Caverns of the Iron Raven Convent : A MythicGME and Five Room Dungeon Example

For the second attempt combining MythicGME with the Five Room Dungeon, I used the Searchers of the Unknown Rules.

Characters

Dario, Veteran of the Pits of Night P(AC 5, Mv 6, HD 1, Hp 4, #att 1,D 1d8 sword)

Lucio, the Vengeful Blacksmith (Ac 3, Mv 3, hd 1, hp 8 5, #att 1,D 1d10 battle axe)

Antonio, the Executioner of the Windswept Caves (Ac 6, Mv 9, hd 1, hp 5, #att 1, d 1d8 sword, 1d6 bow)

Paolo, the Tailor (Ac 9, Mv 12, hd 1/2, hp 3, #att 1, d 1d6 torch)

This example played out more like I imagined when I first fell upon the idea.

****
Scene 1 - the guardian, chaos 5

Set up: Following legends of a great treasure somewhere in the caves underneath the ruins of the Iron Raven Convent, the party wends their way up into the mountains, up the steep solitary road to reach the former holy site. After kicking around the rubble the party found a trap door into the cave system. Lighting a torch, they descended the narrow stairs into cool, damp caves. After 50' the party reached a landing and found themselves in a 30’ diameter circular cavern [roll event meaning and subject for contents Vengeance Misfortune] standing before a 10’ tall crystal statue of the Raven God himself (living statue).

Roll to see if scene stays as is: 3, altered scene

Altered scene: The statue is not a living statue, but there are no clear exists from the cavern.

To the party’s dismay, no passages extended from the cavern.

“There must be a secret door here somewhere, check the walls of the cavern!” ordered Lucio, the group’s de facto leader.

[Rolled level + 4 for each party member. Dario scores a success to find one, IF one is there. Is there a secret door in the wall of the cavern? 50/50 23, yes. ]

“Over here!” called Dario. He had found the seam around what was clearly a secret door.

[Is the mechanism for the door in the wall? 50/50, 03, exceptional yes. ]

Checking carefully, Dario noticed an odd shaped stone protruding just a bit more than it should have from the cavern wall. He pressed and pulled on it and, sure enough, the door slid back.

Scene 2 - Role playing or puzzle, Chaos 5

Set up: After advancing carefully down a twisting tunnel, the party emerged into a grand cavern. Rays of sunlight slipped through a grate high above their heads and danced on the surface of shallow pools - most likely rainwater that entered by the same means. [Gratify Mundane]. Another statue of the raven god, this time in obsidian with large dark red gems inset for its eyes, stood tall along the south wall. As the party moved into the cavern, it crowed“What gifts do you travelers seek?”

Does this setup keep?  9, yes.

Lucio piped up, “We seek the treasures of the Iron Raven Convent!”

[Use subject + meaning for dialog: excitement anger]

“Caw! Seek and you have found! But first you must make the proper offering!”

“And what is the proper offering?”

[Using MythicGME subject action: Attach goal]

“Caw! Write your goal upon parchment or ribbon and burn it in the brazier at my feet, offering a prayer to the Lord Raven!”

As only Paolo could write, the party had him scribe their goal of the treasure onto a scrap of parchment, and burned it per the statue’s instructions.

[Does the statue fulfill their wish? Very Unlikely 53. No]

The statue began to vibrate, which turned into full blown shake, rocking on its dais. Steam poured out from a vent upon which the dais sat, temporarily blinding the party. When it finished, a small wooden egg lay on the floor.

Lucio picked it up cautiously and opened it, inside on a strip of paper were the words

TRIUMPH ENVIRONMENT PROPOSE AMBUSH (generated with two rules on subject + action tables)

“Lousy circus trick” muttered Lucio.

Dario, however, thought there might be more to it.

Scene 3 - Red Herring Chaos = 5

[How to play this? Obviously, If I know it is a red herring, then it's not really a red herring. I decide to play out whatever scene results and THEN check to see if it's a red herring or not]

Setup : Ahead the passage forked, from the left a cool damp breeze blew, flickering their torches, to the right nothing but silence and darkness.

Play as is? 8 yes.

“My guess” said Antonio, is that the left will take us out of the caves. The wind is blowing in from outside.”

“Then we go right?” asked Lucio.

The party agreed.

Scene 4 - Red Herring or Big Battle, Chaos = 5

Setup: They couldn't be sure, but it felt more than once that the tunnel had sloped downwards several times. Indeed, the silence had grown more profound as they proceeded. 

After nearly an hour, and several discussions about turning back, the party found themselves before the mouth of a large cavern. Inside they crept, carefully, their eyes scanning everything within torchlight, hoping there was nothing beyond. The ground was soft red sand that gave slightly with each step. Littered about their feet they saw bits of bone here and there.

Finally, they came to a mountain of skulls piled some 20’ high. Within each skull opals, rubies, garnets, pearls and more filled the otherwise empty eye sockets. Suddenly, the pile rumbled, skulls sliding and tumbling to the sand below and climbing from within, a giant skeleton-like abomination with 6 arms with 2 swords and a spear, and the head of large bull. From no visible means, the beast let out an unholy cry, an obvious challenge to the party.

does this setup hold? 3, altered. is the skull pile an illusion?Exceptional yes.

Altered Setup: They couldn't be sure but it felt more than once that the tunnel had sloped downwards several times. Indeed, the silence had grown more profound as they proceeded.

After nearly an hour, and several discussions about turning back, the party found themselves before the mouth of a large cavern. Inside they crept, carefully, their eyes scanning everything within torchlight, hoping there was nothing beyond. The ground was soft red sand that gave slightly with each step. Littered about their feet they saw bits of bone here and there.

Finally, they came to a mountain of skulls piled some 20’ high. Within each skull opals, rubies, garnets, pearls and more filled the otherwise empty eye sockets. Suddenly, a blood curdling and unholy cry echoed throughout the cavern. To the party’s surprise, charging straight towards them, as if it materialized in front of the skull pile,came a giant skeleton-like abomination with 6 arms with 2 swords and a spear, and the head of large bull.

Check initiative

bone golem attack 1 : 9

bone golem attack 2: 10

bone golem attack 3: 7

Dario: 7

Antonio: 10

Lucio: 5  

Paolo: 13

Paolo took off running - bringing the torch with him Antonio chased after him.

The Golem attacked (1-2 Dario, 3-4 Antonio, 5-6 Lucio) Antonio as he turns to run - 19 Antonio ac is 6 + 8 for golem level, miss

The golem atttacked again - 1-3 dario 4-6 Lucio , Dario. 5+8 =13, roll 15, miss

Dario turned to run, but the golem got in its attack - 1-3 dario 4-6 lucio , lucio. 3+8 = 11, roll 17, miss

Lucio also takes off running too (he only moves 10’ since he's in plate)

Antonio and Paolo made it to the cavern’s exit, Dario is 10’ behind them and Lucio, 10’ behind him, is closest to golem.

Initiative:

Golem1 : 7

Golem2 : 10

Golem 3 : 7

Dario : 10

Antonio: 12

Lucio: 10

Paolo : 15

Paolo made it out of the cavern into the tunnel. The light of his torch now only barely lit the last 20’ of the cavern.  Antonio follows close behind

Lucio/Dario/Golem - 1-3 = Lucio 4-6 = Dario, 4. 5 + 8 = 13, roll = 15, miss. 

Dario just made it out of the cavern, but Lucio still had 10’ to go. and he has to run

passed the golem, which had passed him to attack Dario.

Golem attacks: 3+8 = 11, 15, miss. 1 hit!  spear 1d6, 3 HP damage

Initiative:

Golem 1 3

Golem 2 7

Golem 3 3

Dario 11

Lucio 9

Antonio 16

Paolo 12

Antonio ran to stop Paolo from running further. Dario almost caught them and Lucio made it into the tunnel.

Is the tunnel tall enough for the golem? Unlikely.  33. Yes. Random event, 83, ambiguous event, Adjourn A representative

The golem crashed after the party, but at the tunnel, clearly tall enough to allow it to enter, it stopped, pointed its spear at the party and unleashed a boot-quaking roar, before turning back into the cavern.

[due to the illusion, i decide that this was indeed the red herring, the other tunnel is the one we should have taken]

Scene 5: Big Battle Chaos = 6

Setup: Having returned to the fork in the tunnel, the party ventured towards the source of the breeze. The tunnel plunged them downward and then up and up until finally the found themselves approaching another cavern. 

In the opposite wall, a cave mouth revealed a bright sunlit sky. 12 sarcophagi adorned with the sign of the Iron Crow lay arranged in clock positions around a magic circle inscribed on the ground. The party quickly noted that two of the sarcophagi were open; two ghouls crept from the shadows.

setup stick? 4. No. Interupt. NPC action. Punish the Intellectual

Interrupted scene: Having returned to the fork in the tunnel, the party ventured towards the source of the breeze. The tunnel plunged them downward and then up - In their haste, they failed to detect a pressure plate which triggered a trap door beneath (1-dario 2 - lucio 3 antiono 4 - paolo, 5-6 reroll, 1) Dario; he fell to the bottom of a 10’deep pit. Fortunately, he suffered only minor injury (1HP)

Scene 6 - BIg Battle, Chaos = 7

[I decided to try the same setup again. is it in the spirit of the rules? i’m not sure. I decided I would take out the ghouls and I would try again. The possiblity still exists that the scene will be altered or interrupted, and in fact, it’s a greater chance, since the Chaos Factor increased.]

Setup: Having returned to the fork in the tunnel, the party ventures towards the source of the breeze. The tunnel plunges them downward and then up and up until finally the find themselves approaching another cavern. In the opposite wall, a cave mouth reveals sunlight and sky outside. 12 sarcophagi adorned with the sign of the Iron Raven arranged in clock positions around a magic circle inscribed on the ground. The party found that two of the sarcophagi were open.

Does it stick? 8. Yes!

The party moved carefully to the first open sarcophagus.

[Is anything inside? 50/50 02 exceptional yes.  is it a monster? 50/50 61 yes. I used the a d3 to determine how many hd the monster will have and get 3. I then rolled on the appropriate level table in the Labyrinth Lord rule book ]

As the party peered inside, they were met with the site of a skeleton, buried in what what appears to be wet stone.

[does the grey ooze strike? 1-3 yes, 4-6 no 1]

Without warning, a snake like mass of the stuff strikes out at the party.

Who is closest? 1-2 Dario 3-4 Lucio 5-6 Antonio 7-8 Paolo. 1 Dario.

The grey ooze smashed into Dario (for 15 points of damage.) The force crushed his rib cage and pierced his heart, he died instantly.

Initiative! grey ooze = 10
Lucio = 4
antonio = 11
paolo = 18

Paolo opted to fall back away from the strange creature while Antonio smashes at it with his sword. (1+1= 2 which is well less than the ac of 8). He hits (for 8 points) of damage but the abomination still lives.

it attacks = 1-3 Lucio 4-6 antonio 5, Antonio. Antonio has an ac of 6, the ooze needs 6 + 3 (its level), and gets a 10! miss!

Lucio brought down the power of his battle axe (2+1 is under the 8 needed but does 1 little point of damage); it barely noticed. 

Initiative: ooze = 11
antonio = 16
Lucio = 10

Antonio attacks again. (1+1! hits! again for 8!) The thing ceased movement and begins to immediately dry out and crackle into dust.

The party checked on Dario and realized he was done in. They built a funeral pyre for him, but first they couldn't help checking the other open box.

Is there anything inside? 50/50 20. yes.
is it a monster? 50/50. 90 no.

Inside the other chest, [is it treasure? 01 exceptional yes. is the treasure’s guardian nearby? 50/50 no] and the party finds a bounty inside: 700 sp, 30 gp, 1 gem, 3 pieces of jewlery . They estimate the gem is worth 10 gp, 1 jewlery is 600 gp, 1 jewlery at 800 gp, 1 is 400 gp. A nice haul albeit at the loss of their friend.

Greed set in and they couldn't let the others go unchecked.

Do they find anything else?50/50 78, no.

While Lucio and Antonio explored the mouth of the cave, Paolo began gathering materials for a funeral pyre, although not before helping himself to Dario’s sword.

Scene 7 Twist/Conclusion Chaos = 7

set up: As the flames burn their friend’s body, Lucio and Antonio peer out into the sunlight to find themselves high above a lush green valley surrounded on all sides mountains, with no obvious passage through. The glint of sunlight off a large gold dome atop a brilliant white structure captures their attention. They turn and tell Paolo to hurry with the ropes and spikes.

stay as is? 8. yes!