Example Adventure

AX.C.14.05.01 - The Weeping Shrine

An Example Fantasy Adventure

The following example uses a fantasy genre context throughout. Every genre-specific element; creature types, named conditions, power sources, and terminology is specific to fantasy. The mechanical structure (five stages, plot integration, encounter budgets, stage transitions) applies to any catalog; the content does not.

Plot Selection

Primary Plot: Roll 5-2, Mystery or Enigma (Interrogator, Seeker, Problem) Secondary Plot: Roll 6-5, Ambition (Ambitious Person, Coveted Object, Adversary)

Premise

Setting: Ancient shrine in a forest, now corrupted Hook: A village elder hires the party to investigate why the shrine weeps black tears PC Knowledge: The shrine was a blessed site; something is wrong; the villagers are afraid Time Pressure: Moderate — the corruption is spreading but not immediately catastrophic

Adapting the Primary Plot: - Interrogator: The shrine itself (via puzzles and visions) - Seeker: The PCs and a rival scholar - Problem: What corrupted the shrine and how to cleanse it

Stage 1: Opening Combat

Challenge: Corrupted guardian beasts (2 Dire Wolves, modified with necrotic ability)

Scene: Forest path to the shrine. Mist clings to the ground. Two massive wolves with hollow red eyes block the path. Their fur is patchy, showing signs of unnatural decay.

Plot Integration: The wolves are the first evidence of corruption. Their unnatural appearance signals that something powerful is at work.

Modification — Necrotic Bite (Special Ability): On a hit, the target makes a Body Save (Threshold 2). On failure, the target takes 2 additional damage and gains the Corrupted condition (Body track, Minor, −1D) for 3 Turns.

Tactics: The wolves attempt to knock targets Prone with Pounce, then focus on downed characters. They fight to the death — corrupted, no survival instinct remains.

Stage 2: Investigation

Challenge: Inside the shrine entrance, the party finds three stone tablets with cryptic inscriptions. Solving the puzzle opens the inner sanctum.

Scene: A stone antechamber with three pedestals. Each holds a tablet inscribed in an ancient script. Black liquid seeps from cracks in the walls.

Puzzle: The tablets tell the story of the shrine's creation — a goddess blessed three elements (earth, water, sky). The inner sanctum opens when the tablets are pressed in the correct order of the original blessing ritual.

Plot Integration: The tablets reveal the shrine was dedicated to a nature goddess. They mention "the envious priest" who sought the goddess's favor but was spurned, foreshadowing the twist.

Information Available: - Threshold 1 (Easy): Tablets tell the creation story - Threshold 2 (Standard): Reference to "the spurned priest" and "his bitterness" - Threshold 3 (Difficult): The priest's name, Devotus, and mention of "the forbidden ritual"

Solution: Press tablets in order — Earth, Water, Sky. Wrong order triggers poison gas: all characters in the chamber make a Speed Save (Threshold 2), taking 6 damage on failure, 3 on success.

Stage 3: The Revelation

Scene: The inner sanctum opens. A rival scholar NPC, briefly introduced in the village, kneels before the altar performing a ritual. Black tears stream from the goddess statue.

The Twist: The rival scholar isn't causing the corruption — she's trying to stop it. The "envious priest" is now an undead remnant using the shrine as an anchor to the material world. The corruption began when a construction project nearby disturbed his burial site.

Revelation: The scholar explains the real source is at the priest's burial mound, a mile away. The shrine cannot be cleansed until the remnant is destroyed at his resting place.

Plot Integration: The "interrogator" (the shrine's puzzle) revealed the "problem" (the remnant's corruption from a distant source). The "seeker" (rival scholar) shares what she has learned. The party must now adapt their plan.

Complication: The remnant has detected their presence and sent minions. Four shadow-entities emerge from the walls. Combat is optional — the party can flee with the scholar.

Stage 4: Combat at the Burial Mound

Scene: An ancient burial mound, its entrance torn open by recent construction. Inside: rotting luxury, a sarcophagus. Devotus, a wraith-like remnant, hovers above it, surrounded by dark energy.

Primary Enemy: Devotus (Wraith, Champion)

Body: 2D   Speed: 4D   Wit: 6D   [12D total — Champion tier]

Health: 47 (20 + Body 2 + Champion Modifier 25)
Defense: 2 (1 + (Speed 4 + Armor 0) ÷ 3 = 1 + 1 = 2)

Incorporeal: Physical attacks that hit reduce their damage by 3 (minimum 1), unless
the attack is magical or channeled through an appropriate power tradition.

Life Drain (Primary Action, At-Will, Near range): Wit 6D + Force 4D = 10D vs. Defense.
On a hit, the target takes damage equal to successes and reduces their maximum Health
by the same amount until they take a Long Rest.

Horrifying Visage (Primary Action, once per combat, Near range radius): All targets
within Near range make a Wit Save (Threshold 3). On failure, the target gains the
Frightened condition (Wit track, Minor, −1D) for 6 Turns. On success, the target
is unaffected.

Necrotic Burst (Primary Action, once per combat, Near range radius): All targets in
Near range make a Body Save (Threshold 3). Targets take 10 damage on failure, 5 on
success.

Wraith Step (Minor Action, At-Will): Devotus teleports to any point within Near range,
passing through solid surfaces.

Sunlight Weakness (Passive): When attacked by radiant or holy sources, the attacker
rolls with Advantage (successes on 4+) and deals +3 additional damage on a successful
hit.

Secondary Threats: - 2 Shadow Minions (4D each) emerge at the start of Rounds 2 and 4 until Devotus is destroyed - Collapsing tomb: falling stone, Speed Save Threshold 2, 8 damage on failure

Objectives: - Destroy Devotus - Protect the scholar, who is concentrating on a counter-ritual to prevent Devotus from respawning - Survive the collapsing structure

Environment: - Sarcophagus: Full cover - Stone pillars: Half cover - Difficult terrain: Rubble and scattered remains - Ongoing hazard: Ceiling stones fall in expanding areas each round

Tactics: Devotus opens with Horrifying Visage, then uses Life Drain against the most heavily armored target (the Incorporeal trait reduces the effectiveness of physical armor by bypassing the defense that armor usually provides). Uses Wraith Step to avoid being surrounded. Directs Shadow Minions toward Odd Talent users. Uses Necrotic Burst when the party clusters near the scholar. If reduced below 10 Health, retreats through walls — but the scholar's counter-ritual prevents full escape. The party can track and finish the confrontation.

Victory Condition: Reduce Devotus to 0 Health. The scholar completes her ritual, sealing the corruption permanently.

Stage 5: Hook Discovery

Aftermath: The mound stops collapsing. Devotus's hoard is revealed: ancient coins (significant wealth by setting standard), a blade that glows faintly in the presence of the undead, 3 healing consumables, an unholy symbol of the forgotten order.

Consequences: - The shrine stops weeping; the surrounding area begins to recover - The village is grateful — a reputation gain and potential future allies - The scholar becomes a recurring contact with specialized knowledge

The Hook (Ambition, 6-5): Among Devotus's possessions, the party finds a half-burned letter. It is from someone called "The Acquisitor," offering substantial payment for a specific item: an orb from a noble family's estate. The letter notes that this orb will make the writer "more powerful than any of them."

Scholar's Insight: She recognizes the family name. They have held a priceless heirloom for generations — an orb said to influence weather and natural forces. She has heard someone has been attempting to buy it for months, with increasingly aggressive offers.

Player Choice: Investigate The Acquisitor? Help the noble family protect their heirloom? Attempt to claim the orb? File the information away for later?