But last night you received a message that the Red Dragons were gathering for war. Of course, you couldn't ignore this summons, so you flew immediately to the Dragon Meeting Grounds. It was empty! No Red Dragons were there or had been there for hundreds of years apparently. Furious and suddenly fearful, you used a teleport spell to transport yourself back to your lair!
NO! It was a trick! You've been robbed! Shocked, you look quickly around your lair. The Shield of Dragonkind is gone, along with some other valuable items. But what really makes you angry is that your best friend--a small Faerie Dragon--is missing as well!
"It was the Black Knight! The Black Knight!" shouts the Guardian Skull. "He just left! Out the back!"
In a rage, you charge after him, but you miss catching him. Returning to your lair, you force yourself to calm down and think logically. Normally you would let the theft go unpunished, for you detest leaving your comfortable home. But you must get your little friend back, as well as making that black-armored scumdog pay for his actions!
There's no use chasing after him. You're not familiar with the countryside, having stayed in your lair for so long. But you have a map. You'll pick up his trail sooner or later. You could even fly to his Castle and wait for him there. But you'll have to hurry; if he reaches his Castle first, the spell on it will keep you out. Hastily packing a few treasures and selecting your magical spells, you start on your way.
PRIMARY PLAYER CHARACTER: Flametongue, An Ancient Red Dragon
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Hit Points: 67/67
Abilities: You can perceive things nondragons would not. If you are subjected to any fire attack, you heal 5 damage instead of taking damage. You can prepare and cast spells (see below).
Special Magical Possessions: Dragon Amulet: When in human form, this can be used to attack for 4 hit points of damage per Combat Turn. When in dragon form, it reduces the damage of one spell used against your group in the first round of each combat by 2. Magical Ring: This ring will teleport you out of immediate danger three times. To use this ring, in any situation except partway through combat with the Black Knight and his allies, simply say you wish to retreat. You can use it on encountering the Black Knight, should the situation be disadvantageous enough that you do not wish to fight him right then. Skeleton's Magical Bracer: springs the first trap you encounter. The next time you encounter a trap, it goes off harmlessly. Iron Statue: can fight at your side in one battle. It has 11 Hit Points and does 10 damage per hit.
Damage: You have one attack per Combat Turn. If you attack with claws and fangs, you deal 11 damage if you hit. If you use a fiery breath, you deal 18 damage if you hit. However, you can only use your fiery breath three times during this adventure (hit or miss).
Spells:
First Level Spell: Sleep: If this hits, one opponent who has less than 20 maximum hit points falls asleep and is automatically defeated.
First Level Spell: Enlarge: Automatic effect, doubles your physical damage for one battle.
Second Level Spell: Scare: If this hits, one enemy cannot attack for two Combat Turns.
Second Level Spell: Enfeeblement: If this hits, you can designate one enemy to do half damage for the rest of the combat. Round up.
Third Level Spell: Fireball: Deals 5 fire damage to each enemy.
Third Level Spell: Lightning Bolt: Deals 11 electrical damage.
Fourth Level Spell: Fumble: If this hits, all enemies in the current battle will be unable to effectively attack for two Combat Turns.
Fourth Level Spell: Charm Monster: If this hits, one enemy you are facing will fight on your side for the rest of the current battle if there are other enemies, and for two battles afterward. This will not work on anyone in the Black Knight's group.
You prepare spells at the beginning of your adventure, and are unlikely to have a chance to rest and prepare them again until the Black Knight is dead. An offensive spell can hit, miss, hit for double damage, or get a "special effect" result, just like a physical attack. If a spell takes effect or gets a "special effect" result, it is used up; if it misses, you still have it and can cast it again.
Your Spellbook:
First Level Spells:
Enlarge: Automatic effect, doubles your physical damage for one battle.
Magic Missiles: Deals 5 damage.
Sleep: If this hits, one opponent who has less than 20 maximum hit points falls asleep and is automatically defeated.
Shield: Automatic effect, causes all enemy attacks to do 1 fewer point of damage for one battle.
Second Level Spells:
Invisibility: Automatic effect, causes one enemy to not attack for one Combat Turn.
Enfeeblement: If this hits, you can designate one enemy to do half damage for the rest of the combat. Round up.
Web: If this hits, all enemies cannot attack for one Combat Turn.
Scare: If this hits, one enemy cannot attack for two Combat Turns.
Third Level Spells:
Fireball: Deals 5 fire damage to each enemy.
Lightning Bolt: Deals 11 electrical damage.
Wall of Fire: Automatic effect, permits you to escape one battle.
Haste: Automatic effect, causes each of your allies (not you) to have 2 physical attacks per Combat Round for the rest of the battle. Does nothing for an ally who already has 2 or more physical attacks.
Fourth Level Spells:
Change to Human Form: Permits you to assume a human form for up to three encounters.
Charm Monster: If this hits, one enemy you are facing will fight on your side for the rest of the current battle if there are other enemies, and for two battles afterward. This will not work on anyone in the Black Knight's group.
Fumble: If this hits, all enemies in the current battle will be unable to effectively attack for two Combat Turns.
Enchant Claws: Automatic effect, causes your physical attacks to automatically hit for normal damage every round for the rest of the fight. Can only be cast while none of your current enemies are human.
Flametongue's Ally: Sistoo, the Mantis Warrior
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Hit Points: 37
The Mantis Warrior is one of the most powerful of its kind. You magically suspended it in a Mantic ring and now you have called upon it to fight with you. It flies on a black magic carpet so that it can keep up with you. The Mantis will attempt to drag off small enemy corpses for trophies. This reduces the number of items it can carry unless you make it give up some!
Special Magical Possessions: Two Healing Potions: When you or one of your allies drinks this, it restores 5 hit points.
Damage: Sistoo attacks with a Glaive which does 9 damage per hit. If the Glaive misses, it will throw a Throwing Wedge, which hits automatically for 3 damage. If the Glaive hits, it does not throw the Throwing Wedge. This counts as one attack per Combat Turn for the Haste spell.
Flametongue's Ally: Gridelin, the Faerie Dragon
Alignment: Neutral
Hit Points: N/A, he never takes damage and attacks are never directed at him
Gridelin is an ancient Purple Faerie Dragon of great power. He came to your lair weary and hungry one rainy evening. You invited him in, fed him, and the two of you became great friends. There is only one minor irritation. Faerie Dragons never take anything seriously and consider life one huge joke. No matter what happens, Gridelin giggles.
Gridelin is currently with the Black Knight and it is the Black Knight's having kidnapped him that caused you to set out to punish the Knight. You can call him to you at any time and there is nothing the Black Knight can do to stop this. However, there are reasons you might want not to do so immediately. First is that if you wait to call Gridelin to your side until you are about to fight the Black Knight, Gridelin can automatically cast two spells against him before anyone else acts. Second is that while Gridelin is with the Black Knight, you can telepathically instruct him to sabotage the Black Knight in three ways, once each. The Black Knight will not know this has anything to do with Gridelin.
1) Gridelin can cause one of the Black Knight's double damage or special result rolls in combat to become a miss instead. If used to negate a special result, this must be done before knowing what a "special result" means.
2) One time the Black Knight or one of his allies uses a healing potion or healing ointment, Gridelin can cause it to have no effect.
3) Gridelin can summon a Giant Snake to attack the Black Knight at any time. The Giant Snake has 10 hit points, does 5 damage on hit, and strikes first each Combat Turn.
Spells: Gridelin can cast each of these spells once while with you. Each of them hits automatically.
Sleep: All enemies in the current battle whose maximum hit points are less than 10 fall asleep and are automatically defeated.
Forget: All enemies in the current battle will do nothing on their next Combat Turn.
Fumble: One enemy of your choice in your current battle who uses a weapon will drop it and spend their next Combat Turn picking it back up.
Distortion: One enemy of your choice will automatically miss with all attacks for two Combat Turns.
Faerie Fire: Everyone in your group will automatically hit the next Combat Turn.
Wood Warp: All wooden weapons used by enemies in your current battle will do 2 less damage from now on.
Winds: Each enemy in your current battle takes 2 damage and spends their next Combat Turn getting back to their feet.
Forget-Me-Not Dragon Breath: Three times during this adventure, the Faerie Dragon can choose an enemy to breathe on (not the Black Knight). Refer to the Combat Table; if you get a "hit" result, that enemy will not fight for the next two Combat Turns. (Any other result does nothing.)
- Flametongue's Map.jpg (40.92 KiB) Viewed 28512 times
Briefly you consider calling Gridelin to your side. You know that the little dragon could use its magical powers to respond to your summons immediately. It could be an invaluable help. But then again, there is much to be gained by letting Gridelin hinder the plans of the Black Knight. That fool human doesn't realize how much trouble that little Faerie Dragon can cause him. Your fangs flash in a dragony smile at the thought.
Looking back, you see your Mantis Warrior sitting on the magic carpet you've given him. Together, you fly off in pursuit of your enemy.
You now need to choose which spells to prepare for this adventure, as well as whether to fly to the Abbey of the High Cleric or the Ruins of Castle Arcania. Because of your size, the Black Knight will always know where you are, but you will not know where the Black Knight is unless you're in the same area as him; if you are, there will be an immediate fight unless one of you chooses to retreat.
