Merge pull request #2 from phf/halloween

Added "Halloween at the Barrowmaze" article

issue02/Grenzland2.tex

@@ -480,6 +480,8 @@ downwind at Wind Speed.
 
 \end{multicols}
 
+\input{halloween}
+
 \section{Impressum}
 
 \textit{Grenzland} wird editiert und 

issue02/Makefile

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 all: Grenzland2.pdf 
 
-%.pdf: %.tex Frontcover.pdf Backcover.pdf Makefile
+%.pdf: %.tex Frontcover.pdf Backcover.pdf Makefile halloween.tex wbzine.cls
 	pdflatex -draftmode $<
 	pdflatex $<
 

issue02/halloween.tex

@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+% Halloween at the Barrowmaze
+% Copyright (c) 2022-2023 Peter H. Froehlich <peter.hans.froehlich@gmail.com>.
+% License terms: CC BY-SA 4.0
+
+\section{Halloween at the Barrowmaze}
+
+I wanted to spice up our Selina's Harbor Barrowmaze game a little, so I decided
+that all games in October 2022 would be ``Red October'' games and that October
+31, 2022 would be a ``Halloween Special.'' It was important to set up
+``Red October'' first to prepare players for the \emph{really} weird stuff that
+was to come, so here's a summary of both. Feel free to rip this off if you also
+have players who are generally amenable to occasional silliness.
+
+\subsubsection{Red October}
+
+Every year in October, the sky over the Barrowmoor turns red and stranger than
+usual things go on below. I used the moderately terrifying ``Pit of Chaos''
+table from the actual module, but you can substitute any super-dangerous ``what
+terrible monster gates in'' table you have handy.
+
+Before each session roll d6 to determine how many things gate in: 1--3 only
+one, 4--5 two, 6 three. Then place whatever it is in a random location; I simply
+rolled d100 for a room but I only allowed rooms that had previously been
+explored; if the room had not been explored before, I divided the room number
+by 2; and if that room didn't make sense, I picked the next lower room number
+that did.
+
+For the October 3, 2022 session I rolled a 1, so only a single roll was required;
+4 ghouls gated in; I rolled room 80 but that wasn't explored; room 40 didn't
+make sense (behind a secret door ghouls wouldn't know how to operate); so room
+39 it was. Interestingly room 39 already had a large group of tomb robbers from
+a previous restock roll, so I conducted that fight to see who'd win; the tomb
+robbers barely survived. In game I had the players stumble into the tail-end of
+the fight which meant the tomb robbers were ``on edge'' and almost attacked the
+player characters, accusing them of ``sending'' those ghouls their way.
+
+Other ``Red October'' sessions added even more ghouls, a banshee, and a ghast
+to various rooms; those ghouls are actually still haunting a section of the
+Barrowmaze to this day, but the ghast and the banshee have since been taken out.
+
+\subsubsection{Halloween Special}
+
+For the October 31, 2022 session, not only was the sky red, but it was also
+dark around the Barrowmoor, regardless of the actual time of day. The path to
+the central mound had ``pumpkin lamps'' at regular intervals; a little bit off
+the path, skeletons, zombies, and large spiders (illusions, but whatever) could
+be seen ``threathening'' the path; weird organ music and the occassional scream
+or evil laughter were heard as well.
+
+There was a table out front next to the entrance to the central mound; one banner
+read ``One Night Only!'' the other said ``Final Halloween Raffle!'' There was a
+vampire sitting here, one ``Strump von Wasilatsch,'' with all the usual vampire
+equipment (pale, well dressed, red-lined cape, the works). He also had four dire
+wolves resting behind him, one of which was in fact another vampire. Strump was
+wearing a ``VBS'' (``Vampyre Benevolent Society'') pin and had a bottle of red
+wine that he kept using to top off his glass; he got up as player characters
+approached to give his spiel:
+
+\begin{itemize}
+
+\item ``Ah, welcome, welcome adventurers! I am Count von Wasilatsch and I am
+  here from the VBS for our special \emph{One Night Only Final Halloween Raffle}.
+  Your donations will go to worthy causes completely and utterly of our choosing,
+  but the raffle tickets we have promise \emph{amazing} things, just \emph{perfect}
+  for the likes of you who are about to head underground to \dots{} \emph{vanquish}
+  \dots{} evil?''
+
+\item ``Ah, the tickets, yes! Green tickets are 5gp, yellow tickets are 20gp,
+  and red tickets, our biggest item tickets, those are 100gp. Buy for yourself,
+  buy for your friends, you will \emph{not} regret it! If you truly are
+  \emph{adventurers} that is?''
+
+\item He then mumbles ``Certain undisclosed rules and restrictions apply,
+  parents are responsible for their children, not valid after October 31, only
+  one purchase per entity, all sales are final, void where prohibited by law or
+  decree.'' and smiles, fangs and all.
+
+\end{itemize}
+
+If player characters come back for more tickets later, he says ``only one
+purchase per entity'' and smiles; if they persist one dire wolf growls and he
+shushes it, still smiling; if they persist he says ``only one purchase, really,
+get out of here before it gets mad!'' and keeps smiling; after that the dire
+wolf would strike once but he would rein it in after that ``get out of here!''
+no longer smiling; more of that and they all attack, slaughtering the player
+characters.
+
+Going down the stairs in the central mound, it is clear that there are more
+pumpkin-based light sources ahead; indeed the whole 60'\(\times\)60' chamber
+appears to have been cleared and tables have been set up against the north,
+south, and east wall. Behind each table is another vampire, although these are
+not as talkative; the table to the north has a green banner, the one to the
+south has a yellow banner, and the one to the east has a red banner; three more
+dire wolves skulk around here and there; behind each table is a chest with a
+big lock, that's where the stuff is stored. For each ticket a player has, let
+them roll once on the table below.
+
+\begin{tabularx}{\columnwidth}{cZZZ}
+\textbf{Roll} & \textbf{Green/Cheap} & \textbf{Yellow/Standard} & \textbf{Red/Fancy}\\
+1 & Potion Healing                   & Potion Control Undead    & Ring Regeneration\\
+2 & Potion Invulnerability           & Potion Heroism           & Wand Polymorph \(\times\)6\\
+3 & Potion Gaseous Form              & Potion Speed             & Wand Cold \(\times\)6\\
+4 & Potion Invisibility              & Dagger+1                 & Sword+1, Flaming\\
+5 & Bullet+1 \(\times\)8             & Sling+1                  & Spear+3\\
+6 & Arrow+1 \(\times\)6              & Armor/Cloak+1            & Ring Telekinesis\\
+7 & Scroll Magic Missile \(\times\)3 & Wand Fear \(\times\)6    & Staff Healing\\
+8 & Marshmellow d66                  & Scroll Protection Undead & Gauntlets Ogre Power\\
+\end{tabularx}
+
+What's with the ``Marshmellow d66?'' In our game, a player can \emph{once per
+session} make a d20 roll with a d30 instead; this d66 allows the player to use
+a d66 instead of \emph{any other dice roll} after their main character consumes
+it. Pretty tasty!
+
+Somewhere on each item there's a \emph{tiny} note saying ``Provided `as is'
+without any express or implied warranties. Best by October 31st.'' Yes, of
+course all items are good only for the one session, they crumble to dust after
+midnight. Also each item has a 1\% chance of malfunctioning per use; but that
+malfunction will \emph{not} be extra-detrimental to the user. (For stuff with
+a duration, roll when it matters, not when it's first activated. So invisibility
+will work until it doesn't.)
+
+\subsubsection{So\dots{} What Happened?}
+
+Of course the players bought only a few tickets, suspicious of the entire thing.
+Once they were downstairs and had gotten a bunch of items, of course they wanted
+to go back for more tickets. But they got the hint and didn't push their luck.
+Down in the Barrowmaze I had added some sound and light effects: Instead of the
+usual silence, there was a constant ``screams and evil laughter'' background,
+complete with more ``haunted house'' illusions. But there were also lighted
+signs pointing the way towards magic items and large treasures. The players
+started carefully, but after a few successful ``fights'' using their
+\emph{Wand of Cold} and other items they became more confident. Until they
+followed a lighted sign to the old temple where a Banshee held court. They
+debated what to do for at least 40 minutes, but in the end they ``chickened''
+and left. Despite the fact that they could clearly see a \emph{huge} pile of
+gold.
+
+So we all learned that no amount of magic gear will make you into an
+\emph{adventurer} when that's just not in your bones to begin with!
+
+\endinput