Rangers of Shadow Deep - Temple of Madness - Part III

TEMPLE OF MADNESS is a four part mission for level 5 - 15 Rangers for the RANGERS OF SHADOW DEEP co-operative tabletop skirmish game.

Our heroes managed to open the incantation lock in the last scenario, but it was tough going - four of our team were only on 8 health. The minions of the evil ShadowDeep Mage were now aware of the presence of our characters in their underground lair... 

After running down a long sloping tunnel, our roughed up heroes entered a room finding themselves on a ledge overlooking a large pit. On the opposite side of the room was another ledge, with a large metal door in the center. A huge chandelier was hanging over the pit... four ropes came off it and were tied up on the ledge with the heroes. There were four large wheels on the opposite ledge... a ladder led down into the pit, and there was another ladder going up on he other side of the room. In the middle of the pit were three statues. In the corners of the pit were four trapdoors.

As our team took in their surroundings, the four wheels on the opposite wall started to turn... the four trapdoors creaked open, and simultaneously they heard a grinding of gears and a loud metallic clang from the door across the room. Four ghouls climbed up out of the trapdoors... and more ghouls crept out of the shadowy far corners of the ledges....

Our current lineup of Heroes:

Alfie's Team:

Arthur - Ranger (level 10)

Malvolio - Conjuror

Fern - Guardswoman

Odis - Rogue (New recruit for this mission)

My Team:

Jennifer - Ranger (level 10)

Archibald - Archer

Seb - (a character from the Bloodmoon mission who is now a companion)

The setup at the start of the game...
The deer's heads represent where the ropes from the chandelier are tied up.

Standing on the ledge...

It was risky, but possible, to use the ropes to swing from one ledge to the other... but the result of failure could be disastrous for some of our guys who were already on low health. We decided that Jennifer and Archibald would attempt it as their health was ok. The rest of the guys would try and run across the pit as a group and take on any ghouls as they went...

Jennifer and Archibald took pot shots at ghouls in the first round, taking out one and wounding another...

At the end of every round we had to roll on a special random table. Another ghoul, ghoul rotter or ghoul fiend would appear out of one of the trapdoors.

Jennifer and Archibald shoot at ghouls from the ledge, whilst everyone else tries to get across the pit...

Another ghoul comes out of a trapdoor...

It wasn't long before a big fight kicked off between the adventurers and a gang of ghouls in the middle of the pit... most of the ghouls were knocked out - but unfortunately so was Odis!

It's all kicking off in the center of the pit!

Odis is knocked out...

Jennifer and Archibald were still on the ledge - they took out both ghouls there, and then luckily they both succeeded in their rope swing attempts! - They swooped diagonally across the room to the other ledge... the ghouls that had been up there had climbed down into the pit by this time - so they were unhindered in trying to turn the wheels that they had landed next to. Archibald was having trouble getting his to move - but Jennifer had no problem with hers... there was a click from the door, and then one of the trapdoors on the pit floor slammed shut... now there were only three left for baddies to emerge from... just then one of the statues in the center of the room seemed to animate and sing a mysterious song... what could it mean? Arthur who was nearest the statue felt suddenly empowered (he would have a bonus in combat for the rest of the game!)...

Jennifer and Archibald have swung across the room... another ghoul enters the pit.

The guys on the floor made it up the ladder to the ledge on the other side... all the guys apart from Seb that is, who was grabbed by two ghouls at the bottom of the ladder.. he tried his best, and managed to deal damage to one of them - but was knocked out by the other...

Jennifer takes on the ghoul that knocked out Seb...

As Arthur and Fern went to turn some wheels, Malvolio went to help Archibald who was still struggling with his.. Jennifer shot one ghoul through the head - and ran at the other ghoul at the top of the ladder...

The final wheel is turned, unlocking the door...

At last all the wheels were turned - Malvolio helped Jennifer finish off the final fiendish ghoul... the door swung open.. and our heroes exited the room...

...we're out!!

Odis and Seb were knocked out - but both were ok... between us we killed 10 ghouls and a ghoul fiend... we got XP for hearing the mysterious song, for turning the wheels, and for getting people out of the door... We had some good dice rolls in this scenario - things could have gone a lot worse - we could easily have been overwhelmed by ghouls on the floor of the pit.

We really liked the rope swinging mechanic - very fun!

Next time - the final confrontation with the evil mage in "The Mirror Enduring"...

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I created all the floorplans for this mission using the fantastic free resources available from

  2 minute tabletop.