Iron Heroes - a One-Shot Adventure

[EricNoah]

I'm starting to (slowly) put together a one-shot adventure for my "round robin" group. I'm gonna keep some notes here for myself; maybe you'll find them useful. And if you have ideas please feel free to contribute.

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Premise: A team of mercenaries lands on one side of a mysterious island and needs to make their way to the other side.

Premise Options:

1) Shipwreck: PCs have minimal supplies and gear and must survive for a few days, maybe gain high ground and set up some sort of a signal to attract passing ships.

2) Attack on pirate outpost: PCs have a mission to disrupt the operations of a small pirate enclave on the island's far side. They've been dropped off on the opposite side so they can sneak across the island and attack with surprise.

3) Initiation Test: Heroes are dropped off on one side and must do kind of a scavenger hunt around the island and bring back objects to a rendezvous point on the other side of the island, thus proving they have faced certain dangers and are worthy of joining the mercenary guild. For an added twist, the island has recently become more dangerous, unbeknownst to the guild.

 

[EricNoah]

Some interesting environment/setting-related things for the heroes to do on a tropical island:

Any terrain: Find water, forage for food, hunt for food, find medicinal herbs, track, endure weather, get lost, blaze a trail, make a map.

Island: explore shipwreck; stranded without provisions; seek high ground; explore surface ruins; find water; mist/fog; attract passing vessel; commandeer vessel; treasure map/treasure cache; endure storm (rain, thunderstorm, hurricane).

River & Swamp/Marsh: Navigate upstream; navigate downstream; ford river; traverse rapids; underground river; waterfall; mist/fog; navigate bogs (severe movement penalties); quicksand; contract disease; endure storm (rain, thunderstorm).

Jungle: oppressive heat; insect swarms; plant hazards; getting lost; surface ruins; ruined city; tribal village on ground; tribal village in trees; vines to swing on; quicksand; camouflaged creature; contract disease; endure storm (rain, thunderstorm, hurricane).

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/wildernessAndEnvironment.html

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Terrain Features for All Ruined Locations: Dense rubble; light rubble; uneven floors; slippery floors; pits; broken walls; arrow slits; low walls; stuck doors; locked doors; secret doors; light furniture; heavy furniture; thin pillars; thick pillars; traps (see below) on floors and doors; steep stairs; ladders; chutes/chimneys; pools; bridges; restrictive tunnels (narrow, low, crawlspace, awkward space, tight squeeze.

Events & Hazards in Ruined Locations: Shifting walls; cave-in/collapse; traps (see below); mold/slime; poisonous gasses; flooding dungeon (see DMGII p. 51); haunted building (DMGII p. 68)

Suitable Non-Magical Traps (these typically do not reset themselves, or require “repair” to reset the trap): camouflaged pit trap; portcullis trap; rolling rock trap; bricks from ceiling; well-camouflaged pit trap; arrow trap; poisoned arrow trap; spiked pit trap; stone blocks from ceiling; collapsing column; falling block trap; water-filled pit trap; built-to-collapse wall.

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/traps.html

 

[Wraith Form]

Very Conan sounding. Awesome!

 

[EricNoah]

I should mention PCs will be 5th level IH characters. Not sure of the mix but probably one sneaky type, one arcanist and the rest fighter types.

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Monsters with the "Iron Heroes Flavor" (IMHO of course ) -- not all of these will be suitable for 5th level heroes of course.

Savage Brutes: ogre; troll (including forest troll); ettin; hill giant; frost giant; fire giant; formorian giant; gray render; yeti; minotaur.

Degenerate & Bloodthirsty Humanoids: jackalwere; lycanthrope (wererat, werewolf); harpy; lizardfolk (including poisondusk and blackscale); kenku; troglodyte; dark creeper and dark stalker; skulk; goatfolk (ibixian); meenlock; stinger (scorpion-man); chitine; derro.

Overlords: Yak folk; yuan-ti; doppelganger; hag; lamia; sphinx; naga.

Fierce Beasts: animals/giant animal (lion; tiger; giant snake); dire animal (dire ape; dire boar; dire wolf; dire snake; dire toad; dire vulture); bulette; dinosaur; manticore; owlbear; roc; winter wolf; worg; bloodhawk; death dog; mastodon; blood ape; gambol (MMII); peryton; black unicorn; griffon; hippogriff.

Strange Plants: assassin vine; violet fungi; shambling mound; bloodthorn; vine horror; wood woad; orcwort & wortling; greenvise; porcupine cactus.

Creepy Crawlies: swarm (rats; bats; centipedes; spiders; vipers; scorpions); carrion crawler; vermin (giant spider; giant beetle; giant praying mantis; giant scorpion); harpoon spider; giant ant lion; giant arachnids (Lost Empires of Faerun – giant whip scorpion; giant whip spider; giant sun spider); giant velvet worm (LEoF); shadow asp.

“Things”: ettercap; gibbering mouther; grick; kraken; purple worm; roper; umber hulk; oozes (black pudding; bloodbloater ooze); otyugh (how about a half-illithid otyugh??); fihyr; ixitxachitl; hook horror; cloaker; eye of the deep.


Mighty Dragons: Land wyrm (Draconomicon); dragonne; elemental drake (Draconomicon); giant lizard; skeletal dragon; zombie dragon; basilisk; hydra; wyvern; sea drake; frost salamander; AE’s version of the “true dragon”.

From Beyond the Grave: skeleton (including skeleton variants from Libris Mortis such as fiery skeleton, nimble skeleton, soldier skeleton, vicious skeleton); zombie (including zombie variants from Libris Mortis such as diseased zombie and fast zombie); ghoul; ghast; undead animal; corpse and incorporeal versions of NPCs (ala AU – arcanists, archers, berserkers, etc.); mummified creature template; umbral template; crypt thing; huecuva template; spellstitched undead template; spawn of Kyuss; banedead; baneguard; crawling claw swarm; salt mummy (Sandstorm); ashen husk (SS); ashworm (SS); brain in a jar; dread (Lost Empries of Faerun).

Demons & Devils: Imp; mephit; the occasional true demon or devil (something classic/iconic like barbed devil).

Immortal Guardians: Caryatid column; iron cobra; necrophidius; topiary guardian; clockwork horrors; bronze serpent; dread guard; rogue eidolon (develop other “glyphs”); elemental (particularly earth); stone spike; helmed horror; elder eidolon (remove “magic immunity” trait and apply stone golem immunities as shown below); shaboath (LoM);
• Note: need to do some work on “golems” – remove their magic immunity and replace with sensible immunities based on form/material as well as their being a construct. Examples:
o Stone Golem: immune to fire; half damage from cold and electricity; normally vulnerable to acid and sonic.
o Clay Golem: Immune to acid; half damage from fire and electricity; normal vulnerability to cold and sonic.
o Iron Golem: Immune to fire and cold; normal vulnerability to acid and sonic; vulnerable to electricity plus inflicts slowing effect on the golem; vulnerable to rust attacks.

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D&D Monster conversion notes: As outlined in IH: for creatures with natural armor and no class levels, use as-is. Creatures with armor -- remove armor bonus, add DR. Creatures with class levels should gain a class defense bonus equal to their class level for levels 1-5, or their class level -1 for levels 6-11.

Treasure notes: no permanent magic items; D&D NPCs with items are simply "gifted"; reign in one-shot items like potions; no scrolls (maybe allow scrolls to grant extra mana points?); reduce monetary treasure to 10-20% of typical.

 

[EricNoah]

A monster for this session (I'm finding most monsters are almost identical to their D&D counterparts. I may use IH as an excuse to swap in certain feats from feat masteries if I'm feeling more industrious).

Exotic Soldier Skeleton (CR 2, HD 3d12)
Skeleton Human War3
N Medium Undead
Init +6 Spd 20
Senses Darkvision (Ex): 60 ft. | Listen +0, Spot +0
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Defense 15 (FF 13, Touch 13)
DR 1d4 and DR 5/bludgeoning (if bludgeoning, use DR 1d4; if slashing/piercing use DR 5)
hp 19
Saves Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1
Undead Immunities
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Atk +5 base melee, +5 base ranged; Grapple +5;
+4/+4 Melee (Sword, two-bladed 1d8+2 each/crit 19-20/x2)
+6 Melee (Sword, two-bladed 1d8+3 single stroke/crit 19-20/x2)
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Abilities STR 15, DEX 15, CON --, INT --, WIS 10, CHA 1
Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Sword, two-bladed, Improved Initiative, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus: Sword, two-bladed.
Skills: Balance -3, Climb +3, Escape Artist -3, Hide -3, Jump -3, Move Silently -3, Swim -8.
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Weapons: Sword, two-bladed. Armor: Chainmail (DR 1d4).

 

[EricNoah]

Encounter Area Ideas:

1) Beach. This is where the adventure begins. Maybe nearby is an old beached ship, long stripped of valuables but serving as a lair for some critter.

2) Jungle. Hazards, inconveniences, and weather culminate in a savage attack by something big.

3) Ruined Tree-Top Village. A gambol and his ape servants haunt these ruins, where island-dwelling humans once lived.

4) River and waterfall.

5) Hilly Jungle.

6) Ruined Temple.

7) Ruined Tower.

8) Humanoid/Pirate Camp/Outpost on far side of island. Maybe the pirates are ogres with an ogre mage leader.

 

[Ronin84]

Thought that came to my mind was what if there was another group who started on the other end, and was coming there way...rival faction, opposite guild..I am not sure but might make for some interesting by play.

And if you make this more than a one shot down the road...

 

[EricNoah]

Thought that came to my mind was what if there was another group who started on the other end, and was coming there way...rival faction, opposite guild..I am not sure but might make for some interesting by play.

And if you make this more than a one shot down the road...

Good idea; maybe the pirate gang is kind of like a rival guild in a sense. Or maybe they're not pirates but some other kind of outlaw mercenary band, one that's been marked for death for their black deeds.

 

[med stud]

I think an idea from the Fighter's Handbook from 2nd edition can be nice for golems: Give them one weak spot where you can bypass DR, like the eyes or some place on the body where you can hurt it. Let the player's find out and then use stunts etc to take it down.

 

[Ronin84]

Pirates that they themselves have become stranded and when they discover/are discovered then they are sure the PC's have a way out of here. Did we mention the daughters of the local Admiral who are also guests of said pirates...

Why am I saying Arrgh, when writing this