Raw characters with no class levels wash up on the lost island of the pirate Sea King. They advance to first level and beyond. Presented simply and clearly enough for young folks, these adventures are also challenging and entertaining enough for experienced gamers.
The first three levels of the mega-dungeon under the city of Waterdeep presents its content with different levels of detail: Some rooms have complete descriptions, while others have terse notes. It will make you a better DM regardless of your skill level.
Vecna Lives! Characters investigate a series of murders an disappearances in a village plagued by walking dead. The result maintains player agency while still telling a real story. In an event-driven adventure, characters work to end a trade in beetles with a bite that neutralizes psionic power.
The quest pits the party against the most powerful merchant house in Tyr. Return to the Tomb of Horrors by Bruce Cordell. Even the inhabitants of this fell city have no idea of the true evil that waits beneath them. Return is a whole mini-campaign, not some rehash of previous work … It offers more by far than the old Tomb of Horrors, and it is more deadly too.
To stop a resurgent mind flayer empire, character visit a world of ancient ruins in search of an artifact of Illithid manufacture. Die Vecna Die! As a basic, flavoursome dungeon crawl I think Forge of Fury is particularly well executed. But they discover that the mirrored stairs are solid cloudstuff, allowing access to the second floor. If the characters have trouble figuring out this puzzle, you can allow Wisdom Perception checks to notice that the heavy mirror has been moved across the floor multiple times, and Intelligence Investigation checks to determine that this movement consistently placed the mirror where it faced the painting.
A huge desk dominates the chamber, spread with a number of everyday documents supply registers and the like bearing Balakar's name and signature. Her handwriting can be compared to the parchment found in area C7, establishing a match. A hidden compartment can be found in one of the desk's drawers with a successful DC 15 Wisdom Perception check made to search the desk. Inside are three glass vials, each of which is empty but holds traces of clear liquid.
A successful DC 12 Wisdom Medicine check confirms that this poison matches that which was used on the cloud giant guards in areas C2, H4, and P4. A character proficient with a poisoner's kit has advantage on this check.
A successful DC 12 Wisdom Perception check to search the room locates a concealed peephole high up on the wall adjacent to one of the barracks towers of area H8. The majordomo uses this peephole to keep a close eye on Olthanas's grandfather see area H7 , whose quarters are in the adjacent tower. The door to this room is warm to the touch, and features faint gaps around the doorframe through which wisps of steam flow. Hot baths filled with swirling water cover the floor of this steam-filled room.
Through the steam, you can just make out stairs leading to a balcony. You also see an aged cloud giant sitting in one of the pools, the water up to his chest.
He cocks his ear in your direction as he calls out in a shaky voice, "Who goes there? The characters can easily move back out of the room to avoid Olthanas's grandfather, Galadral, who has lost his keen sense of smell and is nearly blind. They might also attempt to fool the ancient giant by pretending to be someone else, making one or two Charisma Deception checks contested by Galadral's Wisdom Insight check. If the characters converse with Galadral, he can confirm that Balakar is a pious follower of Memnor and that she has always hated the smaller races of FaerCm.
He knows also that Olthanas has long hated war and admired the heroes of the small folk "Far too much so, if you ask me". He makes all attack rolls with disadvantage. Additionally, if Galadral takes more than hit points of damage, he passes out. The four barracks towers that open up off a central common room are all two stories tall and currently empty.
With the exception of Olthanas's grandfather see area H7. You can have fun with this scene by letting Galadral's actions and reactions inspire the players to roleplay. Do you have a cold? During the conversation, the old giant might prattle on about something that connects to a character's flaw, or might speak out against a character's ideal. Doing so gives the players a chance to react "in character" and can make for a memorable encounter.
All the doors are unlocked, revealing giant-sized furnishings beyond if they are opened. The tower adjacent to area H6 has a peephole concealed in its second level quarters, which are home to Olthanas's grandfather see area H7.
The peephole requires a successful DC 20 Wisdom Perception check to spot from this side. The furnishings here are sized not for giants but for their goblin servants. The area to the north serves as the goblins' sleeping quarters, and the doors into the dining hall area HlO are unlocked. This sprawling kitchen is filled with goblins, all of them lounging in chairs, munching on food, or napping on tables. Only a few are at work, wearing white hats and aprons as they pour ingredients into two large pots bubbling over an open fire.
The fi rst goblin to spot you screams out a warning, in re action to which the entire kitchen breaks into sudden chaos. The lounging goblins don aprons as they race back to work, running into each other and dropping pans and utensils in their panic.
The goblin that spotted you addresses your group in a sniveling voice. We didn't know there were visitors. A character can pass the party off as legitimate guests of the giants with a successful DC 15 Charisma Deception check. Such checks are made with advantage due to the trusting nature of the goblin servants.
The characters can also attempt DC 15 Charisma Intimidation or Charisma Persuasion checks to convince the goblins not to alert the giants to their intrusion.
A bribe of 15 gp or more gives advantage on such checks. The goblins have little information to share about the cloud giants, but they can relate that the garden has dangerous plants and that the dining hall has a dangerous pet. If the characters succeed at the ruse of being taken for guests of the giants, you might wish to assign fun personalities to one or two of the goblins, then have those goblins accompany the adventurers into the next few areas they explore as humorous tour guides. If the goblins end up fleeing from the party, have them periodically appear in later encounters, perhaps hiding poorly under furniture or suddenly running wildly across a room.
If the adventurers attack the goblins or fail in their attempts to win them over, the goblins ftee or hide themselves in the kitchen's many cupboards, correctly assuming that any heroes invading a cloud castle are more than a match for them. As noted in area H3, opening the double doors into this room is a potential challenge. Gaining access to this area by way of the kitchen is much easier. An enormous table, carved from a single block of pinewood over a hundred feet long, dominates this elegant dining room.
Portraits of cloud giants line the walls between heavy drapes that cover all but thin portions of the windows, creating narrow beams of bright light. A fire burns brightly in a fireplace set between two doors at one end of the hall. Weapons and shields of human size are displayed above the room's great mantle. Two battle-scarred hell hounds sleep by the fire, close to the kitchen doors. Count Stratovan once bested a fire giant in battle, took that giant's pets as his own, and proudly installed them in this hall.
Characters entering this area can spot the fiends lounging by the fire with a successful DC 12 Wisdom Perception check. Characters who enter through the kitchen have advantage on this check. The hell hounds wake and attack if any character makes a loud noise, draws near, or attacks. With two exceptions see below , the weapons and shields above the mantle are all mundane gear bearing the marks of combat.
Each piece is labeled with the name of some historical battle where giants were victorious against the small folk. One of the melee weapons on display is of a type used by one of the party members. Crafted of black metal, stone, or wood depending on the weapon type , it functions as a sword of wounding even if it is not a sword. One of the shields is a sentinel shield with the sentinel minor property. It bears the symbol of a large eye and glows faintly when any giant is within feet of it.
Characters will likely reach this cloud island from the walkways leading from areas C4 or H4, which connect at a small cloud island before leading to this island through area Pl. The characters have been instructed to approach this island only after they have discerned whether Olthanas is speaking truthfully about his intent to seek peace. However, the decision of when to approach is ultimately up to the players. As with the other islands, only one guard now dead is stationed in the Towers of Judgment.
After Count Stratovan called the other giants of the cloud castle away to do battle, Majordomo Balakar eliminated the remaining guards to allow the characters to reach the audience chamber. She plans to blame the adventurers for these deaths, just as she will blame them for Olthanas's death when it comes. As the characters approach the Towers of Judgment, read or paraphrase the following.
Four magnificent towers rise out of the cloud island before you, gleaming in the bright sun. A fifth tower at the center of the island is th ree times as broad and soars even higher above you. Arched walkways extend between the exterior towers, encircling and connecting to the central tower by way of four smaller towers, all of them covered against the elements. A single walkway connects one of the island's outer towers to the two adjacent islands.
The wooden door of this connecting tower is bound in brass and carved to depict angels in flight. He especially congratulates players who successfully addressed any of the bulleted criteria from player handout 1. The characters also gain a rank if they have established that the majordomo is evil and that their invitation is part of a trap by matching her handwriting to the note in the map room or finding the poison in her quarters , as well as discerning that Olthanas truly wishes for peace through his grandfather's words in the spa, the gargoyle in the temple, or later on in area PS in this section.
If the characters rushed through the exploration of the Island of Contemplation and the Towers of Hospitality in order to come here, Instructor Tulahk encourages them to not be so hasty, speculating that the other areas of the castle are sure to hold useful information. This cloud island is composed of an enormous central tower the audience chamber, where Olthanas and Balakar await ringed by four other towers.
All the towers are. This chamber is fashioned from gray cloudstuff, with a huge white tomb at its center. That tomb seems to pull all of the available light into its surface, which is carved to depict a female cloud giant.
Two side doors exit onto walkways. This tomb is the resting place of Olthanas's mother. He is very fond of her, and it was she who taught him compassion for the smaller folk of Faerun.
The tomb is far too heavy to move, but it can be opened with a successful DC 20 Strength check. Within are bones wrapped in fine clothing, but all of it quickly disintegrates and is blown away by the wind.
Olthanas immediately becomes aware of the tomb being opened see area P6. Drason Tactics. If the dragon is present, it lurks high above the floor, clinging to buttresses beneath the ceiling. If at least one character has a passive Perception of 15 or higher, the dragon does not gain surprise. Once combat starts, the dragon uses its breath weapon, then descends to do battle. It tries to fly away provoking opportunity attacks if it is reduced to below half its hit points.
If it does so, it retains any damage it suffered when it appears again in area P6. If the dragon is absent when the characters come here, a successful DC 12 Intelligence Nature check reveals that the floors, walls, and scattered bones have been subjected to extreme cold. A successful DC 15 Intelligence. Every square inch of that floor is covered in treasure-chests spilling over with gleaming gold coins, shields, axes and hammers, scimitars and other blades, backpacks stuffed with potions, and more.
Sometimes an element of unpredictability can be fun. However, you are free to choose whether the dragon is present in this area rather than rolling. If the characters defeat or wound the dragon now, the fight in area P6 will be easier. If the dragon is encountered only in area P6, that final fight can become deadly if the characters are low on resources. Especially if your party is composed of new players, having them encounter the dragon now can be a good idea.
You can also leave it up to the players to decide. If they discern the type of creature living here or decide to keep an eye out for it, roll a die each time they leave any area of the Towers of Judgment. On an even result, they see the dragon descend from the sky to enter area P2. It then stays there until the characters attack or until it is summoned by the majordomo in area P6.
Though the other three small, covered towers that connect the walkways around the central tower are empty, this one is sometimes occupied. As the characters approach, roll a die. On an even result, the young white dragon that lairs here is present.
On an odd result, the dragon is away hunting. The stout, locked metallic doors leading into this tower can be opened only with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check made using thieves' tools.
Using brute force to bash through the doors would take hours, and Instructor Tulahk can warn the characters that doing so is likely to alert anyone in the central tower or the observatory. Though it appears to be a rich treasure trove, this area actually hides a number of deadly threats.
False Treasure. All of the wealth at the bottom of the tower is either fake painted wooden discs instead of coins, worthless art, and so forth or a magical illusion that is easily noted by anyone interacting with it. If the characters interact with the illusion by touching it or dispelling it, they can see that a couple of the chests and weapons appear to be real. However, these are actually two mimics and two flying swords.
They attack at once if anyone ventures down to the floor. Hidden Guard. An invisible imp also lurks in this area, hovering over whichever walkway is opposite the balcony where the characters are. When the time is right, or if the characters ignore the treasure, the imp accesses a control panel set into the wall.
Any character sees the wall pop open just to the side of the door opposite theirs. A button is depressed, causing both doors in this area to close and lock before the room's trap activates. Deadly Trap. When the trap is triggered, the walkway across the room splits at the halfway point along a hidden seam.
The balconies and each half of the walkway then begin to magically retract into the walls, a process that takes 3 rounds. If the flying swords have not already attacked, they soar upward when the trap is triggered, engaging the characters as they scramble along the retracting walkway. If the trap hasn't been disabled by the end of the third round, the last of the walkway vanishes. Characters without access to flying magic fall 40 feet taking 4d6 damage and are attacked by the mimics.
While the trap is active, the doors cannot be opened by any means. For characters who drop down to the floor intentionally or otherwise , climbing back up without the aid of a rope requires a successful DC 18 Strength Athletics check. The characters have several options for disabling the trap and safely fleeing this area: The panel on the opposite side of the tower remains visible, and can be targeted by ranged weapon attacks. A character who succeeds on an attack against AC 22 sue-.
A character can attempt a Strength Athletics check to jump across to the other half of the walkway and reach the button. The DC for this check is lS in the first round that the walkway retracts, increasing by S each round thereafter.
Savvy players might suspect that a second panel must be concealed on their balcony for the trap to be fully effective. With an action, any character can open it and push the button to stop the walkways. Olthanas's belongings include many books detailing the fanciful heroic deeds of FaerOn's small folk, including lords from cities along the Sword Coast.
A diary can be found under the pillow if any character thinks to search the bed, or will be noticed by a successful DC lS Wisdom Perception check during a thorough search of the room. In several entries, Olthanas talks of worrying about his father's worship of Memnor and his desire to attack the Sword Coast.
He writes of wondering what can be done to create peace, and of his resolution to ask his majordomo for help. Pushing either panel's button a second time opens the doors and causes the walkways and balconies to extend to their starting positions. The imp curses loudly if the characters don't all fall into the pit, but it remains invisible. Unless it is somehow detected and attacked, it escapes as quickly as possible.
Jewelry, fine cloth, and other valuables worth 1, gp can be found here. However, if Olthanas is alive at the end of the adventure, he demands that any of these personal items claimed by the characters be returned.
Each of the walkways leading from the small connecting towers to the audience chamber ends at an exterior balcony. From the balconies, unlocked doors lead onto an elevated viewing balcony inside the tower. Open arched doorways lead into this tower. A massive telescope fills the inside of this domed tower, resti ng upon a mechanical stand covered in clockwork gears. Huge rectangular wi ndows currently stand open, allowing the telescope to look outward.
The lifeless body of a cloud giant guard is sprawled beneath the telescope, but the body cannot be seen until a character approaches the device. If the check result is 18 or higher, the character making it confirms that this death occurred after the party's arrival at the cloud castle.
The telescope has complex controls, but a successful DC 20 Intelligence Arcana check allows the characters to get it partially working. Allow the characters to look into three rooms of their choice in any part of the cloud castle except the audience chamber, providing them with rough visual details of those areas.
The telescope then stops working and cannot be restarted. Both doors to this tower are locked, but each can be opened with a successful DC lS Dexterity check made using thieves' tools. The doors can also be broken down with a successful DC lS Strength check, but Instructor Tulahk warns the characters that the sound will be heard by anyone in the audience chamber or the observatory.
The two stories of this regal chamber are decorated with delicate and beautiful furn ishings, including gem-studded chandeliers and wind chimes, jeweled mirrors, and a bed frame created from wispy clouds.
This must be Olthanas's private res idence. You stand upon a viewing balcony some fifty feet above the audience room below.
Two cloud giants are there, looki ng up at your arriva l. The younger gia nt, seated upon a throne, must be Olthanas. Dressed in serene blues and wearing a silver choker, he has a calm disposition that belies his massive size. The older giant standi ng beside the th rone must be Balakar, the majordomo who summoned you here. Tall and dressed in dark colors, she narrows her eyes as she looks you over. Several of the adventurers' previous choices while exploring the cloud castle can potentially affect the tone of the conversation between the characters and the giants.
As the castle's master, Olthanas has a magical connection to it that makes him aware of these actions, and he reacts negatively to any of the following events: The characters opened his mother's sarcophagus area Pl.
The characters stole any of his possessions area PS. The characters loudly broke into Olthanas's quarters area PS or the vault area P3. The characters killed his grandfather area H7. Though the young giant's instinct was to respond at once to any such affronts committed by the adventurers, Balakar convinced him to wait for the party to come to him, wanting to give the characters more time to engage in activities that would anger Olthanas.
Based on the characters' actions, Olthanas's attitude might range from being pleased to see them, to reserved, worried, or deeply distrustful. Use the following suggestions to guide how he might greet the adventurers: "You did come! I knew you would! Let me see your little weapons.
Oh, I am sorry, I did not mean to offend! But given your actions in my home, are you truly heroes? Do your actions here represent the true nature of the small folk? Only the wise counsel of my majordomo has quelled my rage. Explain your actions at once! Depending on Olthanas's disposition, she either builds mistrust or reinforces it.
Use the following suggestions to guide how she might respond to the adventurers: "If you don't mind my asking, how did you get past our guards? We employ some fine and brave cloud giants. No cloud giant would use poison. A coward's weapon, and simply not our style. How do we know it won't result in his ruin?
That you won't turn against him and leave him to face the wrath of the count? If the characters share proofofthe mtfiordom o's culpability, Olthanas initially cannot believe their claims, then orders Balakar to surrender.
The majordomo activates Olthanas's choker see below , blows a whistle to call the dragon, and attacks. The majordomo watches for 1 round, then activates the choker, calls the dragon, and attacks the characters.
Choker Trap. The silver choker Olthanas wears is a gift from Balakar- and a deadly magical trap. When the majordomo activates it remotely no action required , the choker begins to constrict around Olthanas's throat, driving him to his knees. He becomes incapacitated and will die in 5 rounds unless the choker is removed in one of the following ways: The choker's magic fails if the majordomo is defeated either killed, incapacitated, or forced to surrender. Characters can attack the choker AC 16, resistance to all damage, 60 hit points with weapon attacks in an attempt to destroy it.
However, any attack that misses the choker has a 50 percent chance of dealing its damage to Olthanas. With any combination of two successful DC 18 Intelligence Arcana checks or DC 18 Dexterity checks made using thieves' tools, one or more characters next to Olthanas can unclasp the choker and remove it. A successful dispel magic spell cast against the choker causes it to open. The choker's magic is treated as a 6th-level spell DC The Mlfjordomo. Balakar wades into battle, overconfident of her capabilities and not particularly concerned about tactics.
She can easily be goaded into attacking certain characters or maneuvered into a position that is advantageous for her enemies. White Dragon. The white dragon from area P2 appears on the third round. If it was previously hurt, but not killed, it appears on the fourth round of combat. The dragon was enslaved as a wyrmling and trained by the cruel major-. It initially follows the majordomo's orders. When the dragon appears, Olthanas tries to call to it and ask it to help him, even as the majordomo commands it to attack.
The dragon's uncertainty is clear, and the characters are free to exploit it. Successful Charisma Persuasion checks can turn the dragon to the party's side.
This is a place where player ingenuity and roleplaying can shine. If the characters don't convince the dragon to stop following Balakar's orders, it can still be driven off. If it takes damage equal to half or more of the hit points it had when it entered this fight, it flees the battle. He instructs everyone to create a personal and highly marketable slogan. But even though a cloud giant and a young white dragon have a good chance of defeating five 6th-level adventurers, this encounter is not intended simply as an exercise in combat.
The point of the encounter is to act as a crucible of pres sure, forcing the characters to find the keys to victory. These include making their initial arguments, roleplaying humility if they have inadvertently angered Olthanas, breaking the choker, and turning the dragon against the majordomo. Unlucky dice can always turn against characters, however, allowing them to be overwhelmed. Over the course of the war, he meets with other giants, convincing good cloud giants to leave the battle.
This has a vital impact on the war, and the heroes are celebrated for their actions. If Balakar is searched, the characters discover a small tome bound in golden feathers in her pocket. The book tells the tale of a powerful demon named Miska the Wolf Spider, who helps the forces of chaos take over world after world.
Miska is finally defeated by elemental lords known as the Wind Dukes, who use a powerful rod to imprison or destroy the demon. This shatters the rod, with each of its seven parts scattering across the planes of existence. The fragments of this legendary Rod ofSeven Parts are said to be powerful artifacts in their own right, which can be combined to channel even greater power.
This tome is offered to the characters by Olthanas, and is worth gp. If Olthanas survives and after the characters return any wealth liberated from his quarters , he offers the party 1, gp in art objects and jewelry as thanks for their efforts to aid him and his cause.
Much of this wealth. Additionally, the characters can keep any other treasure or magic items claimed in the adventure, many of which were Count Stratovan's trophies. In the aftermath of the adventure, the owners of Acquisitions Inc.
If they have attained the rank of Grand Intern, the characters each receive a set of plain gray robes that go with that rank worth 1 sp. They also receive a coupon good for 50 percent off purchasing the deluxe version of those robes, for a final cost of only gp and with the robes valued at gp.
If the heroes attained the exalted rank of Sub-Employee, the owners of Acquisitions Inc. It's a little awkward, but still special. Give your name and DCI number if applicable so players can record who ran the session. Year: View Corrections Link Image. No items found. No images found. No videos found. No threads found.
No posts found. Title Hot Recent. Sort: Pg. Relationship: Periodical Articles Podcast Episodes. No lists found. RPG Item Rank:. Personal Comments:. Your Tags:. Add tags Tags separate by space :. Web Links. I've never heard of this. My sons and I went.
It was lots of fun. You can see other Acquisitions Inc. Thursday, September 15, Cloud Giant's Bargain.
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