TEXT:  
   
  
  Mini-Dungeon Module S3 
  The Bandit’s Bounty 
  By Matthew E Kline 
   
  AN ADVENTURE FOR CHARACTER LEVELS 3-5 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  An elven bounty hunter is on the trail of a notorious bandit leader who’s sealed himself up 
  inside a specially designed stronghold. The elf is going to have to enlist some help if he has 
  any hope of collecting the reward. 
   
    The Bandit’s Bounty is part of a series of mini-dungeons designed to drop into existing adventures or  
    campaigns. Use them as side quests or a way of getting in a quick adventure when you’re short on time. 
   
  Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are trademarks of Matthew J. Finch. 
  Creation’s Edge Games and Matthew E Kline are not affiliated with Mathew J. Finch, 
  Mythmere Games™, or Frog God Games. 
   
  Writing, design, layout: Matthew E Kline 
  The ‘Town Square’ image on the cover and inside cover was provided by Shaman Stockart 
   
  © Copyright 2020 Creation’s Edge Games 
  
  1 
   
  Dungeons of Dazegoneby 
  Mini-Dungeon Module S3 
  The Bandit’s Bounty 
  An elven bounty hunter is on the trail of a 
  notorious bandit leader who’s sealed 
  himself up inside a specially designed 
  stronghold. The elf is going to have to 
  enlist some help if he has any hope of 
  collecting the reward. But the bandit 
  leader isn’t exactly a bandit leader and the 
  elf isn’t even an elf… 
   
   
  About This Product 
   
  Although it can be scaled by the 
  Gamemaster for groups of other sizes, 
  The Bandit’s Bounty is designed for 4-6 
  adventurers of level 3-5. This product is 
  part of a line of mini-dungeons designed 
  as quick, drop-in adventures. They’re 
  ideal for use as short side quests, or for 
  gaming sessions where you’re pressed for 
  time. You could even string them all 
  together as a mini dungeon campaign.    
  Gamemasters should feel free to adjust 
  this adventure to suit their group’s style of 
  game-play or level of difficulty. 
  It’s recommended that the Gamemaster 
  read through this product at least twice 
  inorder to familiarize themselves with the 
  adventure prior to playing. They should 
  also take note of any new monsters or 
  magic listed at the end of the document. 
  This product requires the use of the 
  Swords & Wizardry rules. More 
  information can be found online at 
  www.swordsandwizadry.com  
   
  After most of the room descriptions you’ll 
  find one or more of the following symbols: 
  This symbol indicates that there’s a 
  monster or monsters in the room.  
   
  This symbol indicates there’s 
  treasure in the room. 
    
  This symbol indicates that there’s a 
  dangerous obstacle in the room.  
   
  A description of the monsters, treasures, 
  or obstacles encountered follows after 
  each symbol.  
   
  About Dungeons of Dazegoneby 
  I can remember a time in my distant past 
  when I could head to the local mall walk 
  into one of the two bookstores they had at 
  the time, plunk down around five dollars, 
  and walk out with a brand-new Dungeons 
  & Dragons module. Our Dungeons of 
  Dazegoneby line is a tribute to old school 
  gaming, paying homage to a time filled 
  with graph paper maps, wandering 
  monster tables, hand-drawn character 
  sheets, and lazy afternoons filled with 
  adventure and wonder. We hope you 
  enjoy playing these products as much as 
  we enjoyed making them.   
  You can find more of our RPG products on 
  RPGNow. Please feel free to visit us at 
  www.creationsedgegames.com or like us 
  on Facebook. Thank you for your support! 
   
  On the pages that follow you’ll find 
  boxes like the one surrounding this 
  text. These boxes hold suggested 
  descriptions of the rooms that can be 
  read out loud to the players.  
  
  2 
   
  Gamemaster’s Eyes Only: 
  Bargo Bristal’s made himself some 
  powerful enemies. Seems he was 
  embezzling from the thieves guild he 
  belonged to. And now a lot of unhappy 
  people would like to see him die in some 
  creative and messy way, a way that would 
  send a message to anyone else thinking of 
  doing the same. Underlined in red. 
  The problem is, Bargo’s locked himself 
  away in a vault-like lair, carved into the 
  base of a cliff, a lair designed specifically 
  for hiding out from the guild. The thief 
  shrewdly invested some of his embezzled 
  coin into its construction for just such an 
  eventuality.   
  The thieves guild has hired a very special 
  assassin to visit a very special death upon 
  Bargo, but the assassin’s having a hard 
  time getting to him. He’s discovered it’s 
  impossible to sneak into the ‘safe house’. 
  And it doesn’t seem like Bargo’s coming 
  out anytime soon.  
  So, new plan. The assassin’s looking for a 
  group of adventurers he can dupe into 
  helping him get to Bargo so he can carry 
  out his mission, kill the thief, and collect 
  his fee from the guild. And if he can slay a 
  group of upstart heroes in the process, so 
  much the better. 
  The assassin’s now posing as an elven 
  bounty hunter named Llewellen Skywind. 
  He’s posted notices of a reward for the 
  capture of Bargo Bristal, ‘notorious bandit 
  leader’ in several towns close to the thief’s 
  hiding place. The assassin’s staying at the 
  Amberlight, a two-story roadside inn 
  midway between the towns. There he sits, 
  waiting for a group of adventurers to take 
  the bait. 
   
  Set Up 
  The next time the group visits a town they 
  spy a notice for a reward posted in a 
  public place. The notice reads “Wanted for 
  crimes against citizens of the realm: 
  Notorious bandit leader Bargo Bristal! 
  10,000 gold in return for his capture.” The 
  words “Inquire with Llewellen Skywind at 
  the Amberlight Inn” are scribbled across 
  the bottom by a different hand. 
  The group can get direction to the inn by 
  asking around. It sits along the road, just 
  a few miles out of town.    
    
  A Note to the Gamemaster 
  The set up described here is only a 
  suggestion. Feel free to introduce this 
  scenario to your group in any way you see 
  fit. 
   
  The group could be hired by a merchant 
  seeking to retrieve an item stolen from 
  him by Bargo. The party tracks the thief 
  to his lair, running into Llewellen along the 
  way. The bounty hunter suggests teaming 
  up to the players; they get the merchant’s 
  stolen item and he gets Bargo. He may 
  even offer to throw in a portion of the 
  10,000gp bounty…   
   
   
      
   
   
   
   
   
  
  3 
   
  The Amberlight Inn 
  It’s easy enough for the players to make 
  their way to the Amberlight, a two-story 
  tavern/inn sitting at the crossroads. 
  The players can make contact with 
  Llewellen Skywind by enquiring with the 
  innkeeper or any of the staff. The elf is 
  quickly fetched from his room while the 
  players make themselves comfortable in 
  the inn’s tavern. Llewellen soon arrives to 
  greet the players, an adventurer’s 
  backpack slung over one shoulder.  
  Read or paraphrase the following: 
   
  Llewellen explains that he camped out for 
  several days, a safe distance away from 
  the lair’s entrance, to see if anyone 
  emerged. 
  On the fourth night he witnessed a small 
  group exit the stronghold through a secret 
  door, several yards away from the 
  entrance. Apparently, the group had 
  gotten tired of whatever stored foods they 
  had on hand, for they went into the 
  nearby woods and soon returned with 
  several rabbits which they cooked on a 
  fire outside the secret entrance. 
  Llewllen checked the secret door after the 
  group went back inside, only to find it 
  impossible to open. He knew the chances 
  of taking out the group before one of 
  them retreated inside, sealed the secret 
  door, and put the place on alert was 
  unlikely. So he’s looking for some help. 
  Llewllen suggests approaching the bandit 
  leader’s stronghold at night, hoping the 
  hunting party uses the secret door again. 
  He proposes the group relax at the inn 
  until dusk. 
  Llewellen claims to be an elven ranger 
  who grew fond of human cities and gave 
  up most of his ranger-ing ways. He now 
  makes a living as a bounty hunter. In 
  actuality Llewellen is a nazzerskein named 
  Xixikazarex (see New Monsters) He’s an 
  assassin hired by a thieves guild working 
  out of Jewel to track down Bargo and kill 
  him. He plans on tricking the party into 
  helping him ‘capture’ Bargo. Then once 
  he’s close enough he’ll deliver a killing 
  blow, possibly turning on the players as 
  well. In reality, Bargo isn’t a bandit leader 
  either, just someone who’s crossed the 
  wrong guild. 
  Stats for Xixikazarex while in his elf 
  disguise are presented below: 
  Llewellen: HD 3+1; HP: 21; AC 
  5[14]; Atk 1 sword (1d8) or 2 
  arrows (1d6); Move 10; Save 14; 
  CL/XP 3/60; Special: None. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Greeting’s adventurers! The task which 
  lies before us is not an easy one I’m 
  afraid. My name is Llewellen Skywind. I 
  have tracked the dread bandit leader 
  Bargo Bristal all the way from the 
  walled city of Jewel, across countless 
  miles, to a location which lies close to 
  this very inn. 
  He’s sealed himself up inside a 
  mountain, along with a small group of 
  men loyal to him, in a vault-like 
  hideaway carved into the very rock. 
  There he thinks he’s safe from those 
  looking to claim the 10,000 gold piece 
  bounty for his arrest, though I dare 
  say, it won’t keep him safe from us.   
  
  4 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Key to the Stronghold 
      Llewellen leads the party about a mile 
  through the woods behind the Amberlight 
  Inn. Eventually they come across an old, 
  half overgrown dirt path, which they 
  follow for about another mile before 
  coming to the base of a cliff. 
      Llewellen points to an entryway carved 
  into the cliff face at ground level. He 
  states that this opening leads to Bargo’s 
  Stronghold and that they’ll find the bandit 
  leader cowering somewhere inside. He’ll 
  also state that they shouldn’t venture too 
  close to the entrance, assuming that 
  there’s some sort of alarm.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
      Llewellen knows of the magic alarm 
  boulder near the entrance, as well as the 
  arrow slits in the hallway leading up to the 
  stronghold’s front door. He’ll keep 
  knowledge of these a secret unless he 
  needs to dissuade a group insistent on 
  inspecting the entrance. He assumes 
  sharing too much information on the 
  stronghold may make the party 
  suspicious. 
   
  1. Cook Out  
     Llewellyn will attempt to lead the party 
  down a gradual slop towards Area 1. 
  There he’ll point out a ring of stones 
  
  5 
   
  around the ashes of a campfire. He’ll 
  suggest taking cover in the bushes to the 
  south west of the secret door and keeping 
  watch to see in anyone emerges. The 
  secret door is detectable by normal means 
  however it can only be opened from the 
  inside. 
      Four of the mercenaries hired by Bargo 
  as guards, two rangers and two fighters, 
  have been using this side exit in secret 
  each night. They’ve grown tired of the 
  stockpiled rations and have taken to 
  setting snares to trap small game. At 
  nightfall the two rangers will move to the 
  east to check their snares while the two 
  fighters remain behind to get their 
  cookfire started. During their time outside, 
  the secret door is wedged open by a stone 
  they keep nearby for this purpose. 
      Llewellen will suggest attacking the two 
  fighters remaining behind, then hunt down 
  the two rangers who’ve gone off to check 
  the snares or lie in wait for their return. 
      When the mercenaries are attacked, 
  their main goal will be to get back inside 
  the base, seal up the entrance, and put 
  the place on alert. If the players decide to 
  enter the base and seal the exit, locking 
  the rangers outside instead of dealing with 
  them, the rangers will likely spot signs of 
  trouble upon their return and move to 
  Area 2 to set off the boulder alarm.  
   
  2. Entryway 
  A boulder standing close to the 
  entrance has been enchanted. If 
  anyone passes within 10’ of it a 
  bell in Area 3 will ring, alerting the 
  mercenaries there to their 
  presence. 
   
  Three concealed arrow slits run 
  along the east wall of the passage. 
  They’re designed to look like 
  natural cracks in the stone. 
  Dwarves have a 1-in-6 chance to 
  notice them automatically and a 4-
  in-6 chance to find them if actively 
  searching the walls of the passage. 
      If the party insists on heading in the 
  front door, they’ll set off the alarm which 
  will alert the mercenaries in Area 3 and 
  prevent them from exiting the base 
  through the secret door that night. 
  Llewellen will become annoyed at this, 
  stating that they’ll have to try again in a 
  few days after the bandits have relaxed 
  their guard. If the party insists on 
  proceeding Llewellen will accompany 
  them, at a safe distance.   
      If the mercenary guards at Area 3 
  have been alerted to the group’s 
  presence, they will fire arrows at them as 
  they pass in front of the arrow slits along 
  the east wall. The mercenaries will wait 
  until the lead character passes in front of 
  the slit furthest north before opening fire, 
  hoping to catch as much of the group in 
  their line of sight as possible before 
  alerting them to the danger. 
      The magically reinforced iron door at 
  the end of the corridor is designed to lock 
  and unlock from the inside. Opening it 
  without the magic key from Area 7, or 
  someone on the inside, is an almost 
  impossible task (A resourceful or 
  persistent party may be able to find a way 
  through, at the GM’s discretion.) 
  A five-foot-wide passage has been 
  neatly carved out of the surrounding 
  rock. It runs back into the cliff face 
  about 25’ where it angles to the left.       
  
  6 
   
      Chances are the players will encounter 
  this area on their way out, in which case 
  the hallway’s description should be 
  modified.  
   
  3. Guardroom 
      The door to this room is stone. It can 
  be locked from the inside however its 
  usually unlocked when the stronghold is 
  not on alert. If locked it takes three 
  successful ‘open door’ checks to force it 
  open. 
   
      There are normally 6 mercenaries 
  stationed here as guards. The bell in the 
  southeast corner is magically linked to the 
  boulder alarm in Area 2. If the alarm is 
  triggered three rangers move to fire 
  through the arrow slits in the west wall 
  while the remaining ranger and two 
  fighters move to Area 5 on the off chance 
  someone makes it through the door. 
      There’s a good possibility that two of 
  the fighters and two of the rangers have 
  been encountered in Area 1. If this is the 
  case there will only be two rangers here, 
  expecting the others to eventually return 
  with some leftovers for them. 
      A table sits in the northeast corner 
  surrounded by four chairs. 
  Human Mercenary Fighter (2): HD 
  4; HP 24,21; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 
  weapon (1d8); Move 12; Save 11; 
  CL/XP 4/120; Special: 4th level 
  Fighter skills. Gear: Long sword x2. 
  Human Mercenary Ranger (4): HD 
  4; HP 21,16,15,14; AC 7[12]; Atk 
  1 weapon (1d8); Move 12; Save 
  11; CL/XP 4/120; Special: 4th level 
  Ranger skills. Long sword x4, short 
  bow x4, arrows x80.  
  A large wooden chest sits beneath 
  the table in the northeast corner of 
  the room. It contains the following: 
  80 arrows tied with string into 
  bundles of 20 each, 30 packs of 
  iron rations, a worn deck of playing 
  cards, and 3 potions of healing. 
  The silver bell on the wrought iron 
  hook in the corner is well crafted 
  and covered in magic runes (worth 
  175gp.) It works in conjunction 
  with the boulder alarm near the 
  entrance and holds no magic on its 
  own. 
   
  4. Trapped Door 
  The door here looks exactly like 
  other stone doors found in this 
  stronghold. Any force exerted upon 
  it will cause it to slide up into the 
  ceiling (unlike other stone doors in 
  this stronghold.)  
      Opening the door here causes it to 
  release a 5’ wide spiked stone ball. The 
  ball will roll northeast to the hallway’s far 
  end then roll back towards Area 4 turn 
  south and roll along the curving southeast 
  corridor to Area 8 before returning to its 
  original spot in Area 4, barreling over 
  anyone it encounters along the way. The 
  ball moves at a rate of 10’ and deals 3d6 
  damage to anyone it bowls over. A struck 
  character can save vs. Dragon’s Breath. If 
  successful they take half damage. 
   
  Two sets of two tiered bunks run along 
  the wall to the south. Arrow slits line 
  the western wall. A large silver bell 
  hangs on a wrought iron hook mounted 
  to the wall in the southwest corner.        
  
  7 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
      Characters in front of the door when 
  the ball is released can make a successful 
  save vs. Dragon’s Breath to avoid taking 
  damage altogether by diving into the 
  corridor to the left or right of the ball’s 
  path. Other characters can attempt to run 
  back to the door at Area 5 to try to get 
  out of the ball’s path. 
      Once the spike ball returns to its 
  original position the door will drop 
  resetting the trap. 
   
  5. Front Door 
      The door here is iron and magically 
  reinforced. There’s a series of catches that 
  can be operated to unlock it from the 
  inside. 
  The stairs here are magically 
  trapped to trigger the spike ball in 
  Area 4 when weight is placed on 
  the bottom step. It will have no 
  effect if the ball is already in 
  motion, however if the trap’s been 
  reset stepping here will trigger it 
  again. A thief can detect the trap 
  as normal however they won’t be 
  able to disarm it without some way 
  of dispelling the magic. Once 
  detected the step can easily be 
  avoided. 
   
  6. Barracks 
      The door to this room is stone. It can 
  be locked from the inside however its 
  usually unlocked when the stronghold is 
  not on alert. If locked it takes three 
  successful ‘open door’ checks to force it 
  open. 
   
      Four mercenaries will be here either 
  sleeping or engaged in a game of dice at 
  the table in the corner, depending upon 
  the time of day. If the spike ball trap is 
  triggered there’s a 60% chance they’ll 
  hear it and move into the hallway to 
  investigate, once it’s safe of course. 
     There are three wooden footlockers 
  here, one at the foot of each bunk. The 
  lockers contain several changes of clothes 
  for the mercenaries as well as clean 
  blankets for the bunks.  
  Human Mercenary Fighter (3): HD 
  4; HP 24,20,19; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 
  weapon (1d8); Move 12; Save 11; 
  CL/XP 4/120; Special: 4th level 
  Fighter skills. Gear: Long sword x2. 
  Human Mercenary Cleric: HD 4; HP 
  18; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 weapon 
  (1d6+1); Move 12; Save 12; 
  CL/XP 4/120; Special: 4th level 
  Cleric skills, spells. Gear: +1 Heavy 
  Mace, silver holy symbol.  
  As noted above the cleric is armed 
  with a +1 Heavy Mace. 
  Three sets of double bunks line the 
  west wall of this room. A table with 4 
  chairs around it stands in the southeast 
  corner.      
  
  8 
   
  If a dice game is in progress a pair 
  of copper dice (worth 10cp) along 
  with 200gp can be found sitting on 
  the corner table. Otherwise the 
  gold can be found, divided almost 
  evenly in 4 small coin pouches, 
  each hidden beneath 4 of the 
  bunk’s mattresses (one of these 
  will contain the copper dice.) 
   
  7. Mercenary Leader 
      The door to this room is stone. It can 
  be locked from the inside however its 
  usually unlocked. If locked it takes three 
  successful ‘open door’ checks to force it 
  open. 
   
      The leader of the mercenaries, a magic-
  user named Logana, resides here. During 
  a brief period of his life, he traveled with a 
  small party of adventurers, who at one 
  point managed to rescue a litter of blink 
  dog pups from a group of bugbears. He 
  managed to train the blink dogs and now 
  uses them as guard dogs. One of the dogs 
  can be found with him while the rest are 
  guarding Bargo in Area 9. 
      Sounds of combat in Area 6 will cause 
  Logana and his blink dog companion to 
  investigate in 1 round. 
      A signed contract between Bargo and 
  Logana, hiring the Watchful Eye 
  mercenary group to serve as Bargo’s 
  guards in exchange for 100gp per day 
  ‘meals included!’, lies on top of the writing 
  desk. Up until now Llewellen had been 
  trying to convince the party that the 
  mercenaries were Bargo the bandit 
  leader’s bandits, that he had surrounded 
  himself with those most loyal to him. If 
  confronted with the contract the elf will 
  just shrug, adding “I guess he couldn’t 
  find anyone loyal enough…”          
  Logana (Human Mercenary Magic-
  User): HD 4; HP 16; AC 8[11]; Atk 
  1 weapon (1d4+1); Move 12; Save 
  12; CL/XP 4/120; Special: 4th level 
  Wizard skills. Memorized spells: 
  magic missile x2, shield, mirror 
  image, web. Gear: +1 dagger, +1 
  ring of protection. 
  Blink Dog: HD 4; HP 17; AC 5[14]; 
  Atk 1 bite (1d6); Move 12; Save 
  13; CL/XP 4/120; Special: 
  Teleport. 
  As stated above, Logana possesses 
  a +1 dagger and a +1 ring of 
  protection. 
  A drawer in the writing desk 
  contains the following: 20 gems 
  worth 50gp each in a small pouch, 
  and a magic key. Touching this key 
  to either of the doors to Area 9 
  will cause the touched door to 
  magically unlock and open. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  A comfortable looking bed sits in the 
  northwest corner of this 10’x10’ room. 
  A small writing desk stands against the 
  north wall.      
  
  9 
   
  A wooden chest beneath the bed 
  holds several changes of clothes 
  for Logana, under which can be 
  found a sack containing 1,200gp. 
    
  8. Storeroom   
   
      The shelves against the west wall are 
  loaded down with wax encased cheeses, 
  bags of nuts and hardtack, packs of iron 
  and trail rations (36 each), wooden plates 
  and mugs, and two dozen folded blankets. 
      There are twelve barrels, stacked in 
  two tiers of six, and six crates stacked in 
  two rows of three, lining the east wall. The 
  barrels contain spring water (x6), a low-
  quality mead (x2), dried meat (x2), and 
  dried fish (x2). The eight crates contain 
  the following: Crate #1- Empty. Crate #2- 
  24 flasks of oil packed in straw. Crate #3- 
  12 blankets. crate #4- 120 arrows in 6 
  bundles of 20 each, 60 light crossbow 
  bolts in 3 bundles of 60 each, 1 light 
  crossbow. Crate #5- Half full. 24 trail 
  rations, 12 iron rations. Crate #6- 24 
  torches in 4 bundles of six each, 6 hooded 
  lanterns, six flint & steel. 
   
  9. Kennel 
  The two doors to this area are 
  identical to the door at the front 
  entrance, comprised of thick iron 
  and magically reinforced. Getting 
  in without the magic key from 
  Area 7 should be a nearly 
  impossible (if not impossible) task. 
  Touching the key to either door will 
  cause the door to unlock and open. 
  The doors can easily be opened 
  from the inside by working a 
  simple standard latch.  
    
      The ceiling of this room is 20’ high. The 
  raised area starts 5’ above the floor. A 
  short flight of stairs to the north allow 
  access to the overlook (Area 10.)     
      The remaining blink hounds from 
  Logana’s trained pack can be found here, 
  posted as guards to protect Bargo from 
  intruders.  
      Bargo will fire his crossbow over the 
  wall at targets not directly engaged in 
  melee combat with the dogs. He’ll spend 
  most of the time ducked down behind the 
  3’ wall, popping up occasionally to fire, 
  then ducking down again. Attacks made 
  against Bargo while he’s ducked down 
  suffer a -4 penalty to hit. Attacks made 
  against him while he’s popped up suffer a 
  -2 to hit. Likewise, since he takes little 
  time to aim before ducking down again, 
  Bargo’s attacks suffer a -2 penalty to hit. 
      If a player states that they’re going to 
  hold their attack and wait for Bargo to 
  popup from behind the wall will suffer no 
  penalty to their attack provided that they 
  haven’t been attacked during that round 
  and Bargo pops up at the same spot as his 
  last attack.     
  Blink Dogs (4): HD 4; HP 20, 17, 
  15, 13; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 bite (1d6); 
  Move 12; Save 13; CL/XP 4/120; 
  Special: Teleport. 
   
  This 10’ x 20’ room holds supplies for 
  the stronghold. Wooden shelves line 
  the west wall holding a variety of food 
  stuff. Several crates and barrels are 
  stacked along the east wall.      
  The northeast section of this circular 
  room contains a raised stone platform 
  lined with a 3’ tall wooden wall. The 
  remaining three-fourths of the room is 
  populated by a menacing pack of 
  snarling dogs.      
  
  10 
   
  10. Overlook 
   
      Bargo spends the majority of his time 
  holed up in this room, pacing, relying on 
  Logana and his mercenaries to keep the 
  place secure. Logana visits him from time 
  to time, just to give a quick ‘everything’s 
  still fine’ report. 
      When the players arrive Bargo will 
  assume them to be sent by the thieves 
  guild. He’ll call out a variety of derogatory 
  remarks labeling them as such while firing 
  at them over the low wall with his 
  crossbow. 
      Bargo has dice of monster summoning 
  in his possession (see New Magic), 
  another item stolen from the guild. He’ll 
  use these as a last line of defense, 
  knowing he can only use them once per 
  day. If the battle turns against him, he’ll 
  roll them on the small oak table in the 
  corner. 
  Bargo (Human Thief): HD 4; HP 
  20; AC 7[12]; Atk 1 crossbow 
  (1d4+1) long sword (1d8+1); 
  Move 12; Save 11; CL/XP CL/XP 
  4/120; Special: 4th level Thief 
  skills. Gear: Light crossbow, 20 
  light bolts, +1 longsword, dice of 
  monster summoning. 
  As stated above Bargo possesses a 
  +1 longsword and dice of monster 
  summoning. He also wears a silver 
  ring bearing a symbol which marks 
  him as a member of his thieves 
  guild (worth 35gp)       
      The wardrobe contains several 
  expensive looking jackets, vests, 
  and shirts. Two bundles of 10 light 
  crossbow bolts stick out of a pair of 
  boots standing on the floor of the 
  wardrobe. 
      The first three drawers of the 
  four-drawer chest of drawers are 
  filled with expensive looking 
  clothes as well. The bottom drawer 
  is topped by a pull-out wooden tray 
  holding six bottles of a high-quality 
  wine and a pair of crystal glasses 
  (20gp each). Two wine bottles are 
  empty but the remaining 4 are 
  worth 55gp each. 
   
      Below the pull-out tray lies what 
  remains of Bargo’s ‘liquid assets’: 3 
  sacks containing 1,000gp each, 
  and a silver coffer (worth 100gp) 
  containing 12 necklaces of varied 
  design (1d20x 10gp to determine 
  the value of each.)             
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  This area seems as though it would be 
  more likely encountered in a castle or 
  noble’s estate. Fine linens adorn a 
  four-post bed sitting against the east 
  wall. A wardrobe and chest of drawers 
  stand against the north wall. A sturdy 
  oak table with a single chair sits in the 
  southwest corner. The floor is almost 
  entirely covered by a well-worn rug.        
  
  11 
   
  Wrapping Up 
  Llewellen, will aggressively attack Bargo, 
  apparently forgetting the bounty was for 
  the bandit leader taken alive. He’ll pull his 
  attacks if reminded by the party, however 
  if Bargo attempts to use the dice, he’ll 
  shout a warning to the party, using their 
  fear of an unknown magic item to ramp 
  up the attack. 
  If combat with the blink dogs in Area 9 
  lasts for more than two rounds, the dogs 
  will begin to focus their attacks on 
  Llewellen, sensing something’s not right 
  about the elf. 
  If Llewellen takes enough damage to 
  reduce his hit points to zero he reverts to 
  his true form, which should come to a 
  shock to all present. Bargo however had 
  heard rumors of the guild employing 
  strange creatures as assassins, so this 
  would only cement in his mind the fact 
  that the group is with the guild, and 
  possibly all disguised. 
  The party could realize they were being 
  used and attempt to cease hostilities with 
  Bargo and his mercenaries. Peace with the 
  mercenaries (along with the blink dogs) 
  would be difficult to accomplish, 
  considering by this point the players have 
  probably taken part in killing several of 
  their members. Bargo however may be 
  willing to bargain, fearing for his life after 
  the ‘unmasking’ of his would-be assassin. 
  He will however require a great deal of 
  convincing that the party isn’t a bunch of 
  disguised killers. Of course, he could be 
  suspicious of any remaining mercenaries 
  being assassins in disguise as well. 
  If the party manages to capture Bargo 
  alive while Xixikazarex is still disguised as 
  Llewellen, the nazzerskein will wait until 
  an opportune chance to kill Bargo (and 
  possibly the rest of the party as well) and 
  escape. This opportune chance could 
  come before leaving the stronghold, on 
  the way back to Amberlight, or after 
  returning to the inn. The possibility 
  becomes greater if the party insists on 
  questioning Bargo, since his story of 
  embezzling from the thieves guild doesn’t 
  match the ‘bandit leader’ description on 
  the bounty poster. 
  If the group makes it back to the inn 
  Llewellen will claim that he needs to send 
  a message to the nearest constabulary 
  who will meet them at the inn, deliver the 
  10,000gp reward, and take Bargo into 
  custody. Llewellen will then hand a note to 
  a runner, which is actually a message 
  informing the thieves guild that Bargo has 
  been dealt with, then suggest that the 
  group relax in the inn’s tavern and wait, 
  even offering to pay for rooms for the 
  night, depending upon the time of day. 
  Llewellen will then wait for the ideal time 
  at the inn to strike, making sure there’s at 
  least one witness to see him shift back 
  into Xixikazarex before killing Bargo and 
  fleeing. It’s important that there be 
  someone present to witness the theives 
  guild’s retribution, carried out by this 
  unnatural assassin, for the right message 
  to be sent: this is the consequence for 
  crossing the guild. 
  Regardless of how things play out, 
  Llewellen’s backpack will be left behind 
  and found to contain, a bottle of ink, a trio 
  of quills, and a half dozen rolled up 
  wanted posters identical to the one the 
  group first spotted in town, though 
  without the words  “Inquire with Llewellen 
  Skywind at the Amberlight Inn” scrawled 
  across the bottom. There will also be a 
  contract outlining the terms of the 
  assassination of “ex-guild member Bargo 
  Bristal over the embezzlement of 
  100,000gp in coin, treasure, and assorted 
  items of note from the guild” in exchange 
  for a 10,000gp payment upon completion 
  This contract will be taken along with 
  Llewellen/Xixikazarex if he successfully 
  escaped. Along with Bargo’s guild ring 
  (with ring finger) to serve as proof the 
  deed was done.  
  After evidence of his embezzlement was 
  discovered Bargo spent a good deal of the 
  coin, treasure, and assorted items of note 
  on the construction of his stronghold and 
  hiring the mercenaries.                      
  
  12 
   
  Continuing the Adventure 
  Here are some suggestions for further 
  adventures:    
  d If Xixikazarex gets away chances are 
  the party will want to track him down. 
  He’ll change to his human form to travel 
  back to the thieves guild, making finding 
  him before he makes it to the sanctuary of 
  the guild difficult. If one of the blink dogs 
  survived the encounter, it’s possible the 
  dog may have the creature’s scent… 
  d In a twisted bit of logic, the guild 
  decides that the party now owes them for 
  the valuables embezzled by Bargo.    
  d An adventuring group, dedicated to the 
  hunting of shape changers, believes that 
  one of the party is a nazzerskein. The only 
  way to convince them that this isn’t the 
  case, unfortunately, is to reduce the 
  suspected party member’s hit points to 
  zero.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  d The dice of monster summoning begin 
  to malfunction, summoning creatures 
  hostile to the party each time a spell is 
  cast within 10’ of them. 
  d After hearing a terribly distorted rumor 
  a thief on the run from a different guild 
  contacts the party seeking protection.  
  d One of the necklaces retrieved from 
  Area 10 is cursed. The next person who 
  touches the necklace will be unable to rid 
  themselves of it until its returned to its 
  rightful owner. Its wrongful owner suffers 
  a -1 penalty to all saving throws.    
  d Depending on how things played out 
  the party may decide they have a right to 
  collect on the contract between the guild 
  and Xixikazarex. The group may find this 
  difficult without some sort of proof (Like 
  Bargo’s ring, or maybe the stolen dice of 
  monster summoning. And they’ll want to 
  know what happened to their assassin… 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  13 
   
  NEW MAGIC 
   
  Dice of Monster Summoning 
  This pair of jade dice bears a different 
  magic rune on each of their six sides as 
  opposed to the pips or numbers found on 
  standard dice. 
  Once per day the owner can roll these 
  dice to summon up a monster or monsters 
  as per the monster summoning I and 
  monster summoning II spells described in 
  the Swords & Wizardry core rule book. 
  To determine the result of the in-game 
  roll, first roll one six-sided die then roll a 
  second. If the result of the two rolls is not 
  a pair a monster is summoned as per the 
  monster summoning I spell. If the result is 
  a pair a monster is summoned as per the 
  monster summoning II spell. 
  Roll 
  1d6 
  Monster Summoned 
  1 
  1d6 Giant Rats 
  2 
  1d6 Dwarves (Goblins) 
  3 
  1d3 Elves (Hobgoblins) 
  4 
  1d6 Kobolds 
  5 
  1d3 Orcs 
  6 
  1d3 Skeletons 
  1,1 
  1d2 Hobgoblins 
  2,2 
  1d2 Zombies 
  3,3 
  1d2 Gnolls 
  4,4 
  1d2 Bugbears 
  5,5 
  1d6 Orcs 
  6,6 
  1d6 Skeletons 
   
  Summoned monsters appear in one round 
  near the owner. They serve the owner of 
  the dice for six round or until they’ve been 
  defeated. 
  A cursed version of the dice also exists. 
  Each time the cursed version is used 
  there’s a cumulative 10% chance they’ll 
  explode, triggering three times and 
  summoning three batches of monsters 
  hostile towards the owner and their allies.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  NEW MONSTERS 
  Nazzerskein 
  Some believe these creatures to demons 
  or denizens of some sort of elemental 
  plane of ooze. Others claim that they’re 
  created when a gelatinous cube feeds on 
  too many humanoid creatures, resulting 
  on portion of the cube splitting off and 
  becoming a sentient being. 
  In its natural form a nazzerskein is a 
  humanoid shaped ooze sporting four whip-
  like tentacles, two from each shoulder. If 
  so inclined, it can twist two of these 
  tentacles into an arm-like limb ending in 
  two long ‘fingers’. It can then use these 
  fingers to manipulate objects or grip 
  weapons. 
  While in its true form, once per day, it can 
  will a successful strike with a tentacle to 
  cause weakness in its target. The target 
  must make a successful save vs. poison or 
  else lose half their strength for 2d6 turns.      
  Nazzerskeins have the ability to shift their 
  form, taking on the appearance of a man-
  sized humanoid. They can look like a 
  
  14 
   
  human, elf, orc, etc. These forms always 
  take on roughly the same height and 
  mass. Furthermore, when a nazzerskein 
  takes on the appearance of a humanoid 
  creature the features it mimics will be the 
  same each time. In other words when a 
  nazzerskein appears as an elf it will be as 
  the same elf. This ability does not function 
  the same as a doppelganger’s where the 
  creature is mimicking a specific person, 
  rather it becomes its own person, a 
  unique human, elf or orc, assuming the 
  same features each time. The features 
  assumed do vary from nazzerskein to 
  nazzerskein. 
  While disguised the nazzerskein has the 
  stats of a 3rd level version of whatever 
  creature it’s mimicking. If this assumed  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  form ever reaches 0 hit points it will 
  revert back to its true form with 1d8+1 hit 
  points remaining. 
  Nazzerskein: HD 4; AC 5[14]; Atk 2 
  tentacles (1d4 damage), or 1 weapon 
  (1d8) Move 8; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240; 
  Special: Mimicry, cause weakness once 
  per day, bludgeoning weapons deal half 
  damage. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Art Credits 
  We’d like to thank the following for providing 
  great spot art at a low cost.  
  Shaman Stock Art provided the ‘Town Square’ for 
  our cover and inside cover. 
  The Monster, Treasure, and Obstacle icons, as 
  well as our ‘Red Herring’ were made by Lorc. 
  These are available on http://game-icons.net 
   
  The ‘Contract’ on page 2 is from Outland Arts, © 
  William McAusland, used with permission. 
   
  ‘Llewellen Skywind’ on page 3 was taken from 
  Terrible Character Portraits by Jeff Preston. 
   
  The ‘Spike Ball’ on page 7 is © 2005-2013 Julien 
  Jorge <julien.jorge@stuff-o-matic.com> 
   
  The Blink Dog on page 8 was created by Jacob E. 
  Blackmon 
   
  ‘Bargo’ on page 10 was provided by J.E. Shields. 
    
  The ‘Adventuring Party’ on page 12 was created 
  by Joyce Maureira, released into public domain 
  by Kevin Crawford at Sine Nomine Publishing. 
  The Dice on page 13 are from Fantasy Filler Art 
  by Paul Daly. 
   
  The ‘Nazzerskein’ to the left is © 2018 Eric 
  Lofgren, used with permission. All rights 
  reserved. 
   
  The map for our “old school” Cliffside Stronghold 
  was provided by Dyson Logos. 
  
  15 
   
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
   
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  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, 
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