Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Tower of Hylox, a SPEEDRUN dungeon.


"So you risked it all for a few gold coins and a kiss on the forehead from your betters? Forget princess blah blah, I know why you did it too. You don't care about her. Why would you? She's already forgotten the whole ordeal and made love seven times with her cousin by now. Kind of makes the whole experience seem empty, doesn't it?"

...

"Oh, how would I know, eh? Look at me you lout! I'm you! Ahaha, hack, cruff... ehehe... I've been there. Look in my eyes! I've seen things in the dark no living mortal has known. I found secrets to topple empires including the one you rest your head down to sleep in. Who do you think recovered the wizard's orb, slew the ogre king, and kidnapped the successor prince? I did it all underground too. In the dark. That's how I know you. And I can see it's left you empty inside. The darkness ages like bad champaign, after a while there's no fizz and sparkle. Only madness and..."

The old man gazes into his now stale cup, makeup and frills old with dust. "Well, there's glory down there. If you're fast."

When you forsake the princess for glory, another game mode is enabled for you...

SPEEDRUN

To make a speedrun, a dungeon needs a clear final achievement. If this is completed the run ends and is counted complete and the score is tallied. This includes the IRL time the dungeon took, the in-game time, and all achievements completed by the end of the run. Further rules can be found at goblinpunch via the link above.

Lean into video game tropes when you make a dungeon into a speedrun. Describe camera angles, cutscenes, aggro distance etc.

Next you need a dungeon.

Tower of Hylox.

The tower hides in the darkness of forbidden woods where nightmare creatures dwell. Its black stone walls indicate the presence of former wealth and power. Now the tower leans crooked and jagged, like the ancient trees which surround it. It rises 50 ft. ground to tip. Within are four levels, B, 1, 2, 3. A narrow door, wedged tightly by the shifting stone allows access to floor 1. Narrow windows peer down from the second floor.



Outside. In the shadow of the tower, five spider-faced mutants in trenchcoats load potato sacks into wagons. One of the mutants is less transformed than the others and has a slip of paper in his pocket with the word drowssap. The sacks are filled with fist-sized spider eggs. 3 horses wine nervously. After 1 dungeon turn (10 minutes in-game and IRL), they will finish loading and re-enter the tower with one standing outside. 

B. Beneath a trap door from 1. a cellar with rows and rows of shelves. Shelves are lined with jars filled with a green pickling fluid and a preserved body part of an animal. If noise is made or a jar is touched without saying the password (drowssap) the jars fly off the shelves, smashing and breaking on the face of the intruder. 1d4 damage.

What's in this jar?

  1. Spider Legs
  2. Owl Eyes
  3. Dwarf Liver
  4. Komodo Dragon Tongue
  5. Crab Claw
  6. Tentacle
  7. Cobra Fangs
  8. Insect Chiton
  9. Fly Wings
  10. Compound Eyes
  11. Squid Beak
  12. Gills
  13. Fish Tail
  14. Mushroom
  15. Anglerfish Bauble
  16. Brain of a spider mutant cultist
In the corner, an unassuming chest sits locked. The key is lost in the grass outside, but if the players bring one in their inventory it'll work here. Within is a Jar of Flash Flame, which acts as a jar of oil that ignites when broken.

1. Beds for five spider mutant cultists are placed around the walls. Each has a collection of belongings under it or piled beside. If the cultists were given a chance to re-enter the building they sit around a table playing a game of dice. 

An exploration turn spent with the belongings reveals, pictures of family, a journal noting a lost key that must be somewhere outside (1 exploration turn to find it), a signifier of a warrior priesthood with a promise to end the disappearances. 

Straw covers the floor but a trapdoor is visible beneath leading to B. Stairs leading upward to 2.

2. A sparking sputtering machine is operated here by a hunched mutant loyal to the master. They will inch toward the matchlock of disintegrate laying on the table in the center of the room if aware of the PCs.

Several more mutants sit in cages. They are riddled with mutations of animal parts. If their mouthparts are changed back, then they can speak. These are the spider mutants' family members. If freed and cleansed of mutations the mutant cultists will flee and may be convinced to turn on their master.

The machine has a small platform and a large one. In the small one sits a jar with a squirrel tail. If a living thing is placed on the large platform and lever pulled, sparks and zaps occur and the animal part is placed on the person. If the body part and living thing are reversed, the mutation will be removed.

Strewn about are small woodland animals, half of which have mutations. There are also empty jars stacked in corners. Stairs lead up.

3. Hylox

In the final room is Hylox, spider lord. If he is indefinitely disposed the dungeon is considered cleared and the score may be tallied.

A pseudo-magical darkness rests in the chamber. Lighting methods are limited to effecting 5ft. Webs are strewn about and large clay jars filled with eggs obscure the chamber. Moving quickly or recklessly will break a jar, spilling poisonous spiders onto the floor. 

Hydrox begins to weave his web as soon as the characters enter. Using knowledge of the characters he tries to turn them on one another (the thief stole from you, the barbarian left you to die, the wizard's father cursed your family), next he tries to steal and extinguish their light by shooting webs. Lastly he will ambush from above. If grappled, his bite is a save or die effect.

Hydrox (20 hp), AC as chain, Shoots webs (grapple) and bites (save or die).

SCORE

Your time is IRL time spent + 10 for each dungeon turn you took. A dungeon turn will pass for each room you interact with and for each fight. Dungeon is counted complete if Hylox is killed or otherwise disposed.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Note which of the following you accomplish in your run. Be sure to not your achievements and lord it over your inferiors!

  • Pacifist - do not deal damage via attack rolls or targeting creatures with spells
  • Funnel - begin play with no class and 10 in all stats.
  • Free Solo - complete the run alone
  • No Funeral - no PCs die
  • Exterminatus - everything is dead by the end
  • Completionist - All rooms entered, all valuables found, all NPCs killed or rendered friendly
  • Empty Handed - begin play with no equipment
  • No Hospital - no PCs are damaged
  • Rube Goldberg - kill a monster or NPC using one of the dungeon's traps
  • Watch Your Step - avoid setting off any of the dungeon's traps
Let me know your time!

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