Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zardnaar Aug 21, 2015 16:34:03	The following is a non combat encounter designed for PC’s of level 1-7. The encounter takes place in the Gnomish Ghetto of Lyris but any large open area in a port city will do. The latest fashion craze sweeping the land is the ability to hire a pack Gnome. The Gnomes have formed the Pack Gnome Guild (thieves guild) which over charges foolish nobles and rich merchants and adventurers 1gp a day to hire a Gnome to carry things such as shopping items and flowers across town. If there is even a hint of danger the price doubles to 2gp a day. Note the Gnomes idea of danger includes things such as a stubbed toe in the city streets. Pack Gnomes also spy out suitable locations for the Guilds nefarious activities at night.    The Pack Gnome Guild (PGG) has decided to sponsor efforts to design an airship capable of reaching the moon. Should they be able to establish a lunar base in comparative safety they could spread their reach across the entire world and steal erm pack whole cities. The Pack Gnome guild is non violent and anyone who annoys them is likely to be refused services and lodgings in any ciy where the guild has significant influence. Should a threat prove dire to the Gnomes they are likely to hire the Red Blades assassin guild to deal with any incidental problems such as adventurers.    Previous efforts at aeronautical research have proved most beneficial. The PGG has progress from firing Dwarves out of Trebuchets to designing something that might actually fly. Note the PGG are not tinker Gnomes of Krynn but they are not exactly reliable technologists either.    Encounter 1. The PCs encounter a pickpocket. The Pickpocket of course is a Gnome belonging to the PGG. The pickpocket has a sleight of hand skill of +6 vs the chosen targets passive perception. If the Gnome fails his roll by 5 or more the PCs notice. If successful the PCs lose 3d6gp or something like a potion of healing, a dagger or piece of jewellery. If noticed the Gnome attempts to flee. If caught he breaks down and sobs begging for mercy. The PGG doesn’t really care what happens to the pickpocket unless the PCs kill him. Gnome Pickpocket. CR 1/8th, hp 5, AC 12, +6 sleight of hand, +4 stealth. The pickpocket is unarmed.  If killed the PGG hires Red Blade assassins to deal with the PCs and to get revenge. In 1d6 days the PCs encounter 2d6 assassins who attempt to ambush the PCs at night or while they are sleeping. The assassins take no prisoners and focus fire on the PCs one at a time and strike prone unconscious PCs. No one messes with the PGG.   “After seeing the sites of the city you enter into a square where a large crowd has gathered. A large crowd of gnomes has gathered around some contraption looking like a small elongated tower tapered at one end pointing at the sky. On each side of the contraption are several wheels with hamsters in them running and the wheels seem to be connected to various wires going into the contraption. Several humans, Dwarves are also in the crowd along with a blue skinned giant flanked by 4 hippo men armed with large sabres. The hippp men are almost the size of Ogres. The blue skinned giant seems to have a bemused expression on his face.    A Gnome dressed in  a selection of leather clothing and some sort of leather helmet with goggles steps forward to address the crowd.   “Friends, Gnomes, and fine big uglies of all races. Welcome to the eminent launch of the Solar Crusader. My name is Feastok De’sign and I have the honour of piloting the Solar Crusader on a remarkable voyage. For the low low price of 200 pieces of gold we offer any big ugly the chance to fly to the moon!!.    Big uglies are the local Gnomes way of referring to beings of medium size or larger. Feastok is actually an alcoholic gambler and is somewhat disposable to the Gnomish community. The Gnomes of course want big uglies to make the trip with Feastok as should there be any fatalities at least they were not Gnomes. Except for Feastok maybe. A DC 20 persuasion check can lower the price to 150gp and PCs of small dimension can reduce this by 50%. There is enough room for 4 medium sized aeronauts. Two small sized beings can substitute for 1 medium sized being.    Assuming the PCs accept (or at least some of them) Feastok is willing to answer any questions they ask. He is not very good at explaining how the contraption works as he did not design it. He explains how the Gnomes want to beat their previous record and fly higher than the clouds which was their previous best. The interior of the contraption is around 20’ long and 5’wide with a cockpit at the front for Feastok. He straps himself in, the seats behind the cockpit have no restraints of any kind. There are windows so the PCs can see outside. The interior is cramped and full of gears, levels, cables and several hamster powered devices.    Crammed into the interior Feastok introduces them to his co pilot Dex the Cat. Dex promptly sits on a randomly chosen PC seemingly preferring any PC trying to read a spell book or any book. Dex has a little leather helmet tied on his head with room for his ears and is quite tame and affectionate. There are no safety checks as such, Feastok invites the PCs to hold on tight. The Solar Crusader is a mixture of technology and magic. It has been connected to a pair of poles with a counterweight which effectively act as giant trebuchet. When the Solar Crusader is ready to launch roll a d20.   Solar Crusader Launch. 1d20.   Results. 1.       The Solar Crusader explodes in a 20’ fireball inflicting 8d6 (DC 14 dex save for half) on everyone in it and nearby. The other Gnomes are smart enough to stand 50’ away from the craft. Feastok and Dex are both killed.   2-4 The Solar Crusader is launched into the air but is hurled into the nearby sea. Feastok can try to make a DC 20 piloting check with a +3 bonus, failure indicates an uncontrolled landing with results identical to 1. If he succeeds the Solar Crusader lands more or less intact 1d10X100 yards from shore.   5-9. The Solar Crusader makes it to the clouds before something goes wrong and it careens back down. This is identical to the previous result but the DC to land it is only 15.   10-14. The Solar Crusader Makes it past the clouds beating the previous record, then it fails and falls back to earth. The DC for a controlled landing is still 15 but Feastok if he fails his piloting roll uses a spring powered ejection seat leaving the PCs and Dex in the remnants of the craft.   15-17. Same as 10-14 but the Solar Crusader can make a controlled landing 1d100 miles from its launch site.. This is regarded as a great success by the Gnomes!!.   18. The Solar Crusader makes it to the edge of space before falling back to earth. A DC 10 piloting check allows it to make a controlled landing 1d100 miles from its launch site.   19. A Great success! The Solar Crusader leaves orbit and flies towards the moon. Unfortunately its trajectory is leading it towards a massive spider seemingly made out of wood. A DC 15 piloting check is required to avoid the Deathspider (a Spelljamming space ship) . A failure of 5 or more causes a collision which destroys the Solar Crusader inflicting 10d6 ppiots of damage to all occupants who are now stranded in space.  PCs will start to suffocate in 1d6 minutes while falling back to earth will inflict 20d6 damage from re-entry and then 20d6 falling damage. Failing the roll will knock the Solar Crusader off course and cause it to fall back to Earth requiring a DC 15 piloting roll for a controlled landing.   20. Somehow the Solar Crusader works. Perhaps the Gnomes incorporated a magical engine somewhere on the ship.  Landing the ship on the moon is easy enough (DC10 piloting check) although Feastok only wants to orbit the moon before making a controlled landing back on the PCs home planet (DC 10 piloting check required). Landing on the moon or crashing on the moon (DMs call) means the PCs are stranded. What is actually on the moon is up to the DM to decide.   Failure!!! Should anything go wrong during the trip (which is highly likely let’s face it). Feastock declares.   “Oh no by the gods something has gone wrong!!. I’ve lost a hamster and I am out of control. The gizmos are overheating and the whatchamahcallits are going haywire. Oh no there goes another hamster and the doohickeys are going as well”.    If he has time aassuming he flunks his piloting roll he uses his spring powered ejector seat with a boooing sound. The PCs may be able to attempt repairs (DC 15 int check) and/or summon more hamsters. At best the PCs can make a controlled landing in some location that is inconvenient to them (a far off land, the ocean, in the path of a lava flow etc).   If the PCs somehow manage to make a controlled landing any result better than 10 is treated as a success by the Gnomes. Feastok becomes a racial hero along with the cat Dex. The PCs are regarded as somewhat useful big uglies. If there is a failure ideally Feastok and/or Dex might survive the PCs are just some spare big uglies along for the ride.     I ran this scenario the other night hinting at Spelljammer. The PCs were level 6, they bounced off the death spider and crashed in the ocean. The Druid summoned some more hamsters after Feastok bailed out.
#2 Wuzzard Aug 22, 2015 10:35:04	If you summon hamsters while in space, do they become space hamsters?