Image by Nate Treme
The Incandescent Grottoes
A stream vanishes underground. Below, strange light clings to wet stone, and old things dream among the moss and crystal.
$10.00
/ Session
Details
2 players following this game
Weekly / Wednesday - 11:00 PM UTC
Jul 15 / Session 4
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
4 / 5 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
4/5
About the adventure
A stream vanishes beneath the earth, carrying its cold song into darkness. Below, the stone shines with an impossible light, wet walls glittering with crystal and moss that seems almost awake. The air is damp, bright, and ancient, threaded with the smell of roots, fungus, and deep water. Ruins wait where no sun reaches, and somewhere in the glow, old dreams stir among the grottoes. This is a great module for new and experienced players alike, offering tense exploration, strange discoveries, and plenty of space for player ingenuity. Depending on the speed of play, this could be 3 to 8 sessions total. I've also been wrong before on number of sessions many times and try not to rush players who want to spend time on any given location. I use the Advanced Fantasy version of Old-School Essentials in addition to some of the rules, classes, and races from the Carcass Crawlers 1-6. Your characters from my other OSE adventures that fit this adventure may be used.
Game style
Dungeon Crawl
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(8)
1 year on StartPlaying
18 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Sets the Mood, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 5 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hi, I'm Ryan and I have been playing TTRPGs for more than 25 years. I started with AD&D 2nd Edition, wandered through 3rd and 4th editions, and really found my stride during 5th edition over a decade ago. I began DMing in 2019 and eventually moved into the OSR space with games like Old-School Essentials, Shadowdark, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and Mörk Borg, exploring systems that encourage clear choices and active play.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
I have pre-generated characters available, but also welcome rolling characters ahead of time in Discord and will help you get those into the VTT ahead of time.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Foundry VTT and Discord for voice communication.
What Ryan brings to the table
I use music and environmental sounds in Foundry to add to the immersion of the session. Players will be able to access the Player's Tome in Foundry as well as the applicable rules from the available Carcass Crawler issues. I spend a lot of time prepping Foundry to deliver smooth gameplay and less time fighting with the VTT.
Homebrew rules
These are the rules I incorporate from Necrotic Gnome's Option Rules Checklist (https://necroticgnome.com/products/old-school-essentials-optional-rules-checklist): Ascending armor class, re-rolling hp 1s and 2s at character creation, detailed encumbrance, separate race and class, arcane spell casters and staves, human racial abilities, attacking with two weapons, parrying My own homebrew rules: I like to use some of the rules from Dolmenwood, Gavin Norman's other game as well as others. Some of those are here: When reduced to 0hp, 2-in-6 chance of death, allowing teammates a chance to aid. Fumbles and crits in combat. +2 to attack rolls made behind target.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Ryan creates a safe table
Discord will have a dedicated text channel with Lines and Veils listed. Breaks, stars and wishes, and open door will be used as well.
Content warnings
Safety tools used