TEXT: INTRODUCTION
  This keep was once part of a network of border 
  keeps that guarded the civilized lands from the 
  Rukh hordes. With the collapse of the kingdom of 
  Khadar, the old keeps were abandoned, and evil 
  crept in and took up residence.
  The keep sits on a low hill, among the rocky hills 
  of the border region, with the rough terrain bro-
  ken only by an occasional tangled copse of trees, 
  scrub brush, and brambles.
  The keep is currently the home to a band of 
  goblin marauders, who have taken service under 
  Drenith, a necromancer. Drenith’s master once 
  ruled the surrounding area from the ruins of the 
  keep, and Drenith was his last apprentice before 
  he ascended to lichdom and abandoned his 
  former lair, moving instead to the vast dungeon 
  complex of the Halls of Endless Night, a hundred 
  miles further east.
  THE WILDERNESS
  The copses of trees block line of sight, but the hill 
  and the keep are always visible from anywhere 
  around it. At night, alert PCs will see occasional 
  ﬂickers of torchlight through the arrow slits in the 
  towers of the keep.
  The goblins keep watch at night, and can see 
  through the arrow slits in every direction except 
  the southwest, as the southwestern tower has 
  collapsed, blocking the slits. At night, they have 
  a base chance of 1 in 6 per turn of spotting PCs. 
  This increases to 2 in 6 if the PCs are carrying a 
  light source, or if they’re making substantial noise. 
  If they’re noisy and also carrying a light source, 
  the goblins spot them on a 3 in 6. Alerted goblins 
  RUMORS (ROLL 1D12 PER PC)
  1
  The former inhabitants of the keep left 
  deadly traps behind. (true)
  2
  Strange lights have been seen at night 
  atop the hill. (true)
  3
  A powerful lich is building an undead 
  army at the keep. (false)
  4
  The rats around the keep grow to enor-
  mous size. (true)
  5
  Some folks swear they’ve seen goblins 
  around the keep. (true)
  6
  The land around the keep is poisoned, 
  and so is the water. (false)
  7
  The old keep used to be the lair of a nec-
  romancer. (true)
  8
  There’s a shrine in the keep to an ancient 
  god who will grant power to mortals (par-
  tially true)
  9
  A powerful weapon was lost in the keep 
  centuries ago. (true)
  10-12
  That place is haunted. Nobody ever 
  goes there, or if they do, they never re-
  turn alive. (partially true)
  THE KEEP OF THE NECROMANCER
  An introductory adventure
  compatible with the Swords & Wizardry rules
  Swords  &  Wizardry,  S&W,  and  Mythmere Games  are  trademarks  of  Matthew  J.  Finch.  The author of 
  this adventure is not afﬁliated with Matthew J. Finch, Mythmere Games™, or Frog God Games
  
  will rouse the barracks (roused goblins cannot be 
  surprised, and stay alert for 3 hours), and then the 
  goblins in the towers marked 3 will stage an am-
  bush at location 1.
  During the day, the goblins are less diligent, and 
  will only spot the party if they are making sub-
  stantial noise, and even then only on a 1 in 6. If 
  they spot the PCs, they will rouse the barracks as 
  above.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
  There is a 1 in 6 chance of a random encounter 
  every turn spent in the keep’s environs.
  Roll encounters on the tables below.
  Note that goblin losses cannot be replaced im-
  mediately; it takes at least a week for Drenith to 
  recruit replacements. See the section titled ‘Keep, 
  Surface’ below for details.
  Giant rats are not replaced at all, and losses here 
  and in area A are counted against the total num-
  ber in the nest at area 23.
  Wolves have wandered in from outside the keep’s 
  region, so can be encountered multiple times. The 
  undead are spontaneously rising from unblessed 
  corpses left by the goblins, and can also be en-
  countered multiple times.
  Goblin Patrol (4): HD ¾; HP 3, 3, 4, 5; AC 7[12]; Att 
  +0 Shortsword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; 
  Mv 9; AL C; XP 10 each
  Skeletons (1d6): HD 1; HP 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6; AC 8[11]; 
  Att +1 Claw (1d6); Sp immune to sleep and charm; 
  Sv 17; Mv 12; AL N; XP 15 each
  Zombies (1d3): HD 2; HP 12, 10, 7; AC 8[11]; Att +2 
  Bash (1d8); Sp immune to sleep and charm; Sv 16; 
  Mv 6; AL N; XP 30 each
  Wolves (2): HD 2+2; HP 14, 11; AC 7[12]; Att +2 
  Bite (1d4+1); Sv 16; Mv 18; AL N; XP 30 each
  KEY TO WILDERNESS LOCATIONS
  A. Rat Tunnels
  This low mound concealed in the brambles has 
  a small tunnel entrance. Outside the entrance are 
  a scattering of small bones -- mostly animal, but 
  there are a few small humanoid bones as well. 
  (These last bones are from unwary goblins caught 
  by the rats.)
  At night, there is a 2 in 6 chance of encountering 
  a group of giant rats here.
  Giant Rats (1d6): HD ½; HP 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4; AC 7[12]; 
  Att +0 Bite (1d3+5%disease); Sv 18; Mv 12; AL N; XP 
  5 each
  The tunnel winds under the hill, eventually lead-
  ing to location 23a.
  All rat tunnels (which connect areas 21, 16, 23, 
  14, and 12) are similar in size. A human must crawl 
  to travel down the tunnels, and can only use 
  small weapons such as daggers. Only one person 
  abreast can ﬁt in a tunnel, so players using the tun-
  nels must travel in single-ﬁle, and back ranks can-
  not see or target anything ahead of them in the 
  tunnels. There is barely enough room to crouch on 
  one’s heels and turn around, so players can turn 
  to face an attack from the rear.
  B. Placid Pool
  This pond is fresh, fed from the east by a tumbling 
  stream. The stream is only 1’ deep; the pool is 
  shallow at the edges but the central area is quite 
  deep, dropping to 6’ of depth. The bottom is thick, 
  viscous mud; characters sinking into it must make 
  a Dexterity check to avoid being stuck, requiring 
  a full round to extricate themselves before they 
  can move again. Stuck characters are easier to 
  hit; enemies gain a +1 to hit stuck characters. The 
  check for becoming stuck must be made at the 
  end of any round in which a character is in the 
  shallow area of the pool.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS (NIGHTTIME)
  Roll 1d10
  1-2
  the goblin hunting party is actively stalk-
  ing the party.
  3-4
  a goblin patrol from the keep
  5
  a pair of wolves
  6-7
  a pack of 1d6 giant rats as described in 
  area A, below, foraging for food
  8-9
  1d6 skeletons animated by the necro-
  mantic energies of the keep
  10
  1d3 zombies animated by the necro-
  mantic energies of the keep
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS (DAYTIME)
  Roll 1d10
  1
  the goblin hunting party described in 
  area C, below, returning with a captive
  2
  a goblin patrol from the keep
  3
  a pair of wolves
  4
  a pack of 1d6 giant rats as described in 
  area A, below, foraging for food
  5
  a lone skeleton, animated by the ambi-
  ent necromantic energies of the keep
  6-10
  no encounter
  
  At the bottom of the deep area, an opening 
  leads into the hillside. It is large enough for some-
  one to swim along, pulling themselves along the 
  rough rocky walls. It is 240’ from the entrance to 
  area 13, and the ﬁrst 150 feet have no air at all (af-
  ter which there is a gap of a few inches between 
  the water and the ceiling). Characters wishing to 
  swim this distance must succeed at two Constitu-
  tion checks -- one at 50’, and one at 100’. Once 
  a check has been failed, the character takes 1d3 
  points of subdual damage each round until they 
  either pass out or reach air. Characters who pass 
  out begin taking 1d3 points of normal damage 
  each round until they are resuscitated (through 
  mouth-to-mouth) or they die.
  The deep water of the pool contains a surprise 
  for the unwary: a giant pond leech. It stays buried 
  in the muck until a player approaches within 5’ of 
  the deep water, and then it attacks, gaining sur-
  prise against an opponent on a 4 in 6.
  Giant Pond Leech (1): HD 1+1; HP 6; AC 7[12]; Att 
  +1 Bite (1d3+1d4/rd); Sv 17; Mv 3/18 when swim-
  ming; AL N; XP 15
  C. Goblin Hunting Camp
  This camp is concealed in the copse of trees, and 
  players who are not carefully searching have only 
  a 2 in 6 chance of ﬁnding it (with careful search-
  ing, they will ﬁnd it on a 4 in 6).
  
  The goblins use this camp when they’re out hunt-
  ing for captives or food. They have a makeshift set 
  of lean-tos, a stretching rack for hides, a pit with a 
  cover made of lashed-together branches in which 
  they keep captives, and a concealed ﬁre pit.
  During the day, there is a 4 in 6 chance that the 
  goblin hunting party is present, asleep. They post a 
  guard, who will only notice PCs on a 2 in 6 chance; 
  increase this chance by 1 if the PCs are making 
  substantial noise.
  At night, this chance that the hunting party is 
  present drops to 1 in 6, but every turn the players 
  spend in the camp, there is a 1 in 6 chance of the 
  goblin hunting party returning. If the hunting party 
  is in the camp at night, they notice PCs on a 3 in 
  6 chance, increased by 1 if the PCs are making 
  substantial noise, and by 1 if the PCs are carrying 
  light sources (for a maximum possible chance of 
  5 in 6).
  If the goblins become aware of the PCs before 
  the party arrives, they will set up an ambush, sta-
  tioning goblins in hiding places in the surrounding 
  trees, armed with shortbows.
  There’s a 4 in 6 chance that there’s captive in 
  the pit; roll on the table below.
  If the PCs do not kill the goblin hunting party, and 
  they return to ﬁnd the pit empty, they will assume 
  their prisoner escaped on his or her own, and con-
  tinue using the pit (unless, of course, the PCs take 
  actions that make it clear there were intruders in 
  the camp, in which case the goblins will stop us-
  ing the pit and set up an ambush in their camp). 
  If the pit is emptied a second time, they will also 
  realize there have been intruders, and set up an 
  ambush.
  Note that the camp is well-shaded and does not 
  count as being in ‘full sunlight’ for the goblins.
  Goblin Hunting Party (5): HD ¾; HP 2, 3, 3, 4, 6; AC 
  7[12]; Att +0 Shortsword or Shortbow (1d6); Sp -1 to 
  hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 9; AL C; XP 10 each
  KEEP, SURFACE
  The surface level of the keep is partially open to 
  the sky. Areas 5, 6, and 8 are still roofed, though 
  the roofs leak with a steady drip in the rain. All oth-
  er areas are open to the sky (and thus count as ‘in 
  sunlight’ if the goblins are caught above ground 
  during the day).
  There are a total of 40 goblins in the keep com-
  plex. Losses from random encounters as well as 
  any static encounters within the keep and its dun-
  geon should be subtracted from this total. Drenith, 
  the apprentice necromancer who commands the 
  goblins in the keep, can recruit 2d4 goblins every 
  week, up to the total maximum of 40 goblins. If the 
  party is gone for longer than a week, and Drenith 
  still lives, he will replenish his losses in the keep ﬁrst, 
  and then the goblin hunting party.
  KEY TO KEEP SURFACE LOCATIONS
  1. Gate
  The shattered remains of the wooden gates of 
  the keep lie in splinters around the entryway. They 
  were destroyed in the wars between Issera and 
  Khadar, 300 years ago, and never rebuilt.
  If the goblins are alerted, 5 goblins lie in wait on 
  either side of the gate (for 10 goblins total), and 
  loose a volley of arrows at the ﬁrst rank of PCs to 
  step through the gateway. If pressed, the two 
  CAPTIVE (ROLL 1D6)
  1-3
  Villager. Rescuing the villager is worth 
  100XP.
  4
  Goblin. This goblin is a deserter, recap-
  tured by the hunting party. He will agree 
  to anything to get rescued, but will be-
  tray the party to his fellow goblins at the 
  ﬁrst opportunity.
  5
  Man-at-arms. This captive is a ﬁrst level 
  ﬁghter who will gladly serve the party for 
  free until they return to civilization. He or 
  she has no equipment, however, and will 
  need to be equipped before he or she 
  will ﬁght or enter any dungeon. Whether 
  the PCs accept service or not, rescuing 
  the man-at-arms is worth 200XP.
  6
  Two villagers. This could be a pair of hunt-
  ers, a mother and child, or any other in-
  teresting combination. Rescuing them is 
  worth 200XP.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS (ROLL 1D6)
  1
  A lone goblin. He will ﬂee and raise an 
  alarm once he notices the party.
  2
  A goblin patrol, from either northern 
  tower or area 5. They will raise the alarm 
  and engage the party in combat. If both 
  towers and area 5 have been cleared, 
  ignore this encounter.
  3
  A pack of 1d6 giant rats that entered 
  from area 7 and are scavenging.
  4
  A lost skeleton that has been lured in by 
  the necromantic power below.
  5
  One of the two Hobgoblin Lieutenants 
  from area 16, accompanied by his three 
  elite goblin guards.
  6
  No encounter.
  
  groups of ambushers will retreat to the two towers 
  marked 3, and defend at the doors.
  2. Courtyard
  The courtyard is empty unless the goblins are 
  waiting to ambush the PCs, as described above. 
  They prefer to move about in the back halls of 
  the keep, in at least partial shade. Debris litters 
  the courtyard -- broken wagon wheels, scattered 
  bones of various animals, refuse, shattered bits of 
  stone that have crumbled off the walls, and so 
  forth. A diligent search of the debris, taking 3 turns, 
  will turn up 39cp and 12sp. However, every turn of 
  searching gives a cumulative 2 in 6 chance that 
  any remaining goblins in areas 3 and 6 notice the 
  party, and sound an alarm.
  3. Northern Towers
  These two towers are open to the sky, the wood-
  en interior structures having long ago succumbed 
  to ﬁre and the elements. The goblins keep watch 
  in these towers; during the day a single goblin is 
  awake and patrolling, while his four companions 
  doze against the walls, with hoods pulled over their 
  heads to shield them from the sunlight. At night 
  the full group of ﬁve goblins is awake and alert for 
  any intrusion. They notice PCs moving through the 
  courtyard on a 1 in 6; check for each tower. PCs 
  making substantial noise or carrying light sources 
  increase this chance by 1, up to a maximum of 
  3 in 6. If the goblins are alerted, they sound an 
  alarm, and then attack with bows from the door-
  ways into the towers.
  Goblin Sentries (5): HD ¾; HP 3, 3, 4, 4, 5; AC 7[12]; 
  Att +0 Shortsword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 
  18; Mv 9; AL C; XP 10 each
  4. Abandoned Rooms
  These two rooms are partially covered in rubble 
  and debris. Area 4a is a convenient spot for the 
  goblins on duty in the tower to the north to take 
  a rest break, so it reeks of urine and feces. Area 
  4b was once the private quarters of the bailiff of 
  the keep. Under the rubble and debris is the col-
  lapsed remains of a bed, the matress a rotten mess 
  of cotton ﬁber and straw. Under that, the PCs can 
  ﬁnd a small metal box. Inside the box is a rotted 
  
  leather pouch containing 27gp and a small gold-
  en pendant in the shape of a sword and shield, 
  worth 50gp.
  5. The Common Hall
  This room was once the common area for the 
  keep’s soldiers. The goblins use it for much the 
  same purpose; off-duty goblins loiter here, playing 
  knucklebones for copper pieces and telling foul 
  stories to pass the time. This room’s roof is mostly 
  intact, so the room is gloomy, just as the goblins 
  like it. At any time, there are 2d6 goblins in this 
  room. If an alarm is sounded, they take one round 
  to get their weapons, and one round to move to 
  the doors from area 6 into the courtyard, where 
  they charge intruders as a crude phalanx on the 
  third round.
  Scattered about the battered improvised tables 
  is a total of 41cp and a single silver piece, caught 
  in a crack in the ﬂagstone ﬂoor.
  There’s a 4 in 6 chance that there’s a roast on the 
  cooking ﬁre in this room. On a roll of 1, it’s human 
  meat; otherwise it’s venison, sufﬁcient to feed up 
  to 6 people.
  Goblins (2d6): HD ¾; AC 7[12]; Att +0 Shortsword 
  (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 9; AL C; XP 
  10 each
  6. The Great Hall
  This room is too leaky and drafty for the goblins 
  to regularly occupy; the broken windows on the 
  north wall also let the sunlight in, which the goblins 
  dislike. The double doors are never barred, so the 
  goblins can rush out through them. They’re bat-
  tered and gouged, remnants of a hundred years 
  of battle and wear. The brackets that would hold a 
  bar in place are rusted to uselessness, and the bar 
  itself is nowhere to be found (the goblins burned 
  it, as well as this room’s furniture and tapestries, as 
  fuel for their cooking ﬁre in area 5).
  7. Collapsed Tower
  This tower’s south and west wall are collapsed. 
  The rubble is not stable, and players trying to clam-
  ber over it, whether entering or exiting, must make 
  a Dexterity check or slip on a loose rock, taking 
  1d3 damage. Loud noises such as rocks tumbling 
  down the pile of rubble have a 2 in 6 chance of 
  drawing a goblin from the tower to the north to 
  investigate (and sound an alarm).
  8. Larders
  These rooms were once the quarters of the keep’s 
  lieutenants. The goblins have stripped them bare, 
  and now store meat brought back by their hunters, 
  as well as stolen supplies from surrounding villages 
  and merchant caravans. There’s always 20 stan-
  dard rations worth of food of dubious quality here, 
  as well as two coils of strong rope (50’ length) and 
  a set of spikes and a hammer. There are also usu-
  ally empty wineskins here; the goblins drink stolen 
  wine immediately and burn the barrels, so there 
  will never be any wine or beer.
  9. Well Tower
  This tower contains a single goblin sentry, who will 
  run from intruders and sound an alarm. The well 
  leads down 15’ to area 13. Jumping down is rela-
  tively safe, as the water breaks the fall. A wooden 
  bucket and a coil of light rope (20’) lie next to the 
  well. If the goblins in area 5 are still alive, there’s a 
  1 in 6 chance every turn spent here that a goblin 
  from area 5 arrives to get a drink of water.
  Goblin Sentry: HD ¾; HP 3; AC 7[12]; Att +0 Short-
  sword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 9; AL 
  C; XP 10 each
  10. Stairs
  The stairs down are well-worn with centuries of 
  frequent usage. They end at an archway, through 
  which is area 11.
  KEEP, DUNGEON
  The dungeon’s corridors are all made of close-
  ly-ﬁtted stone slabs. The ceilings are arched and 
  supported at regular 30’ intervals by stonework. 
  Between each supporting arch, the curved ceil-
  ing still has traces of ﬂaking paint from the frescoes 
  which once decorated it. It’s impossible to discern 
  what the pictures used to be; they are far too de-
  cayed by the pervasive moisture in this place.
  Floors are usually damp, although not to the 
  point of being slick and dangerous (except where 
  indicated). Condensation forms on the walls, and 
  there’s a biting chill throughout the complex.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
  There is a 1 in 6 chance of a random encounter 
  each turn spent in the dungeon. Roll on the table 
  below.
  Goblin Patrol (1d6): HD ¾; HP 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5; AC 
  7[12]; Att +0 Shortsword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sun-
  light; Sv 18; Mv 9; AL C; XP 10 each
  Skeletons (1d6): HD 1; HP 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6; AC 8[11]; 
  Att +1 Claw (1d6); Sp immune to sleep and charm; 
  Sv 17; Mv 12; AL N; XP 15 each
  Giant Rats (1d6): HD ½; HP 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4; AC 7[12]; 
  Att +0 Bite (1d3+5%disease); Sv 18; Mv 12; AL N; XP 
  5 each
  Note that any rats encountered are taken from 
  the total in area 23, and will not be replenished. If 
  area 23 runs out of rats, treat all rat encounters as 
  ‘no encounter’. Similarly, if all the centipedes are 
  
  killed, treat centipede encounters as ‘no encoun-
  ter’.
  11. The Long Hall
  This hall was once the major thoroughfare for the 
  old necromancer and his cultists. Now it is largely 
  avoided by the goblins when possible, and even 
  Drenith prefers not to spend too much time in it.
  At the location marked 11b, the remains of three 
  humanoid skeletons have been shattered, and 
  then very thoroughly broken into splinters. The 
  goblins defeated a group of skeletons here, and 
  wanted to make sure none of them would rise 
  again.
  At the locations marked g is the corpse of a gob-
  lin. The one near area 18 was hacked apart by 
  swords, mostly from behind; the one near area 21 is 
  bloated and swollen, and its green skin has turned 
  deep black. (The former was killed by the guard-
  ians of area 18, while the latter was poisoned to 
  death by the inhabitants of area 21.) These corps-
  es will not be recovered by the goblins, and will 
  steadily decay if ignored by the players. After 4 
  weeks, if they are still present, they will animate as 
  skeletons, which will stay at the location of their 
  death, moving only to engage intruders.
  The shaded areas on the ﬂoor leading into area 
  12 indicate the most-trodden-upon paths, used 
  by the goblins and Drenith.
  
  At the location marked 11a, there is a sculpture 
  of a demonic face on the wall. This sculpture is 
  enchanted with a permanent magic mouth ef-
  fect. Anyone crossing directly in front of it causes 
  it to speak: “In life you are worms crawling be-
  neath the boot of my master. In death, you will 
  become mighty slaves to his will.” This effect will 
  not trigger again for 6 hours. However, it will bring 
  the guardians of area 18a out to investigate (and 
  attack). The face can be avoided by staying be-
  low the level of its eyes (which are approximately 
  5’ above the ﬂoor) and sticking close to the wall 
  on which it’s carved.
  In the face’s open mouth, two feet back into the 
  darkness, is a tightly-rolled scroll. On it, written in 
  the runes of the Black Speech, is a short prayer 
  to Yxthrasis. If this prayer is spoken in area 12, the 
  reader automatically triggers the statue effect, 
  even if he is not touching the statue (although if 
  the reader has already triggered the statue be-
  fore, it will still not work for him).
  12. Hall of Worship
  The statue in this room is a crude depiction of a 
  powerful demon lord, worshipped as a god by 
  the goblins. This being’s name, Yxthrasis, is never 
  spoken aloud by the goblins; it requires a cleric 
  succeeding at a -4 Wisdom check (+1 per cleric 
  level) or some form of divination to discover it.
  If the demon lord’s name is spoken while touch-
  ing the statue, there’s a 3 in 6 chance that the 
  person doing so is noticed by the demon. Check 
  the table below for the effects of this attention.
  The statue’s magic will only work once for any 
  character. Drenith knows the demon lord’s name, 
  but has already received the beneﬁt of worship at 
  the statue.
  The rat tunnel to the east is blocked; see area 14 
  for more information about the blockage.
  There is a 1 in 6 chance that a group of 1d6 gob-
  lins is in this room when the PCs arrive, worshipping 
  at the statue. If the PCs approach from the rat 
  tunnel, the noise will alert them, and they’ll retreat 
  to area 14 to rouse their allies.
  Goblins (1d6): HD ¾; HP 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4; AC 7[12]; 
  Att +0 Shortsword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 
  18; Mv 9; AL C; XP 10 each
  13. The Pool
  This room is the bottom of the well in area 9. If 
  the goblins above are not dead, periodically the 
  bucket will splash down and be raised up once 
  more.
  The goblins come here from areas 14, 15 and 
  16 to fetch water, to bathe, and to relieve them-
  selves. There’s a current running from the east to 
  the west, so their ﬁlth is carried away and does 
  not pollute the well water. However, if a goblin is 
  present when the bucket is lowered, and it’s an 
  opportune moment, he will sometimes slip a ‘sur-
  prise’ into the bucket for his unsuspecting com-
  rade above to discover. This leads to general hilar-
  ity and occasionally a sound thrashing.
  There is a 1 in 6 chance this room contains a 
  lone goblin about his business. If he can’t escape 
  through the door to area 12, he will shout for help 
  and ﬁght to the death. Otherwise, he’ll ﬂee north 
  to alert area 14 and 15.
  RANDOM ENCOUNTERS (ROLL 1D6)
  1
  a lone goblin on some errand. He will try 
  to run and alert the nearest goblin en-
  counter.
  2
  a goblin patrol of 1d6 goblins headed to 
  the upper level.
  3
  one of the two hobgoblin lieutenants 
  from Area 16, with his three elite goblin 
  guards.
  4
  a pack of 1d6 giant rats scavenging for 
  food, hoping to catch an unwary gob-
  lin.
  5
  one of the giant centipedes from area 
  22, looking for an easy meal
  6
  a group of 1d6 goblin skeletons, animat-
  ed by the necromantic energies in area 
  18. Increase the number of skeletons in 
  this encounter by 1d6 for every 10 gob-
  lins the PCs have slain, even if they’ve 
  been replaced by Drenith. If the PCs 
  explicitly dispose of goblin corpses, or 
  otherwise render them incapable of re-
  animation, don’t increase the skeletons 
  in this encounter.
  STATUE EFFECTS
  Chaotic Cleric
  As per the bless spell, and 
  fully healed, and +1 to next 
  attack roll
  Chaotic
  As per the bless spell, and 
  1d4 hp healed
  Neutral
  1hp lost, but receive +1 to 
  next attack roll
  Lawful
  1d6 hp lost
  Lawful Cleric
  1d10 hp lost, and cursed (roll 
  on Cursed Scrolls table)
  
  Each turn the players spend in this room, there’s 
  a 1 in 6 chance a goblin enters to take care of 
  business.
  The subterranean stream that ﬂows away to the 
  west can be swum (leading to areas 22 and 17), 
  but it’s 300’ long, and the middle 150’ are entirely 
  submerged. See Area B, above, for a discussion 
  of swimming 150’ underwater. Swimming east 
  against the current is impossible for anyone who 
  cannot breathe water.
  Goblin (1): HD ¾; HP 3; AC 7[12]; Att +0 Short-
  sword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 9; AL 
  C; XP 10 each
  14. Goblin Barracks
  The location marked T is a trap. A tripwire stretch-
  es across the corridor (the goblins are careful to 
  step over it). If tripped, a spring-loaded spike-cov-
  ered framework is released and swings around the 
  corner, striking the front ranks of the party. A thief 
  in the front rank has an automatic 4 in 6 chance 
  to notice the tripwire and the hinges on which the 
  framework is mounted (no active search neces-
  sary); other characters have only a 1 in 6 chance 
  to notice it. If triggered, it inﬂicts 2d6 points of dam-
  age on the front rank of the party, and alerts the 
  goblins in area 14 and 15 (it’s very loud when it 
  triggers). A successful saving throw (which thieves 
  make at +2, as usual) reduces the damage to 
  zero, but doesn’t do anything about the very loud 
  noise.
  Inside area 14 is the barracks of the keep’s gob-
  lins. There are pallets of straw for 25 goblins here; 
  they sleep in shifts, while not on other duties. At 
  any moment there are 2d8 goblins in this room, 
  resting, carousing, and swapping stories. They 
  take one round to get their weapons and ready 
  themselves for combat.
  Note that this room is the most likely place for 
  casualties to be removed; if a result is rolled for 
  a number of goblins that’s greater than the total 
  remaining number, reduce the encounter’s num-
  bers to the maximum allowable, minus 2 (for the 
  goblins always stationed in area 15).
  There’s a concealed passage in the north wall; 
  it’s covered by a crate of rubbish. The goblins can 
  move this out of the way to escape, reinforce area 
  15, or alert the rest of the complex. The passage is 
  only 5 feet high, and ﬁve feet across; many char-
  acters will need to stoop to move through, and 
  only smaller weapons such as daggers and short-
  swords, and thrusting weapons like spears, can be 
  used in the passage.
  The rat tunnel in the east wall has been ﬁlled with 
  rubble, debris, broken pieces of wood, and other 
  barricade materials. Periodically the goblins push 
  the whole pile back, and add more to the front, as 
  they know the rats will eventually chew and tun-
  nel through otherwise. Clearing the debris takes a 
  total of three turns, and it’s extremely loud; if ap-
  proaching this room from the rat tunnels, the gob-
  lins inside will be alerted to intruders and ready to 
  repel them (though they probably believe the in-
  truders are giant rats).
  Goblins here, if alerted, will generally not rush out 
  to intercept intruders in the hallway, preferring to 
  let them encounter the trap ﬁrst. Then they’ll de-
  fend the door with half their numbers while the 
  other half moves to area 15 to alert the guards 
  and defend the room.
  Goblins: HD ¾; AC 7[12]; Att +0 Shortsword (1d6); 
  Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 9; AL C; XP 10 
  each
  15. Fortiﬁcations
  The goblins have built two crude barricades, 
  marked on the map with ‘x’es. These barricades 
  take a full round to climb over, and require a Dex-
  terity check or the climber takes 1d3 incidental 
  damage from the various spikes, bits of rusty met-
  al, sharpened sticks, and broken glass the goblins 
  have covered them with.
  At the locations marked ‘G’ are goblin sentries. 
  There are always two sentries in this room, regard-
  less of other losses (take losses from other locations 
  before removing these two), as they guard their 
  lieutenants and their master’s preferred route of 
  egress. They have a line of sight extending 60 feet 
  down each hall if the doors are open, and will 
  engage intruders from that range with their short-
  bows. The doors are usually closed (and require a 
  standard open doors check to open); if the sen-
  tries spot or detect intruders, they will call alarms 
  down the concealed passages to areas 14 and 
  16, and then defend the room to the death.
  If alerted to intruders, goblins from 14 will reinforce 
  the room, and Gruntch the hobgoblin lieutenant 
  from 16a will enter from the main western door to 
  support his troops, bringing his three elite guards 
  with him. His compatriot Ugbarg in 16b will join 2 
  rounds later with his three elite guards. If a com-
  bat in this room goes on for more than ﬁve rounds, 
  Drenith will emerge from his secret exit and join 
  the ﬁght from the western door.
  This room can lead to the PCs ﬁghting every sin-
  gle goblin in the dungeon, as well as their leaders, 
  so it’s extremely dangerous to become trapped 
  here.
  Goblin Sentries (2): HD ¾; HP 5, 6; AC 7[12]; Att +0 
  Shortsword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 
  9; AL C; XP 10 each
  
  16. Lieutenants’ Quarters
  These two rooms are the quarters of the hobgob-
  lin lieutenants, Gruntch and Ugbarg. Each of them 
  has a personal guard of 3 elite goblins, and each 
  of them uses better equipment than the other 
  goblins in the dungeon. (Note that these 6 goblins 
  are the ‘honor guard’ that accompanies Drenith if 
  he’s encountered in the keep above, and are not 
  counted against the keep’s total of 40 goblins.)
  In room 16a, Gruntch makes his lair. His preferred 
  weapon is the spiked maul, which he wields two-
  handed (for a damage bonus of +1, already in-
  cluded in the damage listed below). In a locked 
  chest at the foot of his sleeping mat is his personal 
  treasure; he wears the key around his neck on a 
  leather thong. The chest holds 200gp and a gar-
  net gemstone (91gp)
  Gruntch, Hobgoblin: HD 2; HP 13; AC 5[14]; Att +2 
  Spiked Maul (1d8+1); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 17; 
  Mv 9; AL C; XP 30
  Elite Goblins (3): HD ¾; HP 5, 6, 6; AC 5[14]; Att +0 
  Shortsword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 
  9; AL C; XP 15 each
  In room 16b, Ugbarg has his quarters. Ugbarg is 
  fascinated with magic and magical items, and 
  Drenith gave him a wand of magic missile (caster 
  level 1, 2 charges) which he’s ﬁgured out how to 
  use. He will always use this wand in combat until 
  its charges are expended, after which he’ll spend 
  another round trying to make it work again, and 
  then discard it for axe and shield.
  Ugbarg, Hobgoblin: HD 2; HP 11; AC 4[15]; Att +2 
  Axe (1d8); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 17; Mv 9; AL C; 
  XP 30
  Elite Goblins (3): HD ¾; HP 5, 6, 6; AC 5[14]; Att +0 
  Shortsword (1d6); Sp -1 to hit in sunlight; Sv 18; Mv 
  9; AL C; XP 15 each
  He keeps his treasure under one of the room’s 
  ﬂagstones, which has a metal handle attached, 
  and is easily found by any PC making a search 
  of the room. The cache contains 120gp, a wand 
  of magic missiles (2 charges),  and a gold ring 
  (80gp)
  17. The Flooded Hall
  This hall was once an audience chamber and 
  lecture hall where the necromantic master would 
  meet with his students and any supplicants. How-
  ever, a small leak in the corner from the under-
  ground stream has slowly eroded into a large leak, 
  which has ﬂooded the lower area of the room.
  Because of the water in this area, the ﬂoor of 
  the whole room is slick and slimy with black mold. 
  Each round the PCs spend in this room, they must 
  make Dexterity checks to avoid slipping on the 
  slime and sliding into the stagnant water.
  At the far end, the water is ﬁve feet deep, so it 
  doesn’t present a drowning hazard. However, the 
  real threat is lurking beneath the surface of the 
  water: a grey ooze that will attack any charac-
  ter in the water. If the PCs get near the edge of 
  the water, the ooze will lash out from the conceal-
  ment of the water. In either case, the ooze sur-
  prises the PCs on a 5 in 6; if they’re not surprised, 
  they become aware of an unnatural rippling on 
  the surface of the water.
  In the muck, bones and slime collected at the 
  back of the room, is the ooze’s treasure -- the indi-
  gestible remains of its meals. It consists of an opal 
  (750gp), a morganite stone (215gp), and 2 gar-
  nets (60gp each)
  The secret door on the eastern wall is opened by 
  a latch found in a corner where three of the wall’s 
  stone slabs come together. It’s just big enough to 
  ﬁt two ﬁngers in. The door has not been opened in 
  a very long time, as the goblins have no reason to 
  come in here, so there are no visible signs of the 
  door being used, and it’s difﬁcult to open once 
  the catch is released (requiring a Strength check 
  or some appropriate tool such as an iron spike).
  Grey Ooze: HD 3+3; HP 19; AC 7[12]; Att +3 Strike 
  (2d6); acid, immune to spells, heat, cold; Sv 14; Mv 
  1, 3 if swimming; AL N; XP 240
  18. The Hall of the Dead
  This dangerous room is all that’s left of the pow-
  er and curses of the former master of the keep, 
  Drenith’s former master. Drenith would very much 
  like to plunder this room’s secrets, but so far he’s 
  been unable to ﬁnd a way to control the undead 
  inside. His goblins will no longer enter the place, 
  as they’ve lost too many of their number. So Dren-
  ith bides his time. If the party clears a signiﬁcant 
  portion of the room, but does not loot it, Drenith 
  will ﬁnish the job and loot the room while they’re 
  away.
  The area labeled 18a, the Front Hall, is lit with an 
  eerie blue-green light from two magical ﬂames, 
  which hover above empty torch sconces on the 
  northwest and southeast walls. Standing at atten-
  tion, two in front of each curtained opening, are 
  a total of 8 skeletons. They will move to attack any 
  intruders immediately after they enter the room; 
  they will also move out to area 11a to engage in-
  truders that trigger the magic mouth there. While 
  in area 18, the skeletons cannot be turned.
  The area labeled b, the Back Hall, is somewhat 
  more dangerous. Two Skeleton Lords sit on thrones 
  on the dais ﬂanking a roughly hewn block of 
  black marble on a pedestal. When the curtains 
  
  are passed through, the Lords rise and engage 
  the party in battle. They cannot be turned while 
  in area 18. They will pursue the party past the cur-
  tains, but not out into the hall.
  The black stone has two immediate and unpleas-
  ant effects (aside from making the undead in this 
  room immune to turning) that begin as soon as 
  the Skeleton Lords rise. Once per round, it will ani-
  mate a defeated skeleton, returning it to battle at 
  full hit points. Once every second round, it will cast 
  drain strength at a randomly chosen PC. This drain 
  is similar to the touch of a shadow; it lowers the 
  target’s Strength by 1 point. Unlike the shadow’s 
  touch, the PC is allowed a saving throw to avoid 
  the effect (mages get +2 on this roll as it’s a spell). 
  The lost Strength points are restored after 90 min-
  utes, but this countdown doesn’t begin unless the 
  stone is destroyed. If a PC is reduced to 0 Strength, 
  he or she dies, and is withered to a skeletal form 
  which rises as a new Skeleton Lord in 1d3 rounds.
  The stone can be damaged by crushing weap-
  ons and magical damage. It has 30hp, and is con-
  sidered Armor Class 9 [10]. Destroying the stone 
  earns the party 500XP. The Skeleton Lords will ﬁght 
  on if the stone is destroyed, and still cannot be 
  turned (although the regular skeletons can now 
  be turned as usual). The unfortunate PC who de-
  livers the ﬁnal blow to the stone is immediately af-
  ﬂicted by a curse that causes them to lose 1 point 
  from every attribute for 90 minutes; if this brings an 
  attribute to 0, the PC dies and rises as a Skeleton 
  Lord, as described above.
  Skeletons (8): HD 1; HP 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7; AC 
  8[11]; Att +1 Claw (1d6); Sp immune to sleep and 
  charm; Sv 17; Mv 12; AL N; XP 15 each
  Skeleton Lords (2): HD 3+3; HP 18, 17; AC 5[14]; 
  Att +3 Longsword (1d8); Sp immune to sleep and 
  charm, cannot be turned; Sv 14; Mv 12; AL C; XP 
  120 each
  There are two secret doors in this room. The wall 
  for each of them has a pattern of black marble 
  chips embedded in it, each chip making the point 
  of a pentagon. If a chip is touched, it sends a pro-
  found, numbing chill up the touching character’s 
  arm, inﬂicting 1 point of damage; this happens 
  again each time a chip is touched. If the PCs use 
  their ﬁngers to trace a star shape between each 
  chip, the door opens, pivoting out into the room. 
  If the chips are broken or shattered by abuse with 
  a hammer or other blunt instrument, or pried loose 
  from the wall, the door’s enchantment is broken, 
  and it cannot be opened except by tools such 
  as pickaxes, or appropriate transmutation magic. 
  Diligent PCs with picks can break through one 
  door in 6 hours of constant work; this work makes 
  a lot of noise and will absolutely bring Drenith and 
  all his goblin warriors; Drenith knows full well what 
  the sounds of pickaxes means, and will be eager 
  to slay the PCs and take the treasure for himself.
  (It may be convenient to sketch out the pattern 
  of stone chips on the wall, and give the sketch 
  to the players, and ask them to show you what 
  they’re doing directly on the sketch.)
  In area c, there’s a single large stone chest, which 
  requires a Strength check to open (by sliding its lid 
  off to one side). The top of the chest bears a sym-
  bol of hate. Any PC touching the lid of the chest 
  is immediately struck by the symbol’s power, and 
  will immediately begin attacking his or her allies 
  for the symbol’s duration of 6 rounds. After the 
  symbol is triggered, it is inactive for one turn; how-
  ever, note that it begins to reset immediately on 
  being triggered, so unlucky players may dawdle 
  and trigger it again!
  The chest contains: 600gp, a purple amethyst 
  (75gp), a potion of healing, and a ring of undead 
  control (from http://swcompanion.wdﬁles.com/
  local--ﬁles/resources/mi, p.3).
  In area d is another large stone chest, exactly 
  as in area c. The chest has no symbol on top, but 
  trapped inside it is a noxious gas. Players in the 
  room or within 20’ of the door to the room are af-
  fected, and must make a saving throw (this is a 
  poison trap, so thieves and clerics gain a +2 to the 
  save). Failure inﬂicts an immediate and perma-
  nent loss of 1d6 Constitution, and requires a sec-
  ond save 1 round later. Failing the second save as 
  well results in death. PCs reduced to 0 Constitution 
  or less by the poison are killed immediately on the 
  ﬁrst failed save, however.
  The chest contains: 800gp, a universal antidote 
  (potion; cures any poison if administered within 3 
  round), and a sacriﬁcial blood dagger +1 (if this 
  weapon delivers the killing blow to a living human-
  oid target, the wielder heals 1d4+1 hp). Also in this 
  chest is the amulet of the lich (see 20c, below), a 
  steel pendant in the shape of a skull, on a chain of 
  tiny steel links. The amulet is non-magical but will 
  be recognized by evil spellcasters as the mark of 
  a lich’s favor.
  Ring of Undead Control
  This ring allows a cleric to control, once per 
  day, a number of undead with total Hit Dice 
  equalling 1d4 +1. The undead are allowed a 
  save to resist the cleric’s control. Undead con-
  trolled by the ring must already be animated. 
  The Ring of Undead Control will not animate 
  undead, but simply allows the cleric to control 
  those already animated. The undead affect-
  ed remain under the cleric’s control for 1d4+2 
  rounds. Usable by: clerics.
  
  19. Makeshift Crypt
  For a while, the goblins were tossing the bodies 
  of their victims into this room when they’d stripped 
  them of any edible ﬂesh. They no longer do so, 
  because the necromantic energies here began 
  to reanimate them. The room stinks of decaying 
  ﬂesh, and there are disgusting sticky stains on the 
  ﬂoor, but is otherwise empty.
  20. The Chambers of the Master
  These were the quarters of the necromantic mas-
  ter who ruled this keep. His apprentice Drenith has 
  taken them for his own use, but has not entirely 
  claimed them. He can’t solve the trap leading 
  into area 20c, so his master’s greatest treasures 
  are unavailable to him.
  The hallway leading up to room 20 is trapped. 
  A stone pressure plate at the location marked T 
  will, if stepped on, cause a foul gas to be released 
  from vents in the wall near the ﬂoor. This gas is re-
  pellent and disgusting, concentrated from the 
  rotten corpses of the goblins’ victims. Everyone in 
  the hallway is affected. On a failed save, the PC 
  is overcome with nausea and begins to vomit, suf-
  fering a -2 to all attacks and a +2[-2] penalty to 
  AC. On a successful save, the PC suffers only a -1 
  to all attacks, and no AC penalty.
  In either case, affected PCs have an effective 
  Charisma of 3 for as long as the gas lasts, and suf-
  fer a -1 penalty to all checks to surprise enemies.
  The nausea effect of the gas fades over the 
  course of the next hour (6 turns). The Charisma 
  penalty and surprise penalty last until the affected 
  PCs thoroughly bathe themselves, replace cloth-
  ing, and scrub their equipment with soap.
  20a is the area he uses as his audience chamber. 
  It’s richly furnished with stolen goods brought back 
  by his goblin forces. It features a high-backed 
  chair on a raised platform at the north end of the 
  room, before a small wooden door in the north 
  wall (which it conceals from casual inspection). 
  Braziers in the corners are lit with eerie blue-green 
  magical ﬂames that never go out, and ﬁll the room 
  with a strange scent of incense and putrefaction.
  The western secret door is opened by pressing on 
  a single smaller stone near the ceiling. This stone 
  is not hard to detect; Drenith regularly travels 
  between this area and 20b as he uses 20b as his 
  sleeping chamber.
  The small door behind the throne leads into a 
  narrow passage that ends in a secret door. It’s 
  obvious how to open it from inside the passage, 
  however. Outside in the hall leading from area 
  15, it’s opened by pressing a single smaller stone 
  near the ceiling, just as the door to the west of the 
  throne.
  20b is Drenith’s bedchamber. Immediately in-
  side the door is a hidden pit trap; bypassing it re-
  quires closing the secret door behind you, which 
  locks the pit’s covering into place. Otherwise, the 
  trap covers the entire passage, and can only be 
  avoided by using some improvised bridge. The pit 
  is a 20’ fall into a small chamber with no exits; the 
  damage from the fall is 2d6. Drenith has explored 
  the chamber, and scattered some caltrops inside; 
  each round a player is in the pit, he must make a 
  Dexterity check or step on a caltrop for 1d2 dam-
  age.
  Drenith, the Necromancer’s Apprentice: HD 3; HP 
  15; AC 8[11]; Att +0 Staff (1d6); Sp spells, magic 
  items; Sv 13 (+2 vs Spells); Mv 12; AL C; XP 240
  Drenith has the following spells prepared: shield, 
  charm person, mirror image. In a ﬁght, he will be-
  gin by casting mirror image, followed by shield 
  (which lowers his AC to 2[17] versus missiles, and 
  4[15] versus melee). He will then try to charm the 
  most heavily-armored ﬁghter, and direct his new 
  minion to defend him. Then he will attack from be-
  hind his minion (and any additional goblins avail-
  able) with his staff. If he loses more than half his hit 
  points, he will ﬂee (if possible) or surrender (if not). 
  He is not interested in ﬁghting to the death, and 
  will only do so if given no other option.
  20c is the Master’s Vault. Drenith doesn’t know 
  how to bypass the trap, and his goblins refuse to 
  help him experiment any further. The inner door 
  can only be opened if the outer door is closed. 
  Once the outer door is closed, after three rounds, 
  the inner door unlocks with an audible click. Both 
  doors are made of heavy iron, and the doors and 
  all the walls of area c are protected from magi-
  cal interference and transmutation. Magic simply 
  cannot penetrate the walls or either door, nor can 
  spells cast beyond the doors pass their thresholds 
  even if the doors are open.
  One round after the outer door is closed, a ﬁre 
  glyph on the ﬂoor begins to burn with a vivid red 
  light. The room is then ﬁlled with ﬁre, against which 
  there is no saving throw (the whole room is ﬁlled, 
  so there’s nowhere to jump!). The ﬁre inﬂicts 3d6 
  damage the ﬁrst round, 2d6 the second round, 
  and 1d6 the third round. After that, the doors are 
  both unlocked and either can be opened (but 
  only one can be opened, as opening one locks 
  the other, requiring another trip through the ﬁre 
  glyph).
  The only way to bypass the ﬁre glyph is with the 
  amulet of the lich found in area 18d. The skull shape 
  of the amulet ﬁts perfectly into a skull-shaped in-
  dentation in the wall. While the amulet is in the in-
  dentation, the ﬁre glyph will not trigger.
  
  Drenith knows about the skull indentation, and if 
  he’s shown the amulet he will offer the PCs any-
  thing in his power in exchange for it. He wants the 
  contents of the vault, and will happily trade all 
  the other treasure he has. He’ll even volunteer to 
  leave the keep, betray his goblin soldiers, leave 
  the civilized lands behind, and threaten the region 
  no longer (although what he’ll really do with the 
  treasure is haul it all to the Halls of Endless Night 
  and seek out his old master).
  The amulet can be reclaimed at any time. If both 
  doors are closed, however, this causes the ﬁre 
  glyph to activate. If either door is open, it’s safe to 
  remove the amulet.
  Inside the vault are three large chests, each of 
  which is locked (but not trapped), as well as a 
  shelf of books and scrolls.
  Hanging from a peg on the wall is a +2 war 
  hammer with intricate silver ﬁligree. The weapon, 
  named Fordarin (‘Bane of Wights’ in Old Archae-
  an)  was an artifact of good, once wielded by a 
  powerful cleric during the wars against Khadar, 
  and the necromancer was researching ways to 
  corrupt it to evil before he left. If held by a Lawful 
  cleric, it will give the wielder a warm, comfortable 
  feeling, will hum when swung, and will seem espe-
  cially light. It has no other powers besides being a 
  +2 weapon, however.
  In the ﬁrst chest is 1100gp. In the second chest 
  is 2550sp and an emerald (779gp) in a ﬁnely lac-
  quered puzzle box (175gp). In the third chest is a 
  scroll of Protection From Poison, a bundle of 12 +1 
  arrows wrapped in a piece of linen, and a pouch 
  containing 170gp and a white gold ﬁligree ring 
  (115gp).
  The shelves contain a small research library on 
  the subject of undeath and the undead, nec-
  romantic magic, and legends of ancient liches. 
  There is also a tome of lichdom which a level 20 
  or higher magic-user or cleric can read to learn 
  the steps of the ritual of becoming a lich. Lower 
  level magic-users and clerics can understand the 
  book’s topic but are unable to follow the complex 
  magical theory. Other character classes ﬁnd the 
  book incomprehensible.
  Also on the shelves is a map, folded up and 
  wrapped in linen. It’s very old and faded, but it 
  clearly depicts the local area. The keep is marked 
  on the map, as is a black, unfamiliar rune. (This 
  rune indicates the location of the Halls of Endless 
  Night.)
  20d is an optional path downwards to the next 
  level of the dungeon, populated entirely by the 
  undead, and connecting ultimately to the Halls 
  of Endless Night, many days’ journey away. How-
  ever, if you don’t want to construct the next level 
  down, describe the room as choked with rubble 
  from a partial collapse of the ceiling.
  21. Centipede Foyer
  The passage wall collapsed, or was knocked 
  down, leaving a pile of rubble that blocks the en-
  trance to this natural cave. Climbing over it has a 
  2 in 6 chance of alerting the centipedes that live 
  in the caves beyond.
  The foyer is usually unoccupied, but when the 
  players enter, and every round thereafter, there’s 
  a 1 in 6 chance that one of the three giant centi-
  pedes that nest in area 22 will come to investigate 
  the intrusion. This chance continues for as long as 
  there’s commotion in area 21 and centipedes left 
  in area 22, so the players could easily end up ﬁght-
  ing all three centipedes in this area.
  Several dessicated giant rat corpses are scat-
  tered about. The rats, blocked from all other en-
  trances to the dungeon, have taken to using area 
  21 as a way in; the centipedes occasionally catch 
  one and eat it.
  The northeastern part of the cave is a shallow de-
  pression in the rocky ﬂoor that becomes a rat tun-
  nel, connected to area 23. If the PCs happen to 
  encounter rats here, they will always ﬂee into their 
  tunnels; they associate this room with death, and 
  don’t take any chances with enemies here.
  The northwestern part of the cave is a rocky in-
  cline down into a larger natural cavern; the sound 
  of a burbling stream can be clearly heard coming 
  from the passage.
  Giant Centipedes: HD 2; HP 8, 9, 11; AC 5[14]; Att 
  +2 Bite (1d8+poison); Sv 16; Sp lethal poison, +6 
  save; Mv 15; AL N; XP 120 each
  22. Centipede Lair
  This room is split into two areas by the stream. On 
  the east side of the stream, the ﬂoor of the cave 
  is at the same level as the water, which splashes 
  up onto the rock and makes the cave somewhat 
  slippery. On the west side of the stream is a ﬁve-
  foot-high cliff with a jumble of rocks at its base, 
  at the top of which the centipedes make their 
  nest. In the area marked a are several decaying 
  rat and goblin corpses, as well as broken shards of 
  bone and scraps of cloth and leather. The centi-
  pedes spend their time curled up into a tight mass 
  of chitin and legs in the area marked b. PCs that 
  make loud noises or otherwise cause a commo-
  tion on the eastern half of the chamber have a 3 
  in 6 chance of attracting the attention of all three 
  centipedes. PCs climbing up the cliff to area a 
  have a 4 in 6 chance of provoking the creatures, 
  and PCs actually searching the rotting corpses or 
  entering the narrow cleft leading into area b au-
  tomatically attract the monsters’ attentions.
  
  One of the goblin corpses is wearing a set of 
  bracers of defense, AC 6[13]. There’s a well-main-
  tained high quality mace here, as well, which is 
  non-magical. There’s a scattering of other trea-
  sure throughout areas a and b: 840sp, 1300cp 
  and 300gp, as well as a tourmaline pendant on a 
  silver chain (350gp).
  It’s impossible to swim upstream (towards area 
  13) without some means of breathing water. 
  Downstream is relatively easy; there’s plenty of 
  air all the way to the eroded crack in the wall of 
  area 17, allowing access to the watery part of 
  that chamber. Beyond that crack, the stream dips 
  rapidly and dangerously downwards. It’s many 
  miles of mostly-submerged passage, with occa-
  sional deadly falls onto sharp rocks, before the 
  stream empties into the Halls of Endless Night, on 
  the Black Lake level of the dungeon. The journey 
  is almost certainly fatal.
  23. Rat Lair
  The rats that infest the low and cramped tun-
  nels behind the walls of the dungeon live in this 
  large, low-ceilinged cave. There are a total of 25 
  giant rats, though losses from other encounters 
  should be removed from this total. They’re ruled 
  by a monstrous rat, an enormous and brutal rat 
  queen with a nearly human level of intellect and 
  cunning.
  The queen is usually found in her own nest, marked 
  b, while her lesser minions sleep, groom each oth-
  er, and quarrel over bits of meat and bone in the 
  area marked a. If intruders enter the nest, the rats 
  will ﬁght to the death to defend their queen, and 
  will pursue ﬂeeing intruders until they are dead or 
  they leave the rat tunnels.
  The ceiling of the cave is only six feet high, so 
  many characters will likely bump their heads if 
  they stand up suddenly, and near the edges of 
  the cave the ceiling drops to four feet in height, 
  requiring most PCs to crouch (conferring a -1 to hit 
  penalty). Large weapons such as bastard swords, 
  battle axes, and two-handed swords are unusable 
  in area 23, although thrusting weapons like spears 
  and lances can still be wielded.
  The entire cave is one large rat nest, which 
  means a tangled, foul-smelling mass of shed fur, 
  shredded fabric and leather, bits of metal and 
  other garbage trinkets, partially gnawed goblin 
  corpses, the bones of woodland animals seized 
  in the forest outside, at area A, and other refuse. 
  In some places it’s a foot thick, and everywhere 
  it impedes PC movement, reducing it to half. The 
  rats, of course, take no penalty to movement.
  There’s a fair amount of coinage scattered in the 
  foul bedding: 200gp, 1800sp, and 2100cp. In the 
  queen’s nest, there are another 100gp. The queen 
  is fond of gemstones and jewelry, and commands 
  her minions to bring her any they ﬁnd. She’s wear-
  ing a golden necklace (285gp) and in her person-
  al bedding are an aquamarine (275gp), a peridot 
  (175gp), and a small ruby (115gp).
  Resourceful players might think to try bribing the 
  queen; if they establish communications with her, 
  and offer her at least 200gp of gemstones, she will 
  order her rats to leave the PCs alone. Thereafter, 
  the rats will only ﬁght if attacked (although any 
  escaping rat will carry news of the treachery to 
  the nest within one turn, after which the deal is 
  off). The queen, if she’s able to communicate with 
  the PCs, will ask them to clear the obstructions in 
  rooms 16a, 16b, 12, and especially 14. She will also 
  reward the PCs with her ruby if they kill the centi-
  pedes in area 21, and bring her their carcasses as 
  proof.
  Giant Rats (25): HD ½; AC 7[12]; Att +0 Bite 
  (1d3+5%disease); Sv 18; Mv 12; AL N; XP 5 each
  Rat Queen: HD 3; HP 17; AC 6[13]; Att +3 2x Claws 
  (1d3) Bite (1d6); Sv 14; Mv 12; AL N; XP 120 each
  All content, art and cartography by Kevin Maginn. http://www.thratchen.com
  The Keep of the Necromancer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Un-
  ported License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Swords & Wizardry (osr) [multi]/SnW 1e & 2e/Adventures & Settings/SnW - Keep of the Necromancer.pdf