[Let's Play] D&D Solo Module XS2: Thunderdelve Mountain

[Beroli]

You settle your compact dwarf frame into a comfortable chair and kick your booted feet up on the table. Closing your weary eyes, you tip the chair back and let the warm smells of the inn drift over you. The last copper in your purse was just exchanged for a frugal meal, and you are wondering how to remedy your poverty, when you feel a tug at your bootstrap. You slowly open one eye and glare at the young boy perched nervously at your side.

"Excuse me, please," he whispers. "There's a dwarf gentleman in the back room who has asked to speak with you."

"What about?" you ask suspiciously.

"I don't know," the boy stammers, "but he told me if I didn't bring you he'd boil me for a pudding."

"Any other message?" you ask, closing your eye.

"He said it paid well."

You sit up and take your feet off the table. You didn't know there were any more dwarves in this area. You heard that the last was driven out years ago from a nearby ruin called Rumble Bell. Their clan was supposed to be extinct. Never one to let ignorance stand in your way, you rise to your feet and follow the boy into a small room. The boy leaves quickly, closing the door. The room is lit only by the flames in the fireplace. A boiling pot of beef hangs over the fire, filling the room with its rich aroma. Some broth boils over and, with a hiss, steams on the logs. Seated at the table before you is an ancient dwarf. His shiny black eyes are locked on you as he clenches his hands, then releases them. He motions you to a chair with a nod of his head. He opens his mouth to speak, and you notice that several of his old teeth have been replaced with gold.

"I've heard rumors," he says, "that you are a worthy fighter." You shrug your shoulders. He chuckles. "Good, you're tight-mouthed. My name is Nimron. I'm the Clanmaster of the dwarves in these parts."

"I didn't think there were any," you state bluntly.

"Oh, yes," he says, "though not as many as once. And the rest have been reduced to poverty. But once we were prosperous, and our goods were well-known throughout the world." His voice falls to a whisper. "Fifty years ago I was master of the richest dwarves in the realm. Long did we and our ancestors prosper in our home of Thunderdelve. The upper mansions were beautiful indeed and were called, in our tongue, the Halls of Paradise."

"Paradise," you sneer. "There's no such place. It's a legend taught me at my mother's beard."

"Legend!" snaps Nimron. "Speak not to me of legends! No, my young ignorant, Paradise is real enough. Our mansions were famed for their beauty and industry, and still they lie at Thunderdelve beneath the mountain outside this very town. There lie our mines and Forge. There rots our art and craft, all that is our love for home and stone. There indeed waits our paradise. Speak not to me of empty legends; I have walked within the reality."

"If it's so real, then why is it spoken of only as a pixy tale for young dwarves?"

Nimron's eyes flare up, then sink down to stare at the table before him. "My mines became the breeding ground for a hideous fyrsnaca, the giant flame serpents of the earth's heart. Whether it came by chance or was maliciously directed by an evil wizard I justly cheated, I do not know. Surely, though, its cunning and fury were well-planned. In sudden onslaught, the fyrsnaca ate the barracks, the Keeper's home, and much of my suite. It erupted from the mines, burying our forge, devouring the very stone of Thunderdelve, breathing fire, slaying my people, destroying Paradise."

He sits silently for a moment, then looks back at you. "In our panic, no proper defense was made. Nor was it possible! The fyrsnaca attacked, then burrowed back into the rock, then rose and attacked again! I barely escaped by secret stairs, the Keeper's babe in my arms, the fyrsnaca's fiery breath at our back. My own wife and children were lost."

"What became of them and the Keeper, I do not know. Every rescue party I sent failed to return. At last I could spare no more of our pitiful remnant. I raised the Keeper's babe as my own, training her for the day when revenge would ripen into action. She is Grona Marblefist, the Champion, hereditary Keeper of the Forge of Thunderdelve. Now she has ventured into the halls of Thunderdelve, and she too has failed. She is a captive. I ask you to bring her back."

He closes his eyes, bringing his hands up to his face and pressing his head against them. It seems at first that he is in danger of being overcome by grief, but you quickly notice that grief is not the emotion he is struggling against. He is doing his best to contain an anger that has been festering inside him for fifty years. Slowly, he lowers his hands and turns to stare into the fire. In a low voice, he resumes speaking.

"Several years back, the bandit, Redface, and his men took up residence in our outer halls. Somehow they have avoided the fyrsnaca's wrath. I ask you to rescue Grona from them. I do not ask you to drive the bandits out, just return Grona. All I require is Grona! You may keep any treasure that you find."

Nimron pulls a valuable ring from his finger and hands it to you without looking. "This ring I give you," he says. "It will outline all the secret ways of Paradise with a witchfire, allowing you freer passage." He pulls a small piece of leather from his pocket. "Here, too, is a rough map of Paradise. It will give you a general idea of your location. I believe that Grona is held in the servants' quarter."

Nimron turns back to you and smiles. "Surely this is a simple matter for one such as yourself?" You smile and nod. Nimron sighs. "I am glad you consent. It is unwise to venture beyond the bandits' confines. I am certain the rest of Thunderdelve is filled with evil beyond your ken. It is most important that you bring Grona back safely. Do not attempt more."

He gives you a bag of 100 gp and tells you of a secret door that will take you into the back halls of Paradise if the front gate is impassable. A strange gleam comes into his eye as he leans toward you. "If you fail to return with Grona," he whispers, "more than your own life is forfeit."

"I'll get her," you mutter as you grab the gold and ragged map from the table. You leave Nimron's dusky room and go to the stable where you have been making your bed. You pick up your few belongings, don your harness, and head off toward the mountain outside of town. A short march brings you to the main gates of Thunderdelve, the entrance to the Halls of Paradise.

Character specifics and rules will follow.

[JourneymanN00b]

I actually took a look at a couple of reviews that did not have any spoilers, and the consensus seems to be that a party of multiple characters might work better than a solo player for this adventure. Do you plan to create multiple characters or one character?

[Beroli]

No, going by the book for this one.

[Beroli]

For once, you actually have limited lives. That is.

There are six characters you can play. When one dies or is lost, you take over another, in one of two ways which you'll be voting on. If all six die or are lost, the Let's Play ends in failure.

Option One: Darow Blackaxe
Level 9 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 17 (+2 to hit)
Intelligence 6 (-1 to Intelligence checks)
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 13 (+1 to each hit die)
Charisma 10
Armor Class: 4 (chain and shield)
Will hit a -7 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 3
Hit Points: 54/54
Alignment: Neutral

Option Two: Ondrin Silverheart
Level 7 Dwarf
Gender: Female
Strength 11
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 18 (-3 Armor Class bonus)
Constitution 14 (+1 to each hit die)
Charisma 11
Armor Class: 1 (chain and shield, Dexterity bonus)
Will hit a -5 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 5
Hit Points: 42/42
Alignment: Neutral
Potion of Strength

Option Three: Goin Cleftfist
Level 7 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 12
Intelligence 16 (+2 to Intelligence checks)
Wisdom 12
Dexterity 16 (-2 Armor Class bonus)
Constitution 13 (+1 to each hit die)
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 2 (chain and shield, Dexterity bonus)
Will hit a -6 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 4
Hit Points: 35
Alignment: Neutral
Axe +1

Option Four: Delfi Ironboot
Level 8 Dwarf
Gender: Female
Strength 16 (+2 to hit)
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 11
Dexterity 5 (+2 Armor Class penalty)
Constitution 17 (+2 to each hit die)
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 5 (chain and magic shield, Dexterity penalty)
Will hit a -7 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 3
Hit Points: 61
Alignment: Neutral
Shield +1

Option Five: Nara Crystalmace
Level 7 Dwarf
Gender: Female
Strength 14 (+1 to hit)
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 11
Dexterity 13 (-1 Armor Class bonus)
Constitution 10
Charisma 13 (+1 Charisma check bonus)
Armor Class: 3 (chain and shield and Dexterity bonus)
Will hit a -7 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 3
Hit Points: 35
Alignment: Lawful
Mace +1, +2 vs. undead

Option Six: Nanli Fullbrow
Level 8 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 12
Intelligence 11
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 10
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 4 (chain and shield)
Will hit a -8 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 2
Hit Points: 40
Alignment: Lawful
Sword +3, Dagger +1

If your current character dies or is lost, then you vote on which character to bring next, and either:

A) Most of the dead character's possessions and money cease to exist, unretrievable. All Special Items begin on the new character by some handwaved method. (This is the default given in the module.)
B) All the dead character's possessions and money, including Special Items, remain where they died. If the new character can deal with whatever killed them, they can retrieve them.

You will not level during the course of the adventure. Victories in battle, and a few other things, will give you a final score.

So, please vote on which character to begin with and which continuation method to use. If you have any questions about the relevant D&D/module-specific rules, feel free to ask them.

[Thaluikhain]

Method B in case of dying looks good to me.

Is this using ancient D&D rules where you had "dwarf" instead of a class? And the ones that aren't specified to have fancy magic gear, do they start off with any weapons?

[Darth Rabbitt]

Go with option 6 for that +3 sword. This is old school so there are monsters flat out immune to damage from less than +3 weapons. The slight boosts in AC and HP some of the others have are irrelevant compared to that.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote for method A and Nanli Fullbrow as our starting character.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Oh, right. I prefer method b for dead characters.

[Beroli]

Your class is Dwarf, yes. Everyone who does not have a magical weapon listed has a nonmagical warhammer. Everyone has a backpack, a tinderbox (although you have infravision, letting you see heat and cold in the darkness), iron spikes, and one large empty sack.

Keeping voting open a little longer in light of the questions asked.

[Thaluikhain]

I notice that if we got for option B, then it makes sense to me to have the characters with fancy magic items go first, so if they die their stuff can be retrieved by people relying on higher stats, which can't really happen the other way around.

So, yeah Option Six: Nanli Fullbrow makes sense to me.

[Beroli]

Background/rule information:

Your final score will be calculated by:
1 point for each gold piece of treasure value you have at the end (which you did not have at the beginning, e.g., the +3 sword will not count here).
100 points for each box filled in on Victory Record (after each fight you will fill in 1 to 5 boxes, usually 1 with 5 being reserved for the most significant or difficult battles).
20 points for each room or hall mapped. (I will give you the images you can use to make a map, but unless someone uses them, you still will not have one.)
-1500 points for each character who is lost by any method other than being killed in combat.
-2500 points for each character who is killed in combat.

This is the map Nimron gave you at the start:

Nimron's Map.PNG (218.48 KiB) Viewed 2112 times

You may find writing in dwarven runes, as you may have already noticed exists on the map. This is the translation key:

Runic Alphabet.PNG (73.49 KiB) Viewed 2112 times

Any healing potions you find, you can drink at any time you are not in combat.
If you use a Scroll of Protection from Undead, any undead creatures you are facing will flee the room you are facing them in. You may proceed as if you had defeated them, but you do not get points for defeating them, and if you come back to that room they will have returned to it.
Any other potions and scrolls you find, you can use at the beginning of a combat only, and their duration will always be exactly equal to the length of the combat. If you dispatch a single bandit in one round, or fight an army of goblins for 50 rounds, either way the Potion of Heroism you choose to drink at the beginning will remain in effect for the entire combat and no longer be in effect one second later.
If you find a Ring of Regeneration, you will heal one hit point of damage per entry read after that, as long as that damage was not caused by fire. The ring will never heal damage caused by fire. A healing potion will heal the most recently suffered damage, which may or may not be caused by fire.

Character Sheet:
Nanli Fullbrow
Level 8 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 12
Intelligence 11
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 10
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 4 (chain and shield)
Main weapon: Sword +3. Will hit a -8 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 2
Damage: 1d8+3
Hit Points: 40/40
Alignment: Lawful
Sword +3, Dagger +1, Backpack, Tinderbox, Iron Spikes, Large Sack
Coinage: 50 gold
Languages: Common, Dwarf, Gnome, Goblin, Kobold
Infravision
Detection of Traps and Stone Construction
Saving Throws:
Poison or Death Ray 4 (must roll a 4 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Magic Wands 5 (must roll a 5 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Paralysis or Petrification 6 (must roll a 6 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Dragon Breath 7 (must roll a 7 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Rod, Staff, or Spell 8 (must roll an 8 or better on 1d20 to succeed)

You may retreat from combat any time that I do not specifically say you cannot. Each enemy you are fighting gets a single attack at +4 to hit as you run. If you come back to that room they will still be there.

Initiative: At the beginning of each individual round of combat, I will roll 1d2. On a 2, you go first; on a 1, you go last.

[Beroli]

You follow the now broken track that leads away from the main road, toward the mountain. It is untended and covered with debris and growth. Around you are the sounds of the forest animals, but little else. As you near the mountain, you leave the track and press on through the undergrowth, always being sure to keep the track within sight. At last you find yourself in a small valley nestled between two of the mountain's spurs. The air around you vibrates with deep echoes of some soundless vibration within the rocks at your feet. The sound is not like that of thunder, but there is still an aptness to the name Thunderdelve, for the atmosphere is filled with the tension one feels after the lightning strikes and before the thunder voices itself.

Set back into a cliffside, under an overhanging ledge, is a large set of thick doors—the front gates of Thunderdelve. Behind them lie the upper halls of Paradise. They are indeed substantial, made of ironwood and bound with rusting iron. Intricate grooves running across the doors mark where they were at one time filigreed with silver or gold, but vandals have dug out the precious metals long ago. A rusting portcullis hangs partway in front of the doors. A tangled web of vegetation and rotting debris blocks most of the gateway, but a path has been cleared to the left-hand door. It stands ajar.

Creep closer to the door?
Look for the secret entrance Nimron told you about?

Map Segment 1.PNG (3.92 KiB) Viewed 2112 times

Character Sheet:
Nanli Fullbrow
Level 8 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 12
Intelligence 11
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 10
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 4 (chain and shield)
Main weapon: Sword +3. Will hit a -8 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 2
Damage: 1d8+3
Hit Points: 40/40
Alignment: Lawful
Sword +3, Dagger +1, Backpack, Tinderbox, Iron Spikes, Large Sack
Coinage: 100 gold
Languages: Common, Dwarf, Gnome, Goblin, Kobold
Infravision
Detection of Traps and Stone Construction
Saving Throws:
Poison or Death Ray 4 (must roll a 4 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Magic Wands 5 (must roll a 5 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Paralysis or Petrification 6 (must roll a 6 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Dragon Breath 7 (must roll a 7 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Rod, Staff, or Spell 8 (must roll an 8 or better on 1d20 to succeed)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to look for the secret entrance.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, look for secret thingy.

[Beroli]

You skirt the mountain and find the small waterfall. Following his directions, you creep underneath the overhanging ledge, so that you are between the waterfall and the mountainside. The ring on your finger tingles and you see witchfire outline a secret door in the rock. You open it and creep inside.

You are at the top of a short flight of rough hewn steps. It is dark, but you can tell that the cuts in the stone are fresh. Water is dripping, and some of the steps look slippery.

Head down the steps?
Go back to the front entrance?

Character Sheet:
Nanli Fullbrow
Level 8 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 12
Intelligence 11
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 10
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 4 (chain and shield)
Main weapon: Sword +3. Will hit a -8 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 2
Damage: 1d8+3
Hit Points: 40/40
Alignment: Lawful
Sword +3, Dagger +1, Backpack, Tinderbox, Iron Spikes, Large Sack
Coinage: 100 gold
Languages: Common, Dwarf, Gnome, Goblin, Kobold
Infravision
Detection of Traps and Stone Construction
Saving Throws:
Poison or Death Ray 4 (must roll a 4 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Magic Wands 5 (must roll a 5 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Paralysis or Petrification 6 (must roll a 6 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Dragon Breath 7 (must roll a 7 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Rod, Staff, or Spell 8 (must roll an 8 or better on 1d20 to succeed)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head down the steps.

[Thaluikhain]

Steps.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Head down the steps.

[Beroli]

You proceed carefully on the dark, slippery stairs, your infravision used to full capacity. Make a Dexterity check; a 1 succeeds.

You nearly slip on the slimy steps, but catch yourself.

Map Segment 159.PNG (1.36 KiB) Viewed 2085 times

You are in a small dusty room. There is no sign of life. Your ring outlines a secret door on the west. A set of rough stairs leads up. Some of the steps look wet and slippery.

(The module offers you the option to go right back up the stairs, but you don't take it. You instead open the secret door and go through it.)

Map Segment 154.PNG (1.2 KiB) Viewed 2085 times

You find yourself in a bedroom. On the northern wall is a canopied bed draped in silk and satin, layered with pillows. On the south wall is a cot covered with fur throws.

Investigate this room?
Leave it by the west door?
Go back through the secret door and up the stairs to the front entrance?

Character Sheet:
Nanli Fullbrow
Level 8 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 12
Intelligence 11
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 10
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 4 (chain and shield)
Main weapon: Sword +3. Will hit a -8 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 2
Damage: 1d8+3
Hit Points: 40/40
Alignment: Lawful
Sword +3, Dagger +1, Backpack, Tinderbox, Iron Spikes, Large Sack
Coinage: 100 gold
Languages: Common, Dwarf, Gnome, Goblin, Kobold
Infravision
Detection of Traps and Stone Construction
Saving Throws:
Poison or Death Ray 4 (must roll a 4 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Magic Wands 5 (must roll a 5 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Paralysis or Petrification 6 (must roll a 6 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Dragon Breath 7 (must roll a 7 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Rod, Staff, or Spell 8 (must roll an 8 or better on 1d20 to succeed)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to investigate this room.

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate

[Beroli]

You quickly look through the dirty furs but find nothing. If there is anything of value in this room it should be under the bed. However, you find nothing there or in the sidetable. You see that a section of the bed's carved headboard does not fit properly.

Inside the compartment is a small bag of 50 gp and a phial of red liquid labelled "Poison for sword." You may sip the liquid, put it on your sword, hold on to it for now, or leave it. Then you go through the west door.

Map Segment 149.PNG (1.45 KiB) Viewed 2076 times

As you enter this room, you notice that the northern half of the room is immaculate, decorated with fine silk and tasteful art. The southern half of the room is a shamble of ruined furniture and dirty rugs. Suddenly, one of the dirty rugs rears up on its hind legs. It is a black bear!

Back out of the room (which means going back to the front entrance)?
Fight?

Character Sheet:
Nanli Fullbrow
Level 8 Dwarf
Gender: Male
Strength 12
Intelligence 11
Wisdom 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 10
Charisma 9
Armor Class: 4 (chain and shield)
Main weapon: Sword +3. Will hit a -8 AC on a 20, will hit a 10 AC on a 2
Damage: 1d8+3
Hit Points: 40/40
Alignment: Lawful
Sword +3, Dagger +1, Backpack, Tinderbox, Iron Spikes, Large Sack, phial of red liquid labeled "Poison for sword."
Coinage: 100 gold
Languages: Common, Dwarf, Gnome, Goblin, Kobold
Infravision
Detection of Traps and Stone Construction
Saving Throws:
Poison or Death Ray 4 (must roll a 4 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Magic Wands 5 (must roll a 5 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Paralysis or Petrification 6 (must roll a 6 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Dragon Breath 7 (must roll a 7 or better on 1d20 to succeed)
Rod, Staff, or Spell 8 (must roll an 8 or better on 1d20 to succeed)

[Darth Rabbitt]

Hold on to the poison for now, and I’d fight the black bear. We have a decent AC and a really good magic weapon.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, may as well fight the bear.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to hold on to the poison and fight the black bear.