Holiday Home Game of IRON DM

[seasong]

Usually, mmadsen starts this up, but I'm impatient .

Ground Rules:
0. Check out the Holiday IRON DM thread for the basics.

1. There are no time limits in the Home Game, unless two participants agree to one.

2. I shall critique every entry I can. I am harsh but fair, and unless this thread becomes astoundingly popular, it is unlikely that I will be overwhelmed - I read fast, I write fast, I bleed red ink like a river. Others are encouraged to critique as well, as the goal here is to sharpen our skills.

3. You may choose any ingredient list that has already been "used up". Do not use an ingredient list that is currently being competed with in the Iron DM competition. Once the competitors have finished their scenarios, you're good to go. For a helpful reference, I have compiled all of the lists I know of below.

Have at!

Note: I will be posting my own here as well. If anyone is willing to critique it for me, I'd be most appreciative.

Nemmerle's June 2002 IRON DM

Sample Ingredients List
Carnival
Manticore
Crystal Hypnosis Ball
Stirges
Con Games
Giant Snakes

1st Ingredients List
Bones
Earth Elemental
Ghouls
Magic Key
Kuo-toa
Holy Ground

2nd Ingredients List
Paladin's holy mount
Gargantuan fire beetle
Crippled rogue
Flooded mine
Diary
Intelligent Greatsword

3rd Ingredients List
Amnesia
Island Fortress
Evil Monks
Eggs
Hangman Tree
Cursed Spear, Back-biter

4th Ingredients List
Sundial
Were-bear
Drider
Ring of Elemental Command
Triptych
Butler

5th Ingredients List
Beggars
Corrupt Fire Priest
Defiled Graves
Penitent Undead
Sacred Plants
Tainted Blood

6th Ingredients List
Oval Door
Permanent Image
Quicklings
Female Hill Giant
Staff of Thunder & Lightning
False Beard Made from Dwarf Hair

7th Ingredients List
Tea Party
Opium
Talking Mouse
Murlynd's Spoon
Pixies
Dire Bear

incognito's October 2002 IRON DM
1st Ingredients List
Mountains
Unable to be flanked
Teleport
Ravid
Cold Slaves
Ghost touched spiked gauntlet

2nd Ingredients List
Mushrooms
Dryad
Hand carved pipe
Underground lake
a conflict of interest
Awakened dove - with levels of Ranger

3rd Ingredients List
Wraith w/levels of Bard
Magic ring of irony
A large city
Tasty pudding
The Tree of Knowledge
Barbarian rage

4th Ingredients List
Fine sand
Shadow Dragon or Shadow Dagon
A dead God
Unusual coins
Githzerai Monk
Maintaining balance

5th Ingredients List
Throne of human fat
Rousing music
Fragile mechanical clock
Salamander couriers
Betrayal
1/2 Fiend Xorn

6th Ingredients List
Water table
Gibbous moon
A noble sacrifice
Autumn
Elite kobold knights
Medallion of thoughts

7th Ingredients List
Miniature keep
Potion of Glibness
Champion ogre fighters
Nostalgia
Tome of Hushed Rumors
Mindless Tentacle

8th Ingredients List
Military coup
Priest's sister
Animated violin
Death Slaad
Level playing field
Brilliant energy falcion
(and optional ingredients for bonus points/penalties)
Spell Mastery
Omlette
Worried gnomes
Misleading Map
Quench
Analogy

nemmerle's December 2002 tournament

1st Ingredient List
Wedding gift
Evil grandmother
River Spirit
Lonely Treant
Clock Tower
Ring of Sustenance

2nd Ingredient List
Awakened Rabbit
Rod of Wonder
Briar Patch
Half-Fiend Children
Ankhegs
Barrel of Mead

3rd Ingredient List (TOURNAMENT NOT FINISHED - DO NOT USE)
Angry Halflings
Kazoos
Cavalry
Wishing Well
Hat of Disguise
Hydra

4th Ingredient List (TOURNAMENT NOT FINISHED - DO NOT USE)
Dwarven Bandits
Women’s Clothing
Scroll of Miracle
Simulacrum
Naga
Ancient Monk

OTHERS

HellHound's Ingredient List
Gnome Barbarians
Telekinesis
Seven Flowers
Dire Template
Ancient Crypt
Mercy of the SlaveMaster

Creamsteak's Ingredient List
Action: Lock-picking
Item: A normal samurai sword
Creature: A single hamster
Place: Graveyard
Random: Sacred Tortoise
Random: Grandfather

evileeyore's Ingredients List
Angry Mob
Costume Jewelry
Alchemist’s Fire
Silver Dragon
Foppish Vampire Bard
Apparatus of Kwalish

Hypersmurf's Ingredients List
Nystul's Undetectable Aura
Windmill
Sovereign Glue
Gelatinous Cube
Pathological Liar
Thunderstorm

Pielorinho's Logo Ingredient's List
Rod of Seven Parts
Walrus tusk
Mime
Bugbear wererat
Torn tapestry
Dire Flaming Flail Snail

 

[seasong]

Edit: I had an example scenario here from the last Iron DM I competed in, but since I went ahead and posted a new scenario for the home game, I deleted this one as redundant.

 

[Mirth]

Nice clean & organized listing of ingredients and links, seasong

 

[seasong]

Thanks! If nothing else, this thread may make a good reference for future Iron DM competitions .

And like I said in the other one, find someone to go up against, and I'll do you a set of new ingredients, 24 limit, critique smackdown, the whole nine yards. No one deserves the pain of Waiting List twice in a row.

 

[Mirth]

No one deserves the pain of Waiting List twice in a row.

Tell me about it. Would you mind posting this over in the game thread?

 

[seasong]

Done.

 

[seasong]

Eh, okay, fine, I'll just amuse myself then!

Ingredients
Carnival
Manticore
Crystal Hypnosis Ball
Stirges
Con Games
Giant Snakes

Dark Feast (level 6-8)

Summary: A plague of stirges afflicts a town, a carnival rolls in to offer solace. Problem is, the carnival is robbing those who seek escape in its distractions, the stirges are getting worse, and who is eating the peasants? This scenario can go a number of ways: the PCs may end up fighting the hidden mistress of the carnival, working with the hidden mistress to combat the stirges, or getting fleeced within a drop of their lives by a lantern oil con.

A Plague of Stirges

Once every generation or so, the wilderness stirge population in the nearby swampy, cave-filled hills rises abruptly, and the filthy little beasts plague the town. The town usually just waits it out, but this year is particularly bad, and they don't seem to be going away.

The townsfolk have developed a choking powder which, when mixed with lantern oil, produces a smoke that keeps the stirges away, but it's not a perfect solution.

A Carnival In Town!

A travelling carnival calling itself Muhamara's Enchanting Troupe has rolled into town, just as a plague of stirges has swung into full strength. Offering comfort and escape in a time of troubles, the carnival has gone into full swing despite the bloodthirsty little bastards, and although no one has ever seen the elusive Muhamara, the word is that she's a sweet and kindly soul, offering solace to the soul while the world goes to hell.

Muhamara's Enchanting Troupe

Muhamara is a sleek, femminine manticore who has survived to old age, a rare feat for such a beast, and consequently gained far more intelligence and wisdom than might ordinarily be expected. Muhamara has INT 13 (avg), WIS 18 (avg), CHR 18 (+3), and 6 levels of Rogue (the reason she survived), but has grown physically weak and unsteady (STR 14, DEX 9, CON 13).

Some five decades ago, Muhamara encountered a wandering troupe of pickpockets, burglars and con artists posing as a small, tatty carnival. They were in the wilderness, resting up after a very long chase out of a kingdom, and the (somewhat younger) manticore was inspired to a new way of life.

Taking over was rather simple, and since then, she has shaped the ragtag band of sad acts into a properly spicy carnival, with a general focus on mesmerism and mind tricks. She has acquired two items, in particular, which have served the carnival well in its focus: a crystal hypnosis ball and a dwarf illusionist/8 (Shawn Colin) of uncanny artistry and nonexistent morals.

The crystal ball is used (carefully) to persuade people that they have seen some delightful event in their future, and to instill a suggestion of buying a number of cheap, useless trinkets while at the carnival. Shawn Colin provides most of the carnival's glamour, in return for a sizable portion of the "crowd take" (of the pickpockets). When not doing that, Shawn also runs a fortune-telling service that has a reputation for being more "real" than the carnival's Mystical Crystal Seer (he does use divinations, but primarily, he seeks to gather data about anyone in town that Muhamara should be worried about).

One other item is two twin Huge, Awakened constrictors with 3 levels of sorceror (which they claim as part of their dragon heritage). The two serpents speak in unison and slither in unison, but constantly watch in different directions. Their spell lists both focus on the enchantment/charm school, and they are the most impressive con artists in the carnival.

Muhamara uses the carnival to travel reasonably incognito, posing as one of the side shows, and eating the occasional peasant unfortunate enough to be out after hours while the carnival is in the area. Shawn warns her about probable adventurers (gleaned from his fortune telling), and she will avoid these if possible.

Tactics of the Manticore

Muhamara has had to fight on a few occasions, and has worked up some methods of handling it. If she is completely prepared, she has Shawn provide a number of illusions to cloak her and alter the appearance of her tent rooms, then attacks spell casters from hiding with tail spikes (don't forget backstab bonuses), before attempting to invisibly assault the warriors.

Whether prepared or not, the constrictor twins are almost always with her in a fight, alternately Charming and bedazzling opponents.

Shawn will do what he can to buff his side, remaining invisible himself. He's no warrior, and if somehow revealed, will most likely simply flee.

Hooks

The PCs just have to be in the general area when the plague of stirges begins. The townsfolk have lantern oil that will keep the stirges at bay. However, the oil is limited in supply, and so during one of these plagues the town effectively shuts down to the outside world - people remain in their homes when they can, or run, lantern in hand, through the streets when they need something. There is not enough oil to get to the next town.

The PCs are stuck, as travelling a few miles through the occasional swarm of stirges is not likely to end well.

Once that's established:

Hook #1: The carnival has tons of anti-stirge oil lamps, and they're working well. The PCs may want to arrange to acquire enough oil to get them out of town, and the circus will happily sell it to them... of course, the refills are just ordinary cheap oil, sold at a premium price, and will put the PCs in a real, ah, sucky situation. If the PCs return, of course, the seller will be horrified at the error, and will arrange for them to meet the carnival mistress to "make everything right".

Hook #2: Muhamara has been going a bit hungry for more than a month now, due to some unfortunate placement of towns and lack of good prospects. Desperate, she stalked and killed two peasants, gorging herself and failing to clean up well afterward. She regrets the actions, but at the time, she simply wasn't herself. The PCs could be hired to investigate, or one of the murdered peasants could be someone they've met and have some fondness for.

Hook #3: The stirges have developed some tolerance for the oil, and have begun to attack people (including some carnival performers). Muhamara, informed by Shawn about the adventurers, arranges a meeting with them to combat the stirge threat. Against a common threat, after all, even a manticore can work with PCs.

Hook #4: The PCs do themselves in... they have some other quest, and they seek out Shawn for his "more real divinations", and he decides to use them for his own purposes. Perhaps he wants the carnival for himself, and has teamed up with the snake twins to get Muhamara killed. Perhaps he just wants out of his contract with Muhamara. Regardless, he sets them up.

Hook #5: The PCs, hailed as famous adventurers (or perhaps secretly set up by Shawn with the local leadership), are asked to take care of the stirge problem. When their initial foray results in a vengeul swarm hitting the town and almost ignoring the lamps, switch to Hook #3.

 

[seasong]

Ingredients
Bones
Earth Elemental
Ghouls
Magic Key
Kuo-toa
Holy Ground

This one was beaten near to death in the original Home Game, but I thought there might still be some life in this old horse, so I kicked it one more time...

You know. Just to be sure.

Dem Bones (an epic scenario)

Note: This needs to be fleshed a bit to fit into any given campaign setting, but should work well enough as is.

Summary: A kuo-toa plot to destroy a LG priest elemental uses the PCs as their pawn. The first quest: acquire the heartstone of Jademantle the earth elemental to destroy a necromantic gate. The second quest: now that the first quest gave the heartstone to the kuo-toa, stop the damage done by their possession of it.

Jademantle

Jademantle is simultaneously the name of a lighthouse shrine, the cave-riddled cliffs on which the lighthouse stands, and the unusual earth elemental for which both are named.

The earth elemental, an elder entity of huge proportions (standing nearly 40 feet high when she is leaves her earthly rest), is a 25th level priestess of the daylight gods. She is so named for the rich green texture of her body's granite deposits (there is no actual jade), and the surrounding area has slowly shifted to be similar. A selfless entity, Jademantle has devoted herself to the oversight of this section of coast, and has many projects in that regard.

The tower is a shrine to the daylight gods, and functions as a lighthouse in addition. The top of the tower glows like a tiny sun, and provides perpetual daylight for miles, acting as a hallow for the entire jademantle cliffs, and part of the sea.

Despite her power, Jademantle prefers non-powerful solutions to most problems. She resurrects only when it is truly needed, avoids magically manipulating the sea or weather for safe passage, and prefers diplomacy over combat. It is frustrating to those who would prefer that she use her vast powers on their behalf, but is largely in line with the plans of the gods.

The Kuo-Toa

This happy little paradise is not to everyone's taste. The caverns riddling the cliffs extend deep into the underdark, and into the salty seawater itself. Here a city of kuo-toa once dwelt, until the coming of Jademantle some centuries ago destroyed their dark temples, drove them from their homes, and sent them deeper into the black depths of the sea. Not to mention the perpetual daylight that now stretches for miles along what used to be one of the choicest shores to attack the land dwellers from.

They want it back. All of it. And recently, they acquired the means to do so.

Jademantle is a powerful priest, and a powerful elemental, but she is now omnipotent, and she has weaknesses. One of them is her heartstone, which she brought into the Prime Material to make it her home. Most elementals of a certain power level have something of the sort, but it is usually on their home plane, and nearly impossible to find. Jademantle brought hers to the physical plane, which made it more vulnerable and more findable... but also makes the Prime Material her "home plane" for all practical purposes (she can not be banished to Earth).

Jademantle's heartstone looks like a four-foot long key made of green quartzite and granite, and is safely buried beneath the tower, where evil would have an extremely difficult time getting ahold of it. So the kuo-toa have come up with a slightly offbeat plan.

Gate of Bones

For centuries before the coming of Jademantle, the city of kuo-toa (then known as Slevkratoa) had crushed generations of slaves beneath its heel in the construction of a massive necromantic gate. When a slave died, their flesh was dissolved and the bones added to the gate by the rest.

It was to be a necromantic artifact beyond any other.

They never finished it, and so it has languished for lack of a few thousand more skeletal corpses, and the hallowing effect of the shrines aboveground. Still, it has some power, and the kuo-toa have begun to work upon it again.

A few minor changes to the enchantments were needed, however. A bone lock has been added, one which will destroy the gate utterly, should Jademantle's heartstone be fit into it and turned... and the heartstone will be teleported to a secret location, where it will be used to command Jademantle. The loss of the gate is tragic, true, but it is necessary that any and all attempts to analyze the situation will indicate that the heart key will destroy it.

In the meantime, even in its weak state, the gate has been set about to mass producing a ghoul army of incredible proportions. Ghouls begin rising across the country side, for hundreds of miles. And when they die, the negative energies seek out new corpses.

Even epic level characters will not be able to directly fight the hordes - they are too widespread, too many, and are adding corpses with each passing day. Divinations must be made (and here the GM must be crafty and subtle), and they will indicate that the ghouls are being caused by the gate, and that Jademantle's heartstone will destroy it.

The kuo-toa's gods will naturally be obscuring the rest of the story.

Acts & Consequences

Jademantle will happily provide trusted, good heroes with the temporary possession of her heartstone for this purpose. And it will all work as expected, except...

Upon the disappearance of the heartstone, shortly thereafter, Jademantle will seemingly go berserk. She will destroy the lighthouse, and break the hallow, and then go on a rampage, destroying all that she values.

From here, the PCs may choose to stop her (dealing the deathblow to one of the most stalwart and selfless of people, but stopping her rampage) or they may investigate more deeply with divinations and track down the kuo-toa plot (which would include a big fight with a city full of kuo-toa and their high-level uberheroes). In either case, the final power structure of the area will depend upon the PCs choices here, and if the DM needs a good archvillain, a surviving band of kuo-toa could make for a cunning adversary.

 

[seasong]

Like I said, I'm amusing myself. Right now it amuses me to do real fast scenarios in mere hours, using the ingredients from Iron DMs past. Anyone wants to critique 'em, I'm all ears.

It also amuses me to critique. Post a scenario, and I'll give my fair judgement and pointers.

 

[Quickbeam]

I've read your Dark Feast scenario, and it's quite good. I promise to post a fitting Iron DM critique (or my version thereof) before this time tomorrow. If I get ahead of my hefty workload, I may even do the same for Dem Bones also .

And as I stated in the Iron DM thread -- I like what you're doin' here!