DM help please, working on a single shot!!!

[SMac8988]

Hello all, I am working on a single shot for a group of friends and wanted to make sure it would be challenging as well as fun.

As of now I have made 8 characters for them to chose from, all goblins using halfling racial stuff as a template.

A wolf totem barb, a beast master using a giant crab, a thief rogue, a trickery cleric, a wild mage sorc, a battle master fighter and a lore keeper bard. All level 5 with one magic item each, and gear relevant to their level.

The group will consist of 5 to 7 of them, with any possible mixture of the classes.

My idea is that I want to test some mobs for another one of my campaigns and use the Azer and magmin as the main mobs through out. I was debating using an efrieet as the final boss, maybe give then a level through out to make sure that boss fight wouldn't be impossible.

My story is that the goblin tribe had taken an adventure going after the efrieet treasure, who was wearing bronze looking armor, and they have learned about this massive trasure horde the goblin leader wants. The group would is being sent to get into the trasure room and bring it back.

Would an efrieet being to hard for a group of 7 level 5? And any other idea or suggestions?

[NewDM]

Hello all, I am working on a single shot for a group of friends and wanted to make sure it would be challenging as well as fun.

As of now I have made 8 characters for them to chose from, all goblins using halfling racial stuff as a template.

A wolf totem barb, a beast master using a giant crab, a thief rogue, a trickery cleric, a wild mage sorc, a battle master fighter and a lore keeper bard. All level 5 with one magic item each, and gear relevant to their level.

The group will consist of 5 to 7 of them, with any possible mixture of the classes.

My idea is that I want to test some mobs for another one of my campaigns and use the Azer and magmin as the main mobs through out. I was debating using an efrieet as the final boss, maybe give then a level through out to make sure that boss fight wouldn't be impossible.

My story is that the goblin tribe had taken an adventure going after the efrieet treasure, who was wearing bronze looking armor, and they have learned about this massive trasure horde the goblin leader wants. The group would is being sent to get into the trasure room and bring it back.

Would an efrieet being to hard for a group of 7 level 5? And any other idea or suggestions?

Other than the HP the party will probably tear the Efreet a new one. None of the spells except wall of fire really pose a problem.

You should give the Efreet resistance to non-magical weapons. Advantage on saves against magic and throw some reactions and maybe a flame aura of 20 feet that deals 1d4 fire damage to anyone that starts their turn in it. Have it summon a fire elemental as a free or bonus action.

[R.Shackleford]

Give the efreet different forms (that it changes to once it has been killed), lair actions, and have azers/magmin help.

Hot damn, you could have the battle take place On a lake of fire where the PCs have to jump from rock to rock. Make sure there are plenty of cover options.

The Efreet comes out for a few rounds and then falls into the fire when it rains magmin from the fire lake. One of the magmin is actually the Efreet, if he is hit the other magmin is sucked into him and he gains his normal form. This hit doesn't actually deal damage to him just makes his form revert.

Needs some work but yeah...

Bonus: The Street had an item the party needs. They don't want to kill it while it is hovering/walking on lake of fire. No one really wants to take a dive...

Though when the Street does die... The area may not be as hot and could turn solid rock or even ice over.

[SMac8988]

Give the efreet different forms (that it changes to once it has been killed), lair actions, and have azers/magmin help.

Hot damn, you could have the battle take place On a lake of fire where the PCs have to jump from rock to rock. Make sure there are plenty of cover options.

The Efreet comes out for a few rounds and then falls into the fire when it rains magmin from the fire lake. One of the magmin is actually the Efreet, if he is hit the other magmin is sucked into him and he gains his normal form. This hit doesn't actually deal damage to him just makes his form revert.

Needs some work but yeah...

Bonus: The Street had an item the party needs. They don't want to kill it while it is hovering/walking on lake of fire. No one really wants to take a dive...

Though when the Street does die... The area may not be as hot and could turn solid rock or even ice over.

Omg i love those ideas. Im spending some of today working in it, but that is awesome. I am definately using the magmin ideas, and possibly the ite,. I may try and make it a actual module and post it up. Will need to recruit a friend for the the writting though,lol.

any other suggestions out there in the playground? Anyone know how an azer or efrieet lair woukd be set up?

[R.Shackleford]

Omg i love those ideas. Im spending some of today working in it, but that is awesome. I am definately using the magmin ideas, and possibly the ite,. I may try and make it a actual module and post it up. Will need to recruit a friend for the the writting though,lol.

any other suggestions out there in the playground? Anyone know how an azer or efrieet lair woukd be set up?

Thank you, I'm glad you liked them.

I try to make my boss fights dynamic and in all honesty more cinematic/videogamey.

Some more thoughts... Because I love this idea of a one shot/campaign

Have the lair be a cavern near the civilization. Said cavern was home to a dwarf mining expedition years ago. However a lot of dwarves died so they company shut down.

Recently there has been activity and dwarves are seen near the entrance but anyone that gets too close is killed. The party can actually send a letter to the company that owns the cavern asking about what's going on, the company will offer a reward to get rid of tresspassers.

Anyways... The "dwarves" that are in the cavern are actually Azers that are essentially POed reincarnated dwarves due to their souls wondering through a crack to the plane of fire and becoming one with that plane instead of going to their actual afterlife.

They are mining the cavern under the direction of the Efreet.

The cavern will have no natural light or torches lighting the way, everyone that resides there will be their own light source or have darkvision.

I would have a few main cavern rooms with some off branch passages (one room should be a break room with some worker's rights info). Keep it simple. Perhaps make one room the smelting/smith room. The party will run into Azers but their first experience with magmin will be when they crawl out of the smith's fire as they are the fire for it.

Have them crawl out like little burning babies... Should unerve at least one player.

The players need to find the net to the lower chambers, it should be on an Azer or hidden somewhere.

There are two paths for the lower chamber, spelled out in primordial. One leads to the excavation site and the other leads to the "the foreman". Going to the excavation site first leads to more fights and The Efreet learning the party is there. This gives the Efreet advantage on its initiative roll AND a surprise round.

The foreman's room is the crack from the material plane to the plane of fire and is shown as a lake of fire. When the players get into the room the Efreet magically deals the exit. They party needs the key to exit, if it falls I to the lake of fire then they have to go to the plane of fire and get it ;) not advisable but possible.

If they kill the Efreet and the key drops into the lake of fire you could have a cliff hanger of "your characters, knowing it is the only way, jump into the lake of fire in order to pass to the plane of fire to get the key...."

I love one shot cliff hangers that lead to other one shots. :)

[SMac8988]

My idea was to make it a goblin campaign, my group really want a day away from their more serious story to **** the world as a goblins, which I can respect.

I can use a lot of that, and make another use of it. Basically take most of what you wrote and have the goblins of the area be having problems with the azer, calling them bronze skins and capture an adventurer who was their to Try and get the mine back for the dwarfs. Basically they get information about the treasure from the captive and then want it for themselves.

[indemnity]

Would an efrieet being to hard for a group of 7 level 5?

The efreet will be too easy with that many PCs. Add 4-6 flying minions (swarm of bats?) or two mobile tanks. Aim to remove at least half the PCs healing ability before they get the BBEG. Anything to divide the party up on the battlefield works too.

Other options are making the terrain less forgiving to prevent the efreet being surrounded, or a time limit, such as a ritual to be dispelled (maybe another plane?) or reinforcements about to arrive.

[R.Shackleford]

Other options are making the terrain less forgiving to prevent the efreet being surrounded, or a time limit, such as a ritual to be dispelled (maybe another plane?) or reinforcements about to arrive.

Two words...

Exploding Volcanoe Action

[SMac8988]

I use the suggestion from before, with some "lair actions".

Basically every 50 HP the big bad loses he dives into the magma of the volcano and summons a few mobs to fight. I'll have 6 sets built and roll a d6 to see who comes out. Thinking anything from a fire elemental or 2 to 6 magmin.

On top of that, I will have the lair have a initiative set at 16; with a eruption action - dealing some fire damage, a earth quake which will be a atheltic/acro save or a fall into the lava, and a summon possibly of more magmin.

I figure it would be a very difficult fight but a ton of fun.