to add 
  anything, helping the heroes get weapons and armor before 
  they fight would be a good idea. If all else fails, and espe-
  cially for groups that need it, we remind you that Game 
  Masters are there to support the game, not dominate and 
  slay player heroes: help the players if they need the help, 
  and guide them (or not) where they need it to get the most 
  out of the fun.
  If you’re worried about lethality at Origin level but you 
  don’t want to fudge dice rolls, we suggest allowing play-
  ers to have several player characters to start with, allowing 
  the dice to fall as they may until the party has finished the 
  dungeon and fought the bandits. This is a time-honored 
  RPG tradition used in many games with high lethality. Af-
  terwards, they can select their favourites from the ones who 
  survive, and level them up to continue future adventures.
  
  5
  ADVENTURE BACKGROUND
  In ancient days, when the magic of legend was in 
  the world, dragons plagued humanity.  One adventur-
  er befriended some powerful outsiders named the Lox-
  odonians, magical beings similar to elephant-like genies 
  who had taken pity on the humans and wanted to help 
  save them from the dragons.  The kindly Loxodonians 
  taught the champion how to chain the dragons and con-
  trol them, and command the beasts to do good instead 
  of terrorize the realm. The adventurer, now known as 
  the Dragon Master, betrayed the Loxodonians with their 
  own magic, and chained them up as well.  The Dragon 
  Master commanded them to make incredible wonders, 
  grand palaces and magical items, and he controlled a vast 
  realm and a seat of power within the Old Empire.  None 
  but the Dragon Master and the Loxodonians knew that 
  his magic and power all came from his enslaved guests.  
  He had everything he ever wished for, long life, wealth, 
  power, and was hailed as the world’s greatest hero.
  After long ages of life and power, the Dragon Master 
  had exhausted the Loxodonians to the point where they 
  could no longer sustain his immortality, and he learned 
  he would die.  He did not want his legend to be forgotten 
  as new heroes rose to power, so he had a magnificent 
  complex filled with puzzles built to test the mettle of new 
  champions, who would all want to prove themselves to 
  his standard.  The final room would be his mausoleum, 
  where potentials would be given his approval before they 
  leave. The tests were often fatal, meaning that only the 
  greatest champions would survive, and they would have 
  the best chance to carry on the legend of the Dragon 
  Master in their own heroic stories.
  Centuries passed, and the still-captive Loxodonians 
  were exhausted by the effort to maintain the magical 
  constructs of the Dragon Master.  As they faded away, 
  the wonders faded as well, vanishing as the magical creature 
  that created them wasted away.  Now only three are left, 
  chained in a hidden room near the Dragon Master’s sar-
  cophagus, undiscovered even after all this time, and unable 
  to free themselves.  Most of the tests have faded, leaving 
  only a handful remaining to be challenged.  As well, a crea-
  ture known as a Skull Spider was trapped in the dungeon 
  by previous challengers, and has claimed a portion of it as 
  its lair.
  On the surface, all that is left of the Dragon Master’s 
  palace is the entrance to the Dragon Master’s tests and 
  some minor foundations.  A village formed on the spot 
  when travellers discovered the entrance could be used as a 
  well.  Called “Well Water”, they built an Inn for caravans 
  stopping through for water, and they later learned to make 
  coin from occasional adventurers seeking to enter the tests 
  of the Dragon Master below.  Most of those never returned, 
  but those champions that did spoke of innumerable magical 
  tests they attempted below.  
  Well Water’s villagers are currently worried about a ban-
  dit army in the area that has been destroying villages and 
  selling the farmers into slavery.  Fearing for their lives, the 
  villagers have been fleeing to the city for protection.  Those 
  left behind had hoped heroes might pass through to save 
  their homes, but those hopes have faded: some adventurers 
  had arrived to enter the tests of the Dragon Master only a 
  few weeks ago, but they never returned after going in, and 
  the villagers have given up hope they survived the challeng-
  es.  The bandit army is large enough that the magical items 
  gained from the Dragon Master’s test would be needed to 
  defeat them.  Now only the player characters have a chance 
  of going down into the well and surviving the challenges, 
  and return as powerful heroes, mages, and warriors to fight 
  the bandit army.
  
  6
  ACT ONE: THE COMING STORM
  BANDITS ON THE ROAD
  For heroes coming from outside of Wellwater, the 
  following encounter can happen on any road near the 
  village:
  The road winds around hills and thickets, mak-
  ing its way to the nearest settlement, the village of 
  Wellwater.  The day is bright and the wind is at your 
  back, making this a pleasant stretch of road… until 
  the wind changes, bringing the smell of smoke with 
  it.  Soon enough you come around a corner and your 
  party can hear rough of laughter, and see the grim 
  source of the smoke. 
   A trio of men dressed in leather armour and armed 
  with curved metal swords, are standing around a ru-
  ined merchant’s wagon.  On the ground are captive 
  humans, who include a portly man in merchant garb 
  and two battered-looking men in guards uniforms, 
  have been tied up to one side of the wagon, and a pair 
  of work horses have been tied on the other.  
  The three are apparently bandits of some sort, and 
  are laughing at them and dividing their spoils.
  “That caravan was stuffed with gold!” barks one, 
  breaking open a chest filled with copper and silver coins 
  with its sword, and sifting the coins between its stumpy 
  green fingers.
  “Aye,” laughs another, “and once we raze every vil-
  lage between here and Highwall, Red-Eye will reward us! 
  Our army is going to crush the peasants in these low-
  lands, and we’ll make a mountain of gold selling them 
  as slaves!” 
  At this, the merchant squeals while struggling against 
  the ropes tying him down.   With that the bandits break 
  out into laughter, and go back to picking through the 
  debris of the wagon.
  The bandits are scouts from a large group of bandits led 
  by Red Eye, a brutal bandit king.  They came across this 
  merchant caravan, captured the merchant and his guards, 
  and plan to sell them off as slaves.  The Merchant, Salizar, is 
  terribly afraid of what’s happening to him.  If he is rescued, 
  he will reward the heroes with gold once they get him to a 
  town.  He grew up in Wellwater, and had brought this ship-
  
  7
  TALKING TO SALIZAR
  The Wagon has been burned and ransacked, but there 
  is a barrel of mead, a dozen wineskins, and a crate of 
  fifty days’ rations in dried meat left over.  The rest of the 
  supplies have been ruined by the fire, including spears, 
  wooden bows, and quivers of arrows, as well as more 
  food and common goods destroyed by the fire and gob-
  lins.  The chest of coins is Salizars, and he will thank them 
  for giving it back to him, and give them each 50gp for 
  their trouble.  The rest (500gp) is intended to help him 
  set up his business in Highwall, with the help of villagers 
  like Rorik the Blacksmith, so he politely tells the heroes 
  he needs to keep as much as he can; the bandits attack 
  has all but ruined him, in truth, but he hopes he can start 
  over in the city, with some help from contacts.
  The merchant groans and thanks you as you free 
  him, and as he recovers his breath, he speaks.  “What a 
  terrible thing to happen!  My supplies here are ruined.  
  I made a special run just for the villagers of Wellwater, 
  or at least those who haven’t left yet.  The region here 
  has had several poor harvests, the rains have left the 
  fields dry, and dragons have been burning farmsteads 
  more often of late.  Life has been hard, and farmers 
  are leaving their homes as it is.  Now an army of ban-
  dits has been destroying towns, and Wellwater is in its 
  path.  It just isn’t safe outside city walls, until someone 
  deals with that army.  I was bringing supplies for the 
  few people left in Wellwater, as they flee to the safety 
  of Highwall.  These scouts ambushed me, and ruined 
  my wagon!  Please, help me get what supplies we can 
  to the village, and I’m sure you’ll be rewarded.”
  ment to help his fellow villagers get to Highwall before 
  the bandits attacked.  Now ruined, he is very much afraid 
  of the bandits selling him into slavery.  The guards, Hen-
  drick and Brodin, are dazed from the fight, but if freed 
  from their bonds they will happily attack the bandits with 
  the heroes.
  If the heroes are 1st level warriors, mages, and ex-
  perts, they may fight the bandits easily enough.  The ban-
  dits are tired from fighting the merchant and his guards, 
  and horses, and since they don’t expect trouble they can 
  easily be surprised.  If the heroes are merely Origin-lev-
  el, however, the idea of a head-on fight is probably not 
  as good an idea as, for example, distracting the goblins 
  by making noise or starting a fire in one direction, then 
  sneaking around and freeing the prisoners from the shad-
  ows.  The guards will attack with them, and this should 
  tip the balance in favour of the heroes in a direct fight.  
  The bandits are not the brightest fighters, but they have 
  weapons that can harm the heroes.
       THE VILLAGE OF WELLWATER
  You make your way to the town of Wellwater, over 
  rolling hills with hills of yellowed grass and dried up fields 
  that look unlikely to produce any food for their farmers.  
  The town of Wellwater is built at the top of a hill over-
  looking the area, and it looks as ragged and tired as the 
  rest of the lands around it.  Built on a broad flat square 
  of dust-covered stone, Wellwater has clearly seen better 
  days.  Several buildings have been made of mudbrick 
  or blackened lumber, roofs made of the same yellowed 
  grass found on the hillsides around here.   
  The center of the town square is taken up by a large 
  well, a great stone cylinder with unusually-well carved 
  artwork on its sides, depicting majestic dragons carrying 
  armored riders around its rim.  
  The people here are dressed in drab clothes, and while 
  they get on with whatever work they’re doing, take a mo-
  ment here and there to look out over the fields beyond 
  the village, as if expecting to see a dragon attacking or the 
  bandit army arriving any second.
  Wellwater is a poor village, its industry based on the 
  now-abandoned farms, and the villagers that remain only 
  here because they’re waiting for Salizar to come with sup-
  plies needed for the trip to Highwall.  They are finishing up 
  a few tasks before they leave for the city, and any help from 
  able-bodied adventurers would be appreciated.
  
  8
  ZODOK THE BLIND
  Blind Zodok hasn’t got material wealth, being more 
  of a beggar than a mage; still, the villagers see him as 
  lucky, a wise and kindly oracle, or at least an old man 
  who means no harm.  While he cannot reward the he-
  roes with coin, helping him will grant them a +1 bonus 
  to charisma checks among the villagers.
  LANU
  Behind the Inn you see a young girl calling up into 
  the branches.  “Jinx!  Mister Jinx, come down here right 
  now!”
  This is Lanu, Rorik’s daughter.  Her cat, Mr. Jinx, has 
  climbed into the tree and refuses to come down.  If the 
  heroes approach, she will ask for their help.
  “Oh please help me,” the young girl is frustrated.  “My 
  cat, Mr. Jinx, is stuck up there and he won’t come down.  
  Can you help me?  I’ve got some candied flower petals 
  I can share with you, if you do.  If I leave him up there, 
  he’ll make noise and I’ll be in trouble for playing with 
  Mr. Jinx instead of doing my chores.  But there aren’t 
  customers, thanks to the town leaving, and I can’t leave 
  Mr. Jinx in a tree!  What if a dragon eats him?”
  If they investigate, the PCs see a tiger-striped cat (Mr. 
  Jinx) stuck up on a branch, looking down and somewhat 
  frightened and unable to get down on his own.  Climbing 
  the Tree is no mean feat (DC14 climbing).  Mr. Jinx will 
  not respond to calls to come down, but if a PC talks to him 
  directly (DC 13 Charisma or Animal Handling) he will hold 
  still long h for them to grab him; if the result is 20 or high-
  er, he will even creep towards them shyly, and get into their 
  arms.  If not, the PCs must attempt to grab him (Armor 
  Class 14) with the fear that he will scratch them (+1 to hit, 
  1d2-1 damage).  If they can manage to get him down, even 
  if he does scratch them, Mr. Jinx will purr and from then on 
  assume the PCs are his best friends.  
  Lanu will be grateful if they get him down, and give 
  them the Dragondil flower for Blind Zodok.
  The young girl beams as you bring the cat down, and 
  hands over a large blue dried flower.  
  “Oh, thank you!  Here, if you take this flower to the old 
  man in the village square, Blind Zodok, I’ll run home and 
  get you my candied flower petals.  Meet you at the town 
  square?”
  RETURNING THE FLOWER
  If the heroes return to Blind Zodok, he thanks them 
  when they give him the flower.
  “I knew you would return to me!  I sense great things 
  from you.  If you bring me to Idona the Healer, she’ll 
  finish the potion for me, and I’ll tell you my vision.  It’s 
  a small hut on the eastern wall of the village.  Come 
  quickly!”  And with that, the old seer staggers to his 
  feet and hobbles in the direction of a cone-topped build-
  ing on the other side of the village.
  If the heroes follow, go to Idona the Healer.
  An old man in tattered brown robes calls out to you.  
  His eyes are white, clearly blind in his old age, but 
  nonetheless he points to you directly with his face, 
  as if he knows exactly where you are.  He smiles and 
  calls out again.  “You there!  I’m blind, but the fates 
  have given me ‘the sight’.  Whoever you are, would 
  you do an old man a kindness?  Young Lanu, the 
  blacksmith’s daughter, was supposed to bring me a 
  Dragondil Flower, so that I could divine whether the 
  trip to Highwall would bode well or ill.  Lanu hasn’t 
  come back yet, and I worry she’s run into trouble 
  with that Jinx of hers… her cat, a mischievous crea-
  ture, to be sure.  I can’t divine without an elixir made 
  with the petals of that Dragedil flower, and the one 
  Lanu is bringing is likely the last blossom of the sea-
  son.  Please, would you help an old man?  I heard 
  Lanu’s voice from behind the Inn, you may find her 
  there, and perhaps bring the flower to me?”
  
  9
  
  10
  IDONA THE HEALER
  This building is more of a cottage than the 
  other shops in town, with a large cone-shaped 
  thatch roof atop a short, round house.  Beside it is 
  a long building made out of wooden timbers, with 
  an open doorway on one side where you can see 
  cots lined next to one another.  Herbs are hung 
  around the roof of the cottage, and more grow in a 
  small garden beside it.  An older woman, her sleeves 
  rolled up, looks up as you approach.  
  “Greetings, traveller. What ails you?  I’m Idona, 
  the village healer.  Well, as much of a village as we’ve 
  got left, now that everyone is heading to Highwall.  I 
  make herbal remedies for sickness and bandages for 
  wounds.  How can I help?”
  Idona the healer is a simple herbalist and midwife, 
  with some knowledge of alchemy but no mage train-
  ing.  She can brew Healing Potions, and will sell them 
  to the heroes; if they have said they will go with the 
  refugees to Highwall, she will give them each a free 
  healing potion for their help. 
  Idona’s home is a great cottage filled with herbs 
  tied to the ceiling, and a massive wooden set of shelves 
  that hold all manner of dried herbs, rare mushrooms, 
  and other ingredients for medicines and poultices.  
  Idona sleeps on a cot in the herb room, having not 
  more space in which to live.  It’s not the best-looking 
  place, but it’s what this tiny town has, and that’s better 
  than most villages.  
  Idona the Healer’s shed is a two-building affair, one 
  half of it dedicated to a large room with large windows 
  to let in fresh air, where a number of cots are lined up 
  for those who come to her for help.  One man lies on 
  a cot, a local farmer who stumbled into town with a 
  gory bite on his shoulder, blood all over his hands, and 
  a wickedly high fever.   Idona has been helping him 
  with herbs to bring down the fever, but he’s unable 
  to communicate and just struggles in his sleep, so the 
  Zodok stands up stiff, his eyes glow bright blue, and 
  he looks at each of the heroes in turn.  “You have a 
  great destiny upon you, heroes.  The currents of fate 
  swirl about you, and you have the potential for greatness, 
  both good and ill.  The greatest of warriors, the most 
  powerful of mages, and the most cunning of heroes, you 
  have upon you the potential to be any of these things.
  “In ancient times, where this village now stands, the 
  Dragon Master built his home, and bound the dragons of 
  this land in his service for centuries.  Those who would be 
  heroes would come from across the land and climb down 
  into the dungeon tunnels below his home.  There they 
  would be tested, purified of weakness as metal in a cruci-
  ble.  Those who survived would become mighty, learning 
  the secrets of sword and of sorcery, of might and magic.  
  Though the fortress of the Dragon Master has vanished, 
  his dungeon yet remains.  
  “While I cannot see whether you shall survive, I do see 
  the currents of greatness surrounding you.  Unlike many 
  who descended before, I see that you have the chance to 
  survive, and claim the powers and treasures below.  You 
  could save the lives of those above, or below, from slavery 
  and death.  The choice… is yours…”  With that the old 
  man’s eyes fade, and he slumps down in his chair once 
  more.
  If the heroes have brought Zodok and the Dragondil 
  flower, Idona will smile and bring the flower into her cot-
  tage.  She will add the flower to a small brass cauldron she’s 
  had on the fire for some time, and a moment later the brew 
  will glow bright blue.  She will scoop a cupful and give it 
  directly to Zodok, who will drink it and have his vision.  
  Read the following:
  healer has had him tied down.  If the PCs wait more than 
  two days, he’ll transform into an undead and start devour-
  ing the nearest victim he can find.  Idona has never seen 
  this kind of fever before, but is doing her best to calm him 
  in case he can recover enough to make it to the city.  
  
  11
  If asked, Zodok or Idona will confirm that adven-
  turers have gone down through the Well in the middle 
  of town, and that most never return.  Yet some few 
  do survive, and they gain powers, skills, and treasures 
  from the experience.  If the heroes survive the tests, the 
  treasures they gain would be valuable help against the 
  dangers of the world.  As the villagers need all the help 
  they can get, they would welcome the heroes travelling 
  with them to Highwall, if they survive the trials of the 
  Dragon Master’s Dungeon.
  GATHERING INFORMATION ON THE 
  DUNGEON OF THE DRAGON MASTER
   Wise characters would seek information on the dun-
  geon to be had.  All the villagers will direct the heroes 
  to Zodok, the blind seer, who will prefer to speak to 
  them near the well in the town square.  However, if 
  needed, most of the information presented below is 
  common knowledge that any of the NPCs in town could 
  easily share.  If pressed for time, or if the heroes have 
  a character they prefer to old Zodok, such as Rorick or 
  Idona, feel free to paraphrase what is said below, but 
  coming from them.
  WHERE ARE THE LAST CHAMPIONS WHO 
  SURVIVED?
  Years ago, several heroes made it through and travelled 
  to Highwall, becoming champions there.  We had sent 
  word, but they were off on their own adventures, and I fear 
  they will not arrive before the bandits attack. 
  WHAT ARE THE TESTS OF THE DRAGON 
  MASTER?
  There are said to be hundreds of doorways, and behind 
  each is a unique test.  No two have been the same, involving 
  riddles, traps, mortal combat, and many perils.  A key is the 
  usual prize, used to activate the path to the next test. When 
  potential champions have finished four tests, they may enter 
  the Dragon Master’s chamber, and pass through the Arch-
  way of Destiny with their reward.
  HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THIS?
  The tales of the Dragon Master are well-known here, 
  the legends the children grow up with.  Adventurers come 
  through town, and I collect their stories before they go into 
  the well, and, hopefully, when they return.
  Some have, but none have returned in some time.  Four 
  adventurers were hired by the villagers recently, in hopes 
  that they could survive and help us with powerful weapons 
  from below. But, it has been many weeks and having no 
  sign of them tells us that they, too, have fallen to the tests.
  WHY HAVEN’T YOU VILLAGERS GONE 
  DOWN THERE FOR THE TESTS?
  WHO WAS THE DRAGON MASTER?
  You don’t know?  When the Old Empire began, he 
  used powerful magic to stop the dragons that were at-
  tacking everyone, then ruled the lands around here for 
  centuries. He was undefeated in battle, unmatched in 
  magic, even back in the age of legends. The stories say 
  he left behind massive palaces, giant statues, that sort of 
  thing, all made of magic, but over time the magic that 
  made them faded away.  All I’ve ever seen was the town 
  well: last proof he ever existed.
  WHAT IS DOWN THERE?
  Those who survived have described different tests creat-
  ed to challenge the mind and mettle of champions, which 
  may change depending on who attempts them. The Dragon 
  Master’s chamber is there, a room where his body rests, 
  surrounded by treasures, and the Archway of Destiny. He is 
  quite dead, but those who return say his body is untouched 
  by time, resting in a crystal coffin.
  WHY DID HE BUILD THIS DUNGEON?
  A test for champions, and his tomb. Those worthy 
  would survive the challenges and be rewarded with magic 
  and empowered with what he called the Archway of Des-
  tiny.  The Dragon Master believed he could proclaim who 
  was rightly a champion, and built the dungeon as his lega-
  cy. Now he lies there, interred below, as if to be present to 
  reward those who survive his tests.
  WHAT IF THE HEROES DON’T GO FOR THE 
  DUNGEON?  Argh, that’s the worst! It happens. 
  For example, your group could simply decide to 
  lay a trap for the bandits in the town, fight them 
  as they arrive, and delve into the dungeon later, if 
  at all. The bandits will have scouted out the village, 
  and plan to keep the Inn as a base. They will light 
  up their arrows and fire at the houses, but allow the 
  villagers to run out the front gate (to be captured) 
  or flee into the Inn (to be corralled by the bandits). 
  The bandits are looking to take slaves, but will slay 
  any heroes who fight them openly. The villagers are 
  not fighters, so will not help.  If you are playing an 
  Origin-level game, feel free to tell the heroes that 
  fighting the bandits without class levels or magical 
  items would be suicidal or disastrous. Fleeing to 
  the city is another option, and the bandits proba-
  bly won’t follow... but the heroes wouldn’t get any 
  treasure from the fabled dungeon.
  
  12
  RORICK THE BLACKSMITH
  A massive man in blacksmith’s gear stands at his an-
  vil, pounding iron into horseshoes.  He is bald, but has 
  an enormous moustache under an oft-broken nose, while 
  his arms are almost as thick as his legs, sitting above a 
  very round, muscular belly.  He leans over to dunk a red-
  hot iron in water, and you see one of his legs has been 
  replaced below the hip with a metal leg of iron cogs.  He 
  nods to you as you enter, and rumbles from under his 
  moustache.
  “Look around if ya want, buy what you need.  Less I 
  have to carry to Highwall, or leave for those bandits, the 
  better.”
  THE BOAR’S HEAD INN:
  The Boar’s Head Inn is the one and only Inn in town.  
  It has a large common area consisting of enough tables 
  for several wagon trains’ guards and merchants, though 
  it is currently empty while the villagers prepare to move 
  on.  Joam, the Innkeeper, and his children Gwen and 
  Gavin, are busy carrying barrels of ale from the cellar 
  and putting them onto a wagon outside.  They won’t 
  be staying longer than a day, so are unlikely to rent the 
  heroes rooms, but they are happy to serve the heroes 
  food or ale: any coins they can earn will help them live 
  in Highwall, until the bandits have been dealt with and 
  they can return to the Inn.
  Rorick the Blacksmith is a large 
  man with broad shoulders, and a 
  massive belly made of solid muscle.  
  One of his legs is made of metal, 
  rough clockwork he made himself 
  that is sturdy and functional.  Rorik 
  knows how to fight and can train 
  heroes as Warriors, but he will not 
  join them in battle, having suffered 
  serious trauma when he was an ad-
  venturer in his younger days – a 
  pack of ghoulish undead devoured 
  his friends and his leg.  In a pinch, 
  Rorik has a masterwork battleaxe 
  in a treasure chest in his room, 
  but while he is fine in a bar fight, 
  bloody battle is beyond him now.  
  If the heroes agree to bring the 
  villagers to Highwall when they sur-
  vive the dungeon below, Rorik will 
  give each of them a free longsword 
  or a battleaxe, and a suit of leath-
  er armor, as payment.  If they are 
  willing to pay more, he has a suit 
  of Hide Armor he had planned on 
  selling in the city.
  
  13
  ACT TWO: INTO THE WELL
  (1.1)  CLIMBING INTO THE WELL
  When the heroes approach the town well, they read 
  the following:
  The town well is in the center of the square, a 
  circular stone wall surrounding a hole ten feet in diam-
  eter. On one side is a short flight of steps leading up 
  to an archway shaped like twin dragons, with a small 
  stage at the top of the well, as if inviting travellers to 
  climb up the steps and dive into the hole. The villag-
  ers have constructed a wooden arm atop the archway, 
  with a pulley and a long rope, turning the entrance 
  here into their main water supply. The depths of the 
  well are dark and cold, and you can see only the faint 
  reflection of the sky on the surface of the water far 
  below.
  The villagers can help the heroes with the bucket, as 
  many who enter the well do so by being lowered down 
  on the bucket.  Rorick himself built the pulley, and it can 
  hold up to three hundred pounds.
  (1.2)   DARK WATER POOL:
  As you descend on the rope, you find the shaft of 
  the well suddenly opens onto a massive round room 
  around it, leaving you hanging near the room of a large 
  chamber.  The bottom of the room is flooded with 
  dark water, probably the reason this room is so cold.  
  The edge of the chamber has a round walkway all the 
  way around its edges, leading to an alcove to one side 
  that seems to have a doorway on the far end.
  The heroes can climb down with a DC10 climbing 
  check, or they can lower down one hero standing on the 
  bucket, perhaps swinging to land on the ledge (DC15 ac-
  robatics check or take 1d6 fall damage).  Otherwise, they 
  may fall into the cold water at the bottom and suffer no 
  damage.
  Take note of light sources here, as there isn’t light at 
  the bottom of the well.  Only the shaft of light from above 
  provides illumination, so the heroes are in dim light or 
  darkness, unless they bring torches or some kind of magical 
  light source.
  (1.3)  FONT OF DARK WATER
  If the heroes swim in the pool or fall in, they find that it 
  is icy cold, and the water is dark, with a soft current caus-
  ing it to swirl.  If they search the pool, the bottom is dark, 
  under the effect of magical darkness, meaning they will be 
  searching blindly while underwater.  The entire chamber is 
  spherical, including below the surface, and at the very bot-
  tom, directly in the center, is a DECANTER OF ENDLESS 
  WATER that is constantly emptying into the room.  When 
  opened, the decanter is surrounded by a Darkness spell, 
  which ends instantly when it is stoppered.  Otherwise it 
  looks just like a stone cylinder made of obsidian with a white 
  marble stopper in the mouth, shaped like a fish holding a 
  pearl.  The village’s daily water needs have always emptied 
  it every day, so in hundreds of years the well has simply 
  
  14
  To the side of the pool is an alcove shaped into 
  an archway, a pair of stone doors built into the far 
  end.  The twin doors had been carved to fit exactly 
  into the frame, and their surface carved with curious 
  figures surrounding what was once some kind of lock.  
  Now, however, the doors have been cracked and 
  pulled off their hinges to lean in the doorway, their 
  once-elaborate lock-mechanism now a shattered into 
  rubble and steel gears.  Beyond you can see a short 
  hallway of about eight feet, made of the same stone 
  as the rest of the chamber, until the last pace, where 
  the archway uses polished blue marble of a sort you 
  have never seen before.  The wall beyond the blue 
  marble is shaped to look like a giant with a round 
  body, four massive arms wielding wands, swords, 
  books, and flowers in his hands, topped by an ele-
  phant-like head with four trunks and four elaborately 
  ornamented tusks.  On its rotund belly you can see a 
  human-sized hand print.
  (1.4)   BROKEN DOORWAY
  The door was a puzzle lock, but ages ago was shat-
  tered by less-than-patient delvers, and aside from 
  climbing over or around the doors, there is nothing 
  stopping the heroes from going through.  The blue 
  marble at the end of the end is actually a portal to the 
  Dungeon.  It detects as having intense Conjuration, and 
  placing a hand on the handprint allows one to STONE 
  MELD through the wall to the next area.  The rest of 
  the surface is hard stone and resistant to physical or 
  magical damage.  
  (1.6)  THE KEYMASTER
  The statue is virtually identical to the elephantine 
  form on the wall of the archway, save that it is not a 
  relief but an exquisitely carved figure, and now rides upon 
  a stylized dragon.  Each arm is pointing in a different 
  direction, towards the sides of the chamber, directly at 
  the alcoves up and down the walls.  The ears of the figure 
  expand behind it like gossamer wings, and sparkle with 
  gem-like patterns.  In the center of the figure’s chest is 
  a stone disc with four nodes, and a glowing stone shaft 
  sticking out its center like some kind of tiny key. Below 
  the figure is carved the curled form of a serpentine drag-
  on, as if holding up this mystical elephant-like being.
  This chamber is the hub of the Dragonmaster’s Dungeon, 
  with the doorways leading to each of the tests as well as the 
  final exit from the area.  Climbing the walls is exceptionally 
  difficult (DC25) and the shaft is a one hundred foot drop 
  to the mists below; those who do fall into the mists are not 
  necessarily lost, however (see 1-9: Web of the Skull-Spider, 
  below).  The way back has been magically sealed, as getting 
  here means the test has officially begun.  Because the previ-
  ous delvers never finished, however, more people can enter 
  (such as the player heroes), but none can leave.
  Passing through the stone of the wall, you 
  are reminded of swimming through mud.  Yet, as 
  you press on, you exit the stone and find yourself 
  once more in open air.  You are standing on a cat-
  walk of stone in a great cylindrical shaft that rises 
  up into darkness and down into a bank of vaguely 
  glowing fog.  Up and down the walls you can see 
  a number of archways, not unlike the doorway you 
  just passed through, each with a figure carved upon 
  the surface.  Ahead of you the catwalk becomes a 
  set of steps leading up to a platform, on the mid-
  dle of which is a great statue with four arms.  This 
  statue gives off a soft blue light that illuminates this 
  chamber. Behind you, the shape of the archway you 
  passed through appears traced upon the wall, but is 
  otherwise as smooth as the rest of the room’s sur-
  faces.
  (1.5)  THE CHAMBER OF DOORS
  never overflowed. In fact, when the temple was in use, 
  what the villagers assumed was a well was in fact an 
  ornamental pool, part of the test of the Dragon Master 
  that forced potentials to dive into dark water. During all 
  this time none have ever searched the dark waters for 
  their source, so the Decanter has never been recovered.  
  If left alone, the water will rise to the top and overflow 
  in a matter of days.
  This is the Keymaster statue.  Turn the key to one of the 
  positions, and a set of stone steps immediately forms out of 
  the platform and goes directly to the next archway; the key 
  vanishes from the keyhole and appears in the node for that 
  archway, leaving the keyhole in the center open for the key 
  gained from the next test.  Once a path has been selected 
  by the players, the key cannot be turned: another key must 
  be found by passing the next test, which then goes into the 
  statue, leading to the next test, and so on until the final 
  path leads to the last chamber.  Once the characters have 
  finished all tests and go into the final chamber, the tests 
  reset, the first key vanishes, to be found by other would-be 
  champions of the Dragon Master; but, as the most recent 
  group never died and never left, their test is still ongoing, 
  which the heroes have a chance to complete.
  The last adventurers through had quested for years to 
  find the first key, and, just as they placed it into the key-
  hole, were attacked by the Skull-Spider (see area 1-10).  As 
  such, the key has never been turned, leaving it for the he-
  roes to move on with the test of the Champions.  It cannot 
  be removed, only turned towards the position of whatever 
  doorway they wish to go to.  If they move it to the first po-
  sition, go to (1-6); second position is (1-7); third position 
  is (1-8); and the fourth position (1-9).  Once those have all 
  been completed, and the heroes have put all the keys into 
  the Keymaster, the final pathway will be open for them.
  
  15
  
  16
  (1.7) RIDDLE OF THE SPHERES
  DOORWAY
  The surface of this doorway is covered in a circle 
  filled with many rings, one inside the other, with 
  what looks like a staff or pillar dividing the circle up 
  the middle, half on either side of it.
  The heroes may push through this doorway, just 
  like area 1-3. The door vanishes as they enter, so they 
  can leave at any time, but must solve it to get the key.
  Entering this room, you find yourselves in a large 
  hemispherical chamber made of polished white mar-
  ble.  The center of the chamber has a tall spike of 
  stone, around which a number of spheres spin.  Here 
  an orb plods along close to the ground, there anoth-
  er spins and zips about, while yet others follow their 
  own paths.  Each of the spheres glows with a dif-
  ferent light, and some with vortices of elements or 
  energy, causing the walls to be covered in a prismatic 
  display of colors.  At the back of the wall you see a 
  smooth archway outlined, but blank save for a small 
  dot.  On the floor beneath the spheres are several 
  skeletons dressed in tattered or charred rags.
  INSIDE THE ROOM
  This stone has the riddle the PCs are looking for, the 
  solution to the problems of the room.  If they look at 
  the surface of the stone, they will see words in whatever 
  language they can read.  As soon as one reads it, all 
  in the room hear the riddle in their minds, spoken by 
  the carved figure upon the stone.  The carved figure is 
  shaped to resemble a dragon (DC20 Arcana to recog-
  nize the fairly rare creature).  
  RIDDLESTONE
  Looking at the stone you can see that it is a tall, 
  carved block about three feet on a side, smoothly 
  polished with grooves on its surface.  At the top is 
  a carved figure, like some kind of dragon with exag-
  gerated features.  At the base of the block a flowing 
  script has been carved into the surface. 
  “From out of the spray and into the sky, I dance in 
  the sun and we light up the eye”
  SOLUTION: The answer to the riddle is “rainbow”, but 
  it must be signified by touching the Spheres in the correct 
  order:  PURPLE, BLUE, GREEN, YELLOW, ORANGE, 
  and RED (or backwards (r,o,y,g,b,p)): illusion, apporta-
  tion, plant, light, fire, and rust. Ignore the other spheres 
  (as not all need to be used in this puzzle. When this is 
  done, the dot on the wall grows into an archway, and 
  hovering in the air in front of it is a large, glowing KEY.  
  Upon taking the key, the heroes may leave.
   
  On touching an incorrect sphere, they must start 
  the puzzle over, and suffer the following penalties:
   
  The skeletons are from adventurers who 
  never solved the riddle, or touched the wrong spheres 
  out of order; they each have 1d4 coppers, but their 
  equipment is either so old as to be useless, or charred 
  to ruin by the effects.  The exception is worn by one 
  figure in robes, a former sorceress, who has an amulet 
  with a prism on a silver chain around their neck (Am-
  ulet of Protection +1); sadly she was zapped by the 
  puzzle by accident, and never saw the rainbows the 
  amulet made when it reflects light as a potential clue 
  (which you can introduce to stuck players, if needed).
  
  17
  THE ORBS
  This glass orb is filled with a tiny Orange flame that 
  flickers inside it, splashing around the inside, swirling 
  and bursting in a miniature explosion, over and over 
  again.  
  Characters touching this sphere take 1 fire damage, 
  unless they have first touched the Red orb.
  FIRE
  FROST
  A tiny snow storm swirls inside this orb, then stops, 
  the inside covering itself in fingers of frost, then crack-
  ing and bursting once more into a raging blizzard. 
  Touching this orb causes 1 frost damage, and charac-
  ters are slowed for one round by the cold.
  NECROMANCY
  This orb is filled with a sickly mist that swirls inside, 
  forming and reforming into the shape of human and an-
  imal skulls. 
  This purple orb continuously goes from a single 
  bubble to a small swarm of identical bubbles as it 
  floats lazily around the room.
  There is a 25% chance characters touching this Orb 
  will pass through it when touching it, as it ceases to exist.  
  If they touch this Orb out of order, they will have a 25% 
  miss chance on all physical attempts to touch anything, 
  as their senses become blurred.  If they then touch the 
  Orbs in order, the effect ends.  If it is the first color 
  they choose in the rainbow, or the last in the rainbow 
  sequence, they may ignore this penalty.  Essentially this 
  means they must either have just touched Blue, or touch 
  it next.
  Take 1 damage from death-magic energy; if this kills the 
  character, in 2d4 rounds they rise once more as a skeleton.
  RUST
  This red ball is made of rusty metal, seemingly cor-
  roded away, pitted and worn by rust.
  This Orb is made of magical rust.  All metal objects 
  on the character instantly disintegrate from rust (in-
  cluding coins, belt buckles, weapons, etc.), which can 
  be extremely frustrating for heroes (and their players).  
  Play up that it is rust-covered, as the other Orbs are 
  covered in other energies, so they have some warning.  
  Magical items (if any) are unharmed by the rust.  If this 
  is the first Orb touched in the correct sequence (ie: 
  next orb touched is orange, or else the Red ball is the 
  last touched), or the last, they ignore the penalty.
  APPORTATION
  This blue orb blinks around the room, first in one spot 
  and then another.
  Each round this orb teleports 1d6 spaces in a random 
  direction (roll 1d8 for north, north-east, east, etc.).  At-
  tempts to touch it require a touch-attack Armor Class 
  15; the character is teleported 3 spaces in a random 
  direction (roll 1d8), and if this includes a wall, they take 
  1d6 damage.  If this Orb is touched in the correct se-
  quence, they ignore this teleportation.
  This lightning-filled orb is filled with a tiny storm cloud 
  that churns inside, bolts of energy flashing from inside 
  the cloud to strike the surface of the sphere.
  Take 1 lightning damage, and the character and anyone 
  in contact with them is dazed for one round due to the 
  shock.
  LIGHTNING
  PLANT
  This green orb is filled with a tangle of vines, roots, and 
  leaves that grow at an incredible rate, always seeming to 
  blossom but never fill the orb.  It is as if each moment 
  were a season of growth in a miniature jungle. 
  This is the Forest Sphere, and if touched out of sequence, 
  any wooden object on the character is made “alive”, grow-
  ing leaves and roots.  This will not destroy the item, only 
  reinvigorate it.  Paper products do not normally grow in 
  this way, but books bound in wood may gain roots on the 
  covers. Items like wands will retain their charges and magical 
  features, but if planted in the forest will grow into a tree; 
  the magic from the charges would be absorbed into the tree, 
  infusing branches and sap so they would be ideal for crafting 
  other magical items.  If the orb is touched in the correct 
  sequence, the heroes ignore this penalty.
  This orb is a solid ball of obsidian, a blot on the world 
  with a perfectly clean outline wreathed in a grey-black 
  glow.
  Touching this orb will cause the character to be covered 
  in DARKNESS, as if they are a walking silhouette of inky 
  black.  This means they cannot see, but also that others 
  cannot see them, save for their outline.  This effect is per-
  manent until they leave the room, or someone casts a per-
  manent light spell.  Touching the Light (Lumos) Orb cancels 
  the darkness effect.
  DARKNESS
  The Light orb will affect them with a Light spell, which is 
  permanent as long as they are in this room.  This immedi-
  ately cancels the Darkness orb’s effect.
  This yellow orb is a ball of golden-white light, 
  illuminating the area around it as it floats lazily around 
  the room.
  LIGHT
  ILLUSION
  
  18
  (1.8) THE GHOST OF PINOO
  This archway’s door has faded, as if worn away by 
  time.  There are a few shapes that could have been 
  images once, but are unintelligible to you now.
  As you touch the doorway, the substance of the 
  entrance simply falls away, turning into dust at your 
  feet.  The magic animating this space appears to have 
  crumbled away, never to return.
  Which, in fact, it has: Pinoo, the Loxodonian mind 
  responsible for this portion of the Dungeon, has indeed 
  begun to fade.
  This massive chamber is filled with shards of architec-
  ture floating in place, as if beautiful stonework had been 
  shattered but not fallen away.  A set of steps remains, 
  each step floating in a spiral in the center of the room, 
  leading up to a floating gem which has been broken, and 
  a glowing key floating in the middle of it.  There are 
  several blocks floating in the air, as well as floating metal 
  gears, blades, and spikes, all of which may have been part 
  of deadly traps set up in this room.  There are shapeless 
  clouds throughout the room, blots of color without form 
  in the areas with the most decay.  Leading away from the 
  key are several floating blocks that end at an archway, 
  similar to the one you entered through.
  Hovering above the room is a form made of glowing 
  mist, the cloud shaping itself into a giant spectre of an 
  elephant-man with four arms. The spectral form fades in 
  and out, with orbs for eyes that look over the room but 
  seem not to see anything.
  This room was once a trial, like the oth-
  ers, but the magical force animating it has 
  waned over time. Now only the ghost of the 
  elephant-like mystic that created it remains, 
  and the remnants of the room’s architecture 
  and traps float in place out of habit.  It is as if 
  the mind imagining this room has forgotten 
  all but these pieces of the room.
  To get to the key is a simple matter of 
  climbing up the steps, jumping across places 
  where the architecture has vanished (DC10 
  or take 1d6 damage, and DC15 or take 
  2d6 damage, respectively), and avoiding the 
  floating blades and spikes that remain in the 
  room (DC10 dexterity or acrobatics, or take 
  1d6 damage). 
  The blots of formlessness are deadly, and 
  heroes touching them will need to make a 
  DC15 Will save or take 1d10 damage, and a 
  -2 penalty to Intelligence checks for one day, 
  as the mental entropy affecting the room’s 
  creator infects the hero and their ability to 
  think.  Avoiding them is easy, but curious 
  heroes may wish to interact with them.  Ob-
  jects passed through them automatically take 
  2d10 damage, ignoring object hardness, as 
  the blot interferes with the substance of the 
  object. 
  Taking the key is a simple matter of grab-
  bing it from inside the crystalline shards, and 
  then leaping to the platform with the exit 
  archway (DC10 jump or take 2d6 damage), 
  or going back to the entrance they came 
  through.
  The ghost is actually just a vision of Pinoo, 
  one of the Loxonians imprisoned in area (1-
  12); this is just a memory of the builder, and 
  will not respond to the heroes.  The clouds 
  are magical energy, and even blowing on 
  them will cause the image to swirl away.
  Upon touching the door, read the following:
  
  19
  (1.9)  CLOCKWORK COMBAT
   
  This chamber is perfectly square, forty feet by 
  forty feet, with a ceiling thirty feet up.  For the most 
  part it is smooth, but it has a number of strange decora-
  tions, in the surreal manner of the rest of the complex.  
  To either side of the door you came through, the wall 
  is covered in stone hands, with several pointing up to 
  a narrow ledge ringing the entire room, with a narrow 
  beam crossing from one side to the other.  On the 
  right wall, you see a mural with fanciful figures drawn 
  upon it.  On the left, a great mechanical wheel bears 
  numbers from one to eight around its rim, and in the 
  middle of the wheel is a giant hourglass with an arrow 
  above it, pointing to the numbers.  On the far wall, 
  opposite the door, a glass cylinder rises from floor to 
  ceiling, filled with a mysterious green liquid.  On the 
  ledge around the cylinder are twin statues, grim-faced 
  figures with hands holding a thick metal bar across the 
  top of the cylinder.
   
  In the center of the room is a key in the middle 
  of a cube of crystal.  The cube hums for a moment, 
  then one surface of the cube sparkles right before thin 
  spikes of crystal grow out of the side of the cube.  The 
  crystal spikes expand and form themselves into anoth-
  er cube, identical to the first.  The sands of the hour-
  glass on the wall begin to flow, and the wheel around 
  the hourglass turns so that the arrow above it now 
  points to the second number.  As it does so, the new 
  crystal cube starts to hum, and two sides of it begin to 
  sparkle…
  This room is meant to challenge the heroes’ skills, 
  rather than blunt force or knowledge of magic.  The 
  puzzle requires the crystal cubes be soaked by the vat 
  full of bubbling liquid, but to do that the heroes must 
  unlock the vat from its slot and pour it into the middle of 
  the room, melting them.  Every round the clock moves 
  ahead one number, and the room is filled by that many 
  cubes; if the heroes don’t solve the puzzle, they’ll run out 
  of room and be absorbed by the cubes – and be killed! 
  Only by smashing a cube as it forms every round can they 
  keep themselves from dying, until someone can release 
  the vat of chemicals and dissolve the cubes.  By turning 
  the wheel back, they limit the number of new cubes filling 
  the room, but this is only a temporary measure: some-
  how they need to dissolve all the cubes, get the key, and 
  get out!
  This wall bears a giant mural depicting exaggerated 
  figures holding onto a long golden chain.  Near the 
  doorway, one with an enraged face snarls with its 
  hands gripping the chain tightly.  In the middle is a 
  face contorted with sadness, frowning with tears drip-
  ping down its face.  Farthest from the entrance, a jo-
  vial figure has dropped its chain, holding its belly while 
  laughing.
  This mural gives a clue for how the heroes can solve this 
  puzzle, with the happy faced figure no longer holding its 
  chain showing them that making the faces laugh will unlock 
  the vat.
  THE MURAL
  This wall has a giant bronze wheel set into it, with 
  numbers from one to eight around the rim.  The center 
  of the wheel has a massive hourglass filled with glittering 
  blue sand that sparkles like powdered crystal.  Above 
  the hourglass is an arrow that points to the number 
  immediately above the hourglass.  The sand pours down 
  into the bottom of the glass, and as it does, the mech-
  anism of the wheel pushes the clock towards the next 
  number clicking  with an ominous toll.
  The number on the wheel is how many new cubes 
  will be created this round.  By turning the wheel to a 
  lower number, they reduce the number of cubes filling 
  the room.  The clock can be stopped by climbing to the 
  ledge above the clock and pulling or pushing the wheel to 
  the desired number.  Turning the wheel requires a DC15 
  strength check, and it will turn the wheel 1d4 spaces in 
  the direction the hero attempted to move it, backwards 
  or forwards.
  The hourglass has enough sand to last until the room 
  is exactly filled with cubes.  The glass is magically created 
  to be as hard as steel, and the mechanism of the wheel 
  cannot be torn from the wall.  The best that can be done 
  is jamming the wheel in place, at its lowest setting (“1”), 
  but it cannot be jammed any lower than this.
  THE CLOCK
  Each round of this test, a number of crystal cubes 
  will form magically, the same number pointed to by the 
  wheel on the wall.  New cubes can form from any cube 
  surface that is open, and for the round they are forming, 
  any character may smash them with virtually no effort 
  (2hp, 0 hardness).  The cubes are simple blocks of crystal 
  that are indestructible after they form, however, and if 
  a character is standing in a space where one is forming 
  and they choose not to attempt to break it, they will 
  be locked in place by the cube.  This is not immediately 
  fatal, as the character will be frozen in stasis; they can 
  survive for one hour before running out of air, and are 
  even conscious – though they cannot move or speak to 
  cast spells, a telepath could in theory still talk to their 
  companions.  The test will be over, pass or fail, long be-
  fore this time.  The crystal cubes dissolve immediately in 
  the green liquid in the cylinder at the back of the room, 
  leaving no trace.  Characters frozen in the cubes will be 
  released, unharmed, when this happens.   The walkway 
  is built above where the cubes will form until the entire 
  bottom area is full.  After that, the top half of the room 
  will fill up, leaving the area in front of the cylinder for 
  last.  If they aren’t smashed, the heroes can walk or climb 
  upon the cubes, but cannot move them.
  THE CUBES
  
  20
  These twin statues stand on the ledge to either side 
  of the cylinder.  They are made of bronze, and have 
  exaggerated faces like the figures on the wall mu-
  ral.  Their hands are tightly clenched around a thick 
  metal bar set across the top of the cylinder.  Though 
  they are clearly statues, the faces animate as you 
  draw close, and speak to you in gruff voices.
  “What do you think you’re doing here?  You don’t 
  belong here!  Get off of my ledge!”
  The Faces here are actually the locks on the bar 
  holding the vat of fluid in place.  Rather than traditional 
  lock picking, to bypass these locks one must alter the 
  mood of the faces to smiling, “disarming” them with 
  charisma or trickery.  An angry face must be frightened, 
  after which it becomes a sad face.  A sad face must be 
  cheered up, such as with a joke or a song, so that it 
  becomes the happy face.  When each of the faces are 
  happy, the associated hands release the bar that locks 
  the vat in place.   If the heroes are doing their best 
  but the dice are against them, consider allowing actions 
  like doing damage to an angry face to replace an actual 
  intimidate check.  Also consider bonuses for good role-
  playing, and even automatic successes if the player does 
  The process of unlocking the faces:   
  Angry face: (DC15 to Intimidate or otherwise fright-
  en in some way):
  Sad face: (DC15 Diplomacy or Perform to make the, 
  smile)
  Happy face (that lock is now open!)
  If the heroes dump the vat down upon the creature, read 
  the following.
  The cylinder tips forward, dumping the bubbling green 
  fluid into the middle of the chamber.  The moment 
  the liquid touches the cubes, they melt and then van-
  ish.  Only the key remains, hovering in place.  Behind 
  you, the entrance opens up, releasing you back into the 
  chamber shaft with the four-armed statue.
  THE KEY
  THE FACES
  a good job.  A joke that makes the GM laugh, or a player 
  who actually sings the song for their character, should be 
  rewarded with a success.  A sad story can likewise replace 
  frightening the angry face, and so forth.  Note that the 
  mural depicts the process of unlocking the faces.
  
  21
  
  22
  The bridge extends from the statue down to a 
  doorway that is just above the surface of the glowing 
  mists.  The shape of the archway is identical to the 
  others up and down the walls, unlike them the door-
  way here has been chiselled away. There is a faint 
  glow inside the room, from the far side of a large 
  chamber.
  (1.10) THE SKULL SPIDER’S ARMY
  If the heroes get light into the room, they see the fol-
  lowing:
  This chamber is massive and square, with the center 
  filled with a giant stone platform.  Around the room 
  are several dozen statues of dragons facing the door-
  way, and on your side warriors wearing armor of the 
  Old Empire style.  Some of the statues are in good 
  shape, many of them shattered, and others reduced 
  to pebbles. Covering the entire floor of this chamber 
  are many, many skeletons, dressed in the shattered 
  armor and shredded rags of adventurers. On the op-
  posite side of the room, not on the stone platform, 
  is an alcove with a large statue of an armored man 
  sitting on a dragon, above his hand floats a glowing 
  key.  The key lights up the room, sending shadows 
  across the skeletons on the floor.
  If the heroes enter the room, read the following:
  At the back of the room there is a scuffling sound, 
  and a large skull with insectoid legs climbs up on a 
  statue and glares at you.  The skeletons on the floor 
  of the room begin to shudder and rise, reaching to-
  wards you with broken weapons and boney claws.  
  The eyes of the skull-spider begin to glow a flickering 
  purple, and a moment later a similar glow flickers in 
  the eyes of the skeletons shuffling towards you.
  The only way to get to the key is to pass through the 
  room. Originally the room’s statues animated and at-
  tacked, in the style of chess pieces. The bones of many, 
  many fallen adventurers were left here by them. When 
  the Skull-Spider moved in, it animated the skeletons 
  again and again, until they defeated and shattered the 
  statues. Now the chamber is used as the Skull-Spider’s 
  lair, nestled behind the final statue of the Dragon Mas-
  ter.  
  There are 10 skeletons animated at the start of this 
  round, unless the heroes have freed the adventurers in 
  area (1-11), reducing the number by 2 per adventurer 
  freed to a total of two skeletons at the start.  Each 
  round the Skull-Spider animates 1 additional skeleton 
  as a free action, and it can have up to 15 skeletons 
  active at any one time. There are a hundred skeletons 
  in the room, but even if they’ve all been destroyed, the 
  Skull-spider can simply reanimate them. Wise heroes 
  may back up the steps, forcing the skeletons to attack 
  them in single file. Slaying the Skull Spider stops the 
  magic animating the skeletons, which crumble into dust 
  and bones as soon as it dies.
  (1.11)  WEB OF THE SKULL-SPIDER
  A web is stretched across the area here, made of sever-
  al blankets of strong webbing. The material glitters with 
  purple energy, which reflects off the mists that cloak the 
  area and hide anything above from view.  Four large bulg-
  es have been wrapped in webbing, humans with pales skin 
  and purple-blue lips, whose peaceful gaze shows them to 
  be either sleeping …or dead.
  This area can be found by anyone who falls from any of 
  the bridges to the doorways in area (1-4).  The webbing 
  catches them, so they do not suffer falling damage.  The 
  webs here are not sticky, but support a great amount of 
  weight. 
  The Skull-spider has been trapped in this chamber for 
  some time, and it cannot exit due to the magic of the test, 
  as it must complete the test first, and the Skull-Spider isn’t 
  intelligent enough to make sense of it.  It has managed to 
  carve through the nearby door to area (1-10), and used its 
  fiendish powers to raise the skeletons in the area. 
  The humans in the webbing are the adventurers who 
  had originally started this test.  They have been wrapped 
  in webbing and are being used as a magical power source 
  by the Skull-Spider.  They are not dead, only put into a 
  necromantic-slumber similar to death.  Freeing them would 
  weaken the Skull Spider, reducing the number of Skeletons 
  animated in room (1-10) by two per adventurer released.  
  If released, they will start breathing, but remain asleep until 
  brought into sunlight by the heroes.  At that point they will 
  awaken, albeit weakened, in act two.  If additional charac-
  ters are needed at this point, the players can replace one of 
  the adventurers with any hero they invent, who had been 
  among this captured party previously.  Otherwise, refer to 
  the quick reference below.
  Magnus: a powerful warrior from Northron, with long 
  golden hair and steel grey eyes, wearing leather armor and 
  carrying a masterwork two-handed sword +1, forged from 
  a special metal that fell from the sky that glows blue.
  Aureda: A half-elven mystic with long black hair and purple 
  robes, Aureda has a golden marble that can be commanded 
  to transform into a mote of light, like the light spell, that 
  circles around her and glows as brightly as a torch.
  Tindrel: A roguish young woman with short red hair and 
  leather armor.
  Valemo: A wiry man covered in scars and grey hair, wear-
  ing animal hides, Valemo has a leather pouch that creates 
  one meal per day for any who reach into it. The food is 
  tasteless, and eventually tiresome enough that after a few 
  days the user will need other food.
  The webs can be burned with any fire, and the floor of the 
  chamber is only twenty feet below (2d6 fall damage).
  
  23
  
  24
  1.12  CHAMBER OF THE 
  DRAGON MASTER
  This doorway is placed centrally in the chamber, 
  directly opposite the entrance to the chamber.
  This large round room has a great blue marble 
  floor with golden dragon designs traced into the sur-
  face, its walls surrounded by many archways of white 
  stone.  The center of the room has a carved sar-
  cophagus in marble, its cover made of thick crystal, 
  showing the perfectly preserved body of an old man 
  in fine armor made of golden dragon scales resting 
  within.  The carvings on the sides of the sarcophagus 
  show images of dragons, their reins meeting in be-
  tween the panels of crystal where the body’s hands 
  lay across his chest.
  In the alcoves around the room are numerous trea-
  sures, each held by an elephantine statue similar to 
  the one in the central chamber. The statues on the 
  left are all that remain, with one in fair condition but 
  looking towards the right of the chamber they show 
  signs of being broken, and some of the alcoves have 
  only broken shards of stone or are empty.  Those that 
  remain have treasures in some of their hands, as if 
  items had been removed over the ages.  One has a 
  sword made of what looks like liquid silver; another 
  has a wand made of crystal and mithril; there is a silver 
  ring with a dragon’s eye as the gem; a suit of leather 
  armor emblazoned with a five-headed snake; a neck 
  torq made of ivory topped with gold; a silver chalice 
  that seems to reflect light very well; and a thick belt 
  with an elephant-like head on the buckle.  
  Across from the entrance here is a stone block 
  with a door cut through it, standing alone in its al-
  cove.  In the doorway you see a shimmering image of 
  the village above, as if you were standing in the well 
  on the surface, looking over the well and the village 
  gate, where the loaded wagon and mule wait for their 
  owners.
  The sword is a +1 liquid silver longsword that can be 
  commanded as a swift action to turn into a whip, or cover 
  the wielder’s forearm as a buckler.  If dropped, it returns to 
  the form of a longsword. 
  The wand is a Starbolt Wand that allows trained spellcast-
  ers to shoot a star-like bolt of magical energy as a ranged 
  attack, doing 1d8+Int force damage on a hit. (CL3rd, 
  evocation)
  The belt is a belt of elephant strength, working exactly 
  as a belt of giant strength +2, plus the wearer treats their 
  carrying capacity as if they were one size category larger.
  The silver ring is a ring of recall, allowing the wearer to 
  remember details of things they’ve experienced, similar to 
  having a photographic memory.
  The neck torq makes its wearer immune to Silence ef-
  fects, and allows the wielder to whisper a message 1/day, 
  as the spell.
  The leather armor is +1 hydra leather armor made 
  from hydra skin, and the wearer automatically stabilizes if 
  brought below 0hp, and gains +2 hit points each time they 
  gain magical healing.
  The silver cup improves the taste and clarity of liquids 
  poured into it, and can cast Purify Food and Drink twice 
  per day.
  As the heroes enter the room, read the following:
  Above the sarcophagus, the image of a heroic 
  man in golden armor appears.  It is a younger version 
  of the person in the sarcophagus, yet still smiling and 
  vibrant, glowing with golden light.  
  “Greetings, champions!  You have passed the 
  test of the Dragon Master, and I have left this 
  message to bestow upon you your reward: the title 
  of champion of the Dragon Master, and one of the 
  treasures of my own armory.  In my day there were 
  dragons raging across the land, and my destiny was 
  to command them, and make them serve me.  I used 
  my power to build the temple on the surface, and all 
  the wonders beyond it that will last for all time. Now 
  your time has come, to conquer lands of your own. 
  You’ve proven yourselves worthy to use the Archway 
  of Destiny, which will help you focus your potential 
  as a champion, and return you to the entrance gate.  
  Congratulations.”
  Stepping through the Archway of Destiny, you find 
  yourself surrounded by a nimbus of light.  You feel em-
  powered, the magic strengthening you with a sensation 
  of intense confidence.  For a moment you see yourself 
  standing on the back of a giant dragon, holding its chains 
  in your hand as you soar over lands far below you, the 
  castles and armies of your foes appearing like ants on 
  an anthill beneath you.  The wind rushing past, the roar 
  of the dragon you ride, and the power of magic you 
  could wield.  You are aware that this is a memory of the 
  Dragon Master himself, granting you a sense of the pow-
  er that adventurers can attain.  While it fades when the 
  nimbus of light leaves you, you can still feel the after-ef-
  fects of the empowerment of this archway.  You return 
  to your own body, but feel stronger, healthier, and you 
  can sense your abilities have increased. The image of the 
  village is only a step in front of you.
  The magic of the archway allows the hero to gain a class 
  level, if they have the experience, as if they had rested or 
  trained. The effects are felt immediately, including access 
  to spells they may have learned, the benefit of more hit 
  points, and so on.
  The figure speaks to your mind as you pass through the 
  archway.  “You have passed the trial of the Dragon Mas-
  ter, and I deem you worthy.  Remember me as you go 
  into the world and do great things. Never forget…” And 
  at that, you vanish.
  LEAVING BY THE ARCHWAY
  If the heroes have gone through the Archway of Destiny, 
  go to act 2, having finished the dungeon.
  
  25
  If the heroes search the statues before leaving through 
  the Archway of Destiny, the left-most statue (the one 
  in the best condition) has the outline of a secret door-
  way beneath it that can be seen automatically so long as 
  a character is searching the statue.  The statue can be 
  moved aside on a pivot, to reveal a staircase spiraling 
  down, leading to area (1-12).  Sadly, all previous poten-
  tial champions never bothered to look after they saw the 
  treasures, and in the centuries the test has been in place 
  none have found this secret entrance.
  You enter this chamber, and find a large room 
  filled with blocks made of glowing blue stone.  The 
  walls of the room appear solid enough, but outside 
  the cube of the chamber a swirling cloud of stars flows 
  around you, as if this room is displaced and floating 
  in the heavens.  On the far side of the room you see 
  a large slab of stone with three figures sitting on it, 
  cross-legged, but with thick chains binding them in 
  place.  Each of them are large elephantine creatures, 
  like the statues throughout the rooms above, but these 
  are real: giants in size, with four arms, elephant-like 
  heads, and long ears that become like gossamer wings.  
  Two of them have been reduced to skeletons, mere 
  skin and bone, while the third still moves with faint 
  breathing motion.  It looks at you as you enter, with 
  eyes like two marble spheres in its withered head, and 
  a tired voice speaks in your mind.
  “You are the first to enter this chamber in a thou-
  sand years. I am Oliphas of Loxodon, and I am the last 
  of my kin who may still speak to mortals.  Have you 
  come to command us?”
  (1.13) THE OLIPHANTS PRISON
  The following answers can be given by Elephas:
  WHO ARE YOU?
  I am Oliphas of Loxodon, and these are my 
  companions, Piroo and Haston.  We are what you 
  mortals would call Outsiders, creatures of magic 
  who come from the astral plane.  We left our world 
  long aeons ago, coming here to learn of the uni-
  verse, and teach the ways of magic to the young 
  races. One of them betrayed us, and used these 
  chains to force us to do his will. We have been 
  bound here for millennia, our magic made to create 
  this place, and all the palaces of the Dragon Master.  
  As our magic was consumed, my people vanished, 
  and the wonders they constructed vanished with 
  them. Now only we remain, and this dungeon of 
  the dragon master.
  WHY ARE YOU CHAINED HERE?
  The Dragon Master captured us long ago, using these 
  chains to bind us within this chamber, and obey his every 
  wish.  It was our magic he used to command the dragons, 
  and our might he used to carve out his domain.  We kept 
  him alive for hundreds of centuries, until he tired of life 
  and bid us create this tomb as a monument to his great-
  ness.  He did not release us even then, instead insisting 
  that all heroes after him would owe their power to the 
  test of champions within his tomb. Now we grow weak, 
  and soon there shall be nothing left of us.
  We are creatures of magic, made of the stuff of 
  dreams.  Because of these chains and the eons of slav-
  ery, we have spent our essence on maintaining this place.  
  We are being used up like wood burned to make a fire.  
  My friends are not dead, but spent in this slavery, like 
  myself.  I was the most powerful, but it is only a matter 
  of time before I lose consciousness. We will crumble into 
  dust, and even that dust will be destroyed.  There will 
  be nothing left to return to the Astral Plane, and we 
  will die.
  WHY ARE YOU FALLING APART?
  ARE YOU EVIL?
  We of Loxodonia are creatures of knowledge and wis-
  dom, and even the long ages of slavery and anger cannot 
  change this. Our magic was used by the Dragon Master 
  to do many things, all against our will and out of our 
  control.  At first we survived through anger, then despair, 
  but now we are simply exhausted and wish to return to 
  our bodiless existence, before we ever came to this mor-
  tal universe.
  WHERE IS THE DRAGON MASTER?
  The body in the crystal sarcophagus is the Dragon 
  Master, refusing to submit to the ravages of time as 
  other mortals, he uses our magic to keep his body pris-
  tine.  He wished all heroes to see his face, and believe 
  he was responsible for their first adventures.
  HOW CAN WE FREE YOU?
  You must break the seal on the chains binding us.  The 
  chains are made of cold iron, but the seals are made of 
  clay.  We cannot harm them, and only the Dragon Mas-
  ter knew of us in all the eons since our capture.
  WHAT WILL YOU DO IF YOU ARE FREE?
  We will leave.  We will vanish from this place and this 
  material universe, and return to the realm of the astral 
  plane.  There is not enough willpower left in us for re-
  venge, even if it were in our natures.  All we wish is to 
  go home.
  WHAT WILL YOU GIVE US IF WE FREE 
  YOU?
  The enchanted items in the chamber above were craft-
  ed without our power, and will be yours if you free us.  
  As well, our power is what the Dragon Master’s archway 
  uses to empower champions that pass through it. The 
  same energies will flow from us one last time when we 
  are freed.
  
  26
  CAN WE CONTROL YOU AS THE DRAG-
  ON MASTER DID?
  No. The clay seals were made specifically to chan-
  nel the control to the Dragon Master, and no others 
  can take his place.  There is little left of us to control, 
  and soon enough even that will vanish.
  FREEING THE LOXONIANS
  Breaking the clay seals on the chains is easily done with 
  a single strike.  When the last is freed, read the follow-
  ing:
  The clay seals shatter easily in your hands, and 
  the manacles binding the Loxodonians’ wrists come 
  apart with a loud crack. Each of Oliphas’ wrists bears 
  a red scar from the metal, and the Loxodonian sighs 
  as each is removed.  While the others are skeletal, 
  with nothing left to sigh, you can feel relief in your 
  mind as each manacle is removed from them.
  When the last chain is removed from each Loxo-
  nian, their forms begin to alter colors, as do the stars 
  you can see in the walls beyond the chamber: stars 
  become inky dots while the dark beyond the stars be-
  comes clouds of every color of light.  Soon the shape 
  of the walls becomes distorted, the dungeon’s reality 
  coming undone, and every trace of it vanishing. Now 
  the only things that remain solid are yourselves and 
  the Loxodonians, floating in surreal prism-clouds.
  The Loxodonians, what’s left of them, unfurl from 
  their seated position, and for a moment you see a hint 
  The Loxodonians have vanished, and the heroes have 
  absorbed their energy.  This replaces the effect from the 
  Archway of Destiny, but the heroes still reappear at the sur-
  face in the same way. The heroes freeing the Loxonians will 
  each gain a class level, instantly absorbing the knowledge 
  of the Loxodonians as well as processing the experiences 
  they’ve had in this adventure, becoming 1st level charac-
  ters immediately.  
  At the GM’s discretion, they may also instantly gain +1 
  to one ability score.  
  While the Loxodonians are significantly weaker, the he-
  roes have earned their friendship, and they may do things 
  like answering Commune spells, or appearing in dreams 
  with helpful ideas or warnings of great danger.  This will be 
  rare, as the Loxodonians will be healing for eons to come.
  The heroes are transported to the archway, out of the 
  dungeon of the Dragon Master.
  (1.14) FLIGHT OF THE 
  LOXODONIANS
  You find yourselves transported to the surface, 
  standing at the well in the center of the village.  
  A bright light bursts forth from the well, shoot-
  ing up into the sky.  You can see the forms of the 
  Loxodonians floating skyward and fading away.  
  Other shapes from the dungeons below float up 
  after them, blocks of architecture or statues that 
  vanish into the air.  
  The Dragon Master’s Sarcophagus appears in the 
  air above the well, hovering there before you.  The 
  crystal sarcophagus glitters in the sun before fad-
  ing, leaving the heroic form of the Dragon Master 
  floating above the well.  A moment later his form 
  begins to glitter, and as the last light from the Lox-
  odonians fades, so does the body’s youthful looks 
  and golden armor.  The magic that kept it whole is 
  gone, and the ages that were kept away rush in at 
  once to claim it: A moment later the figure wastes 
  away before your eyes, crumbling into bones, and 
  the bones into dust.  A wind comes and blows the 
  dust away: the last trace of the Dragon Master is 
  gone, little more than dust on the breeze...
  If the heroes freed the loxodonians, read the following 
  when they appear on the surface:
  of their original glory surrounding their crumbling bod-
  ies: great elephant-like men with four arms and long ears 
  that become crystalline wings.  There is a thought that 
  glows from them like a roar, and you are surrounded by 
  astral lights as the Loxodonians return to the realms of 
  light and thought. 
  You feel yourselves absorbing the glow surrounding 
  you, and your bodies feel stronger, faster, your minds 
  sharper, clearer in every way. As well, you feel yourselves 
  transported, removed from the space of the Dragon Mas-
  ter’s Dungeon by the magic of the Loxodonians.
  
  27
  
  28
  (2.2a) THE COMMON ROOM
  The common room of the Inn has been over-
  whelmed with use, the tables and floors left with a 
  thick layer of grime from a night of intense drinking, 
  brawling, and bad behaviour.  The stench of spilled 
  drink is overwhelming, and every footstep in the room 
  involves tearing free from the muck on the floor, or 
  stepping around broken plates or chewed bones scat-
  tered on the floor.
  This room has been used by the Bandits as their bar-
  racks, and they have been feasting every night on the Inn’s 
  supplies. While there are beds upstairs, the bandits usually 
  drink themselves unconscious and sleep on the floor or in 
  the booths, which is not rough for them as they sleep on the 
  ground in the woods. Also, the Bandit King doesn’t trust the 
  regular men to go near the treasure, and keeps the upstairs 
  for himself.
  (2.2b)  UPSTAIRS
  The rooms here are mostly in good shape, as only the 
  bandit king and his trusted soldiers are allowed here. Usu-
  ally one of them sits at the top of the steps, watching the 
  regular men brawl and drink, while the Bandit King stays in 
  his room, planning the next raid.
  (2.2c)  TREASURE ROOM
  This large room has been left clean compared to the 
  rooms downstairs, the bed made, the air fresh from the 
  open window. In the middle of the floor is a wooden lock 
  box left open, inside it a glittering collection of gold and 
  silver coins, with two vials of a red potion sitting on top 
  of them.  A tiny little creature, like a bat-winged man the 
  size of a cat, with wrinkled grey skin and a long, pointed 
  tail, stands beside it, poking the coins with a sharp red 
  nail.  It sees you as you enter, looks in shock towards the 
  window, and a cloud of ashen smoke begins to surround 
  it.
  This is the Bandit King’s personal chamber, and it holds 
  the treasures the bandits have gathered.  It is the only 
  locked room at the Inn (DC20), the Bandit King having 
  the only key. The door is not trapped, because the Ban-
  dits don’t believe there is anyone who knows they’re here. 
  However, by the window is an imp who serves the ban-
  dit king, and is guarding over the treasure. If the room is 
  entered, it will fly off to warn its master, who will come 
  prepared for the heroes.
  This Imp-like creature is Noot, the fiendish servant of 
  the bandit king, who serves the human so long as the ban-
  dit army attacks the countryside. Noot was taking a nap 
  while the bandits went on a raid, content to guard the 
  ill-gotten gains. Roll initiative and on Noot’s turn, the imp 
  surrounds itself in a miasma of ash (as the spell BLUR) and 
  dives out the window.  If successful, it warns the bandits.
  ACT THREE: THE BATTLE OF 
  WELLWATER
  The heroes arrive on the surface to find the village 
  burned: the bandits have arrived while they were in 
  the Dragon Master’s Dungeon, set the village on fire 
  and corraled the villagers in the only remaining build-
  ing, the Boar’s Head Inn. Now the bandits have gone 
  on another raid, but they are returning soon to gather 
  their spoils and bring the villagers to market as slaves.  
  While heroes could flee the village and head for the 
  hills (or, well, the city), the Inn is clearly untouched 
  by the flames, and could explain what happened to the 
  villagers.
  Stepping from the archway by the well, you 
  see the wagon with the mule still waiting at the 
  entrance to the town.  Now that you’re here, 
  however, your senses are overwhelmed by smoke 
  and ash from the fires that have clearly burned 
  for some time.  The village of Wellwater’s thatch-
  roofed houses have been reduced to ruins, burned 
  down and leaving only shells of buildings, walls of 
  piled logs.  The exception is the Inn, a large build-
  ing untouched by the fire save for the soot from 
  the village burned around it.
  You are now standing in the ruins of Wellwa-
  ter, with no other survivors beyond your group, 
  and the mule still standing with the wagon by the 
  front gate.
  The mule is patiently waiting at the gate, left as it 
  was by the bandits when they attacked. Nothing much 
  phases this mule, and it is immune to being spooked 
  by anything but reasonable causes: actual attacks on its 
  person, or the presence of undead. All humans seem 
  the same, and it has changed owners so often it simply 
  obeys whoever drives it.  The wagon is loaded with the 
  supplies the villagers were going to bring with them, 
  and the bandits only removed the food and ale. Oth-
  erwise, there is no reason to unload only to reload the 
  cargo. There is a post added, where the villagers will 
  be chained when they are walked to the nearest slave 
  market.
  (2.1) THE BURNED VILLAGE
  (2.2)  THE INN
  The inn has been used as the base for the bandits as 
  they leave to attack other settlements, returning with 
  more slaves and supplies for their army. The inside 
  is currently abandoned, save a guard in the treasure 
  room.  The slaves are locked in their cage in the base-
  ment, one built well enough that they cannot escape 
  on their own.
  (2.2d)  KITCHEN
  The kitchen is a large room ringed with counters, piled 
  high with pots and used crockery.  There is a door out 
  to the back, one leading to the common room, and a 
  third doorway left open, leading down wooden steps 
  to the cellar. The room has a large counter and an iron 
  stove, which is still lit, soup simmering in a black iron pot.  
  There is a soft whimpering sound on the air, like a kettle 
  about to boil or the whistle of the wind.
  
  29
  (2.2e)   CAGED VILLAGERS
  This cellar is where the goods of the inn have been 
  stored.  Near the stairs are some of the barrels 
  of ale, wheels of cheese, and bushels of potatoes 
  meant for the meals of patrons.  The far end of the 
  cellar has been blocked off with an iron cage, meant 
  to guard the valuables of the inn from thieves.  Now 
  a collection of humans stand behind the cage bars, 
  the villagers of Well Water.  A young girl sobs, and 
  the other villagers lean against the bars, defeated.
  The Villagers are all here, having been captured by 
  the bandits, rounded up and locked into the cellar of the 
  Inn.  The bandits intend to sell them to slavers, and the 
  villagers had no real ability to put up a fight. Other than 
  some bruises, the villagers surrendered, having no real 
  options. The bandits then burned the village, and locked 
  them up until they return.  The cage is built using incred-
  ibly strong metal bars (Hardness 20, 100 hit points), 
  built when the town was more affluent, and proof against 
  any assault the heroes could do.  The lock is masterwork 
  in quality as well (DC30 disable device).  The only key is 
  kept by the bandit king, who took the keys from the Inn-
  keeper and put the leather cord on his neck and tucked 
  it under his shirt before leaving.  The villagers overheard 
  the bandits talking about the other villages in the region, 
  how they would raid them for more slaves; the bandits 
  are expected to return soon.
  THE BANDITS ARRIVE
  Whenever you feel it appropriate, the bandits will come 
  back to the village. This could be while they are in the cellar 
  with the villagers, or exploring the town, or just as they are 
  about to leave.  
  Heroes still in the Inn can and should be able to use it to 
  their advantage, making the bandits come at them through 
  the doors, or using spells or arrows through the windows.  If 
  the heroes are trapped in the open and cannot run back to 
  the Inn before the Bandits can react, they will be surround-
  ed, and they are more than likely to be overwhelmed. This 
  is not recommended, and is probably a bad idea for 1st or 
  even 2nd level heroes!  The bandits are over-confident, so 
  may well allow the heroes “a sporting chance” to get back 
  into the Inn, more as mockery than sportsmanship; some-
  thing the villains should regret, if the heroes turn the tables 
  on them.  As well, the dragon arriving shortly is also meant 
  to make the battle more even, or turn it in the favour of 
  the heroes.
  If the heroes have gone unnoticed, the bandits will saun-
  ter in with a handful of villagers from their raid on an ox-
  drawn wagon from the next village over (a farm with a 
  family collective, many of whom had already escaped to 
  the city, but nine of them were captured and brought here), 
  along with various food stuffs and supplies. The bandits will 
  drive the ox in towards the Inn, only suspecting the heroes 
  if some of them are wandering around outside, or if they 
  did something to significantly change the area:  boarded up 
  the Inn, moved the mule wagon or unpacked it, or some-
  how got the villagers out and are in the town square.
  If, on the other hand, the heroes alerted Noot, the Imp 
  in the treasure room, and failed to stop it from escaping, 
  the creature warns them and they use tactics to take the 
  inn.  Half of the bandits have arrows and short bows, and 
  The bandits like their food hot, and the bandit king 
  punishes bandits who mess with their food with at least 
  a good thrashing.  The whimpering sound  heroes can 
  hear the sound of sobbing coming from behind the door 
  to the cellar. 
  
  30
  
  31
  
  32
  THE DRAGON’S IRE
  Even over the sounds of combat, you can hear 
  a rumbling sound filling the air, coming from all di-
  rections.  The rumbling becomes a tremendous roar, 
  and one of the bandits points to the sky and shrieks 
  “Dragon!”  On cue, a massive bolt of fire strikes the 
  ground in the middle of the village, and a moment 
  later a long reptilian form lands in that place.  It is a 
  red scaled, serpentine drake with great leathery wings, 
  and a whip-like tail with a tip like a red hot iron poker 
  that flicks around it, as if with its own mind. Tendrils 
  of smoke trail from its nostrils, and the wyrm lets out 
  a shriek as it joins in the battle.
  This is a whip-tailed fire drake, a sub-breed of dragon 
  with the mind of a beast compared to the true dragons, but 
  still a fearsome foe.  The young drake is only here to cause 
  havoc, set a few fires, and devour some people before flying 
  off to cause more death.  It doesn’t have a plan, other than 
  chase fast-moving prey, and use its fiery breath to light up 
  the Inn.  Note that targets engaging it in melee will be lashed 
  with its fiery tail as a free action each round, in addition to 
  whatever other actions it takes. 
  It will do one of the following, in order of preference, 
  each round: breathe fire on someone; attack with its bite, 
  swallowing foes it brings to zero hit points; whip targets 
  moving in range with its whip-like tail; spend a round eating 
  someone; set the Inn on fire with its breath weapon; or 
  smash something.  It will whittle down the bandits surround-
  ing it first, as they are the easiest targets.  If the heroes are 
  in sight, it will attack them, too.  This includes if it can see 
  them inside the inn, and it will chomp at them through the 
  windows if it thinks it can get them.  If it takes more than 
  half its hit points in damage, or it runs out of targets it can 
  see and the Inn is already on fire, it will fly away.  
  If the Inn is on fire, smoke will fill the upper levels, and 
  after a few rounds it will spread down to the cellar.  If the 
  heroes have not managed to get the villagers out, they will 
  be in danger of smoke exposure; this shouldn’t happen, but 
  it is strongly encouraged to play up the danger of this, so 
  the heroes fight the Bandit King to get the key and open the 
  gate before it is too late!
  AFTER THE BATTLE
  The villagers will be sad that their homes were destroyed, 
  but will be very grateful to the heroes.  The countryside has 
  been devastated by these bandits, and the dragons and oth-
  er threats that seem to be growing in the region.  Bringing 
  them to the city may well be the best option.  The villagers 
  will take the wagon supplies, and would want the wealth 
  stolen by the bandits returned to them, save 50gp for the 
  heroes.  While a meagre reward in coin, the villagers need 
  every penny.   If the heroes will still journey with them 
  to Highwall, they will increase it to 100gp total.  Out of 
  1000gp for all the villagers, this is a hefty sum. And, of 
  course, the city is many days away by foot, and other ad-
  ventures can still be had along the way…
  First, roll 2d4 to determine how many rounds be-
  fore the Dragon arrives (see below).  Second, as soon as 
  they discover the heroes, have the bandits spread out, 
  half with bows, the rest charging the house, or sneaking 
  around the back.  Third, if the bandits have the Ox-
  pulled Wagon in the village, with the cage of slaves on 
  it, the ox will startle and move around the village during 
  the battle, moving forty feet (8 spaces) each round, 
  potentially trampling targets in its path (Reflex DC14 
  to dodge out of the way, or take 2d6 damage).  
  Finally, the bandits and the dragon are not overly 
  clever foes, and even newly-minted heroes should be 
  more than a match for them; as a result, feel free to 
  give the heroes more leeway in defeating them, knock-
  ing them over with each mighty strike, exploding them 
  with every spell, aweing their foes with each spell of 
  healing, and so on.  Heroes who step it up with cin-
  ematic stunts like climbing on the back of the dragon 
  to strike it down, should be allowed to revel in their 
  heroic status. 
  Red Eye, the Bandit King, will remain on his horse 
  during most of the attack, yelling orders.  If one of the 
  warriors challenge him, he will gladly enter melee for 
  the love of slaughter. Even the arrival of the dragon 
  (see below) only makes this battle more interesting, 
  though he’ll have his bandits fire arrows at the beast 
  while he waits to strike the killing blow and take all the 
  glory.  Alternatively, he’ll let the beast slay his men, 
  while he rides around behind the Inn and attack the 
  heroes himself, aiming to be the last bandit-king stand-
  ing.  If the Imp from the treasure room is with him, the 
  two of them will work together, with the imp moving 
  around to flank the Bandit King’s targets.  He will not 
  flee for any reason, believing that he will lose the re-
  spect of his men, and the fear of his victims, if he does.
  When the bandit-king is killed, the bandits will im-
  mediately lose morale and flee, taking only what they 
  can carry with them.  This will be a stunning defeat for 
  the bandits, who may never be a unified threat like this 
  for a generation or more.
  RUNNING THE BATTLE
  The fires of the village, the actions of the bandits, 
  and perhaps even the heroes ending the magic of the 
  Dragon Master’s Dungeon, have served to draw a drag-
  on to this area. Young and reckless, the whip-tailed 
  firedrake desires nothing more than to eat humans and 
  carry off their treasures.  Read the following:
  will take cover behind some rubble and aim for he-
  roes near the windows.  Others will charge in through 
  the front door (eight), while four attempt to sneak in 
  through the back door.
  
  33
  NEW MONSTERS
  Mist Imp  CR 2  XP 800   
  CE Tiny Outsider (chaotic, 
  evil)   
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 
  60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; 
  Perception +7
  DEFENSE  AC 19, touch 15, 
  flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +2 
  Size,+4 natural armor)
  hp 28 (4d10+8) Fort +4, 
  Ref +4, Will +4
  Immune to death effects, 
  mind-affecting effects, 
  necromantic effects, poison, 
  starvation
  OFFENSE  Speed 20 ft., 
  Fly 40 ft.  Melee claws +3 
  (1d6-1)   Special Qualities:  
  Mist Form
  STATISTICS  Str 8, Dex 17, 
  Con 15, Int 15, Wis 14, 
  Cha 8
  Base Atk +3; CMB +3; 
  CMD 16  Skills Bluff +7, 
  Flying +10, Perception +7, 
  Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers 
  +5 Flying, +5 Stealth 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES    Mist 
  Form (Su):  Mist Imps can 
  transform their bodies into 
  a semi-mist form that is 
  nearly-insubstantial. This 
  gives them 50% immunity to 
  damage from physical sources 
  like weapons.
  ECOLOGY  Environment 
  varies, lower planes.  Orga-
  nization solitary,  Treasure 
  incidental
  This creature is a wrinkled humanoid with bat-like wings and a long, pointed tail. Its eyes 
  seem perpetually frightened, looking this way and that for any threat.  
  Mist Imps are minions of evil creatures, usually mortals who have given themselves 
  over to the forces of evil.  They serve as messengers of the dark powers, giving assign-
  ments to their mortal masters.  Mist imps hide and observe targets, fleeing to get help 
  if spotted. They do not engage in combat directly, but will support more powerful 
  allies by flanking targets.
  
  34
  Skull Spider  (CR 2, XP 800)   NE Medium outsider 
  (evil)
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; 
  Perception +5
  DEFENSE:  AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+3 
  Dex, +1 natural armor)  hp 20 (4d8+4);  Fort +4, 
  Ref +4, Will +4
  Immune to death effects, mind-affecting effects, necro-
  mantic effects, poison, starvation
  OFFENSE  Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
  Melee bite +3 (1d6 plus Skullspider Poison)
  Special Attack web (+5 ranged, DC 12, hp 2)
  Special Qualities:  Skullspider Animate Dead, Skullspi-
  der Poison, Web Drain
  STATISTICS Str 11, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 5, Wis 12, 
  Cha 2
  Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 16 (28 vs. trip)  Skills 
  Climb +16, Perception +5 (+8 in webs), Stealth +7 
  (+11 in webs); Racial Modifiers +5 Perception, +5 
  Stealth (+8 in webs), +16 Climb
  The black-shelled spider-like creature 
  has a skull-like head, and glowing eyes in 
  its sockets. A strange energy surrounds 
  it, chill and ghostly. 
  Skullspiders are creatures of the 
  lower planes that crawl up into the 
  mortal world to haunt graveyards. 
  They capture mortals and keep them 
  in their webs, using them to pow-
  er their animated skeletal minions. 
  A cluster of skullspiders that lairs in 
  a catacomb below a city can have a 
  virtually limitless army of skeletons at 
  their command. As the stasis of their 
  poison has no time limit, there are 
  now-lost cities where only the lairs of 
  the skullspiders were left untouched; 
  in their webs are citizens who have 
  slept for centuries, with no idea their 
  age has passed away. 
  Skullspiders are not intelligent, but 
  are cunning. They have no goals save 
  collecting more souls to power their 
  animation abilities, and simply go 
  about their business hunting mortals 
  or animating corpses as guardians.
  SPECIAL ABILITIES: Skullspider Animate Dead (Su) 
  Skull Spiders animate one corpse per round as a skeleton 
  with 5hp.  They can have up to ten, plus two per cap-
  tured mortal soul in their web.  The animated skeletons 
  will not go beyond one hundred feet of the skull-spider. 
  Skullspider Stasis Poison(Su):  Skullspider Poison is a 
  powerful sedative that causes the subject to enter a deep 
  death-like stasis. This is not a sleep spell or enchantment 
  effect, so elves are affected by it. Target is apparently 
  dead, being unconscious.  
  Bite—injury; save Fort DC 14; frequency 1/round for 4 
  rounds; effect Target is asleep. cure 1 save.
  Web Cocoon (Su): Skull Spiders create webs in their 
  lairs where they cocoon victims. The victims are in stasis 
  indefinitely, providing the Skull Spider fuel for animating 
  skeletons.  Releasing a victim is simply a matter of cutting 
  the webs of the cocoon (hardness 0, hp 5).
  ECOLOGY Environment graveyards, lower planes  
  Organization: solitary, cluster (4-8), hive (10-30)  Trea-
  sure incidental
  
  35
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Breath Weapon (Su)  Whip-tailed Fire Drakes 
  spit bolts of fire.
  Tail Lash (Su) Every round Whip-Tailed 
  Fire Drakes gain a bonus tail lash attack doing 
  1d6+5 fire and bludgeoning damage, in 
  addition to its normal actions.  Additionally, 
  the constantly-moving tail has many opportuni-
  ty attacks against creatures the Whip-Tail Fire 
  Drake threatens, up to 5 each round, or its 
  dexterity modifier, if higher. These replace the 
  Fire Drakes normal oppotunity attacks.
  ECOLOGY
  Environment hills, forests, Organization solitary, 
  Treasure incidental
  DESCRIPTION
  This dragon has a long body, like a coiled red snake with 
  four legs and a pair of leathery wings. Its scales are red but 
  with charred black tips and white spikes all down its spine, 
  from the horns on its head to its tail. Its whip-like tail has a tip 
  like a red hot poker, flicking back and forth as if with a mind 
  of its own.
  Whip-tailed fire drakes are wild dragons with great 
  power but the minds of beasts. Known for flying about 
  the countryside, devouring sheep, and burning up all the 
  thatch-roofed cottages in their paths. Burnt meat is its diet, 
  and so smoke and forest fires attract it.
  Whip-tailed fire drakes never fight to the death, fleeing 
  after suffering enough hurt or when confronted by credible 
  threats.  They will hide and heal, but if they have a chance 
  they will track down their attackers and attempt to ambush 
  them, seeking revenge.
  WHIP-TAILED FIRE DRAKE
  CR 5   
  N Large Dragon
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 
  ft., scent.; Perception +7
  DEFENSE   AC 19, touch 15, 
  flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, -1 
  Size,+4 natural armor)
  hp 50 (5d12+20)  Fort +x, 
  Ref +4, Will +4
  Immune to fire, sleep 
  OFFENSE  Speed 40 ft., Fly 80 
  ft. (clumsy)
  Melee claws +3 (1d8+x)
  Special Attacks: Breath Weap-
  on, Tail Strike.
  Special Qualities:  Scent, Fire 
  Immunity.
  STATISTICS
  Str 20, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 6, 
  Wis 14, Cha 15
  Base Atk +5; CMB +3; CMD 
  20
  Skills Bluff +7, Flying +10, 
  Perception +7, Stealth +10; 
  Racial Modifiers +5 Flying, +5 
  Stealth
  
  36
  HUMAN BANDITS
  This leather-clad human has a masked face, and a red eye 
  painted on his clothing..
  Red Eye’s bandit army is filled with all manner of crimi-
  nals and low-life scum.  Gathered from prisons and gallows 
  in other kingdoms, the bandits are selected from among the 
  prisoners for being brutal and inhumane. Furiously loyal to 
  Red Eye not only for fear but also their personal inclina-
  tion, the bandits are happy to enslave the commoners of the 
  countryside.  The bandits will fight to the death if Red Eye 
  is alive, but will flee to the hills if he dies. 
  Human Warrior1 CR 1/4  XP 200  
  NE Medium Humanoid,  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 
  ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +7
  DEFENSE  AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 12 (+2 leather 
  armor)  hp 6 (1d10+1)  Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4
  OFFENSE  Speed 30 ft.  Melee Short Sword +1 
  (1d6+1), Short Bow (1d6)
    
  STATISTICS  Str 13, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 10, 
  Cha 8;   Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 11
  Skills Bluff +2, Intimidate +2, Stealth +4 
   Organization bandit army (40)
  RED EYE
  Human Fighter 3:  CR 3  XP 800  CE Medium 
  Human
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; 
  Perception +7
  DEFENSE  AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 
  Dex,+4 chain shirt)
  hp 32 (3d10+12)  Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +5
  OFFENSE  Speed 30 ft.  Melee Longsword +8 
  (1d8+4)  
  Special Attack:  Eye Bolt (+5, 1d8+4 fire damage)
  STATISTICS  Str 18, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 
  16, Cha 18
  Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 16;   Skills Climbing 
  +8, Intimidate +8, Riding +5, Stealth +5
  Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus (eye 
  bolt)
  Eye Bolt (Su)  Red Eye’s red eye can fire a ray at a 
  target as a standard action. This is a ranged touch at-
  tack, doing 1d8+4 fire damage on a hit. The damage 
  is Charisma based.
  GEAR: Chainmail, longsword.
  This large bandit is armored with black leath-
  er and spiked shoulder pads, armed with a massive 
  sword, and with fully half his face scarred by fire.  
  Despite that, his most prominant feature is a massive 
  red orb in his left eye socket that has a hot glow from 
  the center. The giant of a man exudes hatred, and his 
  desire to cause pain seems palpable.
  Red Eye is a fiend cultist, and has been for as 
  long as he can remember. The bandit king woke 
  after a fire burned half his face off, taking his eye 
  and his memory, and leaving him with an enjoy-
  ment for causing pain. Despite many opportuni-
  ties to stop, Red Eye’s cruelty persevered. One 
  bandit attack saw him find the Red Eye in the 
  belongings of the wizard they killed. Putting it in 
  his eye socket, he came face-to-face with a fiend 
  who, surprisingly, got along with the bandit. Red 
  Eye’s potential got him a minion and a mission: 
  devastate everything in his path, sell the innocent 
  into slavery, and cause pain. There was nothing 
  else required than to unleash him upon the world. 
  The bargain was not to corrupt him, but bring him 
  officially into the fold.
  Red Eye will fight to the death, accepting no 
  defeat from the heroes. He cannot be reasoned 
  with.
  
  37
  Not all stories start at 1st level, and some heroes come 
  from humble origins before they lead armies or cast pow-
  erful spells. As well, NPC class levels, like “Expert” and 
  “Commoner” may not be realistic for your campaign. 
  After all, how can 20th level commoners even be possi-
  ble? For this reason, this module includes optional rules 
  for Origin-level characters. 
  Origins are character packages that grant a minor abil-
  ity, some skills, and some starting equipment. The pur-
  pose of the Origin is to give players the option of “before 
  we were great and powerful” stories, as well as replacing 
  non-adventurers with simple characters, removing the is-
  sue of 20th level peasants, non-adventurers who would 
  be more powerful than a majority of heroes.  These char-
  acters understand the need for skilled heroes, as even 
  simple monstrous rodents are a potent challenge for 
  commoners.  Players learn to think outside their abilities 
  to solve problems, and can lead to creative adventures 
  and roleplaying.
  When using Origins, the character gets 6+Con modi-
  fier hit points, but otherwise uses only their ability scores 
  and skills from their Origin level.
  To create an Origin-level character, use the standard 
  method your group uses for ability scores, pick a race, 
  APPENDIX TWO: ORIGIN 
  LEVEL OPTIONAL RULES
  and then choose the Origin.  The character gains 6+Con 
  modifier hit points, which are replaced when they reach 1st 
  level in a Class.  For example, if an Innkeeper reaches first 
  level as a Fighter, they replace the 6+Con hit points of 
  their Origin level, and instead have 10+Con hit points for 
  their level of Fighter, not 16.
  Origin Skills represent the training of that profession. 
  The skill is always considered a class skill for that character, 
  and they enjoy a +2 bonus to skill checks with that skill 
  even if they never put ranks into it when they reach 1st 
  level.  All other checks may be accomplished with ability 
  score modifiers. While a character may have interest in a 
  skill they hope to use later, during class levels, for Origin 
  level they are still praciticing with it before their proficiency 
  really blossoms. If an Origin gives a skill that would be given 
  by the character’s class, they are free to replace that skill 
  with others from the class skill list.
  Origins should replace the Traits from the PFRPG, which 
  doesn’t have official rules for characters without levels in 
  adventuring classes. They have more specific concepts, and 
  may not reflect the class the characters eventually take, but 
  rather how they grew up: peasants or nobles, performers or 
  soldiers, regardless of their later class training.
  
  38
  Origin abilities are what the character can do outside 
  of skills. The Barbarian origin can ignore harsh weather 
  effects, while the Merchant can haggle with vendors for 
  better prices. These are similar to feats, but are specific 
  to the Origin.
  Starting Equipment and Money are things the char-
  acter had on them when adventure came to call. Street 
  Rats have only a few rags and a single copper peice 
  they scrounged up, while Aristocrats start play with 
  fine clothes and gold. This is not a matter of fairness, 
  but realistic expectations meant to immerse players in 
  the setting. The gold that class-level heroes start with is 
  gained by the Origin-level character somehow, or else 
  they must find other ways to outfit themselves for a life 
  of danger and adventure. 
  Quirks are the opposite of Origin Abilities, in that 
  they are special challenges the character may face due 
  to their origins. Not all Origins have quirks, and none of 
  the quirks are intended to be combat-oriented or crip-
  pling flaws. Instead they should encourage roleplaying 
  and story. The Aristocrat may find themselves answer-
  ing the call of their family for an arranged married, but 
  this may not stop their adventures. In fact, getting to 
  the wedding, meeting their bride or groom, and dealing 
  with factions who want to sabotage their marriage, are 
  the basis of a grand adventure (and not just the adven-
  ture of spending your life with a spouse). 
  The Origins described below are merely a selection 
  of examples, which could be standard people that could 
  be met in a fantasy setting. If your group has a unique 
  setting, other Origins could easily be created along 
  these lines. Some may not fit in your setting, such as 
  the time-lost 80s teen.
  Hit Points:  6+Con
  Training:  Simple Weapons, plus Origin ability
  ACROBAT
  You learned acrobatics to please crowds from an early 
  age.  You are in great physical shape, and can swing 
  through the air with the greatest of ease.  You can brave 
  extreme heights, and face death as often as normal adven-
  turers.
  NATURAL TUMBLER You can tumble your full speed, 
  rather than the normal reduced rate.
  Skill Bonuses:  Acrobatics, Perform (dance), Climbing
  Starting Equipment:  Entertainer’s clothes, tightrope, ten-
  foot pole
  Money: 20sp
  ARISTOCRAT
  Princesses and heirs to the throne, or even simply the 
  children of wealthy merchants, Aristocrats are wealthy and 
  privileged members of society.  They dress in fine clothes 
  and eat the best foods, and normally enjoy the attentions 
  of servants and suitors.  Some find themselves caught up in 
  adventures, and once they get over the mud on their silk 
  slippers, Aristocrats remember the fighting spirit their ances-
  tors used to found their kingdoms.  Aristocrats have some 
  access to the wealth of their families, but never control of 
  it until they are the heads of their houses or rulers of their 
  own kingdoms.  For real wealth they need to adventure like 
  everyone else.
  STIPEND: Aristocrats have families that pay for minor 
  expenses, within the reach of their influence.  Each month 
  an Aristocrat is paid in gold by their families (100GP or 
  whatever is equal to 50 days’ wage for a commoner, if your 
  campaign uses a different coinage system). This can only be 
  done at a stronghold of a family, and only from the house 
  book keeper (a very miserly character, even if outwardly 
  jovial), and therefore only within the family’s reach. They 
  may collect multiple months at once, if they have missed 
  a month due to travel times, but never in advance. Cheat-
  ing one’s own family is a dangerous game, and different 
  branches of a noble house do check their accounting against 
  one another, catching aristocrats who travel and claim more 
  than their share.  The penalty is being cut off from their 
  Stipend, or worse.
  SKILLS: Diplomacy, Knowledge (nobility)
  NOBLESS OBLIGE (Quirk):  Aristocrats have obliga-
  tions to live up to, including arranged marriages, diplomatic 
  missions, and keeping up appearances.  Aristocrats who fail 
  to do this are cut off from their families as if they had been 
  blacklisted, and lose their privilege and all other benefits.  
  Serious failings can result in vengeance from the family, 
  expunging the embarrassment with bloody efficiency. The 
  GM should add in quests and obligations that need to be 
  roleplayed during the game, and remember the publicly 
  known actions of a player character Aristocrat when decid-
  ing whether they are holding up their family name properly.
  Starting Equipment:  Clothing (Noble finery), Signet 
  Ring; Money: 100gp
  
  39
  BANDIT
  You are a highwayman, a pirate, or other manner of 
  tough whose job is to rob from the rich… and maybe 
  everyone else, too.  Most bandits are villains, and make 
  up the ranks of criminal gangs of thugs and cut-throats.  
  Heroic bandits are very rare, but these daring rogues 
  most often fight against unjust regimes of invaders, 
  stealing back what invaders have taken from their sub-
  jects and keeping the hope of the common folk alive.  
  These idealists may start out helping, but if they do not 
  turn from their profession before it is too late, what 
  started as stealing for a cause will become a life of crime 
  hurting the common folk they claim to protect.    
  STAND AND DELIVER  When ambushing a target, 
  bandits gain a +1 bonus to the DC victims must roll to 
  avoid surprise.  If they do surprise a target, they gain a 
  +1 bonus to initiative after the surprise round. This is 
  only for ambushes.
  SKILLS:  Stealth, Intimidate
  Starting Equipment:  Clothing (common clothes), dag-
  ger, sling, mask, sack; Money: 1cp
  BLACKSMITH
  You live by your craftsmanship and your strong arm, 
  making the Tools and gear needed for any settlement.  
  While you are most at home in front of a fire with a 
  hammer and anvil, and have knowledge of metals and 
  ores, the desire to see the world, a world that hungers 
  for your skill and goods, draws many blacksmiths to 
  travel, and some to adventure. 
  MASTER SMITH: For items you make yourself you 
  get 10% off the cost of materials, considering your skill 
  is beyond that of even characters who have the same 
  Craft Quality.  You can also repair your own items for 
  free, needing only the Tools to do so (forge, hammer, 
  anvil, materials, etc.) and money for new materials.  
  Also, you can operate as a Blacksmith in a community, 
  enough to make a living and cover costs for your work.
  BARBARIAN
  Mighty-thewed men and women who dwell in the wild 
  places of the world, Barbarians are resilient to all that life 
  throws at them.  Living simply, they know no greater joy 
  than having a good weapon in their hand, the thrill of battle, 
  and above all else freedom.  Living in the harshest parts of 
  the world, they are resistant to the extremes of cold and 
  hot weather, and need only the barest of fur to gird them-
  selves, though most wear armor and whatever they must 
  to hold weapons.  Barbarians have a strong code of hon-
  or involving warrior ways and respect for nature and other 
  people.  They are thus frequently at odds with the “softer” 
  civilized folk, who they see as corrupt by soft living and evil 
  magic.  This includes a strong distrust for sorcery, which 
  they see as too often reeking of the taint of demons.  Only 
  their tribal healers are permitted, and actually are revered, 
  meaning outsiders had best attempt to prove themselves as 
  being “wise men” rather than “necromancers” if they wish 
  to avoid violence.    
  WEATHER RESISTANCE: Barbarians live their lives in 
  the harsh wilderness, and are accustomed to it as civilized 
  folk will never be.  Barbarians can ignore the ravages of 
  weather in any but the most arctic or volcanic of environ-
  ments.  They are still susceptible to starvation and thirst, or 
  intense heat and arctic cold, but can get by without environ-
  mental penalties in any environment where they don’t take 
  Damage.  When they do, they take one Level less Damage 
  than others (they take penalties when others take Damage, 
  they take Damage when others are automatically killed).
  SKILLS:  Climbing, Survival
  Starting Equipment:  Clothing (Barbarian furs), one 
  weapon (knife or sling); Money: 1cp
  Skill Bonuses: appraise, craft (any)
  Starting Equipment:  Leather apron, Common clothing, 
  small anvil, smith’s hammer (1d4 Damage)
  Money: 1sp
  
  40
  ENTERTAINER
  Whether as a wandering tale-teller or a tavern danc-
  er, you have a gift for drawing the attention of others 
  through talent or sheer force of personality.  You make 
  a living making others happy, even if only for a moment, 
  and while it lasts it is an incredible life.  You have one 
  special talent, be it dancing in a palace, playing music, 
  juggling, telling tales or singing poems.  When you use it, 
  people take note.
  PLAY THE CROWD: When you use a Perform check 
  instead of a Profession check to earn money, you may 
  re-roll a Perform check made in this way, taking the best 
  result.
  Skill Bonuses: Bluff, Perform (any)
  Starting Equipment: Entertainer’s clothes (based on en-
  tertainment Type), and one musical instrument or other 
  prop (juggling balls, dramatic mask, etc.).
  Money: 1cp
  HUNTSMEN
  Huntsmen dwell in the wilderness and survive by 
  tracking food and knowing the woods, working as guides 
  and hunters.  Some are considered dangerous vagabonds 
  and drifters, unable to fit in with normal folk.  But, 
  those who become heroes often have the kindest hearts.  
  Huntsmen live by hunting animals dangerous to farmers 
  (wolves, foxes, crop-eating rabbits), and selling furs to 
  townsfolk and nobles.
  MASTER TRACKER You gain the Track ability for 
  free.  If you gain it through another means (such as 
  through a Path or class) you can re-roll failed Tracking 
  checks.
  Skill Bonuses: Survival, Knowledge (nature), Animal 
  Handling
  Starting Equipment:  Commoner clothing, fur cloak, 
  tent, bedroll, backpack, sling, dagger, kit for snaresMon-
  ey: 1 sp
  INNKEEPER
  You grew up in the common rooms and kitchens of 
  an Inn, as a scullery maid or innkeeper’s child.  You 
  know the inns and outs of hospitality, and the interest-
  ing characters who passed through town have made you 
  aware of the world beyond your door, including bands of 
  adventurers telling their tales.
  INNSIDER SAVING You save 20% on all costs within 
  an Inn or tavern, and can run an Inn or similar estab-
  lishment.  If you do, you can reduce all costs for goods 
  related to that Inn by 10%.
  Skills:  Appraise, Diplomacy
  Origin Qualities:  Craft (cooking), Profession (innkeep-
  er)
  Starting Equipment:  Commoner clothing, apron, towel, 
  ten days’ food
  Money:  1sp
  MERCHANT
  You trade in goods, and travel with shipments from port 
  to port, buying and selling.  You can make a great deal of 
  money with a golden tongue, but lose it all on the road 
  thanks to bandits, thieves, and the rigors of life in a wild 
  world. 
  HAGGLE You get 10% off prices for all goods.  In a mar-
  ket with only one supplier you get only 5% off.  This does 
  not include costs for manufacturing goods, and has noth-
  ing whatsoever to do with the costs associated with crafting 
  magical items, for which you pay full price.
  SKILLS: appraise, diplomacy, profession (merchant)
  Starting Equipment:  Noble Finery, one wagon, one mule, 
  50gp in goods.    Money:  1gp
  SAGE
  Wisemen and scholars, Sages are able to glean facts from 
  ancient sources, and are much sought after by adventurers 
  hoping to decrypt the writing on a tomb, identify discov-
  ered artifacts, and finding clues to perilous riddles. 
  STUDIOUS:  Sages save 20% of all costs related to re-
  searching, including researching new Spells, new magic item 
  designs, and information regarding Creatures and treasures.  
  This is specifically the gold piece value for study, and does 
  not include the costs of making items, for example.   
  Once per day a Sage may re-roll a failed Knowledge 
  check.  If the Sage has a book they can check for the infor-
  mation, such as a library or even a subject-related spellbook, 
  they do not need to spend an Action Surge.  The Sage may 
  only do this once per question or subject, and the GM may 
  opt to do the re-roll in secret.  The Sage must take the result 
  of the re-roll, even if it is worse the second time.
  SKILLS: Knowledge (any two)  
  Starting Equipment:   Scholar’s robes, one book or leather 
  bag of pages, quill and ink, tea cup
  Money:  1gp
  SOLDIER
  Soldiers are the rank and file of any military.  This origin 
  is for soldiers who have been discharged from the military 
  following war, which is an almost constant reality in such 
  dark times.  Even when the myriad noble houses aren’t raid-
  ing one another, soldiers march for days to help their allies, 
  fight off bandits, and keep ready to fight off other threats, 
  including fantastical beasts like dragons and ogres. 
  HARDY: Soldiers can march for long periods without get-
  ting tired, stay up for long hours without sleep, and other 
  feats of endurance because of rigorous training.  Ignore lack 
  of sleep penalties to attacks for the first three days, but after 
  that the penalties kick in at their full rate, the soldier getting 
  their full penalty all at once.
  Skills: Profession (soldier), Endurance; Light Armor Profi-
  ciency
  Starting Equipment: Commoner Clothes, one backpack, one 
  tent, one bedroll, one wineskin, leather armor
  MONEY: 10sp
  
  41
  TIME-LOST TEENAGER
  Drawn through a rift in time, this young-
  ster has found themselves in the body of 
  an adventurer in a fantasy setting.  Their 
  strange ideas are still with them, such 
  as Constitutional rights, cheeseburgers, 
  pizzas, and loud music.  They wander the 
  world, adventuring in the hopes of some-
  day finding a way home.  Only humans 
  may take this Origin.
  JIVE TALK: This character is allowed to 
  make modern pop-culture references or 
  otherwise crack-wise in-game with modern 
  jokes. For the most part, NPCs will not 
  understand, but may feel appropriately 
  insulted when the right movie reference 
  is used to insult them.  However, as the 
  character Levels up, they cannot increase 
  modern skills, but only those skills they 
  encounter as they adventure (just like 
  everyone else).
  SKILLS:  Bluff, Disable Device
  STRANGE IDEAS (quirk):  Whenever 
  a modern concept is suggested by this 
  character, normal folks scoff at it, thinking 
  it laughable (at best) or foul witchcraft (at 
  worst).  Examples include modern science, 
  more liberal social norms like abolishing 
  slavery, oral hygiene, inalienable human 
  rights, the germ theory of disease, and 
  others.
  Starting Equipment:  Casual Modern 
  Clothes (Jeans, sneakers, brightly colored 
  t-shirt with band names or superheroes on 
  it), backpack, music-playing device (cell 
  phone or cassette player), deck of col-
  lectable game cards, one sandwich (any), 
  one pack chewing gum, one can pop or 
  bottled water, one bus pass
  Money:  five bucks (no Urth value)
  STREET RAT
  A member of the lowest caste of society, an orphan 
  or abandoned child, you were raised by the streets to 
  survive.  This life may not be your choice, however, and 
  you have dreams of rising above your origins, thus the 
  call to a life of adventure. 
  SCROUNGING FOR FOOD  Street Rats are used to 
  starvation and only need to eat one meal a day to avoid 
  penalties, unlike other characters who must eat two 
  meals per day.  As well, in a large town or city they can 
  survive off the streets, living in squalor but not needing 
  to pay inn and food fees.  This includes finding the best 
  bins to scavenge, the best bridges to sleep under, etc.  
  You do not have to worry about starvation, and do not suf-
  fer stress from not paying such money, unless you choose to 
  not use this ability.  You will look impoverished and suffer a 
  -2 penalty to Persona checks with non-street rats while using 
  Scrounging for Food.
  SKILLS: sleight of hand, stealth, Profession (begger)
  DUCKING THE GUARDS (quirk):  Guards will always 
  blame you for petty thefts when they know your origins, 
  whether or not you were really involved, and even if not 
  this time then next time for sure.  Expect to have to prove 
  your innocence and run for your life frequently if ever law 
  enforcement discovers your origin as a Street Rat.
  Starting Equipment: Rags.  Money: 1cp
  
  42
  APPENDIX THREE: MAPS
  1 square = 5 feet
  1.4 Well (sideview)
  1.9 Riddle Room
  1.2  Well Room
  1.3
  1.5
  1.4
  1.10
  1.9
  1.6
  1.4
  1.12
  1.8
  1.11
  1.4 Well of Doors
  
  43
  1.8 GHOST OF 
  PINOO
  1.9 CUBE ROOM
  K
  1 square = 5 feet
  1 square = 5 feet
  
  44
  1.10  Skull Spider’s Army
  1 square = 5 feet
  
  45
  1.12  Dungeon Master’s Chamber
  1 square = 5 feet
  1.13  Loxodonian’s Prison
  1 square = 5 feet
  
  46
  2.2A  INN 
  COMMON 
  ROOM
  2.2B  INN UPPER FLOOR
  CELLAR
  AREA 2.2
  2.2D  KITCHEN
  2.2E  CAGED VILLAGERS
  2.2C 
  TREASURE 
  ROOM
  
  47
  THE BURNED 
  VILLAGE
  
  48
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  HW1: “Dungeon of the Dragon Master” is a fun introduc-
  tory adventure for 4-6 1st level heroes OR a band of complete novices using 
  the optional Origin or “0-level” rules presented inside.  The adventure serves 
  as a great introduction for player characters during their ﬁ rst experiences of 
  heroics, challenging the players as well as their characters.
  * 
  A great adventure for new GMs 
  * 
  New monsters to challenge your players and their heroes.
  *  Dozens of illustrations, including full-page art to show your players.
  *  Hand-drawn maps of adventure locations.
  *  Full rules for Origin level characters, including a selection of common Ori-
  gins, skill bonuses, and origin abilities, including Innkeepers, Merchants, Black-
  smiths, and many, many more.
  The coming of a bandit army gives the heroes a reason to delve into the  dun-
  geon of the dragon master, an ancient testing ground for heroes created by a 
  powerful warlord to serve as his tomb.  The rewards of the Dragon Master’s 
  Dungeon include powerful magical items that could mean the difference between 
  life and death for the villagers of Well Water.  Yet the dangers are many, and 
  most who attempt the dungeons never return.  Can your band of novice heroes 
  survive the depths of the Dragon Master’s Dungeon, in time to ﬁ ght the Bandit 
  Army and its psychotic leader known only as “Red Eye”?
  HW1:   DUNGEON OF THE DRAGON MASTER  by ELIAS SCORSONE
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/3rd Party/Fireinthedust Productions - Dungeon of the Dragon Master.pdf