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Where the Machines Wait
A vast underground ruin, filled with dangers and treasures unlike any seen before!
They call it the Grave of the Machines. An underground mausoleum of the Ancients, filled with their wondrous devices and strange magic. Those bold enough to venture into its depths (and capable enough to return) spin tales of sights and encounters so astonishing they could not possibly be boasts or mere fiction. And they say its riches are as vast and unfathomable as its depths.
Venture into the Grave of the Machines, if you dare, for adventure unlike any you’ll find in typical ruins or dungeons. Who knows what you’ll discover? Strange creatures? Riches beyond measure? Powerful artifacts? Perhaps all of that—and perhaps terrors that have lain dormant for aeons, dreaming of the day when they’ll be awakened to again walk the surface of the world.
Where the Machines Wait is a 5e mega-adventure for characters of roughly 5th level. It can be played as a series of short ventures into the Grave of the Machines, easily placed between other adventures in your campaign. Its deeper plotline can be introduced at any time—or you can ignore it and explore the ruin. Where the Machines Wait includes new creatures, new items, and a new playable species of mechanical, construct-like characters: the surk.
Numenera players can also delve into the Grave of the Machines: Where the Machines Wait includes complete conversion notes for Numenera and the Cypher System.
They call it the Grave of the Machines. An underground mausoleum of the Ancients, filled with their wondrous devices and strange magic. Those bold enough to venture into its depths (and capable enough to return) spin tales of sights and encounters so astonishing they could not possibly be boasts or mere fiction. And they say its riches are as vast and unfathomable as its depths.
Venture into the Grave of the Machines, if you dare, for adventure unlike any you’ll find in typical ruins or dungeons. Who knows what you’ll discover? Strange creatures? Riches beyond measure? Powerful artifacts? Perhaps all of that—and perhaps terrors that have lain dormant for aeons, dreaming of the day when they’ll be awakened to again walk the surface of the world.
Where the Machines Wait is a 5e mega-adventure for characters of roughly 5th level. It can be played as a series of short ventures into the Grave of the Machines, easily placed between other adventures in your campaign. Its deeper plotline can be introduced at any time—or you can ignore it and explore the ruin. Where the Machines Wait includes new creatures, new items, and a new playable species of mechanical, construct-like characters: the surk.
Numenera players can also delve into the Grave of the Machines: Where the Machines Wait includes complete conversion notes for Numenera and the Cypher System.
- GenresRole Playing Games
96 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
6 people want to read
About the author
Bruce R. Cordell
165 books123 followersBruce R. Cordell authored books for Dungeons & Dragons over the course of 4 editions (2nd Edition through 5th Edition D&D). These days, he’s a senior designer for Monte Cook Games, LLC designing Numenera , Gods of the Fall, and The Strange. Also a novel author, his credits include several titles set in the Forgotten Realms. Bruce’s tenth novel, Myth of the Maker, is just out from Angry Robot Books:
http://brucecordell.blogspot.com/2017...
http://brucecordell.blogspot.com/2017...
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 15, 2022
Where the Machines Wait is a Numenera Dungeons & Dragons 5e converted adventure. It’s a basic dungeon delve with the strangeness and weird technology you’d expect from a Numenera product. Without giving away much of the plot, the player characters descend into an opening in the earth that leads to a vast ancient facility full of various technology and the strange creatures that dwell there.
The adventure provides some hooks to explain the party’s purpose for going into these ruins and there are many opportunities to hit the three pillars of Exploration, Combat and Social Interaction. There are several factions that the party’s engagement with can affect how parts of the adventure play out. Each of the facility’s levels have a different and unique theme (some are unique but rather generic in their presentation and game mechanics). And the final enemy/challenge was actually a nice touch since I like the concept of the subject, though I felt the resolution suggestions for the encounter were a little bland.
In addition to the adventure, there is some additional material that make it worthwhile for a Numenera or Numenera 5e conversion completist. There is an optional character race option- the Surk, a machine/construct being with some interesting abilities. There are also new adversaries, new cyphers and relics and rules to converter all these additions, plus the adventure, for standard Numenera play.
The adventure provides some hooks to explain the party’s purpose for going into these ruins and there are many opportunities to hit the three pillars of Exploration, Combat and Social Interaction. There are several factions that the party’s engagement with can affect how parts of the adventure play out. Each of the facility’s levels have a different and unique theme (some are unique but rather generic in their presentation and game mechanics). And the final enemy/challenge was actually a nice touch since I like the concept of the subject, though I felt the resolution suggestions for the encounter were a little bland.
In addition to the adventure, there is some additional material that make it worthwhile for a Numenera or Numenera 5e conversion completist. There is an optional character race option- the Surk, a machine/construct being with some interesting abilities. There are also new adversaries, new cyphers and relics and rules to converter all these additions, plus the adventure, for standard Numenera play.
Displaying 1 of 1 review