DCC #12.5 - The Iron Crypt of the Heretics

A forum for discussing the many DCC modules published under third edition rules, EXCEPT for Castle Whiterock, which has its own forum.

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Harley Stroh
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Post by Harley Stroh »

Information will set you free...

...but not from the Iron Crypt.


Uploaded Superfan's maps in a zip:

http://www.poisonclanpress.com/Ironcrypt.zip

And as a thanks for your patience, I included the maps from my original submission. If nothing else it demonstrates how I'm just like any other GM. It takes hardworking folks like Toper and Superfan to make it look cool.

Super - if you get a chance will you look over the maps and make sure I got everything? My software doesn't compile them into a "single" view well, so while I think everything is there, it would be easy to miss something.

//H
The lucky guy who got to write some Dungeon Crawl Classics.

DCC Resource thread: character sheets, judge tools, and the world's fastest 0-level party creator.
Sword Guy
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Post by Sword Guy »

Ah, okay. Nightbringer is in area 1-17D, which is a different area from the one listed. Easy mistake. The idea of a hammer of cancellation is good. I just keep hearing "And when it arrives? Ah ha ha ha! I'll smash it with a hammer! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant I tell you!"
DragonMech DM soon, with any luck.

Owner of all DragonMech books, Etherscope core book, and DCC 12.5: Iron Crypt of the Heretics.
superfan
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Post by superfan »

Thanks Harley!!!!


Eagerly awaiting your next assignment....I'm a rudderless map maker now that I'm finished with Hall of the Minotaur. Help!!!!

And Taco, much as I'd like, my surgery schedule is keeping me in Minneapolis during the con. I'd love to help with Mutant / Project X, as long as it doesn't involve injecting my bones with liquid adamantium.

I have a low pain threshold!!! :D

Email me anytime at benwax@aol.com and I'll take care of any requests.

And by the way, let me put out a general message to the board, if there are people out there running DCC's and need some maps, just give me a holler and I'll do my best to help. Name the module, and the specific rooms you need, and I'll try to whip up something.

Ben "superfan" Waxman

"Because the fans come first...get in line....BEHIND me."
"They Might Be Dwarves" - World Champions Xcrawl 2007. So BAD...but yet so good.
tacojohn4547
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Post by tacojohn4547 »

Spoilers

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Sword Guy wrote:
As for the module itself, I ran across one thing that I'd like explained, please: on page 4, it references a hammer of cancellation in area 1-21D. I can't find the area or any other references to the hammer itself. The other reference is to a portable hole in area 1-10, but that's the statue room (and there's no treasure listed).

Am I missing something here?
I know that Harley responded to your question, but there's a reason the room references changed from 1-21D to 1-17B for the hammer of cancellaton. Due to a page count limitation, a number of rooms in the original Iron Crypt manuscript got cut when the module was laid out for publishing. The rooms that got edited out were numbered 1-14 to 1-18, so the later room references were off by four rooms and some of the references were missed on final edit.

On the portable hole in area 1-10, it should have said area 1-9 - Gates of Brass, in the possession of Black Dougal. That looks like just a typo.




tacojohn4547
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Post by tacojohn4547 »

Calling Superfan:

You've got mail!

tacojohn4547
superfan
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Post by superfan »

Dear Senor Taco,

3 of 6 maps complete on "Project X" (aka the secret project that makes ever Goodman Games fanboy/fangirl wish they were going to GenCon)

Will be finished tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

(makes secret hand gesture, and slinks into the darkness)
:twisted:

Superfan
"They Might Be Dwarves" - World Champions Xcrawl 2007. So BAD...but yet so good.
tacojohn4547
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Post by tacojohn4547 »

superfan wrote:Dear Senor Taco,

3 of 6 maps complete on "Project X" (aka the secret project that makes ever Goodman Games fanboy/fangirl wish they were going to GenCon)

Will be finished tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

(makes secret hand gesture, and slinks into the darkness)
:twisted:

Superfan

(starts to make secret hand gesture in reply, but stops in mid-stroke . . . steals quick glances in several directions, noting no obvious eavesdroppers or any tale tail infra-red heat signatures of less obvious ones . . . utters silent curses upon self for lack of professionalism.

Thinks to self, "Dis Superfan dude may have a future wit de organization. What he lacks in discretion he makes up for in pure talent. Wit a little direction and some . . . motivation, he may yet prove to be useful."

Silently activates personal teleportation device imbedded in auditory implant hidden behind left ear lobe, returning to top secret labratory underneath the basement of the Credit Daphnie building in downtown Madrid.

Thinks to self, "Dis Project X is coming along nicely. It should be ready to make de trip to Indianpolis in two weeks. Muhahahaha.")

tacojohn4547
Sword Guy
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Post by Sword Guy »

Spoilers

Spoilers

Spoilers

Spoilers

Spoilers





tacojohn4547 wrote:On the portable hole in area 1-10, it should have said area 1-9 - Gates of Brass, in the possession of Black Dougal. That looks like just a typo.
Okay, I found it. Looks like the PCs get a chance to rip holes into the Astral Plane again.
DragonMech DM soon, with any luck.

Owner of all DragonMech books, Etherscope core book, and DCC 12.5: Iron Crypt of the Heretics.
Sword Guy
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Post by Sword Guy »

Question: The treasure in area 1-17B contains a "+3 two-bladed sword of flaming burst" Now, due to the fact that double weapon's heads are enchanted separately, is this supposed to be a +3 flaming burst/+3 flaming burst two-bladed sword, or a +3 flaming burst/+3 two-bladed sword, or even a +3 flaming burst/+0 two-bladed sword? Or is there another variant I'm missing?

Figured I'd get that out of the way before the PCs decide to pick up the sword and test it. It wouldn't be appreciated if half of their sword suddenly stopped working.
DragonMech DM soon, with any luck.

Owner of all DragonMech books, Etherscope core book, and DCC 12.5: Iron Crypt of the Heretics.
Harley Stroh
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Post by Harley Stroh »

Sword Guy wrote:...a +3 flaming burst/+3 flaming burst two-bladed sword, or a +3 flaming burst/+3 two-bladed sword, or even a +3 flaming burst/+0 two-bladed sword? Or is there another variant I'm missing?
Yes, the first variant, where both sides kick butt, but feel free to scale it down for your campaign.

//H
The lucky guy who got to write some Dungeon Crawl Classics.

DCC Resource thread: character sheets, judge tools, and the world's fastest 0-level party creator.
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Re: DCC #12.5 Follow up

Post by toper »

tacojohn4547 wrote:
There's a small con in the area and I was thinking about running this for some of the oldschoolers that come to the con. Not sure how much time I have, so still uncertain about whether to do as a one-session event or as a multi-session tourney.
I would LOVE to join in this one at GenCon (if you're gonna be there), if I can time-wise, so we should swap notes on a good time to play it! I really don't even understand anything except 1E or 2E (mostly), but I'd love to play...any sort of character, really.

Thanks.

"Dusty Old School Guy"
-Jeremy Simmons "TOPOGRAPHIC REX"

www.dungeonartist.com

www.fourtowersdesign.net

God Save the Penguins
tacojohn4547
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Post by tacojohn4547 »

Toper wrote:
I would LOVE to join in this one at GenCon (if you're gonna be there), if I can time-wise, so we should swap notes on a good time to play it! I really don't even understand anything except 1E or 2E (mostly), but I'd love to play...any sort of character, really.
Toper -
I'm sorry that I didn't see this post of yours before leaving for GenCon. I would gladly have "made room for you" at one of my 1E Iron Crypt tables. Trouble is, I left my house at just before 6:00 AM on the Wednesday before GenCon, and your post was made a few hours later.
I really would have liked to include you in one of the sessions.

Perhaps we can get you into one of the 1E sessions I'll almost certainly be running at next year's GenCon! Of course, I don't know what adventure I'll be running, but I'm pretty sure I'll be there with my first edition shoes on!

Heck, if we can't get you into an official event, I may just have to run a private 1E game for some of the GG writers and artists, maybe even Superfan. THAT would be a great time for ME!

tacojohn4547
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Post by superfan »

Count me in King Taco!

I haven't played 1E in a LONG time, but I'd gladly try it again to see the lord of Mexican food in action as a DM.

See you at the next Gencon! And this time, have Joe make enough special edition modules to go around!! :D

Ben "superfan" Waxman
"They Might Be Dwarves" - World Champions Xcrawl 2007. So BAD...but yet so good.
tacojohn4547
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Post by tacojohn4547 »

Superfan -

Count on it, baby! GenCon 2007!

The thing about first edition is, you don't need a special skill or feat or levels in a prestiege class to die quicker. You just roll the dice and die quicker. :lol:

And as to your latter point, to the extent I have any influence whatsoever on Mr. Goodman or Mr. Stroh, I will endevour to make sure that there are enough special edition modules to go around (well, at least enough so that you, Harley and I get copies)! :wink:


tacojohn4547
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Post by None the Wiser »

I have some very belated questions regarding the Ebon Egg:

I have a well rounded party of six players who pretty much breezed through DCC#12 (Blackguard's Revenge). The morhgs hiding in the crypt got in a couple of good attacks, but the none of the final 3 bosses (allip, blackguard or devourer) lasted more than two rounds apiece. So now my players are hinting that they want me to scale up the next adventure (Iron Crypt of the Heretics), if only to provide an adequate challenge.

Also, I knew that I was going to use DCC #12.5 as a follow up to DCC #12 and that the month the party spent transporting and dividing up the loot from the Ordocar Cloister would have an impact on how much larger the Ebon Egg would grow during that time.

I like most of the pointers for scaling up the adventure: Higher Trap DCs, more driders, etc. But my fave so far has got to be the time limit on the Ebon Egg becoming sentient. The suggestion is 12 hours, but since my party is using a Players Handbook II variant that allows them to use elfen (4 hrs) sleep time, I decided to whittle that 12 hours down to 8.

So. Let’s say after 8 hours the Ebon Egg does become sentient and start roving around at 60 ft. per round. Does it kill all of the driders in Area 1-19 before the party gets there? Also, does the Egg expand into the wall? A Sphere of Annihilation destroys “any matter that comes in contact" with it. So if the Ebon Egg starts roving around can it tunnel through solid rock and chase the party wherever it goes? Does the Ebon Egg have True Seeing or some other type of life-signs detector? Can the driders in Area 1-19 hide from the Egg? Can the PCs? Inquiring minds want to know!

Also, is it fair to dispense with any attempts to control the Egg mentally?
Sphere of Annihilation

A sphere of annihilation is a globe of absolute blackness, a ball of nothingness 2 feet in diameter. The object is actually a hole in the continuity of the multiverse. Any matter that comes in contact with a sphere is instantly sucked into the void, gone, and utterly destroyed. Only the direct intervention of a deity can restore an annihilated character.

A sphere of annihilation is static, resting in some spot as if it were a normal hole. It can be caused to move, however, by mental effort (think of this as a mundane form of telekinesis, too weak to move actual objects but a force to which the sphere, being weightless, is sensitive). A character’s ability to gain control of a sphere of annihilation (or to keep controlling one) is based on the result of a control check against DC 30 (a move action). A control check is 1d20 + character level + character Int modifier. If the check succeeds, the character can move the sphere (perhaps to bring it into contact with an enemy) as a free action.

Control of a sphere can be established from as far away as 40 feet (the character need not approach too closely). Once control is established, it must be maintained by continuing to make control checks (all DC 30) each round. For as long as a character maintains control (does not fail a check) in subsequent rounds, he can control the sphere from a distance of 40 feet + 10 feet per character level. The sphere’s speed in a round is 10 feet +5 feet for every 5 points by which the character’s control check result in that round exceeded 30.

If a control check fails, the sphere slides 10 feet in the direction of the character attempting to move it.

If two or more creatures vie for control of a sphere of annihilation, the rolls are opposed. If none are successful, the sphere slips toward the one who rolled lowest.

Should a gate spell be cast upon a sphere of annihilation, there is a 50% chance (01-50 on d%) that the spell destroys it, a 35% chance (51-85) that the spell does nothing, and a 15% chance (86-100) that a gap is torn in the spatial fabric, catapulting everything within a 180-foot radius into another plane. If a rod of cancellation touches a sphere of annihilation, they negate each other in a tremendous explosion. Everything within a 60-foot radius takes 2d6×10 points of damage. Dispel magic and mage’s disjunction have no effect on a sphere.

Strong transmutation; CL 20th
Not to belabor the point, but shouldn’t I just ignore the mental control aspect of the sphere? Suppose the Wizard rolls a really high Knowledge Planes check and he jumps to the conclusion that the Egg really is a Sphere of Annihilation. I guess I’m just worried that the PCs will feel cheated if I tell them that mental control is out of the question. Still, if a normal sized Sphere (2ft diameter) requires a DC 30 Concentration check, shouldn't the DC increase as the size of the Sphere increases?

Lastly, does the Ebon Egg have some sort of Initiative Score or should I just insert it at the top of the round that it decides to attack? How did all of you other DMs out there handle this?

Sorry for so many questions on such short notice, but I’m hoping to run this module in a couple of weeks. Thanks in advance!
"When in doubt, play a Cleric. They decide who lives and who dies." -None the Wiser
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Re: DCC #12.5 - The Iron Crypt of the Heretics

Post by Losloris8 »

The front part of this adventure fit very well into my needs. I am running Egg of the Phoenix, whose ideas I like but format and structure I hate. So, the party is in NorthEnding getting commissioned by the counsel to retrieve the EotP. I used the first Floor of of The Volcano Caves to the first part of the room of planes, and, the front part of this adventure, the Iron Crypt to actually get to the Planes room.

Tremendously effective tie in. IN EotP the counsel tells the party not to touch anything they do not need to. The party got to the little temple with a few handy trinkets in there and had a great, real character conversation on whether to take the loot. They opted not to. Good thing for them as the two Stone Golems would have pounded them to nothing had they.

They got the the elevator room. In the passage first to the right they found (back to EotP) the skull of McKrackin, which proved very handy once they made it to Sepulcher. Getting to the room of Planes was done by going straight through the elevator room and then up to the right.

I hope you do not mind how I am cutting and pasting to fit my needs. Mostly the setting are very well done and I really appreciate the keen balance between monsters, puzzles and traps, in this and many of the other modules. That balance has gone a long way to entrenching a style of play that has become very exciting.

LG
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