Map Monday #3 - The Demon Skull Throne

Monday's Map #2

Who or what can be found in the cave? Do the provisions, boats and campsite belong to the occupants of the cave? Or to a group that has gone into the cave? Or to the player characters?

Why is the bed roll so large? Especially in comparison to the boats?

What danger lurks in the trees?

Built using two sets of Caverns of Icewind Dale, as well as a 4x4 water tile, a 4x8 water tile and the 2x4 boat from the Desert of Athas set. Until I set out to build this, I had not realized how limited the coastal tiles in Caverns of Icewind Dale were, and so I've borrowed some of the "cave" tiles, using the black edges to represent water.

Crypt of Lost Secrets

The stairs open into a raised platform in the center a large room. Below the platform are two more tiers each set five feet further lower,


On the middle tier set in faded red stone is the image of skull, and below that on bottom tier of the room lie eight crypts with six itentical statues of a man missing a hand, with an eye bandaged over.

Surrounding the lower tier, level with the middle tier, the walls off the room are set with nooks large enough for a person to stand in.

Behind you, on your platform the floor tiles are enscribed with elvish characters, except a gap where one tile is missing. To either side, five feet higher up the floor is enscribed with similar lettering.

Encounter		2400 XP
Level 10
Opponents		7
Shadow of Vecna		x6

The Shadows of Vecna lie dormant within the statues until a crypt is opened (Hard DC Athletics to open).

When a Shadow regenerates, it should be described as energy flowing from the center floor cypher, to the Shadow.

The three four by four sectons of script on the south side of the chamber are a puzzle.

The script is in the secret cypher of Vecna, though the characters are elvish. The word missing from the middle four by four block is Vecna, and the other two side each compose a different prayer to the dark god but each uses the same words, which are then repeated in the middle block.

The middle block can be rearranged. Standing on a tile that is in the same row or column as empty tile, causes that tile and all between it and the empty tile to slide one square towards the empty tile.

Rearranging the center block into the prayer on the eastern block causes the Shadows that came from the eastern three statues to cease regenerating, and gain vulnerable 5 to all damage. Rearranging the center block into the prayer on the western block causes the same to Shadows from the western crypts.

The puzzle can be solved either by handing over a real world version (online one can seen here http://migo.sixbit.org/puzzles/fifteen/ amongst other places).

With the real world puzzle, a player whose character can see the board can spend a minor action to study the puzzle without moving the pieces for 30s, and a player whose character is on one of the puzzle spaces, can spend a move action to move the pieces for 20s or a standard, move and minor action to move the pieces for 60s. After completing one configuration, scramble the pieces, for the next configuration.

Alternately the puzzle can be solved via a skill challenge. Religion, Dungeoneering and Arcana as primary skills DC18 (standard action, or move action if also attempting with a standard action), DC26 (move action), and the character must be standing on a square on the the grid. Insight and Perception DC26 (minor action) from a character who can see the puzzle to grant a +5 bonus to the next primary check. The puzzle is completed when a net 4 successes have been obtained.

At the end of any action in which a player moves pieces, the DM rolls 2d4 to determine where on the grid the empty spot winds up, and the player rolls 2d4 to determine where on the 4x4 grid they wind up. If they roll the missing number, they can pick a ending position.

Setup: The characters are exploring a dungeon, temple or the like, and have descended the stairs.

Illumination: None.

Stairs: The stair squares block line of sight, count as difficult terrain for anyone going up them, and can only be entered from the upper right corner.

Notes: The combination of being insubstantial and having regeneration 20 (slightly more than a healing surge for these creatures) should make them very difficult to drop. Defeating the shadows without solving the puzzle should be possible but difficult. If the party is coasting the encounter, you could alter it on fly by allowing an unsolved half of the puzzle to regenerate, or by restarting the encounter each time they open a crypt, if the puzzles have not been solved.

Treasure: There should be something in the crypts - what depends too much on your party for me to dictate, but it should somehow relate to the god of secrets. I had planned a book written in the same script and cypher as the floor tiles, containing yet to be determined secrets. To a collector the book would have great monetary value. To the servants of Vecna, the book would be priceless, definitely worth killing for, and most certainly a hook into future adventures.

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This encounter was inspired while listening to the most recent episode of the tome show, I wrote it up and was all prepared to send my players through it, but as I was gathering materials for the game, real life got in the way. Despite my daughter having at least two or three of these puzzles somewhere in her room, I couldn't find them. Since I really wanted the prop, I've shelved the puzzle. For now...

Monday's Map #1

An abandoned building in the Shadowfell where the characters stopped for the night (or what passes for night in a land of eternal gloom).

The characters are attacked by a band of scavengers of some description, and during the fight the the broken statue in the well room is knocked over revealing stairs spiraling downwards. But where do they lead? 

To whom do the graves belong? Do they rest there still?

Servant's of the Raven Queen

"As you step off of the stairs, you realize you are being followed. Worse, you see movement on both bridges exiting the chamber. Ahead of you, standing on a large metal slap, a humanoid in black robes rubs runs his hands along the blade of his scimitar while he eyes you warily" 


This encounter is set in the towers of the city of Moil as described in the Tomb of Horrors super module, and is specifically designed to experiment with the Endless Hordes mechanic introduced by the Save Versus Death blog.

Encounter		3500 XP
Level 12
Opponents		7
Dark Stalker		x2
Dark Stalker Minion		x4
Shadar-Kai Blacksoul
Traps / Hazards		1
Dark Stalker Minion Endless Horde

At the moment the characters are level 9 and have been stretched. They are short on healing surges, and have expended a bunch of daily powers. Since this is +3 levels, my hope is that this challenges them appropriately, though it should be noted that they synergize well with each other, and tend to make good tactical choices.

I've gone with Dark Stalkers and Shadar-Kai Blacksouls as well as a minion version of Dark Stalkers, who are the meat of the Endless Horde. I've modified the core mechanic of the Endless Horde for two reasons. First, I don't want this to devolve into a scenario where the players are set up to each kill off a minion a round with the 5th player as there to mop up if an attack misses, and we have an infinite stand off.  Second, I don't want to end up having to deal with too many opponents, especially as the encounter area is not too large.

Setup: The characters start at the bottom of the stairs, in the blue shaded area. The Dark Stalker Minions start on the stairs. The Shadar-Kai Blacksoul starts out of sight on the other side of the stairs. One Dark Stalker starts on the stairs behind the characters, the other atop the iron bulkhead.

Illumination: Dim. The inside of the tower is dark with the only light coming from the dim sky outside. Characters who have normal vision can’t see well in dim light: Creatures in the area have concealment. Characters who have low-light vision or darkvision see normally. The tower is in the shadowfell, so light sources only shed half the light they normally would.

Stairs: The stair squares block line of sight, count as difficult terrain for anyone going up them, and can only be entered from the upper left corner.

Iron Bulkhead: The iron bulkhead provides cover to small creatures and prone creatures in adjacent squares. The ladder in the bulkhead leads down to a lower level of the tower.

Dark Stalker Minion Endless Horde Level 10 Elite Warder (L) hazard		1000 XP
Standard Action
Effect: Four Dark Stalker Minions appear. One on the stairs, one on top of the iron bulkhead, and one on each bridge. If no Dark Stalkers and no Dark Stalker Minions remain, the Endless Horde produces a Shadar-Kai Blacksoul, rather than four Dark Stalker Minions. If eight or more Dark Stalker Minions remain the Endless Horde produces two Dark Stalkers, rather than four Dark Stalker Minions. In either case, on its next turn the Endless Horde will always produce four Dark Stalker Minions.
Countermeasures
The only countermeasure is to negotiate with the Dark Stalkers or the Shadar-Kai, by convincing them that the characters quest aligns with the goals of the Raven Queen.

Outcome: As it happened, the players took up my hints to negotiate (despite virtually never doing so) and so the encounter didn't get to play out as I planned.