Town in Peril...

[theodinheadbasher]

I'm running a campain right now where the PC's are searching for an ancient artifact(Delzoun's Fist). They are currently at 10th level, and I am trying to figure out stuff to delay them actually finding the Fist. They have saved this one town, Serpent's Cowl, at least two times before, once from a raging animal trainer, and the most recent time from a castle of Cloud Giants.

Now I'm trying to get them to about level 12 before they move on to the next part of their quest for the Fist, but I dont really know what to throw them up against. Now, I'm a big CRPG player, and have just finished Icewind Dale, so I got to thinking. Well, you have to save a town in need there, and they have saved this town twice before, so why not use the same motif with Serpent's Cowl?

Problem is, I don't know what the town needs saving from.

The town itself is a medium sized town, actually inside of a smallish forest, and right beside the High Moor(it is an FR campain), and not too far from Baldur's Gate or the Greypeak Mountains. They recently were raided by cloud giants, but the PC's took care of them, but there was talk from the cloud giants of a coming war with the surrounding area.
They are currently trying to root out this Thayvian Lich and his entourage from an ancient tomb/burial ground located in the forest.

Any suggestions on what poor poor serpent's cowl should be beset by next?

Note: 2nd edition campain in Forgotten Realms

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Ettercaps or something poisonous.

Sooner or later one of the PCs will fail a save and turn all green. As a DM, watching the PCs turn green and slowly wither away just never gets old!

 

[BiggusGeekus]

PS

Another thing to toss at them is trolls with the fiend template. They're fun. The template covers the troll weaknesses so the party has to do massive ammounts of damage. Plus, they fly.

 

[theodinheadbasher]

Ettercaps or something poisonous.

Sooner or later one of the PCs will fail a save and turn all green. As a DM, watching the PCs turn green and slowly wither away just never gets old!

Ettercaps? Their 10th level and ettercaps have all of 4HD. Ya, eventually one of them would fail their save, but two of them are dwarves, and one of them is a cleric, so there goes the poison right there.

Another thing to toss at them is trolls with the fiend template. They're fun. The template covers the troll weaknesses so the party has to do massive ammounts of damage. Plus, they fly.

Note: 2nd edition campain in Forgotten Realms

Fiend Template? Note the note at the bottom, stating 2nd edition campain?

 

[Turanil]

They recently were raided by cloud giants, but the PC's took care of them, but there was talk from the cloud giants of a coming war with the surrounding area.

I would use that plot. So there is continuity in the story. So the war is coming to the town. Add a twist with those former giants; either:

1) Army is huge, almost invincible, and those cloud giants were allied to it. However, waiting for the giants to come (and they never will come) the army loses time that can be used for city defense. Plus, when the army eventually learns that the cloud giants were killed by the PCs, they are demoralized. It gives a serious advantage to the PCs, otherwise the army would have had the potential to raze the town.

2) Army was to be confronted by the former cloud giants. However, since the giants are dead, the army quickly reaches the town. But now, the PCs having killed the giants, they have a slim chance to actually convince the army that they are allied to it, and thus not attack the town.

 

[Turanil]

Another thing to toss at them is trolls with the fiend template. They're fun. The template covers the troll weaknesses so the party has to do massive ammounts of damage. Plus, they fly.

COOL!! I will try to remember them for some future adventure!

Back to topic: army should be of hobgoblins, bugbears, and what not. Creatures in themselves are weak, but there are hundreds or thousands of them.

 

[Arnwyn]

Any suggestions on what poor poor serpent's cowl should be beset by next?

I think that yuan-ti would be the obvious choice, IMO.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Ettercaps? Their 10th level and ettercaps have all of 4HD. Ya, eventually one of them would fail their save, but two of them are dwarves, and one of them is a cleric, so there goes the poison right there.

Clerics will run out of spells, but I get your point. They wouldn't be failing enough to make much of a difference. Still, it's an idea. It will reward the player for having taken dwarf as a race and let the player use the ability he has.

arnwyn suggeted Yuan-Ti. That might suit you better.

Fiend Template? Note the note at the bottom, stating 2nd edition campain?

Yeah, I missed that. Well, you could just jigger up a new monster based on that as a concept. Or...

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/links/

There are forums here dedicated to 2e. A very strong community. Sadly, it's been years since I played 2e and I no longer have my books.

Happy gaming!

 

[theodinheadbasher]

Bigus, thanks fer the wicked link, and thanks everyone fer the awesome ideas. This should get me through till they finally head on towards the next piece of the fist. All i needed was a start, and you guys helped out tons. thanks

 

[LeapingShark]

After a raging animal trainer and cloud giants, I would go with a new angle instead of direct combat. Perhaps a few townspeople start shedding their skin, signaling the outbreak of a scary disease. Is it just a natural disease? Or a magical side effect of some local alchemist's experiments? Or was the outbreak a evil terrorist act by agents of the lich? The PCs must investigate, and stop an epidemic.