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<blockquote data-quote="tglassy" data-source="post: 7311113" data-attributes="member: 6855204"><p>Dale’s Reckoning</p><p></p><p>Mass Hysteria</p><p>Dragon Scales</p><p>Violent Solution</p><p>Talking Animals</p><p>Last Laugh</p><p>Mission of Mercy</p><p>Wandering Monster</p><p></p><p></p><p>The following adventure is self contained, and would make a good side quest. Suggested hooks include stumbling upon the village while traveling through the forest, or being rescued and brought to the village after a Team Party Kill. This is for a 5-10 level party using D&D 5e. </p><p></p><p>Background </p><p>A few hundred years ago, an Archdruid left civilization altogether, taking residence in a forest. He loved the forest, and in order to protect it, he began Awakening various animals to act as its guardians. The Awakened beasts banded together, creating a village.</p><p></p><p>The Archdruid, knowing he would not be there to Awaken subsequent generations, enchanted seven dragon scales which, when together, would perpetually Awaken the animals in the area around it, and keep them Awakened. The scales were put in the middle of the village, where they floated, circling each other over the stump of a grand Oak. </p><p></p><p>Performing the spell in this manner had its drawbacks: the beasts could not leave the forest without one of the scales. If a beast left the forest without one of the scales, it would slowly loose its newfound intelligence. However, the scales were only powerful enough to keep the entire village Awakened if all the scales were together. If one of the scales stayed separated for too long, the entire village would slowly devolve as the enchantment broke down, reverting the creatures within back to mindless beasts. Because of this, up to seven beasts could steal the scales and leave the forest to travel the world, but the village would devolve within a few months. </p><p></p><p>Main NPCs</p><p></p><p>Dale</p><p>Dale is an Awakened Fox. He wants to leave the village and see the world, but is trapped by the power of the Dragon Scales. He is sly and sneaky, and is insatiably curious about the outside world. Use the statistics for a Fox, and if he joins the party, add a number of levels in Rogue (Thief).</p><p></p><p>Shakiro </p><p>An old wolf, he leads the village and does not trust outsiders. He would rather not lose any of his people, even in punishment, but has no qualms with killing outsiders if he deems it necessary. </p><p></p><p>Boprita</p><p>An elderly turtle who takes care of the party when they first arrive. She has much information regarding how the village was founded, including knowledge of the Archdruid and much of the information in the background section. If the party asks anyone else about such things, they send them to her. </p><p></p><p>Other NPCs</p><p>There are many Awakened beasts in the village, and the DM is encouraged to be creative in their forms and personalities. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Act I</p><p>When the party arrives, the village is in an uproar. One of the scales has been stolen by a young Fox named Dale. Dale was found just before the party arrived, though he did not have the scale, and is imprisoned. Dale wanted the scale so he could explore the world, and says he was attacked by a great bear, the largest Dale had ever seen, who seemed to roaming mindlessly at the edge of the forest. He says the bear attacked him, and when he came to, the bear was gone and so was his pack, which had the scale in it. </p><p></p><p>Many of the beasts want Dale executed. However, the Chief, an old Wolf named Shakiro, instead charges Dale with finding the scale and returning it. He asks the party to accompany Dale, to both ensure he does not abscond with the scale and protect him from the other villagers. They are to find this monstrous bear and slay it, as it has obviously lost its mind and needs to be put down. He asks that they not let the bear live, as it could attack more villagers in the future. </p><p></p><p>(The party can refuse and leave. If they do so, a few weeks or months later, Dale shows up wearing a scale, pleading for the party’s to help him find the missing one. He says the village is going mad, with Awakened beasts loosing their minds and going Feral. If they do not find the seventh scale soon, then the entire village will be gone.)</p><p></p><p></p><p>Act 2</p><p></p><p>Dale is able to show them where he was attacked, to the north, and a party member proficient in Survival can find the bear’s tracks. If no one is proficient, the party must spend an hour searching the area before finding the tracks. </p><p></p><p>The tracks lead East, to a cave in the side of a nearby mountain. However, as the group nears the entrance to the cave, the ground around the entrance turns to mud, as per the Transmute Rock Spell (from the Elemental Evil player’s companion), and the trees and shrubs around them come to life (use the statistics for Awakened Shrubs and Awakened Trees). </p><p></p><p>After three rounds, a Dire Bear (<a href="https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Dire_Bear_(5e_Creature)" target="_blank">https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Dire_Bear_(5e_Creature)</a>) exits the cave and attacks. It is clear the bear is savage, but it is also clear that it is more than it seems. The mud solidifies when the bear appears, as if the Transmute Rock spell had been dispelled. </p><p></p><p>The Dire Bear is actually the Archdruid who created the animal village. He has lived alone staying in his Dire Bear form so long, that he has forgotten who and what he is. He is a moon Druid (using the statistics found for the Archdruid in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, with the exception of having unlimited wild shape), and has access to his spells. The party may be able to discern its identity from their conversations with the inhabitants of the Animal Village, or finding the Druid’s diary in the cave. If so, a Greater Restoration Spell, or similarly powerful magic, can restore the Druid’s mind. Otherwise, the party can either kill the Druid or render him unconscious. </p><p></p><p>Inside the cave is a number of packs and remains from people whom the Druid, in his insanity, have killed and dragged to its lair. Dale’s Pack is there, with the missing scale. The party also finds a treasure horde here, as rolled on the Treasure Horde: Challenge 5-10 on Page 137 of the DMG. In addition, they find the Archdruid’s journal, old and worn, which shows his decent into madness, and the worry about what will happen to his “children once his life force no longer powers their enchantment.”</p><p></p><p>The outcome of the adventure depends on how the party deals with the Druid/Dire Bear. </p><p></p><p>If the party kills the bear, the major enchantment on the dragon scales is broken. They will still each protect a single Awakened beast from reverting, but the village will devolve in a few months time. This is not discovered until the party gets back and finds that upon returning the seventh scale to the stump of the Great Oak, they no longer float and circle above it. Depending on how the players handle this, the village could riot, each animal trying to obtain one or more of the scales so their minds will not fade. If the party is able to deceive or talk down the crowd, they can leave. The next time they stop for camp, Dale appears, having swiped one of the scales and asking to follow them. Now that the scales will no longer protect the entire village, he doesn’t see any point in keeping the scales together. But since he is not properly Awakened, he can use the scale to do what he has always wanted to: see the world. He asks to join the group, if only to the next town. Whether he stays with the group after that is up the the DM and the other players.</p><p></p><p></p><p>If the party somehow gets the scale without killing or healing the Archdruid, they are able to fix the enchantment, and the village is restored. However Shakiro is angered that the Bear is still alive. If the journal was found, it will be declared that the bear be left alone, life goes back to normal, but Dale never leaves the village. If not, Shakiro will likely send a hunting party to the bear once the party has left, to kill it. Should this happen, the major enchantment on the scales will break, the village will descend to madness, and Dale will meet with the others some months later, having swiped one of the scales as in the previous example.</p><p></p><p>If the party is able to restore the Archdruid’s mental state, the Druid will be forever grateful. As a reward, he will give the group the treasure in his cave. He will also grant Dale a Boon: true Awakening (permanent, as per the spell). This way, Dale can leave the village without needing one of the Dragon Scales. Life in the village will return to normal, and Dale will ask to go with the party to see the world. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Sent from my iPad using EN World</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tglassy, post: 7311113, member: 6855204"] Dale’s Reckoning Mass Hysteria Dragon Scales Violent Solution Talking Animals Last Laugh Mission of Mercy Wandering Monster The following adventure is self contained, and would make a good side quest. Suggested hooks include stumbling upon the village while traveling through the forest, or being rescued and brought to the village after a Team Party Kill. This is for a 5-10 level party using D&D 5e. Background A few hundred years ago, an Archdruid left civilization altogether, taking residence in a forest. He loved the forest, and in order to protect it, he began Awakening various animals to act as its guardians. The Awakened beasts banded together, creating a village. The Archdruid, knowing he would not be there to Awaken subsequent generations, enchanted seven dragon scales which, when together, would perpetually Awaken the animals in the area around it, and keep them Awakened. The scales were put in the middle of the village, where they floated, circling each other over the stump of a grand Oak. Performing the spell in this manner had its drawbacks: the beasts could not leave the forest without one of the scales. If a beast left the forest without one of the scales, it would slowly loose its newfound intelligence. However, the scales were only powerful enough to keep the entire village Awakened if all the scales were together. If one of the scales stayed separated for too long, the entire village would slowly devolve as the enchantment broke down, reverting the creatures within back to mindless beasts. Because of this, up to seven beasts could steal the scales and leave the forest to travel the world, but the village would devolve within a few months. Main NPCs Dale Dale is an Awakened Fox. He wants to leave the village and see the world, but is trapped by the power of the Dragon Scales. He is sly and sneaky, and is insatiably curious about the outside world. Use the statistics for a Fox, and if he joins the party, add a number of levels in Rogue (Thief). Shakiro An old wolf, he leads the village and does not trust outsiders. He would rather not lose any of his people, even in punishment, but has no qualms with killing outsiders if he deems it necessary. Boprita An elderly turtle who takes care of the party when they first arrive. She has much information regarding how the village was founded, including knowledge of the Archdruid and much of the information in the background section. If the party asks anyone else about such things, they send them to her. Other NPCs There are many Awakened beasts in the village, and the DM is encouraged to be creative in their forms and personalities. Act I When the party arrives, the village is in an uproar. One of the scales has been stolen by a young Fox named Dale. Dale was found just before the party arrived, though he did not have the scale, and is imprisoned. Dale wanted the scale so he could explore the world, and says he was attacked by a great bear, the largest Dale had ever seen, who seemed to roaming mindlessly at the edge of the forest. He says the bear attacked him, and when he came to, the bear was gone and so was his pack, which had the scale in it. Many of the beasts want Dale executed. However, the Chief, an old Wolf named Shakiro, instead charges Dale with finding the scale and returning it. He asks the party to accompany Dale, to both ensure he does not abscond with the scale and protect him from the other villagers. They are to find this monstrous bear and slay it, as it has obviously lost its mind and needs to be put down. He asks that they not let the bear live, as it could attack more villagers in the future. (The party can refuse and leave. If they do so, a few weeks or months later, Dale shows up wearing a scale, pleading for the party’s to help him find the missing one. He says the village is going mad, with Awakened beasts loosing their minds and going Feral. If they do not find the seventh scale soon, then the entire village will be gone.) Act 2 Dale is able to show them where he was attacked, to the north, and a party member proficient in Survival can find the bear’s tracks. If no one is proficient, the party must spend an hour searching the area before finding the tracks. The tracks lead East, to a cave in the side of a nearby mountain. However, as the group nears the entrance to the cave, the ground around the entrance turns to mud, as per the Transmute Rock Spell (from the Elemental Evil player’s companion), and the trees and shrubs around them come to life (use the statistics for Awakened Shrubs and Awakened Trees). After three rounds, a Dire Bear ([url]https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Dire_Bear_(5e_Creature)[/url]) exits the cave and attacks. It is clear the bear is savage, but it is also clear that it is more than it seems. The mud solidifies when the bear appears, as if the Transmute Rock spell had been dispelled. The Dire Bear is actually the Archdruid who created the animal village. He has lived alone staying in his Dire Bear form so long, that he has forgotten who and what he is. He is a moon Druid (using the statistics found for the Archdruid in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, with the exception of having unlimited wild shape), and has access to his spells. The party may be able to discern its identity from their conversations with the inhabitants of the Animal Village, or finding the Druid’s diary in the cave. If so, a Greater Restoration Spell, or similarly powerful magic, can restore the Druid’s mind. Otherwise, the party can either kill the Druid or render him unconscious. Inside the cave is a number of packs and remains from people whom the Druid, in his insanity, have killed and dragged to its lair. Dale’s Pack is there, with the missing scale. The party also finds a treasure horde here, as rolled on the Treasure Horde: Challenge 5-10 on Page 137 of the DMG. In addition, they find the Archdruid’s journal, old and worn, which shows his decent into madness, and the worry about what will happen to his “children once his life force no longer powers their enchantment.” The outcome of the adventure depends on how the party deals with the Druid/Dire Bear. If the party kills the bear, the major enchantment on the dragon scales is broken. They will still each protect a single Awakened beast from reverting, but the village will devolve in a few months time. This is not discovered until the party gets back and finds that upon returning the seventh scale to the stump of the Great Oak, they no longer float and circle above it. Depending on how the players handle this, the village could riot, each animal trying to obtain one or more of the scales so their minds will not fade. If the party is able to deceive or talk down the crowd, they can leave. The next time they stop for camp, Dale appears, having swiped one of the scales and asking to follow them. Now that the scales will no longer protect the entire village, he doesn’t see any point in keeping the scales together. But since he is not properly Awakened, he can use the scale to do what he has always wanted to: see the world. He asks to join the group, if only to the next town. Whether he stays with the group after that is up the the DM and the other players. If the party somehow gets the scale without killing or healing the Archdruid, they are able to fix the enchantment, and the village is restored. However Shakiro is angered that the Bear is still alive. If the journal was found, it will be declared that the bear be left alone, life goes back to normal, but Dale never leaves the village. If not, Shakiro will likely send a hunting party to the bear once the party has left, to kill it. Should this happen, the major enchantment on the scales will break, the village will descend to madness, and Dale will meet with the others some months later, having swiped one of the scales as in the previous example. If the party is able to restore the Archdruid’s mental state, the Druid will be forever grateful. As a reward, he will give the group the treasure in his cave. He will also grant Dale a Boon: true Awakening (permanent, as per the spell). This way, Dale can leave the village without needing one of the Dragon Scales. Life in the village will return to normal, and Dale will ask to go with the party to see the world. Sent from my iPad using EN World [/QUOTE]
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