The dwarven cavern (#172)

* blog: add The Dwarven Cavern

* blog/dwarven-cavern: cleanup this here

* blog/dwarven-cavern: more words

blog/the-dwarven-cavern-6e-2020-06-28.markdown

@@ -0,0 +1,338 @@
+---
+title: "The Dwarven Cavern - A Beginner 6E Adventure"
+date: 2020-06-28
+series: thesource
+tags:
+ - 6e
+---
+
+# The Dwarven Cavern - A Beginner 6E Adventure
+
+Recently itch.io had [one of the largest game bundles in history][itchbundle]
+and one of the things in it was this humble game named [6E][6e]. Some friends
+and I have started up a small group that meets on the weekends to spend a few
+hours with an adventure. I've been writing a few adventures for them, and I
+would like to start sharing their archetypes. These will all be included in a
+small zine that describes the systems we have built on top of 6E that I'm
+calling [The Source](https://www.patreon.com/posts/source-v0-1-38587786). This
+PDF will be available publicly once it is closer to done (however if you really
+want a copy early on to dig at it, let me know and we can surely work something
+out).
+
+[itchbundle]: https://itch.io/b/520/bundle-for-racial-justice-and-equality
+[6e]: https://s-jared.itch.io/6e
+
+Today, I would like to share the details that went into writing the most recent
+adventure: The Dwarven Cavern. This was derived from One Page Dungeons by
+[Geoffrey Cullop](https://twitter.com/cullopgeoffrey), specifically this is a
+variant of Kobold Caverns on page 5. Please note that the experience, gold and
+hitpoints of enemies are balanced for the group I play with, and will probably
+need to be adjusted for other parties of adventurers. This should work for
+players at level 1-3. By the end they should gain enough experience to level up
+once. My group is also very stun-heavy, so that makes my job of attempting to
+balance things really interesting.
+
+Like most great adventures, this starts at a humble tavern, The Flying
+Ombudsman.
+
+## The Flying Ombudsman
+
+The players start off in The Flying Ombudsman, a tavern in the town of
+LAST\_TOWN\_YOUR\_PLAYERS\_WERE\_IN. There are a few people sitting at the bar
+and drinking steamy mugs of grog. There is a salesperson sitting at one of the
+tables fidgeting with a golden scepter head and looks like she has plenty of
+items should people want them. There is someone rather sad sitting at another of
+the tables, looking like he has suffered a great loss.
+
+For extra immersion, have the NPC's speak with a slightly Irish accent. For
+extra fun, throw in random words from scottish, english and australian accents.
+Keeps the players thinking.
+
+When players ask the bartender for a mug o' grog, he will sell them one for 5
+gold (limit 4 each player). If players ask for the history behind the name,
+explain to the players the information in The Story of Hol below.
+
+The salesperson at the top sells the following:
+
+| Name                     | Effect                                                           | Price    |
+| :----------------------  | :--------------------------------------------------------------- | :------- |
+| 3x potion of cure poison | Cures poison and grants 2hp                                      | 15g each |
+| Golden Scepter head      | Doesn't look like it does anything if it's not on top of a staff | 50g      |
+
+You may want to add a few more items to this list. I need to draw up a table
+for items that salespeople like this can have.
+
+The salesperson can also get you a room at the inn for 30g. It is big enough to
+hold all of the party.
+
+When players talk to the person at the bottom, they get a sad story about the
+hoe-pocalypse that threatens the end of the village the person comes from.
+Dwarves snuck up from underground and stole the hoe from him, making it
+difficult to feed his hamlet. He asks the adventurers to go to the cavern the
+dwarves live in and get them back. The players should eventually agree to do it,
+and the NPC will progressively offer more and more gold as a reward. A charisma
+check will get him to throw in some salted meat as a reward.
+
+### The Story of Hol
+
+The bartender previously ran a failing tavern, and was running out of hope and
+money. One day, the bartender found a weird looking mug and found that it could
+be used to talk with the gods. He eventually found a god named Hol. Hol offered
+him the recipe for the strongest alcohol he could possibly make, for a price.
+The bartender agreed without further thought and gained the ability to make
+intensely strong alcohol, but lost his ability to negotiate permanently.
+
+One day the local ombudsman got news of how strong the liquor was and decided to
+enforce some obscure liquor control law to get the strength reduced. The bartender
+refused to negotiate and it escalated into a situation where the bartender kicked
+the ombudsman so hard that he flew into the wall. People started calling the
+tavern "the place where the ombudsman flew" and that eventually evolved into the
+name The Flying Ombudsman.
+
+Business has been booming ever since.
+
+## The Cave
+
+The first part has 1 mechanical trap around the second corner, players will need
+to work their way through it with low light or to grab a working torch off the
+wall. The trap does 1d4 damage.
+
+The tunnel opens into a guard station, the dwarf archers wait behind cover for
+players to get in range of their shortbows. If they get within 10 feet of the
+archers, they fall back to the room behind them to the left. The Archers have 6
+hp and grant 100xp on defeat.
+
+The room behind and to the left is a labratory that is very well-lit. Lots of
+weird liquid in flasks, scientific equipment, etc. There is a Dwarf Grenadier
+there and will attack you on sight. He throws alchemical grenades at range (1d6
+damage, =6 -> random elemental effect), If the players get within melee range of
+the Grenadier then he will use a poisoned dagger. If the guards retreated then
+he will use them as meat shields. He has 25 hp. He drops 1d4 alchemical grenades
+and also drops his poisoned dagger. He grants 300xp on defeat.
+
+The bigger chamber is the dwarven living area. Plenty of beds to hide behind,
+but there are 1d6 dwarves living in there. They attack on sight, but flee south
+if their attack goes poorly. The dwarves each grant 100xp on defeat. There is a
+chest in there that is actually a mimic. It drops an Amulet of Chest on defeat.
+
+The room south is the home of Bubba the Bugbear, a hired goon of the dwarves.
+Bubba and the remaining dwarves make their last stand here. Bubba grants 500xp
+on defeat and has 30hp and 1d6+2 attack damage with his giant club.
+
+The final room is the treasure room, which contains the stolen hoe, some other
+farming equipment and 250 gold. After this the dungeon is cleared and players
+gain experience from their journey, then go back to The Flying Ombudsman
+victorious. The quest NPC will award them with however many gold they agreed to
+and any items they also agreed to.
+
+## Enemies
+
+### Dwarf Archer
+*Decent guard, horrible foresight*
+
+- **Hit Points** 6
+
+| STR   | DEX   | CON   | INT   | WIS   | CHA   |
+| :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: |
+| 0     | +1    | 0     | -2    | -2    | 0     |
+
+- **Condition Immunities** drunk, groggy
+- **Senses** Night-vision
+- **Languages** Dwarf
+- **Challenge** 2 (100xp)
+
+***Keep-away.*** Will flee at the first sign of trouble.
+
+#### Actions
+***Crossbow.*** *Ranged Attack:* 1d4 damage
+
+### Dwarf Grenadier
+*Mad scientist, crazier inventions*
+
+- **Hit Points** 25
+
+| STR   | DEX   | CON   | INT   | WIS   | CHA   |
+| :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: |
+| 0     | +1    | -2    | +2    | 0     | +1    |
+
+- **Condition Immunities** drunk, groggy
+- **Senses** Night-vision
+- **Languages** Dwarf
+- **Challenge** 6 (300xp)
+
+***Insane.*** Will do things that normal enemies would not.
+
+#### Actions
+***Alchemical Grenade.*** *Ranged Attack:* 1d6 damage plus elemental effect if
+6 damage. See table for Alchemical Grenades.
+
+***Poisoned Dagger.*** *Melee Attack:* 1d4 damage. On hit player must roll for
+constitution. If the check fails they get _disadvantage_ for their throws the
+next 1d3 turns.
+
+### Dwarf
+*Underground folk that love digging*
+
+**Hit Points** 6
+
+| STR   | DEX   | CON   | INT   | WIS   | CHA   |
+| :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: |
+| 0     | +1    | 0     | -2    | -2    | 0     |
+
+- **Condition Immunities** drunk, groggy
+- **Senses** Night-vision
+- **Languages** Dwarf
+- **Challenge** 2 (100xp)
+
+***Short and Stout.*** Easily able to hit enemies below the belt.
+
+#### Actions
+***Dagger.*** *Melee Attack:* 1d4 damage
+
+### Mimic
+*Just an ordinary chest, don't question it*
+
+- **Hit Points** 14
+
+| STR   | DEX   | CON   | INT   | WIS   | CHA   |
+| :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: |
+| 0     | 0     | -2    | 0     | 0     | -1    |
+
+- **Condition Immunities** burn, poison
+- **Languages** None
+- **Challenge** 5 (250xp)
+
+***Unsuspicious.*** Come on, the chest wouldn't be alive, would it?
+
+#### Actions
+***Omnomnom*** *Melee Attack:* 1d6 piercing damage, gets advantage if the player
+tries to open the chest.
+
+### Bubba the Bugbear
+
+*From Bubba with Love*
+
+- **Hit Points** 30
+
+| STR   | DEX   | CON   | INT   | WIS   | CHA   |
+| :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: |
+| +2    | +2    | +1    | -2    | 0     | -1    |
+
+- **Condition Immunities** blinded
+- **Languages** Dwarf
+- **Challenge** 10 (500xp)
+
+***Unreasonable.*** Does not respond well to trickery.
+
+#### Actions
+***Whomp.*** *Melee Attack:* 1d6+2 damage, piercing if the player fails a
+constitution check.
+
+## Items
+
+These are the unique items specific to this quest.
+
+### Mug of Grog
+
+A wooden/iron mug full of the barkeep's grog. Consuming it gives you the
+following stat boosts for 3 turns:
+
+| STR   | DEX   | CON   | INT   | WIS   | CHA   |
+| :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: |
+| +0    | -1    | +0    | -1    | -1    | +3    |
+
+This bonus does not stack. When you drink the grog, you keep the mug and can use
+it to bludgeon people for normal attack damage. It can also be used as a tool to
+check for traps.
+
+Does not sell, purchasable for 5g.
+
+### Golden Scepter Head
+
+A golden scepter head that looks like The Grand Nagus from Star Trek. It has no
+effect outside of when it's put on a staff. When it is on a staff it gives you
+25% more gold when you collect gold from places. This has 5 charges and cannot
+be refreshed.
+
+Sells for 50g, purchases for 50g.
+
+### Alchemical Grenades
+
+Standard grenades that look like they are made out of wood, metal, insanity and
+magic. They do d6 damage normally, but when you crit with one it also causes one
+of the following status effects (roll a d4):
+
+
+#### Alchemical Effects
+
+|   Roll | Effect                                                                                                                                                                                          |
+| :----: | :-------------                                                                                                                                                                                  |
+|      1 | Acid makes the entity take off their armor                                                                                                                                                      |
+|      2 | The entity rolls a constitution check, if it fails they get poisoned and need to roll for constitution before every action, passing removes the poison, failing makes them not have any action. |
+|      3 | The entity is burned for 1d4 damage every turn they fail a constitution check.                                                                                                                  |
+|      4 | The entity is stunned for 1d3 turns.                                                                                                                                                            |
+
+Sells for 25g each, unpurchaseable.
+
+### Poisoned Dagger
+
+A standard dagger that gives no distinct bonuses. However when you use it as a
+normal dagger, you need to roll for constitution in addition to rolling for
+strength. If you fail the constitution check (but pass the strength check), you
+get poisoned from the poison streaking out of the dagger.
+
+The poison has 5 charges.
+
+Merchants do not want to take the risk buying it and will you pay them for its
+disposal. This cannot be purchased.
+
+### Bubba's Clubba
+
+A rather large mace that does +2 damage. It is a giant thing designed for a
+9-foot tall centaur. It takes up three slots in your inventory. It looks 
+imposing and may require a lot of strength to use properly.
+
+Sells for 25g.
+
+### Amulet of Chest
+
+This cursed amulet lets the holder transform into a harmless looking treasure
+chest, but also grants them advantage if an enemy tries to open it. After 4
+transformations, they need to roll a charisma check when they try to turn back.
+If that fails, they stay a chest for an hour (with arms/legs/a mouth/etc). After
+4 more transformations, they turn into a mimic permanently. The transformation 
+count stays persistent until someone becomes a mimic, then it resets to zero.
+
+Merchants will pay 100 gold for it, but will only accept it after the player
+rolls for charisma.
+
+## Dungeon Map
+
+![](https://xena.greedo.xeserv.us/6E/img/kja4u2A.png)
+
+## Adventure Highlights
+
+When I ran this yesterday, the following amazing things happened:
+
+- The players used a crossbow from a previous adventure and a torch to hit the
+  grenades held by the grenadier, vaporizing it from 5 grenades exploding at once.
+- The Artificer shield-bashed one of the dwarves so hard that it ricocheted into
+  the other dwarves like pool balls. That caused a lot of damage to all of the
+  enemies.
+- The Monk critted a Ki art and shredded an archer with their claws, making the
+  other archer flee.
+- The Thief straight up banished a dwarf to the shadow realm with a slingshot
+  hit.
+
+I still wonder how they are going to use that Cursed Amulet of Chest though.
+
+---
+
+Thank you [@infinite_mao](https://twitter.com/infinite_mao) for making 6E. I can
+only hope that my buying your stuff separately and making this content for 6E
+can help give back to the community.
+
+Feedback on the balance of this is very welcome. I openly welcome any and all
+feedback about how this quest could be rebalanced to be a bit less lopsided in
+favor of the players. I also wanted to err on the side of balancing towards the
+players to avoid an unwanted party death.

go.sum

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