Perilous Realms Campaign World Map

Above is my campaign-world map for the Perilous Realms medieval fantasy wargames campaign.

The Perilous Realms are my name for my own amalgamation of what I, in my limited knowledge, can amalgamate of various civilizations abstracted and anachronistically represented at their various heights but frozen somewhere between about 500 and 1,000 A.D. So, there is Aegyptus, but also the Holy Empire (Byzantium). There is Parthia (Persian), the great Central Kingdom (China), the Empire of the Sun (Japan), Shangri-La, Wudang, Old Araby, the Paladin Duchies of Westernesse, Logres, Libya, Nubia, Nod, and various wildernesses - even the Land of the Lost.

I base the map on some of the old Mappe Mundi of the ancient world, such as the following.

These were more detailed and "realistic" versions of the more abstract and theological Mappe Mundi that represented the three known continents in geometric and cosmographic relationship to each other. Note that these maps are "oriented": east is at the top of the map, as it is where the Sun rises.

Fight on!

Rolling Characters On-The-Fly

Armor, FM:

d6+1

Weapons, FM: d6:

1 Magic Sword

2 Sword and Bow

3 Sword

4 Spear and Dagger

5 Club and Dagger

6 Club

Magic Sword on d6:

1 +3 Lightning

2-3 +2 Magic Missile

4-6 +1 Light

Armor, CL:

d6+3

Weapons, CL:

High: mace

Low: club

CL: healing potion; turn undead (reminder)

MU d3:

1 Sleep

2 Charm

3 Light

Gold: 3d6, straight-up

Note: I used the above to roll-up the middle-schooler's characters on the fly so that I could drop them straight into play. It worked. Lots of fun.

Temple of Zaphron, Goddess of Frogs

Encounter Table d6

1-3    Kobolds      1d6

4-5    Skeletons    2d6

6       Merak

Merak the Unexpected

MU4 AC9 MV9

Sleep

Polymorph

Lightning

Phantasmal Forces

Kobolds

HD1/2 AC7 MV6

Formation: Shields, Spears, Darts

Skeletons

HD1/2 AC7 MV6

Shields, helmets, spears

Reassemble unless burned / crushed

1 Treasure Chamber

Pit trap, 10' immediately before the door

Treasury

Chest, Treasure, Small, poison-needle on latch

1,500gp steel ring with adamant stone; weight 100pcs

2 Medium Diamonds 100 each (200 total); 4 Small Diamonds 50 each (200 total); 6 Small Rubies 50 each (300 total); 2 Small Pearls 50 each (100 total); 4 Small Sapphires 50 each (200 total); 2 Small Opals 50 each (100 total); gems total value 1Kgp; weight 200pcs

300gp; 400sp; total pcs value 500gp; weight 700pcs

Total value: 3Kgp

Total weight: 1Kpcs

Armory

Shield +1

Chainmail +1

Helmet +1

Sword +1: Windbiter (Common)

    Lawful

    Int: 8 Ego: 3, Empathy

    Detect Magic

    Detect Metal & What Kind

Dagger +1

Bow +1

Potion of Heroism

Potion of Invisibility

Scroll Protection Undead

2 Trick Exit Room

Two levers to left of large locked double doors

Lever Left Up: Green

Lever Right Up: Blue

Left  Down / Right Up: Green Lightning bolt

Left up / Right Down: Door open + Green Lightning bolt

Left Down / Right Down: Door open (no lightning)

3 Hidden Treasure Vault

Bucket, Acid, above secret door: avoidable if look up before entry

Chest, Treasure, Locked, Large

5K Brass Urn Studded with Tiger’s Eyes; weight 100pcs

Large Emerald 500gp; 4 Medium Diamonds 100each (400gp total); 2 Medium Topaz 50each (100gp total); total gems value: 1Kgp; weight 70pcs

1Kgp; 2Ksp; 4Kcp; total pcs value: 3Kgp; weight 7Kpcs

Total value: 9Kgp

Total weight: 7,170pcs

4 Connection

Empty: straw, mud

Merak flees through this room, gone by the time PCs unstick the door.

5 Tapestry Hall

Tapestry of Frog God Zaphron shooting green lightning bolts.

Unknown language says poem about Zaphron.

6 Merak’s Study

Merak (see above) attacks (if party noisy, Protection, from scroll, before arrival):

Sleep; Polymorph; Lightning; Phantasmal Forces

Leaves immediately upon taking damage: skips to phantasmal force as distraction; door stuck behind him.

Desk, chair, chez lounge, ash tray with cigar, side table with brandy snifter and glass; on Desk:

Parchment, ink-well, quill

lvl1 spell book, complete

Scroll Protection Magic

Scroll, Arcane: Detect Evil, Wizard Lock, Dispell Magic

Books, 3: Astrologous Minor, Herbiary Infernum, Amphibicon

Map to treasure: 3. Hidden Vault

7 Sanctuary of Zaphron

Door behind idol, stuck

Idol of hollow clay painted gold with two emerald eyes:

1K; 1K “The Eyes of Zaphron;” Magnetically attracted to one another; weight 100pcs each, 200pcs total

Pedestal triggers successive portcullises if treasure disturbed

Treasure chest with giant emerald latch serves as contribution basin

1K emerald latch (part of cask)

3K Frog Crown: Green Gold with Aquamarines; weight 100pcs

300gp; 300sp; 300cp; total pcs value: 525gp; weight 900pcs

Total value: 6,525gp

Total weight: 1,200pcs

Brazier of green fire

Doors, double, stuck

Portcullises left and right, two

Top left: empty; Bottom left: kobolds; Top right: skeletons; bottom right: empty

Note:

Just ran this for a middle school D&D club. I started them off in the main sanctuary, having already triggered the trap with kobolds bearing down. Instant combat. Had their attention! We rolled character information as we needed it! (I'll post how I did that in next post.) Next session: they explored and found the treasures / tricks. Final session: extraction with encumbrance issues (lucky kids had no random encounters!) Then we discussed character creation.

So, I went "backwards," and now they are hooked!

Next up: referees Workshop: Part I. Presenting; Part II. Preparing.

Fight on!