TSR 9467 - Cities of Bone, RPG, D&D
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]Campaign Guide
Contents
Credits
Introduction, 2
How to Use Cities of Bone, 3
Written by Steve Kurtz
Edited by Sue Weinlein
Project Coordination by Andria Hayday
Cover Art by Roger Loveless
Interior Art by Karl Waller
Cartography by David C. Sutherland III
Graphics Coordination by Sarah Feggestad
Art Coordination by Peggy Cooper
Typesetting by Nancy J. Kerkstra
Electronic Prepress Coordination by Tim Coumbe
Playtesting and Review by Zaribels Few
(Karen The Pure Kurtz, Tamiko The Cursed
Toland, Marketa The Pragmatist Aschenbrenner,
Peter The Necromancer Schmidt, Manish The
Gambler Kothari, Jesse The Incapacitated Sands),
Wolfgang The Incomparable Baur, Megan Brutman,
Michele Carter, Brent Christensen, Steve Clark,
Jay Fisher, David Gross, Chris Hines, Jon Jolivet,
Kate Monger, Doug and Georgia Stewart,
Bill Slavicsek, and George Strayton.
Chapter 1: Forbidding Tombs, 5
Perils of Plundering the Dead, 5
Crypt and Tomb Dressings, 7
Chapter 2: City of Eternity, 8
History of Sokkar, 9
The Necropolis of Sokkar, 10
Chapter 3: City of the Dead, 12
Arrival of the Necromancers, 13
Two Heirlooms of Ysawis, 13
The Ruined Kingdoms, 15
Ysawis, City of the Dead, 16
Jade Palace of the Necromancers, 18
Sidebar: Improved Skull Watch, 18
Sidebar: Dreambliss, 22
Chapter 4: City of the Sun, 26
Treasures of Moradask, 27
The Haunted Lands, 28
Moradask, City of the Sun, 30
The Catacombs, 31
Special Thanks to Karen Kurtz and Tamiko Toland for
thrashing through the first draft on such short notice.
Thanks also to Steve Winter, for exposing the author
to the most disturbing horror/fantasy he has read in
recent memory.
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ISBN: 1-56076-847-9
9467XXX1901
Introduction
They beheld beneath them a city, never saw eyes a greater or a goodlier, with
dwellings and mansions of towering height. It was a city with gates impregnable;
but void and still, without cheering inhabitant. The owl hooted in its quarters; the
bird skimmed, circling, over its squares; and the raven croaked in its great
thoroughfares, weeping and bewailing the dwellers who erst made it their dwelling.
Tale of the City of Brass, from the Arabian Nights
S
hifting sands conceal much from the eyes of man. Winds howling
across the rolling dunes peel back the veil of time to reveal aeonic
ruins or crumbling tombs, long preserved by a shroud of sand. Wrecked
and forbidding, monoliths command attention in many unpredictable locales.
The remnants of antique civilizations litter the Land of Fate, where time-rav-
aged towers and decaying shrines hide in the arid wastes. I am but a humble
efreeti, a creature of fire and spirit, but what little I know of these places of
danger and mystery I pass on to you, O Master of Dungeons Unfathomable.
Inside this enchanted box lies my gift to you: an Adventure Book holding
six plots of deception and many creatures of intrigue with which to challenge
and entertain the players under your care; six cards and a poster, all inscribed
with carefully drawn maps; and a short booklet detailing new characters to
encounter. This Campaign Guide lying open before you contains background
needed to lead the adventures in the official Land of Fate setting.
A powerful shair once commanded me to guard the treasures in this box
from other mortals, but he has passed from the world of the living. Newly
freed, I long to return to the warm embrace of the Haunted Lands where I
once resided. My former master will not mind if I share this wealth of lore
with one as worthy as you. You can, most assuredly, believe me when I
whisper to you of the unimaginable wealth just waiting to be claimed by
those who venture into these long-forgotten capitals. Imagine-nothing at
all stands between the deserving and the riches of the ancients! Would I-a
mild, modest efreetilead you into danger most foul? Not I!
Now I must leave you to ponder this treasure in the privacy of your own
divan. May the Loregiver cause the winds to hasten your journey!
Kharau of the Elemental Plane of Fire
2
How to Use Cities of Bone
A
This is not to say that western Zakhara has no
ruins worth exploring. Indeed, the first three short
adventures take place in the vicinity of the Pearl
Cities. Rather than centering on ancient cities,
however, these scenarios involve crypts, tombs,
dungeons, and ruined palaces. Again, do not hesitate
to relocate these short quests to fit your campaign;
Suitable Donations, The Treasure Pit, and The
Genies Terror can fit within most settings with
minimal effort.
The remaining three adventures take place in
forgotten cities in the Haunted Lands and the Ruined
Kingdoms. The Shattered Statue brings the party to
Sokkar, a vast cemetery ruled by rom and surrounded
by an eternally raging sandstorm. In Court of the
Necromancers, the group travels to Ysawis, a city of
undead ruled by decadent sorcerers who came there
searching for a powerful artifact buried somewhere
near the palace. During the last adventure, Idolatry,
the party visits Moradask, an abandoned city built over
catacombs and filled with living idols and the treasures
of their doomed civilization.
ncient ruins lie scattered everywhere in the Land
of Fate: on uncharted islands, in the arid depths
of the desert anvils, and at the heart of verdant
jungles. The six scenarios in Cities of Bone are intended
to serve as stand-alone adventures for a night or two of
play, but several can be combined, if desired, for longer
sessions. The adventures appear in the 64-page
Adventure Book in order of increasing difficulty. The
first three are suitable for lst- to 4th-level player
characters (PCs), while the last three call for 5th- to
10th-level PCs.
Most of the adventures have been given concrete
locations in Zakhara (although as the Dungeon Master,
you can adjust their locales to make them more
convenient to your own campaign). Half the scenarios
take place in the eastern portion of the Land of Fate,
where the continents truly antique civilizations arose
ages ago. Western Zakhara is not as old; the Pearl Cities
are in the early stages of infancy compared to the
venerable, wicked citadel of Kadarasto, for instance.
3
Maps, Cards, and the NPC Booklet
All maps for the adventures in Cities of Bone appear
on the color poster and six loose cards. The poster
map features the Jade Palace, a setting in the fifth
adventure, Court of the Necromancers. You may
show this map to players. (Cover up player-sensitive
portions of the poster map until adventurers discover
the areas in question.) The numbered cards contain
maps needed to run the other adventures. You may
show most full-color card fronts to your players, but
the back sides are for your eyes only. Card 6 is the
only card whose color front you may not show your
players, as this reproduction of the Jace Palace
contains DM-only information which is missing from
the poster. Note that some adventures requiring more
than one map have drawings on several cards.
The eight-page booklet contains descriptions for
important nonplayer characters (NPCs). As with most
of the map cards, the artwork in the NPC booklet
should be shown to the players to help bring the
characters to life. Dont hesitate to use the art from the
Adventure Book and Campaign Guide as additional
visual aids.
The Campaign Guide
You should finish reading this entire book before
beginning the Adventure Book, as the Campaign Guide
contains important background you will need to run
the adventures in the official Land of Fate setting.
Since the players will be exploring ancient crypts and
catacombs, the first chapter discusses the hidden
dangers of plundering the dead. The remaining
chapters of the Campaign Guide describe Sokkar,
Ysawis, and Moradask; your players will visit and
explore each of these cities during the final chapters of
the Adventure Book. (The first three adventures are
rather short; all necessary background for their more
generic locations is included within the Adventure
Book.) Feel free to use the information in this
Campaign Guide to write additional scenarios set in the
three detailed cities.
Other Resources
Cities of Bone assumes that the DM has access to the
A
DVANCED
D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
® 2nd Edition
Players Handbook, Tome of Magic, D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
®
Guide, Monstrous Manual (or M
ONSTROUS
C
OMPENDIUM
® Volumes 1 and 2), the A
L
-Q
ADIM
®
appendix to the M
ONSTROUS
C
OMPENDIUM
(MC13),
and the A
L
-Q
ADIM
Arabian Adventures rulebook. The
Land of Fate boxed set is recommended but not
required to run the adventures.
Unless otherwise noted, the spells cited in Cities of
Bone are described in the Players Handbook or Arabian
Adventures. An asterisk (*) indicates that the spell or
magical item can be found in the Tome of Magic. A
dagger () designates a magical item detailed in the
Land of Fate boxed set. If you do not own this title,
substitute an appropriate, similar magical item from
the D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
Guide.
4
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