Here's what I've submitted for the Barkeep Jam, sponsored by Prismatic Wasteland to support their really interesting "pubcrawl" adventure, Barkeep on the Borderlands.
[Update 8/15 - added the missing drinks menu.]
A Night at the Chunker
Pubcrawl Location Compatible with Barkeep on the Borderlands, 5e, and OSR
Contents
· Using this Location
· Pubcrawl Details
· Zone Descriptions
· Special Rules
· Catalog of Creatures
· Map of the Chunker
· Legal
Using this Location
This location uses the Barkeep on the Borderlands pubcrawl rules in conjunction with your favorite 5e or OSR ruleset. You will need access to the Barkeep on the Borderlands rules to get the most out of this location.
Getting around in the Chunker presents its own set of challenges, apart from the basic challenges of a pubcrawl location. The location can be used on its own or as part of a larger pubcrawl, and it works best if the jolly crew has something they need to accomplish or an NPC they need to meet with in the pub.
The Chunker is written as a location in a mostly human settlement, but it’s easy to change it to suit other locales, including that of the Barkeep on the Borderlands adventure.
See the Special Rules section below for information on moving from zone to zone inside the Chunker. Some activities are possible only in certain zones. For example, you can buy drinks only in The Bar, and you can use the privy only in The Garden.
When a name or creature type is an ALL CAPITALS, see the Catalog of Creatures section for additional details.
When the jolly crew arrives at the Chunker, choose a starting Crowd Size or roll 1d10 on the table below:
1d10 Roll | Starting Crowd Size |
1-2 | Sparse |
3-6 | Crowded |
7 | Full |
8 | Tight |
9 | Packed |
10 | Bursting |
Pubcrawl Details
Regulars
When the jolly crew enters the Chunker, roll 1d6 on the table below. If a character’s number is equal to or below the result, they are in the Chunker right now. Choose gender or roll randomly.
d6 Roll | Regular |
1 | The Musician. Hunter (male) or Heather (female). Claims to be an accomplished lutist, but has no instrument here now. Will force anyone into conversations about music and musicians, requiring a Charisma check (difficulty based on Crowd Size) to escape. Probably better at flirting than music. |
2 | The Nice Thug. Trent (male) or Tiffania (female). Muscular, imposing, dressed in leather. Will give axe-throwing, dancing, or card-playing lessons to anyone for free, any time. Definitely connected to local thieves and assassins, but not on duty right now. |
3 | The Scholar. Scotten (male) or Sheila (female). Skinny, messy hair. Good source of information on any general topic, but completely ignorant of local people and events. |
4 | The Flirt (male). Flirts with everyone but Fillis, and buys a drink for whoever he flirts with. Married to Fillis. |
5 | The Flirt (female). Fillis, flirts with everyone but Flander, never buys her own drinks. Married to Flander. |
6 | The Naturist. Norville (male) or Norvelle (female). Wearing a little less than everyone else would prefer they wear. Loves to talk about the affairs they had as a youth, and actually knows quite a bit about local history. |
In addition to these regulars, 1d6 CHUNKERITES are in any area of the Chunker at any time, plus whoever constitutes the ever-increasing crowd (see Special Rules)
Risk Die
When the jolly crew is inside the Chunker, interpret Risk Die rolls as follows:
1 Setback and Increase Crowd
2 Setback
3 Drinking
4 Drinking
5 Mark Time and Increase Crowd
6 Mark Time
Setback. Roll a Situation if the jolly crew is inside the Chunker, or a Setback if they are on their way.
Increase Crowd. Increase the Crowd Size one step, unless it is already Bursting. See Special Rules.
Drinking. Each character finishes their drink and rolls their sobriety die, downgrading it on a 1, 2, or 3. If the result is 1, the character also needs the privy (see Special Rules). Characters need to go to The Bar to buy new drinks if they don’t have extras with them. A character who has no drink when Drinking is rolled counts as Not Drinking. A character who has been drinking water upgrades their sobriety die one step and counts as Not Drinking.
Sidetracks
If the Risk Die rolls a Setback while the jolly crew is approaching the Chunker, roll 1d6 on the table below.
1d6 | Sidetrack |
1 | Where is it again? The pub isn’t where the crew thought it was. In addition to the lost time, increase the crowd size when they arrive by one step. |
2 | BEGGER BRIONY stops the party and spins a long story before finally getting to the point and asking for money. · If no one pays, she will curse the party with crotch rash. There is a 1-in-10 chance the curse is real. If it is real, all characters must succeed on a saving throw (5e: DC 10 Constitutionl; OSR: save vs. spells with +2 bonus) or get an uncomfortable crotch rash that reduces their speed by 10’ per round. The rash lasts for a week or until removed via remove curse. · If anyone pays, she will bless the party. The percent chance the blessing is real is equal to the number of gold pieces given to the beggar. If it is real, recipients are under the effect of a bless spell for 24 hours. |
3 | DREAD DANIEL approaches the jolly crew and asks, “What you lookin’ for? I’ll hook you up. You want a date? Drinks? Herbs? Anything you want, I’ll hook you up.” Daniel has a stash of ale nearby, and he’ll sell drinks for 10 sp each. Whatever else the jolly crew asks for, Daniel will name a price of 1d100 sp, take their money, and say he’ll be right back. He won’t be right back. |
4 | Portia, a MANIC PIXIE, wants to hang out with the jolly crew. She’ll flirt with a random character, as well as anyone else who talks to her, and she’ll promise to buy anyone’s drinks if they’ll pay her entry fee. Once inside, Portia disappears. |
5 | Sorry, we’re full. There is a long queue, and the crew can’t make it to The Door this turn. |
6 | Gimme a Boost. Riker the CHUNKERITE isn’t allowed in the pub, so he asks the jolly crew to help him get over the back fence into sThe Garden. |
Drinks
The Chunker serves …
Price | Drink |
1 cp | Elven Rations. Water with a mint leaf. |
1 sp | Blue Ribbon Beer. Not first prize. Marked with a blue ribbon so everyone knows you’re too good for good beer. |
2 sp | Second Best Ale. Almost as good as ale, for those who are watching their purses. |
3 sp | Ale. The best-selling ale in the place. Everyone says they hate it. |
5 sp | Dwarven Rations. Distilled spirits, always count as “drinking heavily,” except for dwarves. Counts as water for Dwarves. |
1 gp | What she’s having. Secret recipe, possibly magical, definitely pleasant, even better with a friend. |
Situations
When the Risk Die indicates a Setback inside the Chunker, roll 2d6 on the table below.
2d6 | Situation |
2 | Axe-throwing gone wrong. A CHUNKERITE throwing axes misses the target, badly. The errant shot might deal 1d6 damage to a member of the jolly crew, or it might badly injure another CHUNKERITE. If it hits a CHUNKERITE, count the crowd in The Floor, The Back, and The Muddle as one step larger. Either way, HARRY THE HERO tries to take charge of the situation. |
3 | Gambling gone wrong. A CHUNKERITE in The Casino accuses someone of cheating. If any of the jolly crew are in that area, a random one of them is the target of the accusation. |
4 | FREDDIE wants trouble. A FREDDIE insults a random member of the jolly crew and issues a random challenge. Roll 1d6 for the challenge. 1-2: A drinking contest (first to black out loses); 3-4: A card game in The Casino; 5: Axe-throwing; 6: A fight in The Garden. |
5 | Axe-throwing tournament announced. Anyone in The Back can enter the axe-throwing tournament this turn and stay in it until either they miss or the Risk Die next rolls Mark Time. During the tournament, only those in the tournament can throw axes. Anyone who has not missed when the tournament ends receives 6 free ales. |
6 | Talent Show. A talent show starts. Characters can enter and compete. Each round requires succeeding on a Charisma check to advance to the next round. The difficulty starts at Very Easy and increases one step each round. A character who succeeds on the Very Hard check wins 6 free ales. |
7 | Don’t I know you? A CHUNKERITE approaches a random member of the jolly crew and starts flirting (see Special Rules), insisting that they’ve met before. Escaping the conversation (if desired) requires success on a Charisma check whose difficulty is set by the crowd size. |
8 | Local Musicians play in The Stage. Roll 1d6 for how good they are (1: terrible, 6: great), for how drunk they are (1: sober, 6: blackout), and 1d6 for how loud they are (1: very quiet, 6: conversation in The Floor, The Back, and The Bar is impossible). |
9 | Don’t you owe me? A CHUNKERITE approaches a random member of the jolly crew, quite drunk, and insisting that the crew member owes 4 sp “from last week.” If paid, the CHUNKERITE hangs around making conversation that requires a successful Charisma check to escape (difficulty depends on Crowd Size). If not paid, the CHUNKERITE gets belligerent until either paid or fended off with a Hard Charisma check. |
10 | Friend’s old flame. A CHUNKERITE approaches a random member of the jolly crew and claims to have had a romance with a friend of the crew member. The CHUNKERITE wants to talk about it. Escaping the conversation requires a Charisma check whose difficulty is set by the crowd size. |
11 | A MANIC PIXIE (but not Portia) flirts with a member of the jolly crew (see Special Rules). Until the crew member buys the MANIC PIXIE a drink, escaping the conversation requires a Hard Charisma check. The MANIC PIXIE disappears when bought a drink or the next time the Risk Die rolls Mark Time. |
12 | Well known traveling musicians play in The Stage. Roll 1d6 for how good they are (1: terrible, 6: great), for how drunk they are (1: sober, 6: blackout), and 1d6 for how loud they are (1: very quiet, 6: conversation in The Floor, The Back, and The Bar is impossible). |
Zone Descriptions
In the zone descriptions below, anything in bold is immediately noticeable by characters in the area. Underlining indicates additional details are given in the entry. ALL CAPS direct you to the Catalog of Creatures section.
1. The Door
Description
Giant bloodshot eye in the wall over wooden door (usually open). Four CHUNKERITES congregate, talking to an obese man (FRANCIS)on a stool.
· Bloodshot eye. About 1’ across, watches over the entry area. Doesn’t care if anyone sneaks in, but responds to fighting in the area by shooting a stun bolt at a random combatant other than Francis each round. (5e: Ranged spell attack: +5; Hit: 11 (2d10) psychic damage. OSR: Target must succeed on a saving throw vs. death ray or be knocked unconscious for 1d4 turns.
· Stool. An invisible bag of holding hangs under the seat, where Francis deposits the night’s entry fees. At any given time, it contains 1d6 x 100 sp, but only 1d6 x 10 sp can be accessed without speaking the command word: Ummagumma.
movement
To get into the Chunker, a PC must either sneak past FRANCIS, bluff their way in, or pay the entry fee.
· Sneaking past Francis. Use the normal rules for your game system. In OSR, characters have a base 2-in-6 chance to sneak in successfully, with their Dexterity modifier added to their chances (minimum 1-in-6 chance). Thieves and Halflings have an additional +1 bonus to their chance of sneaking in.
o Failure. Characters failing to sneak in are confronted by HARRY THE HERO just inside the door, who tries to force them back out.
· Bluffing your way in requires success on Moderate Charisma check.
· Paying. Francis makes up an entry fee for each character. The base fee is 1d10 – 1 sp. A character’s Charisma bonus is subtracted from the base to get the fee Francis wants. Francis’s fees are non-negotiable. Once the fee is paid, a character must succeed on a Very Easy Charisma check to stop chatting with Francis and move to The Casino.
2. The Casino
Description
Three tables for gambling games, with a view of The Bar and The Muddle.
· Tables. PCs can try to get into a card or dice game, with a Charisma check based on the crowd size. Use whatever rules you want for gambling, or have a character win 1d10 – 1d12 sp per turn spent gambling. Characters who cheat are confronted by their opponent and HARRY THE HERO (who says he saw the whole thing), and they may call on FRANCIS THE DOORMAN for additional help.
Movement
Characters can move from here to The Door, The Bar, or The Muddle.
3. The Bar
Description
A long counter; tended by a green-haired elf (Mishal the bartender) who serves drinks.
· This is the only area where drinks can be purchased.
· Elf: Buying a drink requires success on a Charisma check (difficulty determined by crowd size) to get Mishal’s attention. Calling Mishal by name grants advantage on the check. Buying Mishal a drink makes the check unnecessary for the rest of the night. Mishal is chatty and happy to talk with anyone who succeeds on a Charisma check (difficulty based on crowd size).
· Counter: Behind the bar are the cashbox (a locked chest containing another bag of holding, this one with 2d6 x 1,000 sp) and the kegs from which drinks are being served.
Movement
At the end of the turn, any character here who did not spend the entire turn here must succeed on a Charisma check (difficulty based on crowd size) or be randomly moved to The Casino, The Floor, The Muddle, or The Garden.
Characters can move from here to The Casino, The Floor, The Muddle, or The Garden.
4. The Muddle
Getting In
The crowd size always counts as one step larger for the purpose of entering this area. If the crowd is already Bursting, entering requires two successful Charisma checks.
Description
There’s nothing here except for the people in your way.
Movement
At the end of the turn, any character who spent the entire turn here is moved randomly to The Casino, The Bar, The Floor, The Back, or The Garden.
Characters can move from here to The Casino, The Bar, The Floor, The Back, or The Garden.
5. The Floor
Description
Open area with murals on the walls and ceiling, a long bench, three small tables and a view of The Stage and The Back. There is a 1-in-20 chance for each member of the jolly crew who comes here that a CHUNKERITE will try to strike up a conversation about the mural on the ceiling.
· Murals. Show scenes of well-known local citizens dancing with weird creatures (man-sized hydras, floating eyeballs, griffons with goatees, etc.)
· Ceiling. Very famous painting depicting a naked, bearded woman with red skin, reclining on a cloud in the sky and a beardless, pale, naked man with a skull for a head and long whiskers on the sides of his face reclining on the ground. Both are reaching for a red cup that is falling through the air, spilling a green liquid.
o Anyone looking at the painting must make a Wisdom saving throw (5e, DC 8) or a saving throw vs. Spells with a +4 bonus (OSR). On a failure, the character is compelled by the painting to stay in this area looking at it and talking to others about how great it is. A character can repeat this saving throw at the end of each turn.
Movement
Characters can move from here to The Muddle, The Stage, or The Back.
6. The Stage
Description
A raised platform where performers stand and entertain the crowd in The Floor. If a member of the Jolly Crew tries come up here while someone else is performing, HARRY THE HERO follows them onto the stage and tries to pull them off.
Movement
Characters can move from here to The Floor or The Backstage. Moving to The Backstage will require either sneaking in (OSR: 2-in-6 chance, plus Dexterity modifier and +1 for thieves and halflings) or being noticed by Harry the Hero (see The Backstage).
7. The Backstage
Description
Cramped with broken musical instruments, uncomfortable furniture, rusted construction tools, and stacks of boxes (containing rags and cups), and 12 kegs (4 are empty, the rest contain the drinks served in The Bar).
· There’s a chest under a pile of wooden boxes here that contains a very fine dress (worth 600 gp), a bewelled necklace (worth 1,500 gp), and three emerald rings (worth 1,500 gp each). But the chest is also locked, animated, and grumpy. If anyone tries to open it, it grows tentacles and mouth and attacks. Use the statistics for a black bear.
The jolly crew are not allowed here. If members of the crew make a lot of noise here, or if HARRY THE HERO noticed them coming in, HARRY THE HERO appears at the end of the turn and insists they leave.
Movement
Characters can move from here to The Stage.
8. The Back
Description
Four axe-throwing targets line one wall, and chest-high rail runs parallel to them down the middle of the building. Under each target is a stump, where up to three hand axes are stored. Chunkerites have axe throwing competitions here.
· Axe-throwing targets. A member of the jolly crew can enter an axe-throwing competition by succeeding on a Charisma check (difficulty depends on crowd size). If a character competes, the player makes a single ranged attack roll. The character wins a free ale (to be claimed in The Bar) if their attack roll hits AC 3 (OSR) or AC 17 (5e). If the crowd is Tight or bigger, characters have disadvantage on this attack roll.
o In a head-to-head axe-throwing competition (as in response to the challenge of a FREDDIE), both sides make attack rolls, and the higher successful roll wins. Either side can cheat by attempting a Hard Charisma check. On a success, they manage to distract their opponent and give them disadvantage on their throw. If they fail by 5 or more, their attempt to cheat is detected for what it is.
Movement
Characters can move from here to The Floor.
9. The Garden
Description
Courtyard with buildings on three sides and an 8’ fence in the back. Four tables. Two outdoor privies.
· Conversation is possible here even when the crowd is Tight or Packed.
· Privies. Using a privy requires a successful Charisma check with difficulty based on crowd size.
· 8’ fence. Easy to climb.
Movement
Characters can move from here to The Muddle or The Bar.
Special Rules
Drinking
In addition to the normal Barkeep on the Bordelands rules, these rules apply:
· Starting Sobriety Die based on Constitution score. Characters with above-average Constitution start with a d12. Characters with average Constitution start with a d10. Characters with below-average Constitution start with d8.
· See Barkeep on the Borderlands for additional details.
Needing the Privy
When a character’s sobriety dies comes up 1, they need the privy. A character who needs the privy has disadvantage on all rolls until they have used the privy (located in The Garden). If a character already needs the privy when their sobriety die comes up 1, they must succeed on a saving throw (5e: Constitution DC 10, OSR save vs. poison) or need the privy right away. Such characters must relieve themselves during the current turn no matter where they are, which could be embarrassing, but they will no longer need the privy.
Charisma Checks
If you are using 5e rules, the normal rules of Charisma checks apply, with DCs given on the chart below.
If you are using OSR rules, there are two ways to do Charisma checks: Roll-under and Roll-over.
For roll-under checks, the player rolls 1d20 and succeeds if the roll is equal to or less than a target number based on their Charisma score. A natural roll of 1 always succeeds, and a natural roll of 20 always fails The target numbers are given in the chart below.
For roll-over checks, the character rolls 1d20 plus the characters Charisma score, plus a bonus or penalty based on difficulty. The check succeeds if the result is 20 or higher. A natural 1 always fails and a natural 20 always succeeds.
When a difficulty is listed as “none,” no Charisma check is required.
Advantage and disadvantage apply as in the Barkeep on the Borderlands rules.
Difficulty | 5e DC | Roll-under Target | Roll-over Modifier |
Very Easy | 5 | CHA + 4 | +3 |
Easy | 10 | CHA | +1 |
Moderate | 15 | CHA – 1 | +0 |
Hard | 20 | CHA – 2 | –1 |
Very Hard | 25 | CHA – 4 | –3 |
Moving from Zone to Zone
Characters can move from zone to zone as many times as they like during a turn. At first, movement is automatic, but entering a new zone requires a successful Charisma check once the crowd picks up. When a character fails a Charisma check to move, they are stuck where they are for the rest of the turn. The Charisma check’s difficulty depends on Crowd Size.
Crowd Size
The Chunker is constantly getting more crowded. It does not get less crowded until closing time. The size of the crowd determines the difficulty of moving from zone to zone, and the difficulty of various activities in each zone.
Crowd Size | Difficulty |
Sparse | None |
Crowded | Very Easy |
Full | Easy |
Tight | Moderate |
Packed | Hard |
Bursting | Very Hard |
Nonlethal Damage
Some OSR systems do not include nonlethal damage. If yours doesn’t, use this one. A character can deal nonlethal damage with unarmed strikes, blunt weapons, or thrown objects. When the amount of nonlethal damage a character has taken meets or exceeds their current hit points, they are knocked out. A character’s total nonlethal damage taken is reduced by 1 point for every turn they spend doing nothing more strenuous than sitting and talking (and drinking!).
Flirting
When someone flirts with a member of the jolly crew, it’s entirely up to the player how the crew member responds. You can roleplay the interaction or, if that’s uncomfortable, just roll 2d6 for how good a job the flirter does, with a 2 being utterly offensive and 12 being maximally appealing. But remember, it’s up to the player how their character responds. They might decide their character isn’t interested in even the most appealing possible effort to flirt with them.
For PCs who want to flirt with others in the pub, use a reaction roll (OSR) or Charisma (Persuasion) check (5e).
Catalog of Creatures
Beggar Briony
Description: Dressed in rags, mutters to herself constantly, usually invoking the gods to punish the people who have treated her unfairly. Sometimes they listen.
Statistics: As normal human or commoner. Her efforts to cast bless and bestow curse actually work 1 time in 10.
Chunkerites
Look like normal humans (or demihumans). Any given Chunkerite has a 10% chance of being a locally well-known (artist, musician, socialite, noble, etc.) and a 1% chance of being secretly very famous. In either of those cases, there is a 1-in-6 chance the person is tolerated because of their fame, even though people don’t like them very much.
Statistics: As commoner or normal human, possibly with class levels to match fame.
Dread Daniel
Description: Short human with long black hair, wears black leather armor and always has a short sword handy.
Statistics: As bandit.
Francis the Doorman
Description: Obese male human, scraggly brown beard, balding, in his 30s but looks to be about 45. Talks to everyone about anything, no matter how long the line to get into the Chunker is.
Conversation: Escaping his conversation requires a Very Easy Charisma check.
Statistics: As grizzly bear.
Freddie
Description: Boisterous, arrogant young male humans, usually looking for trouble and trying to prove they are better than everyone else. They aren’t.
Freddies love competition, and they often cheat.
Statistics: As noble.
Harry the Hero
Description: Thin male human, wears worn-out clothes that used to be quite nice. If a fight breaks out anywhere, Harry shows up in the second round and tries to either break it up or eject the troublemakers. Harry does not work for the Chunker, but he considers himself the unofficial bouncer.
If Harry the Hero is in any fight, another Harry the Hero joins each round. No one knows where these guys come from.
Statistics: As black bear.
Manic Pixie
Description: Effortlessly good-looking pixie who is eager to talk to anyone, flirt with them, and encourage them to do something daring. Manic pixies tend to disappear abruptly, most often after making a promise or persuading someone to do something they wouldn’t ordinary do.
Statistics: As pixie.
Map of the Chunker
Dashed red lines connect areas it is possible to travel between. Area 4 is The Muddle.
Legal
This work is copyright 2024, Chase Wrenn. All rights reserved.
This work is compatible with Barkeep on the Borderlands (found at prismaticwasteland.com), written by W. F. Smith and published by Prismatic Wasteland LLC, pursuant to the Barkeep on the Borderlands Third Party License.
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