Gardmore Abbey Sidetrek Help Needed- (Possible Spoilers)

[JohnnyO]

So, I'm currently running through the Gardmore Abbey with my group, and they recently completed the Watchtower section of the campaign. Unfortunately, they headed into the watchtower at level 6, and left their companion outside, leading to a series of very difficult fights.

In the end, the beholder escaped the tower, taking his loot with him, and leaving the party severly damaged (1 dead, 1 maimed, three seriously injured)

The party is intent on a rematch, so I need to brainstorm where this beholder might have gone, how the party might find him, so I'm looking for suggestions.

If you accidently released a beholder onto a quiet countryside, how would you track it down? Where do you think the beholder would go? What would it do in the days/weeks after its escape?

 

[Locutus Zero]

As far as how to track it down, they could see or hear rumors of further far realm madness. If killing the beholder was supposed to rid the tower of its far realm influence, then maybe the far realm kind of follows it around. Where would he go? Somewhere very orderly? Perhaps Winterhaven?

 

[fba827]

beholder's fly -- it will hard to say that it left any tracks. And I would imagine that it heads to a nearby ruins (or old fort or something -- beholders tend to go for either ruins or catacombs beneath a large city)

However, such an obvious thing will surely be spotted.
1) The henchman that they left outside -- he must have noticed at least the initial direction it went
2) heading in that direction, asking travelers/passerbyers
3) if getting to a city maybe some skill checks with streetwise to track it down (i wouldn't call it a skill challenge exactly since i don't see the threat or failure here... so just some skill checks that either they pass or fail)

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

When the PCs are on the right path, perhaps they find petrified and/or disintigrated victims of the beholder?

 

[JohnnyO]

Thanks for all the tips, these are all great. I think I'm going to define it based on what they do next. If they go after it now, then I'll probably just run a similar-powered fight in a new location (I'm thinking a cave in a deserted forest (with a statuary outside of petrified townsfolk) They'll need a relatively simple skill challenge to track him down.

One of the reasons the beholder is so effective in the tower scenario is because it is such an enclosed space, its hard to get out of range of the beholder and the terrain effects. So, I suspect the beholder would like to have a similarly claustrophobic lair if it got to choose the terrain again.

If they ignore the problem, I'll make it stronger as time goes on, perhaps recruiting some minions or thralls of some kind to assist it.

 

[Rechan]

Since a beholder has a disintegration ray, it can create its own lair by just disintegrating a honeycomb of tunnels. My guess would be that it finds a good spot and just starts digging. This might cause it to break into the lair of something else and either kill that, or use it as an ally.

It also might send enemies after the PC, as revenge. Use some of that gold to hire mercs to hunt down the PCs.

 

[JohnnyO]

Thanks for all the advice. I ran the fight last night and it was very successful. I had the beholder head off towards some local ravines and inhabit a cave complex there.

The players hired a local hunter (affectionately named Bubba) to help them track the beholder. On the way, the came across a farmhouse with a petrified farmer, letting them know they were headed in the right direction.

Outside the cave, there were what looked like several more petrified statues. The terrain was more to their advantage, and the players took some time making things more advantageous for themselves. They dropped ropes down both sides of the ravine, making it easier for players to get in/out, and set up a net trap to try and catch the beholder.

Bubba also joined the fight, but was scared out of his mind, so I required a minor action diplomacy check by a party member to convince him to actually attack, rather than cower behind a rock. This made for some great RP opportunities.

Other than that, I ran the fight exactly as its written in the book, just on more advantageous terrain for the players. The statues outside the entrance became the minions, and the warped landscape was still a factor.

Thanks for all your help