by girman39

An item RPG Item: Four Against Darkness has been added to the geeklist Solo RPGs On Your Table - October 2026

by HiveGod

From Traveller:

“Gambling-1 feels just like Gambling-3!”

by leroy43

chuckdee68 wrote:

leroy43 wrote:

Here to add one more comment - it’s been described at litrpg, but it’s way more video game than RPG (yet another reason I didn’t back the RPG). Drop down menus, consumable slots, cooldown periods…

Is that different other than implementation?

In a way that really matters? No. But there was a comment up thread that RPG and table top (board) gamers were not the audience for this because they care about rules and nuance, and this isn’t that. 😂

I’m not going to claim this is high literature, but I am enjoying the books.

by Red Wine Pie

Dramatis Personae:
Eric - The Gamemaster
Matt - Dr. Iris von Disdain the High Elven Cleric of the Life Domain
Susan - Drakar Vexborn the Dragonborn Warlock Pact of the Tome
David - Hadrian the Human Warrior Champion
John - Lycara the Tiefling Paladin Oath of Devotion
Peter - Teslen the Lightfoot Halfling Bard School of Lore (Remote)
Callum - Thargrim ‘Tar’ Ironbraid the Dwarf Duellist Warrior Battle Master (Remote)

Adventures on Levels 13 and 14 of the Mad Mage’s Dungeon.

[hr]
Hadrian has been trading blows with the last remaining Hobgoblin, who deflects the blows he can but takes more cuts to his legs and body. Yargoth replies with one strong slice, but leaves himself open for the warrior to land two crushing hits. Before the other heroes can add their own attacks, Hadrian runs Yargoth through. The other heroes dispose of the remaining rust monsters, even though they are eating hobgoblin armour. The hobgoblins and their allies are all dead, and Drakar begins a check for magic around the cave. The warlock detects a faint trace of magic to the east. The other heroes find lanterns full of fire beetles that the hobgoblins used for light, and two rope loops attached to sticks and wooden tower shields. It certainly looks like the hobgoblins were behind the release of rust monsters throughout the level. The only thing of note found on Yargoth’s body is a dark gem in the shape of a skull or death’s head. It is not magical, but is of some value. The heroes take a short rest, then plan to explore east. [hr]

Teslen finds a passage leading south, as the cave east opens into a larger space. The halfling can smell the odour of burning wood and moist air from both areas. He goes south first. Teslen finds a blackened and smouldering forest of thick mushroom wood, with only shattered, burned stalks remaining. Scattered through the forest are corpses of mushroom people - Myconids, and shattered fire beetles. Iris and Teslen reason that the Myconids were of child and adult stages, indiscriminately killed by blade and fire. The beetles were carved up after death to remove their fiery parts. All the creatures are dead, and there is nothing now living in the entire cave. Turning back to the central cave, Teslen leads the party through another ruined mushroom forest, and towards a passage in the north. The trace of magic that the heroes had been following shows up more strongly in this northern cavern.

In the centre of this cavern of ruined mushrooms, an eight-foot tall Myconid with a battered yellow cap lies on top of the dead. A dozen black hobgoblin arrows pierce the creature’s body, but it is in a better condition than the rest of the myconids that the heroes have found. As Iris comes close enough to examine the large mushroom, she can see that it is still just alive. Casting a group healing spell, she boosts the myconid to half of its maximum health. The rest of the party is healthy enough not to benefit from the spell. After a minute, the colour of the myconid begins to look healthier, and it slowly stands up. It looks about the heroes, then releases a burst of spores that everyone inhales before they can duck away. Drakar realises that the myconid is talking to them all through these spores, and she quickly answers its questions. Drakar confirms that all of the hobgoblins have been killed, and that sadly there are no other survivors of the mushroom colony. The large mushroom says its name is Chanterella, a myconid sovereign, and that it will try to bring the colony back to life by regrowing it with its spores. It asks the heroes to tell any Druids or other myconids they meet about its colony. Chanterella then goes to a hidden patch of mold in the far corner of the room, and returns with two glass potion bottles. The heroes take a short rest as Chanterella begins the slow process of restoring her people. Iris finds that the two potions are potions of Diminution and Longevity. The heroes thank Chanterella, and return to Zox’s palace.

The heroes pick their way back past the rust monster cage, rush quickly down the bore worm track and back to the site of the great construction. Heading for the eastern side of the palace, Iris knocks loudly on the closest door to Zox’s workshop. It takes a few more knocks and a good few minutes before Zox cautiously opens the door. When he sees it is the hero he lowers his crossbow and invites them in. Zox is happy to hear that the hobgoblins and the two local leaders have been wiped out. The heroes tell him that Kurlog said that the hobgoblins worked with Fire Giants from the level below. Zox understands that the Fire Giants would be able to use the metal they have been stealing from his level to make something big (like Zox is), but he doesn’t know what. He asks if the heroes would go down to Level 14 to sort out the Fire Giants, and the party agrees to do that. Zox confirms that the Bore Worm goes down to the level below, turns around a pillar and comes back up on its eternal route. The heroes head back to the south and plan how they will stay ahead of the worm on the way down to the lower level.


Teslen's Dream Ride (showing Tar and not Hadrian)

The heroes know that Teslen is the slowest of them all, so Hadrian offers to carry the halfling. When the heroes are poised on the edge of the track, Teslen drinks the potion of diminution and shrinks to Tiny size. He is easily able to sit behind Hadrian’s neck and hold on as the fighter leads the way down the track. With the Bore Worm having gone past them on its way up to Levels 13 and 12, the heroes leap into the trench and rush southbound and down. After two turns of sprinting, Teslen sees a cavern leading out of the trench to the south. The trench bends around to the east and north and continues down at a constant grade. Teslen tells Hadrian to keep going, as the rest of the heroes run behind. After another three turns Teslen can see a chamber opening up ahead. A large oval pillar forms the central pivot of the Bore Worm’s circuit, while a set of double doors become visible to the east. Teslen yells for everyone to head for the doors. He and Hadrian reach the doors and look south to a room full of natural stone pillars. More caves are visible to the west. The other four heroes are running as quickly as they can, spurred on by a sound that gradually increases behind them. Drakar, Iris, Tar and Lycara stagger out of the tunnel and stop beside Hadrian and Teslen, just as the Bore Worm rushes towards the central pillar. In the blink of an eye it has roared counter-clockwise around the pillar and headed back up the tunnel to level 13.

The door is carved with worm-riddled skulls, and surmounted with skeletal hands that have a flame burning in them. Teslen is still Tiny, and although he can listen at the door he can’t reach the door handles. The potion might still last for many hours, so Drakar prepares a Dispel Magic and concentrates hard on the casting. It is successful, and Teslen returns to his original size. The halfling goes straight to work and listens at the door, but doesn’t hear anything. Teslen does think he hears shuffling movement from the caves in the west, but the heroes agree to head on through the doors. With the heroes arranged nearby, Teslen pulls one of the double doors towards him. As soon as the doro is opened, the noise of crashing metal bursts out. Two huge humanoids and half a dozen hobgoblins are sorting through a pile of metal. The metal looks very much like scrap from the level above. The room is about fifty feet square, with a set of double doors in the north-eastern corner and an open passage heading away from the north-western corner.


Blade Barrier connects the Giants

The sight of Giants is enough to inspire Tar to charge into battle. Tar enlarges himself and rushes through the open door, right at the closest Fire Giant. Five blows with war pick and shield land, and the Giant bellows in rage and hatred at the charging heroes. Hadrian aims for the closest band of Hobgoblins sorting through the scrap. He kills two before they have turned to face him. Lycara is a little further back, and can’t quite reach one of the evil humanoids. He lights his sword and dodges into the corner of the room, beside a strangely sculpted dwarven statue. Iris casts a Blade Barrier across the room, catching the two giants and one of the hobgoblins. Teslen casts a Shatter on the front giant and two of the rear hobgoblins. The spell makes a large burst and injures the hobgoblins, but doesn’t kill anything. Drakar casts Bane on six of the surviving creatures, catching most of the Hobgoblins but failing against the Giant.
The nearest Fire Giant turns and swings his huge sword at Tar, one blow landing a great cut and a fiery burn on the dwarf. The front Giant is quite badly hurt by the blade barrier. The rear Fire Giant is hardly cut by the barrier as it charges at Iris and Lycara, hitting the paladin with one blow. She resists half of the fire damage. One hobgoblin is also killed by the blade barrier. One hobgoblin charges ineffectively at Hadrian, while the three at the rear of the room rush off down the far corridor, shouting out for aid.


Hadrian and Iris face the Fire Giant

Tar strikes again, landing 4 blows this turn, the final blow being just enough to kill this Fire Giant, which falls back dead into the blade barrier. Hadrian kills the hobgoblin right by him, before he moves onto the last giant, who is now badly wounded. Lycara moves up with her blade alight and lands a critical blow, and a second slash also hits home. Iris drops the blade barrier with only the single giant left in the room. She casts a sacred flame, and her holy power injures the giant. Teslen opts for a Phantasmal Killer to scare the Fire Giant into a severe psychic shock. Drakar Eldritch Blasts the Fire Giant with three bolts, which kills the giant in an impressive burst of energy. The heroes can hear the hobgoblins shouting and banging at a door some distance up the northern corridor. The heroes take a turn to quickly look about the room. The statues in the corner are of dwarves shaped by magic into weird tentacled and melty forms. Drakar checks for remaining magic in her turn, but there is nothing that she can find within range.


Last Giant standing

The heroes move after the three escaped hobgoblins, as more sounds of reinforcements come from down the passageway. Two black-fletched arrows pass a long way overhead of the heroes’ heads, followed by arrows from a new group of hobgoblins that have emerged from a room on the east wall. Drakar is the first to respond, casting Shatter on the five hobgoblins in the crossroads. The spell goes off with a thunderous roar, killing all of the monsters that the warlock targeted. Teslen runs up within thirty feet and hits one of the two remaining hobgoblins with a slingstone, before dropping back. Tar and Hadrian run up the passageway close to the crossroads, blocking the passageway and waiting for the spellcasters. Lycara joins them, sword still blazing. Iris’s target fails his Dexterity save and is unable to dodge the sacred flame. A powerful blast from the spell is enough to kill this hobgoblin. More arrows come flying down the corridor from seventy feet past the doorway, missing Tar and Hadrian. Two of five hobgoblins who rush out of the room attack Tar and Hadrian, but even their best attacks with pack tactics are not enough to hurt the warriors.


Drakar's Eldritch Blasting

Drakar switches to Eldritch Blasts, aiming for a one in combat with Hadrian. His two hits are enough to bring down that hobgoblin. He checks west, and sees that the way is clear at least as far as a set of doors on the northern wall. Teslen slings at another close hobgoblin, landing a fierce blow from a well aimed stone. Tar slices through the hobgoblins in front of him, one by one. He takes out all three blocking the way to the doorway, then turns to stand at the entrance and hits another hobgoblin inside the eastern barracks room. A passageway extends to the west, but there are no creatures visible. The four hobgoblin archers stand in two sets of two seventy feet to the north. Hadrian kills the closest hobgoblin who was hit by Teslen, then runs past the doorway towards the archers. Lycara moves up to behind Tar, peering into the barracks room. There are at least eight hobgoblins armed with bows and swords, forming up in front of their bunk beds. Iris is able to glimpse Tar’s target within the barracks room, blasting him over with a sacred flame.


Hobgoblin bodies litter the junction outside the Barracks

A better armoured, stronger hobgoblin moves up to fight Tar, while shouting encouragement to the rest of the creature in the barracks. Two more hobgoblins with archers fire at the dwarf from behind this captain. Four volleys of arrows fire down at Hadrian and Lycara, but they are unable to penetrate the heroes’ gear. Drakar moves up to the t-junction, looks through the door and blasts the hobgoblin captain. The three successful rays do some impressive damage. Teslen tries to hit the hobgoblin captain with his poison spray, but fails to hurt him. Tar lines up the beleaguered hobgoblin leader, who dodges the first two blows but can’t resist the other pick attacks or the shield bashes. The boss falls, and Tar waits at the entranceway. Hadrian runs up to the intersection and knocks over one of the archers hiding there. The two archers on the opposite side of the junction aim at the human. Lycara runs into the room but can’t hit one of the hobgoblin archers with either blow. Iris moves past Tar and into the corner of the room, and lays down her guardian of faith between two hobgoblins and in front of the open doorway to the east. Tar and Lycara’s wounds from the Fire Giant are partially cured by the cleric’s healing, and Teslen is restored to full health.


Guardians of Faith target the Hobgoblins in the Barracks

The hobgoblin guards close to the guardians of faith die from the protective magic before they can attack. The other guards from the southern end attack Lycara in concert, and manage a hit with their group tactics. The others aim at Iris but miss. One attacks Hadrian with his longsword but misses. The two archers behind Hadrian cannot penetrate his armour and the human stays unharmed. Two more archers from further to the east fire through the door, one of the black arrows injuring Lycara between the joints of her armour. Drakar moves along the outside corridor and aims a shatter spell through the doorway, hitting three of the hobgoblins. The thunder wave shakes the corner of the room, and kills all the hobgoblins before they can dodge clear. Wooden and stone bunks shake apart and collapse to the ground. As Teslen’s plan to place a Fireball into the northern corridor becomes obvious, Hadrian and Drakar shout at him to stop. It’s only at the bard’s lowest level, but the bursting flame kills all three of the hobgoblins hiding there, as well as burning Hadrian. Hadrian is annoyed, since he was quite happy that he could deal with the archers without Teslen’s ‘help’. Tar returns to his normal size and pushes through into the next eastern room. A wide passageway opens to the north, and a closed door leads east. The archers in this room are Tar’s next targets. All his blows hit the humanoids, slashing and crushing the two defenders in the room. Two more hobgoblins in this new room remain out of reach, bows aimed at the dwarf and blood lust in their eyes. Hadrian can hear the fighting from the east and south, and heads down the connecting passage to where Tar is fighting. Passing a closed door on the northern wall, and a passage that heads further east and then south, Hadrian takes the shortest route to join the dwarf. Drakar runs in from the western corridor to the barracks room, where broken and dead bodies litter the floor. Iris is closer and is able to draw her sword to attack one of the two hobgoblins. The magic sword kills that warrior, leaving just one hobgoblin. The rage leaves his eyes and he drops his sword and tries to surrender.


Teslen's Fireball, and the Collateral Damage


Hadrian Explains His Alternative Use for Fire

Drakar keeps his finger pointed at the hobgoblin, and gets him to tell the heroes that there are two leaders through the eastern door, the underboss having gone to talk to the overboss. Teslen runs through everyone and tries to apologise to Hadrian. He offers bardic inspiration in lieu of healing, which the warrior grumpily accepts. Lycara moves up to the door and glowers at the hobgoblin. The heroes tell the hobgoblin to leave his weapons and run away, which he does. Iris moves to the eastern door and opens it. This room is a better equipped chamber with a stone table and stools, an unlit chandelier and three separate beds. A closed door leads to the south. Teslen goes to the door and listens. The sound of a shouting hobgoblin can be heard. The bard decides the door is untrapped, and opens it into a corridor heading south. The loud noises can be heard from the doorway on the eastern wall. At the southern end the corridor opens into a round chamber. Teslen moves on to the eastern door and opens it, revealing a forty-foot square room. A hobgoblin boss is shouting at the warlord leader in fine armour who is seated behind a table. A strange pile of stones in the shape of stalagmites are sitting on the floor around the table. There is a set of double doors opposite the entrance, and a curtain with a picture of a crystal cave stitched on it is drawn across the southern wall. ‘You should be leading us in fighting these intruders - here they are now!’, shouts the underboss, turning on the heroes. The overlord bugbear is still surprisingly unmoved at the arrival of the heroes, or the telling-off of his inferior.

Drakar moves to the doorway and fires off Eldritch blasts at the underboss, then moves past the entranceway. A loud, high-pitched shrieking begins behind Drakar at the southern end of the tunnel, but there is nothing there to be seen in the circular room there. Tar rushes into the room and goes for the angry hobgoblin, injuring him and shoving him against the table. Hadrian enters next, and uses his gift from Teslen to hit with his first blow. He follows up with more hits, and a critical from his axe Hew that cuts through the hobgoblin’s body. The leader seems to come to his senses, and advances with his sword on the adventurers. Lycara is next in the room with her lit sword. Iris attempts some diplomacy, with dire consequences if he doesn’t comply. Her attempt at Persuade stirs up only anger in the Hobgoblin boss, and he seems to blame his odd behaviour on the heroes. The Hobgoblin attacks, his three blows on Lycara and Hadrian also going wide. Teslen makes it to the entrance of the room, though his poison spray spell goes wide. He gives Hadrian another inspiration. Drakar blasts three times at the hobgoblin from the safety of the corridor, landing an impressive amount of damage. Tar is able to move around the table and attack the hobgoblin from the side. The leader manages to block three of the blows, but Tar still lands some nasty cuts. Hadrian supports the dwarf, hitting four times. The paladin finds a gap to attack from, and her first blow is enough to kill the hobgoblin. At his death, a high-pitched shrieking noise from behind the curtain. The heroes quickly pull the curtain aside, and reveal a surprised and cringing floating Flumph.

The heroes had met some flumphs a long time ago near Phandalver, but they seem to have forgotten that meeting. The creature (named Marwin) tells them it had been trying to get the hobgoblin leader, Doomcrown, to help him get back to his home in the Underdark. The miniature model that the hobgoblin had been building was a representation of its home. Unfortunately, the effort of communicating psychically with Doomcrown seemed to affect his mind in unwanted ways - he forgot his mission to be the leader of the hobgoblins, though his deputies kept supporting the Fire Giants as they had been before the Flumph came along. Iris offers to help the flumph get home, and the heroes wonder about the other missions they have to undertake. Killing the hobgoblin (and Fire Giant) threat was one, but a search of their notes reminds the party of the ‘Magic Man’ that they were asked to rescue from this level. The shape-changed shaman all the way back on Level 3 had asked them to undertake that mission, to thwart Halaster’s apprentice who had crippled the shaman. Level 14 is named after this apprentice, Arcturiadoom. The flumph tells the heroes that there are more Fire Giants working at forges making metal to the north of this level. The flumph explains how Doomcrown was driven to out-do his father, and threw in his lot with the Fire Giants to try and take over more land than his father.

The heroes agree to help the flumph, and ask about the Magic Man. The flumph doesn’t know, but he does know there are anti-magic areas that he can’t enter, so that might be where a magic Man is being held. Asking about the shrieking noise, the flumph tells them that it is a trap with a gas spore, designed to make a loud annoying noise to summon other creatures. Just as the flumph is telling the heroes that they may have to kill the gas spore to get a rest, it stops shrieking. The heroes turn their attention to the large seafarer’s trunk in one corner of the room. Teslen is sure it is untrapped, and flips the lid. There is 2500gp in coins, an electrum pepper shaker (25gp), a red-velvet cape (50gp), a coral ship model (250gp), a dwarven beard-comb of lapsu-lazuli and gemstones (750gp, which Tar takes), a platinum crown with pearl inlay (2500gp), and an elven helm of leaf-gold and a spiral horn of amethyst worth 7500gp. The heroes take a quick look outside the double doors, and see a wide corridor leading north to south. Two pillars covered in eyes frame double doors on the eastern wall. The heroes plan to take a long rest, jamming the door with their immovable rod. Drakar asks Teslen whether his dream or another outside influence caused his use of fireball in enclosed circumstances. Teslen relates his dream about seeing two humans in blue and gold dancing to unseen music, and how it made him feel a sense of doom. As they go to sleep there is some discussion about appropriate use of damaging spells. Teslen uses his magical banqueting spell to cheer up the heroes, though the mansion’s hobbit size is perhaps not so thoughtful. The heroes feel the flumph briefly flitting through the top of their minds, but not lingering long. Then it goes to sleep as they plan their usual watch pattern and take a long rest.

Notes:

Longer report due to listening to a session recording and noting nearly every combat action of the players. This was actually quicker to type, but I apologize for the greater length.

https://rpggeek.com/wiki/page/fstngamers_undermountain

by ctimmins

<div>back cover</div>

by ctimmins

<div>credits</div>

by ctimmins

<div>sample page</div>

by ctimmins

<div>contents</div>

by ctimmins

<div>cover</div>

by Steve Dubya

<div>Front Cover from PDF</div>

by Steve Dubya

<div>Front Cover from PDF</div>

by Steve Dubya

<div>Front Cover from PDF</div>