It’s possible that Ed Greenwood didn’t actually roll for random encounters at all in his home game, and instead just chose whatever seemed appropriate at the time. In that case he might’ve included a list of drop-in encounters to pick from, perhaps finding space for it by cutting some of the sections where he complains about not having enough space.
Regardless, elsewhere in the text however it calls for rolling wandering monsters every other round, and suggests that “if desired” the standard tables for dungeon encounters may be used. OSE does have a generic encounter table by dungeon level, but it has slightly too many Killer Bees and Giant Shrews for my vision of the module’s weird purple late-summer high-fantasy vibe. Therefore:
Haunted Halls: Wandering Monsters
4d4 Kobolds. 2-in-6 chance of specialists
2d6 Giant Rats
Bats: 50% chance of either a Bat Swarm or 1d4 Giant Bats
1d8 Fire Beetles
1d4 Living Statues
Haunting, Minor
NPC Party
1d3 Curst
Green Slime
Haunting, Major
Owlbear
Basilisk
Picked Guards: each guard has maximum HP (4) and is equipped with helmet, shield, shortsword and a hand-crossbow with 12 darts coated with sleeping poison. Guards have Morale 10 (roll separately for them and any other kobolds)
Slingers: armed with pots containing 1) green slime, 2) wasps, 3) sleeping potion, 4) burning oil.
Slinkers: scout ahead of the main group. Roll separately for surprise: if the slinkers achieve surprise but the main group doesn’t, then they have flanked the party. If the main group achieves surprise but the slinkers don’t, then they were an advance group: the party initially encounters the slinkers and is then surprised by reinforcements in the following round.
Ratshirts: wear the pelts of giant rats they have slain and fight with longswords or battle-axes (two-handed weapons for the diminutive kobolds). Ratshirts have Morale 8.
Living Statues: made of stone, but use the stats for Crystal Living Statues. Each statue in the Halls has a gemstone core set into its chest or brow. Determine the value using the normal rules for gems. Living statues can cast the spell Chromatic Orb (1st level Illusionist spell, OSE Advanced Fantasy) using the value of their gemstone core to determine the effects.
Hauntings: old magic has stained the very stones of the Haunted Halls and occasionally flickers back into life.
Minor: roll a 1st-level Illusionist spell and apply the results as seems appropriate.
Major: use an Illusionist spell of level 1d4+1
NPC Party: generate 1d4+2 characters. Roll for each character’s level: 1-3) 1st, 4-5) 2nd, 6) 3rd.
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| "You fool... Don't you understand? No one wishes to go on..." |
Curst: A dreadful curse still hovers in the air of the Haunted Halls. The Curst are former adventurers, suffering from deathless existence.
Stats as NPC party, with the following modifications:
Morale: Curst have Morale 10. Curst do not experience fear, but may occasionally get distracted and wander off in the middle of a fight.
Undead: Curst have all relevant strengths and vulnerabilities common to all undead.
Curse of Immortality: Regenerate 1 HP per round. Curst cannot be slain – if reduced to 0 HP they become immobile until restored to full Hit Points.
The only way to permanently destroy a Curst is an application of the Remove Curse spell (which causes them to collapse into dust with a grateful smile on their lips).
Madness: Each round of combat a Curst has a 1-in-6 chance of experiencing a bout of madness. They spend the round engaged in some odd activity (reciting rhymes, skipping, laughing, counting stones in the wall, etc.) and cannot be distracted from it.
Curst Reaction Rolls
2: Believes it is alive and that the PCs are monsters or old enemies. It attacks. You may wish to roll on one of the OSE Dungeon Encounters tables to determine what the Curst thinks the PCs are.
3: Bashing its head against a nearby wall. If it notices the PCs it attacks, growling animalistically.
4: Guarding an area. Attacks trespassers while engaging in casual conversation.
5: Wandering in circles or pacing up and down. Attacks if the PCs cross its path.
6: Distracted by a bout of madness. Roll again next round.
7: Lucid. It attacks, hoping to be killed. It may explain what it’s doing as it attacks.
8: Talking to itself and laughing. Roll again next round.
9: Idly inflicting self harm (holding its hand in a brazier, etc.). May engage in conversation for 1 round, then roll again.
10: Crestfallen. It sits muttering to itself and largely ignores the PCs. Will answer 1d4 questions before experiencing a mood swing (roll again on this table).
11: Believes it is lost and that the PCs are its old companions. It will join them for 1d6 turns before experiencing a mood swing (roll again on this table).
12: Lucid and listless. It asks if the PCs have a cure for endless life.
Basilisk: an escapee from the Chamber of the Chain (Area 25), the Basilisk that roams the Halls is cunning and very old. It has maximum HP (48), but Morale 6. Use the attack patterns from Tomb of the Serpent Kings, pages 19-20.
My preference is for basilisks to only petrify with their gaze, rather than also having a petrifying touch attack. If this feels too modest, substitute poisonous fangs (death in 1d4 turns).
If the Owlbear and the Basilisk ever encounter each other, they will fight for dominance over the Halls. The winner becomes more aggressive (replace the loser’s entry on the table with the winner).
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