Download adventure HS4 The Lost Caverns of Acheron

[thulsa]

Announcing another free adventure download, "HS4 The Lost Caverns of Acheron"!

This is an homage to the original classic adventure module, “S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth”, by Gary Gygax, reimagined for sword and sorcery gaming in Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age using Mongoose’s Conan RPG ruleset.

The module should be instantly familiar to those familiar with the classic scenario, as much of the text is verbatim from Gygax’s original manuscript. However, since the original cavern complex is (at least in this author’s opinion) a rather mixed bag of monster-filled caverns with little internal consistency, I have re-stocked the caverns with a more appropriate menagerie.

Check it out today, and let me know what you think! More conversions are coming soon...

Download at http://hyboria.xoth.net/adventures/index.htm

- thulsa

 

[The King]

I didn't read it yet, but as ever the layout is fantastic! I just have the impression this is a professional release of a brand new module.

 

[Spectator]

WOOT, Thulsa!
You kick ass, encore!
All Hail Thulsa.

 

[merkkari-masa]

Thanks alot

 

[Aholibamah]

Thanks very much for offering us this. It is an enjoyable read and I like the location you put it in. One interesting addition is the Voormis which are a nice touch.

A question though: the slavers' camp has stats you can find for the individual slavers and the leaders, but why are there no numbers for them? Did you have some kind of number or an idea of how many slaves might be there or anything?

 

[Hervé]

Excellent work, Thulsa, as always!
There are some editors who should check the "amateur" quality of your products and take some lessons...

 

[thulsa]

A question though: the slavers' camp has stats you can find for the individual slavers and the leaders, but why are there no numbers for them? Did you have some kind of number or an idea of how many slaves might be there or anything?

Ah, the slavers. In my own campaign, some of the PCs were actually captured by the slavers and this derailed the main adventure for a few sessions, as the captured PCs were sold to agents of the sorcerous lords of Haloga, and had to escape from that accursed citadel. But that is a story for another day...

I had the slavers ambush the PCs en route to the lost caverns, at wilderness area I ("chasm and rope bridge"). There were 12 slavers on foot, and Varkaatus on horse. The ambush started when the PCs were midway on the bridge, with the slavers (half of them on the north side, and the other half on the south side of the chasm) firing crossbows at flatfooted PCs.

It was a climactic battle; among other things, one PC started hacking down the rope bridge while there was still another PC on it (!), and yet another PC set himself up to be bull-rushed down the 160-feet chasm (spent a fate point to re-roll and thus avoided certain death). The PCs managed to take out 10 of the slavers, but as said, two of the PCs were captured. The remaining PCs were deathly afraid of Varkaatus by the end of the encounter.

Now, as to the slaver camp, the converted module uses the description from the original adventure by Gygax, but in my own campaign I changed it into a small stone keep, surrounded by a wooden palisade walls, with a few lesser interior palisades as slave pens. There were perhaps 20 slavers in the camp, some asleep while others on guard. Orthar, the slaver lieutenant, was the keeper of the keep (pun intended) while Varkaatus was away to Sigtona on business there. The captured PCs were held in the keep, and the free PCs attempted to rescue them. That ended in another defeat, and the PCs being sold as slaves to Haloga.

- thulsa

 

[kintire]

A very nice job. Of course, I haven't seen the original so I don't know how much is yours, but it fits into Hyboria as if it had never been anywhere else.

I also appreciate the reference to one of my favourite authors! Although I think your reference to the discovery of a zombie smacking the wall "depending on what has happened already" might be a little opaque to someone not familiar with the source.

 

[thulsa]

A very nice job. Of course, I haven't seen the original so I don't know how much is yours, but it fits into Hyboria as if it had never been anywhere else.

It's weird how some of these high fantasy adventures fit into a swords and sorcery setting, once you change, say, "orc" to "neanderthal", and "efreet" to "tentacled monster".

I also appreciate the reference to one of my favourite authors! Although I think your reference to the discovery of a zombie smacking the wall "depending on what has happened already" might be a little opaque to someone not familiar with the source.

I'm a huge fan of Clark Ashton Smith, especially the Zothique stories, and "Vaults of Yoh-Vombis" (although not set in Zothique) is one of my favorites. It's just extremely atmospheric and creepy.

I was very satisfied with the way that encounter played out in my campaign, almost exactly as happened in the story (I mean, there was a very real chance that the PCs could have skipped the chamber or just destroyed the zombie from afar with arrows or something). I also felt that the players were "creeped out" by my descriptions, which were borrowed almost word for word from CAS. I also had some fun with them after they had defeated the thing, by hinting that perhaps it had "impregnated" its victim with something (a la Alien). But I will save such a critter for another adventure...

As to the "opaqueness", the text in area 2 does say "If [the creature] manages to dominate its victim, it flees northwest towards area 8.", and area 8 says "Depending on previous events during the adventure (see areas 2 to 6), there may be a brainless creature here, ceaselessly chipping away at the black stone slab with an iron rod in an attempt to break it down". Although of course it helps to have read the story, I think this should be rather self-explanatory?

Anyway, glad you liked it!

- thulsa

 

[Aholibamah]

Hm...you had an automatic ambush huh? It sounds very dramatic, and I presume this is because the slavers are seeing anyone as grist for their mill. How strong then (seeing as your party must have been of appropriate level) will be strong enough for the slavers to consider a negotiation or fighting retreat?

BTW I forgot another compliment--very inspired to make the caverns tombs. You created a sense of mood and consistency with this that makes a lot of sense.

 

[thulsa]

Hm...you had an automatic ambush huh?

With the usual Spot vs Hide checks to determine who gets partial actions during the surprise round, of course.

It sounds very dramatic, and I presume this is because the slavers are seeing anyone as grist for their mill. How strong then (seeing as your party must have been of appropriate level) will be strong enough for the slavers to consider a negotiation or fighting retreat?

Yes, I wanted a set-piece battle on the rope bridge. The thing was, the PCs were following the slavers from Brythunia into Hyperborea to rescue a bunch of villagers that the slavers had captured in a raid. The slavers had scouts to the rear that detected that the PCs were following their tracks. So while some slavers led the captives back to the slaver camp, the other slavers and the leader remained behind to stage an ambush on the party.

The slavers numbered 13 (including their leader which is very high level), the PCs were four, of which two wore no armor (thieves) and the third one only light armor. If the PCs had managed to take out a lot of slavers without suffering casualties themselves, the leader would probably have retreated (being more interested in securing/making a profit of the captured villagers than fighting the PCs).

BTW I forgot another compliment--very inspired to make the caverns tombs. You created a sense of mood and consistency with this that makes a lot of sense.

Thanks. As noted, I don't think Gygax's original makes a lot of sense, it's just a random collection of monsters (even though it's supposed to be a planar nexus or something). I like dungeons to have a bit of history and make a little sense... even if it is a fantasy world.

- thulsa

 

[kintire]

As to the "opaqueness", the text in area 2 does say "If [the creature] manages to dominate its victim, it flees northwest towards area 8.",

...

Ah yes, but many DMs reading through the adventure might totally miss that line. I mean, no one here would be so slapdash and careless, of course, but lesser readers might easily make that sort of mistake. I expect. Probably. *cough*

I like dungeons to have a bit of history and make a little sense... even if it is a fantasy world.

I think this is absolutely vital. I couldn't agree more.

 

[Hervé]

I finally read the adventure and found it pretty good (even if I have BIG problems with maze like dungeons) but It has a major drawback for me: My players are just finishing AK:M and I don't feel like like sending them in another adventure where the main plot is about an immortal vampire sorceress held for millenias in a stasis spell!
I guess I'll have to run some more adventures before throwing that plot in their faces again...
Great work, anyways. :wink:

 

[thulsa]

I finally read the adventure and found it pretty good (even if I have BIG problems with maze like dungeons)

Not a big fan of "freeform" caverns like this myself. Although these worked pretty well in practice, it certainly impressed on the players the fact that they were underground in a labyrinthine, ancient cavern complex.

but It has a major drawback for me: My players are just finishing AK:M and I don't feel like like sending them in another adventure where the main plot is about an immortal vampire sorceress held for millenias in a stasis spell!
I guess I'll have to run some more adventures before throwing that plot in their faces again...
Great work, anyways. :wink:

Well, Mr Gygax (RIP) is partly to blame for the plot, I guess

As for myself, it has been five years since I wrote and ran AK: M, so my players were ready for another female villain (and they can't usually remember the plot from one gaming session to another anyway... !).

- thulsa

 

[Aholibamah]

I finally read the adventure and found it pretty good (even if I have BIG problems with maze like dungeons) but It has a major drawback for me: My players are just finishing AK:M and I don't feel like like sending them in another adventure where the main plot is about an immortal vampire sorceress held for millenias in a stasis spell!
I guess I'll have to run some more adventures before throwing that plot in their faces again...
Great work, anyways. :wink:

Why don't you do a twist and pull a Muriela on them? Have a cult of some kind trying to gain the powers of the Acheronians, and have her only SEEM to be an immortal vampiress. In fact you could tie everything in with the village and the slavers as well by having the former be the support for the cult and the slavers providing breeding stock or something.

 

[Hervé]

Well, I like the idea of a Jewels of Gwalhur like story, with fake goddess, manipulative priests and all. Good idea Aholibamah, I might well do that...