So...last year I played a bit of the D100 Dungeon Computer Companion as a way to learn the base game and I thought it was ok [if you look around the reviews, you'll see my thumbs up] but it had a major flaw as for my playstyle: it took a fairly (pleasantly) stripped down solo-play experience and made it a bit too easy for me to strip it down further. I like to chew upon the game a bit. Pad in stuff. To make a story.

At that time, a dozen or more quests in, I put it aside and said I would come back to it if any more DLC got released and that did not happen. I am honestly not sure if it will ever happen, and that's a shame. Books 4 [new rules] and 6 [realm building] would both go a long, long way to helping people to have a longer, more enjoyable experience.

With that being said, I think it is a good to maybe come back to it and a bit and just play it out more Doug-style. Use the Computer Companion for the first couple of quests to help me relearn the system and get back up and running and then later bail out of it and build up my own tools so I can bring in new rules. I also would like to maybe try out the campaign in Book 2 if my character survives long enough.

At the core will be somewhat as-normal D100 Dungeon but in any of those cases where something might come up that I would like to add some more flavor, test some in-world aspect, and so forth; those I might use Gamemaster Apprentice Deck: Fantasy as a simple oracle and prompt system.

The Mauds Come to Fairhope and Sweetwash Bay

Five generations ago, invaders attacked the Island Country of Phillia. And lost.

The locals — aided in part by the strange energies of the Forest Ick and the ancient magic of the lost religion of Sennas — repelled the bandits and most fled back to the sea or were lost in the shifting realities. One family, though, the Mauds, stayed and repaid their debts.

They blended in with the locals and settled in the southwest portion of the island in two small towns: Fairhope and Sweetwash Bay. They became fabled and well-respected blacksmith and bakers, butchers and candlestick-makers, ranchers and bankers. Lord Farehoppe himself granted Presley Maud the high honor of being the holder of the cheese.

Now, there is little left of the invader spirit left in any of the Mauds. Instead, they are known for their practical nature and business expertise. But not Larsson (born as Larson, the second s is pure affectation on his part). Larsson the Maudlin longs for the old days where his great-great-great-grandparents sailed the seas and conquered. Only his many siblings and cousins wish he would get a real job.

Creating Larsson

Keeping this about as basic as I can I went for a Human Warrior. This gives Larsson STR 60 [Mighty Blow], DEX 30, INT 30. He also starts with Aware*, Bravery*, and Escape*. To this I checked Locks and Lucky to balance it out just a tad.

Rolling for his Weapon, I get 86 Battle Axe. Two handed weapon. +2 Damage. 287gp (58gp).

Rolling for his Armor, I get 05 Leather Tasset (A0) [68/14gp], a shield I could not use so rerolled into 71 Mail Sleeves (A2) [134/27], and 97 Plate Mail Manifers (A4) [367/74].

That's pretty much in the Book 1 plain experience.

Larsson the Maudlin, Quest 1: Fetching Cousin Dale some Questionable Meat

Quest: Dungeon Training 1

On the Quest Table [pg 60] it gives the stats of "ENC -40. Succeed: +50gp. Fail: -1/2gp. Quest: Enter the dungeon and loot 3 monster parts."

The Shandreer Festival and the Need for Meat

Seventy years ago Shandreer Plumkin, better know for being a drunkard rather than a fisherman, once caught eight octopi in a single cast of his net. He was tinkled so pink he sailed into dock at Sweetwash Bay and Fernwick Plumkin — Shandreer's older brother and well known seafood chef — declared the day a day of octopus pie and Blackport rum. Local Bailiff, the dastardly Ralph Warnish, dared to suggest that maybe Shandy — as he was known to everyone — had merely caught eight octopi over eight net castings and been too drunk to remember. The fist fight that erupted is still memorialized in the annual puppet show.

Why do Fairhope and Sweetwash Bay dedicated a day every year to something as trivial as eight octopi being caught? I mean, what else is there to do. Let the folks drink, eat strange dishes, welcome some tourists — bringing in much needed coin and some diversity to the various family trees — and have a day. It's fun.

And so Dale Maud, the blondest of all the many Mauds, has a need for exotic meat. How exotic? Well, that's between him and his larder. If he can pull out The Best Stew Award this year then maybe Daisy Warnish — the great grandaughter of Dastardly Ralph and as blonde as Dale — will agree to a kiss.

Thus, Larsson is tasked. Yes, yes, put on your armor. Pick up the old family axe that most likely was more for logging than chopping heads. Go out and quest, dear cousin.

Nearby to Fairhope is a small set of caves rumored to have once been the basement of Lord Farehoppe, long since fallen into disrepair after the family left in disgrace a hundred years ago. Dale insists he does not need to know what the meat is, just make sure it is like nothing the tourists have tasted before. And if Larsson fails, well, he can split the bill to buy real exotic meat: most likely just run of the mill tuna and chicken with some questionable herbs.

Room 1

Time Track 1. Spent 1 Oil.

Rolling for mapping area: 23, a Yellow Corridor going straight.

Room 2

Time Track 2. No effect.

Rolling for mapping area: 73, a Yellow Corridor bending to the left.

The caves go deeper in, curving to his left, and Larsson follows them.

Room 3

Time Track 3. Wandering Monster 3. D10 = 6. No Monster.

Map: 25. A Red Dead End. There's a reason that Larsson is so Maudlin.

Red = Encounter. Encounter = 48 - 40 = 8. Giant Rats.

Fight! Turn 1. Rats reaction? Will escape if damaged last round, otherwise attacks. Larsson attacks. 32. A Hit. Does 4+2=6 damage to the Rats's [2] Back. Rat's attack: 86. Miss. Rats are destroyed. +100GP. Roll on P2 table: 26, Ribs. The first "exotic meat" is a bit of Giant Rat Ribs. YUM!

Out of character, Red Rooms get +10 to Search. It might be worth the shot this time. Ooo, 96+10 = 100. This is a Treasure C - 15. On the TC table I roll 99-15 = 84. This is a Potion of Superior Health (+3 to primary HP). I will hold it for now since it's worth 1200gp and might be better sold but we'll see. Stats are pretty hard to come by in this game.

While searching the corpse, we'll say Larsson discovers a crack in the wall to { north | west | south } = West. And continues that way.

After a quick walk up the River Akat and then east across the Plumkin Hills, Larsson soon finds the spot as indicated by Dale. Since the actual ruins of Lord Farehoppe main estate is a few miles west of here — and open to tourist visits during festival days — it seems unlikely that this would be actually related to the late Lord but it would not be the first time Dale bought into local legends. All the same, there is a cave entranced blocked by an old oak door, set into a hill and some wasted structure stands atop the hill. Maybe worth further investigation one day.

Lighting his lantern, he pushes the door aside enough to get inside. The cave goes back a bit and to the left. As he follows the curve, he can hear noises. Shuffling feet. Kind of loud squeaks. The crunch of bones. Good. A fight.

He comes into a chamber, a supposed dead end, and spots a trio of giant rats feasting on the corpse of some unfortunate traveler. With a hiss, they attack and he chops heavily into their back before they can get started. Reaching in, he plucks out a rib and wipes off before shoving into his leather sack. Can Dale use this? One way to find out. Now search the body, mostly just skeletal remains and a few ligaments, he does find a pouch with a potion inside. It looks quite fancy. This he puts in his pack and promises himself that Dale won't get it.

While doing this, he notices a light breeze coming from the wall in front of him and searching around with his hands, he finds a switch that releases the wall with click. The supposedly natural cave gives has a secret door? Fascinating. He goes inside.

Room 4

Time Track = 4 by my count.

Map: 83. Green Room with a door to the right and a corridor straight ahead.

Rolling on Geographic, I get 68. Fountain. "A strange glowing liquid flows into a fountain with a cup nearby." I can drink it. 1-2 = Curse. 3-6 = nothing. 7+ = Boost. Welll...those seem ok odds. I roll a 7. Boost! 74 = FIXED. I don't think I have any damaged items but it was a nice thought.

Green only has +5 but screw it, let's give him something to be Maudlin about. F51+5 = F56. A weapon. W94 = Arbalest. A +3 2-handed ranged weapon [367/94]. I put it in my backpack.

This eats up +1 to my Time Track which puts me at 5. I spend an Oil.

Larsson first tries the door to his north. D79 = LV4 Lever. It is jammed by all appearances. Further West it is!

Larsson passes through the secret door and enters in a chamber made of stone brick. Rubble and discarded trash lines the floor. Straight ahead of him a corridor back into more natural caves is spotted in his torchlight. A pipe in the southern wall — to his left — drips water down into a fountain. Perhaps at one point in time this was a clear spot to get a nice drink of water but now there is a...glow...about the fountain. Still, an ornate cup in the shape of a ram's head is right there and so Larsson picks it up and tries a sip. He feels a tingle spread over him and can feel something happening but can see nothing. Ah, well, Maybe the next time he finds a strange glowing fountain with ram's head cup, he'll have better luck.

Across from the fountain, there is a door. He pushes upon it and nothing happens. He pushes harder. Still nothing. Still, awfully curious there is a door in a cave. Or a fountain. Or stone bricks. Or a secret door. Larsson is starting to get suspicious.

While kicking around with his feet he feels something a bit more solid. Bending over and picking it up, it is an arbalest. A massive crossbow. Hmm. he has never exactly had the knack for it but still it might come in handy.

Well, nothing for it, he goes into the corridor straight ahead and keeps exploring. Time's wasting.

Room 5

Time Track = 6. No effect.

Map: A Red T-Section branching off to the Right [North].

Rolling for the encounter I get 86-40 = 46. Ratmen. Hmmm, probably can't pawn off Ratmen parts. Anyhow. 3/3/4 and Pack. Gives them a starting AV of 40. Def 2. No Damage bonus. But they can disease.

FIGHT! Reaction = another 9, so attack. Lars attacks with 46 and hits. 4 damage vs 9 (legs). Ratmen roll 52 and miss. Reaction = 2. They attack. Lars gets 27. Hits. Rolls a 6. Rolls again for Mighty Blow. Gets another 6. And another 6. Umm. oh good, a 2. It got a bit... you know, choppy for a second. Location doesn't reallllly matter after dishing out 20hp to a weak monster but... 7 = Off Weapon. Their attack is 61 and whiffs.

For the loot, I will choose Armor since that has the biggest possible impact right now. A68 = Mail Shirt [Torso, A2, 187/38, starts with 2 pips damage]. Not bad.

He will search the room. 82+10 = 92 [buddy is good at searching]. He finds a mouldy carpet and searching it finds a panel underneath. It's a treasure! TB29-15 = 14 = Brew of Greater DEX [150gp]. He stores it in his backpack.

Time Track = 6. Wandering Monster test. 3. Yeppers! 56 - 40 = 16. Giant Bats. Yum num time for Cousin Dale!

FIGHT! Actually, Let's move turns to a bullet point.

SURPRISE [INT-10 + Aware = Dang it] 39. Yep, sneak old bats, eh? Bat Attack = 60 = miss.
Bat React = 8. Attacks if over 1/2 HP. So...Larsson swings his rat-bloodied axe! 35. Hit! 4 + 2 on 2 [Back +2] = 8. This kills off the bats. Batatack! (sounds cool) = 79 = miss.

P4 35 = Rib. Hmmm. Rib soup it is.

Now on to the North.

Larsson smells absolute rank pipe smoke before he sees the creatures smoking it. His first thought it is that might be actual shit they are smoking. His second is that he is glad cousin Tyrell does not know about this blend because Tyrell Maud is known to smoke some rank pipe tobacco. Peaking around the corner, and slightly worried that it might be Tyrell, he spots some rat men puffing on pipes made out of bird skulls and bones. He rushes in to fight them and the first ratman nimbly jumps back and takes only a glancing blow on his leg.

They hiss and taunt as they swipe swords at the luckless Fairhoper. Unfortunately for them, an enemy weilding weapons at a Maud in the midst of battle triggers some long lost bloodlust long bred out of the family line. Larsson gets his axe up and brings it down. Over and over again.

At the end of the fray, he is a bit shocked at what he did. That might have been what Thom — Larsson's oldest brother — likes to call overkill. But then, Thom Maud is a harbormeister who mostly uses the phrase to describe using hardwood crates when softwood crates would save some coin.

Luckily for Larsson, two things are true. 1) One of the ratmen is about his body build. 2) That particular one did not get chopped to bits so much that the mail shirt it was wearing is too damaged. Grandpa Jann liked to say that had the Mauds bothered to wear proper armor they would have won the day and so taking Jann's advice, Larsson pulls the bloodied mail shirt on.

While doing this he notes that a very moldy blue carpet — at least the mold is blue, who knows what the carpet might be — is at the feet of the ratmen. Or where their feet were. He tugs on it and there is a wooden panel covering a hole in the cave floor. Inside of it he finds another potion. Again, he pockets it.

While doing this, he hears the flapping of wing and a group of giant bats slam into his back. Luckily, no doubt partially in thanks to his new mail shirt, their teeth do not get into his actual flesh.

He swings back with his now quite bloodied axe and a few seconds later, the bodies of the bats join the ratmen. Hmm, it would likely to be bad to cut out a rib of the ratmen — pipe smoke would likely do strange things to a stew — but the bats seem fair game. Another rib goes into the leather sack.

Room 6

Time Track = 7. No Effect.

Map = 91. A Blue Chamber with corridors to the right (east) and left (west).

Larsson definitely searches a Blue room. 96 [seee!] +20 = 100. Again. TC-15 = 14-15 = 1. Brew of Superior Damage. Screw it. He'll drink it. He gets +4 DMG next roll.

Hmm, off to the....Left.

Room 7

Time Track = 8(?). Takes an oil.

Map = 32. Yellow corridor bending to the right.

Will pass on through.

Room 8

Time Track = 9. Wait, no, I am bad at math. It is now 10.

Map = 19. Another straight Yellow Corridor. Continue!

Room 9

Map = 31. A red chamber with a central pillar. Corridor leads off to the left (which is South?).

Encounter = 21-40 = 1 = Giant rats. MORE RAT RIBS COMING UP!

FIGHT!

Reaction = 2. Attack. Larsson gets a 6! Nice! STR gets +2 XP. Damage = 2 + 2 + 4. Location = 5 [hands, no effect]. Their attack = 15. Dang it. DMG = 5-2. Location = 1 [Larsson's head, nooooo!] 5-2+3 = 6.

P2 part = 99. Scarce 3 = Scarce Ear. Extra fancy rat's ear worth bonus gold! You are welcome Dale.

The next chamber he enters is a crystalline chamber glowing with a pleasant dim indigo. It makes fun shadows and swirls as his lantern light swings around. Playing for a moment, he notices another potion at his feet and and picks it up. He already has two in his backpack and so shrugs and drinks this one. He feels a bit stronger.

After a bit, he leaves and travels through a curve and natural cave hall.

Right as he is starting to get bored again he spots a large central pillar naturally carved by nature. And against that are more giant rats. He pulls out his bloody axe and approaches. As he chops down, he feels the effects of the potion surge through him and the axe cleaves through two of the rats in a single go. Unfortunately, as he is chopping through the third, the bastard gets a bite right on Larsson's head.

Afterward, he wonders about things like disease but decides that sounds like something no Maud should worry about. He cuts off a chunk of the rat that bit him's ear. It seems awfully fine for a rat ear and so might make a nice garnish to the Rat & Bat Rib Soup.

Ah well, time to head home.

The D100 Dungeon Map for this Training Quest

FINISH

Larsson gets +50GP [150 total] for finishing the quest.

Selling off the rat and bat parts to Dale, he gets 386 more. This gives him 536. Replenishing his oil takes him to 491. Another 120 takes him to full HP and 371 gold. Will repair the Mail Shirt to full for 38x3. Leaving Larsson with 257 gold.

Searching the Market for Armor he gets A92 = Scale Mail Armet for his Head. That seems better than the leather booties so sell those and then buy the head gear.

This leaves him with 60gp. And ready for the next adventure.

He gets +2 Giant Rat, +1 Giant Bat, and +1 Ratmen to his combat experience charts.

I'd like to get him a pet but he has nowhere near enough money for that, just yet. Maybe next time. Though armor and possibly a one-handed axe + shield would come first. We'll play with investments and properties a bit later in the game if at all.

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