Burning forest quest beginning, if you look, please comment :P - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Burning forest quest beginning, if you look, please comment :P

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
senorpenor42
May 17, 2009 7:15:09 Three able bodied adventurers stumble upon mass chaos as evacuating the burning forest: an entire village is being trampled by goblins. The PCs must take equipment from the fallen and take up arms against the goblins, and save the villagers!

"As you skirt the ridge, running towards the west away from the flames, you stumble upon a scene of mass chaos. A forest village is being trampled by goblins, who slay them as they attempt to escape the inferno. You are unarmed, but down the hill a bit you can see some strewn bodies, some of which may have the equipment you need to save the villagers. As you start lookings for weapons, you see that two other able-bodied individuals are as well. It is no time for introductions, a nod works as well as words in a time like this."
Loot prelude: starting armor and weapons depending on player's classes
Encounter one: skullcleaver x1 goblin cutter x5
Encounter loot: 71 sp
Tactics: The cutters attack in unison, fighting until slain, when the skullcleaver realizes that the pcs are actually a threat, he attacks.

"As you continue to the village, you see a group of goblins attempting to herd a large group of people together for the sharpshooter to execute. Your choices are clear."

Encounter two: Goblin Cutter x 4 Goblin Warrior x1 Goblin Sharpshooter x1
Encounter loot: 4 gp 24 sp
Tactics: the goblin warrior charges at the head of the cutters, who are spread out. The sharpshooter focuses on whoever is being attacked by the most goblins.

"You and your group make their way to the city square where the majority of the villagers who are not dead or have ran into the forest are. They are terrified out of their minds. If they stay here too long, they will surely die."

Skill challenge: Complexity 3
Primary skills: Athletics DC 14 "You try carry a straggler out of the danger area" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure, the person might die"
Diplomacy DC {11}16{21} "You try to convince a terrified group of people to run the right way" Success: "The mob becomes calm" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure. The mob continues being terrified"
Intimidate DC {10}15{20}: "You try to scare people into listening to you and running the right way" Success: "The mob becomes calm" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure. The mob becomes chaotic!"
Nature DC 14 (only usable once per character): "You try to quell the fire for long enough for people to escape from the inferno" Success: "The fire seems smaller, don't stop now!" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure. The fire rages on, it seems larger."
[Mob attitudes: Calm (DC goes way down), Terrified (DC is as it was at the beginning) and Chaotic (DC goes up)]
Secondary skills:
Heal DC 12: You try to heal a fallen person's [person who was failed to be saved by an athletics check] burns. Success: "Person must still be carried out." Failure: "PCs do not accrue a failure but the person dies."
Bluff DC 15, only usable when the mob is chaotic: "You try to calm a chaotic mob with lies about the level of danger they are in" Success: "They are no longer chaotic, but continue to be terrified." Failure: "PCs do NOT accrue a failure, but the mob stays chaotic."

Success: 8 successes before 3 failures

Success level: 8 successes before 3 failures: You saved almost everyone from the burning town. You and your fellows are true heroes. [full xp]
6-7 successes before 3 failures: You tried your very best, but could not save close to everyone, you are still a hero though. [full xp-100]
4-5: You tried your best, but not very many people made it. Your heart was in the right place, you just couldn't calm the mob. [full xp-200]
1-3 You tried and failed. Most people from the village died that day. Luckily, at least, no one will remember your failure. [no xp]

"Your group and the people you rescued [or not] continue along the path to the relative safety of Nerith Vale and the town of Fallcrest [change as you see fit]. You had thought all the goblins were dead, or on the other side of the blaze. You thought wrong. The bugbear leader of this group of goblins is waiting for you, blocking the path. 'You ruined everything! Warchief Karrath would flay me alive, were he here. You. Will. Pay.' 4 goblins enter the scene from the underbrush, leering. You tell the villagers to stay far back. This was going to be ugly."

Encounter: Bugbear Warrior x1 Goblin cutter x4 Goblin Lurkers (hidden) x2
"Two more goblins enter, creating a flanking formation with the remaining goblins"
Tactics: The bugbear waits for the cutters to attack before wading into battle. When there is 1 or less cutters left, he signals the lurkers in (free action), who try to create flanking maneuvers for their leader.
Encounter loot:
The Seal of Doomaxe "the seal of a mid-ranking leader in the Doomaxe horde"
Subcommander's Orders "Terrify the village and light it on fire, leave no survivors. Afterwards head north, killing all you find. There will be no resistance. Meet up with the main army within 2 days or be dead."
Pillaged goods worth 200 gp "The most valuable items from the small village that can be carried are here as well, the gavel of the first mayor, a silver chalice, some intricate but breakable daggers [unusable in combat], and some other things as well. One thing catches your eye the most, though"
+1 Chainmail: "The prized possesion of the town, this item was given to the settlers' resident warrior as a gift by the mayor of Fallcrest [change as you see fit] for their journey to settle the forest, many years ago. [If any survivors] You should take it. It is of no use to us now. Our line of town warriors died out decades ago."
+1 Dwarven Chainmail: This magic armor (value 520 gp)
provides its wearer with a +1 enhancement bonus to AC,
a +1 bonus on Endurance checks, and a daily power (as a
free action, regain hit points as if you had spent a healing
surge).

Designed for a semi competent 3 person party, but feel free to tweak, it would be a compliment.
Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Go ahead

UPDATE: 44 unique views, no comments, ffs did I do something wrong?
#2
silent_stone
May 17, 2009 22:29:09
UPDATE: 44 unique views, no comments, ffs did I do something wrong?

Yes. You forgot to sacrifice a live chicken to a pagan god (you get to choose which one).

But I'll forgive you this time. As far as the skill challenges go, they look good to me—I like the varying levels of success in the town evacuation part. Personally, though, I'd change the reward of the dwarven chainmail (something probably only one or two characters could use, unless you got a suffusion of characters that use heavy armor) to something that any character could use, like a cloak of resistance or something like that.
#3
senorpenor42
May 18, 2009 6:11:31
Yes. You forgot to sacrifice a live chicken to a pagan god (you get to choose which one).

But I'll forgive you this time. As far as the skill challenges go, they look good to me—I like the varying levels of success in the town evacuation part. Personally, though, I'd change the reward of the dwarven chainmail (something probably only one or two characters could use, unless you got a suffusion of characters that use heavy armor) to something that any character could use, like a cloak of resistance or something like that.

Lol! I knew I did something wrong.

Cool thanks!

Ok I will, I had the chainmail for my cleric who is the least interested and I want to hook.
#4
turtlshellz
May 18, 2009 6:33:29 While I am not really qualified to talk about how well it conforms to rules or anything I havent read the DMG yet! D'oh!) I can say this: The way it is written up sounds very dramatic and fun!

In the end that is all that matters. Good job.
#5
silent_stone
May 18, 2009 10:20:25
I had the chainmail for my cleric who is the least interested and I want to hook.

Oh, in this case, the chainmail makes better sense, then—I did not realize it served a specific (albeit metagame) purpose.
#6
AbdulAlhazred
May 19, 2009 18:07:00 I think this will work fine. Some of the later encounters might end up needing to be tweaked on the fly simply because it is hard to know ahead of time how beat up the party will be by the time they get that far, but at worst you can always do something like reduce the bugbear's hit points by a little (maybe a villager managed to wound him a bit). In any case it may not be necessary.

Overall this is probably one of those "can't really go too far wrong" type scenarios. If the party tries to run they can still hit the main encounters. If they have some bad luck and get seriously damaged its easy to tweak the last encounter, and there's no chance they can fudge things up by trying to take an extended rest in the middle etc. Good mini adventure for starting out a party. The various hooks should work reliably as well.
#7
senorpenor42
May 19, 2009 18:50:08
I think this will work fine. Some of the later encounters might end up needing to be tweaked on the fly simply because it is hard to know ahead of time how beat up the party will be by the time they get that far, but at worst you can always do something like reduce the bugbear's hit points by a little (maybe a villager managed to wound him a bit). In any case it may not be necessary.

Overall this is probably one of those "can't really go too far wrong" type scenarios. If the party tries to run they can still hit the main encounters. If they have some bad luck and get seriously damaged its easy to tweak the last encounter, and there's no chance they can fudge things up by trying to take an extended rest in the middle etc. Good mini adventure for starting out a party. The various hooks should work reliably as well.

Thank you! this is exactly what I like to hear! One question: what should I do if they try to take an extended rest in the middle? Wait by that do you mean it would be good or bad to take a rest? :P a lil unclear.

But again, thanks, it's always good to hear that something you made will work well!
#8
silent_stone
May 19, 2009 21:45:11
One question: what should I do if they try to take an extended rest in the middle?

Well, it seems to me in a situation like this, trying to set up camp and resting for any significant amount of time (that is, longer than a short rest) would be an invite for more goblins. If the PCs start talking about taking an extended rest in the middle of this sequence, just tell them: "There are goblins all over this forest. It might be a really bad idea to stop and rest out here in the open." If they still decide to take the rest, hit them with an easy encounter (say, four goblin cutters and a blackblade, or something like that).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 senorpenor42 May 17, 2009 7:15:09	Three able bodied adventurers stumble upon mass chaos as evacuating the burning forest: an entire village is being trampled by goblins. The PCs must take equipment from the fallen and take up arms against the goblins, and save the villagers! "As you skirt the ridge, running towards the west away from the flames, you stumble upon a scene of mass chaos. A forest village is being trampled by goblins, who slay them as they attempt to escape the inferno. You are unarmed, but down the hill a bit you can see some strewn bodies, some of which may have the equipment you need to save the villagers. As you start lookings for weapons, you see that two other able-bodied individuals are as well. It is no time for introductions, a nod works as well as words in a time like this." Loot prelude: starting armor and weapons depending on player's classes Encounter one: skullcleaver x1 goblin cutter x5 Encounter loot: 71 sp Tactics: The cutters attack in unison, fighting until slain, when the skullcleaver realizes that the pcs are actually a threat, he attacks. "As you continue to the village, you see a group of goblins attempting to herd a large group of people together for the sharpshooter to execute. Your choices are clear." Encounter two: Goblin Cutter x 4 Goblin Warrior x1 Goblin Sharpshooter x1 Encounter loot: 4 gp 24 sp Tactics: the goblin warrior charges at the head of the cutters, who are spread out. The sharpshooter focuses on whoever is being attacked by the most goblins. "You and your group make their way to the city square where the majority of the villagers who are not dead or have ran into the forest are. They are terrified out of their minds. If they stay here too long, they will surely die." Skill challenge: Complexity 3 Primary skills: Athletics DC 14 "You try carry a straggler out of the danger area" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure, the person might die" Diplomacy DC {11}16{21} "You try to convince a terrified group of people to run the right way" Success: "The mob becomes calm" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure. The mob continues being terrified" Intimidate DC {10}15{20}: "You try to scare people into listening to you and running the right way" Success: "The mob becomes calm" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure. The mob becomes chaotic!" Nature DC 14 (only usable once per character): "You try to quell the fire for long enough for people to escape from the inferno" Success: "The fire seems smaller, don't stop now!" Failure: "The PCs accrue a failure. The fire rages on, it seems larger." [Mob attitudes: Calm (DC goes way down), Terrified (DC is as it was at the beginning) and Chaotic (DC goes up)] Secondary skills: Heal DC 12: You try to heal a fallen person's [person who was failed to be saved by an athletics check] burns. Success: "Person must still be carried out." Failure: "PCs do not accrue a failure but the person dies." Bluff DC 15, only usable when the mob is chaotic: "You try to calm a chaotic mob with lies about the level of danger they are in" Success: "They are no longer chaotic, but continue to be terrified." Failure: "PCs do NOT accrue a failure, but the mob stays chaotic." Success: 8 successes before 3 failures Success level: 8 successes before 3 failures: You saved almost everyone from the burning town. You and your fellows are true heroes. [full xp] 6-7 successes before 3 failures: You tried your very best, but could not save close to everyone, you are still a hero though. [full xp-100] 4-5: You tried your best, but not very many people made it. Your heart was in the right place, you just couldn't calm the mob. [full xp-200] 1-3 You tried and failed. Most people from the village died that day. Luckily, at least, no one will remember your failure. [no xp] "Your group and the people you rescued [or not] continue along the path to the relative safety of Nerith Vale and the town of Fallcrest [change as you see fit]. You had thought all the goblins were dead, or on the other side of the blaze. You thought wrong. The bugbear leader of this group of goblins is waiting for you, blocking the path. 'You ruined everything! Warchief Karrath would flay me alive, were he here. You. Will. Pay.' 4 goblins enter the scene from the underbrush, leering. You tell the villagers to stay far back. This was going to be ugly." Encounter: Bugbear Warrior x1 Goblin cutter x4 Goblin Lurkers (hidden) x2 "Two more goblins enter, creating a flanking formation with the remaining goblins" Tactics: The bugbear waits for the cutters to attack before wading into battle. When there is 1 or less cutters left, he signals the lurkers in (free action), who try to create flanking maneuvers for their leader. Encounter loot: The Seal of Doomaxe "the seal of a mid-ranking leader in the Doomaxe horde" Subcommander's Orders "Terrify the village and light it on fire, leave no survivors. Afterwards head north, killing all you find. There will be no resistance. Meet up with the main army within 2 days or be dead." Pillaged goods worth 200 gp "The most valuable items from the small village that can be carried are here as well, the gavel of the first mayor, a silver chalice, some intricate but breakable daggers [unusable in combat], and some other things as well. One thing catches your eye the most, though" +1 Chainmail: "The prized possesion of the town, this item was given to the settlers' resident warrior as a gift by the mayor of Fallcrest [change as you see fit] for their journey to settle the forest, many years ago. [If any survivors] You should take it. It is of no use to us now. Our line of town warriors died out decades ago." +1 Dwarven Chainmail: This magic armor (value 520 gp) provides its wearer with a +1 enhancement bonus to AC, a +1 bonus on Endurance checks, and a daily power (as a free action, regain hit points as if you had spent a healing surge). Designed for a semi competent 3 person party, but feel free to tweak, it would be a compliment. Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Go ahead UPDATE: 44 unique views, no comments, ffs did I do something wrong?
#2 silent_stone May 17, 2009 22:29:09	UPDATE: 44 unique views, no comments, ffs did I do something wrong? Yes. You forgot to sacrifice a live chicken to a pagan god (you get to choose which one). But I'll forgive you this time. As far as the skill challenges go, they look good to me—I like the varying levels of success in the town evacuation part. Personally, though, I'd change the reward of the dwarven chainmail (something probably only one or two characters could use, unless you got a suffusion of characters that use heavy armor) to something that any character could use, like a cloak of resistance or something like that.
#3 senorpenor42 May 18, 2009 6:11:31	Yes. You forgot to sacrifice a live chicken to a pagan god (you get to choose which one). But I'll forgive you this time. As far as the skill challenges go, they look good to me—I like the varying levels of success in the town evacuation part. Personally, though, I'd change the reward of the dwarven chainmail (something probably only one or two characters could use, unless you got a suffusion of characters that use heavy armor) to something that any character could use, like a cloak of resistance or something like that. Lol! I knew I did something wrong. Cool thanks! Ok I will, I had the chainmail for my cleric who is the least interested and I want to hook.
#4 turtlshellz May 18, 2009 6:33:29	While I am not really qualified to talk about how well it conforms to rules or anything I havent read the DMG yet! D'oh!) I can say this: The way it is written up sounds very dramatic and fun! In the end that is all that matters. Good job.
#5 silent_stone May 18, 2009 10:20:25	I had the chainmail for my cleric who is the least interested and I want to hook. Oh, in this case, the chainmail makes better sense, then—I did not realize it served a specific (albeit metagame) purpose.
#6 AbdulAlhazred May 19, 2009 18:07:00	I think this will work fine. Some of the later encounters might end up needing to be tweaked on the fly simply because it is hard to know ahead of time how beat up the party will be by the time they get that far, but at worst you can always do something like reduce the bugbear's hit points by a little (maybe a villager managed to wound him a bit). In any case it may not be necessary. Overall this is probably one of those "can't really go too far wrong" type scenarios. If the party tries to run they can still hit the main encounters. If they have some bad luck and get seriously damaged its easy to tweak the last encounter, and there's no chance they can fudge things up by trying to take an extended rest in the middle etc. Good mini adventure for starting out a party. The various hooks should work reliably as well.
#7 senorpenor42 May 19, 2009 18:50:08	I think this will work fine. Some of the later encounters might end up needing to be tweaked on the fly simply because it is hard to know ahead of time how beat up the party will be by the time they get that far, but at worst you can always do something like reduce the bugbear's hit points by a little (maybe a villager managed to wound him a bit). In any case it may not be necessary. Overall this is probably one of those "can't really go too far wrong" type scenarios. If the party tries to run they can still hit the main encounters. If they have some bad luck and get seriously damaged its easy to tweak the last encounter, and there's no chance they can fudge things up by trying to take an extended rest in the middle etc. Good mini adventure for starting out a party. The various hooks should work reliably as well. Thank you! this is exactly what I like to hear! One question: what should I do if they try to take an extended rest in the middle? Wait by that do you mean it would be good or bad to take a rest? :P a lil unclear. But again, thanks, it's always good to hear that something you made will work well!
#8 silent_stone May 19, 2009 21:45:11	One question: what should I do if they try to take an extended rest in the middle? Well, it seems to me in a situation like this, trying to set up camp and resting for any significant amount of time (that is, longer than a short rest) would be an invite for more goblins. If the PCs start talking about taking an extended rest in the middle of this sequence, just tell them: "There are goblins all over this forest. It might be a really bad idea to stop and rest out here in the open." If they still decide to take the rest, hit them with an easy encounter (say, four goblin cutters and a blackblade, or something like that).