Castle Vorndrang Introduction and House Rules

As I was working on section 1D (which is ready from a week but I'm waiting to publish) I decided it was time to write up some kind of introduction for the Dungeon of Doom, and to decide on the rules to use once and for all. Since I want this dungeon to be used in the widest possible range of situation and for the widest possible range of players (from the reckless noob to the experienced grognard), I think that straight By The Book Whitebox OD&D is the way to go. After all, I can definitely see me using its rules as a base to easily convert the game to other systems (like B/X, Second Edition AD&D or even Pathfinder). Thus, here is the short introduction and some of the House Rules I'm planning to use. Enjoy!

"In ages past Castle Vorndrang has been one of the most prominent bastions of the Dwarfkin in the wild north. Ruled by the Clan Vorndrang it prospered for a thousand years, enduring the raids of the dire Goblins and the uncountable perils of the Underworld. Then, a couple of centuries ago, it fell under mysterious forces. It is not clear if the doom of the Dwarfs came from their own greediness, or if the Witchking of the nearby Realm of Zarhad helped in some measure. What is certain is that the Gates of Vorndrang were firmly closed, not to be reopened again. Until now. Careless of whatever eldritch power lies behind this inexplicable event, hordes of reckless adventurers have rushed in the nearby town of Hazen Hollow, attracted by the legendary hoards that presumably await in the deep dungeons beneath the keep. The few who returned from Castle Vorndrang alive carried immeasurable treasures and tales of horrors beyond the human comprehension. It is now your turn to descend into the unknown, and meet your fortune (or your fate) down in the bowels of Castle Vorndrang."

HOUSE RULES
Character Creation

• Determine Abilities rolling 3d6 straight down the line, modifiers work as per the 3LBBs with the following exceptions and modifications:
• STR > 14 is +1 To Hit and Damage for all;
• WIS > 12 is 1st level spell for Clerics;
• DEX > 14 is +1 To Hit (missiles) and +1 AC for all;
• Class Fighting-man, Magic-user or Cleric, Race Human, Elf, Dwarf or Hobbit. Elves can be Fighting-men OR Magic-users, Dwarfs can be Fighting-men or Clerics, Hobbits must be Fighting-men.
• Every character begins with 2d6x10 gp (Clerics must return unspent moneys to their church).

Skills
Roll 5+ on a 6-sided die to succeed in a skill-check. Racial modifiers, as well as heavy armor penalties apply according to the following table. Note that “armor penalty” only applies to regular armor, as magical ones are considered to be lighter and smoother.

Skill	Racial Modifier	Armor Penalty
Break doors/Lift bars	None	No
Climb rope	None	Yes
Find secret doors	Elves +2	No
Find traps*	Dwarves +2	No
Foraging and hunting	Elves +1	Yes
Hide	Halflings +2	Yes
Listen at doors	Humans -1	Yes**
Move silently/Surprise	Halflings +1	Negates
Read maps	None	No
Swim	None	Yes

*This include locating slanting passages, new constructions underground, pits, etc.
**”No” if the helmet is removed.

Note that this skill system works more or less as the one detailed in Volume III, if a bit modified. With regard to armor penalty medium metal (chainmail) is -1, heavy metal (plate) is -2. I didn't take ability modifiers to skill checks for a more 0e feel (if you know what I mean).

Combat
Works as detailed in the 3LBBs with the following exceptions:

• Maximum hp at 1st level. You can re-roll all of your HD at the start of every expedition.
• Initiative is either à la 3rd Edition (without Dexterity modifier, players have the possibility to re-roll after having declared their action every round) or B/X, according to the pool of players.
• If using d6 weapons, two-handed roll twice and go for the best but always act last no matter what initiative is rolled.
• Fight with shield is +1 to AC, Fighting-men can fight with two weapons with +1 To Hit and Damage.
• Knocked out at 0 hp, characters can go as negative as Level-1 before death. Magic-users and Clerics must roll against Intelligence/Wisdom if knocked out not to forget their spells.
• Bind 1-4 wounds after each combat, or stabilize a fellow at 1 hp. Potions of healing restore from 0 hp (i.e. a character at -3 who drinks a Potion of Healing and rolls 4 on the die awaken with 5 hp).
• Molotov cocktail: roll to hit, if miss roll d8 for random direction and d6x5' for random distance from the intended target, if critical miss (1 in 20) it blows up your face. d6 damage to target and d4 damage to anyone within 5'. Throw your lantern for d8/d6 damage.

As always, if you find anything wrong with my English just ask.

The Ruins Above The Dungeons

Camelot

My original plans for the Tower of Zordaz included the ruins of a big castle over the dungeons; not for nothing the project started under the name of Castle Doom (a fact that I recall only because the original maps where so labeled). By the way, at some point I decided to go with a dungeon built under a big, alien, inaccessible tower, the entrance of which I was thinking to locate at the very end of the last level. Now I'm reconsidering this choice, partly for being inspired by JRient's Caves of Myrddin and partly because I've had some cool ideas on how to make that ruins worth of exploration.

Now, my grandma happens to own a castle, il Castello di Riva. It was the residence of her family, and I used to go there each and every summer when I was a kid. This probably has something to do with my addiction to fantasy gaming and literature. By the way, I'm thinking to use the real castle floorplans to model the ruins above the dungeons of Zordaz. If you look at this map you will find that it's composed by five main buildings: the lord's manor (incorporating the gate), three small towers and a big 100' high tower in the northern corner (this also has a small dungeon right under). The green region indicates the old moat. The castle is located on the top of a ravine, with a river flowing dozens feet below; I'm thinking of relocating it at the top of a cliff, kinda like Camelot in the tv series of the same name.

I imagine several caverns opening directly on the cliff, one of them possibly housing an ancient red dragon. Now, back to the castle itself, I find it sexy because it adds several new exciting possibilities. For example, I always wandered what was beneath the well in the middle of the garden when I was a kid. I guess it's time to find out myself.

Introducing The Tower Of Zordaz

The following is a poor translation from my own notes. As always, feel free to point out any syntactic mistakes you happen to run into.

"When he built his stronghold at the top of the Mountain of Erendûl, more than five hundred years ago, Zordaz was already well known and feared in the whole Old World. The story of his deeds, as well as the rumors about his outstanding knowledge of all things magic were already shrouded in legend, and few dared to pronounce his name. It was commonly believed that to build his Tower, Zordaz had conjured and bound hordes of demons, by means of some utterly powerful spells he had researched by his own. During the following two hundred years, Zordaz conducted uncountable experiments, trained dozens of apprentices, and eventually expanded his power to almost lap the old boundaries of the neighboring Kingdom of Ainor. Then, suddenly, he disappeared. What really happened to him none can tell, although several rumors spread around the Old World: some said he left the Prime Material Plane to look for further knowledge at the edges of the Multiverse, others that he perished in clash with an even more powerful sorcerer, and others that he offended the Outer Gods, and they banished him for his impudence. However it was, his disappearance left a power vacuum in the regions surrounding the Silver Mountains, the people of the Old World hustled to fill. Thousands of settlers came from the neighboring reigns: the Dwarves established the underworld Kingdom of Karag-dûm, while the men set up several villages and castles, then united in the Confederation of the Borderland Marches, and annexed to the Kingdom of Ainor. For three hundred years the Tower has remained forgotten and undisturbed, but this is all about to change. The Dwarves of Karag-dûm claim the Goblins have become bolder in their raids, and the rumors about strange creatures crawling in the night near the surrounding villages grow more and more frequent. A new power is rising over the Mountain of Erendûl, and only a new band of stout adventurers can now stop its ascent."