This was my first home-brew Pathfinder adventure. I basically created it to test the waters and level my players up before tackling one of the adventure paths. It’s not fancy and feel free to add a bit of your own material onto what I’ve provided.
Unless you have a lot of players (6+) this adventure might be too hard for level one characters. It should be fine for level 2 characters and maybe a bit easy for level 3 heroes. Of course, you can jig around with the number of monsters, CR levels etc. to make it fit your particular campaign.
Have fun with it! That’s the main goal anyways, right?
The original ‘hook’ was that there were loggers missing in the woods surrounding the town the players were currently in. The town had sent out rangers who also went missing. In desperation, the town (mayor/sheriff or whoever you please) offers a reward for information about the missing loggers and rangers.
You can fill in the portion before the dwarven mine on your own – simply make the players track the missing people using survival checks etc.
While the adventure is admittedly plain, my players still talk about this little quest. Surprisingly enough, their favorite (and often talked about) part was area 18/19. They had to figure a way past a nasty, glaive wielding trap, only to discover there was nothing on the other side!
Don’t worry though…there was plenty of loot in the rest of the dungeon to make up for it.
They literally spent over a half hour sitting around planning the best way to defeat the hated trap, while I chuckled inside like a fiend.
They eventually decided to use the wheelbarrows found in area 13/14 to cover themselves, while the glaives struck down. It was a stroke of genius on their part and I ended up awarding them extra experience for great role playing.
Anyways, here is my home-brew adventure along with the map. At the bottom of the written portion, I also included a quick “experience-at-a-glance” chart for your Game Mastering convenience.
Dwarven Mine
Dwarven Mine Map – click to enlarge
0: Outside the entrance to the mine, two hobgoblins with longbows wait in tree stands guarding the entrance. DC 20 perception checks to notice movement in the trees.
1: Two torches on the wall. The right one disables the spiked pit trap. DC 20 perception to notice the trap and a DC 20 disable device. Effect 10-ft.-deep pit (1d6 falling damage); pit spikes (Atk +10 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4+2 damage each); DC 20 Reflex avoids; multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-square area). If they disable device, they get 600 exp
2: 6 goblin slaves are chained to a spike in middle of the floor. If adventurers speak goblin, they can find out that Hobs kidnapped them from the Lick toad tribe and brought them here to work in their filthy mines. They are not certain of much else, besides ‘scary bone man’ tells Hobs what to do and they make them work somewhere (pointing vaguely) in the east part of the dungeon. They ask for freedom. If adventurers release them, they run for the entrance immediately.
3: Table in the middle of the room, with two Hobgoblins playing dice. They’re supposed to be guarding the goblin slaves in area two, but are intent on their game.
4: Two large statues of armored dwarves. One is on the north wall and the other is on the west wall. They have been chipped and weathered by time but remain mostly recognizable.
5: Two bunks and empty of occupants. Search of the room turns up 30 gp.
6: Two bunks and empty of occupants. There is nothing of value here besides a regular long sword lying against the wall.
7: Locked door. DC 15 to pick lock. Three hobgoblins reside within, sleeping on the bunks. Each attempt gives the hobgoblins a chance to make a perception check (DC 20 and hobs get +2) to hear the intruders. If they make the perception check, adventurers will find hobgoblins armed but unarmored (-3 to armor class) and if they fail, they will find them grumbling and stirring but will get a surprise round on them. It will also take a standard action to arm themselves. 200 gold coins can be found on the bodies and in the room.
8: The room is empty except (DC 15 perception check) for a hidden stash of semi-precious gems – 3 chunks of garnet worth 100 gp each.
9: Room is empty except for some rotting food and foul smelling clothing strewn on the bunks.
10: Room is empty. In the middle of the room is a small cage that houses an unconscious goblin who has obviously been tortured.
11: Two hobgoblins sleep in this locked room. Same checks as room #7 apply.
12: This is a banquet hall. There is a fire place in the south wall. Several hobgoblins (5) are eating their meal here. The room’s door is closed but there is a high chance that the hobgoblins inside will hear the sounds of battle if the adventurers fight the hobgoblins in room #7 or #11. Each goblin can make a perception check of 15 (with their +2) to hear the battle over their own noise and closed door. If they succeed with their check, they will take 1D4 rounds to arrive at the scene. Stagger how fast they reach the players so they don’t get totally overwhelmed. Inside the pockets of these hobgoblins, players can find an assortment of Low-Quality Gems, Semi-Precious Gems and Medium Quality Gemstones worth 700 gp. On the lintel in the hall itself, players can find 3 potions of cure light wounds.
13&14: these rooms housed mining equipment for the dwarves, such as wheelbarrows, shovels, picks etc. The items are rusted to nothing.
15: At both entrances of this huge circular chamber are signs that say ‘Danger, stay out’ in Goblin. Inside, there is a giant hole in the ground and webs everywhere, with bodies (and bones) clinging to the webbing. If the adventurers look closely, they might recognize a few of the rangers that were sent to find the missing townspeople. Inside the hole, clinging to the webbing is a giant black widow spider (800 exp) and it will do its best to surprise anyone entering the room, especially if they approach the hole. On the bodies can be found a total of 200 gp, 2 potions of cure light wounds, a wand of cure light wounds with 10 charges remaining, a masterwork longbow, and a cloak of resistance +1.
The hole was once a giant mine, where the dwarves delved deep into the earth. Above it is a huge drill that is now mostly rotted away.
16: Secret stash. DC 20 perception check to find the secret door. Inside there is 300 gp, a wand of magic missile with 15 charges, 2 scrolls of false life and a pair of old looking goggles, which are goggles of minute seeing: Goggles of Minute Seeing: The lenses of this item are made of special crystal. When placed over the eyes of the wearer, the lenses enable her to see much better than normal at distances of 1 foot or less, granting her a +5 competence bonus on Search checks to find secret doors, traps, and similar concealed objects. Both lenses must be worn for the magic to be effective.
17: Large room containing more mining supplies, particularly carts to run mined rock from #15 to the entrance of the mine back in its heyday. There is nothing of real value here.
18: Two dwarven statues holding glaives in their hands. This is a trap that requires a DC 25 perception check to discover, and a DC 20 to disable. If the players hit the trap, both statues turn towards the pressure plate and swing their glaives (+8) and a player can make a reflex save (DC 15) to jump out of the way.
19: Old bathhouse that has rotted into ruin. Fungus and mold are its chief occupants now. This once had been a beautiful dwarven bathhouse but now it’s just fallen to ruin.
20: Looks like an alchemy lab. The door is closed but not locked. Inside is an elderly hobgoblin brewing potions. The PC’s can kill the goblin to get the experience or bind her. She will not fight because she is too old and frail. However, if the PC’s attack her, she will scream hysterically, possibly alerting the 2 hobgoblins in room #3. Inside the PC’s can find 3 potions of delay poison (to combat the black widow spider in room #15), 1 shield of faith potion (+2 AC for 1 minute), 2 potions of cure light wounds and a potion of invisibility that lasts one minute.
21&22&23&24: No one inside these rooms. They’re more sleeping quarters for the resident hobgoblins. Bunks can be found in each one. These rooms look sparsely used, probably because of the poor sleeping conditions due to the torture chamber in room #26.
25: One hobgoblin inside, sharpening his sword in full gear. He may hear the alchemist in room #20 if she decides to scream. He attacks as soon as the PC’s unlock his door. DC 15 to disable the lock. 20 gp can be found on the body.
26: This is a torture chamber. Currently there is one resident (one of the rangers sent to find the missing townsfolk) who is barely clinging to life on a rack. One hobgoblin holds a hot poker in his hand and is advancing towards the hapless elven ranger.
Once the PC’s kill the torturer, they will hopefully release the ranger. He is too injured to leave unless the PC’s cure him with a spell or potion. If they do not, the ranger will die within an hour from his injuries. If the PC’s cure him enough to leave he will thank them profusely and tell them to visit him in Sandpoint if they return, for a reward. He then leaves to return to town. Award them an extra 100 experience points if they cure and release the prisoner.
Nothing of further value can be found here, except the key around the neck of the torturer, which opens the cells in room #27.
27: This is the prison area. Two captured villagers can be found here. There is also a bugbear guarding them. He also has a key to the cells on his person. He will attack the PC’s on sight and fight to the death. The prisoners are hungry, scared and tired. They have obviously suffered at the hands of the hobgoblins. They will tell the PC’s that to the south, there is a mine where the others are being worked to death. From here, the PC’s could probably hear the sounds of mining picks striking rock.
28: 9 prisoners toil in this room, each chained to a spike hammered into the earth. 3 of the 9 are humans captured from Sandpoint and the rest are goblins. Two hobgoblin overseers are also present and will attack the PC’s on sight.
29: This is a fairly grand but old room. The upholstery on the bed was once fine, but is now tattered and worn. Dust fills the room and coats everything. There is a small chest (unlocked) under the bed, which contains 300 gp and a wand of magic missile with 20 charges left in it.
30: Once the grand meeting area of the mine, the skeleton lord has now taken up residence here. He is seated on a throne of dwarven bones at the far end of the room. Two skeletons are also in this room. The skeleton lord’s eyes smoke a crimson red and he raises himself from his throne once he sees the PC’s. He immediately orders the two skeletons in the room to attack. If the PC’s are tired, let them deal with the skeletons before the lord attacks.
Hoard lies on floor beside throne, casually tossed there by the skeleton lord. PC’s can find:
- Gems and gold totaling 2000 gp.
- +1 short sword
- Wand of enlarge person with 8 charges left
- Amulet of natural armor +1
- Boots of Elven kind
Total Experience
600 (100 for each prisoner released, including the ranger being tortured)
600 experience from spike trap
400 for 2 hobgoblins
600 for 3 hobgoblins
400 for 2 hobgoblins
1000 for 5 hobgoblins
800 for black widow
200 for glaive trap
200 for elderly hobgoblin
200 for single hobgoblin
200 for torturer
600 for bugbear
900 for final fight
Total: 6700 experience
Pathfinder Home-Brew 