Lazy Trip Down the Rabbit Hole – Session #2 Design
The party will very likely want to go down the cistern to
investigate what has been exposed by the Dire Plague Wolf’s sacrifice. Robinn will also say that they must
investigate. I anticipate that they will
either go right away, or alert the village and mayor while also taking the
orphans to a safer place.
If they go to let the village know, then the mayor/
innkeeper and his wife will take point.
The Tanner is off investigating the “ruins” by the lake, having left
after spending some time at the Harvest Festival. The mayor says he is more “adept” at
searching during the night. This may be
mysterious to the party, but it is actually because he is half-orc, and
orc-bloods are treated with great hostility in Varisia. He works at the tannery with a hood, and does
his own hunting, trapping and wanderings at night when he is less likely to be
observed fully.
DC 20 Diplomacy to gather any information on the village
area prior to being built. Some 120
years prior, when the village was first founded, there were “ruins which
included a stone circle” in the area.
With a DC 22 on Diplomacy, the stone circle was on what is now the
village green. And a DC 25 on Diplomacy
talks of an entrance to “what was likely a burial cairn” where the church now
sits. The church is recent, having been
just an old barn with a dried up “well” before being built around 5 years
prior. Most of this information will be
from Cenn and his wife, as well as the blacksmith and possibly the
herbalist. If talking to the minstrel
who is in for the festival, the same information can be gained by Knowledge
(Local). None of the players are locals,
so the skill does not offer any benefit unless asked of a storyteller such as
the minstrel.
At some point, the party will head down the cistern. This is where I plan to begin injecting some
fear into the game. I will be using
index cards to let specific players know what they see/ hear/ sense while
keeping it “unspoken” to the other players until the characters speak with each
other. Certain actions will get
increasingly intense fear affects while others, depending upon player choice,
will be static. But if separated, the
players will just see index cards going around and not realize that some are
being fed one thing while others another.
Robinn will be coming with the party, whether with Juliet’s
acquiescence or tagging along behind, hidden.
He will be rather stubborn about staying with the party, specifically
Juliet, which will play throughout the game.
He is her “Guardian”, but she will need to guard him frequently, adding
a dynamic to the story.
The trip down the rungs of the cistern is creepy if
uneventful. Light sources and who has
what light source will be important, as the party will likely be separated,
sometimes multiple times or in multiple ways.
This is the entrance to where Krune, the Runelord of Sloth, interred
himself before Starfall. Per the
campaign setting, he was unable to make it back to his country before the
cataclysm, but had this hideaway as a default.
So he sleeps under the town of Clearwater’s Gate, unbeknownst to anyone. And as the Runelords have begun to stir,
although not completely awakening, his power will grow in this area. More on how Sloth will affect the village
going through the campaign, but the companion school of magic, Conjuration, is
being manipulated already as this is where Krune, and thus is center of power
currently, is located.
Getting to the tombed door of Krune’s resting place must go
through traps and guardians associated with the idea of sloth.
First Encounter (another scene taken loosely from a dream I
had at one point):
The passage splits
into two passages, one branching slightly left and one slightly right. Both are 5’ wide. I will assume that someone will scout ahead
on one of the passages. Light sources
will be problematic as there is a permanent Darkness effect, lowering the
impact of all light sources by one step.
A Light spell or torch becomes dim light (10’/ 20’; 20% miss chance due
to concealment), and a dim source becomes darkness (0’/ 0’; 50% miss chance due
to full concealment plus other penalties).
How the “puzzle” works:
·
Whatever passage taken is the “easy” path (i.e.
sloth).
·
30’ on through whichever passage, the passage
splits again, left and right as before.
But whichever choice was originally made (left or right), the next split
becomes easier for that side and more difficult for the one not chosen, by
1’.
·
So, original split, left chosen. Go 30’, left is now 6’ wide and right in now
4’ wide. Choose left again, go 30’, left
is now 7’ wide and right in now 3’ wide, etc.
·
If the player turns around after taking the
first choice and is at the second choice at that point, whatever light source
they have is no longer seen by whoever is behind them still in the
passage. It winks out. Shouting for a player who has “disappeared” and
faint echoes of calls can be heard by each side. This is due to a conjuration (sloth magic)
effect of teleportation.
·
If a player ends up going through 5 choices of
the “easy” passage in a line, they end up in a large chamber for a specific
encounter which will be ugly.
·
Also, once turning around, the passage “back” is
now a split choice passage, one slightly left and one slightly right, both 5’
wide. It starts over again that
direction, and 5 choices in one direction need to be made.
·
The proper choice is the difficult way. Once through the first choice, they should
take the “thinner” passage, the 4’ passage.
It will then end in 30’ at another choice, with the easier side a little
wider (7’) and the harder a little narrower (3’, which is a squeeze and causes
movement to be half speed for 60’ this time).
If they end up at the end of the 3’ passage, they come out to a passage
on the far side of the encounter chamber, but with a wooden door closed and
locked at the chamber entrance. This
means the players who end here will not even realize that there is a chamber
behind the door, until shouting and/or screams of pain begin.
·
Now for the fear element.
o
At any point a player enters a passage that
isn’t 5’ wide, they need to make a Will save vs. Fear. The starting DC is 10, and every subsequent
passage after the first which isn’t 5’ wide adds +1 to the DC save.
o
If one fail of the save, the player becomes
shaken, a -2 penalty to attack rolls, saves, weapon damage rolls, skill checks
and ability checks.
o
If two consecutive fails of the save, the player
becomes frightened. Flee or fight, with
the above penalties for shaken. They can
use spells and abilities, and must if it will assist in their flight.
o
If three consecutive saves, the player becomes
panicked. The player drops everything in
hand and flees at top speed, along with the penalties above for shaken. The player will likely go through the “easy”
passages, which is the point. They can
use spells and abilities, and must if it will assist in their flight. The player will likely cower if possible
instead of fight and use full defense if cornered.
o
Throughout the fear saves, the player affected
should feel a sense of evil and thick dread.
Escalate for each failed save: movement
out of the corner of their eyes, shadows and sound moving towards the
character, and finally hallucinations of vile creatures.
Once a player “exits” the puzzle, they enter the encounter
room. Across the room is a set of double
wooden doors, the exit to the hallway beyond and where any “successful”
characters will be. The door is locked
but not trapped; DC 25 Disable Device to unlock.
Encounter in the Fear Room:
3 Fleshdregs - CR 1, NE Small Aberration, Init +1, Senses: Darkvision
60', sin-scent (sloth), Perc. +4; AC 14, T 12, FF 13 (+1 Dex, +2 Natural, +1
size); HP 13 (2d8+4); F +2, R +3, W +3; Defensive Capabilities: Immune: mind-affecting effects, SR 13; Speed 30'; Bite +3
(1d6+1 plus sinful bite); Special Attacks: Sinful Bite(Sloth) – bite creates
amber crust which restricts movement, DC 12 Reflex or -2 to attack rolls and
Reflex Saves for 1d4 rounds; Str 12, Dex 13, Con 15 , Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 12;
Base Atk +1, CMB +1, CMD 12; Feats:
Lightning Reflexes; Skills: Acrobatics +5, Escape Artist +5, Perc +4,
Stealth +9.
2 Sloth Vipers – CR 3, N Large Magical Beast, Init +7,
Senses: Darkvision 60', low-light vision, Perc. +9; AC 17, T 13, FF 13 (+4 Dex,
+4 Natural, -1 size); HP 27 (5d10); F +4, R +8, W +2; Speed 30', Climb 30’,
Swim 30’; Bite +8 (1d4+1 plus poison); Special Attacks: Poison – Bite, Injury,
Save DC 14 Fort, frequency 1/rd for 6 rounds, effect – slowed for 1 minute as
the Slow spell, cure – 2 consecutive saves; Quickness – inherently quick, so
may take an extra standard or move action each round; Str 13, Dex 19, Con 11 ,
Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2; Base Atk +5, CMB +7, CMD 21; Feats: Improve Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception),
Weapon Finesse; Skills: Acrobatics +16, Climb +13, Perc +9, Stealth +8, Swim
+15.
The passage continues for another 100’ straight ahead, and
ends at a open 10’ wide arch opening on a 10’ x 20’ ledge over emptiness. This is the second “puzzle” room.
·
A path 10’ wide leads straight across a black
chasm, 80’, to a mirror copy of the entrance on the other side. No walls or ceiling or pit floor can be seen.
·
On either side of the path are 10’x10’ platforms
hanging in the air, 10’ out from the “bridge” and hanging at different levels,
none more than 10’ higher or lower than the “bridge.” There should be 3 platforms on each side.
·
Rods hang in mid-air in salmon-runs, running
parallel to the entrance and exit arches, and running up and down in
“runs”. They are placed close enough to
swing from one to another, but take a DC 10 Athletics check to swing each 5’
range. They are placed to connect one
side to the other with the platforms as islands between groupings. (see map)
After each platform landing by a player, the Athletics check increases
by +2 DC for exhaustion. A failure on an
Acrobatics checks means no movement; failure by more than 5 means a fall.
·
A fall, after 3 rounds, lands the player on the
“bridge” (teleportation), but with 3d10 falling damage.
·
The “easy”, lazy path of Sloth is the
bridge. Every 10’ crossed by ANY player
gives a 25% cumulative chance of conjuration of Thassilonian Bronze sentinel
(once summoned, start the percentage accumulation at 25% again).
·
The trick is to take the difficult path, causing
the summoning NOT to happen.
·
Many outcomes from this, including finding
interesting ways to cross the chasm, splitting the group so that some cross the
bridge and some the salmon-runs (with the added difficulty for the salmon run
players of maybe needing to deal with creatures summoned by the bridge), or
running jumps. Allow for creativity.
Thassilonian Bronze Sentinels: – CR 3, N Small Construct, Init +7, Senses: Darkvision 60', low-light vision, Perc. +5; AC 18, T 14, FF 15 (+3 Dex, +4 Natural, +1 size); HP 32 (4d10+10); F +1, R +4, W +1; Speed 40', Climb 20’; 2 Claws +9 (1d4+4); Special Abilities: Constant Detect Magic; Defensive Capabilities: Immune – construct traits, fire, magic; Special Attacks: Fiery Bolt +8 – As a standard action, can fire a bolt of flame as ranged touch attack to 30’ range, 1d6 fire dmg; Immunity to Magic – immune to all magic which allows SR except electricity; Str 18, Dex 16, Con - , Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 5; Base Atk +4, CMB +7, CMD 20 (28 vs. trip); Feats: Improve Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception); Skills: Climb +12, Perc +5, Stealth +9.
100’ passage straight to large room with portal door in wall
surrounded by runes in Thassilonian. A
figure sits in a chair in front of the huge portal. This is Syren, a Sinspawn Conjurer who is the
servant of Krune while he sleeps. Syren
will try to engage the players in conversation.
If the players attack for some reason, then 3 Sinspawns and 2 Thassilonian
Marble Sentinels appear from side passages to engage. Syren will not engage unless forced, but keep
trying to talk the fight down and get the players to engage in talk. Syren will also have Undetectable Alignment
cast so that he doesn’t read as evil.
Syren, Servant of Krune
3 Sinspawn – CR 2, NE Medium Aberration, Init +5, Senses:
Darkvision 60’, sin scent (sloth), Perc. +7; AC 13, T 11, FF 12 (+2 Natural, +1
dodge); HP 19 (3d8+6); F +3, R +2, W +4; Speed 40’; Ranseur +3 (2d4+1/ x3),
bite -2 (1d6 plus sinful bite) OR bite +3 (1d6+1 plus sinful bite), 2 claws +3
(1d4+1); Defensive Capabilities: Immune –
mind-affecting effects, SR 13; Special Attacks: Sinful Bite – DC 12
Will to negate, target overwhelmed by thoughts of laziness and sloth, sickened
for 1d6 minutes, if second bite and failed save, staggered for 1 round, Calm
Emotions/ Remove Curse/ Break Enchantment negates effects; Str 13, Dex 11, Con 14 , Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12;
Base Atk +2, CMB +3, CMD 15; Feats:
Improve Initiative; Skills: Intim
+7, Perc +7, Stealth +7, Survival +7, Languages: Aklo.
2 Thassilonian Marble Sentinels – CR 4, N Small Construct,
Init +7, Senses: Darkvision 60’, low-light vision, Perc. +6; AC 20, T 14, FF 17
(+3 Dex, +6 Natural, +1 size); HP 43 (6d10+10); F +2, R +5, W +2; Speed 40’,
Climb 20’; 2 Claws +12 (1d4+5); Special Abilities: Constant Detect Magic; Defensive
Capabilities: Immune – construct traits,
acid, magic; Special Attacks: Paralyzing Bolt +10 – As a standard action, can
fire a green-hued bolt of energy as ranged touch attack to 30’ range, DC 12
Fort or paralyzed for 1d6 rounds; Immunity to Magic – immune to all magic which
allows SR except force; Str 20, Dex 16, Con - , Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 5; Base Atk
+6, CMB +10, CMD 23 (31 vs. trip); Feats:
Ability Focus (paralyzing bolt), Improve Initiative, Skill Focus
(Perception); Skills: Climb +13, Perc +6,
Stealth +10.
Syren should be calm and even in his talk, almost
sing-songy. Points he will bring up in
conversation:
·
I am Syren, servant of the sleeping lord of this
tomb.
·
He and his brothers and sisters sleep, for now,
but will awaken soon, as the time is coming nigh to reenter the world. One has already stirred.
·
He and his brothers and sisters hold sway over
great power, but something seeks to subsume their rightful power. Someone dares to use the sleeping lord’s
power for their own purposes. This is
not acceptable.
·
It is of enough annoyance that the pathetic
mortals of this time dare to put his claim of power in the realm of one of his
sister lords. That is insult
enough. But to have yet another use his
power as well as that of the other lords without permission, this cannot be
allowed.
·
Your assistance is requested in tracking down
who is using this stolen power, determine what for, and then stop it. Rewards will be found along the journey.
·
One of you is already eager to do my lord’s
bidding. (Looks at Mall. If she denies, he snaps his fingers and
brings forth Pashmora.
·
If anyone reads Thassilonian, the runes around
the portal talk of “the path of ease; the simplest way to travel, the toil of
the lesser to benefit the grace of the betters.” Also, “Lord and Master of those brought forth
to serve their rightful masters in all things.”
This all has to do with the Sin of Sloth and the School of Conjuration,
which includes Teleportation.
·
Robinn will suggest that they must work with
this force or the world is doomed by a far worse fate.
·
Each will be gifted a Potion of Haste and 150 gp
each in coin, each in small leather pouches.
·
If the party agrees, Syren will expect them to
come back to the village often for reports.
Sitting on the village green will suffice for a connection with Mall or
Robinn.
·
Also, be wary of reflective surfaces. They might show things of the world they
would rather not see . . . or visions of their own wickedness.
As for a way back, Syren states that he would be happy to
get the party back to the surface and on the right track. With a snap of his fingers, Fleshdreg swarms
begin to come racing out of all exits into the room, quickly coming over,
covering each party member, and swallowing them up horribly, only to disperse
with each party member gone. Build on
this with one or two members going through the process first before the others.
The swarms appear at a farmstead on a river flowing west,
and each character appears from the swarm, which then disperse into the ground
and trees. Give the characters a quick
chance to wonder at where they are, and then a girl’s scream from the
farmstead. Looking over, the farming
family at the homestead is being attacked by flying heads which have multiple
eyes, huge toothy maws, and a strange fish-like small body trailing behind
(Cacodaemons).
