Now let us return to a time when three alignments were enough, when a handful of character classes ruled, and when magic swords had their own ideas about who's boss.
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TEMPLE OF THE BERSERKERS is the second official dungeon for our campaign. It is a nod to The Black God’s Kiss, by C.L Moore.
This is my modified version of the Temple of the Berserkers map & adventure by Tamás Kisbali of the Eldritch Fields blog. Tamás has kindly given me permission to share this on the blog. For the original version of this adventure, and many more adventures that I will definitely be using for future sessions- you can find them on the Eldritch Fields blog here:
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Note: I like working with simple frameworks. I don’t need backgrounds spanning centuries leading up to the adventure. Just give me some flavour, just enough to fire up the ol’ imagination, a map, and I will let my imagination squirt out the rest for better or worse.
My group had a particularly fun time with the Crown of the Undead Berserker King, the Undead Berserker Skin armor, which allowed them to move unnoticed by the undead, and the 7 Bandits (fake Undead Berserkers) encounters. Having exited the temple only to find a small army of Gnolls, the PC’s now plan on using the Crown to raise an army of Undead Berserkers to pit against the Gnolls.
Lets make running this dungeon simple. Grab OD&D (3LBB’s) or your clone of choice and have at it! For my games I use the following:
- d6 HD
- d6 Damage
- Every 1 gp spent = 1xp
- 100xp per monster HD
- Oh yeah encumbrance & lighting matters. No infravision for PC’s
INTRO
A band of fearsome Gnolls has been seen in the hills around the old Barrow Mounds of the Ancient Pict chieftains. Witnesses have reported that the Gnolls seem particularly interested in an Old Ruined Temple that is rumoured to hold the remains of a once great Berserker King and his warrior clansmen. The Cassandra Corporation is particularly interested in old legends pertaining to an unknown Occult magic item that was within the Berserker Kings possession. An arcane item that is believed to have allowed him control over the dead.
2 Giant Snakes wrapped around a thick pillar with an engraving. The magic word “YIG” charms the snakes for 1 turn.
2. Dust, spiderwebs, broken furniture. 14 Child-Faced Spiders.
3. THE GREAT HALL, lit by braziers in all 8 corners. 50’ ceiling. Pillars with names of ancient berserker kings.
4. 8’ wooden statues of the Great Mother (eyes: two 1,000 gp gems) and the Bull Father (gilded horns: 550 gp). Touching the statues at the same time grants Fighting-Men the power of an Undead Berserker for 2d6 turns.
5. 6 Undead Berserkers piling loot before Bull Father Statue (598 sp, 574 gp). Small glass hemisphere in the middle of the ceiling (see #39).
6. Small chest in gloomy corner, trapped with poison needle (600 sp, 20 gp, 500 gp ruby).
7. 3 Undead Berserkers led by Golbaz, 4th-level Fighting-Man (hammer encrusted with 100 gp quartz) debating tactics and getting ready to rid #8 of the Giant Ant infestation.
8. 24 Giant Ants, chewed-up furniture (101 sp).
9. Kain the Callous finishing Scroll of Levitate. Treasure in invisible chest (213 sp, 40 gp, Scroll of Detect Magic, Potion of Gaseous Form). Kain hates Zim the Thaumaturgist (#31).
10. Bo-Ganth, 4th-level Fighting-Man, recovering from injuries (unable to move, fights as 2nd-level).
11. Nerve gas comes up from the holes in the floor if the threshold is crossed.
12. Empty.
13. Secret door opens to three knocks.
14. ROOM OF CONTEMPLATION, all surfaces adorned with mandalas. Magic-Users and Clerics can meditate or pray to regain one cast spell, once per day, if so a strange vision occurs.
15. 11 Giant Centipedes.
16. GREATER SHRINE OF THE BLACK GOD. Undead-Berserkers never enter this room. Tapestries of foul patterns hide secret door to #17. 10’ tall jet-black statue of Nal’Goth, lord of Darkness, grasping a Sword +1 made of smoky black mercurial metal. Inscription on pedestal: “Only the sweetest shall claim this blade”. The sword can only be taken by offering a kiss…
17. 16 brains in jars set up on shelves, speak telepathically to characters of superior Intelligence. 3 can cast ESP. They want to be thrown into the Black Gate.
18. Empty.
19. 13 Pale Children (as Goblins), created by Zim the Thaumaturgist (in #31), still under his thrall (but the power is weakening).
20. Pile of lice-infected fancy clothes.
21. FOUNTAIN OF VARIANT SIZE: 1–3 shrinks, 4–6 enlarges the imbiber, by 50%. Can affect one person 6 times in total.
22. 8 Undead Berserkers in adorned alcoves, asleep & unmoving. Total of 222 sp, 160 gp hidden behind alcove panel.
23. 9 Gnolls, work for Undead Berserkers to erase a blood debt.
24. The passage widens, but the ceiling lowers to only 5’. Secret revolving door of slightly lighter stones.
25. Rugs made of gnoll skins cover the floor.
26. Empty.
27. ARCANE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVICES: haphazard pressing of buttons will 1–4 cause 1d6 damage in electric shock (x2 if the PC is in metallic armor), 5–6 open the secret door. Chamber “A” behind the secret door hides an important magic item (crown) that allows command over Undead Berserkers for 3d6 rounds.
28. Empty; traces of a large, heavy object dragged from #29 towards #31.
29. Strange Solid black mercurial doors that ripple.
30. LESSER SHRINE OF NAL’GOTH, 5’ tall statue of the same visage as in #16. Its sword is not detachable. Ritual offerings on small altar (39 gp, 500 gp emerald, ritual knife); if an offering is taken, Nal’Goth animates as living statue.
31. THE LAIR OF THE THAUMATURGIST. Doorknob searing hot to the touch (1 die of damage, on a 6 character loses all fingers).
Zim the Thaumaturgist dissecting a cadaver. 6 Pale Children (as Goblins), faithful servant to Zim, hiding in the cupboard. Concealed niche in west wall (2,400 sp, 1,500 gp, 1,000 gp medallion).
32. 8 Pale Children (as Goblins) stand on the stone benches around the room. They are in a trance, but snap out when the threshold is crossed.
33. Cistern of potable water.
34. Glowing orb levitates near door to #35.
35. Glowing top step of the dais teleports to a random room
36. 7 Bandits who fake being Undead Berserkers. The true Undead Berserkers ignore them.
37. 158 sp, 40 gp under creaking floorboard.
38. Tripwire in entrance-way rings a bell and alerts the Undead Berserkers in #39. Zims Food storage: 200 rations in total.
39. 4 Undead Berserkers sharpen bone blades on a pedal-driven rotating whetstone. 100 sp, 40 gp scattered on the ground. A velvet curtain covers a pit showing room #5 below, an eerie glow is cast upon Bull Father Statue & loot below.
40. Empty.
41. 8 Pale Teenagers (as Hobgoblins), who rebelled against their creator, Zim the Thaumaturgist (#31). Secret door hidden behind broken bookshelf.
42. All torches go out upon entering this TREASURE VAULT (allowing a glimpse at the riches within), and a Gray Ooze slithers out. The hoard contains 6,000 sp, 4,080 gp, 2 Potions of Invisibility, a Dagger +1, & the Drums of Panic.
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