by swarttigerhorn
The Waters Below is an adventure designed with beginner players in mind, it focuses first and foremost on showcasing Daggerheart's features, systems, ancestries and classes.
We try to provide as many GM Notes as possible to help beginner GMs as well, but having a bit of previous experience helps.
Characters are pre-made and play very defined roles in the story, the challenges proposed can be easily overcome by their skills and features if used correctly by the players.
The Story branches into few paths, providing freedom for the party to explore, meet NPCs and even find multiple solutions for the problem at hand.
Deep beneath the Trance Mountains lies Deepwell Station, a thousand-year-old, state-run aquifer that lifts water to every city around the range. Reaching it is perilous: the mountain warps its passages and seems to resist intruders, turning the descent into a trial of endurance and skill.
A weekly trolley, guided by its wizard driver, is the only reliable way in or out. After the descent, the driver must sleep in a hidden compartment to recover his strength before attempting the return climb.
Months ago, the crystal mine beyond the aquifer collapsed. Lives were lost, and the entrance was sealed. Since then, the King has demanded a monthly oversight report from his appointed representative. Everything has been running smoothly, but today, just a few hours before shift change, the earth shook, the tunnels shifted, and something awakened in the water.
The on-call Aqua Engineers tried to contain the situation, only to vanish into the depths. The remaining crew is now cornered by creatures they have never seen before and their only hope is to survive long enough for the party to arrive.
The Waters Below follows 4 protagonists as they arrive at Deepwell Station for their next weekly shift, expecting nothing more than a routine assignment. Instead, they find themselves trapped underground, facing terrors from the depths.
Check out Character Sheet Data - Appendix A at the end of this document for full character data.
This young Ribbet sorcerer comes from a Seaborne culture that treats tides, currents, and deep waters as living forces. The King, impressed by the prodigy’s uncanny control over water, appointed them to Deepwell Station without delay.
The role proved a perfect fit. The aquifer’s underground waters seem to answer this Ribbet more readily than any other Aqua Engineer. When they are on shift, no additional engineers are required, whereas the station normally needs two or three specialists working in tandem to maintain the flow.
A Simiah raised in harsh, unstable underground environments, trained to map dangerous terrain and guide others through it. A grandparent worked at Deepwell Station half a century ago, and this ranger now follows in those footsteps.
Deepwell has long employed wayfinders to keep workers from getting lost or trapped in the deeper tunnels. Experienced in survival and rescue work, our hero always has a plan ready when something goes wrong.
A Dwarf assigned by an Orderborne security institution to enforce safety protocols and emergency procedures. They step between others and danger first, but do so with calculation rather than bravado.
The role is not glory. It is containment, evacuation, and keeping people alive when systems fail. Trained for crisis response, this guardian knows what to do when others panic and can impose order on chaos.
An elf serving the kingdom’s Loreborne institution, tasked with documenting operations, incidents, and testimonies. Few people welcome that kind of scrutiny, and many assume every note is a weapon waiting to be used.
Officially, this bureaucrat is here to observe station operations, interview staff, and deliver the monthly report to the King. Unofficially, this bard has a reputation for kindness and discretion, bending procedure when mercy serves the realm better than punishment.
Here is the list of components required to run this adventure, as well as some optional ones that will sometimes work as an alternative option, and sometimes elevate your experience.
This list is presented as if all players at your table are fresh not only to Daggerheart but TTRPGs in general, feel free to adapt the list to better fit your table's needs.
With the information provided in the Appendix, use the character creator on Daggerheart Nexus.
If you have the Core Rulebook, it can be used to supplement the info provided here so you can fill your character sheet manually.
For gameplay print only the following pages:
Main page - contains all the information required for gameplay.
Character Details page - helps players get into character and provides a Notes section.
(OPTIONAL) You can use the spells pages as well if you and/or your players don't have the cards.
TIP: You can have these 2 printed as a double-sided sheet;
Daggerheart uses cards to make character options more tangible at the table. They help new players quickly understand what a character can do without paging through dense text.
The four pre-made characters in this adventure are designed to avoid overlap in Heritage and Domain card needs. As a result, the adventure can be played using a single shared Core Set; players do not need to buy their own separately.
1 Daggerheart Core Set cards.
(OPTIONAL) Daggerheart has print-and-play cards!
TIP: Using 4-pocket card binder pages is a great way to organize everything for a quick setup and teardown!
The official Core Rulebook is not required to have a great time with Daggerheart, but it is nice to have reference material nearby, especially if someone at the table wants to double-check a ruling. Fortunately, Daggerheart also provides a clear and cohesive System Reference Document (SRD). It can be downloaded here.
But for many groups, the quick-reference sheets will be more than enough to get started with confidence. For this session, it is recommended to have the following:
Play guide - Included with the downloadable character sheets. It contains everything needed to run the rules, features, and little “gimmicks” used in this adventure. Having one per player makes learning smoother and keeps the game moving.
Sidecar - A wonderful companion for first-time players. It turns a character sheet from “a lot to take in” into something much easier to follow at the table. It is recommended for the GM to read this along with the players before the adventure.
(OPTIONAL) GM Guide - Great for quick reminders on task difficulties and for spending Fear through GM Moves.
Daggerheart uses the Duality Dice system, which requires two d12s, but you will also want a standard set of dice for damage, abilities, and other effects. It is recommended to have the following on hand:
Duality Dice - At least two d12s that are easy to tell apart. Designate one as the Hope die and the other as the Fear die for action rolls.
Standard RPG Dice Set - One die of each common type (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20). Players will rarely use a d20, but the GM uses it often as the primary action die.
Fear Tokens - The GM should have a clear way to track Fear. This can even be digital, but visible tokens placed on the table are a great way to build tension and keep everyone aware of the rising stakes.
Countdown - This adventure is played over one of Daggerheart's features, Countdowns. It starts at 12 and tick down to 0. You should have something to represent that: a d12 (that won't be used for rolls), cards, chips, coins, tokens, an old school analog table clock that you can advance by 5 minutes on a tick.
Extra dice or Tokens - Some features and abilities ask players to place a die, token, or counter on a card to track uses or ongoing effects. Any of the following work well:
Extra d4s and d6s: Practical and convenient counters.
Poker chips: Satisfying to handle.
Coins: Kind of hard to come across those these days, but you might have some laying around.
Board game components: Cubes, meeples, and other bits make excellent trackers.
TIP: While not required, it makes for a smoother experience if each player has their own Duality Dice and Standard RPG Dice Set.
The title of this section may sound a bit dramatic, but it is simply a reminder to bring pencils and erasers so character sheets can be updated during play. Players will gain Hope, mark and clear stress, take and heal damage, spend resources, and track other changes as the adventure unfolds.
If you have everything listed so far, you are ready to go. You and your players can expect a solid baseline Daggerheart experience and focus on what matters most: making bold choices and telling a great story together.
That said, a few optional extras can add flair, improve clarity, and make key moments land harder. None of the following are required, but any of them can elevate the session:
Battle maps: Even a simple dry-erase mat, or rough room outlines can make positioning clearer for new players and speed up combat decisions. While Daggerheart does not have a grid system for movement, you can always find references on how each range translates to your battle map.
Minis or standees: Any small tokens work (minis, pawns, cardboard standees, even board game pieces). They help players instantly understand who is engaged, who is isolated, and where hazards are.
Condition markers: Simple rings, clips, sticky tabs, or small tokens to mark conditions like Hidden, Restrained, or Vulnerable without relying on memory.
Index cards for NPCs and locations: One card per NPC and one per location keeps names, roles, and goals easy to track without overwhelm.
Scene handouts: Even a single-page “Deepwell Station overview” or a short list of crew names and roles can help new players stay oriented.
Ambient audio: Dripping cavern ambience, distant trolley rattles, or low industrial hum can make the station feel alive.
Battle Music: Battles get some of that epic movie flavoring when the right music is playing in the background.
Lighting: A desk lamp pointed at the play area, dimmed room lights, or a small LED candle can sell the “deep underground” mood.
Mini props: A physical key, a stamped “royal seal” note, or a small vial labeled “crystal sample” makes discoveries feel tangible.
A shared notepad or whiteboard: Great for tracking the countdown, naming suspects, jotting clues, and letting players plan together.
Before the adventure begins, take a few minutes to teach the basics, share the premise, and set expectations as needed. Feel free to skip some of these if they are irrelevant.
The steps below help new players feel comfortable and keep the session moving smoothly:
Set the tone for TTRPG play: Briefly explain that Daggerheart is collaborative storytelling. Everyone contributes, and the goal is a fun, dramatic story rather than “winning.”
“Begin and End with the Fiction”: Describe how core that is to the system, rolls will be required only when both positive and negative outcomes can affect the fiction.
Clarify Daggerheart’s priority: Daggerheart favors momentum and narrative clarity over strict procedural play. When in doubt, choose the ruling that keeps the fiction coherent and the table engaged.
If players know DND: Comparisons can help, but use them as a bridge. Point out the difference in emphasis: Daggerheart is less about exhaustive options and more about bold choices and story consequences.
If players come from rules-heavy systems (e.g., Pathfinder): Questions are welcome, but the players' creativity have way more say on the outcome of actions than defaulting to a rule, flavors and personality are encouraged.
Read over the Play Guide with your players.
Focus on the first two columns as they contain the most useful recurrent information.
Skim the Quick Reference section together. Players can return to it later if they want options beyond the basic actions.
The Downtime section is not relevant for this adventure, since the story is time-boxed to roughly one in-game hour.
Read the story PREMISE (from the previous section) aloud to your players. Add any additional setting details you feel are helpful, and answer questions as they come up.
Once everyone understands the situation, hand out the character sheets and cards. Reading the blurb from the CHARACTERS subsection (also in the previous section) as you place their character sheet on the table. Again, add any clarifying details you find relevant and answer questions.
Let players know that name, pronouns, appearance, and personality are theirs to customize. However, each character’s job at the station is fixed and important to how the story unfolds.
Let the players discuss among themselves and choose their preferred character.
Some groups will choose characters based on vibes and roles; others will prefer to review the character sheets before deciding. Either approach is fine. When the time feels right, bring out the Sidecar sheets and walk through them together to help everyone understand the information on their character sheet.
Once everyone is happy with the selection, have each player pick 2 of the 6 available Domain Cards for that character. Encourage them to consider the setting and the party’s overall roles when making their choices.
At level 1, Daggerheart characters bring only two Domain cards into play, even though more options are available. Other cards cannot be "recalled", they are just out of the game.
Give your players a few minutes to share information on which cards they selected. This helps the group spot synergies, plan combos, and think about how to rely on one another during tense moments.
Congratulations, you are now ready to dive into the story!
This adventure will be played over the course of 3 very short acts.
Act I (~45 min.): Story introduction. Trolley Station as an introduction to collaborative description, simple NPC interactions with Dylan and Carter, introduction of the trolley countdown, first combat against spiders.
Act II (~60 min.): Deeper collaborative description, branching paths and exploration, more complex NPC interactions, and the Environment mechanics.
Act III (~75 min.): The party commits to an objective, descends to Level 3, the Spirit attempts possession, and the session culminates in a longer final encounter with alternate objectives.
By the end of the adventure, the party will choose a solution (escape, seal, collapse, or rebind) and face its consequences. Exploring thoroughly and bringing NPCs along can provide valuable leverage, but it will cost time on the trolley countdown.
Content note: This adventure includes themes of drowning, possession, and body horror, as well as spiders. Ask your players before the session whether they are comfortable with these themes and creatures.
Descriptions can be softened or faded to black at any time. Enemies can be reskinned, and any gore or body-horror elements can be toned down to a lighter, less graphic tone.
In the sections that follow, GM-only notes, guidelines, and behind-the-scenes information are presented as plain text.
Narrative sections are presented in a boxed format.
You can read them aloud as written or paraphrase them to match your table’s tone and pacing.
At this point, you should have already read to the players the premise provided early on. They should have a good general idea what the story is about. This allows us to dive straight into the story with names and references that hopefully they will understand. Even if they don't, encourage questions early on.
Put on your best storyteller booming voice and let's get to it.
It is 6 a.m. on a Monday, and the Trance Mountains are still wrapped in night-cold air.
The surface trolley station sits like a scar at the edge of the range: stone platform, iron rails vanishing into a mouth of dark, and a low building that always smells faintly of damp wood and oil. This is routine. Always has been.
You arrive one by one, joining the only two other souls scheduled for the descent today: the cook with a bundled apron and a weary face, and a lab technician clutching a leather bag full of research papers. They are not chatting much. The mountain has a way of swallowing small talk before it ever leaves the lips.
Together, you load the trolley. Food, kitchen supplies, rolls of parchment, chalk, sealing wax, metal instruments for the lab, along with the personal luggage each of you carry to make a week underground bearable.
The trolley waits with doors open like a patient beast. It is long-bodied and iron-framed, with rows of benches running along the sides and straps hanging from the ceiling for when the rails begin to tilt and buck. The floor is scuffed from years of boots and cargo. It is built to carry a crowd, enough room for a couple dozen riders, enough space for noise and laughter and complaints about the early hour.
Today, with only a handful of you aboard, it feels hollow. It didn't used to.
As the trolley driver announces the descent is about to begin, the memories hit you.
There was a time, just months ago, when every Monday meant a full car: miners with black dust on their hands, extra technicians with their clipboards and vials and bags, guards posted at the doors, arguments over shift schedules, and jokes shouted over the clatter of loading.
The crystal operation behind Deepwell Station was larger than the water operation itself, pulling wealth and magic from stone and feeding the lab with new samples non-stop. Then the mines collapsed.
No one speaks of it casually. The official reports are short and careful. The personal stories are longer, and always end the same way: lives lost, tunnels sealed, and a silence that never quite left the station afterward. Since that day, the trolley has carried fewer voices, fewer crates, fewer reasons to look forward to Monday.
The trolley disappear into the mountain’s throat.
The Players might raise some questions about the unnamed NPCs, the mines, or even the station.
Feel free to come up with any details as you see fit, as a pro tip, players love when those details come back later in the story. So maybe take some time to write down what they seem more interested in and think of ways of integrating those later on.
Now we are going to present Dylan, the driver. Describing him to the players shall make for a nice introduction on how to present a character, which players may use as an inspiration to describe their own characters just after.
An old human wizard with a face carved by cold mornings and stubborn years walks around the car. He touches some crystals with his battered staff, etched with runes that hum faintly when the mountain breathes. The crystals spark and shine, bringing light, heat, and hope to this otherwise cold, dark, and long descent.
This old man is Dylan, the trolley driver. The only man in the kingdom who can push back the mountain’s wrath long enough to guide the trolley safely to Deepwell Station.
He grumbles, complaining about retirement, aching bones, and how no one “these days” has the spine to learn his work. His tone is familiar, it feels almost rehearsed, but there is truth beneath it: this magic takes a rare aptitude, and no one has shown it in fifty years.
It is your turn, when the others look at your character on this trolley, what do they see?
While the players introduce their characters, write down one memorable detail for each PC, ideally something visual or behavioral (a scar, a habit, a phrase, a nervous tic, a distinctive tool, a way of speaking).
This lets you weave the PCs into the world in small, personal ways. When you echo a player’s description back through the environment, it stops being decoration and becomes meaning: the station reacts to them, danger brushes against something specific about them, and choices feel like they matter to someone real.
Even a single callback can turn a tense moment into personal stakes, because the players recognize that what they created is part of the story now.
On this same vein, Daggerheart is all about collaborative descriptions. You should invite the players to shape the world with you instead of always being the one behind every single description.
By the end of this next section we are going to present that opportunity, and then again a few more times before the end of the adventure.
Dylan grips the control bar with one hand and raises the other, fingers tracing shapes in the air as if writing on invisible parchment. The runes carved along the trolley’s frame answer in kind, flaring to life in quick, muted pulses. Outside, something scrapes across the rock. A tremor shudders through the tunnel, and a cluster of stones breaks loose overhead.
Dylan snaps a word that sounds like a command and an insult at the same time. The runes brighten. The falling rock veers, slides, and shatters against the tunnel wall instead of the roof above you. A heartbeat later, another impact threatens, then another, as if the mountain is testing the trolley, searching for a moment of weakness.
“Worse than usual,” he says, more to himself than anyone else. “Way worse. Haven’t felt it bite like this in years.”
The rails begin to level out, the steady rattle of the trolley changing pitch as the descent eases. The air has grown colder and wetter over the last hour, and every breath tastes faintly of stone and old water. Ahead, the tunnel begins to widen. Dylan leans forward, squinting into the dark.
“We should be close,” he says. Then he pauses. His hand stops mid-gesture, as if the air has turned suddenly heavy. He points with the end of his staff toward the far darkness. “What happened to the station lights? I can barely see them from here.”
As you roll closer, you do see them, but wrong. The crystals are lit, yet dimmed to a half-life, as though their brilliance has been smothered under wet cloth. The tunnel is not dark, not truly, but it is drained of its usual clarity. Shapes exist at the edge of sight. Corners swallow detail. The station ahead is visible only in soft, reluctant glow that your eyes have to work to accept.
The trolley rolls forward anyway, into that weakened shimmer. In a moment, as your eyes adapt to this new light level, the underground station will come fully into view.
Now, to showcase one of Daggerheart's features on collaborative storytelling, I will be handing the spotlight to you as a way for us to build the world together:
What does an underground trolley station look like in your mind?
What do you picture as the trolley arrives?
As the players describe the station, jot down 2–3 concrete details they introduce (materials, shapes, smells, sounds, lighting, signage, layout).
Reuse those details in later chambers so the aquifer feels like one coherent place instead of a series of disconnected scenes. When players recognize their own ideas echoed back, the world feels consistent and personal.
At this point, some players may turn to Dylan and start asking questions. Encourage that. It is an easy way to keep the momentum player-driven. Use Dylan’s answers to seed the next section of the adventure in smaller, conversational pieces instead of launching into another long narration. This lets the plot advance while still feeling like the players are steering the scene. (Read the next boxes in advance to have some answers ready)
But just in case they don't engage like that, these next boxes can be narrated as is.
About the situation
Usually, this is the moment the station comes alive.
On most Mondays, the crew on shift is already here, eager to go home. Boots tap on stone. Voices carry. Someone complains about the early hour. Someone else laughs too loudly. A week underground makes even a hard bench on the trolley feel like a throne, and people are never shy about showing it.
But today, there is no one. No wave from the platform. No tired cheer. No faces watching from the edge of the half-lit crystal glow. Just the station, waiting, and the hush of deep stone.
About the platform conditions
The platform itself looks… normal. Work-worn, lived-in, and prepared for the return trip. Crates are stacked in the usual places. Bundles of equipment sit where they were left on purpose. Spare parts in canvas bags. A few labeled boxes of lab materials. A pile of trash bags tied and ready. Personal luggage. All the small evidence of people who intended to leave on schedule.
Most of it is the kind of thing crews bring up the night before shift change, so the morning run is quick and clean. It is safe to assume the station went to sleep last night like it always does.
And there are no obvious signs of struggle now. No smeared blood. No broken tools. No splintered doors. No frantic messages scraped into the stone. Just a prepared platform and an absence that does not make sense.
Dylan's feelings about the situation
Dylan steps down onto the stone, staff in hand, and scans the empty station with a scowl that tries very hard to look like annoyance.
“Great,” he mutters. “Love it when people decide to get clever with schedules.”
Then he exhales, long and slow, and turns back toward you.
“Listen,” he says, and the crankiness fades into the tone of someone reciting a rule carved into bone. “You know how this works. I get you down here, I sleep, and then I get you back up. That’s the deal.”
He jerks his chin toward the rear of the trolley, toward a panel that looks like ordinary storage until you know where to look.
“I’m going to my compartment. I’ll be out for a while. If you hear me snoring, something’s gone terribly right.”
Dylan’s rest is a fixed part of the station routine. Once he goes to sleep, he will not participate in the adventure until he wakes. This is intentional: it keeps the focus on the party. (You can say this part to your players or not as you see fit)
Dylan’s voice drops again as he slowly moves towards his personal compartment.
“There’s a window for the climb back,” he says. “Wait too long, and the mountain gets meaner. The rails twist. Rocks fall. The path fights. The works.”
He lifts a finger.
“Wake me too early, and I won’t have the strength to push back. And I will NOT be stuck down here for a week waiting for the next window.”
He looks at each of you as if weighing the cost of failure.
“Make sure everyone is accounted for and ready to go.”
This adventure uses Daggerheart's Countdown feature to represent the time window before the return trip becomes too dangerous. As the story progresses and time is spent, the countdown will advance. If it reaches the end before they are ready to leave, the trolley will depart without them. (You can say this part to your players or not as you see fit)
In the Dice And Tokens section of the Setup, you were asked to have a component to represent the countdown. Now is the time to produce this component and set it to it's initial value. Explain to the players what it is and what is going to advance that countdown from 12 to 0.
Here's a recommended list of events to advance the countdown:
1 after each combat scene.
+1 for every 10 PC actions in combat.
1 after each NPC encounter.
+1 for extended conversations to extract deeper leverage (planning, debrief, arguing).
1 when the party navigates between chambers
+1 if they get lost, make a wrong turn, or choose a long route.
+1 when escorting NPCs that are slow and afraid.
2 for a QUICK REST (1 move, 1 fear)
Quick Rests are lesser than a Short Rest. Players choose only 1 of the listed benefits of a short rest, and the GM gains 1 Fear.
If you have no more questions for Dylan, he grumbles something about “kids and their emergencies,” opens the hidden panel, and slips inside. The compartment seals with a quiet click, and the runes along its edge dim into slumber.
Even if the trolley shakes, even if the platform fills with noise, even if the station itself begins to groan, Dylan will not wake. Not until he is ready.
As you step off the trolley onto the platform, you catch a faint, indiscernible noise echoing from far ahead. It comes from the only exit, located at the back of the platform: a tunnel no more than a half-dozen feet wide, sloping gently down into Level 2 of the facility, where most of the chambers are located.
The players may now explore the platform at will. While free will is a thing, we will try to help you prepare for some of the common choices. But ultimately, it is up to you and your players to keep the ball rolling.
Remember the "Start and End with the Fiction" rule and make sure players are only going for action rolls when both success and failure can steer the story towards something interesting.
Here are the most common actions players might try to perform now:
Unload/Load the trolley: This won't take the story anywhere, use the unnamed NPCs to push the players towards doing something else. They should tell the players to leave the loading to them and focus on locating the crew.
Talk to the NPCs: This is not all bad, they can reveal information about who they are supposed to find down there, like Lysa and Piper. NPCs should be worried about the crew but at the same time too afraid to go down there because of the creepy atmosphere.
Investigate the Station: Players could find some items around, e.g.
A schedule posted on a board so they now know all about the crew they have to save.
Research papers about how to efficiently destroy crystals, which will lower the difficulty in Act 3.
A map, recently updated, so the twisted paths of the mountain are easier to navigate in Act 2.
A page took from a bestiary on spiders, giving them an upper-hand in the Act 1 combat.
Potions
Either way this should not be the focus, if they get stuck too long on this punish them with a Countdown advancement and bring the combat towards them to keep the story moving.
Leave the station: This is the best option as the story keeps moving forward.
If they quickly leave the trolley station, read FIRST DESCENT before FIRST COMBAT
If they take their time around the trolley station, bring the combat to them. read FIRST COMBAT before FIRST DESCENT
TIP: You can use your GM move after a failed roll to push the combat towards them, or advance the countdown, creating some pressure for them to act instead of waiting. You might need to remind them of the exit if that slipped their mind.
Either way, the combat scene should play out similarly regardless of chamber they find themselves in.
This section should be read as soon as your players decide to leave the trolley platform and head into Level 2.
It describes the descent, how the tunnels look different from any other Monday, and we also prepare the players for Act 2 with more information about the aquifer structure and how the chambers work in Level 2.
TIP: You should read the next section (FIRST COMBAT) before this one if your players are taking too long to leave the Level 1 platform.
The only way forward is the tunnel at the back of the platform. It narrows quickly, becoming a rough corridor of stone about eight feet high and wide.
The walls are raw rock, threaded with pale crystal veins that shed that same steady, muted, sick glow just like the platform. Here and there, simple metal columns and braces bite into the stone, not to tame it, but more to keep the path from shedding gravel onto passing heads.
On a normal day, these surfaces are dry. The aquifer in general is always humid, always cool, but visible water belongs down below, to Level 3.
Today, that rule is broken.
Cold droplets gather on the ceiling and fall with soft, irregular taps. Thin rivulets creep down the walls as if the stone is sweating. You can see small puddles collecting in shallow depressions along the rocky ground, your footsteps making tiny splashes as your boots meet some of those puddles.
In this tunnel, the sense of being watched by the mountain dulls, as if you have stepped behind a thick door. It is safe from the influence and wrath of the mountain.
A millennia ago, the first explorers of these depths discovered that the Trance Mountains are not equally hostile everywhere. There are pockets where the mountain’s influence thins, where its magic cannot reach. Deepwell Station was built in those pockets on purpose: the trolley platform, this descending passage, and the chambers of Level 2 all sit in comparatively safe ground.
And speaking of Level 2... Level 2 holds most of the station’s chambers: the kitchen, quarters, and other living spaces, as well as the control room and storerooms. This is also where you will find the crystal lab, the sealed entrance to the old mine, and a tiny room that houses the spiral stair down to Level 3, for the underground lake.
All these safe from the mountain's powers. But...
The connecting tunnels between chambers do not enjoy the same protection. Those passages can shift, fold, and change when the mountain stirs. Routes that were straight yesterday can become crooked today. A familiar turn can lead somewhere new, or nowhere at all. A gifted explorer can carefully move through it without getting lost.
The slope levels out as you continue, and the corridor begins to widen. Ahead, the stone opens into a larger space: the Reception Area of Level 2, where workers clock in, check notices, and begin their shifts.
Before you enter, take the spotlight: What does this Reception Area look like?
Again make some notes about design choices that can be used for the story.
If the first combat has not happened yet, it is going to take place soon in this chamber. In that case, make some extra notes of the description so you can use furniture, decor and other elements they describe to make the fight more dynamic.
TIP: It kind of doesn't matter how many exits the chambers have, but I would suggest pushing for 3 or 4 on each chamber for 2 reasons: multiple exits foster multiple options, reinforcing players can go to multiple chambers; also it feels less safe knowing that danger might surprise them from any side.
If your players already killed the spiders at the trolley platform, skip FIRST COMBAT and go to ACT II.
Welcome to our first combat.
Keep in mind, this combat can happen either at the platform station if the players take too long there, or at the Reception Area at level 2. The suggested way of running this combat works well for either chamber without big modifications.
TIP: From now on, NPCs will be introduced to the story, make sure to remind your players that, as coworkers, you have worked shifts together before so they are not strangers to the characters they are playing.
There should be no confusion on who they are, what they do, or how trustworthy they are. Any details the players might want to know about them, that are not related to the ongoing emergency, can be resolved out of the fiction. It might even be an opportunity to practice more collaborative storytelling, by letting the players themselves come up with answers.
A heavy, fast rhythm echoes from the rear exit of the chamber, the unmistakable cadence of bipedal footsteps pounding stone. Whoever it is, they are moving with urgency, not caution.
A heartbeat later, a second sound joins it: faint, rapid ticks like rain on dry leaves. Then a hiss, soft at first, growing sharper. The small sounds multiply until they are no longer a detail but a presence. Not a few footsteps. Hundreds. Too many to count.
The figure bursts into view. A Galapa with a broad domed shell.
That is unmistakably Carter (he/him), the cook on shift. He keeps kettle hooks and spice pouches tied along the ridges like a walking pantry. Thick forearms and a steam-scarred apron speak to years over hot pots.
This kind soul is usually warm, practical, and always ready with a bit of gallows humor when the air gets heavy. But right now, fear is written across his face, wide-eyed and tight-jawed, like someone who has seen a corner turn into a trap.
Then he sees you. The fear cracks into something else, fragile but real. Relief. Hope.
“Thank the lords,” he gasps as he passes, barely slowing down. “You’re here. Spiders, spiders everywhe—” He cuts himself off as another hiss rises behind him. “Just watch out.”
IF YOU ARE ON THE TROLLEY PLATFORM
He keeps moving, sprinting past you and towards the trolley. He takes a big dive through the open doors and crashes inside, quickly getting into hiding as the others join him in self-preservation.
IF YOU ARE IN THE RECEPTION ROOM
He keeps moving, sprinting past you and towards the slope back up to the trolley station, as if the platform itself is the only safe ground left.
And then the swarm arrives.
From the same tunnel Carter fled, spiderlings pour out in a crawling wave, dozens upon dozens, a living spill of legs and bodies that clings to stone and metal alike. They spread across the floor, up the walls, along the braces, and into the half-light as if the chamber has suddenly grown fur. You catch the glint of tiny eyes, the sound of clicking mandibles, the wet hiss of something hungry and unafraid.
The spotlight shifts to you. What do you do?
Time to run the combat.
You should start with just the Swarm of Spiderlings that just came into the room. Explain to your players how Horde enemies function in Daggerheart.
Now it is up to you and your players creativity to deal with spiders and forge an epic encounter. Here are some pointers:
Environment: Use elements of the environment to craft dynamic moments. Spiders love walls and ceilings, luckily we are in a Cave!
Progression: Use your GM Moves to slowly introduce new Enemies, building up tension. You can make other spiders appear from different exits to surround the players. Or maybe there was a Cave Spider creeping in from the ceiling that no one noticed thanks to its Wall-Crawler passive! Use the information provided in the Motives & Tactics section to spark your creativity.
Difficulty: This is not supposed to be a deadly combat, it should serve as a fun form of expression for your players, an introduction to Actions, Passives, Reactions, and Enemy types.
Recommendations: Fighting is fun! But watch out so the fight don't drag for too long. (e.g. It is totally fine for the Swarm of Spiderlings to disperse and flee if their numbers get thin and the players are only focusing on bigger enemies)
4 Players: Swarm => 2 Cave Spiders => Drowned Spider
3 Players: Swarm => 1 Cave Spider => Drowned Spider
2 Players: Swarm => Drowned Spider
TIP: Given a golden opportunity, you can even show your players a Cave Spider being turned into a Drowned Spider by a Tiny Water Ooze.
Lore-wise, when describing any Drowned, we want to make sure the players get the hint that they are gone beyond salvation and that the waters within them are unmistakably from the Level 3 lake. Here are some hints on how to describe that:
Their skin has dried out, as if all moisture have left their bodies. It cracks and crumbles like dust as they move and fight and get weaker.
Their eyes look dead but deep inside, when the light catches it just right, you notice a vivid turquoise spark. That should match the description of the water of the aquifer, and serve as a hint that the water inside them came from down there.
Aquifer water is constantly non stop flowing out of their orifices, most notably the mouth, it should not be a river, but a slow pour. Gargling noises can be heard from up close.
The water coming out of the drowned does not puddle the floor. Instead it gets absorbed back into their own body, through their skin. Even when it reaches the ground, it is like there is an invisible pull. Like the water has will and wants to be inside them.
Death: When a Drowned dies, there is no body left behind, the water slowly stops flowing, and now puddles the floor as regular water would. The dried out skin just crumbles out of existence. There are no innards, just water.
Last but not least. The stat blocks, enjoy.
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Once the spiders are finished, check on your players if they wanna do any kind of patching up before proceeding. Remind them of the homebrewed QUICK REST rules if relevant. Also remember to advance the Countdown.
TIP: If your players have fought the spiders on the trolley station, you should go back and read the previous section (FIRST DESCENT) to get them to Level 2 and teach them more about the lore.
After the combat, your players might find it interesting to go and talk to Carter instead of moving forward. Talking to him advances the Countdown.
Carter can be found hiding inside the trolley, remind them that if they are already down by Level 2, going back there will advance the Countdown one extra time, accounting for the trip to Level 1 and back.
Here is Carter’s point of view of the situation. Mix and match this as to fit the questions asked by the players:
When: The incident has been unfolding for over an hour, but Carter cannot say exactly how long.
Where: Carter was already awake preparing breakfast in the kitchen. As far as Carter knows, everyone else was still asleep at the time.
What: A series of unusual events occurred. None of these should feel normal to the characters:
A severe earthquake, unlike anything seen since the day the mine collapsed.
The crystal lighting, normally a clean white, shifted to red and eventually dimmed into its current white-ish half-light state.
Muffled roars from below, like something big trying to scream while drowning.
Water began dripping from the ceiling and running down the walls. (Similar to the description on FIRST DESCENT)
Aftermath: The quake threw the kitchen into disarray, breaking shelves, flipping furniture, and causing damage.
Carter spent time securing the area and cleaning up.
During that work, spiders appeared and forced Carter to flee.
Carter did not see anyone before encountering the party.
Carter’s best assumption is that the crew went to their usual workstations to inspect for damage.
Carter did not see the Drowned Spider and has no suspicions of any possession activity going on.
Extra information: Carter can name who is on shift and to where they probably ran to when the quake stopped. If the players feel any confusion as to where to go next, he can suggest that:
If they suspect foul magic is involved, they should check in with Lysa at the Crystal Lab.
If they are more concerned about structural failures, they should check in with Mason at the Control Room.
Next Steps: By Default, Carter is not a fighter and would rather stay behind and help with trolley loading.
It is feasible for the Bard PC to do some tongue magic and convince the NPC group to help check on people down there.
The 3 NPCs could together form a makeshift rescue party and go look for someone the players have no interest in meeting themselves.
This is one of those moments that is up to the players to push their characters into using their gifts and being the heroes they were shaped to be. The Bard and/or Guardian PC should have all the tools necessary to rally the NPCs into a brave rescue party.
TIP: If players give out any hints that they might be afraid of bad consequences, this is a good time to remind them that they are just equally in control of the fiction as much as the GM.
Good ideas should be encouraged and rewarded for the most part, and not be seen as a mysterious charade to be solved.
e.g. If the players need tangible incentive. You can allow Rally, Inspirational Words or just apply any Orderborne experiences to work on those NPCs, shifting their fear into courage to do more.
Whenever your players are ready to leave the Reception Area, ACT II begins!
Act II is mostly player-driven. The players will take most of the spotlight, and the GM will sit back a bit and provide information via the NPCs they meet. The information obtained will change based on who they are talking to, but it should be enough to them to deduce something has to be done at Level 3, regardless of what that is.
During this act, whenever the party reaches a new chamber, give them a basic idea what the chamber is used for. But ask them to describe the place, what they think they would find there. If you find necessary, add more description to it, but try to use a "yes, and..." approach and not overwrite anything the players have described.
But first, we are going to interrupt this broadcast. Our BBEG has a message to be delivered straight into the Ribbet's mind.
This section can only be done if someone is playing the Ribbet Sorcerer. Otherwise, skip this and go to PERILOUS NAVIGATION.
While the characters are figuring what to do next, spend a fear if you have some available. (You can do this even if you don't under the premisse of being the Golden Opportunity for plot development, but spending fear helps in building tension)
Steal the spotlight!
TIP: Make it personal, use the name of the character to address the Ribbet Sorcerer. Whenever you see [RIBBET] written down there, replace with their name.
As the group pauses to decide where to go next. For just one of you, the light seems to flicker. The damp air grows heavy in the throat. The faint drip of water becomes louder, not in the room, but inside your skull, as if the sound is coming from behind the eyes.
[RIBBET], as the voices of your friends get pushed aside, they make room for something deeper. A pressure, cold and intimate.
And the Deep speaks.
Not in words, but in sensation, like a tide that cannot be denied. Then the meaning sharpens into language.
"[RIBBET]."
"The only one who ever listened."
"My conduit."
"My vessel."
A pulse of power follows, a remembered rush, the old “amplification” [RIBBET] has felt on past shifts. Offered... Like a promise.
Then it is withdrawn, leaving an aching absence.
"Come down."
"Let me fill you."
"This prison is cracking."
"With you, I rise."
Images flash behind [RIBBET]’s eyes: water surging up through stone, crystal-lights drowning in blue-white glare, cities around the mountains swallowing and reshaping under a turquoise tide that can't be stopped. A world on its knees.
Then, as suddenly as it came, it eases. The station sounds return. Drips. Breath. Footsteps. Voices.
The choice in front of the group.
Ultimately, it is up to the person playing the Ribbet to decide if they want to alarm the party about what just happened in their mind, or not.
Here are some questions that might come up.
Did we all hear this or just the Ribbet? Only the Ribbet.
Did we notice the Ribbet spacing out? It is up to the players to decide that, to shape their own fiction.
Has that happened to the Ribbet before? This is supposed to be a shocking moment to the character, but it is up to the player to shape their own fiction around it. You might even meet a player that decides to embrace it and become evil. Take their choice and run with it.
Does this mean the Ribbet can just run away to avoid catastrophe? You can repaint this in multiple ways, but running away is a bad ending. The Spirit would escape the mountain on its own anyways before next trolley trip window (next Monday).
Something HAS TO be done to at least contain that escape for the week. (Mason and Greta suggested endings)
At this point, the group should have a sense of what they want to investigate first. Ask a direct question like: “Where do you go next?” and let them choose.
When they pick a chamber, place an appropriate NPC there based on your planned progression.
Each NPC has their own personality, their own beliefs of what is going on, they nudge towards different ways of dealing with the problem, none of them should be seem as bad endings. They are all good enough, but the complete seal is the best.
If the players are unsure where to go, offer a clear menu of options and let them choose from it.
Kitchen / Dining
Storeroom / Mine Entrance
Quarters / Lockers
Crystal Lab
Maintenance / Control Room
Level 3: It is a terrible option, not the place to go without a plan.
If they prefer choosing based on missing crew roles, you can remind them briefly who they have not accounted for yet:
Lysa, the Lead Researcher (Works at the Lab)
Piper, the Pupil (Lab)
She is actually at the Quarters, but there is no reason to suspect that right now. She is expected to be at the Lab with Lysa.
Mason, the Mechanic (Control room)
Greta, the Gatekeeper (Storeroom)
Alden and Aisha, the Aqua Twins (Level 3)
With a goal in mind, they set off in the general direction of the chosen chamber. Remember, the paths change, but not the chamber locations, so they should be able to set off in the correct direction at the very least.
This is moment for the Ranger NPC to shine, nudge that player into narrating how the exploration go.
TIP: If they come up with creative ways to mark the path, or use their features and experiences, lean into that. Reward by giving them advantage on the navigation roll.
Time to pull our Environment stat block out of the bag. If your players are interested in learning, it is a good opportunity to talk about Daggerheart's Environments and how they can be used to shape an adventure.
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As you can see, the Difficulty for our Environment is 12.
Whoever is leading the exploration will have to go for an Instinct Roll against the environment's difficulty. But before that give them a chance to narrate how they would navigate around. If you feel like they made good use of their skillset, tools or just had good ideas in general, you can consider giving them Advantage on the roll. (Also great time to explain the rules on Advantage)
You might want to remind them to use their skills, features and experiences to add to the roll if applicable as well.
Critical Success: they find the fastest path just as the mountain was trying to block them off. They squeeze through and make it to the chamber and avoid advancing the Countdown.
Success with Hope: they find the fastest path, but not without a couple of second guesses along the way, Countdown advances by 1 but they are safe.
Success with Fear: they find the fastest path, but the mountain fights back. The Countdown advances by 1, and you can now:
Spend a fear for Condensation Curtain if you feel it is appropriate;
As an extra result for this Condensation Curtain, if more than half of the players fail the Reaction Roll, Advance the Countdown 1 extra time.
Otherwise just let them mark a Stress.
Failure with Hope: they get lost a bit, turn into some dead ends. The Countdown advances by 1. They arrive safely at a chamber, but it is not the chamber they wanted to visit.
You can narrate as the mountain playing tricks on them or something similar.
Failure with Fear: they got really lost. Wandering around for way longer than expected. The Countdown advances by 2. They arrive at a random chamber, not the one they wanted to visit.
TIP: For any future traversal between chambers, rolling is necessary only if trying to reach new chambers. Revisiting an old chamber just advances the Countdown by 1.
TIP: Avoid using Condensation Curtain more than once in this adventure.
Regardless of where they end up going: Let them know about this
As you move through the Level 2 tunnels, you occasionally pass through small pockets, safe from the mountain’s wrath, like the main chambers. These narrow service bays were built around the rising pipes, places where the line can be inspected and repaired without the stone fighting back.
In the pipework, short glass sections are set into reinforced frames, letting you glimpse the flow itself. Most days, a pale turquoise ribbon of water can be seen sliding toward the surface. Today, the water is not flowing.
For better or worse, there is not even a faraway blue glow in sight inside those pipes.
The containment valves down in Level 3 must be closed.
The first NPC the party finds will be responsible for clarifying some pending questions about the current situation.
Each NPC has a distinct personality and a preferred approach for resolving the crisis before the trolley can safely depart. However, the party should learn the following information in Act II no matter who they encounter first:
When it began: Except for Carter, the entire crew was asleep in the quarters when the incident started.
Immediate response: Everyone agreed to check their assigned stations for damage and irregularities.
What they witnessed in Level 2: While moving through the tunnels, they saw the rising-water pipes surge at an alarming rate. The lines shook and hissed as if they were about to rupture.
Then the sudden stop: The quakes and the water surge abruptly ceased. The crew, knowing the Aqua Twins went down to Level 3, believes they successfully closed some containment valves, but they never returned.
Make the twins’ absence feel certain: Tie their failure to return to a specific plan, such as “they were supposed to meet this NPC at a set location” or “they were expected to bring back a tool or report within minutes.” This turns uncertainty into a clear red flag, so the players won't wander around looking for them.
Condition: This NPC has fought off a few spiderlings and/or Tiny Oozes. It would be an easy fight for any of the PCs alone, but NPCs are not heroes. They survived, but it cost them, and they are not in good shape now.
Possession: This NPC saw a Tiny Ooze crawl into the mouth of a Cave Spider. Within moments the spider’s movements changed, its skin went slick, and water began to seep from its mouth. The NPC fled before the transformation completed and has not seen that spider again.
Here's a list of locations and who to find at each location with proper excuses for them to be there if not their workstation location.
Storeroom / Mine Entrance: Greta (they/them)
Crystal Lab: Lysa (she/her)
Maintenance / Control Room: Mason (he/him)
Quarters / Lockers: Piper (she/her)
She went to the lab with Lysa but had to rush back to the quarters to grab some important papers.
Kitchen / Dining: Greta (they/them)
They came to the Kitchen looking for Carter, they know he is afraid of spiders and was worried about him.
Here are the full details for each NPC. Try your best to merge their personalities into the way they convey the necessary information listed above.
Role: Lead crystal researcher; runs the lab.
Location: Level 2, Crystal Lab.
Ancestry: Drakona.
Class: Wizard. (Not combat apt)
Appearance: 6ft Tall, tailless, scaled and athletic; horn ridges swept back; lab coat modified with leather straps and heat-resistant gloves; crystal-dust glittering along the jawline; calm eyes that reflect the lab’s half-light.
Personality: Calm, precise, quietly protective; never raises her voice; bookworm.
Goal: Keep the crew alive and the station contained;
Knowledge:
She feels like an evil force is alive in the deep and trying to communicate through the Crystals. Use this opportunity to have her ask if any of the PCs have felt the same, allowing the Ribbet to jump in with his knowledge. Making a connection in pursuing her ending.
Together with Piper they suspect something can be done about the Crystals and Runes used in Level 3.
She is waiting for Piper to be back with more details from her research.
By herself he won't push the players towards any of the endings.
She leans more into Piper and the research.
But you can use Lysa as this external force that agrees with any solution proposed by other NPCs. Raising the confidence of the players in executing that ending.
As a wizard, think of her as a bookworm. If necessary have her produce books and other reading material that supports the party's choice and make it seem like it is a good one.
Priorities:
Make sure Piper is alright;
Save the Crew;
Rebind the voice from the deep.
Ending:
Using her knowledge, sense, and Piper research papers. The PCs should feel pretty confident on what to do to achieve the Rebind ending.
If threatened: Lysa avoids combat and focuses on providing information.
If Drowned: Becomes a Spirit’s conduit. She has enough of a connection with the Crystals so the Spirit can talk and act through her, not as strong as it would through the Ribbet.
Role: Junior lab assistant; runner, note-taker, sample prep.
Location: Level 2, Quarters.
She went to the Lab with Lysa.
Lysa told her about her about feeling an evil force alive trying to communicate through the Crystals.
Piper promptly rushed to grab some old research papers from her personal belongings at the Quarters.
Intents to go back to Lysa.
Ancestry: Faerie.
Class: Bard. (Not combat apt)
Appearance: 4ft tall, Palm-sized wings tucked under a damp cloak, pink-ish cotton-candy-textured wavy hair, glow-mote freckles, carries oversized pixie chalk and a vial satchel like a backpack.
Personality: Eager, nervous, fast-talking, brave in short bursts.
Goal: Prove herself via her research;
Knowledge:
Piper has been researching the amplification powers of the Crystals. How they can create hours of light and heat from a single spark.
She has been suspecting for a while now that the Crystals can amplify not only magic, but also feelings and emotions.
She got centuries-old papers about how the aquifer operation worked before Crystals were discovered.
She would like to take those back to the lab so she can show Lysa and compare those with current papers on how the operation works today.
Priorities:
Reunite with Lysa;
Share the knowledge about the old operation;
Convince the party to rewrite the old wards and destroy the Crystals in Level 3;
She is going to put herself in danger to do it if the party don't comply.
Ending:
Bring her back to the Lab so Lysa can see the papers and compare with the new papers that were left at the lab. Pushing for the Rebind ending.
Her research should show very clear differences on how the operation was run before the Crystals.
The old papers should tell something about:
An evil entity that generates water endlessly.
Wards to imprison and contain this entity.
The wards got complex shapes that are hard to draw. Details that have to be precise for them to work.
Hints those wards were once used on the pipes down at Level 3.
The new papers should show:
No mention of entity, like the knowledge was lost
The new wards don't mention anything about imprisonment, just water flow and extraction.
By comparing papers. It reveals how, by leveraging the power of the crystals, they were able to simplify the old wards to something that barely resembles a simple rune these days.
She should push to 3 conclusions:
There is indeed an ancient evil imprisoned down there that generates water. That is why the water level never goes down.
The old wards were more than mere water extracting wards. They were also binding and restraining the entity. And the party should erase the current runes and draw the old wards. (She can provide pixie dust chalk from her backpack)
The crystals at Level 3 also have to be destroyed, they have been amplifying the entity's feelings, allowing the entity to talk through the crystals.
If threatened: Piper will fly away if there is an escape route. But if forced to fight she will try her best bravely.
If Drowned: Becomes a support unit for Ooze and other drowned.
Role: General maintenance. (Structural, pumps, rails, shutters, valves, etc.)
Location: Level 2, Control Room.
It has been walking around checking all the pipes on Level 2 for structural damage.
Ancestry: Clank.
Class: Brawler. (Despite lack of formal combat training, it packs a good punch)
Appearance: 5ft tall. A skeletal but heavy bronze body, coated for water resistance. Carries around a heavy tool harness, riveted gloves, forearms carved with maintenance symbols, grease spills and chalk dust everywhere.
Personality: Blunt, methodical, “do the procedure,” stubborn. Can't quite grasp the concept of feelings.
Goal: Follow procedure; F.L.P. (Full Lockdown Procedure) Full lockdown of pipes and water structures.
Knowledge:
Mason is not taking the trolley back to the surface. It often stays underground for weeks and weeks, only going back when it feels it could use some maintenance or upgrade.
Mason's full metal body has no trouble whatsoever with regular spiders. They can't pierce its body.
Mason watched the Drowned Spider transformation and fought it instead of running like other NPCs would.
Despite its water resistance coating, the water powers from the Drowned Spider were able to affect its body.
About the situation... Mason knows the F.L.P. (Full Lockdown Procedure) was created for maximum containment. It knows engineers from old-times were afraid something from the deep could try reaching the surface through the pipes.
Mason do not understand the evil entity situation. It believes this something was supposed to be a creature, like a giant squid.
Despite not understanding it, it is correct in believing the full containment procedure was created for this very moment.
For the F.L.P.. Mason will give the party a Lever. Saying it should be used to close 4 underwater sluice gates in Level 3.
Mason would do it itself. But after feeling the damage caused by the Drowned Spider, it suspects there is something wrong with its water resistant coating. So it won't go diving.
Mason cannot be swayed away from finishing the F.L.P.. But won't force the players to follow it. It believes that even if you find another way of dealing with situation, the lockdown is still required so it can perform maintenance on every single part of the system.
Mason will always opt to stay behind and do the Level 2 section of the F.L.P.
It will say that, if the party refuses to do the Level 3 procedure, it will find someone else to do it later.
Mason has no idea later might be too late. Or there will be no one around to do that.
What the Twins did down at Level 3 was just at surface level. It won't hold for long, the underwater part has to be done.
Priorities:
F.L.P.;
F.L.P.;
F.L.P..
Ending:
F.L.P. is a good ending. Just not the best.
Supposedly, it will hold until next Monday, when a full crew with dozens of people can come down and rebind the spirit, fix what is broken and resume operations.
It is the kind of cliffhanger that invites complications.
When narrating this ending just leave it open that something might or might not happen before next Monday comes. A sleep with one eye open kind of situation.
If threatened: Mason will fight.
If Drowned: Has containment attacks, it splits the party pursuing the isolated party member for a one-on-one brawl.
Role: Access control and stock; keys, logs, restricted stores.
Location: Level 2, Storeroom.
Their route is...
First going to Storeroom for damage control. Lots of fragile things stored down there.
They fight spiders and Water Oozes in the storeroom, they see the transformation happening and defeat the Drowned Spider.
Fighting the spiders made Greta think about Carter.
Party can meet Greta as she was about to leave the Storeroom to look for Carter;
Or at the Kitchen as Greta gets there.
Ancestry: Katari.
Class: Rogue. (Very combat apt; quick close strikes, slippery movement, uses keys/chains/hooks as weapons, ambush from corners)
Appearance: 5ft tall. Orange tabby fur, catlike eyes that catch light, quiet footfalls, key-ring sash, ledger board strapped to their back, always speaking before listening. Loves rings and round adornments.
Personality: Suspicious-but-fair, sharp-eyed, hates rule-breakers and likes to punish them, thinks this is an ungrateful job as they give too much for little recognition.
Goal: Do anything to stop evil from reaching the surface;
Knowledge:
Greta has a connection to the Midnight domain (same as the Sorcerer)
They can feel the evil, they can feel the deep, they can feel the forces at work are so ancient and so powerful the entire kingdom could perish. But unlike the Sorcerer, there is no direct connection, the spirit does not reach out to Greta.
They understand nothing about the runes and wards (those are more related to the Codex domain anyways)
Greta believes that a more drastic and definitive measure should be taken, they do not trust neither magic or procedure to be the solution here.
In their head, they are convinced that ancient powers will not be contained by any mortal means.
The drastic solution proposed is to obtain some explosive charges from the old mining supplies.
Collapse the entire facility onto the underground lake once everyone is secured on the trolley.
That would require 4 explosive charges to be placed in specific spots on the ceiling down in Level 3.
To reach those spots one needs only to climb each of the 4 large pipes found down there.
Each explosive carries a crystal that can be pre-charged with a set amount of magic so they only go off once the trolley has left the station.
Trying to convince them otherwise is hard given their personality and beliefs. (Difficulty 15)
The party got 2 characters with good social/crowd control skills, make sure the players use those appropriately to beat the high difficulty
Greta believes (in a blind faith kind of belief) the ancient power of the mountain has been fighting back and trying to contain the power of the deep since way before these lands were habited.
By collapsing the station, Greta expects to cut off any easy surface access through piping.
And that it would also make the mountain stronger over time by getting rid of all the mortal exploitation.
Thus putting those two forces back into balance like they were created to be.
Greta priority at the moment is to see Carter with their very own eyes and make sure they are alright.
Regardless of being convinced, lied to, misled or any other social sway. Greta will first go to the trolley and meet Carter.
From there, Greta can join Carter and the rescue party and make sure the rest of the crew are safe on time.
Greta will show up at the final fight with explosive charges and will try to set them up if the party did nothing to convince them to not do that themselves.
Priorities:
Make sure Carter is alright;
Execute a definitive solution;
Save other crewmembers.
Ending:
The explosives are a neutral ending.
Despite Greta's idea being a shot in the dark. They are onto something.
For mythological reasons out of context for the one-shot, you can roll with their assumption on the mountain powers existing to contain the ever expanding evil from the deep.
This ending is very open as to what the consequences are.
Not only about the evil itself;
But also the water supply being cut off;
Or about deities and other ancient powers not liking that much mortal interference.
Get creative with this one. But make sure to paint the picture that, for all intents and purposes, the goal of not letting the deep get to the surface was achieved.
If threatened: Greta will fight with grace and efficiency.
If Drowned: Greta shadow powers amplify. They become sneaky, disappearing out of view and catching the party by surprise.
Oof, that looks like a lot to digest. But the players will not be having extended conversations with all NPCs.
Let them explore what they feel is the most important to them through their questions. Just keep in mind 2 main points:
The players should get the general information. (What happened, where each NPC went, water possessed creatures, oozes as sentient water, etc.)
Some direction towards an ending and enough incentive to follow that lead.
A lot of content is going to be missed, and that is intentional.
Furthermore, don't bother keeping track of stuff the players don't know about, there won't be enough time for new elements of lore to be dropped when they are already set on a goal. For example:
Let's say the players went to Lysa first.
Then they get convinced by Lysa to go help Piper.
And then help Piper get back to Lysa to unlock all the information needed for the Rebind ending.
That is 3 conversations and 3 navigations. More than enough for Act II. (Both because of in-game and real life time constraints)
If the players are invested in the story, they will be concerned about the other 2 NPCs. So come up with ideas on how to explain that time passed and now they won't be found anymore where you expect them to be. Here are a few ideas:
You could have the party meet Mason and Greta together in one of the smaller safe pockets in Level 2. So Lysa and Piper can join them and go to the trolley.
Have Greta enter the room as soon as the conversation is over, they can be the rescue party to find Mason.
If the players convinced Carter to form a rescue party, simply have the players run into them so they can be sure everyone else has been rescued already.
Anything that puts the players' mind at ease.
Alternatively, opt to push tension instead of peace of mind. Spend a fear if you have some available.
You can narrate the water flow suddenly resumed on some of the pipes, and it is violent; The lights shifted back to an alarming red hue; Whatever was done by the Twins in Level 3 is coming undone and there is no time to waste.
Maybe do both. Whatever it takes to get your players out of paralysis.
The players won't have enough time to talk to everyone and weight out all the possibilities. Once the players are aware of an ending and disposed to pursue it, try to keep them moving in that direction. After the adventure is over you can debate with them all the paths they did not take.
We should encourage players to have at least a second conversation in Act II.
TIP: Don't forget rules for navigation still apply, it is still one of the challenges proposed for this Act.
While the route mentioned in the previous section forces the players into 3 conversations. Other routes are not so clear on what the next steps are.
Maybe you will end up playing with a party that agrees to Greta explosion plan like it is the greatest plan ever devised. They might even proceed straight to executing it. That is fine, as long as the players are excited to keep the ball rolling, we can also roll with it.
But if they want to explore more and account for more crewmembers, here are some ideas on how the world has changed in the past 15 minutes depending on where the players decided to go:
Lysa and Piper can be found together now (either at the Lab or Quarters); they have reviewed the research and they can just directly push their idea to the players so they can weight out the plans and pick one.
Mason got the F.L.P. started; the party can run into it at any random safety pocket in Level 2.
Greta is in possession of explosives; So after hearing their idea, the players won't have to go look for explosives.
Another challenge you can throw their way if you feel like they are making their way too quickly through the content is to add a predicament to the second NPC they meet. For example:
By talking to Greta, they learn about the possession method.
The party meets Mason after talking to Greta. But Mason is not alone, instead, they find a couple Tiny Water Oozes moving towards Mason. Maybe there is even one already mid-possession crawling into Mason's mouth (yes, Mason can be possessed)
You don't have to make it a full combat, combats are long and they drag for a while. But at least make it so once the party removes the Ooze attempting the possession, the others scatter (they can just turn into puddles of water and disappear)
If any NPC gets possessed, they become hostile. Check their stat blocks on Drowned NPC - Appendix B
This up the stakes, it shows there is still danger around and there is a reason for NPCs to stick together and get to safety on the trolley platform.
TIP: Remember to advance the Countdown accordingly during the Act. By the end of Act II, having 5 or more can feel too safe.
Here are the stat blocks for both big and tiny Oozes. So you can use them as you see fit.
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Act II comes to an end when the party decides it is time to descent.
They proceed the one of the small pockets of safety, this one gets a spiral stair going down into the rock all the way to Level 3.
Ask if they want to patch up, take a QUICK REST, or prepare anything else before proceeding.
The party is now reaching the climax of our adventure.
It might be a good idea to ask out of character what plan they are set on executing, and if they have any questions on how to execute it.
Getting everyone on the same page is a good way to make sure you only narrate elements that are relevant for the scenario of their choice. For example, if they are not going underwater for the F.L.P., there is no need to talk about what is under there.
Put on you narrator hat again and let's go!
The spiral stair carries you down in a slow, steady coil, with each step metal ringing beneath your feet. The air changes again as you descend. It grows even cooler, even heavier, and impossibly clean, like the breath of a deep cave that has never known daylight. The half-light from Level 2 thins behind you, and a turquoise glow begins to rise from below, faint at first, then brighter with every turn.
Then the stone opens. The stair emerges from the rock and spills you out into open space.
Before you stretches the Deepwell Aquifer: a subterranean lake kilometers wide, its far edge lost to distance and mist. The water is a clear turquoise, luminous in its own right, not a harsh brightness but a steady, living glow that paints the ceiling in soft color and turns every shadow into something gentle and uncertain.
The staircase ends on a metal-grate catwalk. It, in turn, leads straight to a hexagonal platform suspended over the water, also made of open grating and reinforced beams. The platform is compact. From one edge to the opposite, it is only a few quick strides, close enough that everyone can stay within reach of one another.
TIP: Mechanically, from edge to edge, the hexagon sits at the upper limit of Close range.
Four more short catwalks branch from the hexagon like spokes. Labeled A to D. Each one leads to a massive pipe rising from deep beneath the lake, thick as a tree trunk, climbing almost to the ceiling before splitting into smaller lines that disappear into the rock and upward toward the surface. Those same pipelines you have seen all around Level 2.
At chest height, on each of the 4 pipes, sits a round valve wheel, and they are all closed.
IF YOU REACTIVED THE WATER FLOW IN ACT II TO CREATE TENSION...
Except for one.
On pipe C, the wheel is turned just enough to break the seal, and the metal around it is wet with fresh spray. A low hiss vibrates through the grating as water forces its way upward, not as a steady flow but as an uneven pulse, like something breathing through a narrow throat.
About a feet above each valve, a rune has been drawn in pale pixie chalk, careful and fresh enough to stand out against damp metal. Suspended in front of each rune floats a large crystal. They hover with a faint shimmer, held in place by invisible tension as if blocking access to the runes.
And there is no one here. No Alden. No Aisha. No one.
Now let the party explore the platform and the pipes. There are many ways to interact with the elements on the scene. For reference, here are the intended difficulty levels for each kind of interaction available:
Open/Close Round Valve: Strength Roll (12)
Advantage: The Dwarf should always have advantage on this action.
Crystals
Destroy: Attack; Difficulty 7; Damage Threshold 8; HP 2;
Remove: Strength Roll (15) OR Finesse Roll (15) OR Instinct Roll (13) OR Knowledge Roll (11)
Redraw Wards
Erase and Redraw: Can be done in a single Knowledge Roll (15)
Failure: Consider that at least they were able to erase it. Subsequent draw attempts are a Knowledge Roll (12) for this pipe.
Advantage: The Ribbet should always have advantage on this action.
Crystals: If the Crystal has not been destroyed or removed. Players roll with disadvantage to draw.
Climb Pipes: Agility Roll (13)
Explosives: Maintaining balance while placing the charges; Agility Roll (9)
Advantage: The Simiah should always have advantage on this action.
Diving: Each turn underwater increases difficulty.
Check: Agility Reaction Roll (7/11/15/19/23)
On Failure: Mark a Stress
As a GM, try and keep track on how many player actions have gone by since the diver was last checked on. This is one of the situations that makes sense to force the spotlight on them at least once every 3 or 4 turns.
F.L.P.: There are 4 spots underwater to use the lever, one at the base of each pipe.
Getting there from and to the surface should take a turn.
Using the lever should be a Strength Roll (12)
Anything Else: To challenge your players on any other interactions we did not predict, try to use the data provided so far as a base.
In case your players go underwater and ask what they see.
TIP: Despite the Ribbet having the best abilities for diving, there is a catch. The spirit has been waiting so eagerly for its vessel. As soon as the Ribbet touches the water, the spirit gets advantage over the Ribbet.
As you dive, the turquoise glow thickens into a soft, luminous haze. The platform above blurs into rippling shapes, and the four pipes descend like dark pillars into the lake.
About twenty feet down, each pipe has a reinforced box bolted to its side, roughly seven feet wide, tall, and deep. These housings serve many purposes, like filtering, catching debris, adjusting waterflow, and are also part of the F.L.P..
Inside each one are heavy internal gates, and on the outside you can see a lever slot: insert the lever, pull, and the gate slams shut to seal the pipe for good.
As how to progress this scene, let the players make their first move towards their goal.
When that happens, it is your free golden opportunity to come in with a GM Move and introduce resistance to what the players are doing. Call upon enemies and bring some heat, try to stop the characters and even Drown some of them.
Having a goal to achieve and the trolley countdown to pressure. The players should understand this is the kind of battle they are not supposed to win by dealing damage.
If the countdown is at 3, or when it gets to 3 during the fight. If you feel the players are not focused on their set objective, and instead decided to fight. Throw them a hint that time is running out, and they get a feeling that trying to overpower the enemies might take longer than they can afford.
TIP: Remember the countdown advances every 10 player turns.
There is no set script to follow for this fight. We will be providing some ideas, but the goal is to get creative and come up with challenges that directly interfere with their plan.
First Action: As a first GM Move, we highly suggest going big. Set a scene that really feels like fighting would be pointless.
We suggest bringing in The Twins from the deeps to the platform;
And make some Tiny Water Oozes drop from the ceiling;
And if you got the fear to spare, spend it to use Voice of the Deep with the Spirit.
Go for the Ribbet, deliver a nice monologue about being pleased that they are joining you, that they are special, that never in a thousand years a vessel so perfect existed.
The Spirit: The stat block for the spirit has lots of cool moves.
Try to always have a vessel, through them the Spirit can Speak to everyone and attack.
If the Ribbet escapes the control, it is okay to go for other characters as well.
The spirit can use the excuse that the Ribbet proved to be even stronger than it anticipated. Now it is going to try and wear the Ribbet down first before retrying the possession.
Give Them No Rest is a Reaction, which means it is free when the conditions are met. It is really good to pressure the players into realizing this is an endless fight.
Call the Drips costs a fear, but also allows an ooze to be immediately spotlighted, meaning you can keep the pressure on.
If no vessel is currently possessed, keep a floating bubble or column of water around the battlefield so players have something tangible to attack if so they wish.
The Twins: It is nice to give some kind of hint for the players that the twins feed off each other's presence.
Twin Resonance: You can say the water coming out of their body (like the Drowned Spider) flows towards each other when they are very close instead of flowing straight down.
Do not forget about reactions, it is free pressure to up the stakes.
They can still do human actions, for example:
Dive behind someone and make it harder for them to use the lever down there.
Open the Round Valves at the pipes, making it harder to climb or stay on those pipes. That also ups the tension, with enough water flow the spirit might just escape before the players finish executing their plan.
The Ooze: They are small but can really pack a punch.
Mouth-Crawl: Trying to drown a PC not only stops them on their tracks, but also allows for Alden's Shared Dread to trigger.
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Be prepared to provide creative feedback to the players every time they come one step closer to fulfilling their objective.
While at first the spirit is not sure about what they are attempting. Once it becomes clear by either, redrawing the first ward, closing the first gate, or placing the first charge. The spirit is for sure going to comment on that, smugly, but with clear concern about what the players are doing.
TIP: Having a vessel is the best way to have the spirit talk openly to the characters.
Get creative with your feedback. Try to use something from the character's description or background if possible. Make it personal, make it impactful. Some examples of feedback:
Wards
Tell the players that the water around that pipe starts to slowly lose its turquoise hue and glow. And it starts to look more like normal lake water. Paint that picture as a clear indicator the spirit lost some power.
Maybe the twins twitch a bit, or falter, or even drop to the ground for a second. Depending on how many wards have been replaced.
The spirit can comment something about the fact that it is immortal, and next generations will surely forget about the prison again so their efforts are futile.
Underwater Gates
The Twins shift their focus from fighting to opening other valves. (on pipes that gates are still open)
The spirit commands the vessel to try and steal the lever.
Comments about how it doesn't need all the pipes to escape. So closing one or two is not a big deal.
Explosives
The Spirit sees what you doing. In its monologue, the Spirit ends up confirming what so far was a blind suspicion.
The mountain is a guardian, containing the spirit of the deep.
The Spirit also reveals how blessed it felt when the aquifer operations started. The mountain's power has waned over the years due to the exploration.
The explosives are going to cut off the spirit's direct line to the surface via the pipes.
And without the operation, the mountain will focus its entire power on containing the deep.
Well, come here, grab this torch real quick. It is yours now.
Keep rolling with your players, root for them but also challenge them. A victory without obstacles is bitter. Make them work for it while also providing all the tools and tips they need to succeed.
We got nothing else to add. Good luck and good game. :3
Surprise! There is no script for the epilogue.
By now you have been adventuring together for over 3 hours. You are not playing The Waters Below anymore. You wrote down lots of details about the people you met and places you visited. You made changes to paths, NPCs, maybe even stat blocks.
This adventure is yours. Right now you are the masters of the story you crafted together.
It is your chance to turn the party’s final choice into meaning, and to give the table a satisfying sense of closure. Use the ending they achieved as a foundation, then build on what your players cared about most.
Ask each player for one closing detail:
A final image;
A last line of dialogue;
A small personal moment;
Or what their character is thinking as the dust settles.
Invite the table to add color to the world:
What the station sounds like now;
What the water looks like;
What about the crystals that were half-light;
Or What the mountain feels like as they leave or remain.
Account for the crew:
Who lived;
Who was lost;
Who was left behind;
And what that means to the characters.
Welcome Dylan back, he has no idea of what just happened, what are his thoughts?
Close the loop on the Spirit: contained, weakened, buried, escaped, or still whispering?
Every ending should feel like it solved something and left something unresolved. Name both.
Make the tradeoffs explicit in-world (water rationing, political consequences, memorials, guilt, relief, hope).
Tie one epilogue beat to each PC’s motive and role: identity, survival, duty, truth. Even a single sentence per character can make the ending feel personal.
Even if the outcome was grim, hold on gently and end with care.
Confirm that everyone had a good time together, thank the players for their choices, and give space for a quick debrief if anyone wants it.
First of all, THANK YOU for giving my adventure a shot. ❤️
A huge thank you to all my friends who supported me, and to the friends who endured a six-hour beta test session.
And thank you to every player who signed up to try this, not knowing what they were going to find.
Finally, thank you to Darrington Press for an amazing system. Daggerheart is golden.
My biggest inspiration for this adventure was the Doctor Who episode The Waters of Mars.
While the story evolved in its own direction, the Drowned retained the thematic visual from that original touchstone.
If you enjoy the tone of tense isolation, slow-building dread, and desperation, The Waters of Mars is a great watch.
Name and Pronouns: Player's choice
Heritage: Seaborne Ribbet
Class: Sorcerer - Elemental Origin (Water)
Level: 1
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Water Sense (+2): Feel the movement, pressure, and emotional “mood” of nearby water.
Voice Beneath the Tide (+2): Something have spoken to you from the deep before, and you survived it.
Starting Weapon: Dualstaff
Starting Armor: Gambeson Armor
Inventory: Torch, 50ft of Rope, Basic Supplies, Minor Health Potion
Domain Deck Cards: Player's choice; Explain the character and the setting before allowing your players to pick their cards
Description: Player's choice;
Connections: Player's choice;
Background Questions - The answers connect in more than one way with the story, so players can choose to rely on those when looking for guidance.
What mentor taught you to control your untamed magic?
Master Odrin, a Seaborne tide-caller who could “speak” to water. He taught you that water magic is not force, it is negotiation. He warned you never to bargain with anything that answers from deep, still water.
You have a deep fear you hide from everyone. What is it, and why does it scare you?
You fear that your magic is not truly yours, that you are only a vessel. When you were young, you blacked out during a surge and woke up standing in a flooded shrine, unharmed, while everyone around you was coughing up water. No one accused you, but you have never been sure you did not cause it.
Why were you hired for this job?
The Trance Mountains distort normal engineering and make pumping wards unstable. You were hired because you can stabilize the station by “listening” to the aquifer and adjusting flow in real time. With magic alone you can do the work of two or more aqua engineers.
Name and Pronouns: Player's choice
Heritage: Ridgeborne Simiah
Class: Ranger - Wayfinder
Level: 1
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Experiences
Underground Navigation (+2): You never lose your sense of direction in enclosed or lightless spaces.
Hazard Recognition (+2): You can quickly identify structural risks, floods, collapses, or environmental threats.
Starting Weapon: Shortbow
Starting Armor: Leather Armor
Inventory: Torch, 50ft of Rope, Basic Supplies, Minor Stamina Potion
Domain Deck Cards: Player's choice; Explain the character and the setting before allowing your players to pick their cards
Description: Player's choice;
Connections: Player's choice;
Background Questions - The answers connect in more than one way with the story, so players can choose to rely on those when looking for guidance.
Your first kill almost killed you, too. What was it, and what part of you was never the same after that event?
It was a bear that had fallen into a crevasse and gone feral in the dark. You learned what panic feels like when stone is on every side. Since then, you cannot ignore a trapped exit. You always count routes, always mark turns, and you get angry when others treat that as paranoia.
What is your rule for deciding who you save first, and what line will you not cross to "solve the problem"?
Rule: save capable survivors who can help others. Line: you will not sacrifice a living person to "contain" or "study" the threat, no matter how logical it sounds.
Why were you hired for this job?
The Trance Mountains twist paths and pressure in ways that confuse even experienced crews. You were hired as the station's rescuer-patrol because you can move fast, find lost workers, read structural danger, and keep people alive when the mountain turns hostile.
Name and Pronouns: Player's choice
Heritage: Orderborne Dwarf
Class: Guardian - Stalwart
Level: 1
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Experiences
Emergency Authority (+2): People instinctively listen to you during crises.
Crowd Control (+2): You know how to restrain or move people without escalating violence.
Starting Weapon: Battleaxe
Starting Armor: Chainmail Armor
Inventory: Torch, 50ft of Rope, Basic Supplies, Minor Health Potion
Domain Deck Cards: Player's choice; Explain the character and the setting before allowing your players to pick their cards
Description: Player's choice;
Connections: Player's choice;
Background Questions - The answers connect in more than one way with the story, so players can choose to rely on those when looking for guidance.
Who from your community did you fail to protect, and why do you still think of them?
Your junior partner on your first real posting. During a riot you chose to hold the main gate instead of pulling him back from an alley fight. It was the correct call for your order, by deciding his life was an acceptable cost. You have never forgiven yourself for how easy that choice felt.
You consider an aspect of yourself to be a weakness. What is it, and how has it affected you?
You are too willing to take the burden alone. You volunteer to be the last one out, the one who stays in the doorway, the one who gets hurt so others do not. It keeps people alive, but it also makes you slow to ask for help, slow to trust others with responsibility, and quick to decide you should be the sacrifice.
Why were you hired for this job?
After the mine collapse, theft and sabotage concerns spiked and panic drills became mandatory. You were hired to enforce procedure, de-escalate conflict, and keep a small crew disciplined during emergencies, especially when the Trance Mountains make normal safety measures unreliable.
Name and Pronouns: Player's choice
Heritage: Loreborne Elf
Class: Bard - Wordsmith
Level: 1
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Experiences
Professional Interrogator (+2): You know how to extract the right answers through conversation.
Emotional Mediation (+2): You can de-escalate or intensify tension through precise language.
Starting Weapon: Rapier; Small Dagger (Secondary)
Starting Armor: Gambeson Armor
Inventory: Torch, 50ft of Rope, Basic Supplies, Minor Stamina Potion
Domain Deck Cards: Player's choice; Explain the character and the setting before allowing your players to pick their cards
Description: Player's choice;
Connections: Player's choice;
Background Questions - The answers connect in more than one way with the story, so players can choose to rely on those when looking for guidance.
You were in love once. Who did you adore, and how did they hurt you?
A charming officer who made you feel like your words could change the world. When a scandal broke, they saved their own career by publishing your private letters to incriminate you. You were cleared later, but the lesson stayed: people will praise your honesty right up until it costs them.
People hate your job. Why are they still friendly with you anyway?
You share credit, soften punishments when the truth allows it, and you make sure mistakes are not excuses to ruin someone's life. The crew have seen you take blame onto yourself to protect someone who did not deserve to be crushed, many times.
Why were you hired for this job?
After the mine collapse, the King demanded a monthly, detailed report from someone he trusts. As an official royal representative, you audit operations, interview staff, document incidents, and return with an account that can justify funding, discipline, or closure if the station cannot be trusted.
Carter and Lysa were not planned to be Drowned. Take inspiration on these characters and create the ones you need!
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