Southland Adventure: Stone Grave-Index

STONE GRAVE

A Fantasy Core and D&D 5^th Edition Southland Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2015

Published here as Open Game Content. 

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)

I am not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast™.

I make no claim to or challenge to any trademarks held by Wizards of the Coast™.  This adventure uses material from the Basic Rules freely available online at Wizards of the Coast, as well as material of my own adapted to said rules.

(This disclaimer was on a 5e adventure published by Necromancer Games, so I’ll go ahead and use it too.  Also note that this adventure is not for sale and there is no advertising on the site on which it is offered.)

 Southland Index

[Ha, ha, Psych!  You thought it was over in the Southland, didn't you?  Actually in the time that I didn't have access to the blog I worked on this and even added some 5e to it.  Enjoy.]

Setting

Mines Level

Work Level

Residence Level

Noble Level

Afterward/Design Notes

Adventure Synopsis

The Characters are adventurers in the monster-rich Southland setting.  While exploring the Humanoid dominated labyrinth of Mount Connor, they are the lucky finders of an unplundered tomb.  All they have to do is fight their way past a multitude of Humanoids also after the treasure, a hoard of ravenous Undead, and find the hidden treasure.  

Ref Overview Briefing

This would be a mid-level adventure (average 5^th level) for about six adventurers.  The group should include magic users and warriors with magic weapons.  The Characters are more powerful than the monsters inside for the most part, but the monsters are a lot more numerous.  Being incautious and wading into fights with large numbers of Humanoids is potentially party killing.  Don’t crush the Players without at least a good warning shot first.  Let them run if they figure out they’re overmatched.

Static XP awards are going to be very stingy here.  Likewise, there’s no random treasure, food, or healing to be found.  Hopefully, the Players figure this out and don’t waste their resources on random or pointless encounters.  That said, go ahead and give out 1 XP awards for clever, stout, and brave actions as you see fit.    

Philosophically, Stone Grave is almost Tomb of Horrors in reverse.  There’s very little thinking or puzzle-solving here.  It’s a straight up Hack and Slash through a hoard of enemies.  There’s virtually no help, no supplies, no magic weapons, and all the treasure is in the last level, much of it being hard to move.  Oh, and the exits are ambiguous at best.  Getting out with some treasure may be even more interesting than finding it.  Whatever the characters bring in is what they’ll have to work with, so let them in with whatever they can carry, preferably enough to outfit a small army going to war.  Stone Grave should also give the Characters some clues to help find the lost city of Circumsphere in an ongoing campaign.