Publication:The Mines of Bloodstone

[  The Mines of Bloodstone]

System: Dungeons and Dragons 1e Levels: 16 – 18  Author: Michael Dobson & Douglas Niles  Publisher: TSR  Item Code: 9168  Publication Date: 1986  Format: Paperback  Page Count: 48  ISBN-10: 0880383127

Product Blurb The most deadly dungeon ever designed! High-level characters brave the unexplored corridors of Deepearth to confront perhaps the most feared adversary in the AD&D game. The second chapter of the Bloodstone Pass saga follows the conclusion of the desperate war against the bandit army. A cold and bitter winter drives the villagers to the edge of starvation, and numerous horrors strike the town of Bloodstone Pass Join the adventure as the brave heroes explore the depths of the ancient bloodstone mines, now inhabited by fearsome demons. There they hope to uncover the fantastic treasures rumored to exist in the unknown darkness. But deep within the mines, all is not what it seems? This module uses the new rules from the Dungeoneer's Survival Guideand Wilderness Survival Guide. The adventure also includes optional Battlesystem scenarios fought entirely underground. These supplementary products are not required to play the adventure, however. This text is quoted from promotion material. Text and images are copyrighted by the original publisher.

Plot Summary

The characters need to journey through a blizzard to get to the Bloodstone Mines, which lead to the duergar kingdom of Deepearth, and the Temple of Orcus.

The adventure begins with a set of village encounters, before some further encounters in a big valley. The player characters then proceed into the Mines of Bloodstone, where the duergar and svirfneblin are at war, and then on to the demonic temple of Orcus of the duergar. This is an attempt to gain an ancient treasure to help the belagured innocent citizens of Bloodstone Pass.

The module includes two Battlesystem conflicts, between armies of gnomes and duergar.

Publication History

The Mines of Bloodstone was written by Michael Dobson and Douglas Niles, with a cover by Keith Parkinson, and was published by TSR in 1986 as a 48-page booklet with an outer folder. Cover art was by Keith Parkinson, with interior art by Graham Nolan.

It is a sequel to H1 Bloodstone Pass which although originally a stand-alone adventure, was now to be the first in the four part Bloodstone Pass saga. This module continued the generic campaign setting of H1, although later modules in the series retconned Bloodstone into the Forgotten Realms.

The modules contains options for use of the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide game manuals, both new at the time. It also includes two battles where players command an army using the Battlesystem rules. For players without Battlesytem these battles can occur "off stage" while the players make a raid that otherwise occurs after the battles.

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