Lost City of the Dwarves Codex

Brian Banshee (order #5245604)



Original story, title art and Dwarven Battle Dice game by Christopher J.A. Young Original story artwork by Travis Hanson Copyright © 2011 All Rights reserved, Christopher J.A. Young and Pen & Forge Productions. Unauthorized reproduction except except for the purpose of review is prohibited by law. Path of Legends, Title logo, Pen & Forge logo and all Dwarven Battle Dice artwork are copyright © 2012 by Christopher J. A. Young. Published under the terms of the Open Game Licence version 1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast Inc.

Made in Canada, eh.


LOST CITY OF THE D WARVES: DISCOVERY

Greetings Thank-you for downloading this PDF supplement to my novel Lost City of the Dwarves: Discovery Discovery,, a journey in which you will meet other characters, ght terrible creatures, and nd wondrous treasure. This document is a reader’s guide for those who bought bought Lost Lost City of the Dwarves: Discovery as an eBook that did not come with the character sheet or word puzzles, or for those who have the book in printed form and do not wish to write in it. Anybody with the PDF version of Lost City of the Dwarves: Discovery does not need this supplement. If you downloaded this guide to get a better idea of what the Path of Legends Legends world world is all about, everything you need to know is on these pages. You can review the complete adventuring rules, check out the magical items to be found within the lost city, and even try your hand at the word puzzles, although you’ll need the complete story to claim those rewards for your character. Also in these pages are the rules for Dwarven Battle Dice, an original dice game that is discussed more at my site, penandforge.ca The story is a detailed choose your own adventure with plenty of decision making and puzzle solving for you to do along the way. You can enjoy the story without getting into all the dice rolling and character building, but if you are a dice rolling diehard and long for a detailed adventure that you can sink your teeth into, you won’t be disappointed. While the aim of the book was to keep everything everything as simple and easy to follow as possible, possible, there are still the satisfactions of character creation, equipment and weapon choices throughout the story, and battles galore. So sharpen your pencil and get comfortable; a whole new world awaits.

GETTING STARTED First and foremost, you need your main character! Armchair adventurers can skip this part and move right along to the beginning of the story, but everyone else needs to roll up their info and record it on a blank character sheet provided in the Codex at the end of this story.

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CHRISTOPHER J.A. Y OUNG

Rolling up a Character Your character in this book has three main ability scores: Strength, or STR (determines how strong you are and how good you are in melee combat), Dexterity or DEX (determines how agile you are and how good you are in ranged combat) and Constitution or CON (determines how healthy and tough you are). Take four six-sided dice, also known as four die-six (4d6), and roll them, then add up the three highest dice. Record that num ber on a scrap piece of paper and repeat the process two more times. Now you must decide how to arrange those three scores. If an ability is high enough then a bonus is awarded for certain actions, and if it is low (or gets lowered throughout the adventure) then a negative is applied for certain actions. The table below will tell you what adjustments are applied for certain scores. These modiers are applied a little dif ferently depending on which ability they are used for. When applied to Strength, the modier is added to your attack roll with melee weapons, such as swords, and to damage done by melee and thrown weapons. For Dexterity, the bonus is added to your attack roll for ranged attacks, such as bows, cross bows and thrown weapons, to your armor class, and to initiative. A bonus in Constitution adds to your hit points at each level. Even with a negative modier, no die roll is ever allowed to be lowered below 1.

Rolling the Dice Now that your character is made it’s time to explain the rules on how to adventure around in this story. Most of the time this will involve ghting monsters in combat rounds and rolling some dice which are commonly referred to with the letter “ d ”. -ii-



Six-sided dice are called a d6, twenty-sided dice are called a d20 and so on, and aside from some rare exceptions, the higher the roll the better.

COMBAT To help explain the complete combat process we will simulate an encounter between yourself and two Hobgoblins that you run into: You turn the corner and encounter two angry Hobgoblins that attack you on sight! Hobgoblin Init:+0 HP:6 AC:14 Attack:+1 Damage:1D6+1 Hobgoblin Init:+0 HP:6 AC:14 Attack:+1 Damage:1D6+1 Rounds A round of combat is the time when all opponents in a ght have had their chance to attack, also called a melee round , and everybody gets one attack or action (usually). This is important since some elements of the story revolve around this specic unit of time, telling you that you will have a specic number of rounds to use your bow before a charging enemy gets close, or to tell you that you must simply survive a certain number of rounds before you are allowed to ght back against a monster. Initiative (Init) When combat starts, you must roll one ten-sided die (1d10) for yourself and one for the monsters. Whoever gets the higher roll gets to attack rst in combat, then you just continue to trade blows back and forth until the monsters are all defeated or until you run out of hit points. A high Dexterity will give you a bonus for initiative, but a low dexterity will give you a penalty. Some monsters will have an initiative bonus that should be added to their roll.

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You roll a d10 for the Hobgoblins and get a 5. They do not get an initiative bonus, so 5 is their initiative for this ght. You roll the d10 again for yourself and get a 0, which is actually a 10! If your Dexterity gives you a bonus then you can add it to your roll, but in this case it doesn’t matter. Your initiative is higher so you attack rst. Attack (also known as “to hit”) Now that you know who goes rst, roll the d20 and add any attack bonuses (or penalties if you are in bad shape) to see if you hit your opponent. This is your attack roll. To hit your opponent, your attack roll plus bonuses or penalties must be equal to or greater than their Armor Class (AC). The Hobgoblins have an AC 14, so that is your target number. We’ll pretend that you have a STR 15 and a Base Attack +1: Having the higher initiative, you strike rst and swing your sword at one of the Hobgoblins! You roll the d20 and get a 12, which isn’t enough on its own, but adding the +1 for STR 15 and your +1 Base Attack bonus you end up with 14. Just enough to hit the Hobgoblin’s AC 14. Damage and Hit Points (HP) With every successful hit, damage must be dealt. There are varying degrees of damage depending on the weapon being used, and this is usually where the different dice come into play. Knives and daggers usually only deal 1d4 damage, hand axes and shortswords deal 1d6 damage, longswords and battle axes use 1d8 for damage, even larger battle swords do 1d10 damage, and the extra-large Greatsword uses two six-sided dice (2d6) for damage. There are many other types of weapons in the ad venturing world, but these are some common examples. Any melee weapon that can be wielded with two hands (1d8 damage or more) will do +1 damage if you use it that way instead of using a shield. Whenever you successfully hit a monster’s AC you roll the damage die for whichever weapon you are using. That damage is then subtracted from the Monster’s hit

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points (HP), of which these Hobgoblins each have 6. When they are reduced to zero HP then you have defeated them. We will presume that you have a shortsword for this example: With a slash of your sword you hit one of the Hobgoblins and roll 1d6, getting a 5. You then add your +1 damage bonus for STR 15 to get a total of 6 damage, which is just enough to overcome the Hobgoblin. It falls to the ground, but the second one moves towards you with its battle axe raised. Your attack is done, and now you must roll the dice for the Hobgoblin in the same manner: d20 to see if it hits your AC (which will be determined during the adventure), then damage dice if it hits you, which you will subtract from your HP total. Once this is done, and both sides have made their attacks, then the combat round is over and the process is repeated until you have defeated all of the monsters, or all of the monsters have defeated you. Natural 20 Rolling a 20 on a d20 is known as a “natural 20” and results in an automatic hit against any AC. This does not include a 20 that you get from adding attack bonuses to your d20 roll, only when the die itself shows 20. A natural 20 also results in a Critical Hit where you deliver double damage to your opponent; double weapon damage, including bonuses, and double STR damage if you have any. It should also be known that rolling a natural 1 is considered a critical fail which results in an automatic miss, against any AC, no matter how many attack bonuses you have. Melee Combat and Ranged Combat Many times you will be given the possibility of using a Ranged Attack before your opponent closes in for close combat, also known as hand-to-hand or melee combat. Ranged attacks are conducted the same way as a melee attack, rolling a d20 against the monster’s AC, except that you will get a number of free shots (typically 2 shots with a double crossbow, 3 shots with a bow, or 1 thrown weapon unless explained differently on the page) be-

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fore the opponent closes in for melee combat. Bows and cross bows cannot be used in melee combat; therefore you must have a melee weapon to switch to once the Ranged Attack rounds are over. Any bonuses that you would get from a Ranged Attack weapon are not granted when using your melee weapon, and vice versa.

OTHER GAME ROLLS There are some other die rolls that you will be asked to do during the story besides the ones that you just read about. They will usually have a ‘fail’ or ‘succeed’ result, with either one directing you to turn to a specic paragraph or record a special event. Roll for Surprise To do this, roll 1d6. If you roll a 1 or 2 then you have ‘failed’ the roll, and if you roll a 3, 4, 5 or 6 then you ‘succeeded’ the roll. This is a catch-all roll to see if you are not only surprised in a situation but also to see if you have your wits about you, how observant you are, or even if you are lucky. Sneak Attack On some pages you will be given the option of performing a Sneak Attack on opponents who are not yet aware of your pres-vi-



ence. To do this, you must catch them by Surprise. Surprise works for monsters the same way it works for you. If you roll a 1 or 2 on a 1d6 then you are hidden from the monster, but if you roll a 3, 4, 5 or 6 on a 1d6 then the monster knows that you are there and you cannot surprise it with a Sneak Attack. However, characters with a high Dexterity have a better chance of surprising monsters. If you have a Dex bonus then you can subtract that number from the monster’s roll and try to lower it down to 1 or 2. If the monster is surprised then you get a +4 bonus to your attack roll and deliver double damage if you hit them; weapon damage and Strength bonus damage, if any, is doubled. If you have not managed to surprise the monster then you attack normally, but you do get Initiative and attack rst. If you have a Dex penalty, meaning your character is clumsy, then that penalty is added to the monster’s Surprise roll, possibly raising it up past 2. Test Your Dexterity, Strength or Constitution These are rolls based on your ability scores to see how agile, strong or tough you are in a certain situation. You usually need to roll a 10 or higher on a d20, adding any ability modiers if you have them. Thus a character with an 18 Dexterity (+3 modier) would only need to roll a 7 or higher on a d20 to succeed with a Dexterity test, but if that same character only has a 10 Strength (+0 modier) then they will need to roll 10 or higher to succeed at any Strength tests.

BONUSES AND PENALTIES Once your character sheet is complete it will be a fairly accurate record of any modiers that you can apply to dice rolls such as initiative, attack and damage, and some of your modiers will improve as the story progresses. Also throughout the book you will nd items and encounter situations that will affect your dice rolls in good and bad ways. While it may seem complicated at rst, it’s really nothing that some basic math skills can’t handle.

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Items with a “+” An enchanted weapon will have a bonus that is applied to your attack roll and damage roll when you use that weapon in com bat, so a +1 shortsword (1d6) will give you an extra +1 to hit with your attack roll AND an extra +1 damage to add when you roll the d6 for damage. Armor works a little differently. All armor, magical or not, is rated with a bonus that is applied to your armor class. A metal shield, for example, gives you a +2 AC when used, and chainmail armor grants a +4 AC bonus when worn. An unarmored character starts with a base armor class of 10, wearing nothing but regular clothes, but when equipped with the above armor and shield he gains +6 AC for a total armor class of 16. Enchanted armor simply grants more bonuses; a +2 metal shield and some +1 chainmail would grant a total bonus of +9 AC and give the character AC 19 in combat. You will nd other magical items throughout the book that give specic bonuses to hit points, your attack bonus, and so on. Simply record the item in your inventory, along with what bonuses it provides, and apply the bonus to the proper statistic. Just remember that should you ever remove the item or lose it somehow then you will need to reduce the proper abilities back to their original score, but that shouldn’t happen much. Applying a Negative Modifer Adventuring is a risky pastime, and you will come across traps and other situations that will reduce your statistics and ability scores. When this happens you must adjust your character sheet accordingly until you can use a means to restore them, usually with a potion. Fighting multiple opponents In many situations you will face more than one creature or character in combat. Sometimes you will have to ght them each in turn, one after the other, and at other times you will have to ght them all at the same time! When you are instructed to ght

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your opponents one at a time, the combat is resolved normally – once you defeat an enemy, the next one-steps forward to ght you immediately. When you nd yourself under attack from more than one op ponent at the same time, each adversary will make a separate attack on you in the combat round, but you become easier to hit and your armor class is lowered. You can face two opponents without an armor class penalty, but for every additional opponent in the ght your AC is reduced by 1. So if you are fac ing three separate attackers in combat, your AC is reduced by 1 against all of their attacks until you can eliminate one of them. Likewise, if you are facing four attackers then your AC is reduced by 2 against all of their attacks until you eliminate one of them, then your AC will only be reduced by 1 for the remaining three attackers, and so on. Even if you are facing a group of enemies that is greater than four, no more than four will be able to attack you at the same time unless they are very small or are all attacking with ranged attacks. Also keep in mind that if you have won the initiative roll and can eliminate one of your opponents before they attack then you may not suffer as large a penalty. Retreating from Battle On some pages you will be given the option of Retreating from a battle should things be going badly for you. However, if you do run away, your opponent automatically gets one free attack with a +2 bonus to hit you as you ee. Such is the price of cowardice! You may only Retreat if that option is given to you on the page. Morale Morale is the measurement of condence and hope in a large group. Currently in this adventure the Dwarves’ morale is only 1, but you will be able to raise that depending on certain accomplishments that you achieve throughout the book. By the end of the story the Dwarves’ total morale will be used to determine their ghting strength, so the higher you get it the better.

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EQUIPMENT AND POTIONS You will start this adventure with nothing more than the clothes on your back (AC 10), collecting gear and provisions as you explore the Lost City of the Dwarves. Most items that you nd will have complete descriptions given so you can record them on your character sheet and use them right away if you wish to. Potions, on the other hand, are a little more complicated and will be dealt with here. Magical potions come in all shapes and sizes, but they have some common rules that need to be followed when using them. Being magical elixirs, potions can be used any time that you would normally be able to take a drink without the risk of spilling it. That is pretty much any time except when you are in com bat, running or swimming, or hanging on for dear life with both hands. That being said, most potions are only useful in combat, so you can opt to drink a potion just before a battle if you; 1) won initiative and want to forfeit your very rst attack to drink a potion, 2) want to give up a ranged attack as long as you yourself are not being attacked, 3) are about to perform a Sneak Attack and would like to drink a potion before making the Surprise roll for the monster. Restorative potions, for healing and recovering lost ability points, have immediate effects when taken. Below are the types of restorative potions that you could nd in this adventure:

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Potion of Healing: Restores 1d6+3 hit points. Potion of Extra Healing: Restores 3d6+9 hit points. Potion of Restoration: Restores all damaged abilities to their full value. Other types of potions grant magical abilities for a limited time. It isn’t realistic to try to measure the exact length of time for which these effects will last, but you can use this general rule for a potion that you took just before getting into combat: Once taken, a potion’s effects will last for the rst battle, and possibly for additional ghts after that, but you must Roll for Duration to check. After every subsequent battle, usually when you turn to a new paragraph, roll 1d6 to see if the potion is still in effect. Roll for Duration After the rst ght, if you roll a 1 on 1d6 then the potion has already worn off. If you rolled a 2 or higher then you are still benetting from whatever bonuses the potion gave you. If you roll a 2 or less after the second subsequent battle then the potion has worn off, otherwise it could wear off on a roll of 3 or less after the third subsequent ght and so on. As you can see, only a very lucky character will manage to benet from a potion after the fth subsequent ght, where it will wear off on a roll of 5 or less, and no potion will still be in effect by the end of the sixth subsequent battle. Keep in mind that if you ever drink a new potion of any kind before a previous potion has worn off then the previous potion will end immediately as the new potion takes effect, and all potions wear off after a period of extended rest. The following potions with durations may be found during your adventure: Potion of Fire Resistance: Makes you immune to normal re and take only half damage from magical re. Potion of Giant Strength: Grants +5 to hit and damage with melee and thrown weapons. Potion of Heroism: Grants +2 to hit and damage with all weapons. Potion of Invulnerability: Grants you +2 to your armor class and allows you to ignore the rst 4 hit points of damage -xi-



delivered to you by any non-magical weapon or attack. Potion of Regeneration: Allows you to recover 3 hit points every melee round, even if brought to zero hit points. Potion of Speed: Gives you twice as many attacks per round in combat, which also means that you will get twice as many ranged attacks before an opponent closes in for melee combat.

LEVEL UP At certain places in your adventure you will level up. You start the adventure as a level 1 character, giving you full hit points (10 plus any Constitution modier) and a Base Attack of +1 to all of your attacks. Every time you advance a level you increase your Base Attack by 1, so it is equal to your level, and roll 1d10 and add that amount to your hit points, plus any Constitution modier. Using the Character Sheet This example shows how to use the character sheet as you progress through your adventure. The character Ricochet has made it to 2nd level, and as a result his Base Attack was raised to +2 and 1d10 was rolled for his new hit points. I only rolled a 4 to add to his beginning 10 hit points, and Ricochet only has average Constitution which doesn’t give him a hit point bonus when leveling up, so he now has 14 hit points. The Initiative bonus is only based on Ricochet’s Dex bonus, so that stays the same. Ricochet has found some good items so far in his adventure and also has some decent armor. His Dex bonus, armor and shield bonuses give him a total AC of 17 when added to the base 10 AC, which is pretty good. He also has a small assortment of weapons now, plus a Belt of Battle which gives him +1 to his attack bonus and +1 to any damage he delivers with a weapon. There are now a few bonus numbers to add up whenever using a weapon in a ght, so to simplify the combat process you can add them all up with the weapon itself. Right now, Ricochet gets +2 with any attack (Base Attack), an additional +1 from the belt, and these bonuses add to all of his attacks. For his ranged weapon (the crossbow or a thrown weapon) he adds his +2 Dex bonus for a total of +5 to hit. He gets +1 from his strength which -xii-



adds up to +4 for any melee weapon attacks. How you record a weapon’s damage is straightforward, but the damage bonus added to the weapon’s die roll is another adding game. All of the weapons benet from the belt’s +1 bonus, and all of the me lee weapons add Ricochet’s Strength bonus as well. The broadsword also has the option of being wielded with two hands, giving it another possible +1 damage bonus for +3 total. Since you lose you shield AC bonus when doing this, lowering Ricochet’s AC to 15, you won’t want to do it all the time and the damage bonus is written +2/+3 to remind you that the option is there.

Potions are recorded separately since they are expendable, and there is a counter to help you keep track of potion duration. Ricochet has already used his Potion of Healing, and is in the process of using a Potion of Heroism. After the second ght it is still active, but you don’t need to change the info on your weapons chart since it’s a temporary bonus. Just remember to add the +2 to your attack and damage rolls until the potion wears off. You can also see that Ricochet has managed to boost the Dwarves’ morale by 1 so far, bringing it up to 2. This number will change a lot throughout your adventure as you complete quests and help the Dwarves, but how you chose to record it is up to you. -xiii-



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CODEX Dwarven Numerals (also known as Roman Numerals) Dwarves still use the age-old method of representing numerical values with letters, but there are only 7 specic numbers, each represented by their own letter, from which all the other Dwarven Numerals are formed: I=1 V = 5 X = 10 L = 50 C = 100 D = 500 M = 1000 To create any other numerical values you will need to com bine two or more of these letters and add them together. For example, number 2 is II (1+1=2), 3 is III (1+1+1=3), but 4 is represented by IV. Dwarves consider placing four of the same symbol in a row to be unmanageable, so the number 4 is created by placing I in front of V and subtracting 1 from 5, which equals 4. This same pattern is followed with all Dwarven Numerals; numerical values are written from highest to lowest and then added together: CLXVIII = 168 (100+50+10+5+1+1+1). A lower number is only placed in front of a higher number when it is to be subtracted from the larger number in front of it, like IV (4), and only to prevent four of the same numeral appearing one after the other. Thus, instead of VIIII representing 9, it is shown as IX (1 subtracted from 10), XL=40, XC=90, and so on. Just remember that any numerals following the subtraction are then added: XCVII=97 (10 subtracted from 100, then add 5+1+1). It can be a little confusing, but once Dwarves nd a way of doing something it is very difcult for them to change their ways. It should also be noted that, being natural engineers, Dwarves were very keen on geometry. They were particularly fond of squares and the four compass ‘corners’ (North, South, East and West), and they were also fascinated with the geometry of the circle, specically how they are divided into 360 degrees. -I-



Dwarven Battle Dice After many centuries of battle training and combat practices, and when one can no longer improve on their techniques of weapon smithing and armour forging, elderly Dwarves take to drinking the nest of Dwarven meads and playing Dwarven Battle Dice to while away their spare time. The exact origin of the game is written somewhere in the middle of a very long scroll that sits in the library of histories, but it is generally agreed that the game was invented as a means for the ‘mature’ Dwarf to relax and unwind after dealing with younger Dwarves all day. Both players have a pair of six-sided dice marked with battlement defences, another pair marked with attacking forces, and one standard six-sided die for keeping track of their six hit points which they each start out with. Both players repeatedly roll their offensive and defensive dice at the same time and pit their attacks against each other’s defences to try to reduce each other’s hit points. The player to be the rst to reduce his oppo nent to zero hit points is the winner. Defensive Die Results Wall – The Wall blocks a regular Ballista but falls to the Axe, nor can it block the boulder. Tower – The Tower is higher and stronger than the Wall and blocks the Axe, the regular Ballista and the Boulder. Also, if you roll a Tower in conjunction with a Ballista, the attack is automatically promoted to a raised Ballista enabling you to attack over your opponent’s Wall and Tower. Keep in mind that only one Ballista will t on one Tower. Moat – A Moat sits in front of your Wall and Tower, effectively blocking Axe attacks from reaching your other defences, but it cannot block regular Ballista or Boulder attacks. The wide Moat (a double Moat) can block your opponent’s Axe, Boulder and regular Ballista but a raised Ballista may still attack over it.

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Shield – A Shield protects you and will reduce any damage that you have taken by 1 point. The Shield does not protect your defences in any way and thus cannot keep a Wall or Tower from receiving damage and falling. Offensive Die Results Generally, all base attacks deliver 1 point of damage, but not all attacks can damage battlements. Axe – Damage from one Axe can take down one opponent’s Wall but does no hit point damage to the opponent in that same attack unless combined with the Horn. However, a second Axe rolled in the same round could then deliver 1 hit point of damage to your opponent. The Axe cannot cross a Moat, nor can it damage a Tower. Ballista – A Ballista (hereafter referred to as a regular Ballista) can attack across a Moat to deliver 1 hit point of damage to your opponent. It cannot attack over your opponent’s Wall or Tower unless raised up on one of your own Towers (hereafter referred to as a Raised Ballista). Boulder – The Boulder is designed to be launched over your opponent’s Moat and/or Wall to deliver 1 hit point of damage. A Boulder does not destroy any defences, nor can it go over a Tower or be raised off of the ground like the Ballista. Horn – When you roll a Battle Horn in conjunction with another attack it adds force to that attack as follows: one Axe may take down one Wall and deliver one hit point of damage or take down one Tower but deal no hit point of damage to your opponent. A Boulder can be launched normally to deliver 2 points of damage or it may go over a Tower or double Moat and do 1 point of damage. A regular or raised Ballista can deliver 2 points of damage when it would normally do 1 point or attack across a double Moat for 1 point of dam-III-



age. Since the Horn itself is not a weapon on its own and must be combined with another attack to be fully effective, rolling a double Horn results in the player having no attacks that round. Explanation of Play The basic idea of the game is that both players are sitting across from each other, attacking with their forces while being protected by a length of various battlements. Each roll of the dice represents the battle that is being fought at one particular place along the battlements in that round. The many different combinations of offenses vs. defences will result in one, both or neither of the players receiving damage. While each player is initially protected by two battlements in each round, their arrangement will determine how effective they are against attacks. For example, if you roll the defences Wall and Tower, and your opponent rolls the attacks of two Boulders, both Boulders may attack over your one Wall, but both boulders would be completely ineffective against a Moat & Tower combo. Double attacks are not combined as one forceful attack but are treated as two separate attacks. Thus, a double Axe would take down one of your opponent’s Walls and then deliver 1 point of damage through the breach, but it won’t take down your opponent’s Tower as if you had a Horn & Axe combo. Random Event Die A random event die may be used by one or both of the players to make the game more interesting. This extra die is rolled each round along with the player’s offense and defence dice, with the resulting event being added into play. Some of the event’s affect only the roller of the die and some affect both players in that round. Recover – The roller gets 1 hit point back at the beginning of the round before any attacks are made. Morale – This event acts as both the Horn and Shield bonus for the roller. It can be very potent (and often fatal for the roller’s opponent), if combined with another Horn and a successful attack.

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Disaster – Each player loses 1 hit point at the beginning of the round before any attacks are made. This damage cannot be blocked by any means but it can be effectively negated by the other player (for themselves only) if they roll the Recover event in the same round. Dice Freeze – This unusual event affects both players if only one Random Event Die is being used in the game, but if both players are using one then only the roller is affected. When this event is rolled, all affected dice remain the same for the next round. Chaos – When this event is rolled the players switch die rolls for the round. That is, the round is played out as if the players had each other’s dice, including the Random Event Die if a second one is in play. When the round is over, the dice are ‘returned’ to their players for the next round. Blank – This is simply a blank face on the die, resulting in no random events from this die for that round. Certain Random Event Dice have an Element of Power in place of the blank face, granting the player considerable bonuses for the round that it is rolled. Ice – Ice acts as an additional defence for each Wall and Tower initially rolled, allowing them to resist 1 extra point of damage before falling. Thus it would take two Axes or an Axe & Horn combo to knock down one Wall yet still deliver no damage to the player. Similarly, a Shield with the Ice event prevents 2 points of damage. Your Moat, however, will be frozen over by this event and rendered useless for this round. Offenses only gain a partial bonus from Ice; attacks do not do any extra damage against battlements, but any attacks that hit a player do an extra 1 point of damage.

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Fire – Fire enshrouds your defences with the following effects; Walls and Towers cannot be touched by the Axe; the Fire Moat destroys all Ballista attacks that cross it; a Fire Shield cannot be touched by the Axe and it destroys all Ballista attacks that hit it. The Axe, Ballista and Boulder with the Fire event all attack normally but deal 1 extra point of damage to the player, but not to battlements. Thunderbolt – Your offenses and defences are empowered with the forces of lightning and thunder. Any Axe attacks made against your defences will affect them normally, but the attack die or dice used to strike down the Wall or Tower will be stunned for the next round, making them unusable. Your opponent will only be able to roll their defence dice for the following round, plus any attack dice that did not come into contact with your battlements. Any of your offenses empowered by the Thunderbolt deal 1 extra point of damage to the player. While the Thunderbolt event will not allow your attacks to bring down battlements any easier, those that do fall are stunned for the next round and cannot be rolled by your opponent, which means that unless they manage to roll a Moat on the next round (presuming that your opponent gets to roll a defensive die at all) they will have a breach for you to attack through. Mountain – This Elemental Power gives your offenses and defences the might of a mountain fortress. All mountainside battlements are raised up and inaccessible to attacks as if they had a moat in front of them, plus they are stronger and resist one extra point of damage before falling, including the Shield. All attacks are considered to be combined with the Horn, and both the Ballista and Boulder are considered to be raised even if you have no Towers. This is the only instance when a Boulder can be raised to attack over Towers and Wide Moats. Dice with the Mountain event ignore the stunning effect of the Thunderbolt, but you will still receive extra damage from a Thunderbolt attack if it breaches your defences. -VI-



Hammer – The power of the Hammer is versatility. Any of your Walls are immediately upgraded to Towers, and those Towers can withstand an extra point of damage before falling. Additionally, any Boulders can be upgraded to Ballistae, and all Ballistae and Axes do an additional point of damage. Mithryl – Mithryl, represented by the anvil, makes your Walls and Towers impregnable, but the Ballista and Boulder can still go over them as they normally would. A Mithryl Shield prevents you from taking any damage from any attack. All Mithryl offenses are considered to be combined with the Horn and the Ballista will also ignore the Fire event. You are unaffected by the Disaster event when you roll the Elemental Power of Mithryl. This is the only time when damage can be avoided from the Disaster event. The History of the Dice Traditionally, all Dwarves made their own set of four dice from hewn cubes of common stone. Size of the cubes varied slightly between each Dwarf, and stone type and colour differed, but the placement of the carved symbols was standard and unchanging with any set. It wasn’t until the introduction of the original Event die that higher standards came into play. It was then deemed that if a player wanted to use an Event die in conjunction with his other four dice, all ve dice had to be carved from the exact same type of stone, making them a matching set, and that’s when making a set of Dwarven Battle Dice became an art form. The skill of dice carving grew over the decades, with more care being taken to engrave the symbols and nish the stone, but it was the introduction of the Element of Power that changed everything. Nobody remembers who made the rst ‘ofcial’ set, with an Element of Power on the Event die in place of the blank face, but everybody remembers that it was made of polished black granite with red glazed symbols to match the power

-VII-



face of Fire. It is said that the game wasn’t played for an entire week after that while every Dwarf went about to create a new set of dice for themselves that would outdo all others. The results were spectacular; gleaming white marble dice with inlaid gold symbols; black onyx with silver inlay; semi-precious gemstone dice of all sorts inlaid with every type of metal imaginable. Every set was an heirloom masterpiece to be handed down for generations. Since the Century Siege, however, few complete sets have sur vived. These dice have been scattered throughout the ruined city and are coveted more than the most precious gem. Finding one masterpiece die is considered good fortune, but to collect an entire set is considered to be the accomplishment of a lifetime. Most game players have a favorite container to hold their die collection, typically composed of a mix of the various individual dice that has been collected over the years. Accomplished players will usually put together a few complete ‘lesser’ sets during their gaming career, composed of four standard dice carved from a common stone; truly accomplished players will have also obtained the accompanying Event die which usually has a blank sixth side. Few have ever found an Event die with an Element of Power face, and to collect a complete set is rarely heard of. While some players may only want a quick game of dice consisting of just one battle, the standard Dwarven method of play is the Battle Campaign, where each battle is only a single round in a series of games between two opponents. At the end of each battle round the hit point counters are reset, except the loser must start with one less hit point than what he had previous. Thus, after the very rst round in a Battle Campaign, the win ner of that round starts the next with 6 hit points, but the loser only starts with 5 hit points. When they lose again they will only start the next round with 4 hit points, and so on. This applies to both opponents, and rolling Recover cannot heal a player up past their new starting hit points. The Battle Campaign continues until one player loses after starting the round with only 1 hit point. Traditionally, gamers play by the unwritten code of Victor Takes Choice; the winner of a game of Dwarven Battle Dice gets -VIII-



to choose one die from his opponent’s collection. The only true rule for this selection process is that a complete set may not be broken up except to complete the victor’s set. So no matter how nice your opponent’s polished blue quartz set is, you cannot take one of them unless it completes your own polished blue quartz set. With younger players, it is probably best if both players set aside the winner’s trophy before the game is played. Agreeing on the dice that each player is willing to part with, and feels is a worthy prize, can help to avoid conict at the end of a long battle. Sometimes a few common dice can be used as a prize in place of one that is more difcult to nd if it will help an opponent build a complete set. Known Dice Sets The following is a catalogue of the known Dwarven Battle Dice sets that have been collected thus far, along with the Elemental Glyph of Power, if any, that is found on the Random Event die. Each set is indicated whether it is common (C), difcult to nd (D) or a rare mastercrafted set (M). BOULDER CHIP (C): Brown stone with white runes. Element: None. MUDSTONE (C): Brown stone with black runes. Element: None. SLATE (C): Gray stone with black runes. Element: None. FERRIS (C): Gray iron ore with rust colored runes. Element: None. C AVE R OCK (C): Beige stone with black runes. Element: None. M ARBLE (C): White stone with brown runes. Element: None. FROST QUARTZ (D): Light blue stone with white runes. Element: Ice. FLAME STONE (D): Red stone with yellow runes. Element: Fire. SHOCK SHALE (D): Black stone with yellow runes. Element: Lightning. MOUNTAIN J ADE (D): Green jade with silver runes. Element: Mountain. OBSIDIAN (M): Black stone with silver runes. Element: Hammer MITHRYL (M): Gray mithryl ore with silver runes. Element: Mithryl.

-IX-



Treasures of the City While the Dwarven city is bound to hold countless treasures and wondrous items, these are a few of the treasures that you could come across while adventuring in the Lost City of the Dwarves, keeping in mind that only the most pursuant of ad venturers has a chance to nd all of them. A MULET

OF THE

A POTHECARY : Usually a simple necklace with a single, rune-carved, golden crystal, these one-use magical amulets have the power to bestow upon you the effects as if you had used any basic potion of your choice; Extra Healing, Heroism, Invulnerability, Restoration or Speed. Another advantage of this item is that it can be used instantaneously in battle.

A XE OF CRIPPLING (1d6): While this large throwing axe can be used in melee battle, its enchantments are geared for a ranged attack. When thrown, the axe never misses unless you roll a 1 and it reduces the opponent’s initiative and attack rolls by 2. If a natural 20 is rolled for the attack then the opponent is also stunned for one round, being unable to attack or defend itself until the next round of combat.

-X-



BELT OF B ATTLE: This wide, leather belt is studded with Bluesteel rivets and nished with a large, Bluesteel axe head buckle. The belt’s enchantment raises your ATTACK and DAMAGE by 1 when worn, and the buckle has an extra bonus; it doubles as a grip-blade. The axe head slips out from the buckle and can be wielded in close combat, brass-knuckle style, for 1d4 damage. BLADE R UNNER G AUNTLETS: These grey leather gloves with Bluesteel bindings grant the wearer the dual-wielding ability, allowing you to ght with two melee weapons; a medium weapon, up to 1d8+1 damage, and a light weapon, up to 1d6+1 damage. When using a one-handed blade in each hand you can ght two opponents simultaneously or get two attacks on one opponent, keeping in mind that different weapons may do different damage and grant different bonuses per attack. Additionally, the wearer gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage with each strike when using two weapons. BROACH OF INSIGHT: This jewelled brooch increases your perception and awareness so that you only fail a Surprise check on a roll of 1 and you also receive +1 to your armor class.

-XI-



D WARVEN A RMOR : This special Dwarven Mail is a combination of Mithryl chain and Bluesteel plate armour, making it intricate and durable. Dwarven Mail gives you a +5 armor class bonus, plus it allows you to reduce the damage from any attack by 1. Thus, an attack that only deals 1 damage to you is completely ignored when wearing this armor. D WARVEN GRENADE: One of the few “new” items that can be found in the Dwarven city, these metal cylinders are an innovation of the clockwork mechanism and alchemy. Being a non-magical item, these grenades are viewed with mixed feelings amongst the Dwarven population when compared to the reliable rune crafting technique.

The process of winding the internal mechanism and then pulling the lock pin causes the two ingredients, stored separately at each end, to be collected into the central tube. At the end of this collecting cycle the ingredients are mixed together with a sudden ‘snap’ operation that results in a volatile explosion. Tossing a grenade is considered a Ranged Attack and can be done whenever you have the option of using a bow or crossbow. Due to the sequence needed to arm and throw a grenade only one may be used before an enemy closes in for Battle. A successful attack against AC 12 indicates that as many as six opponents receive 6 -XII-



points of damage from the blast. For every 1 that you roll above AC 12 on your attack roll, 1 extra point of damage is done to your enemies, to a maximum of 6 extra damage, so a total attack roll of 17 with a grenade delivers 5 extra points of damage. Rolling under AC 12 results in less damage AND fewer opponents affected by the grenade blast. For every 1 that you roll under AC 12 on your attack roll, 1 less opponent is affected and the blast does 1 less damage, so a total attack roll of 10 would reduce the damage to 4 and only up to 4 enemies will be caught in the blast, while an attack roll of 6 results in no enemies being damaged. Rolling a natural 1 indicates that the grenade was faulty and detonates immediately, delivering 1d6+6 damage to you! ELVEN CLOAK OF LONGEVITY : Golden thread has been used to weave Elven runes of health all along the hem of this white, hooded cloak. While you wear the Elven Cloak, you are immune to all forms of poison or disease, and after a full night of rest you will regain all lost hit points and ability score damage. ELVEN CROWNS: These two slender, metal bands are so well crafted that they look as if they were woven from vines of gold and silver. Wearing the crown allows you to see everything around you clearly, even in the complete absence of light.

ELVEN BROADHEAD A RROWS: These exceptional +1 arrows have been crafted specically to be shot from magical Elven bows. Any of these arrows, when drawn from an Elven quiver and shot from an enchanted Elven bow, will magically return to their quiver when their ight has ended. Even if an arrow is broken or damaged upon impact it will instantly appear back in the quiver, fully intact and ready again for use. The wide, crescentshaped arrowheads also grant one other bonus. If these arrows are used in a successful Sneak Attack against man-sized creatures or smaller, the attack will deal triple damage. -XIII-



FINE D WARVEN MEAD: Usually found in pintsized crystal carafes that are covered with a gold foil seal, drinking this legendary beverage has incredible recuperative effects. Not only will one pint restore 3 hit points but any damaged abilities will also be restored by 1 point each.

FLAMING A RROWS: Nothing more than regular arrows sitting in an oil-soaked rag, they will ignite when touched to any re source. Once lit, these arrows deliver an extra 1 point of damage.

FOLDED BLADE (1d8): A masterfully crafted Dwarven broadsword that is lighter than their usual weapons of choice. This has been accomplished by folding Mithryl with Bluesteel during the forging process, creating a light yet strong blade. Though not magical, the sword’s perfect balance grants you a +1 to attack whenever you use it in battle. FURNACE BRACERS: These black, metal armbands with a hammered texture are each set with a large, round gem that appears to icker like a red hot coal. On command, any weapon that you are holding will be coated in magical ames that do not damage your weapon but do an extra 1d6 points of damage to your enemies. This magical -XIV-



ame damage does not stack with a weapon that is already am ing, such as a burning arrow. Your shield will also be coated in ame, dealing 1d6 points of damage to anything that strikes you in Battle. For obvious reasons it is nearly impossible to make Sneak Attacks when these bracers are ignited. G ARDEN NECTAR : A potent, viscous liquid that will restore 6 hit points and 2 points to any damaged ability scores. This rare liquid is always stored in a decorative vial made of chitin, which is the same material that bug exoskeletons are made of. JOURNEYMAN SHIELD: This is the basic yet well made & balanced Dwarven shield used by all new recruits. When used in battle you can face three enemies at once without suffering a penalty to your armor class. Many a new Dwarven soldier have survived battles thanks to this essential piece of military gear. THE L ADY ’S GRACE: While not an actual item, this powerful enchantment will be placed upon your weapon of choice at a certain point in the adventure. The purity of this magic will keep certain creatures of darkness at bay and deal an additional 3 points of damage to them when struck with your weapon in battle. Additionally, the Lady’s Grace grants you one ‘oating’ point to use in combat each round. This +1 bonus point may be added to either attack or damage, against any creature, and it may be used differently each round as long as the weapon is on your person. You do not need to be using the weapon to gain this special +1 bonus, you only need to have the weapon with you.

LEGEND BLADE (1d10): This large sword has an ageless quality about it yet looks as if it has seen many battles. The true origin of the Legend Blades is unknown, but is generally attributed to the collaboration of a Dwarven and Elven weaponsmith. It is said that no two Legend Blades are alike, and range from axes to daggers to swords of all sizes. What each one does have in com-

-XV-



mon is a +2 enchantment, and that once a day it can bestow the effects of a Potion of Extra Healing or a Potion of Restoration upon the wielder. LIGHTNING R UNE: This artefact will give you the option of making a Lightning Strike with an Elven Broadhead arrow. While not quite the ability to hurl lightning bolts, this will be one of the most powerful attacks that you will gain. To make a Lightning Strike you must rst successfully hit your oppo nent with the Ranged Attack, applying damage from the attack normally, after which you roll an additional 2d6 of lightning damage. This is how many points of additional damage will be delivered to your opponent and up to six other creatures around him, friend or foe. Due to the widespread effects of this attack, a Lightning Strike can only be used when your enemies are a safe distance from yourself or any of your allies. POTION OF THE BERSERKER : This potent elixir taps into warrior’s adrenalin, temporarily turning them into a ghting machine. Not only will it restore all of your hit points, but for the duration of one Battle you gain the benets of a Potion of Heroism and a Potion of Speed. Remember that these bonuses will only last for one entire Battle, so it is best used wisely.

PSION STONES: These rare gemstones are cut and polished by the Dwarves to bring out their mystic potential. They are always found attached to some sort of band, usually leather, that can be wrapped around the head, neck or arms, though a few are made to be wrapped around the handle of a weapon. The effects of a Psion stone are permanent as long as the item is worn, but a person may only wear up to three stones at one time or have two stones on one weapon at a time. -XVI-



QUICK DRAW (1d8): This +1 enchanted Elven bow is made from rare Spiritwood and inlaid with Mithryl runes. The bow’s most distinguishing feature, from where it gets its name, is that it grants the user one free shot at the beginning of every Battle or wave of enemies (but not every combat round) before regular ranged combat takes place. R ING OF PROSPERITY : Looking like it has been woven from gold and silver cords, this ring bestows a dual effect on its wearer. Whenever you restore your hit points any damaged abilities also get restored by 1 point each. SHIELD OF THE CLAN F ATHERS: A perfect example of Dwarven craftsmanship at its nest, this +2 metal shield is crafted with runes and gives you a total +4 AC bonus when used in battle. SILVER SHORTSWORD (1d6+1): This light sword, made from a Silver-Mithryl alloy, has been crafted with such precision that the blade maintains its razor sharp edge without enchantments.

-XVII-



Random Treasure Table Use this table when you have found some random treasure or when you are able to barter with some of the Dwarves. Roll once on the rst table, and if you roll a 10 then you have the option of having the Amulet of the Apothecary or rolling on the next table for a Psion Stone. When bartering with Dwarves at the encampment you may trade one of your special items or potions. You will be told how many Dwarves you can choose to trade with, based on a d6 roll, and see what each one has just as if you were rolling for random treasure. After reviewing what each Dwarf has you can decide if you want to trade items with them or not.

Roll 1d10 1 - Potion of Healing 2 - Potion of Extra Healing 3 - Potion of Restoration 4 - Potion of Fire Resistance 5 - Potion of Giant Strength 6 - Potion of Heroism 7 - Potion of Invulnerability 8 - Potion of Regeneration 9 - Potion of Speed 0 - Amulet of Apothecary or roll on Psion Stone table below.

-XVIII-



Psion Stone found Roll 1d20 1-2 +5 hit points - personal 3-4 +1 armor class - personal 5-6 +1 attack - weapon 7-8 +1 damage - weapon 9-10 +1 initiative - personal 11-12 +1 Strength - personal 13-14 +1 Dexterity - personal 15-16 +1 Constitution - personal 17 Maximize health (healing aids restore maximum hit points) - personal 18 Combat Regeneration (heal 1 hit point/melee round in com bat only) - personal 19 Fate stone – exchange any d20 roll for a natural 20 1/day personal 20 Damage Resistance (ignore 1 hit point of damage from all attacks) - personal

-XIX-




Notes

-XXII-



W ORD PUZZLES On the next pages are various word puzzles that will help to build your vocabulary, which is your knowledge of the words that you use every day. Think of your vocabulary as your language tool box. With a basic tool box, such as a hammer, an adjustable wrench and a multi-bit screwdriver, you can pretty much get all of the simple jobs done to get you through life, but doing anything else is difcult, if not impossible, not to mention very frustrating. Hav ing a small vocabulary does the same thing. Increasing your word knowledge allows you to communicate better with more people, and makes it a lot easier. It also allows you to enjoy more interesting books when you can understand the broad and diverse vocabulary. By solving these word puzzles and unscrambling the clues, you will be rewarded with an item that will help you through the Lost City of the Dwarves, and you can solve them at any time. It’s up to you whether you get them all done before starting the adventure, to better equip your character from the get go, or wait until your are in a tight spot and could use an extra item to help you along. The main thing is that you enjoy the puzzles, learn some new words, and get a little reward along the way. How you go about it is completely up to you.

-XXIII-



D WARVEN CROSSWORD PUZZLE I

You have found a special storage room while exploring the Lost City of the Dwarves, but it’s locked! In order to get past the door you must rst solve this crossword puzzle. All of the answers are words that can be found while reading this book, but if you need extra help then you can look at the Word Search word list at the back of this book.

-XXIV-



ACROSS 1 A building used for growing plants. 4 The main tool for a blacksmith. 5 A large castle gate that is raised and lowered. 6 A heavy iron block. 7 A term used to describe items that have been made or built. 9 An old word for ‘glasses’. 11 A blacksmith’s furnace. 12 A settlement that is usually temporary. 13 The title of someone who makes and sells medicines. 17 The opposite of “gigantic”. 19 Something the Dwarves drink out of. 20 What a bug’s ‘armour’ is made of. 21 Armoured bands worn on the forearm.

DOWN 2 Beneath the ground. 3 To glow dimly in the dark. 8 Suggesting something without actually saying it. 10 A large, old book. 14 When someone is very happy or excited. 15 Where a large amount of water is stored. 16 A customer at a tavern can be called this. 17 To be inactive for a long time. 18 A container made of glass or crystal. When you have completed the crossword puzzle, take all of the letters within the circles and rearrange them below to spell out the paragraph you can turn to for your reward.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ -XXV-



D WARVEN CROSSWORD PUZZLE II

You have found a special storage room while exploring the Lost City of the Dwarves, but it’s locked! In order to get past the door you must rst solve this crossword puzzle. All of the answers are words that can be found while reading this book, but if you need extra help then you can look at the Word Search word list at the back of this book.

-XXVI-



ACROSS 3 A type of room. 4 A brick of metal. 5 A sign or warning. 7 A sword with a wide blade. 11 A type of paper. 12 Someone who is the opposite of loyal. 13 Overtaken by vermin. 15 A miner’s main tool. 17 A measurement of food. 18 To have magical properties. 21 Poison produced by an animal or creature.

DOWN 1 A large population. 2 A mechanical bolt launcher. 3 A large group, usually of one or more families. 6 Flower juice. 7 A fearsome and crazed warrior. 8 A place where protective gear is made or stored. 9 Run-down or falling apart. 10 A time span of 100 years. 14 To take over a city or stronghold. 16 A book of instructions. 19 A wide gap in the ground. 20 Found in the earth’s veins.

When you have completed the crossword puzzle, take all of the letters within the circles and rearrange them below to spell out the paragraph you can turn to for your reward.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ -XXVII-


W ORD SCRAMBLE Unscramble the words, then arrange the boxed letters to nd your reward! The Word Search words on the next page may help.

rtnadom rmyroa gitno tnnoai eefsindt ccstaeslpe rhanmpcte frceaa

_ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _  _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _  _

 - 

piideadladt _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ nctsyveoraor _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  roe _ _  liiocmtipna _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ roowcssb _ _ _ _ _ _ _  bechram _  _ _ _ _ _ atbnoircifa  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ neom _ _  _ nrtoap _ _ _ _  _ ivlan _ _ _  _ tacisetc _ _ _  _ _ _ _ evonm  _ _ _ _ rfgoe _ _ _  _   -  -XXVIII-



lcna memhra aternc tmoe adatkrn rkeeersrb miuitdevin polsurlitc endacetnh vresoierr cneetapmnm

_ _ _   _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _

 

sdrrowobad kciaxpe orethyapac mousnlui esrbcra tirorta oanstri nmuala runteyc esgei iichnt

_ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _

  -  -XXIX-



W ORD SEARCH I There are no rewards for nishing this puzzle, other than the satisfaction of a job well done!

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Lost City of the Dwarves Codex

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