Dark Continent Redux: The Infinite Temple

Dark Continent Redux

A Fantasy Core Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2016

Published here as Open Game Content.

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

Dark Continent Index

The Infinite Temple

The Temple Grounds/Sanctuary

The Inner Temple

Kurtz

The Pit Monster

General Description

With the island finally visible, the bridge now clearly extends to it.  The raised temple will be clearly visible as it dominates the island.  The model for this is roughly Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  The rectangular temple complex consists of an outer wall, a large moat, an enclosed forest, an inner wall, the sanctuary, and the central five-towered temple.  The sanctuary and temple are on terraced ground, commanding the landscape.   

[Reminder: Award 3 XP to the group for making it to the island.  As long as it probably took to get to this far, it might have slipped your mind.]

The Outer Temple Grounds

Award 1 XP for making it down the path.

The outer earthen wall is not defensive, but simply keeps in the moat.  There is an open sandstone causeway that crosses the moat.  This leads to another open entrance in the inner retaining wall, and then a straight path into the forest and to the sanctuary. 

The causeway and the road are lined with the hanging bodies of natives killed in a ritualistic manner.  They are strung from ropes held up by poles, like macabre telephone lines.  All of the trees in the forest have several bodies hanging from them.  The smell of rotting flesh is nearly overwhelming.  The dead here are being “ripened” for an undead army of Zombies.  A few here and there will have fallen to the ground and will rise to attack trespassers. 

There are groups of harmless herd animals roaming the inner forest.  They are kept there as a food supply for a Raptor.  A flock of Pterandaons, that lives in the central Sanctuary tower, hunts around the island as well.

The party is safe on the island until they cross the causeway over the moat.  They will immediately become aware of the dead in the trees (visually and from the smell).  The Players will almost certainly guess what’s coming next.  Zombies will start stumbling towards them as soon as they hit the path, 2 per rd up to 20 for the entire path.  The first Zombie they see will be their old friend ”Toothless.”  Other Zombies will have a white dot on their foreheads, like Toothless.  His tribe got their reward for selling out the group.  Most of the Zombies should come from behind them, so the Characters could outrun them. 

About halfway down the path, 4 Pteranodons from the central temple tower will notice them and attack.  They will be mostly just harassing the party.  If the party leaves the path, they’ll regret it.  10 Zombies will immediately attempt to surround them.  If they breakout, the Raptor will start to stalk them.  It will attack as the Characters reach the Temple.  The Zombies, the Raptor, and the Pteranodons will not pursue into the Temple grounds. 

Also halfway down the path, there is one standalone building off by the right side of the road.  (To the left, is a ruined building.)  The large, heavy wooden doors are open and can be blocked closed to keep out the Zombies.  After an hour, the undead will disperse from the door, though they’ll regain their interest when the Characters leave.

It is obviously a library.  There are rows of bookshelves with large numbers of scrolls stacked on the shelves.  A search through the building will find the campsite of Kurtz’s expedition and yield supplies (there’s enough for a least a last meal for the group), healing potions (8 x full healing), and any other common gear (if the Players ask).  Kurtz left behind some useful magic spells as well (3 x Fireball, 3 x Lightening).  There are many more spell scrolls on the shelves, but they are written in the Serpent Men’s tongue.  They’d require translation.  It seems to be related to the Ancient language from the Southland.  Magic scrolls will radiate magic.  Characters can grab however many they can carry.   

(FC rules: Scrolls are single use spells.  A Wizard adds +10 to their Spellcheck, but still must roll for it.  By the way, creating a spell scroll requires 5 + spell level XP and a Permanency spell cast on it.  This is why magic scrolls aren’t lying around everywhere.)  

Zombie (up to x20 and 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

Pteranodon (x4)

HD 5, Hp 27, AC 15 (Natural)

Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5

Melee: Bite +5 to hit 1d6+3

Dive (Charge): +9 to hit 2d6+6, can perform this maneuver once every 2 rds

(These creatures prefer to kill their prey on the ground and then carry them off to their nest.)

Deinonychus (Raptor)

HD 4+2, Hp 34, AC 16 (Natural)

Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +2

Melee: Talons +6 to hit 2d6+4

Pounce: (with Stealth check) 2 x Foreclaws +1 to hit 1d3+2 and bite +1 to hit 2d4+2, once per encounter

Stealth +4 (DC 16 to Detect)

Tracking +4