FEN OF THE FROG KING

By RC PINNELL

INTRODUCTION

This adventure is written for the Holmes77 rules system. With some minor
modification, it can be used with the original Dungeons & Dragons Holmes
Edition, Original D&D, and/or with the 1981/83 Basic-Expert Moldvay/Mentzer-
Cook/Marsh editions. Only 2nd through 6th level characters should be played
(1st level would be too weak, and 7th or higher too strong),with the party size
average about 8, and including at least 1 cleric and magic user of at least 4th
level.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

While we gladly acknowledge the two creators (Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson)
of this game--Dungeons & Dragons--this particular adventure is dedicated to
those designers and players still around that contributed to its development from
its earliest days. Tim Kask, Rob Kuntz, Jim Ward, and--of course--Ernie and
Luke Gygax.

BACKGROUND

Fifty years ago the Grand Knight of Monrovia caught his young bride in the
arms of a local street entertainer--Bono the Bard. Angered by the betrayal, the
Knight ordered the man be executed, and his wife taken and sequestered in a
tower high above the castle. The next day the entertainer was to be hanged! But
knowing the young man's popularity, and that his execution would bring much
dismay and disapproval from the local citizenry, the chief counselor to the Knight
advised the noble to banish the young man instead. Not satisfied, the Knight
called upon his alchemists to concoct an elixir that would transform the man into
a hideous beast, so that he would never again find favor in the arms of the
woman of another man. After forcing it down the man's throat, he was taken to
the swamp miles to the south and left to die.
Five decades have passed. The once young noble Knight is now an aged and
gray haired Baron. His lands and people are tired, and produce less each year.
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His once beautiful young bride became bitter over the years, and angry with the
Baron for the childless relationship they maintained; untouched by him since the
day she was caught cheating.
And of the young man banished to the swamps decades past, no one knows if
he lived, or died. But that is the least of the Baron's problems, for the old south
road that skirts that fetid fen is not safe for caravans anymore. Attacks from flying
creatures seen nesting in the nearby mountain peaks are on the rise, and slimy
man-like shapes have appeared out of nowhere, hopping with agility incapable of
a normal human.
With the road in danger of closing down, cutting off a major trade route to the
south, the Baron must muster willing adventurers to venture south and
investigate the situation, and correct it before he loses any more of his wealth.
(The Dungeon Master should allow the players to negotiate their fee)
But even worse-- his bride of 50 years has gone missing! Information gathered
from his staff indicates that she has been corresponding with some-one for
several years. Couriers have arrived once a month, bearing letters from someone
named "Boon". According to eye witnesses, the Lady Elena made off in a coach
with only a driver and a few belongings just yesterday morn! She was heading
south, along the trade road.

NOTES FOR THE DUNGEON MASTER

It will take 3 days on horseback for the party to reach the area shown on the
map included with this adventure. If you desire them to encounter anything along
the way in that time you must design-create the situations yourself. For the
purpose of this module, the group will arrive at area (A) on The Endless Trail, at
late afternoon on the 3rd day. The Endless Trail is about 20' wide, with 2 deep
furrows running down the center, worn down by the excessive wear of wagon
wheels. It turns sharply at the great ravine and continues southwesterly until
reaching the frontier towns leagues to the south(B). A trail on the southern side
of the rift leads further into the fen(C). East of the trail rises the great mountains
known as the Princess's Peaks. Should they stop and make camp on day 3 for
the night they will not be molested, but their presence will become known to the
winged creatures atop the peaks. If they continue on, they will reach a great
westerly bend in the road near the mountains. It is 30% likely they will be
attacked at night by the mountain denizens. If they wait till the next day, upon
reaching the same location it is 90% likely .

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1. The Princess's Peaks. Nine(9) Hippogriff reside atop these peaks. There are
two mated pairs and five young; the latter will fight only if attacked. At night only
the 2 males will investigate and harass any travelers; during the day, a female
will join them. AC5 DX 11/8, 6/5 (m/f) HP 15, 14, 7, 6 M180'/ turn(360'/flying) AL
Neutral ATK claw/claw/bite D 1-6/1-6/1-10 (Young DX4 each, AC7 M90/turn, do
not fly yet! HD1 HP4, 3, 3, 2, 2, D1-2/1-2/1-3) The creatures have amassed a
modest treasure from attacking the caravans, and this will be found in their nests;
getting to it will not be easy, and the Dungeon Master will have to determine all
what it requires. Their treasure includes 2000 CP 1000 SP 500 GP a Ring of
Protection +2 and a Belt of Regeneration (this item functions like the ring of the
same name).

2. Rattlesnake Rift. A great ravine a quarter-mile wide where it meets the road
(2) impedes further movement south. Its banks are steep and sheer, crumbling
easily if attempts to descend them are made, dropping those trying to its bottom
30' below; Note: thieves can use their Climb Sheer Surfaces skills to descend the
face of the cliffs--all others must be lowered by rope! Anyone falling will take 1d6
of damage per 10' suffered.
Recent wagon tracks lead to this part of the rift, along with the footprints of a
woman's shoes. But even stranger, are the odd-shaped markings of about 6
other pairs of feet. These appear to have come up from the rift, and meet where
the coach stopped. They are almost triangular, with toe imprints at the front and
widest part of the impressions. All these, and those of the woman's shoes, go
south into the rift.
( Descending into the rift should not be beyond of the party. The Dungeon
Master must carefully monitor the characters' actions as they descend, but it
should not become so difficult as to deter the players from continuing.)
Once into the rift the party will easily pick up the trail of the woman's shoes, and
footprints of the strange creatures with her. But the rift isn't named as it is for no
reason. Getting across it runs the risk of encountering scores of rattle-snakes! At
1 quarter mile across (1320') it could take the party 11 to 22 turns to cross
depending on their rate of movement (the former if they move collectively at
120'/turn, the latter if 60'/turn; remember, the party moves at the rate of its
slowest member!) For each turn there is a 1-2 chance out of 6 that they will
encounter 2-8 rattlesnakes! Thus the longer the party takes to cross the rift, the
greater the chance that hordes of them will appear. These creatures will come
out of burrows to attack, as they are unusually aggressive for their species. To
determine the distance at which they will appear, roll 3d6, resulting in 3 to 18
yards away. AC7 DX 4-9(d6+3) ea. HP 1d6 ea. M60'/ turn AL Neutral ATK bite
D 1-6, and poison! (Victim must make Save vs. Poison or take additional 6 hp of
damage!) Their burrows, if searched(figure only a hobbit can do so) will yield only
1-100 cp 1-100 SP 1-10 GP per turn spent.

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FOR THE DUNGEON MASTER

If you prefer not to be rolling random encounter dice during the running of the
adventure, use the following table to predetermine the total number of snakes
that will appear and at what "turn".

Turn:
1 _____ 8 _____ 15 _____
2 _____ 9 _____ 16 _____
3 _____ 10 _____ 17 _____
4 _____ 11 _____ 18 _____
5 _____ 12 _____ 19 _____
6 _____ 13 _____ 20 _____
7 _____ 14 _____ 21 _____

Simply roll before the game begins for each turn and on a roll of 1-2 on a d6
then make a note on the corresponding space the # of snakes (2-8/2d4) that will
appear. If the party takes more than 21 turns to cross the rift, simply reverse the
order that is listed and go back through each encounter until all have been used
or the party is out of the rift. At your discretion, you may simply have snakes
appear on each even/odd numbered turn, or every 3, 5, 7 turns, or whatever.
Clever players may come up with various means of trying to avoid going down
and through the rift; magic-users with Fly, Levitate spells will surely try to use
these to avoid the physical rigors of descending into the rift, plodding across,
then climbing out again. It is the Dungeon Master's role to judge the
attempted/intended actions of the players/characters, and make rulings as to
their success or failure. Likewise, cautious players that want to take the time to
stand on the edge of the rift and peer across/into it must be informed that, from
the cliff's edge, they see no movement within the rift, except perhaps the ripples
of hot air rising from the baked ground, or dust devils that quickly form and
dissipate.
But clearly, the tracks of a woman's shoes and footprints of strange bipedal
creatures lead down into the rift, and disappear in a trail leading across the
desert-like expanse.
Note: images of winged creatures flying and hovering above the rift as they ride
upon the thermals, as well as the occasional shattering of silence by the barking
of some strange creature within the rift, are means by which the Dungeon Master
can embellish the sensations the characters would be experiencing.

THE FEN

Once the party has crossed the rift the ground will suddenly go from dry and
packed--like that north of the rift--to softer, cooler and grass covered. They will
feel the air become cooler, and moist, and see ahead of them a band of tall trees
blocking their view and progress (B). A complete index of all the trees and plants

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is not possible in this kind of a document, but the Dungeon Master should
attempt to describe what lies ahead as being similar to natural swamp lands
found in our own world; Florida's Everglades, and the Louisiana Bayou are good
examples. Piercing the band of trees will not be difficult, but movement will be
slowed incrementally worse by penetration of the fen. The Dungeon Master can
copy the following and show it to the players to give them some visual assistance
of what the characters are to experience.

The depth of the water will vary from location to location. Generally, it will run
from 2' to 4' in encounter areas 3 to 8. The ground will be spongy and the
characters' feet will sink into the mucky earth 2 to 3 inches per step. This will, of
course, slow movement considerably.
Besides the water, and the mucky ground, the air will be swarming with insects
of all types and sizes. These will create an unending and annoying buzz that fills
the air until the sun goes down; at night the insects find refuge, as the fen's other
creatures come out and take up the song, croaking and barking and howling.
There is no such thing as restful sleeping in the fen. Moisture will permeate the
party's clothing and gear and food stocks, and fresh water will be difficult to
locate; gathered mostly from dripping off plant leaves-- at best.

THE FROGS OF THE FEN & THE STORY UP TO NOW

Something strange happened to all the frogs within the fen 50 years ago. An
element was introduced that resulted in them becoming unusually large,
aggressive, and damaging if riled. The banished human, Bono the Bard,
(transformed into a hideous creature as punishment for his crimes of adultery
with the Baron's then young bride) was disposed of in the fen by the Baron's
guards. Left for dead, none believed he would survive a day. But the frog queen
found him lying on the bank and took pity on him; not knowing he was once a
human, but seeing him only as a beast, injured and left to die. Bono was taken

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into the frog community and nurtured back to health. Though his form was
hideous to the frog folk, he had not lost his beautiful voice and ability so sing.
Thus, to repay them for their kindness, the bard would join them in the evenings
as they croaked, and his songs filled them all with joy.
Now, generations later, the frog folk all have the bard's blood coursing through
them; not the human blood he once possessed, but the blood of the horrible
beast he was transformed into--a, gulliwug. Because of this, they are larger, with
many of the younger ones being bipedal. All of them now speak the common
tongue, as well as their own language.
The bard's transformation brought him something else besides his hideous
form, as well. The potent elixir somehow caused his aging processes to slow so
dramatically, that he (and his offspring) ages so little as to it being non apparent;
for each human year that passes, Bono ages only a month. This might also
explain why the frogs of the fen have grown so large, as their life spans have
increased 12 fold!
Once Bono had fully recovered, he knew he could never go back to the land of
his people, never look upon the face of Lady Elena, and never receive justice for
the punishment inflicted upon him. Thus, he remained among the frog folk,
teaching them a basic understanding of the world beyond the fen. In time, many
of the frog maidens even allowed him favors, as they found his voice beautiful,
and his songs charming. (Thus resulting in the mixed blood and the frog folk
mutations)
But recently, something deep within Bono began to stir. With memories of the
young and beautiful Lady Elena driving him, the bard desired to see her again.
Thus, he began sending letters to her, slipped unnoticed into wagons of caravans
passing north. That is, until a flock of Hippogriff began nesting in the nearby
mountains, attacking caravans, and causing merchants to cease using the trade
route altogether. But luckily, some got through before the road was abandoned,
and the Lady Elena, now old and lonely, was excited to learn he had survived,
and desired very much to him. Thus she arranged a secret journey to the fen,
where she was met and escorted deep within.

(Use the following table regarding the frog folk)

Age Size/HD HP DAM WGT DIA. LGTH. JUMP DEX

Tad 1 1-6 1-2 100 1' 4' 54' 2d6+6
Young 2 6-9 1-6 150 2' 6' 48' 2d6+5......
Young 3 12 2-8 250 3' 8' 42 2d6+4......
Teen 4 18 3-10 350 4' 10' 36' 2d6+3
Teen 5 24 4-12 450 5' 12' 30' 2d6+1
Adult 6 30 5-14 550 6' 14' 24' d10+1......
Adult 7 36 6-16 650 7' 16' 18" d8+1.......
Mature 8 42 7-18 750 8' 18' 12' 2d4
Mature 9 48 8-20 850 9' 20' 6' d6+1
Old 10 54 9-22 950 10' 22' Spec. d6+1.......
Old 11 60 9-22 950+ 10'+ 22'+ Spec. d6+1.......
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 In addition to the above information, the common statistics of frog folk are thus--
AC8, M60'/turn(Tad--Young)120'/turn (Teen) 90'/turn (Adult--Mature)
60'/turn(Old) ATK bite or slap D See above AL Neutral/Chaotic Size; See above.
All frog folk that can use their jump ability prefer this form of attack, as it allows
them to jump from a distance and--if landing on intended prey--causing double
the damage indicated above. "Old" frogs are so large and heavy that they cannot
jump. Instead, they will rear up and fall forward onto their intended victims. The
area of effect of such attacks is equal to the diameter of the individual frog; thus,
the large ones can possibly inflict damage on more than 1 victim. Jump (and
rearing) attacks can only be done every other round, and cannot be used in
conjunction with normal attack/s. Only young to adult frog folk can walk bipedal
for short periods of time; the weight of older ones becomes too much for their
appendages to be able to support beyond their jumping ability(which is limited as
described). Note that fire from normal sources (torch, oil, etc.) will only inflict 1 hp
of damage per attack upon frog folk; magical fire such as Fireball spell inflicts
1d6 per level of the caster, minus (-) 1 per die, and half if a Save vs. Turn to
Stone is made.
The frog folk are tremendously protective of Bono, and though many think his
obsession with the human female is disgusting, all have agreed to assist him. To
this end, each encounter area will contain a varying number of frog folk, all
determined to turn back any intruders that breech the tree barrier. During the day
they will not croak unless/until intruders get within 120' of them/their location. The
combined effect of this will cause nausea and disorientation to all non-swamp
creatures; this results in characters hitting at -1 on their attack rolls per round
unless they make their Save vs. Turn to Stone. The frogs will cease croaking and
attack when intruders are within range.
At night the frogs are constantly croaking on and off. This is a form of warning
so that, upon ceasing, others are alerted to the presence of a possible threat.
The Night Croak is slightly different than the daytime version. It is usually deeper
in pitch, caused by more of the bull frogs participating, and more melodic. This
collective melody will have an effect equal to a Sleep Spell upon all those that fail
to make a Save vs. Turn to Stone upon initially hearing it; once a save is made,
this croaking does not affect humans and their allies.
Trails (of a sort) are indicated on the map, and are identified mainly by the bent
and broken reeds and plants running parallel to each other, separated by open
space of 5' to 7'; these trails connect areas 3,4,5,6 & 7 and lead to 8. When the
party is attempting to find and follow along one of these tracks allow the players a
reasonable chance of doing either (a 1-2 on d6 is reasonable, but can even be
better--1-4--if the Dungeon Master wishes to make this part of the adventure
simple and easy to get through).
When following one of these trails it is possible the characters will run into frog
folk moving about. After every 3 turns of moving, the Dungeon Master should
secretly make a check with a result of 1 in d6 indicated some frog folk have
appeared. To determine how many, roll a d6+3 for a range of 4 to 9, and to
determine the strength/hit die of each, roll a d6+1 for a range of 2 to 8 HD per
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frog. Then, use the table on p.7 to run the encounter/s. These "wandering" frog
folk are not guards or patrols as such, but will defend the fen against obvious
intruders. (Note: at night, the figures generated are halved, and rounded down)
Should the party go off the trail/s (day or night) the numbers generated are to be
doubled!
As the group moves through the fen--whether on trails or not--they will see the
decomposed ruins of dozens upon dozens of wagons and coaches. These were
hauled into the fen by the frog folk and looted, after the Hippogriff clan had
finished waylaying a caravan. These modern artifacts are in various stages of
decay, as some have arrived only recently; within the last decade. Thus, wagon
wheels will often be seen standing up within the water, while the cargo
compartments float upside down in the muck; all are heavily covered with moss
and lichen, swamp mollusks and mud. Whatever cargo they had once carried is
long gone, and the party will not be able to use anything they see.
In addition, the natural denizens of the fen will be visible at times; long legged
cranes, ducks and geese, alligators, etc. These will all attempt to avoid contact
with the group if possible. Except for alligators, which might be a nuisance, at
least, and a potential threat, at most. The Dungeon Master should not use these
as encounters unless he creates the data to support doing so. And, naturally,
mosquitoes and gnats and flying bugs will fill the air!

FEN ENCOUNTER MATRIX

3. The Hopping Horde. 9 Tad, 3 Young(2hd) and 3 Young(3hd) are at this

location. They will use their hop attacks initially, attempting to inflict as much
damage and confusion upon intruders as possible in the first round. If they fail to
turn back invaders and/or take heavy losses (50% or more) in the first 4 rounds,
they will retreat into the deeper waters, with one of them rushing to alert the older
folk at area 8.

4. The Courting Croakers. There are 6 4hd female frogs and 4 5hd males at
this spot, apparently playing a little bit of "chase and catch" with one another. If
the females are attacked, the males will become enraged, defending their ladies
at +2 to hit!

5. The Gurgling Guards. 4 7hd male guards are always at this locale. They are
quite bored at the moment, and are playing a gurgling game of "what's this
song?" If they have not been alerted previously, they will attack at -1 to hit for the
first round and will not be able to jump initially.

6. The Haughty Harem. This location is filled with female frog folk. There will be
1 8hd mature female, 4 6hd adults, 4 4hd teens, and 6 2hd young. They will
attack only to defend themselves, and attempt to jump away to the safety of the
deeper water if at all possible.

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7. The Tad Tank. 30 Tads are bustling about at this crowded spot. Though
capable of inflicting serious damage with their leap and standard attacks, they
are not as sure of themselves as their larger kin, and will mull about, trying to
avoid contact with intruders if at all possible. If forced to defend themselves, they
will.

8. The Damsel Denied. When the characters arrive at this location it is most
probable that they will enter from the northwest(a). A small gap in the trees here
allows egress to the opening beyond, and after a few steps they will be able to
see a large tree stump(b) where upon sits the Lady Elena, waiting. A gigantic,
hollow tree lies bobbing up and down in the water, half-submerged at the far end
of the clearing(c). The trail to the Frog King's pad(d) lies to the northeast of the
clearing.
Hired to find out what has been attacking caravans along the trade road, and to
find and return the Lady Elena, the characters' actions at this point will determine
what happens next. Surrounding the clearing is a throng of frog folk. The large Xs
indicate adults of 6-7hd, while the smaller ones reveal the locations of teens with
4-5hd. In addition, within the great hollow tree lying in the water, are 11-
20(d10+10) young frog folk of 2-3hd. The adults will at first move to surround the
Lady, cutting her off from intruders, while the teens jump to attack anyone that
makes a threatening action. There is no way for the characters to negotiate with
the frog folk, for they will not release Lady Elena to strangers--as per orders from
Bono. Nor does she want to go with them. So the Dungeon Master must allow for
a multitude of possibilities when running this encounter.
If the characters begin attacking the frogs in order to grab Lady Elena and flee,
their actions will be met with ferocious counterattack. The young within the hollow
tree will quickly emerge with a dozen lining up atop the log. These will begin
croaking loudly at a very high pitch. This will not only effect the characters as
earlier described, but will be heard by Bono--the Frog King--and his bodyguard at
(9) and they will rush to the location. This will take 1 turn + 2d10 rounds.
If the party attempts to seek answers as to why the Lady is here, and if she
wishes to be "freed" of the frog folk, she will respond, supplying them with a
retelling of the information in the Background section. Should the players decide
to leave things be and let her have her reunion with Bono, the Dungeon Master
can then have the Frog King arrive (only if alerted) and, not wanting his existence
known to the Baron, attack the party; they are, after all, invaders. To add more
spice to the adventure, the Lady Elena may have the following possessions in
her traveling bag. 2000 SP 1500 GP +1 Ring of Protection, +1 dagger/+2 vs.
reptiles. She might use this cache to negotiate a counter-deal with the
characters, to return and assassinate the Baron! Or, to simply leave, and not
report back to the Baron at all.
Too many variables (as to player action/s) make plotting out the responses of
Bono and the frog folk, feasible. The Dungeon Master must be prepared to get
into the plot and be an active co-creator of the adventure!

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9. The Marsh Master! If Bono and his Royal Guard have previously been
summoned to area (8) then only the frog Queen and remaining Advisors will be
present as the group enters this location. The water here is fairly deep (4'-7') and
a ring of cypress trees(30'-40' tall) encircle the clearing, with thick strands of
moss dangling from their branches. Smaller trees and tall reeds fill in the spaces
between them. The usual entry to the area is through 2 columns of the smaller
trees (a) at the southern end of the perimeter. The large Xs reveal the positions
of the Royal Guard; each being an Mature 9hd male, with the smaller Xs each
being a 7hd Adult male. These will attack/defend according to instruction/s from
Bono.
Five large lily pads (1-5) form a ring around the artificial structure at (6). Upon
each of these rests an Old 11hd male; these are the advisors to Bono, and the
first frog folk that he encountered (as teens)--besides the Queen--when he
arrived at the fen so long ago. They will not accompany Bono and his guard
should an alert sound at area (8); they are too big and slow. But here, they will
fight to the death to defend their sovereign.
A secret trail (b) leads to the guard trail encounter to the northwest.
Rising up in the middle of this clearing is a wooden platform, a large deck
supported by posts(6). Atop this is a round hut in which Bono and the frog Queen
reside. She is an 8hd Mature female, and will use all her abilities to protect and
defend her King. She will usually be found basking in the sunlight upon the deck.
Bono ("Boon") usually remains within the hut during the daylight hours. Though
he suffers no penalties when fighting out in the open during such times, he
prefers the early morning or late afternoons, when he emerges and moves about.
Though physically deformed by the magic inflicted upon him as punishment long
ago, his mind has remained intact. And his lust for vengeance, un-diminished
since the day he was banished.
Appearing similar to a Lizard Man--but squatter and more bulbous--his skin is
scaly and his body hairless. A short, stubby tail extends from the tip of his spine,
hanging down to his knees, and his hands have grown claws, his feet have
become flippers. DX12 AC4 M120'/turn(120' in water) HD 6+2(41 hp) ATK 1
weapon, or claws D by weapon, or 1-6/1-6 AL Chaotic (Neutral) He has no
special abilities except his physical hideousness which requires all characters to
make a Save vs. Turn to Stone or be so horrified by his appearance as to
experience "fear" for 1-3 Turns (females suffer a -2 to their save check!) Once a
check is made, no further ones are required.
The frog king will defend the queen and his subjects to the best of his abilities.
While he has no personal quarrels with the characters, their intrusion into his
realm indicates, at least, suspicious intent upon their part. He has no desire to
make deals with them, and would prefer they leave peaceably, if possible. If they
will not, then he will not hesitate to kill them all.
Bono wishes to reunite with Lady Elena, to see what has become of her, and to
learn if she had any knowledge of what had happened to him; or had been
involved in any way. And if not the latter, then why she didn't search for him in all
these years. It was only when he came to think of trying to correspond with her

10
via secret messages hidden among the goods of traveling caravans, that he and
she made contact again.
Over the decades, Bono has accumulated a small cache of goods that he keeps
within his hut. This includes the following, and the Dungeon Master should alter
the treasure(in any way) if needed.

50,000 CP 25,000 SP 5,000 EP 2,500 GP 750 PP. 12 small gems (base value
50 GP ea.) 6 medium gems (base value 100 GP ea.) 2 large gems (base value
500 GP ea.) 1 very large gem (base value 1,000 GP) 9 gold chain necklaces, 6
Ruby rings,12 gold bracelets (each base value 300, 1,800 GP) Sword, -1 Cursed,
Sword +1 Flaming/+2 vs. trolls/+3 vs. Undead, +1 shield, 10 +1 magic arrows, +1
suit leather armor, Ring of Water Walking.

THE AFTERMATH

Concluding the adventure depends mostly upon the players, and what they feel
their characters want to do. Encountering the Lady Elena, and Bono, will not
supply all the answers they might seek. They might, in fact, avoid dealing with
the frog king completely after finding the Lady, and simply leave the fen. It is up
to the Dungeon Master what constitutes an "ending" to the story.
There is ample opportunity along the way for the party to be wiped out. While
everyone is generally participating to have fun and enjoy themselves, it is not
suggested that the Dungeon Master "go easy" on the players. If they have their
characters behave foolishly, then let the chips fall as they may. If the dice are just
being unusually harsh, then a little "adjusting" cannot harm, as long as it is done
in a fair and balanced way; what works for the characters works for the monsters
as well!

It is our hope that The Fen of the Frog King provides a challenging scenario,
filled with intrigue, danger, and reward enough that the players will have felt their
time playing in it well spent.

This adventure is written with the assumption that Dungeon Masters have taken
the Basic Holmes edition and expanded the levels and abilities of the primary
classes beyond 3rd (and up to as high as 12th) If such is not the case, and the
Dungeon Master does not have (or intend to use) the Original Dungeons and
Dragons booklets, or the '81/'8 Expert Rules manuals, s/he can download (for
free!) the retro-organized Holmes manual (Holmes77) edited by this author at
the following online location:

http://stores.lulu.com/worldofthorkhammer

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