Kitchen Crashers: an adventure building Iron Chef

[Uncle Pine]

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Kitchen Crashers. Like in many others Iron Chef challenges, contestants will compete against each other to make the most out of the presented Secret Ingredient, but unlike all others here at Kitchen Crashers they won't cook no dish... they'll build the kitchen! Fancy characters and treacherous creatures bear no reason to exist in a vacuum, so let's be sure to give them a proper stage.

Contestants: You will need to present a one-shot adventure taking for your entry, for an expected duration of 4 to 6 hours. Your entry should include the following elements: a working title, an original and compelling plot, a detailed description of five scenes or encounters of your own choice that take part during the adventure (hereinafter referred to as "snapshots"), including full stats for one "kingpin encounter" of your choice, a summary of any other foe, levels and types of characters for which the adventure is meant, and any significant reward they are expected to acquire over the course of the adventure.
The purpose of the snapshots is to showcase the adventure as PCs go through it and to help setting its tone, whereas the kingpin encounter is intended as the encounter players will most likely remember and look back after completing the adventure. While in many cases the kingpin encounter will probably be a boss of sort, this is not a necessity. You are only required to provide complete stats for the kingpin encounter. Should you include full stats for other foes or NPCs, please specify which is the kingpin encounter. In the summary, specify name, race, and classes of each creature (i.e. four half-orcs Rogue 3; Ur'Gul the hill giant; a half-fiend dire boar).

Secret Ingredient: The "Secret Ingredient" is a prompt randomly generated through the TV Tropes Story Generator (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/storygen.php). Each prompt consists of seven random tropes which are to be used by each contestant as source of inspiration in writing his or her adventure. Remember that tropes are very (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingWithATrope) flexible (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible).



Type
Description


Setting
The time, place and/or circumstances of the narrative. It doesn't have to be the only place the adventure takes place in, but it has to be a location of some significance to the plot.


Plot
A series of events that have some connection. It can be the spark that starts your adventure, an event in the middle of it, or even what happens in the grand finale. Your choice.


Narrative Device
Something that moves the story forward or organizes a scene or sequence.


Hero
Strictly speaking, the PCs should be the focus of your adventure, whatever their alignment may be. As such, you could draw inspiration from this trope to create an important NPC in your adventure: the quest giver, a henchman, a rival, or anything else really. Alternatively, it could be part of a plot hook and the reason the PCs are having this specific adventure.


Villain
The bad guy(s).


Character As Device
In service to the plot, characters (heroes, villains, and passersby alike) are often given roles, sometimes making them just plot devices with lines. This is one of those roles.


Characterization Device
Not too different from the previous one, this is another set of traits you can use to flesh out one or more NPCs in your adventure.


All seven tropes must be featured in each entry, in one way or another.

Sources: Any official 3.5e rulebook is fair game. Unupdated 3.0 materials, as well as web-exclusives by WotC, are expressely allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere, as this could penalize your Mechanics score at the judges' discretion. Dragon Magazine is disallowed, but Dragon Compendium is fine. Unearthed Arcana is allowed, but alternate rule systems from it such as gestalt or generic classes are not. Item familiars, taint and Leadership are also disallowed.

Deadlines: Contestants will have until 07:59 GMT on Friday, May 18th, 2018 07:59 GMT on Sunday, May 20th, 2018 to create their adventures and PM them to the Chairman, Uncle Pine. The adventures will be then posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 07:59 GMT on Friday, June 1st, 2018 07:59 GMT on Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 to judge the adventures and submit their scores.

Judging: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each adventure rated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetic, Use of the Secret Ingredient. As most of them could bear a little elaboration, please stick with me for a few more paragraphs:


Mechanics measures how skillfully you put your adventure together from a mechanical point of view. Are the encounters balanced for the expected amount of characters at the given level? Is there a good mixture and variety of encounters, both in terms of their nature and difficulty? Is the flow of the action mantained? Is the pacing of the adventure coherent with the allotted runtime? In a way, Mechanics encompasses concepts that in other Iron Chef competitions would fall under "Elegance", but applied to the adventure as a whole. A legal source's relative obscurity should not be considered as penalizing Mechanics.
Dynamics values the quality of your story, as well as its originality (or lack thereof). A good story should be memorable and void of plot holes.
Aesthetics could be summarized as "how much of a pain would be for another DM to pick up your adventure?". It covers the ease of adapting the adventure to a campaign world, for example by making use of the plot hooks provided by the contestant, as well as the adventure's resilience to PCs doing PC things by means other than extreme railroading. Finally, Aesthetics values basics such as good layout, organization, and readability of the entry. A high score in this category means a DM would have little to no problems making use of the adventure. Including more fully statted encounters than the amount required shouldn't warrant an increase in the Aesthetics score, but failure to include an appropriate summary (as detailed under Contestants) could cause a deduction at the judges' discretion.
Use of the Secret Ingredient is self-explanatory.


Presentation: Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build, as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries!

Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible takes on the given SI until the "reveal," in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing an adventure along those lines. Browse TV Tropes instead.


Without further ado... HERE BE YOUR SECRET INGREDIENT!



Type
Description


Setting
Another Dimension (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnotherDimension)


Plot
The Evils of Free Will (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheEvilsOfFreeWill)


Narrative Device
Unseen Audience (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnseenAudience)


Hero
Lord Error-Prone (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LordErrorProne)


Villain
The Corruption (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheCorruption)


Character As Device
Temporary Scrappy (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TemporaryScrappy)


Characterization Device
Backstory Index (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BackstoryIndex)




The contest is open to any number of participants. Alternatively, if you want to be a judge just say so. Have fun everyone!


List of entries:
Protocol for Peace, by Tonymitsu - [1] (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23087688&postcount=30) [2] (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23087692&postcount=31)

[Uncle Pine]

FAQs:

Q: One of the tropes in the Secret Ingredient is actually an Index (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/index_report.php)! What do I do?
A: Jackpot! You can choose any of the tropes listed in that particular index and use that in your adventure. Sometime a client doesn't care if you put a blue cupboard (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedOniBlueOni), blue appliances (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlueCollarWarlock), or blue cutlery (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlueAndOrangeMorality) in a kitchen: he just really wants to have something blue (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlueTropes) in his kitchen. Remember to specify which trope you picked from the index.

(If you have any question or suggestions for future rounds feel free to PM me, or write in the thread as long as it doesn't violate the guidelines under Speculation)

[DeTess]

I'll probably cook. I do want to point out that you might want to change the last trope though, as it links to a trope index :P

[Uncle Pine]

I'll probably cook. I do want to point out that you might want to change the last trope though, as it links to a trope index :P

That's intended. Sometime a client doesn't care if you put a blue cupboard, blue appliances, or blue cutlery in a kitchen: he just really wants to have something blue in his kitchen. You'll be fine as long as someone's backstory is featured in a relevant way in your adventure.

[AvatarVecna]

Came here to post that this is a fascinating - and ambitious - contest. And also to point out that the last Trope is more a collection of all backstory tropes.

[DeTess]

Came here to post that this is a fascinating - and ambitious - contest. And also to point out that the last Trope is more a collection of all backstory tropes.


I'll probably cook. I do want to point out that you might want to change the last trope though, as it links to a trope index :P


That's intended. Sometime a client doesn't care if you put a blue cupboard, blue appliances, or blue cutlery in a kitchen: he just really wants to have something blue in his kitchen. You'll be fine as long as someone's backstory is featured in a relevant way in your adventure.

:smalltongue:

and some more letters

[lylsyly]

An ambitious project for sure. I won't be participating (at least anytime soon) but I await the results with great interest.

Gotta get inspiration wherever I can ;D

[Deadline]

This seems like a super ambitious build contest for only a two week timeframe. I have a hard enough time getting a build together for Iron Chef sometimes, let alone an entire adventure. I won't be participating, but will be watching with keen interest.

[jdizzlean]

This seems like a super ambitious build contest for only a two week timeframe. I have a hard enough time getting a build together for Iron Chef sometimes, let alone an entire adventure. I won't be participating, but will be watching with keen interest.

He gave a month to build, and 2 weeks to judge.

I agree with your sentiment though, even with a month, it seems like a very aggressive time frame to create an entire world essentially. I'll definately be following to see how it turns out :)

[Falontani]

I'll try to fit it into my schedule, but I need to create my entries for several other competitions first!

[Long_shanks]

I have to say, well done with the title and the categories.

I don't think I will have time to cook. With spring finally around the corner, the call of the outdoors will be strong in the coming week. But I may be up to judge if there aren't too many complex entries and if I'm not too cuaght up with real life.

[Troacctid]

Wow. That's a lot of secret ingredients.

If there are people interested in playing and I can figure out the streaming software, I'd be willing to DM the adventures live on stream to showcase them.

[Uncle Pine]

Since a couple people already wondered about what to do with Backstory Index as part of the SI, I've decided to address it in the FAQs*.

*Which are considered RAW this time, so be sure to check them! :smallsmile:


This seems like a super ambitious build contest for only a two week timeframe. I have a hard enough time getting a build together for Iron Chef sometimes, let alone an entire adventure. I won't be participating, but will be watching with keen interest.
As jdizzlean correctly pointed out the deadline is actually a month, so if you think you could make it with two extra weeks we'd be glad to have you aboard.


He gave a month to build, and 2 weeks to judge.

I agree with your sentiment though, even with a month, it seems like a very aggressive time frame to create an entire world essentially. I'll definately be following to see how it turns out :)
It wasn't easy to decide on the time for the contest. In the end, I decided I'd rather avoid to drag it for an eternity and cut down the scope of the competition from "any adventure" down to "one-shot" to drastically reduce the amount of work each contestant would have to go through. The nature itself of a one-shot means that it's more of a self-contained microcosm rather than an entire world, which makes it far faster to generate.


I'll try to fit it into my schedule, but I need to create my entries for several other competitions first!
Good luck!


I have to say, well done with the title and the categories.

I don't think I will have time to cook. With spring finally around the corner, the call of the outdoors will be strong in the coming week. But I may be up to judge if there aren't too many complex entries and if I'm not too caught up with real life.
Thank you and don't worry too much about deciding immediately whether to be a judge, there's time for that.

[CMagnum]

I'm gonna start working on mine later tonight! Thanks Uncle, I think this is gonna be a lot of fun

[Zaq]

There’s basically zero chance that I’ll have the time/energy to participate in this, but I approve of it and I want it to succeed.

[Goaty14]

1) How long should a typical one-shot be, such as how many planned encounters before the boss, etc?
2) No level restriction?
3) How should it be presented? (Sample format appreciated!)

I'm itching to create some flavor of a planar adventure, so this is a good place to do it.

[DeTess]

1) How long should a typical one-shot be, such as how many planned encounters before the boss, etc?
2) No level restriction?


1) The rules state:


You will need to present a one-shot adventure taking for your entry, for an expected duration of 4 to 6 hours. Your entry should include the following elements: a working title, an original and compelling plot, a detailed description of five scenes or encounters of your own choice that take part during the adventure (hereinafter referred to as "snapshots"), including full stats for one "kingpin encounter" of your choice, a summary of any other foe, levels and types of characters for which the adventure is meant, and any significant reward they are expected to acquire over the course of the adventure.


2) It doesn't seem there is a level restriction. The adventure as a whole has to be appropriate for your chosen level, but that's about it.

[Deadline]

I stand corrected on the timeline, but it doesn't change much for me.


There’s basically zero chance that I’ll have the time/energy to participate in this, but I approve of it and I want it to succeed.

Zaq expressed my main sentiment better here than I could. :smallbiggrin:

[Goaty14]

I guess I'll do this then :smallcool:

One last question: Where do I submit it when it's done?

[Uncle Pine]

1) How long should a typical one-shot be, such as how many planned encounters before the boss, etc?
The ideal runtime is considered 4-6 hours, as that's what most d&d session tend to last for. Of course in practice a typical one-shot will sometime turn into a two-shot for any number of reason either unrelated to the one-shot (players arriving slightly late, distractions, pizza, etc.) or due to players having a particularly good time and taking interest in the one-shot to the point they decide to explore it meticulously in every tiny detail, but you should still aim for 4-6 hours.
There is no hard cap on the number of encounters (both combat, social, puzzle, and so on) your adventure can have, although you're only required 5 snapshots in your entry so I expect many of the entries to have exactly 5. :smallbiggrin:


2) No level restriction?
Nope. As long as your entry is internally consistent and appropriate for a level of your choice, it's all good.


3) How should it be presented? (Sample format appreciated!)
You're required to name your adventure and present the plot, five snapshots, one kingpin encounter, what is basically a bestiary of every other opponent in the adventure, as well as info on the kind of group(s) you expect to go through the adventure and rewards, so at least one section for each of these make sense. If the kingpin encounter is encountered as part of one of the snapshot you can put it there to avoid having to go back and forth between different sections.
I expect the average adventure will also have a section dedicated to character hooks, maybe split the plot section in "Adventure Background" and "Adventure Synopsis" or something similar and if for example the adventure is set in a dungeon with many different rooms a brief rundown of each of them would be nice. Imagine visiting a brand new house because you want to move and to find out it's huge with lots of corridors and features you didn't even think about, wouldn't you expect your estate agent to give you a walkthrough of the house's nooks and crannies?
Maps are never expressely required, but if you have a specific idea for an encounter involving taking advantage of terrain features and the like it might be a good idea to include a map of where the encounter takes part. Map Maker (http://www.yeoldemapmaker.com/editor/) is rather spartan but extremely handy for this sort of things.


I guess I'll do this then :smallcool:

One last question: Where do I submit it when it's done?
Submissions are to be sent to the Chairman, aka me. :smallsmile:


EDIT: For more info about formatting, you can take inspiration from published pre-written modules or have a look at the back of any Dungeon Magazine issue, which has a rather in-depth guide about the qualities of a good module. I started writing the opening post for this contest with the idea of including a Format section with lots of guidelines, but then decided it would've been better to hammer down just a few key requirements and then see the length to which contestants are willing to go to rather than make a much bigger and comprehensive list that would've scared potential participants. We'll see how this first round go and then I'll decide whether to compile a Format section for the next one and what to include in it.
Of course, if any contestant has any kind of question about formatting I'll be eager to provide an answer.

[Uncle Pine]

A little bump to remind everyone that the contest is due in three weeks, which is still plenty of time for anyone who Missed the Call (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MissedTheCall) to jump in and make something. Have fun!

[Uncle Pine]

Last call for the contestants: Kitchen Crashers is due next week. I know there were a bunch of eager people who PMed me with a few questions when this all started, so remember to actually turn your submission in. Good luck with the last sprint.

[Inevitability]

[...] evils of free will [...]

I'm in.


Seriously, this is one of my favorite tropes, and seeing it get featured in a GitP competition? No way that I'm not going to be participating.

[Lionheart]

Interested, though not sure I'll be ready for the deadline. I'll give it a go though!

[Uncle Pine]

I've been asked about a two day extension for the deadline by Tonymitsu (whose name I only mention because I believe these requests should have a name publicly attached to them). I'm personally not against this, because it's only two days and it's the first Kitchen Crashers so I'd like to be as inclusive as possible, but feel free to voice your opinion.

If a 48 hour extension doesn't particularly bother anyone, I'll edit this message and the OP tomorrow morning to reflect the changes to the schedule in order to avoid additional spamming.

EDIT: The deadline has been postponed to 07:59 GMT on Sunday, May 20th, 2018.

[SpamCreateWater]

Rats. This is what I get for not looking in on the forums properly for a while :smallfrown:
I look forward to the finished products! This is set to be a lot of fun :smallsmile:

[Troacctid]

I'll reiterate my offer to run and stream the adventures online if there is interest.

[Falontani]

I'll reiterate my offer to run and stream the adventures online if there is interest.

would it be possible to also post them on youtube? I will never have time to watch a live stream, but watching a video at a random different time is within the realm of possiblities

[Uncle Pine]

I ended up getting only a single submission even after waiting a whole extra day after the extended deadline, but worry not! We can still have fun looking at this piece of work and comment on it, or even playtest it if you so choose (ask Troacctid about that).

I'd skim over the usual demand of avoid posting until all the reveals are posted since there's only one, but I'm actually not sure if it can fit in a single post so please wait until I'm finished.

[Uncle Pine]

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... a modron!


Protocol for Peace

Introduction
The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, the outer plane of ultimate law, is said to be the source of every rule in the multiverse. It is all at once home to the simplest of directives to complex machinations that span the whole of existence. But even in a place where the rules are paramount, nothing is as it first seems. From deep within the regimented city of Regulus, a being of terrible power sets for a plan that threatens the stability of reality itself.

Protocol for Peace is an adventure intended for a party of four 12th-level characters. It is set mostly in the Forgotten Realms, however it can be adapted to suit almost any setting. Simply substitute Helm for an appropriate Lawful Neutral deity, or have Argus draw his power from the ideals of order and stability. Before beginning, you should thoroughly read and familiarize yourself with the NPC’s and their abilities. This book utilizes material found in the 3.5 Edition Core rulebooks (Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual), the Complete series, Dungeonscape, as well spells and items found in the Magic Item Compendium and the Spell Compendium, and material adapted from the Modron Web Supplement found here: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20010921a

Adventure Background
On the Outer Plane of Mechanus, the strange race of beings known as modrons have constructed a vast network of cities that occupy exactly sixty-four cogs. A fiercely hierarchical race, they are rigidly divided into strict castes whose numbers never change. Whenever a modron dies, a member of the caste below is immediately promoted to replace them, and so on all the way to the lowest levels of modron society. They are lead by Primus, a lesser deity who issues orders to his immediate inferiors, known individually as secundus. These in turn pass the orders on to the next caste down, until they reach the intended receiver. Through this chain of command the will of Primus is distributed to the entire rest of the modron race.

A lesser-known aspect of modron society, is that the process of promotions also includes Primus. It is very rare, but whenever Primus dies it is replaced immediately by one of the four secundi. Even though the power of Primus is transferred, its memories and plans are not. What follows is a period of disruption in all of modron society that lasts until the new Primus is able to comprehend the current state of the planes as well as the goals and machinations of its predecessor.

It was during this period of adjustment that an unexplained planar instability had led to a series of breaches to the plane of Limbo opening up in one section of the city. A local septon was charged with a simple directive: “find a solution to the encroaching chaos”. When no additional orders came after its work was completed, it continued to ponder the meaning of the directive. After a period of research, it reached the conclusion that emotion was the source of all conflict. Thus in order to permanently resolve conflict and chaos, it must remove emotion.

The septon soon became what modron society would refer to as a rogue, taking on a sense of individuality and the name Imperitus. Secreted away in his stronghold in the modron city of Regulus, his experiments in suppressing emotion have begun to bear fruit. Currently he is making preparations to proceed to the next stage: an incremental invasion of the Prime Material plane, with the help of his ally, a human priest of Helm named Argus Delryn.

Argus
A pious and quiet cleric in the service of Helm, Argus Delryn was given the impossible task of acting magistrate in an anomaly in Mechanus: small village in a nondescript cog utterly consumed by vicious infighting. He prayed day and night to his god for an answer to the violence. Imperitus peered into his mind with his telepathy, and offered him a solution: specially crafted amulets to be distributed to the townspeople. As they donned them, their emotions steadily began to drain away, and with them the desire for conflict. It wasn’t long before the petty fighting all but stopped. Argus was overjoyed and hailed Imperitus as a prophet of Helm, and quickly agreed to work with the septon to spread his work all across the Prime Material plane.

Adventure Synopsis
The PC’s become aware of situation involving the wealthy half-janni merchant Yaztromo who is known to frequent the city of Sigil: his son, Milner, has recently gone missing, and he is looking for skilled adventurers to find him. Upon arriving to speak with the merchant, he is grateful they answered his call, but that Eleran Drakestinger, the famous “Wandering Duke” has already agreed to help, and he considers the matter as good as handled. Upon encountering Eleran, the party quickly learns that not everything about the legends surrounding Eleran are as they appear to be.

With some convincing on behalf of Willow, the Duke’s ever-present valet, the party agrees to accompany Eleran in solving the problem of the missing merchant’s son. Willow reveals that her investigation so far has suggested a potential planar breach to Mechanus. Rumors within the city of Delon-Estin Oti quickly point to a small village on one of the nearby cogs. Upon visiting the village, they are greeted by Argus, who introduces them to the Milner, at which point they learn that he has taken up permanent residence, as well as the worship of Helm and no longer wishes to leave.

While Eleran and the party contemplate what they should do next, the village is suddenly raided by a nearby formian hive. After driving off the invaders, Argus implores the party to pursue them to find their nest. The party is met on the way by a delegation from the formian queen, who wish only to talk. The queen informs the party that her hive only attacked the town to rescue two formian workers who had been abducted, and reveals the nature of the amulets worn by Argus’s “faithful”. Eleran resolves to confront the priest, and returns to the town, alone if necessary.

Seeing the party as a threat to the stability he has worked so hard to achieve, Argus attacks. He remains steadfast in his defiance of the party even in defeat, and happily reveals the details of his arrangement with Imperitus, as well as his location within Regulus. Milner has been rescued, but the stakes are much bigger than the life of one merchant’s son now. In spite of the danger, Willow makes the point that defeating the modron is the only way to ensure his designs do not come to fruition.

The PC’s must enter the city of Regulus and confront Imperitus in his stronghold in order to stop him once and for all.

The Wandering Duke
Eleran Drakestinger, the “Wandering Duke” is something of a folk tale amongst adventurers, and it is rare to find one who has not at least heard of him. Depending upon whom you ask, he is either a respected nobleman, incredibly skilled duelist, and the finest example of what an adventurer can aspire to be or the most idiotic egomaniac to ever grace the surface of Toril.

The truly amazing thing is that all of the stories are true.

Eleran is truly horrendous with a blade-- and bad at most everything else-- yet he still carries himself with the poise and dignity of a true master swordsman. He will march happily into any encounter, regardless of the odds, confident that his skills and years of experience will see him through. He speaks to ladies as though he were a silver-tongued bard of less than half his actual age. He makes outrageous wagers to prospective opponents, and then justify his inevitable loss as the result of a “bad meal” or as a means of actually teaching his opponent a “valuable lesson”.

However, it is also true that he was not always this way. A fine adventurer and a peerless swordsman in his youth, Eleran took it upon himself to retire and accept a minor title of nobility as a reward for one of his many deeds of heroism. It was also his idea to come out of retirement several years later, accompanied on further adventures by Willow, his tireless valet, and a scribe who would chronicle his new adventures in a series of novels. These novels grew incredibly popular, and the money raised by selling them went a long way towards filling the Duke’s coffers, and bringing prosperity to the small kingdom he is charged with.

His current state is the result of diabolical maneuverings from one of Eleran’s political rivals, who employed the resources of a powerful mage to curse the Duke to “never realize his true potential”. However the mage intended the vaguely worded curse to actually work, fate seized the opportunity and ran with it. Despite his age, Eleran still believes he is the best swordsman he could possibly be. He has stopped training because, why would he need to? How much better could he possibly get? This attitude has since carried over into other aspects of his life.

The chief reason why he is still among the living is Willow, a young woman whom he rescued from a life of slavery many years prior and has been his devoted servant ever since. She is a valet beyond compare, adept at steering Eleran away from situations where he could get into serious trouble, and then cleaning up the fallout when Eleran gets in trouble anyway. She has defused dozens of ruinous situations through conversation, reason, bribery, blackmail, distraction, and, when necessary, food poisoning. She is practiced in countless different methods of combat, both of the martial and arcane variety. Despite her best efforts, the curse resists all efforts to break it, and so she remains devoted to preserving the image of the “Wandering Duke”, both for his sake and the sake of the people of his small kingdom.

Adventure Hooks
The easiest way to get the PC’s involved in this adventure is to use an established contact of theirs to pass the information regarding Yaztromo to them directly. Someone whom they know who could owe a wealthy merchant a favor (or is looking to acquire a favor from the merchant) and passes the PC’s names along to him. If the PC’s do not have any specific individual upon whom they rely, then the message can be delivered via an organization that they belong to-- such as a church, a mages guild, or other formal organization-- or to an establishment, such as a tavern, that they frequent. Consider a friendly bartender who makes mention of someone that was asking about them specifically.

Alternatively, you can inflict Eleran up them directly, and have them learn of the merchant through him. In this case, you can skip most of the first chapter.

Chapter 1: The Missing Son
The PC’s obtain information that a merchant named Yaztromo is seeking the expertise of capable adventurers for a most important matter. Anyone who succeeds at a DC 20 Knowledge (the planes) check, recognizes the name as that of a wealthy half-janni merchant who operates on the Outer Planes and has a reputation for trafficking in exotic and hard-to-come-by goods. If that fact and the implicit promise of an extensive reward does not pique their interest, consider making a special plea that it might be a deeply personal family matter he needs help resolving. If the party agrees to his request, he asks that they meet him in the Festhall in Sigil. If necessary, Yaztromo will provide them with the location of a portal as well as the key to access it.

A. Meeting the Merchant.
The city of Sigil, located in the Concordant Doman of the Outlands and the hub of the multiverse, functions much like the Prime Material plane; it has normal gravity, time, lacks any elemental or energy traits, and does not favor any specific alignment. Once the party adjusts to the nature of being inside a gigantic hallow ring, they should have no more difficulty functioning than normal.
When the PC’s arrive at the Festhall and meet with Yaztromo, he acts surprised to see them. Read or paraphrase the following:
“Well, there’s a capable group if I have ever seen it! And believe me, I’ve seen many! I thank you for your response, but I do apologize for wasting your time. For you see, none other than the ‘Wandering Duke’ himself has already agreed to help find my missing son. I’m sure you can agree that means he is as good as found!”

Succeeding on a DC 15 Knowledge (local) or DC 10 Knowledge (nobility and royalty) check is enough for a PC to recognize the title and at least be familiar with the exploits of Eleran Drakestinger. If the PC’s ask for more information, Yaztromo happily obliges. His son, Milner, was on a routine tip to the Prime Material plane when his caravan suddenly vanished. As soon as Yaztromo realized something was wrong, he began sending out personal requests to hire someone to locate him. He had heard of the PC’s exploits and has requested them and several other famous adventurers by name, wishing to trust the matter to a proven and capable group.
It then occurs to him that surely the Duke would welcome their assistance if they were still interested in helping. He promises an equal share of the reward between the two groups. All he wants is his son returned to him, or, he admits somberly, to know of his fate for certain should the worst have happened.

Assuming the PC’s agree to help, Yaztromo tells them that Eleran should still be in the city. It doesn’t take long (or very much effort) to track him down. A successful DC 10 Gather Information check returns his exact location in 1d4 minutes, rather than hours.
Read the following text aloud:
One look in the merchant’s eyes was all I needed to convince me of the rightness of this quest. And so I assured him he had nothing to fear, that his missing son would soon be returned to him safely. Little did I know, then, of the true extent of the adventure in front of me... and of the companions I would meet along the way.

The PC’s find Eleran and his two companions being accosted by a well-armed and seedy-looking group of adventurers in a side alley. If they decide to watch and listen for a while, have them roll Hide checks. They can overhear the group demanding that Eleran back away from finding the son, as the reward is too good to pass up, even to someone like him, and Eleran refusing them in the most smug way possible. Eventually his stubbornness causes the group to attack. If the PC’s are are spotted, or if they choose to intervene right away, the fight breaks out immediately, with one of the thugs announcing to his fellows to “Leave no witnesses!”
Use the stats for NPC’s found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide starting on page 113. There should be one enemy for each party member, plus an additional two for Eleran and his group, but no enemy higher than level 8 or 9. This should be a trivial encounter for the PC’s. Allow them periodic Spot checks to observe that Eleran flounders near constantly in combat (see his statistic block for details).
Once more than half of their number are defeated or killed, the rest of the assailants will flee. Eleran thanks the PC’s for their assistance, though he pointedly notes that it was hardly needed. He will then immediately begin criticizing the technique of the most prominent melee PC. If at any point a one of the PC’s begins to note Eleran’s sloppy performance, Willow will immediately intervene to cut them off, suggesting that perhaps as a thank you they should treat their rescuers to a meal, where they can continue to “Discuss their respective techniques. In private.”
Any PC’s that succeeds at a DC 10 Sense Motive can note both her tone and the knowing look she gives them.

B. Simple Negotiations.
Upon entering the nearest tavern, Willow waits until Eleran goes to negotiate the “special food entries reserved for visiting celebrities which are not listed on the menu” with the tavern owner, and then suggests that the young scribe stay with him so as to not miss a moment that might be worth detailing later. This provides an opportunity for the PC’s to question her about Eleran’s supposed martial prowess. After much prodding, she will admit the the details of Eleran’s condition, that Eleran is not personally aware of the curse, and that she has been unable to convince him otherwise. She will additionally describe the novels and the scribe’s purpose in accompanying them on adventures. Willow then asks if the PC’s will join them in the search for Milner, and keep up the ruse along the way. She will begin by appealing to the PC’s better nature, noting that Eleran is a good man who has always done the right thing, and that she knows deep down he still wants to. If the PC’s remain unconvinced, she will plead on behalf of the kingdom that his adventures support. She assures them that he will not be in their way, and that she has kept him safe on many previous such missions.
If, on the other hand, the PC’s seem inclined to expose him for more petty reasons, she drops the pretense and instead offers them more substantial means of persuasion. These books are very popular, she notes, and asks if a portion of the proceeds from the latest sale would change their minds. Allow the PC’s to negotiate if they are so inclined, with opposed Diplomacy checks to haggle over the exact amount. Willow is no stranger to such negotiations, and she will do whatever it takes to ensure Eleran’s well-being. She will also leverage the information she and Eleran have uncovered so far regarding the missing son to get the PC’s to agree to her terms.
Once the PC’s have agreed, she shares the information she has uncovered so far: evidence of a planar breach that leads to Mechanus, an infinite plane of interlocking cogs. She also has knowledge of a portal in Sigil that can take everyone to the city of Delon-Estin Oti which is probably the best place to begin their search for Milner.
At this point Eleran should return to the table triumphant in his “negotiations”.

Read the following text:
The Duke looks at you all and smiles, “Yes, yes, there’s no need to say it. My dear Willow was no doubt using this opportunity to talk all of you out of accompanying me on such a dangerous quest. But I can see the hunger for adventure and excitement in you as though I was looking into a mirror! Worry not, friends, for you shall be under the protection of Eleran Drakestinger himself. And who knows? You might just learn a thing or two besides. So what say you? Will you join us?”

Allow the party to respond however they wish. They automatically succeed on a Spot check to notice Willow rubbing her temples in an effort to fight off a migraine.

Chapter 2: To Mechanus
Read the following text:
We quickly made our way towards the portal-- my new companions and I. It was interesting to be traveling with such able fellows once again. Not since my early days had I traveled with such a determined group of fellow adventurers. Their unpolished skills could not hide their obvious talent from trained eyes like mine. I knew it would only be a matter of time before their experience brought them to heights that would rival my own. All too soon, their skills, and mine own, would be put to the test...

The portal key brings Eleran, Willow, the scribe, and the PC’s to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, the plane of ultimate law. They are greeted by the daunting sight of countless spinning cogs, all interconnected a various angles, ranging in size from roughly a small island to several thousand miles across. Players who are not familiar with Mechanus can make a Knowledge (the planes) check. A result of 20 or higher reveals the following traits:

Objective Directional Gravity: Gravity is the same as on the Material Plane, but the direction is oriented to the face of each individual cog.
Normal Time.
Infinite Size: The void in which the gears hang is infinite.
Divinely Morphic: Lesser deities can alter their immediate surroundings with a thought.
No Elemental or Energy Traits.
Strongly Law-Aligned: Non-lawful characters suffer a -2 penalty on all Charisma-, Wisdom-, and Intelligence-based checks
Normal Magic.


Willow can also supply this information if necessary. She also alerts the PC’s and Eleran (especially Eleran) to the nature of one of the plane’s native inhabitants, the inevitables: constructs that exist solely to enforce the laws of the universe. Once the party arrives at the city of Delon-Estin Oti, allow them a Gather Information check. On a DC 10, they learn of a small village on a nearby cog that seems to have just appeared one day, and no one can clearly recall precisely when. A man fitting Milner’s description was seen with a group who visited the city a few days ago to trade for supplies.
The party can find Eleran and his two companions in the center of town, where Willow is doing her best to convince the Duke that the fountain statue in the square in not, in fact, a stone golem in disguise. Once the party has had enough fun (or when everyone starts to get too annoyed) you can proceed to the village of Equilibrium.

A. Village Outskirts.
At first glance, the Equilibrium is not all that unusual for a village in Mechanus, down to the types and placements of buildings. Even the eclectic mix of inhabitants won’t seem out of place for a group of travelers fresh from a visit to Delon-Estin Oti. However, the apparent harmony between the various races is far more extreme than what the PC’s might have come to expect. As they wander the town in search of information, some of the more unusual interactions they can observe include:

A dwarf operating a blacksmith shop with the help of an ogre apprentice.
A drow wizard and a high elf sorcerer jointly running a magic shop.
Two formian workers assisting a dryad in harvesting crops a small farm.
An illithid tending to an apothecary taking a delivery of herbs from a githzeri.
A leonal tending bar at the tavern, with a tiefling waiting on customers and two xill clearing the tables.


Any inquiries made about any subject not related to the particular villager’s area of expertise are directed to the magistrate, whom they are told can be found in the great temple of Helm at the center of the village.
If the PC’s think to check if any of the inhabitants are dominated, a successful Sense Motive check (DC 15) suggests that they are not. It does, however, reveal a strange sense of detachment present in every single villager they speak with. The detect magic spell, and similar divinations, reveal the presence of an enchantment effect. One other clue that observant characters are likely to notice is a necklace worn by every single inhabitant they meet, all of which sport an identical pendant. A successful DC 10 Knowledge (religion) check identifies it as the holy symbol of Helm. On a result of 25 or higher the PC can recall that Helm’s doctrine does not required such jewelry, nor is anything like it common amongst worshippers on the Material Plane, a fact of which Willow is also keenly aware. If asked, the villagers will simply remark about wanting an outward symbol of their faith to display openly, but are unwilling to part with the pendant for a closer inspection (and indeed, they cannot. See the new item in the appendix for details).

B. Temple of Helm
The Temple to Helm in the center of the village is an impressive structure; a stone building roughly 100 feet square, with a turrets at each of the four corners that rise to a height of 80 feet. A plaque on the center above the main double-doors bears Helm’s holy symbol. When the PC’s first enter the building, read the following text:
The floor of this semi-circular is lined with pews arranged in a theater style seating leading down to an altar at the back. The vaulted ceiling above you rising to a height of 60 feet at the center, with chandeliers bearing candles hanging from the center. At the back of the room is a massive metal statue done in the affectation of Helm. In front of the altar you see a human male dressed in the regalia of a high priest of helm, praying at an altar accompanied by two elves both dressed acolyte robes. The priest rises from his prayer and turns to face you as you enter, “Welcome, travelers. How might this servant of the Vigilant One assist you today?”


The “statue” in the back of the room is actually a shield guardian under orders to remain inert unless called upon by Argus defend him. The acolytes are really a pair of nimblewrights using their alter self spell-like ability to disguise themselves as elves. Both Argus and the acolytes also wear identical pendants as the villagers, though the priest’s case it is not the amulet noted in the appendix, but is instead the control amulet for the shield guardian and his holy symbol divine focus.

If present, Willow remains quiet and observant, allowing Eleran to take the lead. Should one or more of the PC’s wish to entreat with Argus, the Duke will grin and nod, eager to “see their own attempts at negotiation firsthand”. If none of the PC’s volunteer to do so in his stead, Eleran will step forward and proudly introduce himself in the most grandiose way possible, noting Willow and the rest of the PC’s as his “capable assistants”. He tells Argus they are searching for a boy named Milner, and have it on good authority that he might be found in this village. Argus will confirm this, and inform them that he is currently tending to a nearby field. If the PC’s ask to speak with him, he will send one of the acolytes to fetch him, inviting everyone to wait in the temple. During the wait he will ask what business they have with Milner. If the party answers truthfully, he will nod in understanding, apologizing for any undue worry that Yaztromo may have suffered, and add that, regretfully, they may have come all this way for nothing.
Argus is very cordial to the party and will politely answer answer any questions his visitors might have. He will explain to them that his village is a quiet place for those seeking refuge from conflict, and that everyone here has come to understand the true harmony that comes when one is free from all desire for conflict. He will relate to them the horrors of the petty squabbles that beset the village when he first arrived, and invites the PC’s to “merely look around at the village to see what can be accomplished when one “rises above the base emotions that inevitably lead to conflict and true balance is achieved”.
Milner and the acolyte return in short order. The PC’s can observe in him the same emotionless detachment they have seen in every villager they have met so far. He tells the PC’s in simple terms that Argus saved him from a bandit attack, and invited him to stay at the village while he recovered. In the time spent here, he has taken up the worship of Helm at Argus’s suggestion, and has since come to see the truth of his words. He tells the PC’s to inform his father that he is perfectly fine, and has no desire to leave.
This might put the PC’s in a quandary. On one hand, Yaztromo explicitly said he wanted his son returned to him if he was alive. Reporting back without Milner might cause him to refuse any reward. On the other hand, Milner made it clear he doesn’t wish to leave. Eleran will admit that removing him by force might constitute kidnapping him, and Willow notes that such an act will almost certainly incur the wrath of the inevitables. The PC’s might suspect some sort of trickery, but likely have no way of proving this just yet. Before the party can reach a decision (or as soon as they decide one way or another but before they can move to put their plan into action), a loud alarm bell begins to chime. The village is under attack!

Chapter 3: Formian Assault
Read the following text out loud:
One of the many things a lifetime of experience will teach you is that rarely is any mission as simple as it seems. My stalwart companions and I found the merchant’s son. Though they stumbled a bit in their initial negotiations, with my assistance we ingratiated ourselves to the leader of this strange village and its even more peculiar inhabitants. But now faced with our dilemma, we struggled to plot our next course. However, it wasn’t long before the winds of Fate soon steered us in the proper direction...

A. Battle in the village
Creatures: 12 Formian Warriors, 4 Formian Taskmasters, 2 Greater Barghests, 2 Hound Archons
Tactics: For this encounter, draw a map of a village outsirkts including one farming field roughly fifty feet across, at least four buildings arranged at the intersection of two streets. Divide the enemies into four distinct groups each consisting of three warriors, one taskmaster, and either a greater barghest or a hound archon, and placed them near the edge of the map about 60 feet away from a building. The barghests and hound archons are under the command of one of taskmasters, and should that taskmaster be slain, the respective creature will be freed. The barghest will randomly attack either the PC’s or the remaining formians, while the hound archon will either turn on the formians or use it’s greater teleport ability to flee. Additionally, the hive has taken the extraordinary measure of moving it’s queen within 50 miles of the edge of the village, and so the formians all benefit from their Hive Mind ability. They will move with precision to try and flank the party, while the taskmaster’s in charge of the barghests order them to use their mass bull’s strength to buff them and their allies, while attempting to dominate the most obvious melee threat amongst the PC’s.
Eleran will charge head-first into the fray. Willow will do her best to remain adjacent to him at all times, in case he might need to be healed. She will be hesitant to provide any direct support to the players if Eleran is in any significant danger.
Additionally, over the course of the battle, the PC’s might be alarmed to note that many of the villagers come out to join in defense of the village, several of whom are grievously injured in the process. They will continue to fight until they are slain, in spite of being clearly outmatched and heedless of any wounds they might suffer in the process.
After five rounds of combat, or after more than one third of their forces are slain, the formians break off the attack and retreat.

When the formians flee, Argus will emerge and thank the PC’s profusely for coming to the defense of the village. If questioned about the nature of the attack, he will respond that the formians are an aggressive species that have long sought to conquer all of Mechanus. He will also inform them that this is not the first time the village has suffered such an attack, and that the two formian villagers have been taken by the invaders, and ask the PC’s to find and rescue them, as Argus wants to stay behind to tend to the injuries of the villagers. Eleran quickly agrees before the party can respond, and implores the PC’s to join him.

B. Parley with the queen.
Treat the pursuit of the fleeing formians as a new encounter. For this encounter, draw a large cog edge, with the teeth 15 feet across and a 10-foot gap between them. Connect this with a second identical cog at a perpendicular angle, making certain to note the transition between the two.
What is left of the formian company is not difficult to follow, and the party will catch up to them at the edge of the cog on which Equilibrium sits, a fair distance from the edge of the village. It is connected to a much larger cog at a 90-degree angle, like the edge of a cliff, and half of the formian company has already crossed. The remaining formians will fight to defend the taskmaster’s until they have crossed the over to the adjoining cog, and then retreat to do so themselves. Any PC’s who wish to traverse between the two cogs must make a DC 10 Balance check to step over from one cog to the other. Failure indicates they cannot proceed. Failing this check by 5 or more will cause the character to fall between the cogs, dealing 20d6 points of damage every round. It takes a Climb check (DC 20) to emerge from the grinding teeth. Flying or teleporting through the void from one cog to the other also works.
After an additional five rounds or combat, or when half the remaining company is slain, a formian myrmarch teleports in with reinforcements: two additional taskmasters (each with a dominated celestial giant eagle), and another eight warriors. Before they engage however, the taskmasters will attempt to initiate telepathic contact with the PC’s. Read the following text:
“Strangers! Lower your weapons. The hive would speak with you!”

If any of the PC’s ask why, simply say that the queen wishes to speak with them directly and again calls for a temporary truce. If the PC’s agree, the remaining formains lower their weapons and immediately back away. In the following round, a second myrmarch arrives bringing the formian hive queen with them. She speaks telepathically to each of the PC’s in turn, saying the following:
“You are not of the village-hive. Why do you pursue and kill our hive-members?”


Allow the PC’s to respond however they wish. As soon as they mention the two kidnapped formian workers, the queen has a warrior escort them forward. She then proclaims them to be originally of her hive-city, and that she lost contact with them abruptly one day when a strange being used great magic to remove them. Even now, she proclaims, they do not obey her commands, remaining dull and seemingly uninterested in their surroundings. If none of the PC’s mention it first, Willow will suggest that perhaps the amulets are somehow responsible. The queen inspects the amulet closely, and then after a few moments casts a break enchantment spell upon it. The amulet unclasps itself and falls to the ground, and the worker immediately regains his sense of emotion and place in the formian hive.
In exchange for being allowed to leave without any further aggression, the queen will relay the true nature of the amulet to the PC’s, as well as all the information she has gleaned about the village. Argus is not the creator of the amulet, but he did distribute them to the villager’s. She also knows he is not working alone, and that everything he has done has been in service to something else, though she does not know what precisely it is. Once she has finished relaying the information, the myrmarch’s will teleport the queen and all the surviving formian’s back to the safety of their hive, leaving the PC’s and Eleran to ponder their next course of action. Eleran is resolute that they must return to Argus for answers. When the PC’s agree to follow him, proceed to Chapter 4.

Chapter 4: Return to the Temple of Helm
Read the following text out loud:
I did warn you earlier about the ever-changing nature of an adventurer’s quests. A stalwart ally one day could turn into a bitter enemy the next. When ideologies clash, the conflict that follows is more terrible than any other. What terrible wrong could have been done to set such a pious man on his current path, I do not know. At the time, all I did know was that my companions and I had no choice but to stop him...

The PC’s encounter no resistance when they return to Equilibrium. The villager’s pay them no mind, merely milling about as they repair the damage done by the formian’s latest attack. They might be tempted to go about freeing the villager’s from the amulets at this point, but Willow advises against it. At the moment, she notes, the villager’s are safe, and if Argus’s story about the conflicts is true then they have no idea how the inhabitants would react (particularly the more monstrous ones). Once he and his mysterious benefactor are dealt with, Eleran suggests that he can employ his kingdom’s resources to send the villager’s wherever they wish to go.

A. The Temple of Helm
Creatures: Argus Delryn, 2 nimblewrights, 1 advanced shield guardian
Draw a map consisting of roughly one-third of a circle that is eighty feet across, line the center with three columns of pews (5 ft. by 15 ft. long), six rows each spaced 5 ft. apart. Each pew counts as a low wall. Any damage dealt to a pew destroys it, but the debris it leaves turns the square into rough terrain instead.
Argus is alone with his two “acolytes”, and will ask how their pursuit of the formians went. If the PC’s attempt to approach closer than the back two rows of pews, he will ask them to stop and state their intentions. Otherwise he will converse with the PC’s until they bring up his “benefactor” or confront him directly about the amulets. At that point read or paraphrase the following text, and then have everyone roll initiative:
“I see. I should have expected those who have not been enlightened would fail to understand. I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to disrupt my work.”
Tactics: The two nimblewrights will cast haste on themselves, Argus and the shield guardian, followed by cat’s grace on themselves and then move to engage to closest PC’s in melee combat. Argus will order the shield guardian into action against any obvious spellcaster. If he is threatened by a melee opponent, he speaks the command word that triggers the dimension door spell stored within, and immediately bring the shield guardian to an adjacent square to him. Argus will begin by casting antilife shell to provide him with the time needed to cast death ward, freedom of movement, mass shield of faith, magic circle against chaos, and prayer, as well as activate his Protection Devotion ability which will provide a +4 sacred bonus to all of his allies within 30 feet. If the PC’s still cannot approach him after that, he follows up with hold monster, flame strike, and then casts divine power and righteous might on himself before engaging in melee, making use of Law Devotion for a +5 sacred bonus on attack rolls. So long as Argus wears the control amulet, half of all damage he receives is taken by the shield guardian instead. The golems will fight until destroyed. After that occurs, Argus will accept any offer of surrender if he is reduced to less than half his remaining hit points. If none of the PC’s think to make one, Eleran will, once the last of the three golems is gone.
Throughout the entirety of the encounter Argus will plead with the PC’s the righteousness of his cause, asking them if they did not see the benefits of his approach: a village of such disparate races, normally bitter enemies, living and working together in peace, free of conflict and hatred.

If Argus is taken alive, he remains defiant in capture. He will tell the PC’s about how he was approached in prayer by one of Helm’s prophets who explained to him the root of all conflict, and provided the means of ending it once and for all. This village was an experiment, and it has succeeded. Even now, Imperitus has plans in motion to distribute the amulets to the rest of Helm’s faithful, and other like-minded individuals all across the Material Plane. He tells the party that should they dare confront a servant of Helm in his own dominion, Imperitus can be found in the city of Regulus. If Argus is killed in the battle, all of this information can be obtained via a journal found in his private chambers. In this case, the party will have to deduce the nature of Imperitus through the description given, as well as his probable location within the modron city. Willow can be of great help in this area.
Though the party has, at this point, more than fulfilled their obligation to Yaztromo, the stakes are now much bigger than they could have imagined. The only way to be certain that this plan is not carried through to fruition is to confront the rogue modron directly. Eleran is determined to put a stop to these plans, and Willow all but begs the PC’s to accompany them to Regulus. When they agree to stop Imperitus, proceed to Chapter 5.

Chapter 5: The Imperitus Directive
Read the following text out loud:
A great man once said, “It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it.” What price is worth being paid to see all such conflict end? What part of ourselves is worth giving up to ensure peace and stability? And what else do we lose along the way? These thoughts were my only other companions as we made our way across that strange landscape of grinding gears that were ever turning towards our destiny...

However the party proceeds to Regulus, the journey should be uneventful. The denizens of Mechanus generally steer clear of the modron-controlled cogs-- even the formians have yet to attempt a direct challenge to them. Along the way, Willow can recount to the players everything she knows about the modrons. That they are the other natives to the plane of Mechanus, and that their society is a hierarchy divided into strict castes, with each level of modron taking orders from the ones above them. It is also unusual that a modron would take an identity as individuality is a foreign concept to them. She can only speculate as to what would drive such action, but it is possible that the modron has become a rogue, following only its own orders.
Upon entering the city proper, the PC’s find that the resolutely ordered society they were expecting is not present. Everything, from the lowest levels of monodromes, to even the lowest order of heirarchs seem to be flitting about in a mostly directionless haze. None of the modrons they attempt to interact with respond in any significant way, and the players are able to move through the city undisturbed provided they avoid the more sensitive areas (such as the Modron Cathedral, which is still fiercely guarded by the modrons who were given only that single directive).
The only clues the PC’s will have to their destination are from Argus, which directs them to a specific sector of the city. The moment they enter, Imperitus becomes aware of their trespass on account of the enormous reach of his telepathy. Each PC hears his voice in their head, demanding to know why they have come. He continually makes demands of them as they proceed to his stronghold-- a perfectly cube-shaped building with four identical spires at each corner-- asking their intentions, ordering them to leave lest their own lives be forfeit. Imperitus is single-minded in his goal and cannot be reasoned with. Appeals to emotion will not work, and his logic is unassailable.

The Hall of Imperitus
Creatures: Imperitus, 2 octons
The building that serves as Imperitus’s stronghold has only one entrance and it is not locked. When the PC’s first open the door, read the following text out loud:
The inside of the building is exactly eighty feet square, and the ceiling rises to a height of seventy feet, supported by four columns each roughly ten feet in diameter. Inscribed on the walls are an endless patchwork of strange geometric patterns that seem to defy comprehension. Several sputtering torches on the wall provide scant illumination of the bizarre seven-armed humanoid figure that hovers off the ground behind a circular dais.

Draw a map matching the description of the building. Have the PC’s place themselves anywhere outside the 15 ft. double doors at the entrance. Place Imperitues towards the back of the room, 20 ft. from the back wall. The two Octons are currently hovering near the ceiling, and will descend once combat begins.
The dais in the center of this room is the subject of a hallow spell that fills the entire chamber. A freedom of movement spell is keyed to it that applies its effects only to worshippers of Primus. Additionally, the entire inside of the chamber is covered in a forbiddance effect, which prevents teleportation effects, ethereal travel, and other forms of planar travel entering the area and from functioning within it. It also deals 6d6 damage to all non-lawful creatures they first time they enter the chamber. A successful WIll save (DC 19) halves the damage, and it can be negated entirely if it fails to overcome the creatures spell resistance (1d20+16).

Tactics: In anticipation of a battle with these strange visitors, Imperitus has cast an array of defensive spells on himself consisting of arcane sight, true seeing, shield, greater mage armor, scintillating scales, superior resistance, and air walk before the party sets foot in his room. He orders both octons to cast shield other on themselves with him as the target, so that any damage he receives is halved twice. With one of them taking half the original mount each time, and Imperitus and the other taking only one quarter each.
During the battle he will use his wall of force spell-like ability to place invisible barriers throughout the field, attempting to limit mobility and prevent the PC’s from reaching him. He will attack mostly with offensive spells, using arcane fusion to fire off several of them each round at once.
One of the octons will cast divine power and righteous might on itself before wading into melee combat, using its enormous reach to threaten spellcasters.
The other octon is under orders to remain within reach of Imperitus, and heal him as necessary. Otherwise it attempts to cast dispel magic targeted on individual PC’s, and offensive spells as often as it can.
Should the PC’s attempt to take the fight outside, Imperitus will quickly cast dictum and attempt to banish them all back to the Material Plane. Remaining within the space warded by forbiddance prevents this aspect of dictum from functioning, though they are still subject to its other effects.

The battle ends as soon as Imperitus is slain. If one of the two octons is still alive, it is immediately promoted to fill the gap created by the death of the septon. It undergoes a disturbing and wrenching transformation until it assumes a form similar to Imperitus, and then, if necessary, orders the other octon to cease its attacks immediately. The new Primus itself will arrive in the wake of the battle, bathing the room in its radiance, having at last gained enough of an understanding of its new position to act directly.
Read the following text out loud:
The being before you walks moves with an uncertain gait, as though still adjusting its limbs to functionality that they did not previously possesses. It slowly casts a glance amongst you before speaking in a slow, deliberate tone, “Gratitude for your acts in defense of the modron society. As a reward for your efforts, your trespass shall be forgiven, and you shall be permitted to leave the city unharmed. Do so now.”

Despite the seemingly harsh nature of this directive, Primus is open to answering a few of their questions. It will explain the nature of the order that drove Imperitus to becoming rogue, and declare that “we have corrected this flaw and it will not repeat itself.” It will also explain the loss of the previous Primus that caused the lapse in order the PC’s observed on their arrival. It will not explain anything related to nature of the modrons themselves, or goals of the Primus itself, nor will it permit the PC’s to explore the rest of the city at this time. However, should they wish to make a return visit in the future through the proper bureaucratic channels, special consideration might be afforded them. A contingent of pentadrone troops will greet the party outside the building and escort them to the city limits without a word.

[Uncle Pine]

Continues from the previous post:

Conclusion
With both Imperitus and Argus defeated, the PC’s can return to the village to see about setting the villagers free from the amulets. Many of the villagers are grateful for the return of their emotions and eagerly accept offers to return to the Material Plane. Others are less grateful, disgusted by who and what they consorted with during their time in the village, and resolve to make their own way home, ensuring the party knows that they do not owe them anything. Others find themselves changed by their time here, and instead resolve to move to Delon-Estin Oti to make a new life for themselves. Milner begins sobbing uncontrollably, thanking the PC’s for everything they did for him, and expresses an acute desire to return to his father as soon as possible.
When the PC’s leave Mechanus, read the following text:
“And so, with family reunited, I knew it was time for me to move on. As I bid farewell to my stalwart companions, I could only marvel at the future that surely lay before them. Though rough and inexperienced, they are possessed of a potential I have never seen before. I eagerly await the day when I might be reading a story of one of their adventures, and when I do, I like to think that I will think fondly of the role I played in shaping their development.”

The scribe sets the parchment down on the table in front of him, and looks towards Eleran and Willow. The dull noise of background conversation, the clattering of dishes and other sounds of the tavern wash over you as he finishes recounting the tale of Eleran’s latest adventure as he transcribed it. The Duke looks to each of you in turn, eyes full of anticipation, “So? What do you think?”

Allow the PC's to respond to him however they wish. As an additional thanks for all of their assistance (separate from any payment they agreed to earlier in the adventure), Willow has convinced Eleran that the PC’s should feature prominently in this latest story. He will eagerly entertain any suggestions they might have to improve their roles, no matter how outlandish or departed from the truth they might be. If they agree to be featured by name, their fame will rise considerably, and they will soon become household names among some of the more prominent nobility, on account of the Wandering Duke’s inadvertent endorsement.
For the safe return of his son, Yaztromo is eternally grateful. Upon hearing of the efforts the PC’s went to rescue him, he offers the party a favorable discount (between fifteen and twenty percent) on his goods should they ever need to purchase them. He additionally offers them a single item of their choice from his inventory, of up to 30,000 gp in value, or simply that amount in gold pieces if they prefer.

Further Adventures
There are a couple of avenues for the PC’s to investigate from here if they so desire. The events surrounding the loss of the Primus in particular could raise some questions, as might the nature of the planar breaches that caused the septon’s order to be issued in the first place.
Then there is also the matter of the Wandering Duke. More benevolent player’s might seek to help Willow in finding a way to undo his curse, thus dragging them into the political games surrounding his small kingdom. Less altruistic characters might seek to find a way to exploit knowledge of Eleran to their own ends.

Appendix: Statistic Blocks
Eleran Drakestinger, the “Wandering Duke” CR 15
Human male Swashbuckler 3/Fighter 4/Duelist 8
NG Medium humanoid
Init +12; Senses Listen +7, Spot +7
AC 25, touch 20, flat-footed 18
Hp 142 (15 HD)
Resist evasion
Fort +13, Ref +13, Will +3
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +4 defending rapier of puncturing +23/+18/+13 (1d6+1/18-20), plus 1 Con drain plus 1d6+4 precise strike
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +15; Grp +16
Atk Options Combat Expertise, Elaborate Parry, Insightful Strike, Precise Strike, Deadly Defense (+1d6 damage when fighting defensively), Acrobatic Charge
Combat gear potion of cure critical wounds (3), potion of haste
Abilities Str 12, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 19, Wis 8, Cha 10
SQ canny defense, dodge +1, improved reaction +4, enhanced mobility, grace +2,
Feats Weapon Finesse(B), Weapon Focus: Rapier, Dodge, Mobility, Combat Expertise, Einhander, Deadly Defense, Elusive Target, Improved Initiative, Weapon Specialization: Rapier, Daring Warrior
Skills Balance +6, Bluff +14, Diplomacy +6, Escape Artist +15, Jump +18, Listen +8, Perform +3, Sense Motive +14, Spot +8 Tumble +18
Possessions +4 defending rapier of puncturing, bracers of armor +5, ring of protection +3, ring of evasion, boots of agile leaping, headband of intellect +4, periapt of health +4
Mage’s Curse: The curse affecting Eleran is currently giving him a -6 penalty to his Wisdom score (already factored in to his statistic block above). Additionally, he is constantly considered to be under the effect of the unluck spell (SpC 227). Whenever he must make a die roll for any reason (attack, damage, saving throws, and so on), he rolls the die twice and takes the worse of the two results. This effect is suppressed in antimagic field or dead magic zone, but the Wisdom penalty is not.
Sidebar: Using Eleran: Thanks to the curse, it is difficult for Eleran to effectively contribute to a variety of situations. However the one aspect of his statistics that the curse cannot influence is his ability to defend himself. By focusing wholly on defense, he can accumulate a substantial bonus to his armor class; Combat Expertise can give him up to a +5 by sacrificing his base attack bonus, he has both the Dodge feat and the class feature from swashbuckler, an additional +2 from Einhander, another +8 from his Elaborate Parry class feature from duelist when fighting defensively, along with the +3 Dodge bonus from his ranks in tumble, and finally he can add the +4 enhancement bonus from his defending weapon to his AC. In addition, he gets another +8 if he provokes an attack of opportunity through movement on account of Enhanced Mobility. Under normal circumstances, it is very difficult for Eleran to be hit in combat when he does not wish to be.

Willow CR 11
Female tiefling Factotum 10
CG medium outsider (native)
Init +10; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +3, Spot +3
Languages Common, Infernal, Draconic, Elven, Goblin
AC 25, touch 16, flat-footed, 22; Moderate fortification
Hp 85 (10 HD)
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5
Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +5; cunning insight
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee sword of subtlety +14/+9 (1d6+1/19-20), +4 to atk/dmg on sneak attack
Ranged +1 shocking composite longbow (+1) +13/+8 (1d8+1/x3) plus 1d6 electricity
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +8; Grp +15
Atk Options cunning insight, cunning strike, cunning breach
Special Actions Cunning Surge, Knowledge Devotion, Opportunistic Piety 6/day, Cunning Defense
Combat gear wand of golem strike (12 charges), wand of gravestrike (21 charges), wand of benign transposition (8 charges), wand of scorching ray (CL 3rd)(9 charges), wand of protection from evil (15 charges), wand of dispel magic (CL 9th)(4 charges), wand of ebon eyes (4 charges), scroll of plane shift (2), scroll of sleet storm (CL 7th), antitoxin (3), potion of heal
Factotum Spells Prepared (CL 10th)
4th- dimensional door
3rd- haste
2nd- alter self
1st- nerveskitter
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10)
1/day-- darkness
Abilities Str 12, Dex 19, Con 19, Int 22, Wis 14, Cha 14
SQ Inspiration (10 points per encounter), trapfinding, cunning knowledge, brains over brawn, arcane dilettante (4 spells)
Feats Font of Inspiration x2, Knowledge Devotion, Weapon Finesse
Skills Balance +15, Bluff +9, Concentration +17, Decipher Script +6, Diplomacy +20, Disable Device +6, Escape Artist +11, Forgery +7, Gather Information +9, *Hide +12, Jump +11, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (local) +11, Knowledge (nature) +11, Knowledge (religion) +11, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +11, Knowledge (the planes) +11, Listen +3, *Move Silently +10, Open Lock +11, Search +7, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +20, Spot +3, Survival +7, Tumble +24, Use Magic Device +18(+2 on scrolls)
*No ranks, not subject to Cunning Knowledge bonus.
Possessions combat gear plus, +2 blurstrike sword of subtlety, belt of magnificence +4, anklet of translocation, +3 moderate fortification mithril chain shirt, +1 heavy steel shield, ring of protection +2, +1 shocking composite longbow(+1), third eye conceal, masterwork thieve’s tools.
Sidebar: Using Willow: Given her vast amount of utility, she is best placed in a support role. In combat she will most often flank with Eleran, using cunning strike to quickly finish off opponents that threaten him. She can make use of cunning breach to get around damage reduction and spell resistance on particularly sturdy opponents. How often she is willing to use her collection of resources to assist the party depends on how they treat both herself and Eleran.

The scribe
Eleran’s scribe is a 6th level expert with negligible combat statistics. He does not carry any weapons and will not participate in combat encounters, retreating to the maximum safest distance from which he can still observe his lord.

All stats for the formian encounter are found on the SRD.

Nimblewright (2) CR 7
CN Medium Construct
Init +7; Senses Low-light vision, Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +3, Spot +3
Languages Common, Elven, Dwarven
AC 24, touch 17, flat-footed 17
Hp 75 (10 HD)
Immune construct immunities (MM 307); SR 27
Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +6
Weakness cold effect slows for 3 rounds, fire effect stuns for 1 round
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares)
Melee 2 rapier-hands each +11 (2d6+4/15-20)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +7; Grp +11
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th)
At will-- alter self, cat’s grace, entropic shield, featherfall, haste
Special Actions tripping thrust
Abilities Str 19, Dex 24, Con --, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 19
SQ Augmented critical
Feats Combat Expertise(B), Combat Reflexes(B), Dodge, Improved Disarm, Mobility, Spring Attack
Skills Balance +9, Jump +19, Tumble +22
Tripping Thrust (Ex): A nimblewright’s rapier-hand attacks are powerful enough to push over creatures its own size or smaller. An opponent who is the target of a successful critical hit from a nimblewright must make a Reflex save (DC 19) or be knocked prone as if tripped.
Augmented Critical (Ex): A nimblewright threatens a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 15–20. On a successful critical hit, its foe is subject to a tripping thrust attack.

Advanced Shield Guardian CR 10
N Huge Construct
Init +0; Senses Low-light vision, Darkvision 60 ft.
AC 25, touch 7, flat-footed 25
Hp 177 (25 HD); fast healing 5
Immune construct immunities (MM 307)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +6
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee 2 slams each +23 (2d6+10)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Base Atk +15; Grp +33
Special Actions spell storing
Abilities Str 30, Dex 8, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 1
SQ Find master, guard, shield other
Find Master (Su): As long as a shield guardian and its amulet are on the same plane, the shield guardian can find the amulet wearer (or just the amulet, if it is removed after the guardian is called).
Guard (Ex): If ordered to do so, a shield guardian moves swiftly to defend the wearer of its amulet, blocking blows and disrupting foes. All attacks against the amulet wearer take a -2 penalty when the shield guardian is adjacent to its master.
Shield Other (Sp): The wearer of a shield guardian’s amulet can activate this defensive ability if within 100 feet of the shield guardian. Just as the spell of the same name, this ability transfers to the shield guardian half the damage that would be dealt to the amulet wearer (this ability does not provide the spell’s AC or save bonuses).
Spell Storing (Sp): This particular shield guardian has a dimension door spell stored within it. When Argus speaks the command word, he is immediately teleported to a square adjacent to him.

Argus Delryn, High Priest of Helm CR 11
Human Cleric 10/Contemplative 1
LN Medium humanoid
Init +5; Senses Listen +5, Spot +5
Languages: Common, Celestial
AC 25
Hp 71 (11 HD)
Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +16
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +2 holy bastard sword (1d10+4 plus 2d6 vs evil)
Special Actions Law Devotion, Protection Devotion, Strength boost +10 enhancement as free action 1/day
Combat Gear scroll of heal, potion of fly
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 11th)
6th- antilife shell, stoneskin(D)
5th- spell resistance, flame strike, true seeing, righteous might (D)
4th- freedom of movement, death ward, divine power, mass shield of faith, spell immunity (D)
3rd- dispel magic, magic circle against chaos, divine retaliation, prayer, inflict serious wounds, magic vestment(D)
2nd- hold person, bear’s endurance, close wounds, living undeath, silence, bull’s strength (D)
1st- divine favor, entropic shield, sanctuary, command, protection from chaos, conviction, enlarge person(D)
0- cure minor wounds (2), detect magic, guidance, light, mending
Domains: Strength
Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 12
Feats Law Devotion(B), Protection Devotion (B), Improved Initiative, Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bastard Sword, Extra Turning, Combat Casting, Power Attack
Skills Concentration +16(+4 when casting defensively), Diplomacy +6, Heal +9, Knowledge (religion) +5, Knowledge (the planes), Spellcraft +10
Possessions combat gear plus +2 mithril full plate, +2 animated heavy steel shield, +2 holy bastard sword, periapt of wisdom +4, cloak of resistance +4


Imperitus, Rogue Heirarch Modron CR 12
LN Medium Outsider
Init +6; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., mindsight 190 miles, detect thoughts 30 ft. detect magic 30 ft., Spot +19, Listen +19
Languages Modron, Auran, Celestial, Infernal, trade tongue; telepathy 190 miles
AC 27, touch 12, flat-footed 25
Hp 97 (13 HD); DR 15/chaotic
Immune psionics, modron traits
Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 20
Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +11
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee 7 claws each +15 (1d6+2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +13; Grp +15
Special Actions detect magic (30 ft. radius)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 16th)
At will- clairaudience/clairvoyance, command (DC 14), dimension door, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), wall of force
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 12th)
6th (3/day)- disintegrate (DC 19)
5th (5/day)- arcane fusion, cloudkill (DC 18)
4th (6/day)- enervation, orb of fire (DC 17), greater mirror image
3rd (7/day)- greater mage armor, arcane sight, haste, dispel magic
2nd (7/day)- shield, scorching ray, wings of cover, scintillating scales, spectral hand
1st (7/day)- nerveskitter, lesser orb of acid, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, true casting
0 (6/day)- resistance, acid splash, read magic, dancing lights, ray of frost, ghost sounds, touch of fatigue, mending, prestidigitation
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 16th)
8th- greater spell immunity, fire storm (DC 21), open*(D)
7th- destruction (DC 20), holy star, radiant assault(DC 20), open*(D)(DC 20)
6th- greater dispel magic, superior resistance, harm, open*(D)
5th- true seeing, righteous might, surge of fortune, divine agility, open*(D)
4th- dismissal(DC 17), recitation, inflict critical wounds (DC 17), air walk, open*(D)
3rd- bestow curse, searing light(2), wind wall, mass resist energy, downdraft, open*(D)
2nd- close wounds, inflict moderate wounds (2)(DC 15), hold person, bear’s endurance, status, open*(D)
1st- faith healing (2), entropic shield, divine favor, bane (2)(DC 14), open*(D)
0- cure minor wounds, mending, read magic (2), guidance, create water
Domains: Law, Protection, and War
*Imperitus may spontaneously cast any one of his domain spells from his open domain slot in addition to an appropriate level cure spell.
Abilities Str 15, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 17
Feats Improved Initiative, Versatile Spellcaster, Mindsight, Empower Spell, Spontaneous Domains
Skills Concentration +19, Diplomacy +19, Gather Information +19, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +19, Knowledge (local) +19, Knowledge (the planes) +19, Listen +19, Search +19, Sense Motive +19, Spellcraft +19, Spot +19
Detect Magic (Sp): This functions exactly as the spell, except it is constantly active and has a 30 ft. radius. It can be suppressed and resumed at will. If it is dispelled, Imperitus reactivate it as a free action on his turn.
Detect Thoughts (Sp): Another of the seven “senses”. This functions exactly as the spell, except it is constantly active and has a 30 ft. radius. It can be suppressed and resumed at will. If it is dispelled, Imperitus reactivate it as a free action on his turn.
Psionic Immunity (Ex): Imperitus is immune to any psionic power that allows for power resistance.
Telepathy (Su): Imperitus can communicate telepathically with any creature within 190 miles that has a language.
Modron Traits: Imperitus is immune to mind-affecting spells and effects; not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain

Octon (2) CR 11
LN Large Outsider
Init +6; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Spot +19, Listen +19
Languages Modron, Auran, Celestial, Infernal, trade tongue; telepathy 80 miles
AC 26, touch 11, flat-footed 24
Hp 90 (12 HD); DR 10/chaotic
Immune modron traits
Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 17
Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +10
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 30 ft. (average)
Melee 8 tentacles each +12 (2d6+1)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Base Atk +13; Grp +15
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th)
At will- clairaudience/clairvoyance, command (DC 14), detect good, detect evil, dimension door, haste, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only), wall of force, water walk
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 14th)
7th- destruction (DC 19), mass inflict serious wounds (DC19), power word stun(D)
6th- greater dispel magic, superior resistance, harm, blade barrier(D)(DC 18)
5th- righteous might, surge of fortune, divine agility, flame strike(D)(DC 17)
4th- greater magic weapon, inflict critical wounds (2)(DC 17), air walk, divine power(D)
3rd- dispel magic, searing light, mass conviction, mass resist energy, magic vestment(D)
2nd- close wounds, inflict moderate wounds (2)(DC 15), hold person, bear’s endurance, status, shield other (D)
1st- faith healing (2), entropic shield, divine favor, bane(DC 14), shield of faith, sanctuary(D)
0- cure minor wounds, mending, read magic (2), guidance, create water
Domains: Law, Protection, and War
Abilities Str 13, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 15
SQAll-around vision
Feats Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (tentacle), Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes
Skills Concentration +18, Diplomacy +17, Gather Information +17, Knowledge (local) +17, Knowledge (the planes) +17, Listen +19, Search +17, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +17, Spot +19


New Magic Item
Amulet of Perfect Calm (CL 16th)
This nondescript magical amulet bears the holy symbol of Helm on the end of an iron chain. It is a cursed item, and thus resists attempts to identify it magically. The wearer is constantly subject to the effects of the calm emotions spell, with the exception that they may take offensive actions (though they typically will not). Over time, it causes additional personality changes as it completely removes all emotions from the wearer, including fear, anger, and even a desire for self-preservation. Once worn, the amulet cannot be removed. A successful remove curse cast upon the wearer, or a break enchantment cast upon the amulet allows it to be removed, ending it’s effects almost immediately.

I don't think I mentioned the characterization device anywhere in the entry.
The one I went with was Retired Badass, for Eleran.

[Uncle Pine]

Feel free to comment now! There'll be no judging phase, so don't worry about influencing nonexistent judges. :smallsmile:

[Troacctid]

Hmm, not bad.

Anyone interested in running through it as a player? Let's say a week from today, Monday the 28th (Memorial Day), at 1pm PDT, and players can use any Iron Chef build, at 12th level.

[SpamCreateWater]

Cool write up! :) (bloody icons aren't working for me)

Pity there weren't more entries, but after seeing the amount of work that went into it I'm not surprised. I hope this continues.



Hmm, not bad.

Anyone interested in running through it as a player? Let's say a week from today, Monday the 28th (Memorial Day), at 1pm PDT, and players can use any Iron Chef build, at 12th level.

Would you possibly ever be so kind as to post your results back in the thread?

[Goaty14]

I *was* making a submission for this before laziness struck true. Would it be ok to share the draft?

[Venger]

Hmm, not bad.

Anyone interested in running through it as a player? Let's say a week from today, Monday the 28th (Memorial Day), at 1pm PDT, and players can use any Iron Chef build, at 12th level.

That sounds like fun. Any gear banned aside from thought bottle? Should we read the thread first, or go in blind to test how the adventure works for people who're new to it?

[Troacctid]

That sounds like fun. Any gear banned aside from thought bottle? Should we read the thread first, or go in blind to test how the adventure works for people who're new to it?
Use gear that would make sense if it were part of the character's original submission for Iron Chef. As a rule of thumb, magic items should enhance what the build is doing rather than overshadowing it. You can have standard WBL for 12th level. For anything that would use xp costs, use an exchange rate of 5 gp per xp, since this is a one-shot.

And it's probably best to go in blind so as not to prejudice the experience, I guess.

[Venger]

Use gear that would make sense if it were part of the character's original submission for Iron Chef. As a rule of thumb, magic items should enhance what the build is doing rather than overshadowing it. You can have standard WBL for 12th level. For anything that would use xp costs, use an exchange rate of 5 gp per xp, since this is a one-shot.

And it's probably best to go in blind so as not to prejudice the experience, I guess.

Ok, great. Are we going to look in this thread for the roll20 link or will we be doing it in the pbp subforum?

[Troacctid]

I'll message it to the players.

[Venger]

cool. narrowed it down to between 2 or 3 dishes. is this mostly hack n slash, is there rp/social or a mix? don't want to bring a knife to a gunfight.

[Troacctid]

cool. narrowed it down to between 2 or 3 dishes. is this mostly hack n slash, is there rp/social or a mix? don't want to bring a knife to a gunfight.
In my opinion, a well-designed adventure ought to have a healthy mix. Of course, any adventurer worth their salt should be prepared for anything!

[WhamBamSam]

I think I should be free Monday afternoon. I'd be interested in joining as a player as well.

[Inevitability]

Hmm, not bad.

Anyone interested in running through it as a player? Let's say a week from today, Monday the 28th (Memorial Day), at 1pm PDT, and players can use any Iron Chef build, at 12th level.

That seems fun, and I just got a lot more free time with exams being done!

[Inevitability]

Also a suggestion for this competition: one thing that kept me from getting a real entry going was the sheer number of restrictions. Maybe in future rounds, the same method of generating tropes is used, but people aren't expected to use all, just most of them (meaning that you can pick four tropes you like and build a story around those).

This way, the threshold for entering gets lowered, and the variety of adventures submitted should increase.

[Troacctid]

Also a suggestion for this competition: one thing that kept me from getting a real entry going was the sheer number of restrictions. Maybe in future rounds, the same method of generating tropes is used, but people aren't expected to use all, just most of them (meaning that you can pick four tropes you like and build a story around those).

This way, the threshold for entering gets lowered, and the variety of adventures submitted should increase.
I agree—there were too many secret ingredients in this round. It would be better to have only two or three, or even just one. It would also be worth considering hooks that are more specific to D&D.

[remetagross]

I am utterly astounded by the amount of work that went into Tonymitsu's entry. Congrats to you buddy, I was enthralled reading your one-shot, and the Wandering Duke is a true stroke of genius! :D I laughed out loud reading about his antics :smallbiggrin: and well done to you, Uncle Pine, to have created that very original comp!

I am not really surprised no one else entered, though: the bar was fairly high in terms of investment. I agree with the suggestions of Inevitability and Troacctid about reducing the number of restrictions, Uncle Pine. Also, maybe reducing the number of encounters from 5 to 4? I don't really know.

[Troacctid]

Five encounters is fine if 4–6 hours is the target adventure length. The trick is that "encounter" also includes roleplaying and skill encounters, not just combat. For example, I would consider interacting with an NPC quest-giver to be an encounter. So it's less than you think.

[Segev]

Interesting idea. I like the not-quite-mind-control that nevertheless made such a drastic change.


Pity I didn't see this sooner. Maybe I'll try my hand at the next one. (But no promises; I am lazy AND have a lot on my metaphorical plate.)

[Uncle Pine]

Pity there weren't more entries, but after seeing the amount of work that went into it I'm not surprised. I hope this continues.
I'll be honest: I love Tonymitsu's entry and while the only reason I haven't yet posted a full review of it yet is because I didn't want to spoiler it for Troacctid's players, after seeing only one participant I was doubting I'd ever make a second round for this competition. However, the fact that something good was done and that people will have fun playing it as well as the various constructive replies posted during the last couple days mostly changed my mind so... we'll probably have a round 2. :smallsmile:


I *was* making a submission for this before laziness struck true. Would it be ok to share the draft?
Sure! Until the next round this thread is likely going to be repurposed as a hub for feedbacks to Tonymitsu about his one-shot, suggestions about improving the competition itself, speculating about what people would've tried to do with the Secret Ingredient and recruiting for Troacctid's game on Monday, so your draft is welcome here.


Also a suggestion for this competition: one thing that kept me from getting a real entry going was the sheer number of restrictions. Maybe in future rounds, the same method of generating tropes is used, but people aren't expected to use all, just most of them (meaning that you can pick four tropes you like and build a story around those).

This way, the threshold for entering gets lowered, and the variety of adventures submitted should increase.

I agree—there were too many secret ingredients in this round. It would be better to have only two or three, or even just one. It would also be worth considering hooks that are more specific to D&D.
Fun fact: during the brainstorming phase, I planned to hand out 7 tropes as Secret Ingredient but only require 5 of them to be used because "Use of the SI" as a category has 5 points. I also planned for each contestant to be able to bend a particular piece of RAW of his choice and "wing it", for example having a corrupted nymph with warlock invocation instead of druid spells. Ultimately, both were discarded in favour of a more streamlined "you get 7 tropes, use them" and "go by RAW".

What would you think about contestants having to use only 5 out of 7 tropes? I'd definitely still be harder than only having a couple constraints, but I definitely like the idea of having 5 SI and 5 points for their usage.


I am utterly astounded by the amount of work that went into Tonymitsu's entry. Congrats to you buddy, I was enthralled reading your one-shot, and the Wandering Duke is a true stroke of genius! :D I laughed out loud reading about his antics :smallbiggrin: and well done to you, Uncle Pine, to have created that very original comp!

I am not really surprised no one else entered, though: the bar was fairly high in terms of investment. I agree with the suggestions of Inevitability and Troacctid about reducing the number of restrictions, Uncle Pine. Also, maybe reducing the number of encounters from 5 to 4? I don't really know.

Five encounters is fine if 4–6 hours is the target adventure length. The trick is that "encounter" also includes roleplaying and skill encounters, not just combat. For example, I would consider interacting with an NPC quest-giver to be an encounter. So it's less than you think.
First of all, thanks for the kind words remetagross. About reduring restrictions, see above. Regarding 5 encounters, the idea of having five of them stems from an old RPG concept called Five Room Dungeon (https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Five_Room_Dungeon) about using smaller dungeons made up of five "rooms" as the perfect unit of measure for a gaming night. As Troacctid correctly pointed out, the trick is that not all of them have to be combat-based! Ideas for possible "rooms" include:
- finding the entrance of the dungeon;
- fighting the guardian of the dungeon;
- meeting the quest giver;
- puzzle;
- diplomatic encounter;
- trap room;
- false boss room;
- boss fight;
- treasure room;
- the "room" in which you wrap everything up, aka the conclusion, which might be worthy of an encounter of its own (as not every adventure ends with a big "YOU WIN!").

5 room dungeons and one-shots have treated me well over the years so I'd rather not see this restriction go. In fact, I'd rather cut the amount of tropes involved to one or two than touching the number of encounters, I like it that much. :smallbiggrin:

[Troacctid]

I'll be honest: I love Tonymitsu's entry and while the only reason I haven't yet posted a full review of it yet is because I didn't want to spoiler it for Troacctid's players, after seeing only one participant I was doubting I'd ever make a second round for this competition. However, the fact that something good was done and that people will have fun playing it as well as the various constructive replies posted during the last couple days mostly changed my mind so... we'll probably have a round 2. :smallsmile:
Just put it in spoiler tags, no biggie.


Fun fact: during the brainstorming phase, I planned to hand out 7 tropes as Secret Ingredient but only require 5 of them to be used because "Use of the SI" as a category has 5 points. I also planned for each contestant to be able to bend a particular piece of RAW of his choice and "wing it", for example having a corrupted nymph with warlock invocation instead of druid spells. Ultimately, both were discarded in favour of a more streamlined "you get 7 tropes, use them" and "go by RAW".

What would you think about contestants having to use only 5 out of 7 tropes? I'd definitely still be harder than only having a couple constraints, but I definitely like the idea of having 5 SI and 5 points for their usage.
Still too many IMO. Especially since "Hero" is probably already being dropped by default since the DM doesn't build the PCs, and NPC party members are lame. And this round effectively already dropped one by having it be Backstory, which all adventures are gonna include by default, and it was still very restrictive.

The story generator is intended for more linear narratives like books and films. For a D&D adventure, the categories should be different anyway.

[Inevitability]

I agree with Troacctid, the competition should drop the 'hero' category. I'd recommend making no more than 4 out of the 6 remaining tropes mandatory.

[Segev]

I agree with Troacctid, the competition should drop the 'hero' category. I'd recommend making no more than 4 out of the 6 remaining tropes mandatory.

Maybe don't make any "mandatory," but base technical scoring on how many are used well.

[Goaty14]

Sure! Until the next round this thread is likely going to be repurposed as a hub for feedbacks to Tonymitsu about his one-shot, suggestions about improving the competition itself, speculating about what people would've tried to do with the Secret Ingredient and recruiting for Troacctid's game on Monday, so your draft is welcome here.

Okie then :smallredface:. I fizzled out on it pretty quickly, but you should be able to get a gist of what I was going for.

The Internal Invasion
A one-shot adventure for four level 4-6 PCs


Adventure Summary
Background
When Godifa Listorn found a forgotten cave in the woods and drank from the waters within, her mind was dominated by otherworldly beings as she became unconscious to their will. The family of Listorn have since found her and sought aid to her ailment, as they have yet to get a diagnosis, consulting prestigious clerics and experts. As of now, the family of Listorn is still frightful of their daughter’s condition.

Adventure
The adventure starts with the Listorn family attempting to persuade the PCs into assisting them. The Listorns start their interaction assuming the PCs will help them out of a good heart, but a intimidate or diplomacy check (DC 0) will makes them offer the PCs ___ GP for their trouble. A second successful diplomacy check (DC 15) will convince the Listorns to give the PCs half of it up front. Further attempts to convince them to empty their coffers is of no avail, and intimidate checks will convince the contactor to leave the room.
First, the PCs must diagnose the outsiders inside Godifa’s mind. This can be solved via dinivations that the PCs have available (the highest level spellcaster in the recommended city is a 8th level cleric, should they buy spellcasting services). Upon giving the PCs the quest, the Listorns will note that she left recently on a trip for unknown reasons. A successful Knowledge (Geography) check made at DC 17 reveals that she could have possibly left to a nearby, ill-known cave. The PCs could also ask the villagers about her trip by making a DC 13 Gather Information to reveal that she left to the north east. Finally, the PCs could attempt to find her tracks by performing a DC 20 Survival check, but DC 10 if one of them has the track feat.
After arriving at the cave (see Adventure Sites), the PCs find an encounter at the location, and the only other thing of note is a large pool at the end, swirling with a variety of colors, which is described in the site description. Inside the pool is a Summoning Ooze (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040905a&page=5) (7 HD) that encounters the PCs aggressively, though it stays in the pool. The ooze can be identified with a DC 17 Knowledge (Dungeoneering) check. The rest of the pool radiates a strong chaotic and conjuration aura. Other methods may be used to detect it’s otherworldly nature, such as inspecting the (un)natural flora, or noticing that lawful creatures feel repulsed by it while chaotic creatures are drawn to it.
After that, the PCs can determine that the pool and godifa are somehow connected, and

Conclusion
Once the PCs kill the chaotic outsiders in her mind, they are immediately transported back to the room in which they went into Godifa’s mind, wherein she is returned to normal, except she has no memory of the entire incident (starting at leaving her home).

Meta-Venture
This adventure consists of more roleplay and investigation than combat, which may put certain classes at a disadvantage over others. However, the PCs do not have to truly rely on spellcasting to find the necessary points to continue their adventure. However, at least some spellcasting ability helps the PCs to get along, without using extreme measures. The PCs are not constricted by any sort of time limit, so theoretically, a party of commoners could take 20 on each check made (save those in combat) to continue the story or find a willing expert to do it for them.

Character Hooks
Getting the PCs to the adventure might not be a problem if the PCs already know the Listorn family (which may be changed to fit your campaign). Here are some possible scenarios where the PCs could become involved with the Listorn family.

The PCs find a “wanted” sign in their local tavern for somebody to cure their daughter. Likewise, one of the family servants might be recruiting potential medical men.
The PCs complete some great accomplishment that makes them known in the area, and a servant fetches them for the job.
One of the PCs is related to the Listorn family and receives a call for help.
The PCs are in need of political or financial power and turn to the Listorns for help. The Listorn family refuses to deal with them until their daughter is cured.
Godifa holds some sort of importance to the campaign -- she may be the only one within reach that has the answers that they want.



Adventure Sites

(WIP)

NPC Statistics

(Also WIP)

Justifications
Setting: Another Dimension
--Adventure takes place inside somebody else’s mind, as an abnormal plane.
Plot: The Evils of Free Will
--The “natives” within Godifa’s mind are not bound by laws through any means, thus appearing to be evil.
Narrative Device: Unseen Audience
--The Listorn family are scrying the PCs in her mind. The PCs are unaware.
Hero: Lord Error-Prone
--There are many errors that are taken
Villain: The Corruption
--See Plot
Character as Device: Temporary Scrappy
--Godifa appears to be quite central to the plot (and the setting, by extension), but loses importance at the end (changing and all)
Characterization Device: Backstory Index (Surprisingly Normal Backstory)
--Go figure. Nothing to see here.

[Troacctid]

Looks like today is not a great day for the game after all, so we're gonna reschedule it for later.

Is anyone else interested in joining? Currently we only have three, and the adventure is designed for four.

[Doctor Awkward]

I wanted to see the results of Troacctid's session before I posted anything here, but I think I let this far fall enough down the page.

First up, thanks everyone for all the kind words. :smallsmile:
It makes the stress worth it.

Regarding the amount of restrictions for future contests...
I, obviously, don't have an issue with the current requirements for entry. As a (hobbyist) writer, I constantly find that I do most of my best work when I have to do it within restrictions and boundaries I find uncomfortable or irritating. But if Uncle Pine feels it's better for the health of the contest to lower the barriers for entry then that's what he should certainly do. After all, you don't have a contest without contestants.

So thanks again, Uncle Pine, for hosting. And thank you everyone who read and enjoyed my entry.

[Troacctid]

Would still like an additional player, if possible.

[Uncle Pine]

Sorry for the rather abrupt 2 weeks disappearance, but I'm back now!


Still too many IMO. Especially since "Hero" is probably already being dropped by default since the DM doesn't build the PCs, and NPC party members are lame. And this round effectively already dropped one by having it be Backstory, which all adventures are gonna include by default, and it was still very restrictive.

The story generator is intended for more linear narratives like books and films. For a D&D adventure, the categories should be different anyway.


I agree with Troacctid, the competition should drop the 'hero' category. I'd recommend making no more than 4 out of the 6 remaining tropes mandatory.


Maybe don't make any "mandatory," but base technical scoring on how many are used well.
@Troacctid: While you're likely right about the intended use of the story generator, I believe there can be a lot of wiggle room even for categories such as "Hero", even if you don't want to introduce NPC party members (which I agree, are lame most of the time). I tried to detail a few examples in the OP, but here are a few more hoping I can explain myself a bit better: you can have Determinator (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Determinator) as the intended way to reach the "golden ending", aka the one with the most loot or the higher chance to complete all objectives (while keeping in mind that a good adventure accounts for the fact players should be able to succeed, which doesn't necessarily mean every success is a 100% happy ending); you can use a Punch-Clock Hero (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PunchClockHero) or Anti-Antichrist (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AntiAntichrist) as interesting quest giver (regarding the latter I have very fond memories of a paladin blue slaad I once used this way, although the story generator batch I used for that one-shot is buried somewhere in one of my old computers); you can even end up with something like Good Versus Good (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoodVersusGood) in the Hero category, which can help shape the plot as much as the Plot category itself.

I also really like Segev's suggestion, which could also fix any problem people could have with some categories without necessarily eliminating them. Think about it: Iron Chef doesn't force you to take all 10 levels of a PrC, but your SI score is basically based off how many of them you put in your build. What if the tropes weren't mandatory, but the "perfect usage" of each of them would contribute 1 point to the Usage of the Secret Ingredient score (up to 5 points)? This way each contestant could pick 5 of them (because she doesn't like the other 2) and get full points while another could decide to make full use of 4 tropes, half-ass 2 other tropes, ignore the last one and still get 5 points (because 4*1+0.5*2 = 5), and so on. What do you think about this?


I'm a bit surprised at least four people didn't yet appear for Troacctid's session, but I realise finding players for an online one-shot is a bit like herding cats. Once again, best of luck with that! :smallsmile:


And finally, a question for Tonymitsu about the one-shot:
Did I miss the explanation as to why two quite Chaotic nimblewrights are acting as allies and bodyguards to a very Lawful, if possibly misguided and a bit extremist, cleric of Helm? At first I thought they were sent to Argus by Imperitus, but then I realised that rogue or not modrons are still LN.

[The Viscount]

Troacctid, if you're still looking for a player I'd like to join. I wouldn't be available for the next few days, but from Wednesday on I'd be available.

I still have to update to 12th level, but I'd be using Rashid (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=709347) from Urban Soul.

[Doctor Awkward]

I also really like Segev's suggestion, which could also fix any problem people could have with some categories without necessarily eliminating them. Think about it: Iron Chef doesn't force you to take all 10 levels of a PrC, but your SI score is basically based off how many of them you put in your build. What if the tropes weren't mandatory, but the "perfect usage" of each of them would contribute 1 point to the Usage of the Secret Ingredient score (up to 5 points)? This way each contestant could pick 5 of them (because she doesn't like the other 2) and get full points while another could decide to make full use of 4 tropes, half-ass 2 other tropes, ignore the last one and still get 5 points (because 4*1+0.5*2 = 5), and so on. What do you think about this?

That sounds like a fine idea to me, but I would also suggest not ascribing any overly rigid definitions to what counts as "usage". Instead, let judges keep their own counsel on how well a contestant made use of the ingredients in their entry.

Nothing would be more distracting in an adventure to me than having an author feel like they had to specifically call out their usage of a particular trope on the fear that it would go unnoticed and hurt their score.



And finally, a question for Tonymitsu about the one-shot:
Did I miss the explanation as to why two quite Chaotic nimblewrights are acting as allies and bodyguards to a very Lawful, if possibly misguided and a bit extremist, cleric of Helm? At first I thought they were sent to Argus by Imperitus, but then I realised that rogue or not modrons are still LN.

A lot of it boils down to, "the designer of the module wanted it to be a heavily construct-themed encounter, and he also really likes nimblewrights." A major problem with constructs is that most of them don't have an intelligence score and can't think about what their enemies are doing and will fall for the same tricks over and over again. Nimblewrights explicitly don't have this problem (like Force golems in the MMV), plus their entry says they are often used as bodyguards. I didn't really feel like their presence required any extensive explanation beyond, "he must have acquired them at some point." Being constructs they still are under the absolute control of the person who created them, who could simply have ordered them, "This person is your owner, follow their orders at all times". There's no rules forbidding their presence on Mechanus any more than any other chaotic creature. I guess you could say they might be uncomfortable, but seeing as they are essentially robots, I'm not sure if they have feelings like other creatures do.

Also I just realized I goofed in their stat block: The MM2 update accessory doesn't mention it, but in the errata the alter self SLA is replaced with disguise self, which definitely makes a lot more sense.

EDIT: also, there was a CustServ ruling about them a while back which stated that they had to actually take damage from a fire or cold effect in order to trigger their weakness. So a sadistic GM (or player) could use various magical effects or something like the rituals from Savage Species to give them the fire and cold subtypes to really kick up their combat prowess.