A Review Of Adventurer, Conqueror, King's Lairs & Encounters book For Use With Your Old School Campaigns

There are times when I need to know facts about monsters such as background, where the monster is dwelling, how long the horror has been in its location, the social background of the beast, are there others of its species within a certain number of square miles, & more. All of this material sometimes needs to be joined together in a concise & coherent way. Well that's where Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters comes in. This book breaks down all of these details & more. This book continues the high caliber standard set by the other Autarch titles. The physical book isn't out quite yet but the pdf sells for around ten dollars. Everything in this book is geared toward creating monsters that can deal with PC's on an even footing & then come back for more.

Some of the highlights of this include the following:

• More than 135 ready-to-play monstrous lairs - that's at least one lair listing for every possible monster lair mentioned in the Adventurer Conqueror King System. The lair listings are designed to be used both as domain and adventure plot points that can be shaped to the adventures that DM wants to run.
• New subsystems for sandbox play, including rules for populating 6-mile hexes with lairs based on the terrain and extent of settlements in the region, and rules for searching for lairs in the wilderness factoring in terrain density, aerial reconnaissance, splitting up to cover more ground (never split the party!), and these are one of my favorite bits of Lairs & Encounters.
• Additional mechanics for monsters, including ability scores for monsters, proficiencies for monsters, and young monsters. This takes the monster from simple hazard & a quick encounter to a fully fleshed out NPC. This ties in with the Taming & Training rules which hits & then paves the way for fully fleshed out pets. The system ups the anty for  taming and training monsters, complete system details  on the lifespan, roles, tricks, trained and untrained value, supply cost, training period, and the trainability modifier of every monster in the game.  All of this means simply that monsters, animals, pets, even live stock have a fair market value. Another addition to the dungeon that gives players even more trimmings to add to the PC in, out of, and as a part of the dungeon.
• These are pretty well done a complete system for creating your own unique monsters.now we bring our same rigorous attention to details, customization, hacking of  traditional D&D style monsters for the dungeon and the wilderness as well as urban materials. 

There are samples throughout the book presenting the types of details on monsters that I haven't seen since the days of the 'ecology of' Dragon magazine articles. There are samples of monster lairs and the details that go with them. There are lots of uses for all of this material and I have to say that it back ties into the Adventurer, Conqueror, King main rule book. This is a welcome and wise decision to the DM who wants to bring the monster goodness to their tables. 

Here's a good example of the level of detail that I'm talking about that appears in the Lairs & Encounters book:"

MEN, BRIGANDS  

A fortified camp, with barracks, tents, and a large command pavilion, surrounded by a log palisade, is home to renegade mercenaries from the Company of the Black Thorn. They survive by raiding towns and robbing caravans and travelers. 

Cartography by Simon Forster

There are 100 Brigands (AC 3, Move 120’, HD 1, hp 5 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon, Save F1, ML +1, AL C) equipped with leather armor, shield, sword, and shortbow, and another 100 mounted Brigands (AC 5, Move 120’, HD 1, hp 5 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon, Save F1, ML 0, AL C) with chain mail, shield, sword, and riding horses.

They are led by Inthorn, their captain (AC 7, Move 60’, F9, hp 45, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon +6, Save F9, ML 0, AL L/C), equipped with spear +2, sword +2, plate armor, shield, and a plate-barded medium warhorse. He wears a red-plumed bronze helm of alignment change, which has turned him chaotic and led to his band going rogue, as well as a dragon-hide sword belt studded with hematite (900gp) and a wrought gold necklace set with thorn-shaped hematite (1,200gp).

Inthorn keeps a war-chest of 7,000gp, which is about one month’s operating expenses for the band. In a small locked coffer, trapped with a poison needle, he keeps 7 bloodstones (50gp each), 5 amethysts (100gp each), 6 amber (100gp each), 3 topaz (500gp each), and 1 sapphire (1000gp each). He keeps 3 wrought gold goblets (700gp), a gold decanter (800gp), and gold bowl (500gp) in the command tent.

Inthorn has 4 lieutenants (AC 6, Move 60’, F5, hp 25 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon +2, Save F5, ML 0), 5 sergeants (AC 6, Move 60’, F4, hp 20 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon +2, Save F4, ML 0, AL C), and 10 corporals (AC 6, F2, hp 10 each, Move 60’, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg by weapon +1, Save F2, ML 0, AL C), all equipped with plate armor, sword, lance, and warhorse.

Accompanying the mercenaries-turned-brigands is Dairin, a powerful chaotic wizard (AC 0, Move 120’, M11, hp 22, #AT 1 weapon or spell, Dmg by weapon or spell, Save M11, ML 0, AL C). Dairin wears elven cloak and boots and carries a wand of enemy detection (20 charges) and a scroll of cloudkill and conjure elemental. His spellbook has the following spells: burning hands, charm person, detect magic, magic missile, shield, sleep; detect invisibility, invisibility, knock, mirror image, web; dispel magic, fireball, fly, invisibility 10’ radius, protection from normal missiles; conjure elemental, cloudkill; death spell. 

Inthorn’s new lover is Olyma, a priestess of Nasga (AC 8, Move 90’, C8, hp 28, #AT 1 weapon or spell, Dmg by weapon or spell, Save C8, ML 0, AL C). Olyma is equipped with polished black plate armor +1, a whip, a spiked mace, a shield, an unholy symbol (a silver statuette of a bat-winged woman with a whip), and a potion of poison. She wears a pair of engraved silver armlets (600gp each) and a platinum tiara set with a ruby (1,300gp)." Needless to say that this sort of work is scattered across the board in Lairs & Encounters. This makes Lairs & Encounters a monster path book, that is not simply a source book but a source book that creates within its wake a way of detailing a monster as much as the setting within the context of an adventure or campaign.


Where ACK's is designed expressly for the purpose of providing interesting domain-level play, putting the "game" back into the endgame; Lairs & Encounters takes the domain level game applies that concept into the background of the monster. This means that the concept of the monster becomes two things one it becomes the competition, the horror, the mythological concept and antithesis to the PC's within their domains. The second thing it does is makes the animal or being that is being used within a game as much of a resource as any of the other natural game elements to be exploited by the DM. It means that those within your domains are going to be far more eager to seek the protection of those more powerful than themselves.
This gives a whole other aspect to monsters as protection, rulers, etc. within those hexes that parties seem to continue to crawl through.

Another thing about Lairs & Encounters that's the 'encounter' part there is the gravity  of history in many of the encounters that are created within this book. Many plug into the 'official' ACK's setting but they can easily be applied to your own campaigns for example:"

SKELETON

The ground here is torn up by the remains of nine ancient Zaharan scythed chariots, broken and partially covered by webs, dust, and sand. Here and there the jagged blades stick up from the scattered chariot wheels. Each character passing through or searching the area has a 1 in 6 chance of stepping on one of these partly-buried blades and suffering 1d3 points of damage. 18 skeletons (AC 2, Move 120’, HD 1*, hp 4 each, #AT 1 weapon, Dmg 1d6, Save F1, ML N/A, AL C), with rusted mail and jagged, broken scimitars, litter the ancient battlefield in clusters near the chariots. They will rise to attack if blood is shed. "  This is something to keep in mind when designing your own encounters and this book has the tools, guidelines, and more to help you out with that.



Something else to keep in mind is that Lairs & Encounters plugs into Domains at War, ACKS' expansion focusing on mass combat and how it relates to all other aspects of the game, from monsters in domain management to mercenary wages to mercantile supply and demand all centered around the aspects of the monster. By popular demand, they have distilled just the mass combat system itself to an ~8 page kernel which they are planning to add as an expansion but Lairs & Encounters slides right into the backside of this material. That means that all of those battle grounds, war fields, places of violence, ancient war sights and more have the real potential to turn into adventure locations unto themselves. This is something to keep in mind when running games after a party has passed through hex '5671' and they're entirely done with looting the bodies and the bandits, mercenaries are dead. Their foes can rise again to cause problems for the locals and you might have to back to clean up your messes.
There are several reasons to really get into Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters: 

• When you want a really well thought out lair for an adventure or hex crawl that not only blends into the setting but enhances the adventure material adding in another layer of adventure 
• Sometimes competition is good & monsters can add an entirely unforeseen complication for those domain owners. Monsters domains can also be a readily made domain for PC's to take over(Lairs & Encounters can make that process very wily and interesting as well). 
• Fast set up and lots of prefab encounters that can be dragged and dropped into your own adventure enviroments to serve as bridge gaps when you've got fifteen minutes before your players arrive and nothing written. 
• Expanded war game ties for domains of war that make those war games an actual part of the adventure with monstrous tie ins. 
• This book can be used to enhance, expand, and blow life into the factions and background of existing or classic modules to give new twists on modules or adventures that parties have already played through. Take Keep of The Borderland and suddenly it becomes more then a simple introduction adventure, it becomes an introduction to factional warfare with monsters surrounding a tiny island of humanity in the wilderness on the border of war! Drag & drop in some of the encounters and the entire tone of the adventure changes!

  Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters is a very useful book with lots of utility at the table the mechanics to create balanced new monsters, new spell powers, and other enhancements for foes itself is worth the price of admission because it can be applied for any OSR retroclone game with B/X D&D at its heart. Is it worth the ten dollar price of admission? Well in a word yes if you're used to creating your own adventures with in the confines of your campaign world and you want a book with the right tools for the job. Adventurer Conqueror King System: Lairs & Encounters ties directly back into the Adventurer, Conqueror, King main rule book making this one very thought out monster & encounters  book.
Do I think its worth the money for this book? In a word yes! Go buy it and will I be using it!

GRAB THE LAIRS & ENCOUNTERS BOOK
FOR ADVENTURER,CONQUEROR, KING FROM HERE 

The Children of Tekeli - A New Lovecraftian Monster For Your Old School Campaigns

The madness and monstrosity lay in the figures in the foreground—for Pickman’s morbid art was preëminently one of daemoniac portraiture. These figures were seldom completely human, but often approached humanity in varying degree.
Pickman's Model H.P. Lovecraft 

The Children of Tekeli are ape like cannibalistic humanoids prone to destruction,rapine,destruction, and incredible acts of horror and they have secretly been with us since the very beginning of our evolution upon this Earth. Ages ago they were called the Shaggoths, named after the protoplasmic horrors who served the Elder Things in ages past. They call themselves 'The children of Tekeli' and were created by the Elder Things in one of the long forgotten cycles of Earth's ages past. The children served the Elder Things during the Age of Mammals when their masters were in sharp decline, they destroyed the last Atlantian colonists  that had come back from their colonies on Uranus. They added their magick power, their gene pool, and forbidden technologies to their own damned heritage. This act occurred near the Black Forrest of Germany and even today is remembered through the collective unconsciousness of humanity. 

The Children of Tekeli carved out a massive empire through the under Earth touching upon all corners of the world that we know. These mad beast like thing's rise to power was chronicled in the so called Grey Necronomicon chapters  penned by Abdul Al Hazard. 

The Children of Tekeli are cannibalistic, brutal, dangerous, completely amoral and capable of the most heinous acts imaginable. They are the inheritors of both Uranian forbidden technologies and the foul alien sorcery of the Great Old Ones from the ancient days of Lemuria and Atlantis. Their vast underground former empire honey combs throughout the world of man. They are completely distinct from Lovecraftian ghouls and the Morlocks of H.G. Wells, though they share many characteristics with both species and are distantly related.

The Children have vast underground empires beneath the Earth and they are both long lived as well as partially undead in nature. The number between thirty to fifty million and use humanity as both a stable food source and a secondary gene pool. They have vast underworld complexes and hidden lairs behind our own world's facade, it is known that they employ undead minions to record daily activities and strange details of our own world. The tribes of the child have contacts and cults throughout the world and employ thousands of dedicated minions who often help them kidnap modern men and keep vast slavery rings. These activities stretch back thousands of years into the remotest epochs of the past.

The Children of Tekeli

Frequency : Uncommon 

Number Appearing: 2-8

Armor Class: 5

Move:14"

Hit Dice: 7

% in Lair 20% 

Treasure Type : O,P,Q

Number of Attacks: 3 

Damage : 1-4/1-4/1-8

Special Attacks: Rending 

Special Defenses: Nil 

Magic Resistance : Standard 

Intelligence: High

Alignment: Lawful Evil 

Size : L (7'+ , Very Broad )

Psionic Ability : Nil 

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil 

The Children of Tekeli attack humans and have a very heavy appetite for human flesh, they have supernaturally keen senses of hearing, smell, and keenly developed infrared sight for their nearly light less environment. They are only surprised on a roll of one. If the child strikes with both claws it does an additional 1-8 hit points of rending damage.
For every 1d30 children there will be a wizard or priest of at least third level or higher. These black hearted and evil damned souls choose spells from the Gray magic schools and the black lists of spells. These monsters are subject to all forms of attack but are immune to sleep and charm spells. The children may be turned by priests and other religious types. Circles of protection will keep these horrors at bay.


Many cults across the history of mankind have had dealings with the Children of Tekeli and the monsters could be encountered anywhere. In the past the race has had several incidents of activity in the Black Forrest of Germany during the 'Thirty Year War' and have had connections to many of the witch cults of the area. 

The Children also have incredibly complex Earthworks in the New Amsterdam colony in the New World and have have several under Earth tribal warfare incidents with Drow, Elves, and Ghouls in the New England area as well. Several skirmishes with other legendary New England monsters has also happened. These affairs have become a part of occult myth and legend. 

Artifacts & Magick  of the Children of  Tekeli 

For Your Old School Campaigns 

The Children of Tekeli make extensive use of the schools of necromancy, summoning, and many other of the blackest arts of magick and dark occult power.
Rods of summoning often will have the 'contact other plane' spell bound into them. Wizards who have gotten a hold of these items have often found them to be very dangerous indeed. Demons, devils and insane things from Outside our mundane world are often summoned. Usually such items have eight or more charges roll a 1d8 to see how many charges remain.



The Children of Tekeli have extensive tunnels systems that blanket the Earth and have access to several technologies of the Great Race of Yith as well. This includes devices for traveling to alternative dimensions and different planes of existence. There are several Prime material planes where the Children of Tekeli have come to rule the world as their numbers have grown to invasion force size and they have swarmed across the planet. These individuals often use unusual energy weapons that do 3d6 points of damage with a range of some 30 feet, they can be used one handed and have about 8 shots before needing the energy cells replaced.
The Children of Tekeli have extensive colonies surrounding several Antarctica islands hidden within satellite blind spots up to the present day. These colonies were active through the early Seventies and may have served as a landing point for the alien allies of the Child. There is speculation that these alien allies may be servants of the soul of the Outer Gods Nyarlathotep and have aided the various tribes of the Children for more then four thousand years. There have been reports of a hybrid servant race which passes among mankind unseen. These individuals gain +3 to intelligence -1 on wisdom, and have an almost animal like cunning, they often serve as assassins,scouts or spies for the Children. These hybrid spies may be found anywhere across the face of Creation and report back to their masters from time to time as needed.
The Children it is known also operate in several alternative worlds including far into the future after several post apocalyptic events. There is even evidence to suggest that these horrors operate far into the future when Earth's sun has expanded and has turned into a red dying star. But there is rumor that this is only mere speculation.

Several orders of knights and crusaders have made it their life's work to eradicate the Children of Tekeki but so far their efforts have been all for naught. 

Free OSR Resource From Dragon's Foot - Footprints Issue #22 For Your Old School Campaigns

Footprints #22 of the venerable pdf magazine is out, and its actually one of my favorite old school resources. The magazine has changed and evolved over the years and it now sports the 'ideas and adventures for advanced fantasy gaming';this is exactly what it is and does. This issue is no exception. First I absolutely love the cover on this issue. And that's really one of the places where the places where a revamp for the look of the magazine has been coming. Believe it or not the contents page has the look of the TSR era Dragon and my heart ached seeing it for a moment. 

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But then after looking through this issue's contents it became even more apparent that this wasn't simply the graphic layout and content but there's more to it.
The Dragon's foot page reveals more of this new direction

Contents
% In Lair Column  By Ron 'rRedmond' Redmond - This is really a great article about the old school gaming experiences and tackling of the Footprints magazine by Ron. It really gives some personal insight into the who's, what's, why's of his experiences with Dragon foot and the OSR.
It also sets the tone for the rest of the mag as a whole. Some of the tone in this article sets up the backbone for the rest of the articles to come.

Charge It!(article) by Ian Slater is a really solid take on 'correcting' and offering an alternative method for charging magic item from the 1st edition DMG, and it breaks down both math and method to the madness. A really well thought out system with some nice twists that can really be applied in a number of ways. A solid addition to this issue right out of the gate. 

Feelin' Trapped? (article) - Continuing the trend with excellence is this article on random trap generation, Tony Chaplin does an excellent article which again gets back to early Dragon magazine articles. This is stuff that you can add into your own DM tool box and do so with little problems because of its quality. 

Pulling Strings (adventure) - Ahh The depth of this issue is in the adventures as well as the articles and 'Pulling Strings' really is an excellent adventure by Darren Dare  for 2nd edition AD&D but man this is a really solidly done adventure featuring some of my favorite old school monsters. I might have to back engineer this one into something like AD&D 1st or OSRIC. Very well done and love the maps and look of this one. 

Treasure & Tables (article) - Stuart Marshal turns in a really well done article on OSRIC random magic item generation, this one covers all of the bases and its very useful. The article has some very nice applications for adventure generation and provides a quick as well as effective method for magic item creation. 

Systems & Swordplay (article) - Is another Stuart Marshal effort for OSRIC to address the problem of weapon specialization inside the game. This article does a good job of giving the DM the means to deal with this problem that players sometimes make take center stage in combat situations. No more, this one takes the headaches right out of this. 

Many a Quaint and Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore (article) - Michael Haskell does an excellent job of setting up the back drop for wizards and magic users and their time between adventures. This one has it all and its worth the price of admission on the strength of this article alone. Very cool stuff with some horrific applications that reminds me of historical articles I've read about historical characters like John Dee and others. Wizards should often be the catalyst  for adventures and this article gives a DM a nice excuse to slip in plot hooks and twists between adventures. 

Prelude to an Adventure (fiction) - Now this is a good piece of fiction that drops in some ideas for the 'who, what, & where' aspects of old school adventures and their preludes. Nothing happens in a vacuum. And this story highlights that in spades. 

Blacktop Vale (adventure) - This is a solid adventure and Steve McFadden turns in all of the stops with this OSRIC or AD&D 1st edition style adventure. The maps, story, backdrop are all pure sword and sorcery with a pulpy heart that I loved. Again this is worth the price of admission. 

Bottom line this is a solid issue with content that can adapted into any number of old school or retroclone systems. Hell I can see these adventures being adapted for Labryth Lord with the advanced companion, I can see the material being retrofitted into several other systems. Including easily being used for Fantastic Heroes and Witchery, or even OSRIC or AD&D 1st edition. 

Is it worth the download? Hell yes and its very well done issue at that. Grab this issue and get moving to the gaming table. A really nice free download. 

Free OSR Adventure Location Resource - Adventures In High Wold By Corey Ryan Walden For Your Old School Sword and Sorcery Campaigns

So I'm planning on running a Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea one shot adventure soon but I need a town and fast, like Monday fast. So I started looking around and stumbled upon Adventures In High Wold. Not only is this a free town resource but it has everything your going to need for a party of adventurers to have a starting point, home base, and even the potential for some back yard adventures in this resource. Adventures In High Wold By Corey Ryan Walden has everything right out of the gate for a town setting for an D&D style old school campaign.

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It clocks in at eleven pages of sheers old school goodness with plenty of room to add, modify, and weave this town right into the background of your own campaign. 

So what's in the backdrop of this free town pdf?
Well according to Lulu:
This supplement is for any DM who needs a town, and needs a town fast! Designed to be compatible with any fantasy role-playing game system, Adventures In Highwold is the perfect starting point for any campaign. Includes two full colour maps, a table of random encounters, area descriptions, fearsome foes and numerous adventure seeds for exciting adventures ahead. Now I said that I was adding a backwater town setting to AS&SH how can this add in the details that are needed to really convey the sword and sorcery feel of this to Hyperborea. Well that's part of the charm of Adventures in High Wold. The author has spun this town into a perfect backdrop for your adventures, perhaps a mammoth or two as heavy farm animals, a few weird mounts in the backdrop and your ready to go. This resource is that useful and its only nine pages and it also includes some lovely and well done maps of the town,did I mention that all of the NPC's have really well thought out motives and desires to get involved with your PC's. Not all is well in High Wold and that's the perfect in for your PC's to get involved in the day to day goings on of the town. This product has a ton of potential for a party there are numerous hooks and dodges that allow a DM to lay the colour of their campaign set's on thick. And the town can take it. This is also a really nice backwater to stick into a game like Lamentations of the Flame Princess where a place of relative calm is needed to deal with some of the darker aspects. High Wold can act as bastion of light to the weirdness and high darkness of pulp adventures or so it seems. This makes a perfect jump off point for your PC's to spring into the high frontiers of adventure. Because of the very nature of this product its a perfect jump off point for a party and a nice place to end up back in. High Wold could well be a nice place to retire your adventurers to after dealing with the many threats and hazards that a world like Hyperborea has to off. But like all small towns this one has secrets and a few of them could get your adventurers killed. All in all this is a really nice starting point for any campaign and with High Wold along with its adventure elements this is a really nice place to add into your campaigns as a starting point and to expand from it. This product works very well with other OSR products and by combining them, you've easily got the start for a whole bunch of old school sword and sorcery adventures. My advice is to go grab this and start using it, today!

'The Pay What You' Want' OSR Adventure -HS1 The Lost Shrine of Sirona From Jeremy Reaban For Your Old School Campaigns

HS1 The Lost Shrine of Sirona From Jeremy Reaban is a really nice   'The Pay What You' Want' downloadable adventure that sets off to do something fairly simple and straight forward. It seeks to provide an evening's entertainment and do it well. This it succeeds in quite nicely and the module is 'pay what you want'

The module revels in its 'hack and slash' ethos and sometimes that's really all that's needed for a party of PC's.

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The text is concise, the maps pretty straight forward, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. This is a really nice mid point adventure and crawl with a location based adventure plot.
Here's the drivethrurpg blurb: 

Remember when adventures were mostly about going into a dungeon, killing monsters, and grabbing treasure? HS1 The Shrine of Sirona is the first (hopefully) in a line of small modules that focus on the somewhat neglected and usually disdained "hack & slash" style play.

HS1 The Shrine of Sirona details a small (10 room) dungeon shrine that was been invaded and occupied by monsters. It is intended for 5th to 7th level characters using the advanced first edition of the most popular fantasy role-playing game but should work with all modern simulacra, and armor class is provided in most ascending and descending formats.

My advice with this adventure is to use it for an experienced party as mid range plot point crawl and hook for your campaign against the forces of darkness. It can provide a jump point for the events and ideas of what's happening in your OSR campaign or use it as a beginning stepping stone into greater things.
Or this adventure could simply be an evening's entertainment for a party of experienced PC's.
The module is only six pages long but don't let that fool you, there are some monsters and things that could easily end your PC's quite easily. This module could be adapted to your OD&D games or retroclones but your going to have to gut the monsters and use the locations.
With a game with pulp roots such as Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. There is going to have to be level adjustments for the encounters and the monsters will have to be ported over but because of the way combat and the rest of the setting works this is a nice mid point pulp filled bridge gap action adventure style game night run.
This is a nice hack and slash adventure with plenty of room for DYI improvisation by a DM for fitting it into they're campaigns. Because is statted out for AD&D 1st edition. This is a perfect jump point for an OSRIC game or some 1st edition style retro clone system as well.
Using the adventure should be a nice and clear experience for a veteran DM and a nice up switch for someone who wants a fast, concise, and well thought out 'hack and slash' style game.
Clocking out at five pages this module provides a nice bit of violence and good old fashioned 'kill the monsters or PC's fun' with a bit of a nice up tick of a smattering of smartly written encounters, rooms, and more. 

Free OSR Adventure - Tomb of the Mummy Priest By by MedievalMan For The Basic Role Playing System

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Yesterday I wrote about The Catacombs of Death for the Basic D&D companion rules, a very high level and well done adventure with some in peusdo Egyptian setting. Now while looking through the Basic Fantasy rpg site I happened across a very interesting seven page adventure with another sword and sorcery over arch. The Tomb of The Mummy Priest is perfect low level adventure with some Lovecraftian overtones making it a welcome addition to a DM's table who is looking to run something well crafted, interesting, and potentially well done stepping stone for a campaign setting.
The plot is like something found right out of an old Universal or Hammer movie. This is a down and dirty D&D desert romp with all of the trimmings.
The plot goes something like this:
A desperate bandit uses the blood of innocent villagers to revive a long dead God but is now close to awakening something else instead. Now some adventurers are heading to the tomb to investigate it. Will they be surprised by something better left dead?
Darkness, death, depravity in the deserts of an adventure that can easily be placed right into the back yard of Stygia or another Conan style setting as easily as you can wave a sword at. This adventure is only seven pages but in those seven all of the major high points are hit.
This could be used as a nice adventure for an Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg system adventure with a little modification. This adventure could be set in one of deserts of Hyperborea and used to introduce some of the PC's into deep desert locations within the game. Given the 'Old Earth' back history to that game this adventure is almost a natural fit. Most of the major monsters in this adventure are in the AS&SH rule books and referee books so its quite an easy conversion and almost straight across. The PC's could be easily sucked into a desert campaign with some dangerous overtones & add in some ghouls, cults, and other S&S elements and your well on your way to an AS&SH ancient Egyptian style campaign.
But back to the Tomb of the Mummy Priest adventure itself. The adventure is well worth your time. 

The set up is easy, the motive for the adventurers to get involved is very clear, and every thing flows nice and organically from the center of the material straight on to the table to the PC's. And there are clear cut reasons for this horror to take place but there are a few twists, just enough to make things very interesting.
I don't want to spoil the crawl in this one but if you've got a hankering for some sword, sandal, and sorcery action my advice is to grab this one and get playing. 

Free OSR Adventure From Dragon's Foot Catacombs of Death By For Expert-Companion Level D&D And Your Old School Retro Clone Systems

This is a sort of rare beast of a high level  adventure from Dragon's foot by author RC Pinnell because of the upper level of the PC's needed and the deadliness of the adventure.
The plot is something straight out of the pages of an old Dragon or Dungeon magazine in a good way, its got all of that hard core wilderness/ and dungeon action surrounding a nice plot of sword and sorcery action. But this one is an upper level crawl and lives up to its premise in spades. An old friend requires your help to rid themselves of a curse, but can you survive the Catacombs of Death. An Expert-Companion adventure for character levels 12-15.

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The author lays out the ground work for Catacombs of Death straight out of the gate.
This adventure is designed for characters at the upper range of the "Expert" levels of play--12 to 14. Players running demi-human types should have attained at least Attack Rank C, as provided in the Companion Manual of instructions, that their characters may be able to experience the adventure on a more or less equal footing with the human types.
This is not an open sand box style of adventure instead this is a carefully plotted adventure that follows PC's into the mid range of character development and the pit falls that go along with later life of such characters.
The encounters are a challenge for these characters and the adventure centers around several locations of very dangerous aspect and a rather nasty dungeon.
Action, NPC's, and plot are interwoven throughout the Catacombs of Death, the author making no secret of the lethality and challenge of its plot and story line. This isn't an adventure location but a set of interwoven plots in the style of the older adventures for Basic D&D and retroclone systems.
Think of this module in terms of the Expert module such as the Slave Lord series because there is a very similar vibe running throughout the adventure, a set of circumstances that will haunt the characters for years to come surrounding events already set into motion.
This is an adventure about old vendettas, ancient history, and hair trigger circumstance all putting the PC's at the center of its Egyptian style setting material.
There is a ton of new monsters, set pieces and more right between the pages of this one. It really is a well done but upper level adventure & used well can prepel characters into a whole other realm of character back story and development. But those playing this one are going to be changed forever by what happens out in the sands in the Catacombs of Death. Take a look and download this one

Using Catacombs Of Death
 For Your Old School Campaigns 
Using Catacombs of Death for your Old School Retroclones is going to require a bit more of a challenge because of the very nature of the module, this isn't a sandbox or kitchen sink adventure but one that requires some preparation and careful thought by the DM.
Because of the very nature of its story and plot a careful working by the DM is needed. A nice idea is to work the events from the back drop into the PC's career early into a campaign and then use Catacombs as a send off or mid range adventure for upper level characters.
That being said there are other ways of dealing with the circumstances surrounding the adventure.

Another idea is to have another high level  rival party hook up with the adventurers and one of their number set the plot and events of Catacombs of Death into motion. This adventure is interesting, complex, and full of adventure and surprises. There are a myriad of uses for it but for a game such as Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea some real solid adjustments of level and a handful of solid conversion work needs to be done by the DM. The material will fit a such a game but it would require some work on the DM's part.
This is a module well worth the time, energy, and circumstance to take a look at and its very well done. For a free module is blurs the line once again between fan and pro. 

FREE OSR MODULE: THE HIDDEN TOMB OF SLAGOTH THE NECROMANCER” For Your Old School Campaigns

Grab it Right Over
HERE

This is a free system and edition neutral module from the paperspencils.com site, I stumbled upon this one while dealing with Goblin week on G +. Sort of like Shark Week only cooler because its by old school gamers and for old school gamers. Kidding its actually a really made up thing gamers do for each other as an exercise of imagination but I digress.
 This module came about as a cooperative effort between friends according to the website:

It started early this year when I stumbled on to the website of fellow D&D blogger, Stonewerks. Stonewerks primarily makes maps, and his work has heavily influenced the way I’ve drawn the Deadly Dungeons maps over the last few months. At the time, his newest post was “The Hidden Tomb of Slaggoth the Necromancer,” a map which caught my eye, both for its lovely design, and compelling description

This is a damn fine adventure and dungeon crawl that utilizes every little dirty trick in the book with some nasty old school dungeon crawl works as an adventure that the DM can really sink their teeth into.
The plot reads something like this:

“The long lost Tomb of the evil necromancer Slaggoth, is buried deep with in a cavern complex. The caves have become the home of a trio of ogres and their band of goblin henchmen. The goblins guard the entrance by watching through a small crack in the rock above the entrance, alerting the other goblins when anyone approaches the entrance. The goblins will then unleash a small pack of wolves that they have chained in the front caves against the intruders. If the wolves are not enough to repel the intruders, the goblins will send a runner across the wooden rope bridge to the ogre lair to warn their masters and will use ambush and retreat tactics to slow down the intruders. In the ogre cave is a massive steel door that leads to the hidden tome of the evil Necromancer Slaggoth.

This is fifteen pages of old school location based adventure mayhem with lots of little touches that gives this one that special little over the cliff edge. There are special descriptions of NPC's, a rumor table, lots of minor loot zones, a solid backing for the maps, fill ins and motives for the monsters, plenty of room for DYI dungeons and dragons DM customization and lots more. 

The module is concise, well thought out, and obviously a labor of love. The ideas and little details here like the broken ax in the skull all fire the imagination in oh so many ways. There's lots of high drama in this one as well right in the center of the adventure. The authors work very well together as the encounters are balanced enough to challenge and lethal enough to screw a party to the bone if their not careful. Team work and party cohesion are the watch words here especially in regards to survival and watching each others back with the Hidden Tomb. 

This is a nicely thought out mid level adventure that can be used as either side quest or as a mini campaign breaker for a well heeled or even a beginning party of adventurers. 

All thoughout reading this one I was chuckling over the throw down of the maps and monster's ecology. Very well though out placement and descriptions make this one a pleasure to read through. 

There is a metric ton that can be done with this module from mid range campaign placement to its use as a stand alone adventure. 

This module can be used over and over again because peppered throughout are campaign hooks that can be exploited by a clever DM to use as a jump off point for their own campaigns. 

My advice is to grab this one. Clever and weird adventures with a clearly pulp asthetic that can be used straight across ANY edition are rare but being free and of such quality is a very rare combination indeed. Grab and download this one folks. You won't be sorry. 

Free OSR Download For The Basic Fantasy Rpg System - Adventure Anthology 1 For Your Old School Campaigns

Grab It Right
HERE

Possibly one of the best anthologies for the OSR that I've seen, you've got everything in this adventure anthology that a DM could want. Everything from one shot adventures, plot hooks for over arching campaign events, and much more.
 If I have a session run short, or if I need to run a few one-shots while I prepare my next campaign, this is a great resource. This is perfect for the middle part of a campaign when the adventurers are leveling up and need a few side quests.Each of these adventures has everything pre packaged for your adventurers to challenge them for an evening's entertainment in the old school tradition.
According to the Amazon blurb:

This is the first Adventure Anthology Series multi-adventure module for the Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game! Herein you will find a collection of small adventure modules, playable in a session or two, written by various authors. The adventures in this collection are in varied styles and are suitable for characters from first level to eighth.

This is a nice series of adventures that tie into each other and the motives of the NPC's are all mapped out and they actually have reasons for their interactions. That being said these adventures can be devided into nice bite sized play times.
Many of these adventures can easily be converted into a wide variety of retroclones or more modern versions of the world's most famous fantasy role playing game.
My advise on this anthology of adventure goodness, grab it and get playing tonight. A solid collection of old school retroclone goodness! 

'Zenob's Home Coming' - An Adventure Encounter For Lamentations Of The Flame Princess and Your Old School Campaigns

“The many men, so beautiful!

And they all dead did lie:

And a thousand thousand slimy things

Lived on; and so did I.” 

― Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Seen near the Port of Isafjordur on the outer edge of Iceland, a strange ship  has been spotted by local fishermen and they think that she bodes ill for any who sight her. The ship is the Lenore and she is crewed by dead men and her sorcerer captain who has ventured beyond the bounds of our universe into the Outer Darkness  and came back a changed men. He and his crew are men and something quite different not quite dead and bound within rotting flesh. Now they are doomed to sail eternity. But they have come to the shores near Iceland seeking out the Black School, only the dark masters of this school of ancient deviltry and witchcraft can hope to release these black souls into the hands of 'the Devil'.
The PC's are traveling adventurers and are hired by a witch of some standing to board the ship and deliver a potion to these men of black renowned to allow them entrance to the gates of  The Black School. Details on the Black School can be found right over HERE

The witch will offer the PC's thirty pieces of silver or gold of a valuable aspect but she will warn them if cheated, a demon will come for them instead. 

The PC's are given a scroll wrapped in an oiled seal skin and writ in the blood of the damned. The PC's will have to row out into the Port of Isafjordur at noon and recite the words of power written on the skin of a condemned and cursed man. They must return to the spot at sun set on the same day when the veil between the worlds is thinnest.
The ship appears in flash of green grey light with the setting sun. A weird dream haunted sea of brackish green black waters appears around the PC's row boat or craft. Odd things swim around in the waters and the PC's will find themselves in a place of wrack and ruin. Strange almost organic looking rocks piece the these strange waters.
The ship is partially decayed and stinks of the dead and damned. The captain Zenob will call a welcome to the PC's.  Once aboard the PC's are trapped beyond the wall of unreality outside the  world  but inside a timeless limbo like dimensional veil.
The Captain will slowly explain his plight to the PC's.

Zenob's is a sad tale of tragic misplaced loyalties and reckless power grabbing. He was an honest sea captain whose wife ran off with his best friend, the good captain was trading goods with some very questionable associates from some of the smaller islands surrounding Greenland. Several ancient relics,scroll texts, and other antiques came into the captain's possession.

After several months of  study the good captain cracked under strain of a combination of a broken heart, depression, and possible demonic influence from these relics. Some speculate that the relics may have come from ancient Hyperborea but this is merely speculation. But what is know is that the captain summoned something from the depths of the Outer Darkness and he was changed by the experience. His crew were soon overpowered by this hellish inference. 

Zenob and his crew were changed men and need to reach their final reward to know peace. The PC's can destroy this artifacts to free the soul of the men (which will not work.)
Or they can research these artifacts in captain's library.

The PC's will find an ancient black dagger of valcanic glass as sharp as a razor among the belongings. If Zenob is questioned about the item, he does not recognize it.

“Since then, at an uncertain hour, 

That agony returns: 

And till my ghastly tale is told, 

This heart within me burns.” 

― Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

 But its not just as simple a situation as this, each night a powerful demonic witch thing sneaks aboard the ship and massacres the crew at what passes for sunset in this timeless hellish  limbo. She is wicked, implacable and immortal it seems as the crew themselves. Each time she comes monsters out of the deepest nightmares of Hell itself preceded her. Use one or two hit dice monsters from the LoFP rule book pages 133 and 134. She fights as a 6th level fighter and regenerates as a troll ala OD&D. She is able to cast magic as a 4th level wizard but seems much diminished in power. She will be confused and very angry at the PC's presence on board.
After two encounters she will ask for parley with the party.

“Her lips were red, her looks were free,

Her locks were yellow as gold:

Her skin was white as leprosy,

The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she,

Who thicks man's blood with cold.” 

― Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'

She will explain that her name is Athava, a witch from the Black School who trapped her philandering black magician  husband and crew  within this timeless Hell as part of a bargain with the twelve ancient devil gods of Hyperborea. She is naught immortal and regrets the bargain after turning & mutating into this demonic hag thing. Athava has been sending dreams to her sister with a plan to free her soul and send her husband down to the depths of Hell to the fiery claws of Satan himself. After observing the cycles of horror and violence it may occur to the PC's that killing Athava themselves with the ancient glass dagger may free themselves.

“An orphans curse would drag to hell

A spirit from on high;

But oh! How more horrible that that

Is the curse in a dead man’s eye!” 

― Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

After three cycles of violence and degradation, Ru'kelothat the demon which holds Athava's soul in its claws for its dark master will appear from the depths of this place. It will offer to free the ship and crew for the souls of one of the adventurers. It will offer riches and other incentives for this bargain but of course this is a completely twisted bargain. Should the PC's manage to kill Athava, the mists ahead of the ship will clear and the ship will exit this timeless void quietly sailing toward the twisted  rocks of the Black School only be dashed upon the waiting claws of the Devil himself. Zenob and crew will be dragged below the depths by the demons that follow in the wake of their dark master.

The PC's will find themselves upon the shores of the Black School barely clinging to life. A few of the relics and artifacts around them, trinkets to provide them with further damnation for their souls. Members of the Black School will nurse them back to health and they may take these trinkets as payment for the deed.