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A Dungeon Dash: The Cult of Bane

A level 1 side adventure for 4th edition D&D
By Kurt Sparkuhl
Questions or comments? e-mail me at: Kurt@KurtSparkuhl.com
A Dungeon Dash by Kurt Sparkuhl is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Synopsis: The family tomb of a local lord has

been desecrated by cultists and used for unholy rituals, causing the dead to rise from their graves. The
party must brave the dangers of the tomb, and put a
stop to the cultists before they raise an army of undead soldiers.

Possible Hooks:

may once again rest.

Treasure and Rewards:

In addition to any experience that the party gains
from the monsters, traps, and hazards in the dungeon;
the party members should receive 50xp each upon the
successful completion of their quest. The total possible experience for the entire dungeon (including
every trap and hazard) is 2,900 xp.

#1 After receiving word that his family tomb has

been broken into, a local lord hires the party to investigate. The lord believes that it is most likely the work
of grave robbers, and demands that they be brought to
justice for their crimes.

During the course of the adventure , the following

treasure will be distributed:

#2 An order of peaceful monks hires the party to investigate the tomb after hearing rumors that the dead
have begun to rise from the tomb. The monks request
that peace be brought to the tomb so that the dead

Features of the Tomb:

Magic Item, level 4

Magic Item, level 3
360gp worth of monetary treasure

The tomb is unlit and completely dark, though there

are oil lamps mounted upon the walls of the

tomb that may be lit by the party members if they

wish. As the tomb descends deeper into the earth,
the ceiling remains approximately 12 high throughout the entire dungeon. The walls within the tomb
are lined with sarcophagi, many of which are
cracked and broken open.

within the walls. Sarcophagi from all around the

room begin to burst open with skeletal arms, as a
group of undead climb out to greet you. The loud
rattling must have alerted others in the tomb as 3
robed figures carrying torches burst in through the
doors on your left.

Throughout the tomb, there are also a number of

urns, usually 2-3 per small room, and 6-10 per large
room. A (DC13) History, Religion, or Streetwise
check will reveal that it is customary for the family
of the deceased to leave offerings of coin and jewelry inside the urns of those who have passed on. If
the players wish, they may smash the urns to see if
there are any valuables inside. This is a decidedly
selfish act, and may have repercussions if the DM
decides it is appropriate. If a player smashes an urn,
roll a d6 on the following table to determine the outcome:

This encounter contains:

3 Cultists of Bane (375xp)
5 risen skeletons (125xp)
3 Grasping Arms Traps (100xp each)

Nothing but ashes

A small silver ring worth 5gp

30 silver coins

A gold necklace worth 20gp

10 gold coins

Nothing but ashes

Area 1 (encounter, 8 urns)

This room is sealed off from the stairs by two large
double doors, though they are unlocked. A (DC 15)
Thievery or Perception check will reveal that the
lock has been recently broken. The large room inside
is partially supported by 6 stone pillars. When the
players enter in from the stairway, read the following text if they have a light source:
As you push open the large door, you notice a large
stone room lined with sarcophagi along the walls.
Some of the sarcophagi are cracked and broken,
with stone rubble strewn about the floor. Towards
the back of the room are two sets of double doors,
one along the left wall and another along the right.
Once the entire party has entered the room an
encounter begins. Read the following text:
Suddenly, you hear the sound of rattling bones from

Area 2 (unlocks area 3, 6 urns)

An unlocked metal gate separates a small interment
room from the hallway. The room is lined with
shelves upon which a number of porcelain urns have
been interred. Other notable objects include a small
altar in the center of the room decorated with candles, and two bronze sconces. The sconces are opposite each other on the left and right walls, and are
decorated in a different manner than the oil lamps
throughout the rest of the tomb.
A (DC 18) perception check on the left sconce will
reveal that it is leaning slightly to the left. If a character rotates the sconce counter-clockwise, they will
hear a faint clicking noise echo from deeper in the
dungeon which is the sound of the doors to area 3
being unlocked mechanically.

Area 3 (locked, encounter, 3 urns, key

to area 5)
This area is blocked off by a set of heavily reinforced double doors. There is no keyhole, and they
may only be unlocked by a Knock ritual or the
sconce in Area 2. There is a group of 8 skeletons in
the room, standing over what remains of the broken
sarcophagi that once held them. In the back of the
room is a small shelf, holding 3 intact porcelain
urns. A (DC 18) perception check on the shelf or
urns will reveal a small key underneath the middle
urn.
This encounter contains:
4 Crypt Skeletons (400xp)
4 Risen Skeletons (100xp)

Area 4 (locked, treasure)

together in the center of the room.

A small circular indentation about the size of an

amulet has been cut into the wall next to the doors to
this room. The doors are locked and do not contain
any key hole, or way to open them mechanically.
The only way to open them is through a Knock ritual, or the amulet found in area 5.

This encounter contains:

1 Cultist of Bane Priest (150xp)
2 Cultists of Bane (250xp)
4 Risen Skeletons (100xp)

Once the characters enter the room, read the following text:
This finely decorated room is lined with the busts of
prominent family members. Two large chests and
one small chest rest near the back wall of the room.
As you look around, the lids of the chests slowly
open revealing their contents. Perhaps this is the
work of some grateful spirit, once again able to rest
in peace thanks to your efforts.
The chests contain:
Magic Item, level 4
Magic Item, level 3
360gp worth of monetary treasure

Area 5 (locked, encounter, 8 urns, key

to area 4)
The doors to this area each have their own keyhole.
They can only be opened by the keys found in areas
3 and 6, and the keys must be turned simultaneously.
Once inside, the party finds the source of the corruption in the tomb. Towards the back of the room is a
large stone monument of a man holding out his right
hand. A (DC 15) perception check will notice a
small amulet dangling from his index finger, this
amulet is the key to area 4. In addition, there is a
small teleportation circle behind the monument
which explains how the cultists were able to enter
this portion of the tomb without the keys to open the
doors.
When the party enters, read the following text:
Looking around the great burial chamber, the
source of the tombs corruption is apparent. In the
center of the room is a necrotic circle over which the
cultists have been performing a dark ritual to raise
the countless dead interred in the tomb. As you enter, you see the bones of a skeleton assemble

Area 6 (locked, encounter, 3 urns, key

to area 5)
This area is blocked off by a set of heavily reinforced double doors. There is no keyhole, and they
may only be unlocked by a Knock ritual or the
sconce in Area 7. There is a group of 8 skeletons in
the room, standing over what remains of the broken
sarcophagi that once held them. In the back of the
room is a small shelf, holding 3 intact porcelain
urns. A (DC 18) perception check on the shelf or
urns will reveal a small key underneath the middle
urn.
This encounter contains:
4 Crypt Skeletons (400xp)
4 Risen Skeletons (100xp)

Area 7 (unlocks area 6, 5 urns)

An unlocked metal gate separates a small interment
room from the hallway. The room is lined with
shelves upon which a number of porcelain urns have
been interred. Other notable objects include a small
altar in the center of the room decorated with candles, and two bronze sconces. The sconces are opposite each other on the left and right walls, and are
decorated in a different manner than the oil lamps
throughout the rest of the tomb.
A (DC 18) perception check on the right sconce will
reveal that it is leaning slightly to the right. If a character rotates the sconce clockwise, they will hear a
faint clicking noise echo from deeper in the dungeon
which is the sound of the doors to area 6 being
unlocked mechanically.