Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 grod_the_giant Jun 28, 2008 15:07:41	Hello, everyone. I have decided to use the onset of 4th edition as an incentive to reform some of my sub par DMing practices. One of my new goals is to write up nice, complete adventure notes, with room descriptions and so on. Here, I intend to share them with you for advice and appreciation. So, without further ado: everyone is level 11: a Warforged Cleric, focusing on melee. a Dwarf Wizard. a Doppleganger Ranger. a Dragonborn Paladin.and, finally, my DMPC (a well-established tradition in my group), a Half-elf Warlock named Varis. Room 1: Prison Cells You are in the same small cell you have been in every day of your life that you can remember. There’s a straw mat in one corner, but otherwise the room is featureless stone and silver bars that prevent every attempt at escape or communication, magical or otherwise. Suddenly, you hear feet tramping down the stairs outside. Two of your jailors- pale skinned orcs with the blank look of the magically controlled- enter the hall, dragging a new prisoner between them. The half elf, almost as tall but much slimmer then his stocky captors, looks around curiously, as though he regards his situation as only temporary. Doesn’t he know that escape is impossible? You study him closely before he is locked away out of your sight for all eternity. His narrow face and the pointed ears that stick out from his long, straight black hair betray his heritage, but his eyes are a quite unusual shade of purple that contrast sharply with the dull gray prison clothes he wears. He has a neat goatee and a striking scar under his right eye. Just before you loose sight of him, he looks straight at you and winks. Then he is gone, pulled beyond your line of sight. You hear clink of a cell door, and wait expectantly for the thud of his body hitting the ground. You don’t hear it. Instead, you hear a sharp gasp of pain, and the corridor is suddenly lit by a burst of arcane power. The man then walks back into view, twirling a key ring and brushing off his bloodstained clothes. “Well then,” he says casually. “Who’s up for a little rescuing?” He quickly unlocks your cells, and you get a good look at your fellow prisoners for the first time. A motley bunch, on the whole, all clad in uniform prison grays. . “I’m Varis Starfire, with the Sunsworn.” He looks confused by the blank looks on your faces, and continues. “The Resistance? Against the Empire of Tears?” When you show no sign of comprehension, he sighs and continues. “I’ll explain later. Right now, it’s time to get out of here.” He turns to face the back wall of the cell block, where a guard normally sits. There is no guard now, only the bloody corpses of the orc guards, flattened by a burst of baneful magic. Varis fingers a small purple sphere, but as he does so you notice a small but deep cut on his forearm. “It’s nothing,” he says. “Just the remnants of my hiding the magic to break us out.” He tosses the sphere at the wall, and fires a blast of violet flame. His magic strikes the wall, and the sphere explodes. When the smoke clears, you see a gaping hole blasted through the stone wall. Behind it lies a small, jagged passage leading into the depths of the earth (Room 2). The cave passage ends against another stone wall. On this one, though, you see a system of bolts and bars that hold a large chunk in place. With a quick twist and a push, the entire thing could come out Room 3: Storeroom You step out into a small, dimly lit storeroom. A series of shelves line the walls, fully loaded with all sorts of confiscated equipment. Strangely, though you’ve never been here before, you notice something that seems hauntingly familiar. Directly across from you lies a normal wooden door, and next to it an arrow slit peers out into the next room. Your attention is diverted, though, by the devil standing guard in the middle of the room. It is about the size of a large human, but the small horns and glowing red eyes put a quick end to that misconception. It wears a suit of custom-made plate mail and shield, and carries a finely crafted longsword. All its equipment is decorated with glowing, infernal red runes. (Legion Devil Hellguard). Room 4: Central Room and Encounter 1 You open the door and step out into a large central room decorated with beautiful mosaics and carvings along all surfaces, many of which glow with a soft magical light. To your left, a stature of a giant holds a large, unlit lantern. Farther along the left wall, a passage leads back a short distances before it bends out of sight. To the right, the wall is relatively plain, except for another wooden door. Directly ahead, steps lead up to a raised platform decorated with two statues flanking a raised portcullis. And, not to be forgotten, a half dozen Legion Devils standing in formation in front of it. One of them shouts a warning, and you hear running feet as the portcullis slams shut. Drow Warrior: The creature that rounds the bend/bursts through the door resembles an elf, but with shocking white hair, deep black skin, and a malevolent expression on his face. Drow. He wears finely crafted black chainmail, and carries a rapier in one hand, and a crossbow in the other. Drow Arachnomancer: Another drow charges down the stairs, skidding to a halt just in behind the iron bars of the portcullis. She wears a long mage’s robe over her chainmail, and instead of weapons carries a silver shaft tipped with a carved obsidian spider. Encounter 1- Level 11, 3000 xp: *8 Legion Devil Hellguards (6 in the room) *2 Drow Warriors *1 level 11 Drow Arachnomancer Room 5: Portcullis Control The door leads to a small guard room. The left side has a pair of arrow slits looking out at the hallway right behind the portcullis, and a rack of ranged weapons is stored against another wall. A Legion Devil guards the crank for the portcullis. Crank: DC 20 and standard action to raise the portcullis enough to negate barrier and cover. Rooms 6a and 6b: Barracks and stairs Stairs: “No,” Varis says. “These just lead to the main fortress. We don’t want that- too many for us to fight through. I know the way.” Barracks: This is a normal room where a few guards can sleep. There is nothing of significance here. Room 7: Another cave passage Varis whispers a few arcane words, throws another purple sphere at the corner, and blasts through into another cave passage. This one slopes upwards away from the room, and you notice that this cave seems to have been carved by flowing water, although it is dry now. Room 8: Naga Cavern and Encounter 2 The passage suddenly widens into a large cavern. Once a lake would have filled the bowl-shaped room, but now light from the glowing red crystal placed on a ledge in front of you dances across the limestone walls. Smooth-sided stalactites are scattered across the floor. Immediately to your right, you hear water rushing against the low stone wall that holds it back. The reason for this is easily apparent, however: three fire archons cluster defensively around the red crystal. They are strange creatures- they have humanoid torsos that rear up on snake-like tails rather then legs, but composed of solid flame instead of flesh. They wear obsidian armor, and carry large black greataxes whose blades glow with heat. Additionally, you can see a bunker carved into the wall opposite your position. Inside is a Naga- a creature that resembles a giant snake, but with a humanoid face. It hisses at the archons, and they ready themselves for battle. Encounter 2- Level 11, 3000 xp: *1 Guardian Naga *3 level 11 Fire Archon Emberguards Room 9: Bunker Beyond the low embankment, the natural cavern has been carved into the wall of the cavern. The floor radiates gentle heat- no doubt for the benefit of the cold-blooded Naga- and is covered with a thin layer of soft sand. The walls are covered with arcane symbols in decorative patterns. And finally, neatly tucked in cubbies along the back wall, you see an impressive treasure horde. Treasure: *+3 Symbol of Hope- *Battlestrider Greaves *Carved ivory scroll case (750 gp). Inside: Leomund’s Secret Chest ritual *Silver death mask (450 gp) *Engraved gold box (225 gp) with 525 gp of residuum inside *On walls: Clues that will let you develop the Remove Affliction ritual after a few hours of quiet work (ie, after rest) “Room” 10: Outside You step out of the cave and are suddenly dazzled by the brightest light you have ever seen. When at last your eyes adapt, you realize that you are outside for the first time in your life. You are standing on a narrow ledge on the edge of a towering cliff. 50 feet below you sprawls a deep, gloomy forest. To your left, a waterfall pours out of another cave and thunders down to a deep pool far below. To your right, the ledge continues. “Come on,” Varis says. “I know you don’t remember ever being out here, but there’s no time to stand around staring. We need t get out of here before the drow realize we’re gone, and I don’t want to risk the Shadow Forest down there. Room 11: Waterfall After much twisting and straining, you clamber into a small, peaceful cave. It is largely empty, and most of the available room is taken up by a freshwater pond in the center of the room. Water pours down from a crack in the ceiling, collecting in a deep, crystal-clear basin before flowing out over the edge of the cliff. Squinting down, you think you see a large sapphire resting at the bottom of the pool. “Room” 12: Cliffs and Encounter 3 The ledge you had been walking along ends a few dozen yards away, but Varis hasn’t led you wrong. A complex network of rock shelves lead away, twisting and turning their way to the ground. The Shadow Forest peters out among the many valleys below, giving way to scraggly savannah. “Come on,” Varis says. “We’re almost there.” You had just barely entered the maze, however, when you hear a roar. You look up to see a bizarre creature swooping towards you. It superficially resembles a large red lion, but has dragon-like wings and a strong tail tipped with dozens of iron spikes. Mounted on its back and goading the beast onwards is yet another drow. Just as you finish assessing this foe, however, two more appear- hideous creatures with a drow’s upper body mounted on a spider’s abdomen. They wave greatswords at you and bare spider-like fangs. Encounter 3- Level 11, 3000 xp: *1 level 11 Drow Arachnomancer-riding *1 Manticore *2 level 12 Drider Fanglords “Room” 13: Camp Finally, you have made it to the ground. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing ahead but open savannah. But as you peer hopelessly out at the horizon, Varis is still moving. He walks into one of the large valleys between cliffs and pulls aside some bushes, revealing the entrance to a small cave. “We can camp in here,” he says. “We’ll have plenty of time to rest- we’ll stay here ‘til past sunrise tomorrow. Then, while the Drow are sleeping and not too combat effective, we can start working our way away from here.” I'll post my player's reactions and the next adventure soon.
#2 Mr_Miscellany Jun 29, 2008 14:51:11	I like "Room" 10 the best. If I were a character in this adventure, that would be the most memorable part for me.