You find a carnival pamphlet which reads...
"Step right up and come on down! Within the Funfair of the Damned you will find wondrous rides of thrilling proportions on which to test your mettle and spend your gold! Within, you will SEE the mighty caverns containing giant rides, TASTE the flavors of the fair, and RIDE on such thrilling rides as the Astro Swirrll and Waltzer! Inside you will find such rides as the thrilling Mithril Mine, the daunting Lightening Looper, the enchanting River Caves and the awesome Gravity Loop, as well as many more of your favorites, and a few more added for your pleasure. Not forgetting of course, no funfair would be complete, without the terrifying Ghost Train....
Within, provided for your comfort, are pleasant rest areas, eating houses and first aid tents for those unavoidable, erm, little accidents..... But, please do not try to take a long sleep. Long term loitering is not permitted. Also provided for your adventuring pleasure are the Waxworks and Fun House. Where else can you have such a good time? At dawn, the festival will end with the Ceremony of Vows.
Oh, and one final word of advice about the rides; Please, do not, stand up......."
ABOUT THIS MODULE
This is a Forgotten Realms multi-session campaign module but can easily be adopted for other settings. It is developed for a party of 4-6 upper heroic tier characters around level 7-10. Skill check difficulties are not specified so that the DM has the flexibility to adjust due to the individual circumstances (my general rule of thumb is DC15+half the level of the monster and most of the DCs are 20). The entire module should take 8 -12 hours (of course it is a good 1-2 hours of prep and reading for the DM). However, the structure of this allows the rides to be individual encounters if that better fits your adventure. My group does “seat time” for leveling (5 sessions = 1 level) instead of XP so I have not yet crunched the XP of the skill challenges, monsters, or achievements (go for it though…I’d be interested).
Disclaimer
This is not a completely original module. It is based off the Tunnels and Trolls adventure titled Funfair of Doom. I have tried to contact the author and also the company Flying Buffalo who owns the rights. All contacts have fallen on deaf (or non-existent) ears. Feel free to use as you wish and share with others. As long as nobody tries to make a profit from this, I doubt there will be any problems. There are likely to be numerous typographical as well as game mechanical errors is this draft. Apologies in advance.
If this is NOT the place to share, apologies. Please let me know and I can share it elsewhere.
DM Information
Wax Museum: 1 Githyanki Warrior (insubstantial); 1 Manticore (insubstantial)
Fantastic Voyage: 2 Gibbering Mouthers (while heroes are immobilized); 9 Horde Ghouls (while heroes are in acid)
Empty Cavern (optional): 1 Stirge Swarm, and various amount of low -level stirges--A small amount of low level stirges will harass any characters that are bloodied while they are not on a ride or inside an attraction.
So why would the party adventure within? Well, for one thing, it's a novelty. They would not have seen a theme park, and this adventure will certainly provide them with gallons of XP. Also, not only are the rides designed and built to put the riders lives at risk (and sometimes worse....), there is also treasure and magic for them to plunder. Much can be gained from a successful trip into the Funfair. Most of all, this should be a very entertaining session for you and your players. This scenario brings a well earned rest from hack & slash dungeon adventures, and plunges the heroes into a world with which they are unfamiliar.
As the DM, read italicized text in aloud for the players. This could be from a crier, or a note.
The game should have a light-hearted feel to it, and all the players should have fun. Run the game to make the players feel they are actually at a theme park, riding on death-defying rides, making them feel almost sick, spinning them around at breakneck speeds, wind rushing through their hair and armor! Describe as the chill wind bites into them as they speed downwards into the gloom of the Mithril Mine, and take their breath away as they ride old favorites as the Ghost Train, Pirate Ship, Dragon Dipper, Waltzer and Gravity Loop.
Fore each ride, you will need the players to decide a “seating order” in the same way that you might have then decide a marching order when crawling through a dungeon.
Unless specified otherwise, whenever heroes take a ride for a second time, increase the difficulties of the skill checks from normal to difficult, and increase the sizes of the damage dice by one (for instance, 2d6 would be 2d8, or 1d10 would be 1d12…)
Read all text that is italicized within aloud for the players. Text within (parentheses) should not be read aloud.
Let the game begin. The players are ready, so what are we waiting for? If not, use whatever you want to get them into the Funfair. If they don’t want to just jump right in, here are a few hooks that I have found successful:
1-A group of NPCs that the party is friendly with went in but hasn’t come back yet (In our campaign, Cornelius Sutray, is a vessel of Ghaunadaur, who the party has been charged to protect against cultists that want to kill him and use his body to bring That Which Lurks into avatar form.)
2-A crier comes to the heroes offering each a WHITE ticket to this mysterious park.
3-The party finds a “treasure map” which actually denotes the location of the Funfair entrance.
MAP KEY
Into the Fairground
The dungeon map is composed of letter references from A to U. The heroes enter room A through the west wall, and leave at the end of the adventure through the east wall. Although I envision this in a dungeon full of large caverns and connected by short passageways, create a map however you wish. My map is expanded on the last page of this document. The adventure can easily be transposed to suit an outdoor location if this suits your requirements better. Each letter on the map refers to a gigantic cavern which houses the ride and the area surrounding it. Some areas may contain extra side-shows, shops etc. Put these where you wish, invent your own, do whatever you like. The key to the park now follows. Have fun!
RIDE GUIDE
(Your desired ride)
A) The Entrance Room
B) Waukeen’s Waltzer
C) Pirate Ship of Fools
D) Moradin’s Mithril Mine
E) Splash Down!
F) Oghma’s Scientific Theory of Black Holes
G) Asmodeus’s Trip to the Nine Hells
H) River Caves
I) Chauntea's Rest: Refreshment Area
J) Lightning Looper
K) Mad Mouse
L) The Hidden One’s Fantastic Voyage
M) Gravity Loop
N) Empty Cavern
O) Dragon Dipper
P) Astro Swirrll
Q) Tymora’s Teacup Ride
R) Mirror Maze
S) Fun House
T) Waxworks
U) Silvanus’s Shooting Gallery
The Entrance
and all attempts at opening it, passing through it, teleporting etc., will fail. Pressing the button will have no obvious effect, but exactly 2 minutes later, the door will slide silently upwards, revealing
(Dungeoneering +2 or Streetwise -2 check) * The points of light are small diamonds worth 1d4x100 gp each, and are magically enchanted to glow. These magic gems appear all over the place within the park. If they are removed from the wall (or any other vandalizing takes place in the park) the hero will undergo the following consequences:
First Time vandalization occurs: The heroes hear a voice in the air say "Please do not vandalize the park. Thank you." And then take 1 lightning damage.
Second Time: The heroes hear a voice in the air say "Please do not vandalize the park.” And then take 1d6 lightning damage.
Third Time: The heroes hear a voice in the air say "Do not vandalize the park.” And then take ongoing 5 lightning damage (save ends).
Fourth Time and each time after: The heroes hear a voice in the air say "How many times must we go through this? Please do not vandalize the park.” Then take ongoing 10 lightning damage.
The doorway will slide upwards as soon as it is touched. Through the doorway only blackness can be seen. After 1 minute, the corridor beyond is illuminated by dim light (unseen) and the heroes should be encouraged to head down it.
As they are wondering what to do next, a strange voice is heard in the air;
As the heroes sit in the cars, they discover they are unable to get out again. The barriers prevent the heroes from casting any magic or using any magic items, and they cannot get out of the cars until they stop.
(around 400' away). This is room A. The cars come to a safe but jerky stop in the room, and the magic bars lift, allowing the heroes to leave the cars, albeit on shaky legs and with a queasy stomach! This is but a tame taster of things yet to come! The cars slowly move along the rail and leave the chamber through an archway on the other side of the room.
The Funfair of the Damned
Balloon Sellers
These are dwarves dressed in colored clothes and hats with bells on. They wear pointed shoes which curl up at the end and have their faces painted to represent animals. They sell balloons of various design for 1 GP each. The balloons are filled from a bellows attached to a burn-barrel. They pump hot air into the balloons allowing them to stay afloat for about 15 minutes. The dwarves tell the heroes that some of the balloons have tickets inside. There is a 1 in 10 chance that a balloon will have a WHITE ticket in it. Each PC is allowed to buy only 10 per hour they are in the dungeon.
Fairground Guards
These are 10-15' tall trolls wearing blue coats, red trousers and black boots. They wear blue peaked caps with a golden 'FOTD' on them (worth 50 GP novelty value) and carry very large knives. These fellows wander in groups of three to keep order, and will challenge anyone who is not playing fair or spoiling the park, or harassing the staff. Usually two trolls will confront the party while the third troll runs off to gather more trolls. The trolls are pleasant fellows, well spoken in most High Tongues, and will chat to the party. If however they cause trouble, the guards will have them ejected from the park. Any misbehaving heroes whom the GM rules should leave the park are escorted to Rothman Charms who will teleport them home. This is a last resort; the Management do not want incidents like this in the park. There are usually 2 such guards present at each ride.
The guards are in turn controlled by Big Brudder, the Head Guard. He is an 18' tall war troll (MM1). His armor is magical and gives him a+3 to AC and can Resist all damage for one round once per day. No other creature can use this armor or its properties. The heroes will usually not see Big Brudder in a game, but if they do, they sure are in big trouble....
Krazy Klownies
These are grotesque ogre thugs (8-10' in height) dressed in clown suits (big floppy shoes, coats too large for them, bow ties, hats with squirting flowers in them, large red noses etc.) and clown make-up. They appear occasionally to do tricks (badly) and tumbles for the entertainment of the heroes. Every now and again, they will ambush the party by throwing buckets of tinsel at them. This is magic tinsel, which causes anyone it falls on a -2 to his next skill check within 5 minutes, though the PCs will not know this. Killer Klownies always have a nasty trick or two up their sleevies.....
Nice-Cream Seller
The Nice-Cream Seller is an ice troll (MM2), who wanders around the dungeon pushing an ice-cream cart on wheels. He sells drinks and ice cream, but occasionally, if he likes the heroes and a successful Diplomacy check is made, he will sell them 'Nice Cream', which is magic ice cream. One bowl is 50 GP, but will restore instantly all lost HP! He will sell only 2 such delights per game and it must be devoured within the next 5 minute.
Stirges
The heroes will see a few of these fly through a chamber now and then. They are level 1 monsters and usually quite benign. However, any bloodied hero that is not in/on a ride will be attacked every 4 minutes by 1-2 stirges as an annoyance. Reminder: Chauntea’s Rest is caged in and stirges will not be able to attack characters in there. Once the stirge nest (in N. Empty Cavern) is destroyed, stirges continue to fly around in the higher lofts of the caverns, but stop attacking the party. If party still ties to rest, they will be interrupted by the fairground guards.
Other Customers
There should be some (but few) other people in the park. These people do not interact with the party, but you can describe the fun it looks like they are having while they are riding on an attraction. A good touch is to have a group of kids (or troublesome teenagers) running around. You could also have a rival group of heroes in the park sneering at them when they get on a ride, or laughing at them as they “have an accident” on a ride.
A) The Entrance Room
Blue Tickets are 2 GP each, White Tickets are 10 GP each, and a Train Pass is 5 GP each.
Rothman Charms will sell the heroes any number of tickets they desire, or they are free to wander around the park and return for tickets later if they wish. Rothman offers a special secret prize if they visit all of the attractions (See N. Empty Cavern). Rothman points out that he has two special offers on sale today only (yeah right!). They are;
The Tame Mixture This Booklet contains 25 Blue tickets and 4 Train Passes for 50GP. There is also a half-off coupon good for any one purchase from a vendor inside Chautea’s Rest.
The Hero Set This Booklet contains 25 White Passes and 2 Train Passes for 200GP. There is also a half-off coupon good for any one purchase from a vendor inside Chautea’s Rest.
Around this chamber are booths, most are selling a variety of goodies. There are 8 booths;
1-The Tree of Life: Sells all manner of foods from Apples to Zucchini!
2-Finders Keepers: Sells strange items that were lost in the park.
3-The Watering Hole: Sells all manner of drinks.
4-The Armory: Sells some armor items at the GM's discretion.
5-Guard Shack: There are usually 3-5 fairground troll guards in or near this shack.
6-The Razor's Edge: Sells some weapons, again at the GM's discretion.
7-The Sweet Tooth: Sells sweets, toffee apples, lollipops, candy floss etc.
8-Geoff's Souvenir Emporium (: Sells all manner of souvenirs to take home, for novelty only. Create any manner of items you wish, based on real theme park souvenirs you have bought or seen, or use the ones below as a guide. Prices are entirely up to you, but should range between 5 and 50 GP. Example souvenirs are;
Funfair of the Damned Hats, Caps, Ties, Scarfs, Scabbards, Etc. Packets and jars of sweets, chocolates, biscuits etc. in a nice colorful Funfair of the Damned gift box, Dragon Dipper souvenir (See Location O), Ghost Train Skull mug, T-Shirts depicting the Funfair of the Damned logo, pictures of individual rides, etc. etc. You get the idea.
Prices and exact stocks are left to the whim of the individual DM, but should be at least 20% more expensive than the rulebook prices.
FIRST-AID TENTS
These shops may appear also in other areas of the dungeon; put them where you wish. These are white and red tents where pixies heal the hurt. They do not come cheaply however, costing 20 GP for every hit point restored! Heroes may haggle if they cannot afford this cost, or the pixies may bring the price down if the party are in real trouble and make a successful Diplomacy check. At every such tent there is always a Troll Guard keeping an eye on the vulnerable pixies....
When the heroes have spent as much time as they wish in here (they are free to return whenever they like to buy tickets.
The Ghost Train
No theme park is complete without a spooky-looking ghost train, and the Funfair of the Damned is no exception! This train requires a Train Pass, that once purchased, can be ridden as many times as the heroes want. It can take the heroes through tunnels and even solid rock! The train makes stops in the following caverns (in this order) A) Entrance, I) Chauntea’s Rest, R) Mirror Maze, G) Asmodeus’s Trip to the 9 Hells, ST) Funhouse and Waxworks, D) Moradin’s Mithril Mines, and then back to A.
When heroes enter this ride from any location, they are allowed on car #13 only, which is a 10x30 room they are free to move around. The inside of the car is opulently extravagant and resembles the beautiful train cars of the Victorian era Orient Express. Describe the car in as much detail as you wish. Once the Alllll Aboard! Is sounded for the third time, the train and all of its occupants/belonging are turned insubstantial and phased. It is completely impossible to leave the car while the train is in motion. Read the following the first time the heroes get on the train, no matter what location they enter from:
While everything on the inside of the train car seems solid enough, then entire train and it contents, including the heroes, are phased and insubstantial. They cannot be harmed by forces outside of the train. Also, while this train is traveling through earth, the players are pretty much blinded by the assailant of rock through their eyes…literally.
B) Waukeen’s Waltzer
One is sitting in the pay booth (he is called Robert) and the other keeping order (Trobell is his name). The ogres welcome the heroes into the cave, inviting them to ride the Waltzer. Heroes doing so must pay a blue ticket each to the pay booth and are shown to a car by Trobell (The cars seat 2 people each). When all participants of the ride are seated and strapped-in (quite tight I might add since the trolls lack finesse), the ride begins. This is a tame ride to ease the PCs into the game, and give them an idea of what it is all about.
The lights flash faster and the music plays louder as the ride begins and speeds-up. The ride lasts for 4 minutes, and by the end of it the heroes riding begin to feel sick. Each must make Endurance check. Failure means the rider was sick and vomits, losing 1 healing surge. Those who vomit also take a -5 to all rolls until they take a short rest. Success with the roll means the heroes are OK and leave the ride a little shaken but unharmed. Following the first ride, the ogres offer to let the PCs ride a second time, but they will crank-up the machine to give them a faster ride! Anyone doing so are spun round for 8 minutes at a breakneck speed, and must make two more difficult Endurance checks. Failure of one or both results in sickness, headache, and a loss of 2 healing surges. They must also take a short rest. The ogres laugh should this occur. A Perception check when getting out of the Waltzer for the first time reveals 2d6 GP down the back of each car seat that was ridden in. For surviving this ride, each hero is given a funfair coin, stamped with the Funfair of the Damned logo on one side and a large W on the other. This coin is worth 100 GP.
C) The Pirate Ship of Fools
This is a BLUE two-ticket ride. In this area stands a longboat, supported by a massive iron framework reaching over 50' into the lofty heights of the great cavern. The boat has eight rows of seats with four seats per row.
The basic idea is for the boat to slowly swing between the supports, with the PCs sitting in the seats provided within the boat. As the boat swings, it gets higher each time, causing the riders to feel somewhat uneasy and more than a little queasy. The higher the boat gets, the faster its swing. You get the idea.
The ride is manned by a pair of Halflings called Bo and Peep. There is also a giant parrot with a patch-eye that watches the party and barks out “Landlubber!” now and then. They are very nice Halflings: Bo watches over the ride and Peep sits in the pay booth to take tickets.
As the PCs take their seats in the longboat, iron handrails drop down to give them something to hold on to, and to keep them in the seats as the boat reaches lofty heights. The boat swings to and fro as trumpet music plays. All around the cave are painted scenes of pirates fighting creatures, collecting gold, getting drunk, and chasing women (History check reveals the scenes are from the Sword Coast). The boat reaches almost vertical when something disturbing happens; the handrail unlocks and the heroes scream as the boat swings on regardless. All PCs in the ride must make an Athletics Check to remain in the boat. Failure means they tumble from their seat and take 3D10 falling damage as they clatter to the floor. Acrobatics may be used to lessen the fall. The ride comes to a safe halt soon after, and the halflings are upset that the accident happened. Tickets however will not be refunded!
Heroes surviving this ride will be given a 'Pirate's Eye patch'. This magic gift will allow any one tactical move action to be a flight action for the wearer. In addition, they are given a small sack of Pirate Booty, containing 1D100 GP each.
D) Moradin’s Mithril Mine
Heroes paying to ride will be seated in the cars, 2 per car, which will trundle along the track to crash through the double doors leading into the ride.
Each hero must make an Endurance check to avoid the fire and explosions as the car makes its way slowly through scenes of blasting and drilling. Characters trained in Dungeoneering gain a +2 to their endurance checks. Failure to make the roll results in 2d6 damage, Resistances do not count here. The car leaves the blasting area and descends once more down a dark mine shaft, However, as it does so, the heroes have little time and insufficient light to notice sharp outcrops of rock protruding from the roof of the passage! Heroes failing a Perception check take 1D10 damage to the head. Once again, those trained in Dungeoneering gain a +2 to the perception roll. Also, you can stack another +2 to the roll for characters that have low light vision or darkvision.
Each hero must make an Acrobatics or Endurance check to avoid the fireballs. This must be done 4 times each. Characters trained in Dungeoneering gain a +2 to their rolls. The fireballs do 1D6+2 fire damage each.
The heroes are forbidden from leaving the cars during the ride by powerful magic, though powers and feats that do not result in their removal from the cars seem to work just fine.
For surviving this ride, each hero is given a funfair coin, stamped with the Funfair of the Damned logo on one side and the Anvil of Moradin on the other. This coin is worth 100 GP.
For heroes that want to ride again, they will get another coin and also a sack of 20 gold nuggets. A successful Dungeoneering check reveals 2d6 nuggets are real and worth 1-100 GP each.
E) Splash Down!
Two men dressed in blue suits and hats man this ride. The bubbling blue colored water rushes in from side outlets and the current moves the log along a circuit of water. Occasionally water splashes into the log, and the heroes get a bit wet. This usually causes a laugh, with one hero getting soaked, while the others remain quite dry. The boat is carried up the steep incline by powered rollers under it, and to the top, where it passes underneath arches which drip running water onto the laughing heroes. The boat turns a corner and is sent speeding down another steep decline, as water splashes over the sides of the boat, soaking heroes again.
However, as the boat splashes down into the deep blue pool at the bottom, and the heroes get soaked again, the water elemental, who just happens to live in the pool, gets very annoyed, and stands up beside the boat, picking it up and throwing it, heroes and all, across the room, to smash into the cavern wall. If there are multiple boats, he throws the last boat that hit him. All members of the log boat will take 3D10 damage each as the boat hits the wall (no save). An Insight check reveals that while being thrown and no longer on the track, a teleportation spell could get them out of the mess.
The two attendants simply shrug their shoulders and help them up. They will repair the boat and close the ride for the rest of the game. In here are 2 Troll Guards, in case the heroes give the ride operators any trouble.
As a consolation, the operators give the heroes a corked bottle. Opening it will summon a water elemental, (same stats as a firelasher from MM1 but replace the words fire with water…fire damage becomes untyped) , It requires the operator to use a standard action to open and then a standard action to identify the target. The water elemental will then attack the target with Wildwater Cyclone (if it is charged) or Water Lash if not. The elemental will fight to the death, until the target is defeated, or combat ends. Either way, the elemental is then freed back to its own plane.
F) Oghma’s Scientific Theory of Black Holes
This is a two-ticket WHITE ride. It is a hexagonal construction, pitch black in color, covered with weird designs and astrological symbols in yellow, red & green. The name of the ride is above the entrance door. A cut-out of the Grim Reaper (Death) stands atop the ride.
In front of which is the ticket booth, manned by a human wizard called Manfred. He is supported by a sorcerer by the name of Jaxon.
Jaxon will accompany the heroes around this corridor and to the door, and open it for them. Within, the riders
The heroes are instructed to choose a car in which to sit; 2 people per car. When all riders are seated, they are magically held in by meteoric iron supports and cannot move until the ride stops and the supports lift automatically. Jaxon leaves the room, closing the door behind him, and
and a mechanical Grim Reaper hovering above them, swinging his scythe at the cars as they spin around! Each hero must make a Acrobatics -2 or a Perception check -2 whichever is the higher, to avoid the swinging scythe. The Grim Reaper cannot be harmed in any way, nor can the heroes move due to the meteoric iron restraints. Failure of the roll means the hero takes his bloodied value -1 of damage by the scythe. The ride lasts for 6 minutes, and each hero must make the roll three times during this ride before the Reaper stops and the ride slows down. Any heroes killed on this ride are decapitated.
The ride slows eventually, the room illuminates, the central pole and floor stop spinning and the iron restraints lift, allowing the terrified heroes to exit this grim, deadly ride.
Any hero surviving this ride will be given a Reaper Charm, which allows the wearer to escape death once (The third failed death roll is rerolled until passed or a 20 is rolled). In addition, each hero is given a funfair coin, stamped with the Funfair of the Damned logo on one side and the Scroll of Oghma on the other. This coin is worth 100 GP.
Both Jaxon & Manfred will be sorry for any heroes slain within this nasty ride.....
G) Asmodeus’s Trip to the Nine Hells
Heroes doing so are seated in the skull cars, one per car only, and strapped in tightly by raspy tentacles. Any heroes that are devout followers of a god and have given tithe in the last month also gain a bonus +2 to all skill checks while on this ride.
Each hero must make two rolls and average them (Religion check and Endurance check) to remain in the car. Failure means they are pulled free by the demons and can only be rescued by any comrade that does the ride again. The hero’s hit point will be reduced to his healing surge value when rescued.
The hero must choose which way to steer the car before it reaches the junction. If not, GM roll to see which arch the car travels through.
Ultimate Pleasure leads through into a cavern which is full of all manner of creatures engaging in all manner of sexual acts. The car comes to a halt in the center of a raging orgy. The hero must make 2 out of 3 Insight checks and 2 out of 3 Religion checks to resist the temptation to join in. Failure means he joins the sex acts with demons and can only be rescued by any comrade that does the ride again. A rescued character has a -5 to all skill checks until he takes a short rest.
Ultimate Pain leads to a chamber where every manner of torture is being applied; to real living people! First, the heroes’ car drops into a pit of fire. Each hero takes 5 ongoing fire damage (save ends). The cars pull out of the pit and give the heroes sights that are enough to drive a sane man mad. Any hero going through here must make an Insight check to close his eyes. Heroes are then attacked 4 times by a psychic barrage of madness +12vsWill, 2d8+2 damage. Any characters with their eyes closed gain Resist 3 against these attacks. Any characters who have psionic power points can use PPs to reduce the damage dice (1 per) from d8s to d6s. He can also use a PP reduce damage dice for one adjacent hero going through the Ultimate Pain path.
Both tracks lead out of their respective caverns and into a straight corridor leading upwards at a 45 degree angle. The corridor travels for 5 minutes as the sounds of hell fade behind the car, and eventually the car levels-out and enters a corridor at the end of which a pair of black doors proclaim the grim message "We'll get you next time......" The car emerges at the front of the ride and you may disembark.
Heroes emerging from this ride alive permanently gain Resist Fire 2 for the life of the character. For surviving this ride, each hero is given a funfair coin, stamped with the Funfair of the Damned logo on one side and the Ring of Asmodeus on the other. This coin is worth 100 GP. Any heroes wanting to go on the ride again may do so as many times as he or she wants (however the Resist 2 to fire will not stack.) The difficulty of this ride does not increase.
H) The River Caves
Heroes paying the correct ticket take their seat in the fancy boat and then the boat is sent into the cave mouth through which a river flows into the darkness. The whole presentation of this ride is excellently done. Two Troll Guards at least always stand near to this ride, in case the male members of the party decide to try for a different kind of ride with the Chult babes. Didn’t I already mention that the women carry scimitars?
Any male characters with CHR of 20+ will be “noticed” one of the Amazon women who will offer to show him 'behind the scenes' of the ride and lead him through a side door. This leads to a luxurious bed chamber.
You find yourself riding through the River Caves will enter the tunnel in the dragon boat, and continue for about 5 minutes through a twisting cavern passage where vines hang from the roof and luminous moss clings to the walls. Occasionally a colored lantern illuminates the passage quite beautifully.
The passage emerges into a large cave in which a realistic dinosaur scene has been placed, complete with fake volcano spurting fire and ash, animated wax cavemen with stone axes and spears, and lifelike dinosaurs. The cavemen on one side of the river throw poisoned spears at the dinosaurs on the other side. Unfortunately, your boat gets into the way.
Each hero must endure 4 attacks against poisoned spears +13vsAC, 1d8+2 damage, secondary attack +11vs. Will = -2 to all defenses (stackable) until next short rest.
The heroes may also drop prone in the boat which will offer an extra +2 AC. If any jump onto the scene, the cavemen attacks just the on-scene target, ignoring all those who remain in the boat. The cavemen act as lvl 15 minions with 25AC, 24FORT, 23REF, 22WILL. 1d6 more cavemen emerge from the cave each turn. Heroes entering the cave fall through a trap door that deposits them back at the beginning of the ride.
If the heroes leap into the scene with a successful Athletics check, they have 2 rounds to grab treasure from the open chests here and there. During these turns, they notice their veins turning blue skin turning white. A successful Religion check by anybody witnessing this can determine that the hero not in the boat is slowly turning into a mummy. After 2 rounds the boat has left the scene and drifted through the exit tunnel. Heroes left stranded will slowly turn to mummies while the boat leaves the room. Each hero can grab 1-100 x 1D6 GP worth of mixed treasure items, i.e. bracelets, gems, coins etc.
Taking a short rest in the hammocks allow the characters to each regain 2 healing surges. There are twice as many coconut drinks as there are characters. The first coconut a hero drinks will heal him 12HP; the second will heal 6 and the third will heal 3. Any after are only delicious.
When ready, the heroes can get back on the boat. It then enters a cave which depicts a freezing land. Ice floats on the surface of the river, and snow falls over a winter scene. Figures of warriors in furs are displayed huddled over fires outside huts of mud and sticks. Any heroes wear chain armor or heavier must make two Endurance checks or take 1d8+3 cold damage.
After 2 minutes of travel, the boat turns a bend and emerges through the waterfall and out of the ride. As the water cascades over the heroes, not only do they get soaked, but the water is magical and adds 1D8 temporary HP to each hero. The boat stops and the ride is over.
(Any warriors who managed to charm one (or more!) of the Amazon warriors into the bed chamber will emerge at the same time, with a happy smile from their ride....) The hero(s) who got the “behind the scenes ride” are awarded with a Stone of Worldly Travel' each. As a standard action, the stone will teleport the hero(s) to anywhere he has been in the last month, once only.
I) Chauntea's Rest: Refreshment Area
Once inside, you may read the following:
Drinking from the fountain will give each hero 1d6 temporary HP. Also, those who drink from the fountain or actively search the fountain will notice 3 coins in the bottom. The coins are stuck and cannot be moved unless pried out---vandalism. If a hero tosses a Funfair Coin into the fountain (irretrievable), that hero gains a boon that allows a +2 to all skill checks until his/her next extended rest. You are free as GM to include whatever stalls you desire here, but here are four that should be included:
Uncle Hedge's Weiner Snacks. Uncle Hedge, a human wizard, sells Healing Surge restoration hot dogs which restore 1 healing surge for 20 GP each. After 3 hotdogs, the character must make an Endurance check for each hotdog after. A failure means the hotdog is vomited up and the hero loses 2 healing surges while retching for two minutes. Uncle Hedge has 2 packages of hotdogs (20 total), and two packages of buns (16 total). So he actually can only sell 16 hotdogs.
Mother Ursula's Soul Food. Here, goblins and kobolds serve up a variety of hot snacks, from Pig's Ears to Pork Pies, Hot Hog Sausage to Roast Boar steaks and Spicy Rat-on-a-stick to Pickled Eel. All these snacks cost 5 GP per serving, and must be tasted to be believed. No magical properties and they are actually, umm, an acquired taste.
Drago’s Sweet Tooth. Drago is a dragonborn vendor who has a nice supply of odd sweets for sale for 1 GP each. He has dark chocolates (+1 to next Endurance check before a short rest), Custard Creams (+1 to next Insight check before a short rest), cookies (+1 to next Religion check before a short rest) choco-banana chips (+1 to next diplomacy check) and brownies (reroll a fumble once before a short rest). He will sell a packet of sweets containing 12 of any combination for 10 GP. He has eight of each sweet in stock.
Martha's Milkshake Shack. Here, a large yet friendly female medusa is wearing black goggles and selling magic milkshakes for 10 GP each. Strawberry flavor (automatically causes the hero to make his next saving roll without dice rolling), Chocolate flavor (your next standard action becomes a minor action), Banana flavor (gain 1d10 temp HP) and Vanilla flavor (tastes great, and increases hero's skill check rolls by 5 for the next 5 minutes, Martha will only sell 1 shake to each hero per visit.
J) Lightning-Looper
The heroes are strapped in and the cars shoot down the track towards the loop.
Each rider must make an Athletics check to hang onto the side of the car or fall out as the ride shoots around the loop. The person in front gets a +2 to his check since he can hang on to the front as well. Heroes falling take 3d10 falling damage and there is a 50/50 chance he might land on the tracks. If conscious on the tracks, the player must quickly make an Acrobatics check to roll off the tracks in order to not get hit by the speeding ride. On a success, the hero rolls of the tracks and falls to the floor below taking 3d10 falling damage. On a fail, the car hits the hero reducing him to 0 HP. If the car runs over somebody who is at or under zero hp, that character is killed.
Heroes who rode all three times and did not fall out gain a boon which permanently adds the keyword Lightning their current Lvl 1 Daily Attack power.
K) Mad Mouse
The ride clatters to a shaky end shortly after this. The minotaur is sorry for the 'little piglets....' Heroes that make it all the way through the ride each receive a wind-up mouse toy, which will travel up to 70' when wound-up (Standard Action) and then explode in a burst 1 dazing all creatures in the burst (until the end of the player’s next turn). The toy is very fragile and the smallest amount of damage would likely break it.
L) The Hidden One’s Fantastic Voyage
If ever the heroes leave the worm, they must step in the sticky slime which does ongoing 5 acid damage and slows (save ends rolls may be made only when out of the slime). Heroes cannot balance on the worm without being in a pore.
Living skeletons man this ride, with about 6 or 8 such creatures, dressed in dusty old railway uniforms with moth-eaten peaked caps. The pay box is some sort of living orifice looking like the cross between an **** and a mouth..]]
The worm leaves the chamber through crash-doors and into a dark corridor which leads to a torture chamber. In here are 12 figures cloaked from head to toe in purple robes, whips, and chains. They approach the worm and whip their chains and iron-studded whips at the heroes who must take 1d10 per character worth of damage total (heroes split the damage up as they wish). The track runs through doors and the cars enter a steep, dark ascent, and the cars exit the ride to turn on an external balcony before re-entering the ride.
The heroes may wave at anyone left outside who dared not ride the Ghost Train! Leaving the ride at this point is nearly impossible. Veins and sinew from the worm have slowly melded under your skin holding you into the ride. (Insight check reveals that the only way out of the worm at this point is to teleport.)
The heroes in the cars can reach the lock from the worm once each as the worm scoots by to make a Theivery check to open it and rescue Cornelius, who eagerly jumps into an empty pore behind the last hero. Remember heroes cannot leave the car until the ride stops. And why would they? The floor is poisonous.)
The last coffin door (the exit) is locked if the wrong coffin is opened. The exit coffin will not open until all ghouls are defeated. Crossing the threshold removes the ongoing 5 poison damage and slow effect.
Survivors are given a magic cloak that sports the eye of Guanadar. It is a +2 magic item with Resist 3 Acid and Resist 3 poison.
M) The Gravity Loop
The heroes pay the ticket and pass through a turnstile, after having been politely asked to leave all weapons behind, as they can cause accidents within the confines of the ride. (The DM should somehow assure the adventurers that the weapons will be fine. Heroes not complying with this request will not be allowed to ride the Gravity Loop.)
When the heroes get to the top, they must wait behind a metal barricade, as a metallic voice speaks to them, saying
The barrier rises and the heroes must take their seats (each car seats 2 heroes side-by-side). When seated, safety harnesses drop down over their heads and lock shut. Then the metallic voice speaks again;
]]Then, you see a light at the end of the tunnel, and within seconds your cars erupt from the tunnel, whooshing into a huge cavern, in which the track performs a double loop before rising again and entering another tunnel in the opposite wall. However, strange forces are at work in the cavern as the cars loop-de-loop twice. You feel your bodies being pulled in all directions as you fight to stay conscious. Heroes must make two Endurance checks to overcome these forces. Each failure results in 2d10 force damage.]]
The cars return through the caverns and loops, backwards this time, and the heroes must make all the above rolls again! Horrors!
Any heroes surviving this ride will be given a badge reading "I SURVIVED THE GRAVITY LOOP!", which will can be activated as a minor action and allow the user to be surrounded by a 'Protective Barrier.’ The badge’s daily power gives the hero a +2 to all savings throws until the end of the encounter.
N) Empty Cavern
If a hero or another passenger flies out of the (P) Astro Swirll and hits the geode-encrusted wall, then the wall will crumble producing 30 large crystals and a hole large enough for a medium creature to squeeze through. The crystals can be cut and polished into gems each worth 1d6x100 with a successful difficult Dungeoneering check. The check can only be done once per day and requires a 10GP set of Jeweler’s Tools. On a fail, the crystal crumbles to dust.
The cavern is dark and the first hero who enters runs into a flurry of stirges that fly out of the darkness and past him. They do no damage and only harass those who are bloodied. A successful Nature check identifies this cavern as the source of the stirges.
Each stalactite nest has defenses of 20 and require two consecutive rounds of at least 10 damage each to destroy. After the first nest is destroyed, the stirges that were flying around harmlessly coalesce into a Stirge Swarm (MM1) in the middle of the party. Each player must make a successful Nature check or be surprised. Combat begins. For each stalactite destroyed while in combat, reduce the Stirge Swarm defenses by 2 and their increase their attack bonus by 1 (since they are frenzying). After the swarm is destroyed, the nests can be dispatched without further incident.
Nothing of value can be found in this cavern. However, the reward for completing all of the attractions and rides is the deed to an attraction of the party’s choice and design in this cavern. This will create an income that the heroes will be able to collect every year during the annual festival.
O) Dragon Dipper
Now, ladies & gentlemen, here is a surprise; the ride is free of danger! As a break from the horrors contained in this dungeon, this ride is bliss. Twists, dips and speeding straights await the riders, All that is required is an Endurance check or lose 1 healing surge due to motion sickness. A repeat ride is available for a red ticket, and the centaur enjoy having the heroes ride their dragon ride.
20 small models of the dragon cars are available for sale as souvenirs to any passengers that finish the ride. Each hero may choose either or both, and they cost 100 GP. After purchasing, a successful Religion check reveals the specific statute may be sold outside for 1000 GP! A failed religion check means that it is a fake and only worth 10GP. Sorry. No refunds.
P) Astro Swirrll
However, as the ride spins, a random cage and its two adjacent cages swing open, and the back wall into which the riders are pressed by centrifugal force, opening and sending the occupant flying out to hit the cavern wall, which is covered in 1’ crystals. The hero flung from the ride takes 4D4 damage, before falling to the cavern floor for an extra 2d10 falling damage. GO TO (N) EMPTY CAVERN
The stone giant apologizes for the malfunctioned equipment and refunds the entire group their tickets and then shuts down the ride for maintenance.
Q) Tymora’s Tea-Cup Ride
There are 8 cups, each one a different color and sporting a number from 1 to 8. They are colored as follows; 1=Red (on a successful Perception check, the rider in this cup finds an unopened TAME MIXTURE ticket booklet on the floor) 2=Light Green 3=Yellow 4=Purple 5=Orange 6=Pink 7=Dark Green 8=Blue
All that is required is an Endurance check or lose 1 healing surge due to sickness.
For surviving this ride, each hero is given a funfair coin, stamped with the Funfair of the Damned logo on one side and Tymora’s lessen symbol, a playing card spade on the other. This coin is worth 100 GP.
R) Maze of Mirrors
Each hero should have a light source for this adventure. If they do not, they will make Perception checks at -5 (-2 if they have low light or dark vision). The heroes must make 3 successful Perception checks and 1 difficult Perception check before failing two (A successful Dungeoneering check reduces the difficult perception check to a regular one). If a hero does fail two, they end up back in the starting room and must attempt to redo the challenge.
After each perception check, the hero must then make an Insight check to determine if he made the right turn. Success = nothing happens, Failure = a cultist of Guanadar attempts to stab the hero in the back. The hero gets one action before the halls shifts around and the cultist is whisked away. The truth of the matter is, the hero who failed the Insight check is *semi-dominated* and actually attacks another hero (use the defenses of the player to their left). The damage to the hero is realized when he exits the maze or finds himself back at the starting room.
Roll some dice and then call out the damage to mislead the heroes. If they catch on that they are doing the damage to each other, let them know that the effect of the mirrors work to *semi-dominate* players. From now on, the DM chooses one of the player’s At-Wills to attack with.
A successful Arcana and Religion check will give the character a +5 to their Insight check (+2 if only one of the checks is successful).
If the players discover that they are attacking and affecting their own party members, then all attacks from a failed Insight check are At-Wills as per the normal dominated rules.
Any hero to make it out of the cavern finds himself in (I) Chauntea’s Rest. It will take 16 turns to return to the Maze if he runs, but only 5 turns if he takes the Ghost Train, which happens to pull up at Chauntea’s Rest just as the hero steps out of the mirror. (How convenient!) Read for them:
The first hero to break an egg on the dais ends the Maze of Mirror challenge for everybody inside, who then exit through the mirror in Cheantea’s Rest.
S and T) Fun House and Wax Works Cavern
[spoiler]
S) Fun House
Within the house are various rides for the heroes to try, all have already been included within the ticket price obviously. There is also a “short rest (take 5)” area, with seating for the heroes, and a burger bar, where burgers are sold for 2 GP each, all available with a variety of sauces; shambler’s relish, dragon mustard, troll tartar sauce, barbecued dragon sauce, etc. The heroes may spend as much time as they wish in here; a good place to regain lost encounter powers. The rides within are now described.
Great Hall
Running Wheel
This is a large wheel attached to the wall by a pin in the center. It is painted red and yellow. There is room inside for the heroes to run around, thus turning the wheel as they run. If they stop running, they fall over, you get the picture. However, after a minute of running, the wheel begins to spin faster of its own accord, and heroes failing a Athletics check or Acrobatics check are thrown out of the wheel to land nearby. Heroes making the roll stay in the wheel, keeping up with the speed, but it gets faster, and the roll is now Acrobatics AND Athletics or the hero is thrown out. If the hero makes this roll, the wheel glows and the hero receives a magical boon of +5 temp HP, +1 Speed, and +1 initiative until his next extended rest.
Ye Olde Castle of Lord Bouncinton
The bouncy castle has 20 integrity points. Each character will remove 1 structure point for each round he bounces. If the integrity of the castle gets to 5 or below, the Clown Guard will say, “Stops! You’s gonna pop da castle!” If the caste gets to 0 integrity points, the castle pops and all heroes in the castle take 3d8 damage (Athletic check will redue to half damage). The castle regenerates integrity points at the rate of 2 per 5 minutes.
The castle is slightly magical. Heroes bouncing on it will receive 1 HP back per round of uninterrupted bouncing. A Perception check will prove that they are in fact weakening the integrity of the castle bounce.
The Balance Pit
At the top of the ladder is a log painted in swirling green and white like a peppermint stick. The log is traversing the pit The fall is about 15 feet (and will result in 1d10 falling damage.). At the bottom of the pit is a bouncy floor, bright red in color. A sign says "CROSS THE PIT: WIN A PRIZE" At the other end of the pit is a golden box, 1' cubed, with a ? upon the lid.
The ride is magical, only heroes crossing the pit by running/walking across the log may claim the box. Anyone flying across or simply walking around the pit, will be unable to touch the box, as if it was an illusion. A challenge which averages Acrobatics and Athletics is required to cross the pit by walking on the log, which is not fixed in any way and moves under the hero's feet. If the hero fails, he tumbles into the pit for a nice soft landing. However, the bottom falls out and the hero is deposited outside the Fun House. The box contains a golden scarab worth 4000gp. Once retrieved, there is really no reason for anybody else to do the Balance Pit.
Pit of Balls
This is an area mostly filled with rubber balls, all different colors. The idea is to jump in and have a jolly good lark! A sign says that the pit contains 10 treasures and 10 curses, and heroes must remove all shoes, armor, and weapons before entering. Heroes not doing so will be cautioned by the Clown Guard (Perception check finds the round boxes. Each box requires a successful Thievery to open. A good one will have a gem worth 1-10x200 gp and a bad one will spray a stink in the character’s face giving him a -5 (stackable) to his next skill check before a short rest.)
Just playing around in here heals players 1 HP.
Rubber Sword Arena
Sheer unadulterated fun! Heroes choose large rubber swords and enter a caged arena in which they proceed to hit each other! Just by playing around in here the first player that scores a critical hit receives 5 temporary hit points.
S and T) Fun House and Wax Works Cavern
T) The Waxworks
The 4 floors are linked by linked by stairs at opposite ends. There are two combat encounters in this building. All animated beings except the prisoner are considered “insubstantial” (Elminster, Manticore, Githyanki, Sphinx).
Floor One is the first floor through the double doors after the entrance, and a standing wooden sign reads 'FAMOUS PEOPLE'. In here are roped-off areas in which statues of famous people stand, sometimes with a small scene built around them to add a little authenticity. and a strange troll wearing a wide-brimmed hat called Ken, (amongst many other famous NPCs from your own dungeons).
One of the statues is magical. It is the statue of Elminster the Sage. The wax statue welcomes the party. The hero with the highest Arcana to enter his scene, by climbing beneath the ropes (not usually allowed). He is friendly, and if the hero or any of the party attack, the statue will revert to wax and crumble. If this happens, the guards will move the party on the stairs and next floor, with a stern warning not to cause any more trouble or be evicted from the building. Assuming a hero complies (one only), the wizard will sum him up. Call here for three Diplomancy or Bluff checks. 2 out of three failures mean the wizard takes a dislike to the character and casts him from the scene. If the hero succeeds with this roll, he will be granted a magical gift. The wizard will give them a silver necklace which when worn will allow the wearer to nullify any one attack that contains the arcane keyword that hits the character once per day. The wizard returns to wax if this gift is given or if this challenge is failed. The room is lavishly decorated and well lit by lanterns.
Dropping the spike into the stream under the Shou bridge ripples the water and shows the party that 1-10 gems, each worth 500GP has been cleverly stashed under the bridge. If somebody already searched under the bridge earlier, then the party or heroes were not looking in the right place...”Oh, I knew I should have looked there too.”
U) Sylvanus’s Shooting Gallery
This is a simple attraction, and the heroes will come to no harm while in here. What a nice change! The Ghost Train stands nearby.
Within are entrances to 3 shooting ranges. One is marked 'EASY PEASY', another 'GETTING TRICKIER' and the third 'DOWNRIGHT FIENDISH'. The heroes may enter each range once for their ticket admission. Heroes may spend as much time as they want at the range. The heroes use their own projectile weapons whilst in here. After a success, the elf will sell them any projectile from the rulebook (he has a good store in a back room) at 100%, 90%, and 75% respectively its going price.
The first range, 'Easy Peasy', is 5 spaces long, with 8' targets of monsters at the end. These move slowly back and forth on wheels moved by wires at floor level, and have defenses of 20. The hero has to make two of three shots hit. Heroes may retrieve arrows, bolts etc. only when all heroes have finished shooting.
The second range, 'Getting Trickier', features a 10 spaces long range, at the end of which, 5' high figures of wizards move around quite quickly. The defenses of targets here are 25, the increase due to the moving targets. Again, heroes may retrieve bolts etc. only when all have finished shooting.
The third range, 'Downright Fiendish', is a 20 spaces range, at the end of which fairies, butterflies, birds and winged demons fly (not real ones). The defenses of creatures here are 30.
When the heroes have had enough shooting practice the elf will sell them extra arrows, bolts etc. (at twice rulebook prices) the elf shows them out with a wave, wishing them luck in the rest of the dungeon…err, amusement park.
Any hero managing to hit a flying butterfly (1 in 4 chance if they didn’t specifically call for it) in the last range, will be given a magic feather, which, when attached to a missile will score a critical 20 (decide before you roll) ranged target.
Any hero showing exceptional skill in any of the ranges is given a small trophy of an archer standing with bow drawn ready to fire. These are painted gold but only made from iron, but nevertheless are a nice souvenir and can be sold for 250 GP.
TIME TO GO HOME.....
"Farewell my friends! It gives me great pleasure to thank you for entering my funfair and for being such great sports! I am sorry if you lost anything in my park, or if you are changed or worse-off than when you arrived, but I hope you will be going home richer in many ways! I hope you enjoyed my creation, for it took me many years to complete. May I wish you well in your future adventures, and I look forward to seeing you again, and you never know, I may have some new rides for you! Until we meet again, from me, AO, and all the staff of the Funfair of the Damned, a fond farewell!"
The cars continue into the illuminated chamber, which is of course the chamber they began in. The corridor stretches ahead of them as they dismount, and the doors at the end exit the dungeon, bringing the heroes out anywhere you please.
The Funfair of the Damned is now closed. Thank You.