I've set up a map with a river running from the coast into the heart of the mountains and dragon country. It is a convenient path to follow for the adventure, allowing plenty of opportunity to engage with the enemy, but it feels too much like a "yellow brick road" at times, with stations along the way to encounter monsters.
The benefit is that it gives the adventure the breathing room it needs to develop from a low level string of encounters into a full on campaign against powerful creatures leading up to the draconic climax. I think there is a place for this framework, but there need to be loops off and away from it. Finding ways to lead the party away from the river can be challenging. They can't always be kidnapped, or chasing bandits. One way is to make the river impassable - waterfalls, rapids, canyons, or cliffs. I'm bothered that these all seem like contrivances, but other options can be as simple as presenting an enticing looking path into the mountains. At some point, you can't worry about appearances, you just make up an interesting adventure and go with it.
This is a weak entry, but Monday's are difficult for me to find time to give this endeavor. I'll add some details tomorrow.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Sunday, January 15, 2017
River Bandits
Ok, brief update to yesterday (I was too lazy to look this up at the time)... Chains have 10 hp and require a DC20 Strength check to break, and manacles 15 hp, DC20 Strength to break as well. Manacles can also be escaped with a successful DC20 Dexterity check, or the lock picked with thieves' tools on a DC15 Dexterity check.
On a side note, I offered the encounter yesterday with its setup and the intent of the party being taken prisoner, in the end assuming that was the outcome. It is entirely possible the party could defend themselves and not get taken prisoner, or that DM discretion would have to intercede and swarm the party with a never ending supply of bandits until they were defeated or surrendered to get the desired result. The best option would be a wand of sleep with several charges... but none exist in the DMG. Speaking of which, I thought a great option for taking the party by surprise would be tossing some dust of darkness into their fire... but nothing like that exists. Maybe its time to invent some magic items! I think there would be tiny glass balls or marbles that would have the dust inside them, smash them, and voila - darkness!
I digress. Back on track, the encounter with the bandits' ambush can end with party victory or party capture. Bandits are a basic NPC type, with bandit captains making worthy adversaries. For a first level party, the straight numbers might work fine, but if the party is second level, the bandits should probably be second level as well. Looking at their stats, just giving them an extra d8 hp might be enough to keep them a challenge.
Either way, at some point the party will be free of the bandits, but at the risk of encountering more. This section of river is perfect for them, with the easily accessible banks and gentle wooded hillsides concealing plenty of caves and secret dells for them to operate from. If the party is able to regain their boat and continue upriver afloat, they should expect repeated ambush attempts and outright assaults at other times. The bandits tend to operate in groups of 3-5, often with a bandit captain leading them.
If the party escapes and tries moving upriver on foot, the travel is slow, but it would allow them to become the hunter rather than the hunted, and let them ambush bandit groups or encounter their hideouts. This could be a nice way to gather a little coin, and the odd bit of weapon or magic. Bandit groups will have 2d4x10 gp, while a camp would have 3d6x10 gp, as well as extra swords or bows, shield, and the occasional magic item.
The bandits threaten about a 20 mile stretch of river around the first red dot on yesterday's map. Beyond this point, the river narrows and flows more rapidly, making it more difficult to travel on, and the mountain slopes are steeper and more rocky, with fewer trees and areas of cover. There are more caves, so the travel can be as dangerous or more, but the danger is that of orc and troglodyte, less of men.
On a side note, I offered the encounter yesterday with its setup and the intent of the party being taken prisoner, in the end assuming that was the outcome. It is entirely possible the party could defend themselves and not get taken prisoner, or that DM discretion would have to intercede and swarm the party with a never ending supply of bandits until they were defeated or surrendered to get the desired result. The best option would be a wand of sleep with several charges... but none exist in the DMG. Speaking of which, I thought a great option for taking the party by surprise would be tossing some dust of darkness into their fire... but nothing like that exists. Maybe its time to invent some magic items! I think there would be tiny glass balls or marbles that would have the dust inside them, smash them, and voila - darkness!
I digress. Back on track, the encounter with the bandits' ambush can end with party victory or party capture. Bandits are a basic NPC type, with bandit captains making worthy adversaries. For a first level party, the straight numbers might work fine, but if the party is second level, the bandits should probably be second level as well. Looking at their stats, just giving them an extra d8 hp might be enough to keep them a challenge.
Either way, at some point the party will be free of the bandits, but at the risk of encountering more. This section of river is perfect for them, with the easily accessible banks and gentle wooded hillsides concealing plenty of caves and secret dells for them to operate from. If the party is able to regain their boat and continue upriver afloat, they should expect repeated ambush attempts and outright assaults at other times. The bandits tend to operate in groups of 3-5, often with a bandit captain leading them.
If the party escapes and tries moving upriver on foot, the travel is slow, but it would allow them to become the hunter rather than the hunted, and let them ambush bandit groups or encounter their hideouts. This could be a nice way to gather a little coin, and the odd bit of weapon or magic. Bandit groups will have 2d4x10 gp, while a camp would have 3d6x10 gp, as well as extra swords or bows, shield, and the occasional magic item.
The bandits threaten about a 20 mile stretch of river around the first red dot on yesterday's map. Beyond this point, the river narrows and flows more rapidly, making it more difficult to travel on, and the mountain slopes are steeper and more rocky, with fewer trees and areas of cover. There are more caves, so the travel can be as dangerous or more, but the danger is that of orc and troglodyte, less of men.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Travel Time
Since that encounter, the only thing discussed is the generic non-combat skill checks associated with travel upriver through the valley. For the map included here, I've plotted out marks at roughly 50 miles. As stated, to this point, the party is really still at the first dot next to Pinching. It may be simplistic and impractical to do this, but if I plan some sort of encounter for each red dot... particularly combined with generic skill based movement between them... Let's just say it gives a good framework to start from.
Today, we are passing the second dot. The river through this section is fairly broad, and while swift, not impossible to navigate. There are occasional drops (mini rapids and waterfalls), but nothing requiring more than a brief pause. The river bed is cut deep into a broad flood plain on either side, but the steep banks are easily scaled, and not deep enough at this time of year to block visibility. Making camp along this stretch is easy. There are plenty of little copses of trees near the riverbank that provide cover, shelter, and firewood.
After setting up camp in one of these small groves near the first red dot up the river, the party can settle in for the night, setting their watch as desired. After several hours, have any awake sentries roll Perception checks against DC18. If they succeed, they notice movement along the edge of the river below the edge of the bank. If they succeed by 5 or greater, they notice four men spreading out along the riverbank above and below the party's position.
Unseen are two more men positioned inland from the river, taking cover behind shrubs with crossbows to cover the campsite while their allies move into position. The plan is for the four to separate along the riverbank, then have the two flankers slip up and over to surround the party. The two near the river have a large net, while the two flankers have short swords. Once in position, the archers will fire at the sentries, drawing their attention. The flankers will then advance. The two with the net will wait to snare anyone that tries heading to the river, climbing to advance after a round if no one does.
These are river bandits operating out of a cave back up the hillside. They snatch passersby to rob and sell as forced labor to mining concerns moving up the river. There are many legitimate miners in the higher peaks, but also many shady concerns that kidnap and buy anyone they can bully into the work. They pass by the river once a week. In the meantime, if the party is defeated, they are manacled and chained to an anchor bolt in the back of the bandit's cave. The bandits sleep during much of the day, and slip out to raid boaters or hunt the hillsides in the early morning and most of the early night. At these times, the prisoners are left alone (with heavy blankets across the entrance of the cave to prevent anyone hearing their cries from within). Tomorrow, we can work on their escape...
Friday, January 13, 2017
Going Upriver
Once the party has defeated the cultists and rescued the prisoners, they continue their journey up the river (with Everett) to meet the "all-knowing" wizard who can help them unlock the artifact and guide them on their way.
It feels like there is a good opportunity here to use some skill checks in play. I suppose the party can choose how they wish to continue upstream, but they should have the choice of boating or riding at least. Either one offers opportunities to have them battle nature for a change instead of monsters.
If they travel by boat, they should be able to make pretty good time, but they will certainly meet impassable sections of river, whether waterfall or rapids. Rapids, they could try to make their way up through, with skill checks based on proficiency with water vehicles, athletics, and strength. Portaging can put them in many of the same difficulties they would face traveling by land - namely, steep trails, slippery slopes (loose rocks or wet ground), narrow trails and ledges.
This is an area of play that I have difficulty with. I have tried adding elements like this into a couple of adventures, but as much sense as they make to me while creating them, I get stuck trying to use them in play. The trouble is that ultimately there is just a dice roll to resolve the conflict. "You slip on the loose gravel, make an Athletics check or slide down the hill into the river - you succeeded. Now you're moving again." It is anti-climatic. The trick seems to be in telling the story of the passage in a compelling way, pausing to roll in order to add color to the story, without relying on the roll to tell the story.
This is a part of play that has been particularly challenging for me and my group. We have fallen into the trap of playing encounters sporadically through the year whenever we can get together. As such, we pull out a map, pick some monsters, and make up some reason to fight them. In this case, we're trying to tell a particular story along a specific quest line. I see value in creating points of conflict, and giving the players the opportunity to choose how to overcome them, rolling appropriate skill checks.
It is a difficult aspect of gameplay to write up, since it relies heavily on the spontaneity of the choices made, but some things can be outlined. I've had areas that needed to be climbed. Give them a DC to overcome, then list possible adjustments that can influence the DC. "It's a steep cliff, DC18. Fail and slide down 30 feet, but if you use a rope, DC15. Use stakes to anchor the rope and you only slide 10 feet." That sort of thing.
It feels like there is a good opportunity here to use some skill checks in play. I suppose the party can choose how they wish to continue upstream, but they should have the choice of boating or riding at least. Either one offers opportunities to have them battle nature for a change instead of monsters.
If they travel by boat, they should be able to make pretty good time, but they will certainly meet impassable sections of river, whether waterfall or rapids. Rapids, they could try to make their way up through, with skill checks based on proficiency with water vehicles, athletics, and strength. Portaging can put them in many of the same difficulties they would face traveling by land - namely, steep trails, slippery slopes (loose rocks or wet ground), narrow trails and ledges.
This is an area of play that I have difficulty with. I have tried adding elements like this into a couple of adventures, but as much sense as they make to me while creating them, I get stuck trying to use them in play. The trouble is that ultimately there is just a dice roll to resolve the conflict. "You slip on the loose gravel, make an Athletics check or slide down the hill into the river - you succeeded. Now you're moving again." It is anti-climatic. The trick seems to be in telling the story of the passage in a compelling way, pausing to roll in order to add color to the story, without relying on the roll to tell the story.
This is a part of play that has been particularly challenging for me and my group. We have fallen into the trap of playing encounters sporadically through the year whenever we can get together. As such, we pull out a map, pick some monsters, and make up some reason to fight them. In this case, we're trying to tell a particular story along a specific quest line. I see value in creating points of conflict, and giving the players the opportunity to choose how to overcome them, rolling appropriate skill checks.
It is a difficult aspect of gameplay to write up, since it relies heavily on the spontaneity of the choices made, but some things can be outlined. I've had areas that needed to be climbed. Give them a DC to overcome, then list possible adjustments that can influence the DC. "It's a steep cliff, DC18. Fail and slide down 30 feet, but if you use a rope, DC15. Use stakes to anchor the rope and you only slide 10 feet." That sort of thing.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Taking the Shrine
The three guards on the hillside are marked, with 2 kobolds to the left of the opening, and 1 winged kobold concealed to the right of the cave entrance.
The scale for this sketch is mostly to show relative position. Feel free to stretch or adjust for the game you're running.
This encounter scales out at roughly 3rd level, but a weaker party should be fine going through it as a series of smaller encounters. For this, just assume the connecting corridors are longer. For a higher level starting party, have the encounter draw the attention of the rest of the shrine. Fighting everything at once is closer to 5th level as an encounter.
Ideally, the party is able to maintain some stealth in dealing with the guards outside. If so, allow them to move through the shrine from room to room making stealth rolls against the perception of the kobolds. I didn't mark the prisoners on the map, but I picture 5 survivors of the attack on the outpost being held in the half-excavated room behind the actual shrine room (1F, 2W, 1K). Once the party reaches the stairs, stealth is really no longer an option, but if they are quiet and patient and cunning, they could potentially slip around the corner near the stairs and eliminate all of the cultists in the warren of chambers before going up the stairs to the main shrine.
I think a nice twist to ramp up the encounter at the shrine would be if the necklace awoke the statues once it is within the chamber. That could be a side effect of the artifact, that it animates statues. Whether they attack or can be controlled by the user is an interesting question, and could depend on the battle and what works best to balance it. I think a better option would be to have the player with the necklace make an arcana check DC15 to control the statues, otherwise they are hostile and attack. Learning more about the artifact, or just spending more time attuning to it, could improve the threshold for success or eliminate the need for a roll, at the discretion of the DM.
The tunnels lead beyond the shrine into the mountain, leading to further investigation and exploration, if desired. The ones beyond the shrine and unfinished room look newly excavated. They are the tunnel that the kobolds rediscovered the shrine from. It looks as though they accidentally broke through into a secret room behind the shrine, and have been expanding the opening and room as an access point to the shrine.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Approaching the Shrine
Before going to visit the wizard for more information about the necklace that was being safeguarded, Everett advises you to make your way down the hill, across the river and up the far side to the location of the shrine of the cultists. They have been watching the shrine for activity without noticing any until the last week. They decided to conceal the artifact and scout the location to decide what was causing the increase in activity. Before they got their plan of action finalized, they were attacked and the outpost destroyed. Everett has no idea what happened to any of the other watchers. There is a chance that some of them were taken prisoner by the cultists, another reason to go there and assess the situation.
The trail down to the river is clear. The trail itself turns before reaching it to run out to the moor. There is a path through the forest to a small inlet. Tucked into the underbrush nearby is a small boat. Crossing the river presents a minor challenge. The boat can carry three people at a time, and someone with proficiency handling water vehicles can steer it across the river with a successful DC12 Athletics check. Without proficiency, they need a DC16 success roll.
On the far side of the river, there is no path available. Searching for signs of passage reveals a concealed path up the hillside several hundred feet further upstream. DC14 Wilderness check will reveal the recent passage of two dozen kobolds. With a DC18 check, you notice several human footprints mixed in among the others. It is impossible to determine how many people passed this way, but clearly there were more than two.
The trail is clear enough to follow up the hill. After a mile, the forest opens slightly revealing an open hillside scattered with scree and loose boulders. The path you have been following continues up across the open hillside toward an overhang above that conceals a dark opening beneath it. Passive Perception DC15 or active DC10 reveals three guards posted on the hillside, two above the opening, and one about halfway up the slope away to your right behind a boulder. None of them have noticed you just inside the protection of the forest.
If you start across the open hillside, one of the two above will drop down and enter the cave. The archer on the right will wait for you all to fully expose yourselves on the hillside before firing at you. If the party notices the posted guards, they can skirt across the edge of the forest staying concealed with Stealth checks opposed by the guards passive Perception. There doesn't appear to be a way to cross the open hillside without alerting the guards to your presence, but while concealed, the party can plan ways to deal with them in order to prevent their alerting the cultists within.
The guards will try to remain hidden until they can assess the danger level, then they will send a runner into the cave to alert the others. This gives at least one round, probably two before they leave their posts.
The trail down to the river is clear. The trail itself turns before reaching it to run out to the moor. There is a path through the forest to a small inlet. Tucked into the underbrush nearby is a small boat. Crossing the river presents a minor challenge. The boat can carry three people at a time, and someone with proficiency handling water vehicles can steer it across the river with a successful DC12 Athletics check. Without proficiency, they need a DC16 success roll.
On the far side of the river, there is no path available. Searching for signs of passage reveals a concealed path up the hillside several hundred feet further upstream. DC14 Wilderness check will reveal the recent passage of two dozen kobolds. With a DC18 check, you notice several human footprints mixed in among the others. It is impossible to determine how many people passed this way, but clearly there were more than two.
The trail is clear enough to follow up the hill. After a mile, the forest opens slightly revealing an open hillside scattered with scree and loose boulders. The path you have been following continues up across the open hillside toward an overhang above that conceals a dark opening beneath it. Passive Perception DC15 or active DC10 reveals three guards posted on the hillside, two above the opening, and one about halfway up the slope away to your right behind a boulder. None of them have noticed you just inside the protection of the forest.
If you start across the open hillside, one of the two above will drop down and enter the cave. The archer on the right will wait for you all to fully expose yourselves on the hillside before firing at you. If the party notices the posted guards, they can skirt across the edge of the forest staying concealed with Stealth checks opposed by the guards passive Perception. There doesn't appear to be a way to cross the open hillside without alerting the guards to your presence, but while concealed, the party can plan ways to deal with them in order to prevent their alerting the cultists within.
The guards will try to remain hidden until they can assess the danger level, then they will send a runner into the cave to alert the others. This gives at least one round, probably two before they leave their posts.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Decisions, decisions...
I think this adventure is beginning to take shape. Before going further, I need to decide on the magic item. My thoughts have drifted from it being a weapon necessary to defeat the dragon, to an artifact with a number of powerful effects and spells, maybe the ability to control others, etc. My concern is that introducing too powerful an item at such an early stage in any adventure is unbalancing.
One way to avoid that effect is to give the item powers that need to be activated in some way, either by a quest or something similar. You could probably give it level activators so you need to gain experience to have access to the abilities. The new system requires attuning to an item, which requires rest and time studying. It can be used to advantage in this way. It's also a nice way to put off deciding what the powers will be.
I like this dynamic to gradually discover and unlock the power of the item, but I think it will work better to know what it is. Ideally, having an item that anyone in the party can use will be best. That way, they can decide who will get it. It may even cause some discussion within the party as they understand more of what it can do. Dissension can be a dangerous game, but some groups will relish that.
My default choice would be a weapon, but that limits who can use it. The advantage is that it imparts the gravity you want for an item that powerful. I'm leaning toward a necklace at this point, or a diadem, something visible and exotic in appearance that won't interfere with any character's natural attack or defense. It also adds the danger that it may get lost or stolen, because of its small size. The mix of delicacy and power are an exciting mix. It also helps with the backstory - why the cult wanted it, how they used it, how its powers can be used against them. There is good stuff here.
I think it would be nice to have it set as an artifact with minor beneficial and detrimental powers that flip depending on who holds the item - say, one that attracts dragons and one that lets you fly, one that gives you advantage on saving throws, and one that makes you vulnerable to fire.
This adventure is geared toward fighting an adult red dragon. I think a necklace revered by the dragon cultists is the choice. It will be a necklace of spell storing, capable of holding 5 levels worth of spells. When found, it has none stored in it. The minor effects are vulnerability to fire, the ability to Fly once per day, resistance to charm or fear, attracts fire-based creatures, and it extinguishes non-magical flames within 30 feet when attuned. I'm not sure what to have for a major power, or if the spell-storing is sufficient. I'll think about that. I think having it lay a quest on the user is a good aspect in line with this adventure... something like visiting another shrine to acquire an item, then deliver it to the dragon. An interesting twist would be to have them recover a dragon-slaying weapon from another shrine and deliver it to the dragon to be destroyed. Once they arrive at the lair, the quest is lifted, and they can use the two items to fight the dragon. I like that.
One way to avoid that effect is to give the item powers that need to be activated in some way, either by a quest or something similar. You could probably give it level activators so you need to gain experience to have access to the abilities. The new system requires attuning to an item, which requires rest and time studying. It can be used to advantage in this way. It's also a nice way to put off deciding what the powers will be.
I like this dynamic to gradually discover and unlock the power of the item, but I think it will work better to know what it is. Ideally, having an item that anyone in the party can use will be best. That way, they can decide who will get it. It may even cause some discussion within the party as they understand more of what it can do. Dissension can be a dangerous game, but some groups will relish that.
My default choice would be a weapon, but that limits who can use it. The advantage is that it imparts the gravity you want for an item that powerful. I'm leaning toward a necklace at this point, or a diadem, something visible and exotic in appearance that won't interfere with any character's natural attack or defense. It also adds the danger that it may get lost or stolen, because of its small size. The mix of delicacy and power are an exciting mix. It also helps with the backstory - why the cult wanted it, how they used it, how its powers can be used against them. There is good stuff here.
I think it would be nice to have it set as an artifact with minor beneficial and detrimental powers that flip depending on who holds the item - say, one that attracts dragons and one that lets you fly, one that gives you advantage on saving throws, and one that makes you vulnerable to fire.
This adventure is geared toward fighting an adult red dragon. I think a necklace revered by the dragon cultists is the choice. It will be a necklace of spell storing, capable of holding 5 levels worth of spells. When found, it has none stored in it. The minor effects are vulnerability to fire, the ability to Fly once per day, resistance to charm or fear, attracts fire-based creatures, and it extinguishes non-magical flames within 30 feet when attuned. I'm not sure what to have for a major power, or if the spell-storing is sufficient. I'll think about that. I think having it lay a quest on the user is a good aspect in line with this adventure... something like visiting another shrine to acquire an item, then deliver it to the dragon. An interesting twist would be to have them recover a dragon-slaying weapon from another shrine and deliver it to the dragon to be destroyed. Once they arrive at the lair, the quest is lifted, and they can use the two items to fight the dragon. I like that.
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