CR 5/7 normal urban adventure
Ok...here's what I consider to be a "normal" adventure. It's probably suicide but is the sort of thing a team of adventurers would normally be facing. The encounters sometimes need a lot of explanation so be patient. You can be homicidal or a nice guy and still make it through the adventure, if you're tough enough.
I will concede that any build that can do this one solo is overpowered I'm pretty sure Bela will die, although it is possible level 7 Bela could do the CR5 version.
Adventure name: Full Moon (both CR5 and CR7)
The adventure starts after you've successfully completed an overland mission,
perhaps guarding a caravan or doing courier duty. It is 12 hours after dawn and
you've finished your business and are relaxing in a tavern, eating dinner and
drinking if that's the sort of thing you do. Most of your fellow adventurers have
scattered, but the BDF (Big Dumb Fighter) Elmo is sharing an ale with you.
Nothing happened today on the road, so only routine buffs are expended. Note that 12 hours includes 1 hour to wake up and memorize spells, an hour to break camp, more time after travel to sell goods, get paid off, find a tavern/inn/stables etc.
City Rules
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If you do all-day buffs by recasting hour/level buffs, note resources burned
and spells you might have running.
You are in a major walled city. Domestic animals are allowed but not in taverns,
they mostly live in stables or kennels. Wild animals size large or smaller are allowed but
must be muzzled or equivalent on streets and you're responsible for their actions. Wild
animal "stables" are reinforced with iron.. Size huge or larger animals aren't allowed in city
but there is a person who will stable them outside the walls safely. He will also store corporeal undead for you. Incorporeals aren't allowed anywhere...dismiss them if you summon them after combat.
Muzzled means bite attacks can't happen without removing (full round) but claws are free.
All animals must be on leash (or bridle and ridden or lead)
Pole arms and projectile weapons aren't permitted to be carried openly on the
streets but you're allowed to bundle them up and store them in a home or rented
room (they'd be in your room at the inn, or with your scary wartrained steed if
you feel paranoid). Weapons other than quarterstaves, clubs or "light" type
weapons are supposed to be peacebonded. (full round action to release).
Pole arms are any inflexible reach weapon. Spike chain and whips are peacebonded.
Throwing weapons are considered "light", including splash weapons.
Weapon/animal laws can be reversed if you are working for the city (they have
licenses, often temporary). You can forge a license with DC20 forgery check
that will defeat most guard's skills. You can generally bribe a guard to
"overlook" a non-peacebonded weapon with diplomacy DC25 (dc20 for a large
bribe, ie not measured in silver). You can pretend you have a license with
bluff skill (opposed roll, sense motive on guards is +1). You can fake
a peace bond with a disguise check, opposed by guard spot of +3.
Weapon/Animal Licenses are not available for sale. They're issued as needed only.
Magic like a hat of disguise can easily conceal illegal weapons and fake peacebonds.
Spellcasting is legal, but you're responsible for injuries or property damage
just as with animals or swinging an axe around (or throwing alch fire).
Self defense or defense of others is reason enough to use lethal force,
but only if the opposition is using lethal force. Most injuries or property
damage can be settled "out of court" by reimbursing the victim with enough
cash to repair/buy healing or alternately to cast spells that fix the damage
or heal the injured - a failed diplomacy check of 15 might mean an additional
"pain and suffering" fee to them. Players need to use judgement on fines.
Encounter 1
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As the sun sets, your adventuring companion looks surprised and
says "It's too early!" then mutates into a half-man/half bear form!
Patrons scream and scatter, and you reflexively stand up.
You face a Werebear in a confined area with lots of innocents.If
you stay in its face, it won't go after other people, if you back off it
will start going after others. The Werebear is in Hybrid form but
its weapon is peacebonded and the wrong size so it will just fight
with claw/claw/bite. Note that it does not have improved grab in
hybrid form. It will attempt touch attack to grapple if it goes two
The tavern is 30x40. You were at the bar next to Elmo so you two start out next to
each other. There are several small tables and chairs if you need improvised weapons.
rounds after getting nohits but will only attempt the tactic for one
round and if it doesn't workwill revert to normal attack methods.
Elmo at some point in your travels told you silver can hurt him but not much else does.
The bar contains a dozen other patrons plus the bartender and a barmaid. Three
of the other patrons start in reach of the bear, 6 if you consider 5' steps. After the first
round, on initiative zero, patrons try to flee, and bartender and barmaid retreat to cellar.
If you are not engaged with the werebear though, it will pursue. It will kill two people
on the first round and one in each following round (move and swat) if you aren't in full
attack range. After two rounds of keeping its attention, it won't have any other targets
but the PC so you can move if you want to.
The above is CR5. For CR7, add a barbarian level and a fighter
level. This gives it two feats - extra rage and power attack. It
will rage in this fight.
Statblock is same as werebear in MM, except as follows:
hit dice = 9, speed =40, AC=15 when raging, hp raging = 91
Saves when raging are +18 fort, +6 ref, +6 will
2 claws +17/17 1d6+11 bite +15 d8+5
Should you win, you can heal up and cast any other spells you want
before you leave. If you stick around for the watch, read further.
If not, skip to the next encounter
Nobody will interfere if you loot the body. He's got a +1 greataxe,
and other equipment that's melded with his body if he's still
alive (+1 chainmail, gauntlets of ogre power, cloak resist+2, cash)
The Watch
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The watch will arrive and take away the defeated bear. He changes
back into human form if killed but there are enough witnesses to
your story that you'll not be hassled.
The watch knew Elmo, he has a good reputation in the city for
controlling his affliction, and it isn't even a full moon so theyare
very disturbed by what happened.
If you looted the body they'll confiscate the equipment but arrange
to pay you 20% of value for protecting the city from the menace.
(if he's still alive, they'll let you keep the axe).
If no innocents were hurt, the watch will license you for a day to
investigate this, allowing you full access to weapons and to unmuzzle
any dangerous animals you might want to have on streets.
If innocents were hurt, the usual weapon/animal laws apply although
they won't fine you for self defense.
If you were bitten by the bear, they will escort you to a temple
and insist that you "take the cure", paid for by Elmo's funds
Any CR5+ adventurer can get away from the watch if they want.
You defeated a werebear, if you try to run or fight they'll just
scatter, blowing whistles. You're out of their weight.
Encounter 2
Hide
If you talked to the watch, this takes place as you try to recover
your mount/companion/equipment or alternately 15 minutes later
in an alleyway. If you evaded the watch, it takes place 15 minutes
after you left the prior fight, in an alleyway.
What happens in this encounter depends on prior encounters.
The other two party members you adventured with are now
in conflict with you. This is either because
1. The watch licensed them to capture you (you ran/fought watch,
you did not stick around to be questioned etc). In this case they use
their best abilities to capture you but are trying not to kill you.
2. You killed Elmo. Elmo was the kin of the bard and the lover
of the ranger. They're out for blood.
3. You subdued Elmo and allowed the guard to question you.
Theyr'e uncertain what is going on but figured you triggered the
change somehow, by being violent or getting Elmo very angry.
They'll fight to subdue, wanting to give you a good beating before
questioning you.
In situations 1 and 2 they're hostile. A rushed diplomacy dc25 that gets
them to indifferent can turn it around, as might charm or suggestion
type magic, but both have spellcraft so that is chancy.
In situation 3 they're only unfriendly but a good story will calm them down.
Bluff is risky, as both have good sense motive checks, but diplomacy
DC is only 15 and it doesn't have to be rushed.
Intimidate is opposed vs +6 (bard) and +7 (ranger) and you have to beat both
to "win". At EL7, DC is +8 and +9 because you are outnumbered four to one.
DC's are from PHB rules, with circumstance bonus at EL7.
What makes this encounter especially dangerous is that they know you.
They will pick the best tactics to defeat you they know. This means the
bard will counterspell spellcasters with silence or target weak saves on fighters,
the ranger will use splash weapons and tanglefoot bags on high AC targets.
On the flipside you know them well too. You can use any weakness you see
on their statblocks without being accused of metagaming.
If the adventurer has a mount or animal companion, they'll call you out in the
stables, before you can secure the animal. The stalls are hardness 5, 10hp
for domestic, they're hardness 10, 30hp for wild animals (cages). You also have
to get past both of them to get at your stall. The animal with a "fight" command
will try to break out on its own.
Barring a mount, they'll next wait for you in your room at the inn, blocking access
to projectile weapons and pole arms. Failing either of those, the fight takes place
in an alleyway. Assume the bard has someplace to stand not silenced in any event.
An alleyway is 5' wide. Buildings are mostly wood construction, and stables
have straw floors on the mud so fireballs are not recommended. Stables have
10' high ceiling and 10' wide corridors between stalls. Kennels are still 10' high
but only 5' wide corridors between kennels (medium or smaller animals). If
fighting near your room at the inn, the inn room is 10x20, corridors 5' wide and
there are 3 rooms on the floor, all empty and unlocked at the time (probably
rented by Julia and Antonia)
There's normally no surprise - they call you out. If you're hidden/concealed in a way that
they can't discover (remember, they've got scent, tracking and good alertness skills) then
youcan avoid this encounter by avoiding them or take a surprise round.
The bard is running Message and a +2 atk/+2 damage bardsong as the encounter begins.
The ranger is doing the talking. In CR7, bards have alter self troglodyte (from scroll) running
Bards are 10' behind ranger(s). Dog is next to or in front of ranger, default command "defend ranger".
There should not be a way to melee the bard without getting past dog and/or ranger. If in stables ranger+dog are 15' from you in 10' wide corridor, if at inn, dog is 10' from you in 5' wide corridor.
If in alleyway, it is 5' wide but dog is 25' away at start.
For CR7, use the same statblocks but double the numbers. You only adventured
with two of them, but they brought their twin brothers and sisters along for the fight.
This is a CR6 encounter in theory, but the opposition is normally holding back
and it's fairly easy to avoid or negotiate away. Also losing doesn't end the adventure
unless you killed Elmo and didn't talk to the watch. You'll get woken up
and questioned and the adventure will continue. So close enough to CR5
Julius (and Julia at CR7), level 4 human bard
str 8 dex 13 con 14 int 12 wis 10 cha 18
cloak cha+2, masterwork studded leather
scroll silencex2, glitterdustx2, alter self, cure light wound
ac14(20) hp 25 fort3 refl6 will5 grapple2 bab3
spot/listen 7, sense motive 7, tumble 10 balance 10 jump
Feats: Improved initiative, spell focus enchantment & conjuration
spell slots remaining: 221 DC 15+spell level
L0: message, daze, detect magic, read magic
L1 inspirational boost, charm person, tasha's laughter, grease
L2 silence, glitterdust
Antonia (and Antony) , level 4 human ranger
str 14 dex 16 con 14 int 10 wis 13 cha 8
amulet con+2, chain shirt+1, quarterstaff and oil of shillelagh
2 alch fire, 6 oil flasks. 2 tanglefoot bags 8 acid flasks 12 javelins, 2 saps
AC 18 hp30 fort6 refl7 will2 grapple6
spot/listen 8, sense motive 1, survival(track) 8 handle animal 11 (with bonded dog)
Favored enemy: Human. Point blank shot, rapid shot, quickdraw, two weapon fighting Animal companion: riding dog (MM) with chain shirt barding and magic fang cast on bite
attack (point blank range or shillelagh) = +8 or +6/6 or +4/4/4 (thrown only)
usually will lead with tanglefoot bag then shower with splash weapons unless AC is very low.
If prone (grease perhaps) will oil up shillelagh and go in and whack for 2d6+3/2d6+2
Don't forget inspire courage on all weapon attcks (splash and otherwise) +2/+2
As a rule, against spellcasters Julius will ready to counterspell with silence scrolls while Antonia
tries to lock them down with tanglefoot bags. If in silence, Julius will try to grease while Antoinia
peppers. Note the DC10 balance check every time you're hit while balancing to keep from falling
down.Once prone, Antonius will close for shillelagh. Juluis might silence the quarterstaff if that
seems more useful forcountering spellcasting. If Antonia is defeated, Julius will spam charm
persons (+4 to save in combat) hoping to get lucky.
Against nonspellcasters, Julius will normally spam tashas but once there is a tanglefoot hit
will follow it with grease. Tactics are otherwise similar, the shillelagh beating will come down
once the tashas "Sticks" or at least the enemy is prone. Charm person if Antonius is down.
If the fight is well in hand, Julius will take the time to use the saps for a round or two to
stickanonlethal tag on or maybe swing at -4 with the shillelagh if he thinks that might
work. They're pretty afraid of the PC though, If he's still throwing splash weapons they'll rely
on the clw scroll to "take you alive". If they don't kill you accidentally and you did not kill
Elmo OR if you did kill Elmo but are working for the city, they'll revive you and talk over the
situation calmly, eventually agreeing to get you healed up and help out in the investigation.
If the PC wins he again gets the option to stay around for the Watch. If he does, he will
again be offered the opportunity to work for the city if he didn't kill either of the NPC's. If
he did kill either, he'll again get off on "self defense" but warned that leaving bodies all over
the place won't make him popular. If he was working for the City already, it doesn't matter
much what he did unless he damaged property or bystanders. He can tell the watch any
story he wants.
If the PC evades the watch twice and killed anyone, this adventure becomes about his
escape from the cityand not about investigating the werebear.
It is assumed that by now the PC has purchased a lesser restoration either from a temple
or in potion form to allow them to continue adventuring through the night without fatigue.
Financed by the equipment from your former companions if they're dead, or by the city
if you're working for them, or suggested by them if they're now working with you.
Encounter 3
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If the PC is hunted by the watch, this encounter came from them just as he exits the city walls.
He's heard whistles all around him, but knows a way out that isn't guarded. This depends on the PC…you can climb/fly the walls, go out via sewers, bribe a guard. Use the way that makes the most sense to the character but expend resources normally.
Otherwise the questioning of witnesses to the werebear transformation has lead to somebody recognizing a disguised wild elf - follower of a Moon Goddess. A check with the nature god temples reveals a location in the forest which is their territory. Unfortunately the questioning has also revealed the PC (and any NPCs who are helping) as a threat and an agent in the city has activated the countermeasures. Summoning dangerous elementals to rampage would be an act of war with the city, so they wait till the PC's are outside city limits, and the attackers are instructed to wait until the PC exits the city, out of bowshot of the walls.
Weapons can be assumed to be available and not peacebonded, animal companions of any size available, barded and ready to fight.
If you are in flight from the guard, this is about an hour after the prior encounter. If you investigated, it is about 2 hours after the prior encounter. In either event, about 15 minutes after you exited the city.
The elemental assassins only go for their own victim. If Julius is still alive the party will have a +2/+2 bardsong for the first 5 rounds. The NPC's all get killed (lifted and dropped) and the other elementals vanish.
If the PC wins his fight, he does not have to face any other creatures unless he wants to intervene. If you survive you can take the NPC's stuff.
CR5, this is one large air elemental per PC. CR7, one huge elemental.
The timeline for intervention to save NPC's is:
CR5:
R0 Antonia spots, warns quickdraws and readies tf bag
R1 E1 rolls over A and gets TF bagged. Scoops up J, 50' away
R1 E2 rolls over A and scoops him up, pulls 100' away
R1 E3 attempts to roll over PC and move him 100' from starting point
R1 if E3 gets PC, A is 175' from PC, J is 135'.
R1 Julius blinds E1 with glitterdust
R2 E1 goes up 50'. J at 18 hitpoints. fails concentration to cast
R2 E2 goes up 200' and drops A. A dies. E2 vanishes
R3 E1 goes up to 100' and whirlwind ends. J falls and dies.
Cr7
R0 Antonia spots, warns quickdraws and readies alch fire
R1 E1 rolls over A, hit,4 dmg burning. Scoops up J, 100' away
R1 E2 rolls over A and scoops him up, pulls 100' away
R1 E3 attempts to roll over PC and move him 100' from starting point
R1 if E3 gets PC, A and J are 175' from PC
R1 Julius blinds E1 with glitterdust
R2 E1 goes up 100' and J at 16 hp. fails concentration to cast
R2 E2 goes up 200' and drops A. A dies E2 vanishes
R3 E1 goes up to 200' and whirlwind ends. J falls and dies.
Tactics: they break cover 100' from party in whirlwind mode. PC's need a DC10 spot check and either DC12 knowledge plains or DC15 knowledge nature to recognize them as something other than a weather effect. In any event you get one "surprise round" of time to prepare from whether you think they're an elemental or storm. If Antonia is still alive, she makes the spot and kn nature roll.
Please review MM rules on whirlwind. At ground level they kick up dust preventing movement AOO's. They don't provoke for movement in WW form and you must make separate reflex saves for damage and being sucked in. My interpretation of the volume limits on whirlwind is that weight does not encumber if you are carried off via whirlwind (as opposed to grapple or similar). Grapple will prevent the whirlwind from moving but not the damage each round or allow you to escape (you need flight+reflex save).
Large elementals can only lift medium creatures, Huge can only lift large. If mounted you can choose to use ride check instead of reflex save if the mount is not pulled in. If mount is pulled in and you are not, DC15 ride check to land on feet.
Tactics are to scoop up PC (and mount/companion if any) with whirlwind, fly up 160-200' or until whirlwind runs out and drop the PC. They'll spend one round grabbing people and scattering in different directions, so you'll be at ground level in round 1. Round2, you'll be 200' up, they'll drop you. If you can't fly they'll repeat till whirlwind runs out or you're dead. If it did not scoop you up in round 1, it'll hover just out of what it thinks your 5' step plus full attack range is and try to scoop you in round 2, gaining as much altitude as it can (and dropping you if that is over 160').
If you can fly they'll move away and fly out of reach, shift out of whirlwind and return to exchange full attacks or flybys depending on how dangerous you seem to be in full attacks. If it fails to scoop you up in 3 attempts on the ground, it will give up and use same tactics as if you fly. If it can, it prefers to hover above you at extreme reach, getting height advantage to attack. They also like flyby attack, but generally only with a reach advantage unless full attack is more dangerous than single+AOO.
The elementals have found the PC's via an invisible stalker tracker. While druids can't be tracked their companions normally can as can any NPC's that are still working with the PC. The Stalker won't fight, it is only there so the elementals can locate the party. It vanishes once the fight begins, its task done.
If the PC's somehow foil the Stalker's ability to track them, they "win" this encounter.
The elementals are all called, not summoned. Prot evil won't help but they're extraplanar, so can be dismissed etc.
Encounter 4
Hide
If the PC is hunted by the watch, this represents an adventure they stumble into while using the forest to
evade pursuit. Otherwise it's the PC following up the clue provided by investigation.
The PC's can attempt to rest if they want but may be nervous about future assassins. If they are
working for the city, they can rest safely in a fortified tower on the wall. If not, the City is either
hunting them actively or won't let them sleep in town or nearby, for fear of elemental attacks.
Which means the woods are the main option. If you try to rest in the woods, the High
Priest of the Moon God will detect your dreams and the monsters(s) will find you 4 hours in.
Their babble means you'll wake up for sure before they get to you, but you need to make saves
as normal. (the moon god also has dream portfolio)
If the PC has tracking abilities, they'll notice the hunting patterns seem wrong for wild elves. The
recent tracks are all a mess, like they were just running around aimlessly. A PC may even find
an elf or two, starving and babbling to himself.
Eventually the PC hears the sounds of a large number of elves, but even with very high listen checks
they really seem to make no sense. It's coming from a large thicket, 60' radius. You can buff outside
and nothing happens. The brush near the thicket is double move where it is passable at all. The
second 10' of movement, one (or two) DC13 will saves must be made to avoid confusion (see below)
Once you clear the underbrush, you can see and hear clearly. A gibbering mouther is in the center
of the glade (two at CR7) about 50' away. They won't attack beyond babbling until they can see you.
The mouthers start out half in and half out of a pool fed by a spring. The water looks unhealthy
Spellcraft DC20 will indicate that the glade was used for a ritual that went horribly wrong.
For confusion, roll on the table with the honor system and post results.
Encounter 5
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At this point the PC's can rest safely, as the enemies have no mobile threats left. But
use fair judgement about whether a PC would dare to rest after the last night attack.
Searching the area the PC's eventually find the tree where the high priest of the Moon God
used to live. She is merged half in and half out of the tree, an unusual tree where two separate
trees grew together. She's helpless, and after the efforts to summon the air elementals the last
of her sanity has gone. What remains are the creatures that tempted her to folly.
This encounter takes place 5 minutes after the Mouther encounter if you find the Mouthers in the thicket. If they attacked you at camp, it takes an hour of searching to find the tree.
Initial range for the final encounter is 40', there is underbrush etc providing
total concelament beyond those ranges. This works both ways, it is fairly easy
to retreat. The CR5 monsters don't pursue, the CR7 will pursue, most likely using teleport+hide
The underbrush provides 20% concealment beyond 20' but does not hinder movement.
The twinned trees have a huge canopy (20' radius from center) that has killed off any
competing trees. A few stunted trees are in the 20-40' radius, then forest is normal
after that.
EL5 = two corrupted dryads (use MM stats, but they're chaotic evil and lost the deep slumber SP ability to get the wisdom drain described below)
EL7 - succubus.
Both will try to make friends with the PC using charm abilities first, or suggestion.
Failing charm, they will use the "kiss me" suggestion, in the dryad case if you succumb it is as if you
failed a save versus entangle and you lose a point of wisdom each round you allow the kiss (the tree
grabs you and tries to meld you in, as what happened with the high priest
You get new saves to break out each round at +4 because you're being injured, but you will still be
grappled by succubus or entangled by dryads in the round you break the mental commands.
If the succubus gets knocked to half hitpoints she'll attempt to summon a vrock. Succeed or fail,
if reduced to less than 10 hitpoints, she will try to flee with teleport. The dryads fight to the death.
Should you win, the treasure of the tribe is there for taking, along with a journal that shows the
deterioration of the moon priest and the tribe. Extracting her from the tree is possible with an axe
and a lot of effort. She needs a Heal spell or equivalent to regain sanity, which can be done if you
get her back to town. Although she might not really want to be sane given what she did to the tribe.
