Showdown at Meteor Fall
Encounter level 9 (1825 exp)
My 10 rules for encounter design Show
Encounter rules:
1. Maximum level for monster is party level +4
2. Minimum level for monster is party level -2
3. Minions make encounter easier so I use 5 in place of regular monster
4. Add 1 to the encounter level if there are more twice as many non-minion monsters as PCs.
5. Terrain should favor the monsters.
6. Traps and hazards are only counted in the exp budget if the monsters are immune to them.
7. Party level +1 and below encounter are boring and should be avoided
8. Party level +2 to +4 are used groups of 3 to 5 to make an adventuring day.
9. Party level +5 encounters are an adventuring day all by themselves
10. Easy encounter should be simply while hard encounter should also be complex.
Setup: Earlier this evening shooting star plummeted towards the ground with rainbow trail and shortly thereafter a crash was heard a ways off into the forest. After few hours of travel your party breaks through the trees and spies a crater with a pulsing rainbow colored light emanating from its core. Overlaying the familiar forest is a translucent hedge maze with fruit of all type growing from its walls. Wicked thorns eagerly await the chance to tear the flesh of anyone foolish enough to temp the touch. The meteor’s decent has torn a hold through the wall that separates the Feawild from the Material Plane.
Woodland animals seem to be drawn towards the crater, which is having an adverse reaction on them. Several clumps of squirrels, raccoons , foxes and other animals have gathered together and behaving more like a colony of ants bent on defending their hill instead of the beast they are. With an eerie coordination of one mind controlling many they turn to face you.
Background: The meteor’s fall has torn a hole into part of Feawild dominate by an extensive hedge maze. The center of the maze contains palace that is the home to Shen’tar, Queen of cats. She has sent out a small band of gnomes to gather up the rock and repair the rip between the planes. Fizalbran, the gnomish leader and illusionist of repute, is quite lazy and had use ritual to summon and control the denizens of the forest beyond the tear. He had intended to use them to dig up and transport the meteor but willing puts them in harm’s way to defend his own skin. Instead flee right away, the gnomes will try and capture any who interfere, they would make a love gift for Shen’tar.
Monsters: Changes to monsters stat blocks are in [brackets]
Gnome Illusionist x1, Artillery, Level 6 [Has reactive stealth]
Gnome Mistwalker x2, Lurker, Level 5 [CA is 1d8] [Recharge becomes at-will, loses MBA]
Gnome Arcanist x2, Controller/Leader, Level 3 [+1 to damage roles]
Gnome Trickster x3, Skirmisher, Level 2 [+1 to damage roles][ MB is also ranged 5]
Needlefang Drake Swarm x4, Solider, Level 2 [Crazed woodland animals instead of drakes]
Tactics: The gnomes all start within 5 squares of an Arcanist and as such will have concealment. This allows all the gnomes to start hidden. Unless the party gains a surprise round they will also be veiled and attempt to pass themselves off as just more animals in the area. Do no place any of the gnomes until both their stealth and their veil has been pierced. Veiled gnome that beats the passive insight of all PCs will gain CA against its first target but attacking breaks the veil. The illusionist will try to veil himself and the Arcanists every round, if the gnome makes its bluff check and is with 3 squares of a swarm, it meet the requirements to attempt stealth check even if it does not have cover or concealment.
During the fight the Trickster will use their jump movement to get to and move around the canopy or atop the hedge rows. Since they have a high acrobatics they should have little problem with this. The trickster and 2 of the swarms will try to get around to the back ranks while the mistwalkers and the other two swarms will take on the front. The illusionist and the arcanists will try to stay at range and grant CA to the mistwalkers an often as possible. The trickster and Mistwalkers will try always have CA when the attack and to break from melee if they can.
Remember to have the all of the gnomes attune themselves when they can and use planer slide if it would be more advantages to them. The swarms will not think to attune themselves but will attempt to transfer planes to either chase down or flee from a foe. The gnomes are aware of nature of the crater but the swarms are not.
The Gnomes will try to take captives first and not afraid to use non-lethal force if the down a PC. A PC who falls to negative bloodied from a non-lethal blow is unconscious and cannot be healed but does not need to make death saves. An unconscious PC who fails 3 death saves simply cannot be healed. Only the swarms present a real threat of death.
None of the Gnomes will flee until the illusionist falls of flees, which he will do once either he is bloodied or 4 other gnomes are down. He reserves his 'There, not There' power for this purpose. Any of the other gnomes will try to flee once the illusionist is dealt with if they are bloodied. Any flight the take will be in to the hedge maze and not the real world. Any gnome will surrender if it has less the ¼ HP and illusionist is dealt with. The illusionist will surrender only if all other gnomes are down. The swarms fight to the death.
Terrain: This encounter takes place at tear between the Feawild and the Material plan. The first map is shows the Material plane while the second shows the Feawild. One plane is visible to as translucent overlay and sound gains a tinny muted quality but communication is unhindered. The meteor crater dominates both maps is responsible for the tear between the planes. The Material plane is dominated by a 300 year old forest while Feawild is part of an extensive hedge maze.
Planer rips occur as side effect to large amounts of uncontrolled arcane energy is spilled into the environment. In the case the entire map is a rip and any of the following actions may be taken any where on either map.
Planer Actions Show
Planer Attunement: As move action a character may attune himself to both planes until the end of his next turn. An attuned character can target creatures on the other plane but his attacks are weakened against cross planer targets. This action requires a Nature or Arcana check DC 12. Succeeding by 5 or more removes the weakened aspect of the attack. This action may also be attempted as minor action by suffers a -5 penalty.
Planer Transfer: As a move action a character may travel from one plane to the other. The character ends up in the same square on the other map. If that square contains blocking terrain the character takes 2d10+7 damage and slides to the nearest unoccupied square of his choice. If the target square contains a creature both creature takes 1d12+8 damage and the character slides to the nearest unoccupied square of his choice. This action requires a Nature or Arcana check DC 17. This action may also be attempted as minor action by suffers a -5 penalty.
Planer Push: As a free action a character may attempt to forcible change the plane of target that would otherwise be pushed. To do this the character gives up any forced movement on the attack and makes a nature or Arcana check DC 17. If check fails the nothing happens but if it succeeds the creature changes planes just as if it successfully taken a planer transfer action. As with any other forced movement, if this movement would land target in hostile terrain the target gets a save. This action may only be attempted against targets on the same plane as the character and if the character is attuned to the other plane.
Planer Pull: As a free action a character may attempt to forcible change the plane of target that would otherwise be pulled. To do this the character gives up any forced movement on the attack and makes a nature or Arcana check DC 17. If check fails the nothing happens but if it succeeds the creature changes planes just as if it successfully taken a planer transfer action. As with any other forced movement, if this movement would land target in hostile terrain the target gets a save. This action may only be attempted against targets on the opposite plane as the character and if the character is attuned to the other plane.
Planer Slide: As a free action a character may attempt to forcible change the plane of target that would otherwise be slid. To do this the character gives up any forced movement on the attack and makes a nature or Arcana check DC 17. If check fails the nothing happens but if it succeeds the creature changes planes just as if it successfully taken a planer transfer action. As with any other forced movement, if this movement would land target in hostile terrain the target gets a save. This action may only be attempted if the character is attuned to the other plane.
The center of the map is dominated by the crater and the meteor at its heart. Make sure the PCs know that the power of the meteor can be harnessed and just how much weaker the fabric between the two planes is.
Crash Zone Show
Crater: The crater is difficult terrain and any one ending their turn in the crater must make a saving throw or transfer planes as per the planer transfer action. All Planer action receives a +5 bonus while in the crater. A creature in the crater is subject to attacks from either plane but if the attack crosses planes it is weakened. With DC 17 nature or arcana check a ranged or area attack that crosses the crater or targets creatures within the crater may be attuned with a free action. This attunement only applies to the individual attack and not to the character. If the originator of the attack is within the crater this check receives the +5 granted any planer action. A melee or close attack targeting creatures within the crater may be attuned the same way.
Meteor: Provides cover against ranged attack if adjacent and stands 4 tall. Offers full cover is prone. May be climbed with DC 12 athletics check and a cost 3 movement or vaulted onto with a DC 17 Athletics check and cost of 1 movement.
A character touching the meteor may make an Arcana or Nature cheak as a standard action to control the energy contained within. Consult the following table for the result. When the energies of the meteor is used, it makes the following attack.
+7 vs. fort; Hit>3D6+5; Miss>half damage; Effect>target loses planer attunment and exsits fully in both the material plane (save ends)
DC >6: attack hits character
DC 7-11: close burst 3
DC 12-16: close blast 5
DC 17+: wall 10, the wall starts adjacent to the meter and my not closer to the meteor.
Each additional 5: add 10 to the lenth of the wall
Several different kinds of trees dominate material plane. The PCs should know that can travel around in the canopy and shake the trees in order to dislodge anything in them. Edit: Tree height and size reduced; Wrecan
Trees Show
Small Tree: Provides cover if you are with its square, DC 12 to climb. Possess a canopy at altitudes 2-4 in close burst 1. An athletics check may be made by a creature on the ground to shake the tree as move action. Any creature in this tree’s canopy must pass an acrobatics check or fall prone.
Medium Tree: Blocking terrain, DC 12 to climb. Possess a canopy at altitudes 2-6 in close burst 2. An athletics check with a -5 penalty may be made by a creature on the ground to shake the tree as move action. Any creature in this tree’s canopy must pass an acrobatics check or fall prone.
Large Tree: Blocking terrain, DC 17 to climb. Possess a canopy at altitudes 3-9 in close burst 3. An athletics check with a -10 penalty may be made by a creature on the ground to shake the tree as move action. Any creature in this tree’s canopy must pass an acrobatics check or fall prone.
Canopy: Difficult terrain, provides concealment. A creature in the canopy must make an acrobatics check DC 7 at the beginning of any movement. A failure results in falling prone. A creature that falls prone in a canopy falls to the ground but gets a save for each 10 feet of canopy that is falls through. The creature takes damage for any distance if falls. Any way of enter the canopy other then climbing tree requires a DC 12 acrobatics check to avoid falling prone. This only applies at the end of movement.
The Feawild is hedge maze that contains several dense packs of fruit and two water fountains. The fruit is being affect by the meteor and is normally just food. The effects of the fountains and the fruit should be revealed when the gnomes use them.
Feawild Show
Hedge Wall: Blocking Terrain; 2 squares tall. DC 12 to climb but cost 7 HP. DC 17 climb check avoids the damage. A character may break through the wall as part of a move action a DC 17 endurance check. This cost 2 extra squares of movement. The hole in the wall lasts until the end of that creature’s next turn. Any creature that begins its turn on top of the hedge row must make an acrobatics or fall prone. Any creature that falls prone on the hedgerow takes 7. Any forced movement that cause the target to move in the wall does 7 damage instead and ends the movement. If the forced movement has 3 or more squares remaining the character may give up two of them to make key skill check DC 17. If successful the target burst through the hedge wall.
Fruit: Immediate reaction; trigger a character starts his turn or ends movement on his turn adjacent to patch of fruit; target is immune if they are dazed, stunned, dominated, out of actions, or has a fruit in his hand; +6 vs. Will; hit (pick a fruit as a minor action). If a character has a fruit in his hand at the beginning of his turn it makes the same attack as above but instead of picking a fruit you eat it.
Fruit Effects Show
- Turn a random color
- Gain an action point that must be used this turn
- All hair any where on your body falls out
- Use the dragonborn’s dragon breath racial power as a free action. Random Element
- Change Gender
- Gain HP as if you spent a surge
- Skin becomes clear, slimy and itchy
- Use your race power as a free action without expending it, if you do no have one use your neighbors
- Glow random color
- Teleport 5 squares, does not need LOS
- Grow pretty but useless fairy wings
- Incorporal and phasing until end of next turn
Fountain: The fountains recharge a PCs daily/Encounter power of monsters encounter or recharge power. Drinking is a move action. This only works once per fountain. It the water is drunk a second time from the same fountain the PC lose a healing surge.
Map: two 18x18 grids, one for each plane. The Meteor takes up the central four squares of both maps and the crater takes up the central 36 (6x6). Hedge rows are 1 square thick and passage ways in the maze are 2 squares wide. All turns are 90 degrees. I would like the canopy to be cover about 1/3 of the square and have several gaps that will require a jump to cross. This means that will be only one or two large trees and close to the edge. Still need to find good free dungeon mapping software, usually do it free hand.
