The Dragon Barrow

 A Ser Killian Micro Dungeon Adventure

Spoiler Alert - This is another adventure loosely based on D&D's Dragon of Icespire Peak. Even so, it may have some spoilers. You may not want to read this if you plan to play that adventure.

Game Notes

I've made more progress on the rules for Micro Dungeon. Because my previous Ser Killian experiment worked well, I decided to continue on. This time, I formally statted out the party using the latest version of the character creation rules.

The Party

Here are the stats for Killian's party.

• Ser Killian, level 5 paladin in heavy armor with shield - AV 5, DV 8, HP 9
• Squire Haiden, level 5 fighter in light armor with shield - AV 5, DV 7, HP 10
• Brother Martin, level 4 cleric in light armor - AV 3, DV 5, HP 8, Spell Points 8
• Nashad, level 4 fighter in light armor with a two-handed weapon - AV 5, DV 5, HP 8

The Story So Far

After defeating the orcs and the corrupted tree at the Woodland Manse, Ser Killian and his party return to Phandalin. 

They learn that the white dragon had attacked another convoy on the road. Ser Killian pledges to end the dragon's reign of terror. To do this, he must retrieve the sword of dragon slaying, said to lie in a barrow north of the town. Here, a party of heroes defeated a marauding dragon but died from their wounds.

Approaching the Barrow

Travel to the barrow is uneventful.

Game Note: I wanted to get on with the dungeon so I did not bother with travel and wandering monsters. Instead, poof, they made it safely.

As they near the barrow, a centaur appears from nearby woods. He warns the party to be off - do not disturb the peace of the heroes buried there.

Ser Killian informs the centaur that he must retrieve the sword. The centaur fires an arrow at him. The party charges and drives the centaur off.

Another Game Note:

Here is the setup for this dungeon.

• I created cards for the encounters. I just quickly ginned them up from index cards. The centaur is flipped over but the rest are face down.
• I also created some quickie markers for the tracking board - one for each character, one for monsters, one for Martin's spell points, and one for healing kits (designated by a picture of a bandage).
• The character stats are on one index card below the tracker.

Into the Barrow

Our heroes enter the barrow. The first room is filled with webs. Suddenly, a giant spider shoots a web, catching Haiden in its sticky strands. The rest attack the spider. It bites Nashad and Martin, but they are not poisoned. Finally, Nashad wounds it and it retreats into a hole.

Next they enter a cavern with dancing lights. Haiden and Nashad become mesmerized and walk unsuspectingly toward an open pit. Martin casts a spell that breaks Haiden's charm. The three of them attack the wisps. The wisps cause some wounds but eventually retreat from the fray. Killian then rescues Nashad.

Winding through the corridors of the barrow, they enter a room with statues of the heroes of old. The statues come to life and try to bar the party from passing. When Killian tries to get by, the statues attack. The blades of our heroes seem to have little impact on the statues. Martin then blasts them with a spell and the rest gang up and finish the statues off.

Finally, they enter a treasure room. The sword is on display, stuck into the skull of a large dragon. Killian seizes the sword. Suddenly, an invisible attacker strikes him! The guardian hacks and slashes our heroes while they flail in vain. Martin tries to cast as spell that will cover the guardian in sticky tar. This would allow the party to see their adversary. Alas, the spell fails.

Then Killian has them retreat into a corridor, forcing the guardian to attack in a narrow space. Although swinging blindly, the party manages to get in some hits. Due to wounds, Martin has to retreat. Finally, Killian and Nashad finish off the guardian.

They now have the sword!

WHAT NEXT? STAY TUNED FOR MORE ADVENTURES!

NOTES

• The rules are shaping up nicely. I'm working on writing things down.
• I do take some artistic license with my accounts. For example, I did not really plot out the movements of the combatants during the battle with the invisible guardian. I just rolled dice. But in my head, I envisioned the tactic that I described.
• I have a small list of spells but I found myself improvising along the way - the uncharm and the tar spells in particular. I like the idea of allowing improvised spell casting.