Well of the Worm question (DCC *OR* 3.5 version)...SPOILERS

[Ogrepuppy]

Hi,

I have both the Well of the Worm reprint (for DCCRPG) and The Adventure Begins (3.5 edition) versions of this adventure.

In both adventures, there's a north/south corridor between sections 1-3 and 1-4, and roughly 1/3 of the way up (from the south) there's a little alcove with a series of bars (or maybe a portcullis?) blocking off the main N/S corridor from said alcove. In the DCC reprint's map, immediately to the east of those bars is a trap door that apparently leads to a long chute/corridor that ends at section 1-7, where the feral villagers (or elves, in the 3.5 version) are being kept prisoner.

There is a complete lack of description for that section, and I've been trying to figure out exactly what it is. In the DCCRPG reprint, it's implied that living sacrifices (villagers [DCC] and/or elves [3.5]) are likely shoved through a barred/locked door, into the alcove, immediately upon which the prisoners fall down the trap door and tumble/have to crawl down the chute/corridor to the prison caves of section 1-7.

Also, section 1-7A (the "Lost Lake") contains a snake. There are 6 prisoners (villagers/elves) down here, too. Have the prisoners tried to conquer the snake, or vice-versa? It would seem to me that the snake would either 1) keep it's distance and just eat the schools of fish--and thus not attack the PCs, as it'd be used to humanoids in it's "turf," or 2) enjoy many fine meals of feral villager/elf, but Solom Quor would notice his supply of prisoners had dwindled since the last time he checked his "stock" and Solom Quor himself would try to kill the snake.

Just trying to wrap my head around the inconsistencies. HELP!

[JediOre]

Ogrepuppy,

I've run this little gem of Harley's twice using the original 3.5 module for my Castles & Crusades gang but I don't have the adventure in front of me, so I'm working off memory.

I did change the feral elves to imprisoned elves (the first time) or men (the second time). Both times the prisoners were chained to the wall and unable to fight or defend themselves. Both times they were wild with panic and fear--from both the insane dwarf who would take one of them away to sacrifice to his vile god and from the cold, wet horror that would slither in and about every once in a while.

I ran the snake as quite lethargic since it was underground and in a cool pool. The snake was, or I made it, a constrictor that only needed to eat everyone week or two at the most. It ignored the prisoners after it tried to eat one only to struggle to deal with the leg and arm manacles. I increased it's hit dice to make it larger, but reduced it's ability to attach since it's internal temperature was on the low side of healthy for a snake.

I hope that helps.

How does the adventure look as a DCC-RPG module? Any major differences?

[Ogrepuppy]

How does the adventure look as a DCC-RPG module? Any major differences?

The major changes I've seen are taking out references to "the Breakers" (a dwarven company of mercenaries mentioned in the 3.5 version) who have barrels and weapons left behind (confiscated) in the storage areas of the well's tunnels, a modification to Vermys (the poison-generating dagger at the bottom of the well) to make it more "DCC-er-ized" and--this is a subtle one--the snake mentioned above, if killed, becomes the primary component for some pretty cool magical items--a snakeskin belt, for example--if it's not too beat up and sold to the right wizard (or your party wizard knows how to make magic items). In the DCC version, the snake is unique and not a "normal" snake.

There's also a change to the map: Doug Kovacs re-drew the map to be more isometric. He also included the thing I'm asking about above: in the small alcove in the hall between 1-3 and 1-4, behind the bars/portcullis/whatever it's supposed to be, there's a trap door and a long tunnel that goes from that alcove, under the worm pits at 1-5, and leads all the way to the prisoners' caves at 1-7.

[Raven_Crowking]

Hi there. I did the conversion from 3.5 to DCC, and I might be able to offer some insight, although I didn't have the redrawn map to work with when I was doing the conversion. A tunnel somehow "wormed" its way into the final product; I hadn't been aware of it myself until I actually ran the adventure using the finished module. I think that was supposed to indicate the trap that deposits characters in Area 1-5 in the original text, although the original map shows what appear to be bars or a portcullis in the same location.

As far as changes go, the universe of DCC seems far more "humanocentric" than 3.5 D&D is, in general, so I removed the references to vast overland armies of dwarves, and made the feral elves into feral villagers. Solom Quor was a dwarf wizard in the original; I turned him into a wizard who had become dwarfish through corruption.

Most of the changes were cosmetic. If you "make monsters mysterious", for instance, then the zombie bugbear probably shouldn't be called a bugbear. Also, "charnal viper" seems more specific and DCC than 3.5's "Snake, Medium Viper". Some changes were made to better mesh with the DCC rules, and with the DCC "scale" for DCs. The biggest change was probably the use of the various parts of the snake. The snake is in the original, and I would assume that there is some connection to other caves which can be reached by the serpent from the underwater section of the caves.

When I ran the adventure most recently, the added tunnel became a crawlway, and the PCs were attacked by spiders from the wandering encounters table.

[GnomeBoy]

Also, section 1-7A (the "Lost Lake") contains a snake. There are 6 prisoners (villagers/elves) down here, too. Have the prisoners tried to conquer the snake, or vice-versa? It would seem to me that the snake would either 1) keep it's distance and just eat the schools of fish--and thus not attack the PCs, as it'd be used to humanoids in it's "turf," or 2) enjoy many fine meals of feral villager/elf, but Solom Quor would notice his supply of prisoners had dwindled since the last time he checked his "stock" and Solom Quor himself would try to kill the snake.

Jedi is onto something there.

I'm not a herpetologist (thank you, penicillin!), but I have friends who have snakes in their dining room. As pets.

Anyway, the older snake eats, like, once a month. Maybe. She's gone much longer at times. So yes, the snake down in the lake might eat prisoners. But maybe not all that often. Not that the prisoners won't still be freaked out about it...

[JediOre]

Jedi is onto something there.

Words of wisdom!

[GnomeBoy]

Jedi is onto something there.

Words of wisdom!

I occasionally have my moments of clarity...

[Ogrepuppy]

Harley was kind enough to post his original, hand-drawn map on the DCCRPG G+ page.

The thing(s) that look like bars or a portcullis are actually dashes, indicating the weak section of floor that will fall out from under characters' feet and deposit them into section 1-5.

So, really, it's a......

[GnomeBoy]

Pip pip.

...you could call them 'pips'.

[Ogrepuppy]

I could, my fine fellow, but gentle sir...they're not seeds from oranges.

[GnomeBoy]

*spits seed eastward*

[Ogrepuppy]

Don't make me sic an Acroyear after you...