The green men who called the Plain home showed the first adventurers how the skin of such a creature could be made into a heavy cloak that would protect the wearer from the heat, or a half-shelter or a tent to rest inside during the day. The adventurers built vast reeking meatcamps and slaughtered the lizards in the thousands to make garments that would permit their further expansion into the deserts of the frontier. The camps tinted the river red and blue and iridescent shades as the menu of creatures disassembled for parts expanded and the effluent from that biological pillage flowed ankle then knee deep.
Coxinha stomped toward the jagged cliffs at the edge of the plain, wrapped in such a cloak. Her eyes were shielded by protective goggles made from the eyecaps of a Rhagodessa and smeared with a thin layer of smoke colored oil to dim the sun and stop them fogging. The cloak was wrapped around her face below the goggles to stop the superheated air from scorching her lungs. It cooled the air but the feeling of suffocation went nowhere. Slow death in a jar. A capsule confined to the airless void of space.
She couldn't see the ranger up ahead. His cloak was bright white like hers but never seemed to shimmer. Never gave up his position. Ahead of where she thought he was, the entrance. Low tide in the desert pulled the dunes away from the mouth of the cave. A tunnel without ornament but clearly artificial. Unplundered.
THE TEMPLE
The Temple was built by Serpent people from a past age. Subsequent civilizations occupied the site and used it for their own purposes but now the Serpents have woken up and begun rebuilding. They recruited a tribe of Rat people as food, but found their blood offerings insufficient to summon anything of value from their Snake God. Lucky for the lazy reptiles they don't have to leave home to find better sacrifices. Unsealing the entrance is sufficient bait to lure in prey.
Doors in the temple open automatically with a faint hiss when serpents approach. They are not locked but resist attempts to open them manually as the pneumatic mechanism holds them shut. By default they are dimly lit by red lamps in the ceiling that activate when a room is entered, though the Snakes can hiss to deactivate the lights if they wish to move in the dark.
Doors in the temple open automatically with a faint hiss when serpents approach. They are not locked but resist attempts to open them manually as the pneumatic mechanism holds them shut. By default they are dimly lit by red lamps in the ceiling that activate when a room is entered, though the Snakes can hiss to deactivate the lights if they wish to move in the dark.
1: Hallway of belching flame behind heavy bronze doors. Sacrifice at 4 causes doors to open and BRONZE BULL emerges. Anyone standing within 10' is burned by rush of heat.
2: Storeroom. Incense, cloth, two large sticks of red wax. Secret door to 3 unknown to Snakes. When well lit the ceiling shows obvious scrape marks from door opening, snakes have poor vision and stay low to the ground.
2: Storeroom. Incense, cloth, two large sticks of red wax. Secret door to 3 unknown to Snakes. When well lit the ceiling shows obvious scrape marks from door opening, snakes have poor vision and stay low to the ground.
3: Shelves with jars holding remains of sacrificial victims uneaten, excreted or vomited. Captured adventurer gear also stored here.
- Smoothbore musket w/ ammunition
- Shield +1
- Spell scroll (phantasmal force, wizard eye, protection from normal missiles, hold portal, mirror image)
- Plate Armor
- Potion of Growth.
- War Hammer +1
4: Sacrifice chamber. Big bronze statue of horned snake (syncretization of Snake God Big Snake and Bloodfeast God of Sacrifice) with hatch in distended belly. Two SNAKEs (one of them the Priestess) stoke a flame beneath while the ADVENTURER Coquito sizzles inside. At hour two of play Coquito dies and the heavy bronze doors to the north open to admit the BRAZEN BULL.
Snake statue eyes are yellow diamonds worth 1,000 SP each, touching them causes statue to vent lethal scalding steam from its nostrils unless statue has completely cooled.
Four closets
Four closets
- West has heaped fuel pellets for fire. Dung, peat and bitumen.
- Southwest has +1 dagger and tripod for burning small sacrifices set with 300 SP in rubies.
- East has eggs laid by the Priestess, decorative forks and spoons and egg cups worth 250 SP to eat them. Trapped with a rune of Snake Charm that stops other snakes from stealing them.
- Southeast has lye soap and barrels of water with live sponges for cleaning statue.
Secret door behind altar leads to 10, known to Snakes.
5: Purification chamber. Pool of water fed by quanat from artesian well. Massage bed for applying oils. Chains in pool for restraining sacrifices through purification process shine bright and resist tarnish, chromed with ancient serpent alchemy that increases their value to 150 SP. Scented oils worth further 100 SP. Massage bed casts Sleep on anyone who lies there. Low secret door to 6 known to Snakes. If dribbling water is plugged sound of rat babies can be heard.
5: Purification chamber. Pool of water fed by quanat from artesian well. Massage bed for applying oils. Chains in pool for restraining sacrifices through purification process shine bright and resist tarnish, chromed with ancient serpent alchemy that increases their value to 150 SP. Scented oils worth further 100 SP. Massage bed casts Sleep on anyone who lies there. Low secret door to 6 known to Snakes. If dribbling water is plugged sound of rat babies can be heard.
6: Lightless rat brood chamber. Bare stone covered with soft materials (feathers cloth and wool), kept clean by RAT mama who sweeps droppings into old amphora set in the floor. Numerous rat babies harmless (no stats) destined for snake dinner table. 210 SP in shiny objects offered by rats as tribute to mom. Secret doors known to Rats and Snakes, low enough that anyone taller than a Dwarf must crouch.
7: Prison cell barred from outside. Single captive ADVENTURER (the Cleric Coxinha) in wooden pillory and scold bridle to stop her casting.
8: Rat utopia. Seven RATS lounge here on stone columns and blocks arranged to create enriching environment. Idol of The Big Cheese, rat god of prosperity, shines light and dispenses free food (secretly an artifact crafted by serpents that casts Create Food). 455 SP in coins and shiny objects gathered, plus Ring of Fire Resistance. Secret doors known to Snakes, so low anyone larger than a Halfling must crouch.
9: Trash room with heavy door covered in wax impressed with writing. Two LEMURES wallow in slime and devour anything tossed into room. Writing in wax is ward against unholy beings, if smeared away Lemures escape.
10: Slave Crypt. Unornamented bare stone. Low ceiling forces anyone taller than a Dwarf to crouch. Nine SKELETONS of slaves in shallow floor depressions on either side animate and attack intruders (they obey any commands in Snaketongue). Secret door south barely concealed, sliding rough stone wall whose grinding alerts Skeletons. Secret exit north better concealed opens behind altar of 4. Make too much noise and a Serpent from 4 comes around through 13 to attack adventurers from behind. 140 SP in grave goods here.
11: Basking chamber. Mirrors reflect sunlight through hole in ceiling onto flat stones and sand for burrowing. One SNAKE here partially buried in sand. 1,060 SP in coins buried in sand along with Serpent battery stones (store heat from the sun and release it all night).
12: Disused hibernation room. Empty black stone eggs cracked open from inside. Wall mural of Big Snake, God of slumber. East door trapped with spikes coated in Snake venom, crawling on the ground like a snake avoids the trap.
13: Serpent lab. Doors sealed to non-Snakes, trapped with misters that spray blinding King Cobra poison (Snakes are immune). Tubes and beakers. The ADVENTURER Martim is disassembled into his component parts and spread across a table, still alive with tubing connecting all his organs. Shelf holds Potion of Delusion, Potion of Poison, Potion of Vivisection (body parts survive if cut off, no other benefit). Gold plates (750 SP) with experiment results engraved in Snaketongue using Diamond Bitted Wand. Kiln for making red lightbulbs from sand.
14: Chamber with high metal ceiling. SNAKE here working on flying chariot. If activated in current state it bounces around wildly crushing people against walls. Lever on wall opens metal ceiling to unfinished shaft for chariot, dumping rocks on occupants.
15: Cobra enclosure. Grass and plants and a flowing river with water recirculated by serpent science. Heat lamp in ceiling simulates day night cycle. GIANT COBRA lurks here. 1,050 in glittering coins and gems tossed in water feature.
16: Entry hall. Domed chamber with murals of animal headed men (jackal, hippo, bird, lion, snake) calling demons out of the earth. Enormous quartz boulder in the center with one face cut into a domed lens. By day the room is lit dim red by bulbs in the corridors west north and east. By night the quartz activates as Daylight spell, shining light down corridor to 18.
17: Armory. Weapon racks trapped to spring forward and strike like viper when door east is opened. Racks hold
- Cursed Sword -1
- Cursed Sword -2
- Cursed Berserker Sword
- Sword of Sharpness +1
- Cursed Sword -1
Secret door north known to Snakes, used to access armory without triggering trap.
18: Entrance carved into cliff face overlooking the distant River Hog. Stone arch tall enough for a crouching man, littered with charred bones of distorted humanoids and doglike beings. By night a Daylight spell from 16 keeps the night creatures of the Plain from entering. The angle of the tunnel shields the light from the distant river except a brief flash when activated.
MEN & MONSTERS
If there's a wandering monster, roll a D8.
1-2: Snakes equal to the number on the die.
1-2: Snakes equal to the number on the die.
3: Giant Cobra, hunting
4-7: Rats equal to the number on the die, patrolling.
8: Coxinha the Adventurer, escaped, naked and looking for her gear and comrades.
If the summoning ritual in 4 succeeds, add the Bronze Bull to all encounters.
ADVENTURERS
The Potion Addict outlet at the edge of Hogman's Plain supports a whole economy of inexperienced fortune seekers wandering out into the wasteland. The Adventurers came to the dungeon looking for treasure and to claim the bounty on Rat tails. They weren't expecting Snakes and a single casting of Hold Person by the Priestess got all of them.
The Potion Addict outlet at the edge of Hogman's Plain supports a whole economy of inexperienced fortune seekers wandering out into the wasteland. The Adventurers came to the dungeon looking for treasure and to claim the bounty on Rat tails. They weren't expecting Snakes and a single casting of Hold Person by the Priestess got all of them.
- Coquito, Level 1 Ranger. Slowly burning in the snake statue in 4. Dies at the two hour mark if not rescued.
- Coxinha Level 2 Cleric of Mirror Man (two faced God of doors). Pilloried and gagged to stop her casting in the prison at 7. Next in line to be sacrificed.
- Martim, Level 1 Fighter. Vivsected by the Snakes but still alive in the lab at 13.
BRAZEN BULL
A monster summoned by the serpents with the sacrifice of Coquito the Ranger at the two hour mark. Obeys commands given by the Priestess, behaves like a pissed off bull attacking randomly if she dies. Stats as Gorgon but swap out the Petrifying Breath for Fire Breath, 3D6 damage in 30' by 30' cone, save for half. Nonmagical weapons which strike the Bull melt on a to-hit roll of 1. Since the beast is summoned from the pits it is vulnerable to anything that targets unholy or evil creatures.
A monster summoned by the serpents with the sacrifice of Coquito the Ranger at the two hour mark. Obeys commands given by the Priestess, behaves like a pissed off bull attacking randomly if she dies. Stats as Gorgon but swap out the Petrifying Breath for Fire Breath, 3D6 damage in 30' by 30' cone, save for half. Nonmagical weapons which strike the Bull melt on a to-hit roll of 1. Since the beast is summoned from the pits it is vulnerable to anything that targets unholy or evil creatures.
GIANT COBRA
King
Cobras are normally Ophiophagus, preying on smaller snakes. The Snake
Priestess used repeat casting of Snake Charm and regular feeding to
condition this one so it doesn't view the Snakes as prey. The Snakes
release it when intruders break into the temple. It doesn't respond to
commands but hunts intruders independently. It tracks prey by scent. It
can be scared off initially with a serious show of force but once
engaged in combat it bites until it or the prey is dead.
LEMURES
The Lemures are what comes through the bronze doors if you sacrifice a Rat in the snake idol. There are two of them and they're useless for almost everything. The Snakes keep them in a disused room and use them for garbage disposal. They respond to commands in Snaketongue.
RATS
The Rat mother and her late husband came to Hogman's Plain hidden in a river barge, fleeing attempts by the Commonwealth to eradicate their race in the name of disease control. They struggled to survive in the harsh environment until the Snakes offered them a sweet deal. Free food and a place to live, in exchange for eating a few of her kids. Her husband got killed stealing trinkets from the Snakes.
There are eight rats. One is the mother of the tribe and the other seven are her adult children. They spend most of their time lounging in the secret area to the northeast but occasionally put in work for the Snakes. The serpents use their Skeletons for manual labor but employ the rats where they need dexterity or stealth, like scouting outside the hideout. The rats will fight to protect their meal ticket. They obey their mother's commands and she's unlikely to turn on the Snakes to help murderous adventurers from hated industrial civilization.
Stats as Wererats in Rat form, but subtract the mundane damage immunity and add the Giant Rat's chance to inflict plague on bite.
SNAKES
The Snakes are serpent people from the days before the Ancient Empire. They are smart, lazy hedonists who offer gifts to the Gods only because the Gods reward them. They are skilled scientists and engineers but are not puppet masters who plan for every scenario. Their ability to craft produce magical devices without the need for complex supply chains and specialized labor leaves them ignorant of industry and mass production - the forces transforming the world outside the temple. Given time they can make miraculous machines, if adventurers make multiple forays into the dungeon the snakes set traps that deliberately counter their abilities.
There are four snakes, all equipped with +1 magic weapons. Three are lumpen reptiles and one is a Priestess who casts as a 5th Level Cleric. By default she has Darkness, Cause Fear, Hold Person, and Snake Charm castable. They learned Common from the Rats, but can't speak it.
The Snakes are serpent people from the days before the Ancient Empire. They are smart, lazy hedonists who offer gifts to the Gods only because the Gods reward them. They are skilled scientists and engineers but are not puppet masters who plan for every scenario. Their ability to craft produce magical devices without the need for complex supply chains and specialized labor leaves them ignorant of industry and mass production - the forces transforming the world outside the temple. Given time they can make miraculous machines, if adventurers make multiple forays into the dungeon the snakes set traps that deliberately counter their abilities.
There are four snakes, all equipped with +1 magic weapons. Three are lumpen reptiles and one is a Priestess who casts as a 5th Level Cleric. By default she has Darkness, Cause Fear, Hold Person, and Snake Charm castable. They learned Common from the Rats, but can't speak it.
SKELETONS
The Skeletons are former slaves of the Snakes, bound with a crude animation spell to serve them. The Snakes use them for manual labor but leave them in the crypt when not working to serve as an early warning system against intruders using the secret door behind the altar. They respond to commands in Snaketongue regardless of who issues them.
THE SNAKE PLAN
The Snakes retreat from any fight they don't expect to win and return with backup. They can let the Cobra out of his enclosure at 15, rally the Rats from 8 and release the Lemures from 9. They flank adventurers using the secret doors (except the one at 1) to avoid being funneled through doors.
Their objective is to summon the Bronze Bull with a sacrifice in room 4. This happens two hours into the adventure (adjust so it's at the halfway mark of however long you'd like to play). With the bull backing them up they aggressively attack the adventurers.
Their objective is to summon the Bronze Bull with a sacrifice in room 4. This happens two hours into the adventure (adjust so it's at the halfway mark of however long you'd like to play). With the bull backing them up they aggressively attack the adventurers.
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
If "there's a dungeon" isn't enough for the players...
- The Snakes' sacrificial statue is a magical perpetual motion machine, summoning far more HD of creatures than they sacrifice. Securing it would be a boon for magical research or a cheap way to raise a demon army.
- Killing Snakes is profitable. There's a bounty on their heads and a lot of people think their gift for super science is stored in specific organs, driving a secondary market in alchemical reagents extracted from their bodies.
- The captured Adventurers had a good insurance policy. Gentle Repose always offers a bounty on safe recovery (less for body retrieval) prior to paying out a death benefit to their next of kin.
THE MAKING OF
This dungeon is an edit of the Dyson Logos version of Frank Mentzer's generic dungeon. Mentzer ran it at conventions using just the map and some pregens, improvising the contents of the rooms. I don't like improvising and I enjoy making dungeons in advance, although it takes me a long time. Like everything else this one followed a power law, where the last 10% of keying and monster descriptions took longer than the rest combined.
I populated this minidungeon with miniatures I hadn't used in an adventure yet. I used the OSE Advanced Fantasy book for stats. The snakes hatching from stasis eggs is similar to the Naga Raja dungeon I wrote a few months ago. The Riverboat Gambler series of dungeons are eventually going to populate a frontier area for use with the gunboat adventure rules from Coins and Scrolls.
I populated this minidungeon with miniatures I hadn't used in an adventure yet. I used the OSE Advanced Fantasy book for stats. The snakes hatching from stasis eggs is similar to the Naga Raja dungeon I wrote a few months ago. The Riverboat Gambler series of dungeons are eventually going to populate a frontier area for use with the gunboat adventure rules from Coins and Scrolls.
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