Dungeon Crawl

For Classic Dungeon RPGs

Issue #1 / March 2012
by Wayne S. Rossi

Introducing Dungeon Crawl

Dungeon Crawl is a new fanzine for old-school dungeon RPGs, both the classics and their modern simulacra.
My intent for the zine is to present a monthly (or bimonthly in a pinch) magazine full of ideas, charts, crunchy
bits and adventures for use in old-school games. By presenting it as a printed document rather than a blog, I
hope to offer something ready to use at your gaming table.

It begins the series “What Trap Charts?”. Named after a feature in the classic D&D APAzine Alarums &
Excursions, it offers varied and interesting traps. The first set presents options for creating projectile traps that
go beyond the simple arrow or dart. Future installments will include pit traps, overhead traps, door traps,
and room traps.

One of the recurring themes in this zine will include the four classical elements: earth, fire, water and air.
Monsters, spells and magic items with a closer connection to the elements will be a continuing feature, as part
of a broader fantasy worldview based in classical alchemy. The Kamenni are a race of goblin-like creatures
connected with the element of earth. At the same time, one of my goals is to make magic and monsters a bit
weirder. The Hodag is a monster from modern cryptozoology, famous in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The scitalis
is a creature from medieval bestiaries, and the ypotryll is mostly known from heraldry. Shocker lizards are a
nasty surprise from modern fantasy RPGs that are included here because they can be found in level 1 of
Tsalonia. Future monsters will continue to focus on these themes of neglected bestiary entries and
cryptozoology, combined with more elemental creatures.

There is also the commencement of a dungeon series called Dungeons of Tsalonia. The first level presented is
the storage rooms. Some of the monsters in the wandering monster chart are from old-school sources that
may not be familiar; if the referee does not have the Dungeoneer compendium or Empire of the Petal Throne,
other monsters should replace the Gremlins and Hlýss on the chart. Tsalonia is presumed to be an ancient
culture, relatively equivalent to one of the great Mediterranean states of the Hellenistic age. The dungeons
should be run with that flavor. The empty store rooms should be full of exotic pottery, strange rusted
weapons, and coins are stamped in a strange tongue with pictures of foreign gods. The detail in the
dungeons will be minimal since the series will use the one-page dungeon level templates.

As a general rule, this magazine does not state compatibility with any specific rules system. The statistics
given are very general, and can be used with any system as long as you know how to do some very basic
conversion math. Armor classes go down because that is the system I am comfortable with, but any classic or
simulacrum game should fit these ideas without a problem.

This magazine is a DIY product. It is laid out in NeoOffice and the map for Tsalonia was generated with the
free version of Dungeonographer. The one page dungeon template is by Chgowiz. All images are public
domain. If you want to contribute material to a future issue of Dungeon Crawl, email [email protected].

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What Trap Charts? Part I: Projectile Weapons
Most projectile weapon traps are released from a wall or ceiling. Some such traps will be visible from a
distance; others will be concealed. Roll d% on the tables below.

Table 1: Type of Weapon

01-20 Arrow 81-85 Knife
21-35 Crossbow bolt 86-90 Sling bullet
36-55 Spear 91-95 Hand axe
56-70 Javelin 96-00 Death ray (Table 3)
71-80 Dart

Table 2: Special Features

01-40 Single Shot Fires once then cannot be triggered again.
41-55 Multiple Shots Fires total of 1d6 projectiles
56-70 Repeating FIres a maximum of 4d6 rounds
71-80 Flaming Arrows/bolts only. Add 1d6 damage.
81-90 Poisoned Save vs. poison or die (substitute any poison rules in your campaign)
91-00 Exploding Deals 2d6 damage to all in 30’ radius (save for half)

Table 3: Death Rays (Roll 1d8)

1d8 Color of Beam Damage Saving Throw vs Death Ray
1 Red / Fire 20 HP 1/2 damage
2 Orange / Acid 40 HP 1/2 damage
3 Yellow / Lightning 80 HP 1/2 damage
4 Green / Poison Poison Negates
5 Blue / Stone Turn to Stone Negates
6 Indigo / Insanity Insanity Negates
7 Violet / Teleportation Teleports Negates
8 Struck by 2 rays Roll twice, reroll 8s

Table 4: Triggers
00-30 Trip-wire Can be stepped over
31-40 Pressure Plate Triggered by 50 lbs or more
41-50 Pressure Plate Triggered by 150 lbs or more
51-60 Pressure Plate Triggered by 300 lbs or more
61-70 Object Walking past a statue, mirror etc.
71-80 Object Move a statue, chest etc.
81-90 Sound Any sound above a whisper
91-00 Timed Roll 1d6: 1-2 hourly, 3-4 every 6 hours, 5-6 daily

Table 5: Concealment
01-35 Arrow Slit in Wall
36-50 Arrow Slit in Ceiling
51-65 Arrow Slit in Floor
66-80 Behind Painting / Tapestry / Wall Covering
81-90 Fires from Statue / Architectural Element
91-95 Behind Actual Door
96-00 Behind False Door

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New Magic Items

Fang of Sdirath: This unique dagger is Chaotically aligned. It is fashioned from the tooth of Sdirath, a great
Black Dragon, and is sharp only on the inside of its 9” length. A character struck with it must save vs. poison
or be stricken with the plague (requires Cure Disease to cure, otherwise 25% lethal within 1d6 days).

Mask of Sublime Truth: This ornately carved golden mask, once donned, allows the wearer to infallibly
detect whether someone is lying to him. The eyes and mouth of the mask are closed, and a person wearing it
cannot see or speak.

Ondine's Tear: This is a small, bluish stone set into a silver necklace. It is the tear of a minor water god. Any
character wearing the necklace may breathe underwater as if it were air.

Pick of the Gnomes: This stone-hewn pickaxe imbues its wielder with the incredible ability to tunnel through
5’x5’x5’ of stone per turn. It is unwieldy as a weapon (-2 to hit), but on a roll of 20 will destroy metal armor.

Spark of the Salamander: This is a bright red ruby amulet, taken from the plane of fire. It allows the wearer
to walk through fire as if under the effect of a potion of fire resistance but the effect does not wear off.

Sylph Wing: This is a tiny, crystalline ornament shaped like a butterfly wing. Set into a bracelet and worn,
the sylph wing prevents its wearer from falling involuntarily into pits or chasms – there is an invisible force
that stops them just before they fall.

New Monsters

Hodag
Armor Class: 4 No. Appearing: 1
Hit Dice: 6 Save As: Fighter 6
Move: 90' (30') Morale: 10
Attacks: 2 (claws) or Treasure Type: n/a
1 (charge)
Damage: 1-6/1-6 or 2-16 Alignment: Chaotic

The Hodag is about seven feet long, with the face of a frog, massive tusks and horns on its head, and a
reptilian body with tremendous spines. It deals 2d8 damage when it (invariably) charges.

Kamenni
Armor Class: 3 No. Appearing: 1-6 (4-40)
Hit Dice: 1+1 Save As: Fighter 1
Move: 60' (20') Morale: 7
Attacks: 1 Treasure Type: D
Damage: 1-6 or by weapon Alignment: Chaotic

The Kamenni are grey goblin-like creatures, seldom more than 4’ in height, with rock-hard skins. Their
favored weapons are large hammers and axes made of stone and wielded 2-handed. Their lairs are always
inside mountains or caves. A Kamenni tribe will usually (70%) have a chieftain with 3 HD and AC 2.

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Scitalis
Armor Class: 6 No. Appearing: 1
Hit Dice: 2 Save As: Fighter 2
Move: 30' (10') Morale: 5
Attacks: 1 Treasure Type: nil
Damage: 1-3 Alignment: Neutral
The Scitalis is a serpent with such marvelous markings on its back that anyone who sees it must save vs.
paralysis or be held stunned for 1d6 rounds. It moves extremely slowly and anyone who can resist it can
easily escape. Its hide is worth 100 GP if relatively intact.

Shocker Lizard
Armor Class: 6 No. Appearing: 2-8
Hit Dice: 1d6 hp Save As: Fighter 1
Move: 60' (20') Morale: 8
Attacks: 1 Treasure Type: Nil
Damage: 1-3 + shock Alignment: Neutral

Shocker lizards are large lizards about two feet long and weigh about 25 pounds. They deliver an electrical
shock by touch, and anyone hit by the shock must make a saving throw or be stunned for 1d3 rounds. If
anyone is hit by two or more shocks in a single round (the lizards hunt in groups), the second shock may
cause death as well the chance of stunning.

Ypotryll
Armor Class: 5 No. Appearing: 1

Hit Dice: 8* Save As: Fighter 8

Move: 120' (40') Morale: 10
Attacks: 3 or 1 Treasure Type: F
Damage: 1d8/1d4/1d4 Alignment: Neutral
or 4d6 (acid)

This creature is a relative of the chimera. It has the tusked head of a boar, the humped body of a camel, the
legs and hooves of a goat and the tail of a serpent. It can breathe an acid blast that does 4d6 damage (save
for half damage).

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New Spells

Air Barrier (1st Level Magic-User Spell)

Range: Caster
Duration: 1 turn
This spell causes a barrier to form around the caster, made of moving wind. It will turn away all missile
attacks as if the caster was wearing plate mail (AC 3). No impact is made on melee attacks, and the caster's
Dexterity adjustment does not apply to the benefit from this spell. As the spell is ongoing, loose objects within
five feet of the caster will be blown away as well.

Boil Water (1st Level Magic-User Spell)

Range: 30'
Duration: 1 turn
This spell causes up to 1 cubic foot of water per level of the caster to suddenly reach its boiling temperature.
Any adjacent water is not similarly impacted, so if used in the middle of a lake or stream, the effect will
dissipate almost immediately. This cannot be used on any fluid that is not primarily water (e.g., blood, acid,
wine), although it will sterilize murky, stagnant or diseased water (only the part that actually boils). Boiling
lasts for 1 turn unless the water is dissipated; after that, the water slowly returns to room temperature.

Dust Cloud (2nd Level Magic-User Spell)

Range: 60'
Duration: 6 turns
This spell creates a magical cloud of thick dust in a 30 foot radius. Characters and monsters finding
themselves in this cloud cannot see further than 5' away from them, and are at -4 on all to-hit rolls. They are
surprised on 1-4 in 1d6. If this is cast in a dungeon, the dust will not fully dissipate until the end of the 6
turns; if cast outside it will end after only 1 turn.

Fire Burst (1st Level Magic-User Spell)

Range: 10'
Duration: 1 Round
This spell causes any fires within 10 feet of the magic-user to explode violently. Any characters or monsters
hit by these fires take 1d6 points of damage (save for half).

Sand Storm (4th level Magic-User Spell)

Range: 120'
Duration: 1 round
This spell summons forth a blistering storm of sand, strong enough to strip flesh from bone. All characters and
monsters in a 30' radius take 3d10 points of damage (no save). Any wood or perishable items may be
destroyed if they are unprotected. There is enough sand generated by the sand storm to completely fill a
10x10x10 space, and it does not disappear after the spell ends.

Dungeon Crawl #1 5
Dungeons of Tsalonia – Level 1: Storage Rooms
Wandering Monsters
1 - 4 Lizard Men. HD 2+1, AC 5, MV 6/12
2 - 6 Gremlins. Dungeoneer HD 1/2, AC 6, MV 6
3 - 5 Hobgoblins. M&T HD 1+1, AC 5, MV 9
4 - 3 Hlýss EPT p.50. HD 2, AC 4, MV 9
5 - 4 Troglodytes HD 1+1, AC 7, MV 9
6 - 3 Fire Beetles. HD 1+2, AC 4, MV 12
7 - 6 Skeletons. HD 1, AC 9, MV 6
8 - 4 Shocker Lizards. HD1, AC 6, MV 6

Legend
S – Secret Door

Room Key
1 - North wall contains a gilded bronze idol. It has a curse that causes anyone who comes within 10' of it to save vs. spells or begin feeding it precious
coins until taken more than 10' away, or the idol is destroyed or incapacitated.
4 - Contains an ornate helmet worth 40 GP, and 15 GP in coins
5 - Contains a chest with 200 GP. Lock is trapped, with a poison needle.
6 - Orcs - #7, HD 1, AC 6, Treasure - 100SP, 50 GP, Gems worth 100 GP
8 - This room is full of rubble and water. Each turn there is a 5% cumulative chance of catching disease.
11 - There is 700CP in one corner of the room hidden by an illusion so it looks like debris.
12 - Giant Rats - #3, HD 1/2, AC 7
13 - This room hides a noncombatant acolyte (level 1 Cleric).
15 - Scitalis - #1, HD 2, AC 6 (see above) Treasure: 250 GP
16 - This room contains 1000 GP of jewelry in a locked chest, but taking it will cause the floor to slowly give way.
17 - Entry point from the well above.
19 - Stirges, #7, HD1, AC 7
21 - Hobgoblins - #6, HD 1+1, AC 5, Treasure - Levitation Potion
25 - Statue holding a 500 GP gem. Removing the gem fires 4 crossbow bolts at anyone in front of the statue.
26 - Kobolds - #9, HD 1/2, AC 7, Treasure – 2000SP
27 - Zombies - #4, HD 1, AC 8, Treasure - Gauntlets (cursed)
28 - This room contains 600 SP.
31 - Berserkers - #4, HD 1, AC 7
32 - In the center of this room is a pit trap (trapdoor type). In the pit is a bear (HD 4, AC 6). The bear is quite hungry.
36 - Ogres - #2, HD 4+1, AC 5; Treasure - 2000GP, Sword +1, 6000GP in jewelry
37 - A chest contains an elaborate headdress (300 GP value)
38 - Several barrels scattered in this room. One contains Green Slime.
41 - Skeletons, #8, HD 1, AC 7
43 - Contains several casks of spoiled wine. One of them contains a dead body. A cask in the SE corner conceals a trap door to level 2.
45 - Kamenni, #5, HD 1+1, AC 3

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