Endless Night: Refereeing Suggestions

A Fantasy Core Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2014

Published here as Open Game Content.

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Adventure Overview Index

Refereeing Suggestions

This adventure is for four to six 5^th level characters, but also provide an equal number of extra characters as replacements.  (Some encounters should perhaps be amped down a bit if there’s only 4 starting characters.)  If worst comes to worst, they could perhaps play an Elf, a Goblin, Gillman, or a Ghoul champion with 5 HD and a magic weapon that capriciously joins the party.  Characters from modern eras are going to need magic weapons or ammo.  IMPORTANT for later, Ref’s, personally hold on to those replacement characters and COLLECT the character sheets of anyone killed out.  This may be some obvious foreshadowing. 

Warn the players that their characters may be significantly altered during the course of play, so they won’t cry when it happens.  Also warn that while there’s plenty of action here, they CANNOT get through this without engaging in some parley and negotiation.  Don’t try to kill everything you meet. 

Because this adventure could easily get confusing (the players should expect to be confused), the rooms have a format which describes their contents and the group’s objectives up front.  The group will have something of a guide for house in the form of Carter the talking cat.  If Carter has anything to say about a room, there will be quote in the room description.  If the party is getting frustrated (especially on the first floor), have Carter come strolling by with a hint. 

Many of the areas of this house require some condition to be met before they can be entered, such as a key or an item.  Characters may make an attempt at lockpicking, flying, phasing, or whatever, but it will fail.  Azimuth House does not operate by real world physics.  If the players start getting belligerent about breaking in, fine, phase them into a wall and activate a replacement character.  It should also go without saying that the characters are effectively trapped in the house until they complete their “ghost-busting.”  Award XP for encounters immediately after it is earned.  (But, dead characters don’t earn XP at the end of an encounter.)  Players may level up their characters as soon as they are eligible.     

Don’t run this as a “Killer Dungeon.”  What fun is it if you kill all the characters?  It’s a Torture Dungeon.  Amuse yourself watching the players squirm as their characters are mangled beyond recognition.  After a few encounters, the players should be cringing about opening the next door.