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WFRP 1 Easter Eggs: Doomstones 3
The third adventure in the Doomstones campaign, Death Rock was adapted from The Feathered Priests, an AD&D adventure in The Complete Dungeon Master series. It was re-statted for WFRP by Brad Freeman and I developed it for Flame Publications. Art was sourced mainly from the Games Workshop archives, with occasional bespoke pieces by Tony Ackland.
The Art
Like the cover of Fire in the Mountains, the cover of Blood in Darkness was reused from a Warhammer fiction title: in this case, Paul Bonner’s cover image for the anthology Wolf Riders.
There are no jokes in the interior art. Even Tony was unusually restrained. I think this was probably because Flame was still in its early days, and we were just rushing things through development and production as quickly as possible. However, in some of the full-page images Tony did take the opportunity to explore some ideas about the equipment and dress styles of the various Orc tribes within the Bloodaxe Alliance and the symbology of Verena in the monastery.
Like the previous Doomstones adventures, Death Rock ran a little short of the target page count, so some padding had to be added. Tony obliged with full-page (or larger) images of Radzog’s court and the forces of the Bloodaxe Alliance, which I annotated just as I had done for John Blanche’s troop images in The Enemy Within a few years earlier.
The Names
Radzog is another example of my thinking around nonhuman character names. Zog had started off in the Gobbledigook comic strip in White Dwarf, as ‘zog off!’ I used the phrase in a few pieces of colour text, and took ‘zog’ as a name element used for magic-using Orcs, including Radzog. The first half of his name was a word common in popular culture at the time: a truncation of ‘radical’ commonly used among skateboarders and BMX bikers to express admiration for particular skill and daring.
The two squabbling sub-commanders, Yuggum Mugrott and Mijull Negg were named after Napoleon’s Marshals Joachim Murat and Michel Ney, and Luggub Duvull was named after another Marshal, Louis-Nicolas Davout.
The Adventure
The adventure is changed very little from the original AD&D version, though I did take the opportunity to write a prophecy about the player characters in terrible verse.
Like Lichemaster, it offers a rather uncomfortable mix of roleplaying and mass combat, though for different reasons. The Feathered Priests, if memory serves, used the Orc army as a source of time pressure, but because this was Warhammer I felt it necessary to at least give a nod to the possibility of actually running the battle as a part of the adventure. I’ve never been satisfied with the result, and I’ve always felt that given a little more time to develop and test the necessary systems, I could have done a better job. But it is what it is.
The only new monsters were the Guardian Spirits, which I wrote up as well as I could in the time. I was hoping to do more with them (and with some of the other creatures that appeared for the first time in the Doomstones campaign) in my pet project that never happened, De Bestiis Chaotic. More on that here.
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Advanced Heroquest: The Quest Machine, Part 3
The outtakes from Advanced Heroquest Undead Supplement (published as Terror in the Dark) continue this week with the first two neutral locations from the quest generation system: Cemetery and Place of Legend. Next weekend I’ll post two more: Underground Battlefield and Dwarfhold Tomb Complex.
Just like my mention of Heinrich Kemmler in a previous instalment, the quests for these two locations include multiple references to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Deedesveld Burial Ground comes from something I wrote for the Marienburg series in White Dwarf, which eventually saw print in Anthony Ragan’s Marienburg: Sold Down the River, while the Yetzin Valley is the setting for the four original Doomstones adventures (Fire in the Mountains, Blood in Darkness, Death Rock, and Dwarf Wars), which is also where the names of the Orcs Torgoch and Radzog come from.
CEMETERY
The great burial-ground of Deedesveld covers almost half of the island of Riddra in the great city-port of Marienburg. Centuries ago, the site was occupied by the living – a great thieves’ kitchen called Breedmoers, full of rogues of every kind. The authorities despaired of ever bringing law to the place, and razed it to the ground, using the land for a cemetery. But some say that smugglers’ caves and passages may still be found in the rock beneath the tombs, and that the dead of Deedesveld are as active as the living who may still be found there…
Quests
Roll once on the following table to discover why the Heroes are going into the Deedesveld graveyard:
D12 Quest
1-3 Find the Smugglers
4-6 Destroy the Wreckers’ Shrine
7 Morr’s Quest
8-10 Ghoul Hunt
11-12 The Captain’s Helm
Find the Smugglers
Players’ Information
Among the passages and catacombs of Deedesveld are the remains of basements and tunnels dating back to the time of Breedmoers. Many of them are still used by smugglers to land and store illicit cargoes under the very noses of the authorities. There is a standing reward for the capture of smugglers and their cargoes – just the sort of ‘odd job’ that Heroes do in between major Quests.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: see below
Wandering Monsters: see below
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: see below
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
Whenever you need to generate lair occupants or wandering monsters, roll a D12. On a roll of 1-8, use the Unoccupied Complex table; on a roll of 9-12, use the Undead Lairs table, re-rolling a result of 12. Generate the tomb complex in the normal way, except that Quest rooms will always be stairs down.
Each time the Heroes find a secret door, you should roll a D12 – a roll of 12 or more means that they have found the smugglers’ lair. Add 1 for each secret door they have already discovered, and 1 for each Fate Point they spend to increase their chances. Players must decide to spend Fate Points before the dice is rolled.
The smugglers count as 3 men-at-arms and 1 sergeant, but are armed with swords instead of halberds. The Heroes get 10GCs for each smuggler they kill – how they divide up the money is up to them. Any Hero who searches a sarcophagus on this Quest must spend a Fate Point or pay a 50GC fine at the end of the Quest.
Destroy the Wreckers’ Shrine
Players’ Information
The graveyard of Deedesveld stands atop steep cliffs, and wreckers sometimes light false beacons there to lure ships to their doom on the rocks below. Some wreckers are simple criminals, who steal the cargo from the ships they run aground; others are followers of the evil cult of Stromfels, who cause the deaths of innocent mariners to further their dark designs. The authorities of Marienburg have found evidence of a wrecker-cult operating from Deedesveld, and suspect that there is a shrine of the cult of Stromfels somewhere in the passages beneath it. Your Quest is to find and destroy the evil shrine.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: see below
Wandering Monsters: see below
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: see below
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
Whenever you need to generate lair occupants or wandering monsters, roll a D12. On a roll of 1-8, use the Unoccupied Complex table; on a roll of 9-12, use the Undead Lairs table, re-rolling a result of 12. Any tomb robbers encountered will in fact be wreckers. Generate the complex normally, except that the first two Quest rooms will be stairs down. The third will be the wreckers’ shrine.
To complete the Quest, the Heroes must spend a full exploration turn there, destroying the trappings of the evil cult. They will receive a reward of 50GCs for finding and destroying the shrine, plus a bounty of 10GCs for each wrecker they kill. Any Hero who searches a sarcophagus on this Quest must spend a Fate Point or pay a 50GC fine at the end of the Quest.
Morr’s Quest
Players’ Information
The Heroes have each received a vision from Morr, the guardian of the dead. A burial took place two days ago in Deedesveld, but the young man who was buried wasn’t dead – he was only in a coma. The Heroes must find and rescue him before he truly dies, otherwise he might become a terrible undead monster! According to the vision, the young man’s tomb was on the third level below ground, but other than that, the Heroes must find it for themselves.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: see below
Wandering Monsters: see below
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: see below
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
This Quest is failed if it is not completed in a single visit – the young man must be rescued quickly! Whenever you need to generate lair occupants or wandering monsters, roll a D12. On a roll of 1-8, use the Unoccupied Complex table; on a roll of 9-12, use the Undead Lairs table, re-rolling a result of 12. Generate the complex normally, except that the first two Quest rooms will be stairs down.
There are no Quest rooms on the third level – re-roll any rolls which generate a Quest room. On the third level, roll a D12 each time the Heroes find a sarcophagus, adding 1 for each sarcophagus they have discovered on the third level, and 1 for each Fate Point they spend to increase their chances. Players must decide to spend Fate Points before the dice is rolled. On a roll of 12 they have found the unfortunate young man who was buried alive. Use the Victim Character Sheet for him.
If the Heroes get the young man out of the graveyard alive, they each gain 1 Fate Point, as a blessing from Morr. Any Hero who searches a sarcophagus on this Quest – except on the third level – must spend a Fate Point or pay a 50GC fine at the end of the Quest. The same applies to any Hero who takes treasure from a sarcophagus on the third level.
Ghoul Hunt
Players’ Information
Deedesveld has become infested by a nest of Ghouls! You must go into the tombs, kill every Ghoul you find, and discover their lair. You can claim a bounty of 10 GCs for each Ghoul you slay while on this Quest.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: see below
Wandering Monsters: Undead Wandering Monsters table
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: Ghoul table
If referred to a Followers table: Ghoul table
The first and second Quest rooms encountered will both be stairs down to a deeper level; the third will be their lair, containing a Ghoul Chieftain and a number of Ghouls indicated by one roll on the Ghoul table. To complete the Quest, the Heroes must find and slay the Ghoul Chieftain.
The Captain’s Helm
Players’ Information
Captain Karl Avermans was a great Hero who fought to save Marienburg from the forces of Chaos two hundred years ago. He was buried in a great tomb in Deedesveld, and has lain there ever since. Now, on the 200th anniversary of his death, a new monument is to be built, in the middle of the city. The authorities want to recover the Captain’s helmet from his tomb, so that it can be displayed on top of the new monument.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: see below
Wandering Monsters: see below
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: see below
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
Whenever you need to generate lair occupants or wandering monsters, roll a D12. On a roll of 1-8, use the Unoccupied Complex table; on a roll of 9-12, use the Undead Lairs table, re-rolling a result of 12. Generate the complex normally, except that the first two Quest rooms will be stairs down. The third Quest room is the tomb of Captain Avermans.
Although he fought heroically against Chaos, it has had its effect on him – he is now a Ghoul Chieftain, and will fight intruders until destroyed. Once he has been dealt with, the Heroes can recover his helmet and take it back to the authorities to claim a 50GC reward. Any Hero who searches a sarcophagus on this Quest must spend a Fate Point or pay a 50GC fine at the end of the Quest.
PLACE OF LEGEND
Deep in the forests of the Yetzin Valley, on the fringes of the Border Princes, stands a monument known to the locals as The Watchers on the Hill. A wide circle of standing stones, it was raised thousands of years ago by the followers of the Old Faith. A complex of tunnels and chambers was made beneath the stones and for centuries it served as a sanctuary for all those who followed this cult of nature, until a hundred years ago the Yetzin Valley was overrun by an army of Orcs. The complex was all but destroyed, and all in it perished. Now, some explorers have returned from these wild lands claiming to have found the Watchers on the Hill, just as the Orcs left the place.
Quests
Roll once on the following table to discover why the Heroes are going into the underground complex beneath the stone circle:
D12 Quest
1-3 Monster Hunt
4-6 The Crystal of Fire
7-9 Cleanse the Shrine
10-12 Torgoch’s Kin
Monster Hunt
Players’ Information
The first stage in restoring this holy place is to clear out the monsters that have infested it since the Orcs came. The Orcs are all dead now – they left the valley after only a few years – but other creatures have entered the desecrated complex in the Orcs’ wake.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: Disturbed Complex table
Wandering Monsters: Disturbed Complex table
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: Disturbed Complex table
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
There are no stairs out (other than those the Heroes came in by), so replace this result on the Passage End table with Dead End. The Quest ends when the Heroes have completely cleared the complex of monsters – when every passage has been followed to a dead end and no more doors remain to be opened. This may take some time! There is no Quest room on the third level – re-roll this result if it is generated by the Room Type table.
The Crystal of Fire
Players’ Information
The Orc chieftain, Torgoch, is said to lie somewhere in the complex, along with his magical Crystal of Fire. This powerful magical treasure enabled him to conquer most of the Yetzin valley, but his troops began fighting among themselves and deserted him. The Crystal of Fire is the kind of treasure which few Heroes can resist!
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: Disturbed Complex table
Wandering Monsters: Disturbed Complex table
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: Disturbed table
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
There are no stairs out (other than those the Heroes came in by), so replace this result on the Passage End table with Dead End. The third Quest room is the chamber where Torgoch lies with his magical treasure. Torgoch is a Liche, and will fight until destroyed, using the Crystal of Fire. The Crystal can be used by any wizard, and can cast each spell of the Bright Wizards once per day, without any need for components – it can even cast spells its user doesn’t know!
Cleanse the Shrine
Players’ Information
At the heart of the complex lies a powerful shrine of the Old Faith, said to have been carved out of an immense Dawnstone the size of a house. The Heroes must find this shrine and re-dedicate it, by leaving a smaller Dawnstone there to reactivate the shrine’s powers.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: Disturbed Complex table
Wandering Monsters: Disturbed Complex table
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: Disturbed Complex table
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
There are no stairs out (other than those the Heroes came in by), so replace this result on the Passage End table with Dead End. The third Quest room is the shrine at the heart of the complex.
The Heroes have a Dawnstone (with 12 Fate Points) at the start of the quest, which they must leave in the shrine. This is a normal Dawnstone as described in the Advanced Heroquest rulebook, and the Heroes may use it if they need to during the Quest. However, each time they use the Dawnstone they place their Quest in jeopardy.
When the Heroes reach the shrine, roll a D12. If the result is equal to or less than the number of Fate Points left in the Dawnstone, the shrine is successfully re-activated and the Quest has been successful if not, the Dawnstone does not have enough power left and the Quest has failed! Heroes who complete the Quest successfully gain 1 Fate Point each.
Torgoch’s Kin
Players’ Information
The Orc chieftain, Torgoch, is said to lie somewhere in the complex, along with his magical Crystal of Fire. Now, a descendant of his named Radzog has come to claim the treasure, at the head of another Orc army! Unless the Heroes can get to the Crystal first, the consequences could be terrible.
GM’s Information
Lair Occupants: Disturbed Complex table
Wandering Monsters: Disturbed Complex table, but re-roll all Skaven, Tomb Robbers and Chaos Thugs results
Wandering Monster Dungeon Counters: Disturbed Complex table, but re-roll all Skaven, Tomb Robbers and Chaos Thugs results
If referred to a Followers table: re-roll
Take a Chaos Sorcerer Character Monster Counter to represent Radzog. He has the statistics and weapons of an Orc Warchief, but uses the same spells as a Chaos Sorcerer – you will find both in the Advanced Heroquest rulebook.
The first two Quest rooms will be stairs down. There are no stairs out (other than those the Heroes came in by), so replace this result on the Passage End table with Dead End.
Each time the Heroes encounter a Quest room on the third level of the complex, roll a D12. On a roll of 1-9 it is actually a Hazard room, and the GM may take one Dungeon Counter – the Orcs are well ahead of the Heroes, and consolidating their position in the complex! On a roll of 10-12, the Quest room is the chamber where Torgoch lies with his magical treasure.
If the Heroes haven’t met and killed Radzog elsewhere, he will be in this room, with the Crystal of Fire and minions represented by any unused Dungeon counters. He will use the Crystal of Fire against the Heroes, and will fight to the death rather than surrender it. The Quest ends when Radzog is killed and the Heroes have captured the Crystal and taken it out of the complex. The Crystal can be used by any wizard, and can cast each spell of the Bright Wizards once per day, without any need for components – it can even cast spells its user doesn’t know!
All Posts in this Series
The Quest Machine, Part 1: Royal Tombs and Monument
The Quest Machine, Part 2: Monastery Catacombs and Sanctuary of Morr
The Quest Machine, Part 3: Cemetery and Place of Legend
The Quest Machine, Part 4: Underground Battlefield and Dwarfhold Tomb Complex
The Quest Machine, Part 5: Necromancer’s Lair and Evil City
The Quest Machine, Part 6: Overrun Necropolis and Vampire’s Stronghold
Graeme Davis 