Friday Fantasy: One Bad Apple

One Bad Apple is a scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard, the roleplaying game set on the world of Erth in the Borderlands between the remnants of once great empires and the realm of the Weird Wizard greatly changed by his magics. The unexplained disappearance of the Weird Wizard allowed all manner of creatures and strangeness to flood into the empires and kingdoms causing strife and civil war, as refugees fled into the borderlands and adventurers ventured into the Weird Wizard’s lands into explore its strangeness, hopefully stop any dangerous threats, and perhaps return with treasures both magical and mundane. Player Characters progress from Level One to Level Ten, their progress divided between three Paths—Novice, Expert, and Master, gaining greater ability, skill, and specialisation. A Novice Path begins at Level One, an Expert path at Level Three, and a Master Path at Level Seven. Adventures for Shadow of the Weird Wizard are tailored to these three Paths. One Bad Apple is designed for Novice Heroes and can be run as a beginning scenario for Shadow of the Weird Wizard. It confronts the players and their Heroes with one of the big changes in Shadow of the Weird Wizard in comparison with traditional fantasy roleplaying games.

One Bad Apple is set in the small village of Two Forks, located in the Borderlands between the twin forks of the Flenderish River and marked by the two stone bridges which cross the sluggish, muddy rivers, the temple, and the Two Forks Distillery and Public House, the most profitable building in the village. Were it not for the quality of its spirits, Two Forks would be utterly unremarkable, a place where nothing happens. That placid nature has been shattered with the sudden change in behaviour by the town’s blacksmith. Victor the Smith has always been a friendly, agreeable man, always ready to help others, but now, a sudden, unprovoked and extremely violent outburst has left his neighbour, Ruprecht Allson, bruised, battered, and bloody, and like the rest of the village unable to explain why he was attacked. Two Forks’ two guards managed to subdue Victor the Smith and lock him in a shed, where he continues to rage and scream and hammer at the door. What has affected Victor the Smith? What is the reason for his rage? How long will the shed hold him?

The Player Characters may be residents of Two Forks or they might be passing through, but they get caught up in the situation following a village meeting. When they investigate, none of the villagers have any explanation, but there are signs of other odd activity in the village. Footprints and warning graffiti suggest that Goblins have been skulking about in Two Forks and the nearest Goblins are known to live in a relatively nearby forest. When confronted, the Goblins and their leader, Bung, will defend their temple ruin hideout, but will ultimately reveal what they have done, and that is to place a curse on Two Forks, one that inflicts ‘Soul Sickness’ upon the villagers. This ‘Soul Sickness’ manifests as a magical disease that drives sufferers to ever greater rage and acts of unprovoked violence, before ultimately transforming them into Orcs. This is one of the radical changes in Shadow of the Weird Wizard that divorces the origin of the Orc from its traditional cultural difficulties, and as seen here in One Bad Apple, suggests new story possibilities and adds to the lore of Shadow of the Weird Wizard.

Bung though, is not the only threat to Two Forks. Salty Lemon, a vicious Bauchan, has his own issues with the village, but as it turns out, would rather not see everyone there turned into Orcs as that would be dangerous for both him and the surrounding area. He knows of a cure to the ‘Soul Sickness’, but of course, wants something in return. This is a jewel that was stolen from him and which can be found in the tombs below the temple where the Goblins had their base. The heroes may already have explored this and may even have found the jewel and so be ready to hand it over in return for the recipe, but either way, the last part of One Bad Apple is an exploration of tombs under the temple, essentially, a mini-dungeon foray. With luck, but mostly skill, the heroes should be able to find the jewel, get the recipe, and so help stop the spread of the ‘Soul Sickness’.

The scenario is straightforward and easy to run. The Sage will need to refer to Secrets of the Weird Wizard for details of the traps and treasures to be found in the tomb, as well as all of the monster stats. If Bung survives and runs away, he could easily return as a recurring villain in subsequent scenarios and the Sage might want to develop him further to that end.

Physically, One Bad Apple is cleanly and tidily laid out. It is well written, but the map of the tombs below the temple could have been easier to read.

One Bad Apple offers a good mix of investigation and interaction, combat, and exploration in its short few pages that all together should provide two or three sessions’ worth of play. It is a classic village-in-peril scenario, but one based upon a major twist that Shadow of the Weird Wizard brings to fantasy roleplay. In this way, as an introductory scenario, One Bad Apple shows both the Sage and her players that although based on classic fantasy roleplaying, Shadow of the Weird Wizard is different. It is a good start.