The Book of Boom

Adventure Briefing

The characters are hired for a dangerous escort mission. After three days of harsh travel and hostile creatures, they arrive to find their destination under attack and a new mission waiting. To the Players. The Voyagers, a group of archaeologists from the town of Rastein, need help to secure a newly discovered ruin deep in the mountains. Gwendela Sunborn, a Malkari scholar, has enlisted you to escort her assembled team to the site and ensure their safety. The temple holds immense historical significance.

Level Range: 5-6
Tags: Bandits, Escort, Ruins Connections: Cold Crook Excavation, Rastein, Slatetop Mountains, The Voyagers
Monsters: Cave Bear, Eagle, Hobgoblin Captain, Hobgoblin Warlord, Mage, Oni, Saber-tooth Tiger Download PDF: Ko-fi, DriveThru RPG

The Voyagers Escort Mission

Gwendela Sunborn. (C/G, Female, Malkari Mage)
Gwendela is the key figure driving the mission. She is a scholar with a passion for explosives and uncovering her people’s history. She relies on others to handle all things survival. Gwendela has the mage stat block. She fights only if cornered, focusing on area-of-effect spells. Gwendela emphasizes protecting the Voyagers, warning of the harsh environment and the need for resources. She knows the temple is related to Bako, fire, the sun, and little else. The characters must complete 3 challenges over as many days to escort the Voyagers. The DC ranges between 12-16, depending on the danger or severity. For each failed challenge, roll 1d6 and add 1 additional challenge to complete the mission.

1-3: Death

4-6: Delays

The journey through the mountains begins with 5 Voyagers and Gwendela Sunborn. The Voyager’s names are Loretth, Jorm, The Dog, Tiptop Tea, and Kolo. Terrain
There are narrow ledges, large gaps, and unstable paths.

Acrobatics, Athletics, and Survival

Wildlife
Creatures include cave bears, eagles, and saber-tooth tigers.

Animal Handling, Intimidation, and Stealth

Environment
A hostile area, including storms, freezing, and rockslides.

Nature, Perception, and Survival

Arrival

Read Aloud. The temple’s sandstone walls are timeless. Smoke curls outside, and the sound of metal clangs within.

Gwendela’s New Offer. A group of bandits is looting and causing significant damage. Outraged, Gwen pleads with the characters to stop the raid. She will increase their pay. Upon Arrival. Any survivors remain at base camp to assist. The number benefits the characters in the following ways:

History/Religion

The Cold Crooks

The Cold Crook Excavation Crew consists of mercenaries and thugs drawn by the promise of wealth. They operate nearby. Gah Rant. The leader of the crew is a disguised oni who goes by “Grant.” The Cold Crooks believe he is a human wizard. Gah Rant has found The Book of Boom and has attuned to it. The power coursing through him has increased dramatically. Gurt the Mage. Gurt is a mage, and goblin support wizard sent by management. She is willing to surrender or turn if threatened. If Grant is revealed, Gurt will be scared to find out he is an oni.

The Temple of Dunedori

Encounter Outer Courtyard. 1x hobgoblin captain and 1x hobgoblin warlord. Excess noise warns the inner chambers.

Read Aloud. Hieroglyphics mark floor tiles and walls. Rubble is scattered everywhere, with signs of recent damage.

Encounter Inner Chambers. 4x hobgoblin captains are trying to move a statue. If warned they prepare by taking cover. Fire Traps. Hieroglyphics show which are safe (see map). Touching the wrong one causes creatures within 5 ft. to make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, or take 3d6 fire damage.

History

Brown Mold. Brown Mold covers indicated areas (see map), drawn by the temple’s heat. Fire spreads the mold rapidly.

Read Aloud. A stone door is carved with an inscription: “Light, Life, and Warmth.” There are scorch marks nearby.

The Innermost Chamber. The door to the chamber has 3 circular slots, corresponding to aspects of the sun: Light, Life, and Warmth. Once triggered, the door opens in a burst of flame.

Light. Reflect light onto the slot.
Life. Burn a seed or plant, then place it in the slot.
Warmth. Ignite the slot by putting fire directly to it.

Encounter: BOOM! Gah Rant (oni), a hobgoblin warlord, and Gurt (mage) are inside. Gurt focuses on using counterspell and disrupting other casters who are concentrating on spells. If Gurt has changed sides, they will Dash until out of Gah Rant’s vision, focusing on counterspelling any casts of detonation. The Book of Boom. Gah Rant has attuned to it and can cast detonation as a bonus action. Each cast increases the damage by 1d8 and DC by 1. Starting damage 4d8 Force, DC 13 Dex save. Destruction. Too many detonations will destroy the chamber, forcing a retreat to the previous maps through the temple.

Escape Sequence

The Escape. Gah Rant’s death triggers a devastating burst of energy. The explosion cracks walls and ceilings shift. Characters must travel back through the temple under additional threat:

Debris. At the end of each round, creatures must make a DC 12 Dex save. Failure: take 2d6 bludgeoning damage and fall prone.
Damaged Paths. DC 12 Acrobatics or Athletics check to cross.
Smoke and Heat. DC 12 Con save or take 1 level of exhaustion.

Reference Page

Rewards

Payment. 200 gp each, up front. Percentage based on future findings paid monthly through scrips. GM Note. Choose an amount you wish to give whenever you want a payment. Extra Payment. Gwen will promise up to triple. Use Charisma-based checks. Temple Loot. The Book of Boom. The rest of the items are historical artifacts or are still buried. Payment reflects this. Raider Loot. Hobgoblin loot, 2d10 gp per raider, a scroll of secret chest, and the spell’s component chests.

The Book of Boom

Wondrous Item, rare (requires attunement by a spellcaster) This spellbook is bound in obsidian, its slate pages emblazoned with runes. It radiates destructive potential and grants devastating power to its attuned user, though at personal risk. Spellbook Access. A wizard can copy the spell detonation from this book into their spellbook by following the normal rules for copying spells. This process does not require attunement. Destructive Precision. While attuned, your spells deal double damage to objects and structures. Detonation. While attuned, you can cast the spell detonation as a bonus action. Self-Immolation. Each time you cast detonation beyond the first on a given day, you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + the number of times you have cast the spell that day. On a failure, you suffer the following:

Lose one Hit Die.
Take fire damage equal to the result of your missing Hit Dice + your Constitution modifier.

Market Supplies

Rastein Marketplace. A small market that provides limited resources. Some of the available supplies: llamas, mules, climbing kits, cold-weather clothing, rope, lanterns, 1d4 potion of healing, rations (only enough to last the expedition)

GM Advice

The players shouldn’t suspect the bandits at the temple. The journey through the mountains should feel like the adventure, creating a surprise upon arrival. The dig site will be damaged for months to come. Assuming success, Gwendela should maintain contact about her progress.

Detonation

LEVEL
3rd

CASTING TIME
1 Action

RANGE/AREA
20 ft.

COMPONENTS
V, S, M*

DURATION
Instantaneous

SCHOOL
Evocation

ATTACK/SAVE
DEX

DAMAGE/EFFECT
Force

You create precise explosive detonations beneath creatures, objects, or structures you can see. Each target you choose that is on a solid surface within the area must make a Dexterity saving throw or it takes 16 ( 4d8 ) force damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If a creature failed its saving throw, its speed is reduced by half until the end of its next turn.

_{*- (caltrops and a tinderbox)}

NPCs

Gwendela Sunborn
C/G, Female, Malkari Mage A member of the Daring Dynamos guild, Gwen sees this expedition as an opportunity to learn. She is charmingly reckless, with a tendency to focus on blowing things up before thinking. Roleplaying Gwendela
Personality Trait. “Find fun by getting your hands dirty.”
Ideal. “Legacy. Where you come from reveals the path.”
Bond. “I want to do something Mama would be proud of.”
Flaw. “I can’t pass on a chance to blow something up.”

Gah Rant
C/E, Giant Oni Gah Rant is a lieutenant in the hierarchy of the Cold Crooks. Those above him know his oni nature. He is obsessed with wealth and cares little for his crew. If hurt, Gah Rant will try to escape using gaseous form and destroy the area around him. Roleplaying Gah Rant
Personality Trait. “I’m a natural liar, and enjoy deception.”
Ideal. “Superiority. I’m better than all of you. You know it.”
Bond. “I’ll work with someone as long as it matters to me.”
Flaw. “I’m unable to handle the power that is given to me.”

Gurt the Mage
C/N, Female, Goblin Mage A gifted student, Gurt fell in with the Cold Crooks when their spellbook was taken by debtors. She hides if at all possible.
Roleplaying Gurt
Personality Trait. “I stay out of sight like a shy wallflower.”
Ideal. “Decency. There’s no reason to be a monster about it.”
Bond. “I refuse to give up my dream because of my past.”
Flaw. “My debt has me do dumb work for dumb people.”

Brown Mold

Brown mold feeds on warmth, drawing heat from anything around it. A patch of brown mold typically covers a 10-foot square, and the temperature within 30 feet of it is always frigid. When a creature moves to within 5 feet of the mold for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 ( 4d10 ) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Brown mold is immune to fire, and any source of fire brought within 5 feet of a patch causes it to instantly expand outward in the direction of the fire, covering a 10-foot-square area (with the source of the fire at the center of that area). A patch of brown mold exposed to an effect that deals cold damage is instantly destroyed.