MARIO DOES D&D
T H E S I T C H
For thirty years, Bowser, King of the Koopa, has tried to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. For thirty years, he has failed only to inexplicably turn up later to try again.
This time, however, will be the last time. (Until the next time.)
Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad have traveled throughout the Mushroom Kingdom defeating Bowser's lieutenants and innumerable mooks on various worlds of varying illogic and insanity - bright, sunny lands and dank, underground dungeons crawling with koopa and goomba and cackling kamek; flooded lands where swim the terrifying cheep cheep and lurk the dreaded bloopers; maddening places where green pipes spring forth from every angle for no reason and piranha plants lurk within to snap at the unsuspecting heroes. Also, those weird things that fly on clouds and throw stuff. And those big slow-moving bullets, whatever those are called.
Now the heroes have cornered Bowser for a final showdown in his dark castle which sits astride a vast sea of deadly lava. Will Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad put an end to Bowser and save Mushroom Kingdom? Or will Bowser defeat them and finally conquer the world?
T H E W A T E R L E V E L
F E A T U R E S O F T H E A R E A
Cracked Bridge. The cracked bridge that connects the heroes' starting area with that of Bowser's is not in good condition. While even Bowser's immense bulk won't cause it to break in the short term, a concerted effort at destroying it can succeed. Each 5-foot section of the bridge has an Armor Class of 17 and 35 hit points. A Medium-sized or smaller creature standing on a destroyed section of the bridge must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall into the lava (success means being prone in an adjacent square). If the bridge is fully disconnected from the landings on either side, it plummets into the lava with any creature that happens to be on it at the time.
Green Pipes. These 5-foot-tall green pipes contain portals to the water level. A creature that moves atop the pipe when a piranha plant is not present is instantly transported to the water level (or vice versa) and may continue to move if they have movement remaining. The green pipes in the water level are upside down and on the ceiling which is 30 feet above the water level's floor.
Kelp. Six areas of seaweed and kelp offer excellent hiding places for bloopers or stealthy heroes. Three of these patches of kelp glow with the promise of treasure. Within the many leaves are glowing chests marked with a large question mark and locked with a big padlock - DC 15 for a hasty job of picking the lock or DC 20 for breaking it (and an action for either approach). Inside each is a green mushroom. If consumed as an action, should the character die, he or she is restored to life, appearing in the starting area at full health and resources except for items that were already used.
Lava. The sea of lava begins 20 feet below the level of the bridge. The rules for handling contact with lava are covered on page 4 of this comprehensive supplement on the topic. If a creature immune to fire falls into the lava, they can move through it as if swimming. If a creature is within 5 feet of the lava, but is not in contact with it such as through a water walk spell, it takes 4d10 fire damage at the start of its turn.
Oyster. A giant oyster sits atop a bed of coral and a circular stone dais, 10 feet above the floor of the water level. Four large pearls worth 5000 gp each lay next to it. Like some of the kelp, the oyster glows from within with the promise of treasure. It is very hard to pry the oyster open (DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check). It is also tough to crack open (AC 15, 50 hp, resistance to slashing and piercing weapons). More subtle approaches may have better results - such as trying to coax it open by handling it properly or recalling lore on what might get an oyster to open up. If the outcome is uncertain, call for an appropriate ability check. Inside the oyster is the Golden Axe! This weapon is a +2 greataxe that inflicts triple damage to objects.
Pillars. The pillars run from floor to ceiling and provide half cover.
Stone Islands. On either side of the bridge are three small islands of stone and one large one. They are 10 feet above the surface of the lava.
Walls. The ruined walls on the floor of the water level are encrusted with barnacles and other sea life. They are 10 feet tall.
T H E H E R O E S
Here are some pre-generated 10th-level characters to use with this scenario. Or you can use your own.
Mario
Luigi
Princess Peach
Toad
I gotta say, your adventures are all so utterly ridiculous, it's awesome. I think you might be the monarch of out-of-the-box. lol 
Sick. Looks beautiful. I'm using the dracoturtlich variant. Maybe also adding a rescue challenge instead of a defeat bowser challenge. Yoshi in a cage, dangling over lava. Something like that.
Luciender wrote:
Overlooked that - haha that's awesome
FYI: The bullets are Bullet Bills.
Sounds pretty awesome. Not my usual cup of tea, which is refreshing.
This why I play Dungeons and Dragons.
Istbor wrote:
Mario never really caught on over here but I played them as a kid. Mario and D&D, whatever floats your boat. Magic Initiate feat would let you throw firebolts which Mario does.
Zardnaar wrote:
Re: Kameks...I don't see where you have the To-Hit bonus for their wands. Aren't ray's a rolled attack vs. AC?
They're a CR3 creature, so that'd put their PROF bonus as a +2, correct? Not sure if their primary stat is INT or WIS. Either way, that's a +3 (if INT) or a +4 (if WIS) to hit with their wands. Did I math correctly?
Synjin wrote:
iserith wrote:
I think in the fiction, a ray that calls for a Dexterity save might be described as dodged by a PC that makes the save whereas one that calls for a Constitution or Wisdom save strikes them and is resisted if the PC makes the save.
I have the Super Mario 3 theme music in my head now. IN other news I have a 1980's NES (PAL) in near mint condition with a copy of SM3 in its box in near mint condition.
Zardnaar wrote:
Synjin wrote:
Ahhhh man, the memories are flooding back! Being swallowed MANY times by Big Bertha on one of the World-3 levels, where the level keeps going up and down below the water's surface. HA HA
Back to the OP...I'm thinking about using this and adding the Power-Ups that can possibly be found by breaking a couple of certian pieces of the map.
Mushrooms
• Your size catagory increases by one.
• Your reach increases by 5 feet.
• Weapon damages increase by one die type. (ie: A 1d8 Longsword becomes 1d10)
• You gain 4 HD worth of temporary HP.
• You revert back to normal self when you take enough damage to deplete your temporary HP.
Fire Flower
• Gain the benefits of the Mushrooms, but also add the Fire Bolt cantrip ability. Caster level is 1/2 your character level plus INT modifier.
Invincibility Star
• You gain the Globe of Invulnerability spell for 1 round.
My position is stuff from the 80's and 90's was better than stuff today. Get off my lawn!!!
Bottom right Dungeons and Dragons Warriors of the Eternal Sun. D&D game set on Mystara in the hollow world.
Good idea! I'd make the mushrooms duplicate the effects of an Enlarge spell. Invincibility Star could grant resistance to all damage for 1 minute. Enlarge lasts until you are hit and fail a Con check (like concentrating on a spell). Stoneskin lasts 1 minute.
I'd place these rewards either above the lava or closer to Bowser to encourage a little risk-taking.
iserith wrote:
Iserith, do you have those tokens handy? Or how do you make them?
Synjin wrote:
Synjin wrote:
With high jump checks maybe have a critical hit ot knock them prone if they land on someone. Fire flowerscould let them cast firebolt and racoon suits let you fly 1/short rest for a minute.
Zardnaar wrote: