Chapter One - Caves of the Kobold Slave-Masters

Chapter One — Caves of the Kobold Slave-Masters

The kobold slave-masters are a plague upon the lands, capturing goblins and other creatures. Recently, they have even captured Elvyn, an old, much-loved adventurer who started to police their area, wanting to put wrongs to right. However, in a new development, an escaped goblin has revealed the location where the kobolds keep Elvyn. The town council has hired a party of four adventurers (yes, that's your party) to rescue Elvyn. Your party will be paid 100 gold pieces if you can return Elvyn safely to town before nightfall. It would also be great if you could discover why the kobolds are acting so aggressively of late.

Your party enters the map at section 1.

Use the Map of the Caves (folio 4). The numbered locations below are keyed to that map. Enter at section 1. You may “skip” a room behind a door (including the two entry rooms that have no door) until you decide to enter it later. Search rooms only if instructed. Do not read entries in advance. When tracing your way back out, make a wandering-monster roll (1 in 6) once for each numbered location you move through.

Programmed Locations

1) You step down the stone stairs and enter the darkness of the kobolds' lair. An unnatural sense of dread permeates the air. This is an old spell that protects the cave from nosy intruders. Each character must save versus level 2 fear or suffer a -1 when attacking any kobolds until the end of the adventure. A Blessing spell will remove this condition.

2) This is an armory, guarded by 6 kobolds counting as level 3 minions. They are armed with flails which wrap around shields. When defending from their attacks, your characters may not enjoy any defense bonus from shields.

Reactions (d6): 1-3 bribe (10 gp total), 4–5 fight, 6 fight to the death.

Treasure: the room is filled with weapons. You may take d6+2 non-magical weapons of any variety or type as desired, but as the kobolds are small, you will not find any two-handed weapons. If a flail is used by a party member, it simply counts as a crushing hand weapon with no additional benefits.

3) A pulsating sphere of energy glows in this room. A wizard may inspect it. If you choose to do so, roll on the Energy Sphere Table (p.20). Add the wizard's level to the roll. Decide before looking at the table!

4) This corridor is filled with spider webs. You may leave them alone or search them, rolling on the Spider Web Table (p. 21) at the end of the book. Decide before looking at the table!

5) This room is a library. Shelves hewn from the stone walls are filled with dusty old tomes and scrolls. You may leave it alone or search it, rolling on the library table (p. 21). Decide before looking at the table!

6) There is a pool of fresh water in this chamber. You may decide that one or more of your characters will drink from it. For each character who does take a drink, roll on the Pool Table (p. 21). Decide before looking at the table!

7) Your party's advance is blocked by a fast-flowing subterranean river. There are three options: 1) cross the river on a run-down wooden bridge covered in mysterious writings (go to 15); 2) try to ford the river (go to 14); 3) Only if you have a wizard, you can investigate the strange writings on the bridge (go to 17).

8) As you enter this room, the character in first rank and right position of the marching order is attacked by a level 3 trap. A magically-animated noose descends from the ceiling and tightens around his neck, strangling him. If he fails to avoid the trap, the hero will lose 1 life and be lifted off his feet. He can now perform multiple attempts to break free. Each failed attempt will cost him 1 life.

In the room sits a chest containing 50 gold pieces.

9) This is the lair of a zombie dragon. Which is a level 6 undead boss with 6 life. The dragon will fight to the death. Whenever it attacks, roll d6. On a 1–3, the dragon breathes a foul gas and all the characters must save versus level 5 poison or lose 1 life. On a 4–6, the dragon will bite two random characters, inflicting 2 life with each successful hit.

Treasure: the zombie dragon has 120 gold pieces and one random magic item, determined by rolling on the Magic Treasure Table (page 34 in the Four Against Darkness book). Upon defeating the dragon, the party gains two xp rolls that are used immediately.

10) A goblin is chained to a wall of this large chamber. The chains are weak and rusted, and you may easily free him. If you do so, he can join your party. His name is Rikka. Treat him as a level 0 warrior (no Attack bonus) except that he attacks kobolds at +1. Rikka may only use light armor, shield, a bow or a sling, a light weapon, or a hand weapon. You have to provide the equipment. Any shield belonging to a dwarf, and armor belonging to a dwarf or halfling, will be small enough for the goblin to use. Rikka originally had 2 life, but is now down to 1 life because of the beatings that the kobolds have inflicted upon him. You can restore him to 2 life if you use a healing spell or apply bandages. If he joins the party, you will have to give him at least 20 gold pieces at the end of the adventure. If you free him but you do not let him join the party, Rikka will exit the dungeon.

11) This is the lair of a manticore, a monster with a lion's body, a human's head, the tail of a scorpion, and huge bat wings.

Manticore, level 5 boss, 3 life.

Reactions: 1 bribe (50 gp), 2–5 fight, 6 fight to the death.

A manticore always performs two attacks per turn, against the same target. Roll d6 to determine the nature of these attacks. 1–2 a claw attack inflicting 1 wound, 3–4 a bite inflicting 2 wounds, and 5–6 a tail sting inflicting a wound and requiring the target to save versus Poison 2 or die immediately.

Treasure: around the manticore's neck, there is a pendant worth 80 gold pieces. If you have any rogue in the party, he may roll d6 + Level. On a 7 or better, the rogue recognizes the pendant as part of a set that was stolen from a noble family in town. Once back in town, he may attempt to sell for more than double the value to the original owners by rolling on the pendant table (p. 21). Upon defeating the manticore, the party gains one xp roll.

12) Elvyn, the old adventurer, is in this room chained to a wall. Eight kobold slave-masters are tormenting him with their whips. When you enter, the kobolds turn to you and demand a ransom of 200 gold pieces to free Elvyn. If you do not accept, or do not have that amount of money, they will fight and strike first.

The 8 kobold slave-masters are level 4 minions. They are armed with swords and whips. When defending against them, and your Defense roll is a 1, the whip disarms you and you lose 1 life. If disarmed, your following attacks will be at -2, or you can spend the turn readying another weapon (if you have it) or picking up your original weapon. If you retrieve your original weapon, a kobold slave master will gain a free, out of sequence attack and try to hit you as you kneel to pick it up (make a Defense roll at -1). If you roll a 1 on this Defense roll, the kobold has prevented you from picking up the weapon, in addition to the 1 life damage inflicted.

The slave masters fight to the death.

Treasure: The kobolds have a potion of healing and a random treasure, determined by rolling on the Treasure Table (page 34 in the Four Against Darkness book). Upon defeating the slave-masters, the party gains one xp roll.

If you defeat the kobold slave masters your mission is not yet accomplished: you must still free Elvyn and walk out of the dungeon alive. Unfortunately, after searching the fallen kobolds, you do not find the keys to the manacles binding Elvyn. Freeing him will require a rogue passing a lockpick roll against level 4. If you have no rogue in the party, or if the rogue fails, you'll have to smash the manacles using a crushing weapon. Each attempt requires a roll of 6 or better. Dwarves and barbarians add their level to the roll, warriors add +1. Whenever you roll a 1 during an attempt to break the chains, the clanging noise will attract wandering monsters to the room.

13) A troll lives here, and he is a greedy weapon collector. If a rogue is leading the party into this room (he must be in the front rank of the marching order), you catch the troll unawares while he is polishing a sword, giving you a +1 attack bonus on your first turn.

Troll, level 5 boss, 4 life, 2 attacks. Crushing weapons have a -1 attack against the troll. Every turn the troll attacks, roll a d6. On a 4 or 5 it regains one lost life, on a 6 two lost life (but never exceeding the original 4). If brought to zero or less life points, roll d6. On a 3 or better, it comes back to life with 1 life point only, unless a character can attack it with a slashing weapon when it is on zero or less life points. It does not make any “regeneration” roll on a turn after it was damaged by a wizard's fireball.

Reactions: 1–4 ask for a bribe (party must surrender all of their weapons, including extra weapons carried in their backpacks), 5–6 fight to the death.

Treasure: The room contains d6+1 non-magical weapons of any variety or type as desired. However, on a 6, roll again. On a 5 or 6 one of the weapons found is indeed magical, of ancient elven make. Treat it as if 4 was rolled on the Magic Treasure Table (page 34 in the Four Against Darkness book). Upon defeating the troll, the party gains one xp roll.

14) You try to ford the river, but the current is too strong. Each character must save versus the current (which is level 3). Dwarves and halflings roll at -1, barbarians roll at +1. Those who fail are carried away. A character who is carried away loses 1 life banging against rocks, and rolls again versus level 3, losing 1 life on each failure, until he manages to cross the river or he dies.

15) As you walk across the bridge, the kobold runes activate and engulf the party in magical flames. All characters must save versus a level 5 danger (wizards and elves add their level) or lose 2 life. Survivors manage to cross the bridge. Any character killed by the runic energies falls into the river and is carried away by the current, never to be found again. All of his equipment and treasure carried is lost.

16) This door is locked. A rogue may lockpick it (it's a level 3 lock). If there is no rogue, or if he fails, the door can be bashed (see page 60 in the Four Against Darkness book), in which case the door is treated as level 5. Remember that this might attract wandering monsters.

17) If you gained a clue in this adventure, you may spend it to know about the mysterious writings on the bridge and you automatically pass the roll. If you have not gained a clue in this adventure, roll d6 and add your wizard's level, if any. On a 5 or better, you decipher the writings (go to 18). If your roll fails, go back to 7 and choose another course of action.

18) The wizard is pretty sure that the strange swirls on the bridge are some sort of defensive runes. They could be a trap or an alarm, and he knows no way to disenchant them, so probably it is better not to walk on the bridge. Go back to entry 7 and choose another course of action.