Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Dark Continent Redux: The Cathedral

Dark Continent Redux
A Fantasy Core Adventure
© Jerry Harris 2016
(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)






The Cathedral
2 XP for destroying the red crystal here. 


Essentially Notre Dame, a giant Gothic cathedral.  This time there’s no Demon Host guarding the building and no force fields.  The building itself is just barely standing.  The left tower has fallen.  The central part of the building, including the roof, has nearly fallen in on itself.
  
Only the basilica is in fairly good shape.  The stained glass windows amazingly still stand and glow red.  Upon the altar in front of the windows sits a glowing red crystal.  It sits under a magically hardened glass bell jar.  (AC 10* magic to hit, 5 hp)  The altar area has been extensively desecrated with graffiti to honor Kurtz.  There are small statues of him and the Demon Host watching over the congregation in pews.  Said parishioners are piles of dead native bodies. 

[I hate PC-like disclaimers, but I feel obliged to say that I am a Christian and that this depiction is only for gaming purposes.  I also apologize for using the desecrated cathedral motif as it is painfully cliché.  Simply, as a famous Paris landmark, it’s appropriate in this setting.]     

The Characters will find their entry into the building unopposed.  The front doors are open, as is much of the roof.  Upon finding the basilica, the bell in the tower starts ringing.  A large group of undead will disengage themselves from the mass of bodies to protect the altar: 20 Skeletons, 1 Giant Skeleton, 10 Zombies, and 1 Giant Zombie.  By this point, the Characters should go through these creatures like a hot knife through butter.  What they’re going to find however is that their magic isn’t working.  All their spells, magic weapons and armor, and even Smiting isn’t working.  (They won’t work in the immediate vicinity of the outside of the building either.  Shattering the stained glass windows and entering there will also bring out the undead and start the bell ringing.)  Keep mentioning that the bell is ringing during combat

If they can take out the red crystal, the undead will de-animate and stop attacking, but as mentioned, it is protected against attack and there’s no easy access to getting a melee strike in as long as there’s a mass of bodies in front of it.  Destruction of the crystal will cause a blinding flash.  The undead will all immediately drop.  The entire building will shake and the stained glass windows will shatter.  After 2 rds of progressively worse rumbling, the entire Cathedral collapses.  (Hopefully everyone got the hint, otherwise they’re dead and buried.)  Outside, the river island will be vaguely visible (though not enterable).  If this is the final altar, the island will be completely visible and can be entered.     

Skeleton (x20)             
HD 1, Hp 4, AC 12 (Natural)      
Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0                     
Melee: Short Sword +1 to hit, 1d6
Ranged: Short Bow +1 to hit, 1d6

Large Skeleton
HD 6 (d12), Hp 39, AC 14 (Natural)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5
Melee: Claw +8 to hit 1d6+6

Zombie (x10)                         
HD 2, Hp 8, AC 11 (Always strike last)
Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0                                         
Melee: Slam +2 to hit, 1d8                                    
Swarm: If 2 or more make successful attacks one 1 victim in 1 rd, they Grapple the opponent.  DC 12 + 1 per additional attacker (up to DC 15 for 4 attacking the same victim) Str check or Escape Artist to break or automatically take 1d4 Bite/attacker/rd        

Large Zombie
HD 8 (d12+3), Hp 55, AC 15 (Natural)
Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +6
Melee: Slam +9 to hit 1d8+9

I might forlornly hope that the group will retreat and come up with a new assault plan once they find out their magic isn’t working, because I think this will otherwise be a bloodbath (mostly the Characters’ blood).  If the group retreats from the basilica, the bell stops ringing.  This might be a clue.  (If a Native Witch Doctor is with the group, he could suggest it.)  Simply, the ringing bell in the tower is creating an anti-magic field in the Cathedral. 

This revelation should motivate them to investigate the bell tower, where the bells are.  The stairs are creaky and shaky, but an option.  The outside of the tower can be scaled.  If they can fly, that’s also an option.  At the top are the bells and the tower’s two inhabitants: a hunchback Ogre, Hunch, and a Gargoyle, Stony.  Hunch is nearly deaf and will be taking a nap (tired from ringing the bell), so even the slightest care should allow the Characters to sneak up on him.  Stony is perched on top, looking for flying intruders.

The Characters need to make the most of whatever advantage they have because once Hunch is awake, he’s going to try to ring the bells.  Not only will the anti-magic field come into effect (I hope nobody’s outside flying, the drop will kill them, and remember that the Gargoyle can only be hit by magic), the sonic effect requires a DC 12 Fort Sv or Stunned 1 rd and deafened for 1 turn.  Stony will not ring the bell or wake Hunch or pursue beyond the bell tower, but it will help him if he’s attacked. 

(By the way, Hunch is not a Demon Host.  He came with the building (as did Stony) and was impressed into service by Kurtz as the bell ringer.  Perhaps he might not necessarily be hostile to the Characters if approached correctly.  Maybe he’s even a potential ally.  It’s up to you.)     

Gargoyle “Stony”
HD 4+19, Hp 37, AC 16* (Magic to hit)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +4
Melee: 2 claws +6 to hit melee 1d4+2 and bite +4 melee 1d6+1 
Or Gore (Charge attack, requires 1 rd run) +4 to hit 1d6+3 + Stun 1 rd
Freeze in statue form, does have a magical aura
Flight ability

Ogre “Hunch”
HD 4d8+11, Hp 29, AC 16 (Hide Armor)
Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +1
Melee: Greatclub +8 to hit 2d8+7
Ranged: Large Spear +1 to hit 1d12

No comments:

Post a Comment