Welcome back, Mythmere! Yeah, this is an ongoing tradition! Going strong and pretty much continuously since you started it way back when. Sadly all of those original competitions got lost in one of the make server upgrades.
Welcome back, Mythmere! Yeah, this is an ongoing tradition! Going strong and pretty much continuously since you started it way back when. Sadly all of those original competitions got lost in one of the make server upgrades.
That's a drag -- my copies also got lost in the computer crashes of years gone by. One of the crashes was a power surge that got through two surge protectors to fry the external drive that was supposed to be the backup.
It's good to be back - I play OD&D now, which is why I haven't visited here for a long time, but I'm keeping an eye on the 5th edition developments to see if it lives up to the advertising that it can be played "old school."
I hope it does. If I make the switch to Next then I'd convert the comps to it too. Would be great to have all the MDMC regulars join forces with the XDMC stalwarts in the next iteration of the competition (Champion DM Competition? Immortal DM Competition?)!
Champion works because it follows the basic... expert... master... champion framework of old BEMCI D&D.
But I like "Immortal" because he can replace the heroic/paragon/epic titles with Demigod/Lesser Deity/Greater Deity and who wouldn't want to be a Greater God of DMing?
I was planning on working on this over the weekend.
Wash: "Yeah well, if she doesn't give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn through, this landing is gonna get pretty interesting."
Mal: "Define interesting."
Wash: "Oh god oh god we're all gonna die?"
Mal: "This is the captain. We have a...little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode."
It is dusk and the party has been traipsing cross country in an effort to reach a dry place to camp for the night. They have been walking through a light rain storm which has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. The rain is now coming down hard and making it difficult to see and there are flashes of lightning in the sky which are getting very close and seem to be hitting the ground every time and is getting closer. Through the flashes of lightning the party makes out what appears to be the ruins of a tower just ahead. If they hurry they can get out of this nasty storm.
Tactics The party starts in the upper right hand corner where the green 1 - 5 icons are.
The scorpions were out playing in the storm when they spotted the party. They have each frozen and due to the heavy rain and distance from the party they appear to be small shrubs or piles of stones. They will remain motionless, holding their actions, until a party member gets within 3 squares of them. Then once one attacks, they will all move to attack. Any party member coming within 4 squares with a passive perception of 20 or higher or who makes a DC 20 perception check will notice that the scorpions are in fact scorpions.
Features of the Area The Storm: This is a level three blaster hazard (150 XP). Every round on initiative 0, roll a d4 for each creature out in the storm. On a 4 a lightning bolt flashes down at that creature. Attack: +6 vs. Reflex, Hit: 1d10+3 lightning and target is knocked prone. Only the squares inside the tower are immune from these attacks. The storm is a completely random happening caused by some other spellcasters magical experiments. It was not actually aimed at the group. It is just a case of the wrong place at the wrong time. An arcane check DC 20, as a free action before round 1 actions, will warn the group of this being a magical storm and give them 1 round of actions with no lightning strikes. In this case start the strikes at the end of round 2 instead of 1.
All terrain except for the road and the inside of the tower are considered difficult terrain.
The entire map has concealment due to the heavy rain. It is almost like a heavy fog.
The small river is very cold. Anyone who falls in loses 1 healing surge due to the shock. If they have no healing surge then they take 8 cold damage. The river can be crossed by either an acrobatics check DC 15 to cross the log or by an athletics check to jump the river as per the rules in the players handbook, but with a -2 penalty to the check due to the high winds and heavy rain. And of course a person could choose to just walk across. It is three feet deep due to the storm and of course is considered difficult terrain.
Optional Elements Used Weather Off Road Snaring
Wash: "Yeah well, if she doesn't give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn through, this landing is gonna get pretty interesting."
Mal: "Define interesting."
Wash: "Oh god oh god we're all gonna die?"
Mal: "This is the captain. We have a...little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode."
Extraplanar: the PCs are whisked away by the unstable nature of the crossing
Home Invasion: the PCs unknowingly invade the Eladrin's closely guarded home plane and further more the actuall home of all the enemies involved.
Snaring: the tall grasses are actually a dangerous hazard
Encounter Background
The party is most likely to come upon the ruined tower during a period of overland travel. Further more, it is likely that they are at the point in their travel where they are furthest from any significant location of civilization. They could stumble on the location while lost in the desert or they could be trying to take a shortcut to save some time.
Nights are cold in the deserts of Athas and any shelter is welcome. An hour or so before dusk the weary travellers stumble upon the decaying ruins of an ancient circular stone building. A silt filled channel runs south from some nearby rocky hills then takes a westerly bend around the tower. Another silt-filled depression lurks just to the north of the tower.
If the party examines the silt they find that it is 4 feet deep at the most and that both the channel and depression are lined with stone at the bottom.
The graves on the map are just hard raised lumps with rocks marking the head. There is no inscriptions or decoration and the PCs may not even realize they are graves.
The stairwell in the tower is completely filled with silt. Anyone examining it with a pole or other similar object can tell that a stone staircase is buried under the silt with a DC 12 Perception check. If they prod the stairwell for any significant amount of time they can tell that it leads to a silt filled room that takes up at least some space under the tower. Examination of the floor around the tower reveals odd small holes in the stone near to the hole. The holes are stained dark reddish brown, which most characters would likely know as a rust stain. A DC 15 Insight check reveals that the holes seem to be consistent with the pattern that might be used to fix hinges in place for a door.
There are no threats and the tower ruins make for good shelter and a defensible campsite. The party can get an excellent night’s sleep and will be undisturbed during the night. Any watch posted will note that just before first light a stiff wind picks up blowing to the east. A nature check of DC 15 or Insight of DC 19 makes the character performing the check aware that this is a very odd direction for the wind to blow in this area.
Any characters that are within 100 feet of the tower when the first light of the sun can be seen are immediately shifted to the Feywild. All characters with training in arcana are aware that they have shifted to somewhere else but they cannot figure out where or when they have gone to.
If the party has an Eladrin with them, that character will know that they have crossed to the Feywild through a natural, unstable crossing.
Encounter Setup:
The initial moments of the encounter will depend greatly on where the characters are when they are shifted to the Feywild however one constant will always be there. The land that the sun finally lights up is as different from the burnt Athas the PCs know as cold night is from blazing day. All around them the world is lush and green. Water flows in the stone lined canal that was filled with silt before and the small depression is now a pond with a bank of cattails growing in it. There are even palm like trees shading the grounds. The tower is intact. It has one story above ground and a basement. Several windows pierce the wall allowing the Warriors to see the party immediately. A palm frond roof caps it. All the squares marked as Sword Grass should be described as tall, stiff grasses with broad leaves for a grass. It would be paradise except for the inhabitants, the razor sharp grasses, and the large pile of dessicated corpses.
Enemies:
The Eladrin are stationed here permenantly to guard this particular crossing between the natural world and what is left of their plane. The Adept and the warriors, like most other of their kind, are teetering on the verge of maddness while the Windwalkers have fully crossed the threshold into insanity.
1 Eladrin Mirage Adept – Level 7 – 300 xp – (Dark Sun Creature Catalog, pg 43) 2 Eladrin Veiled Warriors – Level 5 – 200 xp each – (Dark Sun Creature Catalog, pg 42) 1 Eladrin Windwalker – Level 8 – 350 xp – (Dark Sun Creature Catalog, pg 43) 4 Eladrin Windwalker Mirages – Level 8 – 88 xp each (see modified creature below, DSCC pg 43) Modified MirageShow
Encounter Features:
Lighting: Low or Bright light depending on the DM's needs
Sword Grass: Level 6 Hazard - 250 xp - Hazardous squares outlined in red. Sword GrassShow
Water channel, pond: 4 feet deep, difficult terrain
Corpse pile: difficult terrain, provides cover. The corpses are mostly dry and brittle. If stepped on the bones crunch and snap but nothing happens mechanically. They are simply the remains of thos travellers and adventurers that have had the same misfortunte as the PCs to spend the night in the ruins.
Trees: provides cover, trunk square is blocking terrain
Rocks: difficult terrain, provides cover
Rotten Wagon: difficult terrain, no cover
Doors: unlocked, open outward
Stairs: coverd by a door, opens upward, locked (Theivery DC 15)
Combat:
One of two situations is likely to occur. In any situation all the monsters fight to the death.
NOTE: If the party has an Eladrin with them, that PC will be preferentially attacked first by the Adept and the Windwalker because it will be seen as a traitor to is people that has brought invaders.
1) The PCs arrived in the Feywild outside of the tower.
If this is the case then the Veiled warriors inside the tower immediately move outside and attack. Most likely they will use their Veiling Dart attack to incapacitate the most melee capable PCs. Their second option would be to go for any arcane powered PCs. On their next turn they charge any blinded PCs. They generally attempt to keep a target one square away with the reach of their longspears unless they can provide flanking to one of the Mirages.
The Mirage Adept attempts to take cover behind the trees. It uses Deluding Whispers to slide the PCs into compromised situations. It also tries to clump up as many targets as possible for its Phantom Foes attack. It uses this spell at the earliest opportunity in which it can catch 3 or more targets.
The Windwalker begins combat hidden behind trees, Perception DC 24 to spot. If the Windwalker can attack an adjacent PC without moving it will, otherwise it uses its blowgun then Fey Steps to more cover to gain invisibility. If the battle is taking many rounds the Windwalker will alternate between rounds of attacking and rounds becoming invisible. Otherwise it will try its best to hide in order to gain its damage bonus.
The Mirages begin combat hidden among the corpses, Perception DC 24 to spot. They immediatly attempt to swarm the closest PC, always manuvering for combat advantage with any ally. They are unconcerened with opportunity attacks do to their damage resistance.
2) Some or All of the PCs arrived in the Feywild inside the tower.
The Veiled Warriors move to block/open the door. If they have the opportunity to use their Veiling Dart attack they will. Otherwise they move into melee, trying to use their polearm's reach. They shout loudly for their allies outside. Once their allies arrive the Warriors move just outside the door to try and contain the PC's while still giving space for their allies to fire in.
The Mirage adept heads for the tower as soon as it hears the shouts of its allies. Once it opens the door it uses Phantom Foes. It then stays as far away as it can while still being able to target PCs not in cover. If any PCs get out of the tower it tries to slide them back in or near.
The Windwalker is content to find a nice hiding spot and fire its blowgun for large damage.
The Mirages quickly phase through the tower's walls and attack the PCs from the rear. As in the other scenario they continually maneuver for combat advantage.
Aftermath:
The Eladrin all fight to the death, even going as far as to fall on their blade rather then be captured by non-fey. Because they are insane or almost there interrogation will gain the PCs no useful information. The DM should feel free to makeup random explatives or give missinformation of how to get back to the Natural World.
The crossing does not work the same in reverse though the PCs may try and spend the night here to return to their plane. This location can however be used in conjunction with an appropriate planar travel ritual such as "Fey Passage" (Manual of the Planes, pg 150).
The basement door can be easily overcome by simply bashing in the lock or the door itself. The basement holds a massive amount of food and water stores. There is also a good deal of mundane gear as well. The enemies have one parcel on them, most likely a magical item of some sort.
Additional Eladrin will not arrive for several days, if not weeks. This location could become a short-term base for exploration if the PC's wish.
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Bharhas, Level 3 Human, Warlord | Sorcerer Human Power Selection Option: Bonus At-Will power Languages: Common, Elven Theme: Gladiator
CURRENT STATUS: Phase of the Sun: *At the start of your turn, each enemy adjacent to you takes fire and radiant damage equal to your Strength modifier. *You also gain resist 5 cold.
VITALS AC: 18 Fort: 18 Ref: 15 Will: 17 HP: 40/40
Surges: 6/6 Surge Value: 10
Initiative: +1 Speed: 6
CURRENT ABILITY SCORES STR 18, CON 10, DEX 11, INT 10, WIS 8, CHA 17
