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| #1pukunuiOct 29, 2014 16:08:58 | Hi guys,
I'm due to run the next session of my Legacy of the Crystal Shard campaign tomorrow night ... which just happens to be Halloween. Unfortunately, they're not following the plot thread that involves battling zombies in an abandoned dwarf mine. They will be facing off the animated corpse of Icingdeath, the great white wyrm killed by Wulfgar and Drizzt, however, so there is that.
Anyway, here's what I've got planned for tomorrow night's session. I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to go about making it more fun and/or spooky.
SCENE 1: EVERMELT For starters, the 6 PCs and their baker's dozen Elk Tribe NPC allies are hanging out at the base of the Reghed Glacier, about an hour's trek south of Evermelt, waiting for nightfall so they can sneak up on the enemy Bear Tribe unseen. I'm actually thinking of having the Elk Tribe warriors start grumbling about having to wait, as they're supposed to be on a rescue mission and their loved ones/fellow tribemembers could be dying while they're just sitting there waiting for the sun to set. If they can convince the PCs to attack the enemy while it's still light out, the PCs will have to contend with boulders and arrows while they scale a 100 ft section of glacial moraine. Otherwise, if they approach by night, they'll most likely be able to catch the Bear Tribe by surprise.
[EDIT: On the other hand, the "call to action" for one of the PCs was returning to the Elk Tribe to find her father before he died of old age; he was, of course, among the tribesmen kidnapped by the Bear Tribe; if I can get the player on board, perhaps his PC will be the one grumbling about just standing around waiting.]
Once in the encampment, the PCs and NPCs will engage the Bear Tribe in combat on the shore of the Evermelt hot spring. The adventure has the PCs contending with some low CR tribal warriors plus their warchief, who is probably about on a par with the PC fighter, while their NPC allies handle the rest off-screen. This isn't really meant to be a tough fight; it's just meant to eat up a few resources for the next few fights. I'm not sure if the fight in the camp needs any interesting terrain elements or what.
SCENE 2: ICE CHUTE Once the PCs and their allies have defeated the enemy, they can find out that the prisoners have been taken into an ice cave in the glacier. The only way to get into the cave is via a slippery chute in the glacier where the water from the hot spring drains back down into the ground. The adventure calls for a hard Strength check to navigate the chute without injury, although I'm thinking of allowing a Dex (Acrobatics) check as well. It also says the chute, which starts off fully submerged, presents the danger of drowning, but I don't expect that will come into play since a PC can hold their breath for at least a minute in 5e.
The chute opens out onto a 30-foot high cliff. The adventure allows the PCs to copy Wulfgar and make a hard Strength check to leap out and grab onto one of the ice pillars. Otherwise they slip and take falling damage. I'm not sure I'll be able to run navigating the chute/stream in an exciting enough way, but I suppose it's really just there to potentially soften up the PCs more as they head towards the main fight.
SCENE 3: WATERFALL CAVE In the first ice cave, the prisoners have been stripped naked and tied to ice stalagmites. They are already half-dead from exposure. They are being guarded by the Bear Tribe's shaman and several
I imagine the floor of the cavern will be mostly difficult terrain (not just because it's made of ice but also because the spray from the waterfall leaves lots of crunchy, spiky frozen bits all over the place). There should also be a few pits.
SCENE 4: DRAGON LAIR From here, the PCs can proceed down a short tunnel into Icingdeath's former lair. The dead dragon's corpse still lies where it fell, with the giant ice stalactite still piercing its back. Most of its treasure has been looted during the century since, but there should still be some buried in the ice in various places (especially under where the dragon's corpse is). Here they will meet a simulacrum of the BBEG, the Ice Witch, who is talking to her father (allowing the players a chance to find out who the Ice Witch is). When she sees the PCs, she uses her special powers as Auril's Chosen to animate the dragon's corpse.
While the playtest stats called for a fairly wimpy Huge skeletal dragon, since Icingdeath was an ancient white dragon, I've bumped it up to a Gargantuan skeletal dragon and while it can't fly and doesn't have a breath weapon, it still has its Frightful Presence (cos c'mon, this is a freaking gigantic dragon skeleton we're talking about here!). The Ice Witch's simulacrum hasn't got a lot hit points, and once it goes down, Icingdeath's corpse collapses too, so the PCs needn't worry about taking them both out. The Ice Witch has got a number of spells, some of which are direct damage (like cone of cold) and others that are more controller-ish. I've also made her a legendary creature.
The layout of the dragon's lair in the map is kind of boring - just a big room with some ice stalagmites. I imagine there should still be a bit of a treasure mound, at least where the dragon's corpse has been resting, and I guess the icy ground should still count as difficult terrain (both the dragon and the Ice Witch ignore difficult terrain due to ice and snow). I'm thinking of also putting a crevice in the middle of the floor, though, to help slow down the melee PCs.
And there you have it. If you've got any suggestions on how to make the encounters more fun/interesting/dynamic/etc and/or more Halloween-ish, please post them here!
Thanks in advance, Jonathan |
| #2bawylieOct 29, 2014 18:21:36 | Going more halloweenish takes me more than 2 days.
Lets talk about the dragon's lair. Check out the white dragon lair selection and pull from that. I also like icicles falling in areas, maybe damaging PCs and becoming a blocking terrain. Sort of a dynamic battlefield. You can work it out to keep shrinking the occupy able area or splitting the party.
For the waterfall cave, how about water spray? Splashes of water that instantly freezes - restraining the targets. If the someone is hit twice, their Popsicled and helpless. Hit once, you can take steps to crack out of the built up ice.
Basically im looking for things that change your party's tactics. They want an assault, what can we put in the way that they'll have to deal with? |
| #3pukunuiOct 29, 2014 18:29:05 |
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| #4sleypyOct 29, 2014 19:00:11 | How about having a steep grade in the dragon's lair that causes people to slide further in certain directions when they get pushed or if they slip. Possibly trip up others caught in the path. |