Written and Created by Jeff Gupton

Cover Art: Cerberus Art Stock Art

Inside Art : Mongoose Publishing, Kimagu Publishing,

ERGames Stock Art, Louis Porter Jr. Designs

Logo: Brian Craft

I’d like to dedicate this to all my supporters and

backers for the Age of Lords project.

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Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.;
Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.
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Scott Greene, with Clark Peterson, Erica Balsley, Kevin Baase, Casey Christofferson, Lance Hawvermale, Travis Hawvermale, Patrick Lawinger,
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exclusively owned by Blackbyrne Publishing 2012.
“Heroes are made or broken in the Summoning Pits,
which will you be?”
-Verdock Rynn, In the wake of the last war, the six remaining Lords
Caretaker of the Jolannd Arena decided that the commoners needed a form of
entertainment that they could rally behind. This was
BP- CS0 Secret of the Pit™ is an adventure for due in part to two facts, one being that the people had
five players of 1st level compatible with Pathfinder become tiresome of fighting wars on behalf of the
Roleplaying Game™. Secret of the Pit is designed as a Lords and needed something positive to focus on. The
campaign primer for the Age of Lords™ Campaign other fact was, with the people of Thallorand turning
Setting, including some basic rules for the new Blade their attention to the games, it would distract from the
Conjuror class allowing players to experience a taste true purpose of finding the best teams of adventurers:
of what the class will be like. As with all our the Lord’s greed of treasure hunting. What had begun
adventures printable battlemaps for use with 1” as a simple tavern pastime turned into a major success,
miniatures will be provided within the adventure. You with arenas popping up all over the continent.
will need the Pathfinder Roleplaying Core Rule Alongside the rebuilding of war torn cities, these new
Book™ and Pathfinder Beastiary™ supplement to Summoning Pit arenas were built as a place of pride
successfully run this adventure. While the primer is and competition, each trying to bring something
designed to be used by itself, a copy of both the Age of unique to their venue.
Lords Campaign Setting™ and Age of Lords
Expedition Guide™ are recommended for expanding Most of the calendar year was focused on finding
or continuing the adventure in the Age of Lords™ the best team in the Territory to compete against other
setting. Territory’s teams for bragging rights. Some smaller,
single event competitions were held on the off
Secret of the Pit begins in the city of Kordale weekends where there were no major competitions,
Port, the Capitol of the Jolannd Territories, but can this adventure occurs during one of those single
easily be adapted to any other Capitol City in events. Gambling on the games is openly forbidden,
Thallorand. The players should begin as strangers, but but the enforcement of these laws are token examples
if previous events have already brought them together, at best. The primary Thief’s Guild in the area handles
the story can easily be adapted to accommodate this. all the bets placed around an event and pays very well
The game purpose of the Summoning Pits is to find a to keep the enforcers looking the other way. Running
simple way to bring together characters that begin the out on a bet with the local guild may find you on a
game as strangers without falling on the typical missing persons list at the local magistrate’s office.
recruitment or “you are all in a tavern” formats. The
pits can also be used as a key focal point to any
campaign or simply a way to have the players fight a
“boss” type villain or creature.
 No matter the reason for the player’s arrival in Kordale
Port, they will either directly or indirectly come in
contact with Tramblin Hauk. Tramblin uses both a
mild, hallucinogenic poison and training in hypnotism
to recruit unwilling participants in the “one-off”
weekend games. For reasons that you as the GM may
build on later, Tamblin has chosen the players to be his
newest heroes. You may wish to play out the
encounters with Tamblin, but the adventure is written
from the point where the players, either allies or
strangers, find themselves in the middle of the arena
Verdock Rynn- Local manager and caretaker of the just before a monster is summoned.
Jolaand Memorial Arena. Verdock knows everything,
illegal or otherwise, that is going on with the pits. S1-E1- Welcome to the Pit!
Adventurers with less than adequate talent who wish to CR 2 (XP 600)
participate in the games can easily buy their way onto 1-Hellraised Demon CR 2
the field from Verdock. However, Verdock will also
be the one who will see to the funeral services for the
same, inadequate “hero” when they learn all too late Setup- The players awake to find themselves reluctant
they should have stayed in the bleachers with the other participants in the Summoning Pit games. The will
fans. Verdock is a rough, but friendly sort who has regain consciousness just before the monster is
seen many battles in his time during the wars. He will summoned and, despite what may have previously
be as helpful as possible to the players, just as long as occurred, they will possess all their abilities as if
the Misty Hand Guild allows. waking from an extended rest. Once the battlemap is in
place, and the players are set on the map, read or
paraphrase the following:

As your senses return, your memory fails you and you

cannot remember what you were doing last. Realizing
you are in a small chamber, you can hear the noise of
a large crown emanating from outside the room. The
doors open in front of you and you are compelled to
walk through them. Your eyes quickly adjust and you
see that you are in a large pit surrounded by tall
wooden walls, beyond that, bleachers of people who
all seem to be cheering. You begin to comprehend
what they are saying, a countdown of sorts.

Tramblin Hauk- Tramblin is a local “talent scout” and “Three...Two…ONE!”

is always looking for new adventurers to exploit in the
pits. Tramblin secretly is a member of the Misty Hand There is a loud bang that sounds as if it is all around
Guild and uses his position to help skew the odds in you and you see a flash rise up out of the ground about
favor of the guild for all bets on the games. He is also 40 feet in front of you that forms into a doorway of
known for setting up “marks” as determined by the sorts. A low growl comes from beyond the door as you
guild, thus eliminating the suspicion of foul play or see a hideous demon step through, looking right at
assassination. Tramblin is a boisterous and you.
exaggerated man with loft and grand mannerisms, but
few have seen his darker side and lived to tell about it.
“FIGHT” you hear as a man in wizardly robes points
down at your group and you feel your ears pop and the
sound from the crowd becomes slightly muffled. If the players win the overall games (which should
be the case since this would be considered a B or C
Tactics- The Hellraised Demon will use its Improved grade level competition) they will be given a small
Initiative to try and get the drop on the party and use trophy of gold which resembles the doorway they saw
ranged spells to try and take out weak or arcane the demon enter (worth 500 gp) and an invitation to
members of the party. Since the Demon does not care compete at the higher level games the following
that this is considered a game, it will attempt to leave month. If the players do not win, they will be ushered
the pit arena as soon as it is near the edge (either from out of the arena by Verdock and told “Better luck next
teleport or forced movement). The arena, however, has time chaps”.
been magically sealed by the wizard who summoned
the demon and no living creature may exit. (dead Whether or not the players win the games, they
bodies can be hurled at innocent spectators though!) will assumedly want to know how they got there in the
The demon will fight until destroyed, knowing that it first place. The person they need to seek out is
will respawn on its own plane of existence in time. Verdock, he knows everything about the days’ game,
including who entered them. Verdock does not know
why Tramblin chose the players for that game and will
Area Features- recommend to the players not to seek him out due to
the rumored ties to the Misty Hand Thief’s Guild.
Illumination- The encounter occurs during daytime From here the story is in your hands, were the players
providing ample light. random victims of chance or were they targeted due to
their individual or collective pasts? Perhaps they made
Terrain- The arena floor is considered normal terrain such an impression that Lord Jolaand as decided to
other than the areas marked on the map that provide recruit them for a secret exploration and provides them
partial cover. with a map and Papers of Exploration (highly sought
after documents that allow adventurers to “explore”
Treasure- Unless the players win the prize money, ruins in other Territories)? For more ideas and GM
there is no treasure to be found. tools, look for the Age of Lords Campaign Setting and
Age of Lords Expedition Guide coming out this year.
Scoring the Game
The full rules for Summoning Pit games can be
located in the Age of Lords Campaign Setting book,
but since this is a one-off weekend event, the scoring
is a bit different. Use the following table to score the
player’s performance:

Summoning Pit Weekend Scoring

Every Hit vs. Monster +1
Every Hit vs. Player -1
Every Miss vs. Monster -1
Every Miss vs. Player +1
Team Member Reaches 0 (or less) HP -2
Attack of Opportunity by Player +2
Attack of Opportunity by Monster -2
Creative Use of Talents/Spells* +2
* GM’s discretion as how to judge this

The goal number should be 20 for a game victory, but

use your discretion as to whether or not the players
were cheated by their own dice rather than their
choices.
Hellraised Demon CR 2
XP: 600
CE/Medium/outsider
Init: +7
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Perception +6
Defense
AC: 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 natural, +3 Dex)
Hit Points/Dice: 23 (2d10+7)
Fort: +5, Ref: +3, Will: +4
DR: 5/cold iron or good
Immune: fire
Resist: poison 5, electricity 5
Offense
Speed: 30 ft.
Melee: 2 Fire Claws + (1d6+1), Bite +4 (1d4+1)
Spell-Like Abilities:
(CL 2nd)
2/day- Burning Hands (DC 11), Flame Arrow (DC 13)
Statistics
Str 13 Dex 16 Con 14
Int 12 Wis 14 Cha 13
Base Atk: +2 CMB: +3 CMD: 16
Feats: Improved Initiative
Skills: Intimidate +5 , Perception +6
Languages: Abyssal, Common
Ecology
Environment: any
Organization: solitary, pair
 of Blade Conjurors were assigned to troops on the
Blade Conjuror front lines of battle and in three short years, the hordes
were repelled and Thallorand safe again.

Not wishing to be caught unaware, many Lords

still train and use Blade Conjurors in their militias.
Some of the original Blade Conjurors from The
Uprising have retired and, for a fee, are training a new
generation the ways of Martial Casting. This new
breed of arcane soldier has become highly sought after
for the wave of expeditions that are now branching out
from all corners of Thallorand. Blade Conjurors can
come from all walks of life, were you a soldier during
The Uprising and now you are looking to stay with the
action expeditions can bring? Perhaps you were a poor
commoner who tricked or blackmailed their way into
being trained by one of the retired Blade Conjurors.
Or maybe you were trained to be in the Lord’s Militia,
only to be cast out over a misunderstanding or scandal.
No matter what your background, Blade Conjurors are
considered valuable allies for adventure groups and
you will not be idle for long.

Role: Blade Conjurors have the blessing of both

combat and arcane training, allowing them to be
versatile in a tough situation. Not as sturdy as a typical
fighter, yet not as frail as a sheltered wizard, Blade
Conjurors use tactics in a fight rather than hanging
back or rushing in. Able to lob spells at the oncoming
hordes and then stand their ground during the rush of
attacks, these arcane warriors are a boon to any
regiment.
“My magic is swift, my blade even more so, now you
will suffer both.” Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8
Blade Conjurors came about as a necessity during
The Uprising. Trying to find a way to place magic Class Skills
users on the battlefield without heavy losses, Wizards Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana)
and Fighters worked hand in hand to overcome the Knowledge (tactics), Perception, Ride, Spellcraft,
cumbersome nature of armor and weapons. Using a Survival, Use Magic Device
group of soldier with an above average intelligence, Skill Ranks per Level: 3+ Intelligence modifier
the Wizards observed their training and discovered
certain patterns immerging, almost dance-like. Class Features
Looking back into the history of the arcane arts, the Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Blade
Wizards discovered that the Elves had originally Conjuror is proficient with the following weapons:
incorporated full body dance to aid in the casting of Dagger, Crossbow, light, Sling, Sword, short,
certain spells. Using this discovery, the Wizards Battleaxe, Longsword, Scimitar, Greataxe,
taught the soldiers to use the “dance” of battle to Greatsword. Blade Conjurors can also wear the
summon arcane power into their strikes. Instead of the following armor without penalty to spellcasting:
armor and weapons causing resistance to magic, the Padded, Leather, Studded leather, Chain shirt. Under
weight and inertia melded with the “dance” seamlessly no circumstances can a Blade Conjuror use a shield.
and the Blade Conjuror was created. Soon, companies
Spells The Blade Conjuror spends most of his or her Blade Conjuror Spells
training learning to incorporate arcane elements into
their martial movements in combat. This allows them, 1st Level Spells
albeit limited, spell usage in combat. They may only Burning Hands
use the spells on the Blade Conjuror list, as well as theChill Touch
weapons and armor allowed, use of any weapon, armor Corrosive Touch**
or spell not allowed will result in spell failure. Ear-Piercing Scream**
Hydraulic Push*
Fluid Casting Magic Missile
Unlike other arcane spellcasters, you have been trained Magic Weapon
to incorporate the weight and inertia of your armor and Ray of Enfeeblement
weapons into your spell casting. You take can wear Ray of Sickening**
more than cloth armor and still maintain the ability to Shield
cast spells. Through practice and training, you learn to Shocking Grasp
move in specific motions while using somatic True Strike
components of spells, thus eliminating the need for Vanish*
material components. These arcane movements do not
provoke Attacks of Opportunity because they have * Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide
been incorporated into martial weapon use and **Pathfinder Ultimate Magic
defense. Due to the nature of their training, Blade
Conjurors are not eligible for the Two-Weapon
Fighting Feat (and subsequent feats) until 10th level
when they may chose to train with a second weapon.

Weapon Attunement
A Blade Conjuror trains with a specific type of melee
weapon for both melee and magical ranged (not ranged
weapon) attacks allowing them to intersperse spells
into their attacks. Using a different weapon grants a -1
penalty to attacks until the Blade Conjuror can replace
their weapon or retrain with the new weapon (about 1
week).

Level Progression
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +1 +1 +1 +1 Fluid Casting
2nd +2 +1 +1 +2

Spells Per Day

Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st 3 —––––––––––––––––––––––
2nd 3 —––––––––––––––––––––––

Spells Known
Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1 3 —––––––––––––––––––––––
2 3 —––––––––––––––––––––––