TSR 9114 - XL1 - Quest for the Heartstone.pdf - Basic D&D Modules X Series - Kitraida

Expert Game Adventure

Quest for the Heartstone

bv Michael L. Gray

The icy cavern is deathly quiet. Strange light gleams from a frozen pool. Suddenly, a

huge reptile thunders from the depths of the pool, sending glistening shards of ice

in every direction. Is this your final battle? For character levels 5-10.

-Q-

TSR, lnc.

PRODUCTS Of YOUR IMAGINATION '"

ADVANCED DUNGEONS C DRAGONS, DUNGEONS C DRAGONS, DCD, PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION,

STRONGHEART. and WARDUKE are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc

Quest for the eartstone

by Michael L. Gray

A Wilderness/Dungeon Adventure for Character Levels 5- 10

Expert Game Adventure

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notes for the Expert Dungeon Master

PREPARING FOR THE QUEST

About this adventure. ...........

Maps and illustrations. .........

................. 2

Statistics and abbreviations .....

The party ofadventurers ............................................. 2

Adventure background. ..

....

The story of the heartstone. .......................................... .2

Beginning the adventure. ............................................ .3

Fighting through the fog

ADVENTURE IN THE SHADOWS OF THE MOUNTAINS

Mists of the northern marsh. ......................................... .4

Perils of the icewater falls ............................................ .7

Editor: Tim Kilpin

Editorial Assistance: Andria Hayday

Artist: Jeff Easley

Graphic Designer: Kitty Thompson

Maps: Diesel

What evil lurks in the hearts of men?

ADVENTURE IN THE HEART OF THE CLIFF

Level I: The tunnels of death. ........................................ .10

Level 11: Frost giants' lair ........................................... .21

Level 111: The wizard's home. ........................................ .24

Level IV Home of the heartstone ..................................... .27

Distributed to the book trade in the United States by

Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random

House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and

hobby trade by regional distributors. Distributed in

the United Kingdom by TSR (UK) Ltd.

Additions to the family

NEW MONSTERS

DRAGONNE" Monster ............................................ .3 1

Roper ............................................................. 31

HOOK HORROR'" Monster. ....................................... .32

Dragonfly .......................................................... 32

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, DUN-

GEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, and character and mon-

ster names designated by TM are trademarks owned by

TSR, Inc.

U.S.A.

Player characters from LJN Toys, Ltd.

PREROLLED CHARACTERS

Lawful characters .................................................. ,151

Chaotic characters. ................................................. .17

This module is protected under the copyright laws of

the United States of America. Any reproduction or

other unauthorized use of the material or artwork con-

tained herein is prohibited without the express written

permission of TSR, Inc.

TSR, Inc.

TSR (UK) Ltd.

PQB 756

The Mill, Rathmore Road

Lake Geneva,

Cambridge CB14AD

LIST OF TABLES & MAPS

WI 53147

United Kingdom

.............................. 4

Table 1 : Marsh Wandering Monsters

Table 2: Fleeing Hobgoblins. ..................

TSR, Ilnc.

PRODUCTS OF your IMAGINATION"'

.......................

Map 1: Mists of the Northern Marsh

.bookletcover

.booklet cover

booklet cover

Map 2: Perils of the Icewater Falls .......

...........

Maps 2a-2f Cave Openings. ..........................

Map 3: The Tunnels of Death .........................

............

..........

.booklet cover

booklet cover

Map 4: Frost Giants' Lair

Map 5: The Wizard's Home .....................

Map 6: Home of the Heartstone .....

ISBN 0-88038-111-6

394-54000-XTSR0600

Cliff Diagram. ..........

9114

Remove the center four pages and give them to the players before the start of the advcnturc.

PREPARING FOR THE QUEST

About this adventure

Quest for the Heartstone is a combined wil-

derness and dungeon adventure designed to

be compatible with the official ADVANCED

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS” Action Toys

produced by LJN Toys, Ltd., and the official

The following abbreviations are used in this

adventure:

“difficult” for them. Be careful to give the

characters a reasonable chance of surviving,

however. Try to be impartial and fair, but

give the characters the benefit of the doubt in

extremely dangerous situations.

#AT

Save

- Armor Class

- hit points

- no. of attacks

- Save As

- Alignment

- Lawful

- Fighter

- Magic-user

- Hit Dice

- Movement

- Damage

- Morale

- Chaotic

- Neutral

- Thief

- Experience

Point value

Adventure background

The story of the heartstone

Sadness now reigns in the Kingdom of Ghyr.

Old King Ganto, known as the Great

Defender of Peace, died in his sleep 2 weeks

ago at the age of 82. Best known for his victo-

ries in the Prism Wars, Ganto ascended to the

throne of Ghyr nearly 37 years ago. As the

countries surrounding Ghyr fought among

themselves, Ganto kept his northern king-

dom out of war.

Having no legal heirs, Ganto thought

much about who would be the logical succes-

sor to his throne. Unfortunately, he did not

share his thoughts with his young queen.

Queen Leahra, now in her mid-thirties, had

always been a faithful and loving wife; she

had often refused the affections of the ambi-

tious nobles of Ghyr.

Now that the king was dead, Leahra found

herself in the awkward position of having to

appoint (and marry) a new king. She called

together the Royal Council to seek its advice.

Some of the council members aspired to the

throne themselves. Others had their own

favorite candidates. The final decision, how-

ever, fell to the queen, who had no desire to

rule the kingdom alone.

ADVANCED

DUNGEONS &

DRA-

GONS’” Fantasy Adventure Figures pro-

duced by TSR, Inc. Character statistics have

been provided in the center of the booklet for

many of the LJN player character figures.

Players may also use their own characters for

this adventure.

Before beginning play, you should read the

entire adventure carefully and become com-

pletely familiar with it. Most of the informa-

tion given in the area descriptions is for your

eyes only, although you should read all boxed

text to the players as their characters enter

specific areas. Feel free to use your imagina-

tion to embellish the encounters as you wish.

Make sure you don’t give the players too

many clues or suggestions, however.

Unless a specific section directs otherwise,

you should not roll for wandering monster

encounters during this adventure. The char-

acters will meet plenty of monsters along the

way.

The party of adventurers

This adventure is designed for a party of 6-8

characters. Each character should be

between the 5th and 10th levels of experience

when the adventure begins. The party should

have a total of 45-55 levels, and should also

include at least two clerics. You may wish to

adjust the strength of certain monsters and

encounters, based on the makeup of the

party.

The party may be able to finish this adven-

ture in one session. If you feel the party is

moving too quickly through the adventure,

you may wish to make things a little more

Maps and illustrations

This adventure features several encounter

maps and illustrations. Unless otherwise

noted, do not show maps to the players. The

maps are on the adventure cover.

The numbered illustrations correspond to

specific areas in the adventure. When the text

directs you to show the players a specific illus-

tration, turn to that page and let the players

look at the illustration. They may look at it as

long as they like, as the illustrations some-

times hold clues that are not hinted at in the

boxed text. Many of the numbered illustra-

tions are given in an eight-page pullout sec-

tion in the center of the booklet. Be sure to

cover the other illustrations on a page when

showing players a certain picture.

Statistics and abbreviations

Monster statistics are listed in the following

order:

Monster/NPC Name (No. appearing, if

more than one): Armor Class; Hit

Dice or Class/Level; hit points; Move-

ment per turn (round); No. of attacks

per round; Damage; Save As: Class/

Level; Morale; Alignment; Experi-

ence Point value; and abilities for

NPCs (such as spells), when appropri-

ate.

Queen Leahra, acting on her own, also

called on her close confidant, Loftos, the

High Patriarch of Ghyr. Leahra asked the

patriarch to come to her chambers one night

and discuss the question of the new king.

“Political intrigue runs high tonight, my

queen. I fear that the kingdom will be torn

apart by political strife in the months ahead,”

advised Loftos. “Dark plots are being

hatched at this moment-not only among the

nobles, but also among Ghyr’s neighbors.”

“But how can I choose? Must I share my

life and more with a stranger? Loftos, my

heart belongs only to Ganto,” the queen

replied.

The old cleric offered to commune with He

Who Watches in hopes of finding a solution to

the crisis. Loftos snuffed all but one of the

candles in the queen’s chamber. He carried

the single burning candle to the open win-

dow, placed it gently on the sill, and knelt

before it. After Loftos blew out the flame, the

queen could barely see him bow his head in

prayer.

Minutes later, Loftos relit the candle and

carried it toward the queen. “A heart of

stone, beyond the mist you’ll find,” Loftos

said softly. “The heartstone will tell you who

should be your king.”

“But where is this stone? How will I find

it?” the queen asked.

“The stone was stolen over 50 years ago by

Dahnakriss the Master Thief. He Who

Watches originally gave the tiny, heart-

shaped stone to Qasmar, who was the King of

Ghyr during the Prism Wars. During these

wars, Qasmar used the stone to see into the

hearts of men, and was so able to choose his

friends and allies. Soon after the war, the

magical stone vanished from Castle Ghyr’s

supposedly thief-proof vaults. Until now, no

one knew what had become of the heartstone.

According to He Who Watches, it lies north,

in the great Mountains of Ice.

“We must convince a party of adventurers

to retrieve the stone and bring it back to us.

But we must be very careful. No one must

know of the stone’s power, especially not

those who would aspire to the throne. Even

those we hire to find the stone should not

know of its strength!”

The Great Hall of Castle Ghyr rises

majestically before you. Two acolytes hold

open the heavy double doors in the north

wall. The High Patriarch of Ghyr sweeps

through the doors, followed by six royal

guards. The queen herself follows closely

behind. The queen bids you to sit as the

patriarch steps forward to speak.

“Thank you for coming,” he says. “We

have a very important quest for those of

you who are willing. You would set out to

the north, heading into the Mists. In case

you’re not familiar with it, this vast, foggy

marsh lies at the foot of the Mountains of

Ice. You are to search for a magical, heart-

shaped stone that we believe gives off a

bright red light. We also believe that

Dahnakriss the Master Thief currently

possesses this stone. Through commune, I

was able to determine that the heartstone

lies within the mountain beyond the

Mists.

“If you succeed in this quest, the queen

has authorized me to reward each of you

with 10,000 gold pieces. As additional

incentive, you are certainly welcome to

any other treasures you might find during

the quest.”

~~__

The patriarch rises and tells those who

wish to participate in the quest that they

should assemble in the Great Hall at dawn

the next day.

At dawn the next day, the characters assem-

ble in the Great Hall. Royal servants provide

fresh fruit and juices for the adventurers.

Soon the patriarch enters and thanks the

characters for agreeing to go on the queen’s

quest. He tells the characters that fresh horses

and rations await them at the east gate.

Before he sends them off, the patriarch gives

the characters one last item. He slowly

removes a gold ring from the index finger of

his right hand.

“This is a ring of spell storing. I have had it

for nearly half my life. If you return, I would

like to have it back.

“The ring contains two each of the follow-

ing spells: neutralize poison, raise dead, and

stone to flesh.”

The cleric asks that he may pray for the

characters’ success. Hebows his head, recites

a litany of unrecognizable words, and then

looks up at one of the party’s clerics. He

hands the ring to this cleric and says, “Guard

it well. It may save your friends’ lives.”

If the characters ask why the patriarch did

not use one of the raise dead spells on King

Ganto, the patriarch replies that the king’s

natural time to die had come.

An acolyte enters the room carrying a

small pair of iron tongs and a small lead cof-

fer. He lays them on a table and leaves with-

out saying a word.

“Good luck,” the patriarch tells the charac-

ters. “The queen’s and my prayers go with

you.”

Beginning the adventure

The patriarch calls the player characters to

Castle Ghyr. He tells the characters only that

they have been called in the queen’s name,

and that they will be discussing important

royal business.

Begin the adventure by reading the boxed

text to the players.

If the characters ask about the stone’s power

and value, the queen replies, “It once

belonged to King Qasmar. We want to bury it

in Ganto’s tomb.”

The patriarch then continues, “The

stone’s powers are mostly unknown. We

believe it may affect anyone who touches it,

so we are providing you with a pair of tongs

with which to pick up the stone, and a lead

coffer in which to carry it.”

ADVENTURE IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN

Characters must travel through two areas on

their way to the mountains. The first is a

misty marsh that tests the characters’

strength and courage in battle. The second is

a cliff face peppered with holes that lead into

the heart of the cliff (and eventually to the

heart of the adventure).

If the action bogs down, or if the party

spends too much time searching for treasure,

have the characters encounter six white drag-

onflies. For a complete description of these

monsters, turn to the New Monsters section

at the end of the adventure.

Fresh Water Termites (2 or more): AC 6; HD

2+1; hp 12 each; MV 120’ (40’); #AT

spray or bite; D paralvsis or 1-4: Save

F2; ML 8; Ai NA; XP‘25

2. LAIR OF GHOULS

Combat in the marsh

Because of the rain and mud in the marsh,

characters suffer a -1 penalty on their hit rolls

as long as they stay in the marsh.

During any combat, roll for morale each

round, and reduce the monsters’ morale by 1

each round. As soon as the monsters fail their

morale check, they stop fighting the charac-

ters and run back to their lair.

There is a 50 % chance that monsters in the

marsh attack a mounted character’s horse

instead of the character. If a horse loses more

than half of its hit points, it throws its rider

and uses its hooves to defend itself.

The rotting carcass of a giant leech lies in

a small clearing to the right of the trail.

Two dark figures scramble off the top of

the leech and disappear into the marsh

grasses.

Mists of the northern

marsh

(Use Map 1.)

Traveling through the marsh

Twelve ghouls attack the characters as soon as

they move through this clearing.

Because of the mist and rain in this area, and

because the trail leading through here takes

many winding turns, the characters’ horses

must move slowly through the marsh. At

some points, the trail is only wide enough for

one horse. Use your judgment about the

trail’s width when characters get into a sticky

situation.

If the characters try to leave the path, the

lead horses begin to sink in quicksand. If the

characters do not return to the path, they lose

their lead horses in the quicksand (the riders

are able to escape the quicksand, however).

Ghouls (12): AC 6; HD 2*; hp 12 each; MV

90’ (30’); #AT 2 clawdl bite; D 1-3/1-

3/1-3 + paralysis; Save F2; ML 9; AL

C: XP 25

These ghouls carry no treasure, but they do

have treasure hidden in their lair. Characters

have a 1 in 6 chance of finding the lair (elves

have a 2 in 6 chance). Each searching charac-

ter may check only once.

The ghouls’ treasure includes 3,241 cp,

seven pieces of jewelry worth a total of 750

gp, a shield +f, and a small lead box contain-

ing a heart-shaped stone. The stone gives off

a yellow glow, and is magical. Touching the

stone negates the effects of paralysis. It has 6

charges left.

Riding Horse: AC 7; HD2; hp 12; MV 240’

(80’) - l/z speed in mud; #AT 2 hooves;

D 1-4/1-4; Save F1; ML 7; AL N; XP

Encounter key

1. RIDING INTO THE MARSH

Wandering monsters in the marsh

If the characters decide to spend the night

somewhere in the marsh, roll for wandering

monsters every 4 hours (see Table 1).

The journey through the eastern forest

passed quietly. Now, the wind is still, and

heavy clouds have darkened the afternoon

sky. The forest slowly gives way to a vast

marshland. The trail from the forest leads

into a sea of tall grass and thick fog.

Patches of mist hug the ground, and the

Mountains of Ice stand in the distance.

The cries of marsh birds and the croaking

of frogs come from all directions.

Slowly, rain begins to fall. The tails of

giant leeches and snakes occasionally

slither across the trail and wind into the

marsh.

As the trail twists inward, the fog grows

thicker. Finally, a stone bridge rises above

the mist, offering the first sign that more

than animals live in this bleak swamp.

3. MAZE OF TROGLODYTE LAIRS

TABLE 1

MARSH WANDERING MONSTERS

Die

Roll

A second stone bridge lies ahead, rising

above the mists that hug the marsh

ground. A foul stench hangs in the air

near this bridge. Beyond the bridge, the

trail leads to a four-way intersection. The

skull of a goblin is set on a stake near the

right path. The skull of a troll rests on a

pile of rocks near the left path. Straight

ahead, a dozen sharpened stakes stick out

of the muddy trail. The trail ahead is

wider than the trails to the left or right.

Monster

White Dragonflies (6): AC 2; HD

3; hp 18 each; MV 60’ (20’) on

land, 240’ (80’) flying; #AT bite

+breath; D 1-6 + 3 (cold damage);

Save F3; ML 8; AL N; XP 35

1-2

3-4

Ghouls (8): AC 6; HD 2*; hp 12

each; MV90’ (30’); #AT 2 claws/

1 bite; D 1-3/1-3/1-3 + paralysis;

Save F2; ML 9; AL C; XP 25

Troglodytes (8): AC 5; HD 2”; hp

12 each; MV 120’ (40’); #AT 2

clawdl bite; D 1-4/1-4/1-4; Save

F2; ML 9; AL C; XP 30

Hobgoblins (12): AC 6; HD 1.1;

hp 6 each; MV 90’ (30’); #AT 1

weapon; D by weapon; Save F1;

ML 8 or 10; AL C; XP 15

The characters must remove some of the

stakes from the path ahead of them if they

want to go in that direction. The rain has

made the stakes easy to remove.

No matter which trail the characters take,

they eventually come upon troglodyte lairs.

These family lairs are scattered along the

many branching paths. Each lair appears as a

15-foot clearing. The soggy remains of a

campfire lies in the center of each clearing.

Various bones are strewn about.

Show the players Illustration 1. The stone

bridge is one of four bridges that dot the

marsh. These bridges are quite sturdy.

Characters cannot use a boat in this marsh,

because fresh water termites have infested the

marsh. If any character enters the waters of

the marsh, two termites instantly spray him.

A sprayed character must make a saving

throw vs. poison or be paralyzed for 1 turn. If

a character is paralyzed, hc falls into the

water and drowns if others do not save him.

5-6

7-8

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