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Wintry Blast |
Back on February 1st I started my month-long project to convert a mostly random card from Magic: The Gathering into a D&D 5e concept. You can view February Feature for more details on that project.
For today, I want to expand on a few of the concepts from the first week and string them together into a rough adventure outline. My goal is to do this a time or two more throughout the month. I hope these expanded treatments provide inspiration to you, dear reader. I can't tell you how often I've received a partial idea from some book, show, piece of art or tweet that has sparked something within me and lead to a great font of creativity. I hope the below can do that for you. Our adventure sketch starts off with the PCs traveling toward a lone, distant mountain in search of treasure and a fabled relic rumored to be lost within the peak. No one has dare braved this mission in generations due to the rumors of undead guarding the horde. First, the PCs must traverse a bleak and swampy stretch of land leading up to mountain. I imagine this place very similar to the Dead Marshes from Lord of the Rings. Instead of the faces of the dead appearing in the muck, however, let's use a howling wind that carries the agonizing cries of the departed. This is where our first Magic card conversion comes in: Maddening Wind. This card serves as an environmental hazard, much like a blizzard or extreme heat. Depending the scale you use, PCs may be traversing this landscape for miles, hours, or days. The scale will determine how often you want to call for checks. Whenever you decide to call for checks, PCs need to succeed on a WIS saving throw or suffer psychic damage. Adjust the DC and damage as you feel appropriate. If stringing checks together, maybe the first failed check deals 1d4, the next failed check 1d8, the next failed check, 2d6, etc. Conversely, perhaps each failed check only deals 1d6, but after the third fail, the PC suffers Madness effect as found in the DMG. As PCs are traversing this landscape, we need another layer of threat. This is where the Bog Rats come in. Treat these critters as a suped-up swarm of rats and introduce them when and where you need to apply extra tension or amp up the sense of despair. The rates get advantage on bite attacks if the scent of blood is in the air. They also carry the troglodyte's stench ability, meaning they can temporarily poison a PC. I imagine the PCs marching along through this muck when one of them steps through a soft spot, sinking one leg deep into the swampy mud below. As they extract their leg, a swarm of rats follows up through the hole and starts crawling up the character who unwittingly disturbed them! Eventually, the PCs make it out of the muck and to their mountain destination. At this point they see an grand and ornate opening carved into the side of the mountain, obviously a vestige of a long-lost kingdom seated here ages before. Before this doorway stands an army of undead at full attention, as inspired by Lim-Dul's High Guard. This is a battalion of skeletons (you decide the appropriate amount for your group). These are special skeletons though. Give them advantage on initiative checks and make it so they can't be surprised. Essentially, these undead stand at the ready, unmoving, unblinking, until a threat enters their radius and then they attack with the unison and determination of Dany's Unsullied from Game of Thrones. What's more, give each skeleton the zombie's undead fortitude ability to account for the card's regeneration ability. Finally, the PCs make it through the undead, into the mountain palace, and find the Big Bad Evil Guy. Depending on character level, this could totally be a lich or some home brewed lessor lich. Maybe it's a wraith or perhaps a Sword Wraith Commander from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. For flavor and story, I think I'd go with the Commander. Perhaps he orchestrated a misguided coup against his queen long ago and now he is damned to walk these halls as spirit, constantly reminded the the noble oath he broke all those years ago. This can also explain the horde of undead outside the gates. Those skeletons were soldiers under his command that he corrupted toward his ill-fated cause. Sure, they killed the queen and usurped power, but then ruin followed. The kingdom collapsed and their souls were damned. According to its stat block, the Commander's wears a breastplate. Make it magical and make it half-plate or full-plate to better suit the needs of your party. Either way, upon slaying the spirit, the PCs can loot an item inspired by Ashnod's Battle Gear. While wearing this armor, the PC gets +2 damage to all melee attacks and advantage on Intimidation checks. Their Hit Die pool, however, is reduced by two while wearing it and they can't remove the armor without a Remove Curse spell. It's powerful, but it's tinged with corruption of the spirit who previously wore it. There you have it, a sketch of an adventure inspired by just FOUR Magic: the Gathering cards! I hope you enjoyed this creative exercise. What elements would you have included? What obvious opportunities did I miss? Hit me up on Twitter @rjquestgiver to let me know.
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AuthorD&D 5e enthusiast. Creator on DMsguild. Supporter of creators, content and good times. Follow me on Twitter @rjquestgiver Archives
July 2021
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