Exploring the Lich-Queen's Beloved, Part 3

This post continues to document the journey through The Palace of Whispers, as started here.

This post will actually be recapping two week's worth of play. I always like to have some new, usable content for my readers with every post. Being as I posted the baseline conversion of the whole adveture already, I'm really looking to the additions and alterations I've made. These come mostly in the form of deadlier enemies and added deathtraps, so not every single week is entirely appropriate. This past week has been so; have at thee!

Warning: This is a long-ass post.

[4E Modern] Middle East Adventure

Retired general, Moshe Dyan

My 4E Modern campaign is coming to its natural close, having been planned out to be a short romp of only 3 Levels. To finish, I decided to convert one of my favorite DDi adventures to the Modern system and aesthetic, Rob Schwalb's Bark at the Moon. To get a better understanding of the 4E Modern adventure, please go check out the original D&D adventure here.

Some highlights:
* An NPC Henchmen, whom my group thought looked like (and thus became) Rebecca Black
* Modern era terrain hazards, such as landmines, machine gun nests, and barbed wire
* Two new Modern era afflictions, Radiation Sickness and Roid Rage, mechanically akin to diseases
* Nuclear weaponry
* Magical assault rifles
* Dude with an eye patch
* A threat to plunge the Middle East into war, just before peace has finally been reached

WARNING: This conversion to Bark at the Moon is a farcical and irreverent look at Israeli-Palestinian relations. It is a touchy subject of which I am no expert. If you feel at all strongly about Middle East issues, just go ahead and please, do not read this adventure and get pissed off.

The adventure is formatted in my own 4E Modern style, so you'll see creatures' attacks listed as flat, static values instead of a modifier to a die roll. I also abbreviate some attacks and don't write out completely in full the "Hit:" line etc., on most attacks. If you've been following 4E for any length of time, this should all appear sensible and easy to read, but I wanted to throw a note out there explaining that, while I do know how the official stat blocks are supposed to be constructed, I have chosen not to for brevity on the printout.

This adventure is suitable for 3rd Level Agents.

Download the adventure here!

The Sundering of the Earth - A Fourthcore Adventure

The Sundering
from www.swordofdoom.com

Long ago in a forgotten age, I had entered the PAX East 2011 Dungeon Master's Challenge. My notes for that adventure can be found here. Afterward, I immediately set forth to "upgrade" the adventure to something approaching the Fourthcore moniker, dubbed The Sundering of the Earth. Like most pieces of work, the author was never satisfied with it and it languished in the unknown obscurity of my hard drive awaiting just one more playtest that simply never happened. After much cajoling by my faithful readers whom would enjoy seeing more of the fruits of my labor and some more detail to my PAX adventure, I have acquiesced and hesitantly published what I have. Like everything on DMG 42, I have posted it in the hopes that it helps the Dungeon Masters of the world have a better game at their own table. I dare you to NOT find something within the adventure that does not inspire one of the adventures at your home game!

The Death of a God

from www.deicide.com

Months ago, my D&D campaign headed in the direction of going through the WotC 4E Tomb of Horrors. They puzzled over the traps and obstacles set before them, started thinking laterally (at least a little) and were having a good time. The culmination of the Garden of Graves, the end encounter, loomed before them. They were ready to tackle this and, in fact, very eager. They had just spent the last few sessions perplexed by the mysteries of the adventure, but at the same time had their eye on the map of the complex provided so early on in the Garden. They knew the end was coming, and they were dying to know just what the hell had been going on. Despite this adventure being a cut above the rest of WotC's stuff, I knew that I needed to crank it up to deliver the kind of awesome experience they were looking for.

I had to kill a god.

Tomb of Horrors Spoilers Below!

Henchmen & Hirelings

from http://henchmen.tumblr.com/post/27741766/dr-frankenstiens-most-faithful-of-henchman

In the most recent March and Beyond Preview from Wizards of the Coast, it was whispered that hirelings and henchmen will be making a comeback to 4th Edition D&D. Huzzah to that, I say! The tone of it suggests to me that this will be part of a new Unearthed Arcana article. I love that Unearthed Arcana stuff; it's exactly the kind of boundary pushing that we need. Get out of your comfort zone and do something wacky.

Before WotC can beat me to the punch, I thought it would be high time I laid out my own Henchmen & Hirelings info here. That way, I can tell people that I had 4E hirelings before it was cool to have 4E hirelings. If you've been a reader of this blog, it'll be pretty old news to you, although this post goes overthe more run of the mill variety of helpers hired in town, rather than the specialty allies one might find during an adventure.

I’ve been using this system for my home games, and it has worked great. My players love it, and have developed a certain affinity for henchmen that survive more than a few sessions. Since those henchmen don’t gain levels with the PCs, they increasingly become more and more a liability to keep around. It becomes dangerous to take these minions on journeys into the deeps, as their poor defenses get completely overwhelmed. When you start hitting the group with close and area attacks is when the NPC Allies really start to drop, and fast. Cunning players, however, will find their presence extremely helpful, putting their NPC Allies in harm’s way without a second thought to help with a flank or to act as a speed bump between a vicious creature and their own character.

Red Hand of Doom: The Witchwood

from wizards.com

The following is a collection of notes for my The Red Hand of Doom Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition campaign. I've left out proprietary stuff, like actual monster stats, but would gladly provide some pointers to anyone who asks. Be sure to check out the intro post to get the gist for how these pieces fit together. Here and there, I've put down some notes as to how and why I did certain things.

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.

Red Hand of Doom: The Ghostlord's Lair

from wizards.com

In this chapter, the heroes travel out to the far off lair of The Ghostlord, lich ally to the Red Hand horde, in an attempt to break that alliance. This chapter runs very much like a standard dungeon crawl. The PCs should be about 6^th level somewhere early on in the chapter. I haven’t run this chapter yet, but I can’t wait to see the cool stuff my group of PCs does when they gain a few zombie minions .

Red Hand of Doom: Enemy at the Gates

from wizards.com 

This chapter was one of my favorites to convert over. Almost the entirety of it focuses on an epic struggle to defend the city of Brindol from the advancing Red Hand horde. After the party has role-played through the beginnings of the chapter, restocking consumable magical items, finding new NPC Allies, etc., they engage in a freeform skill challenge to make battle plans for the defense of Brindol, convince any of the town's movers and shakers to their side of things, and do the actual fortifying of the town. Once the PCs have run out the clock on the ongoing campaign calendar, The Red Hand Horde attacks, with an overarching skill challenge representing the PCs and allies commanding the hodge podge Rebellion fleet Elsir Vale army, broken up by individual combat encounters representing crises situations which the PCs must rush to (such as when Hill Giants devastate the town walls), as they are the only heroes capable of handling such a threat.
The adventurer’s should be around 7^th Level by the time the actual fighting starts.
The Battle of Brindol awesome skill challenge extravaganza uses a modified version of the Air War Skill Challenge, one of the rare bits of non-editorial work at Critical Hits.

 

NPC Ally: Terwin Azaer

Terwin Azaer is an NPC from the NPC-filled H2: Thunderspire Labyrinth. In the adventure, Terwyn has a bit of a lycanthropy problem, in that he turns into a werewolf. The PCs are given a quest to help him out and break his curse. When I ran this, Terwyn needed to acompany the PCs on their quest. It makes a lot of sense, I think, to have him there. Not only should he know the way to the curse-breaking location (it is the same spot where he got cursed to begin with), but having him present for the curse to be broken just feels right. With this in mind, I wanted Terwyn to be dangerous and a burden on the group. In media outside of D&D, the audience is often shown that travelling with cursed companions, whether they are werewolves or what have you, is dangerous. To reflect this idea, I have Terwyn turn into his werewolf form when he is dropped. In play, the group will be faced with the decision to either take a hit for the NPC, or let him change into a new (elite) combatant. This isn't much of a choice at all, since it will always be worth it to take this hit. What it does do, however, is esure that at least one PC is always adjacent to him and always soaking up his hits via Guarded by Heroes. By the end of this short quest, the PCs will be very excited to see his lycanthropic curse dispelled away.

NPC Ally: Sir Nethatar

Sir Nethatar was my attempt to add an endearing, honorable Dragonborn ally to my home campiagn filled with evil, greedy Arkhosians. The PCs still never quite trusted him, even when he nobly sacrificed his own life for the greater good. Sir Nethatar would work in your own home game as any kind of knight or noble paladin ally.








Sir Nethatar
NPC Ally (Level 6)
This honorable knight of Arkhosia has chosen to pursue the righteous path and protect his people.

HP 1; a missed attack never damages Nethatar.
Armor Class 20; Fortitude 16, Reflex 14, Will 16

Guarded By Heroes + At-Will
Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: Nethatar 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 ; Personal
Effect: You command Nethatar to take a move action (Speed 5).

m Longsword + At-Will
Standard Action or Opportunity Action; Melee 1
+11 vs. AC; 1d8+5 damage.
Noble Sacrifice + At-Will
Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: You are targetted by an attack and Nethatar is adjacent to you.
Effect: Nethatar is targetted by the attack instead.

Arkham Friday: Mountainous Wilderness

The hills are filled with deadly rock slides, opportunistic scavengers, and crazed hillbillys. The area also contains helpful old prespectors, hedge wizards, and archeologists. Merchant caravans can be assaulted, and saved, along the roadside. Dangerous animals scratch out a living on the hard rock.

This is the mountainous wilderness. If your group of D&D adventurers are true heroes, the typical mundane hazards (that are not intended to be part of the greater story and plot) are trivial. It doesn't make sense to run an encounter of attacking mountain lions when the heroes are accustomed to slaying hideous Far Realm aberrations, dragons, and god-like beings. Instead, spice up your adventures and wilderness exploration with the following chart:

NPC Ally: Almera

Here is an NPC Ally I've used in the past. It's not terribly creative, but her power gives the PCs a little push to be more aggressive. Fortune favors the bold and all that.

In the campaign I was running, the majority of the world was under the oppressive thumb of a reborn Arkhosian Empire. Elves, for the most part, took up an isolationist stance and retreated to their far away, forested homes to live a life of peace, seclusion, and understanding of nature. There were some amongst the Elves, however, who saw the injustices of The Empire and rose up to help their Human, Dwarf, etc. brethren. Almera was one such Elf, a rebel full of passion and fury.


Almera
NPC Ally (Level 4)
A proud leader of the Elven people, Almera’s aggressive style of fighting and guerilla tactics have killed countless Arkhosian soldiers. Now, in your hour of need, she comes to your aid.

HP 1; a missed attack never damages Almera.
Armor Class 18; Fortitude 16, Reflex 18, Will 16

Guarded By Heroes + At-Will
Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: Almera 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 Almera to take a move action (Speed 7).

Elven Blade + At-Will
Standard Action  or Opportunity Action
Melee 1
Target: One creature
Attack: +9 vs. AC
Hit: 1d8+4 damage.

Belligerent Assault + At-Will
Minor Action
Personal
Requirement: You must be able to see and hear Almera.
Effect: Gain a +2 power bonus to Speed and damage rolls, and a -1 penalty to all defenses until the end of your next turn.

Animal Companion: Tiger

Animal companions and hirelings are both areas which I feel the current 4E ruleset is handling poorly. In the case of hirelings, it's almost nonexistent. Animal companions do see some support in the form of the Beast Master Ranger (Martial Power) and the new Essentials Druid. However, that’s still a pretty limited area and one where I have seen players struggle against in the pursuit of their perfect vision of their character.

Since my NPC Ally rules have been working so well for hirelings, I reasoned that they should work equally well for animal companions. Thus, here is a Tiger that any PC can use as a pet.

Arham Friday: The Docks & River

These random events are great for a stroll down to the seedy parts of a generic medieval fantasy town, such as Fallcrest. There's quite a bit of money to be made here, by finding lost cargo crates, and a good amount of friends to be found as well. Also, you might get yourself a small boat; what fun!

The thing enjoyed the most out of writing this Random Event table was the way I converted gaining items in Arkham Horror to a D&D equivalent. You'll see this by the events that have the line "gain 1 consumable magic item of your level or less". I feel like I can hand out consumable magic items (potions, etc.) pretty willy-nilly and not upset the balance of play in he game much, but will still provide a lot of flavor and interesting options for the players.

Arkham Friday: The Tavern

Expanding a bit from the terror-inducing vistas of The Abyss and The Shadowfell, I wanted to take some inspiration from Arkham Horror and apply it to a D&D locale so common that it has become cliche: The Tavern.

The tavern random events are much more tame and forgiving compared to the other Arkham Horror tables. It's a place of rest after a hard day's work plundering forgotten tombs, a safe haven; and so I've skewed the table to have less dire consequences, and more positive outcomes as a whole.

Still, I think this is a fun way to throw some quirky, non-combat fun at your adventurers. My suggestion would be to throw in a single random event every time the PCs bed down for the night at a common tavern or inn. Like all of the Arkham Horror tables, the events described here can sometimes be a little sparse in the details. That's where the individual Dungeon Master must step in and make it their own, providing the details that are specific to your imagined world.

Arkham Friday: Gloomwrought

GLOOMWROUGHT, DEMENSE OF MAD SORCERERS – Random Event Table (d20)

One of the brightest lights in the gloom of the Shadowfell, Gloomwrought is a large walled port city on the shores of the Stormy Seas. Surrounded by a perilous bog called the Skins, most travelers enter the city by way of dark one ferrymen who navigate the Skins, by magical portal, or by ship.

Prince Roland the Deathless is lord of the city, but real power is in the bony, decrepit hands of the mysterious custodians of the city known as the Keepers, a cabal of powerful necromancers whom have discarded their bodies to pursue of an unnatural afterlife of willful undeath.

NPC Ally: Douven Stahl

Part of the story here is that I am running H1 and H2 for a group of players right now. We started in the Spring of 2010, almost 2 years after Keep on the Shadowfell was released. I really enjoy the adventure this time around, even though I've technically run this adventur before. I'm using a ton of terrain powers, almost every encounter has some. Also, I've added NPC Allies and interesting magic items and MM3 monster design to everything. There are vehicles and mounts, and Karalel has a better name and steals your beating heart. I've incorporated the countless reviews and tidbits of advice on the internet that have been floating around since March '08, and the story is just coming together beautifully.

Douven Stahl
NPC Ally (Level 1)
A renowned archeologist from Fallcrest, Douven is a professor of Turathian literature who, according to his students, is "the one you hope you don't get". He is often heard shouting out "This is intolerable!" when frustrated. A driven man, Douven seeks out forgotten relics and texts from the past, risking his life in the pursuit of knowledge by going to strange and dangerous locations. Stahl speaks little of his family. His wife, Anna, died from scarlet fever many years ago, and the loss pains him still.

HP 1; a missed attack never damages Douven.
Armor Class 14; Fortitude 11, Reflex 13, Will 14

Guarded By Heroes + At-Will
Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: Douven 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
You command Douven to take a move action (Speed 5).

Linguist
Property
Douven knows the following languages, in addition to Common:
Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin.

Expert Advice
Property
All allies who can see and hear Douven gain a +1 power bonus to Arcana and History checks.

NPC Ally: Splug

Splug was a fantastic addition to Keep on the Shadowfell, although I think that far too many adventuring groups wrote off the little guy as just another annoying Goblin, there to kill and/or torture for information. They never realized his amazing roleplaying potential. I've seen Splug rise to be loved and cherished, welcomed as an old friend.

Please, give Splug a chance. Splug no hurt. Splug be good.

Splug NPC Ally (Level 2)
This weak and cowardly Gobin has developed a liking to you, and will follow your orders as long as you treat him well.

HP 1; a missed attack never damages Splug.
Armor Class 15; Fortitude 13, Reflex 13, Will 11

Guarded By Heroes + At-Will

Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: Splug 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
You command Splug to take a move action (Speed 6).

Shank + At-Will

Standard or Opportunity Action
Splug stabs an adjacent target with a crudely built, make-shift knife.
Attack: +7 vs. AC
Hit: 1d4+1 damage.

Splug Help

Property
All allies adjacent to Splug gain a +1 power bonus to Stealth and Thievery checks.

NPC Allies

Allies (henchmen, cohorts, etc.) have always had a place in D&D. From the game's earliest incarnations, there have been "mooks" that player characters could hire to do the grunt work for them of exploring trapped passages, hauling heavy loot, and providing a buffer between the PC and the nearest Orc's spear. 4th Edition, as I'm sure you know, very purposefully and very strongly limits the number of actions a player may take with a character. Standard, Move, Minor on their turn. Immediate and opportunity attacks when it's not their turn. This is done to try and spread the spotlight time that all the players get at the table. You don't want any single player taking a very long time per turn, or signifigantly longer than the other players, because then all the other players get bored and frustrated. It stands to reason, then, that henchmen would be totaly anathema to this concept. For some disposable income, couldn't one simply buy a few companions, and have the same player control an army of characters? The DMG2 attempts to address some of this, but I feel like their solutions were a little sloppy. They felt awkward at the table.

What I've been doing is treating NPC Allies in a similar fashion to Wondrous Magic items. But, they're more like communal, group items that can get killed. Any PC in the group can spend one of their actions to make an NPC Ally that they have line of sight and line of effect to do the same action, as shown in their stat block. NPC Allies count as allies in the technical sense (ie. they can provide flanking) and a PC can spend a minor action to make them do a non-combat, simple task such as opening a door, picking up an object, etc.

The NPC Allies I've made all function like minions, in that they have 1 HP and can't be killed on a miss effect, but they all also have a feature (Guarded by Heroes) to keep them alive a little longer. I've jotted down appropriate Levels for the NPC Allies as a rough indication of when the PCs should meet them, and how I figured out their defenses and attacks (if any). Many of the NPCs I'll be posting will be familiar to those of us who slogged through the H-Series of adventures.

Another feature I like to include in my NPC Allies, when I can, are the foils and flaws to their personality. I generally see NPC Allies as neither strictly beneficial nor strictly harmful, so I don't factor them into any XP or wealth calculations. They are there, and the PCs can take them with them or not. With the static defenses the NPC's have compared to the escalating attack bonuses of increasingly higher level encounters, the players will always eventually come to conclusion that their lower-level NPC's are doing them more harm than good, getting in front of the real heroes and landing themselves in trouble. I've actually seen a lot of resentment towards NPC's who don't have desirable special abilities. The players see them, rightfully so, as just an easy way for monsters to nail the group. I've also seen attachment to NPC's who do have traits that helped the group out at some pooint in time, attachment to the point of irrationality and tactical mistakes; an inability to let their 'best buddy' stay back in town. That's roleplaying for you, right there, and it's really something to see.

Enough blather, here is one of my latest NPC Allies, Steven Deschaine. He is a toughened freedom fighter, resisting the tyrannical rule of the Arkhosian Empire. He also is a bit of a bully and womanizer. My thanks to Ryan O'Rourke, who provided the story for this character.

=================

Steven Deschaine NPC Ally (Level 10)
Agent of the Order of the Sheltering Hand.

HP 1; a missed attack never damages Steven.
Armor Class 24; Fortitude 23, Reflex 23, Will 20

Guarded By Heroes + At-Will Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: Steven 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
You command Steven to take a move action (Speed 6).

Guerilla Tactics + Recharge 6 Minor Action
You gain combat advantage against one enemy on the next attack roll you make during this encounter.

Spy Network Property
Steven provides a +2 bonus to all Streetwise and knowledge skill checks made in Iovanthor, capital of the evil Arkhosian Empire.