[Accessory] [9336] Book of Crypts.pdf

For Character Levels 3 and U

9336

By Dale “Slade” Henson with J. Robert King

ADVANCED DUNGEONS E DRAGONS, ADED, FORGOTFEN REAMS, and GREYHAWK are registeredtrademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

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9336XXX1501

ISBN 1.56076-142-3

TSR, Inc.

TSR Ltd.

POB 756

120 Church End

Lake Geneva

Cherry Hinton

WI 53147

Cambridge CBl 3LB

United Kingdom

U.S.A.

.......

Fear and Horror .............

Chapter I: Bride of Mordenheim .. ,

Chapter 11: Blood in Moondale .

Chapter 111: The Dark Minstrel .

Chapter IW The Cedar Chest ...

Chapter W Corrupted Innocents . . I

..3

....... 4

......... .10

......... .21

......... .30

....... .40

......... .50

..... 64

... 75

... 83

... 92

... 93

... 94

I..

...

.......

...

Chapter VI: The Rite of Terror ..........

Chapter VII: The Man with Three Faces .

Chapter VIII: The Living Crypt ......

Chapter IX: Death’s Cold Laughter ...

Doll Golem ....................

Ermordenung .......

...

.......

...

Living Wall ...........

Crudits

Design: Dale “Slade” Henson with J. Robert King

Editing: Anne Brown, J. Robert King, Jean Rabe

Proofreading: Anne Brown, David Wise

Cover Art: David Dorman

Interior Art: Laura and Kelly Freas, Stephen Fabian

Cartography: John Knecht

Typography: Gaye O’Keefe

Keylining: Sarah Feggestad

Thanks To: James Ward, Tim B. Brown, Bruce Nesmith,

Anne Brown, Andria Hayday, Newton H. Ewell,

Bill Connors

rongrod sits in a dark

corner ofthe squalid

tavern, sipping

warmish ale and

eavesdropping on

the whispered talk of

locals. Evidently a

gruesome murder

occurred last night: a

body has been

found, its skin

meticulously stripped

away by a common

hunting knife. A knot

ofrevulsion forms in

Irongrod’s stomach.

As he takes another

sip, the storyteller

continues, describing the man who fled the

murder. Witha sinking sense of dread, Irongrod

realizes that the description exactly fits him.

Another local speaks up now, saying that a knife

was discovered beside the body. lrongrod drops

his hand from the sweating stein ofale before

him, feeling for his hunting knife. It is gone.

Anguish begins its slow burn within him.

successful adventures in Ravenloft.

DMs accustomed to running adventures in

other AD&D@game settings often excel at

inspiring terror in their PCs. Terror is a natural

result of deadly combats and lethal traps, both

of which abound in adventures in AD&D@game

worlds. Book of Crypts is no exception, loaded

with deadly combatants such as doll golems,

ermordenung, evil treants, madmen, liches,

werewolves, necromancers, illithids, maniacal

jesters, minstrels of death, vampires, and more.

The adventures here also brim with terrifying

traps-both physical and psychological. Terror

should, therefore, come easily to Book of

Crypts DMs.

In addition to bone-rattling terror, though,

Ravenloft DMs should make the most of horror.

Horror hints at and prepares characters for the

terror to come. The terror Irongrod felt at

hearing the voice in his head would be far less

intense if he had not first felt the creeping

horror of his guilt. In the same way, the terror of

hack-and-slashcombat with a vampire is tripled

if the PCs first feel the mounting horror of

something stalking them.

Tormented heroes; tragic villains; dark pasts;

secret vices; evil presences; sounds in the

shadows. . . this is the stuff of gothic horror. In

addition to spicing up adventures, the mood of

gothic horror greatly intensifies the terror of

combat. The mood, though, is fragile: subtlety

is key. If a DM says, “the grass upon the grave

before you stirs uneasily, despite the dead calm

in the air,” the characters may feel horror. If a

DM says, “the grass upon the grave before you

whips in wild frenzy as the soil bubbles and

convulses like boiling flesh, even though the air

is as still and putrid as a dead man’s rotting

heart,” the PCs may well laugh.

Suddenly, Irongrod hears an unfamiliarvoice

in his head, “Don’tworry, Irongrod-you’re

innocent. Sure, I used your body for the crime,

but you were asleep. No matter: it won’t be your

body much longer.”

In this scenario, lrongrod experiences the two

emotions critical to successful RAVENLOFT”

game adventures: horror and terror. Horror is

the revulsion, dread, and anguish that results

when a character confronts something that

shouldn’t be: Irongrod felt horror when he

heard of the murder, matched the description

to himself, and discoveredthat his knife was

missing. Terror, on the other hand, is the

extreme fear that arises when creatures or

events immediately threaten one’s life: lrongrod

felt terror when he heard the voice in his head

threatening to take over his body. The

interaction of horror and terror is critical to

Make no mistake-thrilling

combat is the heart

of most Ravenloft adventures. If your characters

thrive on hack-and-slash,feel free to add more

battles to the adventures contained here. But

remember, horror spices up adventures and

intensifies combat. In other words, slash all you

want, but don’t forget the horror!

setup

his adventure is designed for four

characters of 2nd to 4th level.

During the scenario, the characters

meet a hauntingly beautiful woman

named Katrina Von Brandthofen.

They are soon flung into an

insidious plot devised by Doctor

Victor Mordenheim, who is trying

to restore life and beauty to his

cursed wife. Her body is now

mutilated and broken. The

Dungeon Master is encouraged to

read the information regarding

Victor Mordenheim and his wife in

the RAVENLOFT’” boxed set. This

data is located in Chapter 13, “The

Who’sDoomed of Ravenloft.” See “Lamordia”

in Chapter 11 for a description of the domain,

and the card titled “Mordenheim’s Estate” for

details on the setting.

she rushes to the shore, retrieves her boots,

and cautiously approaches.

Her beauty comes into focus as she closes

the distance.

This is Katrina, who will try to draw the PCs

into this sorrowful adventure. If the characters

draw their weapons as she advances, she stops,

stares wistfully at them, then turns around and

runs away. If the PCs do not catch her and show

they are peaceful, the adventure ends before it

even begins.

However, if the PCs do not threaten her, she

strides toward them and asks, “To whom do you

owe alliance?”

If the characters say they owe alliance only to

themselves or to no individual, she relaxes and

claims that she is aligned with herself-and all

that is lawful. While she speaks with them, she

searches for any symbols of evil that may be

visible on the party. She questions any clerics

about their gods. Katrina is trying to make sure

the PCs are not evil. She will not deal with an

evil party.

The Adventure

The characters’ travels take them to a dark

and misty beach.

Hatrina’s Story

You stand on a sandy beach in the fading

light of early evening. Dark, murky waves lap

at the shore. Seashells and the decaying

remains of small jellyfish lie scattered about

like broken toys, and fiddler crabs scurry

about in search of food.

Bordering this beach, sharp, jutting rocks

reach stiffly into the magenta-tinged,

midnight blue sky; they are resolute against

the crash of the white-capped waves. In the

distance, a lone woman kneels on the sand,

retrieves a shell, and throws it back into the

sea. It disappears into the surf, then she

gracefully pulls her boots off and begins

wading in the lapping currents.

She takes only a few steps before she

stops, noticing you. Her gaze riveted on you,

The woman sighs, and a smile tugs at the

corner of her rose-tinted lips. “I believe you

are without evil,” she states softly. “I truly

hope you are. My name is Katrina. In this

land, it is difficult to determine who is evil

and who is good-except by one’s actions. I

am willing to give you a chance.”

If the characters ask why she is here, she tells

them her story. This is detailed in the NPC

roster at the end of the adventure, but it is also

paraphrased here for the Dungeon Master’s

convenience.

Elise. She was my mother’s twin. Aunt Elise

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