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Just over a month ago, I posted "Stringing, Ideas Together, part I" where I took four Magic cards from my February Feature project and crafted an adventure outline around them. I highly encourage you to check that out as I feel it makes for a very solid story. Today, I revisit this concept and string together a few other cards from that project for a new adventure seed.
First, let's set the scene. I imagine the characters somewhere in the Forgotten Realms near a large forest. Maybe they are in Neverwinter or Phandalin with the Neverwinter Wood nearby, or maybe they are in the Everlund region with the High Forest a short jaunt away. Let's assume you have a party of four, each either level three or level four. The first card we'll use is the Diregraf Escort. My initial thought for this card centered around helping the PCs navigate a haunted forest of undead. That doesn't really work for what I have in mind here, so let's reflavor him as a trapper returning to town from the nearby wood with dire warnings to share. He tells a tale of destruction in the woods. Whole trees ripped up, massive claw marks found in bark, stone, and earth. A path of devastation. The worst party...he is the only survivor of his party. Just like in a classic creature-feature, he didn't get a good look at the beast, but he heard the carnage as he fled from camp into the dark shadows of the evening wood. He hasn't stopped moving since, not until he arrives to the PCs to tell his tale. He's reluctant, but holding true to his name, will indeed escort the PCs back into the forest to the scene of the crime. It's the least he can do to honor the memory of his fallen comrades. The creature that attacked the trappers is a Roaring Primadox. This thing is big! Use the stat block of the giant ape but add a tusk/gore attack like that found on the minotaur. Also add a frightful presence feature as found on any adult dragon. For it's size, this thing is reclusive. Think of it like Bigfoot. Legend and lore swirl around it, but many chalk it up as a myth. The trapper is a believer (newly minted), as are a few older/wiser folks the PCs may interact with in town. Once the trapper as escorted the PCs back to the campsite in the woods, he bids his farewell and books it back to civilization, leaving them to track and kill the blood thirsty beast on their own. Any ranger/druid or naturey inclined character can easily inspect the evidence. As they investigate, be sure to play up the size and destructive power this thing must possess. Allow one character to find some odd tracks in the vicinity. Tracks that appear to be left by a primate (not the human trappers, nor the huge Primadox). Following these ape tracks will eventually take the PCs to a very well hidden cave where they are greeted by a clan of apes and their Gorilla Chieftain. Play this NPC as old, wise, and a bit odd...like Yoda. The chieftain is the only one of the apes who can speak in Common (due to his very old age an experience). He communicates the legend of the Primadox to the PCs and urges them to seek out the beast and either destroy it, or drive it from these lands. If they fail, the Primadox will ravage the environment and eventually attack nearby settlements once the supply of game grows thin. The chieftain, recognizing the tall order he is asking the characters bestows a magical blessing upon each. Doing so weakens him greatly, which is why he cannot attend to the "hunt" himself. His fellow apes hang back to take care of their leader. The four blessings (one for each character) are:
Now you may be thinking, "That's a lot of buffs," but remember, this is for a party of four third or fourth level characters. A Roaring Primadox would likely smoke them quite easily otherwise. Of course, you'll know the power of your group and can adjust these boons up or down accordingly. The party will benefit from being able to focus fire on the brute, and the action-economy will definitely be on their side as well. All that being said, a giant ape with extra abilities is no joke at this level. Once leaving the ape people behind, the party successfully tracks the Primadox down and the boss fight can begin. Assuming the heroes emerge victorious, they've not only saved the forest from utter destruction, but they've earned the trust, respect, and loyalty of the Gorilla Chieftain who may very well have other quests to send them on. Obviously, the above is a very loose sketch of the action. You can add in random encounters, environmental hazards, checks for crossing streams, tracking prints, interacting with the chieftain, etc. Want to spice it up even more? Maybe the Primadox is a powerful evil-druid wildshaping into this creature of destruction. Once reduced to zero hp and converting back to its humanoid form, the druid gets away, creating a new plot hook for the PCs to explore. I hope you found this exercise interesting and helpful. Writing them gets my creative juices flowing and excited about crafting new adventures for my players to explore. Even if you never use this outline as is, hopefully there was kernel of inspiration in it for you that leads to something great! Happy Questing!
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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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