This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product. By David M. Garrett My Philosophy: I m a huge fan of Savage Worlds the game, the fantastic creators who dream up the awesome materials for Savage Worlds, and the die-hard fans who make up the community of Savages. I m sharing by experiences of how I run my games and settings for free in the hopes that someone else out there might enjoy the kinds of pulpy stuff I m running. If you find errors, mistakes, or have feedback: davidgarrett69@gmail.com 1
G1 The Steading of the Quanch Giant Chief There are numerous changes that I ve made to these modules that remove what I feel are large amounts of monster, treasure, and magic clutter. For example, in the world of Shan, there would be very little chance of a Stone Giant, who is higher in the Ordning, to be visiting a Quanch Giant (Hill Giant) steading above ground. There are also magic weapons everywhere you turn in these dungeon crawls. In Pangaea, magic items are much rarer. This creates a couple of options when converting the Underdark Campaign to Savage Worlds. You can either convert each item as it is discovered right out of the text of the old modules, or you can assign a treasure rating of 1) Meager, 2) Worthwhile, 3) Rich, and 4) Treasure Trove to each general area (see page 48 of the SW Fantasy Companion) and just see what turns up. I like this method better. It allows for unexpected discoveries, plus the Sifu has the freedom to insert a magic item at their whim. I ll also add another category called Giant s Bag. This table is the very first table presented in G1 and it would fall lower than Meager on our scale, but it has some funny results so I use it. Who doesn t love describing old, moldy cheese? It s important to clearly explain how magic items work in the world of CoK as is defined in the SW Fantasy Companion. First of all, it is important to read pages 47-99 and understand the repertoire of magic items in a Savage Worlds fantasy setting. You can always tweak these items to ensure they fit the campaign as you go along. I chose to use the option that magic items operate as defined in the sidebar at the top of page 48 except for the rule about Extras getting a Wild Die when they use a magic weapon. I just didn t care for that rule, but if you like it, use it. I also chose not to use the rule on magic items getting wounds. I just think it complicates things too much. I want the action to go fast. The important point is that you need to have the discussion with your group and decided which of the rules you ll use and which you ll forgo. If you do choose to stay truer to the D&D version, you can certainly use the Bestiary and Magic Item tables that I provide below to run it that way, but I streamlined many areas quite a bit. THE STEADING OF THE QUANCH GIANT CHIEF The background to the adventure for CoK is explained in the Introduction to the Call of Kungfulhu Underdark Campaign. The adventure begins when the heroes are tasked to clear out the Quanch Giant nuisance plaguing the eastern slopes and outlying villages near the Jade Mountains. Unlike the original module, the characters are undertaking this challenge because they need the support of Hang Shan and its army. Another difference is that the characters aren t promised all the treasure. The treasure that the Quanch Giants have horded belongs to all the people of the region and the court of Hang Shan wants to redistribute it to the people. The characters have discovered a cave that overlooks the Quanch Giant fortress. It is secluded and will ensure that they remain undetected so long as they don t do anything to draw attention. This cave has a small amount of provisions to sustain the group for several weeks. The adventure 2
begins in the cave with the characters observing the steading and plotting how they will infiltrate the stronghold. UPPER LEVEL In the original module, this is the breakdown of monsters, treasure and magic items in just the Upper Level. I want to illustrate a simpler way to convert this into our CoK campaign. The treasure is an approximate value and includes gems and jewelry converted to monetary value. MONSTERS TREASURE MAGIC ITEMS 30 Hill Giants 189 p.p. Potion of Healing 28 Hill Giants (Non-Combatant) 79, 935 g.p. Potion of Xtra Healing 1 Cloud Giant 1,275 s.p. Potion of Hill Giant Control 3 Stone Giants 1,361 c.p. Potion of Poison 2 Cave Bears Shield +3 13 Ogres 5 Javelins of Lightning 31 Orcs (Non-Combatant) War Hammer +2 14 Dire Wolves Giant Slaying Sword Potion of Storm Giant Strength Potion of Delusion First, let s take the monsters. All Hill Giants are converted to Quanch Giants. Considering this is the Quanch Giant stronghold and their base of operations as they go out marauding the countryside, 58 is a good number if you consider that almost half are women and children. Still, defeating 30 Quanch Giants is no easy task. It will take some creativity for the players to figure out how to do it. We ll remove the Cloud Giant and three Stone Giants because that just doesn t make sense that they would be there. The Orcs are enslaved to the giants, so there is a good possibility that the players can recruit them to help against the giants and ogres. A really easy way to convert treasure to CoK is to take the value of any treasure found and reduce it to 10% of its original value, then reduce it down one grade of precious metal. For example, if a brooch is found worth 1,000 g.p. in D&D, it would convert to a brooch worth 100 s.p., or 100 Yuan, in Shan. Just to remind you, here are the equivalent values. SHAN KONOYO D&D VALUE Bao Bu Copper Piece 1 Yuan Yen Silver Piece 10 c.p. Zhong Provincial Dragon Gold Piece 100 c.p. 3
Platinum converts differently in D&D and Iron Dynasty. In D&D, a platinum piece is typically worth five gold pieces, whereas in Iron Dynasty, a platinum Imperial Dragon is worth 10 Provincial Dragons. Since we ll be converting all platinum pieces down to gold pieces, it doesn t really matter about this discrepancy. Just convert and move on. Don t bother converting copper pieces; just ignore that they exist. As far as magic items are concerned, you ll need to decide if you re going to convert what s listed or leave it up to a leaner system of chance. In my running of it, I use chance. I figure that the important people of the clan are the likeliest ones to have more treasure. In this case, that would be Chief Nosnra, Nosnra s wife, the Sub-Chief, and The Keeper (who is down in the dungeon). These would effectively be our Wild Cards. I assign from our table in the Fantasy Companion on page 48 ratings for each of their treasures: Chief Nosnra Treasure Trove, Chief s Wife Rich, Sub-Chief Rich, and The Keeper Rich. Since the Chief s treasure and The Keeper s treasure are in the dungeon, we ll address those later in that section. One further note, typically, if someone like Chief Nosnra has a magic weapon, he ll use it rather than hide it in a secret treasure room. Take that into consideration. You may want to roll for the random treasure before the playing session. Room 2: Sub-Chief s Room Either convert the treasure as listed, or roll on the Rich table in SWFC, page 48. Room 7: Chamber of the Chief s Wife Either convert the treasure as listed, or roll on the Rich table in SWFC, page 48. Room 11: Great Hall Remove the Cloud Giant and 3 Stone Giants. DUNGEON LEVEL I won t list all of the monsters, treasures, and magic items as I did above because I just wanted to illustrate my method. In the dungeon, we ll be converting 2 Carnivorous Apes to 2 Dire Wolves, 2 Fire Giants to 2 Quanch Giants, and 3 Stone Giants to 3 Quanch Giants. Other changes are noted below. Room 2: Chamber of the Keeper Convert 2 Apes to 2 Dire Wolves. For the Keeper use the Rich table in SWFC, page 48. Room 3.iii: Cell Block In this cell is where Shi La is being held. She is the niece of Zi-Khaf. After the Drow kidnapped her and the Gold Dragon Fut Sang Long, they were separated. She was given over to the giants as a slave. In your setting you can change her backstory however you see fit. In our setting she is a PC. Room 7: Chamber of the Bugbear Captain Make the captain a Wild Card and roll his treasure on the Worthwhile table in SWFC, page 48. 4
Room 16: Armory & Smithy Change the 2 Fire Giants to 2 Quanch Giants. Room 28: Quarters for Stone Giant Miners Change the 3 Stone Giants to 3 Quanch Giants. Room 33: The Chief s Treasure Room Roll on the Treasure Trove Table in SWFC, page 48. 5
BESTIARY Bugbear Bugbears are cousins of Goblins, but large and more powerful. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10 Skills: Climbing d4, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Shooting d4, Stealth d10, Throwing d6 Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 9 (1) Edges: Alertness Gear Weapons: Bugbears use a variety of weapons. Armor +1: Bugbears wrap themselves in hides and leather. Infravision: Bugbears can see well in the dark; half lighting penalties (round up). Size +1: Bugbears are slightly larger than humans. [WC] Bugbear Captain - Fulgar Fulgar has earned his place as the captain of the Bugbears through cunning and fear. He likes to begin combat with his prowess in Intimidation. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10 Skills: Climbing d4, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Shooting d4, Stealth d10, Throwing d6 Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 10 (1) Edges: Alertness, Gear Weapons: Fulgar fights with a finely crafted bastard sword; Str+d10. Armor +1: Bugbears wrap themselves in hides and leather. Infravision: Bugbears can see well in the dark; half lighting penalties (round up). Size +1: Bugbears are slightly larger than humans. Carion Crawler Carion Crawlers are huge, multi-legged worms that grow to 9 long and are 3 high. They have many tentacles around their mouth orifice that cause paralysis. The tentacles don t inflict any damage, but the paralysis lasts 2d4 rounds. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d8 Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6 Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Toughness: 12 : 6
Tentacles: Carion Crawlers cause no damage with their tentacles, but victims of a hit by them must make a Vigor roll or become paralyzed for 2d4 rounds. After all its victims are paralyzed, it will begin to kill each victim in turn. Size +1 Wall Walker: They can move up walls and across ceilings without difficulty. Cave Bear Cave Bears are used by giants as guard beasts. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d12+4, Vigor d12 Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Swimming d6 Pace: 8, Parry: 6, Toughness: 10 Bear Hug: Bears don t actually hug their victims, but they do attempt to use their weight to pin their prey and rend it with their claws and teeth. A bear that hits with a raise has pinned his foe. The opponent may only attempt to escape the hug on his action, which requires a raise on an opposed Strength roll. Claws: Str+d6 Size +2: Cave Bears can stand up to over 8 tall and weigh over 1,000 pounds. [WC] Chief Nosnra The Chief has acquired his position because he is the tallest and best fighter of the whole compound. Chief Nosnra fights utilizing his favorite weapon Bashaug. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d12+5, Vigor d10 Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Throwing d6 Pace: 8, Parry: 5, Toughness: 13 Edges: Sweep, Trademark Weapon Gear: The Chief uses a metal maul named Bashaug Basher in Giant. It is a +1 Damage item but much too big for a human to carry. Damage Str+d10. Large: Attackers add +2 to their attack rolls when attacking a Quanch Giant due to its large size. Size +4: Chief Nosnra is over 14 tall. [WC] Chief Nosnra s Wife - Belga Belga is a mighty fighter in her own right. She fights using a long pole that is the size of a small tree. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d12+5, Vigor d10 Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Throwing d6 Pace: 8, Parry: 5, Toughness: 12 Edges: Sweep 7
Gear: Belga s pole arm has a Reach of 2, Damage Str+d8 Large: Attackers add +2 to their attack rolls when attacking a Quanch Giant due to its large size. Size +4: Belga is over 12 tall. Dire Wolf Dire wolves are very large and feral wolves often used by orcs as attack dogs. They may also be found roaming in packs in the deepest, darkest woods. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d6 Pace: 10, Parry: 6, Toughness: 6 Bite: Str+d6 Go for the Throat: Wolves instinctively go for an opponent s soft spots. With a raise on its attack roll, it hits the target s most weakly-armored location. Fleet-Footed: Dire Wolves roll d10 when running. [WC] The Keeper The Keeper is a rotund, misshapen giant with but one good eye. He is wicked, cruel and always has two fierce Dire Wolves, Snarggle and Howlfik, that are constantly with him and will protect him. He fights with a huge Battle Axe named Doobler. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d12+5, Vigor d10 Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Throwing d6 Pace: 8, Parry: 5, Toughness: 15 (2) Edges: Sweep Gear: Doobler is a Battle Axe +3 Damage; Str+d8. The Keeper also wears a large, mail shirt that provide +2 Toughness. Large: Attackers add +2 to their attack rolls when attacking a Quanch Giant due to its large size. Size +4: The Keeper is over 12 tall. Manticore A Manticore has the body of a lion and a vaguely human head. Its mouth contains three rows of razor sharp teeth and its tail ends in a ball of darts or spines. Manticores are fierce predators and devour every part of their victims, including their gear. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10 Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Tracking d6 8
Pace: 8, Parry: 6, Toughness: 9 Bite/Claw: Str+d6 Defensive Volley: Rather than fire its tail darts at one target, the Manticore may launch them in a circular pattern. The Manticore makes a single Shooting roll against all targets within range. Victims suffer 2d6 damage. The Manticore may take no other actions in the round it uses this ability, including movement. This ability may be used only once per day and uses all the darts in the tail. There must be at least 3 volleys of darts left for this ability to work. Improved Frenzy: Manticores may make two fighting attacks each action with no penalty. Tail Darts: Each round, a Manticore may fire a volley of darts at one target (Range: 4/8/16, Damage: 2d6). It may not fire its darts at the same target it attacks with its claws or bite during the same round. A Manticore can only fire 10 volleys in a single day. Size +2: Manticores weigh over 600 pounds. Ogre Ogres are kin to orcs and lesser giants. They are often taken in by orc clans, who respect the dumb brutes for their savagery and strength. Orcs often pit their pet ogres in savage combats against their rivals ogres. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d12+3, Vigor d12 Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Throwing d6 Pace: 7, Parry: 6, Toughness: 11 (1) Edges: Sweep Gear Weapons: Ogres typically attack with huge clubs, Str+d8. Armor +1: Ogres wear thick hides. Size +3: Ogres are over 8 tall. Orc Orcs are savage, green-skinned humanoids with pig-like features, including snouts and sometimes even tusks. They have foul temperaments, and rarely take prisoners. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6 Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Toughness: 8 (1) Gear Weapons: Orcs use a variety of weapons. Armor +1: Orcs typically wear leather armor or armor they ve scavenged. 9
Infravision: Orcs can see well in the dark; half lighting penalties (round up). Size +1: Orcs are slightly larger than humans. Quanch Giant Quanch Giants originally come from the mountains of Wikinrovia. They are used in Therwyndia to guard the Fortress of Osklabnidia and the area around Tai Shan. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d12+5, Vigor d10 Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Throwing d6 Pace: 8, Parry: 5, Toughness: 12 Edges: Sweep Gear: Quanch Giants prefer stone mauls (Str+d10). Large: Attackers add +2 to their attack rolls when attacking a Quanch Giant due to its large size. Size +4: Quanch Giants are over 12 tall. Skeleton The skin has already rotted from these risen dead, leaving them slightly quicker than their fleshladen zombie counterparts. They are often found swarming in vile necromancers legions. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting d6 Pace: 7, Parry: 5, Toughness: 7 Gear: Skeletons use a variety of gear. Bony Claws: Str+d4 Fearless: Skeletons are immune to Fear and Intimidation. Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; called shots do no extra damage. Lizard, Gwal (Subterranean Lizard) These large lizards are aggressive and like to drop down on their victims from above. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 Skills: Climbing d10, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d8 Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 6 (1) Armor +1: Scaly hide. Bite: Str+d6 10
Wall-Walking: Gwal Lizards can move on all but the smoothest vertical surfaces with ease and can move upside down with a Climbing roll. Sprint: Gwal Lizards move at a Pace of 6 normally, but roll a d8 for running. [WC] Sub-Chief - Grolfo Grolfo is an old war veteran who still packs a punch, literally. He has been the champion boxer among the Quanch Giants for years. He loves to fight small creatures bare handed for sport. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d12+5, Vigor d10 Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Throwing d6 Pace: 8, Parry: 5, Toughness: 13 Edges: Frenzy, Improved Martial Artist Gear: Fists Str+d6 Large: Attackers add +2 to their attack rolls when attacking a Quanch Giant due to its large size. Size +4: Grolfo is over 13 tall. Troglodyte Bizarre fish/lizard/human hybrids, troglodytes are equally at home in deep water and underground. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8 Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Shooting d6, Swimming d8, Throwing d8 Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 7 (1) Gear: Trogs will use swords (Str+d6 damage) or short spears (range 5/10/20, Str+d4 damage) in most situations. Out of the water, they ll also use short bows (range 10/20/40, 2d6 damage). Aquatic: Trogs swim at Pace 8 and can breathe both air and water. Armor +1: Tough Scales. Bite/Claw: Str+d4 Horrid Stench: Trogs give off a terribly rotted-fish smell; it ruins their ability to sneak up on victims, but it does tend to make them ill. Make a Vigor roll when you come within 3 of a troglodyte. Failure means you are violently ill: you re Shaken and take a Fatigue level. Success means you just take the Fatigue level; with a Raise there s no effect. Lost Fatigue returns with 5 minutes of fresh air. 11
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MAGIC ITEMS Arrow +2 Arrow +2 Damage, SWFC page 54. Battle Axe +3 Battle Axe +3 Damage, SWFC page 52. Javelins of Lightning Javelins of either Edges burst or smite (lightning trapping), SWFC page 53. Potion, Extra Healing Potion of Healing With Raise (WR), SWFC page 79. Potion, Delusion Character incurs the Hindrance Delusional, SWDE page 30. Potion, Healing Potion of Healing, SWFC page 79. Potion, Hill Giant Control Potion of Puppet with better effectiveness on Quanch Giants, SWFC page 79. Potion, Storm Giant Strength Potion of Boost Strength With Raise (WR), SWFC page 79. Potion, Water Breathing Potion of Environmental Protection (water), SWFC page 79. Scarab of Insanity Scarab of Confusion, see Power confusion in SWFC page 32. Shield +3 Shield +3 Toughness, SWFC page 49. Spear +3 Spear +3 Damage, SWFC page 54. Sword, Flaming Sword of Smite (fire trapping), SWFC page 53. Sword, Giant Slaying Sword of Edge Giant Killer, SWFC page 52. Warhammer +2 Warhammer +2 Damage, SWFC page 52. 13