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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 440577" data-attributes="member: 221">It’s all about the Mushrooms“It’s all about the mushrooms” is a 3E adventure for PCs of the 5th to 6th levels, though it can easily be adjusted for other levels, particularly the lower levels.  The adventure tests the PCs wits as much as their battle prowess and at the beginning of the adventure the DM needs to stress that the PCs are not allowed to wantonly kill their opponents.  The adventure is set in the Deepglade Woods, a small woods about 40 miles from a mountain range.  The DM should feel free to move it to any similar forest or woods in his campaign world.Background The Deepglade Woods enjoy a tremendous amount of magical protection for such a small forest.  Living within the woods are two powerful druids who, over the years, have worked to create a small sylvan wonderland.  These druids recognize decay as a part of nature but they prefer to keep decay to a minimum and maximize beauty and growth.  Within the woods are two small elven villages, many sprites, fairies and nymphs, several unicorns, and even a few treants.  All work together with the druids to make their home safe and beautiful.  It was not always thus however.  There was a time when the two druids, one a dryad and the other a human male, despite their mutual goals, worked against each other and the forest suffered.  Their conflict of interest was of a most unusual nature.  They were fighting over mushrooms.  The dryad’s tree is located at the edge of a clearing in which particularly rare and tasty mushrooms grow.  The dryad, named Autumn Hue, as a youth had developed a taste for these mushrooms.  Every year she harvested them and made mushroom pies, mushroom casseroles and mushroom salads upon which she would feast.  The human druid, Wimbles Oakarm, had wandered into the forest as a young man and had fallen in love with Hue.  As Wimbles himself was an attractive man, Autumn found his attentions desirable.  The romance was for a time very passionate and it was Wimbles who trained Autumn as a druid.  During this time, Wimbles built a house for himself across the clearing from Autumn’s tree.  Wimbles also liked mushrooms, but the trouble did not start until he discovered that the mushrooms in the clearing could be used to brew a potion of longevity.  A single dose of this potion would restore 1-4 years of a man’s life.  However, a single dose required the entire harvest for a year.  Autumn, who dearly loved her mushroom casseroles, mushroom pies and mushroom salads was horrified.  The fighting over how to best use the mushrooms grew fierce.Finally, the two were so mad at each other that they found themselves unable to cooperate effectively to aid the forest around them.  Evil creatures were taking advantage of the distraction and were moving into parts of the woods.  They had to decide, which was more important, their mushrooms or their home?  Being generally wise individuals, they realized that their conflict of interests could best be solved with third parties.  They developed a contest in which each side would hire adventurers and send them on an errand.  The first team to complete the errand would win and the sponsor of that team would get the mushrooms that year.    This has been going on for a long time now (thanks to the potions of longevity which Wimbles shares with Autumn when he is the winning party) and the two druids have managed to settle their differences and turn their forest into a virtual wonderland of nature.  This year the PCs will have the chance to compete in the competitionHooksThere are a number of ways for either Wimbles or Autumn to acquire the PCs as their team.  1) A local village is well aware of the competition and in fact each year, the two druids advertise the competition. Locally, it is something of a festive time and any adventurers in the area will be told about it and encouraged to apply as a team in the competition.2) A previous employer could recommend the PCs to Wimbles or Autumn and they will personally contact the PCs and offer them the Pipe of Fog” if they successfully compete.3) Alternately, the PCs, after doing some service for the woods, is asked to participate as a team.4) A merchant hears of the pipe of fog and pays the PCs to attempt to acquire it.  This could either be done be enrolling in the competition or by trying to be a “third” team.  Of course the two druids will be pretty upset by anyone who upsets their competition  and thereby throws the whole mushroom issue into doubt. 5) Wimbles occassionally sells his Potions of Longevity and the PCs are commissioned quite heavily to obtain one.  Wimbles agrees to sell them the potion if they win the contest for him.   The Rules of the Game    For a prize this year, Wimbles has created a Pipe of Fog.  He hand-carved and personally enchanted this item.  It is a long stemmed, intricate pipe, that when lit and smoked creates a constant obscuring mist around the smoker.  The winning team gets to keep the item for their troubles.    The pipe has been placed in an island in the middle of a vast underground lake.  In order for a team to win, they must retrieve the pipe from the lake and successfully return it to Wimbles and Autumn.  Along the way, the teams must face three challenges and each other as well.  However, though the two teams are allowed to attempt to hinder the other team in any fashion and may even attempt to steal the item once it has been obtained, they are absolutely forbidden to kill or bodily injure any opposing team member or any animal.  Doing so causes that team to automatically forfeit the competition.  They are also forbidden from stealing the two items necessary for their opponents to competeThe two druids keep a close eye on things through the use of a dove whom Wimbles has awakened.  This dove, which has a few levels of ranger, both tracks the teams, answers/arbitrates rules questions if necessary, and makes daily reports to the druids.  Interfering with the dove’s work is also against the rules.  The dove is simply named Dove.The courseThe competition is fairly straightforward.  Both teams start out in the Deepglade Woods.  They must locate a family of wolves just north of the woods and manage to retrieve a key from the wolf lair (without injuring any of the wolves of course).  There are two keys in the lair, but each team is only allowed to take one.From the wolf lair, they must travel towards the mountains.  About fifteen miles from the wolf lair is a tribe of ogres.  The teams are allowed to kill the ogres, but it is not necessary to the completion of the competition.  What is necessary is that the teams acquire one of the two maps in the possession of the ogre chieftain.  This can be done through stealth, force or even through outright negotiation and purchasing the map.  Using the maps, the teams must discover the entrance to a series of caverns.  These caverns lead down to a vast underground lake.  The lake is about a quarter of a mile in diameter and there is a small island in the middle of the lake.  Sitting on the island is a locked safe.  The key from the wolf lair unlocks the safe.  The PCs must figure out a way to transverse the lake to get the pipe out.  Having done that, assuming they beat the other team, they must then make it back to the woods without losing the pipe. The complicationsIf everything went smoothly, it wouldn’t be as much fun.  There are a number of variables the DM can feel free to throw into the competition.  Some suggestions are as follows though the DM may desire to throw in additional encounters (particularly within the caverns)1) There is a “third team.”  They are trying to acquire the pipe for a merchant who will pay handsomely for it. (This is assuming the PCs are a legitimate team).  This “third team” has nothing preventing it from killing the PCs (but the rules do not forbid the PCs killing them either.)2) The PCs stumble into a swarm of giant bees.  The rules of the contest prevent them from killing the bees.  They must figure out another means of escape.3) A troll starts tracking the PCs and attacks them on their way to the mountains.  The dove spots the troll and warns the PCs, who must then decide whether to prepare an ambush or press on and risk being attacked unexpectedly.  4) A dire boar is lairing in the mouth of the caves and must somehow be got around without violence.5) A young blue dragon has recently taken up residence in the lake the PCs are supposed to navigate.  This could be quite a surprise to the PCs and if the DM uses a dragon there, he might consider allowing the other team to cooperate with the PCs to kill the dragon (which is allowable under the rules). The other teamThe DM can comprise the other team any way he desires, but the following is suggested.  It should have one cleric who makes good use of Hold Person spells and a wizard who knows the Sleep and Charm spells (and if possible dispel magic).  A ranger with good animal abilities would also be a plus and finally a rogue or a rogue/fighter.  The other team should be of approximately equal level to the PCs.  In dealing with the wolves, they will attempt to lure the wolves out of their hole with food and then put them to sleep, allowing their rogue to slip in and get the key.  They will first attempt to negotiate with the ogres and if that does not work, they will attempt stealth.  To cross the lake, their cleric will employ water-walk.  If they can, they will foil the PCs with dispel magics and sleep spells.      If the PCs get the pipe first, they will attempt to steal the pipe after using a sleep and  hold person.  The NPC wizard might even try to use charm person on one of the PCs if he gets a chance.  It is a two day journey from the caves to Deepglade Woods, so the losing party has plenty of time to try something.CompletionThe first team to get the pipe back wins.  If this is the PC team then they are lauded with praise and awarded the pipe.  If the NPCs win, the PCs are thanked but that is all their reward.  Either way, the elven villages throw great parties at the end of the contests and the PCs are invited to join in.  If they won they are, of course, the guests of honor.</blockquote>

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