I need some good encounters!

[NavyBlue]

Ok, so far the party (Paladin 3, Warlock 3, Druid 3, Rouge 2, Fighter 2) has been in nothing but single session stories, but I'd like to give them a chance to try an actual campaign, something that will last a few sessions. The story will be as follows:

A few months ago, the party looted an abandoned wizard's tower during their liberation of a small village from Orc invaders. All they took was a box of assorted potions, some of which they've since used. Unbeknownst to them, the wizard had an enemy in the form of an adult Blue Dragon with sorcerer levels. The dragon is LE and obsessed with perceived thievery, especially from him. The wizard now owns a mansion in the mountains, and has been slain by the dragon and his cohorts. The dragon was robbed by the wizard years ago, and considers everything the wizard has created since then (including a box of potions) as rightfully belonging to him, as repayment for the theft years ago. Since the party has used the potions since, they now owe the dragon for them. The dragon plans to lure them to the mansion, kidnap them, and press them into service. He believes he has a claim to a religious relic held by a gnome village several weeks travel through the underdark away. If the party can retrieve it, they will be freed from service... For now. The dragon will place a lesser geas on a member of the party as insurance.

I plan to have the temple to Garl Glittergold trapped, and for the party to face the cleric in charge, as well as a few warriors. Other than that, I have no idea how to flesh this out beyond one or two sessions. The group, myself included, is completely inexperienced with the underdark, so any cliche goes. Give me some awesome encounter ideas I can flesh/ stat out to make this a success!

[Flickerdart]

If the dragon is powerful enough to slay the wizard and kidnap the PCs, why does he need their help? Why not just take the relic himself, or have his minions do it? If the PCs couldn't beat, how are they going to be any match at all for the clerics at the temple? Answer these questions in an interesting way, and you've fleshed out your adventure.

[NavyBlue]

Those questions all do have answers. In short, the dragon is LE. The lawful part of him gives him a sense of fairness, so he's allowing the party a chance to work of their "debt" before killing them. The evil part of him is sending the mostly good aligned, somewhat lawful party to rob a temple to a good god purely for evil to profit, something he takes a perverse sort of pleasure from

I'm mostly looking for stuff for the party to do on the way to the temple, and possibly back. I'd like for thus not to turn into me saying, "you leave the dragons lair, walk for a while, And arrive at the village"

[Scarlet-Devil]

Well, first of all I recommend that you advise the party Rouge to sell her makeup and use the cash to buy a rapier and some thieve's tools, then maybe retrain to Rogue. It should help the party out in the long run.

As for Underdark encounters, there's always orc patrols, rogue goblins, drow scouts or raiding parties, and wandering minotaurs. That sort of thing would be befitting for their current level. Let me scrounge around a little and see if I can find something more exotic though. Maybe chokers.

Edit: They could be stalked by a Choker with a level or two of ranger (maybe favored enemy: elves or dwarves) or barbarian or something; should be a decent fight, even for the five of them. Then there's always Cloakers; just one should be pretty scary for them, since it's a CR 5 monster with a bunch of special junk.

[AlanBruce]

Maybe have one of the dragon's cohorts jealous that he hasn't been chosen for the mission. The cohort attempts to thwart the PC's poriogress through their trek thropugh ambush tactics. Maybe he hires a group of duergar to do the job (since he cannot allow his master to know he interfered directly). Build up a party of duergar of appropriate level for them and let them go at it. Perhaps 1st level duergar rogues with a 3rd level wizard as captain.

Another idea would be an ambush by a Roper (yes, the creature is CR 12), however, the Roper is hungry and wishes to feed off anyone- or anything. Make the encounter scary enough to know they might die, but throw in some bonuses to their diplomacy or bluff to convince the creature they aren't as tasty. As such, the Roper tasks them with bringing him a living creature. Sentient if possible- very meaty if not. The Roper guards the only available path for the party and is willing to let them through, if they bring him food. Cue in a watering hole of shocker lizards not too far away and you got yourself a sidequest.

Bonus RP XP if the Roper decides to take the druid's animal companion as a snack.

[Immabozo]

Well, first of all I recommend that you advise the party Rouge to sell her makeup and use the cash to buy a rapier and some thieve's tools, then maybe retrain to Rogue. It should help the party out in the long run.

You, sir, are my hero

[Vegan Zombie]

Alright, I just wanted to point out that you have a Paladin in your group, and your sending them to a good aligned church to murder and steal. If that's not grounds for falling from grace, I don't know what is. I would be prepared to let them find another way, if they decide to pursue alternatives. Or the Paladin player may just throw a book at you.

[Darth Stabber]

If in doubt about what to use for an encounter, use a tripper (or several). It's not going to kill them quickly, but few things are going to cause a nail biter like the risk of being slow rolled. A lvl2 psywar with expansion and a spiked chain can keep a party on their backs fairly proficiently.

[Scarlet-Devil]

You, sir, are my hero

:smallbiggrin: Thank you, thank you! *bows* :smallbiggrin:

[Flickerdart]

Those questions all do have answers. In short, the dragon is LE. The lawful part of him gives him a sense of fairness, so he's allowing the party a chance to work of their "debt" before killing them. The evil part of him is sending the mostly good aligned, somewhat lawful party to rob a temple to a good god purely for evil to profit, something he takes a perverse sort of pleasure from
But why didn't he just do it himself, before? Did he just expect that adventurers would eventually blunder in and take the potions, and that by that time, the relic would still be at that temple?



I'm mostly looking for stuff for the party to do on the way to the temple, and possibly back. I'd like for thus not to turn into me saying, "you leave the dragons lair, walk for a while, And arrive at the village"
Random encounters do not make something an adventure. In general, you should have no more than one such encounter between two plot points, otherwise your players would forget what they were even doing. The dragon would also not send them through dangerous territory, since they would run the risk of dying and then he gets no benefit.