D&D 5E Single Nova Tier 3 Desert Encounter

So in a few weeks or so my group will be crossing the Netheril desert and I'm looking to have an encounter ready for them. It will be the only one of the day, party of 6 and they will probably be level 14 by then. Something big, something fun, something unusual.

Thoughts, ideas, and suggestions?

Blue dragon - but that's almost a side quest really

The PCs enter an area of the desert that is dotted by what looks like oversized termite mounds. These are entrances to kruthik hives which stretch for miles beneath their feet. As a sandstorm (DMG pg. 110) rolls in from the direction of the PCs' travel, a purple worm bursts up from among the kruthik hives, feasting on the creatures and any PCs in the way. Swarms of kruthiks (you'd have to create that stat block) boil up from the ground attacking anything that moves, including the purple worm.

The kruthiks and purple worm are not much bothered by the sandstorm due to tremorsense which otherwise hinders PCs with ranged weapons and causes them problems with being able to see. (You could even say the area is heavily obscured or that it does damage every round of exposure.) They have the choice of staying above ground in the storm (fewer swarms) or descending into the kruthik or purple worm tunnels to escape the storm (more swarms). From a mechanics standpoint, you might have the purple worm move in random directions, attacking any PCs that are along that path. This might make for a fun chase through its tunnels or attempts by the PCs to scatter and get out of the way before they are consumed, all the while dealing with kruthik swarms. To escalate the situation, the krutik hive lord may even make an appearance, maybe coming out at a particularly inopportune time or when rolling some number on a d20 each round (18-20 maybe).

While the PCs may not think this is their fight, they may recall the Boons of the Worm - precious metals and gems can be found in the bodies of purple worms, perhaps even something that will be useful later on in their quest. Plus that sweet, sweet XP.

Thank you @iserith That sounds like a great idea. Interesting, challenging and original. And no McGuffin involved either
Need to go read up on kruthiks now

Thinking more about this @iserith, how would this type of encounter end? Only with the death of the purple worm or the party fleeing? Would they be able to drive off the worm? Parlay with the kruthik?

LordEntrails said:

Thinking more about this @iserith, how would this type of encounter end? Only with the death of the purple worm or the party fleeing? Would they be able to drive off the worm? Parlay with the kruthik?

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Given what I described as to the enormity of the kruthik hive, I don't think it ever truly ends - there will always be more kruthiks. So either the party flees having achieved little more than keeping themselves alive or they slay the purple worm and try to salvage whatever precious metals and gems are inside it before escaping while keeping kruthiks at bay long enough. I'm picturing the fights on Klendathu in Starship Troopers if you're familiar with that classic. Essentially it's "Try to get the most XP and treasure out of this challenge and get out."

That said, I believe there is lore about kruthiks that says they give off a strong vinegar smell when they die which is a warning to other kruthiks of danger. So you could say that once the PCs are around a certain number of dead swarms that they have, in effect, a safe zone (if the purple worm is dead). This could trigger the hive lord and its adult kruthik protectors to come out and, if the PCs have some way of speaking Kruthik, they can parley. This turns it into a social interaction challenge, but then whatever could the hive lord want?

And of course, once they flee, they then have the exploration challenge of traveling through a sandstorm!

I would second the vote for some sort of purple worm encounter in the desert, especially if anyone in your group is particularly into Dune.

iserith said:

That said, I believe there is lore about kruthiks that says they give off a strong vinegar smell when they die which is a warning to other kruthiks of danger. So you could say that once the PCs are around a certain number of dead swarms that they have, in effect, a safe zone (if the purple worm is dead). This could trigger the hive lord and its adult kruthik protectors to come out and, if the PCs have some way of speaking Kruthik, they can parley. This turns it into a social interaction challenge, but then whatever could the hive lord want?

Click to expand...

Yes there is. Good thought. (Really appreciate the help here.)

I've changed it up just some so far. What I'm thinking is instead of a big field (that they could go around) that instead there are a lot of mounds stretching left and right across the party's path. So they have to cross through or go tens of miles around. Map below. So I see two possible "victories"; one being they make it across and fend off the kruthiks and purple worm long enough to flee. Or two, they kill the purple worm and enough kruthik that the smell starts to drive off the others. What I'm thinking here is that to start, no kruthik will stand where another kruthik lies dead. That should start the party thinking as they pile up.

Of course the party just happens to cross where their is a hive lord lair underground (working on the underground map). The young and adults are attracted by those walking above (tremorsense). I'll be using some of the thoughts from The Monsters Know Kruthik Tactics - The Monsters Know What They’re Doing so their will be a maze beneath, often of passages too small for most PCS to fight in, and others only single file.

The activity of the party and kruthik will attract the purple worm, probably after 3 rounds of combat. The purple worm will attack that which causes it the most pain, or randomly the nearest food source if nothing attacks it. The kruthik will withdraw from the purple worm, leaving it to the party, but will immediately return if it is killed.

As for the hive lord, I don't see him appearing until after the worm is dead, and seems to me that he would be very grateful for it's death. Maybe even enough to reward the party with... something if they can figure out how to speak to it. That is assuming the party does not find it's way into the lair/hatchery and kill the eggs...