Lights the Way (Editor-in-Chief): Robert N. Emerson

Checks for Traps (Assistant Editor):Marie Small

Ink and Parchment (Cartographer): Eric Blische (made with Dundjinni)

Knowledge Check Successful (Cover Artist): Gennifer BoneLeaves a Back Trail (Backcover Artist): Forrest Imel

Carries the 10-ft. Pole (Interior Art): Bruno Balixa, Gennifer Bone, Matt Bulahao, Joe Calkins, Juan Diego Dianderas, Felipe Gaona, Bradley K. McDevitt, Jeff Preston, Eric Quigley, David Rabbitte,

Jonathan Roberts, Ryan Sumo, Frank WallsWatches for Trouble (Layout Artist): Marie Small

Finds Trouble (Publisher): Steven D. Russell

Dedication: To our readers - “Thank you for your patronage and the last four

quarters! Here’s to the next four!”

Maps made with Dundjinni.www.dundjinni.com

Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG

for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product.

Adventure Quarterly #4 © 2013 Steven D. Russell, Open Gaming License Copyright © 2007 Wizards of the Coast. All rights reserved, the Dunjinni logo copyright 2010 Fluid Entertainment used with permission.Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder

Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility

license. The Jeff Preston artwork is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.

org/licenses/by/3.0/

Issue #4

Rite Publishing Presents:

Credits

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Editorial - Never Late, Never Early...............................................................1by Robert N. Emerson

The Ruins Perilous Level 2: a location adventure for 2nd level PCs that tests the metal of

adventurers..........................................................................................................................2by T.H. Gulliver with additional design by Jonathan McAnulty

Legend of the Huntress: an exploration adventure for 4th-5th level characters where the PCs

must contend with a menace in the shadows.........................................................................31by Agoston Petz

Self-Determination: a mystery/location adventure for 15th level PCs inwhich they must find a

way out of their current location and determine what was done and why......................................48by Bret Boyd

Locks and Handles: offers a variety of door and chest accoutrements designed to make the

most paranoid rogue more paranoid...................................................................................73by Creighton Broadhurst

The Dam War: offers examples and ideas on how to utilize a wide-open sandbox campaign for PC

glory and development...................................................................................................77by Steven D. Russell

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

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Welcome to Adventure Quarterly…“A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” — Gandalf the Grey

We all get different things out of gaming, and we are often so used to what we get out of the act of gaming we sometimes start to use the terms right and wrong to describe different experiences. It is not a matter of whether anyone is gaming correctly—actually, there are very few objective wrong ways to game—it is more about whether those involved with a game are enjoying the play at the table. Myself, I always try and look back at my favorite gaming experiences and drill down to the core of what I liked about that campaign, or another.

Perhaps you have a preference for political intrigue and adventure, within a proving ground for the adventuring elite? If so, then T.H. Gulliver’s second level offering of Ruins Perilous might be right up your alley. For 2nd level characters.

How about a tried and true model for adventuring? Agoston Petz brings forth an interesting take on mercantile exploration that has the party running afoul of a shadowy menace as they investigate the Legend of the Huntress. For 4th-5th level characters.

Then there is always the life unlived, the what if we were not ourselves and would our experiences matter? Bret Boyd of Tricky Owlbear Publishing shows us some Self-Determination. When the party finds themselves in an unknown place they not only have to find their way out, they must figure out what has been done to them and why. For 15th level characters.

Now I should let folks know that Ruins Perilous shall be, from this issue forward, a regular piece of Adventure Quarterly. Different designers will be taking a crack at their own idea of what the next testing for Questor’s Society members shall be. It joins two other articles that have been, or shall be regular offerings in Adventure Quarterly.

The Dam War by Steven D. Russell is a series of articles talking about wide-open sandbox campaigns, and how to work them to your best advantage. Our

fearless publisher will be using the substantive parts of an open sandbox campaign, the titular Dam War, as examples and tutorials for folks interested in this style of gaming.

Also, as we have grown used to, Creighton Broadhurst of Raging Swan Press is offering us more Miscellaneous Features. If you ever wish to put your rogue back on his paranoid toes, then descriptive Locks & Handles is a good way to do it.

In the end, what’s more important about your gaming experience? Is it whether you and your table had a good time, or is it whether others tell you that you have had a good time?

I think we have an idea of my answer, what’s yours?

Robert N. EmersonEditor-in-Chief,

Editorial - Never Late, Never Early

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‘’Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,A serpent stung me — so the whole ear of DenmarkIs by a forged process of my deathRankly abus’d — but know, thou noble youth,The serpent that did sting thy father’s lifeNow wears his crown.’ – King Hamlet’s Ghost

The Questor’s Society andthe Ruins PerilousThe original denizens of the Hammer Hills, though now long gone, left behind an incredible number of ruins. They built rock-carved surface dwellings atop massive underground complexes. When drought cut this culture off from the surface dwelling farmers who traded tender meat for well-forged tools, the underground dwellers starved. During these hard times, arcane deviltries and, some say, cannibalism spread among the clans sheltered here. Within a few short years, the whole society was gone.

Their ancient homes still endure. Though the surface ruins are in poor repair, the interior, subterranean ruins have well stood the test of time. These complexes remain a source of fascination to historians, sightseers, archeologists, adventurers, and assorted cultists. The Ruins Perilous, originally the home of the minions of the rock hag, Malikrin, is one of these fastnesses, a relic of a time forgotten.

When the original Questor’s Society was first founded, the Ruins Perilous was the very first dungeon explored by the intrepid Guild Fathers. After clearing the dungeon of a number of undesirable tenants and subduing Carcera, the dragon who had been happily crafting the Ruins into a fearsome test of skill, the Questors decided to claim the dungeon for their own, asking all future members of the guild to explore at least a part of the Ruins Perilous in

order to prove themselves to the Society. Carcera was given free rein to once more make the dungeon an appropriate challenge for those that would come afterward, so long as the Guild could make a few adjustments.

There are twenty levels to the Ruins; the first ten of these levels are on the Material Plane. The rest are entered through a planar portal located on the bottom of the Dungeon. A Questor Guild-Forge has been placed on each level and members of the society, by visiting the Forges in the proper order, are able to receive a rank-marking on their Guild Rings, signifying a promotion in the Questor’s Society. While this is not the only way to advance in Rank within the Society, it is one of the most common.

Located among an area of arid hills, the Ruins are a three-day ride from Questhaven, the home of the Questor’s Society. The Society maintains a dwelling a few miles from the Ruins, for a surface caretaker, whose job involves keeping track of which Guild members are in the Ruins. (Guild policy tries to limit access to a single group at any one time in any one level.) The caretaker also maintains contact with Carcera, collects Guild Rings and the bodies of fallen Guild members (if possible), and discourages trespassers.

Carcera (and Restocking the Ruins)Carcera is a dungeon dragon, a breed whose hording instinct leads them, not to the collecting of gold, but rather to building the perfect dungeon. Simply put, Carcera’s home is her treasure. She works tirelessly to maintain the first ten levels of the Ruins in perfect working order. She monitors any activity in the ruins using her Crystal Ball and takes constant

Using The Ruins PerilousEach Ruin Level is designed for a Party of PCs of the same level. That is, the 1st level of the Ruins is suitable for a 1st level party, the 2nd level is suitable for a 2nd level party, etceteras. The Dungeon can be used as a single, monolithic Mega-Dungeon that will take PCs from 1st to 20th level. But, if you need a single dungeon of a particular difficulty level, each level of the Ruins Perilous is able to stand alone.

The Ruins Perilous - Level 2

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Map: The Ruins Perilous, Level 2 - The Warren

Map: The Warren

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notes concerning how to improve her handiwork. Likewise, when traps are set off, monsters are killed, or treasure is taken, she does what she can, as quickly as she can, to put it back the way it was. Carcera prefers to dominate the leaders of a particular group of monsters and, through this dominance, control the lesser creatures. Even so, when groups suffer large losses, it takes the dragon a certain amount of time to replenish her dungeon.

Normally, Carcera can have any traps reset within 2 days and she can arrange to have constructs replaced in a like amount of time. She replaces any destroyed dungeon plants within 1d3 days, slain vermin are replaced within 1d4 days and all other monsters are replaced at the rate of 1d6 per day. Restocking treasure takes a little longer. Assume that it takes 1d3 weeks on any given dungeon level for the treasures to be properly brought back up to the appropriate amount.

Life in the RuinsBecause The Ruins Perilous is an artificially maintained dungeon environment, it lacks a truly logical ecology. Nevertheless, it is easier for Carcera to maintain the Ruins if she does not have to worry about constantly feeding her “pets” and “troops.” Therefore, the dragon strives to have each level be somewhat self-sufficient. Food is grown on each level and waste is disposed of. Beyond these necessities, most of the intelligent monsters in the Ruins spend their days preparing for “invasion.” The exact motivation of each tribe and group varies based on its racial and cultural makeup, but all of them are focused on killing any adventurers who enter their halls. Though there are some ways for certain monsters to travel between levels, for the most part, the magical barricades that prevent Adventurers from going easily from one level to another until they have used the proper Guild-Forge also prevent the Monsters from easily migrating. Though this might pose a problem in most societies, the creatures in the Ruins generally don’t live long enough for it to ever matter much.

The Questor Guild-RingIt is assumed that PCs visiting the Ruins Perilous have each paid the 100 gp and possess a Guild Ring. Certain effects on the various levels will require a Guild Ring, and often a ring of a minimum appropriate rank in order for the PCs to progress. GMs who choose not to use the Guild Ring in their

games will need to change or eliminate these effects, as appropriate to their campaign. Some suggested alternatives to the Guild Ring include:

Level Effect

1

A use of Channeled Energy of an appropriate power level (0-2 ranks equals 1d6 of channeled energy, 3-4 ranks equal 2d6, etc.)

2

Sacrificing an Arcane spell of an appropriate level (0-2 ranks equals 1st level spell, 3-4 ranks equals 2nd level spell, etc.)

3A Will save, signifying a psionic/mental effort, where the DC is equal to 15+1 for every two ranks required)

Level Two – The Warren

The Hammer Mountain RatfolkThe Hammer Mountain ratfolk have fallen on hard times, reduced over the years from a colony with closely allied warrens throughout the entire Tahyk mountain range of which Hammer Mountain is a part to a single pack of ratfolk with loose connections to a few scattered warrens. The Hammer Mountain ratfolk ruled their kingdom from a half-fallen wizard’s tower that commanded an impressive view of the surrounding mountains. They thought themselves protected from invasion. When a nightmarish army flew from deep caverns thought long abandoned and attacked the tower by night, the Hammer Mountain ratfolk were all but destroyed. The royal family sought shelter in the Ruins Perilous and, despite frequent encounters with adventurers and dangerous denizens of the Ruins, they have survived there for some years. The ratfolk stronghold is on Level 2 of the Ruins.

The ratfolk create, install, and maintain traps in the first 5 levels of the dungeon. Ratfolk scouts regularly patrol these levels, noting when adventurers have disabled traps. The scouts pass the word back to small crews of ratfolk who clear the traps of mislaid body parts and reset them. This arrangement benefits Carcera as it allows her to focus on other parts of the dungeon without worrying as much about day-to-day maintenance. Carcera has given the ratfolk eight guild rings with rank-markings for Levels 1 through 5.

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