The Sorcerer's Fate (DCC)

Two weeks back, a shockwave of horrific screams poured from the hills north of the haunted woods following a blinding flash. Since then, the livestock rot in the pastures where they fell, and the crops are covered in a festering mold. 

Elder Baye, Healer Causey, and a band of sturdy townsfolk—including the Huchon brothers—did the unthinkable and headed into the Northern Wood over a week ago. 

They did not return.

It was decided the cost of sending a second party of village stalwarts was too great. Looking at a lean winter ahead, they decided to send you.

So this morning, amid promises of glory and cries of gratitude, you headed out to the Cowley farm, and the only know passage into the Northern Wood.

This level-0 funnel, compatible with Dungeon Crawl Classics, contains dark themes and mayhem. The poor village rejects have no idea what they are in for as they face challenges far beyond their understanding.

Zine Content

This 0-level funnel should run one or two sessions. It has over-land travel through a demon-infested forest, exploration of a sorcerer's manse, and a thrilling conclusion in the dark spaces below.

The adventure includes:

• Eight new demonically corrupted creatures.
• Seven new confounding magic items.
• A pretty cool puzzle.
• Handouts of creatures, essential objects, and locations.
• 50+ pages of mayhem.

This zine introduces the tiny village of Rükstau and their unusual neighbor—hidden on the other side of a haunted wood—the Sorcerer Verrükter. Survivors of the funnel may be called on by Verrükter for tasks of increasing complexity in future installments of this series, planned to run through level five.

Extras

In addition to the zine PDF, this offer includes:

• Pregenerated Rükstau villagers
• Image files for VTT or handout use

Designed for ALL Judges

This zine is designed for every Judge, from zero-preppers to flavor-text junkies. Organized so you have exactly what you need at the table.

Each encounter opens with a no-nonsense, OSR-style section that includes an encounter abstract, narrative and descriptive bullet points, tables, creature stats, and maps laid out in an easy-to-read format.

If you want more, the complete adventure text with read-aloud sections and Judge directions follows. Suitable for prep or during the session, tables, stats, and maps are interspersed for immediate access. Every effort has been made to eschew surplusage without sacrificing flavor.

In addition, names, checks, saves, die rolls, measurements, and other important terms are bolded for efficient scanning, and pronunciation guides [in brackets] are provided throughout.

Warnings

This adventure includes gore, death, mutilation, blinding, harm—or the threat of harm—to children and animals, references to demonic powers, swarms of flying insects, worms, and the danger of falling from heights. In other words, it's your standard funnel. Did I mention mayhem?