LFR-based home campaign

[Tiadoppler]

I'm currently running a 4e campaign for three young, inexperienced players. The general concept of the campaign is: the PCs are in a generic Adventuring Party(tm), traveling the world, righting wrongs and fighting injustices (the great thing about younger players is that the cliches and stereotypes are all fresh, new ideas!).

I've been using Living Forgotten Realms adventures as the bulk of the adventure/combat play, and doing more free form roleplay for the travel from city to city and day-to-day life stuff. This has the advantage of being EXTREMELY easy on me (the DM), as the exciting adventures require absolutely minimal paperwork and prep time.

The players are awesome. They want to hear the story, care about (and occasionally adopt) the NPCs, and talk about the decisions they make. We have no crazy or evil characters, and intra-party conflict tends to be more about mild pranks than PvP, so adventures tend to go very smoothly (dice rolls permitting, of course).

LFR adventures are built for 4-6 players. Each of my three players has two PCs each, for a total of six PCs. Sometimes we shake up the party by having half the party (one of each player's PCs) do one adventure while the other half does another adventure.


Players and PCs:

Player 1:
Tiefling Hybrid Bard/Paladin. High CHA, party face
Goliath Warden. High STR, the laconic tank

Player 2:
Fire Genasi Warlock. High CON, closest thing to evil we have
Hamadryad Pacifist Cleric. High WIS, closest thing to pure good we have

Player 3:
Human Wizard (Mage). High INT, likes fire and money. Wishes dragons were a playable race.
Hengeyokai Monk. High DEX, ridiculously quirky. Unfamiliar with many aspects of society. Everybody's favorite character


Our adventure so far:

The PCs met on the docks of New Velar (The Dalelands), when they were suddenly attacked by beetles. In the subsequent beetle battle, they recognized a certain kinship and decided to join forces (DALE1-1). Flush with their victory, they decided to travel by ship to Suzail (Cormyr) where more adventure might be found.

Arriving in Suzail, (SPEC4-5) they found themselves quickly hired by Lady Iona Thanterim (consistently pronounced Thentarim), who needed bodyguards for a journey to Urmlaspyr (Sembia). Arriving in Urmlaspyr, they discovered terrible, awful, disgusting sewers full of disgusting muck, and a couple monsters too.

Having safeguarded Lady Iona Thanterim, and earning the favor of Ambassador Deskyr Thanterim, our heros decide to stay in Urmlaspyr for a while. Unfortunately, their 'vacation' is cut short over and over again by repeated attacks by various flavors of shadowy monsters. The players learn what 'insubstantial' means. The players learn to throw dice at the DM. The players learn about Radiant vulnerability. (CORE4-3, CORE4-4, CORE4-5)




Has anyone else done something similar? Does anybody have any favorite/well written/exciting LFR mods they can recommend? I do have an overarching theme going, and a couple of the players have character arcs they're working on, but I'd like to hear about good adventures to try.

[ScrivenerofDoom]

(snip) Has anyone else done something similar? Does anybody have any favorite/well written/exciting LFR mods they can recommend? I do have an overarching theme going, and a couple of the players have character arcs they're working on, but I'd like to hear about good adventures to try.

This sounds like a great game, especially with minimal prep.

My current Daggerdale-based campaign draws on both Blades for Daggerdale and Illsydra but I am not sure if either adventure is now recognisable in play.

I would also mention the EPIC adventures published for LFR. They are genuinely good and put the Epic adventures published by WotC for the HPE Orcus series to shame. Perhaps you should have a look at those and see if you can tie your current campaign into that storyline with a view to eventually taking your PCs into Epic levels?

[MwaO]

Think a lot of the year 3-5 mods are where things start to do well - the writers understand 4e fully and WotC has let go of the reins, so not as much focus on mandatory skill challenges.

Here's a list of mods that a while back I wrote up as being a good LFR home campaign:
http://secretsofthearchmages.net/Threads/Wotc/2015/LFR_Adventures_Discussion/2549361.htm

I'd probably alter it now to try to go into the year 3/4 NETH mods. That both leads into the main area of year 5/6 mods and the Epic mods if it goes that far. I co-wrote NETH4-1, so I'm a bit biased, but I think that's the route that leads to the heart of LFR.

I might tone down the scary parts of NETH4-1 if you go there, though. The initial encounter was written to get the players to think about moral consequences of actions - in NETH3-3, basically, they were supposed to think about whether assassinating the evil guy was a good idea or not and most players blew past it and killed him. Mainly because the mod didn't really offer any warning signs that it could be a problem. The goal was spooky/weird, but if they're young, could be scary.

[Tiadoppler]

Oh cool! Did you ever get a chance to run your list as a home campaign?

I'm definitely trying to lean towards the later year mods, and I want to get to the EPIC ones eventually. On the other hand, Mid- to late- heroic and early paragon seem to be where 4e shines, so I certainly don't want to rush through those levels.


I'll take a look at the Daggerdale stuff, and the Cormyr list. My players seem to like the Cormyr area a lot, but I'd sort of like to take some time in late Heroic (they're almost level 4 now) to explore more of the world for a while before returning. I'm thinking of having them head over to Neverwinter or Baldur's Gate for a while, then down to Calimshan (for CALI3-1, 3-2, 3-3) before heading back to Cormyr/Netheril/Sembia/Dalelands for late Heroic/early Paragon. NETH4-1 through 4-3 look good to me! Cormyr vs. Netheril is a big part of the campaign, I just want to make sure that there's a good amount of variety in the gameplay. My players are already getting a bit tired of insubstantial (shadows and ghosts) creatures.


We just finished CORE4-5 last night, now I'm looking into leaving the immediate area for a while, before returning at the end of Heroic just in time for CORE5-1 (saving Ambassador Thanterim and evacuating Urmlaspyr).


I am using a map of Faerun to determine where+how the PCs find their next adventure. We start in Urmlaspyr, with access to ships based in Cormyr and overland travel (We've just finished Desolation Series, Chapter 1, and many of the PCs have pledged their allegiance to Cormyr, being knighted in the process). Next stop... The Sword Coast?

[Kurald Galain]

I'm definitely trying to lean towards the later year mods, and I want to get to the EPIC ones eventually. On the other hand, Mid- to late- heroic and early paragon seem to be where 4e shines, so I certainly don't want to rush through those levels.

You are right about that. We did play epic eventually but it's basically the same as paragon except combats are even faster (and the DM has to really ramp up limiting the PCs with curses and so forth in order to make it even remotely challenging).

[Tiadoppler]

I was all ready to start the next adventure. The PCs had all agreed to travel overland: north, into the Dalelands. But, wait! We could spend an entire session shopping for non-magical gear and food in Urmlaspyr!

As our heroes prepared to leave the city, the foolish DM (yours truly) accidentally mentioned the possibility of purchasing mounts. After about an hour of debate it was decided that the best choice was purchasing a covered wagon pulled by oxen.

They purchased a lightly-used covered wagon, and a pair of oxen. Pumpkin is a sweet, gentle ox with long reddish-orange fur. He likes grass, grain and hugs. Moo-sic is a silent, mysterious ox who was purchased at a significant discount from a creeped-out rancher. He has four horns, zebra stripes and darkvision.

Then it was time to buy enough supplies to fill said wagon...


It's agreed that they would need:

Good quality camping gear
Large tents
Lots of rope and 10' poles (for setting up the tents... :D obviously)
Lanterns (to hang on the side of the wagon, mostly)
Torches (cheaper, to use for exploring)
Cooking gear (the Goliath Warden mercenary is an enthusiastic baker with exceptional taste and impeccable manners)
Climbing gear
Warm weather clothes, cold weather clothes, camouflaged clothes, normal weather clothes (because my players thought it would be silly to walk all day wearing armor!)
Barrels for storing water (40 gallons, which should be enough for 1-2 days of exertion for the whole party, including the oxen)
Travel documents and identification, proving that the PCs are citizens and knights of Cormyr
(DM Fiat: To reflect character knowledge that the players didn't think of, I added a few extra bits and pieces to their shopping list: spare parts, non-magical arrows, good boots, etc.)
And last, but certainly not least: Food.


At this point, we were about an hour and forty-five minutes into the session. The remainder of our time was spent discussing the individual PCs favorite foods, and the PCs arguing with each other to get more of their favorites without going over the wagon's weight limit. By this time, the party has spent approximately their entire savings on outfitting this wagon with the equivalent of a gourmet kitchen. We spent fifteen minutes sorting the spice rack on the wagon (can you believe they almost forgot cinnamon???).


Best. Session. Ever.

TL;DR: DM was ready for an exciting quest. Players went grocery shopping. Roleplay>combat, people!

[MoutonRustique]

I was all ready to start the next adventure. The PCs had all agreed to travel overland: north, into the Dalelands. But, wait! We could spend an entire session shopping for non-magical gear and food in Urmlaspyr!

As our heroes prepared to leave the city, the foolish DM (yours truly) accidentally mentioned the possibility of purchasing mounts. After about an hour of debate it was decided that the best choice was purchasing a covered wagon pulled by oxen.

They purchased a lightly-used covered wagon, and a pair of oxen. Pumpkin is a sweet, gentle ox with long reddish-orange fur. He likes grass, grain and hugs. Moo-sic is a silent, mysterious ox who was purchased at a significant discount from a creeped-out rancher. He has four horns, zebra stripes and darkvision.

Then it was time to buy enough supplies to fill said wagon...

TL;DR: DM was ready for an exciting quest. Players went grocery shopping. Roleplay>combat, people!You win the Internet!

[Tiadoppler]

Excellent news: my group has finally settled on a name for itself. Listening to my (sarcastic) description of their motley crew departing Urmlaspyr, they started seriously discussing various names before settling on "The Wandering Knights of Cormyr: The Order of the Misfit-eers".

With that important bit of business settled, the Misfiteers left Sembia and began their tour of the Dalelands, stopping at each and every small town so that our Bard/Paladin (A valkyrie-themed Skald who alternates between singing songs of our glorious victories and insulting our foolish enemies) can procure fresh produce for our Goliath chef.

As the Misfiteers traveled north, the PCs on watch started to report hearing mysterious noises in the middle of the night: howling, clicking, whispering and snapping twigs. Travelers on the roads and patrons at the inns began to tell stories of murderous horsemen, fearsome werewolves and strange disappearances. As the Misfiteers neared Dagger Falls (Dalelands/Cormanthor), they were extremely wary and had begun wearing their armor and weapons at all times... just in case.


DALE1-2: Blades for Daggerdale
Cresting a small hill, the Misfiteers suddenly hear the sounds of battle. Running forwards heedless of the risk (they are knights, after all), they arrive just in time to save a small caravan camp being attacked by a pair of gnameless Gnolls and their pet hyenas (Toothy, Slobber and Stinko)*.

A brief and bloody battle ensued, ending with the gnoll archer critting the goliath warden down to low single digit health, then being insulted (Vicious Mockery) to death by the Bard/Paladin. The insult was: "You're just an NPC in the game of life, and that was your final role(/roll)."

An awkward quest hook later, and the Misfiteers accompanied the caravan into Dagger Falls, where they run into another awkward quest hook. At this point, I've decided to make some changes to the adventure for my own sanity and for streamlining. I ended the session at that point.

To be continued...



* It says a lot about my players that I had to make up names for the pet hyenas and not the gnolls.


DM Notes:
DALE1-2 is a cool adventure with a few weird issues.

Combat: You rescue a caravan from gnolls. There's a retired adventurer, Elyan, on one of the carts. Elyan ask for your help finding her friend Dorring.

Roleplay: You discover that a group of Zhent mercenaries are trying to get hired as gnoll hunters for the town of Dagger Falls. Dorring's employer (the 'sheriff' of the town) thinks that the Zhents are bad news, and has sent Dorring to scout out the gnoll threat. He hasn't returned. Go find him!

Huh?: Dorring has fallen into the water. Throw him a rope, or he'll drown! You throw him a rope. Good job. <WHAT IS THIS???

Combat: You find the local gnoll threat and dispatch it, uncovering evidence of a Zhent conspiracy.

Combat: The Zhents try to silence you for uncovering their evil plot. We'll see about that! Roll initiative.

Denouement: Did you uncover the Zhent plot? Did you save Dorring? Did you convince the mayor? What happened to the captive Zhent? Decent amount of roleplay potential here. Almost wish it wasn't summarized into two brief paragraphs.



The most annoying thing about this adventure (to me, anyway) is how Dorring's 'plot' is so easily resolved and irrelevant to the main plot of the adventure. I'm resolving it in this way: Elyan decides to come with the Misfiteers to find Dorring. Dorring is found as a captive of the gnolls (alongside the Zhent captive who reveals the evil plot). This removes an extraneous scene and adds a real sense of danger to Dorring's predicament, AND lets Elyan and Dorring reunite "onscreen", completing their plotline.


The second most annoying thing is how awkward the transition from 'helping out a caravan' to 'consulting with the mayor regarding hiring the Zhents' is. Increasing Elyan's role in the plot helps with this too. While the players might not particularly care about the plot, Elyan can offer to pay them for their help finding Dorring. Money solves all problems!

[ScrivenerofDoom]

(snip)

They purchased a lightly-used covered wagon, and a pair of oxen. Pumpkin is a sweet, gentle ox with long reddish-orange fur. He likes grass, grain and hugs. Moo-sic is a silent, mysterious ox who was purchased at a significant discount from a creeped-out rancher. He has four horns, zebra stripes and darkvision.

(snip)

At this point, we were about an hour and forty-five minutes into the session. The remainder of our time was spent discussing the individual PCs favorite foods, and the PCs arguing with each other to get more of their favorites without going over the wagon's weight limit. By this time, the party has spent approximately their entire savings on outfitting this wagon with the equivalent of a gourmet kitchen. We spent fifteen minutes sorting the spice rack on the wagon (can you believe they almost forgot cinnamon???).


Best. Session. Ever.

TL;DR: DM was ready for an exciting quest. Players went grocery shopping. Roleplay>combat, people!

Gee, imagine how much more roleplaying there would have been if you weren't playing 4E?! :D My poor attempt at sarcasm aside, just this snipped post is enough to show people that roleplaying in any edition of D&D or in any D&D game has nothing to do with the rules, per se, but everything to do with the willingness of the players (including the DM) to embrace the world and its fiction.

That is one of my favourite D&D posts ever, although I think my favourite part is the description of the ox, Moosic.

I'm 47 now and run a fairly serious game (although we're all long-time friends so joke around as friends do). I mention my age because I know that sometimes I forget or to choose to ignore those possibilities to insert the weird and the wonderful - those little vignettes that make the players remember that this really is a fantasy world. Moosic is a great example of that. Well done!


(snip) DALE1-2: Blades for Daggerdale (snip)

* It says a lot about my players that I had to make up names for the pet hyenas and not the gnolls.


DM Notes:
DALE1-2 is a cool adventure with a few weird issues.

(snip)


I cannot wait to read more about the exploits of the Misfiteers! :)

There's something about Blades for Daggerdale that I do like so I have kept that name and the idea of Zhents hiring gnolls as an excuse to infiltrate (and then conquer) Daggerdale. I've actually given the gnolls a proper HQ in the Dagger Hills - Dead Gnoll's Eye Socket, taking the location from S2 White Plume Mountain as adapted for use in one of the final 4E Dungeon adventures. When my PCs get there they are going to find the gnolls performing a ritual to summon an aspect of Yeenoghu who will probably be a level 7 or so solo skirmisher.

But enough about my game: I love how your group seems to have really embraced their characters and the world. You're very fortunate with your players and clearly you're doing a great job as DM.

I look forward to more.

[Tiadoppler]

Wow, I'm blushing. Yeah, I do like the scheming Zhents and their cunning, amoral plot, but I've pretty much decided to leave them as a sidequest or possibly recurring random encounter. My players want to travel the world in this campaign, not just stick around the Dales. At the moment, the Misfiteers' enemies (who would be sending assassins/mercenaries/bounty hunters after them) include:

The Infernal Pact (Cult Escapee/Devil's Pawn) Warlock has ticked off a large cult based in Thay (by running away)
The Misfiteers in general have annoyed various forces of shadow, possibly Netheril, and the Zhents.
Pretty much all of the Misfiteers worship or are manipulated by Sehanine. This is part of the more Paragon/Epic questline I have in mind.


While I reorganized DALE1-2 to fit my own preferences, I asked my players to think up original insults for use with the Bard(/paladin)'s Vicious Mockery attack. I didn't read the list over before the session...



*Ahem* Previously, on DAL-bzzztptzzbpzz-nd now, the conclusion:

It's entirely possible that the Bardadin has an anger management issue. As soon as the Zhent commander introduced himself, he made some minor insult towards the honor and integrity of the Misfiteers. The Bardadin decided to roll initiative, in the middle of a town council meeting, in full view of a gaggle of politicians, Zhent soldiers and townspeople. The rest of the party was able to hold her back, but the Zhent commander used this overreaction to undermine the Misfiteers' reputation.

It was only by the quick-thinking (and quick hands) of the Monk that Dagger Falls didn't side with the Zhents immediately (she snuck out of the council meeting, stole the sacks of cabbages that the Zhents were using as fake gnoll heads, and then dumped them on the council table). As it was, the Mayor of Dagger Falls dismissed the council til later that evening. With that, Elyan and the Misfiteers went off in search of the missing scout, Dorring. Without a better argument against the Zhents, it seemed likely that Dagger Falls would end up hiring a foul bunch of mercenaries.

Luckily, the Misfiteers are better at tracking down gnolls than they are at talking politely to rude people. As the clear day turned into a rainy afternoon, they followed Dorring's tracks to a rocky outcropping overlooking a small cave. His tracks ended there, in a small splatter of blood. Gnoll tracks were everywhere and it was obvious that something heavy had been rolled off the side of the rocks, then dragged into the cave.

A series of excellent stealth checks later, the Misfiteers had crawled silently into the gnoll cave and spotted a pair of unconscious prisoners (Dorring and the Zhent soldier, Hallen). Our heroes quickly took the initiative and surprised the gnoll captors.



At this point, the Bardadin started using Vicious Mockery whenever possible. Kids think up weird insults, some of which don't work that well, and some of which are truly amazing.

Bardadin: "You smell like a wet dog" [3]
Gnoll: "I am a wet dog, what's your excuse?"

At this point I sighed and wondered if all of the insults would be as corny and boring as that. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Bardadin: "You need to go brush your teeth..."
-Oh well, I thought, at least they're trying-
Bardadin: "IN HELL!!!" [17]



With the gnolls utterly defeated, Elyan tearfully reunited with Dorring and the Zhent soldier started mumbling nearly incoherently. Plot twist! The Zhents were the ones responsible for the gnoll invasion! Now it's a race against time for the Misfiteers to get back to Dagger Falls before the town council invites the Zhents to stay.

The Misfiteers squeezed themselves back out of the cave, only to find a crowd of Zhents with weapons drawn. The Zhent sergeant offered the Misfiteers a simple choice. They could take a bribe and leave the Dalelands immediately, or be cut down where they stood. The Misfiteers answered the only way they knew how. With fire.

As usual, the more... typical... members of the Misfiteers did their jobs with excellent efficiency. The Monk and Warden flanked the Zhent Sergeant and distracted the Zhent soldiers, the Wizard and Warlock sent blasts of fire at the Zhent Mage and any concentration of enemies, and the Cleric occasionally waved her hand vaguely in the direction of a wounded Misfiteer, healing them to full health instantly.


And, once again, the Bardadin broke out her list of insults.

Bardadin: "I'd come up and hit you, but I don't want to catch that disease!" [9]
Good attempt, but not quite. The Zhent sergeant snorted in derision.

Bardadin: "I've fought bread tougher than you!" [4]
The battle paused for a few seconds. Everybody stared at the Bardadin. The Zhent sergeant and all of the soldiers started to laugh.
Cleric: "You've fought bread?"

Finally, I was able to convince the Bardadin's player to charge in and help the melee characters up close. By this time, the Zhent sergeant was severely injured. The Bardadin's Glorious Charge was very successful and skewered the Zhent sergeant where he stood.

Bardadin: "Oh, yeah? How's that for an insult?"


The Misfiteers quickly loaded the wounded (Dorring and the Zhent prisoner) into their cart and returned to Dagger Falls as the sun was setting. Rushing to the town hall, they gave the Mayor all of their evidence, and the Zhents were swiftly expelled from the city. As the Zhent commander turned at the city gate to give the Misfiteers one last glare, and to memorize their faces for future retribution, the Misfiteers started throwing rocks at him.

To Be Continued...



DM Notes:

I anticipate that the Misfiteers will spend a couple more days in Dagger Falls before moving on. I intend to have them learn more about the adventuring party that Elyan and Dorring used to belong to(Byar's Seven), to lead them into the next few Dalelands quests. Ultimately, though, the Misfiteers will probably end up leaving Dagger Falls shortly.

If they really want to explore the area, I'll figure something out, but in all likelihood, the next adventure will be DALE1-4: The Lady in Flames, starting in Shadowdale, roughly fifty miles south of Dagger Falls and the River Tesh.

My goal is to warp Faerun's geography a bit for the next few adventures. The Misfiteers will spend some time in Shadowdale:
DALE1-4 - In Shadowdale
DALE1-5 - Supposed to be in Highmoon and the Archwood, but I'm moving it closer to Ashabenford (near Shadowdale)
DALE2-1 - Starts in Shadowdale, supposed to end in Battledale (near Essembra). Instead, the route is going to go southwest, along the south edge of Netheril, possibly to an abbey near the Sunset Mountains. This will require messing with the end of the Byar's Seven quest, but I think it's worth it to get the Misfiteers out of the Dalelands area for a while.



Quote of the Day: "You need to go brush your teeth... IN HELL!"

[Tiadoppler]

First off, I'll say this: I was wrong about how long my players wanted to spend in Dagger Falls. After chasing the Zhents away and spending a few minutes talking with their new friends (Elyan and Dorring of the Byar's Seven adventuring party), they were off... almost.



Night had fallen, and obviously, the Misfiteers couldn't travel far at night. Initially, the preferred plan of action was to leave Dagger Falls immediately and camp along the road... a few hundred feet away from the friendly, grateful village. The Bardadin reminded everyone that the oxen would need to eat dinner, and that they should be fed before asking them to pull the wagon. Suddenly, the Warlock remembered that towns have restaurants, inns and taverns, and if the oxen were going to have dinner, the rest of the Misfiteers might as well eat in comfort.

They quickly found themselves ensconced on one of the raised dining platforms of the River View Tavern, a traveling restaurant-barge currently moored fifty feet upstream from the giant waterfall that gave Dagger Falls it's name. There, the Misfiteers enjoyed a pleasant (and obnoxiously detailed) dinner, gazing out at the moonlit waterfall.

By the time dinner was over, the Goliath epicure, the exhausted Hamadryad Cleric, and the Warlock had all decided that staying at a local inn would be the proper, in-character activity. The Misfiteers rented a series of rooms and proceeded to... camp out in their wagon all night, so that their gear wasn't stolen. The only Misfiteer who spent the night inside the inn was the Hamadryad, who, as is her custom, rested by standing in a large flower pot of fresh dirt mixed with some warm tea, 'drinking' through her feet.

The Misfiteers were on the road again before dawn, making haste for the relative safety of the Elven roads through the Cormanthor forest. For the next several days, travel went swiftly. The cobblestones of Human and Dwarven trade routes gave way to the pine-covered earthen roads of the Elves. The Misfiteers spent the entire time in earnest debate over the following questions: Should a Hamadryad be a vegetarian? Do Hamadryads self-identify more closely with animals, or with trees? Is a carnivorous Hamadryad the equivalent of a vegetarian Human? No clear answers were forthcoming.

A brief encounter with an Eladrin paladin broke up the otherwise calm journey south. Weary travelers, distressed merchants, local children at play and even signs of bandits were all thoroughly ignored by the Misfiteers as they sought out whatever local delicacies they could acquire for their mobile kitchen.

Soon, they neared Shadowdale...




DM Notes:

Wow, they really wanted to get out of Dagger Falls and find new adventures. Also, my players are bizarre.

I did manage to sneak in two future plot hooks.
The River View Tavern is a traveling restaurant bar, but it's also a partial submerged airship/spelljammer type thing. The owner/chef is some high-level NPC who runs it as a hobby (To Be Decided... Possibly Bahamut? Likes to give subtle advice to Good adventurers and keep in touch with the world of mortals). The Misfiteers don't suspect anything yet, but I plan to have the RVT appear a couple more times in places it really shouldn't have been able to get to. When my over-plot starts getting serious, the RVT will end up destroyed (probably).

The Eladrin paladin they encounter will be fleshed out a bit more for the Cormyr/Netheril war.

[Tiadoppler]

For the first time ever, the Misfiteers' reputation preceded them into town! A knight from Cormanthor had ridden through Shadowdale and spoken with the Lady Mayor. By treaty, he was unable to assist with any problems originating outside Elven territories, but he spoke of a band of adventurers who might be able to help...



DALE1-4: The Lady in Flames

Before dawn, one morning, the Misfiteers were making breakfast in a small clearing when a young man ran up the road, clearly exhausted. Shadowdale needed help, he explained, and the Lady Mayor had sent him out in search of a group of adventurers-for-hire called the Misfiteers. Having received that urgent distress call, the Misfiteers settled down for breakfast. It was mid-morning when they arrived in Shadowdale, where they quickly found the Mayor, Lady Ulphor.

Lady Ulphor explained that there was a nearby forest, the Spiderhaunt, which had many portals into the Feywild. This fey-touched area was usually not a problem for the town of Shadowdale, as long as they kept a close watch on it. Recently, however, the Shadowdale scouts begain discovering many unusual things.

The scouts reported dead fey, with bloody glass shards in their hands and deep, self-inflicted wounds on their arms, and living, highly aggresive fey with bloody glass shards worn as a pendant, deep wounds on their arms, and mysterious blue magic. The Misfiteers immediately noticed the pattern: the fey would cut themselves on the glass shard, and either die horribly, or receive strange powers.

The Lady Mayor then asked the Misfiteers to enter the Spiderhaunt and find some way to neutralize the source of this foul magic. The fey-touched lands would be confusing, however, and she suggested either hiring a local guide, or asking the Sibilant Sisters (a coven of hags who owe her a favor) for help.

The Misfiteers then began to walk towards the tower of the Sibilant Sisters. A few quick knowledge checks (In character: What do we know about hags? Out of character: What does 'sibilant' mean?) and the Misfiteers went Nope Nope Nope right back to the village.

A quick interview with the suggested local guide followed, with the Misfiteers determining immediately that he was unqualified to find his own way home from the tavern, much less lead them into the unknown. The Misfiteers hired him to take care of their wagon and oxen while they dealt with the Spiderhaunt forest themselves.

With those important items of business out of the way, the Misfiteers departed into the Spiderhaunt forest, unaccompanied by any kind of guidance whatsoever...

[ScrivenerofDoom]

Your players aren't weird except in a positive way - I like the way they're embracing some of the more unusual things. And the hamadryad drinking tea through her roots makes a lot of sense. Good to see them embracing these more nuanced "tics" for their characters.

One of the things I am also enjoying about your posts is that they remind me to go back and have a look at some of the LFR adventures for ideas. I'm already using Blades for Daggerdale but Lady in Flames is one I should also definitely be having a fresh look at. Anyway, I look forward to more from you! :)

[Tiadoppler]

I was pretty disappointed that my players skipped the Sibilant Sisters sidequest entirely, so I'm redesigning them as a boss battle for the end of DALE2-1: Forever.


The Sibilant Sisters are a coven of three evil hags who are trying to capture the NPC Sureen. I intend to base them on the witches from Neil Gaiman's "Stardust". I haven't read the book, but the movie witches have incredibly enjoyable 'evil, hammy, quarrelsome witch coven' personalities, with some truly nasty and disturbing magical powers.

The PCs' mission is to bring Sureen to a specific abbey. The Sibilant Sisters will have beaten the PCs to the abbey, slaughtered the inhabitants, and set up shop, impersonating the friendly (and now deceased) NPCs who lived there. They are trying to separate Sureen from the PCs by any means necessary.


Each morning they use a ritual (on themselves, and all their undead minions) that they call their 'morning prayers' before they allow the PCs to see them:

Glamorous Visage (Illusion) (Arcana check)

Target: one creature
Components: The fresh, beating heart of a sentient being, 100gp of other stuff
Effect: Until it's next extended rest, the target assumes the form of any humanoid creature. A perception check with a DC equal to the ritual's Arcana check will notice incongruities in the illusion. The target gains a +5 to Bluff and Diplomacy for the duration of ritual. The illusion is broken the first time the target becomes bloodied.




STATS:

Relda, warlord/necromancer "The Sister of Life", appears human, wears robes, carries a staff

Level 6 Elite Controller
160 HP, 20 AC, 21 Fort, 19 Ref, 20 Will, speed 6

Soul Extraction: r5, +10vFort, 1d10+2 necrotic, regain hp equal to damage dealt

Thrall Coordination: One or two of Relda's summoned creatures make melee basic attacks against a single target. If this results in two hits, the target takes 1d12 extra damage.

Summon Skeleton Warriors: Summon 1d4 of Relda's Minions into squares adjacent to Relda. Relda can have up to 4 Relda's Minions at a time.

Undying Loyalty: Recharge 6, immediate interrupt, when an enemy attacks Relda, one of Relda's summoned creatures may make a charge attack against that enemy as a free action.



Relda's Thrall, zombie warrior "The Abbey's Majordomo", appears to be a dwarf, wears chainmail, carries a greatspear

Level 6 Soldier
72 HP, 22 AC, 22 Fort, 18 Ref, 16 Will, speed 4
resist 5 necrotic, cold, vulnerable 5 radiant

Melee Basic Attack: m2, +11vAC, 1d10+8



Relda's Minions, skeleton fighters "Abbey Initiates", appears human or elven, wears robes, carries a concealed, poisoned dagger

Level 6 Minion
resist 5 necrotic, cold, vulnerable 5 radiant
1 HP, 18 AC, 19 Fort, 21 Ref, 16 Will, Speed 4

Melee Basic Attack: m1, +11vAC, 6 poison



Morcan, mind controller "The Sister of Love", appears elven, wears robes, carries an orb

Level 6 Elite Controller
140 HP, 20 AC, 18 Fort, 20 Ref, 22 Will, speed 6

Mordenkainen's Malicious Migraine: r20, one or two targets, +11vWill, 1d8+8 psychic

Tug the Heartstrings: R10, +9vWill, target makes a melee basic attack against a creature of your choice, if the target is under the effect of Mental Marionette, that effect is sustained until the end of Morcan's next turn

Mental Marionette: Recharge 6, R10, +11vWill, 1d12 psychic, target is dominated until the end of Morcan's next turn.



Kureya, ice sorceress "The Sister of Kindness", appears human, wears robes, carries daggers made from Sureen's Mirror Shards

Level 6 Elite Artillery
120 HP, 19 AC, 18 Fort, 22 Ref, 20 Will, speed 6

Jagged Shards (Basic Attack): m or r10, +10vRef, 1d12+8 cold, target is exposed to a disease

Chilling Gale: blast 5, +10vRef, 1d6+2 cold damage, targets are slowed (save ends)

Loving Caress: Recharge 6, melee touch, one slowed enemy, +10vFort, 2d12+8 cold, target is petrified (save ends)




My goal is for this battle to challenge a fairly well optimized and balanced party of 6 level 5 characters. They will have full HP and use all dailies/action points/etc. The Sisters will use Relda's summoned undead as disposable meatshields and attempt to use their personal power combos while staying away from melee.
Relda (necromancer) maintains the meatshield wall
Morcan (mind controller) attempts to dominate tough PCs
Kureya (ice witch) attempts to freeze a weak looking PC (slowed = chilled, petrified = frozen. Yay for fluff)
Relda's undead creations don't hesitate to sacrifice themselves to protect their mistresses



PLEASE give me some feedback on this. Am I falling into some terrible-encounter-design trap? Too complex? Too many moving parts? I want this one encounter to use up an entire day of resources for my players.
The party (will be):
Tiefling Bard/Paladin (Some melee, some ranged, some healing, decent defenses)
Goliath Warden (Very tough with some close bursts and big defensive buffs)
Fire Genasi Warlock (Tough single-target striker)
Hamadryad Pacifist Cleric (Ridiculous healing)
Human Blaster Mage (Good defenses, low health, lots of explosions)
Hengeyokai Monk (high defenses, high damage)


TL;DR: I'm bad at encounter design. Please make fun of me with constructive criticism.

edit: I forgot to explain who the Sibilant Sisters were+their motivation.
edit 2, the son of edit: modified powers for clarity.
edit 3, the return of the spellcheck: I should hire an editor.

[ScrivenerofDoom]

TL;DR: I think you built these monsters using pre-MMIII damage and defences. Also, elites need two attacks. Let's see if I can help you with the maths.

>> MY COMMENTS ARE IN UPPER CASE LIKE THIS.

Relda, warlord/necromancer "The Sister of Life", appears human, wears robes, carries a staff

Level 6 Elite Controller
160 HP, 20 AC, 21 Fort, 19 Ref, 20 Will, speed 6

>> 20 AC IS OK. FRW SHOULD BE 18 EACH, POSSIBLY WITH 1 UP AND ONE DOWN. TRY: F 18 R 17 W 19.

>> YOU NEED A BASIC MELEE ATTACK SUCH AS-
WITCH’S STAFF: M1, +11 vs AC, hit: 2d6 + 7, and slide 1 square.

Soul Extraction: r5, +10vFort, 1d10+2 necrotic, regain hp equal to damage dealt
>> AS AN ELITE MAKE THIS ONE OR TWO CREATURE AS THE TARGET. DAMAGE IS LOW BUT JUSTIFIED BY THE HEALING RIDER.

Thrall Coordination: One or two of Relda's summoned creatures make melee basic attacks against a single target. If this results in two hits, the target takes 1d12 extra damage.
>> IF THESE ARE MINIONS THEN LET FOUR OF THEM ATTACK UP TO FOUR SEPARATE TARGETS. I WOULD DROP THE DAMAGE BONUS.

Summon Skeleton Warriors: Summon 1d4 of Relda's Minions into squares adjacent to Relda. Relda can have up to 4 Relda's Minions at a time.
>> MAKE THIS A MINOR ACTION.

Undying Loyalty: Recharge 6, immediate interrupt, when an enemy attacks Relda, one of Relda's summoned creatures may make a charge attack against that enemy as a free action.



Level 6 Soldier
72 HP, 22 AC, 22 Fort, 18 Ref, 16 Will, speed 4
>> SUGGEST F 19, R 17, W 18
resist 5 necrotic, cold, vulnerable 5 radiant

Melee Basic Attack: m2, +11vAC, 1d10+8
>> AS A SOLDIER IT SHOULD MARK OR HAVE A SIMILAR EFFECT AND THEN SOME SORT OF IMMEDIATE ACTION TO PUNISH THE MARK.


Relda's Minions, skeleton fighters "Abbey Initiates", appears human or elven, wears robes, carries a concealed, poisoned dagger

Level 6 Minion
>> MINIONS ALSO HAVE ROLES. MAKE THESE BRUTES FOR THE EXTRA DAMAGE.
resist 5 necrotic, cold, vulnerable 5 radiant
>> UNDEAD ARE IMMUNE TO POISON AND DISEASE.
1 HP, 18 AC, 19 Fort, 21 Ref, 16 Will, Speed 4
>> SUGGEST AC 18, F 18, R 18, W 18

Melee Basic Attack: m1, +11vAC, 6 poison
>> 8 POISON FOR MINION BRUTE


Morcan, mind controller "The Sister of Love", appears elven, wears robes, carries an orb

Level 6 Elite Controller
140 HP, 20 AC, 18 Fort, 20 Ref, 22 Will, speed 6
>> F 17, R 18, W 19 – YOUR DEFENCES ARE WAY TOO HIGH.

Mordenkainen's Malicious Migraine: r20, one or two targets, +11vWill, 1d8+8 psychic
>> A CONTROLLER SHOULD HAVE AN EFFECT. SUGGEST: 2D6 + 7 PSYCHIC DAMAGE, AND THE TARGET IS DAZED UNTIL THE END OF THE HAG’S NEXT TURN. BUT WHY A MIGRAINE FOR THE SISTER OF LOVE?

>> THESE NEXT TWO POWERS ARE ALMOST DUPLICATES. THAT’S AN UNNECESSARY COMPLICATION. SUGGEST KEEP “TUG THE HEARTSTRINGS AND DROP “MENTAL MARIONETTE.”

Tug the Heartstrings: R10, +9vWill, target makes a melee basic attack against a creature of your choice, if the target is under the effect of Mental Marionette, that effect is sustained until the end of Morcan's next turn

Mental Marionette: Recharge 6, R10, +11vWill, 1d12 psychic, target is dominated until the end of Morcan's next turn.



Kureya, ice sorceress "The Sister of Kindness", appears human, wears robes, carries daggers made from Sureen's Mirror Shards

Level 6 Elite Artillery
120 HP, 19 AC, 18 Fort, 22 Ref, 20 Will, speed 6
>> F 17, R 18, W 19 – YOUR DEFENCES ARE WAY TOO HIGH.

Jagged Shards (Basic Attack): m or r10, +10vRef, 1d12+8 cold, target is exposed to a disease

>> DISEASES ARE COMPLICATED. AVOID UNLESS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE MONSTER.

Chilling Gale: blast 5, +10vRef, 1d6+2 cold damage, targets are slowed (save ends)

>> DAMAGE TOO LOW. YOU WANT AN AVERAGE OF 14 – 2d6 + 7 COLD.

Loving Caress: Recharge 6, melee touch, one slowed enemy, +10vFort, 2d12+8 cold, target is petrified (save ends)

[Tiadoppler]

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed.

The hags are all in disguise as members of a Good religion, and have chosen ironic names for themselves.
The "Sister of Life" is a zombie-raising necromancer
The "Sister of Love" is an emotion-manipulating mind controller
The "Sister of Kindness" is a cruel, icy, torturer

Yeah, I'm lowering Fort/Ref/Will defenses (by 2-ish) across the board.

I'll give each of the witches a basic melee, but I want it to be quite weak. I'm happy to give my players a significant advantage to exploit, and I want the mechanics (bad melee attack) to match the fluff (ancient, weak, spellcaster).
+11vAC, 1d6+6, slide 1


Soul Extraction: Okay, one or two targets. I want to reduce the range to 3, so it's a bit easier for players to get out of range. On two targets, that's 15 expected damage, and 15 expected healing, which is quite powerful for a level 6-at will (according to MMIII business card).

Thrall Coordination: This spell lets her control the minions and the soldier, not just the minions. I'm pretty wary of doubling the effectiveness of all of her undead (they get their own turns), as an at-will. I like it as a striker attack.
Target: one enemy. All undead allies may make a melee basic attack against that target.
If that PC is surrounded, it gets pounded, otherwise it's just a simple warlord thing

Summon Skeleton Warriors: Making it a minor action means it will happen every turn. It's too weak for a standard action and too strong for a minor at-will.
Maybe Minor Action, Recharge 4/5/6?
Maybe Minor Action, At-Will, only summons 1? 2? 1d2?



Argh, I hate keeping track of monsters' marks. It's got a greatspear. Threatening reach is simpler for me. Maybe even an Essentials Defender's Aura 1?



Okay, they're brutes for 8 damage.
My players don't have access to poison/disease atm, so I didn't bother writing it down.



Migraine: It's just a basic attack. I want it to be simple to use and not require effect tracking.
Heartstrings: This one's a lot like the Wizard At-Will Hypnotism


Marionette: I want this to be a big, powerful, flavorful lock-down that ISN'T frustrating for my players.
I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to write out the effect I wanted, and I'd appreciate help with the wording.

Goal: This is a domination ability, that the target can try to resist each round, and requires the caster to focus on the target for the duration. If the target breaks free, the caster can't just try again immediately.

Concept 1: Dominate until end of next turn. Sustain Standard.
This could be really, really frustrating for the target's player. It doesn't allow the PC to break free of their own willpower.

Concept 2: Dominate (Save Ends)
Not frustrating for the player, but the caster is free to do other things while the Dominate effect continues, which isn't quite what I wanted.

Concept 3: Dominate until end of next turn. Sustain Standard but requires an additional attack roll.
I liked this, but it didn't seem powerful enough for an encounter/recharge 6 power.




These diseases are, unfortunately, plot relevant. They would wait until the end of encounter to start and with the amount of trained healers in the party, I'm not actually worried about the PCs catching anything for a significant length of time. The disease effect is just a reminder to me and a roleplaying thing.

Chilling Gale: I should make this more like a Dragonborn's breath attack. I want it to be used frequently, but without popping all of the undead minions (who have resist 5 cold).
Minor Action, Recharge 4/5/6, +10vRef, 1d6+1 cold, targets are slowed (save ends)

[Tiadoppler]

As the Misfiteers delved deeper into the Spiderhaunt, the grass underfoot changed into a heavy coat of dark mushrooms which squished with every step. Common bird calls became strange croaking sounds. Even worse, our heroes occasionally caught sight of dead fey, with glass shards still clutched in their fingers.

As the shadows of the afternoon grew longer, our heroes found themselves brushing aside spiderwebs strung from tree to tree. Very soon the webs grew thicker and stronger: webs as thick as heavy rope were strung from tree to tree, blocking off whole sections of forest. The Misfiteers heard voices in the distance and followed them, discovering small groups of fey children who whispered reverentially to each other as they entered a giant fortress, or cathedral made of spiderwebs.

The Misfiteers were nervous, and decided to talk to one of the few fey who were walking alone. Over the course of the conversation, it quickly became clear that the Misfiteers had no idea what was going on, and only a series of excellent lies saved them from being revealed as infiltrators. After discovering that both the fey worshippers, and the ettercap web-builders were there to worship a mysterious being called "The Lady in Flames", the Misfiteer Warlock (who had escaped from a devil-worshipping cult) refused to enter the building. It took quite a while for the rest of the party to convince him that the Lady in Flames was probably not a devil trying to get revenge on him.

Eventually, the party decided to enter the Ettercaps' cathedral, keeping a close eye on their escape route and the number of guards. Shortly, they found themselves face to face with the Lady in Flames, a young woman suspended in mid-air by dozens of ettercap webs, pierced by hundreds of glass shards, wreathed in blue fire and sobbing in agony. As the Misfiteers looked on in horror, a group of fey children approached her, snapped off chunks of glass, and left the cathedral, praying softly. Even as the children left the room, the glass shards began to regrow...


The Misfiteers were appalled, but also intimidated by the number of guards and unsure of what the best course of action would be. The Warlock proposed leaving, and coming back with reinforcements. The Warden refused, preferring to simply destroy the ettercaps. After dithering for a few minutes, pretending to pray at the back of the room, the Monk ended their indecision by walking up to the Lady in Flames, looking her in the eyes, and saying "Hello!".
The Ettercap guards drew their weapons at this blasphemy, and the Lady in Flames ended the Misfiteers debate by whispering "Help... me..."

The Ettercaps fell quickly to the Misfiteers' onslaught, but the alarm was raised. As the party fought their way out of the Ettercap Cathedral, attempting to escape the Spiderhaunt Forest with the Lady in Flames in tow, they were distracted and confused by magical visions. It quickly became obvious that the Lady in Flames was so badly injured that she could barely speak or move, but that she was able to communicate her own memories through the mysterious blue flames that surrounded her.

As the Misfiteers left the Spiderhaunt Forest in victory, they received a final vision that revealed the Lady in Flames' name... Sureen, a member of Byar's Seven, just like their friends Elyan and Dorring!





DM Notes:
This adventure included one of my biggest failures as a DM. Seriously, I screwed up. I described the Spiderhaunt forest and the Ettercap Cathedral in too much detail, and it ended up being too scary for my youngest player. We got through it by talking to the fey and learning more about what was inside the cathedral before entering, but the initial description had too many unknown elements, and too much tension.

Other than that, it went very well. After I described her situation, the players really REALLY wanted to rescue the Lady in Flames (Sureen), but just weren't sure how. After a few minutes, they asked (ooc) the Monk to try something (the Monk would best be described as a fearless Chaotic Good Instigator) and the adventure continued without a hitch.

The combats were pretty trivial - the Misfiteers rolled well on initiative and attacks, and the enemies had a string of <5 rolls. If I hadn't been feeling bad about scaring my players earlier, I might have played the enemies smarter, but it worked out for the best in defusing the earlier tension.

[ScrivenerofDoom]

(snip) DM Notes: This adventure included one of my biggest failures as a DM. Seriously, I screwed up. I described the Spiderhaunt forest and the Ettercap Cathedral in too much detail, and it ended up being too scary for my youngest player. We got through it by talking to the fey and learning more about what was inside the cathedral before entering, but the initial description had too many unknown elements, and too much tension. (snip)

I feel your pain.

One of my players - with whom I have played D&D since 1984 - is the father, uncle, and employer of the other players. He's also one of the most contrary people I have ever met, both when playing D&D and in normal life.

If I spend a lot of effort to try and evoke that same sort of response that you did he may also simply decide to have his characters walk away. Or not. I really never know how he will respond. And because of his relationships with the other players it can make it really difficult to keep the momentum in the game. (Fortunately, his son seems to be trying to get him to to do the right thing as he embraces adulthood... and the realisation that his dad is sometimes difficult!)

He's my oldest player but your situation happened with your youngest. I mention this because it can happen at any age. Sometimes I think the hardest part of being a DM is managing the idiosyncrasies of your players!

Anyway, it sounds like a great session and it was a reminder to me (again) to have another look at those DALEx-x adventures to see what I can steal for my Daggerdale campaign.

[Tiadoppler]

After their return to Shadowdale, Lady Ulphor expressed her gratitude for the Misfiteers' heroism in stopping the spread of these cursed glass shards, and promised to secure Sureen in safety until such time as a cure can be found. The Misfiteers also ask her to send a messenger to the other two members of Byar's Seven in Dagger Falls. At that request, Lady Ulphor looked surprised. She had heard rumors of another member of Byar's Seven from a town less than a hundred miles down the Ashara river. As the messenger to Dagger Falls departed, the Six Misfiteers decide to head down the narrow River Trail to Highmoon.

DM Note: If you're following along at home, Highmoon, Archenbridge and the Archwood have been moved to the area of Ashabenford along the Moonsea Ride for the purposes of this campaign.

The journey to Highmoon took almost a week at the leisurely rate the Glamping Misfiteers demanded. The first day went quickly as they traveled through Shadowdale's outlying farms. When the second day dawned, however, our heroes had decided that, in absence of any urgent mission, they could afford to goof off. The trail they were following was simply a cleared area of the bank of the Ashara River, and the allure of the gentle river lulled the entire group into a sense of complacency. The Warlock took advantage of the downtime first, sitting on the back of the moving cart, putting his feet up, and setting up a fishing line attached to the end of his expensive, magical, I-killed-someone-for-this, Vicious Ashen Rod +1.

In a shocking turn of events, determined scrupulously randomly, and not at all caused by any DM intervention, the Warlock 'caught' a Large, placid tortoise swimming upriver, and was pulled off the wagon, into the river and quickly away from the party. Not wanting to get separated from the party, the Warlock decided to let go, and swam back downstream to his friends, who had not yet noticed his disappearance.

Realizing that he had, in fact, given a large portion of his wealth and combat power to a wild animal, the Warlock promptly turned around and started swimming back upstream, chasing the unconcerned tortoise. With the laughter of his so-called friends in his ears and water up his nose, the Warlock had an epic, solo adventure of outsmarting a tortoise, untying a fishing line, retrieving his stick, and walking back down the trail.


Several hours later, the Warlock reunited with the rest of the Misfiteers, who had decided to set up camp in the mean time. They decided to go to sleep early, having already wasted most of the afternoon. The Misfiteers resumed their journey well before dawn the next morning, traveling quickly, and with little wasted time, until they found themselves at a small beach just before noon. Our heroes promptly decided to have a beach party. The Cleric wandered off to find berries and ingredients. The Monk started hunting for some fresh meat. The Bardadin began retelling old stories (as the Warlock pointed out plot holes), and the Mage and Warden started cooking lunch and baking pies.

After swimming, relaxing in the sun, cooking more meat and generally chillaxing until late in the day, the Misfiteers set up their camp for the night. They left before dawn once again, and continued on their journey. Unbeknownst to them, their presence had not gone unnoticed...

The weather was less pleasant for the next few days, and the Misfiteers' pace improved without the distraction of setting up parties. Eventually, they arrived at the main caravan trail to Cormanthor: the Moonsea Ride. Turning north towards Highmoon, and crossing the river, the adventurers soon heard the voices of young children screaming for help...




DALE1-5: Hunters' Down

Abandoning their cart for the moment, The Wandering Knights of Cormyr: The Order of the Misfiteers silently left the road, circling around towards the source of the terrible screams. Once again, the forces of evil stood no chance against the Misfiteers' valiant heroism. Afterwards, however, they were faced with a quandary. While the children's wounds posed no challenge to the kindly Hamadryad, try as they might, our heroes were unable to find a "babysitting" skill on their character sheets.

Luckily that particular skill challenge proved unnecessary as armed groups from both Highmoon and Archenbridge (the homes of the children) arrived to bring the children home. From the sudden tension between the heavily-armed locals, it quickly became apparent that Highmoon and Archenbridge were on the brink of violent conflict, and that the children had come from both cities in order to fight each other.

Both the men from Highmoon and the soldiers from Archenbridge demanded that the Misfiteers accompany them back to their respective cities. The adventurers departed immediately for Highmoon, which had been their original destination anyway. With that, the two angry groups separated, escorting their children home with angry glances from both sides...

[ScrivenerofDoom]

I laughed at the Large turtle.

The first encounter in my Daggerdale campaign, which began in Shadowdale, was against a Huge turtle. I statted it up as a level 10 soldier (because giant snapping turtles had 10 hit dice in AD&D) and had six level 1 PCs fighting it.

And while that breaks some of the advice normally given about 4E combat, we had a blast! :)

[Tiadoppler]

Turtles are great enemies. Strong, amphibious, obviously heavily armored and slow enough for people to run away from. I had my tortoise statted up as a level 6 solo soldier, just in case, but nobody attacked it.


DALE1-5 Hunter's Down, continued.


Arriving in Highmoon, the Misfiteers were quickly brought before Lady Shava Enathuin, along with some of the children they saved. The Lady of Highmoon heard their story, and that of the children, then asked our heroes to find the source of the shadow creatures, while avoiding misunderstandings with Highmoon's aggressive neighbor: Archendale.

While the Misfiteers were happy to help Highmoon, they were frankly more interested in finding Byar, of the Byar's Seven, as soon as possible. Having had success with the strategy before, our heroes headed directly for the nearest inn or tavern which, by Sehanine's grace (or the laziness of LFR module writers), just so happened to be where Byar himself was staying. They quickly introduced themselves to share the good news: many members of Byar's Seven were still alive, Sureen included.

Overjoyed and grateful, Byar told the Misfiteers the full story of Byar's Seven. Byar had thought that all of his friends were dead. He had resigned himself to spending the rest of his life taking his anger out on the shadow creatures coming from Sessrendale (The Dead Dale). Now that he knew Sureen still lived, however, he could not stay in Highmoon for long.

Byar was anxious to depart from Highmoon, but there were still some important matters to attend to. He had recently spotted a large gathering of shadow creatures in an ancient ruin, deep within Sessrendale, and asked the Misfiteers to investigate the area, to determine if it was the source of the current shadow problem. In the mean time, Byar had to go thank his friend, Bokan, who had rescued him from Byar's Seven's last ill-fated adventure.


DM Notes:
The information gathering section here was time consuming and terribly organized. There are two pieces of information that might be directly plot-relevant: The location of the shadow ruins, and the potential attack on Bokan. None of that information is clearly stated for the DM, it's just included in the middle of a (LONG) list of things that Byar talks about.



Setting off immediately despite the late hour, the Misfiteers soon found their way to the ruined temple. They quickly found a hidden entrance to the basement of the temple: a trapdoor, complete with trap. A trapped trapdoor, as it were. Several loud explosions later, the irritated warlock finally disabled the magical glyph, allowing the Misfiteers to climb down into the crypt.

Rushing down the corridor, the Misfiteers saw the glow of torches shining through a curtain ahead of them, but as they drew nearer those lights were swiftly extinguished. As our heroes reached the curtains, they held a brief, loud discussion regarding the various qualities, types and effects of light sources that they had available. After that debate:

The Wizard cast Light on the end of his staff, and drew his wand, ready for battle.
The Cleric cast Sun's Glow on her holy symbol, hanging around her neck.
The Warden tied a lantern onto his belt with a piece of string.
The Warlock ignited a sunrod and held it in his teeth.
The Monk drew an Everburning Torch from a thick leather pouch, and dropped it on the floor to keep her hands free for the punching.
Finally, the Bardadin, who had lit several normal torches, flung aside the curtain and threw the torches as hard as she could into the room beyond.

And so, battle was joined. As the Misfiteers saw the room for the first time, their eyes were drawn to a dismembered man, lying dead in the center of the floor. As the room saw the Misfiteers for the first time, a large number of readied actions went off simultaneously.

Crossbow bolts and shurikens rained down on our heroes as they stood, silhouetted by their own light, in the only doorway of the room. Crossbowmen hid behind crates near the far end of the small room, a shadowy figure darted into a concealed alcove, and a shadowy hound charged into the doorway, blocking the Misfiteers from entering.

While the hound didn't last long, it delayed the Misfiteers long enough for a large group of zombies to dig their way through the floor...

While the Misfiteers slaughtered the zombies and mercenaries, they continued to see an extremely stealthy figure flitting around the back of the room, usually accompanied by painful, poisoned shurikens. As the last of the easily-seen enemies fell, the last opponent attempted to make a break for the doorway, currently blocked by the hapless Warlock and nigh-defenseless Pacifist Cleric.

While the Warlock and Cleric were horribly outmatched in melee combat, the focused fire of the Misfiteers soon brought the Drow Assassin, Laryen Oskoven, to her knees, pleading for her life.

DM Notes:
Yes, they were competing to see if who could have the most effective/imaginative light source.
There was a magic ring on a severed hand on the floor. It animated itself and tried to escape, but it was included in one of Mage's scorching bursts and fried, unceremoniously, and unnoticed by the players.
Shouldn't the Drow's name be spelled Llaryen Auzkovyn? No. Rule Zero.



Laryen offered the Misfiteers a full explanation of Hethram's plan, and identified the source of his power: a cursed ring. The Misfiteers listened closely, shocked to discover that the Hand of Vengeance was planning to attack Bokan tonight after mustering at Hunters' Down, and that Byar would likely be caught in the middle. After sharing all of her information, Laryen again asked to be released, explaining that she would teleport straight back to the Underdark without interfering with the Misfiteers further.

However, at that point, Laryen admitted that her mistress would probably torture her for her failure to retrieve the cursed ring of shadows. With that, the players were faced with a quandary. In combat, the Misfiteers were ruthless, giggling as I drew bloody stick figures on the game board to represent their fallen enemies, but outside of combat, with a helpless prisoner who has been cooperating with them, they suddenly become squeamish. The Bardadin offered Laryen sanctuary in Cormyr, but Laryen refused: aboveground is no place for a Drow. Then, the Bardadin and the Cleric began considering imprisoning Laryen for her own safety, as Laryen attempted to explain Drow culture to a pair of weak sun-lovers.

Eventually, led by the Bardadin, three members of the party were beginning to consider giving Laryen the cursed, evil, shadow-controlling magic ring, so that she wouldn't be tortured by her evil mistress. Sanity prevailed, however, and with mixed feelings, Laryen was allowed to depart for the Underdark to face torture.

The Wizard quickly removed the cursed ring from the scorched, severed hand of the dead guy, put it into a small, specially made burlap evidence bag (that the Misfiteers had custom-ordered in bulk, back in Urmlaspyr, many sessions ago), and spent several minutes on hand sanitization. Soon the Misfiteers departed for Hunters' Down to confront the Hand of Vengeance.



Arriving amidst the gathering Hand of Vengeance members, the absurdly overconfident Bardadin marched straight through mob of hunters and began insulting their commander, Berdine Gaelle. However, quick thinking and successful skill checks on the parts of the Warlock and Cleric began to reduce the mob's morale and thirst for vengeance. As Berdine and the Bardadin trade insults, the rest of the Misfiteers were able to disperse the mob with calm words and free ale. As the mob of hunters was distracted by the promise of booze, barbecue and bonfires, the Bardadin was left alone with the increasingly infuriated Berdine and her knights.

Soon, the stunned, prone, flanked and bloodied Bardadin was shouting for the Cleric, and the rest of the Misfiteers, accompanied by a drunk, shouting mob, pounded back up the hill. As the mob formed a rough circle and settled down to watch, the battle was joined. With every powerful blow, the crowd cheered. With each explosion, the crowd went oooooh. With each healing spell, the crowd went to get more snacks.

The Pacifist Cleric happened. As the Berdine and the Knights continued to impotently attack the suddenly uninjured Bardadin and Warden, the heavy hitters moved into position and ended the fight. As the crowd dispersed, a mysterious figure appeared to the Misfiteers, explaining the dire consequences of keeping the cursed ring, as well as a way to destroy it. Having successfully identified the mystery apparition as a Baelnorn (a non-evil Eladrin lich), the Misfiteers followed its advice, destroying the ring while quoting LotR. Bidding a surprisingly fond farewell to the Baelnorn, our heroes returned to Highmoon for their righteous reward of level-appropriate gold and experience points.

Resting in the inn the following night, the Bardadin was plagued with strange dreams. Daggers Fall in flames in the moonlight. An Ettercap weaving a web across the towers of Suzail. A ghost with a bloody knife casting a ritual of summoning. Finally, she saw the Baelnorn's eyes right in front of her and heard its voice saying "Sureen needs your help."

Awakening with a scream, the Bardadin quickly found herself surrounded by her friends (and the room's door in serious need of repair). She explained her dream, or vision, as clearly as possible, and the Misfiteers agreed to return the way they had come: back to Daggerdale, to check on Sureen, the Lady in Flames.



Fun, exciting, confusing, with a cliched introduction.

Encounter 1: As you're traveling along a Road, you hear Screams and discover Bad Guys attacking Good Guys. It works as an intro, but it's only one step above "you all meet in a tavern, where somebody's looking for Adventurers"


Encounter 2:
Too many place names! Auggh!
Some people are from Landaw in Deepingdale
Some people are from Highmoon in Deepingdale
Some people are from White Ford in Archendale
There's an Arch Wood. It doesn't belong to Archendale?
There's a place called Sessrendale. Sometimes it's called The Dead Dale


Encounter 3+:
This adventure attempts a bit of branching plotlines/storylines. If it had been done well, it would have been interesting. As it is, it's more frustrating.
Plot A:
1) The adventurers go to White Ford, and are asked to investigate the attack on the children.
2) They learn about the Hand of Vengeance, a militia group.
3) They learn that Hethram (a Hand of Vengeance member) arranged the children's meeting.
4) They learn that Hethram spends time in an old ruin.
5) They investigate Hethram's Hideout, possibly saving Hethram and discover the cursed ring
6) They stop the Hand of Vengeance

Plot B:
1) The adventurers go to Landaw, then Highmoon, and are asked to investigate the shadow creature attacks.
2) They learn about the animosity between Archendale, Deepingdale and Sessrendale.
3) They meet Byar and learn that shadows are seen around an old ruin.
4) They investigate the old ruin, discovering Hethram, his cursed ring, and his plan.
5) They stop the Hand of Vengeance.

There's also a "Plot C" which grants much lower XP.
Plot C:
1) The adventurers go to Landaw and Highmoon, and meet Byar.
2) They go with Byar to meet Bokan, and stay for a while.
3) They stop the Hand of Vengeance at Bokan's House. The end.


None of this is bad. However, the encounters are linked like a choose your own adventure story (if the players do this, go to encounter 6b, etc.), but seem to assume that you're following 'Plot A', so all the DM intro text assumes that the players about know Hethram, the Hand of Vengeance and all the information from White Ford. I would have preferred to make two, mutually exclusive adventures out of this "DALE1-5A" and "DALE1-5B". Each would specifically center on a single plotline, with one set of information/NPCs to follow. Also, the adventure would be shorter, because it would only have to include the specific information and encounters that it needs.

Too much background information! I like in-depth plots, but including pages of rumors (many of them false) is just too much for a short one-shot session. I ended up skipping a lot of the irrelevant stuff, just for time and clarity, but that required that I prepare a lot more for this adventure than any of the other LFR mods I've run recently. I had to really read and understand every bit of information in the mod to make the plot make sense, because there was so much cruft.



TL;DR: Too complicated, required truncating and editing to streamline adventure. Don't get bogged down in streetwise checks and rumors.



My players have adopted three NPCs from this adventure that they want to be returning characters. Yay!

The Misfiteers' New Friends:
Okay. We've been working through the Byar's Seven plotline and I was planning on all of them getting back together (Elyan, Dorring, Sureen and Byar) sometime after a heavily modified DALE2-1 Forever.

Did I make her too sympathetic? She was dismembering people, and poisoning and stabbing the Misfiteers, but then she starts batting her puppy dog eyes at the Cleric and Bardadin and all is forgiven?? I can do it. I can Drizzt her into Lawful Goody Two-shoes frolicking in a meadow of daisies if I have to... I have the Fiat and I have the Rule Zero.

Maybe a recurring villainess who becomes more sympathetic with time?

Maybe a recurring villainess who ACTS more sympathetic with time, becoming more and more evil as she takes advantage of the Misfiteers foolish 'trust' and 'friendship' with the full support of her Mistress.

Hee hee hee...

The Bardadin wants to stay penpals with the Baelnorn. It can give her nightmares and they can talk to each other. They'll be best friends. They'll talk about... boys? and clothes? and what it's like to exist as an eternal undead monstrosity guarding an underground tomb arising only as needed? I'll figure something out.




And so, the Misfiteers have reached Level 5, chosen their dailies, and begun their return trip to Shadowdale to see Sureen.

[Tiadoppler]

The journey back to Shadowdale went by quickly. The Misfiteers were in a hurry to help their friend, but were also looking forward to re-visiting their favorite beach along the Ashara River. As they neared the beach and began planning out a quick, relaxing afternoon in the sun, our heroes found themselves confronted by their old foes: the Zhents.


Last month, the Misfiteers had prevented the Zhents from gaining a foothold in the Daggerdale area. The Zhent high command had immediately dispatched a full squad of experienced mercenaries to deal with the meddlesome and motley crew, but it had taken many weeks for them to track down the Misfiteers.

Now, however, the Misfiteers found themselves ambushed during a beach party, facing 18 armed soldiers. As our heroes scrambled for their weapons, the grizzled Zhent sergeant gave the order to open fire...

It quickly became apparent, however, that the large mercenary force was greviously outmatched. With quick, practiced moves, the Misfiteers were able to deflect the vast majority of the enemies' attacks, and their newly devised abilities cut bloody swaths through the enemy formation. In mere seconds, the few Zhents left standing were in full retreat, and the Misfiteers decided to cut short their vacation and hurry on to Shadowdale.


When the Misfiteers reached Shadowdale, they quickly sought out the Lady Mayor, Addee Ulphor, at her customary seat at the local bar. As our heroes entered the room, Lady Ulphor let out a huge sigh of relief and began explaining the difficult situation she was facing.

The Misfiteers' friend, Sureen, had been had been mysteriously cursed and left in Shadowdale to be cared for as Lady Ulphor looked for a cure. In the past few days, however, Sureen had been getting worse and was likely to die without swift treatment: treatment that could not be found in the Dalelands. Lady Ulphor's first request was simple. She needed some hardy travelers to transport Sureen to the Abbey of the Sword, a small community dedicated to Tempus located between the Sunset Mountains and The Stormhorns. The priests and priestesses there would be able to keep Sureen alive for a long time. Sureen was unable to walk and in great pain, so the journey across southern Netheril would be slow and necessitate the use of a cart.

The second request was less straightforward. During her last adventure, before being cursed, Sureen was given a strange, magical amulet by her suspicious employer. During her few lucid moments, Sureen shared her theory that the amulet might have had something to do with the result of the ill-fated quest. With that in mind, Lady Ulphor also asked the Misfiteers to seek out the arcane researcher Liscardem, who has been hiding out near Highmoon, and convince him to study the amulet.


The Misfiteers decided to take on both quests, simultaneously. One group would take Pumpkin the ox to find Liscardem and drop off the amulet as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the other group would take Moosic the ox and the Misfiteers' wagon to transport Sureen safely to the Sunset Mountains. With any luck, the first team, travelling much more quickly without the cart slowing them down, would be able to catch up with the second team before reaching the Abbey of the Sword.





Never Split The Party.




DM Notes:
This was a bit of filler: a level-inappropriate encounter to show my players how much their characters' power had increased since level 3, when they first met the Zhents. My plan is that every so often, Zhents will reappear, swearing revenge, and meeting even more humiliating defeats.
I'm designing a few more random combat encounters (of varying degress of level appropriateness) because my players had fun with this.



I took the opportunity to talk with my players about what they wanted to do next. They wanted to split the party into two groups, to see what happens when they attempt two adventures at the same time, with a different split than last time.

The first time I let the Misfiteers split up, it was enjoyable for all the players.
Team 1 (Hengeyokai Monk, Goliath Warden and Hamadryad Cleric) handled CORE4-3 easily.
Team 2 (Human Mage, Tiefling Bardadin, Genasi Warlock) handled CORE4-4 with great difficulty, but ultimately managed to pull through.

This time, my players have agreed on different teams: Boys (Team Mean) vs Girls (Team Nice) (FYI, each of my players has one male and one female PC).
Boys: Team Mean (Human Mage, Goliath Warden, Genasi Warlock)
Girls: Team Nice (Hengeyokai Monk, Tiefling Bardadin, Hamadryad Cleric)

The next two adventures on the menu are (significantly tweaked versions of) DALE2-1 Forever and DALE2-3 Swords From Plowshares. The main changes I've made to both adventures: They will both start in Shadowdale, with the quests given by Lady Addee Ulphor at the same time.



DALE2-1 will take Team Mean slowly South-West from Shadowdale, as they escort the wounded and sickly Sureen around the southern edge of Netheril to a small abbey near the Sunset Mountains. They will be stopped by severe weather, take shelter in a local manor house, and a spellplague ghost will attempt to possess or drain Sureen's power/soul using an advanced magical apparatus.

Team Mean has a Defender, a Ranged Striker and a Ranged Striker/Controller... and pretty much no healing. They have very limited Radiant damage and they're heading straight for an encounter with undead and ghosts :D



DALE2-3 will take Team Nice quickly South-East from Shadowdale, into the heart of the Dalelands near Highmoon, to examine a mysterious amulet belonging to Sureen. From there, Team Nice will have to quickly hurry due West to catch up with Team Mean's slowly moving wagon.

Team Nice has a Melee Striker that dumped CON, a Bard (melee/ranged/healer), and a Pacifist Healer. They've got some fairly interesting combats to deal with, and no tough meatshield.



Hopefully, Team Mean and Team Nice will arrive at the abbey (near the Sunset Mountains, west of Cormyr) within a few days of each other. There, they will discover that a coven of cruel crones has taken over the abbey, impersonating the inhabitants (The Sibilant Sisters, as I've previously discussed).

I anticipate entertaining disaster.



2 x Zhent Swordsman: Shield, Shortsword, Javelins, Zhent Leather Armor
Level 2 Soldier
HP 40, AC 18, Fort 14, Ref 16, Will 12
m: +7vAC, 1d6+7
r5: +7vAC, 1d6+5, slowed til eonext


2 x Zhent Spearman: Longspear, Dagger, Zhent Leather Armor
Level 2 Brute
HP 46, AC 14, Fort 14, Ref 14, Will 14
m2: +7vAC, 1d10+8
m: +8vAC, 1d4+8


3 x Zhent Crossbowman: Crossbow, Shortsword, Zhent Leather Armor
Level 2 Artillery
HP 33, AC 14, Fort 12, Ref 16, Will 14
r20: +7vAC, 1d8+6
Multi-Bolt (encounter): Blast 3, +7vRef, 3d6+2
Called Shot (encounter): R20, +10vRef, 1d8+8, CRIT: 16+1d12


1 x Zhent Sergeant: Longbow, Longsword, Zhent Leather Armor
Level 3 Elite Leader
HP 96, AC 17, Fort 15, Ref 15, Will 15
r20: +7vAC, 1d10+5
m: +7vAC, 1d8+5
Combat orders: One ally in 5 makes basic attack as free action
Rally (encounter): All bloodied allies in 5 regain 10 HP


10 x Zhent Fighter: Club, Patched Leather Armor
Level 1 Minion
HP1, AC 15, Fort 13, Ref 13, Will 13
m: +6vFort, 5