UPPER DUNGEONS LEVEL THREE 131 RIVER ROOM.

131 RIVER ROOM. This large room is occupied by several orcs. It has a ceiling height of twenty five feet and a river is running from the north to the south. A sturdy wooden bridge crosses the river near the center of the room. Beside it, on the east side, is a gantry supporting a large bell (about two feet diameter at its bottom). Torches are mounted on the walls, giving adequate light.

There are a total of 6 Horrid Hand orcs and 11 orc wives in the room.

3 orcs and 7 orc wives are on the east side of the river.

• 3 Orcs (AC 6; MV 9”; HD 1+3; hp 11, 7, 6; #AT 1; D Short bow or broad sword +1 to damage due to strength; XP 42, 34, 32)

• 7 Orc Wives (AC 7; MV 9”; HD 1; hp 7, 8, 3, 3, 2, 8, 1; #AT 1; D Trident; XP 17, 18, 13, 13, 12, 18, 11)

4 orcs and 4 orc wives are on the west side:

• 4 Orcs (AC 6; MV 9”; HD 1+3; hp 6, 5, 11, 8; #AT 1; D Short bow or broad sword +1 to damage due to strength; XP 32, 30, 42, 36)

• 4 Orc Wives (AC 7; MV 9”; HD 1; hp 6, 3, 1, 2; #AT 1; D Trident; XP 16, 13, 11, 12)

Each orc has a normal sized Horrid Hand shield, a broad sword, a short bow, 11-20 (1d10+10) arrows in a quiver, 2-7 (1d6+1) gold crescents, 2-16 (2d8) silver spanners, and 2-24 (2d12) copper pieces.

The orc wives use their tridents to catch fish from the river, but will happily use them on intruders as well. They will each have 2-5 (1d4+1) gold crescents, 2-12 (2d6) silver spanners, and 2-20 (2d10) copper pieces.

If combat occurs, the orcs will react with sound tactics. They will engage in missile fire at opponents on the opposite side of the river or those traveling by boat. They are willing to fire into mixed melee, even at the risk of hitting other orcs.

The orc wives are used to fighting and also willing to enter melee. One or two orc wives from each side of the river will flee to get reinforcements from nearby rooms. One of the orc wives on the east side of the river (7 hit points) is tasked with ringing the bell if the intruders look difficult to handle. If she is killed, another orc or orc wife will take her place. The bell summons the Horrid Hand, which is normally clinging to the underside of the bridge.

The orcs and orc wives only summon the Horrid Hand if they feel really threatened, because it demands a living sacrifice after its fights. They use the prisoners in Room 130 for this purpose, but if no prisoners are available an orc or orc wife is chosen for the Horrid Hand's meal. The bridge is raised high enough for the boat and passengers to pass under it, but of course the Horrid Hand lurks here and will wake up if anyone passes by its resting place.

The Horrid Hand (AC 5; MV 15”; HD 6; hp 36; #AT 1 grab; SA Grasp; D 3-12; XP 441)

The Horrid Hand is a huge (man-sized) gray left hand with a fang-filled mouth located in its palm. It crawls about on its fingers and grabs an opponent, making a crush attack while biting with its mouth. It has no eyes and is immune to attacks which target sight.

If a Horrid Hand scores a hit it has grabbed the victim and will crush and chew for 3d4 damage. Each following round it will do a like amount of damage automatically, without requiring a “to hit” roll. It requires an 18 strength to have any chance of breaking free. For each percentage point score the victim has, there is a like chance to escape the grasp of the Horrid Hand. A human with an 18(50) strength has a 50% chance of breaking free of the grasp, and a 18(00) or higher indicates automatic breaking of the grasp.

The river is navigable and this room may be entered, for example, by use of the boat in Room 103. There is adequate head room for adventurers to navigate in the tunnels between rooms. The current is quite strong, as there is a sharp drop in elevation by about twenty feet between Room 131 and Room 145.