This skirmish event occurs in Room 19 (The Room of Pools), a large, central No-Man's-Land chamber that acts as a structural bottleneck between the West and East wings of Quasqueton. This blog post picks right from Meditations on the classic In Search of the Unknown (Module B1, written by Mike Carr in 1978) module Adapted To OSR Rpg systems especially The Adventurer, Conqueror, King Second Edition Part II
The PCs arrive via the southern double doors. When they open them, they step directly into a chaotic, live tactical engagement. The Bronze Vanguard is backing toward the eastern wall, desperately fighting off an aggressive Orc Combat Patrol pushing from the north.
1. Tactical Map Layout & Positioning
[ NORTH DOORS ]
(Orc Reinforcements)
|
[POOL A] | [POOL B]
(Acid) | (Inert)
|
[ORC 1] [ORC 2] [ORC 3]
\ | /
\ | /
[BAREK] v [SLYN]
\ /
\ /
[VALERIUS] <- - - - (Behind Pillar)
======================================
[ SOUTH DOORS ]
(PC Entry Point)
The Pillars: Four massive stone pillars flank the central aisle of the room, providing Partial Cover (+2 to AC against ranged attacks) or Total Cover depending on positioning.
The Pools: Two large, 10-foot-wide stone basins flank the center of the room.
Pool A (West): Contains a bubbling, yellowish liquid (Zelligar's old alchemical runoff). Falling or being pushed into this pool inflicts $1d6$ points of acid damage per round to unarmored flesh and ruins leather gear.
Pool B (East): Contains clear, inert water. Deep enough (5 feet) to count as Difficult Terrain if entered, reducing combat movement speed by half.
2. Current Combatant Status & Init Posture
The battle has already raged for 2 rounds before the PCs open the doors. Resources and health pools are already depleted:
The Bronze Vanguard (Defending East Wall)
Barek: Currently at 5 / 8 hp. He is locked in a melee struggle with Orc 1 and Orc 2. His shield arm is bleeding.
Slyn: Currently at 4 / 4 hp. She is crouched behind the southeastern pillar, her light crossbow loaded, waiting for an opening to fire at the Orc Line Leader without hitting Barek.
Valerius: Currently at 3 / 3 hp. He is backing away toward the southeast corner. Critical Resource Note: He has already cast his single Sleep spell earlier in the dungeon; he is currently holding his iron-shod staff with trembling hands.
The Orc Combat Patrol (Pushing South from Room 4)
Orc 1 & Orc 2 (Grunts): Both at 5 / 5 hp. They are working together to flank Barek, thrusting at him with crude iron spears.
Orc 3 (Line Leader): Currently at 9 / 12 hp (took a crossbow bolt from Slyn earlier). He is shouting commands from behind the northern pillars, wielding a heavy battleaxe.
3. The Skirmish Round-by-Round Event Grid
To simulate a dynamic, living battlefield without controlling every single rolling variable manually, use this Turn Event Grid at the start of each combat round. The PCs' actions can completely derail or alter these events.
Round 1: The Entry & The Threat
Environmental Event: As the PCs open the southern doors, a stray javelin thrown by Orc 3 shatters against the stone doorframe right above the lead PC’s head.
Vanguard Action: Barek calls out to the PCs: "Hold the line or clear out! We can split the heads!" He executes a defensive fighting withdrawal, giving up 5 feet of ground toward the east wall.
Orc Action: Orc 2 notices the PCs entering. He barks a warning to the Line Leader in guttural Orcish. Orc 3 points his battleaxe at the PCs and commands Orc 1 to break off from Barek next round to secure the southern threshold.
Round 2: The Choice of Alliance
System Mechanic (The Surprise Window): Because both factions were engaged, the PCs are not surprised, but neither are the combatants. The PCs act on their own rolled Initiative slots.
If the PCs attack the Orcs: Barek shifts his posture from defensive to aggressive (ACKS II Thirst for Battle active). Slyn holds her fire to let the PCs lock down the frontline, then uses her turn to attempt a flanking move around the pool.
If the PCs attack the Vanguard: Barek realizes they are surrounded. His Morale instantly drops to -2. He will attempt to drop his shield and sprint for the northern doors to escape into the No-Man's-Land, leaving Valerius behind as a distraction.
If the PCs stand down/watch: Orc 1 and Orc 2 successfully double-team Barek. Roll an immediate attack throw with a +2 flanking bonus against Barek's AC 5. If it hits, Barek is driven to 0 HP, triggering an immediate Mortal Wounds check at the end of the round.
Round 3: The Escalation (The Reinforcement Die)
At the start of Round 3, the Referee rolls a $1d6$ Tension Die:
Roll 1–2: Beastman Retaliation. The noise has drawn a pair of Beastman Hunters (2x, hp 6) from the eastern corridors. They slip through a side door and begin firing shortbows indiscriminately at whoever is winning the fight.
Roll 3–4: Orc Reinforcements. 2 more Orc Grunts sprint into the room from the North doors, bolstering Orc 3's line.
Roll 5–6: Structural Collapse. A stray heavy blow or spell misses and cracks an ancient, unstable support beam near Pool A. Dust and stone debris fall, creating a 15-foot zone of Low Visibility centered on the western pool (all attack throws within are at -2).
4. Resolving the Aftermath & ACKS II Rewards
Once the dust settles, the party’s standing with the remaining survivors pivots drastically based on how they mediated the skirmish:
The Vanguard Survives: If the PCs saved them, Barek is gruff but grateful. He honors his word under ACKS II mercenary customs: they will surrender the western side of the level entirely to the PCs and provide a map detailing the location of the Scything Blade Trap in Room 14 to ensure the PCs don't walk into it.
The Orcs Win (or PCs align with Orcs): If the PCs helped the Orcs kill the Vanguard, Kragaz (Orc 3) views the PCs as powerful, dangerous mercenaries. He honors his faction negotiation threshold: he offers to buy the Vanguard's chainmail and gear off the PCs for 50 gp and grants them safe passage out of the front gates, warning them never to return to the Upper Bastion.
When a faction leader—either Gorgut the Gnashed (Beastman Champion) fleeing from Room 31 or Kragaz the Red (Orc Sub-chief) driven out of the Western Wing—is forced to abandon Level 1, they will escape through a concealed structural bottleneck down into Level 2: The Lower Caverns.
In ACKS II, transitioning between dungeon levels isn't just a loading screen; it represents a sharp escalation in mechanical lethality, a shift in environmental architecture, and a change in the wilderness ecosystem. Level 1 consists of carved, fortified rooms; Level 2 consists of raw, untamed, subterranean limestone fissures.
1. The Descents: Structural Throttle Points
There are two primary vertical shafts connecting the levels, depending on which faction leader the players are actively hunting:
The Eastern Descent (Gorgut’s Flight)
Location: Behind the secret door in Room 31.
The Architecture: A narrow, slick, spiral stone staircase carved directly out of the damp rock. It drops 60 feet vertically.
ACKS II Environmental Mechanics: The steps are covered in a slippery cave moss. Anyone dashing down the stairs in pursuit at full combat speed must make a Save vs. Paralysis (Dexterity check). A failure results in a tumble down the shaft, inflicting $1d6$ bludgeoning damage per 10 feet fallen and causing a massive encumbrance clatter that alerts the denizens of the lower level.
The Western Shaft (Kragaz’s Flight)
Location: Hidden beneath a heavy stone iron-ringed grate in Room 9 (The Guard Barracks).
The Architecture: A sheer, 40-foot vertical shaft with a rusted iron ladder bolted into the stone.
ACKS II Environmental Mechanics: Kragaz and his remaining grunts will actively attempt to sabotage the ladder as they descend. If they have a 1-turn head start, they will use an iron crowbar to pry the top bolts loose. The first character over 3 Stone of total encumbrance to descend will cause the top bracket to snap (+2 attack throw vs. AC, falling 30 feet for $3d6$ crushing damage).
2. The Architectural Shift: The Wilderness Below
As the party steps off the stairs or ladders, the environment undergoes a radical transformation:
Environmental Metric Level 1: The Upper Bastion Level 2: The Lower Caverns Ceiling Height Uniform 10-foot ashlar masonry. Jagged, variable 8 to 25-foot natural ceilings with hanging stalactites. Acoustics Sharp, echoing stone halls (sound carries 60 ft). Damp, muffled stone; low, constant dripping water sounds (distracts hearing). Light & Vision Dry, open air; normal torch efficiency. High humidity, heavy cave mist. Torches illuminate only a 20-foot radius instead of 30. Navigation Grid-based corridors with wooden doors. Organic, winding tunnels, sudden drops, and Difficult Terrain (loose scree). 3. The Lower Ecosystem: Subterranean Threats
Level 2 is not organized into neat military barracks. The fleeing leader is no longer an apex predator here; they are an intruder entering a lethal underground wilderness. The factions down here care nothing for the surface world war.
Threat A: The Blind Predators (The Troglodyte Faction)
Territory: The natural mud-flats and central caverns of Level 2.
The Threat: 6x Troglodytes (AC 4, HD 2, hp 10 each, Morale +1).
ACKS II Special Mechanics (The Stench): Any round spent in melee combat with a Troglodyte requires a Save vs. Poison. A failure inflicts a permanent -2 penalty to all attack throws and proficiency checks for the next $1d4$ hours due to violent nausea.
Fleeing Leader Interaction: If Gorgut or Kragaz fled down here wounded, the Troglodytes will actively hunt them down for food. The players may discover their quarry's severed armor and gnawed bones before they ever catch up to them alive.
Threat B: The Deep Vermin (The Carrion Stalkers)
Territory: The refuse heaps and narrow fissures beneath the vertical shafts.
The Threat: 1x Carrion Crawler (AC 2, HD 3+1*, hp 15, Atk: 8x Tentacles +0, Damage: Paralysis).
ACKS II Special Mechanics (Mortal Danger): Each tentacle that hits does no physical damage but requires a Save vs. Paralysis. If failed, the character is paralyzed for $2d4$ turns. If a lone character is paralyzed while pursuing a leader ahead of the party, the Crawler will drag them into a side fissure to consume them over 1 turn.
4. Chase and Pursuit Mechanics (ACKS II Campaign Engine)
If the players choose to immediately pursue a fleeing leader down into Level 2 without resting, use the ACKS II Evading and Pursuing sub-systems adjusted for subterranean environments:
Compare Encounter Movement Rates:
If the fleeing leader is unencumbered (Movement 120') and the pursuing party frontline is in Chainmail (Movement 90'), the leader automatically gains 1 structural turn of distance per level descended.
Tracking the Quarry:
Because Level 2 is composed of natural stone and mud, tracking becomes viable. A character with the Tracking proficiency must make a proficiency throw every time the tunnel splits.
Failure: The party takes a wrong turn into a dead-end fissure, triggering an immediate roll on the Level 2 Wandering Monster matrix (1-in-6 chance of encountering a nesting hazard).
The Last Stand Room:
If the players successfully close the distance, the leader will make a final stand in The Grand Stalagmite Hall. Surrounded by natural pillars, out of breath, and unable to escape back to the surface, their Morale baseline shifts to +3 (Fanatical). They realize there is no further retreat; they will fight to the absolute death, attempting to drag at least one PC down with them into the dark.
