pukunui
Legend
Hi all,
I recently got a hankering to run Red Hand of Doom again. I last ran it when it was new, and my old hard copy is still in pretty good condition. I'm aware there are several conversions out there already, and I am making liberal use of them in my own conversion, so that is not why I'm writing this post.
The reason I'm posting is because, like many other DMs who have run Red Hand of Doom, I'd like to start the PCs at 1st level and have them get to know Elsir Vale before tasking them with its defense. Rather than run a longer adventure set in one location (like LMoP or Sunless Citadel or the like), I'd prefer to run a series of brief adventures (1-3 sessions long) that will take the PCs around the vale.
I'd prefer more "help the locals" type adventures than dungeon crawls, although the latter are acceptable as long as there is some tie-in with a nearby settlement.
So far the only adventure I've settled on for sure is Pudding Faire, which is meant for 3rd level PCs.
On that note, here's a quick rundown of the named locations in Elsir Vale (in alphabetical order):
If anyone has any good ideas for short adventures for PCs of levels 1-4 that I could set in any of the towns or villages of Elsir Vale, I'd appreciate your suggestions. Happy to consider adventures from any edition of D&D, including third party material.
One other bit of information: Brindol does have a mercenary guild of sorts, so one option could be to base the PCs in Brindol and have them work for the guild, which hires them out to go on various missions around the vale. By the time they reach 5th level, they'll have built up enough of a reputation that Brindol's lord can summon them and ask them to go investigate the goings on near Drellin's Ferry.
I also don't have to feature all of the named locations prior to RHoD. Even just a few would suffice, as many of them do feature in the main campaign, and there is some small scope for side quests even while the invasion is taking place.
Thanks in advance for reading this and doubly so for posting suggestions!
I recently got a hankering to run Red Hand of Doom again. I last ran it when it was new, and my old hard copy is still in pretty good condition. I'm aware there are several conversions out there already, and I am making liberal use of them in my own conversion, so that is not why I'm writing this post.
The reason I'm posting is because, like many other DMs who have run Red Hand of Doom, I'd like to start the PCs at 1st level and have them get to know Elsir Vale before tasking them with its defense. Rather than run a longer adventure set in one location (like LMoP or Sunless Citadel or the like), I'd prefer to run a series of brief adventures (1-3 sessions long) that will take the PCs around the vale.
I'd prefer more "help the locals" type adventures than dungeon crawls, although the latter are acceptable as long as there is some tie-in with a nearby settlement.
So far the only adventure I've settled on for sure is Pudding Faire, which is meant for 3rd level PCs.
On that note, here's a quick rundown of the named locations in Elsir Vale (in alphabetical order):
- Brindol: The main city in the vale. Ruled by a lord whose title dates back to a fallen kingdom. Situated on a river. Has a small thieves' guild with ties to a prominent aristocrat. The climax of RHoD involves the defense of this city from the Red Hand army. It would be nice to set an adventure or two in the city prior to this to get the players more invested in saving it. The old 3e adventure Mad God's Key is a possible contender here.
- Dauth: A sleepy hamlet ruled by a council of elders. Situated more or less smack dab in the middle of the vale. Has an abandoned noble manor. Could be a good stand-in for Phandalin, if I wanted to use elements from the starter box adventures. I think I will place Pudding Faire in the small woodland to the east.
- Dennovar: Technically the biggest city in the vale, although it doesn't feature in the campaign. Controlled by a council of merchants with a noblewoman as its figurehead leader. Eastern gateway to the vale. Not that keen to include this place in my campaign.
- Drellin's Ferry: A small town at the west end of Elsir Vale. The starting place for the main RHoD campaign. Would prefer to avoid during the lead-up to RHoD.
- Elsircross: A small town upriver from Brindol. Known for its timber/paper industry. Ruled by a self-styled baron and his thuggish cronies. Could be a place where the PCs work to overthrow the baron and his thugs to improve the place. Could lead to the players being motivated to fight the Red Hand so they don't see their hard work cleaning up the town undone.
- Hammerfist Holds: A group of dwarven clanholds in the foothills in the southwest corner of the vale. RHoD does include a minor side quest involving the leaders of Brindol hiring dwarven mercenaries to help fight the invaders, so I could just expand on that rather than send the PCs here beforehand.
- Hillwatch: A "dusty flyspeck" in the southeastern corner of the vale. No inn or tavern. Most likely a place someone comes from rather than a place people go to.
- Marthton: A small town located between Brindol and Dennovar. Ruled by a miserly old aristocrat who taxes the locals heavily. The nearby forest is peppered with barrows and stone circles from the "druidic folk" who lived in the vale previously. Like Elsircross, this could be a possible "save the townsfolk from their bad leader" adventure site. [Last time I ran RHoD, I ran Barrow of the Forgotten King here because of the barrow connection. That was an awful adventure, though, and I have no intention of ever running it again.]
- Nimon Gap: A tiny hamlet between Drellin's Ferry and Brindol. Known for its orchards and its walled inn. Falls to the Red Hand as they march towards Brindol. I could place an adventure in the bordering hills.
- Prosser: A quiet village home to some retired adventurers (a wizard and a fighter/rogue are named but its implied that there are more of them) who have brought some prosperity to the town. Located on the other side of the small wood from Dauth, about halfway between Brindol and Hillwatch.
- Red Rock: A "rough-and-tumble" copper mining town in the foothills north of Brindol. Home to dwarves and half-orcs who don't get along. Could be an interesting adventure location.
- Talar: A small town west of Brindol governed by a town council overseen by an adventurous young woman who only returned home because her father died. This town falls as the Red Hand army approaches Brindol. Not sure what, if any, adventures can be had here previously.
- Terrelton: A dusty town located east of Drellin's Ferry. Known for its tanneries and corrupt merchants council. A crusading cleric is trying to clean up the town. First town to fall after Drellin's Ferry. Plenty of opportunity for adventuring to be had here beforehand.
- Witchcross: A large village located north of Brindol. Town council makes no decisions without consulting the local druid circle. Could make for some interesting interactions.
If anyone has any good ideas for short adventures for PCs of levels 1-4 that I could set in any of the towns or villages of Elsir Vale, I'd appreciate your suggestions. Happy to consider adventures from any edition of D&D, including third party material.
One other bit of information: Brindol does have a mercenary guild of sorts, so one option could be to base the PCs in Brindol and have them work for the guild, which hires them out to go on various missions around the vale. By the time they reach 5th level, they'll have built up enough of a reputation that Brindol's lord can summon them and ask them to go investigate the goings on near Drellin's Ferry.
I also don't have to feature all of the named locations prior to RHoD. Even just a few would suffice, as many of them do feature in the main campaign, and there is some small scope for side quests even while the invasion is taking place.
Thanks in advance for reading this and doubly so for posting suggestions!
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