Swimming in Rulings

The rules for swimming and drowning in B/X are fairly nebulous, reducing movement rate to half and leaving the probability of sinking and drowning to the Referee - citing only the example that a character overburdened by treasure and wearing heavy armor "might have a 99% chance of drowning" - where the same character, wearing leather and not carrying treasure, "might only have a 10% chance of drowning" (X51). A more concrete, more elegant solution, I've shamelessly borrowed from an old-school enthusiast and fellow Referee and will paraphrase as follows:

Swimming
A character traversing a liquid body the depth of which exceeds a logical depth for them to wade, typically six to seven feet for an average human, they must swim to traverse it. In so doing, the character rolls 1d10, modified by their Strength ability modifier, as appropriate. A roll equal to or under the Armor Class of the swimming character constitutes a success; a roll exceeding the Armor Class of the swimming character constitutes a failure.

• Succeeding on a swim check allows the character to either tread water - that is, remain in place and in control - or move up to half their normal movement speed for the round.
• Failing on a swim check means the character has gone under, sinking a number of feet equal to the margin of failure.

A check is necessary every turn to remain above water.

A Referee is encouraged to apply optional modifiers to this roll; added granularity and its associated complexity to taste:

• A character with no free hand - that is, holding or wielding an item in both hands, suffers a -1 penalty to the roll.
• A character with a wooden shield may - at Referee discretion - remove the shield from the arm and use as a flotation device, conferring a +1 bonus. A shield still bound to the arm, or a metal shield, contributes to Armor Class as normal for the purposes of a swim check.
• A character that has gone underwater involuntarily must roll a Save vs Spells or suffer a -1 penalty to further rolls, representing the panic of drowning.
• Particularly choppy waters may impose a -1 penalty; or particularly calm waters may grant a +1 bonus.
• A character's Dexterity modifier, if positive, does not count towards Armor Class for the purposes of swimming; conversely, a character's Dexterity modifier, if negative, should impose a proportional penalty.
• Magical bonuses - that is, the +1 from a +1 suit of armor or the +1 from a Ring of Protection - to Armor Class do not contribute to the target number of the swimming check.
• A character in metal armor suffers a further -1 penalty to the roll.
• A character encumbered by equipment or treasure suffers a penalty to the roll proportional to their level of encumbrance; bounded between -0 and -3.

Note that a "+1 bonus" or a "-1 penalty" in the context of roll under imply moving the die roll in the direction that would be beneficial or detrimental to the roll, as always. Thus, a character in Leather armor rolling an 8 would fail, the AC of Leather being 7; however, if the same character were to have a 14 Strength, thus conferring a +1 bonus, the roll of 8 would be considered a 7 (or, to keep with the addition motif, the Leather 7 would be considered a target number of 8) - meaning that their check would succeed.

If you, oh elegant rule-writer, are reading this and distraught by my hideous misremembering of your rule, please feel free to correct it in the comments with some of the vagaries I remember discussing with you in months past, but have - to your reckoning - misremembered.

Hats off, though, for the atypically usable contribution in the world of anonymous game discussion!

Public domain artwork pilfered from OldBookIllustrations.com on 9/6/2020 and cropped for use. Attribution in alt text.

Neither Critical Role Nor 5e is OSR

Podcast Name: Critical Role Where I Listened: Podbean for Android Where It's Available: YouTube, CritRole.com, Geek and Sundry, Twitch, ... really, just Google it. System: 5e D&D

Leather (but cursed a bit)

Thoughts and Review

You already know what Critical Role is. Being the single most popular, single most successful live-cast in the RPG ecosystem to date - it is a waste of words to illustrate for you this home-game-turned-live-event franchise. Having now officially lost all OSR credibility for putting this live-cast into my review backlog, I figure I'll spend some effort explaining the decision.

A colleague of mine recently in an event recently indicated, as a personal trivia item, that she enjoyed D&D, alongside some of our other colleagues. Jokingly, I asked her "Gygax or Arneson?" - to which she had a very appropriate reply: "I'm just glad they made it!"

Why is this particularly insightful? Two reasons - one, because she's right: it's the spirit of the game. The purpose of D&D is to escape reality and project into a fantasy adventure, growing from nothing to riches and power or dying anonymously in a dark hole in the attempt. Two - because she was introduced to the hobby by watching Critical Role and may or may not have known who Gary and Dave were.

Whether or not, in order to answer my question, she'd had to Google the names being beyond the scope of my current speculation - but knowing that many players have been introduced to the hobby this way, having listened to Season 1 myself, I wanted to produce a piece that illustrates the commonalities between how an old-school game flows versus what you'd expect from a new-school game: for which Critical Role serves as example.

Full Disclosure

I listened to Season 1. I have not listened to Season 2.

As far as I can tell, Season 1 began as a streamed version of the DM, Matt Mercer's, home game - but as the stream picked up speed, as the brand grew, it evolved into less of his home game and more of a presentation: more of a show. This is understandable. The players are actors - professionals with credits on IMDB and everything - as such, it makes sense that, in order to produce the content their evolving audience and community was appreciating, they would evolve towards their thespian core competencies. Season 1 is, thus, the sole source of the unique rating I'm giving this Old School Audit, which I will elaborate a bit more on later, and the commentary contained herein.

When I listen to an actual play, I am listening for the "play" part. That being the case, I did give Season 2 a listen, but I stopped listening fairly early on: the first few episodes being improv hour at the drama club towards the end of character development. I do not know if Season 2 became more mechanical in later episodes.

Elements to Take Away

Regardless of how extensive a rule set is, the players will always want to do something that is not covered by the rules. This is an element that Critical Role handles well. The DM, when confronted with an element of play not in the books, is not afraid to make a ruling on the spot based on his common sense. One prime example of this is how he handles brawling. The barbarian character, Grog Strongjaw, routinely - when presented with the opportunity to do so - will engage in hand to hand fisticuffs. The DM, in presenting these opportunities, encourages and rewards the player indicating a tactic to engage in that is unique to the situation - such as throwing sand or a groin shot. None of these situations have rules around them - but the DM adjudicates them fairly and consistently based on the situation at hand. This is a prime example of Rulings over Rules - a core tenant of old-school game-play surviving into the modern era. Expect to see - and play - similar in any OSR game you join or intend to run.

In the real world, there are rarely if ever situations in which one answer is the only answer. In an old-school game, a player should likewise expect - and a Referee should expect to plan for - multiple avenues of approach to get through the world and navigate the situations and problems presented by the DM. This element of the game likewise persists from old to new into Critical Role's early episodes. There are some places where there are hallways, of course, leading in one direction - however on more than one occasion (especially in the first 15 episodes or so) the party actually burns the obvious path, accidentally or intentionally, and must then work around the environment. I enjoyed the element of freedom this represented - and I enjoyed its longer-term consequences. Befriending a monster? Plausible, yes; beneficial, temporarily - but worth the risk? The party has to make that call.

Elements to Leave Behind

Critical Role is a good expose of the 5e system. That implies - then - that, as 5e is missing several key elements of an OSR game, Critical Role will also miss several key OSR concepts. This is not a fault in the product - it's a design goal. 5e is not OSR, doesn't claim to be OSR, and doesn't try to be OSR - the purpose of this pointer is to indicate to the reader that, when consuming this product, be mindful that it is, in fact, a different frame of mind than what to expect, or what to aim for, when participating in an old school game.

Can you integrate old school elements into a non-old school game? Yes.

Will the mechanics work against you when you do so? Yes - and you'll have authored a house-rule document larger than the original rulebook by the time you're done.

A few points that will be in an OSR game that is not a part of 5e, nor an intention of 5e, and thus won't really be included in Critical Role are as follows:

• Hex Maps - in an old school game, especially a sandbox or exploration game, hex maps, everyone's favorite anachronistic yet functional mechanism to abstract directionally-unbounded overland movement, does not appear to be in use for Critical Role. It's of course possible that the DM has one behind the scenes, but in play, the party tends to move point-of-interest to point-of-interest.
• Inventory Management - a prime element of old-school play is managing your encumbrance and figuring out how to haul your treasure and gear at the same time. In Critical Role, in focusing away from bookkeeping and towards storytelling, they sideline encumbrance via magical means - re: extra-dimensional spaces, massive strength, etc.
• Hirelings - Hirelings are used, in the sense that the party has a castle that is populated by NPCs, however these NPCs do not accompany the party on adventures. A core element of old school gaming - which relates to a solution to the point above regarding Inventory Management - is to bring NPCs with you to bolster your ranks or to fill holes in the party composition.
• Character Morbidity - I seem to recall a headline in my news feed that there was a character fatality in Season 2. The reaction from the community? Uproar! In new school games - and in Critical Role, in general - player characters don't die; favored NPCs, only rarely. In an OSR game - expect the opposite. The dice are fickle and impartial and player characters are squishy and vulnerable: even at higher levels. A key difference between what to expect on this actual play and what to expect in your experience will lie in the possibility (and probability!) of character morbidity.
• Railroading Aversion. The DM takes extreme care - as I inferred from player reactions to the introduction of props - to ensure the party is guided in the "right" direction for the "narrative." For me, this really starts right around the "Hunter's Guild" arc - for that reason, I'd skip a few months of episodes when you start hearing Slavic accents.

There are other resources, other opinion pieces, regarding 5e and how it's unsuited for or how it can be modified to suit an OSR style of game. I won't go into those, as such a dissertation would exceed the intended scope (and the provided margins) of even one of my loquacious blog posts - I will leave it to your capable Google-fu to figure out how to find them in the event that it's your jam to consider it further.

Kudos with Caveats

I like to think of this review series as being equally about the enjoyability aspect of a given actual play and the value of that actual play to inspire and educate aspiring Referees. Critical Role, in the first season, is a good expose of the powers, spells, and mechanisms of the 5th edition of the rules. For that, it gets kudos - however, keep in mind: if you're leaning in to the OSR - 5e inverts the design goals of old-school systems. An old school game stresses resource management - 5e, using cantrips and other class abilities, trivializes resource management: for example, the party's Bag of Holding. While it is a legitimate item, part of an old school game is managing encumbrance and choosing which piece of treasure to take or how, based on what you can carry, and weighing that risk against how it may affect your travel out of the dungeon and back to town. An old school game has a higher morbidity rate - as discussed above - 5e makes it difficult for a player character to die. So - if you're looking to learn how to run new school: Critical Role Season 1 is an excellent resource. If you're looking to run old school, it can introduce contradictory expectations to how OSR games operate.

The production quality - kudos again - is very professional on Critical Role. For the video segments, which are in-person tables, the props and miniatures are top notch; for the audio segments, the editing and sound quality are exquisite. The only times when I had issue with the audio was when the sessions were recorded at live-events in a stadium or other large venue. This, among some other flags, is indicative of a dedicated crew - when running your own game, or playing in a game, don't expect to have a boom guy and technicians managing camera angles. Do there not exist hobbyists who are of equivalent dedication and talent in the OSR ecosystem? Of course they do - but it's difficult, for example, to create a Blue Table Painting quality terrain sets for adventures in a sandbox - which many OSR games trend towards. In an old school game, the Referee is not responsible for guiding the players in a direction. They can, of course, but its difficult to predict where the party is going. Also - speaking to morbidity: although there are an abundance of talented miniature collectors and painters in the OSR ecosystem, your first character is not likely to be your only character - in many cases, a player will burn through a dozen or so, depending on their level of skill and the degree of challenge they encounter. That in mind, you'd be doing either a lot of painting on your character's avatar or you'll be doing a lot of mini re-use.

Lastly, voice acting. The players - and DM - of the Critical Role game are professional voice actors, appearing in a wide variety of media - most notably including commercials, television shows, and voices in anime adaptations. As such, the voice acting does help with the immersion. But like I've said in other reviews... as a personal preference... I hate voice acting in games. It can add to the mood if it's done right; but the number of professional voice actors in your game is by most estimates going to be the limit of X as X approaches 0. I do not recommend trying voices in your game unless you're very good at it - and even then, if only one or two members of a six or eight person table are doing it... it is much more likely to detract from the experience than add to it: and it is likely to contribute to character attachment: which is unhealthy in a game which employs an OSR-level of morbidity.

In Conclusion

Critical Role, I rate as Leather (but cursed a little). It's not OSR and doesn't try to be. It's good for what it is - a 5e game that is tailor made to appeal to the new school of gaming. In that sense, it is not a good tool to learn about the OSR and what the OSR play-style represents. In the first season, there are some elements that you can learn from - some tricks and tips that you can pick up on from the game to improve your own - and I'm not disappointed that I listened to as much of it as I did.

Do I recommend it?
No - from an OSR perspective - because hidden among the persistent old-school elements are nuggets of new-schoolery endemic to the system and to the focus of the campaign that may, for a novice Referee, stand at odds to the assumptions that old school games make.

What about if you're not interested in old school gaming?
If you're not interested in old school gaming, how did you wind up on this blog?


In any case, may fortune smile on your dice, good readers.

Glossary of OSR Acronyms

The OSR is full of acronyms - some of which are self explanatory, others a bit more vague. A week or two ago, an anonymous enthusiast compiled a pastebin with a really good list of acronyms and terms, which is available as follows:

https://pastebin.com/Ur8nPWsK

Although some of the terms are general internet acronyms rather than being OSR-specific (for example, I'm pretty sure I've seen "WTF" in another context before) I wanted to give that list a shout-out. Having been working on a list of my own here for a week or two prior, now I don't have to finish it! But more importantly, it's a good lexicon, it's a good start, and seeing new faces to the hobby, this is a good way to provide a glossary that, to date, is maintained via oral tradition rather than by reference.

Here compiled is an extension to the above pastebin - not knowing how to contact its maintainer to suggest addendums - along with some clarifications that I would personally supply.

• BitC) Blood in the Chocolate - A module for the LotFP system themed around Willy Wonka, but embedded with controversy surrounding the use of sexual themes to drive interest.
• BTAM) Better Than Any Man - A supplement for the LotFP system containing an adventure, but also supporting resources, such as new spells or magic items.
• BXE) Basic / eXpert Essentials - the original working title of OSE.
• DAC) Descending Armor Class - used in original TSR editions, descending AC means "lower AC is harder to hit."
• D&D) Dandies and Daffodils - the much anticipated sixth edition of WotC's D&D with significantly more emphasis on player introspection and the poetic aspect of collaborative storytelling in a role-playing context. Occasionally abbreviated DnD.
• FOE) Foul Odor Expressed - a reference to the typically poor hygiene associated with the less savory members of the hobby; commonly used in conjunction with GYG) Grogs, You Gag!.
• OSR) Old School Renaissance - the name of the movement bringing D&D back to it's roots!
• RTCS) Red Tide Campaign Setting - [RESEARCH]
• ToEE) Temple of Elemental Evil - A module for AD&D, published as a sequel for VoH, originally published in 1985 known for its lethality and as a source for anecdotal stories stemming from its inclusion in Gary Gygax's home game.
• SWN) Stars Without Number - a sci-fi system written by Kevin Crawford that draws on some influences from Traveler.
• VoH) Village of Hommlet - A self-described introductory AD&D module and the first in the Temple of Elemental Evil series.
• WoHF) Wilderlands of High Fantasy - A campaign setting published by Judges Guild originating in 1977, having originated in CSIO.
• ~ZOZ) not an acronym. I seem to recall this originated as an error in an AD&D PDF, where the word "fun" was mistranspiled as "~ZOZ" - in either case, I hate this term. No express reason.

Missing one? Got another? Post it! And may the dice smile on your table.

Possum Drawing Dungeon

In publishing my musings on the process of designing, drawing, and stocking a dungeon, I produced - intended to be humorously - a map floor plan from tracing a drawing of a family of possums hanging from a tree. I kind of liked the map, and it was already drawn anyway, so I went ahead and added one more loop for good measure and decided to key it.

Enjoy!

Scale: 10 ft.
Click here for a PDF copy of this adventure!

A - Foyer

A narrow hallway leads into the dark behind an iron portcullis. The door in the center is rusted. It has a lock on it, but it has been unlocked and cast aside. The narrow hallway is even, with a gradual slope downward: net, 10 feet between the iron grate and where it levels out, near the door to N.

The door to N is not locked. The door to I is locked. The secret door to B is a faux stone pattern, painted to look like the stone around it - it will shift, if pressed, and once discovered, should be treated as a stuck door - opening inwards and hinged to the left.

B - Mirrored Corridor

This small corridor has mirrors on the north and south walls. If the players look closely, their reflections face with them rather than the opposite: thus, if they look to one mirror, they will see the back of their head - but behind them, their face in the other mirror. If they touch the mirror, it will allow them to pass through: as though a portal to the other side of the narrow hallway. The doors to A and D, opening inwards, are obvious from this end, but stuck.

C - Hat Room

Inside are Halfling-sized hats - a dozen of them - hanging at various heights from lines affixed to the ceiling. A lone lockbox sits in the south-west corner. It is open and empty.

D - Moai Chamber

The doors to L and C are not locked. The secret door to B is faux stone, painted to match the walls. Once discovered, treat it as a stuck door. The door to E is obvious - but will not open, being secured with iron bars behind it.

In the two angular sections in the south wall are basalt moai - mouths agape, a circular slot on the tongue. If a gold coin is placed on the slots, they will loosen, allowing the party to rotate them. If they are set to face each other, one east; the other west, the door to B will slide open on its own; if they are set to face opposite, the door to E will open. If the gold coin is removed from either, they will slide back into a northward facing position, causing both the door to B and E to close.

A party of 13 Halflings (B36) are investigating the moai - but none of them brought any gold. They will claim they had gold, but it was pilfered by a subset of their party - whom they are tracking.

E - The Narrows

A breeze runs north to south through these narrows - wide enough barely for a man-sized creature to squeeze, gradually descending from south to north. Mushrooms that glow line the corridor - they will glow for 2-12 minutes further if plucked: illuminating as a candle. There are enough of the mushrooms that the whole of the narrows are illuminated dimly. If ingested, Save vs Poison or die, retching, in 1-4 rounds.

The secret exit to J is obvious from the Narrows - being a hole in the ceiling obscured by thatch. The exit to H is not as obvious - as it is a sheer drop from H, 20 feet in height. The doors to F and D are locked.

F - Workshop

Two Gnomes (B35-6) sit at a small table - their workspace the size of a Human step-stool. They are dissecting an entity which appears to be half biological and have mechanical. They look up curiously if disturbed.

Each gnome has a pouch, in which can be found 500 electrum pieces. The clockwork creature has a small, spherical gemstone at its heart - worth 100 gold pieces - which emits a faint glow. The gnomes tools, probes, and miscellaneous equipment is worth 50 gold pieces. 500 silver pieces are piled neatly on a shelf on the south wall.

G - Glue Room

Three feet into the room, there is an obvious groove in the floor. In the south-east corner, there are two skeletal corpses on top of each other; in the south-west corner - a desiccated corpse on the floor - Halfling sized. There are three alcoves in the south wall, each with a small silver idol: one covering its eyes, one covering its ears, one covering its mouth.

The idols are worth 20 gp each.

If a character steps onto the floor past the groove, the floor begins to sink down; from the edges bubble over a sticky liquid. Any character on the sinking platform must Save vs Paralysis or become stuck. The floor will sink a total of eight feet over the course of 4 rounds; characters who cannot be freed from the sticking substance will drown. The trap takes one week to reset; the liquid being mildly acidic, eating away the flesh of the victim, absorbing it into the liquid, itself, thus reducing the weight pushing down on the mechanism.

In a pouch on one of the skeletons in the south-east corner can be found 30 gold pieces.

H - Gilded Balcony

This area is a balcony overlooking I, no visible way up, its floor 15 feet higher than I. In the rear of the room are six Halflings (B36) quietly arguing and fiddling about with the locks on some strongboxes. Among their horde are:

• Three locked strongboxes with 2,000 copper pieces each
• One locked iron chest containing 3,000 silver
• An unlocked jewelry case containing a necklace worth 150 gold pieces and a garnet worth 50 gold pieces
• A satchel containing 2,000 electrum pieces

They are nervous and will likely retreat if confronted, carrying with them as much treasure as they can hold. The door to G is not locked; additionally, there is an area of the floor that has fallen away - indicated by stippling - this is open, a 20 foot straight drop to E.

I - Honeyed Halls

The doors exiting this room are locked. The secret door to O is wedged slightly open, a faux stone painted to resemble the walls. It is wedged by a nest of Killer Bees (B37) - of which 8 inhabit the hive, flitting in and out of O. They are agitated, as normally they can exit the cave via the door to A, but the Halflings running through closed the door behind them, locking it, when they came through; thus trapping the bees.

J - Straw Idol

In the center of this room is an idol depicting a sitting gnome. It is made of straw - excepting two platinum pieces that it has for eyes and a smile made from real teeth - and there is a mat of hay all across the small closet space. If the party works to remove the straw, they will find a thatched mat in the rear of the room that covers a small crack in the floor leading to E. It is too narrow for a character wearing heavy armor to fit through.

K - Stairwell

On the east side of the room is a 10-foot vertical stairwell, with banister, leading up to a platform. On the west side, planter box with what appear to be petrified cactus with wicked looking spines. There are marble runners that flank the east and west walls at approximately 1 foot higher than where the banister is.

The second-to-last step on the stairs is a pressure plate; if a character steps on it, the marble runner from the east wall over the stairs juts out - striking any characters on the stairwell. They may Save vs Wands or be knocked into the cactus: roll 2d6, taking the higher result for any character falling into the cactus from higher on the stairwell and the lower result for any character falling into the cactus from lower on the stairwell. The trap resets in 1 round.

The door to L is not locked.

L - Atrium

The floor of this space has a drain in the center. In the north-east and south-west corners are hanging fixtures with three prongs each, curving up bluntly like a coat rack's tines. Neither the door to K nor D are locked; the room is open to M in the north-west.

M - Lever Chamber

This rectangular space has two circular wells - both dry, both around two feet tall and three feet deep. The north circle, in the center of the well, there is a Silvered Sword - it is identical to a one-handed sword, excepting that it will not rust and is treated as Silver for the purposes of creatures resisting normal damage; the south circle, in the center of the well, there is a silver chain with a holy symbol at the end. If used as a holy symbol, the user gains a +1 bonus to Turn Undead; it is worth 100 gold pieces for materials and craftsmanship alone. In the center of the room is a box - 18 inches cubic - from which protrude three levers - three feet long each. The levers are all in the "down" position.

The wells are protected by a shell of three (or four, see below) sets, each, of retractable iron bars. These bars are controlled by the levers, as detailed in the Lever Puzzle section.

N - Resting Place of the Mace

The door to A is not locked by default. The door to O is hidden - faux stone on a steel door, painted to match the wall, that slides in if pressed heavily.

In the north-west corner, there is a small circular room containing a slightly smaller circular well, 2 feet tall and three feet deep, behind a set of three (or four, see below) metal bars which retract and extend, blocking the entry.

The metal bars are controlled by the levers in room M, described in more detail in the Lever Puzzle section below.

In the well is the Mithril Mace, submerged. In the walls are lined with three sconces with two gemstones at the end, like eyes, illuminating the mace. If the sconces are not covered or turned such that the light no longer touches the mace - the "eyes" can no longer "see" it - if a character attempts to remove it, the door to A locks and the well begins to overflow: filling the room in 2-6 turns. It will remain filled for a further 1-3 turns before draining completely. It will be dry for 1-6 days, after which point, the trap resets.

The mace weighs half as much as a normal mace and gains a +1 bonus rolling To Hit only.

O - Caves

These caves are nondescript, though a tight squeeze. The secret doors out are obvious from this side, metal plates holding up the faux exterior.

Lever Puzzle

Each of the three barred wells are protected by a set of retractable metal bars. This is either three sets of bars or four - depending on how much your party enjoys puzzles. To start, the bars are configured as follows, where O indicates the bars are retracted, giving them:

Simpler Well 1st Bars 2nd Bars 3rd Bars M North Open Closed Open M South Closed Open Open N Open Closed Closed

More Complex Well 1st Bars 2nd Bars 3rd Bars 4th Bars M North Open Closed Closed Closed M South Closed Closed Closed Open N Closed Closed Closed Closed

I envision the bars to all be vertical, in the case of the wells in room M, but to be criss-cross in room N - first bars being vertical; second being diagonal from the top-left; third being diagonal from the top-right; and fourth being horizontal - but you are free to elaborate or interpret as makes sense to you.

To start, all levers are in the down position. When a lever is pulled up, some of the bars move: retracting or extending, toggled into the new position from their previous state. If using the more complex puzzle, the levers move different bar sets when moved up versus when moved down:

Simpler Lever Bars Moved Left 1st & 2nd Center 3rd Right 1st & 3rd

More Complex Lever Upward Downward Left 1st 1st & 2nd Center 2nd 3rd Right 4th 3rd & 4th

In both complex and simple examples, there is an obvious trap (or perhaps mechanical malfunction):

• If one lever is in the up position, a slight humming can be heard from the box.
• If two levers are in the up position, a louder humming can be heard from the box and perhaps sparks begin to arc around it.
• If three levers are in the up position, all levers become charged. Any character touching any lever with a conducive element - their hand, a metal object, etc - will be shocked for 1-6 points of damage.

The above is net state: that is, if three levers are up and one is pushed down, it reverts to humming,  but is no longer dangerous; whereas if that same lever is up again - the charge resumes.

At Least One Solution
There are many solutions to the presented puzzle, but at least one can be achieved for each as follows from the initial state:

Simpler Well Lever Sequence M North Left, Center, Right M South Center, Right N Center, Left

More Complex Well Lever Sequence M North Left, Center, Left, Right M South Right, Left, Right, Center N Center, Right, Center, Left

Note, it is unlikely the players will interact with the puzzle more than once in its initial state – but that’s intentional as part of the challenge.


Public domain possum drawing respectfully pilfered from ReusableArt.com in August of 2020. Public domain drawing,  Foucault & Dubosc Electromagnetic Regulator by an unknown artist, retrieved from OldBookIllustrations.com on 9/5/2020. Attribution in alt text.

The Mushussu: Glittering Serpent Folk of Caan

Smoke fills the room.

Thin, acrid smoke - a scent reminiscent of spices imported from the far reaches - lingers, floating, refusing to dissipate. Her eyes sting at its caress - but the man with four fingers had assured her it was worth her time. So here she is... staring at a thick curtain. The guard inquires; she replies - the passphrase four-fingers had given her. He nods. The curtain is drawn back ... more smoke ... and she steels herself against the visage. She steps in.

"No need, my pet, to hold yourself so stiffly," it says - sibilant syllables dancing off its scaled lips, velvet - "Come. Be seated with me." 

The creature is nine feet long. Six feet, a lithe, cylindrical body - the thickest constrictor - ending in the face of a serpent - its eyes round, but its pupils slits: tilted the wrong way. About the head is a headdress bedecked with pearls and aquamarine. In its hands... no... its paws... a hookah: a thin stream of smoke trailing from one of seven mouthpieces protruding from hoses attached to its slowly boiling center. Three more, a tail, curled around a second mouthpiece to one side of the grand cushion on which the creature is in repose, it's clawed legs crossed: short, stubby - dwarf-like legs, almost a parody attached to the frilled serpent.

"Partake, pet," it speaks again, satin, "Surely, you will not have had such as this before."

"I prefer to speak to business," she replies.

A pause. Down feathers.

"Fair enough. You have come seeking knowledge, it seems, as to the location of Odakon's Eye - guarded by the Deepwater Convent. You nod - good, pet, I have been informed rightly. I have come across in my wanderings a parchment - most valuable - which contains a guide to the tower in which it is kept. If your courage is keen enough to take it, this parchment rests rolled in a map case behind you. Take it to the tower at least one hour after the sun has set - the knowledge contained therein will guide you: its enchantment, it will protect you - so long as you are able to leave no later than an hour before the moon has vanished. Bring the Eye to me - payment for the parchment - and you must keep anything else in the tower that you discover." 

The map case is where the creature has said it was. She should have felt it - this cushion isn't so soft as to disguise a vessel of treated leather and brass.

"Ah, pet, but the evening is still far afield, the moon still hours from awaking. Perhaps you would want to spend those hours here - your armor, it must chafe with the humidity of these parts..."

"I have things to prepare," she interrupts, "An afternoon's time is short."

The creature smiles - "A professional, pet; truly so," - caramel and butter - "I will see you upon your return. And in the meantime, though I fear I have no knowledge of where you found that parchment, your guide."

She nods. 

In the moment, she rises, departing half facing the creature, a disquieted crab-walk: keeping eye contact in either respect or suspicion - not sure which. Out of the smoke. Out through the staff corridors of the garden-tavern. Into the heat of the afternoon.

From behind a curtain on the wall, another reptilian face emerges. A crest, a frill, hangs loosely - relaxed - red, brighter than the deep hue of the curtain. Anticipation.

"Have four follow her." Brass. "Wait in the grass for her - and when she returns, kill her and bring the Eye to me."

The ridge of the eye raises - no brow to raise with it. A smile.

"She will return, if she survives. And then we will know she is worth her employ."

Serpents of Splendor

The Mushussu are a reptilian race with shimmering scales. Males and females are similar in size - taller than most humans - but slender. They have short legs not dissimilar to a bird that sprout just above a long, thick tail - appearing almost comically stunted when compared to the length of their frame. Their arms are smooth, proportional, and terminate in thick hands that look almost like cat's paws with thumbs. Along their neck and up the sides of their head is a semi-retractable crest - ribbed, almost as though formed of skin and horns - the inside of which, which faces forward, is a bright crimson color.

The avarice of the Mushussu knows no bounds. That which glitters speaks to them like it speaks to no other race - and given any opportunity, they will festoon themselves with expensive clothing and gaudy jewelry: albeit never in the wild... as they may risk spoiling them. The Caanish are untrusting of the Mushussu - not knowing whether to call them friends, foes, or even mercenaries - as they are as likely to turn for better opportunities as they are likely to honor their commitments. Their leaders - alchemists and transmuters - are more trustworthy than the rank and file, but the years of conniving that has gotten them to the station they occupy lends to experience in bargains that even the Caanish, building a society on mercantilism, are wont to display.

When there is a conspiracy, a money-laundering operation, or other sprawling illicit enterprise: it is not uncommon to find a Mushussu at or near the head of the pyramid.

Encountering the Mushussu

Mushussu are able to "retract" their lower legs - folding them behind their backs as a soldier at ease folds their arms - and move about on their bellies, like a snake. This gives them a 4-in-6 chance to surprise in tall grass - typically three feet, minimum - and increases their movement speed to 150' (50'), but while slithering like this, they suffer a -1 to hit in melee and their AC is reduced to 6, as they lose some agility. Slithering tends to be the preferred mechanism of locomotion outside of combat or social situations.

Mushussu
Armor Class:	4	No. Appearing:	2-8, (6-36)
Hit Dice:	1+1	Save As:	Elf 1
Move:	90' (30')	Morale:	8
Attacks:	1 weapon or 2 claws	Treasure Type:	U (B)
Damage:	As weapon or 1-4 / 1-4	Alignment:	Chaotic
Frequency:	Common	Chance In Lair:	8%

A Mushussu of typical stature ranges from 6 to 7 feet in height, but weighs between 180 and 200 pounds: their bodies are solid and their scales are tough, but they are somewhat slender. On occasion, they are known to use shields - if so, their AC is increased accordingly. In battle, they are fond of shaking and flaring their crests as a challenge and intimidation of foes.

Preferred weapons of the Mushussu are pole arms - bladed ones like the glaive or the fauchard, especially. Many will carry slings or some throwing knives - as the benefit of range is not lost on them, but slithering is not conducive to carrying or using bow-style weapons.

For every 8 Mushussu appearing, the group will be accompanied by one Mushussu Sorcerer.

Mushussu, Sorcerer
Armor Class:	5	No. Appearing:	1-3 (2-9)
Hit Dice:	2+1	Save As:	Elf 4
Move:	90' (30')	Morale:	8
Attacks:	1 weapon or 2 claws, both -1	Treasure Type:	V (H)
Damage:	As weapon or 1-4 / 1-4	Alignment:	Neutral
Frequency:	Uncommon	Chance In Lair:	16%

Mushussu Sorcerers are those among the Mushussu who have ascended above the rank and file, politicked their way into the good graces of the Akhkhazu or with other occult masters. Like their brethren, they are untrustworthy and seen as spawn of Chaos - especially when their witchery is considered in tandem - however they tend to avoid direct participation in the cosmic struggle, themselves being Neutral: they know that in a pure chaotic state, it becomes impossible to retain and enjoy the material wealth they have attained.

Mushussu Sorcerers are as skilled with their weapons as their mundane brethren - however they prefer to orchestrate from the rear, serving as arcane support. In part, this is due to standard assumptions of marching order... but in part, also, they are seeking to protect their own scales by hiding behind a wall of underlings and hired blades.

Bodyguards - Mushussu Sorcerers encountered in the wilderness have a 50% chance of being accompanied by 4-16 mundane Mushussu bodyguards. In lair, a bodyguard is guaranteed.

Spellcasting - Mushussu Sorcerers can cast spells as a M-U of level 3. First level spells preferred by the Mushussu include Charm Person, Detect Magic, Darkness, Shield, and Ventriloquism; second level spells include Continual Darkness, Detect Invisible and Invisibility, Knock, and Wizard Lock.

Spoiler Alert!

The Deeper Lore section contains some notes to help a GM (me) to run the Mushussu in a way consistent with the archetype they are supposed to fill and some of the inspirations behind their creation. If you play in (or want to play in!) a game GM'ed by me, beyond this point will ruin some of the mystery for you for both Mushussu and for most of the sentient races: having some impact in the game world that isn't immediately available outside of player character discoveries.

Deeper Lore

The Mushussu are based on a mythological Babylonian dragon of the same name. Dragons, by association, in western literature tend towards the embodiment of greed: thus, Mushussu being greedy makes sense - as they are described as being serpentine, with one translation of their name being the "splendor serpent."

In game, the Mushussu were once men - corrupted by Chaotic spirits, Akhkhazu, in the service of the goddess Dimmekur, who is incarnate the Peccata Clamantia of Violence: the impetus driving the cardinal sins Envy and Wrath. They are capable of normal reproduction - laying clutches of eggs, 4 to 8 at a time - in which case, the Chaos Seed is passed to the young from the mother - however they can also be created by the implantation of the seed by powerful magic, the kind of which the Akhkhazu are capable. In their origins, the Mushussu emerged from the corruption in opposition to the Dabrutu - who embody Wrath - and are envisioned by the Akhkhazu to serve as spies, strategists, and seers in the war against Law.

The Mushussu are not wont to reproduce commonly - as they seek their own gain and take almost no care of their young, who would serve as a drain on their own success. This countermeasures a naturally long productive life span, keeping the ambient Mushussu population at a manageable level. There are stories - as a Mushussu takes as long as three decades to reach maturity - of wizened Mushussu sages using magic on pits of hatchlings to advance their age 15, 20 years in a single ritual: bypassing childhood and adolescence entirely in a quest for immediate and loyal underlings. This act would produce somewhat of a naive nest - which may account for their affinity for Chaos compared to the more experienced sorcerers - but with that naivety can be bought loyalty... at least for a time.

The natural life span of a Mushussu is in the vicinity of 120 years - with those who have not reproduced living slightly longer, to 140 or so. This number is impacted, likewise, by the amount of largesse a Mushussu in question is able to attain: those more impoverished allowing their envy to impact their health - aging them more quickly and compromising their immune system. As such, Mushussu who consistently see themselves as attaining - fairly or not - less than others tend to live closer to 80 years at the maximum. Some may argue that the most wealthy, when targeted, suffer in health as well - their jealousy over subordinates attempting to subvert their success nagging at them as badly as seeing others succeed more would have - but the easy solution to this problem, for most, is for the Mushussu to surround themselves with allies either more loyal (as a human might be) or more stupid, arresting larcenous outcomes.

The Mushussu - on a meta note - are among the Vice Races: embodying the vice of Envy. Like other Vice Races, they can be redeemed - but again, this is unknown to the people of Caan: though there may be some among the Mushussu who suspect as much - something that they, if knowing, would guard jealously: for fear, perhaps - that in redemption, they would lose their riches or desire therefor; for self-preservation, perhaps - seeking to hide the fact in case it could be used against them; or perhaps even to keep it as an ace in the sleeves - potentially exploiting the knowledge, themselves, weighing such an act against the potential fury of Dimmekur.

Public domain artwork respectfully pilfered and adapted from OldBookIllustrations.com and the National Gallery of Art on or about 8/13/2020. Attributions in alt text.