Creating a Sandbox for Pokémodule B1: In Search of the Unown

Hey, I haven't created a sandbox on the blog in a while. I just finished up Pokémodule B1: In Search of the Unown, an Into the Oddish conversion of Dungeon Module B1. I made a sandbox for my version of B1 (which I've been running in AD&D for a few months now), so why not make one for the Pokémon version?

Now, I could just take my existing sandbox for B1 and convert it to Into the Oddish, but that's no fun. I love making sandboxes, and am always looking for an excuse to do so. So, let's make a new one.

The first issue I have to address is how the sandbox should feel. Do I want to design this like a Pokémon game, with predefined, somewhat linear routes with little patches of tall grass where wild Pokémon are encountered and which you can sometimes navigate around? Should every forest and cave have an entrance and exit, connecting different regions of the map? Should my towns and cities be designed like settlements in a Pokémon game? Or do I want to design this like a typical AD&D sandbox but replace all the AD&D stuff with Pokémon stuff?

My approach to creating content for Into the Oddish has been to treat it not like a TTRPG that feels like a Pokémon game, but like a Pokémon game that feels like a TTRPG. What I mean by that is that Into the Oddish already isn't like a Pokémon game. You aren't a Pokémon trainer catching Pokémon and battling other trainers. You're a wild Pokémon (or a left-behind trained Pokémon) exploring the ruins of a society. That's just D&D but everything is Pokémon now.

Overland travel, outdoor encounters, and dungeons play the same, but instead of seeing a dragon flying overhead in the distance, it's a Charizard (or a gang of teenaged Charizards). The Charizard might still come down and incinerate you or demand you surrender your Pokédollars or TMs, just as a dragon might demand gold or magic items. There are still dungeons, but they're abandoned gyms, power plants, mansions, ghost ships, etc. inhabited by wild Pokémon instead of monsters. A "stronghold" is just a fortified location that's been commandeered by some singularly powerful Pokémon (I really like the idea of "strongholds" as standalone wilderness "gyms"). When I run a forest in Into the Oddish, I won't run it like in a Pokémon game - it's like in a D&D game, but all the goblins are Caterpie.

I am also always harping on how AD&D has these super versatile worldbuilding tools that you can fit into whichever TTRPG you personally prefer. Usually I'm talking about D&D-likes, but I bet it can apply just as well to Into the Oddish. Let's find out, eh?

I'll start with a small regional map, 5 hexes by 5 hexes. Just like with my original B1 sandbox, I'll assume that the region is predominantly a cold climate forest. Using some variation of Welsh Piper's Hex-Based Campaign Design I get the following:

Next I drawn in topographical lines, which lets me chart the course of rivers like so:

More rivers is always better, so I added a few coming in from off map in addition to those flowing from the depicted hills. Water-type Pokémon can presumably swim along the waterways, and those who know Surf can carry others with them. Of course, I don't see any reason why Pokémon can't hitch a ride on a boat the same way adventurers in a D&D game would.

I know that Quaqsqueton is on a wooded crag, and there's only one wooded hills hex (03.02), so it has to go there. Since that hex is already stocked, I'll roll 24d100 for the remaining hexes. I use a random number generator that doesn't allow duplicates and get this:

That's two single dwellings (2 and 3), a thorp (4), a stronghold (13), and two ruins (15 and 16). I'll need some additional info about the stronghold and the ruins, so I roll 2d100 for the stronghold and d100 for each ruin. I get 89 and 71 for the stronghold (large walled castle with keep, character-types), and 92 and 24 for the two ruins (a tomb and a shrine). I won't interpret those rolls literally, but I at least know that the "stronghold" is large and is ruled by a powerful Pokémon, and that neither of the ruins are cities. 

Now I can place each location on the map:

My key as of now:

• 01.03: Single dwelling
• 01.04: Large stronghold, character-type
• 01.05: Tomb ruins
• 02.03: Single dwelling
• 03.02: Quagsqueton
• 04.04: Village ruins
• 05.04: Thorp

While Pokémon presumably don't build roads, there are of course roads (or routes) connecting locations in the Pokémon world. So, I add roads:

At a glance, it looks like the two single dwellings pay homage to the ruler of the stronghold, who in turn controls the road to the tomb ruins. There is a road through the forest, but to travel from one end to the other, one must pass through the village ruins. Just as in my original B1 sandbox there is no road to Quasqueton because of its intended remoteness (in defiance of the guidance in the AD&D DMG), there is no road to Quagsqueton on this map. The player Pokémon have come into possession of some special map which points to the dungeon's long lost location, allowing them alone to exploit it (for now).

Next, I place wild Pokémon lairs. Just as I do with AD&D, I'll roll d10 for each hex which doesn't already contain a location or a road. Plains and water hexes have a 10% chance to contain a lair, light forest and hills have a 20% chance, and heavy forest has a 30% chance. I roll up a lair in the fourth plains hex (03.01), one in the first forest hex (02.04), and one in the heavy forest hex (04.05). My map looks like this:

Now, how do we make all of this work for a Pokémon game? 

I'm thinking the tomb ruins could be something like the Pokémon Tower in Pokémon Red and Blue, while the ruined "village" is like, the ruins of your classic Pokémon starter town - Old Pallet Town or something like that. If I had rolled a ruined city instead, that would be more like a city in a Pokémon game, with an old gym, a dilapidated Pokémon Center and Pokémart, maybe the ruins of a Silph Co. building or something like that.

The "stronghold" is much like a stronghold in D&D - a seat of power for some high-level Pokémon. It is probably a "gym" of sorts. If this were AD&D, I could just roll up an NPC using the tables provided and riff on that. This isn't AD&D, so I'll have to get creative.

One of the first things I did when converting B1 to Into the Oddish was to sort each of the 151 Generation I Pokémon into "levels" 1 through 10 (according to their average base stats), the same way monsters in AD&D are sorted. This allows me to easily convert an existing D&D module by switching a monster of a given "level" out for a Pokémon of a similar level. Since Into the Oddish's Pokémon statistics are derived from their game statistics, this works quite well. The list I made for Into the Oddish is here. This is what I used when converting B1.

Since a Pokémon gym leader's "ace" Pokémon is usually a fully evolved form or a Pokémon that does not evolve in its Generation (not universally true, but true at least for Kanto, which is all I particularly care about), that seems like a good rule of thumb to go by. Looking at my list, the lowest level candidates are Level 4 Pokémon - Beedrill, Butterfree, Farfetch'd, Lickitung, and Porygon. Conveniently, this corresponds to what a "medium level" NPC is in AD&D (level 1d4+3, or 4 to 7).

Normally when I determine the level of some random NPC in AD&D, I roll d20. 1 to 13 is levels 1 to 3 (1d3), 14 to 17 is levels 4 to 7 (1d4+3), 18 to 19 is levels 7 to 12 (1d6+6), and 20 is levels 9 to 20 (1d12+8). So I can just exclude the first category and instead roll a d7 (weird number, but it's fine). Since this is a large stronghold (as compared to a small or medium one), and because I want something cooler than a Lickitung, I'll roll 2d7 and take the highest result (for a small stronghold I would take the lower result, and for a medium stronghold I would simply roll once). I ultimately get a 6 (the other roll was a 5, so the result would be a Pokémon level 7 to 12 regardless).

I roll d6+6 and get 12. Any result of 10 or higher is a level 10 Pokémon. I look at my table and roll d14 and get an Exeggutor, which is great for a forest but maybe a bit weird for a cold climate. That's fine though. Pokémon doesn't make a lot of sense if you think about it too hard. I can easily change this to a tropical climate if I want to.

Stronghold rulers in AD&D have 1d4+1 henchmen of a level equal to their level divided by three (rounded to the nearest whole number), which is doubled if the NPC is above 8th level. Since my Exeggcutor is technically 12th level in AD&D terms, their henchmen Pokémon can be up to 8th level. I go looking for suitable Pokémon (I decide this is a Grass-type gym rather than a Psychic-type gym) and get a Gloom, a Parasect, a Vileplume, a Tangela, and a Victreebel. This is similar to how Pokémon gym leaders have lesser Pokémon the player must defeat before facing their ace.

I can do something similar to determine what important Pokémon inhabit each settlement, determining character-type NPCs (in AD&D terms) as usual and simply switching them out for like-level Pokémon. The only tricky part of this is that AD&D assumes that 98 to 99% of the population is made up of noncombatants. That leaves you with, at most, around 900 NPCs in your largest city who are "character-type" NPCs, which is still a lot, but you only really need to detail a fraction of those (135 would be high level or very high level, and only four or so would be 20th level, so you could just stick to those as faction leaders and call it a day). 

In contrast, all Pokémon fight. A city of 60,000 would have something like 3,000 (5%) "Tier 4/9th to 20th level" Pokémon, and somewhere around 21,000 (35%) who might be "gym leaders" (4th level and up). That clearly doesn't work. 

There are no towns or cities in this particular sandbox, but I do have a "thorp" which is home to 50 inhabitants. If I just say that 5% of them are "Tier 4" Pokémon, then that means two or three 10th level Pokémon, any one of which could be legendary. That doesn't really make any sense to me. And what of the "single dwellings"? Should each of the 1d12 Pokémon there be diced for, with a 5% chance that one is in the same category as a legendary?

Here's what I'm thinking. Larger settlements like towns and cities are more like the "cities" in the Pokémon games. An AD&D town is like one of the small "cities" in a Pokémon game (Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion, etc.) and an AD&D city is like one of the big cities in a Pokémon game (i.e., Saffron, Goldenrod). When I prep for AD&D, I break these large settlements into districts, so I'll do the same here. Each district is home to a special location - like a gym, the S.S. Anne, Silph Co., the Safari Zone, etc. Each of those locations can be ruled by a gym leader-type or otherwise prepped like a dungeon with a similar distribution of Pokémon of different levels.

Smaller settlements like hamlets and thorps are Pokémon-formed communities which came together after the collapse, while villages are analogous to small human settlements like Pallet Town. They don't have gyms or Pokémon Centers. The Pokémon who live there are all 1st to 3rd level "rabble" who aren't generally prone to fighting but will defend themselves if they must (you don't want to mess with a community of 50 Pokémon, even if it's just a bunch of Pidgey and Rattata). Since these smaller settlements are essentially one small "district", maybe there's one "gym leader"-type who acts as community leader and informs what types live there but isn't actually a gym leader, since these communities don't have gyms.

A single dwelling might be the isolated former home of a specific trainer, and the relatively small number of Pokémon there will be of the type typically used by that trainer class. Since there are very few Pokémon here, you can really flesh them out and not worry about it being too wonky statistically speaking because who knows what type of trainer or how powerful they were.

Wild Pokémon lairs are easier. I can just roll on the AD&D outdoor encounter tables and switch out whatever monster I roll for a like-level Pokémon. For the light forest lair, I got wolves (3rd level), which I switch out for Cubone. The plains lair is trolls (7th level), which I switch out for Electabuzz. The deep forest lair is giant lynx (4th level), which I switch out for Nidorina/ino. It isn't perfect, but it sort of works and is better for me than just kind of making up whatever. Your mileage may vary.

In this post, I'm only going to bother statting out individual Pokémon - whichever ones are the most powerful in their given location. There isn't any clear guidance for what "level" these Pokémon should be for the sake of determining their movesets, so I kind of just look at what moves they learn before hitting the level at which they evolve and pick the ones I want.

My individual Pokémon also occasionally have TMs and HMs in place of their level up learnset, as well as some healing items. How do I determine who has what? Well, since my Pokémon are analogous to character-type NPCs in AD&D, and AD&D has instructions for determining if such NPCs have magic items, I can use those same procedures. Basically, I use this:

How? Well, if, for example, I'm detailing a "level 4" Nidorina, I'll check for items as if she's a level 4 AD&D NPC. Let's say I get a positive result on the first roll and a negative on the second, which means she has two items from "Table I". I ignore that and just say she has two items. For one of them, I'll look up what TMs and HMs Nidorina can learn and roll a d50 or something until I land on one. If its a move I want her to have, I'll replace some other move she would otherwise know with that, and she'll have one additional single use battle item like a Potion or a Heal. If it's a move I don't want her to have, I'll give her two battle items instead.

Which items? Eh, whatever. If it's a Potion, I'll pick whichever level of Potion seems appropriate for a "4th level" Pokémon (probably a Super Potion). What other item might she have? Well, she's a Poison type, so she's vulnerable to Psychic-type moves which means, because of how Into the Oddish works, she's susceptible to the Confusion Status. So let's give her a Full Heal to cure that in case it happens. A Water type would probably have a Paralyze Heal, a Grass type would have an Antidote, a Burn Heal, or an Ice Heal, and so on.

Oh, and remember, gym leaders always give TMs! So I like to give all my gym leader Pokémon at least one TM move of their specialized type and include that TM as a reward for defeating that Pokémon in battle.

Now let's go through and detail each location, in order.

01.03 FISHERMAN'S CABIN: This riverside cabin and boathouse was once the home of a Fisherman. Since the humans disappeared, the Fisherman's Cloyster, Captain, has established an abode in the river along with other Water-type Pokémon, including five Shellder and two Krabby. They harass any Pokémon attempting to use the road to travel south.

Captain (male Cloyster): STR 14, DEX 11, WIL 11, 9 HP, Armor 3. Water/Ice type. Resists Ice (x2) and Water. Weak to Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock. Items: Full Restore, Paralyze Heal. Moves (d20):

• 1-10 Withdraw: Increases his Armor by 1 (up to 5) for the remainder of the encounter.
• 11-15 Bubblebeam: Deals highest 1 of 2d8 Water-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target has Disadvantage to Dexterity saves until they pass a Dexterity save.
• 16 Blizzard: Deals highest 1 of 2d12 Ice-type damage to the target(s) (Blast damage). If any damage dice match, the target suffers the Freeze Status.
• 17-20 Spike Cannon: Deals 1d8 Normal-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, if the additional damage die rolls its highest possible value, roll an additional damage die. If that additional damage die rolls its highest possible value, roll an additional damage die. Ad infinitum, if the damage dice keep rolling their highest possible values.

Captain is motivated by greed and self-interest. He is unfriendly towards player Pokémon (-2 to Willpower saves to influence him), demanding a tithe from any who pass through his territory or expect hospitality. He and his Pokémon control passage downriver from this point on. 

Belladonna (01.04) has attempted to recruit Captain against Aegon, but hasn't managed to convince Captain that the odds are in their favor. There is some enmity between Captain and the Pokémon of Tamer's Cabin (02.03) over control of the river, although this has not resulted in bloodshed yet.

01.04 PINECREST LODGE: In the Age of Humans, this location was a secluded resort hotel and lodge for the wealthy looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city to relax amongst nature. It is an imposing complex with all the amenities associated with such a place - a grand timber and stone main lodge, guest cabins, hiking and skiing trails, hot springs and a spa, a Pokémon Center and Pokémart, and staff housing and maintenance buildings. Most Pokémon found here are of the Grass type, though Bug, Ground, Poison, Rock, and Water types are found as well.

The lodge's owner and proprietor, Myrtle, was herself a gym leader. Her Exeggutor, Aegon, was her strongest Pokémon. Since the humans disappeared, Aegon has gone somewhat mad and has claimed rulership of the Lodge. He is a capricious despot. One of his heads is greedy and cruel, another is gracious and benevolent, and the third is constantly mediating between the two. He is prone to mood swings and changes of heart, so he inspires great fear and obsequiousness in his subjects.

Aegon is unfriendly (-2 to Willpower saves to influence him) towards player Pokémon, granting them hospitality only if considerable homage is paid. 

He tightly controls the road to the Frost Witch Barrow (01.05), granting access only to those who greatly please him or vow to deliver its valuables to him. He greatly fears the Jynx there and can be convinced to finance expeditions by player Pokémon to roust her from her lair.

Aegon (male Exeggutor): STR 14, DEX 8, WIL 16, 17 HP, Armor 1. Grass/Psychic type. Immune to Ghost. Resists Fighting, Grass, Ground, Electric, Psychic, and Water. Weak to Bug (x2), Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison. Items: Antidote, Burn Heal, Full Restore, and Ice Heal. Moves (d20):

• 1-7 Hypnosis: Rolls 1d20. On an 8 or higher, the target suffers the Sleep Status.
• 8-14 Stomp: Deals 1d8 Normal-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, the target flinches and misses their next turn.
• 15-17 Mega Drain: Deals highest 1 of 2d8 Grass-type damage to the target and restores his own HP by half the damage inflicted on the target.
• 18-20 Psychic: Deals highest 1 of 2d10 Psychic-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, the target has Disadvantage to Willpower saves until they pass a Willpower save.

Aegon is served by five "henchmen":

• Moss (male Gloom): Aegon's steward. He is quiet and dutiful. He is the first of Aegon's inner circle that visiting Pokémon are likely to meet. He is fiercely loyal.
• Morel (male Parasect): Master of fungal gardens and Bug Pokémon. He is slow, methodical, and unsettling. He prefers a quiet life and likes Aegon well enough. Belladonna has attempted to recruit him and his Bug Pokémon to rise up against Aegon, but she hasn't convinced him to act.
• Azalea (female Vileplume): Keeper of the conservatory and royal advisor. The oldest after Aegon himself. She is chamberlain and counselor, inclined towards neutral, balanced advice. She attempts to temper Aegon's less desirable qualities and has no great love or hatred for him.
• Briar (female Tangela): Aegon's spymaster. She rarely speaks and can appear almost anywhere by emerging from the overgrowth. She is fiercely loyal to Aegon and is always listening for talk of subversion.
• Belladonna (female Victreebel): Captain of guards. She is power-hungry and quietly marshalling allies against Aegon, but has little in the way of supporters aside from her own subordinates.

If formally challenged by Stage Three Pokémon, Aegon will be joined in battle by these "henchmen", though Belladonna is likely to change sides if the battle isn't going their way. If lesser Pokémon challenge him, he will force them to defeat his henchmen before he accepts the challenge. He grants the Evergreen Badge and the Mega Drain TM to any Pokémon who manage to defeat him.

01.05 FROST WITCH BARROW: A dungeon for Stage One Pokémon. Once a tranquil burial site for trainers visiting Pinecrest Lodge (01.04) to pay their respects to dead Pokémon, it has since been occupied by Sable, a powerful Jynx known to Pokémon in the region as the Frost Witch. It is a cold, lonely, partially flooded, presumably haunted ruin inhabited by Magikarp, Psyduck, Slowpoke, Drowsee, and other 1st through 4th level Pokémon who either enjoy the chilly environs or the dread atmosphere.

Sable (female Jynx): STR 7, DEX 14, WIL 12, 12 HP. Ice/Psychic type. Immune to Ghost. Resists Ice and Psychic. Weak to Bug, Fire, and Rock. Items: Burn Heal. Moves (d20):

• 1-4 Lovely Kiss: Rolls d20. On a 6 or higher, the target suffers the Sleep Status.
• 5-13 Thrash: Deals 1d10 damage to the target, then deals 1d10 damage to the target again on the following turn. After the second attack, she suffers the Confusion Status.
• 14-16 Blizzard: Deals highest 1 of 2d12 Ice-type damage to the target(s) (Blast damage). If any damage dice match, the target suffers the Freeze Status.
• 17-20 Psychic: Deals highest 1 of 2d10 Psychic-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, the target has Disadvantage to Willpower saves until they pass a Willpower save.

Sable is proud, manipulative, patient, and vain. She is unfriendly (-2 to Willpower saves to influence her) towards player Pokémon, attempting to coerce or deceive them into surrendering any valuables they have. 

She is antagonistic towards King Aegon and has entertained Belladonna's attempts to sway her towards usurping the Exeggutor, but feels she has not yet been offered suitable compensation for her role in ousting the Lodge's ruler. She lords over the Cubone of Cubone Cave (02.04) and exacts tribute from them every moon's turn.

02.03 TAMER'S DUNGEON: This secluded forest dwelling was once home to a Tamer. The Tamer's Golduck, Tracker, has since taken over, establishing a home alongside others of the Tamer's Pokémon, including a Persian and three Sandshrew.

Tracker (male Golduck): STR 12, DEX 13, WIL 10, 15 HP, Armor 1. Water type. Resists Fire, Ice, and Water. Weak to Electric and Grass. Items: Paralyze Heal, Super Potion. Moves (d20):

• 1-8 Confusion: Deals 1d6 Psychic-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target suffers the Confusion Status.
• 9-13 Fury Swipes: Deals 1d4 Normal-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, if the additional damage die rolls its highest possible value, roll an additional damage die. If that additional damage die rolls its highest possible value, roll an additional damage die. Ad infinitum, if the damage dice keep rolling their highest possible values.
• 14-15 Hydro Pump: Deals highest 1 of 2d12 Water-type damage to the target.
• 16-20 Surf: Deals highest 1 of 2d10 Water-type damage to the target(s) (Blast damage).

Tracker has been hardened by his trainer's cruel nature. He believes that might makes right, and only the strong survive. He is indifferent towards player Pokémon. With a suitable offering, he may be convinced to transport player Pokémon down or upriver using Surf.

Tracker is uninvolved in the power struggle taking place at Pinecrest Lodge (01.04). He dislikes the Pokémon of Fisherman's Cabin (01.03) due to their claim to the river which borders the two's territory, though no blood has yet been shed.

02.04 CUBONE CAVE: This wooded cavern bordered by rivers is home to a clan of twelve Cubone. They howl mournfully at the moon at night, and their cries are particularly terrible during the full moon. It is on these nights that the Cubone meet the Jynx of Frost Witch Barrow (01.05) at the river bordering their territory to pay homage in exchange for another moon's turn of peace and solitude.

Cubone: STR 7, DEX 5, WIL 5, 9 HP, Armor 1. Ground type. Immune to Electric. Resists Poison and Rock. Weak to Grass, Ice, and Water. Moves (d20):

• 1-7 Bone Club: Deals highest 1 of 2d6 Ground-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target flinches and misses their next turn.
• 8-20 Growl: The target’s attacks are Impaired for the remainder of the encounter.

The Cubone are unfriendly towards player Pokémon (-2 to Willpower saves to influence them), suspecting that they are agents of the Witch dispatched to torment them.

03.01 ELECTABUZZ DEN: This rocky burrow is home to a pair of male Electabuzz. They emerge during thunderstorms to seek out lightning strikes and absorb the electrical energy.

Electabuzz: STR 12, DEX 16, WIL 11, 12 HP, Armor 1. Electric type. Resists Electric and Flying. Weak to Ground. Moves (d20):

• 1-5 Quick Attack: Moves first in combat this turn regardless of Dexterity save results. Deals 1d4 Normal-type damage to the target.
• 6-12 Screech: The target's Armor is reduced by 2 for the remainder of the encounter.
• 13-17 Light Screen: Any Dragon-, Electric-, Fire-, Grass-, Ice-, Psychic-, or Water-type attacks against them are impaired for the remainder of the encounter or until any Pokémon in the encounter uses Haze.
• 18-20 Thunder: Deals highest 1 of 2d12 Electric-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target suffers the Paralysis Status.

The Electabuzz are good natured but very energetic, and their excess energy can often tend towards misplaced aggression. They are especially aggressive during storms. They are neutral towards player Pokémon and usually attack only if provoked or if they've very recently been struck by lightning, which fuels their aggression.

03.02 QUAGSQUETON: See Pokémodule B1: In Search of the Unown.

04.04 OLD NEEDLEROOT TOWN: This ruin beside the lake was once a cozy little town from which Pokémon trainers would begin their adventures. After the collapse, it was looted and sacked by wild Pokémon. The forest has since reclaimed the place, with vegetation growing over the old buildings. A variety of Pokémon who shun civilization have made it their home.

Most notable of these is a gang of wild Pokémon outlaws led by Brutus, a male Poliwrath. The gang uses the town's old professor's Lab as their base of operations, extorting any Pokémon who seek to pass through the ruin on the road through the forest.

The ruin is also infested with Rattata who dwell in the mazelike Warrens which wind through the earth directly beneath the site. They are led by their Raticate chief, Gnash.

The outlaws outnumber the Rattata but have been unable to root them out of their Warrens. The Rattata often launch nighttime raids against the bandits, using the Warrens to move about the ruins unseen. Each faction will likely attempt to recruit the player Pokémon to wield them against the other.

Encounters (d4):

1. Metapod: Four Metapod have made pilgrimage to a huge dead pine tree. They cling to its upper reaches, preparing to evolve into Butterfree. They are focused on their ascendance and are indifferent to the local power struggle and to player Pokémon. If convinced to join the player Pokémon in battle against either the outlaws or the Rattata, any surviving Metapod will evolve into Butterfree, at which time they become friendly (+2 to Willpower saves to influence them).
2. Outlaw Spearow: A flock of five Spearow from Brutus's gang loiter amongst the ruins. They are unfriendly (-2 to Willpower saves to influence them), seeking to bully and harass player Pokémon into surrendering any treasure they have.
3. Pokémerchants: A pair of traveling Jigglypuff "merchants" make their way through the village, with fourteen male and female Nidoran serving as guards and beasts of burden, hauling a wagon loaded with goods. A single Mankey serves as captain of the guards. They are traveling along the road between settlements and are helpful (+4 to Willpower saves to influence them), eager to bribe player Pokémon with merchandise in exchange for protection. They are transporting 900 Pokédollars in goods (Antidotes, Awakenings, Paralyze Heals, Potions, and the like) and a pay chest containing 370 Pokédollars.
4. Rattata: Six Rattata emerge from the Warrens looking for allies. They are helpful (+4 to Willpower saves to influence them), offering to accompany the player Pokémon on whatever their current objective is in the hope that they will aid the Rattata against Brutus's outlaws.

Lab: This overgrown professor's laboratory is the hideout for Brutus's gang of outlaw Pokémon. The gang consists of 70 Spearow, nine Meowth, two Grimer, two Lickitung, an Onix, a Haunter, a Magmar, and Brutus himself. The outlaws are unfriendly (-2 to Willpower saves to influence them), bullying, extorting, and potentially imprisoning any player Pokémon who come here, if they think they can get a ransom from them. Alternatively, they may dump prisoner Pokémon into the Warrens, forcing them to clear out the Rattata infestation within. They have seven Pokémon from the surrounding locations currently being held for ransom and another eight kept as indentured laborers and servants.

Brutus (male Poliwrath): STR 13, DEX 11, WIL 9, 17 HP, Armor 1. Water/Fighting type. Resists Bug, Fire, Ice, Rock, and Water. Weak to Electric, Flying, Grass, and Psychic. Items: Full Heal, Max Potion, and Paralyze Heal. Moves (d20):

• 1-4 Body Slam: Deals 1d8 Normal-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, the target flinches and misses their next turn.
• 5-9 Hypnosis: Rolls 1d20. On an 8 or higher, the target suffers the Sleep Status.
• 10-14 Bubblebeam: Deals highest 1 of 2d8 Water-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target has Disadvantage to Dexterity saves until they pass a Dexterity save.
• 15-20 Submission: Deals highest 1 of 2d8 Fighting-type damage to the target, but takes 1 damage (not reduced by Armor) in return.

Warrens: These winding, narrow subterranean tunnels are home to a nest of 100 Rattata and their Raticate chief, Gnash. They are helpful (+4 to Willpower saves to influence them), eager to assist the player Pokémon in exchange for allies in their struggle with Brutus's gang. If the player Pokémon accept, the Rattata can sneak them inside the outlaws' hideout.

Gnash (male Raticate): STR 12, DEX 15, WIL 7, 10 HP, Armor 1. Normal type. Immune to Ghost. Weak to Fighting. Items: Hyper Potion. Moves (d20):

• 1-4 Double-Edge: Deals highest 1 of 2d12 Normal-type damage to the target but takes 1d4 damage (not reduced by Armor) in return.
• 5-8 Hyper Fang: Deals highest 1 of 2d8 Normal-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target flinches and misses their next turn.
• 9-17 Focus Energy: His next attack will be a Critical Hit as long as its damage die doesn't roll a 1.
• 18-20 Super Fang: Rolls d20. On a 3 or higher, deals Normal-type damage equal to half the target's current HP (or Strength if the target has 0 HP), rounded down. This attack affects Pokémon immune to Normal-type moves.

04.05 POISON BRIAR DEN: This cavern deep in the forest is overgrown with stinging nettles. Fortunately, its inhabitants, Lady and Tramp, a mated Nidorina/Nidorino pair, and their female Nidoran pup, are immune to the plants' irritating barbs.

The pair live a peaceful existence in their secluded hideaway. They occasionally encounter Rattata or Spearow scouts from Old Needleroot Town (04.04) at the edge of the deep wood, bringing them back to the lair to be consumed by their offspring.

While generally insular, the pair become incensed if attacked in their den. If the Nidoran pup is threatened, Lady will become hostile, and all her attacks against the target will do maximum damage (roll to check for Critical Hits). Likewise, if Lady is attacked, Tramp becomes hostile, and all his attacks against the target will do maximum damage (roll to check for Critical Hits).

Lady (Nidorina): STR 9, DEX 8, WIL 7, 13 HP, Armor 1. Poison type. Resists Fighting, Grass, and Poison. Weak to Bug, Ground, and Psychic. Items: Full Heal. Moves (d20):

• 1-7 Double Kick: Deals 1d6 Fighting-type damage to the target. If the target has a Substitute, the attack breaks the Substitute, and the target takes half damage.
• 8-15 Poison Sting: Deals highest 1 of 2d4 Poison-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target suffers the Poison Status.
• 16-17 Thunder: Deals 1d12 Electric-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target suffers the Paralysis Status.
• 18-20 Fury Swipes: Deals 1d4 Normal-type damage to the target. On a Critical Hit, if the additional damage die rolls its highest possible value, roll an additional damage die. If that additional damage die rolls its highest possible value, roll an additional damage die. Ad infinitum, if the damage dice keep rolling their highest possible values.

Tramp (Nidorino): STR 11, DEX 10, WIL 7, 11 HP, Armor 1. Poison type. Resists Fighting, Grass, and Poison. Weak to Bug, Ground, and Psychic. Moves (d20):

• 1-6 Double Kick: Deals 1d6 Fighting-type damage to the target. If the target has a Substitute, the attack breaks the Substitute, and the target takes half damage.
• 7-13 Poison Sting: Deals highest 1 of 2d4 Poison-type damage to the target. If any damage dice match, the target suffers the Poison Status.
• 14-19 Focus Energy: His next attack will be a Critical Hit as long as its damage die doesn't roll a 1.
• 20 Horn Drill: If he acts before the target, he rolls 1d20. On a 15 or higher, the target automatically drops to 0 HP and 0 Strength.

05.04 LEEKFIELD: This tiny community is home to about 50 Pokémon, who are led by Mallow, a female Farfetch'd. The settlement is a cluster of small shelters, with the surrounding grassland cultivated into fields of berries, grains, and wild vegetables. The settlement gets its name from the abundant leek-like reeds which grow along the lakeshore.

Mallow (female Farfetch'd): STR 10, DEX 9, WIL 8, 10 HP, Armor 1. Normal/Flying type. Immune to Ghost and Ground. Resists Bug and Grass. Weak to Electric, Ice, and Rock. Items: Paralyze Heal. Moves (d20):

• Fly: Soars into the air, evading all attacks except Gust, Swift, and Thunder. On the next turn, she lands and deals highest 1 of 2d8 Flying-type damage to the target. The Move can also transport up to six other Pokémon to the Pokémon Center at Pinecrest Lodge (01.04).
• Swords Dance: Double Enhances her attacks for the remainder of the encounter or until any of her damage dice rolls a 1.
• Agility: Has double Advantage on Dexterity saves until she fails a Dexterity save.
• Slash: Deals highest 1 of 2d8 Normal-type damage to the target. The attack is a Critical Hit if it rolls a 7 or 8.

Mallow and the Pokémon of this community are wary towards outsiders, preferring to stay uninvolved with conflict and danger. Pokémon traveling to Old Needleroot Town (04.04) and the forest south of it are often preyed upon by the outlaw Pokémon, Rattata, and the Nidorina and Nidorino living in Poison Briar Den (04.05). Several Pokémon from the community are held for ransom by the outlaw Pokémon. Mallow and Leekfield's inhabitants will become friendly if any of these problems are resolved for them.

Play Report (AD&D 2e): In Search of the Unknown (Session 16)

We played the sixteenth session of our Dungeon Module B1: In Search of Unknown AD&D 2e game last night. You can read past play reports here.

The roster for this session was as follows:

• Llombaerth, CG elf thief 4 (Adam)
• Mirkle, N human fighter 2 (Maya)
• Rory the Small, LN human fighter 1 (David)
• Zommernar, CN elf fighter 2 (Nael)
• Egbert, human necromancer 1 (NPC)
• Bilodeau, man-at-arms (NPC)
• Graves, man-at-arms (NPC)
• Brazile, halfling porter, and his dog, Ripper (NPC)
• Ejiofer, human porter (NPC)
• Lendeborg, human porter (NPC)
• Steinbach, human porter (NPC)
• Walgretor, half-elf porter (NPC)

Last time, the party made the journey downriver from Timbershore to Quasqueton, which passed uneventfully. Their barge moored at the edge of the lake east of the dungeon while they and their hirelings set off into the forest.

In the forest, they came upon a serene meadow dominated by a huge oak tree. An elfin face materialized from the tree's bark, identifying itself as the Great Oak. The Great Oak claimed dominion over all the forest, and expected a tithe of treasure for passing through its lands. The party eventually realized that the face on the tree was an illusion, and that the voice of the "Great Oak" was coming from a burrow beneath the tree's roots. When confronted, whoever was inside the tree called their dogs to drive the party off. The party threw flaming oil into the burrow and found a rock large enough to seal the entrance, then moved on.

Returning to Quasqueton, they found the path to the entrance littered with recently constructed cairns containing the bodies of dead orcs. Inside the dungeon, they learned that a band of orcs led by one named Mangug had taken over the entrance hall, taking the goblins formerly of Grilk's gang as prisoners. Mangug knew that the party had slain Drak's orcs, and while the two groups were not related, orcish custom demanded a blood debt of the party in return. If the party wished to enter the dungeon, they must treat with Mangug's orcs.

The party decided to circle around to the rear of the crag and search for secret entrances. Llombaerth scaled the cliff and found the old corpse of a wizard on a ledge about 40' up. On the corpse he found a scroll case, which he gave to his henchman Egbert, though they would have to wait to open it due to the arcane sigils which sealed it. 

On the same ledge, Llombaerth found a secret door which opened onto a large cavern. The party left most of their hirelings in the forest below to guard their mules, which could not easily access the secret entrance, while they and Egbert went inside.

There they found a statue of a wizard pointing conspicuously to a rocky outcropping, though a search of the statue and the outcropping found nothing unusual. They proceeded down a tunnel when Egbert noticed that they were standing atop a pit trap which had failed to open. Since the pit trap was too wide to leap across, they tied themselves together before moving on. As they did so, they heard the plodding of boots approaching from a side tunnel which they hadn't yet explored.

We picked up from there. The party debated which side of the pit they wished to be on when they met whatever was approaching down the tunnel. They decided to backtrack over the pit to the side closest to the cavern of the statue, from whence they had come. Thankfully, the pit trap was not activated. It was unclear what exactly would cause it to activate. They planned to lure whatever was approaching onto the pit trap, then use Egbert's prepared reduce spell to shrink the grate covering the pit and drop their pursuers inside.

As they waited, they heard commands bellowed in orcish. Their pursuers suddenly halted, and a moment later they heard footsteps receding. Zommernar decided to taunt the orcs in an effort to goad them into drawing nearer. An orc at the end of the hall identified himself as Ghudgak, asking whether it was cowardice to avoid a foe's obvious trap. Was it cowardice to set a trap for the foe yourself?

The party stalled for time as they untied the rope which linked each of them together. As they did so, they learned that Ghudgak's orcs worshipped the Stone Below, and that they were enemies of Drak's orcs, who worshipped the Stone that Speaks. They were unfamiliar with Mangug's orcs.

Ghudgak's orcs had taken cover at the end of the tunnel to the right, while the party had taken cover beyond the pit trap. As they were at a stalemate, Zommernar challenged Ghudgak to single combat, which Ghudgak accepted. The two met in the middle of the corridor between them (Zommernar alone was strong enough to leap across the pit without stepping on it). The duel was a short affair. Ghudgak's first blow glanced off of Zommernar's armor, while Zommernar's sword sliced into Ghudgak's side. Ghudgak quickly yielded.

Zommernar demanded Ghudgak admit that his Stone was inferior. As the orc's behind him hooted and hollered angrily, Ghudgak begrudgingly admitted it, under his breath, so that the other orcs could not hear. 

Suddenly, the party heard more footsteps approaching from the third tunnel, to the left. Three more orcs were quickly closing from that direction. Ghudgak bellowed another command in orcish and twisted away from Zommernar, retreating behind his fellows, who had drawn their bows. 

Zommernar dashed back across the pit to take cover. Llombaerth prepared a flask of alchemist's fire, and Egbert began casting reduce. The three orcs approaching from the left did not notice the pit trap in their bloodlust. One had a chance to attack before Egbert's spell went off. It flailed at Zommernar wildly, but missed. Egbert sprinkled powdered iron atop the pit trap's grate, causing it to shrink ever so slightly. All three orcs fell 10' below.

Two of the orcs were killed by the fall, the third's fall cushioned by the others' bodies. Llombaerth dropped his alchemist's fire into the pit atop the third orc's head, setting it ablaze. The orc raged and wailed as it burned to death. The orc archers to the right loosed their arrows, but without a clear shot at the party, the projectiles clattered harmlessly off the tunnel's walls. Ghudgak gave another command, and the orcs retreated.

The party let the orcs flee. Llombaerth climbed down into the pit to loot the dead orcs' corpses. The party then secured a rope and piton to the wall bordering the pit trap and went around it. They planned to explore the tunnel to their left. 

Before Llombaerth went ahead, he moved to transfer the party's precious 5,000 g.p. oriental emerald to someone else for safekeeping, only to find that the emerald and the pouch in which it had been kept were both missing. The party searched the area for signs of a culprit, but found nothing. This was very troubling, but they could only theorize as to who the culprit could be. Whatever creature had been inhabiting the "Great Oak" was identified as a prime suspect. 

With nothing to be done about it now, Llombaerth scouted ahead in the darkness. The tunnel curved sharply to the right and shortly ended in a small cavern with another exit immediately to the left. Llombaerth followed that tunnel, which was long and curved slightly to the right. It emptied into a large cavern with two wide tunnels exiting, one immediately to the left and the other at the far end of the cavern on the right. A third, narrower tunnel exited about halfway down the opposite wall, slightly to the right.

The party rendezvoused in the cavern, and Llombaerth went on to explore the wide tunnel to the left. That tunnel curved slightly left before straightening out into a huge cavern which reeked of offal. Great quantities of fluffy, dusty guano littered the floor, though no bats were present in the cavern. In the bottom left corner of the cavern was a mazelike catacomb of natural rock pillars which stretched from floor to ceiling. In the bottom right corner was a set of rough stone stairs leading up.

Llombaerth brought the rest of the party to the cavern. He and Rory went about shoveling several pounds of guano into a sack, while Egbert helped them identify the choicest deposits. Mirkle and Zommernar went to explore the catacomb.

Winding through the maze of pillars, the two stumbled upon a pair of man-sized mushrooms, 4' to 7' tall. As the pair's torchlight fell upon the mushrooms, they began shrieking horribly, the sound echoing throughout the catacomb and into the cavern beyond. The rest of the party ran over to investigate while Mirkle and Zommernar stabbed and slashed at the mushrooms. 

The pair was able to slay both mushrooms in two rounds - plenty of time for some other monster to hear them and come along to investigate. While the bulk of the party hid in the catacomb, Llombaerth crept ahead in the shadows, watching the cavern's entrance. After a short while, he spotted a 7' tall doglike humanoid enter the cavern, wearing armor and clutching a pike. The gnoll scanned the cavern for a moment before going back from whence it came.

Once it departed, the party explored the stairs at the opposite end of the cavern. The stairs led up to a small cave with a 5' high ceiling, its far wall streaked with veins of bluish ore. There were no other exits, so the party withdrew and returned to the earlier large cavern to explore the other tunnels.

As they made their way to the center of the cavern, a pair of gnolls emerged from the narrow tunnel to the left. A second pair emerged from the tunnel behind them and to the right. The gnolls menaced the party. Endur, their leader, was the ruler of this cavern, and the party was trespassing in his territory.

The party learned that Endur and his gnolls were enemies of Ghudgak's orcs. While the party were also enemies of Ghudgak, that did not necessarily mean they were friends of Endur. The party explained that they had been ambushed by the treacherous orcs, who had passed through Endur's cavern in order to do so. This incensed Endur. The party explained that they had not meant to trespass, and offered to help Endur post signs in the cavern to indicate that this was his realm. Endur was impressed by Llombaerth's depiction of him using guano on parchment, and decided that they could be friends.

Endur explained that he and his gnolls worshiped the Freezing Pool. The party asked to see this Pool, and the gnolls led them through the narrow tunnel and to the left into a small cavern with an 8' deep, 20' diameter pool of cool spring water. Endur gestured to the ceiling above the Pool, where the party could see a trap door, then to the bottom of the Pool, where a pair of dead adventurers laid. A bottle or vial was visible there as well. Endur explained that heathens from the world above were occasionally dragged down by the weight of their sins to drown at the bottom of the Pool, where their treasures accumulated for only the worthy to claim. 

Endur claimed to be the high priest of the Pool, yet he had tried many times to claim the Pool's treasures to no avail. Presumably, this was because of his thick fur. Rory wished to attempt the Pool's trial. He stripped off his armor while the gnolls lit a ritual fire. Rory entered the Pool and found it quite cold. He dove to the bottom, grasping at the vial, but failed to retrieve it, gasping for breath as he surfaced. The gnolls murmured nervously amongst themselves. He tried again, and again he failed. The gnolls became more anxious. Endur explained that if Rory failed the test, they would have no choice but to sacrifice him to the Pool.

Rory dove once more - his final attempt - and surfaced with the vial upthrust triumphantly. The gnolls erupted in an uproar. Emerging from the Pool, Rory held the vial forward and informed Endur that the Pool had spoken to him, and it had told him that he must be the Pool's new high priest. This angered Endur, who was the rightful high priest of the Pool. Rory said that only one with the strength to dive three times was worthy of the honor.

Another gnoll, Indur, stood up for Endur, claiming that Endur have dived into the Pool one thousand times, shivering by the ritual fire and praying to the Pool nightly to grant him its favor. It was only Endur's thick fur which weighed him down and prevented him from succeeding in the trial. Llombaerth stepped forward with a knife offered to Endur. If he was truly so devout, he would shed his vanity and shave his body so that he was hairless. Only then would the Pool embrace him.

Endur accepted the challenge. He discarded his armor and allowed his followers to shave him bald. Meanwhile, Rory threw the vial back into the Pool and donned his armor again. The gnolls gathered at the Pool's edge to watch Endur as he attempted the challenge. 

Endur dove into the Pool. As soon as he was under, Mirkle, Rory, and Zommernar attempted to shove the remaining gnolls into the Pool. Rory and Zommernar each shoved a gnoll into the Pool. In their armor, they sunk like stones, thrashing wildly. Mirkle struggled with the third gnoll, until Llombaerth approached from behind the gnoll and drove his sword into its back, delivering a critical hit for 20 backstab damage, killing it instantly.

A moment later, Endur emerged, proudly clutching the vial, only to see one gnoll dead on the ground at the edge of the Pool, another two drowning beneath him. The party loosed missiles at him as he paddled at the surface. Mirkle's spear missed and sunk to the bottom of the Pool, but both of Llombaerth's arrows struck - one for a critical hit and another for maximum damage. Endur took an arrow to the heart and another to the eye. To add insult to injury, Rory threw Endur's own armor at his corpse, sinking the gnoll's body.

As one of the two remaining gnolls drowned to death, Rory extended his halberd to pull the second one out. It turned out to be Indur. Indur was understandably distraught by the betrayal, but Rory managed to convince him that this was the Pool's will, and that the Pool had decided that he alone should be spared. The party promised that if Indur aided them in destroying the Stone worshipers, then they would help Indur find more of his people and rebuild. Indur was born again from his near-death experience, and decided to lend his aid to the party.

The party used their 10' pole to dredge up the dead adventurers and the vial. They looted some coins from the adventurers and examined the vial. It seemed not to visibly contain any liquid, but felt as if it did. What could be the contents of this strange gift from the depths of the Pool?

We wrapped there. Another good one, with a mix of combat, exploration, and social interaction. Clever plans and a lack of moral scruples won the party a resounding victory against both the orcs and the gnolls, as well as a dubious ally in Indur. The party has been in the dungeon for several hours, and it's nearly time that they rest. They planned to rejoin their hirelings outside of the dungeon. Hopefully nothing else has gotten to them first...

Pokémodule B1: In Search of the Unown (an Adventure for Into the Oddish), Lower Level of the Caverns of Quagsqueton

KEY TO THE LOWER LEVEL

The lower level of the complex is rough and unfinished. The walls are irregular and coarse, not at all like the more finished walls of the level above (except for Areas 38 and 39). The corridors are roughly 10' wide. The floors are uneven, and in some cases rock chips and debris cover the pathways between rooms and chambers. The doors are as in the upper level, but the secret doors are either rock or disguised by rock so as to appear unnoticeable.

WANDERING POKéMON

Check every third turn; 1-in-6. If a Pokémon is indicated, roll d100 and compare to the list below to determine what type of Pokémon appears. The Pokémon Master is encouraged to check for wandering Pokémon any time the player Pokémon or something in their vicinity makes excessive noise, such as when a battle occurs or if the player Pokémon batter down or force a locked door. Room descriptions will sometimes indicate when the Pokémon Master should make additional checks.

d100     Pokémon 

01-44    1d4 Diglett (see Area 53)

45-88    1d4 Jigglypuff (see Area 51)

89-100  1 Oddish (see Area 49)

ENCOUNTER AREAS

38. ACCESS ROOM: This room is filled with piles of rock and rubble as well as mining equipment: rock carts, mining jacks, timbers, pickaxes, etc. The stairs lead up to Area 30.

39. MUSEUM: The west wall is a sectioned fresco showing various events and deeds from the life of Rogahn. The east wall is a similar sectioned fresco showing cameos from the life of Zelligar. The north wall is unfinished, but shows the two trainers together. Gemstones are inlaid in certain areas of the frescoes. Next to the frescoes are other mementoes: a parchment letter, a Marowak's bone club, and the reconstructed and fearsomely posed skeleton of a Kangaskhan. There is space on the wall for additional items.

• West wall: The fresco depicts a young Black Belt boy's Machop battling an Eevee, a young Black Belt man's Machoke battling a Raticate, a mature Black Belt's Machamp battling a Golem, and a heroic Black Belt's Machamp in the midst of a large battle hacking wild Pokémon to pieces with its bare hands.
• East wall: The fresco depicts a young Psychic boy's Abra battling an Oddish, a young Psychic man's Kadabra battling a Weepinbell, a mature Psychic's Alakazam battling a Muk, and a powerful Psychic's Alakazam inflicting psychic terror upon an army of wild Pokémon from a hilltop.
• North wall: The fresco depicts the Black Belt and the Psychic shaking hands in their younger days, winning a great battle against wild Pokémon in a hill pass, and gazing upward together from the wilderness to a craggy rock outcropping. The fourth space is blank.
• Gemstones: Scattered throughout the frescoes are eight agates (worth 10 Pokédollars each).
• Letter: Written in the language of humans, but a Psychic-type Pokémon can read it. It is a letter of thanks for help in the war against the wild Pokémon from a wealthy department store owner.

40 to 56. CAVERNS OF QUAGSQUETON: The bulk of the lower level of the complex is a series of unfinished caves and caverns, which are mostly devoid of special detail - all being characterized by irregular walls of rough rock, uneven floors strewn with bits of rock and rubble, and joined by winding corridors. The majority of the rooms are empty of furnishings.

40. SECRET CAVERN: A trail of dried blood disappears into the wall where the secret door to this cavern is located. Inside, a dead Mankey clutches an X Attack and a Full Heal.

41. CAVERN: This cavern appears empty. A thorough search of the room will discover a craggy crevice in which the Fire Blast TM is hidden.

42. WEBBED CAVE: The entrance to the cave is covered with silky but sticky webs, which must be cut with the Cut HM or burned with a Fire-type move to gain access. Several dead Metapod cling to the walls. In the rear of the cavern is a dead Squirtle, tangled in web.

• Metapod: These Metapod died of natural causes. They likely did not have the necessary nutrition to complete their metamorphosis.
• Squirtle: The Squirtle seems to have been unable to break free of the webbing, only further entangling itself as it struggled. In its throat is lodged a piece of rock, upon which it likely choked.

43. CAVERN: This cavern is empty.

44. CAVERN: Here a Hypno and a Nidoking met in battle and slew one another. The bodies are tangled in a heap, and scavenger Pokémon seem to have gotten to them. They appear very old. Only skeletal remains with scraps of flesh are left.

• Hypno: The Hypno looks to have expired when the Nidoking drove its mighty horn into the Hypno's chest. The Hypno still clutches its medallion, which is of polished silver and worth 90 Pokédollars.
• Nidoking: The Nidoking looks to have killed the Hypno at the exact moment that the Hypno's psychic powers melted its brain.

45. CAVERN OF THE MYSTICAL STONE: A large, glowing chunk of rock which appears to be mica rests here. 

• Rock: The rock formation is brittle, and chips can easily be broken off by hand. Once a chip is removed, its glow will begin to fade, and after thirty seconds it will cease to glow at all. If the chip is consumed or placed in the mouth before this time, roll d20 (any one Pokémon can only be affected by the rock once):
1. Immediately teleports the Pokémon and anything it is carrying to Area 42.
2. The Pokémon's accuracy is lowered by 2 for 1d6 hours.
3. The Pokémon's Strength is raised permanently by 1.
4. The Pokémon's Willpower is raised permanently by 1.
5. The Pokémon has advantage on Willpower Saves for 1d6 hours.
6. Any healing effects the Pokémon receives are Enhanced for 1d6 hours.
7. The Pokémon's Dexterity is raised permanently by 1.
8. The Pokémon's Strength is lowered permanently by 1.
9. The Pokémon's Willpower is lowered permanently by 1.
10. The Pokémon's Dexterity is lowered permanently by 1.
11. The Pokémon can learn the Wish Move (Type: Normal; Effect: The user restores half the maximum HP of itself or another Pokémon; Usage: 1x per day.) 
12. The Pokémon's evasion is raised by 2 for 1d6 hours.
13. The Pokémon suffers the Poison Status.
14. The chip transforms into a pearl (sells for 1,000 Pokédollars).
15. A random Move the Pokémon knows that deals damage is permanently Enhanced.
16. The Pokémon recovers all lost hit points and Strength.
17. The Pokémon's Willpower is reduced to 2 for 1d4 hours.
18. The Pokémon gains 1d6 temporary HP (these may exceed the Pokémon's maximum HP, and are lost forever once used).
19. The Pokémon suffers the Sleep Status.
20. Has no effect.

46. SUNKEN CAVERN: This small cavern lies at the bottom of a short, sloping corridor. The walls are wet with moisture, and glisten in any reflected light.

47. CAVERN: This cavern appears empty. A thorough search will discover a crevice in which an Itemfinder is hidden.

• Itemfinder: A wand-like device which, when activated, indicates the presence of hidden items. Each time it is activated, the Pokémon wielding it must make a Willpower Save. On a failed Save, the Itemfinder becomes forever useless, its last bit of energy expended.

48. ARENA CAVERN: The center portion of this room is sunken about 15' below the floor level, and the sides slope downward from the surrounding walls to form a small amphitheater. The floor of the pit is strewn with the decades-old remains of dead Pokémon.

• Remains: Skeletons of Ekans, Jigglypuff, Nidoran, Ratata, and Zubat, and dried out husks of Kakuna and Weedle. Some died of blunt force trauma, while others' heads have exploded.

49. PHOSPHORESCENT CAVE: A soft phosphorescent glow bathes this cave, shed by a light purplish mold which grows on the walls, ceiling, and parts of the floor. The floor is a pit of soft earth. During the day, a single bushel of shiny leaves sticks out above the surface. At night, an Oddish patrols his territory.

• Leaves: The leaves are those of the Oddish, who plants himself in the ground during the day. If forcibly uprooted, he emits a bloodcurdling shriek, and the Pokémon Master should check for wandering Pokémon (1-in-6 chance).
• Oddish: The Oddish considers himself the master of Quagsqueton's lower level, and has even fashioned a low quality "Oddish Badge" out of some rock, which he wears proudly. He considers the cave his "gym" and is hostile (-4 to Willpower Saves to influence him), defiantly meeting all challengers. If defeated, he drops the "Oddish Badge". The "Oddish Badge" does not count as a real badge for the purposes of evolving.
• STR 8, DEX 5, WIL 10, 8 HP, Armor 1; Grass/Poison type; Resistances: Grass (x2), Fighting, Electric, Water; Vulnerabilities: Fire, Flying, Ice, Psychic, Bug (x2); Moves (d20):
• 1-5 Absorb: Deals highest 1 of 2d4 Grass-type damage to the target and restores his own HP by half the damage inflicted on the target.
• 6-14 Poison Powder: Rolls 1d20. On a 6 or higher, the target suffers the Poison Status.
• 15-16 Solar Beam: Is immobilized and cannot act on his turn as he prepares. On the following turn, deals highest 1 of 2d12 Grass-type damage to the target.
• 17-20 Sleep Powder: Rolls 1d20. On a 6 or higher, the target suffers the Sleep Status.

50. WATER PIT: The cavern contains an 8' deep pool of cold water (see Area 36 of the upper level).

51. SIDE CAVERN: The sound of Pokémon singing sweetly can be heard from outside this cavern's door. Inside, the eastern rock wall is striated with irregular diagonal streaks of bluish ore. Four Jigglypuff are inside the cavern. One of them wears a faintly glowing ring as an armband.

• Ore: The ore breaks off easily into chunks and crumbles when in hand. It is powdery and stains Pokémon blue. It does not have any value.
• Jigglypuff: They are friendly (+2 to Willpower Saves to influence them). They dislike Fighting-types. They will insist that the player Pokémon rest here, and they will even attempt to Sing the player Pokémon to sleep if they refuse.
• STR 7, DEX 3, WIL 3, 21 HP (the Jigglypuff with the ring has Armor 1). Normal type; Vulnerabilities: Fighting; Immunities: Ghost; Moves (d20):
• 1-6 Sing: Rolls d20. On a 9 or higher, the target suffers the Sleep Status.
• 7-20 Pound: Deals highest 1 of 2d4 Normal-type damage to the target.
• Ring: When held by a Pokémon, the Pokémon has +1 Armor and receives +1 to Saves.

52. RAISED CAVERN: Four upward steps lead up to this cavern. Its eastern wall shows diagonal streaks of bluish ore (see Area 51). The room has a 5' ceiling, so some Pokémon may find it difficult to stand up.

53. GRAND CAVERN OF THE ZUBAT: The ceiling of this cavern is almost 60' high. During the day, a small opening in the ceiling just off the midway point of the north wall allows sunlight into the cavern. The floor is covered with a fluffy and dusty guano. Thousands of Zubat roost here during the day. At night, they are out hunting. A southwestern arm of the room leads to an alcove of rock pillars of unusual and irregular shape running from floor to ceiling to form a very meager catacomb.

• Zubat: During the day, each light source brought into this cavern has a 5% chance per turn of causing the Zubat to swarm. Any noise above subdued conversation adds a 10% chance to the roll. If disturbed, the Zubat begin squeaking and flying around until the mass becomes a giant churning swarm, which takes two turns. The Zubat will fill the grand cavern and overflow into adjacent areas, harrying any Pokémon in the area. The Pokémon Master should check for wandering Pokémon during this time (1-in-6 chance). If the player Pokémon leave the area or extinguish their light source and lie silently on the floor, the Zubat will return to their places of rest and resume dormancy after three turns.
• Catacomb: Four Diglett make their lair here. 
• Diglett: The Diglett are friendly (+2 to Willpower Saves to influence them), but dislike the Oddish in Area 49. If the player Pokémon defeat the Oddish and bring the Diglett the "Oddish Badge", the Diglett will show them the secret door connecting this area to Areas 54 and 55. 
• STR 8, DEX 14, WIL 6, 2 HP; Ground type; Resistances: Rock, Poison; Vulnerabilities: Grass, Ice, Water; Immunities: Electric; Moves (d20):
• 1-7 Scratch: Deals 1d4 Normal-type damage to the target.
• 8-15 Growl: The target’s attacks are Impaired for the remainder of the encounter.
• 16-17 Dig: Digs underground, evading all non-Ground-type attacks except Swift. On the next turn, emerges and deals the highest 1 of 2d10 damage to the target.
• 18-20 Sand-Attack: The target’s accuracy is lowered by 1 stage.

54. TREASURE CAVE: This cave contains three chests flanked on either side by statues, one of a male Nidoran and the other of a female Nidoran. 13 Pokédollars are scattered on the floor around the chests.

• Chests: All three are locked. The easternmost chest contains four small golden rods worth 30 Pokédollars each.
• Statues: If any of the valuables in the cave are disturbed, the statues animate and attack.
• Male Nidoran Statue: STR 9, DEX 8, WIL 5, 8 HP; Rock type; Resistances: Fire, Flying, Normal, Poison; Vulnerabilities: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Water; Moves (d20):
• 1-7 Leer: The target’s Armor is reduced by 1 for the remainder of the encounter.
• 8-15 Tackle: Deals 1d4 Normal-type damage to the target.
• 16-20 Horn Attack: Deals 1d8 Normal-type damage to the target.
• Female Nidoran Statue: STR 7, DEX 6, WIL 5, 10 HP, Armor 1; Rock type; Resistances: Fire, Flying, Normal, Poison; Vulnerabilities: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Water; Moves (d20):
• 1-7 Growl: The target’s attacks are Impaired for the remainder of the encounter.
• 8-13 Tackle: Deals 1d4 Normal-type damage to the target.
• 14-20 Scratch: Deals 1d4 Normal-type damage to the target.

55. EXIT CAVE: This large cave is empty, except for the secret door hidden in the northeast corner of the cave.

• Secret door: Opened by pushing on a loose rock within the wall. The door can be opened from either side. The exterior side of the door leads to a 40' tall rock ledge, 3' wide and 20' long. Pokémon on the ledge will notice that they are on the north face of the massive outcropping which houses the stronghold.

56. CAVERN OF THE STATUE: In the southern end of this cavern is a statue of an Alakazam, roughly sculpted from black stone. Both of its arms are outstretched and pointing to the jagged rock outcropping which divides the two corridors to the north-northeast. (There is a pit trap in the corridor to the east of this cave. The small cave to the southwest of the pit trap contains a hole in the ceiling 40' above leading to Area 19 on the upper level.)

• Outcropping: The wall of the outcropping is of artificial construction, and upon close inspection appears similar to the secret doors found on this level. A loose stone in the wall opens it. Inside the hollowed-out outcropping is a locked chest. It contains 620 Pokédollars.
• Pit trap: 12' across and 10' deep. A Pokémon in the front rank has a 30% to notice it. If it is unnoticed, each Pokémon which crosses this section of floor has a 70% chance of triggering the trap and falling in (1d4 Normal-type damage). Any Pokémon immediately behind the Pokémon which triggers the trap has a 20% chance of falling in.

Play Report (AD&D 2e): In Search of the Unknown (Session 15)

We played the fifteenth session of our Dungeon Module B1: In Search of Unknown AD&D 2e game last night. You can read past play reports here.

The roster for this session was as follows:

• Llombaerth, CG elf thief 4 (Adam)
• Mirkle, N human fighter 2 (Maya)
• Egbert, human necromancer 1 (NPC)
• Bilodeau, man-at-arms (NPC)
• Graves, man-at-arms (NPC)
• Brazile, halfling porter, and his dog, Ripper (NPC)
• Ejiofer, human porter (NPC)
• Lendeborg, human porter (NPC)
• Steinbach, human porter (NPC)
• Walgretor, half-elf porter (NPC)

Last we played, the party had business in Timbershore. They shopped, buying more equipment and a pair of mules. They put out a call for henchmen in the Chapel Ward, then went to the River Ward to meet with the smugglers Tavin Underbough and Lethariel Vaen. They made arrangements with the smugglers to bring their ill-gotten gains from Quasqueton back to Timbershore through the town's proverbial back door. They also learned that the gem they had pilfered from the blackout drunk nobleman Ludovic Pell was in fact a 5,000 g.p. oriental emerald.

The party returned to the Chapel Ward to await the arrival of prospective henchmen. They waited around for two days and met Grilgurn Goldenbelch, a dwarf fighter. The party was looking for a wizard, so they rejected Grilgurn's application. He became incensed, but they managed to placate him with alcohol. After, they met Egbert, a human necromancer. The party offered him a 500 g.p. signing bonus plus Pommernar's spellbook, and he accepted.

They returned to the River Ward the following morning and purchased a small river barge, the Mossy Turtle, from a captain named Hadric. They paid Hadric 900 g.p. for both the boat and a month's employment of the crew. The party hired four additional porters to carry treasure and decided to set sail immediately.

We picked up from there. It was 12 pm, so the party had about 7 hours of travel downriver before it became dark. There was no wind, but the weather was otherwise fair. The boat would have to rely on its oars and the river's current to carry it through the forest.

I had spent the time between sessions determining whether there would be any random encounters on the voyage. The first day passed uneventfully. The boat's crew was made up of 20 0th level fighting oarsmen, the gruff captain, Hadric, the mean old halfling woman, Wilda Brambletoe, and her three wiry brown half-feral river mutts, and the second mates Corvin and Aelwen Riversong. Corvin is a middle aged human who doesn't like adventurers, and Aelwen is a young half-elf girl who loves adventurers.

As darkness fell, the barge moored along the edge of the forest, with the crew working in shifts to keep watch. The night passed without incident. The weather remained the same the next day, so the barge continued on. They traveled a bit farther downriver before coming up the lake deep in the forest. The barge crossed the lake and moored at the mouth of the river which flowed downhill from Quasqueton. The party disembarked with their men-at-arms, porters, Brazile's dog, and their mules, while the barge's crew stayed behind to guard the vessel. They set off into the forest towards Quasqueton. It was 9 am.

I was a bit disappointed that the journey downriver had not yielded any encounters with giant beavers, waterfowlbears, or hobgoblins sniping at them from the tree line, but it's okay. The journey back upriver will take longer, and the barge will presumably be laden with treasure, so there's still time.

The party followed the river through the forest along its north bank for about two hours, then noticed something peculiar. They had stumbled into a glade of ancient oak trees and silver birches, with a fine green moss and small yellow wildflowers carpeting the ground. The birds were singing jovially and the smell of honey and damp leaves filled the air. They noticed trinkets hanging from tree limbs - spoons, bits of ribbon, lengths of fine chain, mismatched pairs of boots, and the like. The moss, flowers, and trinkets were concentrated around one especially large oak.

Recognizing this as unusual, the party assumed that the tree might be sacred in some way, and offered up some trinkets of their own. Mirkle called out to the tree to see if it was sentient. An elfin face appeared as if carved into the tree's bark. It introduced itself as the Great Oak, thanked them for their trinkets, and asked if they had anything of real value to offer it.

Mirkle gave the tree three gold coins, which seemed to please it, but surely these brave woodland adventurers had more. The party asked what the Great Oak needed gold for, to which it responded "Acorns, which I, uh...eat! Of course." The Great Oak explained that it was master of the wood and all its creatures, and that these woodland animals great and small frequently made pilgrimage here to pay homage.

The party was confused. The woodland animals were the Great Oak's subjects, yet it paid them for acorns, which it ate? "Why yes, uh...the woodland creatures pay me homage in the form of ordinary acorns, but occasionally they bring me the choicest acorns, for which I of course, uh, compensate them...with gold!"

The party let that one go. They asked if the owlbears of the forest where also subjects of the Great Oak, to which is responded with disgust. Those creatures were nasty and formed of evil sorcery, not natural beings. They did, however, possess great treasure, which would please the Oak greatly if delivered to it. The party asked if the Oak knew where the owlbears lived, and the Great Oak told them that they made their lair in the deep forest to the north, where the three rivers met.

The party mentioned that they had encountered the owlbears themselves, and had even slain one. Llombaerth indicated his owlbear skull helm, which of course the Great Oak had recognized immediately, and certainly wasn't noticing now for the first time. The Great Oak asserted that it was well aware of the party's activities in the forest, since its leal subjects had been monitoring them closely. Nonetheless it inquired as to how they had come across these owlbears. Surely they had been on an adventure to some dungeon and were returning laden with treasure, which if it had come from the forest would rightfully belong to the Oak. The party played coy.

The interaction had seemingly run its course, so Llombaerth decided to make a final offering to the Oak. He produced one of his pickled fish and attempted to insert it into the Oak's mouth. The Oak said, "No no, the Great Oak does not desire to partake in your stinking fish!" Llombaerth persisted, and as the fish entered the Oak's mouth, he discovered that the face on the tree was an insubstantial illusion. 

At the same time, Mirkle noticed something else amiss - the voice seemed to be projected from elsewhere, like a bad ventriloquist throwing their voice. She inconspicuously indicated as much to Llombaerth, and began scanning the branches of the tree. Meanwhile, Llombaerth looked around the base of the tree. Mirkle did not notice anything unusual, but Llombaerth spotted a 4' wide burrow hidden among a tangle of roots and moss which led beneath the tree.

Llombaerth produced a flask of alchemist's fire and called into the burrow that the jig was up, and ordered whoever was inside to come out at once. The party heard a high-pitched whistle and a diminutive male voice calling on "Salt, Pepper, and Paprika" to "go get 'em!" Llombaerth heard the sound of multiple sets of padded feet and the baying of hounds coming towards them from within the burrow. Llombaerth didn't hesitate. He lit the alchemist's fire and threw it inside the burrow. 

The dogs within came screeching to a halt, yelping in fear of the flames. The small voice inside began coughing and declared that the party was no fun. He was just trying to introduce some whimsy into their lives and now they were trying to set his home on fire. The party responded that he was trying to trick them and extort them for gold. They heard whoever was inside the burrow retreating deeper within.

Llombaerth waited for the flames to die out and then crawled inside, squeezing to fit through the tunnel. The air was warm and dry, with smells of pipeweed and cinnamon beneath the acrid smoke which now filled the space. Tiny lantern mushrooms provided dim illumination within, and small stones pressed into the earthen walls had been carved with smiling faces. 

Where the fire had been, tiny bells littered the ground, and more hung from the ceiling above. Llombaerth would be unable to crawl through without ringing the bells or carefully cutting them down. 25' feet down the tunnel, he saw that it opened into a cozy-looking hearth chamber. He didn't feel comfortable trying to sneak inside without knowing what awaited him, so he crawled back out.

The party decided to leave the area, but not before finding a stone big enough to seal the burrow. The whole interaction had taken about an hour. It was noon, and the party resumed following the river to Quasqueton. They spent two hours passing through the lowland forest and another three hours making the hike to the dungeon. They arrived at about 5 pm.

They now approached the dungeon from its eastern side. The crag loomed above them, some 80' tall, the cliff scattered with rough handholds, tree limbs, and narrow ledges. Rather than make the climb, they circled around to the familiar western face. Making their way up the perilous path to the entrance, they spotted stone cairns scattered along the trail - ten in all.

The party had Egbert cast detect undead in case a nasty surprise waited for them beneath the cairns. He said the magic words, made the gestures, and scattered a handful of stinking dirt in front of him. Focusing on the cairns, he finally concluded that there was no danger of ghosts or ghoulies here. 

The party excavated one of the cairns and found a rotting orc corpse, decapitated. Its head showed signs of having been bludgeoned with a blunt weapon and skewered on a spear or sharp stick. Slices of flesh had been carved from its meaty thighs. The party concluded that this was one of the orcs killed by the goblins, but interring the orcs in this manner was not goblin-like at all. Had the orcs from the lower level come up and launched an attack?

The rest of the party stayed behind while Llombaerth attempted to sneak inside down the long hallway lined with alcoves. As he approached the second pair of alcoves and attempted to hide inside, he stumbled. He spotted an orc sentry posted at the barricade atop the landing at the end of the corridor, and the orc spotted him as well. It called out to him, claiming that it meant no harm, and told one of its fellows to fetch Mangug.

A short time later, two more orcs emerged, with one taking position at the center of the barricade, flanked by the others. The center orc introduced itself as Mangug. Llombaerth identified himself as a Stonespeaker. This did not surprise Mangug, who said that the goblins had warned him that the Stonespeakers would return to slay them. 

Mangug understood from the goblins that the Stonespeakers had aided them in slaying Drak's orcs. Mangug's orcs had no relation to Drak's, but orc custom dictated that Mangug exact some sort of blood price from those who had killed fellow orcs and stolen their treasure. He assured Llombaerth that the goblins were alive and were paying off their debt by way of service, and that he was happy to make some sort of arrangement with the party. They would simply need to bring Mangug whatever treasure they had secreted away, and they would mutually agree upon some commensurate compensation for the party's crimes.

Llombaerth tried to lure the orcs outside to negotiate with the rest of the party, but Mangug was wary to forego his advantageous position and treat with them under the harsh light of the sun. Mangug assured Llombaerth that the party would be under the protection of guest right while they treated within the dungeon, but Llombaerth preferred to confer with the rest of the party outside. Mangug accepted this. He and his orcs now controlled the entrance to the dungeon, so the party would have to treat with him one way or another if they sought access.

The party reconvened outside and decided it was time to find a new way into the dungeon. They circled back around to the rear of the crag and began searching for secret entrances, but found none. Llombaerth offered to climb the cliffside and search along the narrow ledges scattered about its face. 

About 40' up, he found an old, dead wizard lying on a ledge. He searched the body and found a wooden scroll tube with some sort of magic writing on it. He could not open it. He lowered and secured a rope for Egbert to climb up. Egbert could open the tube, but it would require a read magic spell, which he did not have prepared. Based on the dead wizard's out of fashion hat, Egbert concluded that he had been dead for a number of years.

Llombaerth searched the cliff face on the ledge and found a cleverly concealed lever. Pulling on it, a secret door opened. It led into a large, rough-hewn cavern. Mirkle climbed up to join them. The men-at-arms, the porters, the dog, and the mules remained at the base of the cliff. By this time it was 7 pm, and the darkness was settling over the forest.

The party followed the cave as it wound to the right, then proceeded straight to the end, where it tapered into a tunnel sealed by a door. They heard nothing on the other side, so they proceeded within. There, they found a statue of a wizard, its arms outstretched, pointing to a rocky outcropping immediately to their left. Beyond the outcropping, a short tunnel on the left led to a T intersection. Llombaerth examined the outcropping while Mirkle inspected the statue, but neither found anything unusual. Based on the statue's very outdated hat, Egbert concluded that it was decades old - likely from Zelligar's time.

The party proceeded to the T intersection, with Egbert in the rear. Egbert cried out in alarm that Llombaerth and Mirkle were standing atop a covered 12' wide and 10' deep pit. Fortunately, the trap had not opened beneath them. There was a chance it would open as Egbert crossed it, and he could not clear the distance by jumping it, so they used rope to tie themselves together, just in case. 

They decided to take the tunnel to their left. As they went that way, they heard the sound of many pairs of roughshod boots plodding down the corridor behind them, heading in their direction. We ended the session there.

This was another fun one. Lots of social interaction and exploring. Approaching the dungeon by a different route led to the party discovering one of my keyed wilderness locations and learning the location of another (the owlbear lair). The status quo of the dungeon has changed drastically while the party's been away, which has forced them to get creative and led them to discover the secret entrance into the dungeon (in the module as written, this door cannot be opened from outside, but that stinks, so I changed it). 

While the party has ballooned in size with henchmen, men-at-arms, and porters, they had to leave many of these behind to guard the mules, who cannot easily access the secret entrance. The group that's actually inside the dungeon is quite small as a result, and now some unknown force is coming to meet them. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next time!