The Staff of Shifting Sands (1.

1e)
By Chance Dudinack

https://campaignwiki.org/1pdc/2019/Chance%20Dudinack%20-
%20The%20Staff%20of%20Shifting%20Sands.pdf

Adapted by Mark Tygart for Dungeon World (https://catsoftindalos.blogspot.com/)

The party's journey through the desert has been halted by freak sandstorms. While taking shelter in a
limestone cave (the tomb entrance), they encounter the old mystic T'zam.

T'zam knows the reality of the situation, that the ancient pharaoh Refenhotep (the stars being right) has
been awakened by tomb robbers from his undead slumber! To break the pharaoh's curse and escape
the endless sandstorms; the party must venture into Refenhotep's tomb (at the back of the “cave”
which is really a buried pyramid), slay his undead mummy and then take his legendary Staff of Shifting
Sands to calm the storms and escape!

T’ZAM (MONK MASTER) Solitary, Intelligent, Cautious

Precise fist (b[2d10] damage 3 piercing) 16 HP 3 armor

Close

A Master of the deadly ancient, unarmed combat arts of the Far East, T’zam is on a quest to rid the world of ancient
evils. His combat techniques allow him to break metal and bone alike with bare hands.

Instinct: To serve the ideals of his secret order (Defeat Refenhotep!)

• Stun with a blow

• Heal with herbs
• Mentor adventurers

T’zam is unable to enter the tomb (due to magical wards) until the undead pharaoh is defeated.

T’zam can tell the party the following:

The Staff: A golden staff with a desert glass gem shaped like a scarab at its head. Its wielder gains
control over sand, but the staff's power grows as they use it. The staff slowly corrupts the mind of its
wielder.

The Pharaoh: Legends say that Rafenhotep (“Lord/Thief cursed by Ra”) stole the Staff from Ra himself.
He used its power to destroy entire armies and expand his kingdom across the desert. The tyrant's reign
was ended by followers of Ra.

The Pyramid: Souls of the living (humanoids) that die within the pyramid are resurrected within minutes
as Sand Phantoms: lesser undead with bodies of sand that resemble the bodies they had in life.
SAND PHANTOMS Solitary, Magical, Terrifying

Drain Life (d4 damage) 6 HP 0 armor

Close, Near

Special Qualities: Incorporeal (Only damaged by magic, silver, and fire), Undead

Agonized, they howl when summoned to painful unlife to serve their evil undead master.

Instinct: Obey Refenhotep

• Scream in agony of undeath

• Howl at victims for fun
• Convert murdered victims to more Sand Phantoms

Antechamber: 3 hidden doors, one in each wall. The 10ft. tall statue of the Pharaoh has an unlit brazier
in its lap. Lighting the brazier reveals the three doors, but also causes the dog statues to transform into
living beasts.

WAR DOG Group, Small, Devious

Bite (b[2d6+4] damage 1 piercing) 6 HP 1 armor

Close, Forceful

This trained wolf is basically a big and scary dog with long fangs, they hold on to their targets so their masters can
either get a good shot or escape.

Instinct: to do as it is told

• Run fast
• Bite hard
• Hold someone in place
False Tomb: Fresco of the Pharaoh deceiving Ra; Sarcophagus contains a crazed vampire spawn!

CRAZED VAMPIRE SPAWN Horde, Stealthy, Devious, Intelligent

Lunge and bite (d4+2 damage 2 piercing) 12 HP 1 armor
Close, Forceful
Special Qualities: Undead (Killed only by stake, fire, beheading or magic)

This spawn is fully feral from lack of blood and will attack until it is destroyed or drains the entire party.

Instinct: To drain blood

• Attack
• Climb like a spider
• Drain blood

Priests' Crypt: Disturbing the sarcophagi or the shrine of the Pharaoh causes 4 ghouls to awaken -
Ghouls wear bronze scarab amulets.

Shrine has a gold painted hollow idol of the Pharaoh which obscures the exit door.

TOMB GHOUL Group, Devious, Terrifying

Bite (d6 damage) 6 HP 0 armor
Close
Special Qualities: Paralyze with touch, Undead

Ghouls are undead creatures, once human, who now feed on the flesh of corpses. Although the change from human
to ghoul has deranged and destroyed their minds, ghouls have a terrible cunning which enables them to hunt their
prey most effectively. Ghouls are vaguely recognizable as once having been human but have become horribly
disfigured by their change to ghouls. The tongue becomes long and tough for licking marrow from cracked bones, the
teeth become sharp and elongated, and the nails grow strong and sharp like claws. Their touch causes humans
(including dwarves and halflings but excluding elves) to become partially rigid unless a Defy Danger versus CON is
successful. Ghouls delight in revolting and loathsome things – from which we draw our adjectives “ghoulish” and
“ghastly”.

Custom Move: When you are touched by a ghoul, ROLL+CON. On a 10+, you keep going. On a 7-9, you choose 1:
You do not take -1 ongoing until you rest. Your movements are not slowed down. A part of your body is not
paralyzed. On a 6 or less all the above apply.

Instinct: Devours living and the dead

• Consume all
• Paralyze with a touch
• Ambush

The bronze scarab amulets are worth 50 coins each and will perform many useful functions in the
pyramid. Anyone wearing one will not turn into a Sand Phantom upon death.

Spike Trap: A grave robber is impaled on a spike. He is barely alive and clutching a silvered dagger - Trap
resets itself after 1 hour (1d12 damage).
YUSUF Group, Intelligent

Silver Dagger (d4 damage) 1 HP (6 Max) 0 armor

Close

A desperate craftsman, driven by poverty to banditry. Prefers not to fight but will when cornered.

Instinct: Steal Food and money then runaway

• Lie
• Betray
• Flatter

Ruined Chamber: Flooded with sand and limestone debris - Bas-relief on the walls depicts the Pharaoh
wielding the Staff of Shifting Sands -- The staff's head is a scarab- shaped slot. Inserting a scarab amulet
in the slot causes the room to magically rebuild itself and clear away the sand. - The Bronze Serpent: The
giant bronze construct attacks intruders. Its body is weathered; the serpent moves at half speed when
not in sand. The chest is visible when the room is repaired, and it contains a Potion of False Life!

Anyone taking this potion (3 doses) will gain the quality of being undead until the party next makes
camp and is immune to damage from non-magical weapons (Think Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of
the Black Pearl). The player appears normal except in moonlight, as per the movie.

MECHANICAL SERPENT Solitary, Large, Construct

Rends with metal teeth (d10+2 damage) 20 HP 2 armor

Special Qualities: Breathes steam, Arcane Construct

This steampunk horror was designed to mimic a fearsome magical giant serpent and its engineering allows it to
breathe scalding steam (1d8) on victims.

Instinct: Obey master

• Breathes steam
• Slowly attack
• Noisy

Mass Grave: Fresco of slaves constructing the tomb - Pressure plates in front of the entrance make a
heavy stone slab to fall to block the exit - The sound of the slabs awakens the enormous pile of zombie
slaves in the pit, and they begin to climb out. To escape, characters must lift the slab and slip under the
stone slab. The zombies are repelled by symbols of the Pharaoh (Bronze Scarab Amulets).
ZOMBIE HORDLINGS Horde, Organized, Terrifying

Biting Tearing Gnashing (d4-1 damage) 3 HP 0 armor

Close

Special Qualities: Gore Covered Rot Festering Teeth

The Near Endless Hordes of the Desecrated Pit poured fourth and devour the world.

Instinct: To devour all Sentient Life

• Lurch forward slowly and grab with many hands and teeth
• Devour the living slowly
• The zombies are repelled by symbols of the Pharaoh

Queens' Chamber: Grave robbers are searching the room. They will ambush the party if they hear them
coming!

One sarcophagus is hollow and leads into a tunnel!

A character opening an occupied sarcophagus must save or be cursed! (Defy Danger vs. WISDOM or
Charisma drops to 3. T’zam can remove.)

Each queen is buried with gold jewelry (worth 1d8 in hundreds of coin)

TOMB ROBBER Group, Intelligent

Dagger (d4 damage) 6 HP 0 armor

Close

A group of bad men who do bad things.

Instinct: Rob

• Ambush
• Betray
• Backstab

Sand Trap: Stairs turn to sand when treaded on, turning the staircase into a steep ramp - A corpse in the
pit has a Magical Khopesh (Magical weapon that does double damage against Undead).

Scarab Den: Ground is littered with bones -- among them is a skull wearing a Circlet of Protection – and
flesh-eating giant scarabs!
SAND SCARAB Group, Tiny, Cautious, Hoarder

Sharp claws, mandibles (d8-2 damage 1 piercing) 6 HP 4 armor

Hand

Special Qualities: Shell on its back is thick and hard, sees in near darkness, afraid of fire

A giant beetle, the Golden Sand Scarab is found in the desert. Fleeing the midday heat, they seek caves, tombs, and
other dark places during the day. The shell covering their back is thick and looks like dusty gold. When closed, only
the largest of weapons can damage it. The sand scarab can also fly for limited distances, which makes a loud sound.
They attack with their sharp legs or mandibles but are generally only interested in protecting their homes.

Instinct: To protect its hiding place.

• Skitter around in the shadows

• Suddenly fly in for an attack
• Burrow into the ground

Circlet of Protection (1 weight)

Wearer may not be harmed or harm incorporeal creatures.

Grand Gallery: The walls are painted with a scene of the Pharaoh's death at the hands of warrior-priests
wielding flaming weapons - 3 emaciated grave robber corpses (wearing bronze scarab amulets;
removed they will become Sand Phantoms) lie on the floor. They have lanterns, flasks of oil, and sacks
stuffed with stolen treasure (1,000 coins worth). Lit sconces line the walls. The exit is blocked by a wall
of blue flames. To extinguish them, all other fires in the room must be put out.

Pharaoh's Tomb: Sarcophagus contains Refenhotep himself! Refenhotep is a powerful undead wielding
the Staff of Shifting Sands. The Staff allows him to manipulate sand, conjure dust mephits, and summon
Sand Phantoms to aid him. - Refenhotep cannot be damaged by normal weapons but takes double
damage from fire.

DUST MEPHIT Horde, Small, Intelligent, Planar, Evasive

Dusty Claws (d4 damage) 3 HP 1 armor
Close
Special Qualities: Flight

Like the element they are made off, the curious dust mephits seems to manage to get in everywhere. Curious and
inquisitive, even friendly mephits can drive a poor soul bonkers with an endless barrage of questions.

Instinct: To learn what they do not know

• Breath a cone of dust that deals d4 damage

• Heal in dusty environments
• Obey Summoner
SAND PHANTOMS Solitary, Magical, Terrifying

Drain Life (d4 damage) 6 HP 0 armor

Close, Near

Special Qualities: Incorporeal (Only damaged by magic, silver, and fire), Undead

Agonized, they howl summoned to painful unlife to serve their evil undead master.

Instinct: Obey Refenhotep

• Scream
• Howl
• Convert murdered victims to more Sand Phantoms

REFENHOTEP (MUMMY GUARDIAN) Horde, Intelligent, Cautious, Construct

Brutal fist (d6+2 damage) 16 HP 4 armor

Close, Forceful

Special Qualities: Undead, Immune to normal weapons

Mummy Guardians stand vigil over valued treasure, which is sometimes even stored inside them. Chosen from
among powerful warriors in life, the guardians are skilled and fast, striking with fearsome accuracy.

Instinct: Guard ancient treasure

• Wield the Staff of Shifting Sounds (Summon Sand Wraiths and Dust Mephits)

The chests in the room are filled with golden regalia and gemstones (Value determined by GM,
extraordinarily rich but impossibly balky unless only the gems are taken for 2/3 value, the smart move.)

Clerical spells are inscribed amongst the hieroglyphs on the walls (Two Cure Light Wounds, Heal, Create
Food and a Create Water)

With the Staff of Shifting Sands in their possession, the party is sure to attract some unwanted attention
when they return to civilization...

Staff of Shifting Sands (1 Weight)

A golden staff with a desert glass gem shaped like a scarab at its head. Each time used (to summon a
dust mephit, sand phantom (corpse required) or sandstorm) the player gains a point of corruption, and
when these equal the players wisdom he or she will transform into some form of powerful undead (GMs
choice, unless a Last Breath roll is made!) now determined to drain or devour every member of the
party. This process also destroys the staff. The staff can also calm sandstorms which does not corrupt
the user. All summoned creatures or effects will remain until destroyed or dismissed by their summoner.