Solo Journal 1: The Isle of Dread

This time I continue my Quantum Dungeons playtest with the classic D&D module X1: The Isle of Dread.

Player Characters

Since Isle of Dread is written for characters of levels 3-7, I’m going to create new 5th level characters. Each human character has 5d6+Physical Stamina, 5 skill points, and 3 talents. Non-human characters have one less talent, but ancestry traits to fall back on.

Bertio’s Spells: Respite, Thunder Clap, Danger Sense, Mind Probe, Convalescence, Cure Poison.

Caredir’s Abilities: Advantage to Stealth in natural surroundings, night vision

Ernard’s Powers: breathe underwater, speak to sea creatures

Standard Pack: (-8 Slots) Backpack (+4), Bedroll (-1), Flint and Steel (-1) 2 Torches (-2), Hammer (-1) 12 Iron Spikes (-1), 20m Rope (-1), 5 days rations (-5).

Equipment:

• Andres: (14 Slots) Leather Armor (-1), Sword (-1), Shield (-1), Dagger (-1), Standard Pack (-8).
• Bertio: (12 Slots) Leather Armor (-1), Staff (-1), Dagger (-1), 3m pole (-1), Standard Pack (-8).
• Caredir: (12 Slots) Leather Armor (-1), Bow (-1), Quiver of 20 Arrows (-1), Machete (-1), Standard Pack (-8).
• Dai: (12 Slots) Leather Armor (-1), 3 Knives (-3), Standard Pack (-8).
• Ernard: (12 Slots) Leather Armor (-1), Long Spear (-1), Healer’s Kit (-1), Holy Symbol (-1) Standard Pack (-8).
• Fredo: (16 Slots) Chain Armor (-1 w/Armor Training), Shield (-1), 2 Warhammers (-2), 5 more days rations (-5), Standard Pack (-8).

Recurring NPCs

The crew of the merchant ship Fortune’s Favor. These stats may not be needed, but just in case …

Haroun’s Languages³: Trade Talk, Common (Human), Elvish, Thangiothan, …

Captain Gregory and his crew will not fight unless attacked.

Author’s Note

As stated previously in the Quantum Dungeons Preview series, when using modules I run solo games somewhat backwards: I play the Referee, and use ad hoc oracles to figure out what the characters would do absent my Referee knowledge.

Prologue

By happenstance our band of idiots heroes have found a log book by the late Rory Barbarosa, a well-known explorer who died 30 years before. It describes his journey along the Thanegioth Archipelago, and his subsequent discovery of a previously unknown “Isle of Dread”, as described by the friendly natives of Tanaroa, a village situated on a peninsula off the main island. The natives tell of an ancient city and creatures “beyond imagining” at the center of the island, as well as a black pearl (“of the gods”). The Tanaroans have idols of forged iron, which they currently lack the knowledge to produce.

Ernard, a priest of Leviathan, uses his influence to convince a merchant captain to carry our heroes to Tanaroa and the “Isle of Dread”. The journey passes through rough seas, but after several stops along the Archipelago the ship finally reaches Tanaroa and the “Isle of Dread”.

The Isle of Dread

The ship negotiates the reefs (black squiggles on the map) and pulls up on the southern coast of Tanaroa (narrowest point on the southeast peninsula off the main island).

The Fortune’s Favor weighs anchor just off the southern coast of Tanaroa. Captain Gregory, translator Haroun, the PCs, and four marines make the initial landing in a launch. As they reach shore the crew and passengers cannot help but notice the giant wall.

Quoting the text of “X1: Isle of Dread”:

Tanaroa stands in a clearing at the edge of the jungle, just south of a 50' high wall built of huge stone blocks. The wall stretches for two miles across the thin neck of land that joins the south-eastern peninsula with the main island. Evenly spaced along the wall are 28 square towers; each 100’ to a side and 70’ tall. In the center of the wall is a pair of massive wooden gates. Each gate has double doors that are 40’ wide, 40’ tall, and 5’ thick. Each gate can be barred with a heavy wooden beam.

[…] A cleared trail leads into the village from the south, winding through [Tanaroa] and continuing through the gates into the jungle beyond.

The Village of Tanaroa

Captain Gregory, Haroun, the four marines, and the PCs make their way to the village. Waiting to “greet” them are a dozen natives. After several tense moments Haroun, realizing their language is a variation on Thangiothan, explains that they are merchants from the mainland, bearing trade goods, accopanying “heroes” who wish to explore the island. At that tensions ease. It turns out that the council of village chiefs – all women, because Tanaroa and it six sister villages are matriarchies – desire trade with the mainland but lack the boats able to make the long and treacherous journey.

The rest of the villagers eventually warm to the charismatic Haroun, his impressive captain, and the player characters. They learn a lot about the village, which I won’t transcribe here. Read the original work for details.

After a few days of feasting and haggling, the player characters are itching to explore the Isle of Dread. While Captain Gregory continues his trade mission to the other six villages – Kirikura, Dawa, Mora, Panitube, Burowao, and Usi – the player characters reluctantly received permission to explore the rest of the island. The villagers cautiously open the great gates and let them step into the unknown.

Exploring the Island

According to the exploration rules in Quantum Dungeons, the party can explore 3 hexes of a trail or flat land (e.g. grasslands), 2 hexes of jungle a day, or one hex of hills or mountains a day.

According to the module, I should roll for “wandering monsters” twice a day, once during the day and once at night.

So, on their initial foray, the PCs find a trail and follow it.

First Day

The party sights two Giant Elk. Desiring neither venison nor trouble, the party simply lets them pass by.

First Night

While camping for the night, the third watch (Andres and Bertio) sight two giant spiders with odd humps on their backs. Seeing only two humanoids, the pair decide to attack.

Aranea #1 spells: Charm Person, Sleep

Aranea #2 spells: Fear, Choking Grip

Initiative

Round 1:

• Andres (7)
• The Araneas (7)
• Bertio (6)

Round 2+:

• Caredir (9)
• Fredo (9)
• Dai (8)
• Andres (7)
• The Araneas (7)
• Bertio (6)
• Ernard (6)

Round 1

• Andres shouts and shakes the others awake.
• The two Araneas (Araneae?) move from Near to Close range.
  • Aranea 1 attacks Andres and hits, but Andres fends him off with his shield and Duelling skill.
  • Aranea 2 attacks Bertio and hits, and Bertio takes 3 points of damage and must save for poison, which he fails.
• Bertio casts Cure Poison on himself, scoring a natural 12 on the dice (plus his Lore of 3).

Round 2

• Caredir looses an arrow at Aranea #2, hitting and spending a Hero Point to do maximum damage (6)
• Fredo follows Caredir’s lead, but misses Aranea #2
• Dai throws a knife at Aranea #2, hitting for 3 points of damage.
• Andres strikes at Aranea #2, barely hitting and taking Arenea #2 out.
• Aranea #1 casts Sleep at Andres and Caredir, both of whom save.:
• Bertio strikes the remaining Aranea with his staff, narrowly missing.
• Ernard thrusts his long spear at Aranes #1, also missing.

Round 3

• Caredir looses a second arrow at Aranea #1, hitting for 3 damage.
• Fredo strikes at Aranea #1, barely missing.
• Dai stabs with his second knife, but misses.
• Andres strikes at the Aranea, hitting for 5 damage.
• Aranea #1 strikes back at Andres and hits. but Andrs barely parries it.
• Bertio strikes with his staff, still missing.
• Ernard strikes with his spear, missing.

Round 4

• Caredir looses a final arrow at Aranea #1, hitting for 6 damage and taking the creature out.

Triage

The Araneas are put out of their misery by Dai, who also retrieves his thrown knife. Caredir retrieves his arrows.

Bertio decides not to cast Respite on himself, and carries the lower stamina into the next day.

Second Day

The party sights another Giant Elk. Once again, they do not engage, and it passes them by.

Second Night

During the second watch (Andres and Caredir), Caredir spots a hunting party of seven Neanderthals coming their way.

According to the Basic Set (Moldvay, 1980):

[Neanderthals] are shy and will avoid humans, but are not usually hostile unless they are attacked.

Caradir is about to fire on them, when Andres stops him. Instead Andres shouts and brandishes his sword. The Neanderthals back off.

Third Day

On the morning of the third day the party finds a huge tar pit they estimate is about 30 km (18 mi) long and 10 km (6 mi) wide. However, they’re going to run out of rations, so they forgo exploring the tar pit and turn back.

As they’re exploring, they’re beset by six Phororhacoses (Phohorhaces?), big carnivorous flightless birds.

Initiative

• Fredo (13)
• Caredir (9)
• Bertio (9)
• Ernard (7)
• birds (7)
• Dai (6)
• Andres (6)

Round 1

• Fredo holds his action until the birds come into hammer range
• Caredir looses an arrow, hitting the first bird for 3 points of damage.
• Bertio casts Thunderclap in the midst of the birds: each must throw Physical 8+ or be deafened and take 1d6 damage. All but the last bird make their saving throw; the last bird takes 6 points of damage.
• Ernard sets his spear against the charging birds; the Referee rules that he can do 1d6A damage against a charging bird … if he hits.
• The birds come into range:
  • Fredo swings and connects with the first bird, doing 3 points of damage.
  • Ernard’s spear hits the sixth bird, doing 3 points of damage.
• The birds attack:
  • #1 attacks Ernard, and does 5 points of damage
  • #2 attacks Andres, but Andres parries.
  • #3 attacks Bertio, and does 3 points of damage.
  • #4 attacks Caradir, and Caradir fails to duck, taking 3 points of damage.
  • #5 attacks Dai, and does 4 points of damage.
  • #6 attacks Fredo, who barely paries the creature’s beak.
• Dai stabs at his bird, but misses.
• Andres scores a Critical Success against Bird #6, for 6 points of damage, which downs it.

Round 2

• Fredo shifts his attention to Bird #1 and hits, doing 5 points of damage. It is also down.
• Caredir pulls his machete and strikes Bird #4, hitting for 3 points of damage.
• Bertio strikes Bird #3 with his staff, hitting for 3 points of damage.
• Ernard stabs with his spear, but misses.
• The birds, seeing two of their number fall, decide that there’s easier prey elsewhere, and flee.

Triage

No player characters are wounded. They all recover their stamina with ten minutes of rest.

Two Sword Beaks are dead, the others fled.

Third Night

On the first watch, Andres and Fredo sight a Sabre Tooth Tiger. By brandishing burning torches and shouting, they scare it off. Otherwise the night is peaceful.

Fourth Day

Caradir spots six Rock Baboons. The party decides to hide and let them pass by.

Fourth Night

Near dawn the party is surprised by a Megatherium (giant sloth) lumbering toward them. Like the Sabre Tooth Tiger the night before, they manage to chase the lumbering herbivore away.

Fifth Day

Caradir spots three Cave Bears crossing their path. The two groups eye each other warily but the bears continue on their journey.

Fifth Night

A startled Giant Elk leaps over the party’s camp, missing the fire and narrowly missing Andres.

Return

On the sixth day they return to the Wall, and after some communication difficulties they’re let back inside the wall. Clearly exploring the whole island will need a true expedition: bearers with food supplies for weeks, base camps, maybe supply lines …

Next Time

Quantum Dungeons seems to be back-burnered in favor of a sword-and-sorcery version of the Faster Than Light: Nomad core rules, so I’ll put a pin in this and try some real solo gaming: one NPC and a randomly generated adventure. Details TBD.