Printable guide sheet: Escape the Skeleton Crypt

Read this to your players to start

Pickle, the cat who belongs to Dot the baker, has run into the old crypt under Hollow Hill. The heroes follow her in, and the heavy stone door slams shut behind them. The only way out is the exit door at the far end, past two fussy skeletons, a riddle, a tricky floor and one very tired guardian.

Scenes (all session lengths — scene’s tag shows the shortest length it appears in)

1. Scene 1: The Door Seals Shut from Quick Quest on

   Meow! A little grey cat zooms past your feet. It is Pickle, who belongs to Dot the baker. Pickle dashes into the old crypt under Hollow Hill. You run in after her. Then, BOOM! The heavy stone door slams shut behind you. Dust falls like flour. Your torch flickers. From somewhere deep inside, far away, Pickle meows.

   Goal: Find a way out, and find Pickle on the way.

   • Push the door Brave, DN 8

     It works: You push with all your might. The door does not move, but your push knocks the dust off some old carved words: THE WAY OUT IS AT THE OTHER END. SAY GOODNIGHT ON YOUR WAY.

     It doesn’t: You push until your face goes red. Nothing. Then the torch flame leans toward one of the dark passages, as if the air wants you to follow it. Pickle meows again, that way.

   • Follow Pickle No roll

     It works: Meow. Meow. The sound comes from one of the dark passages ahead. Tiny dusty paw prints lead the same way. Off you go, after the cat.

     It doesn’t: If nobody wants to go yet, Pickle trots back into the torchlight, gives a cross little "Mrrp!", and runs off down the passage again. She clearly expects you to keep up.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: Your hero has one thing in their pocket that might help in a dark crypt. What is it? A ribbon, a biscuit, a bit of string: whatever they say can help later, with the skeletons, the floor or a tired old guardian.

   Ask the table: Who carries the torch?

   This is an escape story, and nothing in the crypt wants to hurt anyone. The old door shuts by itself behind every visitor, and the way out is the exit door at the far end. Keep the spooky light and cosy: creaks, drips and torchlight, never anything worse. If the children are worried, Pickle the cat is the clue that it is safe in here.

2. Scene 2: The Forking Chamber from Short Session on

   Swish. Swish. The passage splits in two. Two skeletons are sweeping the floor with old brooms. Their bones go clickety-clack. They stop and turn. Their empty eyes look down at your muddy boots. "DUST!" rattles the tall one. "MUD!" rattles the short one. They hold up their brooms and block the left-hand path. Down the right-hand path, Pickle’s tail vanishes round a corner.

   Goal: Get past the two fussy skeletons, or slip down the other path.

   • Wipe your feet Kind, DN 8

     It works: You wipe your boots and pick up a fallen finger bone for the short one. The skeletons look at each other. "Manners," rattles the tall one. They step aside and wave you down the left-hand path with their brooms.

     It doesn’t: You trip and leave one great big muddy footprint. "DUST!" both skeletons wail. But they are far too busy scrubbing it to stop you. You tiptoe past while they sweep.

   • Slip down the right path Clever, DN 10

     It works: While the skeletons argue about mud, you slip down the right-hand path after Pickle. It twists round and round, to a little wooden door left open a crack.

     It doesn’t: Clatter! A loose stone rolls across the floor. The skeletons point their brooms at you. Now you can wipe your feet, or face them.

   • Face them No roll

     It works: Use the Skeleton cards, one for each skeleton. Each one falls into a heap of bones after one hit, then puts itself back together, grumbling, and goes back to sweeping.

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly, the skeletons stop anyway. "Shoo, shoo," they grumble, and sweep you down the path, broom first.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Left path or right path?

   Ask the quietest player: The short skeleton holds out its broom to your hero. What do you do? Whatever they do delights it. If they sweep, it gives them a little bony thumbs up.

   The skeletons are the crypt’s old caretakers. They are not mean, just very fussy about dust. Wiping your feet is the easy way past, and both paths meet again at the Riddle Room. Give the heroes the scratched warning here, whichever path they take.

3. Scene 3: The Broom Cupboard from Short Session on

   The right-hand path twists round and round. It ends at a little wooden door, open just a crack. Inside is a cupboard full of brooms, mops and buckets. In a basket of wool sits Pickle, tangled up like a parcel. Above her, on a hook, hangs a long stripy nightcap. Stitched on it, in big letters, is one word: BARNABY. Pickle wriggles one paw free and bats the bell on its tip. Jingle, jingle!

   Goal: Get Pickle out of the wool, and find out whose nightcap this is.

   • Untangle Pickle Clever, DN 8

     It works: You find the end of the wool and unwind it, loop by loop. Pickle pops out and rubs her head on your chin. She lets you carry her for a while.

     It doesn’t: The wool gets more tangled, and so do you! Pickle wriggles free by herself, with a bit of wool stuck to her tail. She trots off up the passage, and you follow.

   • Take the nightcap No roll

     It works: You fold the stripy nightcap into a pocket. It is soft and a bit dusty. Somebody called Barnaby must be missing it at bedtime.

     It doesn’t: If nobody takes it, Pickle grabs the bell in her teeth. She drags the nightcap along behind her, all the way. Jingle, jingle, jingle.

   • Tidy the cupboard No roll

     It works: You stand the brooms in a neat row and stack the buckets. Far away, two bony voices cheer: "TIDY!"

     It doesn’t: If nobody tidies, a mop falls over with a CLONK. Pickle jumps very high. Then she licks her paw, as if she meant to do that.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Whose nightcap do you think this is? What noise do they make when they are asleep? Show us! Snores, whistles, rattles: every answer is right. Remember the best one for the Exit Door.

   Play this scene only when the heroes chose to slip down the right path at the Forking Chamber, and it worked. The story then goes on to the Riddle Room, as it always does (or straight to the Exit Door at the shorter lengths). The cupboard belongs to the fussy skeletons, and the nightcap belongs to Old Barnaby, the tired guardian at the exit door. Nothing later needs this scene: if the heroes bring the nightcap and put it on Old Barnaby, saying goodnight at the climax needs no roll.

4. Scene 4: The Riddle Room from One-Sitting Session on

   Both paths come out in a dusty room. Over an old stone arch are three pictures: a Sun, a Star and a Moon. Under them, someone has carved a poem. "The Sun goes down at the end of the day. Then out come the Stars, to twinkle and play. Last comes the Moon, to shine through the night. Pull us in order, and all will be right." Pickle sits under the arch, washing her paws.

   Goal: Work out which order the Sun, the Star and the Moon go in.

   • Work it out Clever, DN 8

     It works: Sun first. Then Star. Then Moon. You say it out loud together, and Pickle purrs, as if to say, "Well done."

     It doesn’t: The words get muddled. Then Pickle stretches up and pats the pictures with her paw, one at a time: the Sun, then the Star, then the Moon. Cats know things.

   • Copy it down No roll

     It works: You draw the three pictures in the dust, or on the back of your hand, in the right order. Now nobody can forget.

     It doesn’t: If nobody copies it, that is fine. The three pictures are carved again over the levers at the exit door, and someone there will help.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Which picture do you think comes first? Why?

   Ask the quietest player: Pickle stops and looks at your hero. What does your hero say to her? Whatever they say, Pickle trots off down the next passage, tail high, and waits for them at the corner.

   The answer is Sun, then Star, then Moon: the order the sky says goodnight. Let the children work it out, and read the poem again as often as they like. If they are stuck, give them one word at a time. Heroes who solve it here pull the levers at the climax with no roll.

5. Scene 5: The Shifting Floor from Full Session on

   The floor ahead is made of black and white squares, like a giant checkerboard. The first hero steps on a white square. Click! It sinks, just a little. Then it pops back up. Boing! On the far side sits Pickle, perfectly dry and very pleased with herself. Her dusty paw prints show where she went. She only stepped on some of the squares.

   Goal: Get everyone across the bouncy floor.

   • Follow the paw prints Clever, DN 10

     It works: Hop. Hop. Hop. The paw prints only touch the black squares. You step where Pickle stepped and reach the far side without a single click.

     It doesn’t: Click, click, CLUNK. A square sinks under you, right up to your ankle, and your boot gets stuck. Your friends pull it free. Everyone gets across, giggling, and one hero has a very dusty sock.

   • Jump across Brave, DN 10

     It works: A run, a jump, and a big landing on the far side. You throw back a rope, or a hand, for the others.

     It doesn’t: You land short, on a white square. It sinks, then pops up again and boings you onto the far side. Your hair stands on end. Everyone else follows the paw prints instead.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: How does your hero cross: hop, tiptoe or jump? Show us!

   Nothing here can hurt anyone: a sinking square goes down a hand’s width and pops back up. It is a giggly scene, not a trap. Let the children act out their crossing at the table.

6. Scene 6: Bonus: The Old Caretaker from Epic Session on

   Past the checkerboard, a soft blue light glows in a little side room. A ghost floats there. She is small and round, with a frilly cap and a feather duster. "Oh! Visitors!" she cries. "I am Dimity. I used to dust this crypt. Nobody has visited for two hundred years! Have you met Old Barnaby yet? Oh, the poor dear. Sit down, and I will tell you all about him."

   Goal: Find out about the guardian at the exit door.

   • Listen to Dimity Kind, DN 8

     It works: Dimity tells you about Old Barnaby, the head caretaker. He has stood by the exit door for two hundred years, waiting for someone to say goodnight so he can rest. "Call him by his name," she whispers. "He will like that."

     It doesn’t: Dimity talks so fast it is hard to follow. But at the end she says one thing very clearly: "His name is Old Barnaby, and he is SO tired."

   • Help her dust No roll

     It works: You help Dimity dust the old shelves. She hums while she works. "Old Barnaby used to sing this one," she says, and she teaches you his lullaby.

     It doesn’t: If nobody helps, Dimity dusts on her own, humming. The tune gets stuck in everyone’s head anyway. It is Old Barnaby’s lullaby.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Dimity has not had a visitor for two hundred years. What news do you tell her? Whatever they tell her, she gasps, claps and says it is the most exciting thing she has ever heard.

   Play this scene only at the Epic length. Dimity is a friendly, chatty ghost, never scary: play her like a kind old aunt. Learning Old Barnaby’s name, or his lullaby, means saying goodnight at the climax needs no roll.

7. Scene 7: The Exit Door from Quick Quest on

   At the far end of the crypt is a great stone door. Three stone levers stick out beside it. Over them are three carved pictures: a Sun, a Star and a Moon. In front of the door stands a very tall skeleton. It does not move. Its jaw creaks open. "Goodnight?" it whispers. "Has someone come to say goodnight at last?" Curled on its bony feet, purring, is Pickle.

   Goal: Get the door open. The tall skeleton does not have to be an enemy.

   • Pull the levers Clever, DN 10

     It works: Clunk: the Sun. Clunk: the Star. Clunk: the Moon. The tall skeleton lets out a long, happy sigh. Read "If you pulled the levers."

     It doesn’t: Clunk, clunk, clunk. Wrong order! The levers slide back up. The skeleton taps the Sun picture with one bony finger, very patiently. Try again. The second try needs no roll.

   • Say goodnight Kind, DN 10

     It works: You sing a lullaby, or tuck a cloak round its shoulders, or just say "Goodnight" very softly. Its bony knees bend. Read "If you said goodnight."

     It doesn’t: The skeleton shakes its head sadly. "Not yet. The sky must say it too." It points at the levers. Pull them next. It needs no roll.

   • Face it No roll

     It works: Use the Skeleton Guardian card. It will not leave the door. When it is down to 6 Heart Points, it sits down. Read "If you faced it."

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly for the heroes, the skeleton stops anyway. It sits down on the step, very tired, and points at the levers. Pull them. It needs no roll.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: The tall skeleton looks so tired. Why do you think it is waiting for someone to say goodnight? If the heroes never read the poem in the Riddle Room, the skeleton taps the three pictures in order the first time anyone asks about the levers: the Sun, then the Star, then the Moon.

   Ask the quietest player: Pickle looks up at your hero and blinks. What does your hero do?

   Pulling the levers: no roll if the heroes read the poem in the Riddle Room. Saying goodnight: no roll if they know Old Barnaby’s name or his lullaby from Dimity. Otherwise roll with +2 if they got past the skeletons without a fight, or use something from their pocket to tuck him in (+2 once, however many are true). Short on time? Every length gets the twist and the answer: the read-aloud has the skeleton asking for goodnight and the three pictures over the levers, and it taps them in order the first time anyone asks. When it is over, read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   How it ends

   Read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   If you pulled the levers. The Sun picture glows gold. The Star twinkles. The Moon shines silver. "Goodnight," sighs the tall skeleton. It lies down on a stone bed beside the door and folds its bony hands. Rumble. The great door slides open. Fresh air! Real stars! Pickle stretches, yawns and trots out ahead of you.

   If you said goodnight. The tall skeleton sits on its stone bed. "Nobody has said goodnight to me in two hundred years," it creaks. It pulls the Sun lever, then the Star, then the Moon, all by itself. Then it lies down and starts to snore, very softly. Rumble. The great door slides open. Pickle trots out ahead of you.

   If you faced it. The tall skeleton sits down with a clatter. "I am not cross," it creaks. "I am just so tired." It points at the levers. You pull the Sun, then the Star, then the Moon. The skeleton lies down on its stone bed. "Thank you," it whispers, and falls fast asleep. Rumble. The great door slides open.

   Homecoming

   Every ending: home to Hollow Hill. Out under the stars you go, with Pickle in somebody’s arms. Dot the baker is waiting at the bottom of the hill with a lantern. She hugs Pickle. Then she hugs all of you, and gives everyone a warm bun. Behind you, the crypt is quiet. From now on, the people of Hollow Hill say goodnight to it every evening.

Player handout — show this to your table

A Note Scratched by an Earlier Visitor

Scratched into the wall near the fork, in wobbly capitals: WIPE YOUR FEET. THE BONES ONLY WANT A TIDY CRYPT. READ THE ARCH BEFORE YOU PULL ANY LEVER. THE BIG ONE IS NOT ANGRY. HE IS JUST TIRED. FROM A FRIEND WHO GOT OUT.

Monster stat blocks

Rewards

• Pickle the cat, home safe with Dot the baker.
• A tiny brass key from beside the levers. Once in your next adventure, it opens one locked thing.
• If you met Dimity: a feather from her duster. Once in your next adventure, ask the DM for a hint.
• A real-world bonus, if you like: tonight, say goodnight to the sun, the stars and the moon from a window.

Tips for running this one

• Nothing in this crypt wants to hurt anyone. The skeletons are fussy old caretakers, and the big one is just very tired. Play them grumpy and creaky, never scary.
• The puzzle has one answer: Sun, then Star, then Moon, the order the sky says goodnight. If a table is stuck, give them one word at a time.
• Short on time? The Quick Quest is the first scene and the climax, and it still has the twist and the answer: see the climax’s DM notes.
• Playing with 5- and 6-year-olds? Take 3 off every DN and skip the roll for anything kind. For 9- and 10-year-olds, add 2.
• Every roll here says what happens when it works and when it doesn’t. A failed roll never stops the story; it only changes what happens next.