This is our 42nd installment of the one-page dungeon series. The objective is to create self-contained adventures/dungeons with all things necessary to spawn fun adventures on a single page. It is system-neutral so it can be easily ported to any system. It shouldn’t be much trouble to include it in any medieval setting.
In A Wager for Might, the characters learn of a magical relic capable of harnessing the energy and lifeforce of extraplanar beings and infusing it into the flesh of a mortal. The process is rumored to be risky, with dire consequences if unsuccessful. Still, this promise of great power is enough to bring the brave heroes to this demiplane location where the ancient invention of a mage named Itharion resides. The arcane device can only be used once per year. The Crucible lies at the end of a dungeon protected with deadly traps and immortal guardians.
This system-neutral adventure brings the heroes to a strange dungeon devised by the mage Itharion. The mage wanted to keep his invention away from prying eyes and unworthy hands. Thus, he placed deadly apparatuses that even the strongest warrior would hesitate before them. When the characters gain access to the last chamber, they may wall attempt to operate the machine. It may fundamentally change them. Perhaps for the better. But it remains a grim possibility that they botch the process. Such fatal fate is something not to be desired, even to one’s enemy.