Dungeon Crawl Classics Adventure Path #2: The Dreamers
Linking another flavor of published DCC RPG modules together to try and get your characters to 8th level and beyond!
This article is the second in my series putting together a zero-to-hero campaign using published Goodman Games modules. If you haven’t yet, check out the introduction to this series to get context, tips and to see the other 4 Adventure Paths!
This adventure path uses primarily modules from author Michael Curtis, and starts with Brendan LaSalle’s “Hole in the Sky” funnel. I call this the “dreamers” path, since the set up of Hole in the Sky is that all the characters have always dreamed that they were destined for something different.
Warning: this article contains many spoilers for the adventures below.
Advantages to this Adventure Path:
- These modules were published more recently, and tend to be a bit more even in terms of editing and tone.
- This path has a lot of role-playing challenges, and tends to better involve players to enjoy role-playing, and not only dungeon crawling.
- This path tends to be a little less life-or-death intense, and a little easier to run than the OG path.
- This path has a strong consistent theme, and can feel more coherent than the OG path, especially if you stick to the main modules listed.
Disadvantages to this Adventure Path:
- The path tends sometimes to the silly, or at least ridiculous. It also has less of the “gonzo” feel of the OG DCC modules. Check out the other Adventure Paths in this series for options with a more gonzo, gritty, or sci-fi feel.
- This path doesn’t have the very challenging dungeons at early levels, or the very strong Law vs. Chaos themes of the OG path. If your group is interested in being challenged in tricky dungeon crawls, the OG path may be better, although there is plenty of challenge here a well.
- There can be quite a bit of intra-party conflict quite early on in this campaign, which may not suit every group. I’ve never had it be a huge problem, but I know some groups that would not do well with it.
- Because the majority of the adventure path is the PCs trying to get back to civilization through a swamp; there is not as many easy places to work in adventures not listed on this path.
Note that I have tried to link to the Print+PDF version of the modules referenced in this article, but things like the Gongfarmer’s Almanac are available as free PDFs as well as the print copies that I linked to. Personally, I only buy PDFs these days, as I like to be able to print extra copies of maps and handouts, and highlight and annotate the heck out of the module before I run it. (I also lack for shelf space).
Note: Because intra-party conflict can come up so early in this campaign, you should have a session 0 before beginning this adventure path. You need to warn players that they are likely to be tempted to turn against each other, and how they plan on handling that in-character vs. out-of-character. How much time are they willing to spend apart? Are they willing to have PvP combat? How will they de-escalate? Is it worth using something like the X-Card to ensure that people can put an end to things if they get too intense? Discussing all this before you being play goes a long way to ensuring people don’t get their feelings hurt, and that you can have a long and memorable campaign.
Now, on to the funnel…
Level 0: Hole in the Sky
Hole in the Sky begins with this conceit:
The characters all individually feel like they are living the wrong lives, and have since as long as they can remember. Each one believes they were destined for something much greater, yet can’t find a way to escape their mundane existence.
This conceit is the set up for this whole campaign—and should be emphasized as a major driving force for the PCs when they get confused or drift away from each other.
This adventure ends with the characters most likely receiving a roll on the Wheel of Destiny, which can bring dead PCs back to life, have them switch lives, and change their character class or race.
I try and make sure that they have a really good chance to make a roll on the table, and encourage them to remember they can burn luck on it. It’s more fun if they end the adventure this way!
Depending on how things go in this module, they may have earned the attention of Drezta and the Lady in Blue. This attention doesn’t go unnoticed by the powers of Law and Chaos, which leads us to our next adventure…
Level 1: Intrigue at the Court of Chaos
This is one of the most popular DCC RPG modules. There are lots of unique things about it, but I love it the most for the that ‘change the universe’ feeling. Lowly Level 1 characters becoming pawns of Chaos Lords, and being approached individually with offers of power and wealth. Their choices can affect the universe for millenia to come!
This can be an amazingly memorable module, or it can tear groups apart. Have fun with the temptations in this module, but don’t be too hard on players if they want to do some meta-gaming once they figure out what is going on. It’s more fun if they can strategize a little.
Chances are they PCs will end up with some major stuff at the end of this module; in one campaign we ended up with a succubus (which I made tiny and adorable to avoid uncomfortable situations at the table — she was a party mascot for the rest of the campaign, and often drove major plot points).
Chances are they aren’t going to be friends with all the Chaos Lord by the end of this adventure, which gives us the excuse of dropping them in the middle of a nasty swamp for the rest of the campaign.
More Level 1 Adventure: Gnole House in the DCC Quickstart Rules is easily found along the route back to civilization. The Inn in the Forest from the 2020 Gongfarmer’s Almanac would fit here, but I suggest moving on to Level 2.
Level 2: The Tower out of Time
This adventure is also in the Chaos Rising omnibus.
This is a very fun, relatively short dungeon crawl through a time-traveling tower. I love the setup for this adventure — a lizard wizard is coming back from a trip to the edge of the universe, and his assistant is trying to predict when and where he will be coming back, so he can guide him home.
Coming from Intrigue at the Court of Chaos: I had them get dropped by the Chaos Lords back on their home plane(t)…but not exactly where they picked them up. I chose a swamp in the middle of nowhere, and when the PCs headed out to try and find their way back to civilization, they came across this tower. After hours of walking and seeing nothing…this is their only hope. Alternatively, I had an avatar of Bobugbubilz appear to one group, and offer to give them a map back to civilization if they prevented the tower from fulfilling its purpose. I decided Bobugbubilz believes that S’lissakk may be in league with his father Schaphigroadaz. Stopping S’lissakk’s return prevents him from aiding in Schaphigroadaz’s return (see the next module, The Croaking Fane for more details there). I enjoy playing blubbery avatars of Bobugbubilz, and he became a fixture of the campaign from then on.
More Level 2 Adventure: if you really want more at Level 2, you can jump over into one of the holiday modules: including It Consumes, The Doom that Came to Christmas Town, The Corpse that Love Built, Trials of the Toy Makers. Most of these can be “something happened on the road back to civilization” inserts. You can also include another Brendan adventure with The Inn at Five Points, which is a relatively short adventure that can be at an inn they find on their way back. Dread on Demon Crown Hill is also an option, but not a favorite.
Level 3: The Croaking Fane
Time for a good ol’ middle-of-nowhere raid on a temple full of cultists-cum-frog-people.
As you do.
I really line the finale of this adventure, and the problem solving that the encounters encourage in the players.
Coming from The Tower out of Time: They found the tower in the swamp, and they are still in the swamp. As they finally get closer to civilization, they discover this strangely quiet temple.
Perhaps a storm comes and chases them inside, or our old friend the avatar of Bobugbubilz reappears and asks them to stop the ‘dreamers’ from within the temple from metamorphosing into ‘evil creatures’ (aka servants of his father, Schaphigroadaz). He would reward them with a map to a powerful magic item if they succeed. Or maybe they are just hoping for a dry place to sleep…
More Level 3 Adventure: There aren’t a ton of great options to continue at Level 3 with this campaign setup, but you can work in the Level 2 modules mentioned above if you want more before heading on to Level 4.
Level 4: The Making of the Ghost Ring
By this point, the players are likely getting annoyed that they haven’t made it back to civilization yet, and haven’t had a chance to go to a shop to spend all the treasure they have been accumulating, and haven’t really achieved their destiny.
Well, they are about to get a chance to make it big.
Coming from The Croaking Fane: The PCs find a hut in the swamp (yep, they are still in the swamp), where a wizard…who has been turned into a ghost…needs to finish making a powerful magic ring or be condemned to the arms of a demon. She needs them to complete a few mini-adventures to get parts to complete the ring, and then the ring is theirs. Getting this powerful item, as well has the ghost offering anything in her hut for their use (e.g. armor and items they have been wanting can be inserted there), it should be pretty easy to motivate them. I had the additional motivation that the succubus that was their mascot truly hated the demon that had a claim on the ghost’s soul. You can also have the avatar of Bobugbubilz be interested in making sure that this demon doesn’t claim the power of the ghost and use her skills for his own. That is a nice way to keep to the froggy chaos lord theme. You can also bring back Drezta or The Lady in Blue to encourage them to get the ring, or make them an offer to trade it for their one true desire (again keeping with the mild PvP themes).
One of the quests has them go to an urban area — a thieves den where you can plant various things that they may be looking for, and can set them up with contacts to finally make their way back to civilization. Perhaps they look out the window of the thieves’ den, and glimpse what their lives could be, only to have to rush back to their new ghost friend before being able to taste it.
More Level 4 Adventure: With some creativity, you can locate Tomb of the Thrice-Damned War Witch from the 2015 Gongfarmer’s Almanac here in the swamp. You can also run a module that I have mixed feelings about, The 13th Skull. That one will take a lot of tweaking to fit into this path, and I recommend saving it for the JG Path.
Level 5: The Chained Coffin
Not a lot of options once we get to this level, and there is really only once choice.
While this adventure introduces an entire campaign setting (The Shudder Mountains), and veers away from our Froggy theme, it features a nasty character who wants to become a Chaos Lord — something they are very familiar with.
For example, perhaps Bobugbubilz doesn’t want Boak to become a Chaos champion, as he is aligned with Schaphigroadaz. Justicia may also intervene directly here, to rescue her champion, and prevent Boak’s ascension. At this level it is not at all heavy-handed to have the gods contact the PCs directly.
Coming from The Making of the Ghost Ring: They have a fairly powerful artifact now, but still haven’t made it back to civilization. Perhaps they can use one of the Journey Chimes to get back to the city. Perhaps the halfling jeweler Nikademos can help them get back to the city of Oolvanvar. Or perhaps they want to make sure he gets back there. But chances are…they are still stuck in the swamp, now with a halfling, and a new ring. Their path takes them through the mountains, where they are approached by one of their patrons (i.e. an avatar of Bobugbubilz or Justicia) to have them deal with Boak. Or, maybe they take shelter in a cave, still trying to get back to civilization, and it turns out to be Zugun’s cave.
I encourage you to embrace the Shudder Mountains feel, as it’s one of the best parts of this adventure. While this is not a Shudder Mountains campaign, the quest to prevent a new Chaos Lord from appearing fits well into the PCs quests to do something epic with their lives.
The entire Shudder Mountains can be a place where you fit in micro-quests. Perhaps a PC falls in love with a Shudfolk. Perhaps they find a real home here, in a different kind of civilization. Perhaps they find an abandoned home (e.g. the one that is haunted in the module), and decide to make it their own. Perhaps they find Shudfolk willing to make them what they truly seek in exchange for all that gold they are carrying…
More Level 5 Adventure: A option here is The Infernal Crucible of Sezrekan the Mad from Chaos Rising. This introduces the group to Sezrekan, who is a well-known name in DCC lore. Also at this level in the same book is The Undulating Corruption, which is a fun way to let the PCs cleanse themselves of some corruptions they may have picked up. Other things (magic items, cures) can be found inside the worm from that module, linking the PCs desires. Both can be tucked right into the Shudder Mountains. You can also run any of the other Shudder Mountains adventures, such as Death Among the Pines, and just scale them up a bit.
Level 6: The Sinister Sutures of the Sempstress
With the theme of this campaign being the Dreamers, it is impossible to not include this adventure, which takes place in a nightmare.
If horror isn’t going to sit well with your group (although I’d offer that this one is more a bit gross than actual horror), then you can use the options in the “More Level 5 Adventure” section instead. But I think this one fits well, as the hook is that the PCs are resting at their homes, and then get pulled into the nightmare world. And of course, it ties in nicely with the dreamers theme.
Coming from The Chained Coffin: Hopefully the PCs found a home in the Shudder Mountains, or perhaps made their way to the city of Oolvanvar. Resting at home, the module intro kicks in very smoothly.
More Level 6 Adventure: Imprisoned in the God Skull is the other Michael Curtis-penned option at Level 6. You can place the monastery in the Shudder Mountains, or again use the patrons to ask the PCs to go check on the Lama Dawa, or to prevent the Chaos being imprisoned in the god-skull from escaping. 998th Conclave of Wizards is an option, and perhaps plays well into the “bigger destiny” feel that this campaign employs. If you are going to do that, then definitely see the Star Cabal as early as possible. Tower of Faces is also an option, as it lets the PCs help a wizard with big tasks again…perhaps they were referred by a ghost.
Level 8: Colossus Arise!
You may have noticed we skipped Level 7. That’s because there isn’t an official published DCC adventure at Level 7, and there is only one at level 8.
At this point, you can do more Level 6 adventures instead, or you can do what I usually do, just level up everyone to 10th level and take on this beast of a module! You can easily challenge 10th level characters with this one.
By this point, your characters are quite powerful, and have lots of foibles, equipment, and responsibilities. I usually end up with them having some sort of kingdom at this point, either the Thrice-Tenth Kingdom, or a reward from the Overseer of Punjar, or if you ran The 13th Skull, perhaps entire demesnes of their own. As a result, they may have ‘retired’ to a life with loved ones in the Shudder mountains, or other activities of the mega-powerful. And then a titan appears at their doorstep and foretells the end of the world.
This is a very tricky adventure to run, but very much worth it. It’s a great capstone to any campaign, and lets your adventurers retire having prevented the rise of the 4th age and defeated an un-dead titan!
As a note, the scale of the titan at the end of this module is so large that I ended up just making a massive token with feet drawn on it.
What if they have already played this? If you already ran the OG campaign, or plan to run it, I would skip this adventure, and end with one of the 6th level adventures scaled up. 998th is a nice closure to the campaign, ending with the same kind of plane-hopping court of supernatural beings that they started with in the Court of Chaos.
Conclusion
That’s the end of this Adventure Path using official published DCC modules. Your characters have grown in power, found a home, and maybe never found their way back to civilization. They have been the pawns of great powers, and maybe found a way to save the world more than a few times!
I hope you give this a try!
Cheers,
Tim
Check out Adventure Path #3: Lankhmar for more ideas!
