The Tomb of the Forgotten Pharaoh

The tomb of the forgotten pharaoh

The Adventurers

You can choose four adventurers (character figures) to explore this dungeon.

The Mage is a magic-user and cast the most spells but is weak in hand to hand combat.

Speed: Roll a die, on a 1-3, his Speed is 2, on a 4-6, it is 4.

Endurance: Roll a die

Fighting Ability: DR-2 for each strike or parry

Missiles: None

Spells: Roll a die. One a 1, he has just one spell; 2-4, two spells; 5-6, three spells. He may also use any scroll.

Items: May not use armor or weapons.

The Priest can also cast spells, and although his spell list is more limited he is less feeble than the Mage.

Speed: Roll a die: 1 = Speed of 2; 2-4 = Speed of 3; 5-6 = Speed of 4

Endurance: Roll a die and add one.

Fighting Ability: DR-1

Missiles: None.

Spells: Roll a die. On a 1-2, one spell; 2-4, two spells; 5-6, three spells. He may know any spell except Fireball. He may also use any scroll except Fireball.

Items: May not use magic weapons and may not use metal armor.

The Soldier has a supply of javelins which are effective missiles, and he is also reasonably tough in close fighting.

Speed: Roll a die: 1= speed of 3; 2-4, Speed of 4; 5-6, Speed of 5.

Endurance: Roll die and add one.

Fighting Ability: DR

Missiles: Twenty javelins which can be thrown up to five squares, counting the target’s square but not the Soldier’s. For each javelin thrown, DR-3 for damage. (A roll of 1-3 means a miss). Each javelin is lost (broken, blunted, etc.) once thrown.

Spells: None, nor may he use scrolls.

Items: May use any weapon or armor.

The Mercenary comes from a distant land and is the best at fighting.

Speed: Roll a die: 1-2, Speed of 2; 3-6, Speed of 3.

Endurance: Roll die and add three.

Fighting Ability: DR+1

Missiles: None.

Spells: None, nor may he use scrolls.

Items: May use any weapon or armor.

The Son of Horus has divine parentage and is familiar with tombs and temples. He has the ability to Find/Remove Traps. See the trap rules.

Speed: Roll a die: 1= speed of 3; 2-4, Speed of 4; 5-6, Speed of 5.

Endurance: Roll a die.

Fighting Ability: DR

Missiles: None.

Spells: None, but he may use scrolls.

Items: May use any weapon and any non-metal armor.

The following table summarizes the characters’ abilities:

TheAdventurers

The tomb of the forgotten pharaoh

Your adventurers are seeking fame and fortune by delving into the tomb, which is said to hold great treasure.

The tomb is said to have been built for a pharaoh long ago, and to be haunted by various creatures. According to legend, the pharaoh was an evil sorcerer and his name has been forgotten because after his death, the new pharaoh ordered that all references to his name be erased from documents and engravings in the land. It is said that the pharaoh has tried to cheat death by keeping part of his “Ka” or soul inside a sphinx, but this sphinx cannot leave the tomb. It is also reported that the tomb is the lair of the Phoenixes which have been ravaging the countryside, and the locals hope your adventurers will also destroy the threat of the Phoenixes once and for all.

Hazards in the tomb

Some squares are marked with the eye of Horus, which means they may be trapped. There is also a rockfall marked on the map where a wall has collapsed. Traps and rockfalls are explained in the core Dungeon Delvers rules. A unique hazard in the Tomb of the Forgotten Pharaoh is the fire of truth, an ever-burning brazier. Any figure moving through this square will take DR-3 damage from the intense heat. Any figure who stops in the square for any reason (transferred by a spell, blocked by other figures, etc.) takes DR-2 damage, and this continues for as long as the figure occupies the square.

The Monsters

Many dangerous creatures lurk in the tomb. These include:

Animated Ushabti

These are clay figures crafted to guard the tomb and serve the Pharaoh in the afterlife. Because the Forgotten Pharaoh has refused to move on to the afterlife, his servants have become animated in this world! The two kinds of Ushabtis are workers and charioteers.

Worker ushabti will attack the characters with their bare hands, or by bludgeoning them with the tools and baskets they carry.

Chariot ushabti fire arrows at range and the horses will kick and bite in close combat.

Giant Cobra

These are oversized, aggressive cobras. Their venom is not as lethal as that of regular cobras, so they will keep biting!

Anubite

These are humanoids with the head, legs, and tails of jackals, just like the god Anubis. They prefer to fight with boomerang–like throwing sticks (a weapon that was used in ancient Egypt both in hunting and in war).

Mummy

These are the dead bodies of important priests, nobility, and the like, who have been brought back to life by the evil Pharaoh to guard the tomb.

Scorpion Men

These creatures are guardians of the gates between worlds, and were attracted to the tomb by the pharaoh’s spells. They have the lower bodies and claws of scorpions, and the upper bodies of men. Their sting is poisonous.

The Sphinx

The forgotten pharaoh’s magic powers could not help him escape death, but he did manage to trap a part of his Ka in this world, in the form of a Sphinx – a creature with the body of a lion and a human head with the face of the pharaoh. The sphinx has also cast a spell which causes the Phoenix to return to life after it is killed, and only be killing the sphinx can the Phoenix be defeated for good.

The Phoenix

This flying creature breathes fire and is said to be consumed in fire when it dies, to be reborn from its own ashes.

The game stats and rules for the monsters are listed below

Monsters

All monsters always try to move into contact with character figures and attack in melee unless otherwise indicated below.

The Anubite and Chariot Ushabti are archers, and attempt to move only close enough to shoot missiles. They flee hand-to-hand combat if possible.

The Scorpion Man can cast Cure Self once. He will move away from the characters to cast this spell if he takes 3 or 4 wounds.

The Sphinx is aspellcaster. Roll each turn to see what spell is available. If the available spell can’t be used (e.g., Cure Self is rolled but the monster has taken no wounds), move down the column to the next spell. Repeat this until you reach a spell it can use or you reach the end the last spell, in which case the monster can’t cast this turn.

The Phoenix is a special monster and has a breath weapon it can use every other turn. If there are no targets in range for its breath attack, or it can’t use the breath weapon because it used it last turn, the phoenix will try to cast a spell. Roll on the table for the available spell. If there is no spell it can cast, it will attempt to strike. When the phoenix is killed, it will reappear in DR-1 turns (if a one is rolled, it reappears immediately). Roll to determine which square it appears in. The phoenix loses this power when the Sphinx has been killed, and any phoenixes encountered in the dungeon after the sphinx has been killed will stay dead once killed.

Egyptian Monster Spells

Treasures

When you roll on the treasure charts because a figure has spent a turn searching a treasure square, some of the results are self explanatory – they are gold pieces, or stated to be worth so many gold pieces. The others are described here.

Magic Scrolls

Magic scrolls have spells inscribed on them which certain character figures can use to cast the spell. Scrolls can be used once per adventure, but can also be kept and used again the next time your figure enters the tomb. When you find a scroll, roll to see what spell it has on it: 1. Fireball. 2. Ward. 3. Ward magic. 4. Raise dead. 5. Cure. 6. Transfer. The soldier and mercenary can’t use scrolls.

Magic Sword

A magic sword is a powerful enchanted weapon that can be used by some character figures. Any figure using a magic sword adds +1 to its Fight Ability when it strikes or parries.The mage & priest cannot use this item.

Glass Javelin

This is another magical weapon which has been enchanted so that it can cause instant death! When used as a missile, it has a range of 3 squares (5 for the Soldier). Roll DR-3 and if any hits are caused, the target is killed, regardless of how many wounds it has left. A Ward spell will protect the target but Ward Magic does not. Once it has been thrown, the Silver Javelin is destroyed, whether or not it hits its target. The Glass Javelin can’t be used to strike or parry.The mage & priest cannot use this item.

Poison, Scorpion, Ouch!

Some results on the charts are hazards which cause damage to whoever searches. If the searcher survives, he may search again and rolls again.

Mummy!

If this result is rolled, place a mummy next to the searching figure and play out the combat as usual. The sarcophagus may be searched again, and if another mummy is rolled, treat it as a result of “Nothing.”

Knife, Leather armor

These results are equipment that may be used by the searcher right away. The knife grants one missile attack (DR-3, range 2); the armor adds one to endurance. The mage can’t use either of these, and the priest can’t use the knife.

The Miniatures

You have enough miniatures for every encounter in Tomb. Although the figures are fairly tough and the paint is covered with several protective layers, you should be reasonably gentle with them and never let them soak in water or other liquids. Of course you can make up rules for other miniatures, either heroes or monsters, and add them to your game for variety!

Monster and Treasure tables

Monster Appearance

Treasure Tables