D&D 5E [CAMPAIGN] Out of the Abyss [SPOILERS]

The Return of an Old Friend

The bard Cinshariel returned to the group. We were light on healing, so the party felt the bard offered the most bang for the buck as an additional support healer. I integrated her back into the party by having her mother send her to assist the party. Her mother is a power drow Matron Mother in Menzoberranzan. She used her magic to determine the former party her daughter traveled with had the highest probability of success for defeating the demonic incursion. So she taught her daughter to teleport and scry, had her scry on Jharzzle, and teleport to their location. So the bard is back with the party.

The Gallery of Angels

I modified this encounter. It felt boring as it was written. I made a warden for The Gallery. The Warden, Ariella the Stone-hearted, isn't pleased with her "duty" as warden, which she views more as a punishment. When the party enters the prison, she demands they bring her The Orderer, a device made to order chaos. She tells them a Modron army was sent by the Lords of Order to send the Demon Lords back to the Abyss. The Modron Army was defeated by Baphomet, who intends to use The Orderer to send all the other demon lords back to the Abyss, while he conquers the Faerun. Ariella believes The Orderer can be used to free her from her prison. She wants the party to bring it back to her and activate it.

My party likes to take the path of least resistance, so they agreed to bring The Orderer (Maze Engine) to the prison and activated it fairly quickly. Ariellia told them where to find it 140 or so miles south of The Gallery. They traveled in that direction until they ran into the demonic convoy conveying The Orderer to Baphomet's Labyrinth. A Balor leading a convoy of Goristro, Hezrou, and Barlgura was the enemy force. The Goristro were taking turns carrying The Orderer. My PCs engaged them in a tunnel setting up a very annoying wall of force with spike growth, moonbeam, and spiritual guardians blocking the opening past the wall. They set it up so the demonic troops would kill themselves or be very damaged trying to approach. Hezrou don't have much means to get by such a set up, though the Barlgura can leap or climb quiet easily. After a five or seven rounds of battle, the Balor pulled his forces back. That is where the night ended. The balor intends to pull back and try to set up a more advantageous situation for himself and his troops.

The Gallery of Angels

The Gallery of Angels: An angelic solar resides within the depths of the earth as the warden of an angelic prison. Angels that have violated their ethics are sent here. Ariellia then imprisons them in stone. She has grown weary of this punishment.

Ariellia was an angel in service to Torm. She was a powerful battle angel with ambitions to become a goddess. Her vanity and pride caused her to pursue battle needlessly. She was censured by Torm for being too zealous in battle and having a merciless stone-heart. She overstepped by assuming the form of a mortal warrior to slay evil in Faerun with merciless zeal. She even defied Torm claiming he was too soft-hearted and tolerant. He cast her into the earth and cursed her into a prison to act as a warden for other angels that violated his ethos. This prison became like a demi-realm. Her power was so great that her blade turned several angels to stone. Her blade became a manifestation of her stone-heart. Now several angels lay trapped beneath the earth encased in stone. She guards this gallery of battle trophies with the same zeal she fought evil with.

Ariellia will not give up her angel feathers without a fight.

Goal: She demands the PCs bring The Maze Engine to her prison and activate it to free her. If they do so, she will grant them the angel’s feathers they require.

“A Gallery of Angels? What a sweet idea. No. This is a prison. I am the warden. You will free me from it.”

ARIELLA THE STONE-HEARTED
SOLAR Large celestial, lawful evil
Armor Class 26 (natural armor)
Hit Points 396 (22d10 + 198); (Legendary: 90% of hit die type)
Speed 50 ft., fly 180ft.
STR 29 (+9) DEX 26 (+8) CON 28 (+9) INT 25 (+7) WIS 26 (+8) CHA 30 (+10)
Saving Throws Str +16 Dex +13 Con +16 lnt +14, Wis +15, Cha +17
Skills Perception +21, Athletics +16, Insight +21
Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical weapons
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 200ft., passive Perception 31
Languages all, telepathy 120ft.
Challenge Legendary (50% level)

Angelic Weapons. The solar's weapon attacks are magical. All her weapons act as +3 weapons.
When the solar hits with any weapon, the weapon deals an extra 8d8 radiant damage (included in the attack).

Celerity: Ariella is known for legendary speed. As a bonus action she can Dash, Disengage, or escape a grapple or similar effect that normally requires an action to make such as escaping an entangle spell.

Divine Awareness. The solar knows if it hears a lie.

Innate Spellcasting. The solar's spell casting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 25). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: detect evil and good, invisibility (self only)
3/day each: blade barrier, dispel evil and good, dispel magic (7th), resurrection, fire storm
l/day each: commune, control weather, meteor swarm.

Magic Resistance. The solar has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Reactive: Ariella can take a reaction on every turn.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. Ariella makes two greatsword attacks or two bow attacks. Ariella can cast a spell as an action and make one bow or greatsword attack as a bonus action on the same turn.

Stoneheart Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reaah 5 ft. one target. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 12) slashing damage plus 8d8 radiant damage. Anyone struck by her blade must make a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or be restrained as they feel their skin petrify. They must make a new save at the end of each turn until they make two more saves or fail two more saves. If they fail two additional saves, they turn to stone. If they succeed at two saves, they fight off the effect and are free. They must make this save each time they are hit.

Slaying Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, range 120/600 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 11) piercing damage plus 8d8 radiant damage. If the target is a creature that has 100 hit points or fewer, it must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or die.

Flying Sword. The solar releases its greatsword to hover magically in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it. If the solar can see the sword, the solar can mentally command it as a bonus action to fly up to 150 feet and either make one attack against a target or return to the solar's hands. If the hovering sword is targeted by any effect, the solar is considered to be holding it. The hovering sword falls if the solar dies.

Healing Touch (4/Day). The solar touches another creature or itself. The target magically regains 40 (8d8 + 4) hit points and is freed from any curse, disease, poison, blindness, or deafness.

Stone Angel Slaves: Ariella can animate any of the stone angels in her gallery. They obey her command. The party can free one of her stone angels with greater restoration freeing the angel. Each angel is unique. The animated angels have the same statistics as a stone golem with the flight ability of the type of angel they are.

Legendary Resistance. (3/day)

LEGENDARY ACTIONS The solar can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The solar regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Teleport. The solar magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 300 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

Searing Burst. The solar emits magical, divine energy. Each creature of its choice in a 30 -foot radius must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage plus 14 (4d6) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Petrifying Gaze (Costs 3 Actions). The solar targets one creature it can see within 200 feet of it. If the target can see it, the target must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or be petrified until magic such as the greater restoration spell restores them. If it misses the initial save, it is restrained. It takes three rounds to become petrified. The target can make a save at the end of each of its round. If it misses a save, it remains restrained. If it succeeds, it breaks the effect. If the target turns to stone, Ariella can animate them in the same fashion as the stone angels.

Attack. The solar can make an attack.

Cast a Spell. The solar can cast a spell.

Reaction: As a reaction Ariella can deflect incoming attacks when she has her blade in hand increasing her AC by 7 for that attack.

TREASURE: Ariella wears a belt of storm giant strength.








Stone Angel Golems
Large construct, unaligned
Armor Class 17 (natural armor); Hit Points 178 (17d10 + 85); · Speed Planetar 40 ft. Fly: 90 ft. Deva: 30 ft.; Fly 90 ft.; Solar: 50 ft.; Fly: 150 ft.
STR 22 (+6) DEX 9 (-1) CON 20 (+5) INT 3 (-4) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 1 (- 5)
Damage Immunities poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical weapons that aren't adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands the languages of its creator but can't speak
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Magic Resistance. The golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons. The golem's weapon attacks are magical.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The golem makes two slam attacks.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

Slow (Recharge 5-6). The golem targets one or more creatures it can see within 10 feet of it. Each target must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic. On a failed save, a target can't use reactions, its speed is halved, and it can't make more than one attack on its turn. In addition, the target can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. These effects last for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success

The Maze Engine

The Maze Engine: The Maze Engine is a powerful extraplanar device also known as an Orderer. It was created by the powers of order to restore order in areas of great chaos. The forces of Order dispatched an army with a maze engine into the Underdark to send the Demon Lords back to the Abyss. Unfortunately, the army crossed paths with Baphomet. The entire army was destroyed and the maze engine fell into the hands of Baphomet’s servants. Baphomet intends to use the Maze Engine against the other demon lords to drive them from the world, so he can control the entire realm himself.

He has left Grazqor the Balor along with 2 goristro to carry the maze engine and a contingent of Hezrou and Barlgura. They are returning the maze engine to Baphomet miles from the gallery of angels.

Tactics: Grazqor travels in a cloud of darkness. The goristro carry the maze engine on their back one each at a time.

MAZE ENGINE: The Orderer is a two ton smooth adamantine sphere. There is a touch control panel that can be found with a DC 25 Perception or Investigation Check. Then it takes a DC 25 Knowledge (Arcana) check to activate.

This Orderer was damaged during the battle with Baphomet. Once activated it cannot be turned off and must be destroyed. It has 1000 hit points, AC 20. Immunity to non-magical damage from any source. It takes half-damage from magical sources. It talks half damage bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage and all energy sources but force. It is immune to psychic damage. If it is destroyed, it becomes a hunk of adamantine. It can be used to make up to 10 suits of adamantine armor or shields. It will sell for the price of such armor.

Roll once on the table each round it is active.

Changes to Table:
09-10: Same as 02-08. Note: I didn't feel like the time travel element was interesting or challenging.

Distances: Boost them all five times.

Campaign ended again. We're all bored of 5E. I made the monsters stronger and the game more challenging, that helped a bit. We found the game to be very repetitive without much to look forward to as far as additional material to make the game more interesting. We were doing much the same thing at 3rd or 4th level as we were doing at 14th level. Strategic complexity was lacking. No real back and forth between players and DMs devising strategies to win. Game didn't feel dangerous. Missing a save didn't mean much except you had to save again next round most of the time. Everything was about damage, which made a few select abilities like smiting or gaining an additional attack the most worthwhile abilities, basically anything that upped damage. I still felt it was a better game than 4E. I guess after all these years playing D&D, we're not looking to go back to Basic D&D. It's too bad. I was really hoping D&D would be my main game again. I need to look for something with more material to make things interesting.

Feel free to use whatever is posted in this thread for your campaigns. Have fun gaming. C'ya next time D&D puts out a game that keeps me interested.