TEMPLE OF BLOOD By Luke Johnson Cover Art: Slawomir Maniak Concept Design and Cartographer: Jeremy Simmons Graphic Design: Alvin Helms Interior Art: Nick Greenwood Editor: Elizabeth R.A. Liddell Editor-in-Chief: Luke Johnson Publisher: Joseph Goodman Playtesters: Joe Beatty, James Johnson, Jason Nelson, and James Sullivan.
www.goodman-games.com
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INTRODUCTION our adventures are already exciting. Characters explore dungeons, crush monsters, and score loot. But maybe you want your adventures to be more. Maybe you want adventures that are over-the-top, in-your-face, BADASS THRILL RIDES! Maybe you want adventures that are things of LEGEND! Maybe you want adventures that are WICKED SICK! That’s what Wicked Fantasy Factory gives you: axes hacking, spells exploding, and blood spewing. Don’t just crawl through dungeons — make them sorry they ever met you!
ADVENTURE BACKGROUND
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Temple of Blood is an introductory Wicked Fantasy Factory adventure for four to six heroes of 1st level; 2nd-level heroes won’t find the adventure too easy, either. The party’s total levels should be 4-6. All character types will have a good time in this adventure; the party should include at least one healer (like a cleric) and one or two characters with serious combat potential (fighters, barbarians, paladins, and so forth). Adventure Summary: A mysterious character is kidnapping people from the streets, and not just any people: all the victims are young, beautiful women, usually from wealthy families. In fact, even the king’s latest wife has gone missing! The heroes descend beneath the city streets to confront the kidnapper and find themselves in the ruins of an ancient temple. The villain — who has given himself to dark powers — draws on the magic of the place to complete his vile rituals. The heroes confront vicious kobolds, giant vermin, and the magic of the ancient temple. Finally, they defeat Belzin and free the captured women.
wo hundred years ago, priests dedicated to the Goddess of Blood erected a temple on ground that would later play host to the city of Almack (or whatever city you’d care to substitute in your campaign). After a century or so, the temple sank into the soggy ground and the priests abandoned it. However, a fanatical few remained, viewing their brethren’s desertion as sacrilege. They used magic to extend their lives and retain their potency, and stayed in the broken and sunken temple even after the fledgling town that would later become Almack appeared above them.
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The cultists fought a lengthy battle against the growing town — a battle that culminated in their destruction. Fifty years ago, a group of five knights descended into the temple and slew the cultists in mighty combat. As the last cultist fell, bathed in red, he swore that the knights’ blood would betray them and they and their precious city would fall. The kingdom lauded the knights, then promptly forgot about the cultists, the temple, and the entire incident. Fast-forward to several months ago. Belzin Darr, a cursed and fanatic worshipper of the God of Writhing Secrets, discovered the temple beneath the city, sealed for five decades. He learned the tale of the blood cultists and the knights, and his way became clear. Belzin believes that blood holds supernatural power, but that only the Blood Goddess knows what these secrets are. Belzin plans to claim at least some of this knowledge by seeing that the dead cultist’s curse comes to pass. He’s sure that when that cultist swore that the knights’ blood would betray them, he was referring to the knights’ descendants. A bit of snooping revealed a fact too remarkable (in Belzin’s opinion) to be coincidence: the knights now all have granddaughters in their early twenties. These five women would be the key to Belzin’s plan. He would capture them and use the power of the ancient temple to bring the cultists’ curse upon them, using their bloodline to send the dark magic through their families — including the elderly knights. When that happens…well, Belzin isn’t sure exactly what will happen, but he’ll take extensive notes. He is a bit crazy, after all. Belzin put his plans into motion soon after. Knowing that some people might take issue with his kidnapping and come looking for him, he located a group of ferocious tribal kobolds and enlisted them as his warriors, promising flesh and power should they serve him. The kobolds (of the Pissed Lizards tribe) agreed and serve as his bodyguards and lackeys. Belzin then used connections throughout Almack’s criminal underground to kidnap the women he needed. He has them all now, and it won’t be long before he puts his plan into motion. Someone needs to stop him, and that someone is a party of brave adventurers.
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JUICE UP YOUR GAME! icked Fantasy Factory adventures are like other adventures, but with XTREME!! added in big, red, underlined letters. Send your game blasting to the next level with the following (optional) components!
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Phat Lewt! All WFF adventures have awesome loot scattered throughout, but only one piece of phat lewt, somewhere in the adventure — maybe in the boss’s stash, maybe in some secret room. This piece of phat lewt is — wait for it — worth at least as much as the rest of the adventure’s treasure combined! Yes, that’s right: WFF adventures provide double the normal amount of treasure compared to your standard adventure, and half that loot is wrapped up in a single item. That means there’s at least one crazy-cool piece of loot in each adventure, and it also means that GMs can easily remove the phat lewt if they prefer adventures of a poorer nature.
Finish Him! You chop the monster. It dies. Cool, but how much cooler would it be if you planted a foot on its chest, ripped out its arms, and golf-clubbed it out of the dungeon? In WFF adventures, heroes have finishing moves. Each hero gets to make up his own finishing moves. Here’s what you need to know about them:
the pain to this guy!” or maybe “Finish him!” The general rule of thumb is that the GM should let slip this information when the bad guy is down to about 10% of his hit points. Of course, if you think you can take him out before this point, you’re welcome to try your finishing move at any time. ¤ Finishing moves work the same way on all monsters, no matter if they’re incorporeal, ethereal, or whatever. Even if your finishing move doesn’t incorporate a magic weapon, you do not suffer a miss chance against these creatures.
INVENTING YOUR FINISHING MOVE The first step is to decide what your finishing move looks like. Remember: flashy, gruesome, and over-the-top! Remember that you might have to use it on creatures with various anatomies, so make sure it’s versatile, or invent a different one for different creature types (or just variants on your primary move). Also remember that your finishing moves don’t have to involve the weapon you normally wield or the spells you normally cast — or, in fact, any weapon or spell at all. Then, determine whether your finishing move is melee, ranged, or magic. The answer should be obvious, since you’ve already decided what it looks like.
PERFORMING YOUR FINISHING MOVE A finishing move is a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. To perform it, follow these steps:
¤ The most important thing about finishing moves is that they are flashy and over-the-top. Think video games in which you dismember, decapitate, and explode your opponent — and seven rib cages clatter from the sky. You want your finishing move to strike terror into your enemies; to make even the staunchest dragon piddle its scales when it sees you tear out its ally’s intestines, or incinerate its head with a blast of fire, or plug arrows into — BAM! BAM! BAM! — both eyes and its crotch.
1) Select the target. If your finishing move is a melee move, the target must be within your melee reach. If your finishing move is ranged or magic, you must have line of sight to the target, and it must be within 30 feet.
¤ A finishing move is a separate sort of attack. It is completely different than your skills, feats, proficiencies, and everything else. It is independent of your weaponry and your specific spells. You can create a finishing move that uses your weapons or spells if you like, of course, but you can also create finishing moves in which you do interesting things without them. (See below for some examples.)
¤ If you have a ranged finishing move, add your base attack bonus + your Dexterity bonus. If the target has cover from you or is in melee, your roll takes the appropriate penalties — but Precise Shot and similar feats can help you overcome these, as normal.
¤ When can you use a finishing move? You can attempt a finishing move only once per combat. Other than that, you can attempt it whenever you like, but if it doesn’t take out your opponent (i.e., if you fail), you screw it up somehow and probably wish you had just swung your sword in the time-honored tradition. ¤ What if you succeed on your finishing move? You destroy your enemy in some gruesome, impressive, and/or awe-inspiring way. And you get bonus XP! ¤ How do you know when to use your finishing move? In a WFF adventure, the GM should let you know when an enemy is nearing finishing move range. He should say, “This guy’s looking pretty woozy!” or “You could probably bring
2) Roll a d20. Add the following: ¤ If you have a melee finishing move, add your base attack bonus + your Strength bonus. (If you have Weapon Finesse, you can instead add your Dexterity bonus.)
¤ If you have a magic finishing move, add your (highest) caster level + your key spellcasting ability (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). Note that you don’t get to add bonuses for magic weapons, Weapon Focus, and so forth on this roll! 3) If your total is greater than or equal to the bad guy’s AC, you might take him down! (Note that the bad guy might benefit from cover and/or concealment, however.) Roll a number of d6 equal to half your character level, rounded up. (For example, a 3rd-level hero rolls 2d6. A 10th-level hero rolls 5d6.)If your total is greater than or equal to the number of hit points the target has remaining, your finishing move is successful. Describe it in gory detail!
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(Note: Yes, even magic finishing moves must beat the bad guy’s AC, primarily because it’s just easier if all finishing moves follow the same rules. If the GM wants to change this rule, and replace AC with 11 + the bad guy’s Will save bonus, or something, go for it.)
¤ Using your finishing move on helpless creatures outside of combat. (“Let’s tie this guy to a chair, heal him a little bit, then finish him!”)
4) If you successfully perform a finishing move, the poor sap is worth an additional +50 XP per Challenge Rating. Congratulations! This bonus XP is divided among the party as normal, primarily to prevent cries of “kill stealer!”
The GM has the right to tell you that finishing moves don’t work under these and any other circumstances he decides. If you stop thinking “Finishing moves are cool!” and start thinking “Finishing moves are dumb,” it’s time to look at what the players are doing with them.
5) If you failed, something goes wrong. The bad guy dodges out of the way, or pulls out of your grip, or you slip on a kidney and make a fool of yourself. Nothing horrible happens, but you pretty much wasted your turn this round.
OTHER FINISHING MOVES You’re welcome to add more than one finishing move to your repertoire or invent them on the fly as your rolls succeed. Be aware, though, that finishing moves are often a signature of a mighty hero, and the masses learn to identify him based on his moves!
FINISHING MOVE EXAMPLES The following are some examples of finishing moves. You are welcome to use these directly or use them to inspire your own. ¤ Rondo, the axe-wielding dwarf barbarian, kicks his opponent in the privates so hard that important parts of his anatomy explode out his head! ¤ Laeriel, the elf archer, pins her opponent’s feet to the ground with two wellplaced arrow shots, and a third mighty shot tears the helpless foe’s head from his shoulders! ¤ Mathees, the human sorcerer, causes his foe’s head to crack open — his brain then floats out and bludgeons the body to pulp! ¤ Xanna, the halfling rogue, backflips onto her opponent’s shoulders, plunges her daggers into his eyes, then uses them as handles to swing back to the ground!
NO CHEATING! Do not abuse the finishing move rules! Examples of abuse include: ¤ Using finishing moves on creatures that are unconscious or dying. ¤ Hitting a creature as lightly as possible (“Hey, sorcerer, want to come over here and hit this guy with a staff for a few rounds?”) until you think he’s finishable.
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¤ Anything else that diminishes the cool, dramatic aspects of finishing moves.
Mooks Stupid, dirty little kobolds. Don’t you want to just hack your way through hordes of the little buggers? Well, in WFF adventures, you can! Certain monsters are mooks. These are little weenies just begging to be killed. This mook symbol — shown at left — designates mooks. When fighting mooks, every character has both the Cleave and Great Cleave feats as bonus feats. What if you already have Cleave? Why, you get a +4 bonus on attack rolls when you cleave. Already have both Cleave and Great Cleave? Have a +4 bonus on cleaving attack rolls and damage rolls! Is ranged combat more your game? As long as you target at least one mook with a ranged attack, you get Rapid Shot (and Quick Draw, if you use thrown weapons) as a bonus feat for the round. Already have Rapid Shot? Make the attacks on the mooks with no penalty on your attack rolls! Or maybe you prefer spells? All (harmful) spells benefit from the Maximize Spell feat in regard to mooks — so burn up those suckers! Note that you get Cleave and Rapid Shot only when you drop a mook. If you’re fighting a bunch of mooks and some non-mooks, you get the bonuses only when you drop a mook — you can cleave into other bad guys, but if you drop them, you don’t get additional bonus cleaves just ‘cause mooks are standing around. Similarly, if you catch some mooks and non-mooks in your fireball, the fireball is maximized against the mooks, but not the other guys. And yes, you are welcome to attempt your finishing move on mooks when they’re at full hit points!
GM’S SECTION
The Big Badass
s are overworked and underpaid. To help you out as much as possible, check out this cool chart of all the encounters in the adventure!
Each WFF adventure also has at least one bad guy who’s head and shoulders above everyone else. He’s the big badass, and it’s going to take a lot to bring him down. This symbol designates the big badass.
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The big badass gets a free resurrection. When you take him to 0 hit points (even with a finishing move), he picks himself off the floor, roars his defiance, and jumps back up to full hit points. He comes back from anything — even spells like disintegrate and finger of death — as with the spell true resurrection. (He usually returns in some spectacular way — see his character description in each individual adventure for details.) Yikes!
Pg.: The page on which the encounter begins.
Once you take him out a second time, though, he’s gone for real. If you take him out with a finishing move the first time, you force him to use his resurrection, but you don’t get any bonus XP. If you FINISH HIM the second time, though, he’s worth bonus XP as normal.
E-Z Stat Blocks You’re probably familiar with stat blocks in adventures and other gaming material. They’re important, but, more often than not, they’re stuffed full of useless information. How often do you need to know a bad guy’s Charisma score? Occasionally, yes, but not often. Wicked Fantasy Factory stat blocks are small and streamlined. You could call these E-Z stat blocks. All the information you are likely to need in an encounter is presented in a few lines. This icon denotes defensive information, like hit points and AC, while this icon denotes offensive information like the bad guy’s attack bonus and damage. Feats the bad guy can use in combat, like Combat Reflexes and Power Attack, and other special abilities like breath weapons and damage reduction, are also included. Where possible, all the information you need to use such an ability in combat is provided in parentheses. For example, an entry might read “breath weapon (30-ft. cone, 8d6 fire, DC 18)” or “Combat Reflexes (+3 attacks).” A more traditional, longer stat block appears beneath the E-Z stat block. Just in case you need to know the bad guy’s Charisma score.
Movie Rights Wicked Fantasy Factory adventures are big and awesome and worthy of becoming summer blockbuster movies. Let’s pretend that happened with the adventure that your group plays. Before you start the adventure, think about this: Who would play the main bad guys in the movie? Ask your players the same question: Who would play their characters in the movie? The “actors” upon which you decide don’t have to be alive; in fact, they don’t have to be actors, or even real people! If players think Genghis Khan would do great in this role, or the Wicked Witch of the West is the perfect fit for a sorcerer character, or Mr. T of 20 years ago is a ringer for someone’s fighter, wonderful!
Area: The encounter area.
Type: If the encounter likely involves primarily combat (C), a trap (T), a puzzle (P), or roleplaying (R). Encounter: A brief description of the encounter. EL: The Encounter Level. Area Pg. Type Encounter 1
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2
C
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2 Pissed Lizards
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7 P/C
12 Pissed Lizards
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Belzin Darr behind a wall of force
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2 Pissed Lizards
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5
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Kralnak the Always-Mad and 2 Pissed Lizards
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4 Small monstrous centipedes
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Blood spirit
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Belzin Darr and 3 Pissed Lizards
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10 R/C
3 (again) 11
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A HEROIC START he kingdom is embroiled in its own affairs and spends little resources attempting to solve these kidnappings. However, the queen recently disappeared, and a few folks think that she might be another victim of the kidnapper. (The truth of this belief is up to you and whether or not you want to move the heroes on to Rumble in the Wizard’s Tower for their next adventure; see “Victory!” at the end of this adventure.)
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The queen’s disappearance might provide the spark to get the heroes involved in the adventure, but really, all that’s necessary is for them to get to the ruined temple beneath the city’s streets. The possibilities for doing so are myriad; you might use one of the following, or make up one that’s way better for your campaign. ¤ Cut Me In. A pathetic street thief approaches the heroes. “Hey, you look like a group who can take care of yourselves,” he says. He tells them that he was involved in kidnapping one of the missing women (he begged to come along with his more experienced friend) and knows where they were taken. Ordinarily he wouldn’t break professional silence, of course, but he heard that the queen disappeared and the king is offering a hefty reward for
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her return. Maybe the queen is one of the kidnapping victims? In any case, he’ll tell the heroes where they should start looking, as long as they cut him in on the reward. (He’s too much of a coward to join them on the adventure.) This hook works well if you simply want to give the heroes the information they need and send them on their way. It’s also nice because it outlines the stakes clearly: The queen is missing! (To raise the stakes even higher, mention that the queen was a “gift” from a neighboring nation, which now threatens war unless she reappears.) ¤ Bodyguards. Several of Belzin’s kobolds, eager to impress their master and not knowing that he already has all the women he needs, plan to capture a noblewoman named Alyssa Silkwater. As a young, beautiful woman of good birth, she is concerned about kidnappers and hires the heroes to act as bodyguards while she attends a friend. (She hires them instead of her parents’ guards because she needs bodyguards who are discreet, based on the nature of her friend — wink, wink.) Four Pissed Lizards leap out of the shadows (or from a sewer) and attack — use the statistics from area 1. The important thing in this encounter is for the heroes to become interested in where the kobolds came from and
follow them. So, maybe one kobold surrenders and offers his information in exchange for his life, or maybe they leave a particularly clear trail (having trudged through fresh mud or something). Alyssa tells the heroes to follow their trail; perhaps because a friend of hers was one of the victims, or maybe because she no longer needs bodyguards (because she’s reached her home, for example). This hook is best for parties that enjoy combat. It’s also nice because it begins with action, which is always a good thing, and it allows heroes to test their finishing moves and mook-fighting capabilities — which is especially nice if this is their first Wicked Fantasy Factory adventure. Another option is to make Alyssa a player character (or replace her with an appropriate hero).
The Sewers he adventure begins when the heroes, clued off to head into the sewers, encounter a Pissed Lizard patrol not far from the ancient temple. The patrol rounds a corner and runs into the heroes. When you are ready to begin, proceed to area 1.
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AREA 1:
PISSED PATROL (EL 2/3)
Two creatures round the corner in front of you. They are small, humanoid, and reptilian: kobolds! But these don’t look like your ordinary kobolds — they look pissed off. White paint on their faces picks out the images of angry lizard heads, complete with slanting eyebrows. When the kobolds see you, they shout in rage and the paint flares with red light. Bad Guys: A pair of Pissed Lizards patrols the area around the temple. Allow the heroes DC 10 Listen checks (the kobolds are taking 10 on their Move Silently checks) to avoid surprise. PISSED LIZARD (2): Init –2, Spd 20 ft.; hp 6, AC 12, touch 9, flat-footed 12; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/x3, spear). Pissed Lizard Kobold, War1: CR 1/3; Small humanoid (reptilian); HD 1d8+2, hp 6; Init –2; Spd 20 ft. (hide armor — base 30 ft.); AC 12, touch 9, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +1; Grp +0; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/x3, spear); SA lizard rage; SQ low-light vision, light sensitivity; AL CE; SV Fort +4, Ref –2, Will +0; Str 17, Dex 7, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 6. Skills and Feats: Hide +4, Listen +0, Move Silently +0, Spot +0; Alertness. Possessions: Spear, hide armor. One kobold also carries a scroll of sound burst (1d8; DC 13) that he took from a kid-
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napped victim; he doesn’t even know what it is, but thinks it’s cool. SQ—Light Sensitivity (Ex): Kobolds are dazzled (–1 on attack rolls, Search, and Spot checks) in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Tactics: The Pissed Lizards charge in rage and stab over and over with their spears. They fight to the death.
AREA 2:
MAIN DEFENSE (EL 5)
The heroes encountered the kobold patrol not far from the temple entrance. You round a corner a find yourselves looking down a long, sloping hall, perhaps 100 feet long. Shadows cloak the length of it, but at the far end, at the bottom of the slope, are a number of torches on poles. Crates and barrels are set up in a crude barricade amid these torches, and small, koboldshaped shadows move around or stand sentry. Beyond this defense is a hole knocked into the sewer’s brick wall, leading into flickering shadows. Near the kobolds, on the right wall, is a closed metal hatch of the sort that spews sewer water. Immediately to your right are half a dozen barrels set up in what might be a makeshift guard post, though it is unmanned. On the wall near the barrels is a metal wheel. A lot of kobolds mill about below – perhaps a dozen – enough that taking them out in a simple assault is not a good idea. The heroes have several opportunities to make the battle easier. ¤ The wheel to the heroes’ right is rusted, but a DC 13 Strength check gets it moving. Cranking it causes the metal hatch near the kobolds to open, spewing longtrapped sewer water into the camp. Half the kobolds (six) are washed away into the stream of effluent, while the rest spend a couple rounds avoiding the stream and shouting angrily. They also vacate their defenses. ¤ The barrels near the wheel are filled with lantern oil; the kobolds stole them from someone’s basement and thought they’d make excellent walls. (They don’t even know what’s inside them.) The heroes can roll the barrels down the slope: they make normal ranged attack rolls for them, and barrels ignore the kobolds’ cover (the barrels just crash into it and knock the defenses down on the kobolds’ heads). A better tactic is to light the barrels on fire first; in this case, each barrel explodes when it crashes into something. Since the barrels the kobolds use for defenses are also full of lamp oil, the effect cascades and soon the air is filled with flaming oil, smoking barrel pieces, and screaming kobolds. The kobolds all take 3d6 points of fire damage (DC 13 Reflex half).
¤ The heroes could use the scroll of sound burst they (presumably) found on the patrol in area 1. Since the Pissed Lizards here are spread around an area about 40 feet in diameter, the spell catches half of them. Remember that they’re mooks, so it deals maximum damage. ¤ The heroes can simply let loose with ranged attacks. They have a height and (probably) range advantage; if and when the Pissed Lizards charge out of their fortifications to confront the heroes, the heroes have a round or two before they arrive. Bad Guys: Most of the Pissed Lizards defend the Temple of Blood here. Their defenses are dubious, since they’re generally too angry to used ranged weapons, but they do carry javelins. PISSED LIZARD — RAGING (12-1D2): Init –2, Spd 20 ft.; hp 6, AC 12, touch 9, flat-footed 12; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/x3, spear). See area 1 for complete statistics. PISSED LIZARD — NOT RAGING (1D2): Init –1, Spd 20 ft.; hp 6, AC 13, touch 10, flat-footed 13; Atk/Full Atk +4 melee (1d6+3/x3, spear) or +1 ranged (1d4+2, javelin; range inc. 30 ft.). Pissed Lizard Kobold (Not Raging), War1: CR 1/3; Small humanoid (reptilian); HD1d8+2, jp6; Init –1; Spd 20 ft. (hide armor – base 30 ft.); AC 13, touch 10, flatfooted 13; Base Atk +1; Grp –1; Atk/Full Atk: +4 melee (1d6+3/x3, spear) or +1 ranged (1d4+2, javelin); SA lizard rage (suppressed); SQ low-light vision, light sensitivity; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref –1, Will –2; Str 15, Dex 9, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 6. Skills and Feats: Hide +5, Listen +0, Move Silently +1, Spot +0; Alertness. Possessions: Spear, hide armor, javelin. SQ—Light Sensitivity (Ex): Kobolds are dazzled (–1 on attack rolls, Search, and Spot checks) in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Tactics: The Pissed Lizards make DC 20 Will saves (Will – 2, but a 20 always succeeds) to suppress their lizard rage and hurl their javelins. If they fail, they charge screeching toward their opponents. If you don’t want to roll for every kobold, you can assume that 1d2 of them make their saves — unless the heroes have already killed a bunch, in which case none of them do. Loot One of the kobolds carries a wand of cure light wounds with 17 charges. He took it from one of the captured women as a trophy and hasn’t told anyone about it. Development: The hole knocked into the sewer wall leads to a short series of soggy tunnels that connects to the Temple of Blood.
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The Temple of Blood he temple is old and ruined. A few dank tunnels (made by natural streams of water and widened by kobolds) connect it to the city’s sewer system. It is crumbled and soggy.
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Sputtering torches light most areas; they are present unless noted otherwise. Ceiling height is 10 feet. The doors in the temple were made of wood and have long since rotted away. Walls: 1 ft. thick; hardness 7; hp 80; break DC 30; Climb DC 18.
AREA 3:
SANCTUM
To your left is an archway leading into a room lit with flickering torchlight. Inside is an upright stone slab, tilted backward. Chained to the slab is a woman. She is young and blond, with the remains of fine clothing wrapped in tatters around her. Her hands are manacled above her head, and her bare forearms are chafed and covered in blood. She lies limp, though her chest still rises and falls. Against the far wall are four more women in similar states: young and lovely and slumped in unconsciousness, their shackles holding them upright. Their clothing has been partially torn away, revealing the tops of their chests, where a jagged rune is painted in red. A few kobold guards stand nearby, spears raised. Standing near the stone slab is a humanoid shape cloaked in a dark gray robe of rags. The robe’s hood casts the creature’s face into shadow. A rusty, spiked mace hangs from its rope belt. The figure holds a golden bowl in one hand, and with the other it draws a symbol in glistening red liquid upon the woman’s chest. At first glance you think the figure wears dark gloves, but a second look reveals that the “gloves” are in fact composed of living vermin: Small beetles, spiders, and centipedes crawl about, revealing occasional patches of pale skin. The robed figure chants something in a raspy whisper as it works. The robed figure is Belzin Darr. He has fooled the powers of the temple into thinking that he worships its goddess of blood, and thus has taken control of some of the temple’s ancient enchantments. The most important one allows him to conduct the blood-cursing ritual. Another allows him to erect a wall of force separating this chamber from the surrounding hall so the kobolds do not disturb him during the ritual. However, since he still wishes to hear reports from them (or know if his temple is under attack),
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he has included small (1-inch diameter) holes in the wall of force so that he can still hear outside it (though he takes a –4 penalty on Listen checks to do so). Development: The heroes (probably) cannot affect Belzin at this time. Theoretically they could cast spells or push harmful objects through the listening holes, but to do so they first must discover those holes (requiring tactile investigation), and Belzin can fill them in with a simple command. However, Belzin is more than willing to talk to the heroes — at least for a little while. He thinks it’s amusing that they’ve arrived in time to see the completion of his ritual. He first finishes one line of a rune before turning to speak. The robed figure turns toward you. “Well,” it rasps. “Hello. Something I can do for you?” Belzin is confident. He invites the heroes to watch while he completes the ritual. (“This is the last one, and shouldn’t take me more than an hour or two; if you like, you can observe the results with me!”) He also relates the basics of the adventure background, though he gets bored quickly and turns back to his work. The most important piece of information Belzin must give the heroes in this exchange is that he has tricked the ancient powers of this temple into believing that he worships the blood goddess. He might reveal this piece of information by saying: “Do you like it?” The creature holds its horrible hands toward the invisible wall. “Not entirely my doing. You can thank the Blood Goddess for it. This is her temple, and as far as she’s concerned I am her devoted follower. A lie, of course — my master is He-Who-Dwells-in-Secrets. But the temple doesn’t know that. Clever, eh?” He taps his head. Belzin can reveal this information in some other way as well; he might be more subtle about it, if you think your group can pick up on its importance. After speaking with the heroes for a few minutes, Belzin becomes eager to get back to work and turns to the captive woman. At the end of the adventure, the heroes return to this room and breach the wall of force; see “Returning to the Sanctum,” below, for more information, including Belzin’s statistics.
AREA 4:
KOBOLD RESTING AREA (EL 1)
A number of fur blankets — which look to be composed of stitched-together dire rat hides — lie on the ground amid bones and refuse. Spears lean against the walls. A couple angry-looking kobolds are in this room; they start up from their rest. This is the kobolds’ main living chamber. Those not on duty spend their time eating, wrestling, sleeping, or stitching together rat hides. Bad Guys: Two Pissed Lizard kobolds are here when the heroes arrive. Since they aren’t expecting trouble, they take a –4 penalty on Listen and Spot checks. PISSED LIZARD (2): Init –2, Spd 20 ft.; hp 6, AC 12, touch 9, flat-footed 12; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/x3, spear). See area 1 for complete statistics. Possessions: Each kobold carries a potion of cure light wounds, labeled in Common.
PISSED LIZARD (2): Init –2, Spd 20 ft.; hp 6, AC 12, touch 9, flat-footed 12; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/x3, spear). See area 1 for complete statistics. Kralnak the Always-Mad, male Pissed Lizard kobold Brb1: CR 1; Small humanoid (reptilian); HD 1d12, hp 20; Init –1; Spd 40 ft.; AC 11, touch 8, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +1; Grp +0; Atk/Full Atk +7 melee (1d10+8/1920, greatsword); SA lizard rage, rage 1/day; SQ low-light vision, light sensitivity; AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref –1, Will +0; Str 21, Dex 8, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 6, Cha 11.
Finish Him! The players probably want a chance to use their finishing moves — and you should give it to them! When Kralnak drops to 0 or fewer hit points, instead of just tipping over and dying, consider having him drop his weapon and wobble, clearly finishable. At least one hero can get in a good finishing move, and if you’re feeling particularly generous, maybe poor Kralnak survives long enough to give everyone a chance!
Tactics: The Pissed Lizards howl in rage and charge. They fight to the death. Development: The kobolds’ leader, Kralnak the AlwaysMad, is in area 5. The Pissed Lizards wrestle and fight with each other often, so he at first doesn’t take notice of combative noises in this chamber. However, after a couple rounds, or if he hears decidedly non-kobold sounds, he rushes in to see what all the fuss is about.
AREA 5:
KRALNAK’S CHAMBERS (EL 2)
This room is slightly neater than the last. A large pile of rat blankets lies in one corner. A few barrels sit about for use as chairs and tables. This is the lair of Kralnak the Always-Mad, the Pissed Lizards’ leader. He leaves the grunt work (patrolling and guard duty) to the normal kobolds; he spends most of his time here, attempting to woo his two favored female Pissed Lizards. (Pissed Lizard courtship rituals involve headbutting and howling; this relationship hasn’t progressed quite that far, and the kobolds are still kicking each other in the shins.) Bad Guys: The female kobolds are just as vicious as the males. Kralnak wields a rusty greatsword scavenged from the city’s back alleys. His statistics assume he is raging (with both his barbarian rage and lizard rage bonuses). KRALNAK: Init –1, Spd 40 ft.; hp 20, AC 11, touch 8, flat-footed 11; Atk/Full Atk +8 melee (1d10+9, greatsword).
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Skills and Feats: Climb +9, Intimidate +4, Jump +9, Swim +8; Toughness. SQ—Light Sensitivity (Ex): Kralnak is dazzled (–1 on attack rolls, Search, and Spot checks) in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Possessions: Greatsword, studded leather armor. Loot: Kralnak has stashed away a portion of the kobolds’ payment: 56 gp lie under his bed. Also, there is a small gold statuette of a severed hand (150 gp), which Kralnak found in the temple and has not revealed to Belzin. A DC 10 Search check locates these items.
AREA 6:
VERMINOUS ROOM (EL 1)
This room is dark, but chipped and defaced basreliefs adorn the walls. The knights who raided this temple 50 years ago defiled this room. (It is dedicated to an evil god, after all.) This area is unlit. A DC 15 Search check reveals the secret door in the north wall. Pulling a catch hidden in the bas-relief opens it, leading to area 7. Bad Guys: Several monstrous centipedes dwell in this chamber. Belzin has rebuked them so often that they know the kobolds are off-limits as food; as a result, they are ravenous. CENTIPEDE (4): Init +2, Spd 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; hp 2, AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12; Atk/Full Atk +3 melee (1d4–3 plus poison, bite); poison (DC 10, 1d2 Dex/1d2 Dex). Small Monstrous Centipede: CR 1/4; Small vermin; HD 1/2d8, hp 2; Init +2; Spd 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +0; Grp –7; Atk/Full Atk +3 melee (1d4–3 plus poison, bite); SA poison; SQ darkvision 60 ft., vermin traits; AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +0; Str 5, Dex 15, Con 10, Int –, Wis 10, Cha 2. SA—Poison (Ex): Bite; Fort DC 10; initial and secondary 1d2 Dex. Development: After the centipedes are dead, allow the heroes a DC 20 (or 15, if they are being quiet and attempting to listen) Listen check to hear a drip from area 7. If they hear this sound, they get a +5 bonus on the Search check to find the secret door.
AREA 7: SACRIFICIAL CHAMBER (EL 3) This area is unlit. This room is eerily quiet, save for an occasional, faint drip, as of blood falling into a pool. Several walls are covered with faded murals of bloody sacrifices, and dusty, tattered curtains hang in places. Carved frescoes run along the walls near the ceiling. A stone altar, splattered with stains, stands in the middle, near the far wall. A large, bowlshaped depression is carved in the altar’s center. The air shimmers, and a spectral shape appears next to the altar. It is a pale, slender woman with black hair, naked save for the blood that coats her. A dark holy symbol hangs from her neck. “You are in the temple of our Lady of Blood,” she says. “The high priest is Belzin Darr, servant of the Blood Goddess. Kneel and pay your respects, for you are on holy ground.” The bloody spirit is an ancient guardian of the temple, charged with ensuring its sanctity and that its power is not abused. Unfortunately, much of the spirit’s power and perspicacity has faded with time and neglect, and Belzin, using certain phrases and simple rites he uncovered in his research, tricked her into believing that he was a priest of the Blood Goddess. NPC: The spirit is not necessarily hostile; the heroes are welcome to parley with her. She speaks to them willingly, describing Belzin if they ask. If the heroes attack the spirit, desecrate the altar, or simply ignore her but remain in the room (searching or whatever), she attacks. SPIRIT: Init +1, Spd fly 30 ft.; hp 6, AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 14; Dodge; +4 turn resistance, incorporeal traits, undead traits; Atk/Full Atk +2 melee (1d6 and 1d4 ability drain, touch). Blood Spirit, female human ghost Clr1: CR 3; Medium undead (incorporeal); HD 1d12, hp 6; Init +1; Spd fly 30 ft. (perfect); AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +0; Grp –; Atk/Full Atk +2 melee (1d6 and 1d4 ability drain, touch); SA corrupting touch, draining touch, manifestation; SQ darkvision 60 ft., rejuvenation, +4 turn resistance, incorporeal traits, undead traits; AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 10, Dex 13, Con –, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 18. Skills and Feats: Concentration +8, Hide +9, Knowledge (religion) +5, Listen +10, Search +9, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +5, Spot +10; Dodge, Weapon Focus (touch). SA—Corrupting Touch (Su): If the spirit hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack, it deals 1d6 points of damage. Against ethereal opponents, it adds its Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls. Against nonethereal
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opponents, it adds its Dexterity modifier to attack rolls only. Draining Touch (Su): Whenever the spirit hits with a touch attack, she drains 1d4 points from an ability score of her choice (usually Strength). When she does so, she heals 5 points of damage to herself. SQ—Rejuvenation (Su): If the heroes destroy the spirit, she restores herself in 2d4 days and returns to this chamber with a DC 16 level check (1d20+1). Destroying the temple dismisses the spirit for good. Development: The heroes have two basic options in this room: destroy the spirit or convince her that Belzin is not, in fact, a priest of the Blood Goddess. Convincing the spirit of this fact can be as difficult as you like, though if the heroes are clever enough to think of it, they should be able to do so fairly easily. The spirit is unwilling to believe them at first: “But… he knew the sacred words and rites. I gave him the power of the temple!” When convinced of her folly, she grows angry. The spirit lets out a cry of frustration. “I am grown weak through neglect! For such a one to convince me that he served the Mistress…bah. You — even though I do not believe you are servants of the Blood Goddess either, I ask you to strike him down. I would go myself, but I cannot leave this room. I can, though, remove his magic barrier. Go; slay this creature, this Belzin Darr, and I will overlook your trespass here. I will even grant you the Lady’s treasure, that you may use it against the false one.” She holds a hand toward the altar.” And I will grant you a measure of her power.” She waves a hand, and you are momentarily washed with blood — then the blood vanishes, and you feel restored. The spirit has just healed the heroes of all lost hit points, ability damage, and ability drain, as well as restored all cast spells and spell slots. They are now at full capacity to confront Belzin! She has also dropped the wall of force from area 3. Belzin has a gold bowl sacred to the Blood Goddess. If the heroes retrieve this bowl and place it in the depression in the altar, they hear a click, and a secret panel opens in the wall. Tactics: If combat ensues, the spirit attempts to destroy the heroes to the best of her abilities. She cannot leave this room, and so does not pursue fleeing creatures. The heroes can placate her after an attack by apologizing appropriately and saying nice things about the Blood Goddess. Loot: In a secret compartment in the altar (DC 15 Search check) is a rod of dissolution (see Appendix 1: New Magic
Item). It rests on a blood-red cushion with the word “sanguine” stitched in gold (it’s worth 10 gp). “Sanguine” is the command word. If used against a living creature, this rod dissolves everything except the creature’s blood, letting it splash to the floor in lieu of the dust disintegrate normally leaves behind. If the blood spirit is on good terms with the heroes, she describes the rod of dissolution and the command word when the heroes find it. If the heroes place the gold bowl on the altar, a secret panel slides open, revealing a blood-red pearl of power (1st level) on a white silk cushion (worth 20 gp). Phat Lewt!: If you want to give the heroes some phat lewt, give the rod of dissolution additional charges. Each one is worth 3,000 gp. XP Award: If the heroes negotiate with the spirit to remove Belzin’s power over the temple’s magic, award them XP as if they had defeated her in combat.
Returning to the Sanctum AREA 3:
REVISITED (EL 4)
The heroes have either convinced the spirit to drop the wall of force or have procured the rod of dissolution so they can do it themselves; in either case, they probably head back to area 3. Belzin is still at work. The women are moving now, but they are not conscious — they appear to be trapped in torturous dreams. They shift and moan in their manacles, faces contorted in pain. Belzin holds the gold bowl of blood over the woman on the slab, chanting loudly in his papery voice. A reddish glow comes from the bowl. Belzin is nearing the end of the ritual, but the heroes interrupt him just in time. He notices them outside his sanctum — and when they breach it, read or paraphrase the following. Belzin stutters to a stop and takes a step backward. “How did…” he stammers. At that moment the women’s eyes blink open, and they gaze around in confusion. The woman on the slab has wide blue eyes, and they alight on Belzin, then flick to you. “Help me!” she cries, and struggles against her bonds. Belzin snarls and hunches over his bowl of blood. “You have only delayed me. I will finish my work.” With that, the fight is on.
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Bad Guys: Belzin’s Pissed Lizard guards rush to his aid. They are a bit better armored than their companions, with helmets and breastplates. PISSED LIZARD (3): Init –2, Spd 20 ft.; hp 6, AC 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/x3, spear). See area 1 for complete statistics. BELZIN: Init +1, Spd 20 ft.; hp 18, AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18; DR 5/bludgeoning, fast healing 1, immune to mind-affecting effects, +4 turn resistance; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+3, heavy mace), or +4 melee touch (spell), or +2 ranged touch (2d4 fire, bowl of blood); spells (cause fear [DC 16, frightened for 1d4 rounds], inflict light wounds [DC 16, 1d8+2], protection from good [+2 AC, +2 saves vs. good]), spontaneous casting (inflict). Belzin Darr, male human walking wormling Clr2: CR 3; Medium undead; HD 2d12, hp 18; Init +1; Spd 20 ft. (chain mail — base 30 ft.); AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +1; Grp +4; Atk/Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+3, heavy mace), or +4 melee touch (spell), or +2 ranged touch (2d4 fire, bowl of blood); SA rebuke undead and vermin, spells, spontaneous casting (inflict); SQ darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, fast healing 1, immune to mind-affecting effects, +4 turn resistance; AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +6; Str 16, Dex 12, Con –, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 13. Skills and Feats: Concentration +4, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Knowledge (religion) +13; Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Focus (necromancy). Possessions: Masterwork heavy mace, chain mail, bowl of blood. Spells (4/4): 0—detect magic, guidance, read magic, resistance; 1st—cause fear†, magic weapon, protection from good*, shield of faith. * Domain spell. Domains: Evil (casts evil spells as 3rdlevel caster), Knowledge (casts divination spells as 3rdlevel caster). SQ—Big Badass (Ex): Belzin is the big badass in Temple of Blood. When he hits 0 hp, he collapses and his form dissolves into a variety of vermin: beetles, roaches, maggots, scorpions, millipedes, flies, and so forth. The creatures scatter… then come back together, forming a body formed entirely of their writhing shapes. In this form, Belzin fights on. Tactics: Belzin’s first act is to fling his bowl of blood upon his enemies; the blood is at a mystical boil from the ritual. It deals 2d4 points of fire damage on a direct hit and splashes for 1d3 points of fire damage to all adjacent squares (DC 13 Reflex save avoids splash). It has a range increment of 10 feet.
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When the blood hits the ground (whether or not Belzin hit anyone with it), it rapidly cools and expands, spreading out across the floor until the combatants are wading in warm blood up to their ankles, splashing it about with every step. After flinging the blood, Belzin scampers backward, letting his kobolds close with the heroes. He casts protection from good on himself, then he either casts cause fear on a likely character (probably a fighter type) or enters melee. He prefers to go for characters with heavy armor (reasoning that they’ll have low touch ACs); he casts all his 1stlevel spells as inflict light wounds before swinging with his mace. He fights to the death, as do the Pissed Lizards. Note: This battle is the climax of Temple of Blood, and it should feel appropriately epic. Emphasize the cool, overthe-top aspects of the battle, like the insects on Belzin’s form piecing him back together with fast healing, the snarling, glowing lizard forms around the kobolds’ heads, the prisoners struggling and crying out, the warm blood swirling around the heroes’ ankles, and the torchlit, ruined temple sanctum. Make sure this confrontation feels like the climactic final battle in a great action movie. If the heroes are having too easy a time of it, more kobolds could charge in (they were on patrol). If the heroes easily eliminate Belzin the first time, maybe he’s tougher after his reincarnation — gaining greater damage reduction and a poisonous, ranged touch attack as scorpions fly from his arm. Of course, the players should feel in danger, but they should also, after a hard, awesome, and memorable fight, come out on top. That is more important than anything else. Development: The heroes can bring Belzin’s bowl to area 7 for an additional reward.
VICTORY! After the heroes defeat Belzin Darr, the adventure is over. The women are free, a little shaken up and in need of new clothes, but otherwise okay. The heroes earn the gratitude of the prisoners’ families, especially their grandfathers, who were indirectly responsible for their capture. The old knights are glad the temple’s evil has again been put to rest. The heroes may have struck out at the kidnapper thinking that the queen was in danger. Depending on where you (and your players) want the campaign to go from here, she may or may not be here.
know what happened to her, though, because Belzin didn’t bother to keep it a secret, and can tell the heroes where to go next. This ending is a good one if you want to send the heroes on another adventure right away — especially if that adventure is Rumble in the Wizard’s Tower, Wicked Fantasy Factory adventure #1, in which the heroes enter an old wizard’s tower, searching for the missing queen and intending to stop a warlord who plans to overthrow the kingdom!
¤ The queen could indeed be one of the trapped women. In this case, her grandfather was from a neighboring kingdom, and she married the king to secure a treaty. Her recent arrival in this kingdom was a stroke of good luck for Belzin — or maybe why he chose this time to instigate his plot. If the heroes rescue the queen, they gain friends in important places. ¤ The queen is not here, and none of the women knows about her. Her disappearance is unrelated to the kidnapping. ¤ The queen was here, but not because she had any connection to the knights who brought down the temple years ago; another villain simply contracted Belzin to kidnap her, knowing of his skill in such matters. The prisoners here
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4th–6th level), warband (10–24 plus 2–4 dire weasels), tribe (40–400 plus plus 100% noncombatants plus 1 3rdlevel sergeant per 20 adults, 1 or 2 lieutenants of 4th or 5th level, 1 leader of 6th–8th level, and 5–8 dire weasels)
APPENDIX 1: NEW MAGIC ITEM Rod of Dissolution: This rod is made of black glass; the handle is wrapped in red leather. When touched to an object or creature and the command word spoken, it casts disintegrate on that object. (12d6 damage; DC 19 Fort to reduce it to 5d6.) The rod of dissolution can be used once before its power is exhausted. Moderate transmutation; CL 11th; Craft Rod, disintegrate; Price 3,000 gp.
APPENDIX 2: NEW MONSTERS Pissed Lizard Kobold Pissed Lizard, 1st-Level Warrior Small Humanoid (Reptilian) Hit Dice:
1d8+2 (6 hp)
Initiative:
-2
Senses:
Listen +0, Spot +0; low-light vision
Speed:
20 ft. (4 squares) (hide armor — base 30 ft.)
Armor Class:
12 (+1 size, –2 Dex, +3 hide), touch 9, flat-footed 12
Immune:
—
Resist:
—
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+0 Attack:
Spear +5 melee (1d6+4/x3)
[+1 BAB +3 Str +1 size = +5]
14
Challenge Rating:
1/3
Loot:
Standard
Alignment:
Usually chaotic evil
Advancement:
By character class
Level Adjustment:
+0
This kobold looks royally pissed off. Painted tribal marking on its face depict a ferocious lizard face, with angled eyebrows and slitted eyes; these marking glow blood-red, and a flickering, snakelike tongue of light darts from the kobold’s mouth. It shouts incomprehensibly as it charges, froth flying from its mouth, bonestudded spear raised. The kobolds of the Pissed Lizards tribe are like normal kobolds, but much angrier. When they are newly hatched, shamans decorate their faces with magic paint that glows and grants power when the kobold is angry — which is most of the time. Pissed Lizards participate in other primal activities as well, such as piercing, ritual scarification, and tattoos.
COMBAT Pissed Lizards kobolds charge and attack indiscriminately. They have little patience for complex tactics (though they are smart enough to ambush prey and, on some occasions, capture instead of kill). They never retreat, considering cowardice worse than death. Lizard Rage: When a Pissed Lizard enters combat, he flies into a rage. The painted markings on his face burst into blood-red light. He gains a +2 bonus to Strength, a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, and a –2 penalty to Dexterity. He must charge and attack the nearest enemy. While raging, a Pissed Lizard cannot use ranged attacks or skills and is capable only of rudimentary shouting — usually incomprehensible. These effects are already figured into the above statistics, since the kobolds rage almost all the time. A Pissed Lizard can suppress this ability by making a DC 20 Will save.
Full Attack:
Spear +5 melee (1d6+4/x3)
Space/Reach:
5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:
Lizard rage
Special Qualities:
Light sensitivity
Saves:
Fort +4, Ref –2, Will +0
Abilities:
Str 17, Dex 7, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 6
Skills:
Hide +4, Move Silently +0
Feats:
Alertness
Environment:
Temperate forests
Light Sensitivity: Kobolds are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Organization:
Gang (4–9), band (10–100 plus 100% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 20 adults and 1 leader of
Skills: Since Pissed Lizards are always angry, they take a –2 penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Gather Information checks. They have a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
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The effects of lizard rage (except the morale bonus on Will saves) stack with those of a rage from another source, such as the barbarian class. When not in a lizard rage, a Pissed Lizard has the following statistics: PISSED LIZARD: Init –1, Spd 20 ft.; hp 6, AC 13, touch 10, flat-footed 13; Atk/Full Atk +4 melee (1d6+3/x3, spear).
The Pissed Lizard warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.
A walking wormling uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities, except as noted here. Size and Type:
The creature’s type changes to undead. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice:
Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.
Armor Class:
The vermin crawling on a walking wormling’s body act as living armor. A walking wormling has a +3 natural armor bonus or uses the base creature’s natural armor bonus, whichever is better.
Special Attacks:
A walking wormling retains all the special attacks of the base creature.
Special Qualities:
A walking wormling retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described below.
Challenge Rating: Pissed Lizards kobolds with levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to their character level –3.
PISSED LIZARD CHARACTERS Pissed Lizard characters possess the following racial traits. ¤ +2 Strength, –2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, –2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma. ¤ Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters. ¤ A Pissed Lizard’s base land speed is 30 feet. ¤ Low-light vision. ¤ Racial Skills: A Pissed Lizard character has a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks but a –2 penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Gather Information checks. ¤ Racial Feats: A Pissed Lizard character gains feats according to his character class. ¤ Special Attacks (see above): Lizard rage. ¤ Special Qualities (see above): Light sensitivity. ¤ Automatic Languages: Draconic. Bonus Languages: Common, Undercommon. ¤ Favored Class: Barbarian. ¤ Level adjustment +0.
Damage Reduction (Su): The vermin swarming over a walking wormling’s skin provide a cushion, absorbing the force of blows. A walking wormling has damage reduction 5/bludgeoning. Fast Healing (Su): The vermin on a walking wormling’s body piece it back together if it falls apart. A walking wormling has fast healing 1. Immune to Mind-Affecting Attacks (Ex): Though a walking wormling retains its intelligence, its mind fades away to something more insectile than human. It is immune to mind-affecting attacks. Rebuke Vermin (Su): A walking wormling can rebuke and command vermin as an evil cleric rebukes and commands undead. The walking wormling’s cleric level is equal to its Hit Dice for this purpose. Turn Resistance (Ex): A walking wormling has +4 turn resistance.
Walking Wormling Some who follow certain dark paths — those who blow the dust from sanity-blasting tomes, those who follow the God of Writhing Secrets — discover a way to extend their lives, but at the price of their humanity. They draw sustaining energy from the skittering creatures of the world: the roaches and spiders that outnumber humans by the millions; the creatures that will remain alive and thriving long after humankind has fallen to dust. The people who undergo this process waste away to desiccated corpses, their lives falling away, but remain alive. Horrid vermin of all sorts — beetles, roaches, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, locusts, and the like — cover their bodies, crawling over their skin and in their mouths and eyes. Most walking wormlings wear heavy robes to cover their forms and make sure not too many of the little beasts supplying their vitality escape.
Abilities:
Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2. As an undead creature, a walking wormling has no Constitution score.
Skills:
The transformation into a walking wormling fills a creature’s mind with forbidden knowledge. Walking wormlings gain a +8 racial bonus on Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (religion) checks. Otherwise, same as the base creature.
Environment:
Any land and underground.
Organization:
Solitary or coterie (1 walking wormling plus 2–5 giant vermin).
Challenge Rating:
Same as the base creature +1.
Treasure:
Same as the base creature.
Alignment:
Same as the base creature (which is usually evil).
Advancement:
By character class.
Level Adjustment:
Same as the base creature +1.
CREATING A WALKING WORMLING “Walking Wormling” is an acquired template that can be added to any intelligent creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
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This printing of Wicked Fantasy Factory #0: Temple of Blood is done under version 1.0 of the Open Gaming License, version 5 of the D20 System Trademark License, version 4 of the D20 System Trademark Logo Guide, and the System Reference Document by permission from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Subsequent printings will incorporate final versions of the license, guide and document. Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0: Any and all Wicked Fantasy Factory logos and identifying marks and trade dress; the terms “Finishing Move,” “Mooks,” “Phat Lewt,” and “Big Badass”; all proper nouns, monster names, NPC names, geographic terms, capitalized terms, italicized terms, artwork, maps, symbols, depictions, and illustrations, except such elements that already appear in the System Reference Document. Designation of Open Content: Subject to the Product Identity designation above, all NPC, creature, and trap statistic blocks are designated as Open Gaming Content, as well as all spell names, weapon statistics, and other elements that are derived from the System Reference Document. No art or illustration is open content. Some of the portions of this book which are delineated OGC originate from the System Reference Document and are copyright © 1999, 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The remainder of these OGC portions of these book are hereby added to Open Game Content and, if so used, should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE “Wicked Fantasy Factory #0: Temple of Blood, by Luke Johnson, Copyright 2007 Goodman Games (contact
[email protected], or see www.goodman-games.com)”. Wicked Fantasy Factory #0: Temple of Blood is copyright © 2007 Goodman Games. Dungeons & Dragons ® and Wizards of the Coast ® are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used with Permission. Open game content may only be used under and in the terms of the Open Game License. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 1.0. A copy of this license can be found at www.wizards.com. OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a) ”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. 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Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Rules Document Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Wicked Fantasy Factory #0: Temple of Blood, by Luke Johnson, Copyright 2007 Goodman Games (contact
[email protected], or see www.goodmangames.com)
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