The Golem Master's Workshop - translated into Russian

I checked my blog stats and found out, through the referral links, that there is a Russian translation of my short adventure, The Golem Master's Workshop!

It is appended as an example to a translation of Tristyn's guidelines for 10-room/30-minute dungeon, my favorite lightning-fast dungeon creation method.

The translations: https://imaginaria.ru/toolsofthetrade/desyatikomnatnoe-podzemele.html

The Golem Master's Workshop, Russian PDF: https://imaginaria.ru/attachments/get/1342

My original adventure can be found here: https://eldritchfields.blogspot.com/2019/12/dungeon-30-minute-dungeon-golem-masters.html

Ehh I should *really* update that map...

[Dungeon] 30-minute dungeon: The Golem Master's Workshop

The Golem Master, creator of pricey artificial servants, hasn’t been seen around for some time. His house stands dark and silent. Dare you enter?

The 30-minute dungeon is a great exercise. The format was created by Trystin, and she has recently posted an update, so now the format includes randomized prompts as guidelines.

My first attempt went overtime, but in the end turned into a pretty neat ancient Mesopotamia-themed dungeon. This new dungeon I wrote in around 35 minutes, then spent some more time re-drawing the map and formatting the content into a one-page dungeon pdf. Enjoy!

Download as one-page dungeon!

Background: The Golem Master, creator of pricey artificial servants, hasn’t been seen around for some time. His house stands dark and silent. Dare you enter?

1 – Foyer
A ledger with records of the Golem Master’s dealings. The balance is positive. The last transactions are from about 2 weeks ago: “Medium all-around servant, sold to Herr Güntz, for 3000 silver”, “Shipment of raw clay, for new personal project, 500 silver”.

2 – Corridor with mud streaks
Dry mud streaks leading to Area 4, as if something big and dirty was dragged there.
The windows towards the street are boarded up.

3 – Office, overtaken by animated body parts
3d8 animated clay hands (HD 0, AC as unarmored, Move as unencumbered, 1 attack: 1 damage) jump off the shelves, climb forth from under furniture, attack any intruder.
Treasure: 450 silver in the locked desk drawer.

4 – Storage room with injured golem
The mound of clay in the corner is actually a golem – a tall, muscular man, with his legs torn off. His name is Jakov. He tells the story of the Golem Master experimenting with the creation of two “golem brothers”, and how his brother Boax went mad, killed the Master and mutilated him. Boax either left or is hiding somewhere in the house.

5 – Golem showcase and hiding place of Boax
Statues set up on a small podium – the Golem Master’s showcase. Three full-sized clay statues depicting one man and two women. If the players have visited Area 4, they recognize the male statue as being from the same mold as Jakov. Four clay statues of 3’ tall wingless gargoyles.
The statue of the man is Boax, the murderous golem. He will wait until the players go down the spiral stairs and then shut the trapdoor and move the heavy podium over it.
If found, confronted or attacked, Boax defends himself, and also commands the four gargoyles.
Boax, the murderous golem: HD 4, AC as chain, Move as unencumbered, Morale unbreakable, 2 attacks: terracotta punch (1d8 damage)
4 clay gargoyles: HD 2, AC as leather, Move as unencumbered, Morale average, 1 attack: claw (1d4 damage)

6 – Bedroom & Kitchenette
Under the bed, there is a scroll of hold monster.

7 – Dark cellar room with clay pits
Strong smell of wet clay and mud. Creaky floorboards. Trap: When crossing the room, each character has a 1-in-6 chance to fall through the old floorboards and into the deep clay pits. If much noise is made, 1d4 clay abominations from Area 8 rush in to investigate.

8 – Workshop, the hiding place of the Golem Master
The Golem Master wasn’t killed, but hid here, half-mad from his injuries. As his final defense, he created 4 small abominations from whatever lumps of clay he had around.
The door to Area 9 has a “Do not touch my things!” sign.
Golem Master: Magic-User 3, AC as unarmored, unable to move, 1 attack: desperate biting (1d2-1 damage)
4 clay abominations: HD 1, AC as leather, Move as unencumbered, Morale average

9 – Vault with trapped entrance
Trap: poison needle (Save or Die) in the doorknob.
Treasure: 1500 silver in clay jars, masterfully executed figurine molds worth 1000 silver.

10 – Ritual area
A complete golem body lays on a marble slab. A codex and ritual implements are laying nearby – everything is ready to bring this golem to life. The golem is massive. If brought to life, there is a 50-50 chance of it being either an obedient servant or going on a murderous rampage through town.
Quantum Golem: HD 8, AC as chain, Move as unencumbered, Morale unbreakable, 2 attacks: terracotta punch (1d8 damage)

Working notes:

30-minute dungeon, includes:

3 Empty Rooms
3 Combat Encounters
2 Traps
1 NPC
1 Special/Weird Thing

3 Empty rooms:

Something that tells the characters about the dungeon’s history

Something useful to the characters

Something that points the characters to an NPC

Special Room:

Something that can result in great reward or terrible disaster

NPC:

A victim

3 Combat encounters:

Horde of weak opponents

A weak opponent and their guards

A tough opponent and his underlings

Trap:

Something that will kill the characters

Something that will trap the characters

[Dungeon] 30-minute dungeon: The Chaldean Archives

My take on the 30-minute dungeon format initiated by Tristyn. There are already a couple of other people posting these: Michael Raston, Shane Ward, and possibly many others!

The goal is to provide a dungeon adventure with more or less these items:

A Hook General Background 3 Combat Encounters 3 "Empty" Rooms 2 Traps 1 NPC 1 Weird Thing To Experiment With Some Treasure A Magic Item

30 minutes is... not much, I tell you that! I did waste 15 minutes on the map. Although I knew I should't. Then spent 30 minutes on the description, so I broke the rule...

But here's what I got. I think it's a good outline, and perhaps in the near future I can flesh it out! It's an ancient Mesopotamian themed ruin complex.

UPDATE 2025: Vladar converted this adventure for use with their Into the Dungeon: Revived system.

The Chaldean Archives

General background: Middle East, circa 700 AD. It is the time of the Omayyad Caliphate. But this empire is not the first to rule in the area, and some people are eager to explore the remnants of civilizations much more ancient and powerful – the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes.

Hook: Abdul Alhazred, the renowned Damascene scholar (not yet known as “the Mad Arab”) hires the party to explore the ruins of an ancient Chaldean palace, find the archives, and bring back as many clay tablets as possible.

The ruins of a once glorious palace, now buried under the sand. A small part is accessible. There are two entrances, 1. from the east (visible) and 2. from the south (barely visible, covered by rubble, but easy to clear if noticed).

Outside the ruins

A nomad tribe has set up camp next to the east entrance.

They never delve deep into the ruins (sometimes go into the courtyard), just use its walls as defense against the sandstorms.

However, they also don’t want to let anybody else in, unless payment or reason is provided.

6+2d6 nomads (HD 1, armed with scimitars and slings) and their leader Sardar, who tells wicked ghost stories (HD 2, armed with Damascene steel)

Areas:

Courtyard

Open area that grants access to the various parts of the complex.

Storage rooms

Grouped around the Courtyard. Many broken clay vessels. Their ancient content (sesame oil and honey) coalesced into 1d4 deadly Lubricious & Viscous Oozes (HD 3, engulfing pseudopods, weapons get stuck in them).

Treasure: each Ooze’s body holds 1d100sp worth in assorted items and medieval coins, and one Ooze holds an ancient Egyptian faience amulet (+1 to saves against Magic if worn).

Chapel area

Entered from the west side of the Courtyard, through a small vestibule.

The entrance is flanked by stone reliefs, depicting two winged genies with human heads. The genies each hold a small container and raise a pine cone towards the entrance.

In the vestibule there is a locked chest. Contents: gilded pine cones, a small container with a sweet smelling oil (enough for 1d8 smears), silver cups and plates worth 200sp.

To pass through the door, one must be first anointed with the sweet oil.

Anybody not anointed is struck by searing light from the toppled statue in the next room. 3d6 damage (save against Rays/Devices for half damage).

The main chapel room

Toppled statue of a male divinity, opposite the entrance. Heavy (combined Strength of 40+ to move). If restored to its original upright position, an otherwise invisible compartment opens in its base, holding a gold bar worth 100gp and the personal Seal of the High Priest (small cylinder seal, depicts a nude hero battling a bull-man; can be used to open containers safely in the Sacred Archive area; provides protection against the Bull-Man).

Chapel storage rooms

Guarded by a Bull-Man (HD 7, very strong, bonus to grappling). If shown the Seal of the High Priest, bows and doesn’t attack.

Treasure: votive statues, furniture decorated with gold and ivory.

Archive area

Entered from the north side of the Courtyard, through a small vestibule.

The entrance is flanked by stone reliefs. When first seen, there are 4 winged genies with bird heads and vicious beaks. The head of one of them was damaged. When the spectators turn away, the three undamaged genies disappear from the reliefs. These three active winged genie guardians will then invisibly stalk and attack the intruders at the most convenient moment.

Winged Genie Guardians (HD 6, 2 attacks, limited flight [long jumps])

The genies have to be defeated, or, alternatively, their stone slabs can be broken (by at least two blows dealing 4 or more damage). If a slab is broken, one genie disintegrates.

Main archives (North part)

Myriads of clay shards. For each turn spent searching, 1d20 complete clay tablets can be salvaged, up to a total of 100.

The tablets contain economical records, hymns, epic stories, historical annals.

Sacred archives (West part)

Five limestone chests. Sealed with wax – the wax has the imprint of a cylinder seal (nude hero battling a bull-man). If the wax is broken, the perpetrator takes 1d8 damage and must save against Magic. On a failed save, the word THIEF is burnt into their forehead (in cuneiform Akkadian).

A person holding the Seal of the High Priest (see Chapel area) can break the wax without any consequences.

Each chest holds 1d12 complete clay tables. Descriptions of rituals, hymns. Every fifth tablet from this room is also a random spell “scroll” (written in cuneiform Akkadian).