A Familiar Tower

General Notes

  • This adventure was fairly straightforward to convert, as most of the magic items have system neutral descriptions.
  • Pregenerated characters: The original adventure comes with 7 pregenerated PCs, statted for OSE. I have converted the pregens to Cairn, available as a PDF here. Three of the pregens were originally an Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling. If you would like to include these backgrounds, I recommend including Yochai Gal’s Simple Backgrounds for Cairn.
  • Dungeon Exploration: Use the (slightly) modified Dungeon Events table below.
  • Inventory & items: This adventure is full of treasure. Since it was written for a system that doesn’t track inventory, playing it in Cairn means that PCs will likely carry far fewer items than they would in OSE. Players can circumvent this problem by shrinking items via the miniature tower, in which case items of any size become petty. However, as noted in the original adventure, if the PCs exit the tower using the sea-green quartz sphere, any objects they took with them instantly return to their normal size.
  • Potion duration: In OSE (and in this adventure), potions last 1d6+6 Turns (or between 70—120 minutes) unless otherwise specified. In this conversion, potions with continual effects last one hour. Wardens may instead prefer to roll 1d6+6 or for potions to last until a result of Loss is rolled on the Dungeon Events Table.
  • Spells: The d20 spells table (p. 36) in this adventure specifies that “Unless otherwise noted, spells last L × 10 minutes (where “L” equals the level of the caster), with a range of 40’. Unwilling target creatures save versus spells to avoid effects.” If using this spell table in Cairn, spells should last until a result of Loss is rolled on the Dungeon Events table and should have the same range. Unwilling target creatures must make a WIL save to avoid effects.

Dungeon Events

  1. Encounter. Roll on the Wandering Encounters table (p. 39).
  2. Sign. Roll an Encounter and place it near the PCs. Alternatively, give a clue for a nearby NPC.
  3. Environment. Treat as a result of Sign or Quiet.
  4. Loss. A torch goes out, a spell expires, or a potion’s effects wear off.
  5. Exhaustion. The party must rest (triggering another roll on this table), add a Fatigue, or consume a ration.
  6. Quiet. The party is left alone (and safe) for the time being.

Monsters or NPCs

To enlarge creatures relative to the party, double their HP and STR and treat them as a detachment. Shrunken creatures have 1 HP and 3 STR.

Albus, the Cat with Nine Eight Lives

8 HP, 1 Armor, 12 STR, 16 DEX, 15 WIL, Scratch (d6+d6) or Bite (d8)

  • Spider Climb: Effortlessly walks across any surface.
  • Afraid of water: Avoids it with the instinctual terror of every cat.

Athena, the Fun-Loving Aquatic Beast

8 HP, 1 Armor, 14 STR, 14 DEX, 12 WIL, Bite (d8)

  • Critical Damage: A limb is rent from the target.

Biting Fly, Giant

5 HP, 1 Armor, 6 STR, 15 DEX, 8 WIL, Bite (d6)

Carbuncle, the Ruby Spell Armadillo

1 HP, 2 Armor, 6 STR, 14 DEX, 18 WIL, Bite (d4)

  • Telepathy: Communicates telepathically with all creatures within 30ft, serving as an eager interpreter between the party and tower denizens.
  • Die on command: Carbuncle can will himself to die whenever he chooses.

Edgar, the Battle-Scarred Giant Cockroach

10 HP, 3 Armor, 15 STR, 13 DEX, 13 WIL, Stinger (d8+d8)

  • Critical Damage: Target is poisoned and dies in one minute without an antidote.

Esmis Mer

12 HP, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 16 WIL, Unarmed (d4)

Grabbing Vines

7 HP, 3 Armor, 10 STR, 14 DEX, 2 WIL, Tendrils (10ft range, d8+d8, blast)

  • Crush: If the vines deal damage to a PC’s HP or STR, a tendril latches onto the target, automatically dealing d6 damage per round. Breaking free requires a successful DEX save.
  • Fire Vulnerability: Fire damage is enhanced.

Mother, the Nurturing Leader of the Pigeon-Rats

1 HP, 3 STR, 16 DEX, 10 WIL, Gnaw (d4)

Pigeon-Rats, the Helpless Flock

3 HP, 6 STR, 16 DEX, 6 WIL, Gnaw (d4)

  • Dive Bomb: The Pigeon-Rat’s first attack is enhanced.

Spider, Giant

4 HP, 13 STR, 8 DEX, 4 WIL, bite (d8)

  • Critical Damage: Target is poisoned and dies in one minute without an antidote.

Swarm of Spiders

7 HP, 10 STR, 16 DEX, 3 WIL, swarm (d4), detachment

  • Immunity: Unharmed by weapon attacks. Fire damage is enhanced.

Vat-Spawn

6 HP, 8 STR, 8 DEX, 0 WIL, Aging touch (d8)

  • Immunity: Only harmed by silver or magic weapons and spells.
  • Aging touch: Anything touched by the Vat-Spawn ages 20 years and gains Wasting Fatigue.
  • Wasting Fatigue: Occupies one slot. You cannot recover lost STR or HP. Only magic or a Potion of Cure Disease cures it.

Locations

1a. Entrance

Ring of Knocking

  • The Ring of Knocking in Sigurd’s mouth is bulky since it has been enlarged 50 times. If it is shrunk, it becomes the size of a normal ring (petty).

4a. Model Room

Potion of Healing

  • Restores d6+d6 STR. 1 use.

-1A. Treasure Vault

Flying Carpet

  • A fine woven rug. Can hold up to two people; any more and it cannot move.

Items & Relics

  • Relic recharges: If not otherwise labeled in this conversion or the original adventure, relics with charges regain 1 charge every 10 years.
  • Potion duration: All potions with continual effects last one hour.

Bloodletter (d10, bulky)

  • Deep red broadsword that drinks blood. If fed daily, its attacks deal d10+d10.
  • Shines crimson light as a torch, always warm.

Feather of Slowed Descent (petty)

  • While held, the creature’s descent slows to that of a feather for one hour.
  • Usable once per day.

Gem of the Erudite (petty)

  • Bite-sized ruby that stores knowledge and spells. Only Carbuncle (p. 28) can safely remove the gem embedded in his forehead—otherwise, it shatters.
  • When swallowed, the user learns the gem’s functions and memorizes 5 random spells (p. 36). The swallower can cast these memorized spells at will without incurring Fatigue, but then forgets the spell.
  • Two weeks after swallowing, the swallower forgets uncast spells, but the gem resets, and can be swallowed again to learn another random set of 5 spells (p. 36).

Jar of Catnip (3 uses)

  • Causes Albus (or any other feline) to become overwhelmed, forcing the creature to roll around in the substance for one round.
  • At the start of each subsequent round, the creature must make a successful WIL save to end the effect.

Mirror of Affirmation (bulky)

  • Full-length, free-standing mirror framed in pale holly wood. Its edge bears engraved words: “I am loved. I am enough. I am brave even when I feel fear.”
  • Those that meet their own reflection and recite the affirmations aloud temporarily gain d6 HP and d6 in each Attribute. The effects last one hour.
  • The mirror can be used once per day.

Parlor Coin (petty)

  • Magic gold piece capable of unlimited party tricks. Always warm.

Pin (petty)

  • When the pin’s wielder speaks the command word, “Pin,” it instantly grows to the size of a full spear (d8+d8, bulky) or shrinks back to pin size. Can be grown and then re-shrunk once per day.

Potion of Giant Strength

  • Frothy azure liquid, cold as ice, tasting of copper. Grants 17 STR for 1 hour. Attacks deal d12+d12.

Potion of Speed

  • Red carbonated liquid with a cherry-citrus tang. The drinker always acts first in initiative, can move twice as far in a round, and makes attacks with dX+dX.

Ring of Knocking (petty, 2 charges)

  • A gleaming silver ring set with a radiant emerald that dims with each use.
  • Opens any mundane or magical lock.

Quartz Spheres (petty)

  • Full description of the spheres on p. 35.