Pages: 94
Game System: OGL 5e
Genre: Classical Age (Greek/Norse Mythology)
Prelude to War is a Fifth Edition adventure for one to seven characters of 1st to 3rd level, and is optimized for a party of four characters with an average party level (APL) of 1. This adventure is designed for the Amazons vs Valkyries setting, but can be easily adapted to any other fantasy setting.
Time and Place: It is the spring of 1839 TA (263 BCE), on the sunny northern coast of Trinakria (ancient, mythic Sicily).
Adventure Summary: On the eve of the First Punic War, a mercenary company hires the PCs to conduct asymmetric warfare against the Romans. The PCs are dispatched to Trinakria where they join their squad in Panormus and travel to Telikos to meet a spymaster. They then infiltrate Roman territory and conduct reconnaissance and raids. After some harrowing encounters, they acquire a collection of signacula (Roman dog tags) and deal with conflict within their own ranks. Eventually, they return to Telikos to meet with the spymaster, but when they arrive, they find their mission is not yet over. The town is now occupied by Romans, the spymaster has been caught, and the PCs must recover a coded message from his apartment.
If the PCs succeed, they return to Panormous with critical information about the Romans, enabling the Carthaginians to make their next strategic move as catastrophic war looms on the horizon.
Download a Free Preview of this adventure right here.
Visit the Kickstarter page right here!
SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT
Several supplements are available for this adventure, as shown below.
This gazetteer details the island of Trinakria (ancient, mythic Sicily) at the start of the First Punic War. This book has been developed to support the campaign path, “The Blood of Trinakria,” which follows the course of the First Punic War in the Amazons vs Valkyries adventure setting and features six new monsters (including moss folk and Charybdis), two new diseases (malaria and sand fly fever), geography, towns, cities, art, and 800 years of mythic history.
The Amazons vs Valkyries setting is intended for adults and features nudity and mature subject matter. The adult content for Prelude to War has been separated from the core adventure material and collected into this PDF add-on. Thus you can play the adventure as written and have a PG-13 experience, or you can enhance your game with this add-on and have a more adult oriented, R-rated gaming experience. Within this file are modifications to four existing encounters and details for three new encounters. These encounters are designed for the Prelude to War adventure, but can easily be adapted to any other adventure.
This short adventure can serve as a stand alone side-trek for nearly any adventuring party of 1st – 4th level, but it is designed for characters in the Prelude to War adventure. The characters stumble upon (or are sent to) an abandoned estate in the country where a group of canocephite mercenaries working with Rome are holding some allied POWs. It seems like a straight forward operation, but the tactical challenges are significant with the canocephites using dogs, delay tactics, flanking, darkness, traps, and hostages to thwart the PCs.
This short adventure can serve as a stand alone side-trek for nearly any adventuring party of 1st – 4th level, but it is designed for characters in the Prelude to War adventure. The characters happen upon (or are sent to find) an adolescent manticore that is attacking travelers along a mountain road. The creature is nesting in a nearby cave, high up on a cliff face and difficult to reach. Within the cave are giant insects, natural hazards that function like traps, and a pool of contaminated water containing treasure and clues from the past. The manticore itself is also challenging, using cover, elevation, flight and its range weapons to defeat the PCs.
This short adventure can serve as a stand alone side-trek for nearly any adventuring party of 1st – 4th level, but it is designed for characters in the Prelude to War adventure. The characters are hired by a temple (or other client) who is researching cures for malaria. They need some bark of the rare Yulania Tree, which grows deep in the nearby marsh. Recovering the bark is no easy task, as dangerous plant creatures, foul weather, and a hag stand between the heroines and their goal.
This Zip file contains 47 VTT maps and 27 tokens for use with Roll20.
Six pre-generated 1st-level characters for the Prelude to War adventure including Helena of Syracuse, Matia of the Oretani, and Vanni the Sorceress
Six pre-generated 1st-level characters for the Prelude to War adventure including Aketa the Dacian, Xanthepia the Spartan, and Veilia the Animal Trainer
Visit the Kickstarter page right here!