dungeon

The Wilderness

jn1-wilderness • jn1-wilderness • JN1: Chaotic Caves

The wild country around the town and the caves: for thousands of years empty, littered with remnants of ancient villages and farms, then developed by humans for mining, farming, and lumbering until the discovery of gold and gemstone mines drew a full-scale monster invasion that pushed the humans back to the border region. Within the lost regions are the remains of recent human settlements, aged ruins, and plundered wealth. On the main map (1 square = 1 mile) the elevation lines represent an increase of 500 feet each; movement is tracked per terrain type (a party can move about 12 miles in a day). The 8 Placed Wilderness Encounters below are marked on the map; two of them (the Halfling Home and the Cave of Horrors) have interior floorplans on the Miscellaneous Maps page of the module.

Random Encounters (JN1 pp. 12-13): encounters might occur once a day while exploring the wilderness -- a 1 or 2 on 1d6 indicates an encounter; use the same chance, rolling once every 4 hours, while exploring the general area of a lair or site. Special Table: 1: 1d3 Giant Bats -- AC 14, HD 2, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d4, Mv 10' Fly 60' (10'), Sv F2, ML 8, XP 75 ea. 2: 1d6 Giant Bees -- AC 13, HD 1/2 (1d4 HP)*, #At 1 sting, Dam 1d4 + poison, Mv 10' Fly 50', Sv F1, ML 9, XP 13 ea. 3: 1d2 Giant Gecko Lizards -- AC 15, HD 3+1, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d8, Mv 40' (special), Sv F2, ML 7, XP 145 ea. 4: 1 Giant Crab Spider -- AC 13, HD 2*, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d8 + poison, Mv 40', Sv F2, ML 7, XP 100. 5: 1d6 Stirges -- AC 13, HD 1*, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d4 + 1d4/round blood drain, Mv 10' Fly 60', Sv F1, ML 9, XP 37 ea. 6: 1 Mountain Lion -- AC 14, HD 3+2, #At 2 claws/1 bite, Dam 1d4/1d4/1d6, Mv 50', Sv F3, ML 8, XP 145. 7: 1d2 Boars -- AC 13, HD 3, #At 1 tusk, Dam 2d4, Mv 50' (10'), Sv F3, ML 9, XP 145 ea. 8: 1d2 Ghouls -- AC 14, HD 2*, #At 2 claws, 1 bite, Dam 1d4 claw, 1d4 bite, all + paralysis, Mv 30', Sv F2, ML 9, XP 100 ea. 9: 1d2 Harpies -- AC 13, HD 2*, #At 2 claws, 1 shortsword + special, Dam 1d4 claw, 1d6 shortsword + special, Mv 20' Fly 50' (10'), Sv F2, ML 7, XP 100 ea. 10: 1d4+1 Soldiers on Patrol (not in cave area; see town description) -- AC 13, HD 1, #At 1 spear, Dam 1d6, Mv 30', Sv F1, ML 8, XP 25 ea. 11: 1d3 Giant Toads -- AC 13, HD 2, #At 1 tongue or 1 bite, Dam grab or 1d4+1, Mv 30' Swim 30', Sv F2, ML 6, XP 75 ea. 12: 1d4 Wolves -- AC 13, HD 2, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d6, Mv 60', Sv F2, ML 8, XP 75 ea.

CHILDREN • 8

1. Ruined Castle room

This ruined castle has been quarried now and then for building stone and hence is known by the locals. There are several broken statues about. As the PCs investigate, they find it occupied by orcs: Orc War Leader: AC 14, HD 2, #At 1 longsword, Dam 1d8+1, Mv 30', Sv F2, ML 8, XP 75 6 Orcs: AC 14, HD 1, #At 1 longsword, Dam 1d8, Mv 30', Sv F1, ML 8, XP 25 ea. HP These orcs are on their way to the caves. After dealing with the orcs, the PCs will find that one has a piece of paper that helps narrow down their search for the caves (if they have not found it and if it is not here). The orcs also have 60 gp in coins, six silver-tipped arrows, and a Potion of Healing.

2. Bandits On The Road room

The PCs encounter two wagons. The lead one is a traveler's home or "vardo" (a small house on a wagon bed) followed by a cargo wagon. Each wagon is pulled by four horses and driven by a two-man crew. Six more men ride horses alongside, and two dogs lope along with them, tongues lolling. All of the men are wearing what appears to be normal clothing. A close look will reveal that the dogs show some signs of a recent fight, as do some of the men, and that the men wear leather or chain mail armor under their clothing. These bandits have just captured these wagons. The owners are tied up inside the vardo. Their bodyguards of relatives who volunteered to help them move are miles away just getting loose from ropes (they were tied up and left behind). The bandits will try to trick and attack the PCs if success seems likely; otherwise they will try to pass by peacefully. All of the horses and wagons belong to the merchants inside. If rescued, the owners will be grateful and offer a 500 gp reward, which is most of the money they have with them. They were moving their small household when ambushed. If the PCs kill or rob the merchants, there is a good chance they will later be recognized and reported as bandits if they keep the wagons and horses and remain in the area. The horses are detailed in case they become a target. Bandit Leader, Human Fighter 2: AC 15, AB +2, #At 1 shortsword, Dam 1d6, Mv 20', Sv F2, ML 8, XP 75 HP 9 Bandits, Human Fighter 1: AC 13, AB +1, #At 1 shortsword, Dam 1

3. Halfling Home room

Maps): The party comes across what was once a Halfling farm and orchard. From all evidence, this was abandoned decades ago. It is now grown over with brush, weeds, and trees. The main buildings are built like a burrow, with only the round front door and round windows (shown as circles on the maps) exposed. The rest is buried underneath a dozen feet of earth. The ceilings are uniformly 6 feet high. The floors and walls are stone; the ceilings are made of and held up by heavy timbers. Cobwebs and dirt clutter all the inner rooms. Only the windows provide light inside. The windows are filthy from decades of neglect. They are composed of multiple panes of glass with wooden framework, but exact details are left to the GM's imagination. H1. FRONT DOOR: A large, round green door greets visitors. The door is locked, but is old and rotten, and can be easily knocked in. H2. LIVING ROOM: The main living room, with a fireplace in the south wall and a round window about 4' in diameter in the north. There is no furniture here. Searching the fireplace for loose stones will reveal a small, secret niche (about 1' squared) off to one side which contains an old, ornate jewelry box. Inside are 100 gp, a gem worth 250 gp, and a large silver hat pin that was once magical but is not any longer. The stink of death is here. A long-dead body clad in old, rotten leather armor lies mauled in the center of the room. It has a silver dagger in a belt sheath, 2 vials of holy water, 1 Potion of Healing, and

4. Rescue room

The PCs hear the squealing of an angry hog and see a fleeing man leap onto some rocks. A wild boar is chasing him; it circles the rocks, stamping and chomping in rage. If the PCs ignore the man's plight, nothing bad happens: the boar will eventually get bored and leave. If they help the man, he will give them 20 gp (kept at his home), and his gratitude. If the PCs are searching for the caves, he has recently seen several goblins that might be headed there and can help point them in the general direction. He is a rancher out looking for stray sheep, not a hero who can fight boars and monsters. Remember to reward the PCs with experience. If they kill the boar and clean it, they can recover a hundred pounds of meat and its tusks (worth about 10 gp in town). Wild Boar: AC 13, HD 3, #At 1 tusk, Dam 2d4, Mv 50' (10'), Sv F3, ML 9, XP 145

5. Giant Toads And Harpy room

The ruins of an old tower rise from the woods. It is 20' high and 30' round, but there is little left to warrant a map. The single harpy that inhabits it attempts to use its singing to lure opponents into the jaws of the giant toads that lurk in the nearly-dry moat in the shadows of the woods beneath it. The harpy has a short bow to shoot at intruders with. (If the GM wants to weaken it, they might decide the bow is poorly-made and she is using crude arrows fletched by the random feathers of birds she catches; it only does 1d4 points of damage and has a range of 40/80/120.) On the highest ledge of the tower is its nest, including a leather belt with pouches with 50 gp and 10 pp ripped off some poor victim. 3 Giant Toads: AC 13, HD 2, #At 1 tongue or 1 bite, Dam grab tongue, 1d4+1 bite, Mv 30' Swim 30', Sv F2, ML 6, XP 75 ea. Harpy: AC 13, HD 2*, #At 2 claws, 1 shortsword + song, Dam 1d4 claw, 1d6 shortsword + charm person song, Mv 20' Fly 50' (10'), Sv F2, ML 7, XP 100

6. Cave Of Horrors room