Øone's Blueprints - Hand Drawn – Crypt of the Lich Lord

The story goes that the Wizard Lord was a fair and honest man who ruled his land with fairness and justice. 

One night, unknown enemies sneaked into the palace and brutally murdered his entire family. Maddened by grief and anger, the Lord undertook the Ritual of Eternal Night, ordering his servants to take him to an ancient circle of monoliths near the castle. 

He was then buried in the nearby family mausoleum and eventually became a powerful Lich. He moved into the dungeon beneath the Mausoleum, where his family was also buried, and began plotting his revenge against his enemies. At the same time, he tried to bring his family back to life, failing repeatedly.

Øone's Blueprints - Hand Drawn – Haunted Prison

On top of a rocky hill is a gloomy two-story building that is known as “The Cage”. People avoid it because it is believed to be haunted. Some tell that the prison was hit by some kind of plague and that many prisoners found a horrible death locked in their cells. 

Others tell that a non-human prisoner went out of control and began slaughtering both guards and prisoners. The prison lies abandoned. Skeletons of murdered people still litter the floor. 

The ground floor was originally built with facilities for prisoners, such as a refectory, laundry room, chapel, and library. The courtyards were filled with exercise machines and other such tools. The second floor was home to the guards who did their work from above. The cells were underground, along with a torture chamber and a doghouse.

Basic Paths: Curse of the Sickled Hand

by Megan Robertson

Do not be deluded by terms like 'basic' and 'introductory'... this adventure promises full-bore excitement, well-resourced and smooth to run, no matter whether players or GM are novices or experienced. It takes place in a wilderness area near to a rural village called Gafolweed, which can be placed anywhere suitable in your campaign world; those who have played the adventure Fangs from the Past may recognise some NPCs and locations, but it is not necessary to have done so to get full enjoyment from this scenario. 

The Background lets the GM know what's really going on, and an Adventure Synopsis provides a framework for the plot, along with a nice map of Gafolweed where the adventure proper begins - in a tavern, with the characters' supper being interrupted by a frantic cleric incoherently babbling about walking dead raiding the graveyard... enough to spoil anyone's meal. 

Moreover, if they calm the poor priest long enough to get the story, these undead seemed impervious to his clerical powers, carrying on meticulously exhuming bodies and carting them off despite his prayers and spells! Convinced that his deity has deserted him, the cleric intends to retreat to his monastery to repent and meditate, but has managed to collect a fair amount of coin with which to pay the characters to investigate the matter on his behalf. 

Assuming they accept, they will find plenty to do tracking down the walking dead and discovering what they are up to... and nothing is quite what it seems. Each encounter is set out clearly, with descriptive material and game mechanics laid out ready for the GM to use. Spotted about are 'GM Tips' which are intended for novice GMs but contain good advice for anyone wishing to improve their game-mastering skills. There's an immense amount of background detail which makes the whole place come alive, and it is well worth spending time studying it so that you can use it to good effect during play. 

Characters who interact with the locals can find out much that will aid them, although naturally more martial skills will also be required to achieve success, as will expertise in dungeoneering - there are tombs and caverns to explore. This adventure proves an excellent introduction in that it has just about all the elements of classic fantasy role-playing: a threatened community, an evil villain scheming away, hordes of minions, trick- and trap-filled complexes to explore... and it is laid out in a manner to make running it easy for novice and experienced GM alike. 

Maps are beautiful and comprehensive, and there's a collection of lush battlemaps for groups who enjoy miniatures or just like to see precisely what their characters see, even some 'standees' for the main NPCs/monsters likely to be involved in combat. Adventure beckons... accept the challenge!