Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Helmed Horror 09-30-04, 07:57 PM	In front of you lies a cast iron, rusted gate, and an even more rusted fence that seems to extend for miles, a large cast iron crudely shaped humanoid stands next to the gate, in its right hand lies hundreds of tickets, the other, a large key. A extremly loud booming voice comes from the construct, ________________________________________ _____________________ "IF YOU ARE IN MY DnD GROUP STAY THE HECK OUT OF THIS THREAD!!!!" ________________________________________ ______________________ the construct lowers his tone to a normal voice pattern, " If you aren't, here is your ticket, please enjoy this thread" The golem hands you in a friendly manner a ticket and kindly unlocks the rusted gate, allowing you entrance to the this magical thread. +_______________________________________ ________________+ I'm sorry if I put this in the incorrect board, but I believe it would fall under campaign advice... anyways, it's an adventure for level 1 characters, and I was hoping some more battle hardened DMer's than I can help me and my players have a bunch of fun. I know many will say, "Why don't you just use one of the downloadable adventures?" My answer to that is because we are going to do Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. If that is going to take a character from 4th level to 14th level, I for one will love to at least have one chance to be fully creative and design an adventure. To me, one of the greatest parts of being a DM. Another delima I will face is that I know different DM's have different Styles, At first I was all work, and no real Role-Play, this is my first campaign that will incorporate role-playing and involve a deeper feel for a character other then "I love my character, his AC is 20!" So I will love to know other peoples styles and further increase the game value of this already priceless game. Well, after a week of intense writing, and brainstorming ideas for it in math class, here is my draft. I also appologize for the lack of maps, I'm a little "technically challenged" when it comes to uploading and linking pictures of that nature. I also appologize for my lack of assessing EL for rooms etc. With out further ado... -=_______________________________________ _______________________=- A Cry For… An adventure for level 1 PC’s Background: Portsmith has been frequently attacked starting a week and a couple of days ago. The Brothers of Darkness were the ones who attacked them. An alliance of Goblinoids and Humanoids who worship Nerull. This new sector is run by cleric of Nerull. A week ago the mayor sent a party of adventures to investigate what happened and hasn’t returned in a week. Not known to the public, one of the mayor’s sons was in that adventuring party. CHAPTER 1 You arrive in a small town at nightfall. A large sign made of wood labels the town as Portsmith. Walking down the street you see many merchants closing shop for the night. The guards tell you at the gate if you need a place to sleep, go to the Sleeping Salamander. Down the road there is an old stone building with a hand carved sign labeling it as the Sleeping Salamander. Further down the Road is a large black cast iron gate surrounding an even larger manor. In front of the gates there are 2 guards standing watch vigorously. The Sleeping Salamander: You enter the old stone building and see a large restaurant and inn. Your ears hear wonderful music from a live bard playing a lute and an accompanied by a magical drum. All around the tavern there are groups of people huddled around in groups. The bartender has her back to you and looks busy cleaning glasses. Around the bar you also notice a shady man alone sitting at one of the back tables. Diplomacy/Gather Info: DC 10 you hear about the mayors need for adventurers to destroy something called the Brothers of Darkness. DC: 15 Brothers of Darkness is an alliance of Goblinoids and Humanoids. DC: 20 The Brothers of Darkness worship Nerull. DC: 25 Rumor of the mayor’s son as part of the adventuring party. The shady figure’s name is Jherek; of course he goes by Sir Porty Grassman. He tells you that if you’re interested in the Brothers, he may have some information about them. He tells you the same information as that of a DC: 20 Diplo/Gather Info check. Also, he will tell you that the mayor has some crucial information for you. Then he asks you to leave him alone. The Bard's name is Natasha. She will not answer when playing, inless a genourous dontation is given to her. (at least 20 gp.) The bartender is too busy washing glasses, if asked about the brothers of darkness, just use the Diplomacy/Gather info chart normally. The Mayor’s House The Gate: You walk up to the large cast iron gate. The two guards tell you to halt and state your business. If at night, guards tell you to get a room at the Sleeping Salamander. *Bonus EXP for role-playing. Gaurd: “The mayor doesn’t wish to be disturbed. Unless you’re for the calling for adventurers, I can’t let you in.” If asked about the calling for adventurers, they say: “Look, if you want to know just find out at the Sleeping Salamander. I'm too tired." Inside: Inside the large manor is the main hall. There are portraits and tapestries hanging everywhere. In front of you lay a large stairway. A small 4-foot tall man with an oversized mustache comes to you in an exquisite robe and smoking a pipe. MAYOR: “Ahh hello, my name is Clestus McShnizzle de Cobblebumperowski, mayor of this fair city. I presume you are here for the calling?” MAYOR: “I will give 500 gp. To each of you if you eradicate the Brothers of Darkness in this area. If you bring me back some evidence of a party that left a week ago ; I think 4 items is a good enough proof. 1 from each person or the adventurers themselves, I will award you with a bonus as well as some land if you wish. You may also keep whatever you find there, just bring back my so.. <cough> the adventurers,” MAYOR: “Here is a map to the countryside as well as a rough sketch on the hideout. Oh and please sign this liability waver. If told that Sir Porty sent them… role-play the encounter as follows… MAYOR: “Sir Porty? Hahaha… Jherek that clever human… Jherek is an informant of mine. He was the one who gathered the information about the Brothers as well as the one who gave me the map.” CHAPTER 2 The Wilderness: Once leaving town, you enter a forest. It is thick with trees. A dirt path seems to divide the woods in half. You hear the faint sound of running water. You hear rumbling in the bushes as well as some growls and snarls. 3 canine beasts attack. {EL-3} 3 wolves: hp: 13 hp: 10 hp: 16 The Bridge: Further in the woods, the sound of running water becomes greater. You enter a clearing of woods to see a large fast moving river. The only way seems to bee a large bridge in front of you. You see about 6 small green humanoids fully equipped patrolling the bridge. They seem to be demanding a toll across the bridge. If attacked by the adventurers, 2 flee to warn the others. 6 goblins: hp: 6, 4, 7, 4, 5, 5 {EL –1} *Bonus exp if negotiated. Toll: 2gp per adventurer The Wildness Part 2: You journey back into the woods on the other side of the river. {EL-4} Trap: Camouflaged pit trap 10ft. by 10ft. 3 gnolls wait in ambush whoever falls in the trap. Hp: 6,6,7,5 The Mountains: You journey through the woods into a clearing. Instead of lush green grass, there is just dir and large rocks, and a large rock wall on a side of a mountain. 30 feet up it looks to be an entrance to a cave. Search: DC-15 small wooden shield Part 1 of 4 for the evidence quest. Spot: DC-15 to notice the hiding hobgoblin and 2 humans waiting in ambush. Climb: DC-15 to get up to the cave entrance. 1 hobgoblin and 2 humans waiting in ambush: Hobgoblin: 6hp. Humans: hp: 5, 5 {EL-2} CHAPTER 3 Cave Entrance: You enter the dark cave. The passage way is about 15 feet wide and 10 feet high. Your eyes tell you that it seems to keep going even though you can’t see that far. Cave Length: 60ft. Width: 15ft. Height: 10ft. {EL – 2} Trap: Rolling rock – Floor stone DC-17 Search 10 feet more is a spiked pit trap 15 feet across. DC-20 search The Barricade: If not warned by the goblins, skip this part. In front of you is a layer of spiked razor wire and turned tables. Behind the tables are 3 small green goblins with shortbows. Trap: Razor Wire: Tumble Check: DC 15 or Reflex Save of DC-20 or Jump DC-25 to jump over the wire. Goblins: 6,6,4, {EL-1} The Portcullis: You see a towering Portcullis blocking your way. In front of the Portcullis is a small empty water bowl. Above the portcullis there is a small plaque, which reads, “Roll a 6 or Roll a 1 anything else and you are done” Immediately a magical 6-sided die appears above you all. A booming voice in your mind says only one may roll. {EL-3} If you roll a 1 or a 6 you gain the amount of EXP as if you accomplished an EL-3 encounter D6 1. Entry 2. 1d4 Goblins +1 bugbear 3. 1 hellhound 4. 1d4 Goblins +1 bugbear 5. 1 hellhound 6. Entry CHAPTER 4: The Hideout: The magical portcullis opens up silently. The Ceiling in this area seems about 12 feet high, in front of you is a room about 20 feet across and a 10 foot pathway to either side. Also there is a room on either side of the passageway. For a broader perspective, you may want to look at the map the mayor gave you. Rooms: 1. {EL - - or 1} Immediately when opening the door a breeze of chill air and the smell of mold hits you. The entire room is pitch black. Near the back of the room lies a large pile of bones. Rummaging through the bones activates the skeleton and creates an attack of opportunity by the large skeleton and the defenders are caught flat-footed. · Skeleton, Large: hp: 12 2. {EL – 3} You enter a 20ft by 20ft room. In a corner lays a chest with a large lock on it. In the middle of the room is a fire pit. On the opposite side of the door lays a beautiful tapestry. 3 Humans are sleeping and seem unaware of your presence. Chest: Open lock DC: 22 12 gp. Hand axe, a glove to one of the adventurers. Part 2 of item quest. Listen checks –6 for sleeping. · Humans: hp: 6,6,7 3. {El-2} You see on each side of the room are 4 statues. They lay motionless staring at each other. In front of you lies another door. Trap: DC-Search 15 Reflex DC-10 to avoid stepping on it. DD-DC:10 Each statue fires 1 bullet across the hallway. Taking 1d4+1 points of damage +10 to hit. 4. {EL-3} In this large room, a statue faces you. In the far left corner is a gong and on other side has a small shrine to what appears to be a hooded skeleton with a scythe. A Robed Figure stands up from praying and looks at you, eyes filled with hatred. Candles only light the room dimly. · Human Cleric of Nerull – 3 AL: NE The shrine has a 50 gp. Gem in a bowl on top of the shrine. 5. {EL--} This room has 3 doors, 1 in front of you, 1 to the left and another to the right. Hanging above the first door is a scull and a painted scythe, Over the door to the left hangs a left hand with an eyeball and to the right is a Many Heads of Humanoids with Grinning Teeth with oversized Canines. Anyone going through any door and who isn’t the correct alignment takes 1 point of divine damage. Will save DC-13 negates. 6. The Library {EL - 3 } in this room are many books and piles of pages lying everywhere. It is almost a maze to get around because there are so many bookcases. The largest bookcase is at the end of the room and seems to be unhampered with. · Animated Bookcase Large: Hp: 40 Lying around the room you find 2 scrolls of read magic, 3 divine scrolls of cure light wounds(3rd), 1 potion of bulls strength, and 1 scroll of magic missile (3rd) 7. {EL- 1} When opening the door you get a whiff of rat poo. There are 2 other doors in this room, one to the north and one to the west. In the corner of the room is a pen with a couple of rats the size of dogs. They squeak and successfully knock over the pen to attack you. · Dire Rats: 3 hp: 5,5,5 8. {EL- 2} in this room you see a series of inhuman torture devices. On the floor near a pool of blood lays a masterwork longsword. In the back of the room is a large Green Manlike beast sharpening a butcher knife. He turns to look at you with an evil snare showing his missing left eye and scarred face. · Sluug the butcherer Orc Warrior 3 Part 3 of the item recovery quest.-longsword 9. {EL – 3} In this room there are 2 Mean looking Yellow skinned humanoids wearing crude scale mail with an even cheaper shield with a large blade in the other hand as well as 2 humans in the same attire. With the look of rage on their faces, they ready for battle. 4 cots litter the area. · 2 Hobgoblin Warrior –1 hp: 10,10 · 2 Human Warrior –1 hp: 9,9 They all have 25 gp on them. 10. {EL- -} In this room you see a large lit Chandelier hanging from the ceiling illuminating the whole room in an unholy glow. A fountain of black water runs down into a pool on the SW corner of this room. In front of you is a large stone door. With a Gauntlet and Claw gripping each other. Searching the pool DC-25 reveals 2 keys and an Everburning Torch. 11. Temple of Nerull: {EL- 5}after saying the command word, an ancient wooden door engraved with inhuman drawings of evil opens by itself. Inside this room the smell of death and rotten flesh is so great it makes you feel sick to your stomach. The whole room is basking the unholy glow of the candles on the altar. There a pews leading up to a large altar with the same skull and scythe figure as in other rooms. Behind the Altar is a robed man wielding a dagger slicing a heart on the altar. In the east wing are many vile looking containers looking to be made out of rotten flesh. In the west wing of the building lays 3 mutilated corpses. A chill runs down your spine when viewing the completely vile corpses and the looks of their faces…or what is left of their faces. The robed figure looks up at you revealing his lack of a face. His eye sockets glowing like red coals and with an angry yell incapable for a human to make yells “YOU DARE INTRUDE ON A SACRIFICE TO THE REAPER OF LIFE?” “SACRILEGE!” “ YOU MUST PAY” With a fierce swipe of his dagger, he cuts the heart into to. 2 undead beasts made of rotten flesh appear ready to do battle against you. As soon as they appear, they smell the air and immediately their muscles look even stronger and as well as their flesh becomes more thickened. Fort DC-13 each round or be nauseated. Creatures 1 human Cleric of Nerull – 3 AL-CE 2 ghouls –14 hp each with unhallowed traits…+2 AC +1 attacks. Unhallow: An unhallow spell radiates from the altar. Chests: 400 gp total 4 potions of CLW Cleric: 60gp. Wand of CLW-23 charges, 3 scrolls of inflict light wounds. Key to prison. Command Word to enter: Hail the Reaper 12. {EL - 2} You enter a large room about 15 feet across and 35 feet in front of you is another iron door. The whole ways down the hallway are pillars. Traps: Spiked Pit Trap 13. Prison {EL- 3} you enter this room and you see a large row of crude cages. This place is obviously a prison. A large ogre stands in the back of the room. He spots you and charges at you, greatclub in hand into combat. From one of the cages someone screams for help. Gruug the Guardsman. Ogre 60 gp 3 potions of CLW Down the hallway are numerous prison cells on man leaning on the back of the wall screams for help. He tells you he’s the son to the mayor. He tells you that his party was assaulted by a band of hobgoblins, and humans led by a robed figure with a skull face. He tortured item: cleric’s holy symbol Item 4 of quest. 14. {EL-3} In this room you see 2 angry looking hairy Goblinoids the size of a large man and 4 small green goblins look at you and immediately attack. 2 bugbears – hp. 13 4 goblins – hp: 4,6,5,5 15. This large room is completely empty save for a large statue in the middle of the room. Search DC-10 compartment in the chest holds a piece of parchment saying Hail the Reaper. ESCAPE: {EL-4} Coming out of the prison you see many goblins and humans armed with crude blades ready to assault you. 2-hobgoblin warrior 1 – hp-8,8 2 human fighters 1 – hp- 12, 12 When fleeing from the cave you see many other humans and Goblinoids attempting to escape. They are yelling “it’s going to blow.. run away from the altar!” When you reach where the portcullis is you feel and hear a large explosion behind you, immediately the earth above you starts to shake and crumble above you. The bodies and rocks crumbling cause the cavern your trying to escape on incredibly difficult to pass through. Reflex Saves each round DC- 13 or take 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage. You may only move at half your speed per round and sprint twice as fast due to the debris in the small area. And in a wonderful cliché of an ending, you escape just in time before the whole cavern collapses. Back in town: A large crowd comes out to see its new heroes. The mayor in front of them all with many sacks of gold says “thank you soooo much! Here is your reward as promised. (If talked to jherek in the begining...) I do have grave news this day however, Jherek has been killed. He was found this morning shot by multiple crossbow bolts.” ________________________________________ __________________ Gold gained 500 gp +500 gp if obtained all 4 items and the mayor’s son. EXP: Bonus of + 500 for completing the quest. +200 exp if item quest is complete. The End? -=_______________________________________ _______________________=- Well there it is. I am currently creating a much shorter sequel to this to help lead up to The temple of Elemental Evil. And of Course, when we are done here, if you want to, go right ahead and use this in your game if you want to. No objections on my part if you want to change it around, add your style to it, edit it to fit higher levels. ________________________________________ ________________________ And If I did put this in the wrong message board.... I'm sorry for wasting your time on this earth reading an already quite long post.
Stormranger 10-01-04, 02:03 AM	Uh... well, Horror, that's pretty damn long... I did read the whole thing out of sheer stubborness, but my eyes glazed over a bit in certain parts, so my comments may be a bit unfocused. First off, well done on having put a lot of work into preparing for the adventure. Second thing, some of the encounter sound too difficult for a 1st level party - may I suggest that you get a hold of your players' character sheets and run through a trial of all the combats by yourself, so you can see if they have a reasonably chance of survival? With all the work you've put in, it'd be a shame to have things ruined with a TPK. Thirdly, I can't really see why the mayor would want four random items from the previous group of adventurers. To prove they're alive? To prove they're dead? To prove they actually went on the quest and haven't just been drinking at the pub the whole time? If the object of the quest is to bring his son back alive, that all seems a bit pointless. Perhaps you could change it to "bring back the important heirloom(s) which the adventurers were carrying"? Gives it a bit more of a point, if you ask me. Fourthly, the three sleeping humans in the cave - have you prepared what you're going to do when the PCs tie them up and interrogate them, which is what they're probably going to do if they're on the ball Fifthly, scripting in a bit more build-up to the fights wouldn't be a bad idea. When they run across the orcish butcher, for instance, give him a bit of dialogue, maybe; or before the wolves attack, give them some indication that they're being stalked, like telling them that they've been hearing strange rustlings behind them on the trail for the last five minutes. Also, in the final battle with the priest of Nerull, at least give your PCs the chance to make some sort of snappy comeback before he springs the undead on them - it makes him more of an actual villain and less of a random monster if they get the chance to interact and trade insults a bit before they start fighting. Sixthly, the altar explodes? You already said that you realise that it's a cliche - are you also aware that as cliches go, this one's a particularly odious cliche? And where did all the other fleeing goblins and so-forth come from? Haven't the PCs explored the place fully by this point? Good luck, and I hope you have fun with it.
Helmed Horror 10-01-04, 03:06 PM	My thanks stormranger, I will try to revise it accordingly... To change items to heirlooms, to inform the families that they have perished, To add more dialouge for fights, To definealty plan what the humans will say if they interrogate them. I completley forgot about this option. Thank you.
Helmed Horror 10-01-04, 03:07 PM	My thanks stormranger, I will try to revise it accordingly... To change items to heirlooms, to inform the families that they have perished, To add more dialouge for fights, To definealty plan what the humans will say if they interrogate them. I completley forgot about this option. Thank you.