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The Adventurer's Backpack from Troll Lord Games is a major expansion for the Castles & Crusades role-playing game.It is primarily designed to streamline character creation and expand player options with a focus on equipment, classes, and magic.
Core Features
The book’s titular feature is an innovative approach to equipping characters.Instead of buying items individually, players can purchase 34 pre-generated "backpacks" tailored for specific needs.
Common Packs: Basic and expert versions for dungeons, overland travel, and cities.
Terrain Packs: Specialized gear for mountains, deserts, cold weather, and seafaring.
Class & Specialty Packs: Targeted equipment for specific roles, including thieves' tools, medical kits, and wizard spell component packs.
Expanded Player Content
Beyond equipment, the supplement provides a massive amount of new mechanical content to deepen gameplay:
New Classes: Adds between 14 and 21 new classes (depending on the printing), such as the Arcane Thief, Divine Knight, Skald, and Rune Mark.All classes are detailed up to level 24.
Magic & Spells: Introduces over 300 new spells and a dedicated system for Rune Magic featuring 44 unique runes.
Combat & Mechanics: Includes simplified unarmed combat rules, rules for counter-spells and spell duels, and guidelines for war mounts and animal companions.
This 52-card deck is a supplemental tool that allows players to "draw" their equipment.Each card features one of the 34 unique backpacks and its contents for quick reference at the table.
The Adventurers's Backpack from Troll Lord Games brings home a whole new set of PC and NPC parameters for Castles & Crusades rpg. This supplement is essential in my opinion. This book is an OSR key supplement for the game that adds an overall non generic set of PC opinions & systems. It's a great book for a C&C dungeon masters.
Here is the breakdown of how to run this Mesoamerican-themed "death trap" dungeon using the C&C ruleset.
1. The Core Challenge: The Siege Engine
The biggest shift from 1E to C&C is moving from "percentage chances" and "fixed saves" to Attribute Checks.
Traps & Hazards: Tamoachan is infamous for its environmental puzzles. In C&C, almost every interaction should be a Challenge Base (CB) check.
Example: If a 1E description says "1-in-6 chance to notice the pressure plate," use a Wisdom Check (CL 5-7).
Saving Throws: Convert 1E saves directly to C&C Prime/Non-Prime checks.
Poison/Gas: Constitution.
Dodge/Pit Traps: Dexterity.
Ancient Curses/Mental Stress: Charisma or Wisdom.
2. The Poison Gas Mechanic
The most iconic (and controversial) part of C1 is the amber-colored poison gas in the lower levels that slowly kills the party.
The Original Rule: 1d6 damage every 10 minutes (1 turn) with no save.
C&C Adjustment: This can be brutal for C&C’s flatter HP curves.
The "Gritty" Approach: Keep it as-is to maintain the tournament "ticking clock" feel.
The "Siege" Approach: Allow a Constitution Check (CL 5) every 30 minutes. Success means the character takes no damage; failure results in 1d6 damage and a -1 penalty to all physical checks due to coughing and nausea.
3. Monster Conversions
Most monsters in C1 have direct equivalents in the C&C Monsters & Treasure book.
C1 Monster
C&C Equivalent
Note
Giant Crayfish
Giant Crayfish
Keep the "crushing" grapple mechanics.
Gibbering Mouther
Gibbering Mouther
Use a Charisma Save to avoid the confusion effect.
Nereid
Nereid / Water Nymph
Be careful with the "kiss of death"—it's a high-CL Con save.
Giant Slug
Giant Slug
Acid spit should target AC or require a Dex check to dodge.
The Vampire (Lozakan)
Vampire
In C&C, vampires are high HD. Scale the HD to match the party level (approx. 7-8 HD).
4. Specific Mechanics to Watch
The "Tournament" Scoring
If you aren't running this as a competition, ignore the scoring system. However, the pre-generated characters are very well-balanced for the module's lethality. If your players are bringing their own characters, ensure they are at least Level 5–7.
Ancient Olman Lore
C&C emphasizes a "Classic Fantasy" feel. The Mayan/Aztec flavor of the Olman people provides a great opportunity for Intelligence (Legend Lore) or Wisdom (Religion) checks to decipher the murals, which often give clues on how to bypass traps.
Knocking/Breaking Doors
Many doors in Tamoachan are stone or heavy bronze. Use Strength Checks (CL depends on the door's weight) rather than the standard "Open Doors" d6 roll from 1E.
CK Tip: Tamoachan is a "thinking player's" dungeon. Reward clever use of the environment. If a player uses a Strength (Athletics) check to wedge a stone block into a trap reset mechanism, give them a +4 bonus or automatic success to encourage that OSR-style play.
Integrating The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan into an Inner Earth (Hollow Earth) sandbox campaign is a brilliant move. It shifts the dungeon from a "forgotten ruin" to a "gateway" or a "border fortress" between the surface and the subterranean world.
Here is how to adapt the module for a Hollow Earth C&C sandbox:
1. The Narrative Hook: The Descent
In a standard game, the players fall into the shrine. In an Inner Earth campaign, the shrine shouldn't just be a dead end; it should be a Vertical Transit Point.
The "Bottom" is the Top: Consider flipping the progression. The players might enter through a "sun-hole" in the jungle floor and realize that as they descend, the air pressure changes, the gas thins, and they emerge not into a basement, but onto a cliffside overlooking the Inner World.
The Olman as Gatekeepers: In your sandbox, the Olman civilization might not be extinct. They could be a thriving (or decadent) empire living on the "inner shell," and this shrine is their primary customs house or a forbidden seal preventing "outer" Surface-Dwellers from entering.
2. Environmental Adjustments
Running this in a "Dying Earth" or "Hollow Earth" context allows you to play with the atmosphere:
The Poison Gas (The Breath of the Earth): Instead of just being a trap, the amber gas could be a heavy, volcanic byproduct that pools at the "rim" of the Inner Earth.
Siege Engine Hook: Characters with a Survival or Nature background can make a Wisdom Check to realize the gas is actually a natural barrier meant to keep certain bioluminescent "Inner" bacteria from reaching the surface.
Gravity & Light: As the players reach the lower tiers (Rooms 39-54), describe the shift in gravity. Use a Dexterity Check (CL 3) to adjust to the "curve" of the world as they exit the shrine.
3. Faction Integration
Since this is a sandbox, the monsters shouldn't just wait in rooms; they should have connections to the Inner Earth.
Creature/NPC
Sandbox Role
Lozakan (Vampire)
A disgraced "Border Prince" of the Inner Earth, exiled to the shrine to guard the exit. He may trade information for a way back in.
The Giant Crayfish
A common food source for the Subterranean Tribes. Finding its lair might lead to a hidden tunnel used by smugglers.
The Doppelganger
An advance scout for an Inner Earth "Deep Empire" (like the Drow or a reptilian race) trying to infiltrate the surface.
4. Connecting the Map
To make this part of a sandbox, you need Exits that lead deeper into your campaign world:
The Water Pit (Room 42): Instead of a simple flooded room, this could connect to a massive "Inner Sea" or a series of hydrothermal vents that lead to an underground civilization.
The Pillar of the Sun: If the players restore the light here, it could act as a beacon visible from miles away within the Hollow Earth, attracting the attention of local factions (flyer-mounted scouts or nomadic tribes).
5. Loot & Lore: The "Inner" Connection
Replace some of the generic gold with items that have utility in your specific sandbox:
Olman Maps: Instead of just treasure, include stone tablets that map the "Inner Rim" of your world.
Sun-Gems: Replace standard gems with "Light-Stones" that glow with the frequency of the Inner Sun, essential for navigating the darker "crust-forests" below.
CK Advice: Since C&C thrives on exploration, treat the "Hidden Shrine" as a Level 1–3 Mega-Dungeon Entrance. If they survive the "Death Trap" gauntlet of Tamoachan, they earn their right to enter the more expansive, weird-fiction landscape of the Inner Earth.
Mixing a Prehistoric Lost World with High-Magic Alien Civilizations creates a fantastic "Sword & Planet" vibe for Castles & Crusades. In this version of the Inner Earth, the Shrine of Tamoachan acts as a "pressure lock" between the primitive surface and a technologically/magically advanced interior.
Here is how to blend those two aesthetics within the module’s framework:
1. The Aesthetic: "The Obsidian Tech"
To bridge the gap between Mesoamerican ruins and alien high-magic, replace stone with Obsidian Glass that pulses with circuit-like energy.
The Murals: They don't just show myths; they are holographic archives. A successful Intelligence (Legend Lore) check might trigger a projection showing the "Great Migration" from the surface to the Inner Earth during a prehistoric cataclysm.
The Light: Instead of torches, the shrine is lit by hovering Plasma-Orbs (treat as Continual Flame, but they can be "short-circuited" by electricity-based attacks).
2. Monsters: Bio-Engineered Horrors
The creatures in Tamoachan shouldn't just be "animals"; they are the mutated or engineered remnants of the alien civilization’s biological experiments.
The Giant Slug (The Bio-Purge): Describe it as a translucent, synthetic organism designed to "clean" the shrine's corridors of organic waste (like the players).
The Kopoala (The Feathered Ferocity): Instead of a standard bird/cat hybrid, make it a Deinonychus with iridescent, glowing feathers—a prehistoric predator "uplifted" with alien intelligence.
The Doppelganger: It’s not a shapeshifter; it’s a Nanite-Swarm taking a humanoid shape. In C&C, give it a +2 to its Armor Class because its body is semi-liquid.
3. The "Two Tiers" of Loot
In a sandbox, the rewards should reflect the two-sided nature of your world.
Item Found
The "Lost World" Aspect
The "Alien Magic" Aspect
Macuahuitl
A masterwork obsidian-edged club (+1 to hit).
It vibrates at a high frequency, ignoring 2 points of non-magical AC.
Olman Headdress
Grants a +2 to Charisma checks with primitive tribes.
Acts as a Translation Matrix, allowing the wearer to understand alien dialects.
Golden Statues
Worth 500gp in surface markets.
They are actually Power Cells for ancient machinery found deeper in the Inner Earth.
4. Expanding the Map: The "Vertical Sandbox"
Since this is an Inner Earth campaign, the bottom of the shrine (Level 1) shouldn't just be the end. It should be the Observation Deck.
The Exit (Room 54): When the players finally break through the final doors, don't have them emerge into a cave. Have them step out onto a high-altitude balcony carved into the side of a titanic stalactite.
The View: Below them is a sprawling jungle of giant ferns and bioluminescent fungi (The Lost World). Hovering above that jungle are Floating Ziggurats and crystal spires of the High-Magic civilizations.
The Travel: Next to the exit is a Gravity Lift (an alien platform) that can take them down to the jungle floor, but it requires a "Key of Tamoachan" found in the Vampire’s coffin to activate.
5. C&C Faction Play: The First Encounter
As soon as the players exit the shrine, they should be caught between your two worlds:
The Primitive: A hunting party of Pterodactyl-riding Olman warriors (use the Knight or Ranger class template for their stats). They view the shrine as a holy site.
The Advanced: A Silver Sentinel (a magical construct/golem) from the inner cities patrolling for "surface contamination."
CK Tip: Use the Siege Engine to handle the "Tech-Shock." If a character tries to use an alien device, have them roll an Intelligence Check. If they have a "Knowledge: Arcana" or "Engineering" background, they add their level. If not, the CL is much higher (CL 10+) to represent the sheer alien nature of the magic.
In B&B, the primary antagonist isn't just the monsters—it’s the Poisonous Gas and the ticking clock of your party’s resources.
### The Core Hook: The Suffocation Mechanic
In B&B, environmental hazards are lethal. As soon as the players fall into the ruins, they are affected by the Miasma of the Sunless Shrine.
The Clock: Every 10 minutes (one Dungeon Turn) of exploration, players must tick off 1 Ration or Torch to represent the extra effort of breathing/moving through the thick dust.
The Penalty: If the party stops for a Long Rest, every character must make a Vigor Save. On a failure, they gain the Fatigued condition, reducing their maximum Grit until they reach fresh air.
### Converting Key Encounters
Barrows & Borderlands thrives on "Weird Fantasy" tropes. Here is how to reskin the iconic Tamoachan threats:
Original Element
B&B Adaptation
Mechanical Twist
The Giant Slug
The Slime-Crusted Horror
Acts as a "Terrain Hazard." Its trail forces an Agility Save or the character is Stuck.
The Vampire (Zotzilaha)
The Hemomancer Wraith
Instead of level drain, it drains Grit directly. If Grit hits 0, the player becomes a Thrall.
The Doppelganger
The Echo-Shifter
It doesn't just look like a PC; it copies the last Ability the PC used against it.
The Gas Traps
The Blight Vents
These deal direct Inventory Damage. Instead of HP, the gas rots 1d4 random items in the backpack.
### The "Borderlands" Twist: Loot and Relics
Since B&B emphasizes the value of "The Haul," the Olman treasures should be more than just gold.
The Mirror of Itzpapalotl: In B&B, this acts as a cursed focus. It allows a caster to double their spell range, but every use requires a Sanity Check.
The Jade Mask: This functions as a "High-Tier Helm." It grants immunity to the shrine's poisonous gas but prevents the wearer from speaking or casting spells with verbal components.
### Navigation & Hazard Levels
To maintain the B&B "Meatgrinder" feel, divide the shrine into three distinct Hazard Zones:
The Lower Chambers (The Crawl): Focus on Vigor and Agility. Heavy on pit traps and collapsing ceilings.
The Middle Tier (The Ritual): Focus on Wits and Lore. This is where the environmental puzzles and "The Centaur" reside.
The Upper Tier (The Breach): Focus on Combat and Speed. The gas is thickest here; players must find the exit before their Gear Slots are depleted by rot and exhaustion.
Design Note: Use the B&B Reaction Table for the various guardians (like the Giant Crayfish). Not everything in Tamoachan wants to kill the players immediately; some might be willing to trade "Safe Air" locations for the party’s precious supplies.
Gemini said
In Barrows & Borderlands, guardians aren't just bags of hit points; they are atmospheric hurdles that test a party’s resources, sanity, and tactical positioning. To fit the "Borderlands" feel, these Olman guardians should feel like ancient, semi-sentient bio-mechanical or spirit-bound constructs.
Here are the primary guardians of Tamoachan adapted with B&B mechanics:
### 1. The Teotl-Amoxtli (The Tome Guardian)
Originally a giant crayfish, in the B&B version, this is a massive, chitinous horror fused with obsidian shards, guarding the sunken bridge.
Hazard Level: High (Physical)
Key Attribute:Armor 4 (Obsidian Shell).
The Threat: Its claws don't just deal damage; they have the Sunder quality. On a successful hit, the player must sacrifice 1 Defense Item (Shield or Armor) or take double Grit damage.
The Twist: It is bioluminescent. If killed, its internal fluids can be harvested to create 3 Durable Torches that burn underwater and in gas.
### 2. The Zotzilaha Vampire (The Bat God’s Avatar)
Instead of a traditional vampire, this is a desiccated, leathery humanoid suspended in a glass vat of preservative "God-Blood."
Hazard Level: Extreme (Supernatural)
The Draining Gaze: Anyone making eye contact must pass a Spirit Save. Failure results in the Weakened condition—all Physical checks are at a disadvantage until the player consumes a full Ration.
Echo-Flight: It does not walk; it blurs between locations. Melee attacks against it suffer a -2 penalty unless the room is illuminated by more than one light source.
The Loot: The Heart of Zotzilaha. Can be crushed to instantly restore all Grit to the party, but inflicts a Permanent Scaring on the user's soul.
### 3. The Nahual (The Jaguar-Man)
The classic shapeshifter of the shrine, re-imagined as a "Shadow-Stalker" that haunts the party through the ventilation shafts.
Hazard Level: Medium (Stealth/Ambush)
Stalking Mechanic: The Nahual does not attack head-on. Every time the party rolls a "1" on an Exploration check, the Nahual strikes the person at the back of the marching order and vanishes.
Prowess: It ignores the first 2 points of damage from non-silvered weapons.
Weakness: It is terrified of True Fire. A torch held high keeps it at bay, but using a torch in the gas-filled lower levels risks an explosion.
### 4. The Kulkulkan Construct (The Feathered Sentinel)
A mechanical serpent made of gold, jade, and feathered silk, coiled around the central pillar of the upper tiers.
Hazard Level: High (Environmental)
The Coiling Constriction: Instead of biting, it wraps around a target. The target is Restrained and loses 1d6 Grit per turn from crushing force.
Jade Scales: The construct is immune to Poison and Bleed effects.
Tactical Solution: The construct is powered by a large gemstone in its forehead. A character can attempt a Wits Check to jam the mechanism with a crowbar or tool, bypassing the fight entirely.
### Guardian Stat Block Template (B&B Style)
Guardian
Grit
Saves (V/A/W/S)
Special Ability
Obsidian Horror
22
15 / 8 / 5 / 10
Sunder:Destroys gear on a Crit.
Bat Avatar
18
8 / 14 / 16 / 15
Lifesteal:Heals 1d4 on hit.
Shadow Jaguar
12
10 / 18 / 12 / 8
Vanish:Disappears after attacking.
Jade Serpent
25
16 / 12 / 8 / 5
Heavy:Cannot be pushed or tripped.
### Management of "The Haul"
In B&B, these guardians are often standing on top of Relics. When a guardian is defeated, roll on the Ancient Olman Loot Table:
Macuahuitl of Woe: A wooden sword embedded with obsidian. Deals +2 damage but breaks (is removed from inventory) on a natural 1.
Chacmool Basin: A stone bowl that purifies any liquid placed inside, turning it into Clean Water (1 Usage).
Quetzal Cloak: Grants the wearer a +4 bonus to Agility Saves involving jumping or falling.
