#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 27

Like all the rooms on this level, the doorway has no door, but this one has had debris stacked on the inside on both sides of the opening.  This creates a small 5' wide hall to enter the room. PCs can only enter in single file. 

Free Art Assets - Grey Gnome Games - Jason Glover

Inside the room, 1d6+2 Hobgoblins have made this their base. They are raiding the other rooms in the lower level and coming back here.  They are waiting for the PCs and are armed with 2 crossbows and the rest have small bows.  All have short swords.  The hobgoblins believe this is their home turf now and will fight to defend it. They currently have others investigating Level 3.

Inside their little base, they have collected some loot.

1 bag with 45 gp. 1 bag with 52 sp. 1 barrel of wine/water mix (50/50) still potable. 2 weeks' worth of iron rations. 25' of rope. 20 iron spikes. And a 10' pole. All are valued at 105 GP in total (for XP purposes).

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 26

The odor from this room hits the PCs before they even get near the opening.

Free Art Assets - Grey Gnome Games - Jason Glover

Inside this room are 1d8+4 Zombies in this room. They are milling about the room aimlessly, but when the PCs enter, they will attack. Zombies always attack last. All the zombies have swords that look beat up and rusted. One zombie, though, has a sword +1. The only way the PCs can learn if it is magical is because it is not rusted like the others.

There is a fair amount of treasure here. In various bags, there are 100 gp, 35 SP, and 1000 cp. The PCs have no way to discover this, but they were left behind by a group of evil adventurers who killed an adventuring party and left these zombies to guard the loot they could not carry themselves. That evil party went deeper into the dungeons and has not been heard from since.  They even left an extra magical sword to make sure their loot was guarded well. 

The zombies look like they are a couple of weeks old. 

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 25

Going back to Room #17 the PCs make a left (where they made the right before) and they turn left into a parallel hall to the one before (#18 to #24).

This room is empty save for some random glowing lights of unknown source or origin. The radiate magic (a wizard or elf can tell) but they don't actually do anything but float around. They are creepy all the same.

If anyone puts a weapon into one of the lights their weapon will glow for the next hour.  There is no magical effects, but it does look cool. 

Monstrous Monday: Monster Mash

We have all seen the new proposed OGL. Honestly it looks like publishing under the OGL 1.0a  will soon be over, at least how it has been.  So, what am I do to with three separate monster-related projects?

Simple. I combine what I can and try to get something ready to go.

Here are the efforts of that.

Monster Mash

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/424046/Monster-Mash

Here, there be Monsters!

For years brave adventures have been going into dark dungeons and fighting monsters. Now the monsters are fighting back.

Monster Mash is an Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy compatible game supplement that allows you to take on the role not of a stalwart hero but as one of the monsters.

This book features 13 horror-based classes.

The Awakened Golem, Cat Folk, Ghosts, Haglings, Hobgoblins, Revenants, Shadow Elves, Shades, Werewolves, Wererats, Vampires, Profane Necromancers, and the Gothic Witch.

New spells for Haglings, Profane Necromancers, Shadow Elves, and Gothic Witches.
New occult powers ritual spells for Gothic Witches.

Fully compatible with Old-School Essentials and other Basic-Era games.
Fully compatible with other witch books from The Other Side.

Requires Old-School Essentials Core Rules.

--

I put in a lot of the art I was going to use for this, Monstrous Maleficarum and the Basic Bestiaries.  I had wanted to get this out for Halloween (naturally) but I had a lot going on.

Now I would LOVE to get a couple more of these out. I have nearly everything I need; I just have to put everything together. 

Will this be my last publication for OSE? I certainly hope not.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 22

Down from Room #21 is another room.

Free Art Assets - Grey Gnome Games - Jason Glover

This room is empty save for some bones and an empty barrel, much like Room 14. There are rats, but they are of the normal sort.

Game Masters can add some random bits here if they like. The idea is that those room has not been used in over a century save for various random monsters. 

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 21

Moving down from Room #20 there is another room on the right (all rooms in this hallway are on the right).

Entering the room, there is a huge pile of gold and treasure with the bones of a dragon on top.

Jason Glover - Free Art Assets

When the first character touches the treasure or dragon there is a loud roar (Illusion) and all the lights and torches used go out (darkness spell).  Once the characters get the lights on they will find that the treasure and the character who touched it are gone!

The dragon and the treasure was a programmed illusion. The character who touched it has been hit with a Sleep spell and then turned invisible. If the character makes the Sleep save then the invisibility will not go into effect.

Otherwise, there is no treasure in this room.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 20

Moving on down from the glowing portal in Room #19 there is another door to the right of the party.

 Jason Glover - Free Art Assets

This room is empty save for the bodies of what are believed to be other adventurers. Their weapons are gone but a care search will find a Potion of Heroism and a Potion of Healing (1d6+1). (Finding these is worth 50 xp to the party).

Likewise, their valuables such as coins are gone.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 19

Making another right, we come up on encounter area #19. To your immediate left is an opening to a small room.

In Room 19 there is a glowing portal. From the portal 1d4+2 Goblins are coming through.  These goblins look similar to the previous ones.

The portal opens from a nighttime world with several moons in the sky. Other goblins can be seen in the distance. The portal is one-way, Goblins can come into this world, but they cannot go back. 

Let the characters explore the portal as much as they like, but there is no way to go through it.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 18

Turning right (for now) the PCs enter encounter area #18. The hallway is the same stone as before, but it is somehow darker. The hall is 20 feet wide and extends some 60 feet into deepening darkness. 

Standing in the hall, seemingly waiting for the PCs is a small group of goblins.

The goblins are not waiting, but they are not surprised either. They have come up from the lower rooms to investigate the noise. There 1d4+4 goblins here. They are all 1-1 HD (4 hp each, or 1d6). They have shortswords, short bows, and wear leather armor.

If combat goes against them after the first round, one will flee down the hall to bring back reinforcements that arrive in 2d4 turns.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 17

Past the last two rooms, the grand hall splits left and right.

There is a grand statue of the Vampire Queen. Inspection will reveal that the statue is made of newer material than the surrounding walls.

 Going down either hallway, there is a 1 in 6 chance that characters will notice the slope of the flow is taking them down.  The slope is not enough to send the characters down a full level, but enough to concern them.

Notes: Things should start picking up. 

I have seen lots of great maps online for others, and I thought maybe I could share mine. ;)

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 16

This room is identical to Room 15 across the hall. 

This includes a similar specter with the same warning. Though this ghost seems angrier.  If the ghost is touched or attacked, it will become a bloody specter and attack.  This is a true undead.

Bloody Spectre. AC 7. HD 3 (13 hp). Att# 1. Chilling touch 1d6. Special: Silver or magic is required to hit. Turned as a Ghoul (3 HD). No treasure.

Note: If the PCs encounter Room 16 before Room 15, then swap the contents so that this is always encountered after the first specter. 

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 15

 Up from Room #13 is another room of similar shape and size.

Within the room appears to be the glowing specter of a young woman. Her form wavers back and forth.

She warns the PCs from going further into the crypts and to turn back now.  

The specter is not undead but an illusion. 

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 14

Across from Room #13 is another room.

Free Art Assets - Grey Gnome Games - Jason Glover

This room is empty save for some bones, a rusted sword, and an empty barrel. There are rats, but they are of the normal sort.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 13

Up from Room 11 is a room covered in bones.

Virgil Finlay

Skeletons equal to the number in the party plus retainers rise up from the ground and attack. They are undead and can be turned. 

There are no usable weapons, but 25 cp can be found among them.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 12

This room has a faint glow, and there is the smell of roasted meats.

In this space, there is a stone room but also a forest scene of glowing nearly transparent trees as far as the eye can see.  Characters can only walk the 20 feet by 20 feet of the room. In the center of the grows a large tree laden with fruits.

The fruits are oval-shaped and look like mangoes.  The fruits taste like roasted meat.  Characters can eat them with no problems, they are fine if a little bland.  They disappear once removed from this room.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 11

Across from Room 10 is a similarly configured room.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

A secret door in the floor reveals a sack of 150 GP.  The coins are ancient and unknown to the PCs.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 10

 Up from Room #8 and across from Room #9 is Room #10.

It appears to be of the same dimensions as the previous rooms 5 through 9. 

Virgil Finlay

Once the room is entered, a group of semi-human Phantoms appears.

The Phantoms can not attack, but a failed saving throw vs. Spells will cause anyone to run out of the room in fear. Once out of the room the fear effect dissipates.

They have 1-1 HD and 1 hp. Magic weapons are required to hit. There are 10 and their AC is 9.

The phantoms can be Turned by a cleric. A bless or dispel evil spell will also destroy them. The entire group is effected by these magics.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 9

This appears to be another empty room.   

Magic using characters feel a greater unease here.

Image by kues1 on Freepik

A detect magic or similar magic will reveal a small hand-sized portal at about 3 ft off the ground near the middle of the room.  Sticking any mundane item through will cause it to disappear as if stuck into a hole. Pulling it out will have it reappear with no damage.  

If a character puts a hand or arm through the will feel warm breezes (like a summer's day). They can pull their hand out again with no problems.

If the characters keep doing this then the 5th time a hand moves through the portal, something will grab it. A combined strength score of 25 is needed to pull the character free.

The character in question will have a bruise on their wrist from whatever grabbed them.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 8

 Across the grand hall from room 7.

Image by kjpargeter on Freepik

This room is also empty.

I figure many of these rooms on level 1 will be empty. As the magic gets greater, there will be more and more encounters.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 7

 Across the grand hall down from room 5.

Image by kjpargeter on Freepik

This room is empty.