A gnarled tree – three stories tall – rises, surrounded by a deep pit; a
moat with no water – standing against the gray sky. Across the pit is a rope
bridge, some planks missing – others creaking under load – leading to a
treehouse, several structures interconnected, hanging from the
boughs.
A ramp leads up to its rear; and on the other side, a steep decline leads
down into the pit. Which – or where – do you choose?
A Tree in the Wastes
Suitable for characters of 2nd Level - written in loving homage to a film
that has been a part of my family's autumn tradition for almost 30 years.
Click HERE for a PDF version of the following adventure!
Wandering Monsters
The treehouse is highly active, though sparsely populated. Every other turn,
there is a 2-in-6 chance to encounter a wandering monster, rolled on the
following table.
| 2d6 |
Result |
| 2 |
Giant Spider |
| 3 |
Scorpions |
| 4-5 |
Gremlins |
| 6-8 |
Insect Swarm |
| 9-10 |
The Boogie Man* |
| 11 |
Haunters |
| 12 |
Skeletons |
Note, there is only one Boogie Man. If the Boogie Man has been
defeated, treat rolls of 9 as 11 and rolls of 10 as 12. A bestiary is provided
at the end of the post.
The Treehouse
This space feels rickety - the floors creak and the boards have gaps in them;
the walls flex when touched. More so, the rooms are uneven: the height of the
ceiling is different at each corner of every room - varying by as much of a
foot - giving the roof line (and thus the ceiling - a disorienting tilt.
Ceilings open directly into the rafters - which are pitched.
|
Scale: 10 ft.
|
T1 - Foyer
In the west is a trap door which opens above the rope bridge to the compound.
From it, there is a steel cage in which two man-sized characters (or three
Halfling or Dwarf sized) can ride at a time. On the north wall of the chamber
is a pulley and winch system which will raise and lower the cage. There is a
50/50 chance for the cage to be at ground level or raised into this
room.
On the north wall of the hallway to T2 is a worn cloth couch: hanging above
which is a cage trap large enough for a squirrel or rat. Sewn into the couch
cushions - such that the couch would need to be cut open to retrieve it - is a
small trove:
- 3,000sp
- 1,200gp
- gem (10gp)
- 3 × gems (100gp)
T2 - Den
This living space is adorned with prison accouterments - including a ball and
chain and several manacles on the south wall. A small catapult, its basket
shaped like a hand, sits just south and slightly east of the center of the
room. Around the north-east corner and down the east wall are tiki masks,
varying in size, along the wall. In the center of the east wall, the wall bows
in, clinging to the trunk of the tree to which the house is affixed. On this
is a large tiki mask with a pipe in the center. The pipe leads down - snaking
around the tree trunk, through the ground, and opening into the center of C1:
however it is only large enough to accommodate a shoebox: a character will not
be able to traverse it without some form of magic.
The hall to T4 is a steep upward incline, perhaps 45 degrees.
T3 - Kitchen
This room is outfitted as a kitchen. Along the south wall - in the irregular
space - is a stove with burners - and wrapping around the north-west corner is
a sink with well pump. If the well pump is used, a green liquid - caustic:
causing 1d4 acid damage to anyone who touches it - flows through. On the east
wall is a set of cabinets in one of which can be found several boxes covered
in cobwebs and filled with stale bran: functions as iron rations, 1d6 days
worth; in the other, three bags of fresh sweets.
The sweets are addictive: a character eating more than 3 in a single day must
Save vs Poison or develop an addiction - every day they go without one of the
sweets, they suffer a -2 penalty on d20 rolls and a -10% chance for percentile
rolls.
T4 - Armory
Along all walls are shelves and chests, packed with weapons: preference given
to pole arms. In addition are some leg traps and snares, alongside some
explosives. Depending on tech level, player characters may or may not
recognize what the explosives are, but among them are included:
-
Bombs: a fuse protrudes from a metal ball. If lit, it will burn down
for 1d3 rounds before exploding, dealing 6d6 damage to everything within 30'
- Save vs Breath for half.
-
Rockets: a cylindrical container on the end of a stick with a fuse
protruding from the bottom. If lit, it will burn for 1d3 rounds and then
shoot off in the direction it is held. After 1d3 further rounds, it will
explode: dealing 3d6 damage to everything within 15' of its ending location:
Save vs Breath for half. A character attempting to aim the rocket at a
specific target may do so, but takes a -2 penalty to it, representing the
unpredictability of the design. A miss should scatter: the implementation of
which is left to the discretion of the referee.
-
Snap Flares: small, paper pouches. If lit - or if exposed to
concussive force - they will pop loudly and release a bright flash.
Characters within 30' must Save vs Paralysis or be stunned for 1 round.
Roughly 1d6 bombs, 1d8 rockets, and 1d8 snap flares should be present. If any
of these articles are used indoors, a wandering monster check should be
immediately tested due to the noise.
T5 - Washroom
Extending from the center of the west wall is a claw-foot tub. Against the east
wall is a sink with pump - which produces the same caustic substance as from
room T3 KITCHEN. There is also a john - which, if the flush is pulled, simply
opens a trapdoor under the bowl and drops whatever was in it onto the tree
below. A shelf is hammered into the north wall near the tub - in which is a
toilet brush.
The claw-foot tub is animated and will attack anyone it can reach. It will not
pursue if still hooked to the wall - however if the party shoots at it or
otherwise attacks from range, it will disconnect from the wall, tearing up the
pipes, and pursue.
T6 - Back Room
Several chairs - bug-eaten - sit in the southern portion of this room. In the
south-west corner is a pile of trash: paper wrappers and sacks, primarily.
The stairwell in the north portion of the room leads to T7.
The door to the east - which is stuck - leads to a ramp which circles around
the tree and leads back to the rope bridge..
T7 - Turret
One small window faces west. The rest of the space is lined with shelves -
some of which contain books - fragile with age and dry, which will crumple to
dust if opened - and others contain some dry alchemical supplies - such as
vials and an alembic.
The stairwell down leads back to T6.
If one climbs out the window, there is a narrow widow's walk which leads to a
ladder: which leads to a small crow's nest: large enough for one person.
Casino
The walls of this subterranean section are rough and dark - lined by "columns"
shaped like a rib-cage, pointing upwards. Doors are double-style, with the
seam between them being jagged, almost like the teeth of a mouth held
sideways.
|
Scale: 10 ft.
|
C1 - Game Room
This room is decked out as a casino game room. Chains hang from the ceiling,
suspending skeletons. The skeletons house trapped souls who are only able to
communicate under a Speak with Dead style ritual. Hanging from the ceiling is
a winch with claw - the hub of which is painted like an 8-ball - and line with
hook - which can be controlled from a panel in the north-east wall under the
window.
The center of the room contains a dais that is colored and shaped like a
roulette wheel. In the center of the wheel is a table. Against the wall to the
north-east, there is a control which will cause the table to open - leading to
a pool of glowing caustic liquid: 2d6 damage per round for 1d4 rounds, if
exposed to it. Under the table is a platform with a winch designed to dump
articles into the liquid.
In the north-east wall is embedded a panel which controls the dais: it can be
turned on to spin, which it does as a roulette wheel would.
To the north, south, and west are sliding doors - portcullis-styled - which
are controlled by hidden activators in the dais. The description of their
interiors are contained in their respective room entries: C14 to the north, C4
to the south, and C2 to the west.
A pipe in the ceiling opens outward only; but leads to T2.
To the north-west is a barred window, halfway between the rope bridge and the
base level of the pit.
To the south-west is a door leading to a path opening to the pit.
C2 - Jacks
Behind the sliding door to this space is a series of five playing cards the
height of a man. They slide forward and extend swords from their embossed face
- spinning them and affecting a 10 foot area into the roulette dais in room
C1. For each round that a character is in the affected area, roll to hit once
- THAC0 17 - for 1d8 damage.
Behind the cards is a spring-load apparatus and track to push them forward.
The tracks are sunk into the floor - wide enough to slide a hand into - in the
south-most track is a handle which will unlock and reveal the secret door to
the south; in the north-most track is a similar handle which will unlock the
secret door to the west - both doors leading to C3.
C3 - Spares Room
Spare parts to the machinery are stored here. Cogs and gears line the wall -
some interlocked with one another; others not.
C4 - Ball Return
Behind the sliding door to this space is a tumbler room. A large iron ball,
roughly four feet across, slides out of this space from a chute. It will roll
into the roulette table in C1 and roll randomly, bouncing left or right
according to chance. It rolls to hit against any character caught in its path
- THACO 19 - for 2d8 damage. If it hits a character, it will stop in that
space.
The trap will only reset if the ball is pushed into the caustic liquid under
the center table of C1.
Behind the chute releasing the ball is a wide pile of bones, littering the
floor.
C5 - Under-Foyer
A hanging tapestry depicting the boogie man adorns the far wall. Sconces with
torches burning black light illuminate the room. The north-west corner has
several chairs and an end table, the edges irregular and carved to appear
sharp. The south wall has a divan on it, in the center of which is a cup
containing three rods of cinnamon.
C6 - South Hall
In the north-east corner of the space is a barrel. In the barrel are several
bladed pole arms: the blades of which are jagged. Growing against the wall
across from each door is a black-leafed plants.
C7 - Planter Room
Several stone planting tubs - some of which have feet, others of which are
flush with the floor - line this room. Teeming along the ceiling are legions
of small bugs - crickets, caterpillars, cockroaches, and the like. Half of the
planters contain small, stunted plants: no leaves - only black branches and
stems.
The other half contain stones and ashes. Buried in one of the planters is a
porcelain eye - the size of a softball.
C8 - Steel Skull Hall
Inlaid in the floor of this space is the likeness of a skull, riveted in
steel, its teeth to the southern side, with an eye-patch on its left eye (or,
the eye to the north-west). The patch can be pried up - revealing a concave
inset: if the porcelain eye from C7 is placed into the socket, the secret door
to C12 will open.
C9 - Saw Room
The room is thick with dust, which partially obscures the floor. Several large
saw blades - five feet or so across - lean against the east wall.
There is a trap in the floor - characters brushing the dust aside will be
alerted to grooves in the floor. Saw blades - if triggered - will come up
through the blades, targeting anyone in the center of the space. They roll to
hit - THACO 17 - for 2d4 damage.
At the back-end of the room are some barrels and some crates - in which can be
found the following:
- 3,000sp
- 200gp
- gem (50gp)
- gem (100gp)
- 2 × gems (500gp)
C10 - Smoking Room
A rich leather chair is propped against the rear wall. Along the north-east
wall is a slanted book case - a foot shorter than the ceiling at its terminus
- the books inside are spell books: containing Detect Evil,
Teleport, Feeblemind, and Water Breathing.
The secret door to the south is opened via a latch on top of the low end of
the book case.
C11 - Horde
A horde of treasure is contained in canopic jars lining the walls here.
- 22,000sp
- 1,000gp
- 2 × gems (10gp)
- gem (50gp)
- gem (100gp)
- piece of jewelry (800gp)
- piece of jewelry (900gp)
- 2 × pieces of jewelry (1300gp)
In addition, a bucket of sweets can be found here - 2d8 of them - which can be
consumed once per four hours. When consumed, the consumer feels refreshed:
regaining 1d3 hit points.
C12 - Hidden Hall
In the walls of this space, every five feet, is an alcove containing a
gargoyle. The gargoyles are wrought iron and scowling: their faces follow the
party - all light sources, when in this space - halve their useful radius.
The doors to C14 and C8, from inside C12, have a large ruby nob in the center
which can be pulled to open the secret doors (which are obvious from this
perspective). The rubies can be detached without interfering with the function
of the nob - being worth 400 gold pieces each.
C13 - The Root
Protruding from the ceiling is a great root - terminating just before it
touches the floor. Along the root are several alcoves or shelves - each of
which have a lit candle in them. The wax from the candle is sweet-smelling;
and in the small pool of wax at the bottom of each can be found electrum
pieces: it will take two turns to collect, due to the sticky wax, but there is
a total of 500 pieces.
C14 - Slot Gunners
Four statues - the height of a man and a half, with slot machines in their
chests and pistols on their hands - stand on a slide behind the door here. If
opened, they will roll forward into C1 and their slots will spin. Roll 1d10 to
determine the result:
- 1: All Sweets! - The machines come up with three
-
2-5: Mixed Batch - The machines come up with no matches whatsoever.
All characters within 10 feet of their egress must Save vs Paralysis or be
bludgeoned for 1d6 damage.
-
6-9: Mix and Match - The machines come up with some matches, but no
wins. They open fire briefly: all characters in a straight path, 20 feet
wide and extending to the center of the room, must Save vs Breath: on
failure, taking 1d8 damage.
-
10: All Skulls - The machines pull up their arms and open fire. All
characters in a straight path, 20 feet wide and extending to the southern
wall, must Save vs Breath: on success, they take 1d8 damage; on failure,
3d8.
Behind the slot-statues can be found three steel vats - capped - with spigots
underneath: opening about 6 inches across.
- The spigot to the west releases scorpions.
-
The spigot to the south releases a spice-smelling sand. If allowed to run
for 3 rounds, treasure falls out too.
- The spigot to the east is empty.
Bestiary
Claw Foot Wash Golem
| AC: |
|
4 |
No. Appearing: |
~ |
| HD: |
|
2+2 |
Save As: |
Fighter 3
|
| Move: |
|
120' (40')
|
Morale: |
12 |
| Attack: |
|
Slam |
Damage: |
1-8 |
Claw Foot Wash Golems are animated constructs – they are immune to Sleep and
Charm effects,
though respond to orders given either by Gremlins or The
Boogie Man.
Giant Spider
| AC: |
|
7 |
No. Appearing: |
1-4 |
| HD: |
|
2 |
Save As: |
Fighter 1
|
| Move: |
|
120' (40')
|
Morale: |
8 |
| Attack: |
|
Bite |
Damage: |
1-8 |
A character bitten by a Giant Spider must Save vs Paralysis or become
paralyzed. A paralyzed character bitten must Save vs Death.
Gremlins
| AC: |
|
7 |
No. Appearing: |
1-6 |
| HD: |
|
1 |
Save As: |
Elf 2
|
| Move: |
|
120' (40')
|
Morale: |
10 |
| Attack: |
|
Special |
Damage: |
~ |
Gremlins don’t attack, per se – but a character attacking a Gremlin and
missing must roll a second
attack against themselves. Additionally, a
character casting a spell within 20’ of Gremlins must roll
a Save vs
Spells – on failure, they target the wrong party: beneficial effects affecting
the Gremlins;
detrimental effects affecting themselves or their party.
Gremlins will be wearing gaudy costumes and will tend to carry mundane sweets
Haunters
| AC: |
|
9 |
No. Appearing: |
1-8 |
| HD: |
|
1/2 |
Save As: |
Elf 3
|
| Move: |
|
Float: 60' (20')
|
Morale: |
12 |
| Attack: |
|
Haunt |
Damage: |
~ |
Haunters are ill-omened spirits – shimmering white and of ever-changing visage
in the darkness.
-
Haunters can – once per turn – cause fear: Save vs Spells or any
exposed characters must flee from the Haunter.
-
Haunters are immune to normal weapons – but can be turned as Skeleton
by a Cleric
-
Haunters can throw small objects – typically causing 1 damage on hit –
but there must be a small object to throw. Typically, though, they prefer to
scare.
Insect Swarm
| AC: |
|
7 |
No. Appearing: |
1 |
| HD: |
|
2 |
Save As: |
Normal Man
|
| Move: |
|
30' (10')
|
Morale: |
11 |
| Attack: |
|
Swarm |
Damage: |
2 |
The swarm takes up a 10×10 foot space and attempts to move onto intruders.
Characters in the swarm take 2 points of damage per turn automatically. Normal
weapons do not affect the swarm – but a torch will deal 1d4 damage. Other
objects may impact the swarm – at the discretion of the referee. The swarm can
be evaded by passing out of line of sight or diving under water.
Scorpions
| AC: |
|
3 |
No. Appearing: |
2-6 |
| HD: |
|
2 |
Save As: |
Fighter 1
|
| Move: |
|
150' (50')
|
Morale: |
11 |
| Attack: |
|
2 Claws / Sting
|
Damage: |
1-6 / 1-6 / 1
|
If a scorpion hits with a claw, an attack made with the stinger against the
same target is at +2 to hit. A character stung by the stinger must Save vs
Poison or suffer spasms and pains – resulting in a -2 to hit and damage and
making them unable to use skills or cast spells for 1d4 turns.
Skeletons
| AC: |
|
7 |
No. Appearing: |
3-12 |
| HD: |
|
1 |
Save As: |
Fighter 1
|
| Move: |
|
60' (20')
|
Morale: |
12 |
| Attack: |
|
Rusty Weapon
|
Damage: |
1-6 |
Skeletons are Undead and thus may be turned by a Cleric and are immune to
Sleep or Charm.
The Boogie Man
| AC: |
|
6 |
No. Appearing: |
1 |
| HD: |
|
3 |
Save As: |
Fighter 3
|
| Move: |
|
120' (40')
|
Morale: |
10 |
| Attack: |
|
2 Slams
|
Damage: |
1-3 / 1-3
|
The Boogie Man is a collection of insects held together by foul magic and
covered in a shroud. He is the owner and primary resident of the treehouse,
his penchant for games of chance affecting its architecture and décor.
The Boogie Man regenerates 1 hit point per round while above 0 hit points. If
reduced to 0 hit points, the Boogie Man will unravel, dispersing into an
Insect Swarm.
Open license and public domain artwork retrieved from Pixabay or the National Gallery of Art and adapted for thematic use. Attributions in alt text.
