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    29 views48 pages

    QC (Part2)

    Uploaded by

    CesarRabadanGarcia

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    of 48
    CP tos Ean eae Molten rec thick as tar, congeals in a pit. Eleewhere, the ground bubbles up matter that © hardens upon contact with the air — into misshapen A winged — creature squats in the raat a aruin of muta _fiends, asymmetric with change, a ‘over haunch eae | see you. cars i: Ifa hero ends his turn on the encounter marker: You pick up a faceted, green gem cand know instantly that it is one of the three demonform crystals that - will enable you to possessa demon and cross. papi ee Like with a rune key, the de- monform crystals do not need to be equipped by a hero to be used. Once all chree are collected, any hero can use their power as described in Area 5. Ifa hero uses the staircase: SSS ‘The stairs warp and twist through space. You're not sure where you will end up at the other “end, butt wil key no bewhere Jowexpetts re emerens Te fro) i as Don't place the Demon on the map until ater reading the descriptive text. ———SSaa This tiny chamber seems to have once served as.a storeroom, perhaps holding offerings to now-nameles «gods, and has so far somebow ‘The audacity of your presence is resisted the reali sing malig- secondary only to your idiocy.” The nancy of the NE. co aces and woice is like a low reverberation of teakwood c - the stone around yous yet it comes fiom a creature that seems to have clawed its way up from hell itself Isit dragon? A bellspatoned fiend! not. ee the: nal oo ceramic urns oi rafied by some. cient, unknown hand. They li ie ~ Dold treasures and history bout Both? “Can ‘yore anly interested in ome ofthose will soon twist you ita demons ‘vo things at the morn "yourselves? Assuming, ofcourse, ms _ya1 live long enough forts taint t Seep into your bodies and minds.” Ifa hero ends his turn on the re encounter marker: The chamber seethes wit mee iii de ji te worl. nd hens ; You pick up a faceted, green gem a or perhaps better. Ihe and know instantly that itis oneof He the three demonform crystals that summons forth a - will enable you to possess.ademon of fire and and cross the dimensional rift. rage. Your dest jan or your one jee ey to success? Time will ell — See Like with a rune key, the de- monform crystals do not need o be equipped by a hero to be used. Once all ehree are collected, any hero can use their power as described in Area 5, ‘The Hellspawn Dragon is Sacha Aamah’s greatest ally. Ithas the stats 0 a normal Master Dragon, plus 4 extr wounds. None of its attacks affect th Demon unless the Demon is possesse¢ “The heroes gain 2 conquest tokens fo defeating the Hellspawn Dragon. ‘The Demon is a normal Demo ‘except that he has Speed 6 and canno be upgraded (such as through the ws of overlord cards), The Demon is in mune to the attacks and effects of otk cet monsters and cannot pass throug the rife while in the overlords contro Possessing the Demon Acany time during this encounter, if the heroes have all three demon- flesh gems gems, a hero adjacent to the Demon can take control of it. The Demon becomes a sort of vehicle the hero players can use to move around in (and attack with). In particular, chey ‘an move through the dimensional rife beeween Areas 6 and 7 that would otherwise be impossible for them to cross, A hero figure possessing the Demon is removed from the board, and that player takes control of the Demon. They hero player should take the Demon monster card the overlord fs not using. That is to say, if there are 2-3 players, he takes the 4-5 player card (and uses the 5 player side), and if there are 4° 5 players, he uses the 2-3 player card. Remove all wound tokens from the Demon. Possessing or leaving the Demon does nor require any kind of action or movement, but it can only be done once per turn per hero. While controlling the Demon, a player cannot use any of its items, skills, or abilieies ~ only the Demon's. All of the Demon's abilities can be used by the player, although all Demons (and thus, all master mon- sters in this quest) are immune to its Fear ability. The Demon must obey all rules for creatures that take up more than one space. The Demon can be healed by ahero with the abil- ity to do so (one that is nor possess- ing the Demon), but it cannot use ‘or be given items, including potions. ‘The Demon can open doors (and use rune keys) but it cannot open chests, activate travel glyphs, go to town, use irs, or generally take any other ac- tion reserved for heroes. ‘A hero possessing the Demon can- not be harmed or suffer any ill effects (including reality warp effects unique to this quest), but he or she also cannot rest, be healed, trade or equip items, or take any action of any kind other than controlling the Demon. More than one hero can possess the Demon at one time. All such hero fig- ures are removed from the board. All hhero players controlling the Demon must agree on the actions the Demon takes. Familiars cannot possess the Demon (and thus cannot cross the di- mensional rift). ‘A hero can choose 0 leave the Demon at the beginning of his tur. This requizes no action or movement on the hero's part, and his figure is placed on the board adjacent to the Demon in a square of his choosing. Ifat any time no hero possesses the Demon, remove all wound tokens from it and return it to the over- lord’ control. If the Demon is slain while under the heroes’ control, the heroes lose 4 ‘conquest tokens. Any possessing he- roes appear in the spaces that it oc- cupied, arranged by the overlord. The overlord immediately spawns ie with two Master Sorcerers. Remember, the Demon is immune to the ateacks and effects of other monsters and cannot pass through the rift while in the overlord’s control. (In other words, the overlord cannot have the other monsters attempt to kill the Demon or move the Demon out of reach before the heroes can possess it.) io Ifa hero ends his turn on the encounter marker: You spot a strange green rock b ingon (he lot OF ape domed form crystals? Bat no, you already “have all three be if ole rain down ——— Replace the encounter marker with a rubble token. Treat this as if the “Crushing Block” overlord card had been played. [ee fas | Chanting echoes throughout the chamber: C form a dark ceremony, de pe a massive” “creature oft sues ae frond and dioyefsuc ‘ Slory of Sachar Aatta place be shif acres the. ta i ae ar es if placed energies. standards of this twi Pema ‘The Dimensional Rift “The rift is impassible for heroes and non-master monsters. Further, it is very dangerous for them to even touch. Any such creature moving or knocked into the rift is immediately Knocked back one space away from the rift and takes 3 wounds which ig- nore armor. Demons and hellspawned creatures (master monsters) can pass through the rift without any ill effect. The rift blocks line of sight forall crea- tures, heroes and monsters alike. Gi Area 7 a The other side of the dimren- sional rift seems more stable. A chamber from the ancient temple now rests within a reality that és not its oun = nor yours. However, sa terrible creature and its hell- spawned minions stand waiting to greet you as you crossover. Their attitude seems nonchalant and strangely casual, but only for a moment. “Wait, says the mas- sive demon wreathed in flaming discorporation in a voice lke a spike driven through your soul. “You are not what you seem. There are other presences here ~ alien essences from ‘the other side.” You know this to be Sachar Aamah. “Destroy this de- ‘mon,” be says to the other creatures in the room, “And all that inbabit in” If'a hero leaves the Demon host: aa You stand within a realm out- side your own. Its alien nature — or rather, your alien nature is obti- ‘ous with each breath you take, the tway the floor feels beneath your feet, ‘and even in the way that time itself flows: Se Only master monsters can pass through the rift, so only master mon- sters can be spawned here. Thus, if the overlord plays the “Beastman War Party” card, only the Master Beastman spawi Sachar Aamah has the same stats as a Master Demon except that he has an 3 extra armor, 8 extra wounds, the Rapid. Shor ability, and has Knockback that ‘Monte Cook hasbeen working on games for 20 years and disturbing other players of games fora loc longer than that. He's helped create 3nd Edition Dungeons D called Malhavoc Press with his wie, ‘Monte Cook rand many-of its most memorablesupplements. He runs his own gume publishing company 1c. He's also written a great deal of strange fiction and even some weird nonfiction. That’ just how he rolls. (He never, however, uses pheases like “thar just how he rolls”) “fi k ao can re) ym this world entirely, ‘finally begin my greatest soriuad “you remove the world’s __feystones. "he pulled at the top of the “arch, and the rock there gave way easily applies to his Sorcery, which means that he can knock foes back at range. Further, as long as Sachar Aamah lives, all ocher monsters in the area inflict an additional wound with each attack. Sachar Aamah cannot be possessed using the demonform erystals. “The Demon that the heroes possess cannot harm or affect Sachar Aamah _ Beyond ‘the 3 is ne exp ss a Sin bis corrupting vouched “ea At the dens toc, evcng ae, theentre andro ele, igh, -D e Tonight we ie place from where it stands Son removed, where it can no longer “anchor this reality. It will take time, by. 1 Sachar damah.” He “Yes: gr Irsitared, but fnaly gachered enough courage t0 speak again. “But my lord” in any way, but it can affect the other monsters. Ifie dies in this area, it does not respawn as described in Area 5. If Sachar Aamah slays the Demon here, the heroes appear in the Demon's space before applying the affect of the Demon lord’s Knockback ability ‘The heroes gain 4 conquest tokens for defeating Sachar Aamah. With dire fluidity, Ect ane grabbed the man’s head, long pping completely around aoa until be heard on endl hg ie oozed be- tween bis fingers. ty “Then we will rush them.” Ifthe heroes activate the travel ghph: Reconnect the “broken” hallway between Areas 6 and 7. ‘The dimensional barrier is gone, and any creature can move down the hall normally. Any monster can now spawn in Area 7. Pema ‘Requires Descent: Journeys nthe Dark by Kenneth Hite ‘is quest came about exactly like you think it did. Iwas playing Descent: Journeys in the Dark with come friends, and my wife was ignoring me. She has many wonderful ways to ignore me, honed by long practice over the years, but that night she decided to drown me out with Clint Eastwood. She (put The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in the DVD player and settled in to enjoy herself. What a mistake that was. In retrospect, she has only herself to blame. A little perspective: Ies- sentially memorized that movie back in the ancient times before cable and TWo and DVD players, when all there twas to watch was what was on, and there were only six channels. Fortunately, one of them was always playing Clint Eastwcood movies, so there was always something to watch, So when Ennio Morricone’ score came whistling out ofthe speakers, we just carried on and quoted dialogue while Tunleashed beastmen and Zach min-maxed bis magic and Stoker went all-in with that razor axe thing. “Such ingratitude, after all the times I've saved your life. From bane spiders.” “When you have to breathe fire, breathe fire, don’t talk.” "If you save your fatigue, Lfeel a man like you can manage it.” “Who the hell is that? One ogre goes another one comes out." “Even a filthy beastman like that has a protecting angel.” “You may run the risks, my friend, but 1 do the stabbing” "There are two kinds of sorcerers, my fiend. The kind with loaded spells, and the ‘kind who dig.” By the time my wife had given up on ignoring us and had started mixing drinks, we bad the basics of this quest worked out. Well, we had the name. ‘Kenneth Hite has writeen, co-written, of designed over 70 books and games, not including the first batch of dungeons he drew: ‘on graph paper in eighth grade. His most recene RPG is Trail of Crbullu; he writes the “Out of the Box” column at Indie Press Revolusion and “Lose in Loveeraf” in Wend Tiler. He lives in Chicago, and contrary to what you may have heard, is not wanted in fourteen counties of cis state, The Good, the Bad, and t ingdom has been torn by cit ees immortal coursilors lke lvesand wie- Piast ted echoes ds and marched. anddied inthe dust for as long as any can remember; ever the immortals bat jen why they plunged the land into carnage ‘The words of the dueling kings have be- come empty cant, phrases to lure fools “to battle, not laws to-govern by. Cold- increta tls. Spear and regue generals carve 3 opportunites, bui wee on loot and bh ers consult with dem cand dragons, naising their own a | of the dead. The giant-folk, the ee re Only a few priests, scattered and itolated in fortified abbeys and remote Sens AME bold Dope Joegernone in this age of iron. They do not remem- her peace, b io ba seen it in their dreams — a sed to ut lumber, not cleave skullss “where the bill-book pulls frnit from mm where the axe is wile tees, not riders from the saddles ki generations; such i the price of where bread can rise without being it baked hard for long marches. they say, was the gift of the First King, Kharsenn. He brought peace and wisely and well, and then be Iirs buried his r dl rich golden Treasures of Kha esl proclaiming - thy to wear it, ia Baars Perhaps they correch, Or haps they feared thas his wil sill lived in those things. Perhaps feared that his crown would force them — 10 look forward, that his. ld wold them back from the iy plans. But for whatever reason, they “buried bis gold and hastily forgot even ‘where they dug the barrow. =" oe Over the centuries of war thas fol- lowed, many warriors, magi, and thieves have sought the Treasure of Kharsenn, The priests have urged them con, with promises of power, or le, or gold buried within. Decade afte ade, telling the tale of Kharsenn in “taverns and caravanseries across the priming the bold t0 seek after decade, keeping Nf wild bree nce re they had sought fil madmen, and t 7 dream of empire, and think the regalia of the First King would suit them well “they could but discover it : sdutd perhaps ic willdgl ip aipet it would suit you better. Tedulfiak «the priest what he thought about it, but he’s dead now. The map he kept hidden in bis sleeve, the map be used 10 bring you here, will no longer be any use to him. He no longer needs a map” to find peace, and as a priest be was surely above such concerns as treasure. Perhaps you, too, will rise above sich concerns, When you wear the regalia of Kharsenn, and are made the king. T could point out here that adapting a great artwork to another medium is the very suff of modern times: “The Rite of Spring” Becomes a cartoon, Hamlet becomes a movie, “The Call of Cebullu” becomes a roleplaying game. Why not adapt a Western to a board game? A specific story to a specific quest? What happens when you take the beats and elements from one drama and translate them into another code, another language? Surely it’ no stranger than filming an Italian Western in Spain. I could poine all this out, but you would rightly call me on it You're right, its all about the ttle “Anyway, ifyou think all this isa thin justification to hang a quest on, my wife would certainly agree with you. “Assuming she wasn't just ignoring both of us. But just shink — it could have been worse. It might have been called “Dirty Harpy.” Parmer rer aoncin OD S “The heroes muse travel ever-deeper into a winding labyrinth to obtain a legendary treasure, accompanied by a treacherous Ogre and opposed by a master of draconic necromancy. faa BD Affer journeying to the dungeon shown on the map, youprepare 0 descend into the depths, accom ‘panied by your ogre guide Oks Youer goal isto recover the legend- ary Treasure of Kharsenn and kill the dragon Apophis who guards it. Ifyou cam reactivate some of the ancient glyphs of transport in the dungeon, all rhe better: You start swith S conquest tokens. you ever run out of conquest tokens, Apophis will have triumphed over you Good luck. ——— In this quest, instead of playing a hero, one player takes the part of the shifty and perfidious Ogre, Okeu. The ‘other players select heroes as normal; the overlord plays the other monsters swise. The number of players that determines which monster cards the overlord uses includes the player con- trolling Oktu. In each round, the Oktu player’s turn takes place between the Jase player turn and the overlord turn. ‘Okeu’s player does not share the pool of conquest cokens. If a hero opens a chest containing a healing potion, cach hero receives 1 healing potion. If Okeu opens a chest eens containing a healing potion, he re- ceives 1 healing potion. Fea porno GD Read these descriptions when the appropriate arcas are revealed by the heroes. Ce Po! ——Saas As you step off the arrival glyph, “your eyes squint against the eerily “flat white-gola light coming from everywhere and nowhere. It seems Like yellow firelight, reflected off ‘polished silver. In one corner stands the ogre Oks, who told you ofthis place, sweating and blinking in the light. He fingers the noose around bis neck and grimacesinsincerely. His yellowish teeth show uneven in an obviously unaccustomed smile, and he gestures toward the door swith his stained and knotted club. See Oktu the Ogre ‘Okeu has the same statistics as an ordinary Master Ogre except that his speed is 4 and he has 4 extra wounds. ‘Okcu also has six special rules: «He rolls ewo power dice, instead of ‘one, for his Undying ability. If ci- ther die shows a power surge. he is restored to full health © Okeu can use activated glyphs of transport to teleport from place to place in the dungeon. Once per turn, Oktu can move between any Treachery 6980 Chests 1.Curse, 1 Copper Treasure Copper 1 Copper2 1 Healing Potion, 1 Copper ‘Treasure Copper 3 2.Curses, 100 Siloer 1 1 Healing Potion, I Silver Treasure Sileer 2 \ Conquest Token, 1 Curse, 1 Silver Treasure Siler 3" 3 Conquest “Tokens, 2 Curses Gold 1 3.Curses, 1 Gold ‘Treasure Gold2 3 Conquest. Tokens,200° oes coins ‘two activated glyphs for one move- ment point. He cannot end his movement on a glyph. He cannot travel to town, nor can he activate an unactivated glyph, Okeu can open and close rune locked doors, but only after the he- rocs have found the corresponding rune-key. (For this purpose, Oktu’s playeris just like any other player) = sees MAE Sere neem ese Ee Seeaan mi BESE ie: Le MeL 40 am ao 0ee) Baesad oo ‘© Okeu can accumulate money and potions. He can use a healing po- tion to recover 3 wounds, just like a hero. He cannot use treasures; ifhe opens a chest containing treasures, they are lost. ‘© Okey is a plausible rogue, In any given area, no hero can atrack Oktw unless Oktu attacks a hero first. ‘Once Okeu has attacked a hero in a given area, any hero can attack (Okeu in that area at any time, Example: Oktw sreacherously at- tacks Astarra in Area 2, bis fist hero attack in the quest. Either Astarra or Sir Valadir may now attack Okt in “Area 2. If Oktu escapes into Area 3, or flees back into Area 1, neither hero may attack Oktu until he attacks a hero in that area. However, if Oktw ‘ever returns to Area 2, any hero can attack him immediately. + Monsters ean attack Oktu at any time, in any area, ‘Okeu’s player does not begin with any conquest tokens, or with access to the hero player pool of conquest tokens. However, if Oktu kills a hero, his player receives the conquest tokens that the hero players lose. Likewise, if ‘Okeu kills Uadjet or Apophis, or opens a treasure chest containing conquest tokens, his player receives the concom- itant conquest token reward. If Okeu finishes the quest alive and with more ‘conquest tokens than the hero players, his player wins fees —_— ———aaaaaa— The light here is, if anything, even harsher. , The air is like the inside ofa bread oven; ar- -apons are painful tthe © mor and we y. Le “a8 = eee ai croak echoing carrion birds eyes ‘yu cold grey eyes hat gi . ‘adic humor Uadjet the Sorcerer Uadjet the Master Sorcerer has the same statistics as an ordinary Master Sorcerer except that he has the Burn and Command abilities, but not Undying. If Uadjet is killed in Area 2, the overlord returns him to the dungeon in Area 3. If Uadjer is killed in Area 3, the overlord returns him to the dun- ‘geon in Arca 4, Ifthe area i already re- vealed, the overlord spawns Uadjet in that arca under the standard “spawn- ing monsters” rules. Ifthat area has not yet been revealed, the overlord places Uadjet in any unoccupied space when the area is revealed. IfUadjet is killed in Area 4, he docs nor return. The hero players (or Oke’s player, if Okeu killed him) get 3 con- quest tokens. monte 7 Pe fr.s SaaS Rotting boots and belts, and arma iter rusty fragments the ground here, along with less” > identifiable deoritus. Chains link — at the ede nga sound ‘carried fo you eae ‘the stifling air ie wel, 3 ‘The Master Naga has the same sta- jes as an ordinary Master Naga ex- cept that his speed is 0, and he has the Aura ability. Ifa hero or Okiu dies in Area 3: Instead of the twelcoming sight of town, you. heaps along, barren corridor, its wallsincised » with seratched hash marks and oc- ante alphabets. led rus ican chains dink t ca veritable a id around oil, ee " ‘only the occasion of song reaches your ea Heroes who die in Area 3 lose half their money as usual, but do not re: turn to town, although the hero play- ers do lose the usual number of con- quest tokens. Instead, dead heroes are “imprisoned? placed in the dead-end corridor behind the Master Naga. Oktu, likewise, is imprisoned if he dies in Area 3. Imprisoned heroes and ogres cannot attack che Nagas. If all the heroes are imprisoned, and Okeu is loose, they can bribe Oktu co attack the Nagas for 100 coins per point of their combined hero rating: Okeu’s player must accept this bribe. IFOkeu is imprisoned, he can bribe the Nag by spending 100 coins per player (in- cluding Okeu’s player), escaping to any activated glyph of transport. Fall the heroes and Oktu are imprisoned at once, the overlord wins. If the Master Naga is killed, he roes and Oktu die as normal in Area 3 when killed. Ga Ara 4 EET eee The dimness of this room is wel- come after the glare elcewhere, but it conceals a scuttling shape under rifts of rayish cobwebs, Near you, 4 massive stone from the ceiling has fallen, as ifthe ground above felt the fist ofa god, at ‘The Bane Spider Nest When Area 4 is revealed, the over- lord should place web tokens on the spaces indicated Any figure (except Uadjet ora Bane Spider) enteringa space wich a web token on itisimmediately marked with a web token, and must stop ‘moving for the rest ofits turn, No-Man's Land ere Past the spider’ lair, you see a long, triple-vaulted chamber. Here, the light is dimmed by fre smoke and noxious vapors; broken arrows and buge hollow quills rattle under your feet. You bear howled chat lenges and imprecations in bestial tones, hurled not at you but at some other enemy. In the middle vault your view is fuzzy and unfocused, the air stiff with magical defenses. —aet ‘The three chambers on the west edge of the dungeon are a battlefield, contested between the two groups of monsters in the north and south chambers. No-man’sland isthe middle chamber, the one with che two pits in ic. The threat cost of any Tiap card the overlord plays in no-man’s land , is reduced by one third (rounded down) The corridors slape down, toward a vast amphitheatre carved cout of the living rock. The stones of the floor are carved with names, some of them from civilizations Long forgotten. The dragon raises bis head when you enter, and words pour from his smoldering jaus: “T ‘am Apophis, evilsom of evil. What is your name, that I may carve it on a stone to mark your grave?” a Apophis has the same statistiesasan ordinary Master Dragon, except that he has armor 6 and 30 extra wounds, Killing Apophisisworth 4conquest tokens. Once Apophisiskilledandboth gold chests have been opened, the quest ends with the heroes The Good, the Bad, and the O; Requires Descent: Journeys inthe Darke «and The Well of Darkness nto the ark, Again ceveloper's Notes This quest arrived under mysterious circumstances. by John Kovalic We knew Jom Kovalic was a big fan of Descent: Journeys in the Dark so weld intended ro invite him to contribute a quest to this book..but we couldn't find him. He was busy with all ‘manner of exciting international cartoonist missions and game conventions ~ plus I think he had just welcomed his new daughter into the world ~ and proved dificult to catch up with. Trust me, tue tried all the usual methods, from activating the Muskrat Signal to walking up and down the street shaking a ox of Descent: Journeys in the Dark and calling out, “Here John! Come out, Jobn!” Eventually Igave up hope, asis my fashion. “Then, in the final days of development on this book, Lfourd a package in my mailbox, It smelled faintly of plastic . miniatures and muskrat. When the bomb squad had finished scanning it Lopened it up and fund the manuscript for this quest, unsigned..but handvoritten ia telltale style, (With it was also the manuscrpt for aquest called “Snitty ‘State ofthe Invincible Overlords? which we did not have room for here.) To be far, 'n onky assuming this ques was ‘a gift from John (read it for yourself and I think youll ee why that's a safe bet), who had caught wind ofthe book ‘rough his network of expert spies (or the fawning letters, hidden in delicious pies, that I sent weekly to his house). Whoever the author is, I'm giving the credit to Jol Kovali, as is my fashion. ‘The inspiration for this quest is clear if you've been playing Descent: Journeys in the Dark quests in order since the beginning, but Kovalic (or whoever) has electrified this homage with the critical ee ofan editorial cartoonist land a geeks wit. Its.a touching sequel, a ripped-from-the-headlines commentary on the unexamined effects ofthe dungeon marke: collapse on smelly giants, and a rare look at Descent: Journeys in the Dark through the eyes of. Joln Kovalic, Read on and follow bim...into the dark, again. Will Hindmarch mere oe Ste sce You are sitting by the fire of The Salty Dog tavern, when a tattered, ragged (and vaguely familiar) Giant approaches-you. You would draw your suvords, but be appears too pathetic and beaten down to threaten even a dis- eased Kobold (ALL HAIL KING. tub. nevermind, wrong game). “My name is Narthak,” he says. “My dungeon is being foreclosed on. My bad. 1 should never have built the darned thing so close to this blovdy SB} _ Introduction ® > eee amemnneneensmnmmnemnnen The heroes venture into the fore- closed halls of a smelly Giant to re- cover whatever valuables, treasure, oF loot he has left. You fee sory for Northak, buat mostly, you need to.get atcay from the stink, You agree to the ‘quest, and your goal isto collect as ‘much treastere as possible, return ing whatever you can to Narthak Perhaps he could use the money to buy some deodorant. You start with S conquest tokens. Ifyou ever 108 out, you have lost, Into the Dark, Again tavern, It seems every other day some group of adventurers or other is pass- ing through my hallways like they're a bloody Whimsyland A-Ticket ride. It's ike I got listed on page one of 1001 Greatest Dungeons To Plunder Before You Die’ or something. I should have have a take-a-number system at the door and start charging admission, at this point.” He sighs deeply. He could really use a breath-mint Special Quest Rules ‘As soon as the monsters in any rooms come into the line of site of the heroes, the monsters grab a stack of coins and head for the hills ~ in other words, the nearest activated glyph. Skeletons each have 100 coins ‘on them, Beastmen have 200. Masters have 100 more coins than their lesser counterparts. Beastmen and Skeletons do not stop to fight unless attacked by the adventurers, or unless the adven- turers are between them and the near- cst activated glyph. Skeletons do fire, bur still rush to the nearest activated glyph if chey can, Other monsters and spawned monsters fight as normal. & rea Description 47> Read the following descriptions aloud when the appropriate areas are revealed to the heroes. Anyway, between all the adven- surors grabbing loot every time T re- stock it, the loans T had to take out because of that, and the collapse of Ye Olde Mortgage Markette, the Bankers Guild is foreclosing. I need you to go back tomy should ve-been-fabled halls, look around, and grab anything you can before the Beastmen Repo Men takejt all?” Tmo —Saa ‘This was never a Better Homes and Dungeons showpiece, but since last you were here, its gotten even worse. The footprints of a thousand adventurersare everywhere, and well-worn paths wind through the rubble. And did someone REALLY take the time to stop and spraypaint “Narthak Susxors" on one of the walls? Dude. HARSH. The lighting is dimm in this room, bus you glimpse T-tunics trinkets and chotcbkies littering the floor. Is that an abandoned souvenir stand. some enterprising adventurers had ‘erected during the dungeon’s busier timest “I Ransaked Narthak,” “My Parents Defeated the Giant And AIL got Was This Lousy T-Shir” cand “Smite Makes Right” seem to bbe she most popular slogans on the crumpled tunics and broken coffee mgs. — If an adventurer picks up a pile of gold, or kills a Beastman, roll ared die. On a roll of X or 0, the reward they would normally receive turns out to be a bag of worthless souvenirs. [As the Beastmen have two possible avenues of escape here, they attempt to fice through whichever entrance the heroes have not en- tered from, meaning they will need to be chased down if their gold is to be taken Area 3 ‘This room has been picked clean. Holy cows someone alread even 00k the old stone pillar, on bearing what a pushover this dungeon was! ‘That's supply and demand for you! Towering before you is an imposing sight. An imposing, smelly sight ~ Narthak, who stands up {from piles of coins and insurance ‘papers scattered across the floor. He howls in rage “Gaaaabi You were NEVER supposed to get this far! You've discovered my scheme to cheat the insurance company, and apply for a government sponsored bailout!” ry A ROY Treachery Wy » ed Chests ‘Treasure chests? Yeah, those are long since robbed, filched, and plun- dered. Even some ofthe Curses Shave rumed up at the ction house. | When the heroes defeat Narthak: —— With an unearthly houl, Narthak fall to the ground, mortally wounded. *..and I wotdd have gotten away with it too, ifit wasn't for you meddling heroes!” “The heroes gain 4 conquest tokens for defeating Narthak. Again. They can also claim a modest reward with the insurance company (1 Copper Treasure and 1 Curse) or simply walk off with all Nathak’s gold. Economics is funny that way. John Kovalic is an acclaimed cartoon illuscrator, and writer, aswell as the eeator the beloved ge -culture comic strip, Dark Tower. Hisunmnistakable llustationshave enlivened games ike Apples to Apples, Mag-Blast (3rd Edition)-and Munchkin, while his award-winning ediorial cartoons have appeared in dhe Wisconsin State Journal, The New York Times, andthe Washington Post. Start Area ere ‘Requires Descent: Journeys in the Datk and The Tomb of lee Mercyll! by Daniel Lovat Clark ‘& Robert A. Kouba his quest began as a simple idea that proved tricky to implement. The concept was basically: what if the heroes could gamble for conquest? Of course, this is Descent: Journeys in the Dark, so we couldn't just have it devolve into a craps game. “Gambling” was clearly going to be a “push your Luck” mechanic where the higher he risk (the larger the monster they chose to spawn), the bigher the reward. Rob and Ikicked around a variety of deas based on this core concept. He ran with it cand sse result isthe quest you see here. Enjoy! — Daniel Lovat Clark twas intrigued by Dan's idea of a push-your-luck type scenario and was happy to collaborate on such an interesting sounding premise. |also thought an automatic spawn instead of preset units ‘on the map might add a litile more surprise for the heroes. Marrying the two together, we created ‘a scenario that forces the heroes to manage tto separate things: the acquisition of conquest need- ‘ed to win and containing the amount of overlord monsters toa somewhat manageable amount. Of course, if tis too tough, the beroes ca always ery for “Mereytt!” — Robert A. Kouba Fro o ees CEC EEC cece CeCe ‘A Creative Content Developer for Fantasy Flight Games, Dan Lovat Clark runs a mean game of D&D and is constantly eading, ‘writing watching, or playing something, His previous Descent: Journeys inthe Dark scenarios include “The Chase’ “The Acrie ‘of Death” and “The Cule ofthe 100” ‘A Developer turned Playtest Coordinator for Fantasy Flight Games, Robere A. Kouba has been able to coneribure to Descent: Journeys in the Dark by designing levels for'The Road to Legend Besides razing Tamalic on a ccgular bass, Rob enjoys gaming. ‘movies, reading, and wrising. as well the occasional chocolate cake. pyrpenrrxen se were cre NO teat A Game of Death Deep in the Underneath isa special sort of tavern in a special sort of town. Marked by a cracked human skull nailed to the doorway, the tavern is in- famous for its mushroom wine and its ‘many games of chance. ‘The game is Goblin Fives. The play- ers are a collection of nefarious and monstrous villains, the likes of which the surface world has never seen. Gi == BD ‘The heroes must push their Ick to gain as much conquest as possible be- fore the Dragon takes itall away! Ga BD You've been captured by a shack ingly powerful dragon that calls itself che Gamesmaster. When you twake up, you immediately try to use a nearby Glyph of Transport, only to find yourself ransported right back to your cell. The only sway to escape, according to the Gamesmaster, is to win the game hie about to make you play. ‘Throughout bis dungeon are chests loaded with treasure, clearly marked with copper, silver, or gold bindings. Each chest is protected by increasingly dangerous guardians, but ifyou vanquish them you'll easy con, really. I just send ot some changeling Beastmen who're still human enough to pass, have ‘em talk it sup in a tavern or treo, and then bam! Instant heroes walking right into my maze.” The manticore moves his ear tven stone piece on the board. “Heroes are loaded.” “That must be why you can afford 10 lose so muuch, says De sorcerer across ‘earn conquest. Ifyou amass 30 con- ‘quest, youll go fee? If you tarry too long, the Gamesmaster will come personally to end the gare. With no way back ro town, it Looks like you've stuck playing the Gamesmaster’ game. Good luck! SS Areas and Rooms ‘This entire dungeon is one area, and the entire dungeon begins revealed. Individual rooms are marked on the map, and various rules below refer to rooms by number, For this quest, thi ‘overlord cards “Hordes of the Thi and “Brilliant Commander” may only be used for threat, and the skill card “Wind Pact” may be used each time a chestis opened. take one conquest token from the sup- ply-and place fe in frone of you. When the table, He flicks one finger His piece moves ofits own accord. The kobold is standing on the ta- bletop. “My place was a hoot. All the chests trapped, clockwork dragons..the total package. Can't top that.” ‘The final player smiles, the furnace within him glowing past his dagger- fangs. “Care to place a wager?” you would take your 13ch conquest token, instead place a Master Dragon figure on the board and read the fol- lowing aloud. ——ees “Time's up!" roars an ancient and powerful voice. “The game is aver, and T've won!” The air takes ‘ona sharp tang of sulfur asthe Gamesmaster appears in a roar of flame and leaps to attack! ——eees This is the Gamesmaster. He has the stats of an ordinary Master Dragon, but with 100 wounds, 8 armor, and Fear 2, Ifthe heroes kill the Gamesmaster: ees “Well.. played... heroes” gasps the dragon. “Ie seems..Lve lost. my bet.” With its dying strength, the dragon reaches out and traces ‘an arcane symbol in the air. ll the glyphs in the dungeon pulse once with a clear blue light as they once ‘more link themselves to the Obelisk of Journeys in Tamalir. It seems that you can finally return home. “The heroes gain 8 conquest for de- feating the Gamesmaster. They have finished their quest. Ifthe heroes amass 30 conquest before the Gamesmaster spawns: —ae “Masterfully done!” roars a mighty voice from everywhere. “You are victorious afer all!” Alle glyphs in the dungeon pulse once with a clear blue light as they once more link ‘themselves to the Obelisk of Journeys in Tamalir It seems that you can finally return borne, ee ‘The heroes have finished their quest and may return to Tamalir. ‘The Pawns ‘At the end of each overlord tum, the overlord may spawn monsters (as detailed on the following list) in each room whose door(s) are closed and in which no heroes are present. The over- lord may spawn two normal monsters selected from the Type I lise below in each room. If at any point the Type I monsters are exhausted (there are no figures remaining), then he may spawn from the Type Il lise for the rest of the game. If at any time the Type II mon- sters are exhausted, then he may spawn from the Type Il lise for the rest ofthe game. If at any time the Type III list is exhausted, he may spawn from the ‘Type IV list for the rest of the game. “The overlord can always choose to spawn from a lower list if he desires. ‘These special spawns cost no threat and do not count against the “spawn ‘once per turn” rule, bue otherwise fol owall the normal rules for spawning, ‘Type I: Bane Spider, Beastman, Skeleton Type Il: Hell Hound, Razorwing, Sorcerer ‘Type III: Manticore, Naga, Ogre ‘Type IV: Demon, Dragor The Chests When cach chest is opened, it spawns a named guardian monster and a small number of normal guards, in addition to its normal contents. “These spawned monsters ignore nor- mal spawning rules such as line-of- sight and are simply placed on the board as described in the individual chest descriptions. The higher the level of the chest, the more dangerous the mon- sters contained with- in, Each named monster, when slain, gives the heroes conquest tokens equal to ies difficulty. ‘When each chest is opened, remove all chests of a lower level from the same EP} Chest Descriptions {AB} Read these descriptions when the appropriate chests are opened by the heroes. Copper 1 —aes As you're snatching up your spoils, you hear a door slam bebind you. Somewhere, something foro ‘ious howls ———ae eee on Distribute 1 Copper Treasure per hero and 1 potion per hero (hero's choice as to type). Then close one door of your choice and spawn Howler and ‘two Type I monsters in Room I or Room 5. Howler is a Master Beastman with 5 extra health and 2 extra armor. When the heroes kill Howler, they re- ceive 4 conquest tokens. EE Copper 2? eT ‘The stench of the grave comes off this chest. A single skull bursts from the assorted treasures within, then, Laughing, streaks through the air. presumablyto meet its body. ——a Chim 1 Curse worth of threat, then distribute 1 Copper treasure pet hero. Then spawn Laughter and 3 Type T monsters in a room containing no heroes. Laughter is a Master Skeleton with +2 Range and Quick Shot, and whenever he uses his Undying ability he may roll 2 power dice and choose which resule to use. When the heroes Kill Laughter (and he stays dead), they receive 4 conquest tokens. a Cops eT ‘Wis chest is choked with cobtoebs, but youve able to pull ts contents fice well enough. That's when the shrieking starts, ——aes Chim 2 Curses worth of threat, then distribute 2 Copper treasures per hero. Then spawn Shricker, 1 Type 1 monster and 2 Type If monsters in the Start Area. Shrieker is a Master Bane Spider with 10 extra wounds, 3 extra armor, and Burn, When the heroes Kill Shrieker, they receive 4 conquest tokens. You hear the dull thud of doors slamming shut as you reap your ill- gotten gains, Suddenly, the flutter and raucous calls ofa swarm of bats fills your ears Se Close 2 doors of your choiee, then distribute 1 Silver treasure and 1 po- pper hero (hero choses type). Then spawn Blackwing and 2 Type II mon- sters in either Room 1 or Room 5. Blackwing is a Master Razorwing with 47 Health, +4 Speed, and +2 Armor. ‘When the heroes kill Blackwing, they receive 5 conquest tokens. EERE Silver 2 You barely have time to scoop “your treasure from this chest before it is consumed by flickering black flames! The baying of hounds ‘sounds behind you ——— es Chim 2 Curses worth of threat, then diseribute 1 Silver treasure per hero. Then spawn Blackfire and 3 Type II monscers inaroom containing no heroes. Blackfire is a Master Hellhound with Undying, Quickshor, and Aura 5. When the he- rocs kill Blackfire (and he stays dead), they receive 5 conquest tokens. Silver 3 GESESNERES ae At the bottom of tis chest you see a faint rune. As you watch, it begins to fill and then pudse with an eerie black light. Chaim 3 Curses worth of threat, then distribute 2 Silver treasures per hero. Then spawn Blackrune, 1 Type U monster, and 1 Type IIT monster in the Stare Area. Blackrune is a Master Sorcerer with Blast 3, +10 Health, and +2 Armor. When the heroes kill Blackrune (and he stays dead), they re- ceive 5 conquest tokens. GR Gold 1