QUIET PLEASE - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 iserith Dec 05, 2014 17:20:13	QUIET PLEASE This is a scene that could be part of a large dungeon or other location in your campaign. It's suitable for a party of four 2nd-level adventurers and is a good way to kick off the party wizard's journey into his or her subclass at 3rd level. By way of the design, I'm showing how to present a challenge with several countdowns that increase tension and how to telegraph potential escalation. This scenario was inspired by a discussion with several participants in the weekly #rpgchat discussion on Twitter (Thursday's, 3 pm Eastern). THE SITCH It's time for the wizard to begin down a path of magic specialization. In order to start off on the right foot, this ambitious spellcaster needs an obscure tome of magic reputed to be in the lost collection of Archmage Dewey, a legendary wizard that disappeared from the Prime Material centuries ago. The adventurers have travelled to the ruins of the wizard's tower and have finally - after much tribulation - happened upon the library. But this is no time for leisurely browsing while sipping coffee! A fire is spreading through the area and smoke billows into the chamber so there is no time to lose. Will the adventurers find the tome they seek before their quest goes up in smoke? THE COMPLICATIONS Book Burning For reasons that the DM is free to establish, this area of the tower is on fire. Perhaps it was a fire trap spell gone awry, a freak lightning strike from a storm, or rampaging hobgoblins that are trying to burn the adventurers out of the dungeon. When the PCs arrive by way of the eastern archway, smoke is already billowing in. Every four rounds thereafter unless delayed somehow, an additional archway becomes choked in smoke. When all four archways are obscured in smoke, further efforts to search are completely stymied and if the adventurers don't seek escape, suffocation soon follows. (You can make this scene more challenging by decreasing the amount of rounds before successive archways are choked with smoke.) Needle in a Haystack The book the adventurers are looking for is sitting somewhere among the twelve bookshelves that line the walls. There are many books here that cover a wide range of subjects and they are organized according to an arcane method devised by Archmage Dewey himself. Roll 1d12 to determine the bookcase where the book is located. In order to have a chance of finding the required tome, a character must move books around, climb shelves, flip through and read books, and otherwise interact with them directly. Unless some other circumstance causes the adventurers to automatically succeed or fail in their search of a bookcase, a single adventurer can sufficiently search a bookcase as an action with success or failure determined by a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a success, the character either finds the book (if they are searching the right bookcase) or knows with certainty that it is elsewhere. On a failure, the character either knows the book is there but hasn't found it yet (if they are searching the right bookcase) or knows that it's not located in that bookcase and makes noise (see below). A group of more than two characters (but no more than four) can make it easier to search a bookcase by working together. Call for a group check in this case with a DC 10 rather than 15. Two Angry Spirits Madame Fortuna, an aspiring diviner, and Guy Lyrical, a wandering bard, both met their end in this library many years ago at the hands of The Librarian, a dangerous ghost that haunts this place. Their spirits - poltergeists (see the variant sidebar on page 279 of the Monster Manual) - are confused and angry as they have no sense of how they died and vent their frustrations upon any living beings that enter the library. The Librarian Show THE LIBRARIAN Medium undead, lawful evil ----------------------------------------------------------------- Armor Class 12 Hit Points 58 (13d8) Speed 0 ft., fly 40ft. (hover) ----------------------------------------------------------------- STR 1 (-5) DEX 14 (+2) CON 10 (+0) INT 12 (+1) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 17 (+3) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Saving Throws Wis +2, Cha +4 Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non magical weapons Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Common, Elvish Challenge 4 (1 ,100 XP) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Incorporeal Movement. The Librarian can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. She takes 5 (1d10) force damage if she ends her turn inside an object. ACTIONS Corrupting Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (3d6 + 2) necrotic damage. Horrifying Knowledge. The Librarian imparts terrible knowledge gleaned from many years of reading and studying esoteric lore. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of The Librarian that can hear her must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if The Librarian imparted information specifically related to the target, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to The Librarian's Horrifying Knowledge for the next 24 hours. Hush (1/Day). The Librarian holds a finger up to her lips and says, "Shhh!" This affectation has no effect on constructs and undead. All other creatures within 30 feet of her that can hear her must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature drops to 0 hit points. On a success, a creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.
#2 bawylie Dec 06, 2014 10:17:47	This is a great take on the Wail of the Banshee scenario (where PCs have to loot some mausoleum in the hills and run afoul of the banshee). The CR 4 vs the 2nd level party is an overmatch. But that's by design. The challenge here is to accomplish th task before the TPK I like these scenarios bc your approach to the task matters more than the system math.
#3 THEMNGMNT Dec 06, 2014 11:51:57	Good stuff. Thanks!
#4 Akeisha Dec 06, 2014 12:35:08	Just out of curiosity, if a party decides that putting out the fire is a priority, then what percentage chance for success would you suggest? Is it already too late to stop the fire or can they actually do it? I could actually imagine a party considering this approach in order to salvage the entire contents of the library if possible...
#5 Rhenny Dec 06, 2014 15:50:14	I love it...especially The Librarian. Well done, Iserith.
#6 iserith Dec 08, 2014 6:53:35	bawylie wrote:
#7 alienux Dec 09, 2014 12:54:04	Nice scenario, and interesting setting. I especially like the "shhh" power as it adds a little humor. The poltergiests are interesting, but is there a specific trigger for them to attack and/or interact with the adventurers as written, or are they mostly set dressing? Or just DM choice?
#8 Emanuele_Galletto Dec 09, 2014 13:11:38	Man, that librarian ghost is wicked. Nice scenario, and I like how you put there a CR 4 on purpose. Those are the memorable encounters.
#9 intently Dec 09, 2014 13:33:27	I'm going to work this into my Observatory, thanks! Oh, question: would you tell the players something like, "you think you have about 12 rounds to find the book before smoke fills the room"?
#10 bawylie Dec 09, 2014 13:46:03	Kinda feel like I'd do it a little sexier, but yeah. "The flames are spreading quickly and smoke is already thick in the air. If you can't find what you're after, and fast, then I hope you can hold your breath long enough to avoid suffocating." Then you whip out the biggest d12 you've got and start a countdown. After they state actions, you can say "That'll take some time. You're tied up until 9." And move on and on. Don't ask for the roll until the countdown hits the turn you mentioned. That kinda thing.
#11 iserith Dec 09, 2014 14:00:03	alienux wrote:
#12 Echamil Dec 09, 2014 14:59:35	I have to say, this is ingenious. It fits, which is what makes it work in my opinion. A problem I have encountered, that upon everyone leveling to level 3, those who get an Archetype, decide what they want and that's it. No story, no roleplay, just pure mechanic. I like that you took the time to make a map, and a miniature adventure module to explain the Wizard's move into an Archetype, because regardless of school, the book is in that library. My only question is this, (because I know a player will ask if I DM this); If the Bard and Mystic can be put to rest without encountering them, by blessing their bones, can the same be done about the librarian? I do enjoy this though. Personally, I think you should write this into two page PDF format. Are you doing an adventure module like this for other classes? I would be interested to see the many of options.
#13 iserith Dec 09, 2014 17:06:19	Echamil wrote:
#14 Devils-Advocate Jan 10, 2015 22:41:21	This is awesome! I was actually looking for a good challenge for a Warlock to earn her Tome when she hits third level. Do you have any advice for adjusting this encounter to suit a smaller party? As written I think it would be too challenging for my purposes, but narratively it would be a great fit for the campaign I'm working on.
#15 iserith Jan 11, 2015 6:14:09	Thanks for the kind words! There are a couple ways to make it more approachable for a smaller group. You can reduce the number of poltergeists by one and increase the countdown until fire consumes the library to compensate for the smaller pool of actions the party has.
#16 Devils-Advocate Jan 11, 2015 7:11:26	iserith wrote:
#17 iserith Mar 24, 2015 7:34:08	Cool! A poster on enworld read this scenario, ran it for his players, and then did a write-up for it! Thanks, evilbob!

This is a scene that could be part of a large dungeon or other location in your campaign. It's suitable for a party of four 2nd-level adventurers and is a good way to kick off the party wizard's journey into his or her subclass at 3rd level. By way of the design, I'm showing how to present a challenge with several countdowns that increase tension and how to telegraph potential escalation. This scenario was inspired by a discussion with several participants in the weekly #rpgchat discussion on Twitter (Thursday's, 3 pm Eastern).

THE SITCH

It's time for the wizard to begin down a path of magic specialization. In order to start off on the right foot, this ambitious spellcaster needs an obscure tome of magic reputed to be in the lost collection of Archmage Dewey, a legendary wizard that disappeared from the Prime Material centuries ago.

The adventurers have travelled to the ruins of the wizard's tower and have finally - after much tribulation - happened upon the library. But this is no time for leisurely browsing while sipping coffee! A fire is spreading through the area and smoke billows into the chamber so there is no time to lose.

Will the adventurers find the tome they seek before their quest goes up in smoke?

THE COMPLICATIONS

Book Burning

For reasons that the DM is free to establish, this area of the tower is on fire. Perhaps it was a fire trap spell gone awry, a freak lightning strike from a storm, or rampaging hobgoblins that are trying to burn the adventurers out of the dungeon. When the PCs arrive by way of the eastern archway, smoke is already billowing in. Every four rounds thereafter unless delayed somehow, an additional archway becomes choked in smoke. When all four archways are obscured in smoke, further efforts to search are completely stymied and if the adventurers don't seek escape, suffocation soon follows. (You can make this scene more challenging by decreasing the amount of rounds before successive archways are choked with smoke.)

Needle in a Haystack

The book the adventurers are looking for is sitting somewhere among the twelve bookshelves that line the walls. There are many books here that cover a wide range of subjects and they are organized according to an arcane method devised by Archmage Dewey himself. Roll 1d12 to determine the bookcase where the book is located. In order to have a chance of finding the required tome, a character must move books around, climb shelves, flip through and read books, and otherwise interact with them directly.

Unless some other circumstance causes the adventurers to automatically succeed or fail in their search of a bookcase, a single adventurer can sufficiently search a bookcase as an action with success or failure determined by a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a success, the character either finds the book (if they are searching the right bookcase) or knows with certainty that it is elsewhere. On a failure, the character either knows the book is there but hasn't found it yet (if they are searching the right bookcase) or knows that it's not located in that bookcase and makes noise (see below).

A group of more than two characters (but no more than four) can make it easier to search a bookcase by working together. Call for a group check in this case with a DC 10 rather than 15.

Two Angry Spirits

Madame Fortuna, an aspiring diviner, and Guy Lyrical, a wandering bard, both met their end in this library many years ago at the hands of The Librarian, a dangerous ghost that haunts this place. Their spirits - poltergeists (see the variant sidebar on page 279 of the Monster Manual) - are confused and angry as they have no sense of how they died and vent their frustrations upon any living beings that enter the library.

The Librarian

Show

THE LIBRARIAN
Medium undead, lawful evil

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Armor Class 12
Hit Points 58 (13d8)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40ft. (hover)

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STR 1 (-5) DEX 14 (+2) CON 10 (+0)
INT 12 (+1) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 17 (+3)

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Saving Throws Wis +2, Cha +4

Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non magical weapons
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Elvish
Challenge 4 (1 ,100 XP)

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Incorporeal Movement. The Librarian can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. She takes 5 (1d10) force damage if she ends her turn inside an object.

ACTIONS

Corrupting Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (3d6 + 2) necrotic damage.

Horrifying Knowledge. The Librarian imparts terrible knowledge gleaned from many years of reading and studying esoteric lore. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of The Librarian that can hear her must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if The Librarian imparted information specifically related to the target, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to The Librarian's Horrifying Knowledge for the next 24 hours.

Hush (1/Day). The Librarian holds a finger up to her lips and says, "Shhh!" This affectation has no effect on constructs and undead. All other creatures within 30 feet of her that can hear her must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature drops to 0 hit points. On a success, a creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.