Adventurer's Digest: How Not To Crawl In A Dungeon: Adventurer's Digest, #1

By Jeremy Sheppard

Join Master Bard and Chronicler, Bertulf Fairbeairn, as he travels with an adventuring party in "The Mimic Massacre Mansion", discovering new creatures, and giving a first-hand accounting of the party's trials and tribulations. 
A different take on the monster manual and world-building sourcebooks for tabletop roleplaying games.
Included: 
12 Unique dungeon creatures

12 Drawings of creatures, in colour

12 distinct encounters

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeremy Sheppard
• Release date: Jul 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201214463

Book preview

Adventurer’s Digest:  How not to Crawl in a Dungeon

Written by: Jeremy R. Sheppard  Artwork by: C.G.

Author’s Introduction

The following is a selection of exerts from the diligently, precisely, and unabashedly honest written record of the exploits surrounding one Sebastian Potholer, a professional Dungeon Crawler and Instructor, and his Dungeon Crawler course field trip to Froglake Manor. The material was originally published in a University coursebook intended to be used as a substitute for Sebastian Potholer [1], as an instructive manual for this particular Dungeon Crawler course. A certain amount of concern was being shown by the University concerning Mægster Potholer’s teaching style and the number of deaths during his course’s field trip final.

This work is presented in chronological order by myself, Master Bard and Chronicler, Bertulf Fairbeairn. In accordance with the University’s contract, I audited the course using my Ring of Unobtrusiveness[2]. I followed along with Mægster Potholer’s students observing and recording, with no intentions of participating with the coursework. A small blurb containing basic information about these students is included prior to the actual necessary coursework material, to provide context for the narrative.

Please be aware that this editorial is only a partial work and does not contain all that occurred within the dungeon of Froglake Manor or within the coursebook. The intent of this editorial is to present creatures that have not been widely disseminated beyond the halls of learning or the partially believed stories in taproom or guild hall[3].

*  Dungeon/Game Master’s note – No Physical or combat stats are provided in this book of lore. Dungeon/Game Masters are encouraged to set their own stats for any creature they choose to use from this book of lore. Information provided is intended to supply enough background to create an interesting adventure for your players.

Table of Contents

Author’s Introduction

Course Participants

Froglake Manor

Creatures of Mimic Massacre Mansion:

Gobliks

The Shield of Fear

The Hemophobic Dagger

Petrified Undead Invisible Turtles (that self-replicates)

The Pole of Distraction 

The Luck Lolly

Galloping Chairs

Decappers

The Invisible Sign-Eater

The Shrieking Gilder

Gaglings

The Para-Mimic

Course Participants:

Adventuring Order/University Instructor:

Name: Mægster Sebastian Potholer   Alignment: Neutral Good

Race: Human    Class: Warrior  

Age: 38  Gender: Male  Job/Profession: Professional Dungeon Crawler/Instructor

Summary:  A moderately successful Adventurer, who specialized in exploring, clearing, documenting, and mapping Dungeons. The work he has done for the Adventuring Orders by exploring Dungeons has earned him the title Dungeon Crawler, which he has parleyed into a second profession as an instructor for the Adventuring Orders and University. Dungeons are defined, for his particular course, as ‘locations one goes to hunt monsters and find treasure, often these locations correspond with caves, ruins, and monster-occupied locales.’ Mægster Potholer appears to be a rugged survivor. His armour is well-worn, but in good order. His physique can be described as being still fit. His gear, like his armour, is functional and well kept.

Mægster Potholer is of the darker skinned humans that are common in the southern plains, swamps, jungles, and coastlines of the continent. His russet eyes are bright and will sparkle with reddish-orange flashes of mischievous intelligence if they are seen at just the right instance. The Mægster shaves his head, but allows his facial hair to grow in what is called a Friendly Mutton chop, where his sideburns connect to his mustache, but leave his chin and neck bare. He is well over six foot four inches[4] tall, with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. An impressive mountain of muscle and scar tissue. One of the more strikingly defined scars runs from just above his right ear, near the temple, to about three inches behind his ear in a slash mark. A memento from a sword strike that connected with his head, as he ducked down towards his left shoulder, cutting through the helm, causing superficial damage to his scalp. Overall, Mægster Potholer is an obvious choice for any adventuring party’s lead when heading off for a dungeon.

Adventuring Order Apprentices:

Name: Ryro Uroforn    Alignment: Lawful Good

Race: Human     Class: Sorcerer

Age: 17 Gender: Male  Job/Profession: Adventurer/Magic User

Summary:  Ryro is a visual contradiction. A practitioner of sorcerous arts. Who would not be out of place carrying a barrel, lugging cargo, or loading wagons at the docks. The epitome of a stevedore. He is tall, even for a human, well over six feet five inches tall. The best descriptive phrases for Ryro are; Bull-Necked, Barrel-Chested, Legs like tree trunks, Gorilla-Pawed, and the proverbial Slab of Beef. He has a workman’s build. Is obviously tanned, with defined muscles, and if he pulls up his sleeves the scars of a hard days labor crisscross his forearms. He keeps his long brown hair pulled back to the base of his skull in a function ponytail and while he wears a full beard, like any other self-respecting Wizard, it is shaved clean under his neck and along his jawline. His most commented on feature is the laugh lines or crow’s feet the have developed from years of working in the sun, giving him both very young, energetic eyes, and a wizened visage. While he is very heavily tanned from his years along the docks, his people are from the most common Caucasian stock of the human populace. Ryro does carry the common accoutrements that a sorcerer would require, his apparel is that of a common dockworker.

Overall, I found him to be quite friendly and not what I would consider to be the archetype for the all-power wizard-type person. The family does have a professional legacy of working as stevedores and running some of the best warehouses along the docks. When not attending courses or studying Ryro still works at his family’s warehouses.

Name: Ragless   Alignment: Lawful Good

Race: Human     Class: Cleric

Age: 18 Gender: Female Job/Profession: Adventurer/Herbalist

Summary:  An energetic young woman. Fond of humming and singing words of her favorite songs under her breath. People outside of the Adventuring Orders, and some within, have described her as a witch. While this description is fitting, it is only accurate to a certain visual degree. It is based mostly to having a weakness for gauzy black dresses, staring off dreamily, and using herbal healing magic as her primary skill. No attempts to cook and eat children have ever been witnessed. She does keep a garden for her healing herbs, but it is a well-appointed one in the back of a townhouse, not in the deep woods next to a shack. Her face is clear of warts and any other skin blemishes. She has stated that she is allergic to cats. Her penchant for gauzy and dark dresses has a practical purpose. She claims the lighter cloth picks up seeds, burs,

Reviews for Adventurer's Digest

[Christopher Walker · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Everything's a mimic or invisible. Poor grammar and spelling. Unpleasant characters.