Battle of Axis

A Tales of the 13th Age organized play adventure, in four weekly 2-hour sessions for characters of 8th level.
By ASH LAW
©2015 Fire Opal Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered
trademarks, proper names (characters, icons, place names, new deities, etc.), dialogue, banter and comments from Jonathan and Rob or ASH, plots, story elements, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously
been designated as Open Game Content are not included in this declaration.) Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Fire Opal Media game product are Open Game Content, as
defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. 13th Age is published by Pelgrane
Press Ltd. under the Open Game License version 1.0a Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 13th Age is a trademark of Fire Opal Media, Inc. ©2015 Fire Opal Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
About this adventure
The adventurers head to their friend Zadro’s farm for either a well-deserved rest or a reason or two connected
to their icon relationships and previous adventures, depending on the adventurer. Unfortunately they get caught
up in a bold invasion by the forces of the Lich King, and are forced into action to defend Axis from attack.
Credits
Writer & Map-Maker: ASH LAW
Executive Producer: Rob Heinsoo
Art from the core 13th Age rulebook and 13 True Ways: Aaron McConnell and Lee Moyer
Maps created using: Excel, GIMP, and Pro-Fantasy’s Campaign Cartographer.
Additional Resources
Many thanks to Kendall Jung for creating pre-generated characters of levels 1-10 and hosting them on fan site Vault of
the 13th Age
Barbarian (Forgeborn)
Bard (Half-Elf)
Cleric (Halfling)
Fighter (Human)
Paladin (Human)
Ranger (Wood Elf)
Rogue (Halfling)
Sorcerer (Dark Elf)
Wizard (Human)
Maps from many of our adventures can be found here.

Links to all published TALES OF THE 13TH AGE adventures can be found here.
Several pages of GM advice on running this adventure can be found at the back.
Page | 1
If it is published then it is permitted
If it appears in a 13th Age rulebook you can play it. So yes, you can play the classes from 13 True Ways and the new
Twygzog race from the 13th Age Bestiary. We’re also allowing the new races from the Midgard Bestiary for 13th Age, and any new
races that appear in 13th Age Monthly or in adventures published by Pelgrane Press.
If you play something still in playtest send your playtest notes to 13thAgePlaytest@gmail.com. Note that we’re not making
you sign an NDA but we do have a request: if you’d seriously like to help the playtest process for unpublished classes and
races, don’t post your playtest feedback publicly or discuss it on the internet. In our experience, publicly discussed playtests
generate less useful data because people start agreeing and echoing each other (or getting concerned about disagreeing
with other people) rather than testing things for themselves.
Incremental advances & full heal-ups

Each week every character that participated should receive an incremental advance... unless somehow the party fouled up
beyond belief, or chose to flee a battle. Details on incremental advances are on page 189 of the core rules. This adventure is
designed for level 8 characters from beginning to end.
Aim for a full heal-up at the end of every session.
Useful resources
General: http://www.pelgranepress.com/?p=8764
Character sheet: http://www.pelgranepress.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/13th-age-character-sheet-fillable.pdf
Harassment policy: http://www.pelgranepress.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/13th-Age-OP-Harassment-Policy.pdf
Page | 2
Your old friend Zadro
1.0 Prelude/Introduction
Start by telling the players that their characters know each other, and that they’ve arranged to meet in the market square of
Axis before traveling together to see their old friend Zadro on his quiet farm out towards the tip of Sword Point. The
adventurers, weary from their many successful quests and escapades, are looking to rest up somewhere peaceful for a
while. They all know Zadro and have decided to take up his invitation to visit him out at the watch station he calls Glimmer
Farm.
Zadro used to be an adventurer but retired to be the warden of an early warning beacon kept on a spot of middling farm
land. Should the Lich King attack out of the Necropolis, Zadro is supposed to send a magical message to Axis using a
specially enchanted magic orb, then light a giant warning beacon at night. Of course the Lich King is never going to attack
(you did read the title of this adventure, right?) so Zadro has been spending his twilight years in a farm-cottage reading books
and experimenting on his chickens.
Some of the PCs may just be looking for a brief vacation on the coast. Others may have more pressing reasons to visit
Zadro. The player characters will have the chance to say more about how they first met Zadro later in this adventure, during
the actual travel time. Just below, we’ve listed some advantages that PCs who completed earlier OP adventures could have,
along with associated deeper reasons why that PC might want to visit Zadro at Glimmer Farm.
When the action starts just below the list of previous adventures, , the PCs get a chance to acquire some loot using coins
instead of swords in the magical (?) markets of Axis.
2nd level adventures
Crown of the Lich King
You have come to bring Zadro something that you found in the Necropolis.
Benefits for characters who took part in the previous adventure: reroll one attack roll against an undead enemy per session, due
to your experience fighting the undead.
Quest in the Cathedral
The Priestess has sensed your presence will be needed, and has asked you to go visit Zadro.
Benefits for characters who took part in the previous adventure: Once per session switch the damage on an attack that hit an
undead creature to holy damage (worthwhile if that turns the hit into a crit…).
Shadow Port Shuffle
You’ve ended up with a price on your head, and Zadro’s farm is a good place to lay low.
Benefits for characters who took part in the previous adventure: +2 to defenses against traps, due to your suspicious nature.
Wyrd of the Wild Wood
Either you are going to Zadro’s farm to hide from the High Druid, or going there to meditate on the wild.
Benefits for characters who took part in the previous adventure: You have the High Druid’s blessing. You only take half poison
damage during this adventure.
3rd level adventures
Fungaloid Infection, The Folding of Screamhaunt Castle, Tower of the Ogre Mage, Omenquest
After all you’ve been through, you just need a quiet place to rest. Zadro’s place at Glimmer Farm is nice and quiet.
Benefits for characters who took part in these previous adventures: +2 to saves against confusion during this adventure.
4th level adventures (the Orc War trilogy)
Wrath of the Orc Lord, The Elf Queen’s Enchantment, Domain of the Dwarf King
You’ve seen things in war, and need a place to sort your head out. Zadro’s farm sounds like the perfect spot.
Benefits for characters who took part in these previous adventures: +2 to all death saves and last gasp saves during this adventure.
6th level adventures
Escape from the Diabolist’s Dungeon, The Crusader’s Fist, The Wyrm’s Tale.
You have wounds and scars, both physical and mental, and you need a place to rest and heal.
Benefits for characters who took part in these previous adventure: Reroll one recovery per session and take the better roll, due to
your high pain threshold.
Page | 3
Note that the other 8th level adventures, The Dungeons of Drakkenhall and The Archmage’s Orrery, are taking place
at the same time as this 8th level adventure. Technically the same PCs aren’t going on both, but feel free to hand-
wave that and get on with it. Just be aware that things that happened in those other adventures (notably the first
arrival of the bizarre comet) haven’t happened yet.
You can find links to these and other adventures here
Don’t forget to roll icon relationship dice at the

start of every session and have any 6s give a
positive benefit and any 5s give a benefit with a
story complication.
Session start Session End

The adventurers go shopping in Axis before The adventurers head back toward Axis, chased
heading to their old friend Zadro’s home, by an army of the dead.
Glimmer Farm.
1.1 The Axis market

This is the heart of the Dragon Empire, and if something can be found for sale it can be found here. Shadow Port might be
the place to go for illicit goods and dangerous deals, but Axis is where everything that can be openly sold ends up. Axis
goods range from the artisanal bespoke items made in the district of Goldring, to the goods bought in from across the
empire via the docks, to spoils of war bought back by soldiers from far off places.
The adventurers are in Axis to stock up on items that they feel they need. Each adventurer starts with whatever giold
they had from previous adventures plus 200 extra gold pieces they’ve picked up in recent scenes off-screen.
The market isn’t otherwise notable, except for the presence of Cassesias the Seeres, who is raising quite a ruckus. See the
notes on the Seeress a few paragraphs below the shopping list of things the PCs may want to buy to equip themselves for
future situations. You don’t have to explain what everything is perfectly before the PCs buy, this is one of those situations
where evocative names are probably enough for shopping fun, and the good news is that none of these items are a rip-off:
Dwarven fungus wine. Drinking this powerful stimulant (a quick action) allows the drinker to treat the escalation die
as being one higher until the end of their turn... and allows them to go the following night without sleep (though some
physical rest is still needed). Going several nights in a row without sleep imposes a -2 penalty to saves. 75 gp per dose.
Elven healing potion. Just like a regular epic tier healing potion, but in a fancier bottle and it has that fresh forest smell.
Drinking it (a quick action) allows the drinker to spend a recovery and heal the recovery value + 3d8 hp (maximum healing
100 hp). 200 gp per dose.
Indulgence. A holy woman of one of the sky gods is selling indulgences, official documents that absolve those who
purchase them of all sin (the way her religion sees it giving money to the temple is functionally identical to doing good
deeds as penance, only you are paying others to do those deeds for you). Purchasing an indulgence allows the character to
switch out their untyped damage for holy damage during one battle when the escalation die is 5+. 100-1000 gp, depending
on the character purchasing the indulgence and what they feel the need to be absolved of!
Paladin’s crest. This crest was worn in battle by generations of paladins, or so the trader claims. For whatever reason
there is a lingering magical energy to the feathers. Once per session the adventurer wearing this crest can inspire an ally,
granting that ally +1 to a roll. After 2d3 uses the lingering magic finally fades. 250 gp.
Page | 4
Prayer beads of the war god. A favorite among soldiers of the Crusader, and of arena fighters. Wrapping these beads
around the grip of a weapon (or around a fist) allows a weapon to deal holy damage with one hit once per day. 150 gp, or
200 gp for prayer beads that have a good story behind them.
Sanctified banner. It is said that the Emperor himself blessed these banners, though that is possibly false; still, the
psychological benefit of these banners can’t be understated. Once per session the person who carries the banner into battle
can reroll the battle die. 250 gp.
Sprite lantern. This lantern has a genuine Wild Wood sprite inside, just shake it to anger the sprite and get it to light up.
20 gp, or 100 gp for a lantern that the furious little sprite won’t break out of one day when it is least convenient.
Talisman of protection. This minor magical item (no need for attunement) will absorb half the damage from one attack
upon its wearer, and will then explode into dust around five minutes later. Only one talisman per wearer may activate each
battle. Imperial officers who can afford these tend to attach them to their shield straps. 150 gp, or 200 gp if the talisman came
from Horizon. Talismans of protection from horizon sometimes have minor magical effects when they are used (15% chance of something
useful happening—roll when activated, otherwise it is just lights and strange smells).
Icon option: The shadow market

Characters with a relationship with the Prince of Shadows know of a second market, a market that consists of many of these
same traders but that can only be accessed by saying the right words and giving the right signs. Spending a 6 with an icon
relationship roll with the Prince of Shadows, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35
skill check, allows the adventurer to access the following forbidden items…
Binding dust. Made from ground up tombstones stolen from the Necropolis, throwing this dust in an undead creature’s
eyes causes them to see you as an ally. It is a quick action to throw the dust, and the effect is save ends for a mook or until
the start of their next turn for non-mooks. 1d6x50 gp per dose.
Chaos Dust. This sparkling dust causes a chaotic high weirdness effect when thrown into the air (see 13 True Ways for
the chaos mage). If ingested it returns a random expended limited use power (but not item powers) to its user, but at the
cost of 1d3 recoveries. In horizon this dust is sometimes called “Wizard’s Folly”. 150 gp per dose.
Hell potion. An iconic tier healing potion, said to be made from the tears of orphans and the remnants of crushed
dreams; though it is probably just made from rare herbs from the Cairnwood. Drinking it (a quick action) allows the drinker
to spend a recovery and heal the recovery value + 4d8 hp (maximum healing 130 hp). 300 gp per dose.
Hero’s trail dust. Orc tribes sell this, so it is illegal. It is useful to soldiers, so of course it can be found for sale in Axis.
Adding this to a canteen of water allows the drinker to maximize one recovery. 100 gp per dose.
Raspscale. Imported from Drakkenhall this rare rock makes blades supernaturally sharp. Sharpening a blade with this
rock grants +1 to hit with the first attack in combat. Each time it is used to sharpen a blade roll a d6, on a 1 the stone is used
up. 500 gp.
Shadow venom. This noxious goo can be applied to the edge of blades to give them +2d6 poison damage with their first
hit. It is a standard action to re-apply during battle. 5d20 gp per dose.
Cassesias the Seeress

What might be common enough in Drakkenhall or New Port isn’t that common in Axis: there’s a rather strident and but
sane-acting cleric prophesizing doom for the city from a chair near the edge of the market. The population is ignoring
the cleric, who is foretelling the arrival of a comet that will spell doom for the whole Dragon Empire. The cleric’s name
is Cassesias. (Note that if any of your players have played through The Archmage’s Orrery, which ends with the comet
appearing, that this adventure starts while the Orrery adventure isn’t finished yet. Yes, such players will know that there
actually is going to be a comet in the sky wreaking havoc! But you don’t have to make a point of reminding them.)
Each adventurer who wishes can quiz Cassesias about her visions. Cassesias’ predictions are vague, and making sense
of them is a DC 25 skill check. Each player can roll once, and a success allows one later reroll of a skill check, save, or
attack roll during this session after the comet had appeared, when one of the seer’s mystic pronouncements suddenly
make perfect sense. Don’t tell the PC that now!
Of course the adventurers could join with the rest of the citizenry of Axis and ignore Cassesias. Any adventurers who
take this option have more time to shop and can make skill checks (DC 25) to get 10% discounts off the various items that
they wish to purchase.
Page | 5
Shopping complete? Marketplace chatter absorbed? Then we’re off to see the (gnome) wizard!
1.2 Sword Point Road Montage

Sure the adventurers all know Zadro. But they didn’t necessarily all meet him at the same time. As the PCs travel towards
Glimmer Farm, they spice up the monotony of the road with a storytelling montage.
Turn to a player and ask them how their PC became friends with Zadro. Then turn to the next player and ask them how
Zadro tells the story slightly differently! Go around the group until each player has told the story of how they became
friends with Zadro, and another player has supplied Zadro’s retelling of it. Before people start, you can mention that Zadro
sometimes had a reputation as a bit of a bumbler, and some people think he quit adventuring knowing that he wouldn’t
last much longer dodging fireballs.
It’s also worth noting that it will work out best if none of the PCs are familiar with Glimmer Farm. This is the first time
they’ve visited.
Here’s an example of how this montage might start out:
Alice: “I met Zadro when I rescued him from goblins. I saved his life, and he now owes me a life debt”.
Bob: “I heard that it was Zadro that saved you, and that you owe him the debt. I became friends with Zadro when we were both
studying magic at the imperial academy. He used to cheat off me in tests.”
Charlie: “I heard that he was kicked out for that. I met him in a house off ill repute in Glitterhaegen. Oh the stories I could tell of
our adventures together…“
Dan: “The way he tells it, he had to bail you out of jail in Glitterhaegen for trying to steal a stuffed alligator. I’m friends with Zadro
because I taught him how to play the fiddle.”
Erin: “I heard about that, but he’s still a rubbish fiddle player. I met Zadro in Santa Cora when he was helping to repair the
Cathedral.”
(back round to) Alice (again): “I heard that was because YOU damaged the Cathedral”.
Wrap it up as the PCs get towards the tip of Sword Point.
1.3 Where is Zadro?

The adventurers arrive at Glimmer Farm fairly early in the morning, but find no one home. A cow grazes by the front door,
the door to the barn attached to the cottage is open, and the area around the farm is deserted. Zadro appears to have simply
left in a hurry, as his breakfast is still on the table. As the adventurers explore the area around the farm they can pick up
clues to Zadro’s whereabouts.
There are four main areas of Glimmer Farm, each of which has areas that can be searched for clues. It is a DC 25 skill
check to investigate each area of the farm, and the possible clues are broken down below by specific locations within each
of the areas, to help make exploring the whole farm location-by-location worthwhile. To avoid PCs piling around each and
every object and all trying to divine its meaning just give a +1 for each additional adventurer who searches an area, and
allow the PC with the most relevant background to the clue being looked at to roll.
We’re gonna give away the mystery now, to you, dear GM: If the adventurers get at least four successes in searching for
clues then they realize what happened here. Zadro was making breakfast when his rat familiar knocked the early warning
orb off the table, breaking it. Zadro cleaned up the orb and went to fetch some wine from a room under the ruined watch-
tower. Unfortunately a sheep wandered in and Zadro’s allergies acted up, causing him to sneeze so hard he knocked himself
out in the fort, locking himself down in the ruined watch-tower. Zadro was always a little clumsy. The adventurers find
him and rouse him in time for him to join the fight against the undead (in section 1.4). Failing forward has no effect, the
adventurers merely fail to notice anything that would lead to Zadro being discovered in time.
If the players come up with an alternate explanation that fits the facts that they have discovered and the tales
that they told in section 1.2 (“Zadro had an accident with the orb and turned himself into a sheep!” “Zadro must have
sleep-walked into his cupboard and magically locked himself inside!”), then use that explanation instead.
Page | 6
The cottage.
The cottage is on a slight rise, surrounded by a
drystone wall. At the front of the farm is a stream
crossed by a bridge in a state of disrepair. At the back
of the farm is a wall, and an archway in the wall from
which a path leads to a ruined stone watch-tower and
the beacon.
Barn. There are two large rats here. A success
reveals that these one of these rats is Zadro’s familiar,
which means that he can’t be far away. The other rat is
a pet.
Living room. There is evidence of broken glass near
the table, glass that Zadro swept up. A success shows
that something round (an orb) was broken here.
Kitchen. Zadro was mid-way through making his
breakfast. A success shows that Zadro had time to
move his bacon off the stove before he left.
Bed & wardrobe. A success in this area lets the
adventurers find Zadro’s monthly pay under a loose
floorboard, which he would not have willingly left
without. There is 1000 gp here.
Round study. Zadro has a lot of glassware here, but
none of it is broken. Looking out of the window shows
a sheep grazing on the lawn. A success here allows the
adventurer to remember that Zadro is allergic to sheep.
The beacon.
The beacon is a stone pyramid with wood piled on top
of it. There is no store of wood or oil to feed the fire with, Zadro has been using these for heating the cottage. The wood of
the beacon is damp. The path continues past the beacon and turns east to the ruined watch-tower.
The wood. Under the wood are several large broken bottles. A success here revels a strong smell of yeast, from wine-
making, and that the glass is from demijohn carboys (bottles used in home-brewing). There is no evidence of wine making
in the cottage.
The stone platform. There is a faint smell of ammonia. A success reveals that a gnome has recently urinated here.
The watch-tower.
The ruined watch-tower stands on a cliff overlooking the Midland Sea. At one point this watch-tower was part of a more
impressive structure, but that has fallen into the ocean leaving only an ivy-covered edifice lacking a roof.
The ocean. Moored far below is a boat. A success means that the adventurer figures out that Zadro didn’t leave by sea,
this is his boat that he goes sea fishing in.
The fort. There is a pile of wooden detritus here. A success means that the adventurer realizes that Zadro has spent time
here, this is not detritus but is fuel intended for a fire.
The lawn.
Just east of the farm is an area of the cliffside which includes the waterfall that the farm’s stream feeds into. Zadro likes to
come out here and sit with his back to the farm’s wall and watch the sun rise while he drinks some of his home-made wine.
The tree. Under the tree is some broken glass, possibly a bottle. A success here reveals that it is Zadro’s orb, the one that
he was supposed to warn Axis with if there is danger approaching from the sea.
Page | 7
1.4 Adventurers vs. Undead
The adventurers are alerted to the sound of something scrabbling up the cliff-face. With surprising suddenness the forces
of the Lich King pour over the cliff face and toward the adventurer’s location. If the adventurers found Zadro he recovers
in time to join the fight, in which case at the start of each round roll a d12 on Zadro’s contribution table below. Otherwise
Zadro won’t be found / recover until the end of the fight, or until someone manages to find the hidden door to the area
beneath the watchtower during the fight. Or maybe the sound of the fight will wake him up and he’ll start pounding on
the door asking to be let out. Who’ll get there first, a PC or a vampire?
We’ve included four maps of the four areas of the farm. Adventurers who move to another area are counted as being far away from
adventurers on another map. The fight begins wherever the story dictates.
Number
of PCs
Revenan
Multi-
headed
Vampire
Necromance
Vampire
t
3 10
Skeleton
3
r
1
Necromancer
10th level leader [UNDEAD]
4 10 5 1 Initiative: +15
5 10 5 2 Vulnerability: holy
6 10 5 3 Draining bite +15 vs. AC—50 negative energy damage.

Natural 11+: The target is weakened until the end
7 10 7 3 of their next turn.
Revenant Natural 16+: The target expends one unused

limited trait (a spell, power, or talent with a once-
Smarter than a zombie, not as suave as a vampire. per-battle or daily use, but not item powers) of the
8th level mook [UNDEAD] target’s choice.
Initiative: +13
Necromancy: When an undead mook ally dies and was
Vulnerability: holy
engaged with an enemy, the necromancer can make the
Strength of the dead +13 vs. AC—23 damage following attack against that enemy.
Never say die: Provided their necromancer(s) stand and are nearby, one [triggered free action, once per round] R: Rise, rise and kill
‘dead’ revenant mook gets back up at full hp each round. again +15 vs. MD—25 negative energy damage and the
mook stands back up at full hp and makes a basic melee
AC 25 attack against the target.
PD 23 HP 36 (mook) Mist form: When the vampire is reduced to 0 hp or fewer,
MD 15 unless an adventurer drives a stake through its heart before
Mook: Kill one revenant mook for every 36 damage you do to the mob. its next turn (a standard action) it becomes a mist and flees
the battle.
Multi-headed Skeleton AC 26
8th level archer [UNDEAD] PD 24 HP 216 (see mist form)
Initiative: +13 MD 20
Vulnerability: holy
Vampires and you: A PC killed by a vampire
Twin bite +13 vs. AC—30 damage necromancer might turn up later as an NPC revenant
Natural even hit: Make a second attack against the same target. enemy!
R: Bone arrows +13 vs. AC (1d3 enemies in a group)—20 damage and
the target is vulnerable (save ends).
Zadro’s contribution (d12)
After-effect: Once the target saves they take 6 damage (from 1-4. Magic Missile. Deal 2d8 damage to one
pulling the arrow out). enemy.
AC 24 5-6. Dancing lights. One enemy has a -2
PD 22 HP 144 penalty to attack this round.
MD 18 7-11. Catch the Potion! One ally can roll a
save (11+), on a success they heal 20 hp.
12. High magic. Zadro shuts down the
revenants’ never say die ability (save ends).
Page | 8
Page | 9
Page | 10
Page | 11
Page | 12
1.5 The calm before the storm.
Axis must be warned that the Lich King has sent a huge force of undead ashore, coming across the ocean in ghost ships.
Unfortunately Zadro’s rat familiar broke the one-use orb he was supposed to use, so the party must wait until nightfall and
light the great beacon. The Lich King’s fell magic is preventing magical communications that would warn Axis of the
impending invasion. Even teleportation spells are uncertain—best to use the low-tech solution first and be sure.
Though the adventurers have fought off the undead, many more of them are on their way. The adventurers can prepare
some of the locations at the farm for the upcoming battle. It is a DC 30 skill check to prepare a location. If the adventurers
fail a roll they can still keep on preparing, but only have time for 6 skill checks before the undead arrive.
The cottage.
Improvised weapons. Boiling pans of water, heavy things to hand to throw... if you succeed
on this roll then while fighting inside the cottage you gain +1d12 miss damage on all attacks
against engaged or nearby enemies.
Fortification. Enemies trying to get into the cottage must roll a save to do so, if you are
successful with this roll.
The beacon.
More wood. A success means that enough dry wood is found to create a suitable beacon fire.
The fight with the undead can be fled from when the escalation die is 5+ instead of 6+ without it
being a campaign failure.
Oil. There is just enough oil and animal fat around the cottage to get the fire started quickly
if the adventurers succeed on their skill check. Succeeding at this skill check starts the escalation
die at 1.
Pits. Successfully digging covered pits here allows the players to remove 1d4 mooks from the
fight, if the fight starts in this location or moves to this location.
The watch-tower.
The fort. Hurried repairs to the fort will allow the adventurers +1 to their defenses against
their attackers if they are in the fort and the undead are outside the fort.
Rocks. Gathering rocks in this location allows them to be rolled off the cliff onto the Lich
King’s forces as they climb up. A success on the preparation skill roll means that the adventurers
may remove a cultist prior to the start of the fight.
The lawn.
Rocks. Gathering rocks in this location allows them to be rolled off the cliff onto the Lich
King’s troops as they climb up. A success on the preparation skill roll means that the adventurers
may remove a cultist prior to the start of the fight.
Clever players can doubtless think of other ways to prepare, epic magical ways to lay traps or summon help. The options above
are sticking to the Glimmer Farm setting but they’re not all that epic, are they? Reward skill checks that pass the DC 30
mark with a real benefit (+1 to attack, or +1 to defenses) and the opportunity to make up something more grand, but failing
forward might only give a benefit that lasts the first turn of combat. Spending a 6 on an icon relationship die result can turn
a failure into a success on the skill check to prepare, if the player can explain why a relationship with a particular icon helps
them prepare.
The Portent: The Archmage’s comet

Remember the comet-centered ravings of that seer in the marketplace? Cassesias? As the PCs finish their preparations and
have the sense that the attack is coming any second, a strange blue white comet blazes into sight, traveling slowly overhead.
In other words, not like a normal comet! Strange rippling curtains of light sleet off the ball of light, and anyone with any
magic sense can tell that the balance of magical power just got whacked like it was a piñata.
Page | 13
Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Archmage, or spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check,
or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows an adventurer to profit from this disruption in the flow of magic—during the
upcoming battle they will be able to reroll a single failed spell attack roll.
If anyone profited by listening to the seer in the marketplace, this battle might be where the ravings suddenly make
sense.
If not, well that’s what heroes are for. Self-made heroics.
Page | 14
1.6 Defend the beacon
If Zadro is still with the party then roll on his chart from the previous battle each round. When the escalation die reaches
6 another beacon in the distance is lit, starting the chain that leads back to Axis, and the party can flee with no campaign
loss. Let the players know that once the second beacon lights up that they can retreat with honor and victory intact.
Number of
PCs
Revenan
Winter Cult
Necromance
Mourn Mourn Chanter
t Chanter This ghostly apparition simply drifts up to its enemies and sings its
r
sad song.
3 5 2 2 10th level spoiler [UNDEAD]
6 5 8 2 Song of lonely endings: All engaged enemies take 30 psychic

damage at the start of the mourn chanter’s turn.
7 5 10 2
[once per battle, is not expended if all targets are missed] C:
Revenant The dark tongue +15 vs. MD (1d3 nearest enemies)—Targets
become confused (save ends).
Smarter than a zombie, less infuriating than a vampire.
After-effect: When the target saves it takes 58 psychic
8th level mook [UNDEAD]
damage
Initiative: +13
Vulnerability: holy Not of this world: Natural even attack rolls against AC
automatically miss this creature, with no miss effects. Attacks
Strength of the dead +13 vs. AC—23 damage
that do holy damage ignore this ability.
Never say die: Provided their necromancer(s) stand and are nearby, one
Fly: This ghost can fly, or rather can drift sorrowfully.
‘dead’ revenant mook gets back up at full hp each round.
AC 25 AC 20 (see not of this world)

PD 23 HP 36 (mook) PD 24 HP 180
MD 15 MD 24
Mook: Kill one revenant mook for every 36 damage you do to the mob.
More revenants, and how
Winter Cult to win:
Necromancer Each round a number of revenants join the
8th level caster [HUMANOID] fight equal to the escalation die. The fight is
Initiative: +13 ‘won’ when the escalation die reaches 6 and
Vulnerability: fire
the next beacon in the chain is lit. If the party
C: Soul-draining fog +13 vs. MD (one nearby enemy)—The target sticks around long enough that the second
takes 6d10 damage or loses a recovery (target’s choice). If the target
chooses to lose a recovery they must roll it and the winter cult beacon is lit then they have succeeded in
necromancer heals that amount. The target must choose before the warning Axis and have ‘won’. If, however,
damage is rolled. they flee before then it is a campaign loss: the
C: Chilling breath +13 vs. PD (one nearby enemy)—20 ongoing cold undead extinguish the beacon and the
damage and the target is stuck.
adventurers must race on foot to warn Axis—
AC 22 and so the PCs do not receive an incremental
PD 24 HP 160 advance. Even if the PCs do warn Axis this
MD 18 session it is still a good idea to head there to
help defend the city (and to not get caught up
in the Lich King’s advance).
Page | 15
To Axis!
The adventurers defend Axis from the Lich King’s forces.

The adventurers travel to Axis The adventurers help defend a city under attack

story complication.
New PCs introduced this week have a reason for being in Axis and joining with the adventurers in defending it. Discuss
with players of new characters why their adventurer is in Axis, then keep that character out of travel montage, or come up
with a clever way to work them in!
2.1 Travel montage

The adventurers must travel from Glimmer Farm back to Axis, but unfortunately the coastline is crawling with undead. It
seems like every undead monster in the world is pouring eastwards out of the Necropolis. Turn to a player and ask them
about a problem that the party faced on the journey. Then turn to the next player and tell them that their adventurer solved
that problem, and ask them how. There is no need to make rolls, this is a montage. Go around the group until everybody
has had a chance to invent a problem and had their character solve a problem.
2.2 The panicked market

When the adventurers reach Axis, Zadro heads straight for the Palaces district to report in but gives each adventurer 400
gp to spend at the market as the party might need supplies for the upcoming battle. Zadro advises the adventurers to obtain
healing potions and anything else that they think that they may need in the coming conflict.
The news of the Lich King’s army has reached the citizens, and so the market while still open is a scrum of frantic activity
as people buy (or snatch) anything that they think they will need to flee the city or withstand a siege. If the adventurers
want to purchase anything they’d best do it before a riot breaks out and the imperial guard close the markets down.
Adventurers can still purchase the same items as were found in episode 1, but for 1d3 times the price, rolled for each item;
might be same price, might be double, might be triple. Only try for one or two items per PC, otherwise rolling to try and
find a good price will get boring.
While the adventurers are in the market, the comet makes an appearance. There’s a distant popping sound from the
comet, followed by twin curtains of blue fire flaring and then fading overhead as a couple of the Archmage’s great magical
wards around Axis burn out. Any wizard or character with a relationship with the Archmage will know that’s what just
happened. Other people will learn eventually!
Page | 16
But what if Zadro is dead?
I wrote this section assuming that Zadro made it through session 1. However, while there is nothing that would
kill Zadro written into that session a PC might have pushed Zadro off the cliff, or stabbed him in the back, or
somehow bought Zadro to a violent end because of some grudge discovered in the story montage. If you are
running this game for your home group you’ll know Zadro’s fate, but if you are running this game in a store
check with the players to see if any of them played session 1 with a different GM and if so if Zadro was killed.
If Zadro was killed in session 1 in the game that any of the players played in, then the adventurers will need to
report to the city guard what happened at Glimmer Farm, and will receive a reward of 400 gp each for bringing
truthful news of a threat to Axis.
Icon option: Imperial dignitaries

Characters with a relationship with the Emperor might know enough about how Axis works to demand that the city
guard arrange lodgings for them. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Emperor, spending a 5 and succeeding
at a DC 25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to demand lodgings suitable to their
station. Of course those with a positive relationship may be deserving of such treatment, and those with a negative
relationship might be lying through their teeth convincingly enough to get the guard to comply. Resting up for an hour or
so in nice lodgings prior to heading out into the city proper grants the character one extra recovery for this session.
Characters who are not imperial dignitaries (or who cannot convince the guards that they should be treated as such) will
not have time to find lodgings before the action commences.
Alternately the adventurers can use their connection to the Emperor to have greedy market traders sell one item to them
for its normal price instead of its panic mark-up.
Page | 17
2.3 The killpuker
13 detachments of the Imperial Home Guard protect the crater wall of Axis and its many tunnels, and can close off any gaps
with mithril-mesh curtains at a moment’s notice… but the comet’s magic has caused the nets to heat up to an unbearable
temperature. The soldiers are working to cool the mithril down, get it into place, and protect the city. They need somebody
to slow the advance of the undead down until the gaps in the walls can be closed.
The adventurers are found by a guard captain who directs them to one of the gaps. Outside the city hundreds of huge
bug-like things are rising out of the soil and crawling up the flanks of the volcano. With the soldiers and dragons occupied
in the city anybody who is armed is being pressed into service. The adventurers are asked to take out one of the giant bugs
that is headed for a gap in the caldera wall that is known to be a weak point in the city’s defenses. The adventurers can’t
stop every giant bug thing, but if they can stop this one they can buy the guard captain time enough to call for
reinforcements from Garrisons South to get the nets closed.
But the adventurers need to get there FAST. Ask each PC what they’re doing to help the group travel quickly, forcing
their way past scenes of incredible chaos. It’s a DC 25 skill check; keep track of the number of successes.
This is a mass battle. Though the adventurers are focused on just one part of the battle, there is a greater battle going on all around them. At
the start of every round, one player (we suggest whoever has the best relationship with the Emperor) must roll a battle die. The size of the battle die
depends on how many successes the adventurers got when they were scrambling into position. With 0 successes (they failed the roll, or did something
else) the battle die starts as a d8. If they got 1 success the battle die starts as a d10. If they got 3+ successes the battle die starts as a d12.
1. A dracolich blasts the city’s defenders with ice. 5. Rain of blood! All PCs take 5 ongoing 9. The Lich King’s forces fall back! Increase the
Reduce the battle die by 1 dice step. damage. escalation die by 1.
2. A miasma of death creeps over the battlefield. 6. Bats! All PCs must save or take 10 10. Wizards! One enemy becomes weakened
Miasma +15 vs PD (character with lowest damage. (save ends).
Con)—3d8 poison damage. 7. Clerics heal from afar. One PC can spend a 11. A dragon swoops past! Dragon fire +15 vs
3. Arrows rain down on the PC’s position. Volley recovery on their next turn as a free PD (1 enemy)—15 fire damage.
+15 vs AC (character with lowest Dex)-4d6 action. 12. The dragon riders fly by! Dragon fire +15
damage. 8. Friendly forces fire into your fight. One vs PD (1d3 enemies in a group)—15 fire
4. The Emperor’s banner is spotted! Increase the enemy engaged with a PC takes 3d6 damage.
battle die by 1 die step. damage at the end of that PCs next turn.
Number of
PCs Multi-headed Skeleton Killpuker Killpuker
3 1 1 The Lich King probably has a different name for this undead
monstrosity.
4 3 1 Huge 10th level wrecker [UNDEAD]
5 5 1 Initiative: +8
Vulnerability: holy
6 7 1
Trample into the dirt +15 vs. AC (all targets engaged
7 9 1 with the killpuker)—50 ongoing damage and the
target is stuck as it is dragged under the killpuker
Multi-headed Skeleton (save ends both).
As a standard action stuck targets can free themselves and end
8th level archer [UNDEAD] both the stuck condition and the ongoing damage. Enemies stuck
Initiative: +13 under the killpuker can only target the killpuker.
Vulnerability: holy
C: Vomitus spray +15 vs. PD (2d3 nearby or far away
Twin bite +13 vs. AC—30 damage targets in a group)—40 ongoing acid damage.
Natural even hit: Make a second attack against the same target.
Vomit forth the undead: Once per round when the killpuker is
R: Bone arrows +13 vs. AC (1d3 enemies in a group)—20 damage and the hit it rolls a save; on an 11+ a new multi-headed skeleton
target is vulnerable (save ends). climbs out of it and joins the fight.
After-effect: Once the target saves they take 6 damage (from pulling Climber: This creature, given enough time, can climb up and
the arrow out). over any surface. It’s slow, but implacable.
AC 24 AC 26
PD 22 HP 144 PD 24 HP 666
MD 18 MD 19
Page | 18
Page | 19
2.4 Street to street fighting
The dragons are blasting the undead from the rim of the crater wall, the curtains have been lowered, and the soldiers from
the 13 garrisons are fighting in the tunnels. The adventurers get pulled back from the front lines, as regular soldiers rush to
take their place in the battle. The adventurers have a chance to rest and bandage their wounds, in the chaos of the city.
However, after the party has had a chance to rest they discover that all is not well within the city. Undead have slipped
past the front lines and are causing problems across the city. No location in the city is safe for long, and the adventurers are
forced from one location to another as the army commandeers houses or the siege engines of the undead hurl stones across
the crater rim. As the adventurers move to new locations it is up to them to solve the problems that they find there: each
character must pass a skill check or suffer an attack or other consequences, with a different adventurer taking the lead or
being put on the spot in each new location. Every adventurer who passes the skill check and solves a problem is cheered
by the citizens of Axis, worth a +1 attack bonus in the first round of combat due to boosted morale in the next fight.
Arena Town Goldring The Docks
Right at the heart of Axis, this district The district of jewelers and artisans is The ocean side of Axis is open, and a
contains not only the famous 13 arenas but jumpy. A crossbow maker, Bjorn fleet of warships stands ready to repel
restaurants, taverns, and theatres. Stronginthearm, has gone mad with fear invaders. Unfortunately some zombies
Unfortunately the attack on Axis and is shooting at anybody who gets too have walked right across the seafloor past
happened during a well-attended close to his shop. It is a DC 30 skill check to Axis’ defenses and have climbed up on
gladiatorial bout and the panicked crowd talk Bjorn down, or get out of range. shore. The dock workers fought them off
riots towards the party as they try to find a “You won’t take me alive” +15 vs AC— but in the chaos fires have started. It is a
safe place to rest. It is a DC 25 skill 4d10 damage DC 25 skill challenge to avoid the thick
challenge to avoid being trampled and black smoke and rescue some sailors.
calm the crowd. Black smoke +15 vs PD—2d20 poison
Trampled by the crowd +15 vs AC—2d20 damage
damage
Wyrmshadow Rabbleward Upside
There goes a dragon flight overhead! The poorest district of Axis always was Upside is a small middle-class enclave.
And another one! Wait, they are swooping too a bit flammable. It might have been a secret A perfect breeding ground for ambition,
close! DC 25 to dodge and get some other death cultist, a stray blast of dragon fire, or and apparently for death cultists. It is a DC
citizens out of the way. just an accident—but Rabbleward is 25 skill check to avoid entanglements with
Buffeted by the wind of their wings +15 burning now. It is a DC 35 kill check to a bunch of robed cultists while attracting
vs AC—4d10 thunder damage and loss of outrace the deadly conflagration while the attention of the beleaguered city guard.
dignity saving some citizens. Curved daggers +15 vs AC—3d10 damage
Firestorm +15 vs PD—4d20 fire damage
Garrison District Saltpork The Palaces

From the imperial troops to the Nothing interesting ever happens in The area around the imperial palace is
Crusader’s soldiers, to the private armies Saltpork. It is where cooks and cleaners thick with the homes of nobles, the estates
of nobles and free mercenary companies, and accountants have their homes. Which of generals, and of course the imperial
the power in the garrison district is very makes it all the more surprising that the palace. With all the private guards, honor
compartmentalized. Unfortunately the citizens have spontaneously decided to guards, and palace guards it is only a
Dagger Daughters have accused the Red start a revolution. “Down with the matter of time before the adventurers are
Sons of being death cultists in league with Emperor!” goes the cry. The Diabolist, ever pressed into service. It is a DC 25 skill
the Lich King, and the Bronze Fist has keen to stir the pot, has used her malign check to perform whatever duty is
gotten caught up in a three-way riot. It is a influence here. It is a DC 35 skill check to required, or to shirk the responsibility—
DC 30 skill challenge to avoid ‘friendly’ fend off the magically induced madness those who do neither lose a recovery.
stabbing and calm the fight between the that is gripping the citizenry this hour,
mercenary companies. setting an example for others.
All hell breaks loose +20 vs AC—3d20 Painful domination +15 vs MD—6d8
damage psychic damage
Page | 20
Icon option: A flight of dragons
Characters with a relationship with The Three are familiar with dragons. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with
The Three, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer
to estimate the position of dragons circling above the city, without looking up for the battle at hand.. During the battle at
the end of the session replace the battle die result for 5 with this:
5- Dragon fire: Deal 3d12 fire damage to 1d3 enemies, as you receive air-support from the city’s dragon defenders.
Icon option: The Crusader’s soldiers

Characters with a relationship with the Crusader might be able to make the acquaintance of soldiers loyal to that icon who
are stationed in Axis. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Crusader, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC
25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to become friendly with those soldiers (or perhaps
to already be comrades). In that case during the battle at the end of the session replace the battle die result for 1 with this:
1- Aid from the Crusader: Deal 3d8 to one enemy engaged with you, as the Crusader’s troops fire into your combat
from a neighboring rooftop.
Page | 21
2.5 The Nobles
The PCs end up in a street where a group of nobles have decided to hold a dinner party! The nobles are convinced that they
have nothing to fear (“The city is defended by dragons, surely no undead could get through”). The nobles have had a sturdy
barricade of stone built, which they think will protect them from harm. Unfortunately just as the dinner party is starting a
flying undead monster lands a couple of streets away and disgorges its deadly cargo of Necropolis troops. The dinner party
is now trapped between their own barricade and the approaching undead… and so are the adventurers!
This is a mass battle. Though the adventurers are focused on just one fight, there is a battle going on all around them. At the start
of every round of the battle one of the players must roll a battle die (the players can nominate who does it, but we suggest whoever has
the best relationship with the Emperor). The size of the battle die depends on how many successes the adventurers got during the street-
to-street fighting that preceded this unfortunate dinner party. If they got 0 successes (they failed all rolls, or did something else) the
battle die starts as a d8. If they got 1 success the battle die starts as a d10. If they got 3+ successes the battle die starts as a d12.
1. The Lich King’s banner is spotted! Reduce 5. Rain of blood! All PCs take 5 ongoing 9. The Lich King’s forces fall back!
the battle die by 1 dice step. damage. Increase the escalation die by 1.
2. A miasma of death creeps over the battlefield. 6. Angry nobles throwing things! Badly! 10. Stevedores from the docks! One enemy
Miasma +15 vs PD (character with lowest All PCs take 5 damage. takes 3d6 ongoing damage.
Con)—3d8 poison damage. 7. Soldiers from Garrison. One enemy 11. A dragon swoops past! Dragon fire
3. Arrows rain down on the PC’s position. takes 10 ongoing damage and is +15 vs PD (1 enemy)—15 fire
Volley +15 vs AC (character with lowest stuck (save ends both). damage.
Dex)-4d6 damage. 8. Servants and barricade-builders lend a 12. The dragon riders fly by! Dragon fire
4. The Emperor’s banner is spotted! Increase the hand. One unengaged enemy takes +15 vs PD (1d3 enemies in a
battle die by 1 die step. 3d6 damage. group)—15 fire damage.
Number of
PCs
Vampire
Blood-mage
Mourn
Chanter
Vampire Blood-mage
10th level caster [UNDEAD]
4 3 2 Vulnerability: holy
5 3 3 Draining bite +15 vs. AC—50 negative energy damage.
6 4 3 Natural 11+: The target is weakened until the end of their next
turn.
7 4 4 Natural 16+: The target expends one unused limited trait (a
Mourn Chanter spell, power, or talent with a once-per-battle or daily use, but
not item powers) of the target’s choice.
This ghostly apparition simply drifts up to its enemies and sings its
C: Blood drain +15 vs. AC (1d4 nearby enemies in a group)—18
sad song.
ongoing damage.
10th level spoiler [UNDEAD]
Initiative: +13 R: Blood spear +15 vs. AC (1d3 enemies)—40 damage.
Vulnerability: holy [Special] The blood-mage can choose to make this attack originating
from an enemy that it has previously bitten. If it does so that enemy
Song of lonely endings: All engaged enemies take 30 psychic
takes 10 ongoing damage.
damage at the start of the mourn chanter’s turn.
Sanguineous teleport: As a move action the blood-mage can teleport
[once per battle, is not expended if all targets are missed] C:
into engagement with an enemy that it has previously bitten, and that
The dark tongue +15 vs. MD (1d3 nearest enemies)—Targets
enemy takes 10 ongoing damage.
become confused (save ends).
After-effect: When the target saves it takes 58 psychic Mist form: When the vampire is reduced to 0 hp or fewer, unless an
damage adventurer drives a stake through its heart before its next turn (a
standard action) it becomes a mist and flees the battle.
Not of this world: Natural even attack rolls against AC
automatically miss this creature, with no miss effects. Attacks
Nastier specials
that do holy damage ignore this ability.
Drain the stupid nobles: As a standard action, one blood mage kills a
Fly: This ghost can fly, or rather can drift sorrowfully. few nobles, is restored to full hp, and all blood mages lose this ability.
AC 20 (see not of this world) AC 26

PD 24 HP 180 PD 24 HP 216 (see mist form)
MD 24 MD 20
Page | 22
Page | 23
City under siege

The adventurers are trapped in Axis, fighting the The adventurers are still in Axis, fighting the
undead. undead. They are holding the city… for now.

story complication.
New PCs introduced this week need a reason for being in Axis and joining with the adventurers in defending it. Discuss
with players of new characters why their adventurer is in Axis.
3.1 City montage

The city is in panic. Troops of the Crusader and imperial soldiers are mustering, tearing down buildings or boarding them
up, and operating in a sort of organized explosion of activity. Added to all this are the preparations of the dragons and their
riders, and the activities of the small private armies of the nobles. Turn to a player and ask them a problem that the group
encounters. Then turn to the next player and tell them that their adventurer solved that problem, and ask them how. There
is no need to make rolls, this is a montage. Go around the group until everybody has had a chance to invent a problem and
had their character solve a problem.
Page | 24
Dragon Riding
13th Age monthly has the full rules for Dragon Riding. While we haven’t
included a scene in this adventure where the PCs ride dragons and fight
tremendous aerial battles against the unholy dracoliches and white
dragons in the Lich King’s service, you could certainly find a place to insert
such a fight anywhere in this adventure. If riding dragons high above the
imperial capital while the battle rages on in the streets far below sounds
like good fun, then by all means go for it, but you’ll have to handle the link-
up yourself.
Icon option: Inside knowledge

Characters with a relationship with the Lich King may be familiar with the types of undead swarming into the city.
Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Lich King, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check, or
succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to have inside knowledge; during the barricade battle (3.4) the
player may re-roll the battle die once when they do not like the result.
3.2 Axis market in flames

The battle lulls. The adventurers have a chance for a full heal-up, aided by clerics loyal to the Emperor who are patching
up those who might be able to fight in the battle. The dragons have spotted a massive fleet of ghost ships headed across the
Azure Bay, and have left the city to fight them on the open water before they can reach the city. However, this has left the
soldiers in the city with only a minimal force of dragons as air cover. It will be a day or more before reinforcements from
the Emperor’s allies can reach Axis. The battle of Axis is going to be a grim one.
Most of the citizens that can fight are being given excess weapons by troops loyal to the Emperor, though the Crusader’s
soldiers are keeping to themselves and have retreated back to their barracks for the time being. The adventurers are left to
their own devices. The marketplace has been more or less abandoned. The battle for Axis is still going on, but is for now
restricted to the outer wards of the city. Point out to the players that this is a prime opportunity for a spot of light looting,
since stalls are so smashed and scattered that there’s no way to tell what originally belonged to who.
Roll a d10 once per adventurer for what useful item they find, then see the item explanations in session 1:
1- Dwarven fungus wine.
2- Elven healing potion.
3- Indulgence (20% chance it works as intended).
4- Paladin’s crest.
5- Prayer beads of the war god.
6- Sanctified banner.
7- Sprite lantern.
8- Talisman of protection.
9&10- Contraband! roll a d6. 1= Binding dust. 2= Chaos Dust. 3=Hell potion. 4=Hero’s trail dust. 5= Raspscale. 6=Shadow
venom.
Once each adventurer has had a chance to loot, with an unholy cry the undead smash over the defenses of the outer city.
The Crusader’s soldiers pour through the marketplace, on their way to the approaching battle. The fight is coming to the
adventurers, and they have only a short time to prepare before the unholy tide of undead reaches them.
Page | 25
3.3 Building the barricades
The adventurers have a short time to prepare for the undead. The citizens of Axis are starting to barricade the streets, and
helping with that seems to be the best bet for survival. Barricading is a DC 25 skill check, and each adventurer who succeeds
on the skill check to barricade the marketplace gains +1 to all their defenses until the escalation die reaches 2+.
Icon option: Inspiring faith

Characters with a relationship with the Priestess might perhaps carry with them a portion of that icon’s inspiring presence
and stirring rhetoric. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Priestess, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25
skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to give a rousing speech. During the barricade battle
replace the battle die result for 5 with this:
5- Inspired citizens: Deal 3d12 damage to 1d3 enemies, as ordinary citizens lean out of windows and hurl heavy
objects at your foes.
Icon option: Dwarven ale

Characters with a relationship with the Dwarf King may well find themselves recuperating on the front steps of a tavern
during a quick rest during this adventure. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Dwarf King, spending a 5
and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows that adventurer to successfully request
their favorite brand of dwarven ale from the tavern’s dwarven bar steward… and thus maximize their recovery dice rolls
during this rest. Of course others will just burn their tongues on the ale, it takes a real connoisseur to really enjoy vintage
dwarven tipple.
3.4 Barricade battle

The battle wouldn’t stay away, and the undead roar down upon the adventurers’ position alongside the citizens’ barricade.
This is a mass battle. Though the adventurers are focused on just one part of the battle, there is a greater battle going on all around
them. At the start of every round of the battle one of the players must roll a battle die (the players can nominate who does it, but we
suggest whoever has the best relationship with the Emperor). The size of the battle die depends on how many successes the adventurers
got when they were helping with the barricades. If they got 0 successes (they failed the roll, or did something else) the battle die starts
as a d8. If they got 1 success the battle die starts as a d10. If they got 3+ successes the battle die starts as a d12.
1. A dracolich blasts the city’s defenders with ice. 5. Rain of blood! All PCs take 5 ongoing 9. The Lich King’s forces fall back! Increase
Reduce the battle die by 1 die step. damage. the escalation die by 1.
2. A miasma of death creeps over the battlefield. 6. Monstrous fleas! All PCs must save or 10. Wizards! One enemy becomes
Miasma +15 vs PD (character with lowest take 10 damage. weakened (save ends).
Con)—3d8 poison damage. 7. Saltpork district toilers offer aid. One PC 11. A dragon swoops past! Dragon fire +15
3. Arrows rain down on the PC’s position. can spend a recovery on their next vs PD (1 enemy)—15 fire damage.
Volley +15 vs AC (character with lowest turn as a free action. 12. Crusader magic! Deal 35 damage to a
Dex)-4d6 damage. 8. Rabbleward rabble attacks. One enemy random enemy that the Crusader’s
4. The Emperor’s banner is spotted! Increase the engaged with a PC takes 3d6 damage people apparently really hate.
battle die by 1 die step. at the end of that PCs next turn.
Page | 26
Number Abhartach Abhartach
of PCs Revenant
Shade Necromancer Abhartach Shade
3 5 15 3 8th level mook [UNDEAD]
Initiative: +13
4 5 15 5
Vulnerability: holy
5 5 15 7
Aurora of corruption +13 vs. MD (1d3 enemies)—16 psychic
6 5 15 9 damage.
7 5 15 11 Three attacks hit: Add a new abhartach shade to the fight
at the start of the next turn, and act when the other
Abhartach Necromancer shades act in the initiative order.
8th level spoiler [UNDEAD] AC 25
Initiative: +13 PD 23 HP 36 (mook)
Vulnerability: holy
MD 15
Gravechill claws +13 vs. AC—16 ongoing cold and negative energy Mook: Kill one abharatch shade mook for every 36 damage you do to
damage and the target is stunned until the start of their next turn the mob.
[quick action] R: Miasma of corruption +13 vs. MD—The
necromancer adds a new shade to the fight (see the shade’s aura of Revenant
corruption ability for how that works) OR the next time the target rolls Smarter than a zombie, less infuriating than a vampire.
a d20 they take that amount of psychic damage OR—target’s choice 8th level mook [UNDEAD]
as to which happens. Initiative: +13
Vulnerability: holy
AC 30 (or 22 vs. holy damage attacks)
Strength of the dead +13 vs. AC—23 damage
PD 22 HP 100
Never say die: Provided their necromancer(s) stand and are
MD 27 nearby, one ‘dead’ revenant mook gets back up at full hp each
round.
AC 25
PD 23 HP 36 (mook)
MD 15
Mook: Kill one revenant mook for every 36 damage you do to the
mob.
Page | 27
Page | 28
Icon option: Hope against all odds
Characters with a relationship with the Great Gold Wyrm might receive a mystically inspiring vision, or at the very least
be motivated by the memory of those that have gone before. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Great Gold
Wyrm, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to
give a rousing speech. During the upcoming battle (in section 3.6) replace the battle die result for 5 with this:
5- Motivated residents: Deal 6d4 damage to 1d3 non-flying enemies, as the people of Axis hurl slates from rooftops
down upon your foes.
Icon option (any icon): Prince Vicitrocious

The assault on Axis is being led by Prince Vicitrocious, a vampire of great renown. The vampire is said to be so old that
he remembers the time before the Wizard King, and the rumor has it that Vicitrocious was a tutor in the dark arts of undeath
to the Wizard King (before his student outgrew him).
Prince Vicitrocious is overseeing the battle from the back of an undead dragon, carrying the Lich King’s battle banner
and using his baleful influence to strike at the living and bolster the dead. The vampire prince is staying far enough away
from the fighting that he can’t be targeted, but is close enough that those that have heard of him might be able to spot him
and seek shelter as he passes overhead.
Spending a 6 (positive, negative, or conflicted) with any icon lets one adventurer avoid one ‘Prince Vicitrocious’ result
on the battle die; and spending a 5 lets the adventurer roll a save against a ‘Prince Vicitrocious’ result’s effects.
Prince Vicitrocious will be turning up personally in the final session to seize the prize that the Lich King seeks, so the
adventurers will get a chance to fight him. Until that time he will show up in the skies above the city, often passing over
the fights that the adventurers are taking part in.
Icon option (any icon): Saving the citizens

The citizens of Axis are in danger, in mortal peril. Worse, those citizens who die rise to join the ranks of the undead!
6- Saved citizens: For every 6 on an icon relationship die spent, the player can narrate how they save some citizens of
Axis from death. In the next fight that involves some form of zombies or risen citizens the party faces one less zombie
or 1d6+1 less zombie mooks or risen citizens.
5- Last rites: For every 5 on an icon relationship die spent, the player can narrate how they were too late to save some of
the citizens of Axis from death, but did ensure that they didn’t rise as undead. In the next fight that involves some form
of zombies or risen citizens the party faces 1d4 less zombie mooks or risen citizens.
3.5 Fog of war

The battle-lines in Axis shift once again, requiring the adventurers to move from their current position. A flight of dragons
lands near them, and a dragon rider hurries over to ask them to clear the area. A battalion of undead are advancing, and
the dragons intend to burn the neighborhood to create an impassable obstacle for the undead.
The adventurers have to run, or become toast. Go around the group and ask each player in turn how their adventurer
avoids getting caught up in the conflagration or hit by bone arrows that skeletal archers are now firing upon the dragon’s
position. It is between a DC 25 to DC 35 skill check to avoid damage, failing the skill check means that the PC takes between
2d20 and 4d20 fire damage. As GM you have latitude to set the damage and the difficulty, as the unfolding story that your
group co-operatively creates unfolds.
As the adventurers scramble away from danger they end up running toward another group of the undead.
Page | 29
3.6 The rock or the hard place
The adventurers have a choice of two big fights headed their way. If they run in one direction they will encounter a
downed flying undead, a monster called a dusthelkite; others of its kind are circling overhead, dropping skeletal troops
down on the city’s defenders and blasting necrotic energy at buildings. If the adventurers run in the other direction they
will encounter one of the Lich King’s troop transports, a killpuker as the soldiers of the city are calling it. This killpuker
contains the bodies of citizens that are in the process of being reanimated by the killpuker’s foul fluids.
suggest whoever has the best relationship with the Emperor). The size of the battle die depends on how how many PCs are willing to
suffer 3d6 damage while defending citizens of Axis before the battle even starts. None? Start with a d6. One or two? D8. Three? D10.
Four or more = d12... Of course the adventurers could choose to fight one set of enemies and then run back to help with the
other fight! If they choose to do that let them have a rest with half the usual amount gained from spending recoveries, and
start the new fight with the escalation die set at whatever it ended the first fight at. And in that case, the battle die is d12.
1. Prince Vicitrocious flies by far above on a 5. Rain of blood! All PCs take 5 ongoing 9. The Lich King’s forces fall back!
skeletal dragon with the Lich King’s banner. damage. Increase the escalation die by 1.
Reduce the battle die by 1 die step. 6. Upside district prayers. All PCs do 10. Wizards! One enemy becomes
2. A miasma of death creeps over the battlefield. holy damage with their next attacks. weakened (save ends).
Miasma +15 vs PD (character with lowest 7. Arena fighters race in and briefly engage 11. A dragon swoops past! Dragon fire
Con)—3d8 poison damage. the enemy. Each PC gains hp equal to +15 vs PD (1 enemy)—15 fire
3. Arrows rain down on the PC’s position. their next d20 roll. damage.
Volley +15 vs AC (character with lowest 8. Wyrmshadow dragonic brigade. 1d3 12. The dragon riders fly by! Dragon fire
Dex)-4d6 damage. unengaged enemies take 3d6 +15 vs PD (1d3 enemies in a
4. The Emperor’s banner is spotted! Increase damage (1=Acid, 2=Cold, 3=Fire). group)—15 fire damage.
the battle die by 1 die type.
Number of
PCs Risen Citizen Killpuker Killpuker
3 5 1 The Lich King probably has a different name for thus undead
monstrosity.
4 10 1
Huge 10th level wrecker [UNDEAD]
7 25 1 Trample into the dirt +15 vs. AC (all targets engaged with
the killpuker)—50 ongoing damage and the target is stuck
Risen Citizen as it is dragged under the killpuker (save ends both).

As a standard action stuck targets can free themselves
Just hours ago this was a regular citizen of Axis. and end both the stuck condition and the ongoing
8th level mook [UNDEAD] damage. Enemies stuck under the killpuker can only
Initiative: +13 target the killpuker.
Vulnerability: holy
C: Vomitus spray +15 vs. PD (2d3 nearby or far away targets
Hungry mouth +13 vs. AC—20 damage in a group)—40 ongoing acid damage.
[special] The risen citizen is empowered by the Killpuker’s presence.
Vomit forth the undead: Once per round when the killpuker is
While nearby a killpuker it deals triple damage on a natural 20.
hit it rolls a save; on an 11+, four new risen citizen mooks
enter the fray.
AC 24
Climber: This creature, given enough time, can climb up and
PD 22 HP 30 (mook) over any surface. It’s slow, but implacable.
MD 18
Mook: Kill one risen citizen mook for every 30 hp you deal to the mob. AC 26
PD 24 HP 666
MD 19
Page | 30
Number of
PCs Giant zombie
Freebooter
Necromancer
Dusthelkite Dusthelkite
Large 11th level wrecker [CONSTRUCT]
5 5 2 2 Sand-storm +17 vs. AC (2 attacks)—50 damage
6 5 1 3 and the target cannot use the escalation die until
the end of their next turn.
7 5 0 4 Miss: 5d10 damage.
Giant zombie [special] The dusthelkite can perform this attack

mid-move while flying, but with a -2 penalty to
Large 9th level mook [UNDEAD] attack.
Initiative: +8
Golem immunity: The dusthelkite looks undead,
Vulnerability: holy
but is in fact a bone golem. Non-organic golems
Club or club-like fists +14 vs. AC—50 damage are immune to effects. They can’t be dazed,
Natural even hit or miss: Both the zombie and its target take 6d10 damage! weakened, confused, made vulnerable, or
Headshot: A critical hit against a giant zombie mook deals triple damage instead touched by ongoing damage. You can damage a
of the normal double damage for a crit. golem, but that’s about it.
Double-strength mook: The giant zombie mook counts as two 9th level mooks when Escalator: The dusthelkite uses the escalation die
you are building battles. for attacks.
AC 23 Flight: The dusthelkite flys about on wings made

of sand, grave dirt, and tomb dust.
PD 21 HP 100 (mook)
MD 17 Sands of time: Adventurers engaged with a
dusthelkite take damage at the start of their turns
Mook: Kill one giant zombie mook for every 100 hp you deal to the mob.
equal to the escalation die value plus their
initiative. Adventurers may choose to drop their
Freebooter Necromancer initiative as they are slowed down by the
8th level caster [UNDEAD] enervating presence of the dusthelkite. Those
Initiative: +13 who fight dusthelkites might end up prematurely
Vulnerability: holy grey-haired.
Enervating touch +13 vs. AC—20 ongoing negative energy damage Nastier specials
Crit: The necromancer heals 30 hp. Bone vacuum: When staggered the dusthelkite
attempts to pull new bones into its body to
R: Gaze of the departed +13 vs. MD—Target is stunned and vulnerable to attacks
replace lost or broken bones. Adventurers with
by the undead; easy save (6+) ends stunned, vulnerability is until end of the battle.
bones who are nearby the dusthelkite take
[limited use] Only one enemy can be stunned by this attack at a time; if a new
damage equal to 20 minus their die roll when they
enemy becomes stunned the existing stunned enemy becomes un-stunned.
miss with an attack.
AC 18 AC 28
PD 22 HP 124 PD 24 HP 360
MD 24 MD 20
1. Prince Vicitrocious flies by far above on a 5. Rain of blood! All PCs take 5 ongoing 9. The Lich King’s forces fall back!
skeletal dragon with the Lich King’s banner. damage. Increase the escalation die by 1.
Reduce the battle die by 1 die step. 6. Monstrous fleas! All PCs must save 10. Wizards! One enemy becomes
2. A miasma of death creeps over the battlefield. or take 10 damage. weakened (save ends).
Miasma +15 vs PD (character with lowest 7. Saltpork district toilers offer aid. One 11. A dragon swoops past! Dragon fire
Con)—3d8 poison damage. PC can spend a recovery on their +15 vs PD (1 enemy)—15 fire
3. Arrows rain down on the PC’s position. next turn as a free action. damage.
Volley +15 vs AC (character with lowest 8. Arena fighters race in and briefly 12. The dragon riders fly by! Dragon fire
Dex)-4d6 damage. engage the enemy. Each PC gains hp +15 vs PD (1d3 enemies in a
4. The Emperor’s banner is spotted! Increase the equal to their next d20 roll. group)—15 fire damage.
battle die by 1 die step.
Page | 31
Page | 32
Page | 33
The Orc Well

The adventurers are still trapped in Axis, fighting The adventurers are instrumental in undoing the
the undead. Lich King’s secret plan.

story complication.
New PCs introduced this week need a reason for being in Axis and joining with the adventurers in defending it. Discuss
with players of new characters why their adventurer is in Axis.
4.1 Laying the dead to rest montage

The city is in shock. The Lich King’s attack has left some areas of the city in ruins, and the presence of the Lich King threatens
to make the dead of the city rise! The defenders of the city are split between shoring up its defenses, actively fighting the
remainder of the Lich King’s forces, and destroying the bodies of the fallen in such a way that they cannot rise again. Turn
to a player and ask them a problem that the group encounters. Then turn to the next player and tell them that their
adventurer solved that problem, and ask them how. There is no need to make rolls, this is a montage. Go around the group
until everybody has had a chance to invent a problem and had their character solve a problem.
Icon option: A diabolical deal

Characters with a non-negative relationship with the Diabolist fall into a fever-state as they rest from the work of laying the
dead to rest. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Diabolist, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill
check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to sacrifice a soul to dark and unholy powers without
being noticed. Those who don’t mind being noticed can sacrifice the soul without spending relationship points or making a
skill check. Characters who sacrifice a soul are basically finding somebody who was counted among the dead but was
instead just wounded, and then killing that person. This is an evil act, even if the adventurer can justify it as being for the
greater good. Sacrificing a soul grants the PC the ability to spend a recovery to heal as a free action once during this session.
Of course, getting caught sacrificing a living being to the forces of hell should have story implications, but we leave these
to the GM and other players.
Page | 34
4.2 The Great Seal
The dragons are returning to the city in force, having defeated the Lich King’s navy. However, the whole naval battle, the
entire battle at Axis, has been a feint. The Lich King is after something specific within the city, and the chaos and destruction
was merely a diversion. While the dragons have cleared the airspace above the city of undead, and soldiers are clearing up
the streets, hundreds of undead are now under the city (or trying to get there at least).
The adventurers notice that increasing numbers of undead are searching for something. They are digging up parks and
gardens, tearing up flagstones, and descending into basements and sewers. The Lich King is looking for something under
the city… but what?
This is a skill challenge. Go round the group had have each player explain how their character is searching the city for
undead that are in hiding or are attempting to get under the city, then have them roll a skill check with an appropriate
background. The skill challenge difficulty is DC 35 for most PCs, DC 30 for PCs with icon relationships with the Lich King,
or Archmage, or Orc Lord, and DC 25 for PCs with icon relationships with the Emperor. The more successes accrued in this
skill challenge the earlier the adventurers figure out that the undead are concentrating their activity around the Great Seal,
and so the sooner the PCs will arrive at the Great Seal. The earlier the adventurers arrive at the Great Seal the easier a time
they’ll have of defending it.
What is the Great Seal?

Back before there was an Orc Lord, when the Lich King was still called the Wizard King, the other icons
rebelled. They created a new race, the orcs, to fight the Wizard King. Eventually the first orc, the Orc Lord,
defeated the Wizard King. It is said that the place where the first orcs were created became tainted with
magic and had to be magically sealed away. 13 ages have passed since that time, and the location of the Orc
Well is now lost to history… or is it? There is an old tale told that the First Emperor died and was buried
close to the Orc Well. The tomb of the First Emperor is in Axis… so maybe the Orc Well is as well.
Once every year the Archmage and Emperor perform a brief public ceremony at a place known as the
Great Seal, where they lay wreaths of holly and mistletoe. It is commonly regarded as a ceremony of
remembrance for those that died liberating the world from the evil of the Wizard King… and by extension
in remembrance of all those that have died fighting the undead since the Lich King has returned.
However… the Great Seal might be guarding the entrance to the Orc Well. With the comet passing
overhead bringing down the Archmage’s wards it is a perfect time for the Lich King to make a move on the
well. If the Lich King controls the Orc Well he might gain the power to either destroy (or worse subvert,
corrupt and control) his ancient nemesis the Orc Lord!
Icon option: The elves arrive

The elves have sent aid, but their eagle-riders don’t know the situation as it is on the ground. Spending a 6 with an icon
relationship roll with the Elf Queen, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill
check, allows the adventurer to signal the elves for help. During the great seal battle replace the battle die result for 5 with
this:
5- Death from above: Deal 3d8 damage to 1d3 enemies, as circling elven eagle riders fire arrows into the fight.
Icon option: Druidic aid

The High Druid would probably welcome the fall of the Dragon Empire, but the rise of the Lich King to power once
more is something that she can’t countenance. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the High Druid, spending a
5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to meditate and ask the
powers of the wild for aid. During the great seal battle replace the battle die result for 6 with this:
6- Strangling vines: 1d3 mook enemies become stuck until the end of the round, as vines burst up from between Axis’
flagstones. (The High Druid doesn’t have that much power in Axis.)
Page | 35
Icon option (any icon): Prince Vicitrocious
The assault on Axis is being led by Prince Vicitrocious, a vampire of great renown. The vampire is said to be so old that he
remembers the time before the Wizard King, and the rumor has it that Vicitrocious was a tutor in the dark arts of undeath
Prince Vicitrocious is overseeing the battle from the back of an undead dragon, carrying the Lich king’s battle banner
and using his baleful influence to strike at the living and bolster the dead. The vampire prince is staying far enough away
from the fighting that he can’t be targeted, but is close enough that those that have heard of him might be able to spot him
and seek shelter as he passes overhead.
Spending a 6 (positive, negative, or conflicted) with any icon lets one adventurer avoid one ‘Prince Vicitrocious’ result
on the battle die; and spending a 5 lets the adventurer roll a save against a ‘Prince Vicitrocious’ result’s effects.
Prince Vicitrocious will be turning up personally in the final fight to seize the prize that the Lich King seeks, so the
adventurers will get a chance to fight him. Until that time he will show up in the skies above the city, often passing over
the fights that the adventurers are taking part in.
Icon option (any icon): Saving the citizens

The citizens of Axis are in danger, in mortal peril. Worse, those citizens who die rise to join the ranks of the undead!
Encourage players who want their adventurers to save citizens to describe the people that they are saving, coming up with
names, backstories, and reasons why other adventurers might also choose to save citizens.
6- Saved citizens: For every 6 on an icon relationship die spent, the player can narrate how they save some citizens of
Axis from death. In the next fight that involves some form of zombies or risen citizens the party faces one less zombie
or 1d6+1 less zombie mooks or risen citizens.
5- Last rites: For every 5 on an icon relationship die spent, the player can narrate how they were too late to save some of
the citizens of Axis from death, but did ensure that they didn’t rise as undead. In the next fight that involves some form
of zombies or risen citizens the party faces 1d4 less zombie mooks or risen citizens.
Icon option (any icon): Inspired to greatness!

An adventurer can trade a 6 with an icon to gain inspiration and inner strength equivalent to a quick rest. The rest only
applies to that adventurer. Trading in a 5 allows that adventurer to either spend a single recovery, roll a recharge on a
recharge power, or regain the use of an x-times per battle ability—and spending multiple 5s to spend multiple recoveries
or recharge/regain multiple powers is a possibility. Lastly a 6 can be traded in to inspire another player character as though
they had spent a 6—provided the adventurer doing the inspiring makes a suitably inspiring speech.
Page | 36
4.3 Defending the Great Seal
The adventurers arrive at the Great Seal. There has already been fighting here, and some of the flagstones have been
partially melted by the corrosive blood of the Lich King’s elite troops. If the adventurers can hold out here until the
escalation die is 6 they can leave the battle without it counting as a campaign loss. If the adventurers flee before the
escalation die is 6 (or lose the fight) it is a campaign loss and the next scene will be much more difficult.
Regardless, at the end of this fight (either the escalation die is 6, or the adventurers flee), the seal and the ground around
it cracks open and the adventurers are flung into the depths below.
GMs: Stress to the players that the undead will just keep coming… they have found themselves at the center of all
undead activity in the city. To WIN this fight they just have to hold out until the escalation die is 6+.
suggest whoever has the best relationship with the Emperor). The size of the battle die depends on how many adventurers had a natural
initiative roll of 11+. Zero quick PCs? The battle die starts as a d8. One or two quick PCs, the battle die starts as a d10. Three or more
quick PCs and the battle die starts as a d12.
1. Prince Vicitrocious flies by far above on a 5. Rain of blood! All PCs take 10 9. Imperial army healer. One PC can
skeletal dragon with the Lich King’s banner. ongoing damage. spend a recovery on their next turn
Reduce the battle die by 1 dice size. 6. Rain of blood! All PCs take 5 ongoing as a free action.
2. Prince Vicitrocious turns into a blood-mist. damage. 10. Wizards! One enemy becomes
Reroll twice on this chart and use the roll 7. Imperial army healer. One PC can weakened (save ends).
that is worse for the PCs. spend a recovery on their next turn 11. A dragon swoops past! Dragon fire
3. Prince Vicitrocious’s dragon breathes a as a free action. +15 vs PD (1 enemy)—15 fire
miasma upon the battlefield. All PCs take 10 8. Imperial army archers. 1d3 unengaged damage.
ongoing poison damage. enemies take 10 damage each, and 12. The dragon riders fly by! Dragon fire
4. Rain of blood! All PCs take 15 ongoing each PC may choose to pop free. If +15 vs PD (1d3 enemies in a
damage. nobody chooses to pop free increase group)—15 fire damage.
the escalation die by 1.
Number
of PCs
First Age
Draugar
Gestalt zombie Gestalt zombie
5 30 16 Hundred fists +14 vs. AC—30 damage
6 30 24 Natural even hit: The zombie absorbs some of your
blood—its next attack does +15 damage.
7 30 30 Natural even miss: The zombie starts to fall apart, and
First Age Draugar its next attack will do half damage.

Headshot: A critical hit against a gestalt zombie mook kills it.
Not quite a lich, far more than a zombie.
Initiative: +13 AC 23
Cursed sword +13 vs. AC—20 damage and 6 ongoing negative PD 21 HP 100 (mook)
energy damage. MD 17
Special: If the adventurer does not save against the ongoing damage Mook: Kill one gestalt zombie mook for every 100 hp you deal
it becomes a hard save (16+). If the adventurer still fails to save the to the mob.
ongoing damage lasts until all the first age draugar are destroyed or
until the adventurers flee the battle or the battle ends. The undead swarm: In this fight
AC 24 about 8 mooks can cluster around a single PC
PD 22 HP 36 (mook) and make attacks. Fighting back to back with
MD 18 another character means that only 5 mooks
Mook: Kill one first age draugar mook for every 36 damage you do can get to each PC at a time. Add 1d4 new first
to the mob.
age draugar to the fight every round.
Page | 37
Page | 38
4.4 Into the unknown
The ground around the Great Seal cracks, and the whole plaza collapses into a void beneath. If the adventurers held out in
the fight until the escalation die was 6 then they managed to stop the undead swarming the great seal, and there are only a
few undead down here in the darkness with them. Otherwise there are dozens of still moving undead crawling out from
the rubble, and more pouring in over the lip of the hole far above. (There’s no time for a quick rest, but see the Icon Options
for the possibility of earning one through icon relationships.)
It is obvious to the adventurers that they can’t get back up, and it is even more obvious that whatever is down here is
what the Lich King is after. Down a long tunnel the adventurers can see a glowing light, but what is it? It might be the
fabled Orc Well, and if so allowing any undead to each it would be a mistake. If the adventurers get there first they will be
able to defend the Orc Well from any undead that make it down into the tunnel beneath the plaza of the Great Seal, as well
as from undead that are digging down from elsewhere.
The only problem is that the tunnel has wards that were set up by the Archmage of a past age. Being this close to the
magical Orc Well the wards, though weakened by the strange comet in the sky, are still intact! The adventurers must brave
the wards in order to reach the Orc Well and properly defend it! Each adventurer must face one of the following magical
traps.
Antipathy ward Lightning barrier Animated blades

It is a mental strain to even want to get This floor and walls crackle with They may be rusty, but the magic on them
past this ward, let alone step through it. lightning, and a field shimmers in between is still good
DC to dodge/disarm/discern: 30 DC to dodge/disarm/discern: 25 DC to dodge/disarm/discern: 35
Will-sapping field +15 vs MD—3d20 Painful shocks +20 vs PD—2d20 Dancing blades +25 vs AC—6d10
damage. psychic damage damage
Icon option: Orcish blood

The Orc Lord was created to defeat the Wizard King, and now the returned ancient enemy threatens the very birthplace of
orcishness. Spending a 6 with an icon relationship roll with the Orc Lord, spending a 5 and succeeding at a DC 25 skill
check, or succeeding at a DC 35 skill check, allows the adventurer to enter into a frenzied rage. Until the end of the session
whenever engaged with at least one undead creature, and no other allies are engaged with the monster, the PC rolls two
dice to attack and takes the higher result. Raging barbarians and others who would normally roll two dice to attack can roll
three dice to attack, but every time they do so it costs a recovery.

Page | 39
4.5 Defending the Orc Well
The adventurers are now standing at the very edge of the shaft that leads down to the Orc Well. The undead flood into the
tunnels that lead to this area.
If you are running short on time you can skip this fight.
Number
of PCs
First Age
Multi-
headed
Dusthelkite
Dusthelkite
Draugar Large 11th level wrecker [CONSTRUCT]
Skeleton
Initiative: +13
4 10 1 1
Sand-storm +17 vs. AC (2 attacks)—50 damage and the
5 10 3 1 target cannot use the escalation die until the end of their
6 10 5 1 next turn.
Miss: 5d10 damage.
7 10 7 1 [special] The dusthelkite can perform this attack mid-
First Age Draugar move while flying, but with a -2 penalty to attack.
Golem immunity: The dusthelkite looks undead, but is in
Not quite a lich, far more than a zombie.
fact a bone golem. Non-organic golems are immune to
effects. They can’t be dazed, weakened, confused, made
Initiative: +13
vulnerable, or touched by ongoing damage. You can
Cursed sword +13 vs. AC—20 damage and 6 ongoing negative energy damage a golem, but that’s about it.
damage.
Escalator: The dusthelkite uses the escalation die for
[special] If the adventurer does not save against the ongoing damage it
attacks.
becomes a hard save (16+). If the adventurer still fails to save the ongoing
damage lasts until all the first age draugar are destroyed or until the Flight: The dusthelkite flys about on wings made of
adventurers flee the battle or the battle ends. sand, grave dirt, and tomb dust.
AC 24 Sands of time: Adventurers engaged with a dusthelkite

take damage at the start of their turns equal to the
PD 22 HP 36 (mook) escalation die value plus their initiative. Adventurers
MD 18 may choose to drop their initiative as they are slowed
Mook: Kill one first age draugar mook for every 36 damage you do to the mob. down by the enervating presence of the dusthelkite.
Those who fight dusthelkites might end up
Multi-headed Skeleton prematurely grey-haired.
8th level archer [UNDEAD] Nastier specials
Initiative: +13 Bone vacuum: When staggered the dusthelkite attempts
Vulnerability: holy to pull new bones into its body to replace lost or broken
Twin bite +13 vs. AC—30 damage bones. Adventurers with bones who are nearby the
Natural even hit: Make a second attack against the same target. dusthelkite take damage equal to 20 minus their die roll
when they miss with an attack.
R: Bone arrows +13 vs. AC (1d3 enemies in a group)—20 damage and the
target is vulnerable (save ends). AC 28
After-effect: Once the target saves they take 6 damage (from pulling PD 24 HP 360
the arrow out).
MD 20
AC 24
PD 22 HP 144 The undead swarm: Add 1d4
MD 18 new first age dragaur to the fight every
round.
Page | 40
Page | 41
Icon option (any icon): Prince Vicitrocious’ Weakness

The assault on Axis is being led by Prince Vicitrocious, a vampire of great renown. The vampire is said to be so old that he
remembers the time before the Wizard King, and the rumor has it that Vicitrocious was a tutor in the dark arts of undeath
Spending a 6 on an icon relationship result means that the adventurer knows this and has bought with them something
that will harm Prince Vicitrocious: a special plant, a specific symbol or object, an unusual spell component, or a weapon
coated in an unusual material. Count the adventurer’s crit range as being expanded by 1 for the final battle.
4.6 The Chamber of Doom

The adventurers have fought off the swarming undead, but a red mist slips past them… it is Prince Vicitrocious! He’s
reached the Orcwell! The adventurers must climb down the shaft to stop him seizing its power for the Lich King (or perhaps
even for himself). The sides of the shaft are pretty smooth, so the task has a difficulty of DC 35. Those who roll below the
DC fall and can choose to either take 2d20 damage, or start the next battle weakened until the end of their first turn.
As the adventurers arrive in the room they notice huge glowing green crystals everywhere. Prince Vicitrocious coalesces
out of his vampiric mist form before the adventurers and speaks:
“Haha! At last the power of the Orc Well is ours. For long ages has my monarch the Lich King desired the
power of… what, WHAT’S THAT?!”
In one corner of the chamber is a statue of a past Emperor, which animates and declares:
“This is not the Orc Well, servant of darkness. By the power of my champions you will meet your doom in
this carefully laid trap!”
Prince Vicitrocious looks aghast at being fooled by a long-dead Emperor and a bunch of mere mortals. He starts to
become visibly angry, shaking with rage.
The statue points its sword at the adventurers, and the green glow of the crystals suffuses them with power. Until the
end of the fight the adventurers gain +5 to all attack rolls and each heal 5 hp at the start of each of their turns. Those
adventurers who have spent icon relationship results to heal themselves this session gain a regeneration of 10 hp at the start
of their turns. The first two times in the fight that an adventurer drops to 0 hp or fewer the statue declares:
“Rise imperial champion, and fight!”
…and the adventurer gains the healing from spending a recovery without needing to spend a recovery.
Page | 42
Number of
PCs
Vampire
Blood Mage
Prince
Vicitrocious Prince Vicitrocious
3 2 1 13th level troop [UNDEAD]
6 5 1
Frenzied bite +21 vs. PD (1d3 engaged enemies)—25
7 6 1
ongoing negative energy damage
Vampire Blood-mage Natural 11+, but only once per adventurer: The
10th level caster [UNDEAD] target is also weakened until the end of its next
Initiative: +15
Vulnerability: holy
turn (–4 attacks and defenses). In addition, the
target expends one unused limited trait (a spell,
Draining bite +15 vs. AC—50 negative energy damage
Natural 11+: The target is weakened until the end of power, or talent with a once-per-battle or daily
their next turn. use, but not magic item powers) of its choice.
Natural 16+: The target expends one unused limited
trait (a spell, power, or talent with a once-per-battle Life drinker: When a nearby enemy or ally takes damage
or daily use, but not item powers) of the target’s
choice.
Prince Vicitrocious heals 2d10 hp, even if he is at 0 hp
or fewer. If the prince takes holy damage this shuts
C: Blood drain +15 vs. AC (1d4 nearby enemies in a
group)—18 ongoing damage. down his life-drinker ability until the start of his next
R: Blood spear +15 vs. AC (1d3 enemies)—40 damage. turn.
[Special] The blood-mage can choose to make this attack
originating from an enemy that it has previously bitten. If it C: Vampiric compulsion +21 vs. MD (one enemy; see
does so that enemy takes 10 ongoing damage. below)—the target is confused and vulnerable (save
Sanguineous teleport: As a move action the blood-mage can ends)
teleport into engagement with an enemy that it has Limited use: The vampire can use vampiric compulsion
previously bitten, and that enemy takes 10 ongoing damage.
as a free action only when a nearby enemy attacks the
Mist form: When the vampire is reduced to 0 hp or fewer,
unless an adventurer drives a stake through its heart before
vampire and misses with a natural attack roll of 1–5.
its next turn (a standard action) it becomes a mist and flees
the battle. Nope, if it dies down here it is gone! AC 24
AC 26 PD 20 HP 440
PD 24 HP 216
MD 20 MD 26
Page | 43
Page | 44
4.7 Honored heroes
The Lich King’s forces have been destroyed, and the vampire Prince Vicitrocious has been destroyed. The Orc Well was
never actually in the city of Axis, and the Lich King has paid dearly for his mistake. Forces loyal to the icons allied with the
Emperor are driving the last of the undead into killing grounds, destroying them once and for all. The Lich King has not
been defeated forever (how do you kill something that will not die), but he certainly won’t be up to much mischief in the
coming years.
The adventurers are hailed as heroes. They are invited to dine with the Emperor himself (along with the rest of his court),
and are awarded high honors. For their part in defending the city each adventurer is rewarded in some way, the nature of
the rewards depends on their icon relationships. (We’ve included traditional gender-based names for the noble titles, but
feel free to skip any of the titles that will sound awkward or silly to your table.)
Icon Relationships Rewards
Positive = + If an adventurer fulfils several criteria they may be awarded multiple titles, lands, and so forth.
Negative = - Nobles usually use their highest rank in formal company, but might use their local title if they have
Conflicted = ~ an estate far from Axis.
Emperor The adventurer is awarded a dukedom with rich and fertile lands near Azure Bay. The
+ + + + or better adventurer will receive 200 gp with each incremental advance that they take, as the
farmers on their estate pay taxes to them. The adventurer may use the title “Duchess” or
“Duke”. The dukedom comes with a castle, servants, and all the trappings of high nobility.
The adventurer also has a fine mansion (with servants, a carriage, formal gardens, etc) in
the imperial capital. The adventurer is always welcome at the imperial court, and only
rank beneath kings, queens, archdukes, and princes in terms of nobility... and although
the Dwarf King and Elf Queen might treat the adventurer as holding a lesser position
when in their domain they are likely to still treat them as though they were a high-ranking
noble.
Emperor The adventurer is granted a marquisate and a small mansion in the imperial capital of
+++ Axis. The mansion comes with servants, and all the expected accoutrements of nobility.
~ ~ ~ or better The adventurer will also hold a position (keeper of the gates, warden of the realm, mistress
of keys, etc) that is largely but not entirely ceremonial and which entitles them to a regular
income of around 100 gp each time they gain an incremental advance. The adventurer may
use the title “Marquis” or “Marchioness” (pronounced mar-kee / mar-shon-ess).
Emperor The adventurer gains a position in court, and the rank of count. The position in court
+ to + + comes with a stipend for clothing, rent, and other expenses of attending court (5d20 gp
~~ with each incremental advance that they take). The adventurer has no real position or
responsibility in the royal court, but is sometimes called upon by the imperial court for
advice or given tasks to fulfil or quests to oversee. The adventurer may use the title
“Countess” or “Earl”.
Emperor The adventurer is awarded a tract of land on the shores of the Bronze River, and may use
~ the title “Viscount” or “Viscountess” (pronounced with a silent S, vi-count / vi-countess).
The adventurer is expected to administer the region and collect taxes, and can make about
50 gp per incremental advance from the tenants of their land. The region comes with a
large fortified farm or manor house, complete with a handful of servants.
Any positive relationship The adventurer receives the title of Baron (the lowest rank of nobility) and may call
with a good icon themselves “Baroness” or “Baron”. The barony is close to the lands of the good icon that
they have a positive relationship with, and comes with either a small fort or a large farm.
The adventurer is expected to administer the region and collect taxes, and can make about
50 gp per incremental advance from the land.
Lich King The adventurer is granted the rank of Baronet (it technically ranks higher than a knight,
Any negative but not by much) and is addressed as either “Dame” or “Sir”. A baronet is a member of
the gentry, but is not considered a noble (unless they have other titles as well). The title is
one conferred on somebody who has proven themselves in battle, and comes with a
Page | 45
territorial designation (“Sir James of Chihves” or “Lady Stabitha of Twisp” for example).
Baronets are in high enough regard in polite society that their businesses or interests will
prosper, earning 5d12 gp each time they level up.
Emperor The adventurer receives a knighthood and may call themselves “Lady” or “Sir”. The
- knighthood is hereditary, and comes with a farm near Pocket Bay. The farm supplies
enough income to maintain a small yet comfortable house in Axis and a much pleasanter
house in or near Eldolan, and employ a dozen servants to run the farm on the adventurer’s
behalf. If the adventurer sells the farm they receive 75 gp the next time they level up.
Emperor The adventurer receives a knighthood and may call themselves “Lady” or “Sir”. The
-- knighthood is hereditary, and comes with a farm near New Port. The farm supplies
enough income to maintain itself and pay a few servants to manage the farm, and would
be a comfortable place to retire to when the time comes. If the adventurer sells the farm
they receive 50 gp the next time they level up.
Emperor The adventurer receives an honorary knighthood and may call themselves “Lady” or
- - - or worse “Sir”. The knighthood is non-hereditary, and the title could be sold for 5d20 gp (though
doing so would be considered a sign of ingratitude).
Other, not listed above or The adventurer receives the title of Esquire or Ispire, a courtesy title for commoners. They
below may put “Esq” or “Isp” after their name in formal correspondence, though when being
spoken to they are still “Mr. Underhill” or “Ms. Greenleaf” or “Sov. Darkshadow” or whatever
they would normally use. If they have any other rank they’ll probably use that instead,
and might not mention the honorary title at all if they are a rough-and-tumble barbarian
type. They are also invited to attend a ceremony where they are publically honored along
with other heroes of the Battle of Axis. The adventurer never need to pay for a drink in
Axis again, as fellow veterans will always buy them drinks. They also receive a hereditary
coat of arms, as though they were a member of the gentry or nobility.
Lich King The adventurer is put up for a week in a fine Axis establishment (where spies carefully
Any positive watch them), and then attends a discrete ceremony where they receive a medal. If sold the
medal is worth 100 gp. The imperial spy apparatus turns its focus on the adventurer.
4.8 The End

The adventurers have saved the city, and have been hailed as heroes!
This concludes the adventure! The party are heroes, and have the gratitude of the Emperor, and possibly land and titles
too. Anybody who wishes to swap icon relationship points around so that they have positive relationship with the Emperor
can do so now (kinder GMs than I might want to allow that before the rewards in the previous section are handed out).
Thank the players for being great. If you enjoyed GMing for the group (and we hope you did) then let them
know.
Ask for feedback on the adventure, and on 13th Age in general. We want to hear what you think.
… and finally THANK YOU.
Wait, wait! What about the Orc Well?

Aha! Yes, that. It’s not in Axis, but has been carefully hidden away elsewhere. For more information on the Orc Well
and other secrets of the Dragon Empire check out the mega-adventure Shards of the Broken Sky.
Page | 46
Game advice
Organized play for 13th Age is a little different from normal organized play. This document gives you tools to create a
linked series of adventures that will highlight the cool things about 13th Age (One Unique Things, Backgrounds, Icon
Relationships). You will need around 2 hours per session.
The organized play plan

The plan
Each game of 13th Age is different because the one unique things and backgrounds of the characters in separate groups
will be different. The plan here is to have players be able to find and take part in 13th Age games around the world with a
continuity of story. As a GM this will require you to be on your toes, but we think you have the chops for the job. This
document gives you six linked adventures to take place over six weeks, and advice on running the adventures.
Feedback
We’ll be asking for feedback from both GMs and players. We want to know what works, what doesn't, what people enjoy,
and what could do with revision. We’ll also want game reports … we want to know what happened, what cool and awesome
things you did with 13th Age. Part of our ethos is giving you the tools to play the game you want - so if we get a lot of
feedback saying “Hey - what are the rules for exploding gems? My players found this crystal throne and exploded it, and I’d
like some rules for that.” then we might want to consider addressing that in a See Page XX article, 13th Age Monthly, or in
a future supplement. You can give feedback here.
One Unique Things
Once you’ve run a couple of dozen games for strangers you’ll notice that certain unique things come up surprisingly often.
Illegitimate sons of the Emperor seem to populate half of all adventuring parties, and there are a ton of adventurers who
used to be animals. In your home game it is cool to build a story about the Emperor’s only illegitimate son because you
know that nobody else in your game is going to pick that, but in an organized play program you may have players who
created their character with another organized play GM. So as to avoid conflicts of Emperor’s only son meets Emperor’s
only son we are saying:
No ONLYs please
You can be one of the last of your kind (or one of the first) but you can’t be the only one. You can be a prisoner sent
forward in time from the first age as a punishment but you can’t be the only one to whom that happened. You can
be a rare half-human half-clockwork creature and you might be under the impression that you are the only one, but
maybe you aren't the only such creature. If you're one unique thing relies upon you being the only something think
about how you could make it cooler and more unique.
If somebody does pick an ‘only’ type of unique remind them that their character believes themselves to be the only one but
in fact they may not be.
Backgrounds
All characters have 8 background points, and can spend up to five of them on any one background. Try to encourage players
to tell you stories about their backgrounds rather than just a list of words. This...
- Climber 4
- Urban Survival 3
- Artist 1
… is boring and as a GM tells you very little about the character and doesn't give you a lot to work with. Encourage the
players to talk about their backgrounds and name them appropriately. With a little nudging the above list of words can
blossom into...
- Second best rooftop runner in Horizon 5
- Member of the Beggar’s Guild 3
… which is awesome and tells you a lot about the character.
Page | 47
Statements about the world
One of the cool things about 13th Age is that players help to define the world. There is no standard universal Dragon Empire,
each game is different. This presents challenges for organized play and as a GM you need to be on your feet. Whenever a
player mentions something about the world either via a background or one unique thing or just as a plain statement make
a very quick note about it and repeat back to them what they have just said.
As an example:
Player: “... and then I bend down and look into the mechanism. Half orcs know a lot about this stuff. How hard is it
to disable the trap?”
GM: “Half orcs do know a lot about traps - why is that?”
Player: “Oh I meant half orcs know a lot about breaking things. We love smashing clockwork.”
GM: “Why do half-orcs like smashing clockwork?”
Player: “It gives us headaches, nobody knows why.”
GM: “Ah, you need to get a 15 to break the trap without setting it off” (makes a note ‘Clockwork = causes headaches
for half-orcs’).
Each session recap all the statements about the world and ask if anybody has extra input on them. Be sure to ask each
player if they have anything to add to the world. It’s a little ritual that helps to build a stronger game for your players.
GM: “Ok, so last week we discovered that orcs hate clockwork because it gives them headaches”
Player 1: “Ah, I figured it is their two natures warring in them. There is something mystical about clockwork”.
Player 2: “Yeah, like maybe it is trying to separate out your two natures - giving you a ‘splitting’ headache”
GM: (makes a note) “I like that. What else did we learn. High elves fear mice, they think mice are spirits of the dead.
That is an old elf legend.”
Player 3: “Yeah! It is just a legend, but they still creep elves out”
GM: “As you are new to the group, what things did your character discover last week?”
Player 4 (the new player): “Orcs have clockwork axes”
GM: (makes a note) “So some tribes of orc are able to use clockwork, but obviously not all tribes.”
… then recap them with the added player input and ask if anybody has anything more to add.
GM: “So clockwork gives half-orcs headaches, but some orc tribes use clockwork. That is true. What else is true?”
Player 2: “Only some orc tribes are lucky enough to mutate into half-orcs, and those tribes don’t use clockwork.
They have to get rid of it to commune with the spirits and begin the transormation process.”
GM: “Yes, that is true.” (makes a note) “And elves fear mice due to legends revolving around mice and ghosts. That
is true. What else is true?”
Player 3: “Maybe their god of the dead uses mice as messengers, and elf necromancers have mice familiars”
GM: (makes note) “Yes, that is true”
In this way your players build the world with you, and you remind them each week of the world that you have built together.
You also let new players know what your game is like, and you let them bring in the bits of the 13th Age game they played
last week into your game that are important to them.
Page | 48
Skill checks
Use your index cards
The humble index card is one of the best gaming tools I’ve discovered in years. Write down each character’s backgrounds
and set the index cards out in front of you. As play progresses glance down and put obstacles in the path of the party that
speak to the backgrounds possessed by the party. For example if your party’s dwarf has the background ‘Mistress of Metal:
I train dwarven smiths’ then during play announce
“The path is blocked by a partially toppled statue. It is made of metal of intricate design,” and then look around and ask
“Does anybody here know anything about dwarf metalworking?”.
Bring in interesting options for success and failure (perhaps success reveals that the statue has coins in the base to keep
it upright, a common practice from an age where gold was more plentiful - and failure results in the hollow statue shifting
and making a huge racket sure to attract monsters). By bringing backgrounds into play you make the story about the
characters themselves.
When not to roll
Being a game with limited time you don’t want to roll for every little thing, especially if pass/fail doesn't really matter. Only
have players roll dice when failure would be an interesting outcome and would impact the story. If a character has a
background specific to a task and failure wouldn’t be interesting narratively invite them into the task.
 “That wall looks tough to climb, but you know that your Dwarf friend used to be an acrobat. He could easily climb
the wall and pass a rope down to you”
One roll should do it

When you have a character attempting something with lots of steps in it you don’t have them roll for every step, in fact you
probably shouldn’t. If a character is drinking from every bottle of elven wine in a castle cellar looking for the best vintage
don’t have them roll once per bottle - just one roll should do it.
Fail forwards
Remember to Fail Forwards.
...outside of battle, true failure tends to slow action down rather than move the action along. A more constructive
way to interpret failure is as a near-success or event that happens to carry unwanted consequences or side effects.
The character probably still fails to achieve the desired goal, but that’s because something happens on the way to
the goal rather than because nothing happens.
Suppose a player makes a Charisma check to have his or her rogue rustle up some clues as to where a certain
monk of the black dragon might be hiding. The player fails the check. Traditionally, the GM would rule that the
character had failed to find any information. With 13th Age, we encourage you to rule that the character does
indeed find clues as to the monk's location, but with unexpectedly bad results. Most likely, word has gotten to the
monk that the rogue is looking for him, and he either escapes before his lair is found, or prepares for the group,
either setting up an ambush or leaving a trap. The failure means that interesting things happen.
Escalating risks
If a character fails it is interesting to offer a choice to the player - fail forwards as above OR succeed but with a complication.
In this case the player gets what they want but it causes another problem. You then pass that problem on to the next player
and ask them if they want to attempt to solve it or leave it where it is. Consecutive failures can have interesting results as
the consequences escalate as shown in the example below...
 The halfling rogue successfully climbs the stable wall but drops their lantern into the straw below starting a fire.
 The elf wizard successfully convinces the angry crowd that the fire the rogue started was the doing of the Dwarf
King, but now the crowd wants to lynch dwarves.
 The dwarf paladin successfully smuggles the dwarven ambassador out of town away from the angry guard but the
ambassador figures out that the party are to blame for the fire and is going to tell agents of the Dwarf King.
 The human sorcerer successfully bribes the dodgy-looking boat captain to take the dwarven ambassador
somewhere where they can’t contact the Dwarf King’s agents but as he sails away the party realizes that the captain
is a slaver.
Page | 49
Montage!
Sometimes you don’t want to go into details but do want to give a sense of time passing. Overland travel, random dungeon
exploration, fortifying an old farmhouse against zombies. All these things can happen in a montage if they are not the focus
of the montage itself.
Go round the table and ask each player:
 “Describe an obstacle that the party encountered but defeated.”
Then turn to the player to their left:
 “Your character was the one to get the party past that. How did you succeed?”
They don’t need to roll for this - they just tell you an awesome thing that their character did that solved the problem.
Repeat this around the table until everybody has had a chance to come up with a death-trap or a wandering monster or
whatever their imaginations can conjure up and a chance to overcome an obstacle. As each player tells you how their
character saved the day narrate back to them what they have said and put a spin on it to highlight their heroism.
 “Yes! The party encountered a minotaur’s ghost and you entertained him with your bagpipes. Not only did that
pacify the ghost but several other ghosts appeared to hear you play and in gratitude led you part-way through the
maze.”
 “Awesome - you killed the magically animated pagoda with your mighty axe. Later you came to an underground
river and crossed it using your foe’s remains. Good job.”
 “Brilliant. With a flick of your wrist you turn over your last card. The skeletal guards are amazed by your winning
streak and untie your companions as agreed. They are so impressed with your poker-face that they tell you how to
get to the center of the maze. Congratulations - you have a better poker-face than skeletons and they don’t even
have faces!”
Pacing
Sometimes things go slowly. Players get the idea that there is a secret door they can find if only they spend another 10
minutes searching for it. In organized play you’ve got limited time available to you. If the players start going off track supply
them with unambiguous information by using the phrase “It is obvious to you that...”
“It is obvious to you that there is no secret door here.”
“It is obvious to you that the dwarf is telling the truth.”
Rolls->follow->fiction not rolls=fiction

What does that mean? YOU tell the players when to roll, based upon what they say their characters are doing. If somebody
announces “I’m rolling to see if I can get past the guards” put your hand out in a ‘stop’ motion and ask “HOW are you
attempting to get past the guards?” and play onwards from there. Talk about how the guards look half-asleep, how the
character notices one of them is wearing new boots but the other one is dressed shabbily, how the guard on the left gets
distracted when he looks at the food cart nearby. Role-play the encounter, and build the scene using a back-and-forth
exchange of information and suggestions between you and the player. Only call for a roll once the character acts to change
the situation and the outcome is in question and failure would be interesting. Let the rolls flow from what characters do. It is
a small thing, but important.
Page | 50
Monsters
Some of the monsters that appear here are from the core 13th Age book but others appear in books like the Bestiary or
13 True Ways. In this adventures we’ve put in the monsters that we think you’ll need, and a guide to how many to include
in a fight.
Using alternate monsters
The backgrounds and uniques of the player characters and the statements by players about the world may mean that the
monsters we’ve provided are not suitable for your needs. In that case there are three options. Hopefully you can stretch the
existing monsters to fit your needs - if one of the adventurers has the unique ‘Raised by giant rats’ you can just say that the
skeletons the party are about to fight are the skeletons of giant rats. If that doesn't work for you you can ‘reskin’ the monsters
for the adventure - instead of fighting skeletons you use the skeleton stats but call them ‘giant rats’ or ‘pixie swarms’ or
‘loquacious rust-golems’ or whatever the story needs. If neither of those options works for you the core rule book has a ton
of advice for creating new monsters on the fly.
Big damn heroes
Combat is a prime opportunity to remind players that their character is awesome. When an adventurer hits an enemy take
the opportunity to describe the hit.
 “With a mighty swing of the sword you slice the zombie in two! Hyah!”
 “Lightning crackles from your eyes as you unleash your spell. ZZZZT!”
 “The eyes of your enemies widen in shock as you destroy their shaman with a well placed arrow. Zonk!”
 “The hag runs towards you screaming and reaches out towards you, but you duck her swing and launch a bolt of
pure sizzling magic into her. She screams as the burning energy sinks into her body.”
 “You swing the sword and the dragon jerk’s it head back … but your cunning backswing slices deep into its gums -
it roars in rage and you dash in under its maw to strike a deep blow into the tender flesh under the chin!”
Even miss damage is cool...
 “You do miss damage? Your axe whizzes past the goblin’s head, but your foot connects with his knee-cap!”
 “The zombie staggers backwards and your axe misses. You take the opportunity to kick it in the groin. normally this
wouldn’t faze a zombie but your kick is bone shatteringly powerful!”
Don’t be afraid to really get into it. Stand up from the table. Mime the zombie who takes an arrow through both eyes. Snarl
like the hob-goblin chieftain as you caper about with bent back swearing vengeance on the cleric. Just a second or so of
play-acting each round to highlight an awesome hit or near miss goes a long way towards drawing our players out of their
shells. Once you start doing it your players will too.
Tone
The tone of your game will depend a lot on who you are running it for. A group of 12 year olds may not appreciate gory
decapitations (or they may, pre-teens are a bloody lot) but it is part of your job as a GM to gauge what your audience wants.
In the words of Tyler Durden “If someone says "stop" or goes limp, taps out …” then you may want to tone it back a bit. If
you know your audience well and have previously discussed what their limits are then you can play within those limits.
Remember if you are running the game in a public place to keep it appropriate. What is cool to shout out at the top of your
lungs at a friend’s house may not be acceptable to say at all in a game store or at a convention.
Pacing
The escalation die and the design of monsters in 13th Age means combat is pretty fast moving, but you may still be pressed
for time. The store that you are playing in is closing for the night, or you have a limited time at a table at a convention, or
one of your players needs to leave early. If some outside constraint is limiting your time you may want to end the combat
early. Drop the defences of the monsters and adjust their damage downwards. If you are still pressed for time have the
monsters run away or use a dramatic moment to kill the big bad guy (the gnome bard who hasn’t hit all day gets in a crit
and takes the head of the dragon in one blow).
Dealing with a TPK. Total. Party. Kill.

We haven't made this adventure super-deadly... but sometimes the dice are against the players, bad decisions are made,
and the unthinkable is thought. If the entire party dies then the following session tell the tale of how their new characters
were following their old characters, always a day or so behind on the same quest, finding dungeons pre-looted and monsters
already defeated; they have finally caught up with the heroes only to find them dead. The next session starts normally, but
perhaps their new characters start with some recovered loot from their former characters’ corpses. Or if you prefer use
Jonathan’s idea from pg 170 of the core rule book.
Page | 51
Tips to make your job easier and the game more fun
Index cards
Seriously. Grab a pack and...
Make name tents
Each player gets a name tent. Fold the index card in two and write the character name on it and put it in front of the player.
Now instead of saying “your dwarf” or “the ranger” you can call the characters by name. This is an awesome thing for you
to do, it links players to their characters.
Write out one unique things and backgrounds
Go around the table and have players recap their uniques. As they do so jot down their uniques on index cards - two or
three uniques per card using a short phrase. Use big letters so you can quickly glance down and see what is going on. As
the game progresses glance down and introduce skill challenges or obstacles tailored for the party. As each party member
succeeds (or fails in an interesting way that advances the story) cross their unique or background off.
Use them to make scenery & minis
If you are using minis to map out battles (while 13th Age does not rely upon minis using them does make visualizing relative
positioning in battles easier) you can draw scenery on index cards and put them down on the table to indicate terrain or
objects. If you need to improvise a large creature that you don’t have a mini for you can make a tent out of an index card
and write the monster’s name on both sides.
Seriously - get some index cards!
Minis
When running combat in 13th Age remember that miniatures don’t represent exactly where a character really is, it is a rough
approximation of where characters are in relation to each other. You don’t need minis to run 13th Age combat but your job
of letting players know what is happening and where things are in relation to each other is made easier by having them.
Terrain
Rob has this to say about terrain:
Play terrain any way you like, but don’t worry about it. There isn’t really time to get deeply into terrain action when people
are playing for the first time. The ease of simply moving your characters around and attacking should be the priority.
If you don’t know 13th Age already, grab any style of fantasy terrain/setting as the location of the battle. Miserable
swamps, ruined temples, ghost towns, haunted orchards, regenerating graveyards, living dungeons, spiral towers,
woodlands, grumbling volcanoes—they all exist somewhere in 13th Age.
Initiative
This is how I do initiative. You might prefer your own system, but I find this speeds up play
1. Everybody rolls initiative. All monsters share the same initiative, unless they are of very different types. All goblins
share an initiative, all spiders, etc. If in doubt fudge monster initiative downwards.
2. Count out how many characters and groups of monsters there are. Write numbers from 1 to the total number of
characters and groups of monsters acting on index cards. Write big. If there are 6 adventurers and 2 types of
monsters (or two different groups of monsters acting on different initiatives) you would have cards numbered 1-8.
3. Start counting upward from 1. When you get to an initiative that an adventurer or monster has, hand them the
highest numbered card you have. In a fight with six adventurers and two monsters the lowest initiative gets the card
with ‘8’ on it, the next lowest initiative gets the ‘7’ card, and so on.
4. Each round just look around the table for the person with the number 1 in front of them and tell them it is their turn.
After that glance around for the number 2 card, then the number 3 card, and so on. Players can also use the cards
to write you quick notes if they wish to, or to take notes during combat. I like to use the index cards with the monster
initiatives on them to track conditions, HP left, etc.
Page | 52
‘Bus Stop’ GMing… What?
The idea behind the Tales of the 13th Age organized play program is that players should be able to play in London one
week and New York the next and be able to pick up where they left off. This means that the games cannot be completely
freeform. However, they are not rail-road adventures either. Each session has a start point and an end point and how you
get from one bus stop to the next is up to you, the driver of the bus. If you decide to substitute goblins for kobolds or your
players decide to circumvent an encounter or battle then that is fine, provided you end the session in such a way as it leads
naturally on to the next session as written. Side-quests, digressions, and player-generated plots are cool - encouraged
even. You can go whichever route you choose and do whatever weird stuff you and your players like along the way, just
make sure you get to the next bus stop so that anybody who wants to get on your bus at that point can.
When to give treasure out

At the start of every session roll icon relationship dice. If the dice would seem to indicate it, have adventurers find treasure
during montage scenes or place treasure into the adventure in places that it would make sense for it to appear. Aim to give
out one item of treasure each week like this. Some sessions also have sections that will tell you that it is time to hand out
treasure.
Page | 53
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations
(including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or
adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures,
processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and
means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and
identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts,
themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations,
environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the
Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated
products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content.
(h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any
Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed
using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open
Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant
the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or
distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that
Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another,
independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The
owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content
originally distributed under any version of this License.
10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You
may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination
of this License.
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
13th Age. Copyright 2012, Fire Opal Media; Authors: Rob Heinsoo, Jonathan Tweet, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Castles & Crusades. Copyright 2004, Troll Lord Games; Authors: Davis Chenault, Mac Golden.
Tales of the 13th Age Adventures. Copyright 2013, 2014, 2015, Fire Opal Media, Inc..; Author: ASH LAW.
Battle of Axis. Copyright 2015, Fire Opal Media, Inc.; Author: ASH LAW.
Page | 54

Battle of Axis

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Battle of Axis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Tales of the 13th Age organized play adventure, in four weekly 2-hour sessions for characters of 8th level.

Maps created using: Excel, GIMP, and Pro-Fantasy’s Campaign Cartographer.

Maps from many of our adventures can be found here.

Incremental advances & full heal-ups

You can find links to these and other adventures here

Don’t forget to roll icon relationship dice at the

Session start Session End

1.1 The Axis market

Icon option: The shadow market

Cassesias the Seeress

1.2 Sword Point Road Montage

1.3 Where is Zadro?

6 10 5 3 Draining bite +15 vs. AC—50 negative energy damage.

Revenant Natural 16+: The target expends one unused

The Portent: The Archmage’s comet

6 5 8 2 Song of lonely endings: All engaged enemies take 30 psychic

AC 25 AC 20 (see not of this world)

Session start Session End

Don’t forget to roll icon relationship dice at the

2.1 Travel montage

2.2 The panicked market

Icon option: Imperial dignitaries

Garrison District Saltpork The Palaces

Icon option: The Crusader’s soldiers

AC 20 (see not of this world) AC 26

Session start Session End

Don’t forget to roll icon relationship dice at the

3.1 City montage

Icon option: Inside knowledge

3.2 Axis market in flames

Icon option: Inspiring faith

Icon option: Dwarven ale

3.4 Barricade battle

Icon option (any icon): Prince Vicitrocious

Icon option (any icon): Saving the citizens

3.5 Fog of war

Risen Citizen as it is dragged under the killpuker (save ends both).

Giant zombie [special] The dusthelkite can perform this attack

AC 23 Flight: The dusthelkite flys about on wings made

Session start Session End

Don’t forget to roll icon relationship dice at the

4.1 Laying the dead to rest montage

Icon option: A diabolical deal

What is the Great Seal?

Icon option: The elves arrive

Icon option: Druidic aid

Icon option (any icon): Saving the citizens

Icon option (any icon): Inspired to greatness!

First Age Draugar its next attack will do half damage.

Antipathy ward Lightning barrier Animated blades

Icon option: Orcish blood

Icon option (any icon): Inspired to greatness!

AC 24 Sands of time: Adventurers engaged with a dusthelkite

Icon option (any icon): Prince Vicitrocious’ Weakness

4.6 The Chamber of Doom

4.8 The End

… and finally THANK YOU.

Wait, wait! What about the Orc Well?

The organized play plan

One roll should do it

Rolls->follow->fiction not rolls=fiction

Dealing with a TPK. Total. Party. Kill.

When to give treasure out

(h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.