Dragon Kill
Some men are not meant to be trusted
Dual Setting
I have made this adventure a dual setting so that it can be played with very minial alterations in the Spelljammer setting as well as any ground based campaign. The reason for the dual setting is due to the lack of Spelljammer adventures so I have though that I might create this as a spelljammer adventure as well as a ground based adventure so that I can use it for my game.
This adventure is designed for a party of about 9th level and it should contain a variety of classes. The group size is up to the DM but generally most adventures work well with between 4 to 6 players. Any larger groups tend to leave some of the players out. As mentioned before this adventure can be based in any world, though each section has been divided into two sections. All of the statistics can be found at the bottom of the adventure.
Upon and Ambush
Spelljammer
The player's ship is travelling through Wildspace when it suddenly slows down to tactical speed. As with most ships, the crew becomes battleready and they look out to see what the situation is. As the crew and the players scan the area they will notice a tradesman under attack by two Wasps. The wasps are manned by 10 bugbears each and one of the Wasps is commanded by a Scro. The Wasps work in unison and will attack individual so that only one can be attacked at a time.
Currently the Wasps straddle each side of the Tradesman and the Tradesman is severely damage. A fire is burning brutally on the deck and has all but destroyed the rigging and the weapons. Most of the crew are dead, the oxygen is completely fouled, and the spelljammer is in shock. The Tradesman has been defeated and the Wasps are moving in for the kill.
Fortunatly the Wasps have not noticed the PCs ship and thus will move in to board the ship and loot it. This gives the PCs an opportunity to launch a surprise attack. The ship which the scro commands flys a yellow flag with a green star in the centre and it is obvious that this is the command ship.
The Wasps are pirates who owe allegance to no one. The scro deserted the Goblinoid army after a rather shattering defeat and struck off on his own. The bugbears, who needed a strong leader, followed him. They now make a living raiding lone merchant ships and remaining as far away from IEN ships as possible. The Bugbears are exceedingly loyal to the Scro and will go to their death fighting for him.
The Tradesman is all but destroyed. It is carrying very little except a passanger who introduces himself as Prodotes. He tells the PCs that he was on a mission of vengeance when the Bugbears attacked and destroyed his ship. His lab has been mostly destroyed, but some vials remain intact, including a vial of dragon blood.
Ground Based
The PCs are travelling through the wilderness when they hear the sounds of fighting ahead. Depending on the terrain, they may or may not be able to see ahead. Unless they are in the desert, they come upon a carriage that is being attacked by a band of Bugbears. The Bugbears hid in a thicket and laid a pit across the path. As the carriage came along, the horses hit the pit at high speed and broke their legs. The horses are now useless and will be killed either way (unless healed by a Cleric. A Cure Serious Wounds is needed to heal the horses. There are four horses). The coach skidded to a halt and smashed a couple of its wheels, and while the drivers were stunned, the bugbears lept out and attacked.
The coach guards gave a good fight, but are now mostly beaten. The bugbears are preparing to open the carriage and kill the occupant and steal whatever is inside. It is at this time when the PCs arrive. The PCs should be able to have surprise as the Bugbears are concentrating on the battle and will not even hear a guy in full plate approach. The occupant of the carriage can defend himself, but will not when he sees the PCs approach.
The Bugbears are led by a very intelligent Goblin. The Goblin brought them together and is now using them as a bandit force. These Bandits lie in ambush along the roads and attack lone coaches. They steal the money and live in relative luxury. The goblin remains out of the battle and will flee if it looks like the Bugbears are loosing. The Bugbears fight to the death as the Goblin has convinced them that they are unbeatable.
The man, when rescued, introduces himself as Prodotes and says that he is on a mission of vengeance when his coach was ambushed. He is carrying very little except for a large chest on the roof of the carriage which holds his lab equipment. Most of it was destroyed in the crash, but a vial of dragon's blood remains. This he keeps for himself, refusing to allow anybody else to partake.
The Story (and the Truth)
This story is the same for both versions. Prodotes says that he is a lowly apprentice that served a kind and loving master mage. This mage took him from the streets of a city and raised him as a son. Then one day a vicious dragon, who was seeking his master because his master had some potent spells, attacked and killed him and stole the spells. Because these spells that the dragon took are quite dangerous, Prodotes has decided that it is his duty to retrieve them. Thus he gathered a band of adventurers together and is now searching for the dragon. He knows were the dragon is and was on his way to defeat it when they were ambushed and his companions killed. Now that he is alone he asks the PCs if they could help him by joining up with him to defeat this dragon. He tells the PCs that the dragon has a horde that he will share with the PCs. Prodotes has a map to the dragon and will lead the PCs there.
The truth is not what Prodotes says. In fact nothing that Prodotes says is true except for the ambush. Prodotes is not an apprentice but a powerful mage. If the PCs attempt to detect his falsehood they will fail as he has an undetectable lie and undetectable Alignment cast upon him. He cast these spells before he confronted the PCs knowing that they probably would not trust him.
Prodotes, while searching through an old Library, discovered a tome in which was the instructions for becoming a dragon. Prodotes, knowing that this would be a very big advantage, decided to follow up on it. He discovered that what it involved though was killing a dragon and taking its place. To do that he needed the blood of a shapeshifter, and the powered brains of an illithid. These things he has (and were not destroyed). All he needed to do now was to find and kill the dragon and take its heart so that the ritual might be complete. Then all he needs to do is to use these ingrediants in a Polymorph Self spell to become a full dragon.
Prodotes plans of finding a Gold Dragon, and he knows where there is one, and killing it so that he might take all of its powers. He plans on telling the PCs (and the other adventurers) that the Gold Dragon had been corrupted and that is why it had turned evil. Prodotes is himself evil and does not particularly care about anything. He had a lot of problems with the lords of the land from which he came from and plans to return there as a dragon and utterly destroy the place. He has no plans after that, but he knows that as a dragon, nobody is going to insult him again.
Land of the Dragon
Spelljammer
The map that Prodotes has is a set a calculations which leads to an asteroid. This can be in a huge asteroid belt or among a few free floating asteroids, but one of the challenges is that the location is not exactly acurate. The dragon, named Philophulakos, is an ancient Gold Dragon who lives on the asteroid and protects a nearby trading colony. What is on the other asteroids is up to the DM, but the two major asteroids for this adventure is the trading Asteroid, named Emporos, and the asteroid on which the dragon dwells.
Emporos
Emporos is a small asteroid which services the miners who live on this and other asteroids. The asteroid has a large lake in its centre which allows food to be grown, but the water is not enough to sustain life. Thus the colony must purchase water from merchants. The colony is sustained by heavy mining which is conducted on Emporos and the surrounding asteroids. The mines produce gold, silver, and electrum, and the ships that come from Emporos are easy prey for pirates. Fortunately, a Gold Dragon lives in a nearby asteroid and keeps the spaceways clear of all such activity.
Emporos has two sides and a huge lake fills a hole in the centre. Technically Emporos is a donut shaped asteroid, but the lake hides this. The top side has a few farms and the main colony where all of the trade is done while the bottom is mostly farms.
The population of Emporos is a mixture between Humans and Dwarves. Dwarves work in the mines on Emporos and the outlying asteroids while humans till the land for food and handle all of the business in Emporos. A smattering of gnomes who help the dwarves with building machines and look after the pump that feed the water to the farms, are also found on Emporos. Emporos is not an adventurers haven and thus not many are found here.
The people of Emporos love the dragon. He is their protector for if it was not for the dragon then pirates would have taken over this wealthy asteroid feild long ago. The people make ornaments for the dragon out of their minerals and give it to him for a gift. The people of Emporos are an untrusting lot though and will be very reluctant to reveal the location of the dragon.
Emporos is ruled by the dock owners, three human merchants that make all of the dealings with the outside. They run a communist state in which they send food to the mines in return for the ore and they sell the ore in return for goods from the outside. The owners are 0 level humans with good administration skills and good charisma. The names of the owners are Halacath, Mykide, and Jebrik.
1) Docks
This is where all of the merchant ships come to trade with Emporos. There are usually one to two tradesmen here and they have just off loaded water into the lake and are now picking up crates of ore. There are four wasps which are used to transport ore from the mines to Emporos and to transport food to the mines. There is also a large squidship that is capable of landing on land. The squid ship belongs to the owners who travel to Philophulakos with their offerings. The squidship is commanded by Kubynates, the captain, and has a crew compliment of 20 sailors. The local priest of Ptah helms the squidship. The Wasps are crewed by the sailors of the squidships and the priest's acolytes helm them.
The docks also serve as the generalstore. Goods are not paid for by residents of the asteroid, but the owners do charge high prices for outsiders. Most of the equipment available is for farming and thus weapons and armour need to be specially made, which is not likely as the smiths have better things to make.
2) Lake
This lake is where all of the asteroid's fresh water comes from. The water is quite clean is constantly restocked as merchants bring water in to trade for minerals. The water is pumped from the lake by a gnomish steampump to the farms around the asteroid and the town for drinking and watering crops. All of the water ends up back here after it has been purified. The water tastes quite bland but it is enough to keep the people on the asteroid alive.
As this is their only water source, it is highly illegal to swim in it (and as can be expected poison it). People who hang around the lake a little to long are immediately treated as suspicious and are arrested and brought before the Owners. Punishments can range from simple fines, to community service, to death.
3) Gold Rock Inn
This inn is quite luxurious by the standards of most outposts. It is made of stone and quite strong. Most of the interior is stone though the upstairs bedrooms have wooden beds. The interior has been decorated with gold, sliver, and platinum ornaments, as they are cheap within the asteroid field. Contrasting the interior decoration is the menu. Meat products are incredibly expensive as most livestock has to be imported. There are numerous grain products but these are also expensive. The Inn brews its own ale but spirits and wines are also imported.
The owner of the bar is a male Halfling named Jebek. He runs the inn with his wife Krinlar. Jebek is a cheerful person who is always willing to chat with people. He is very free with his words and tends not to think about what he says. He is very willing to spill information and thus is never trusted with secrets. Krinlar on the otherhand is a very suspicious woman who spends her time making sure Jebek doesn't say anything that he is not suposed to. Krinlar is a musician and entertains the patrons with her piano playing and her juggling of rocks (which she will throw at Jebek is it looks as if he is going to open his mouth).
4) Temple of Ptah
This spartan stone building in where the priests of Ptah worship. The High Priest and four acolytes are quartered here in barren rooms and offer their services to the town. The High Priest is a specialty priest of Ptah while the acolytes are simple clerics. As such the acolytes offer minor healing to the townsfolk and are called in when disease aflicts individuals. The High Priest is the main spelljammer of the asteroids and is an excellant navigator. He is the person who is the closest to Philophulakos and knows the dragon intimately. Thus he is able to pick out the specific traits of the dragon.
The acolytes are spending their time here in anticipation of becoming priests of Ptah. When the High Priest deems that they have achieved the status they will be allowed to leave and when that happens, new acolytes come in to spend their time serving the asteroid. The High Priest is also the wiseman of the asteriods so he has become the arbitrator in conflicts between people and the decisions of the Owners.
5) Farms
These stone shacks are where human farmers live. They own five acre plots of land around the farms which are watered by the lake and grow various crops, though mostly wheat and corn. One farm grows vegetables while another grows exclusively barely and hops. The farmhouses are quite bare as the farmers tend not to purchase much, though they do have numerous farming implements and maybe a battle axe of a scythe.
6) Refinery
This huge factory is run by gnomes. The dwarves mine the ore and the gnomes refine it and either sell it or make it into tools. A large blacksmith is included in the refinery where four apprentices work under the eye of a huge man name Frogor. Frogor was once a warrior but he retired and has become a blacksmith. He still has all of his equipment from his adventuring days. Frogor is the warleader of the asteroids in times of crisis as he is the most experienced.
The Refinery is incredibly hot and steamy and crowded. The gnomes hate people wondering through the place who are not supposed to be present and will insist that all intruders leave. If they refuse then they call of Frogor who is much more insistant.
Ground Based
The map that Prodotes has leads the PCs to the village of Springhead in a mountainous region. The village is quite remote and is not under the direct protection of any ruler and has no lord or baron residing over it. Springhead is not on any major road and thus does not benifit or is involved in any trade. The people of Springhead are able to look after themselves and know little of what happens beyond their lands. The isolation of Springhead makes it a ripe target for humanoids and bandits except that it is under the protection of the Gold Dragon Philophulakos. The map does not show the exact location of Philophulakos' lair, but it does lead the PCs to the village where they can learn more about it.
Springhead
Springhead is a small village of 100 people. Most of the population are farmers that live on the outskirts of the village, but there is a lumberjack, a carpenter, an oreminer, and a blacksmith. These people look after the general structure of the village and are supported by the farmers. The village is ruled by a council of 5 people selected every year from among the oldest. To sit on the council one must be over the age of 60. They deal with the day to day running of the village, though the entire village comes together in times of trouble.
The village boasts a public house which has a couple of spare rooms for those who pass through, though they tend not to have many visitors. The people of Springhead are very suspicious of strangers and tend to eye them very suspiciously "Yer a stranger in dese parts". Any problems are always blamed upon the strangers. The villagers are not hostile, they are just very suspicious.
The villagers absolutely love Philophulakos as he is their protector. As such they treat people asking questions about the gold dragon with great suspicion. They believe that all people who want to find dragons want to kill them because as far as they know Philophulakos is the only good dragon in existance. They also fear that Philophulakos might draw a huge band of vengeful people to destroy that town so they vehemently deny his existance. If people to ask too many questions about Philophulakos, they will send a messanger to the dragon warning him of possible danger. As such Philophulakos has time to prepare his defenses.
1) Town Hall
This large building dominates the village of Springhead. It is the biggest building in the village and the only other building, other than the smithy, that is made of stone. This building serves a number of purposes. First the council meets in an upstairs room in this building and when a village meeting is called, the entire village meets in the hall. The hall also serves as a tavern and a public space. The villagers all congregate in here after dark and this space is also used for weddings and other parties.
There are also four rooms upstairs which are used for people who need somewhere to sleep. The innkeeper, and crotechy old man named Bruke rents these rooms out cheaply, 1sp per night. He also gives inhabitants a hot meal but no bath. Bruke is single and has no children. He never married and always wants company. If strangers come to town, he is always the first to meet with them and talk to them. Bruke used to be an adventurer but settled down in Springhead after a while. He still wants to know what is going on outside and loves to listen. When strangers are not around, he tells the villagers stories. He is quite open and knows about the dragon. He will tell the PCs where the dragon is as he knows that people don't tend to kill Gold Dragons. If the PCs tell him why they are there then he will attempt to stop them, and even warn Philophulakos.
2)Smithy
This is the other stone building in this village. The smithy, Dandor is a strong man and has lived in Springhead all of his life. He was taught the trade of the smithy by his father and he now teaches his son the trade. He is very good at what he does but does not know how to make weapons. He makes farming equipment and other specific objects but not weapons. His father did know how to make exquist weapons and Dandor now has a Katana in his possession, which his father made. His father never got around to teaching Dandor how to make the katana so the secret has died with him. Dandor is not too intelligent and any smart person can fool him. Dandor knows where Philophulakos lives as he is always making presents for the dragon.
3) Carpenter
The carpenter, a dwarf named Makel, works tirelessly fixing up houses and building new ones. He cuts trees into lumber and then cuts them down to the size that is needed. Makel is a dour fellow who adventured for a little while only to become sick of all the death so he retired to the village. He hates violence, though is capable in defending himeself. Makel is not a normal dwarf as he has a bit of a temper. He knows this and that is why he spends most of his time alone. He does not really associate with people as he knows that he is liable to become enraged easily.
4) Ore Mine
This ore mine is operated by a dwarf named Ruby and five gnomes. The mine is quite active and quite an amount of ore comes from it. Ruby knows a lot about mining and moved here because of the abundant raw materials that he can mine. He is not interested in profit as gold and silver are also abundant in the mine. Rather he mines because he loves it.
Ruby knows Philophulakos and is on good terms with the dragon. Philophulakos has given him a magical axe after Ruby made a gold minature of the dragon. Though Ruby is a minor, he is quite skilled in using the axe and will not be afraid to defend the dragon or the village.
5) Druid Grove
Dendron is the villages healer. He spends most of his time hidden away in the woods next to the town but is always ready to come to the towns aid. He believes that Nature rules supreme and encourages the village to use nature, not abuse her. He tends to come to blows with the lumberjacks quite freqently as they seem to have no feelings for the trees that they cut down.
The grove is a thinly wooded area in the forest. Thick prickled bushes surround the grove so there is only one way in. It is very difficult to force one's way through the bushes and will cause 1d8 hp damage and make lots of noise alerting anybody in the grove. The grove in inhabitted by Dendron's pets, four Sabre-Tooth Tigers.
To Find the Dragon
It should be difficult, but not impossible, for the PCs to find the location of the dragon as the villagers consider the dragon to be their protector. Most of the villagers know approximately where the dragon is but only the leaders of the village know exactly. The PCs can either go and search in the area for the dragon's lair, which takes between 1-10 days and alerts Philophulakos to their presence, or they can wait. There are a couple of ways that the PCs can find the dragon.
The leaders make occasional trips to the dragon's lair. The PCs will learn of this by listening to conversations around the town. The leader will be going there a day after the PCs arrive. The PCs can follow the leader to the lair and watch exactly how the leader enters. There is a possibility on the leader noticing the PCs depending on what precautions the PCs take so as not to get noticed.
The dragon also flies around to stretch and simply to explore. Though Philophulakos sleeps a lot, he does go out so as to make sure the village or asteriod is okay and to simply explore. The dragon will fly over the village one day and then return to its lair. The PCs, seeing this, will be able to follow Philophulakos back to his lair. Though the dragon enters the lair through a different entrance, they can find the approximate location leaving the PCs with a lot less time (that is one day) to find the entrance.
Philophulakos' Lair
Both lairs are the same inside, but the outside is quite different.
Spelljammer
The Spelljammer lair is on an asteroid. One side of the asteroid has the opening which is hidden by a permenant illusuion while on the otherside is a smooth ledge where the ships can land. The ledge is hard to spot from a distance and PCs need to search hard (1 in 10 chance of finding it every hour) or watch some other ship approach it. There are plenty of asteroids around so the PCs are able to watch from a distance without being spotted. Once the ledge is spotted it is very visible and cannot be missed again.
Ground Base
The lair of Philophulakos is in a huge mountain. The peak of the mountain is a permenant illusion which hides the exit that Philophulakos uses in his dragon form. The other entreance is on a ledge at the top of a path. The main path runs through the valley below and follows a stream bed. It comes to an end at a waterfall. The path that leads up to the ledge is hidden among bushes and is very difficult to spot (treat as a secret door). If the PCs are following somebody then they will know that they turned off the track somewhere even though they do not know where. The villagers turning off of the track will indicate that there is a secret path somewhere.
1) Ledge
This narrow ledge is the entrance to Philophulakos' lair that the humans use. An illusionary wall hides the cave and cannot be seen at a casual glance. The only way of knowing how to find it is described above. The ledge on the asteroid is large enough to land two spelljamming ships on it.
The entrance is unguarded unless the representatives have come to visit Philophulakos. If so, then four fighters stand guard at the entrance. They hide inside the illusionary wall so that they cannot be spotted from afar. They will watch intruders if they look around the ledge, but will only attack if they step through the wall. Two guards strike out from behind receiving ambush and surprise bonuses as will as AC reductions. Another two guards hide on a ledge above and shoot arrows down upon the intruders. The ledge can be reached by climbing the rock wall. The guards have vials of oil which they will pour down the walls if PCs try to climb it, and they will set fire to it then.
2) Philophulakos' Exit
This is the huge exit that Philophulakos uses. Like the other cave, this one is also covered by an illusionary wall. The only one who knows where this cave is is Philophulakos because he can see through all of his own illusions. Philophulakos is pretty confident that nobody else can see this exit so he has no other defenses there.
3) Dragonface
At this T-junction a large stone dragonhead has been carved into the wall. The stonework is pretty shoddy but the details are there. The mouth of the dragon is open and a hole can be seen going in. Unfortunatly there is a pressure pad in the tunnel coming in from the entrance. Anybody stepping on this pressure pad will activate the trap. The pad can be avoided by walking around it as there is a path along the wall. PCs purposely hugging the wall will avoid it, other wise they will step on it. The party from the village know that the pressure pad is there and avoid it.
The pad causes sleeping gas to pour out of the dragon's mouth out to a radius of 40' (filling up the tunnel areas). The gas will put anybody inhaling it into a deep sleep unless a saving throw vs spells is made. The sleep is identical to that of the sleep spell. The save must be made every round that the PC is in the sleep cloud.
4) Room of Elementals
This room is a dead end. It is a large cave and it appears to be mostly disused. The villagers do not come into this room because they know that it does not lead to Philophulakos. When the room is entered, three earth elementals rise. One covers the exit while the other two stand before it. To get to the elemental over the door the first two must be destroyed. The Elementals do not attack, though they will defend themselves if attacked. They have been commanded to imprison anybody entering the room, so that is what they do.
After three hours, Philophulakos will enter the room and question the inhabitants. He will not reveal himself as the dragon, but rather as Jurg, the dragon's protege. He is in human form so it is not evident. He will determine if the PCs are hostile or not, and what they want. He will not deny the PCs anything. If they are hostile then Philophulakos will order the elementals to take them away. The elementals will then engulf the PCs and take them on a trip through the earth and dump them 100 miles away from the village. As there are three elementals, the PCs will be taken to three different places.
5) Cavern Maze
This is a huge maze of twisting caverns. There is a strange magic on these caverns, they cannot be mapped. They seem to always twist and turn, and all markers left are mysteriously removed. The maze itself doesn't change but it appears to because of the illusions that have been placed on it. This is so that intruders are not able to get further into the lair. The villagers know how to get through.
6) Maze exit
This is like the rest of the maze except the illusion is not here as it is elsewhere. The east wall is illusionary, but the caverns are not. All markers and footprints remain here, thus when people enter this cavern there is the chance that they will notice that there are a lot of footprints on the ground, and any markers that they have left will be here.
7) False Dragon
This large cavern appears to be the cavern in which the dragon dwells. It appears huge and there is a lot of treasure in here. The illusion is only as big as the room and anything taken from it will disappear. The illusion is very powerful meaning that it is difficult to detect. The noticable thing is that Philophulakos does not speak, rather he roars. When the dragon is killed, it will stay dead and the componants may be removed, it is just that when the room is exited they will dissappear. Also, all of the exits are small, meaning that it is impossible for the dragon to leave without shrinking.
8) Fire Wierd Room
This room is dominated by three pillars of lava which fall from holes in the roof and through holes in the floor. The lava is liquid, free-flowing, and incredibly hot. Each of the pillars of lava contain a fire wierd. The fire wierd is exactly the same as the water wierd except that it is from the element plane of fire. The fire wierds block the way forward and only attack if they are attacked or if intruders try to push their way through.
9) Cavern of illusion
This cavern is another of Philophulakos' famous illusions. The illusion creates what appears to be a long curving passage. In reality the PCs are simply walking round in circles, but it appears that it is an endlessly curving passage. This is the way the villagers travel and the way they get out of this trap is to step through the outer wall at a set distance. If the PCs step through the inner wall then they will find themselves in the middle of the cavern and will see through the illusion, but stepping back will put them back in the illusion. Once the illusion has been entered then the PCs will not be able to backtrack their way out.
10) Lava Bank
This is the south bank of the river of lava. The river, as it cannot be jumped, runs across the cavern and on the other side is Philophulakos. The river of lava is 20' wide and the opposite bank is 10' higher than the southern bank. Once this room is entered, a light will turn on behind them illuminating the room. This light may seem like a convinence for the PCs but in reality it is designed to alert Philophulakos to the presence of intruders. As the villagers do not come this way, anybody in this room must be an intruder.
11) Waterfall
A wall of water covers the end of this corridor. The wall is a water fall but it is magical. When the water hits the ground, it is teleported back to the top and it falls again. The teleport only teleports the water and not anybody else. The waterfall makes some beautiful music, but if it is stepped through then it disrupts the music alerting Philophulakos.
This waterfall is more like a door bell than an alarm as the villagers will pass through her. The music disrupting tells Philophulakos that somebody has come through the proper entrance and he is ready to meet them. It is more friendly and will be less anticipating attack. Even though, unless it is the villagers, he is still quite wary.
12) Dragon Room: Phil sitting in middle of room
This large cavern is where Philophulakos lives. Unlike most dragons, Philophulakos has less of a love for treasure as they do. He does have treasure but that is in his room to the north. Instead Philophulakos sleeps of a large mound of moss, which he finds to be much more comfortable than coins.
The room is beautiful. Water falls from the heights making beautiful crystaline river and lava rivers illuminate the room with a beautiful red glow. Crystals adorn the wall and they reflect the light creating some beautiful gleams. There are also numerous underground mosses and ferns growing from the walls and the floor creating a beautiful garden. The moss across the ground makes it quite slippery forcing a dex check every round when any strenuous activity (such as fighting) is performed. The moss, as well as being designed to please Philophulakos, is also there as a defense. Being a four legged creature, Philophulakos is much more steadier on the ground than others.
Philophulakos, when fighting in this room, is very conscious of the fact that he might ruin it somehow. This is something that he does not want to do and thus will not use his firebreath unless it seems that he will lose. He is also very careful not to ruin his plants, but in combat situations, this does not matter. Philophulakos' weakness is this room for he is more concerned about its beauty than his life. When it seems that he will die then he will fight viciously, but is very careful otherwise. Even though the gems in the wall are worthless, it took him a lifetime to build this place.
13) Treasure Room
This is where Philophulakos stores his treasure. He is very ordered and there is no loose treasure lying about. Instead it is all stored in chests. The keys are actually Philophulakos' claws and his ten claws fit one of each of the chests. The chests are lined along the wall on a shelf. The chests have been stacked and pushed togeather and to open them they must be removed. Though Philophulakos does not really need any protection, he has four Phycomids guarding this room. The Phycomids grow in the corners of the room, and are not seen at a glance unless looked for. If anybody other than Philophulakos approaches the chest then the Phycomids attack.
The chests contain the following:
Chest 1: This chest is made of wood and has no trap. It is rather heavy though as it contains 7000 sp. Philophulakos likes silver and thus never got rid of any of them.
Chest 2: This Chest is iron bound and if picked and the trap is activated, a large sleep cloud will pour out of the hold and fill the room. The cloud disperses in 1/2 an hour but during that time a saving throw vs spells must be made every round or fall asleep. This chest is full of gems and they are the following: 5 Azurites (10gp), 2 Malachites (10gp), 2 Bloodstones (50gp), 2 Amethysts (100gp), 3 Coral (100gp), 1 jet (100gp), 4 Peridots (500gp), 1 Topaz (500gp), 1 Black Opal (1000gp), 1 Fire Opal (1000gp). Also in this chest are two leather sacks. One contains 7 gp and the other contains 20 pp.
Chest 3: This is an iron bound chest with an intricated lock (-20% to pick). Inside it is lined with cushioned velvet but is empty.
Chest 4: This is an unlocked wooden chest that contains nails, screws, and other tools.
Chest 5: This is an iron chest that has a poison needle that puts the victum to sleep if a save vs poison is failed. The chest contains 40 large yellow grapefruits. The grapefruit is magical and if eaten they restore 3d8 hps.
Chest 6: This is also an iron bound chest and like chest 5, also has a poison needle. This chest contains 6 gold goblets with silver etchings. Each of the goblets are worth 600gp.
Chest 7: This chest is locked intrically (-20% to pick locks) and is lined with velvet inside. This chest contains a vase with ancient paintings of warriors, wizards, and gods on it. The vase is valued at 1000gp.
Chest 8: This chest is full of other objects of art. Like the others, it is locked and it has a shock trap. If picked, an electric shock does 3d6 hp of damage to the thief. Inside the chest are 6 silver spoons, 6 silver knives, and 6 silver forks (100gp each). There are also 6 gold plates (400gp) with carvings of dragons around the rim. On top of all of this is a gold neck chain with a Fireopal inset (500gp) and a Topaz broach (500gp).
Chest 9: This chest is also locked and has a fire trap. The fire traps causes 3d6 hp of damage and also destroys the scrolls inside. In the chest are 6 ivory tubes in which are 6 scrolls. The scrolls are the following: Protection from Genies, scroll of communication, Scroll with 7 wizard spells (Alteration), Scroll with 5 wizard spells (Abjuration) and they can be used twice, Scroll of Protection from Fire, and a Scroll of Four wizard spells (illusion).
Chest 10: This chest is double locked with intricate locks (-20%). They are also trapped with shock traps doing 3d6 hp of damage. Inside the chest are magic items. A box with contains a parchment of self protection, which explodes in a 10' ball lighting doing 5d10 hp of damage. The parchment otherwise appears to be a parchment of looping (pg 803 ME2), a 2 small vials containing Nolzar's Wonderful Pigment, A suit of chain armour +4, a jade case containing a wand of corridors, and a small velvet box containing a ring of water adaption.
Killing Philophulakos
When the PCs confront Philophulakos they should have Prodotes with them. Prodotes will use all of his powers to defeat Philophulakos. Philophulakos sees straight into him, and unlike the PCs most of the dragons energy will be focused on destroying Prodotes. This is the dragon's weakness for the PCs are also fighting him, and the dragon realises that the PCs have been misled but cannot do anything about it. If Philophulakos kills Prodotes then he will attempt to calm the PCs down and try to show them that they have been misguided. He will even ask them to cast Detect Lies and Know Alignments to prove that he had nothing to do with destroying Prodotes' master. If the PCs listen the Philophulakos will forgive them and ask them to leave. He will not help the PCs in anyway, nor will he tolerate the PCs remaining in the village. He will encourage the PCs to leave quietly, and if they do not then he will become vicious. The same thing will happen if the PCs continue to fight.
If the PCs do kill Philophulakos and Prodotes is killed as well, then they will receive a very hostile reception from the villagers. They will be arrested, stripped of all of their belongings, and left to die of starvation chained to a remote mountain or asteroid. If Philophulakos has exiled them then the villagers will refuse to help the PCs and force them out of the village or off the asteroid. If the PCs refuse to leave then they will become violent, calling on Philophulakos for assistance.
If Prodotes wins, which is the desirable outcome, then he begins his plan to turn into the dragon. He requests that the PCs guard the room because the ritual is complicated and if he is disturbed it could cause some disasterous results. If the PCs ask him what he is doing then he replies that he must bind the dragon's soul to the netherworld or it will return and wreck much greater damage on the world. He explains that the dragon's soul is really a powerful demon that takes the form of good creatures and he must make sure that the demon still returns. For that he must not be disturbed.
The ritual takes three days in which Prodotes creates a cocoon and transforms into a dragon. When the transformation is complete he emerges as Philophulakos in his form. If the PCs ask the dragon what happened to Prodotes then he will explain everything, blast the PCs with his fire breath and fly off. Prodotes knows that the villagers will support him so he will head there first.
Wrath of the villagers.
Podotes' plain is to destroy the PCs by sending the villagers up against them, and then enslave them. He will fly to the village (or asteroid) and explain to them that the PCs tried to kill him so that they could take over the village and enslave them. This will anger the villagers and they will set out with the explicit purpose to kill them. Prodotes will go with them and fight with them.
The tricky situation is that the villagers are good and are only fighting because they believe that their livelihoods are in danger. As such fighting and killing the villagers will fare badly on the PCs. Even if they win, and kill Prodotes, word will travel across the countryside and they will be branded as evil. People they come across will believe them to be wicked and either flee. Adventurers will seek to slay them and warrents will be issued for their arrest. As news doesn't travel too fast, the PCs can travel out of the region, but they will not be able to return for the retribution is fierce.
Thus the PCs will need to covince the villagers that they are the good guys and that the dragon is the villian, which is a difficult thing to do. It is possible for Prodotes has his own body, and the body of Philophulakos is still around. The problem is that Prodotes knows that the PCs might use Philophulakos as evidence and thus is buring it in the great cavern, but he doesn't start that until he has fully transformed for he needs the body as part of the ritual. Clever plans to reveal Prodotes' nature should be rewarded.
As a dragon, Prodotes recieves all of the dragon's powers, but he retains his spellcasting ability. Thus he takes Philophulakos' form, but also is able to use all of the spells that he was previously able to use. Prodotes should be a formidable foe.
Finishing the Adventure
If the PCs manage to defeat Prodotes, and this should be done with the aid of the villagers, then they have won. The problem is that the did kill the villagers' protector and they are not at all happy with that. This means that the village is prey for pirates and bandits for they no longer have a dragon to help them. The PCs will be exiled for their deed and Paladins will need to atone as well. All good characters will realised that they have committed an evil act and, even though they were decieved, they still need to atone for it. The villagers are not forgiving and will not allow the PCs back unless they can bring Philophulakos back for them. This is a possible ongoing quest for the PCs could go out and find a way of ressurecting a dragon, or even seeking out another guardian for the village. Even if they do find one, they will still be treated very coldly.
Now that the dragon is gone, the village, or asteroid, suffers pirate attacks. The manage to fight them off, but the come under the rule of a nearby kingdom, or pirate lord. Within a year the villagers will become serfs and be forced to work for a dispicable lord. Even if the PCs return to liberate the village, unless the become the village's protectors, which is difficult considering the villagers hate them, they will not be able to stop the village from being dominated. Such is life.
Statistics
Taylored NPCs
Bruke (Bard)
St: 10, Dx: 15, Cn: 8, In: 13, Wi: 12, Ch: 17
AC 5, Mv 12, Lvl 8, hp 58, Thac0 17, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 3000
Wear Wellmade Leather Armour (+1), Shield
weild Longsword +2 Singer (Thac0 15, Da 1-8+2, Singing: opponant save vs spells or distracted and gains -2 to hit)
2 Daggers (Da 1-4, rng 1/2/3)
carries 1-20gp in assorted coins, Flute, book of stories, spellbook
Spells: 3/3/1 (Spells are bardic and require instrument to cast)
Spells: Read/Detect Magic, Audible Glamour, Comprehend Languages, Charm Person, Phantasmal Force, Taunt; Mirror Image, Spectral Hand, Stinking Cloud, Irritation; Non-detection, Spectral Force, Suggestion
Bruke is described in location 1 in Springhead.
Chief Priest of Ptah
St: 8, Dx: 10, Cn: 12, In: 16, Wi: 17, Ch: 12
AC 2, Mv 9, Lvl 10, hp 74, Thac0 14, AT 1, Da Weapon, MR 50%, xp 8000
Wear Excellent Plate Armour +1
weild Fauchard-Fork +2 Light Bringer (Thac0 12, Da 1-8+2, Continual Light at will, Blindness 1/day)
carries Painting set, Prayer book, Holy Symbol of Ptah
Spells: 6/6/4/3/2
Spheres: All, Astral, Charm, Creation, Divination, Elemental, Summoning, Sun, Travellers; Healing, Law.
Powers: Teleport 1/day, Teleport without Error 1/day
Dendron (Druid)
St: 9, Dx: 12, Cn: 14, In: 13, Wi: 17, Ch: 15
AC 7, Mv 12, Lvl 8, hp 53, Thac0 16, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 6000
Wear Leather Armour & Wooden Sheild
weild Scimitar +2 Protector of Woods (Thac0 14, Da 1-8+2, Plant Growth 3/day, Pass Plant 1/day)
Sickle (Da 1-4)
carries Mistletoe, pouch of healing herbs, Potion of Animal Control
Spells: 5/5/4/2
Spheres: All, Animal, Elemental, Healing, Plant, Weather; Divination
Powers: +2 save vs fire, Indentify Plants & Animals, Pass without trace, Immunity to Charm Spells by woodland creatures, Shapechange
Frogor (Fighter)
St: 18/56, Dx: 14, Cn: 17, In: 8, Wi: 9, Ch: 7
AC 0, Mv 9, Lvl 8, hp 81, Thac0 11, AT 3/2, Da Weapon, xp 3000
Wear Excellent Plate Armour, Shield +2
weild Bastard Sword +2 Deathbringer (Thac0 8, Da 1-8+7, AT 2, DD 18/19/20)
4 Daggers (Da 1-4+3)
Longbow (rng 7/14/21, Da 1-6)
carries Whetstone, 20 Flight Arrows, Skin of Beer, Potion of Extra-Healing
Makel (Battlerager)
St: 18/91, Dx: 13, Cn: 17, In: 5, Wi: 7, Ch: 13
AC 0, Mv 9, Lvl 6, hp 59, Thac0 13, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 2000
Wear Dwarven Plate Armour, Shield +1
weild Battleaxe (Thac0 12, Da 1-8+6, AT 3/2)
Warhammer (Thac0 12, Da 1-4+6, AT 3/2)
carries Skin of Gutbuster, Bottle of Dwarven Spirits
Powers: Beserk at will (takes 5 rnds though)
Philophulakos, Very Old Gold Dragon
AC -9, Mv 12/Fl 40(C)/Jp 3/Sw 12(15), HD 21, hp 150, Thac0 -1, AT 3+sp, Da 1-10/1-10/6-36, +9 damage, MR 55%, Sz G(120') xp 17,000
Cast spells as a 20th lvl Wizard
Breath Weapon: Fire Cone (18d12+9)
Cloud of Chlorine Gase (18d12+9)
Water Breathing, Immune to Fire and Gas, Speak with Animals, Polymorph Self 3/day, Bless 3/day, Detect Lie 3/day, Animal Summoning 1/day, Luck Bonus 1/day, Detect gems 3/day, Quest 1/day
Spells: Sleep, Colour Spray, Hypnotism, Read Dragon Magic; Stinking Cloud, Tasha's Laughter, Evards Black Tentacles; Hold Person, Wraithform, Slow; Fireshield, Stone Skin; Wall of Iron, Cloudkill; Command, Cure Light Wounds.
Philophulakos is a Gold Dragon who defends the town (or asteroid). He is a pacifist and always tries to negotiate. If he knows that somebody is evil, or the town that he has sworn to defend is attacked then he shows no mercy. When fighting he does not fight to kill unless it looks as if he is going to die himself. He knows the extent of his powers and seeks not to use them to dominate. He is more likely to incapacitate his enemies and them move them to a place away from where he is. If they continue to come back then Philophulakos will be ruthless in his attacks.
Prodotes (Wizard)
St: 11, Dx: 14, Cn: 8, In: 19, Wi: 14, Ch: 16
AC 0, Mv 12, Lvl 16, hp 42, Thac0 15, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 8000
Wear Bracers of Protection AC 4, Ring of Protection +2, Cloak of Displacement
weild Staff (Da 1-6)
carries Spellbook, Wand of Lightning 12 charges, Potion Human Control
Spells: 5/5/5/5/5/3/2/1
Spells: Select them yourself. Basically he has access to all of the spells in the Player's Handbook from 1st to 4th level plus a few from other sources as the DM desires. He has a large list of offensive spells as he is an offensive type of person. Considering that he is a high level wizard, he would have a number of spells he created, and a lot of them will be coded specifically to him.
Ruby (Fighter)
St: 17, Dx: 15, Cn: 18, In: 10, Wi: 9, Ch: 12
AC 4, Mv 9, Lvl 7, hp 76, Thac0 13, AT 3/2, Da Weapon, xp 650
Wear Chainmail
weild Battleaxe +1 Brainmelter (Thac0 11, Da 1-8+4, AT 2, save vs spells or lose 1 Int temp).
carries 2-12 pp in pouch, chewing tobacco, beerflask
Creatures
Acolytes of Ptah: AC 7, Mv 12, P5, hp 31, Thac0 18, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 975
Wear Leather Armour
weild Shortsword (Da 1-6)
Spells: 3/3/1 - Spheres Major: All, Astral, Charm, Creation, Divination, Elemental, Summoning, Sun; Minor: Healing, Law
Carries: Holy Symbol of Ptah
Abilities: 25% Magic Resistance, Teleport
Bugbears: AC 5, Mv 9, HD 3+1, hp 19, Thac0 17, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 120
Wear Scalemail, weild Mace (Da 1-6+3), carries 1-10 sp
Surprise
Elemental, Earth: AC 2, Mv 6, HD 16, hp 130, Thac0 7, AT 1, Da 4-32, xp 11,000
+2 or better weapon to hit
Fighters: AC 5, Mv 9, F6, hp 49, Thac0 14, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 650
Wear Chain Armour, Tabard with insignia
weild Longsword (Thac0 13, Da 1-8+7, AT 3/2)
Dagger (Da 1-4+5, rng 1/2/3)
carries 2-20 gp, whetstone, better clothes
Fire Wierd: AC 4, Mv 12, HD 3+3, hp 25, Thac0 15, AT 1, Da 3-18, xp 420
The abilities are generally similar to that of the water wierd expect where water is concerned.
Goblin Commander: AC 6, Mv 9, HD 1, hp 6, Thac0 19, AT 1, Da Wpn, xp 65
Wear Leather armour
weild Warhammer (Thac0 18, Da 1-4+2, AT 3/2)
Owns 42 sp, Iron rod.
Phycomid: AC 5, Mv 3, HD 5, hp 32, Thac0 15, AT 2, Da 3-6/3-6, xp 975
Save vs Poison or be infected: 1-4+1 damage, killing in 1-4+4 turns
Sabre Tooth Tiger: AC 6, Mv 12, HD 7+2, hp 54, Thac0 11, AT 3, Da 2-5/2-5/2-12, xp 650
Rear Claw rake (2-8)
Surprised only on 1
Scro Captain: AC 4, Mv 9, HD 3, hp 24, Thac0 17, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 65
Wear Chain Armour & Shield
weild Longsword (1-8/1-12), Spear (1-6/1-8)
Squidship Captain: AC 0, Mv 12, F8, hp 72, Thac0 10, AT 3/2, Da Weapon, xp 3000
Wear Plate armour +1, Tabard with insignia
weild Twohanded Sword +2 (Thac0 7, Da 1-10+10, AT 2)
Shortsword +2 (Thac0 7, Da 1-6+10, AT 2, 10% Critical Hit)
Dagger (Thac0 17, Da 1-4+2, rng 1/2/3)
carries 30-180 gp, whetstone, Log Book
Squidship Sailors: AC 2, Mv 9, F5, hp 43, Thac0 45, AT 1, Da Weapon, xp 650
Wear Plate Armour, Tabard with insignia
weild Bastard Sword (Thac0 13, Da 1-8+7, AT 3/2)
Longsword (Thac0 13, Da 1-8+7, AT 3/2)
Comp Longbow & 20 flight arrows (Da 1-6+2, AT 2, rng 6/12/21)
Dagger (Da 1-4+5, rng 1/2/3)
carries 10-40 gp, whetstone, better clothes