Running the Adventure

These pages provide some additional context for running RtC, including NPCs, custom magic items and homebrew monsters. I've mainly used OSE resources, but over time I've become more confident with the rules and have started creating my own.

Please feel free to change anything in this dungeon to fit your setting or your playstyle. Below, I will include the rules/systems I used when running my game:

Rules

Corruption

The tower is powered by The Heart of the Tower, which itself runs off the souls of those who have died within the tower. So, being exposed to the green light of the heart itself or some things powered by it can be really bad for mortal creatures. Corruption from this heart can be stopped with magical boons and lead plating.

The rules I used for this are heavily inspired by Matthew Mercer's Corruption Rules, which I've modified to work with OSE.

Corruption comes in many forms. When afflicted, roll Save vs Death on a fail roll for the amount of corruption:

Mild Source: 1d4 (small flash of energy from a broken magical light)
Moderate Source: 1d8+1 (Tight beam of green corrupting energy)
Severe Source: 1d12+2 (corruption trap or broken conduit)
The Source: 1d20+3 (Looking into the heart itself)

Corruption has many impacts on people. Some people might get fortunate, others not so. The effect is split into 3 categories based on varied levels. Here is what you need to hit on your dice to get to set levels:

Mild corruption: 2-3
Moderate Corruption: 4-7
Severe Corruption 8+

These results then relate directly to the corruption table in Matthew Mercer's Corruption Rules; the afflictions, however, have been updated. These results range from RP consequences to the end of a character as an adventurer.

Afflictions:

Body Parasites: Parasitic worms infest and writhe throughout your innards. Any healing is halved until cured.

Broken Will: Your willpower has crumbled, leaving your mind vulnerable. You are always under the effect of confusion. You must roll a save vs spell each round to clear your mind. On a fail roll on the Confusion: Subject behaviour table.

Chronic Fatigue: Your body has difficulty with continuous physical activity. If you do not take a rest for 1 turn after combat, you become exhausted. Halfing movement speed and encumbrance.

Compulsive: You begin to exhibit a mild, compulsive ritual of the DM's choice. This can manifest as categorising collected loot or needing to clean yourself thoroughly or weapons after every fight.

Cough: You develop an uncontrollable cough that creeps up now and then. GM can ask you to cough at anytime. Roll under your constitution score to keep it muffled inside.

Disracted: Your mind has grown scattered and easily clouded. You must roll your own initiative, only acting with your allies if you roll the same or higher than them. Otherwise, you go last.

Eyes of Corruption: Your eyes grow jet black and empty, your pupils becoming small glowing points of intense green light.

You gain darkvision for 60 feet in darkness; you also gain light sensitivity, rolling with a -5 when in bright light.

Jittery: You have become far too easy to spook or startle. If surprised during an encounter, you must spend the first round running in fear.

Hallucinations: Strange visions and sorceless whispers occasionally tug at your perception. The GM can have some fun with this one. I suggest hearing stuff when listening at doors, etc.

Hoarder: You are compelled to fill all encumbrance slots available with anything of any value.

Mark of the Cursed: A black curse on your very soul resists divine energies. No magical healing works on you until the curse is removed.

Mildly Phobic: You acquire a mild fear of a certain creature type of the GM's choice. You wish to avoid any interactions with this creature. RP focused.

Moderately Phobic: You acquire a moderate fear of a certain creature type of the GM's choice. During the first round of combat with this creature, you must run in fear.

Moral Decay: Your disposition towards the world around you has shifted towards the darkness that twists within you. Your alignment shifts towards chaotic/evil.

Murderous: You suffer irresistible murderous urges at the sight of the helpless. If any creature you can see is incapacitated (friend or foe), you must spend your turn moving directly towards that creature and attacking it, if possible.

Paranoid: You no longer trust even your closest allies. You no longer count as a friendly creature to anyone, nor does anyone count as friendly to you in regards to abilities and spells.

Reckless:You've become impulsive in the face of dangerous situations. The first attack made against you in any combat has +3 on the attack roll.

Rotten Joints: Your joints begin to suffer from internal decay and degeneration. You have your movement speed reduced by 5ft.

Scent of Death: Your body has begun to emit a terrible stench of rotting flesh. Roll twice on encounter rolls and take the lowest if within smell range.

Seeping Sores: Painful sores cover your body, making it difficult to wear heavy armour.

Severely Phobic: You have acquired a severe fear of a creature of the GM's choice. When you enter combat with this creature, Save Vs Paralysis or become frozen in fear for 1 turn.

Trusting: You become too eager to accept others at face value.

Warped Spine: Your spine has become twisted and hunched. Your speed is halved.

Withered Flesh: Your flesh has pulled right against your skeleton, making your visage terrifying to most. -2 to relevant encounter rolls.

Villager Start

When running my game, I had each player start with 4 randomly generated level-0 villagers for session 1. This was a quick way to get started and led to some interesting encounters, since most of the characters lacked weapons.

I used the Perchance level 0 pcs generator to generate the villagers. It was a great tool! My only issue, though, was with 4 characters each; many players decided that the worst villagers were disposable and would use them as test subjects for traps. It was really good fun through, and the ones that survived ended up doing really well.

Escape the Dungeon

I wanted each session to end outside the dungeon so that each could start in town, allowing different players to jump in and out. This was really helpful for ensuring sessions ran smoothly. I planned to use the Escape the Dungeon rules if they failed to escape by the end of the session, but they never did. I would post these Escape the Dungeon rules, but I can't find where they are from, so sorry!