Warhammer Quest

The Dark Dwarf Part Three
Or
The Fall of Ghazhaan the Twisted
An Adventure for BL 4-6 Warriors

By Peter Haresnape August 2003

The Warriors have made an enemy of a strange and unpredictable foe. Not quite a Chaos Dwarf, not quite a servant of the Chaos Gods, the one known as Ghazhaan the Twisted follows a path of his own, which makes him doubly dangerous.

The Warriors have foiled the plans of Ghazhaan the Twisted, a dwarf brought up among evil and chaos, and now a leader among the Chaos Dwarfs. Routing him from his forward base, the Warriors followed his armies through the disused Dwarf Underpass system, all the way to somewhere in the frozen north, apparently to the mysterious abandoned Dwarf Fortresses. These strongholds are almost legendary among the dwarfs, and their true status and locations are entirely unknown in the Old World. During the downfall of the dwarf empire, the fortresses became cut off, and nothing has been heard from them for centuries. Some fell to orcs or chaos forces, but the fate of most is unknown. There are some records still in existence, such as the recently recovered Tablets of Steel. These were what allowed the Warriors to trace Ghazhaan’s army.

Now, having tracked him to his base, the Warriors must penetrate to him, and slay him, thus foiling any threat he presents.

Please note that the adventure as presented does not include a visit to the true dwarfs still in these mountains, but the inventive GM is welcome to work it in. In fact, you could probably even have a full scale Dwarf vs. Chaos Dwarf battle, if you felt up to it… As it is, the Warriors do not encounter any allies in the ice.

The Warriors have managed to breach the entrance to the fortress. This mountain was once part of the chain of dwarf holds stretching north, but has now been altered to suit Ghazhaan’s needs. This means that there are plenty of traps. In the appendix you will find a full list of traps, altered from the one presented in the Dark Dwarf I.

On the other hand, Ghazhaan has no special reserves of troops. The Monster table for his lair is the same as that in the Dark Dwarf I.

Throughout the entirety of Ghazhaan’s base, the Warriors will encounter Unexpected Events using the normal rules. If the Unexpected Event indicates an ‘E’ event, use the short table in the appendix.

Before the Adventure

Before you begin, take the six Dungeon Room Cards. Add the Shaman’s Lair from Lair of the Orc Lord, if you have it. Shuffle these cards and place them to one side. These cards will be drawn from during the adventure.

The Warriors begin the adventure with 1D3 Provisions each, which are the remains of their supplies. They may also take a rope and a cask of beer.

The Warriors begin the adventure on the Stairs. This area is heavily trapped. Roll 1D6. This is how many traps are set off. Use Warrior counters to see who is affected, but only target a Warrior twice if all of the Warriors on the board section have been affected. The door off the board section is locked and barred, but not magically. The Warriors can try to open it as normal. It has Toughness of 5 and wounds of 18.

Rather than rolling for unexpected events each turn, roll 1D6–2 to see how many traps are triggered.

Once they are off the Stairs, this is not necessary, but the Warriors should roll for Unexpected Events. The next room is the Firechasm.

The Warriors stumble out of the trapped hall, but are brought up straight by a monstrous roar. The room is a place of dull flame and a sullen red light, in part by the river of molten metal cutting through the centre of the room. Across the other side of the river is a force of Chaos Dwarfs, who ready themselves for the fight. The roar came from a mighty Bull Centaur, as it leaps towards the Warriors, followed by the rest of the herd

The Warriors face 1D6+2 Chaos Dwarfs and a Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer, on the far side of the Firechasm. The Sorcerer is Guarded by 3 of the Dwarfs, and they all stay on the four ‘dragon’ squares, behind which is the exit. This is in fact a raised platform, and so has the usual to hit penalties. Assume that all four are ‘stairs’, thus counting as an upper level, but being able to move directly onto them. Place a Bull Centaur Hero and 1D6 Bull Centaurs on the Warrior’s side. The leader of the Warriors should make an Initiative test (difficulty 7). If he succeeds then the Warriors attack first as normal. If he fails, the Bull Centaurs make an immediate ambush attack, and then fight as normal.

The Warriors and Monsters can cross the bridge with no penalty or hazard.

There is no treasure for killing the monsters. However, the only door appears to be locked. If the Warriors examine it (applying necessary characteristic tests) they will discover that it is heavily reinforced with bands of steel. These bands hold warding runes, centred around a single raised flat plate.

The key to this is an item held by the Sorcerer. The item is a Rune Key, a type of runestone that can be used by pressing it into the flat surface. A rune will blaze up on the surface, and the door will unlock and swing open. The Rune Key has 1D3 uses left, past the one used to open the door.

To determine the next room, draw a card from the pile. Each of the rooms has a certain challenge that the Warriors must pass. If they fail, they will not be able to retrieve the Rune Key to open the door. However, the Rune Key from the Firechasm can be used at least once more. If the Warriors run out of uses, they are in a pickle. They must wait until an Unexpected Event triggers Monsters. These Monsters will carry a Rune Key with a single charge.

All six rooms from the original set are used, as well as the Shaman’s Lair. If you do not have the Shaman’s Lair, ignore the room after the first after the T Junction. Assume the room is a dead end.

Well Chamber

This room stinks of foul sulphur, and the air is hot and moist. Through the fog, the Warriors can see the other door, and hanging next to it the key. It is unlikely that this room will be that easy…

The Warriors must make their way across the room, dodging traps and pitfalls. The sulphurous fog means that they suffer 1D6 wounds, not modified for armour, for each turn that they breathe it. In addition, they must move at a slow pace. Roll 1D6 for each square that the Warriors step into. On a roll of 4+ they have triggered a trap, roll on the trap table. Once a trap has been triggered, that Warrior’s turn is over.

Once they reach the other side, they must roll an initiative test of 9+ to extract the key from its case. If there is a catastrophic failure (a roll of 1) then the case opens, dropping the key down a thin shaft, so that it disappears into the black…

Torture Chamber

In this room, a force of hobgoblins waits, and before the Warriors can react they are under a hail of knives.

Place the Warriors and then fill the room with hobgoblins. The Warriors each take 1D3 hits, each doing 1D6+3 damage, modified as normal. The hobgoblins also get their ambush…

Once they have fought through, the Warriors may take the room key and move on. However, if the hobgoblins Break and disappear, roll 1D6 for each slain one. On a combined score of 12 or more, the key is among them, and the Warriors may move on immediately.

Dungeon Cell

Tied up to the far wall are several pathetic specimens, all greenskins. They call to the warriors, asking them not to approach. As the warriors enter they trigger a trapdoor beneath one of the greenskins, and it disappears with a wail. A piece of parchment lies on the floor.

The parchment is a message from Ghazhaan himself. He appears to have committed Evil Villain error number 11, and has left you a clue, secure in his own might. One of the greenskins has the correct Rune Key. All of the others will explode when used, burying the warriors under a mountain. If any warrior does will have to discover which greenskin carries the right key, and get it. If more than one approaches, then the whole lot will fall down hidden trapdoors.

There are four greenskins. They are a Goblin, Snotling, Orc and Black Orc.

The cryptic clue is as follows;
“Ghazhaan lets you live, for you amuse him
So do well, and don’t be dim
Your wits are needed here, not your limbs
Or the precious key will fall over the rim!
Dark hearted Orc?
Short as a Snot?
Warlike as a hawk?
Cowardly lot?
Which is it, brave ones?
Walk left or walk right?
One step wrong and he’s gone
So don’t step wrong, step right!
A good thing’s a rare thing
That much is clear
A good thing’s the small thing
But at good you ought to sneer.
Your guide is a dark one
As black as ever was
Remember that light is a con
Or the key will be your loss.”

Phew! The greenskins are set up, left to right, as Orc, Goblin, Black Orc, Snotling. They are along the wall with the door. The warriors should decide which one holds the key and walk towards it. If they are right then they gain the key (leaving the greenskins trussed up!). If they are wrong, roll lD6. On a 1-3 all of the trapdoors open and all of the greenskins are lost, and their keys with them. If a 4-6 then the key explodes when used, and the explosion kills all of the warriors. Whoops indeed!

The Black Orc carries the key. They can figure this out because it is on the right (don’t step wrong, step right) and is not a snotling (A good thing’s the small thing/But at good you ought to sneer). In addition, the last four lines point to something that is dark- i.e. a Black Orc.

If this is too tortuous a route for your warriors, make initiative tests to figure out the correct key to pick.

Guard Room

This room seems to be a storehouse. There are boxes of supplies and such. There is, however, a guard…

The Warriors must fight 1D6 Bull Centaur Champions. If they win, they can search the boxes for the key. Roll 1D6 for each Warrior searching. On a 1 they trigger a trap. On a 2-5, roll on the Supply Table. On a 6 they have found the key. The Warriors may search up to twice each, and if they do not find the key, then there is not one to be found.

Supply Table

Monster’s Lair

The stench of the monsters is remarkable. In the dim fog, a nightmare beast lurks, and the Warriors feel themselves drawn in!

The Warriors must face 1D6 Gigantic Spiders and 2D6 Giant Spiders. They are fighting on the spider’s home turf, so all of the Warriors receive –1 to hit while in the room.

The key is hanging in a mass of web. One brave Warrior will have to reach in and get it. Roll a Willpower test, scoring 8+. If successful, the Warrior doesn’t flinch at the millions of tiny spiders, but claims the key, and a pouch with 2D6 gold pieces in it. If he fails, he is bitten many times by the baby spiders; suffering 1D3 unmodified wounds for each point he failed his Willpower test by. A Warrior will only attempt the task once- if they fail, they will refuse completely to try again.

Circle of Power

As the Warriors enter, they feel strings tugging at them, magical tendrils pulling them towards the centre of the room. When they resist, a powerful force drags them in.

The Warriors are to be placed in the four central squares. If there are more than four Warriors, make the area 2x3, with the extra two squares touching a wall without a door. Around them place 1D6 Chaos Dwarf Champions and 1D3 Chaos Dwarf Sorcerers. These Monsters make an immediate ambush attack. If one of the Sorcerers is killed, roll 1D6. On a roll of 5+ he was carrying the key. Once the key is found, stop rolling. If the Warriors don’t find the key, they are a bit stuck…

Shaman’s Lair

This room seems to be some sort of storage room, or perhaps… the Warriors find out what it really is as a Bull Centaur leaps out from behind a barrel and moves to attack.

Defending this room are 2D6 Bull Centaurs, 1D6 Chaos Dwarfs and a Bull Centaur Hero. When the Warriors defeat them, they can look through the stored stuff. Roll Initiative Tests at 8+. If the roll fails, trigger an event. If it succeeds, roll on the table below.

Each Warrior may roll but once. In addition, add up the scores of the rolls. If they are more than 10, the Warriors have also found the Rune Key.

Objective Room (the Tomb Chamber)

The Warriors burst through the final rune door, and hack immediately into the guards. This room is at the centre of the ancient dwarf hold- it is a tomb, which Ghazhaan is using for his final stand. He stands atop the greatest tomb, directing his followers, a corona of chaotic magic surrounding him. He brandishes his mighty runeaxe as he summons dark forces to his aid.

This is the last battle, where the Warriors must destroy Ghazhaan and his elite cadre of troops. They make an immediate Ambush attack, as the Monsters were busy listening to Ghazhaan, who was making a speech about how the Warriors would be killed long before they got to here… After the Warrior ambush, take any Monster ambushes and then take the Warrior phase as normal.

Populating the room is a large force of Monsters. Roll on the Monster Table three times. Roll an extra D3, and add:

This Monster should be placed on one of the Tomb Squares. It is Guarding Ghazhaan, who is also placed there. They are both elevated, so gain the usual level bonus. Note that in this case the level bonus is cumulative, so Warriors on the entrance level are at –2 to hit them with a missile weapon!

Ghazhaan will use the modified spells found in the Dark Dwarf I appendix, but others will use their own lists as normal. Ghazhaan’s profile can be found in this appendix.

Once the Warriors have won, they can explore the treasure house, taking an Objective Room Treasure each. If you use Trade Goods, they gain 1D3 pieces each, otherwise simply give them 3D6x50 gold. One of the Warriors may take Ghazhaan’s mighty runeaxe, which is an ancient dwarf artefact. It has been twisted to evil- but the dwarf runesmiths may well be able to reclaim it.

The reign of the Dark Dwarf- Ghazhaan the Twisted- is over. All the Warriors have to do now is get home…

Appendix

Appendix 1- Trap Table

Most of the traps require you to randomly select a Warrior to fall victim.

Appendix 2- Monsters

Special Rules: Magic Resistance 3+; Ignore Blow 6+; Magic Armour; Armed with Axe of Ghazhaan; Fear 7; Ghazhaan Magic 1 (remember the effects of the Orb of Nullification)

Axe of Ghazhaan
This artefact is worth 1500 gold. It must be purified by the dwarf runesmiths before a warrior can use it. The Axe strikes with precision, however clumsily the wielder uses it- so it ignores Dodge and Parry skills. It also does +2 damage with every hit. The wielder can choose either to use it for his normal attacks, or to make a single attack against each adjacent enemy. This last option cannot cause a deathblow. This is a double-handed weapon.

The following monster can be used in addition to a roll on the monster table. If you decide to use him, roll 1D6 each time monsters are rolled. On a roll of 1, place Kranbourne as well.

Special Rules: Magic Resistance 6+; Throw Firebombs; Armed with Firebombs

Throw Firebombs; Never Pinned
Kranbourne will throw 1D3 firebombs as soon as he is placed. Make a normal BS roll. Each warrior hit takes 1D6 unmodified wounds

Armed with Firebombs
If Kranbourne is not engaged in hand to hand combat, he will throw a number of firebombs equal to his Attacks characteristic. Use his BS to determine if he hits. Each hit does 2D6 unmodified wounds to the target warrior, and 1D6 unmodified wounds to any adjacent model. However, on a ballistic roll of 1, the firebomb explodes in Kranbourne’s hand, and he takes damage as normal. If pinned, he attacks with an axe as normal.

Appendix 3- Maps

In my current capacity as impoverished student I don’t have access to any of the map-making tools I used to use, so this may appear a little improvised.

Note that the ‘Rooms’ are places where you must pick a card to see which of the 7 rooms it is. Note that if you are without the Shaman’s Lair, you should exclude Room 7.

Room3
{  }
{  }
{  }
Firechasm[]Room1[]------[]Room2[]------------[]Room5[]Room7
{  }
Room4
{  }
{  }
{  }
Room6

                                                                                                TombChamber

The [] are doors
The ---- are corridors, as are {  }
Naturally, the -------------
                            {  }
…is a T Junction.
The rest should be self-explanatory…
<Defeated sigh>

Appendix 4- Treasure

Hurrah! Treasure- the warriors’ friend.

I probably ought to explain this section- some of these treasures are used in the adventure (namely the Axe of Ghazhaan). All of the others are simply ones you can award as you see fit, or add to your treasure cards etc. Some are of a Dwarf sort of point of view.

Dungeon Treasure

Pill of Flames
If a warrior swallows this pill, then he gains Breathe Fire 2, thus doing 2D6 damage to 1D6 monsters. This effect only lasts one turn, and obviously the pill can be used but once.
Wizard and Barbarian only
300 gold

Super Firebomb
A dangerous experimental device, the Super Firebomb damages a 2x2 area, causing 4D6 unmodified wounds to all within. In addition, hold 1D6 small coins about a handspan above the board section and drop them. Any model they are touching when they finish moving takes an extra 1D6 unmodified wounds from the shrapnel and such.
Dwarf Only
600 gold

Crown of Scepticism
Supposedly, this can give the wearer the power to disbelieve in various trifling details, like being hit with an axe. While worn, the wearer gains Ignore Blow 6+ and Magic Resistance 6+. It may not be worn with a helmet.
Dwarf Only
600 gold

Random Runestone
This places the Rune Random on a weapon. Roll on the Common Rune table. This is the rune placed on the weapon. At the beginning of each adventure, roll again to see what the rune is. It changes each adventure.

Runestone of Malice
This runestone places the Rune of Malice on a weapon before disintegrating. The weapon now does an extra 1D6 damage against all enemies that the wielder hates.
500 gold

Objective Treasure

Master Runestone of Alaraic the Mad
Places the Master Rune of Alaraic the Mad on the weapon. A weapon may only have a single Master Rune, and it takes the place of two other runes. However, when you come to place it, roll 1D6 and add your Battle Level. The score must be over 7, or the runestone simply disintegrates.
1500 gold

The Axe of Ghazhaan
This ancient weapon was among those stolen from the Dwarfs of the Hammerhall clan. It had been twisted to evil- but dwarf runesmiths restored it.
The Axe is a magical weapon, two handed weapon that does +2 damage with each blow. The Axe strikes with precision, however clumsily the wielder uses it- so it ignores Dodge and Parry skills. The wielder can either make his normal attacks, or make a single attack on each adjacent Monster. If so, the axe does not cause deathblows. The wielder may place no more than 6 further runes on this axe, and no Master runes.
Dwarf, Barbarian
1500 gold

Appendix 5- Design Notes

This part of the adventure has taken the most time to write. I will re-emphasise my traditional ‘hasn’t been playtested’, especially as regards the villain of the piece. Most of the values were chosen rather arbitrarily, so he may require some monumental tweaking.

The riddle (selecting the right greenskin) might be a little hard for anyone else, so if anyone has any suggestions, do say. I was going to say “one of these greenskins is telling the truth and one is lying”, and have them all make a statement “The snotling has it!” “I haven’t got it” etc, but I really couldn’t devote the necessary mental resources to it. So, I just wrote another of Ghazhaan’s bad poems.

One of the main problems I had is that I seldom use warriors of anything past level 3-4, so I have little concept of exactly what their capabilities are. For example, it seems pretty clear that the Monster Table is in no way equivalent to the main Monster Table in the Roleplay Book. Never mind, just because I’m entirely unqualified and dangerously incompetent, it doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t get a chance, eh? Please feel free to email me with comments on any aspect of this.

This has been my project for a while now, although I have churned out a few other bits and bobs in the meantime. I want to do a sort of basic rewrite for the Barbarian and the Dwarf, giving them the equivalent coverage of a Warrior Pack. Someone posted something about Trade Goods once, and it inspired me to write tons of Trade Goods cards. It was an idea to type them up and submit them, but they are languishing somewhere at home at the moment, so I can’t do that. Maybe after Christmas. Apart from that, I will probably spend the next few months trying to do some reading for my university course… Maybe I’ll come up with another warrior, if inspiration strikes me… the Student, perhaps?

Peter Haresnape 2^nd October 2003.
“Bigger Tables! Better Choices! More Rules! ”