Contest Entry: Cloud-Giant's Cairn (by Giant Goose)

Each of the five rooms in this tomb requires the players to be on their toes. The cloud giant Kaelos interred within had a sorcerous bent and a skill with light, lightning, fog, and illusion. Recommended level to enter is 5+ and it is indended as a hex lair in the wilderness. I can see this slotting in almost anywhere - as part of another dungeon, as a feared landmark in civilization, as a surprise find in the howling wilderness. I would not be afraid to tempt even lower level heroes with this, something to show them the casual brutality of mid level adventuring, where they can return some time after their first set of characters perish or are trapped inside.

Download it here!

Does it qualify?

Yes. The PDF is 2 pages, the text and map are legible on the printed page, there is hidden treasure and arguably sentinels, the author does not put the burden of creativity on the reader, it says "1e" on the page which I take to mean AD&D but it uses Morale scores from "Men & Morale" (most enemies in this are undead with unshakeable morale anyway). 

What is my judgement?

As a DM, does it respect my time, intelligence, and taste?

Each of the five rooms has an explanation of its mechanics and how it interacts with adjacent rooms when relevant, but the dungeon doesn't waste time trying to "explain itself". At the end there is a note of what the DM is expected to have to make rulings on, a helpful warning in case their system of choice doesn't provide the answers. There are nasty surprises for the players which are emergent properties of the setup. The whole of the tomb gives you a clear sense of who the entombed cloud giant was, from spell scrolls indended to prank friends (and another indended to kill looters), the illusion of what are presumably his old friends reminiscing, lightning bolt shaped swords, good stuff.

Does it offer a good challenge and proportional reward to the players?

For a mid-level party this dungeon offers tough fights, some dangerous traps, some conundrums better solved by their wits than brute force. They will not leave disappointed, if they manage to leave! The end notes the XP totals gained from each room if you ignore the bulky treasure (12,254xp in total using AD&D xp for magic items) but the main value lies in heavy amphoras and tedious to extract decorative gems providing another ~20,000gp! A strong incentive to secure the whole dungeon and a path to carry the heavy loot back to civilization. The most remarkable item in the hoard is the Iron Flask containing a Radiance Elemental, it refers to the DMG for rules but I've heard from other players that it can trap almost any entity within!

Does it offer shortcuts and treasure for the brave and clever player?

The first room is full of ghouls and ghasts chained to the walls, and the walls themselves are covered in a paean to Kaelos which when chanted aloud calms the undead and opens the first secret door. There are several marked spell scrolls "For a despoiler", "To call their aspects" etc. which provide hints to their contents, and to the paranoid player which is meant as a trap for intruders! Surrounding the sepulchre are dead stopped lions marked by their names, the skull of one contains the magical key to the sepulchre and anyone with a passing knowledge of latin would pick up on this being the favorite of the light obsessed cloud giant. Subtle, and in the case of a player being more perceptive than their DM this inference might even come as a suprise for them!

Does it punish cowardly and stupid players with the loss of life, resources, or opportunity?

Each room gives the players opportunities to die by their carelessness. Notable are the chained up ghouls, who if fought have a chance to break their chains each round, or if left where they are automatically break free if the magical key found in the lion's skull is on the party (it will be as it is worth 700gp in itself) when they pass through on their way out. Even controlling the undead with a chaotic cleric or similar trick isn't completely safe as the lure of the tasty canopic jars holding Kaelos organs draws the ghouls - and his liver acts as three doses of potion of cloud giant strength which would power up the ghouls to fearsome threats! But the most subtle and dangerous threat are the very doors of the tomb! They require a combined strength of 50 to open, and they close on their own. Should the party have just over 50 strength when entering, then lose a member during their exploration, they are trapped! Eating the liver, if the ghouls haven't gotten to it first, is a possible means of escape, but if the players don't figure this out they are doomed!

In conclusion

A fantastic (in the literal sense) little tomb. It is shock full of traps, but "detect traps" or creeping forward an inch at the time looking for pressure plates won't save you from them. Like the other entry Frost & Flame this one comes off as a dense and gimmicky on first read, but once the implications and interactions have percolated in my mind it comes alive with layers of thematic and mechanical interactions. Often when reading published dungeons (independent or official!) I get the sense of an author who has not playtested their adventure, or even played the game they are designing for! Not so in this case, it is obvious Giant Goose is drawing from a lot of experience actually running the game - knowing what works, and knowing what is going to be fun and challenging.