Alright, last week was a bit of a vacation getting to know some of the goofballs you've met along the way during this adventure, as well as a preview of what is to come. I'm hoping to replicate an old school video game boss fight tease in this one. Let me know if you think I hit the mark or not.
I'm doing my best to make sure that every part of this adventure is 100% free and available for everyone who finds it. With that said, I could not help myself when I got my pdf of Paizo's new Guns & Gears book (there is just so much cool stuff in there!), I got it a teeny bit early as part of my Paizo subscription, so if by chance you are reading and running this adventure in the five or so days between this blog post and the Guns & Gears release date, I apologize for the barrier to entry. Once the Archives of Nethys update goes through, I'll come back and edit this post to provide the link to the Blast Boots.
This weeks map was created by me using the free version of Inkarnate (with some free assets on Roll20) This program is ridiculously cool and while what is used here (and part of next week's planned post) is just the free version, I'm definitely grabbing this program. Go check them out at the link above and try it yourself, it's super fun and intuitive. Plus, only $25 bucks a year? Yes, please.
-----------------------------------------
Approaching the edge of the ravine, it’s clear that only
one of these bridges was intended to act as such. Closest to the north is a large carved chunk
of stone that must have fallen centuries ago, while the southern bridge looks
to be of sturdy construction even by dwarven standards. Emerging from the northeastern tunnel is a rather
cruel looking Hell Hound, teeth bared and ready for battle. From the
southeast stairway descends a Harpy wreathed in barely visible flames. She hovers inches off the ground, the force of her wings kicking up small clouds of sand and dust.
“You meddle in my affairs and are not welcome. Leave now or I’ll add your sinew to my charred collection.”
Marna the Burning Kestral is not open to any further discussion on the issue, but intentionally goes last in initiative, allowing the PCs a turn to lock in their decision. On her turn Marna uses her Captivating Song ability and then flees up the stairs with her other two actions, effectively leaving this encounter. The Nessian Warhound already has its orders to attack and kill all intruders, but is still susceptible to Marna’s Captivating Song. It resumes attacking the PCs after one round if it fails the save against the Captivating Song.
The northern bridge is not as stable as it appears, and wobbles dangerously if anyone tries to cross it. They must succeed at a DC 16 Acrobatics check when entering a square on the map noted as 'unstable bridge' with the following results.
Critical Success The PC uses the shifting terrain to their advantage and may continue unimpeded.
Success The PC is off-balance. They are flat-footed and must treat the rest of the bridge as difficult terrain.
Failure As a success, but they also fall prone in their square.
Critical Failure The PC is thrown wildly off balance and falls off the side, landing on a granite outcropping 40 feet below.
With the enemies defeated or in retreat, there are two paths forward; the rubble-strewn tunnel that the Warhound came from, and the stairs up which Marna fled. Following the northernmost path takes the PCs down a winding trail with a handful of side passages that lead to what appears to be the warrens of the Clawgrinder kobolds. A PC that explores these areas (with a successful Perception check of DC20) can find a Moderate Rope of Climbing partially hidden under some crumpled musty canvas. Continuing along the main tunnel beyond this will lead the PCs to Area A on the Fiery Showdown map.
The stairs to the south rise slowly. Mismatched flagstones serve as makeshift flooring, propped up by narrow slabs of rock. Some of the stones have fallen away, making the path treacherous. In order to cross this area safely the PCs may attempt a DC20 Athletics (to leap from stone to stone), Acrobatics (to deftly balance along the narrow slabs), Crafting (to shift stones around creating wider surfaces to stand on), or Perception (to notice safer routes across). If the PCs have other creative uses of skills, allow them to roll them instead. Using an appropriate consumable or the expenditure of a non-cantrip spell counts as an automatic success. On the other side of the gaps, someone left a pair of Moderate Blast Boots tucked away for safety a very long time ago. They are still caked in dried mud. Continuing beyond this will lead the PCs to Area B on the Fiery Showdown map.
Weak Nessian Warhound, Bestiary pg.205
Moderate Rope of Climbing, Advanced Player's Guide pg.262
Blast Boots, Guns & Gears pg.67
Map created by me using the free trial of Inkarnate
Roll20 free assets used on the map:
North Bridge by benwax on dundjinni.com
South Bridge by Targeteron on dundjinni.com
Rubble by greytale on dundjinni.com
Stone Stairs by Digger on dundjinni.com
Cave Entrance by Bludragn on dundjinni.com (Fiery Showdown map next week)
Stone Ledge by Bludragn on dundjinni.com (Fiery Showdown map next week)
No comments:
Post a Comment