I’ve been grooving on Fabula Ultima, a JRPG-style system with simple, flexible rules, since it released. As well as a nifty set of rules, it also has hands down the best quickstart I’ve ever seen, which takes players and GM through the rules, setting, and play culture of the game hand in hand and step by step.

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To run at Furnace, I wanted to prep my own adventure, though – and so, following the 5 + 5 Dungeon method from Justin Alexander’s new book So You Want to be a Game Master, I prepped a clockwork dungeon, filled with indentured gnomes and clockwork monsters. There’s already quite a few clockwork monsters in the core book, so I stuck with them – and statted up a two-stage boss fight for the end.

The very next post on the blog will be a review of Justin’s book, so if you’re intrigued by the process, watch out for that (and preorder / order it! It’s excellent!)

Background

I came up with this as a generic framework for Fabula Ultima con games, but this is the first time I’ve used it – I think it gets the spirit of the game communicated fairly well to begin with.

The land of Ultima has lain under a shroud for twenty years; before, it prospered and flourished, under the rule of the Council of Five. But one of the Five, Rulitax, allowed grew greedy. He used dark magics to gain power, and corrupted himself. Soon the other Four were slain, and he had established himself as the leader of Ultima.

He calls himself the Ultimax, but you, and your friends, know him as the Darklord. He rules with an iron fist, with his mechanical soldiers and magesight scryers everywhere – common people live in fear of his whims.

But all is not lost. You, and your fellows, have joined the Revolution – and there are cracks of light appearing throughout Ultima. Each community you can inspire, each Revolution Cell you can establish, will bring you one step closer to bringing down the Darklord.

You each have your own reasons for wanting to see the Revolution come about – and you receive orders from your Cell Leader, Avalon, to tell you of potential sites to explore. Each will bring its own challenges, and bring you one step closer to defeating the Darklord.

Scene One – Oniria, Revolution Cell

Avalon is a shaven-headed girl, wearing dark velvet robes and speaking in a soft voice

We see a dark room, the smell of incense, with heat that makes you blink

A polished wooden table with a clouded scrying ball on top of it. All the Revolution of Oniria are here, and you are pushed to the front, peering to look.

The mists part, and you see a vast, clanging citadel scraping across the featureless plains – a huge gem on top of it. Shadowy, winged shapes fly about it.

These are the Plains of Verge – and this is Caritex, the clockwork citadel. We don’t know why it’s moving, but it’s getting closer. And that gem on top of it – that’s the Eternum, a powerful magic item that has been corrupted by the Darklord to power it. You must travel to Verge, sneak into this Citadel, and get the gem back

Scene Two – The Journey To Verge

I introduced Darthan Strang, a one-eyed veteran guide, to them here to act as a bit of a roleplay foil. You can decide whether your group needs it or not – I had 6 players, so having a lubricant NPC for them to bounce off one another was a good way to get them into character.

Resolve the journey with two Travel rolls – one getting to Verge on a D8, and one crossing the Plains on a D10.

Possible Dangers – Magical sandstorm (DL10 to avoid or 10 damage), fire strafe from the Roc (DL10 to avoid 10 fire damage)

Possible Discoveries – Arl Axehammer, an escaped gnome from the Citadel – offers to help them sneak in, although he is likely to be a liability, a site where the citadel has been built from with a map within.

Sneaking on board the citadel is a DL13 group check (support checks are DL10), probably DEX+INS but depending on the PC’s approach may be different. Then proceed to the citadel!

Scene Three – The Clockwork Citadel

You’ll note there’s not much of a map, and the keys are a bit sparse – they’re shared as-is, and as before I’m using an adapted version of the room keying from the Dungeon section of So You Want to be a Game Master. I had a ‘discovery clock’ with 6 segments ready to spring 1d6 Magitech Troopers to arrive. They start in Area 1.1, in case it isn’t obvious.

1.1 – Entrance Chamber

• Scraped metal opens to a level above the slowly walking legs
• Click-clack of slow movement, sensation of rocking
• Three stands jutting out of the side of the chamber
• Deeper in two walkways – one into the bowels of the clockwork (1.2), one into an open space (1.3)

DL 10 INS+INS – the stands are moving and seem to have noticed you

DL 13 INS+WPR – the whole citadel is slowly moving, although it is unstable

Two arcane lanterns, three  magitech troopers – roll initiative and fight!

1.2 – Collapsed Clockwork

• Maze of moving rigs and gears
• Can crawl through but the occasional buzz saw flares
• Can see a route up through the clockwork to the area above (2.1)
• No sign of automata here

Group Check to navigate through the tunnels – failure fills in the ALERT clock (6 segments) DL10 for helpers, DL13 for leader

1.3 – Gearworks Winding

• Stands at each side for automata to plug in and be wound
• Several stand and notice the PCs when they arrive, and begin to try and escape to raise the alarm
• Echoing banging, sounds of movement
• Spiral staircase up to 2.1

DL10 MIG+MIG to wind back the clockwork and keep them in place

DL10 INS+INS the batteries powering the winders seem to be powered by some sort of light – maybe captured from the gem

2.1 – Gnome Barracks / Jail

• An area of winding corridors patrolled by automata who are maintaining the security
• Several gnomes are also hammering and maintaining the workings
• If they see the PCs, roll a 1d6 – on 1 they raise the alarm, 2-4 they cautiously greet them, 5-6 they beg them to free them
• Buzz Butterbones is their leader
• A room behind locked doors to the west (2.2) and one to the east that is behind a cage (2.3). A broken lift heads up to (3.1)

To persuade Buzz will take a DL10 INS+WLP check, or reassurance they will help them. He can tell them how to repair the lift

An appropriate distraction to repair the lift would take a DL13 group check (DL10 for helpers)

2.2 – The Model

• A room with a good view out over the plains you are travelling. Fresh air bursts through as you enter in
• Brighter than the other rooms
• In the centre a map of the plains and the citadel on it

DL10 INS+WLP shows the rest of the citadel – chambers above, with two rooms either side that show bright gold in them, and the gem on the top

DL10 INS+INS show that the citadel is marching towards the Oniria, the capital!

2.3 – The Ayrie

• The thick smell of guano and roc food
• An open area to allow the roc to fly from
• Ropes and weeds hang from the ceiling, allowing you to climb up the outside (to 3.1)

DL 10 INS+INS reveals, amongst the detritus, an egg – slightly warm, and the size of a man

DL13 MIG+DEX group check to climb up

3.1 – Rodan’s Chambers

• Opulent and red velvet, the smell of cigars
• A smaller winder set into the bed
• Desks with papers and plans
• Doors lead out to 3.2. Secret door (DL10) in the back of the wardrobe to 3.3. Spiral staircase up to 4.1

DL10 INS+WLP the plans show an all-out assault is planned on Oniria – can they stop it?

DL13 INS+DEX a secret compartment in the desk shows the plans for the citadel and reveals the two rooms, including the secret armoury and the false gem room.

3.2 – The False Gem Room

• Open to the elements, several simulacra of the gem here
• Touching the gem lets of an alarm / wail (2 segments of alert clock)
• 200 zenit are still displayed here in chests
• The gems are poor copies and only shed dim light

3.3 – The Armory

• Locked doors (DL13 to open) but an array of weapons and armour here – and also the Clockwork Sword

Clockwork Sword: one-handed, Acc [DEX+MIG]+2, Dmg [HR+10] physical

4.1 – The Summit

• The gem is on a pedestal with gears and winding mirrors attached. It is powering the citadel.
• Wind whips around – you can see for miles
• When taken, or touched, Rodan and the Roc are summoned – how many additional automata depends on the alarm clock
• Trap door down to 3.1 can be locked

Rodan and The Roc

You may notice that some of these HP totals have been scaled down – in truth, it was to make the fight a bit more snappy at the end of the game. Rodan was already a threat with his two phases, so I didn’t need to extend it any more.

Phase 1 – Mounted Roc-Rider (4-PC Champion Lvl 5)

Construct

DEX d10 MIG d8 INS d8 WPR d6

Initiative 13 , HP 100 / 50, MP 70, Def 11, MDef 9

Mana bolt (ranged) – DEX+INS – HR+10 bolt dmg – targets magic defense

Razor-dive – DEX+MIG – HR+10 physical dmg – not flying until next turn

Damage resistance (see below), Flying (cannot be targeted by melee attacks)

Immune to poison, resistant to earth, bolt, and dark; immune to being poisoned

Performs 4 Turns per round – Bolt / Dive / Bolt / Dive vs. random targets

Vulnerable to Light / Resistant to Air & Dark

Phase 2 – Rodan & the winded Roc

Rodan (4-PC lvl 5)

DEX d8 MIG d8 INS d8 WPR d8

Init 12, HP 100 / 50, MP 90, DEF 10, MDef 9

Mana bolt (ranged) – DEX+INS – HR+10 bolt dmg – targets magic def

Clockwork sword – DEX+MIG – HR+5 physical dmg

Awaken – increase ally die size by one type (20 MP, one creature)

Performs 4 turns per round – Sword / Awaken  / Bolt / Sword

Vulnerable to Light / Resistant to Air & Dark

The Wounded Roc (elite lvl 5)

Beast

DEX d8 MIG d10 INS d8 WPR d6

Init 10, HP 100 / 50, MP 35, DEF 8, MDef 8

Razorbeak – DEX+MIG- HR+5 physical dmg

Wind buffet – MIG+INS – HR+5 air dmg – multi(2)