[#DUNGEON23] Mountain of the Frost Baron - Jan 30 to Feb 5, 2023

One Month In

I can't believe I'm already one month into designing Mountain of the Frost Baron! I can't say that it has flown by and it certainly is a lot of work, but I am seriously enjoying it. I just can't wait to actually run it for some players!

Also, I went back and forth on whether to include Argukhart in this post or not. I'm not quite happy with it yet, so I have decided to make it into its own post, likely going up later this week. This will likely be my modus operandi going forward when it comes to settlements.

Level 1, Rooms 30 and 31

• Dungeon Level 1 Outline - Craghopper Mine
• Entrances / Exits: External Entrance [CME] (heavily travelled, guarded, 15 minutes by foot to Lostone), Internal Entrance [CMI] (heavily travelled, guarded, enters directly into Argukhart), Crevasse Entrance [CMC] (heavily travelled, connects Steepwalker Trail to Craghopper Mine), Darkwater Crag [DWC] (descends to Dungeon Level 3)
• Location: Within Arguk-Val, at and below ground-level
• Threats: Centipedes (Giant), Goblins, Jellies (Green), Quarry Beetles

Level 1, Rooms 30 and 31 (L1R30 and L1R31)

These "rooms" are instead Special Encounters that may be found within Craghopper Mine. Below is the Craghopper Mine Encounter List to serve as reference.

Craghopper Mine Encounter List

When a 1 is rolled on the Encounter Die, the GM rolls 1d20 on the table below. When it comes to the special encounters (14-20), the GM should reroll on the table if that encounter has already occurred.

1. 1d2 Quarry Beetles; when encountered, these creatures are usually hungry.
2. 1d2 Centipedes (Giant); when encountered, these creatures are usually hungry.
3. "
4. 1d2 Jellies (Green); these creatures are not intelligent, solely seeking objects to digest.
5. "
6. 1d4+3 Goblins; these goblins differ from the standard green type, having pale skin and milky-white eyes. They have many jagged teeth, baring them when threatened. They use simple weaponry and are hostile to other humanoid creatures. Notably, goblins are usually dripping wet when found in Craghopper Mine.
7. "
8. "
9. 1d4+1 Goblins; these goblins differ from the standard green type, having pale skin and milky-white eyes. They have many jagged teeth, baring them when threatened. They use simple weaponry and are hostile to other humanoid creatures. Notably, goblins are usually dripping wet when found in Craghopper Mine.
10. "
11. "
12. "
13. "
14. L1R25
15. L1R26
16. L1R27
17. L1R28
18. L1R29
19. L1R30
20. L1R31

L1R30

• Encounter: Snare Trap, somewhat hidden in a shallow puddle of cold water. Closer inspection reveals a rope hidden behind a support pillar leading up to a jerry-rigged pulley.
• Snare Trap
• Trigger: A target steps into the puddle/snare's loop.
• Effect: If triggered, the target must roll a Save. If they fail, they are strung up by the snare, hanging upside down from the ceiling.
• Disarm: 10
• Description: "As you walk, you spot a small puddle of water on the ground, seemingly surrounding the base of one of the mine's support pillars."

L1R31

• Encounter: A random party member notices a draft from a nearby wall. If the wall is studied for 10 minutes (1 Dungeon Turn), the party finds a faded etching next to one of the torch sconces. The torch flickers from the draft. The etching is shown below.

• Special: If the torch sconce is pulled down, like a lever, it reveals a secret door built into the wall next to it. The door nosily slides open, grinding stone on stone. The door remains open until the sconce is switched back. Behind the secret door is a small stash of treasure stored in a dusty, unlocked chest.
• Treasure: 10d6 Gold pieces, 5d6 Silver pieces, a single +1 Shield, 2d4 Healing Potions.

Level 1, Darkwater Crag Entrance (DWC)

This room is a dripping wet cave with a dark pool of ice-cold water. It is abnormally dark here.

• Encounter: None.
• Special: By diving below the water's surface and swimming through it, you can leave Craghopper Mine and officially enter Darkwater Crag.
• Treasure: None.
• Side Note: I'm really not sure why I ended up structuring everything so that DWC didn't have an official Room Number... I think it was just an oversight. Regardless, I will post this exact room again at the beginning of Darkwater Crag.

Level 2, Rooms 1 through 5

• Dungeon Level 2 Outline - Steepwalker Trail
• Entrances / Exits: Lostone Entrance [STL] (heavily travelled, guarded, 15 minutes by foot to Lostone), Thon-Kyrr Entrance [STT] (heavily travelled, guarded, enters directly into Thon-Kyrr), Crevasse Entrance [CMC] (heavily travelled, connects Steepwalker Trail to Craghopper Mine)
• Location: On Arguk-Val, climbing up the south-western side.
• Threats: Bears, Cougars, Hawks (Giant), Spiders (Giant), Trolls

Level 2, Room 1 (L2R1, Steepwalker Trail)

Below is the first "room" of the second Level of the Megadungeon, Steepwalker Trail. Like L1R1 (Craghopper Mine), it is not a traditional "room," as it is more or less a series of paths between Lostone, Argukhart, and Thon-Kyrr. Unlike Craghopper Mine, however, Steepwalker Trail is more of a natural formation than it is a meticulously planned series of tunnels. Because of this, this second Level will have very few rooms, and instead primarily embraces the idea of Special Encounters as rooms. This should make for a very interesting and (hopefully) exciting experience. For those who are looking foward to more traditional dungeoncrawling, I can promise you that about 6 of the Levels will be closer to what you might be expecting... But all of them are in the back half of the Megadungeon.

Back to Steepwalker Trail. This "room" between settlements is effectively meant to be used as a Point Crawl, where travel between any marked/circled location costs 1 Movement Point. You could alternatively run this area using Dungeoncrawling Rules, checking for encounters every 10 minutes.

• Side Note: You may notice that this Level effectively only has 8 rooms, L2R1 through L2R8. The remaining rooms of the month will instead be special encounters that I will be adding to Steepwalker Trail's Encounter List, which is detailed below.

Steepwalker Trail Encounter List

When a 1 is rolled on the Encounter Die, the GM rolls 1d20 on the table below. On a 11-20, consult the Steepwalker Trail Special Encounter Table below this one.

1. 1 Troll; when encountered, these creatures are usually hungry and very hostile.
2. 1 Bear; when encountered, these creatures are usually hungry. However, they tend to avoid combat when possible.
3. 1 Cougar; when encountered, these creatures are usually hungry. However, they tend to avoid combat when possible.
4. "
5. 1d4 Spiders (Giant); when encountered, these creatures are usually hungry, but cautious.
6. 1d2 Spiders (Giant); when encountered, these creatures are usually hungry, but cautious.
7. "
8. 1d4+1 Hawks (Giant); when encountered, these creatures are usually hunting other animals as prey. However, they may harass creatures that they see as competition for their food.
9. "
10. "
11. See Special Encounter List.
12. See Special Encounter List.
13. See Special Encounter List.
14. See Special Encounter List.
15. See Special Encounter List.
16. See Special Encounter List.
17. See Special Encounter List.
18. See Special Encounter List.
19. See Special Encounter List.
20. See Special Encounter List.

Monsters Stats

• Bear - 5 CR
• HP: 25
• AC: 15
• AB: +5
• Damage: 1d6 + 5, attacks two times
• Special: Can climb trees and other vegetation; Brutal (Lands a Critical Hit on a Natural 19 or a Natural 20 and deals an additional 5 Damage on Critical Hits); Revenge (Once per combat, can attempt a single Attack right after taking Damage)
• Save: 13
• Skills: +2
• Cougar - 4 CR
• HP: 20
• AC: 14
• AB: +4
• Damage: 1d6 + 4
• Special: Can climb trees and other vegetation; Brutal (Lands a Critical Hit on a Natural 19 or a Natural 20 and deals an additional 4 Damage on Critical Hits); Intimidate (May cause one target to gain the Affliction Afraid 2 when combat begins)
• Save: 13
• Skills: +2
• Hawk (Giant) - 2 CR
• HP: 10
• AC: 12
• AB: +2
• Damage: 1d6 + 2
• Special: Can fly
• Save: 14
• Skills: +1
• Spider (Giant) - 3 CR
• HP: 15
• AC: 13
• AB: +3
• Damage: 1d6 + 3
• Special: Can climb walls and upside down; Venom (Once per combat, can cause the Affliction Poisoned 1 on a hit)
• Save: 14
• Skills: +1
• Troll - 6 CR
• HP: 30
• AC: 16
• AB: +6
• Damage: 1d6 + 6, attacks two times
• Special: Regeneration (Regains 6 HP at the end of each Round); Revenge (Once per combat, can attempt a single Attack right after taking Damage)
• Save: 12
• Skills: +3

Steepwalker Trail Special Encounter List

When it comes to the special encounters below, the GM should reroll on the table if that encounter has already occurred.

1. L2R9
2. L2R10
3. L2R11
4. L2R12
5. L2R13
6. L2R14
7. L2R15
8. L2R16
9. L2R17
10. L2R18
11. L2R19
12. L2R20
13. L2R21
14. L2R22
15. L2R23
16. L2R24
17. L2R25
18. L2R26
19. L2R27
20. L2R28

• Side Note: If you happen to have a d30 lying around, you can easily just roll that to determine encounters for Steepwalker Trail by just adding 10 to all of the values of the Special Encounter List (i.e., 1 becomes 11, 2 becomes 12, 20 becomes 30, etc.). It will make the Special Encounters more common, but that's part of the fun of this Dungeon Level.

Level 2, Room 2 (L2R2)

This room is a crossroads between multiple paths on Steepwalker Trail. There are multiple possible Encounters.

• Encounter: When the party travels here, roll 1d4. Based on the roll, they see a certain Encounter. Most of the Encounters below can repeat with different instances of the same creature. Encounter 4, however, cannot repeat.
1. None. Can repeat.
2. 2d4 Elves (merchants); Friendly; Willing to buy/sell goods. Can repeat.
• Elf (merchant) - 2 CR
• HP: 10
• AC: 12
• AB: +2
• Damage: 1d6 + 2
• Special: Can use Ranged Attacks; 1 Spell Point; Magic Missile (The user creates 2 magical darts. They may then instantly send each dart to any target within Medium Range. These darts hit automatically and each dart deals 1d4 Force Damage.)
• Save: 14
• Skills: +1
3. 1d4 Hawks (Giant); Territorial (will attack if provoked); In search of food/prey. Can repeat.
• Hawk (Giant) - 2 CR
• HP: 10
• AC: 12
• AB: +2
• Damage: 1d6 + 2
• Special: Can fly
• Save: 14
• Skills: +1
4. 1 Bear; Hungry and Territorial (will attack if provoked); In search of food/prey; will remain passive if fed. Cannot repeat.
• Bear - 5 CR
• HP: 25
• AC: 15
• AB: +5
• Damage: 1d6 + 5, attacks two times
• Special: Can climb trees and other vegetation; Brutal (Lands a Critical Hit on a Natural 19 or a Natural 20 and deals an additional 5 Damage on Critical Hits); Revenge (Once per combat, can attempt a single Attack right after taking Damage)
• Save: 13
• Skills: +2
• Treasure: Dependent on which Encounter is rolled.
1. None.
2. Misc. weapons/armor, misc. tools/equipment, 5d6 Gold pieces.
• Note: Obviously, this Treasure can only be taken if stolen from the Elves or taken by force.
3. If the Hawks are killed; Rations (Hawk meat) equal to twice the number of killed Giant Hawks.
4. If the Bear is killed; 2d6 Rations (Bear meat) and 1 Bear Pelt (worth 3d6 Gold).

Level 2, Room 3 (L2R3)

This room is a fork in the road.

• Encounter: The Left Side (1) seems to be a clear path forward. The Right Path (2) is blocked off by fallen rocks.
• Special: The rocks located at 2 can be moved over the course of 4 hours by using 2 Movement Points.
• Treasure: None.

Level 2, Room 4 (L2R4)

This room is a junction of paths that is out of the way of most travelers.

• Encounter: There are claw marks carved into the stone wall where the secret door is located. They appear to be the claw marks of a large mammal, such as a Bear or a Cougar. Beyond the massive carved mark, there is no way to tell that there is a secret door here. The door is massive and heavy, nearly impossible to pry open. However, the party may be able to open it through its password or through the Spell Magic Lock.
• Special
• Secret Door: The password is "Bear Claw." If it spoken in any language while within 15 feet of the secret door, the door will open. If Magic Lock is cast on the secret door, the Caster may only dismiss the lock if they are Level 3 or higher.
• Traps: Once past the secret door, the party will encounter 2 Dart Traps. Each trap is hooked up to a tripwire, represented by the vertical lines of X's on the map. If the party searches the area before entering, they will find the Dart Traps and the Tripwires easily. Otherwise, they are likely to trigger the traps.
• Effect: If triggered, the GM rolls 1d20 + 10 versus the target's AC. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 Damage.
• Disarm: 13
• Treasure: Unlock Chest (Contains 5d6 Gold pieces and 3d6 Silver pieces, See 1), Barrel (Contains 2d4 gallons of Aged Wine, worth 5 Gold per gallon, See 2), Unlocked Chest (Contains +1 Medium Armor, See 3).

Level 2, Room 5 (L2R5)

This room is a crossroads between multiple paths on Steepwalker Trail. There are multiple possible Encounters.

• Encounter: When the party travels here, roll 1d4. Based on the roll, they see a certain Encounter. Most of the Encounters below can repeat with different instances of the same creature. Encounter 4, however, cannot repeat.
1. None. Can repeat.
2. 1d4+1 Adventurers; Friendly; Traveling towards Lostone. Can repeat.
• Adventurer - 1 CR
• HP: 5
• AC: 12
• AB: +1
• Damage: 1d6 + 1
• Special: Can use Ranged Attacks; Well-Equipped (+1 AC)
• Save: 15
• Skills: +0
3. 2d4 Dwarves (merchants); Friendly; Willing to buy/sell goods; Traveling towards Argukhart. Can repeat.
• Dwarf (merchant) - 1 CR
• HP: 5
• AC: 11
• AB: +1
• Damage: 1d6 + 1
• Special: Can use Ranged Attacks; Fortitude (Advantage on Saves)
• Save: 15
• Skills: +0
4. 1 Troll; Hungry and Hostile (will attack); In search of food/prey. Cannot repeat.
• Troll - 6 CR
• HP: 30
• AC: 16
• AB: +6
• Damage: 1d6 + 6, attacks two times
• Special: Regeneration (Regains 6 HP at the end of each Round); Revenge (Once per combat, can attempt a single Attack right after taking Damage)
• Save: 12
• Skills: +3
• Treasure: Dependent on which Encounter is rolled.
1. None.
2. Misc. weapons/armor, misc. tools/equipment, 5d6 Silver pieces.
• Note: Obviously, this Treasure can only be taken if stolen from the Adventurers or taken by force.
3. Misc. weapons/armor, misc. tools/equipment, 6d6 Gold pieces.
• Note: Obviously, this Treasure can only be taken if stolen from the Dwarves or taken by force.
4. If the Troll is killed; 1 Troll Hide (worth 25 Gold).