Introduction and Background
This is a B/X D&D adventure intended for a party of characters of about levels 7-9, higher level than most adventures detailed on this blog. It borrows some monsters described in an earlier blog post as well as some other monsters from Fighting Fantasty and AD&D. Also unlike most of my scenarios set in Norwold, this does not involve the Arvorians.
North of the Great Bay of Norwold, where the Lothbarth Taiga meets the tundra the Mammoth-Helm clan of frost giants have made their lair. They are brutal and savage, and recently they have stepped up their raids on human and halfling settlements. It is also possible for them to join in large-scale giantish incursions into the Kingdom of Alpha (such as that described in CM1: Test of the Warlords).
It may seem unusual for frost giants to live in a forest, but these ones describe themselves as Taiga frost giants, capable of enduring warmer climates than their high-arctic brethren who usually avoid areas above freezing. The Lothbarth Forest is as far north as coniferous forests can be, and it is frozen for more than half the year, so the taiga frost giants only need to cope with the short summer months.
These giants have got complacent, and do not bother to hide the tracks to their lair, which is underground. The architecture of their underground lair is very neat and orthogonal, with lots of right-angles and smooth walls, implying that the frost giants did not make it themselves but took it over from previous occupants, or else they had magical help in excavating it. The one really convenient thing about this dungeon is that most of the rooms and chambers are 20ft tall, meaning the frost giants can walk around freely without stooping.
Key to the map:
1) Entrance Hall: A small white dragon guards the entrance here. It has been subdued and captured by the giants who are conveniently immune to its breath weapon. It will attack any creature other than frost giants unless restrained by a frost giant. The frost giants have allowed it a paltry hoard to satiate its desire for treasure, a pile of 2000sp and 5500cp.
White Dragon: AC 3, Mv 90ft/Fly 240ft, HD 6**, 28hp, THAC0 14, Att 2 claws/1 bite for 1d4/1d4/2d8 or breath weapon, Save F6, Ml 8, Align N, 725xp
Breath weapon: cone of frost 80ft long and 30ft wide at furthest, doing damage equal to dragon's current hit points. Save vs Dragons Breath for half damage
2) Frost giant guard post: A single frost giant (hp 40) here will investigate if the dragon in room #1 causes a disturbance. He has 2 throwing boulders to hand, and he may call on the ogres in room #15 to help if he realises he is in trouble.
3) Empty apart from chewed bones of various species.
4) The Warriors Chamber: This large chamber has 4 large beds, an 8ft high table on which are 6 throwing boulders, and is home to 4 frost giants (3 male, 1 female, hp 37, 40, 44, 50) who will attack any intruders.
5) First Family chamber: This chamber has 1 frost giant female and 4 juvenile frost giants. The juveniles will be reluctant to fight and will only do so if they have no choice. Note that the juveniles are small enough to fit into the 10ft high corridors used by the ogre servants.
Juvenile frost giant: AC 7, Mv 90ft, HD 5+1, hp 25 average, THAC0 16, Att 1 club for 1d10, Spec Abil: Immune to cold damage, Save F5, Ml 5, Align C, 225xp
6) Meat Storage: In here are the carcasses of various animals including carribou, giant elk, giant boar and musk-oxen, all hanging from hooks on the ceiling. The cold in here keeps them relatively fresh.
7) Second Family Chamber: This contains 2 frost giant females and 3 juvenile frost giants.
Juvenile frost giant: AC 7, Mv 90ft, HD 5+1, hp 25 average, THAC0 16, Att 1 club for 1d10, Spec Abil: Immune to cold damage, Save F5, Ml 5, Align C, 225xp
8) The Wolf Pen: This chamber holds 4 dire wolves (hp 14, 20, 21, 23) and a white-furred wolf that seems odd. It is in fact a winter wolf, (borrowed from AD&D), much more intelligent and cruel and with a magical freezing breath. The winter wolf has become the alpha of this pack, although it submits to the superiority of the frost giants (who are immune to its breath weapon).
Dire Wolf: AC 6, Mv 150ft, HD 4+1, THAC0 15, Att 1 bite for 2d4, Save F2, Ml 8, Align N, 125xp
Winter Wolf: AC 5, Mv 180ft, HD 6*, 30hp, THAC0 14, Att 1 bite for 2d4 or breath weapon, Save F6, Ml 9, Align C, 500xp
Breath weapon can be used once per turn and is a cone of frost, 10ft long, 10ft wide at furthest, causing 4d6 cold damage to all caught in the blast. Successful save vs Dragons Breath reduces it to half damage.
9) The Wolf-master's quarter: These two frost giants (hp female 44, male 51) both have whistles and can command the wolves and winter wolf in room #8. They are a mated pair and will not willingly abandon each other. The male has a sack on his belt with 2,400gp and 200pp. Near their beds are 4 throwing boulders.
10) The Frost Giant Chief's Den: This big chamber is home to the frost giant chief Mammoth-Helm himself, plus two female frost giants (his consorts, hp 40, 43). Next to his double bed there is a chest. On top of the chest are 3 throwing boulders, and inside is the clan's treasure: 24,000gp, 76,000sp, 1200pp and 10 items of jewelry worth a total of 11,000gp. Around Mammoth-Helm's neck is a Medallion of ESP which he has figured out how to use, and helps keep his underlings in line. He also wears a giant-sized helmet topped with the tips of a pair of mammoth tusks-viking style, and trimmed with silver, worth 500gp.
Frost Giant Chief Mammoth-Helm (stats as Frost Giant Leader): AC 2, Mv 120ft, HD 12+5,70hp, THAC0 7, Att 1 giant axe for 4d6+2 or throw boulder (range 200ft) for 3d6, Spec Abil: Immune to cold damage, Save F12, Ml 11, Align C, 1100xp
11) The Armoury: Here is a frost giant bladesmith and 3 ogre servants. There is also a magical furnace in the centre of the room that stays hot without refueling, and on one side an oversized (6ft tall, 8ft long) anvil. Hanging on the walls are 5 suits of giant-sized chain mail (which is what most of the giants in this dungeon wear), 6 giant-sized battleaxes, and 3 giant-sized bastard swords. The bladesmith is respected for his ability to tolerate the heat from the magical furnace - other giants find room temperature difficult enough. As such he wears a golden circlet on his head with a large ruby embedded in it, worth 2000gp even though it is much too large for humans to wear. Also rather than throwing boulders, this frost giant instead has two human-sized battleaxes tucked in his belt that he uses as throwing axes for 1d8+2 damage.
12) Chapel of the Frozen Lord: This grim place has four large columns of ice reaching all the way up to the ceiling (20ft high). Embedded in the ice are the severed heads of various humanoid victims - human, dwarf, elf, ogre, bugbear and even two frost giant heads. Against the south wall is a huge 20ft tall statue carved in bluish-grey stone reaching up to the ceiling portraying a bow-legged, bald frost giant wielding a massive hammer. At the base of the statue is a name in giantish runes: Kostchtchie. Although this place has no specific malevolent effects on trespassers, anyone using Detect Evil or Detect Chaos will sense something unpleasant and hateful.
13) The Chamber of the Old One: In here is what seems to be an icy statue of a demon with treasure scattered around its base. It is in fact an Ice Demon and will attack once intruders get close enough. The ice demon has 7,300gp, 11,000sp and 6 gems worth 300gp each (large perfect amethysts) scattered on the floor. It is visiting the material plane to encourage these frost giants in their attacks on civilization. Despite the frost giants being immune to its breath weapon the ice demon can still intimidate all of the frost giants, including the chief and the shamans.
Ice Demon: AC 2, Mv 120ft/Fly 180ft, HD 14+4*, 70hp, THAC0 5, Att 2 fists for 2d6/2d6+ stun or breath weapon, Spec Abil: Ice demons are immune to normal weapons and require +1 or better magic weapons to hit. . They are also immune to poison, disease and cold damage. Save: F15, Ml 12, Align C, XP 2300
Breath weapon: Every other round an ice demon may use its breath weapon, a cone of cold that extends from the ice demon's mouth out to 30' and is 20' wide at the end. Anyone in that area must save vs dragon breath or suffer 4d10 cold damage and be paralysed by cold for 1d4 rounds.
Ice demons, as summoned beings from another plane, can be kept at bay by Protection From Evil spells.
14) The Shamans' Quarters. In here are two frost giant shamans, one male (55hp), one female (50hp). They both have a sack on their belts containing 1000gp each and platinum unholy symbols around their necks worth 500gp each.
Frost Giant Shaman: AC 4, Mv 120ft, HD 11+3, THAC0 8, Att 1 axe for 4d6 or 1 spell, Save C11, Ml 10, Align C, 1900xp
Male shaman spells: Protection from Evil, Rage, Hold Person
Female shaman spells: Detect Magic, Cure Light Wounds, Aura of Shadows
The Ogre Quarters: The following rooms and corridors are only 10ft tall, and therefore the frost giants have great difficulty squeezing into them. The ogres within might find the rooms a bit cramped but recognise that the frost giants cannot follow them in here, so they feel a bit safer and have a little more privacy.
15) 3 ogres (hp 16, 14, 20) are here, with many fur blankets and badly tanned hides to keep them warm. They may assist the frost giant in room #2 if called on.
16) The Ogre hearth. Here are 6 ogres (3 males hp 24, 24, 17, 3 females hp 28, 21, 18) and 6 juvenile ogres(hp 6, 9, 9, 10, 10, 12) . They are huddled around a fire pit that they keep burning. In one corner there is a pile of dead branches and relatively dry wood.
Juvenile ogre: AC 6, Mv 90ft, HD 2+1, THAC0 17, Att 1 club for 1d8, Save F2, Ml 7, Align C, 25xp
17) Rorg the Ogre Boss lives here. He has stayed leader of this band of ogres by strength, cunning and not picking fights with the frost giants (a fatal mistake as his deceased predecessor discovered…). It is possible if this dungeon is attacked by adventurers he will try to point out (either in giantish or broken common) that the ogres aren’t the real threat and they are being kept as unwilling servants by the giants (only partially true). Nonetheless if attacked he will defend himself. He has a sack of treasure that he has managed to keep out of the frost giants’ hands, and has told them the ogres have no treasure of their own. The sack contains 4500gp, 1100pp and an ornate golden crown with sapphires worth 2000gp.
Rorg the Ogre Boss: AC 4, Mv 90ft, HD 6+2, hp 30, THAC0 13, Att 1 large morning star for 1d10+2, Save F6, Ml 10, Align C, 350xp
18) 1 tusked yeti is kept here by the frost giants. The ogres are supposed to look after it but they are actually quite scared of it. It will attack any humans or demihumans and can get aggressive with ogres, though it is submissive towards the frost giants.
Tusked Yeti: AC 6, Mv 120ft, HD 10+10, THAC0 9, Att 2 claws/1 bite for 2d4/2d4/3d6, Spec Abil: Immune to Cold damage, Save F5, Ml 9, 900xp
19) 3 ogres (2 male, hp 22, 17, 1 female, hp 17) are here, and are worried about the yeti next door, despite the frost giants insistence they should look after it.
20) 4 ogres (hp 17, 19, 19, 20) + 2 juvenile ogres (hp 8, 10) huddled around a fire pit with a butchered wild boar on a spit.
Juvenile ogre: AC 6, Mv 90ft, HD 2+1, THAC0 17, Att 1 club for 1d8, Save F2, Ml 7, Align C, 25xp
21) A minotaur has joined the frost giant clan and now acts as tracker, helping the frost giants find prey in the forest. It does not like the ogres but has to put up with them. The minotaur has accumulated a collection of ivory tusks from various creatures including mammoths, mastodon, giant boar and walruses. These include 6 large mammoth tusks worth 600gp each, 10 smaller mastodon tusks worth 400gp each and 6 walrus tusks worth 200gp each. The minotaur also has a sack with 3600sp and 600gp. Although the minotaur knows it cannot take on the tusked yeti in room #18, it notices the yeti has very fine tusks.
Minotaur: AC 6, Mv 120ft, HD 6, 27hp, Att 1 gore/1 bite for 1d6/1d6, Save F6, Ml 12, Align C, 275xp
Commonly used stats:
Frost Giant: AC 4, Mv 120ft, HD 10+1 (46hp average), THAC0 9, Att 1 giant weapon for 4d6 damage or 1 thrown boulder (range 200ft) for 3d6 damage, Spec Abil: Immune to Cold damage, Save F10, Ml 9, 900xp
Ogre: AC 5, Mv 90ft, HD 4+1 (19hp average), THAC0 15, Att 1 club for 1d10, Save F4, Ml 9, Align C, 125xp
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| Art by Sebastian Horoszko, source |
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