d20 RPG Objects Against the Wastelords.pdf

AGAINST THE WASTELORDS

A Darwin’s World Adventure v1.0

Writer: Dominic and Chris Covey

Editor: Chris Davis

Additional Editing : John Shaw, Don Kiesling

Cover Art: John Longenbaugh

Interior Art : John Longenbaugh, V. Shane

Layout : Chris Davis

The ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are Trademarks

owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the

terms of the d20 System License version 1.0a. A copy of this

License can be found at www.wizards.com. Portions of this

work are derived from the d20 System Reference Document.

Dungeons & Dragons(R) and Wizards of the Coast(R) are

Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used

with Permission.

DarwinRPG.com

Darwin’s World is heavily supported by its oficial web site,

www.DarwinRPG.com. At DarwinRPG.com you will ind

many resources such as maps, gazetteers, character sheets, as

well as products only sold via the web.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AGAINST THE WASTELORDS

THE SCRAP MINE

GETTING INVOLVED

ON THE WAY BACK

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

RETURN TO DRY FORT

BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE

THE HORSE HUNT

BAZAAR

MESSENGERS ARRIVE

JOURNEY THROUGH THE WASTELAND

CRUISE MISSILE SITE

BLACK STUMP

MONASTERY

EBB

THE WARHEAD SECURED

SEEKING AN AUDIENCE

WAR WITH THE WASTELORDS

GLADIATORIAL GAMES

THE BATTLE OF DRY BED

TWO TREES

THE BATTLE OF BIG ROCK

RETURN TO EBB

SHOOTOUT AT SHINY HOUSE

SPILUNK

FINAL BATTLE AT DRY FORT

MEETING WITH THE ELDERS

ENDING A

HAUNTED CANYON

ENDING B

DRY FORT

FINAL REWARDS

MEETING WITH CAPTAIN ULZ

SANDYVILLE

THE DRY FOREST

PLAYER AIDS

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to clear the trade routes of the valley, and even

communities outside of the area (the Trade Lands)

might contribute a warrior or two to the common goal

of making the valley safe for trade and travel.

AGAINST THE WASTELORDS

Against The Wastelords is a complete adventure

for the role-playing game, DARWIN’S WORLD.

The adventure is set in an indistinct corner of the

desolate Forbidden Lands, a valley known as the

“Tradelands” due to the trafic of important goods

that moves through the area. The scenario involves

the characters being hired by a merchant consortium

to rid the area of a powerful raider threat – the

“Wastelords”.

Against the Wastelords is intended as a handy

introduction to the dangerous and gritty atmosphere

of DARWIN’S WORLD. Consisting of an easy

means to gather disparate individuals together (as

players often have quite diverse concepts behind

their characters), the scenario features a few scattered

encounters which soon build up to a conlict of

wide-ranging impact; battles in fact, in which the

characters will be given the authority to lead the

soldiers of the region against the raiders in all-out,

large-scale war.

This scenario features a few early encounters

to encourage players to learn to coordinate their

activities because the later battles of the adventure

can get very deadly, very fast. Although the

characters will have access to healing at various

points from their sponsors (the alliance of the “Three

Towns”), the individual running this adventure

should pull no punches. Remember that DARWIN’S

WORLD is a cruel and unforgiving setting, and in it

only the strong deserve to survive.

Raider . Perhaps a survivor from a shattered, rival

gang seeking vengeance against the Wastelords, a

raider character would make an excellent contribution

to any group taking on this epic mission. His

understanding of the raider ways and their tactics

would make him a deinite asset. A confrontation

with fellow killers might also make a dramatic scene

for role-playing a change of heart – or a last minute

switching of sides! The drawback to such a character

is that the communities of the area would be at the

very least distrustful of his presence in the group…

and this could cause problems when the PCs need

charity, healing, and trade.

Scav . A scav character might ind the opportunity

of brief employment by an established settlement

enticing, enabling him to earn some raw corium and

possible trade goods (from treasure found along

the way), while allowing the character to retain his

beloved freedom out in the wilds. Any good scav

also knows that future conlict often creates the

opportunity to earn artifacts and other treasures as

spoils of war.

Thinker. A thinker would most likely be hired by

the merchants of Bazaar or Spilunk to lend aid to the

group as an advisor, coordinator, or leader. Knowing

full well the perils of sending a small group against

the Wastelords, the merchants would want to ensure

success by hiring the canniest individuals around.

Or, alternatively, a thinker character could simply

be a native of the valley, seeking to gain prestige in

order to further a political “career” among one of

the various communities. There is no better way to

earn your people’s admiration than by being part of a

heroic struggle…even if you spend most of the time

“behind the lines”.

LANGUAGE

The dialogue of Against The Wastelords often

features confusing and “bad” language. This is

deliberate, to stress the decay of civilization and to

allow the players to tell much about an individual

from his speech (such as tech level, education,

etc.). It is important that the GM thoroughly read

this adventure before beginning; to better play the

denizens of the wasteland and to understand the

low and plot of the adventure.

Trader. A trader character could accompany

any group as an employee of one of the Bazaar

merchants, interested as they are in thwarting the

Wastelords once and for all. This person would

be responsible for keeping the group on track and

making sure any goods found are brought to Bazaar

to trade! In this case the trader character might well

be the most trusted of the ensemble, and his presence

would mean better relations – and rewards – from

the coalition. As an alternative, a PC trader might

represent one of the major factions of the Twisted

Earth (for example, the Cartel or the Clean), who

have heard of the plight of the Three Towns and have

sent an emissary to help deal with the threat.

GETTING INVOLVED

There are a number of means that the GM can use to

introduce the characters to this adventure. While you

are free to come up with your own lead-ins, a few are

listed herein by character class:

Guardian . The most obvious choice for

mercenaries, a guardian character could be hired by

the merchants of Bazaar to clear the area of its raider

infestation, or he might actually be from one of the

communities in this adventure (Bazaar, Dry Fort, or

Spilunk). The mercantile interests of each settlement

would be very apt to order some of their retainers

many powerful sandstorms that ravage the region.

So far from the well-traveled trade routes it would

probably have been buried again with the next storm,

if not for a nameless, wandering scav who stumbled

upon it in the foothills of the valley’s central

mountain spur.

Although he had no idea what the weapon truly was

(an air-launched nuclear cruise missile that crashed

minutes after being ired, more than two hundred

years ago), he knew that it had to be valuable to

someone, somewhere. Unable to cart the whole

weapon away, the scav combed through the relatively

intact debris until he could ind a piece small

enough to take. The piece he took, the weapon’s

computerized guidance system , was just sizeable

enough for him to carry off – and he did, taking it to

the small seasonal village of “Ebb” (not one of the

Alliance towns) where he hoped to sell it.

Unfortunately for the scav, the traders in Ebb did

not see the same value in the object as he did, and

they latly refused to buy it. Incensed the scav left,

hoping to travel to another desert town (Sandyville)

where he might make at least a few corium pieces on

its sale.

The Scav’s discovery of the missile at the foot

of the mountains did not go unnoticed, however.

Unknown to anyone, a group of strange religious

preservationists had long been living in an old

monastery constructed before the Fall, high in the

mountains. Watching the valley loor regularly to

monitor the slow progress of civilization, they spotted

the scav as he came within

miles of their long-forgotten

mountaintop citadel. Curious

as to what he was up to, they

sent a scouting party by night to

the missile crash site. They too

found the missile, but unlike

the scav they immediately

realized what it was - and the

threat its uncovered existence

might pose to the world.

These monks, paciist by

nature, extracted the

warhead from the

missile wreckage

under the cover

of darkness, and

hurried it back to their

monastery-fortress.

Here they planned on keeping

the warhead out of everyone’s

hands, forever.

Fortune, however, was

not to be so kind. The

Wastelords, returning

from over the mountains,

also discovered the ruins

of the missile by chance.

Although not immediately

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

For years the people of the “Trade Lands”, one of

many valleys crisscrossing the Forbidden Lands,

have been prey to raiders and wasteland beasts.

Though situated on the main trade routes connecting

these lands with other, wealthier regions, the towns

of the Trade Lands are far enough away to lack

the protection and civilization of the major trading

houses.

Years ago a major raider band began to see in

the Trade Lands a convenient means of lining their

coffers with purloined goods – and to satisfy their

bloodthirsty lust for raiding, raping, and extortion.

These raiders, who call themselves the “Wastelords”,

proved themselves early on to be too much for the

people of the valley towns to handle; with literally

hundreds of raider scum in their army, and leets of

oily vehicles, they have crushed all resistance and

hope under their heel.

Since that time the Wastelords have made annual

“visits” to the Trade Lands, sweeping up from

southern lands beyond the mountains of the valley

to take what they want, demand tribute, and wrench

the hard-earned wealth from the hands of the bitter

natives.

This reign of terror and humiliation has

not gone without raising the ire of the local

people, however. Burned by the constant

depravations and atrocities against their

people, the natives of the Trade Lands dared

to dream of a way to ight back. But alone,

each village was helpless to stop the yearly

attacks.

But together they had a chance.

Meeting in secret, emissaries of the valley’s

three largest towns – the strange albino

mutants of Spilunk, the primitive

but honorable warriors of Dry Fort,

and the cunning traders of Bazaar

(largest of the three) – were able to

forge a fragile alliance to hopefully

defeat the Wastelords, and cast off

their yoke of oppression

once and for all.

The “Alliance of

Three Towns” (as

it is known) is ready

for war.

Recently

While the Three Towns prepare

for their epic rebellion against

their cruel overlords, other

events have occurred out in

the wasteland in recent days.

A short time ago, out in the

desert, a great and ancient weapon of

unbelievable power was uncovered by one of

THE FORBIDDEN LANDS

A vast expanse of dry desert skirting the eastern edges of the Big Rocks, the “Forbidden Lands” are known

throughout the Twisted Earth as a chaotic region. This is a land of canyons, gorges, dry rivers, and at times

even seas of seemingly endless dunes. The region has long been a haven to the dozens of raider gangs that

make the Forbidden Lands so treacherous, keeping away the encroach of even the most well-organized and

fortiied merchant groups (the only exception being the Cartel, and even they have been cautious in their

forays into these wide open lands beneath the shadow of the distant Rockies) – and thus the foothold of any

possible civilization.

Despite the threat of horizon-spanning raider armies, smaller gangs of outcasts from the settler tribes

and clans, and many natural dangers/predatory mutants (in particular, the sandmen that dwell in unusual

abundance beneath the surface of the region), life goes on in the Forbidden Lands. People, usually traveling

in small, violently xenophobic groups, cling to life through a nomadic existence that keeps them on the move,

always a step ahead of the more powerful raider gangs. Life is harsh, pitiless, and cruel in the Forbidden

Lands. Everyone and everything serves a practical purpose; those that do not are cast out as junk (whether

person or object), for the predators to do with as they will, and buy time for the rest to get away.

In this bleak and brutal land, communities are seldom permanent; transient tent cities, temporary

encampments, and open “oasis” where no one stays long are more likely features of the region. Though few

groups welcome the sight of others here in these wastes, every now and again the various tribes, clans, or

gangs do get together at temporary “towns” (again, just tent cities or camps) to do trade for the vital things

needed to keep this fragile way of life going: food, water, ammunition, weapons, gasoline, vehicle parts, and

women change hands frequently at these much-anticipated gatherings.

Still, though the nomads of the Forbidden Lands do sometimes ind a time to celebrate and join with their

fellow man in brutal entertainments (e.g. gladiatorial games) at such gatherings, their guard is never down.

The raider gangs are ever-present, ever watchful. Inevitably the gangs hear of these camps, or stumble upon

them in the desert, and their brief but important contribution to nomad society and interaction comes to an

end.

But such is life in the Forbidden Lands. Few things are permanent. And nothing lasts forever.

aware of the potential of this ancient device, a mech

thrall (named “Sprocket”) in the Wastelord’s employ

realized what the wreckage was and, furthermore,

recognized that he could repair it.

The Wastelords understood they had a great weapon

– but were discouraged to ind out from their mech

that vital components were missing. The Wastelords

realized, by the still-fresh tracks in the sand, that

others had been there and taken the pieces only

recently. They have decided it is time to pay a visit

to the villages of the region and take for their own the

pieces to this great, ancient weapon of destruction!

The New World Order

Against The Wastelords is only the irst in a planned

two-part series in the Forbidden Lands. Though

the PCs won’t learn of it until the ending, the true

motivations behind the Wastelords wanting the

nuclear missile are not to terrorize the people of the

Trade Lands, but to resurrect the weapon so that they

can turn it against their own enemy, a much more

malevolent threat to the entire Twisted Earth.

The details of this new threat, the “New World

Order”, are to be covered in part two of this

adventure series…

If you wish to play this scenario by itself, however,

Against The Wastelords presents an alternate ending

for just this purpose.

Starting Out

Against The Wastelords begins with the PCs being

gathered to a secret meeting of the Alliance of

Three Towns in Bazaar, where they will for the irst

time learn of the Wastelords, the Alliance, and the

desperate plan to destroy the raiders once and for

all. At irst the PCs are merely charged with uniting

the remaining villages of the valley for the coming

conlict – but this effort quickly leads to the trail of

the enigmatic scav who irst found the Great Weapon,

and along a dificult quest to wrest control of the

weapon from the hands of the Wastelords, with a

climactic ending of epic proportions!

BEGINNING THE ADVENTURE

The story begins in the village of “Bazaar”, one

of several insigniicant towns in the Trade Lands

where life is cheap and the need for brave men is

constant. Times are changing in the Trade Lands;

great raider armies, known throughout the region

as the “Wastelords”, have terrorized the innocent

people of the valley for too many years. Their annual

raids, which come like clockwork, will no longer be

suffered without resistance.

The PCs are about to become embroiled in an epic

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