8/13/2019 Dungeon Starter - Precipice

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gendaMake the world fantasticFill the characters lives with adventurePlay to find out what happens

QuestionsBesides all the dungeons, what surprised you about your

first glimpse of the valley?

You brought something all the other adventurers in thebooming town of Highstone should covet: what is it?

How are you amusing yourselves until you can procure aan Imperial Writ of Plunder to enter the valley?

Theres a shortage of everything in Highstone: what twocrucial things are you just going to have to do without?

In your preparations, what did you learn is in the valleythat you havent told your companions about?

Who is your guild contact here, and how are yousupposed to recognize them?

What did you just do to make that arrogant Imperialsatrap challenge you to a duel?

ImpressionsA band of adventurers flush with plundered riches.A valley goblin diplomat and her entourage.The constant buzz of voices, punctuated by laughter,

screams, and the ring of steel.

A vice-clerk of the Great Guild with a proposition.A famous adventurer and hero to all walks among you.The shimmering tower of an ancient holdfast beckoning

from the valley floor.A long line of smelly adventurers, waiting to buy a legal

Writ of Plunder from the Great Guild.

Roads overflowing with scum, filth, and muck.

Passionate promises and perfumed scarves dropped fromsecond-floor windows.A weary-eyed chirurgeon, overwhelmed by the constant

flood of the wounded and sick.

A wizened goblin matriarch, her body dyed many colors.

A shanty-town of tents on precarious terraces.Haggard guardsmen, torn between three hues-and-cries.Townsfolk reduced to beggary by rampant inflationA strange beast disgorged from one of the dungeons

thunders through the valley.

A skinny lad in ill-fitting armor seeking adventure.Unruly patrons at the only inn, laughing and brawling.A man fleeing and a guildsagents close behind.

An old man exhausted from dispensing cryptic quests.A vicious dispute over the last 10-foot pole in Highstone.

GoalsEstablish details, describeUse what they give youAsk questionsLeave blanksLook for interesting factsHelp the players understand the movesGive each character a chance to shineIntroduce NPCsFill out your worksheet

Dungeon MovesChange the environment

Point to a looming threatIntroduce a new faction or type of creatureUse a threat from an existing faction or type of creatureMake them backtrackPresent riches at a pricePresent a challenge to one of the characters

Custom MovesWhen you Parley with the a representative of the Great

Guild, roll+10S OF COINS OFFERED. They are impressed bygold, not your so-called charm.

When you spout a useful piece of lore to another

adventurer about the valley or something in it , it countsas leverage if you spin a tale too interesting to be denied.

When you go to buy supplies in Highstone, roll+CHA. Ona 10+, it costs double the usual price. On a 7-9, it can be

had, but only at a dear cost indeed.

When you try to act against the press of the crowd ,roll+LEVEL. On a 10+, make way for the hero! On a 7-9,choose 1:

You are stymied by gawkers.

You get through, but someone purloined a souvenir.On a 6-, just who do you think you are?

When you seek to recruit hirelings in Highstone,

everyone knows what youre there for do not take +1 forsaying what youre setting out to do. But, you can also

prove that you have a real treasure map, take +1

speak to the old man at the inn, take +1

When you brazenly brawl in Highstones teemingstreets, roll+WIS. On a 10+, the ruckus is enjoyed by acircle of cheering on-lookers, and take +1 to your next CHAroll in town. On a 7-9, errant blows injure bystanders, and

take a -1 forward to Outstanding Warrants in Highstone. Ona 6-, you start a riot, ye villain! Take -1 ongoing toOutstanding Warrants in Highstone forever.

When you try to persuade the valley goblins that youcome in peace, roll+nothing. The reputation of greedyImperials precedes you. But if you can demonstrate that youreally did help to keep the status quo in the valley, roll+3.

PrecipiceA Dungeon Starter by Travis Scott

for Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebels

Dungeon Worldwww.dungeon-world.com

8/13/2019 Dungeon Starter - Precipice

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ThingsGoblin Haggis Ration, 1 Use, 2 WeightThis mad culinary alchemy is the philosophers stone ofthose with extremely rarefied palates. If poisonous seaurchins and gelatinous cube ambrosia are too pedestrian foryou, then seek this, a dish said to kill nine out of ten who

eat it. And no wonder! The ingredients include goblinstomach stuffed with cave mushrooms, goblin tripe, andnewborn death adders still in their slime. Few possess theculinary virtuosity to prepare it properly, and worse still, theingredients must be extremely fresh, as goblins putrefy at a

magnificent rate. But all this aside, surely some ghoulishgourmand would pay handsomely for a still-living goblin?

Hamas Ear Worn,0 WeightA cheap trinket worn and sold all over Highstone. Bits ofmetal and glass crudely formed into the shape of an ear,then worn about the neck or wrist as an amulet. They are

said to ward off evil magics, and cure disease, poison, badbreath, and hangovers.

Imperial Writ of Plunder 50 coins,0 WeightWhen Highstone and the valley were annexed by the

Emperor, the Great Guild feared that the gold and ancientmagics that adventurers brought back could destablize theEmpire. Imperial Legionnaires guard the pathways to thevalley, demanding to see a Writ for each party of would-betreasure-hunters. Unfortunately, only a handful of these

documents are issued at a time, which has resulted in noshortage of murders, forgeries, and other chaos.

Persimmons Guide to the Bold HeartedMundane, Slow, 2 Weight

In the preface to this immodest volume, Persimmon

declares that he was the first to brave the valley and each ofits dungeons. In truth, nearly all his maps and charts seemto be useless hogwash. Although a few stalwarts maintainthat the tome is cleverly enciphered, popular opinion turnedagainst Persimmon some years back, resulting in the

destruction by fire of most of the copies as well asPersimmon himself. Still, a literate person may find somehelpful hints in the guide. Consulting it allows him or her toroll +INT instead of +WIS while fulfilling a role during a

Perilous Journey in the valley.

Satraps Chop Touch, 1 WeightThe official seal of an Imperial satrap. Stamp anything with

it, and it carries the weight of the Emperor himself! Its alsonow technically owned by the Emperor himself.

MonstersValley GoblinsHorde, Small, Organized, Stealthy, IntelligentSpears and bows (d6) 3 HP 1 ArmorClose, Near, FarRare among greenskins, the valley goblins prefer peace

over savagery. The many clans form a tiny civilization thatemphasizes dialogue and maintains the balance among themonsters that inhabit their ancient home. But as diplomaticoptions between the goblins and Imperials begin to fail, thedays of wresting easy riches from the valley are numbered.

Instinct: to steward the valley.

Negotiate first.

Use cunning second.

Hold forth arms third.

The Beast of the Valley Solitary, Huge,Claws, horns, spines, & fangs (d10+3)20 HP 4 ArmorClose, +3 PiercingSpecial Quality: Rejuvenation

An ancient beast of legend haunts the valley below, its

claws enchanted so that whatever they destroy will neverfully repair. The goblins say it is some old god born here.Adventurers who have seen it say that it is fearsome and notto be crossed. Foolish satraps say its head would make the

finest of all trophies. The beast has dwelled here longbefore any other monster, for as long as it dies in the valley,the magics there will restore it..

Instinct: to stalk the valley forever.

Rend apart what can never be rejoined.

Reveal a shred of the ancient past.

Rise from death by the old magic of the valley.

Imperial Adventurers Group, Intelligent,(b[d6]) (Optional: Stealthy, Magical)Close (Optional: Reach, Near, Far) 6 HP 1 ArmorThe Empires adventurers, hearing word of the many

unexplored dungeons in the valley below, have flocked toHighstone. They are bold souls trained by any of themultitude of Imperial guilds, making every band of

plunderers uniqueeach boasts its own combination ofspells, cunning, and steel. But what they all share incommon is a predictable blend of greed, recklessness, and

arrogance.Instinct: to seek fortune and glory.

Plunder relentlessly.

Kill for sport.

[Write a move appropriate to your party ofadventurers]

The People of Highstone Horde, Organized, Intelligent

Kick, Punch, Lob Something (d4) 3 HP 0 Armor

CloseThe people of Highstone are tired of the crowding, tired of

Imperials, and tired of the trouble so-called adventurers are

bringing to their once peaceful village. They arent yet tired ofanybodys gold,however.Instinct: to make them pay.

Haggle over everything

Take care of their own

Guards! Guards!

Satrap Duelist Solitary, Intelligent

Masterful fencing (d8) 12 HP 2 ArmorClose, +2 Piercing

Most satraps are sybaritic layabouts, but a few, like this

one, apply themselves to diverting pursuits. Dueling hasenjoyed some popularity in the Empire this year, and morethan one petty satrap with more steel than sense has come toHighstone to demonstrate their refined education.Instinct:

to flaunt obvious superiority.

Take offense at the slightest provocation

Riposte with rapier wit (and a rapier)

Gloat from the high ground

Shriek for the personal guard