Red Hand of Doom: The Ruins of Rhest

from wizards.com

This chapter encompasses the events in the immediate aftermath of the destruction of Drellin’s Ferry. The PCs should now have a good idea of the scale of the Red Hand horde and have a general idea of the overall plot to conquer the Vale. The chapter has a slew of miscellaneous Red Hand horde related encounters; fighting looters, striking at small platoons, etc.; as well as going into the swamps around Rhest, allying with the Tiri Kitor Elves, and smashing the hatchery of the black dragon, Regiarix. The PCs should be 4^th Level when they hit this chapter.

Also, I substituded hippogriffs for the Tiri Kitor Elves' original flying owls. Hippogriffs just seem more fantasy and more .. D&D, to me.

Mounts                                                                              

Rage Drake                                                     Large Mount
HP 77; Bloodied 38; see also out of control
AC 17; Fortitude 17, Reflex 15, Will 15
Speed 8
Traits                                                                                  .
Out of Control                                                                .
If there is no rider on the rage drake, or if the rage drake is bloodied, it becomes Out of Control. When the rage drake is Out of Control, it turns around and moves its speed straight ahead, avoiding any dangerous terrain, until it is brought under control.
Raging Mount (while mounted by a friendly       .
rider of 5th level or higher) ✦ Mount                 .
The rage drake grants its rider a +2 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls with melee attacks.
Move Actions                                                                 .
Ride + At‐Will                                                                .
The rage drake moves up to its speed and remains In Control.
Turn About + At‐Will                                                   .
The rage drake turns up to 180 degrees and remains In Control.

Hippogriff                                                   Large Mount
HP 66; Bloodied 33; see also out of control
AC 21; Fortitude 21, Reflex 19, Will 17
Speed 4, fly 6
Traits                                                                                  .
Out of Control                                                                .
If there is no rider on the hippogriff, or if the hippogriff is bloodied, it becomes Out of Control. When the hippogriff is Out of Control, it turns around and moves its speed straight ahead, avoiding any dangerous terrain, until it is brought under control.
Sturdy Mount (while mounted by a friendly       .
rider of 5th level or higher) ✦ Mount                 .
When the hippogriff is forced to move, it moves 1 less square than normal. When an attack would knock it or its rider prone, the hippogriff can roll an immediate saving throw to prevent it or its rider from falling prone.
Move Actions                                                                 .
Ride + At‐Will                                                                .
The hippogriff moves up to its speed and remains In Control.
Turn About + At‐Will                                                   .
The hippogriff turns up to 180 degrees and remains In Control.

NPC Allies                                                                         

Rescued Merchant                            NPC Ally (Level 3)

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a merchant.

AC 16; Fortitude 14, Reflex 14, Will 14

Guarded By Heroes + At‐Will                                         .

Trigger (Immediate Interrupt): The merchant is hit by an attack and you are adjacent to her.

Effect: You are hit by the attack instead.

Hustle It! + At‐Will                                                           .

Minor Action

Effect: You command the merchant to take a move action (Speed 5).

Haggling                                                                 Property

All allies who can see and hear the merchant gain a +1 item bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy checks.

Lady Snowmantle, Elven Bard                                 .
NPC Ally (Level 5)                                                                       .
HP 1; a missed attack never damages Lady Snowmantle.
Armor Class 18; Fortitude 16, Reflex 17, Will 18
Guarded By Heroes + At‐Will                                         .
Trigger (Immediate Interrupt): Lady Snowmantle is hit by an attack and you are adjacent to her.
Effect: You are hit by the attack instead.
Hustle It! + At‐Will                                                           .
Minor Action
Effect: You command Lady Snowmantle to take a move action (Speed 7).
r Beguiling Spell + Daily                                             .
Standard Action
Attack (one creature): Ranged 5; +8 vs. Will
Hit: The target is stunned (save ends).
Fey Step + Encounter                            Minor Action
Effect: Elesdri or one ally within line of sight of Elesdri teleports 5 squares.

Killiar Arrowswift, Elven Ranger                              .
NPC Ally (Level 5)                                                                        .
HP 1; a missed attack never damages Killiar.
Armor Class 18; Fortitude 18, Reflex 16, Will 17
Guarded By Heroes + At‐Will                                         .
Trigger (Immediate Interrupt): Killiar is hit by an attack and you are adjacent to him.
Effect: You are hit by the attack instead.
Hustle It! + At‐Will                                                           .
Minor Action
Effect: You command Killiar to take a move action (Speed 7).
M Elven Blade + At-Will                                                  .
Standard Action or Opportunity Action
Attack (one creature): Melee 1; +11 vs. AC
Hit: 10 damage
M Hunter’s Bow + At-Will                                              .
Standard Action
Attack (one creature): Ranged 30; +11 vs. AC
Hit: 10 damage
Impatient + At-Will                                            .
Trigger: The group takes an Extended Rest before reaching at least 2 Milestones.
Effect (Required Action): Killiar leaves the party to go off on his own.

Sellyria Starsinger, Elven Swordmage                    .
NPC Ally (Level 5)                                                                         .
HP 1; a missed attack never damages Sellyria.
Armor Class 18; Fortitude 15, Reflex 18, Will 17
Guarded By Heroes + At‐Will                                         .
Trigger (Immediate Interrupt): Sellyria is hit by an attack and you are adjacent to her.
Effect: You are hit by the attack instead.
Hustle It! + At‐Will                                                           .
Minor Action
Effect: You command Sellyria to take a move action (Speed 7).
M Elven Blade + At-Will                                                  .
Standard Action or Opportunity Action
Attack (one creature): Melee 1; +11 vs. AC
Hit: 10 damage
c Aegis of Ensnarement + Encounter                      .
Trigger (Immediate Interrupt): An ally within 10 squares of Sellyria is hit by a melee attack.
Target: The triggering enemy.
Effect: The triggering attack takes a -2 penalty and the target is teleported to a square adjacent to Sellyria.

Rescued Prisoner                    NPC Ally (Level 5)

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a prisoner.

AC 18; Fortitude 15, Reflex 17, Will 15

Guarded By Heroes + At‐Will                                         .

Trigger (Immediate Interrupt): The rescued prisoner is hit by an attack and you are adjacent to him.

Effect: You are hit by the attack instead.

Hustle It! + At‐Will                                                           .

Minor Action

Effect: You command the rescued prisoner to take a move action (Speed 4).

M Dagger + At-Will                                                           .

Standard Action or Opportunity Action
Attack (one creature): Melee 1; +7 vs. AC
Hit: 6 damage

Magic Item Shopping                                                                            

Lord Goldenbrow, Elven Smith
frozen whetstone, caustic whetstone, tempest whetstone, whetstone of combustion, whetstone of venom, nail of sealing, bravery powder, scroll of mordenkainen’s joining, scroll of preserve flame, scroll of bolster object, scroll of preservation, scroll of make whole, scroll of affect normal fires

Trellara Nightshadow, Elven druid
Elixir of aptitude, potion of life shield, potion of mimicry, elixir of speed, fire beetle potion, kruthik potion, gravespawn potion, elixir of accuracy, potion of stormshield, tree shape, bloom, scroll of snare, scroll of speak with nature, scroll of animal friendship, scroll of hunter’s blessing, scroll of call wilderness guide, scroll of ironwood, scroll of water breathing

Lady Snowmantle, Elven Bard
Terror ichor, flame rose, fundamental ice, glassteel shard, black dragon bile, desert rose, creeping gatevine, vision sand, glowstone, scroll of traveller’s chant, scroll of tune of merriment, scroll of aria of revelation, scroll of chorus of truth, scroll of song of restfulness, scroll of glib limerick, scroll of lullaby, scroll of song of sustenance, scroll of fool’s speech, scroll of silence

Summary of Encounters

Easy Skirmish (EL 2)
Enemies: Kulker Zhul War Adept (Level 6 Artillery), 3 Hobgoblin Scrubs (Level 2 Soldier)
Terrain: collapsing building
Notes: This encounter, as originally intended in the adventure, is meant to give the PCs an easy break after the harrowing events of Drellin’s Ferry. By this time, the PCs should be around 4^th Level, making this a (gasp!) N-2 encounter. N-2 is off the standard difficulty scales, and some would say that this makes the encounter not even worth running. Hog wash. Not only does it boost player morale at seeing how heroic they still are in the face of Drellin’s Ferry loss, but it eats up resources. With a time constraint like this, every healing surge counts.

Spy Attack (EL 3)
Enemies: Doppelganger Infiltrator (Level 8 Elite Lurker)
Notes: Here’s another time I sprung a high level elite to hit the PCs hard and fast. This doppelganger replaces Miha the shapechanging spider-thing from the original adventure. I never quite understood what her deal was, but I totally get that the Red Hand would have a doppelganger amongst the PCs. You can throw this guy at the PCs at almost any point, too, as it can pose as an NPC Ally and spring the trap when the PCs are weakest.

Mercenary Gold (EL 4)
Enemies: Ettin Thug (Level 8 Brute), Goblin Hex Hurler (Level 3 Controller (Leader)), 3 Goblin Pickpockets (Level 2 Minion Controller)
Terrain: horse drawn wagon
Notes: I find that runaway wagons can be a lot of fun, leading to potential high speed chases and train-wreck style crashes.

Barghest Reavers (EL 4)
Enemies: hobgoblin beats masters (Level 4 Controller (Leader)), 4 barghest savagers (Level 4 Brute)
Terrain: rolling log, timber!

Captured! Chapter 2 (EL 4)
Enemies: 2 Goblin Archers (Level 1 Artillery Minion), 2 Wolves (Level 3 Skirmisher), Hobgoblin Honor Guards (Level 5 Soldier)
Notes: This is a skill challenge, with failures resulting in combat.

Captured! Chapter 3 (EL 6)
Enemies: 2 Goblin Archers (Level 1 Artillery Minion), 2 Wolves (Level 3 Skirmisher), 4 Hobgoblin Honor Guards (Level 5 Soldier)
Notes: This is a skill challenge, with failures resulting in combat.

Captured! Chapter 4 (EL 7)
Enemies: 4 Goblin Archers (Level 1 Artillery Minion), 4 Wolves (Level 3 Skirmisher), 4 Hobgoblin Honor Guards (Level 5 Soldier)
Notes: This is a skill challenge, with failures resulting in combat.

Road Blockade (EL 5)
Enemies: Hobgoblin Warmonger (Level 5 Artllery (Leader)), Ogre cave Hunter (Level 8 Lurker), 2 Hobgoblin Spear Soldiers (Level 3 Skirmisher), 4 Goblin Sappers (Level 3 Artillery Minion)
Terrain: catapult

Marked for Death (EL 5)
Enemies: Ogre Mercenary (Level 8 Soldier), Blackspawn Lurker (Level 8 Elite Lurker)
Terrain: log in the river
Notes: I played this out as having the Ogre pretend to be lost and isolated from the horde, but really acting as bait to lure the PCs into a good position for the Blackspawn to strike out.

Make Friends with the Elves, Skill Challenge

Spawn of Tiamat (EL 3)
Enemies: Greenspawn Skirmisher (Level 8 Elite Skirmisher)
Terrain: fetid water, clutch of eggs

Talk/Evade past the Lizardfolk, Skill Challenge

Lizardfolk Huts (EL 4)
Enemies: 2 Greenscale Trappers (Level 3 Controller), 2 Rage Drakes (Level 5 Brute), 5 Poisonscale Needlers (Level 3 Minion Artillery)
Terrain: quicksand

Belltower (EL 5)
Enemies: 3 Hobgoblin Battleguards (Level 3 Soldier), Bugbear Ghost Berserker (Level 5 Brute), Doom Hand Priest (Level 7 Controller (Leader))
Terrain: multi-level tower, crumbling tower

Rhest Town Hall & Hatchery (EL 6)
Enemies: Nruklenak (Level 7 Controller), Greenspawn Skirmisher (Level 8 Elite Skirmisher), Ogre (Level 6 Brute)
Terrain: 3 Elven prisoners, crumbling tower

Wyrmlord Saarvith & Regiarix (EL 8)
Enemies: Saarvith (Level 6 Artillery), Hawk Companion (Level 6 Minion Skirmisher), Regiarix (Level 7 Solo Lurker)
Terrain: crumbling tower, crumbling columns, strangler vines

Permanent Magic Items                                 

Inquisitor’s Helm                                                                        Magic Item
Your mind can access the secrets of another while you wear this skullcap. However, your innate mental defenses grow to become lax from your continual connection with other minds.
Traits                                                                                  .
Telepathy                                                                        .
You can telepathically send communications to any creature you wish within 5 squares as if you were speaking with them.
Innate Understanding                                                .
You gain a +2 item bonus to Insight and Intimidate checks.
Open Mind                                                                      .
You take a -2 penalty to Will.
Standard Actions                                                           .
Mindtaker (psychic) + Daily                                     .
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); Level + 3 vs. Will
Hit: The target takes 1d12 + twice your Level psychic damage and you pry the answer to one question from the target’s mind. If the target doesn’t know the answer to the question, you get no answer but the power is still spent.

Terrain Powers                                                               

Collapsing Building                   Single Use Terrain
Burning debris and ruined building litter the streets.
Single Use
Trigger: A creature is subject to forced movement and ends the movement adjacent to a building; or makes a DC 13 Dungeoneering check as a Minor Action while adjacent to a building.
Target: Each creature in blast
Attack: Close blast 3; +5 vs. Armor Class
Hit: 1d6+4 damage and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).
Effect: The area of the blast becomes difficult terrain until the end of the encounter.

Horse-Drawn Wagon                               Large Vehicle
HP 100                          AC 3; Fortitude 10, Reflex 3
Space 2 squares by 4 squares            Cost 200 gp
Traits                                                                                  .
Driver                                                                                .
The driver must sit at the front of the wagon and hold the reins in at least one hand or else the wagon goes out of control.
Load                                                                                   .
Four Medium creatures; 2,000 pounds of gear.
Out of Control                                                                  .
While the wagon is Out of Control, it moves its speed straight ahead for one round or until the horses pulling the wagon are calmed.
Aftereffect: The wagon stops.
Move Actions                                                                 .
Drive + At-Will                                                          .
The Wagon moves up to 4 squares and remains In Control.
Turn + At-Will                                                           .
The Wagon turns up to 90 degrees and remains In Control.
Triggered Actions                                                         .
m Ram + At-Will                                                           .
Trigger: The wagon moves through a creature’s space.
Effect: The wagon and the triggering creature take 2d10 damage. If the creature is Medium size or smaller, it is also knocked prone.

c Timber!                                 Single Use Terrain
You put your weight into an already weakened tree to knock it over onto your enemies.
Single Use
Standard Action                    Close blast 2
Attack: +5 vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d6+8 damage and the target is knocked prone.
Effect: The area of the burst becomes difficult terrain until the end of the encounter.
Repeat the attack once, using the primary blast as the origin.

r Rolling Log                                      Single Use Terrain
You kick over a fallen tree and send it rolling at your enemy.
Single Use
Minor Action                                              Ranged 10
Effect: The log rolls away in a straight line in the direction of your choosing and attacks the first target it hits within range. This attack does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Attack: +7 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d10+6 damage and the target is knocked prone.

Catapult (w/ rock)                                  At-Will Terrain Power
The old catapult still has some life left in it.
At-Will
Standard Action
Target: One creature
Attack: Ranged 5; +10 vs. Armor Class. On a critical hit, the catapult is wrecked and becomes useless.
Hit: 2d6+9 damage.
Special: The catapult requires a move action and a DC 15 Dungeoneering or Thievery check to reload.

m Log in the River                             At-Will Terrain
This water-bound log slips and spins around in the river. You can speed it up or slow it down to spin your enemies off, or stabilize yourself from doing the same.
At-Will
Minor Action                        Personal
Check: Endurance or Athletics DC 22
Effect: The log moves up or down one speed category. The log cannot move faster than fast, nor slower than stopped. All creatures starting their turn on the log must make an Acrobatics check (based on the speed category) or else fall prone. A creature that is already prone and that fails the check is knocked off of the log.
+ Stopped: Acrobatics DC 5
+ Slow: Acrobatics DC 10
+ Fast: Acrobatics DC 15

Clutch of Eggs                                                   At-Will Terrain Power
The draconic beast here is guarding over this clutch of eggs and has strangely maternal instincts towards them.
At-Will
Minor Action                                               Melee touch
Target: One egg
Effect: The Greenspawn is marked by you until the end of the encounter or another mark supersedes this one.

Fetid Water                                       At-Will Hazardous Terrain The disgusting, polluted waters of the swamp harbors untold disease and filth.At-Will
At-Will
Immediate Reaction
Trigger: A creature falls into the water.
Check: Endurance DC 15
Failure: The triggering creature accidentally swallows some of the filthy water, taking ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends).

Quicksand                                    At-Will Hazardous Terrain
A patch of slurried sand and muck sucks in any creatures unfortunate enough to step into it.
At-Will
Trigger: A creature enters or starts its turn on a square of quicksand.
Attack: +7 vs. Fortitude.
Hit: The target is immobilized until escape (DC 21). If the target is already immobilized or restrained, the target takes 1d10+6 damage and becomes retrained until escape.

Crumbling Tower                       At-Will Hazardous Terrain
After decades of neglect, the stonework of the tower has become brittle and crumbles beneath your feet.
At-Will
Property: Squares on the edge of the tower are difficult terrain.
Trigger: A creature enters or starts its turn on an edge of a crumbling tower.
Effect: Roll a Saving Throw. On a failure, every square that the triggering creature occupies falls out beneath them.

Crumbling Columns                     Single Use Terrain
After decades of neglect, the stonework of the tower has become brittle and crumbles underneath your might.
Single Use
Standard Action                                    Melee touch
Target: One support column.
Check: Strength or Dungeoneering (DC 16)
Effect: The floor above is collapsed, creating a zone of difficult terrain. Each creature under the collapsed floor is subject to the following attack
Attack: +13 vs. AC
Hit: 3d6+13 damage and knocked prone.
Miss: Half damage.

Strangler Vines                           At-Will Hazardous Terrain
These vines consume animal flesh for nutrition, lashing out at anything that approaches and slowly squeezing the life out of them.
At-Will
Immediate Reaction
Property: Squares with vegetation are difficult terrain.
Trigger: A creature enters or starts its turn on a square of heavy vegetation.
Attack: +11 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d10+7 damage, and the target is restrained and takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends both).