September Short Adventures 20: Time For Bed

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 20

Title: Time For Bed

Rules: Labyrinth Lord

Ready

Warm and snug in the local Inn orHostelry, the Player Characters pull themselves back from theirtables and head off to bed after a good night of celebratory feastingand drinking in celebration of some excellent good luck, fortuitousdiscoveries, and/or some job well-done.

Set

Ah, but the life of an adventurer israrely an easy one. The windows explode inwards as the roof goes upin flames and all erupts into chaos, panic and much running aboutwith a goodly amount of screaming and all the customary chaos.

Go!

The Inn issurrounded by very despicable sorts in grim, even morbidly detailedarmor who sit astride things that might once have been horses. Theriders watch the Inn burn. No one leaves. They are very obviously waiting for something to happen, or for someone to come out to them.

The Player Characters could all roll an INT check to get a clue. The clue would be that these Riders are after someone; burning the Inn is merely a means to an end, not the end itself.

Should no oneattempt to confront the Grim Riders, the Inn will burn to the groundand all will perish, allowing the undead minions of a greater evil tosort them all out at their leisure before morning. That is the path of least resistance, hence their choice of strategy in this situation. Simple, direct, effective. These are professionals, military-types, not chicken-thieves or half-drunk bandits.

The Grim Ones arelooking for a very specific someone. They are ruthless and direct intheir approach to recapturing this person. They have every intention of making this person their prisoner, either dead or alive. They are not picky.

Should anyoneattempt to communicate with the Grim Ones, they will be told that theRiders are there for someone named 'Taffydaddle Treeroot' or somesuch very, very proper Fantasy name. This person is hiding inside theInn. If the rest of the patrons present this person to the Riders,they will leave in peace and no one need die. Tonight.

Some Questions the Player Characters Might be Asking:

• Who is this person?
• Why are these nasty Riders after them?
• What makes this person sospecial that someone would send these things out after them in thefirst place?

What do the Player Characters DO?

• Do they try to find out which of them is this person?
• Do they turn themover to the Riders?
• Do the patrons and PCs bandtogether and attempt to drive off the Riders?*

*Of course, someonewill conveniently remember that these Riders cannot stand thelight of day. But then one asks, how many hours do they have to holdthem off and keep from burning to death before the Riders mustpull out? Roll some dice or make a choice...it's up to you.

Whatever you do, this confrontation is something that the PCs can very much do something about.
They do not have to just sit and burn, nor do they necessarily have to fight the Grim Riders.
There could be a tunnel or opening to the sewers in the Inn's basement...and anyone smart enough to look for a way out should at least receive the benefit of a chance at escaping. The Grim Riders are far from omnipotent. But escaping only delays the inevitable questions...and the Grim Riders are very likely to return the next night unless they get the person they are after...

So many choices...

Where does all thislead?

Notes / NPCs

Grim Spectral Riders(3d4) [AL C, MV 150' (50')/Fly 300' (100')/Ride 600' (200'), AC 2, HD6, #ATK 1 (Touch, Weapon or Spell), DG 1d8+Level Drain/3d4+Poison/byspell, SV F6, ML11] Immunity:Unharmed by normal weapons, including silver. Immune to Charm,Hold or Sleep.They each are armed with a +1 Cruelly-Forked-Lance that is poisonedwith a terrible Necrosiseffect similar to the rotting produced by a mummy, but with a +2 onthe victims' Save. Note: Grim Riders take 1d4 damage every turn spent in natural sunlight until destroyed or they get out of the sun. If destroyed in this manner, they are non-recoverable. Lastly, just in case it comes in handy: Arcane scholars have noted that these riders are susceptible to Bronze Weapons that have been inscribed with the swirling spirally-patterns of the Miktal culture that died-out millennia ago, but no one really knows precisely just why that would be...whether or not someone among the Inn patrons or one of the PCs knows this little bit of trivia is entirely up to DM/GM whim, fancy or choice. (LLp. 96)

It is suggested that the DM/GM adjust the number of Grim Riders to suit the overall strength of the party/patrons so that they are not a completely overwhelming force, but a challenging obstacle. A smart, determined and clever party should definitely have a good shot at holding these things off until sunrise, or maybe even defeating them. In the event that more than half of the Grim Riders are destroyed and/or Turned, the surviving Grim Riders will withdraw and report back to their Evil Overlord...which will undoubtedly lead to further inconveniences and eldritch interruptions down the road...

Eldritch Mounts(3d4=as many as Grim Riders) [AL C, MV 600' (200'), AC 4, HD 3, #ATK 1 (Trample), DG 3d4, SVF8, ML 11] Special:These things are unnatural, twisted semi-intangible parodies ofhorses who radiate a weak Fear effect (Save +2 or suffer effects ofCause Fear spell: LLp. 25). They cannot abide sunlight (take 1d6 damage every turn spent in sunlight, if thus destroyed they are completely unrecoverable). These twisted, loathsome things are devoid of loyalty and lack any volition ontheir own and thus will do their best to obey any command they aregiven by whomever mounts them in the most direct and literal mannerpossible.