Free the FlameGod - Dino Pirates of Ninja Island scenario

How this worksThis is a DINO-PIRATES OF NINJA ISLAND adventure for Old School Hack. If either of those terms confuse you, go to www.dino-pirates.com and see if that helps. In the meantime, print every page of this PDF except this one.

The first couple of pages can be read by (or to) all the players, so that everyone understands what this adventure is going to be about: stopping an Imperial sorcerer from dominating a volcano god. Theres also a little map just to give you an idea.

On the next page are a couple of tables: a list of possible adventuring goals the players may choose from if they like. Some of these are seeded with hints or clues that are picked up later in the adventure, others establish possibilities that are not elaborated on in any way. Feel free to do whatever you or your players like with these facts. You may find that some such element takes over the story and turns it quite inside-out. This is a good thing.

The other table is a list of random events that might happen in the course of the adventure. Whenever things are maybe getting slow, or o track, or whatever, encourage one of the players to roll a d12 and consult the chart.

licenseEverything in this document is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence, EXCEPT for the DINO-PIRATES OF NINJA ISLAND and Old School Hack names and logos.

Basic Game Adventure

After that page theres a quick outline of the adventure, followed by a set of Location Sheets you can use for quick reference at the game table. We dont provide any maps of these locations -- just draw your own! Old School Hack is all about sketching out quick maps at the table, so use the Location Sheets as inspiration and draw away!

At the very end theres a couple of detailed NPC sheets for the primary characters your party will likely interact with.

You can get more Location and NPC sheets at

www.dino-pirates.com

if you need them.

The residents of Tuloanga need help! Their volcano god, He-Who-Lives-Beneath, is a prisoner of a powerful renegade Imperial sorcerer named Chow Siu-Wai.

Tuloanga lies far from any trading routes, but the great volcano there is visible far o, and has long been the source of occasional ash clouds and firey explosions. Recently, however, the clouds and eruptions have become near-constant. Even far from Tuloanga, the fury of the volcano is interfering in daily life.

Rain falls thick with mud and evil-smelling gases. The island shakes and great waves come thundering into neighboring shores or even distant shores, washing away villages and seaside towns. Other volcanoes are beginning to grow restless as well as if other flame gods resent this interference with their brethren.

Whatever this sorcerers plans may be, he cannot be allowed to control this massive volcano.

A

Basic Game Adventure

A volcano controlled bya renegade Imperial sorcerer?

Obviously, this must be stopped.

Tuloanga

stone table mountain

he-who-lives-beneath

the village

off the shore

the dragons eye clan

a map of the island

The God Awakes!Every time Chow Siu-Wai gets what he

wants, everybody pays.Roll a d12 whenever things get dull:

1 - 6

7

8

9

10

Chow torments the god, who reacts with convulsions and tremors. Everyone make a Commitment check or use Focus to stay on their feet as the ground shakes and tilts.

The god attempts to drive Chow o with explosive gases. The air is enveloped in a thick choking fog. Cunning or Awareness check or take 1 point of damage.Cracks open up in the earth, dividing an arena in two, separated by a space that must be jumped over with a Brawn or Daring check.

Deafening thunder as the god roars its fury. Commitment check or unable to act this round.

11

12

Lava coming through! A fiery tongue of molten rock rushes between two arenas.

VOLCANO ERUPTS! He-Who-Lives-Beneath covers at least an entire arena in lava. Daring or Brawn check to leap free.

The god sleeps.

Players can roll or choose from the adventuring goals on the left (they dont have to, of course -- they can always make up their own), and use the chart below whenever things need a little shaking up.

adventure tablesAdventuring GoalsWhy are you determined tostop this crazed sorcerer?

Wherever theres Imperial sorcerers, theres trouble. Also, top-notch loot.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 You are from Tuloanga and will do anything to save your god from this Imperial swine.

The Eclipse Priest of Impsala was overheard talking about He-Who-Lives-Beneath in Vargas -- whatever the Impsalans are interested in needs to be investigated.

Master Nobitsuna of the Dragons Eye Clan has disappeared, leaving only the word Tuloanga carved on his cell wall.

You grew up with a rumour that your father was from Tuloanga. Could he be connected with this?

You are confident that your anti-sorcery device will work. This time.

Captain Saradon told you to go jump in a volcano. Wont he be surprised.

Your Prayer of Fire will at last prove its worth!

The Empire must not be allowed to interfere in the lives of the islanders! Freedom for the islands!

Your islands god was driven o by a rival shaman, and your village has never recovered. This must not happen again!

11

12 Every time you kill another Imperial sorcerer, a kitten gets its wings.

He can control a god? Youve gotta learn how to do that!

Stone Table Mountain is a flat-topped rise with a great view of He-Who-Lives-Beneath -- currently occupied by an Impsalan force, led by a fiendish priestess named Amari. These clowns are hoping to step in at a crucial moment in Chows ritual and steal He-Who-Lives-Beneath for their own purposes.

The only road to the top is opposite the village, but enterprising heroes could climb the side of the mountain and come upon the Impsalans unawares. Amari has a couple of pterodactyls at her command and if things get hot shell just jump aboard and fly to the volcano. Theres LOTS of soldiers here -- our heroes arent going to want to get into a straight-up fight, but if they do, they can get taken prisoner and brought to the volcano as sacrifices.

If you need a escape from one of the previous scenarios, or just want to vary up the story a bit, a crevasse opens up and our heroes are plunged into a fiery underworld. If they can make contact with He-Who-Lives-Beneath, he might help them, or even plead for their help and make promises, yada yada. If a hero dies, have them plunged down here. He can restore to life characters that have been killed, although they will forever be tied to the Flame God (and probably have lava features of some sort now).

Big finale -- Chow versus the Impsalans, the Dragons Eye and our heroes. Hes got a flame whip, lots of lava demons, a GIANT LAVA SPIDER and the complete destruction of He-Who-Lives-Beneath going for him. It takes place on the edge of a crater, at the bottom of which is the caldera of the volcano. SOMEBODYs got to fall off that cliff.

Adventure Notes

Up the river is the main village, nearly lifeless. The adults are dead so the kids have fortified the village and have special tools to fight the lava beasts with -- a shallow moat, for starters (it doesnt take much water to stop a lava creature), and crude bucket-flinging catapults to launch sprays of water where needed).

Obviously, lava monsters attack. The kids know that theres other people on the island. Up on Stone Table Mountain theres a big group of strangers, and some others came ashore quietly and are camped near the base of He-Wh0-Lives-Beneath.

Off the Shore

The Village

Stone Table Mountain

The Underworld

Grand Finale

Perhaps the heroes are outnumbered or overwhelmed. Or the opposite: theyve breezed through everything too easily. If you need some more excitement in your adventure, add a run-in with a clan of ninjas, who have come to Tuloanga to seek their missing leader, Master Nobitsuna. Perhaps Nobitsuna is a prisoner of Chow Siu-Wai. Perhaps hes a partner. Maybe hes been consumed by He-Who-Lives-Beneath. The ninjas are led by an fierce woman named Junko, who will stop at nothing to find her beloved master.

The Dragons Eye Clan

These notes are for the GM!

These outline the basic scenes of the adventure. Further on theres detailed sheets for each scene you can use at the table, but read through this so you know the basics of whats going on and how the story will probably play out. Theres four basic scenes: Off the Shore, The Village, Stone Table Mountain and the Grand Finale. Theres also two extra scenes you can throw in if you like.

He-Who-Lives-Beneath (which is the name of both the Flame God and the volcano where he lives) is being persecuted by Imperial Sorcerer Chow Siu-Wai, who seeks to enslave the powerful volcano god. At the same time, a priest of Impsala has come, hoping to use Chows efforts for her own ends and steal the beleagured flame god for herself. They must both be stopped.

The Basic Idea

Open things on a ship off the coast of Tuloanga. Fire and brimstone come thundering down, but some hurtling boulders unfold in mid-air and turn into fire-breathing rock creatures, swooping down on our heroes ship.

The ship will probably be destroyed, but one final chunk of rock lands near someone and stirs, revealing an ancient, desperate FACE. It pleads for help:

I cannot resist him for long.Spare us all. Destroy him!

And of course you can just make something up. Theres precious little information as to things like specific powers of the various NPCs, or what the consequences of actions might be. Thats on purpose. Let the answers emerge from the play itself, and you may find your version of this story veers sharply from whats written. Thats a good thing!

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B: Brawn; Cu: Cunning; D: Daring; Ch: Charm; A: Aware; Co: CommitmentAlways write tests as Bad Guys trait vs Heros trait (Co vs D, for example)


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Opening: Off the shore of tuloanga

Aboard their ship, the party can see the massive volcano as it erupts in a massive explosion! Smoke and cinders belch into the air, larger chunks screaming as they fly, crashing into the water uncomfortably close by. Uncomfortable becomes dangerous as many of the rocks sprout wings, shriek and begin divebombing the ship!

The deck

The Rigging

o

H

Flying Lava Monsters, AC 14

Ship probably sinks. as they reach land, another rock lands with a face that says, I cannot resist him for long. Save us all! Destroy him!

Scene 2: the ruined village

The village is upriver a ways, and has recently had a moat built around it. All the adults are gone or dead, so its just kids here, trying to keep the lava creatures at bay. They have a bucket-catapult rigged to fling water where needed, but the lava creatures are figuring it out. Soon after the party arrives the lava monsters Attack!

The village

The moat

d

H

The kids know that theres other people on the island. Up on Stone Table Mountain theres a big group of strangers, and some others came ashore quietly and are camped near the base of He-Wh0-Lives-Beneath.

the jungle beyond t

Boss Lava Monster

doesnt fly but throws lava around. big N scary+2 b, +1 Co

14 4 2

Lava Blast, RA, 3 dmg 2

Lava Punch +2

The village has a stone idol of He-Who-Lives-Beneath -- the kids will give it to heroes who help them. The idol grants a +2 Aware Bonus to whoever carries it, but it counts as a heavy item.

Theres a water-flinging bucket catapult. And cute kids whod be adorably grateful if brave heroes saved them.

MORE Lava Monsters, AC 14

Start with as many monsters as there are PCs. they all attack the PCs, and next round a few more appear, destroying the ship. Setting it on fire. Stuff like that.


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Scene 3: atop stone table mountain

Stone table is a flat-topped mountain with a great view of He-Who-Lives-Beneath. it is currently occupied by a bunch of impsalan soldiers and their sorceress leader, Amari. Shes got a couple of trained pterodactyls for flying around on, but right now shes bathing in the hot springs up here. The soldiers will just try to round up anyone who isnt impsalan.

The camp

The open mountaintop

D

o

impsalan Soldiers, AC 13

Amari might bug out on one of the pterodactyls, leaving the other right thereHe-Who-Lives-Beneath can maybe talk through the hot springs, if the heroes need a bit more direction.

Scene 4: the volcanos edge

chow siu-wai is up here, completing the ritual that he thinks will give him control over He-who-lives-beneath. he stands on the edge of the massive caldera that forms the peak of the volcano, intoning words of great power. He will assume that anyone is his enemy. Hell probably be right.

The edge

The slope below

h

o

chow siu-wai

Sorcerer in fancy robes, big sneer+2 a, +3 co, +2 ch

15 10 2

mana blast +2

paralyze touch +2: co vs co to move next round

2

the rocky peak nearby t

lava spider!

Giant spider made of lava+4 b, +2 co

17 8 2

when hit, lava burst: b vs cu or 2 dmg 2

spider leg stab

Well, chows a fancy sorcerer so he might have some bling around.

The hot springs H

amari, sorceress

skinny, crazy, ultra-violent +2 cu, +3 co

15 7

skeletal claw!

2

Scary look: co vs co to attack

1Summoun dino-minions! 2

extra throw on mana blast hit: co vs b 1

extra attack! (eight legs, right?) 1

Theres a shaman named Kikeli who might not want to fight. He hangs out in a tent full of bones and can tell the future.


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Optional Scene A: the dragons Eye clan

If you need to stir the pot a little, or if one of your players choose the DRagons eye clan adventuring goal, you can introduce these ninja. this is a small encampment of ninja searching for their clan master, Nobutsuna, who disappeared leaving only the name of this island as a clue.There could be a fight. The ninja could get enlisted to aid against Chow Siu-Wai. its up to you!

The beach

The ship pulled on shore

o

t

Dragon eye ninja, AC 14

If treated with respect, Junko and the other dragon eye ninjas might be willing to help against Chow Siu-Wai. Theyd like a guarantee of help in finding Master Nobutsuna, of course...

optional Scene b: the underworld!

Anytime is a good time for a volcanic underworld! If a PC is killed (especially by lava), or if you just want to stage a big scary moment, have one or more of them pulled into the underworld of He-Who-Lives-Beneath. HWLB probably has a rocky magma face and pleads for assistance. He could offer help (lava-y help), maybe even bring a dead pc back to life -- although they would in some way be his creature from then on.

Not a fighty sort of encounter

The help of He-Who-Lives-Beneath ought to be nothing to sneeze at. But it will come with a price...

The campfire H

Junko, Head ninja

serious, cool, shes looking for her master +1 D, +1 A, +1 co

15 8

ninja sword

1

disappear 1appear from nowhere 2

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Description

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Always write tests as Bad Guys trait vs Heros trait (Co vs D, for example)

brawn

cunning

daring

commitment

charm

awareness

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Always write tests as Bad Guys trait vs Heros trait (Co vs D, for example)

brawn

cunning

daring

commitment

charm

awareness

Hit PointsTotal Taken

AP

VHHRAREL

Primary Weapon Damage

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Chow Siu-wai, imperial sorcerer

This egomaniac has come from the Jade Empire full of crazed ambition -- to take control of a volcano god!Chow is a tall, powerfully built man in expensive robes. He has fingernails so long they curl out over the ends of his fingers, and his long black mustache hangs down either side of his sneering mouth.

+2

+2

+3

+0

+0

-1

1510

mana blast, +2

2

paralyze touch +2: co vs co to move next round

extra throw on mana blast hit: co vs b

2

1

How dare you interrupt me, pitiful fools! watch as I claim the volcanos power as my own!

Amari, impsalan maniac

Skinny as anything, amari can command prehistoric beasts and always has a pteranodon around to fly her from one place to another. She has come to Tuloanga with a whole shipload of impsalan warriors, all of whom she regards as utterly expendable.She is here waiting for Chows sorcerery to reach a key point, when she will interrupt and steal the beleaguered lava god for herself!

+1

+0

+3

+1

+2

-1

157

Skeletal Claw!

2

scary look: Co vs co to attack her

summon dinosaur minions!

1

2

after Ive killed you, perhaps you can go.

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Free the FlameGod - Dino Pirates of Ninja Island scenario