Calypso for Swords & Wizardry, Part 2

Random Encounters and the Doppelganger

In a post on my other blog, I began publishing an island-based mini hexcrawl I wrote for a previous campaign I was running. The stats are for Swords & Wizardry, a retroclone of Original D&D, and one of my favourite systems.

I will be publishing the rest of it on this blog, beginning with Area A and some Wandering Monsters.

Any creatures not statted out below are as presented in the current printing of Swords & Wizardry Complete.

Wandering Monsters

The party can only land on a non-mountainous coastal hex (the mountain hexes all have sheer cliffs and lack suitable bays).

The hexes are 3 miles from face to face, and the movement rates are:

12 = 2 hours per jungle hex (4 hours for swamp hexes; 6 hours for mountains)

9 = 3 hours per jungle hex (6 hours for swamp hexes; 9 hours for mountains)

6 = 4 hours per jungle hex (8 hours for swamp hexes; 12 hours for mountains)

3 = 8 hours per jungle hex (2 days for swamp hexes; 3 days for mountains)

I specified a turn length of 1 hour, with checks for encounters occurring every other turn. However, if the party is going to need need 8 hours or more to clear a hex, it’s better to check for Random Encounters twice per hex to avoid too many encounters.

Jungle Hexes

2 in 6 chance of Random Encounter; check every other turn or twice per hex; 1d10

1. Nearby yelp of pain

2. Faint smell of burning

3. 1 PC (randomly determined) has a hole in their waterskin and is out of water

4. 1 PC (randomly determined) is exhausted and has -1 to all d20 rolls until the party rests for at least an hour

5. The whole party must rest for 1 hour and eat or lose 1 hp (which they can recover it as soon as they rest and eat; PCs reduced to 0 or less in this way are only unconscious, not dead)

6. Nest of Medium Giant Spiders (1d12)

7. 1 Giant Venomous Snake (viper)

8. Giant Centipedes (man-sized) (1d4)

9. A band of Goblins (19 total; 1d6+2 are visible with the rest hiding in the trees)

10. 1 Wild Boar

Swamp Hexes

3 in 6 chance of Random Encounter; check every other turn or twice per hex; 1d10

1. Blood in the water

2. The sound of muffled talking nearby

3. Water has leaked into a random PC’s rations; lose 1 day’s rations

4. 1 PC (randomly determined) is exhausted and has -1 to all d20 rolls until the party rests for at least an hour

5. The whole party must rest for 1 hour and eat or lose 1 hp (which they can recover it as soon as they rest and eat; PCs reduced to 0 or less in this way are only unconscious, not dead)

6. A nobility of Pegasi (10) drinking from an unusually clear pool

7. A band of berserker aquatic elves (17 total; 1d6+6 are visible with the rest hidden in the water)

8. Ghouls (2d12)

9. A Swamp Troll

10. Khraxsis, the Black Dragon

Mountain hexes

3 in 6 chance of Random Encounter; 1d10

1. Smell of rancid B.O. carried on the wind

2. A humanoid corpse, partially devoured

3. A random PC drops a random item off a cliff

4. 1 PC (randomly determined) is exhausted and has -1 to all d20 rolls until the party rests for at least an hour

5. The whole party must rest for 1 hour and eat or lose 1 hp (which they can recover it as soon as they rest and eat; PCs reduced to 0 or less in this way are only unconscious, not dead)

6. 1 black bear emerges from a nearby cave

7. The Mad Mystic

8. 2d5 lost treants

9. A lost adventuring party

10. A wing of 7 hippogriffs

Explanation of encounters

Numbers 1 and 2 on each table are flavour text. If your players are not used to this kind of encounter (a random detail that leads to nothing), they will likely investigate it, wasting time and triggering more Random Encounter rolls. However, the encounters on the Mountain table do foreshadow real threats: the B.O. is intended to suggest the Cyclopes, and the partially devoured corpse was probably eaten by the black bear.

Numbers 3, 4, and 5 on each table are designed to hinder the party in some way without using combat. Number 3 causes them to lose an item. In the case of food and water, I usually rule that if they go too long without these, they began to suffer a penalty such as a cumulative -1 to attack rolls and saving throws, or a cumulative -1 to Strength or Constitution (ending as soon as they eat or drink again). Numbers 4 and 5 force the party to halt their progress (possibly triggering another roll for a Random Encounter) or suffer penalties to attack rolls and saving throws. If you want to be kinder, you can give the PCs a saving throw to avoid the effects.

Numbers 6 through 10 are traditional monster encounters, all covered in the S&W Complete rules or the Fiends & Foes expansion, with the following exceptions:

Berserker Aquatic Elves — this a patrol from Area C. Unlike normal elves, these blue-green-skinned humanoids have gills as well as lungs, and webbed fingers and toes. They are isolationist and suspicious of land-dwelling creatures (including elf PCs) and can “berserk” when in combat with them, gaining a bonus to hit and to morale checks. They wield tridents.

HD 1+1, AC 5 [14], Atk weapon (1d8), Move 12, Save 17, Morale 8 (12), AL N, CL/XP 2/30, Special: berserk (+2 to hit land-dwelling humanoids; higher morale vs land-dwelling humanoids)

They are not, however, evil, and it is possible, though difficult, to befriend them, in which case they have information about the dangers of the swamp (i.e. the other random encounters and the lair of Khraxsis).

Swamp Troll — this is a weak type of troll adapted to life in the swamp. It is amphibious and specializes in emerging from the water to surprise its prey. Swamp Trolls do not regenerate.

HD 3, AC 4 [15], Atk 2 claws (1d6), bite (1d8), Move 12, Save 12, Morale 10, AL C, CL/XP 5/240, Special: amphibious; surprises on 1 in 4 due to camouflage

Black Dragon — this dragon is called Khraxsis and competes with the swamp troll for food. She is still immature (3 hp per hit die and 3 points of damage per hit die for her breath weapon) and seeking a permanent lair (she may eventually decide this island lacks the resources she needs).

HD 6, HP 18, AC 2 [17], Atk 2 claws (2d4), bite (3d6), Move 9 (fly 24), Save 11, Morale 8, AL C, CL/XP 8/900, Special: spits acid (3/day, 60ft line, 18 damage, save for half)

The party will encounter her awake. She can speak Common and can cast charm person twice and detect magic and sleep once per day each.

If she flees due to a failed morale check, she will leave the island never to return. To find her lair (if she was not encountered in it) the party will have to search swamp hexes until they draw her as a random encounter again or befriend the aquatic elves.

The Mad Mystic — this is a crazy old man who has lived here longer than he can remember. He was once one of Calypso’s lovers but has forgotten that now, as well as his own name. He can talk but will not make much sense (though some of his ramblings could prove to be cryptic warnings). He does not welcome company but will not be hostile unless the party provokes him.

He is also a 7th level cleric with AC 9 [10] and the following spells prepared: cure light wounds, cause light wounds, hold person, silence 15’ radius, continual light, speak with dead, sticks to snakes, insect plague.

Lost Adventuring Party — this party comprises 5 adventurers: Bargo, a 6^th level fighter (Lawful), Rian, an 8^th level magic-user (Neutral), Brygga, a 7^th level dwarf fighter (Chaotic), her brother Gorm, an 11^th level dwarf fighter (Lawful), and Lyssa, a 9^th level fighter and the party’s leader (Neutral). They landed here a year and a day ago, seeking treasure. Unfortunately, they met Calypso, who claimed Brennagan, the party’s thief, as her new consort. The party managed to resist Calypso’s charm song and engaged her in combat, which cost the lives of all their retainers and Brennagan. After the thief fell, the party fled from Calypso’s rage. They reached the shore only to find their boats were missing, so they’ve been stranded here ever since, hiding out in the mountains. Rian has the following spells prepared: charm person, magic missile, sleep (x2), ESP, phantasmal force, web, fireball, hold person, rope trick, polymorph other, remove curse.

Location A — the Doppelganger

The party comes upon a large, more or less rectangular rock on the ground, about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide. If they pry it up, they will find Ranulph Ghull, the Doppelganger. He is in the form of Brennagan the Thief (see Mountain Encounter 9). He will cower and plea for mercy. If questioned, he tell them the following.

• He was part of an adventuring party that wanted to explore the island for treasure (false; he came here alone seeking star metal)

• He found his way to Calypso and was charmed (partially true; doppelgangers are immune to charm spells, so he’s genuinely infatuated with her)

• Calypso tired of him and sent him away, but he’s still in love with her (true)

• His boat is gone and he’s been trapped here for years (true)

Ranulph knows where Calypso is and what her actual abilities and methods are, but he won’t give this information away for free. He’s no longer interested in treasure, but he will cooperate if the party promises to take him with them when they leave the island. However, his true plan is to leverage the party’s lives and loot for another shot with Calypso. If they attack her, he’ll fight on her side (hoping she’ll reward him with her love).

If Ranulph is with the PCs when they encounter Brennagan’s party in the mountains, they will not be fooled, as they saw Brennagan die.

Ranulph has no treasure. The ditch under his rock is littered with animal bones and pieces of mirror (which belong to the molefolk – see Area B).

Next Time

In my next post in this series, I’ll be covering the molefolk and those mysterious aquatic elves.

In the meantime, if you’re working on your own RPG project a work of fiction and you’re looking for a skilled and experienced editor and proofreader, check out my other blog and get in touch for a quote.