So if you recall my post last week Avenging the Ghost Druid, I asked for feedback on how to resolve a situation in my game. I got some cool ideas and we played them out last night. Here's a summary of what happened.
THE PARTY.
Jaster Starleaf, Druid of the Moon (Elf Druid 5)
Ser Doron the Unlucky Cloak, Knight of Kelemvor (Human Paladin 5)
Elimorel Bramblepelt, Dragon Hunter (Elf Ranger 5)
Trym Bluemoss, the Criminal Assassin (Halfling Rogue 5)
Xevan, the Cult of the Dragon Spy (Human Wizard Illusionist 5)
SCENE BACKGROUND: HOW THE DRUID BECAME A GHOST
We're playing LMoP and the Heroes were sent to take care of the Orcs near Wyvern Tor and finally tracked down the Orc cave. The Heroes charged in sword first. The Druid saw Gog the Ogre relieving himself into a (poisoned) stream and charged forward in Bear form to confront the "abomination of nature" (which is how his Druid sees Ogres, Orcs, and other brutally savage races). Unfortunately for the Druid, things did not go very well and he was about to die.....so he cast Call Lightning directly upon himself and the Ogre, who were both fighting in the poisoned stream. The Lightning was incredible and both the Druid and the Ogre instantly died from the spell.
But something strange happened....the Druid turned into a Ghost, hovering mere feet over his dead body. End Session. That's where we left off last week.
I gave the Druid the Ghost statistics from the MM, including the Etherealnes trait and the Horrifying Visage and Possession abilities. In addition, he could still cast his druid spells, but due to his loose connection to the Material Plane, all of his spells were only 50% effective.
Shortly after turning into a ghost, the Druid was visited by Reidoth the Druid (NPC from LMoP) in a spiritual communion. Reidoth told the Druid Ghost that his death was premature and untimely. Seek out Blagothkus the Cloud Giant in Skyreach Castle.
LOST MINE OF PHANDELVER: Part 5. Venomfang's Revenge!
(this is part of an adventure segue I wrote to link the LMoP and HotDQ adventures to
The Heroes returned to Phandalin with their dead companion's body and ghost. But shortly upon their arrival, Venomfang the Green Dragon darkened the skies above the small town. The Heroes had encountered the dragon previously, but they parleyed and the encounter ended with a stalemate. However, the Heroes had since defeated the Cragmaw Goblin tribe, slayed King Grol, befriended Agatha the Ghost of Neverwinter Wood, negotiated a truce with the Black Spider, and restored Wave Echo Cave to its former glory. Venomfang knew the Heroes were going to be a problem if not taken care of soon, so he flew to Phandalin and launched an attack. Along with Venomfang were a group of Dragon Cultists and Dragonclaw Kobolds (normal Kobolds infused with Green Dragon magic).
Venomfang's rage was devastating for the poor town of Phandalin. Sister Garaele (NPC Elf Priestess of Tymora) lost an arm to a brutal bite from Venomfang. Everyone inside of the Stonehill Inn was instantly killed by a massive cloud of poison gas breathed by Venomfang, who then tore the building to the ground. Having gotten the attention of the Heroes, he issued his demands:
"Puny humanfolk and delicous elves. You are no match for the might of Venomfang! Gather up all of your treasure and gold and deliver them to my lair in Thundertree. You have 4 days....or I will be back to take it from you myself....and I will eat you all and pick your treasure out of my teeth!" And with that, Venomfang flew off.
PHANDALIN'S DEVASTATION.
Venomfang's attack killed at least half of the town. Townmaster Harbin urged the Heroes to give in to the Dragon's demands and save them from the Dragon's wrath! But the Heroes had a different idea. KILL THE DRAGON. Using their recently acquired gold, they hired over a dozen mercenaries from Phandalin (including Sellswords, Miners, Hunters, and Acolytes of Tymora). They were two dozen strong when they headed north for Thundertree.
THE BATTLE OF THUNDERTREE.
When they got near Thundertree, they found it to be completely different from when they last were here. Venomfang's Dragon Magic had infused with the land. The whole town was covered in thick acidic fog. The wildlife had been driven mad. The ground was overgrown with thick brush. This wasn't going to be easy. (in game terms, I gave Venomfang Lair powers and it was AWESOME. Read on....)
The Heroes and their hired mercenaries called out to Venomfang that they had his treasure, as promised....but the treasure secretly was an illusion put on by the party Wizard! Venomfang breathed a poisonous cloud onto the "treasure", which immediately disappeared. The Wizard then summoned a massive Fireball on Venomfang's head and a fierce battle erupted. Venomfang was furious at the trickery and went straight for the Wizard. In a flurry of claws and teeth, the Wizard died in 1 round (though was spared from death by a nearby Hired Acolyte).
The Dragon Hunter Ranger was firing arrow after arrow into the mighty dragon. The Paladin issued a divine smite and stood bravely in front of the dragon (looking very much like the front of the Starter Set box). The Assassin Rogue was getting in stabs and sneak attacks whenever possible. The ghost Druid summoned lightning (though slightly weakned by his ghostly form). The Sellswords, Miners, and Hunters all charged in, surrounding the dragon.
Meanwhile the Dragon's Lair Actions were awesome to use as DM. Venomfang's Charming Fog and Wall of Thorns helped the dragon control the battlefield and setup for another devastating cloud of poison.....and in one breath almost ALL of the hired mercenaries were slain. Things were not looking good.
And then.....
THE DRUID BECOMES A DRAGON.
The Ghost Druid saw no other choice. It had to be done. The player passes me a secret note that said, "I turn into the shape of a giant ghostly eagle and fly into the dragon, trying to possess him with my Ghost ability."
I wasn't going to say "no" to the Druid. How could I? So I rolled the dragon's saving throw. NATURAL 1. Hooollllllyyyyysheeeeetttttttttt.
Venomfang (now controled by the Druid) suddenly called for the combat to stop! "I am Jaster Starleaf and I have possessed the Dragon! Don't attack me!"
But the Heroes were no so sure. Green Dragons love their tricks and lies....how could they be sure it wasn't a ruse? Jaster Starleaf, through Venomfang, had to convince each Hero that it was really him inside the dragon. This was really fun to roleplay out. I mean, all of the PLAYERS figured out what was going on, but they roleplayed very well and remained skeptical in-character. Finally, the Druid/Dragon convinced everyone that he was in control of Venomfang and the battle was over. The Druid/Dragon said to his companions: "Quick, two of you hop on my back. We don't have much time! We must fly to Skyreach Castle before I lose control of Venomfang!"
TO SKYREACH CASTLE!
The Paladin and the Ranger jumped on Venomfang's back and they took off. The Rogue (who wasn't really convinced and wanted to loot the dragon's hoard) and the dying Wizard stayed behind to clean up the mess.
Venomfang flew through the night and reached Skyreach Castle the next morning. They treated with the Giant Guards at the castle's front gates and requested an audience with the Mighty Blagothkus. They were told Blagothkus was currently seeing another dragon (!!!!!!!!) but would be with them shortly.
After a short wait, they saw Wyrmspeaker Rezmir, the black Half-Dragon, flanked by several Guard Drakes leave the Giant's audience chamber. Rezmir noticed the dragon and approached.
Rezmir: "Ahh, Venomfang, what brings you here? Have you given my offer any consideration? Tiamat could use a dragon of your might and power."
Venomfang/Druid: "Oh.......yes......I think it was a very good offer. I do accept. Let's have lunch next Tuesday and we can hash out the details?"
Rezmir: "Splendid! Well, good luck with your business with Blagothkus. I think he's in a decent mood...for a Cloud Giant."
AN AUDIENCE WITH BLAGOTHKUS.
The Heroes met with the Giant Blagothkus and explained the whole situation. The giant agreed to restore the Druid's soul to his body and bring hum back to life.....but he wanted something in return. The Cult of the Dragon wants to enlist the aid of the Giants and Skyreach Castle....but Blagothkus is not so sure he can trust Wyrmspeaker Rezmir. He gave the Heroes a baseball sized chunk of marble and asked that they go forth and spy on the Cult of the Dragon for him. They can contact him using the Marble Sending Stone.
The deal was struck. Blagouthkus summoned several giant guards to hold Venomfang's dragon body still and he performed the ancient giant-magic ritual. The druid's spirit left the dragon and returned to its body, who was then restored to life. Finally back in control of its body, Venomfang was furious, but remained helplessly trapped by the Giants. They put their massive arms around its neck, preventing it from breathing poison. Blagothkus nodded to the Ranger, who delivered a point blank arrow right into Venomfang's skull, earning him the title: "Dragonslayer".
WHAT'S NEXT?
The session ended there. From here I'm going to begin the Hoard of the Dragon Queen adventure, starting with Episode I.....tuned up to level 5+ of course.
If you are familiar with HotDQ, you'll know that Skyreach Castle and Blagothkus are the climax of the HotDQ adventure....and the Heroes got a rare behind-the-scenes foreshadowing into what lies ahead.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
thanks for the fun read and honestly, this is really cool. You gave me a couple of ideas for a Planescape campaign I'm planning... possessed dragon sounds awesome! 
This is the kind of game I like. The DM is not afraid of the PCs completely altering the story/plot with a clever idea.
Emanuele_Galletto wrote:
This was a great read. Thanks Ramzour.
dmgorgon wrote:
I love the fact that the ghost of the druid wildshaped into the ghost of a giant eagle; this gives me an idea for a shaman subclass of the druid. Nice ending for the condition too.
That does sound like a pretty awesome session, Ramzour! Way to roll with the dragon possession.
Awesome to hear how you solved the ghost-druid problem. It sounds like an epic night was had.
Sometimes those natural 1's are the best thing.
SO. COOL.
Mechagamera wrote: