Module TT1: Sham in a Jam: Father Shambles Loses the Church
GM's EYES ONLY!!!
ACT 1: Sham in a Jam
After the players have had sufficient time to explore the Dock & Swig, the following occurs:
An overweight priest in a loose, monk's robe and sandals comes running into the Swig in a panic. His face is red and he is out of breath.
"Sham, take it easy," says the dashing bartender, Sir Dan. "Here, drink this."
Dan pours him a drink and the fat priest slams it down. He continues to pant and gestures for another drink. Dan pours and he drinks it. He continues to feign being out of breath and Dan begins to pour him another drink when he stops.
"Just tell us what happened!" insists Dan.
"Oh, sorry I---"
Shambles looks in your direction attempting to size you up.
(Depending on the PC's behavior, this next line may change. Under no circumstances will Shambles divulge this info to paladins.)
"I'll vouch for them, sir," sniffles Cubby. "They're stand up fellows."
"I've done it this time! I really did it!" Shambles says and then lowers his voice. "Tommy left for a few days, so I opened the casino again, y'know, just to make some pocket money."
"Priest cheat Barbara," Barbara says a little bitterly.
"Hey, I told ya not to bet with the goblin," chides Shambles.
"Sham!" interrupts Dan. "You let goblins into the church?!"
"What, their money's just as gold as hers! But that's the thing, see, I got a little, uh, well..."
"Drunk, sir?" adds Cubby.
"Yeah, it's totally uncharacteristic of me, I know. Thing is, the little monster was on a roll! Now he wants me to give up the church to his tribe to live there!" says Shambles innocently.
"How did he win the church, sir?" asks Cubby.
"I, uh, sorta bet it," Sham meekly admits.
"Holy hobgoblins," Dan mutters. "You know what the guard'll do if they see a tribe full of goblins march into the city? It'll be the Goblins Wars all over again!"
"Um, actually, they're tunneling up from the sewers," Shambles mumbles.
"One-god open way for invasion. Goblins soon be everywhere. Barbara no like. Bad tippers."
"Look, all we gotta do is send someone down there to discretely negotiate. They're greedy little jerks, right?"
"But sir, we can't afford to get trapped down there if things go wrong. We need to be ready to warn the city."
"I can't go anyways," adds Dan. "I gotta gig at the palace and Barbara's gotta watch the bar."
"And I have to watch Barbara, sir," adds Cubby.
"Well, I'm not going! They totally won't talk to me! Who are we gonna get to go?!"
After a brief pause, the group turns and looks at you.
If the PC's are good, they will be expected to accept the mission without reward. PC's that are not-so-good, can negotiate with Shambles. He will offer them 10gp each to start with. The maximum he can offer is 10gp each plus 400gp worth of wine plus any treasure the group finds along the way. Three rounds after the deal is made, Sgt. T.S. will approach the bar. Shambles will remind the PC's not to tell the Sarge about the goblins. The PC's will have to bamboozle him. The Sarge is here on his off hours and is interested in chatting with new adventurers, especially ones that might join the club someday. If the PC's are rude or suspicious, the Sarge may follow or delay them. If they are extremely suspicious, there is a 30% chance the Sarge will assign a small contingent of 4 guards to follow the PC's.
Assuming the PC's agree, they should go to Saint Flannigan's Church. Shambles will lead the players to Area 17 in the Church and let them into the cellar. If the player asks why he doesn't go with them, he'll snap and say, "That's what I'm paying you for!"
Area 19: Wine Cellar: This room is at the bottom of the stairs from area 17. All the rooms on this level have torch sconces and torches, but all the torches are out. It smells of old wine. The walls are lined with wooden racks holding bottles of wine and here and there are small casks filled with wine. (All this wine is of average quality and used for services upstairs. One of the goblins snuck in here and stole some wine, but he dropped a bottled and there is broken glass and wine on the floor. A tracking roll will reveal his footprints.)
Area 20: Tomb: The door to this tomb reads, "Here lies Father Winston Rasp, his morning sermon was his last." (Father Rasp died 140 years ago and Shambles does not know him. He will tell the PC's to leave the Father's tomb alone. It is locked, but the lock can be smashes with 10 points of damage. Inside, Father Rasp has turned into a Huecuva (HF 4, EP 270, Int 3, AL CE, AC 3, MV 9", HD 2, HP 32, SZ M, #AT 1, D 1d6, SA: save vs. poison or become diseased, SD: undead immunities, Lang: Common Hon: Dis, TOP: n/a, Crit BSL: Def AC 0, FF: n/a, Reference HOB 4 pg 19. If the old cleric is searched, the PC's will find a platinum necklace worth 2000gp. Shambles will let the PC's have it because he will believe that it is cursed, but it isn't. However, if it isn't cleaned, the person who carries it must save vs. poison or become diseased. Father Rasp cannot leave his tomb because beyond that the ground is consecrated.)
Area 21: Winery: This room contains all the materials needed for making wine, including wine presses, bottles, barrels and casks. The room reeks of rotting grape. (The goblins have set up a tripwire here. Anyone that passes through the doorway will cause an open cask to fall over and dump bad wine on the victims. Victims will smell horrible until they bathe. Behind a wall of barrels is a secret passage to Area 22.)
Area 22: Secret Casino: When Shambles is not running his secret casino, the tables are stored in this room. There are coins littering the floor, but with all the equipment in here, one would have to crawl to get to them all. (The coins are actually betting chips, but amidst the betting chips are 14cp, 2sp, 1gp. There is a 1 in 6 chance of finding a real coin per round.)
Area 23: Store Room: This room is also full of barrels and casks. There are tools and materials for barrel and cask construction. (The containers are empty. The door to Area 24 is trapped.)
Area 24: Disposal Room: (The door to this room was rigged by the goblins to stick, then suddenly come loose on the 3rd try. There is a slippery slime coating the floor up to the hole. Victims attempting the force the door must make a dexterity check or go stumbling into the sewer hole. Victims that fail slide face first into the sewer, suffering 1-2 points of damage, plus a save vs. poison or disease.) This privy/trash area has a hole in the floor that, judging by the stench, leads directly into the sewers. Two sets of goblin-sized footprints lead right to the hole.
Area 25: Wine Storage: This room is covered with wine racks and several hundred bottles of wine of an ancient vintage. (There are 450 bottles worth from 20gp to 120gp, plus 50 bottles of vinegar that is worthless.)
Area 26: Massive Wine Storage: This is a massive wine storage room with a 20' high ceiling and 10' high barrels full of gallons of wine. There is a table with large bottles that can be filled from taps. Someone has left the remains of a cheese sampler on a table and it is covered with a brown mold. (The mold is harmless, but Shambles will tell the PC's otherwise if asked about it.)
The Catacombs and Beyond: The catacombs below the city stretch for miles and are a confusing maze of tombs, abandoned cellars and storage areas for wine. A few monsters roam these halls and Shambles will assure the PC's that it is extremely dangerous to go beyond them.
Area 27: Entrance to the sewers: The sewers can be entered here or by the nearby street grate. The sewers are ten feet wide with one-foot wide walkways on either side. In between is a river of feces, wastes and other bad smelling items. (The PC's will, under Shambles instructions, meet Barry & Gibb here. Barry & Gibb have horrifying faces, but are extremely friendly and helpful. They will give the party directions and be on their way unless bribed with garbage. They warn the PC's about the Otyugh in Area 28.)
Area 28: Lair of the Otyugh: This is the home of Shlepmod, a particularly bitter Otyugh. He doesn't like company and will strike out at anyone that disturbs the flow of filth to his lair. The creature likes the goblins, as he knows they are responsible for the recent increase of filth. (HF 13, EP 650, Int 7, AL N (E), AC 3, MV 9", HD 6, HP 44, SZ M, #AT 3, D 1d8/1d8/2-5, SA: grab, disease, SD: never surprised, Lang: Common Hon: Dis, TOP: 22, Crit BSL: Def AC -4, FF: n/a, Reference HOB 6 pg 46. Buried in the muck in his lair is the rotting corpse of a magic-user who attempted to charm Shlepmod with his Eyes of Charming.)
Wandering Monsters: Since the appearance of the goblins, the denizens of the sewers have been in an uproar and roam about more freely. The following monsters may be encountered by the PC's 1 in 6 chance every hour:
1: Barry & Gibb
2: Shlepmod the Otyugh from Area 28
3: 1-8 Sewer Gophers (HF 3, EP 175 Int 5, AL N, AC 6, MV 9", HD 3+2, HP 31, SZ M, #AT 3, D 1d4/1d4/1d6, SA: 25% decapitation, SD: -1 to hit due to smell, Lang: Common Hon: Ave, TOP: 25, Crit BSL: Def AC -2, FF: 6, Reference HOB 3 pg 93.)
4: 2-5 Goblins from the tribe
5: 2-8 Kobolds from the tribe
6: Goblin War Party led by Frak, 4-16 goblins
7: Sewer Squirrel War Party led by Ken-nag 5-20 kobolds
8: 1-10 Groin Leeches (HF 0, EP 15 Int 0, AL N, AC 8, MV 3"/6", HD 1-1, HP 22, SZ S, #AT 1, D 1-3, SA: blood drain, SD: nil, Lang: nil Hon: n/a, TOP: 15, Crit BSL: Def AC 2, FF: 4, Reference HOB 4 pg 79.)
9-10: 2-20 normal rats
11-12: 1-6 giant rats
Area 29: Junction: This junction has no ledges and the sewage must be waded in order to get across. It appears to only be 1' deep. (The goblins dug a pit in the center of the room that is filled with sewage. Save vs. poison or contract a disease if a victim falls in. A dexterity check is required if running through this room.)
Area 30: Goblin Passage: In this area of the sewers the goblins have mined their way inside. They kept a portion of the sewer wall up to prevent sewage from leaking down into their passage. (It takes 40hp to break enough of the wall so that sewage will run down into the passage. This will anger the goblins greatly. There is also a tripwire with a bell trap that will alert the guards in area 31.)
Area 31: The entrance to this room is a steeply sloping passageway. Before you are completely down, a goblin shouts in broken Common, "Halt! Who goes there?!" (The leader of the 6 goblin guards in this room is Bronaz. These are the only words he knows in common. He will continue to say them and gesture. If the PC's attempt to negotiate, he will send a runner to get Frak. These guards are also armed with short bows and 12 arrows each. They will use a low pile of rubble as cover if attacked with missile weapons.)
Area 32: Mining room: The majority of the goblins are in this room, busily mining the passage to the east towards Saint Flannigan's church. Frak gestures to his goblins proudly as he greets you. The room is bursting with goblin-sized mining equipment, picks, shovels and carts. All but four of the male goblins are in this room.
"Ah! The fat priest has sent you? Hasn't he lost enough?"
(PC's can opt to gamble back for Shambles Church, but this requires them winning 5000gp. If the PC's point out the problems with Frak and his tribe taking over the church, he explains that he has no choice because the Sewer Squirrels are driving his tribe out of the caves. Once, he was drinking buddies with their king, but an argument over crooked dice game started a war. The king of the Sewer Squirrels is demanding a magic item for retribution and Frak cannot part with his since they are traditional, tribal items. If the PC's can get him a magic item to give to King Ken-nag, Frak promises to stop his mining.)
Area 33: This room was cut out for the females and children.
Area 34: There are four goblin guards on duty at this junction at all times.
Area 35: This is the personal quarters of Frak and Skullsplat. There are two crudely made beds and a mining cart full of rocks. (The tribe's money is stored here in a locked wooden chest beneath a pile of rocks in the cart. The lock is trapped with a poison needle, save or loose 15hp. Inside are 4 gems worth 50gp each, Potion of Growth, an Arrow of Slaying Arachnids and 155gp and 416sp in a pouch.)
Area 36: This large natural cavern leads deeper into the Netherdeep, but is also the staging area for battles between the Sewer Squirrels and Goblins. Four goblin corpses and 3 Sewer Squirrel corpses litter the battlefield (all are infested with Rot Grubs, but still have 3-18sp on them).
ACT 2:
Visiting Locust the Wizard:
Assuming the PC's go back to Shambles, he tells them that Locust can probably make a magic item. Shambles gives them directions to Locust's tower and tells them "Good luck". He will not accompany them to the tower as he has an important "business meeting" at the Swig.
Meeting Locust: The front room of the wizard's tower has a large, round table and a large ornate, stone dragonhead near the door. (This will breath fire for 2-12 points of damage to anyone that touches the third scale on its head.) There is a variety of junk spread out about the room.
The PC's need to suggest to Locust to create a magic item that will make the goblin warlord and the Squirrel King friends again. Locust is currently working on building a Magic Horn of Ever-Plenty Hair Gel for Dan. Additionally, he will pay 50gp to anyone that will test a new potion for him (Roll two random potions and the Potion mixability table).
On the street: On the way back to Saint Flannigan's the party will be mugged by a group of thieves led by Hans and Lars. (HF 3, EP 65, Int 9, AL CN, AC 7, MV 12", HD 1, HP 24, SZ M, #AT 1, D 1-6 clubs, SA: thief abilities, SD: nil, Lang: Common Hon: Ave, TOP: 10, Crit BSL: Def AC 3, FF: 4.) There will be one gnome thief for every member of the party plus two. They are each carrying 3-18sp and 1-8gp. Hans and Lars will flee to report back to Quick of their failure if attacked. If the gnomes are victorious, the PC's are robbed of valuables. The gnomes cannot hide the large drinking horn on their person, so they leave it behind!
ACT 3:
Back at the church, the PC's will find Shambles in a fury. A group of 4 goblins are running amok in the church. These goblins don't know about the deal and need to be driven out through combat. Frak will not hold any injuries against the PC's unless they kill them. The goblins begin in the main room and then scatter in all directions.
Back in the sewers: Barry & Gibb warn the party the goblins have trapped the direct route back to their lair. They know another way and offer to take the PC's there unless they are rude and violent.
Area 37: Goblin Trap: On the second trip, the goblins trap the ledge to collapse. Trapped here in an underwater cage is a small swarm of 24 Sewer Snappers (HF 0, EP 7, Int 0, AL N, AC 8, MV 9", HD .5, HP 2, SZ T, #AT 1, D 1d4-2, SA: frenzy attack twice per round, SD: nil, Lang: n/a Hon: n/a, TOP: 3, Crit BSL: Def AC 3, FF: 10 HOB 7, pg 47.)
Area 38: At this junction, a group of 6 Sewer Squirrelmen will attempt to kill the PC's.
Returning to the Goblins:
If the PC's return with a suitable magic item, they will be asked to accompany the chief to deliver it. He believes the Squirrelmen will not accept it from him. During a tense meeting in Area 36, King Ken-nag insists the PC's prove their worth by having one of them wrestle General Voosh. If the PC's fail, they will either have to convince the Squirrelmen through negotiations or offer to slay something like the Otyugh. If the PC's succeeds, the general gives the winning PC his lucky ring. +1 Ring of Protection.
The Goblins
Warlord Frak (Goblin Chief)
(HF 2, EP 35, Int 10, AL LE, AC 4 (chain mail + 15 dex), MV 9", HD 2, HP 36, SZ M, #AT 2, D 1d6+2/1d6+1 (+1 short sword and short sword), SA: nil, SD: nil, Lang: Sewer Squirrel, Goblin, Orc, Kobold, Elf, Common Hon: Great, TOP: 30, Crit BSL: Def AC 0, FF: 8, Reference HOB 3 pg 81.) Frak carries a pair of weighted dice that he used to cheat Shambles.
Sub-Commander Skullsplat
(HF 1, EP 35, Int 8, AL LE, AC 5 (studded leather, +1 small shield + 15 dex), MV 9", HD 1+1, HP 28, SZ S, #AT 1, D 1d8+1 (battle axe), SA: nil, SD: nil, Lang: Goblin, Orc, Kobold, Common Hon: Great, TOP: 19, Crit BSL: Def AC 1, FF: 6, Reference HOB 3 pg 81.)
43 Goblin Soldiers
(HF 0, EP 15, Int 6, AL LE, AC 6, MV 6", HD 1-1, HP 24, SZ S, #AT 1, D 1d6 (clubs), SA: nil, SD: nil, Lang: Goblin, Orc, Kobold Hon: Ave, TOP: 12, Crit BSL: Def AC 2, FF: 4, Reference HOB 3 pg 81.) 3-18sp each
18 Goblin Females (non combatants)
7 Goblin Children (non combatants)
The Squirrelmen
King Ken-nag
(HF 2, EP 35, Int 10, AL LE, AC 5 (leather mail + 16 dex), MV 9", HD 4th level thief, HP 39, SZ M, #AT 4, D 1d4+1/1d4+1/1d4+1/1d4+1 (2 daggers plus strength), SA: nil, SD: nil, Lang: Sewer Squirrel, Goblin, Orc, Kobold, Elf, Common Hon: Great, TOP: 20, Crit BSL: Def AC -1, FF: 6.)
General Voosh
(HF 1, EP 35, Int 9, AL LE, AC 2 (splint mail + shield+1 Ring of Protection), MV 6", HD 3rd level fighter, HP 30, SZ M, #AT 1/2, D 1d8+2 (long sword specialized), SA: nil, SD: nil, Lang: Goblin, Orc, Kobold, Elf, Common Hon: Great, TOP: 25, Crit BSL: Def AC -1, FF: 7.)
89 Squirrelmen (males and females)
(HF 0, EP 15, Int 5, AL LE, AC 7, MV 6", HD 1/2, HP 22, SZ S, #AT 1, D 1d4, SA: nil, SD: nil, Lang: Sewer Squirrel, Goblin, Orc, Kobold Hon: Ave, TOP: 10, Crit BSL: Def AC 2, FF: 3.)
15 Squirrel men Children (non combatants)
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The Hackmaster RPG is a copyright and trademark of Kenzer & Company, used here with their permission. The Travelers, the Dock and Swig and all related characters are a copyright and registered trademark of Anthony M. DiGerolamo.