September Short Adventures 8: Tail of the Serpent

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 8

Title: Tail of the Serpent

Rules: Mutant Future

Ready

The Player Characters are travelingacross a rocky area with only sparse bits of nasty, meat-eatingvegetation to break the monotony. Then they spot the huge serpentinetail jutting out from some animal's former den – it's a GiantRattler (MF p. 96-97).

Set

The ten-foot long Giant Rattler hasjust feasted on the former inhabitants of the rocky den that it isnow wedged firmly into and can't get out of. Of course, right now theGiant Rattler is feeling torpid after such a hearty meal.

Go!

The PCs hear the muffled sounds of ababy crying. It's coming from inside the animal den.

If they stop to investigate thesituation at this point, they will also hear another voice cryingfaintly coming from behind some rocks where the PCs will find afemale Encephalized Coyote (MFp. 68).

She is the mother of the pup-kids sheleft in that burrowed-out den and lies propped against the rocks. Herleft leg is broken and she is dying from numerous snake-bites. Sheasks the PCs for help. “Please save my child!” she begs thembefore passing out.

Whether or not the mother lives or diesis up to the PCs, as is the fate of the baby Coyote-person trapped inthe den.

The Giant Rattler will remain lodged inthe den entrance for a couple of hours before it either finishes offthe last of the pup-kids or withdraws and heads for its own nest.

Notes / NPCs

Giant Rattler (1) [AL N, MV 120'(40'), AC 5, HD 4, #ATK 2 (bite), DG 1d4+poison, SV L2, ML 8,Mutations: Gigantism] (MFp. 96-97)

Encephalized Coyote (mother) (1)[AL C, MV 150' (50'), AC 6, HD 3, #ATK 1 (bite or weapon), DG 1d6 orweapon, SV L13, ML 9, Mutations: Aberrant Form, Teleport] (MFp.68) Note:she is currently at -4 hit points, going into shock and injected witha lot of Class 12 poison in her bloodstream.

Encephalized Coyote (baby) (1)[AL C, MV 10' (5'), AC 10, HD 1, #ATK 1 (bite), DG 1d2, SV L1, ML 2,Mutations: Aberrant Form] Note: The child will develop theability to Teleport as she gets older, if she survives...