Help: Trouble at Sharn's Opera House (1st lvl adventure) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help: Trouble at Sharn's Opera House (1st lvl adventure) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
hfolkense
06-09-07, 05:41 PM So basically I've DM'd for lots and lots of years, but I've never created an adventure per se. Now I'm trying to make a fun pulp adventure. A chase scene if you like. Any help would be deeply apreciated. It only has 1 act, which I find troubling. i would like to get antoher one, But I don't know how or when.

It's inspired by a Chapter Art in Sharn: City of Towers

Trouble at Sharn's Opera House

This is the party (all 1st level 0 xp)
-Female Elf Cleric of The Silver Flame
-Male human Fighter
-Male human rogue
-Male human Sorcerer

Location - Sharn's opera house, just after the entrance of the famous elf singer.

Plot - Boleys of arrows fly from the service ceilings of the building, people get crazy, the bard gets killed, the party gets together trying to find the killer. They follow the attacker and kill her revealing some plot (not yet disclosed)

The wind blows strongly outside while the rain pours copiously, but none of this is a hinderance for today's function at a sold-out event of the famous Female Elf Singuer (name up to the DM). All of the High class personalities are here.

The bard comes out, the public roars in excitement. Just after the intro of the star's musics, a boley of arrows strikes down the elfanity of the singuer, her dropping down with a thump clearly resonating in the locale.

RP awards
-50 xp for suggesting chasing the killer
-50 xp if they try to help the bard (no looting)
-25 xp for a well described action point (limit one per player)

Spot 15 - The PC's can see 3 figures running through the service structures into the darkness.

Going up trough the cables is relatively easy Climb 5, and takes almost no time. Up there the structure is dangerously narrow Balance 12. Here they find two thugs hidden in the structure who fight to give time for the killer to scape.

Thugs (2) CR 1/2
Init +1 AC 13 touch 11, Flat Footed 12
HP 11 (1d8+3) Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +1
Speed 20 ft (4 squares)
Melee Heavy Mace +3 (1d8+3) (8 gp’s)

Important Rules: Bull Rush

The battle shouldn't last long and gives enough time for the killer to exit the building through a service window, but he leaves a Masterwork Longbow.

There is a rope that they can use to get down (climb 5 again).

Through the masses of people the killer tries to get lost (Spot 18), but the party can also look for information (a special gather information 12).

the chase continues until they find the track of the killer, in an abandoned house. The door has a trap:

You are in front of a werehouse, the door knob radiating a strange green light

Poison Needle Trap
touch trigger, manual reset
Attack +8 (1 + Greenblood Oil)
Search DC 20, Disable Device DC 20
Greenblood Oil – Fort 13, 1 con, 1d2 con

The room is a wild chaos of boxes, tables and other things in wild abandon. It's incredible difficult to fight in here without watching your step. A pair of caged baboons are screaming angrily at you, but they seem to have been scraming even before you enetered the building.

They need to go upstairs to find the killer. The screaming baboons give the players a surprise round

As soon as you open the room, two figures of humanoid type stare at you, a female elf with dark hair and a male humanm both dressed in dark robes. The female is placing something in a small golden box. Both Turn their heads in surprise"

Thug CR 1/2
Init +1 AC 13 touch 11, Flat Footed 12
HP 11 (1d8+3) Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +1
Speed 20 ft (4 squares)
Melee Heavy Mace +3 (1d8+3) (8 gp’s)

Killer Queen CR 1
LE female elf rogue 1
Init +3; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2
AC 16 touch 13, flat-footed 13
Hp 8 (1d8);
Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +0
Speed 30 ft (6 squares)
Melee Shortsword +2 (1d6+2 19-20/x2)
Ranged (Point Blank shot)
Longbow MW +4 (1d8 x3)
Base Atk +0; Grp +2
Abilities Str 14, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8
Feats Point Blank Shot
Skills Balance +6, Climb +5, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +3, Escape Artist +6, Hide +6,
Move Silently +6, Sleight of Hand +6
Possessions Longbow masterwork, 20 arrows, dagger, Shortsword, 25 gp’s, map

Just minutes after the battle ended, the city watch is heard at the distance

Here comes two nice choices:
1-Stay and try to explain the guard what happened
2-Scape and try to stay low

Both award 225 xp

This basically ends my introduction to Eberron adventure

I may be thinking of making the box unopenable, and make the party get attacked by a series of organizations.

What organization would be so reckless to send such low level thugs to kill a highly known celebrity? Maybe they are not of the hous of shadows and are just trying to incriminate it bye making a poorly executed killing. What's in the box? Who does it belong to?

Any help with the current structure would help also!

I haven't put treasure in yet
Neutronium_Dragon
06-09-07, 11:57 PM I would suggest that the trap be something obvious rather than hidden. There was a column a while back about how traps are usually better when the party knows they're there and has to work around them, rather than just, "Oops, time for a saving throw." This is particularly true if they think they're under time pressure. "We have to disable it quickly, or the villain might get away!"

Even if it's just that the oil was applied hastily as the villains fled inside, and the rogue gets to notice it there (some of it spattered on the rim of the lock) and realize its implications as part of the narrative, so he knows he has to disable the likely needle trap.

That last encounter also needs some serious toning down. For a first level party it's liable to cause a TPK, since it's about EL 4. The agents should probably be experts rather than warriors (so they're a threat, but not a real one), and leave out the iron defender (which is already dubious in its rating of CR 1, given how tough it can be). If you want something else, perhaps throw in a small pet animal which, while not terribly threatening, might still get in the way. (Even a pet poodle could be a problem if it's effectively providing an Aid Another benefit by getting underfoot of a PC.) That would reduce the encounter to EL 2, which is more manageable (especially if the PCs spend action points).

As for why they'd do it... why *would* someone want to publicly assassinate a singer in front of a crowd of the wealthiest people in Sharn? That *will* attract the attention of the city's more significant law enforcement types simply because it means that the wealthy and powerful were endangered by whatever was going on (one of them could have been shot instead), and they're not going to stand for that (or be allowed to). You don't pull a stunt like that unless you're ready to take some serious heat.
garner_adam
06-10-07, 12:25 AM Some times motivation comes from fear. I think this adventure has the ring of a set up to me. Disposable thugs murder an important celebrity with almost no hope of escape? The PC's are expected to arrive. In fact who ever shows will quickly realize that it's a set up.

Now set ups can get interesting... From the goons perspective they're setting up some one else. They'll escape before the guards they tipped off arrive.

From the masterminds perspective he probably called the guards early so he could make sure his flunkies were dealt with. A slight glitch occurs when the players stumble in to it.

The box should be full of evidence and that sort of thing. The goons were going to burn all of the tools, maps, and resources within the box. (A great chance for treasure if there ever was one).

The guards will arrive shortly after the players. The guards should look like they'd be difficult to reason with. Perhaps the highest ranking person available has a reputation for "take no prisoners". In either case the players should run!

After their escape I'd play a little while just to see how well the players can "lay low". After awhile you might want to have them contacted by some people who could "clear up the problem". I think you know what to do from there. >:)
hfolkense
06-10-07, 04:23 AM Hey thanks for the good advise!!! all nicely done!

I would like to turn this to a Pulp fiction kind of scenario, where they don't know what the box has inside. Magically sealed if you want, the PC's trying to get it open. Everybody wants what's inside.

And garner is right about my stance on the OBVIOUS killing. Someone WANTS the thugs to be killed/captured by the watch, but the players just GOT in the way. I've modified the encounter descriptions and introduced the city watch. Anything else?
Need_A_Life
06-10-07, 08:14 AM I'd have the baboons be caged (no need for an extra combat in there), and switch the needle trap for the door slamming, causing some nearby boxes to fall (reflex 10; 1d6 damage. Search: 0, Disable Device: N/A. Secondary effect: Area is treated as rough terrain (even on a succesful save.)

Make the Helper a Thug, and have the PCs have surprise (who would expect a bunch of ragtags jumping onto the roof and start shooting people?), and the last encounter likely won't be a TPK.

Remember, they're not going to have time to heal up between encounters (running to catch someone).

Extra Bonus XP ideas:
- Any PC who comes up with the idea that one or more allies pursue the killer, while he finishes the first two thugs receive 50 extra XP (in addition to the XP gained from killing the thugs).
- Any PC who spends 2 rounds to check if the singer has a pulse is rewarded 50XP, HOWEVER trying to loot her during this will result in forfeiting the reward (in addition to some questions)!
- Characters spending an Action Dice for a movement-oriented effect during the pursuit (or subsequent escape) is rewarded 25XP, but only if he describes the action in a cinematic fashion.
Neutronium_Dragon
06-11-07, 01:14 AM While the guards might look difficult to reason with, it should probably be possible to do so, especially since the PCs probably don't quite match who they're looking for. (They've been tipped off by the mastermind, so they probably have a good idea of the perpetrator's description.)

Diplomacy would certainly be a useful skill here, although it might be interesting if someone from among the guards also knows one of the PCs and can (if necessary) intercede on their behalf - with the result that the PCs now owe him a favor to be called in later...
garner_adam
06-11-07, 08:11 AM Just a bit of structure advice. I'd avoid the initial spot check.

Spot 15 - The PC's can see 3 figures running through the service structures into the darkness.

This adventure will fall flat on it's face if the players can't react to this scene. The human rogue is the only one who stands a good possibility of making this roll at level one with the cleric coming in at a close second. Even still this scene likely hinges on a 50/50 chance that the players won't notice this.

There's also a second potential blunder that could occur. If my players saw this happen they'd probably scream at the top of their lungs at their foes. "EVERY ONE LOOK!!!" sort of situation. At which point you might not get your chase scene after all. It might be interesting if this were the second part of the "original" chase. Where all the clues lead them up in to the rafters... then they might continue the chase as out lined in your adventure.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
hfolkense 06-09-07, 05:41 PM	So basically I've DM'd for lots and lots of years, but I've never created an adventure per se. Now I'm trying to make a fun pulp adventure. A chase scene if you like. Any help would be deeply apreciated. It only has 1 act, which I find troubling. i would like to get antoher one, But I don't know how or when. It's inspired by a Chapter Art in Sharn: City of Towers Trouble at Sharn's Opera House This is the party (all 1st level 0 xp) -Female Elf Cleric of The Silver Flame -Male human Fighter -Male human rogue -Male human Sorcerer Location - Sharn's opera house, just after the entrance of the famous elf singer. Plot - Boleys of arrows fly from the service ceilings of the building, people get crazy, the bard gets killed, the party gets together trying to find the killer. They follow the attacker and kill her revealing some plot (not yet disclosed) The wind blows strongly outside while the rain pours copiously, but none of this is a hinderance for today's function at a sold-out event of the famous Female Elf Singuer (name up to the DM). All of the High class personalities are here. The bard comes out, the public roars in excitement. Just after the intro of the star's musics, a boley of arrows strikes down the elfanity of the singuer, her dropping down with a thump clearly resonating in the locale. RP awards -50 xp for suggesting chasing the killer -50 xp if they try to help the bard (no looting) -25 xp for a well described action point (limit one per player) Spot 15 - The PC's can see 3 figures running through the service structures into the darkness. Going up trough the cables is relatively easy Climb 5, and takes almost no time. Up there the structure is dangerously narrow Balance 12. Here they find two thugs hidden in the structure who fight to give time for the killer to scape. Thugs (2) CR 1/2 Init +1 AC 13 touch 11, Flat Footed 12 HP 11 (1d8+3) Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +1 Speed 20 ft (4 squares) Melee Heavy Mace +3 (1d8+3) (8 gp’s) Important Rules: Bull Rush The battle shouldn't last long and gives enough time for the killer to exit the building through a service window, but he leaves a Masterwork Longbow. There is a rope that they can use to get down (climb 5 again). Through the masses of people the killer tries to get lost (Spot 18), but the party can also look for information (a special gather information 12). the chase continues until they find the track of the killer, in an abandoned house. The door has a trap: You are in front of a werehouse, the door knob radiating a strange green light Poison Needle Trap touch trigger, manual reset Attack +8 (1 + Greenblood Oil) Search DC 20, Disable Device DC 20 Greenblood Oil – Fort 13, 1 con, 1d2 con The room is a wild chaos of boxes, tables and other things in wild abandon. It's incredible difficult to fight in here without watching your step. A pair of caged baboons are screaming angrily at you, but they seem to have been scraming even before you enetered the building. They need to go upstairs to find the killer. The screaming baboons give the players a surprise round As soon as you open the room, two figures of humanoid type stare at you, a female elf with dark hair and a male humanm both dressed in dark robes. The female is placing something in a small golden box. Both Turn their heads in surprise" Thug CR 1/2 Init +1 AC 13 touch 11, Flat Footed 12 HP 11 (1d8+3) Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +1 Speed 20 ft (4 squares) Melee Heavy Mace +3 (1d8+3) (8 gp’s) Killer Queen CR 1 LE female elf rogue 1 Init +3; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2 AC 16 touch 13, flat-footed 13 Hp 8 (1d8); Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +0 Speed 30 ft (6 squares) Melee Shortsword +2 (1d6+2 19-20/x2) Ranged (Point Blank shot) Longbow MW +4 (1d8 x3) Base Atk +0; Grp +2 Abilities Str 14, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8 Feats Point Blank Shot Skills Balance +6, Climb +5, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +3, Escape Artist +6, Hide +6, Move Silently +6, Sleight of Hand +6 Possessions Longbow masterwork, 20 arrows, dagger, Shortsword, 25 gp’s, map Just minutes after the battle ended, the city watch is heard at the distance Here comes two nice choices: 1-Stay and try to explain the guard what happened 2-Scape and try to stay low Both award 225 xp This basically ends my introduction to Eberron adventure I may be thinking of making the box unopenable, and make the party get attacked by a series of organizations. What organization would be so reckless to send such low level thugs to kill a highly known celebrity? Maybe they are not of the hous of shadows and are just trying to incriminate it bye making a poorly executed killing. What's in the box? Who does it belong to? Any help with the current structure would help also! I haven't put treasure in yet
Neutronium_Dragon 06-09-07, 11:57 PM	I would suggest that the trap be something obvious rather than hidden. There was a column a while back about how traps are usually better when the party knows they're there and has to work around them, rather than just, "Oops, time for a saving throw." This is particularly true if they think they're under time pressure. "We have to disable it quickly, or the villain might get away!" Even if it's just that the oil was applied hastily as the villains fled inside, and the rogue gets to notice it there (some of it spattered on the rim of the lock) and realize its implications as part of the narrative, so he knows he has to disable the likely needle trap. That last encounter also needs some serious toning down. For a first level party it's liable to cause a TPK, since it's about EL 4. The agents should probably be experts rather than warriors (so they're a threat, but not a real one), and leave out the iron defender (which is already dubious in its rating of CR 1, given how tough it can be). If you want something else, perhaps throw in a small pet animal which, while not terribly threatening, might still get in the way. (Even a pet poodle could be a problem if it's effectively providing an Aid Another benefit by getting underfoot of a PC.) That would reduce the encounter to EL 2, which is more manageable (especially if the PCs spend action points). As for why they'd do it... why would someone want to publicly assassinate a singer in front of a crowd of the wealthiest people in Sharn? That will attract the attention of the city's more significant law enforcement types simply because it means that the wealthy and powerful were endangered by whatever was going on (one of them could have been shot instead), and they're not going to stand for that (or be allowed to). You don't pull a stunt like that unless you're ready to take some serious heat.
garner_adam 06-10-07, 12:25 AM	Some times motivation comes from fear. I think this adventure has the ring of a set up to me. Disposable thugs murder an important celebrity with almost no hope of escape? The PC's are expected to arrive. In fact who ever shows will quickly realize that it's a set up. Now set ups can get interesting... From the goons perspective they're setting up some one else. They'll escape before the guards they tipped off arrive. From the masterminds perspective he probably called the guards early so he could make sure his flunkies were dealt with. A slight glitch occurs when the players stumble in to it. The box should be full of evidence and that sort of thing. The goons were going to burn all of the tools, maps, and resources within the box. (A great chance for treasure if there ever was one). The guards will arrive shortly after the players. The guards should look like they'd be difficult to reason with. Perhaps the highest ranking person available has a reputation for "take no prisoners". In either case the players should run! After their escape I'd play a little while just to see how well the players can "lay low". After awhile you might want to have them contacted by some people who could "clear up the problem". I think you know what to do from there. >:)
hfolkense 06-10-07, 04:23 AM	Hey thanks for the good advise!!! all nicely done! I would like to turn this to a Pulp fiction kind of scenario, where they don't know what the box has inside. Magically sealed if you want, the PC's trying to get it open. Everybody wants what's inside. And garner is right about my stance on the OBVIOUS killing. Someone WANTS the thugs to be killed/captured by the watch, but the players just GOT in the way. I've modified the encounter descriptions and introduced the city watch. Anything else?
Need_A_Life 06-10-07, 08:14 AM	I'd have the baboons be caged (no need for an extra combat in there), and switch the needle trap for the door slamming, causing some nearby boxes to fall (reflex 10; 1d6 damage. Search: 0, Disable Device: N/A. Secondary effect: Area is treated as rough terrain (even on a succesful save.) Make the Helper a Thug, and have the PCs have surprise (who would expect a bunch of ragtags jumping onto the roof and start shooting people?), and the last encounter likely won't be a TPK. Remember, they're not going to have time to heal up between encounters (running to catch someone). Extra Bonus XP ideas: - Any PC who comes up with the idea that one or more allies pursue the killer, while he finishes the first two thugs receive 50 extra XP (in addition to the XP gained from killing the thugs). - Any PC who spends 2 rounds to check if the singer has a pulse is rewarded 50XP, HOWEVER trying to loot her during this will result in forfeiting the reward (in addition to some questions)! - Characters spending an Action Dice for a movement-oriented effect during the pursuit (or subsequent escape) is rewarded 25XP, but only if he describes the action in a cinematic fashion.
Neutronium_Dragon 06-11-07, 01:14 AM	While the guards might look difficult to reason with, it should probably be possible to do so, especially since the PCs probably don't quite match who they're looking for. (They've been tipped off by the mastermind, so they probably have a good idea of the perpetrator's description.) Diplomacy would certainly be a useful skill here, although it might be interesting if someone from among the guards also knows one of the PCs and can (if necessary) intercede on their behalf - with the result that the PCs now owe him a favor to be called in later...
garner_adam 06-11-07, 08:11 AM	Just a bit of structure advice. I'd avoid the initial spot check. Spot 15 - The PC's can see 3 figures running through the service structures into the darkness. This adventure will fall flat on it's face if the players can't react to this scene. The human rogue is the only one who stands a good possibility of making this roll at level one with the cleric coming in at a close second. Even still this scene likely hinges on a 50/50 chance that the players won't notice this. There's also a second potential blunder that could occur. If my players saw this happen they'd probably scream at the top of their lungs at their foes. "EVERY ONE LOOK!!!" sort of situation. At which point you might not get your chase scene after all. It might be interesting if this were the second part of the "original" chase. Where all the clues lead them up in to the rafters... then they might continue the chase as out lined in your adventure.