Chaos Scar - [Lvl 1] - Chance Encounter.pdf - Przygody - IlMOD

ACHANCEENCOUNTER

A Chaos Scar Adventure

By Robert J. Schwalb

Illustrations by Jorge Lacera

Cartography by Jason A. Engle

“A Chance Encounter” is a single combat encounter for a group of ive 1st-level charac-

ters set in the Chaos Scar. The adventurers ind a wagon sinking into a hole despite the

best eforts by the struggling horse pulling it. Yellow-robed attendants ight to pull the

wagon free, but the wagon’s slide and the horse’s screams suggest their eforts are futile.

Should the PCs lend a hand, however, they ind their good intentions met with cold

steel, bitter curses, and a wild three-way ight.

If you’re not playing a Chaos Scar campaign, you can still use this adventure by

integrating it into any existing campaign on a road through a remote wilderness area.

For details on the Chaos Scar and its environs, read the Chaos Scar introduction

and check out the map of the entire valley.

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CHAOSSCAR:

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BACKGROUND

THE GLASS CUBE

The glass cube is behind Pung’s madness, for it

imprisons an otherworldly entity known as a fell taint.

The creature wants to be freed and has been working

on its prison for years until now; the slightest jostle

will break it. Once a resident in the Chaos Scar, lurk-

ing with several others of its kind (see “The Tainted

Spiral” in Dungeon #173), the fell taint was captured

by a curious mage passing nearby, imprisoned, and

studied. The mage learned all he could, however, and

sold the box as a curio as a (admittedly cruel) joke.

The monster was able to exert some inf luence from

its prison, however, and has gradually passed through

many hands, each urging the bearer to bring the box

back to the Chaos Scar. Now, nearly free from its

prison, it is almost home.

PCs might leave some or all of the loot behind. Should

this be the case, add the missing value to the treasure

they find when they next gain a parcel.

CONCLUSION

Once Pung and the other creatures are defeated, the

PCs are free to go about their business. However, you

might expand this encounter into a full adventure.

The ant tunnels might lead to the hive, wherein the

PCs can fight giant ants to their hearts’ content. Or,

they might access one of the many dungeons littering

the valley.

There’s also the matter of the glass cube. Who sold

the cube to Pung and why? Where did it come from?

Is there some conspiracy behind its sale or is it just

some strange trinket recovered from the Scar?

In a village not far from the Chaos Scar, a simple

trader named Pung made a poor investment. A curi-

ous glass box came into his possession by way of a

grubby adventurer. It was curious, but a crude piece

compared to the jewels and other items the seller

offered. With the adventurer a few gold pieces richer,

Pung went about his business, the box nearly forgot-

ten. But that night, unsettling images plagued his

dreams, and they continued each night thereafter,

growing more disturbing, until his fraying sanity

unraveled altogether. Each dream was unique, but

each featured one common element: the strange glass

box he’d purchased.

A god was speaking to him, Pung was certain. And

it was speaking to him through the cube. So Pung shut

the doors to his general store, sold all of his posses-

sions except for the glass box and a few yellow robes,

and set out to make a new life for himself as a prog-

nosticator—there was no doubt the visions portended

the future. His predictions grew stranger and more

sinister until his fellow visitors urged him to find some

other home—at the point of pitchfork and with f lames

from their torches licking the back of his wagon.

Pung and the few unstable fellows who saw

something special in him abandoned civilization for

the wonders of the Chaos Scar, for the prophet was

convince the god in his dreams slumbered some-

where in the valley. A tragic development, however,

has derailed his plans, for his wagon has fallen afoul

of a pit. If he and his fellows don’t act quickly, his

wagon, his horse, his possessions, and his dreams will

disappear.

GETTINGTHE

CHARACTERS INVOLVED

You can use this encounter at any point while the

adventurers explore the lands just outside the valley

proper. The heroes might stumble on the wagon while

heading to a dungeon or on their way out, returning

from a successful mission. You can use the following

text to draw the PCs into the encounter.

A horse’s shrill scream splits the air, followed by panicked

shouting and the sound of splintering wood. You think it

came from just behind the trees ahead.

TREASURE PREPARATION

“A Chance Encounter” rewards a party with parcel 8

(see “Treasure Parcels” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide ).

Since the 120 gp worth of treasure is composed of a

riding horse, wagon, and sack filled with silver, the

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SINKINGFORTUNES

Pung (P) Level 2 Artillery (Leader)

Medium natural humanoid, human

4 Pung’s Believers (B)

Level 1 Minion Brute

XP 125

Medium natural humanoid, human

XP 25 each

Initiative +1 Senses Perception +0

Ecstatic Fury aura 3; any ally that starts its turn in the aura

slides 1 square and gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls until

the start of its next turn.

HP 31; Bloodied 15; see also wild swing

AC 13; Fortitude 14, Reflex 13, Will 16

Speed 6

m Flail (standard; at-will) F Weapon

+7 vs. AC; 1d10 + 1 damage.

r Bitter Epithets (standard; at-will) F Fear, Psychic

Ranged 10; +7 vs. Will; 1d6 + 3 psychic damage, and the

target takes 3 extra psychic damage if it ends its next turn

closer to the mad prophet than where he began.

R Perilous Order (standard; at-will)

Ranged 5; targets one ally; the target makes a charge

attack and deals 3 extra damage.

C Incite Bloodlust (standard; encounter)

Close burst 5; targets allies; the target makes a melee basic

attack and deals 3 extra damage on hit (6 extra damage

against prone targets).

C Wild Swing (standard; requires flail; recharges when first

bloodied) F Weapon

Close burst 1; targets 1d4 random creatures in the burst;

+5 vs. AC; 1d10 + 1 damage, and the target is knocked

prone.

M Rise Fool! (minor; recharge ⚃ ⚄ ⚅ ) F Healing

Targets one dead ally; the target regains 1 hit point and

stands up as a free action.

Alignment Unaligned Languages Common

Skills Endurance +7, Intimidate +9

Str 12 (+2)

Initiative +1 Senses Perception - 1

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.

AC 13; Fortitude 15, Reflex 13, Will 12

Speed 6

m Kukri (standard; at-will) F Weapon

+4 vs. AC; 5 damage.

C Pung! (when a Pung’s believer drops to 0 hit points)

Close burst 5; target’s Pung; Pung shifts 1 square toward

the minion and rolls to recharge rise fool!

Alignment Unaligned

encounter Level 1 (600 XP)

SETUP

Pung (P)

4 Pung’s believers (B)

1 hive soldier (S)

5 hive workers (A)

1 fell taint lasher (F)

Languages Common

Str 16 (+3)

Dex 12 (+1) Wis 8 ( - 1)

Pung led his companions off the trail and into an

open field. He didn’t have the prophetic ability to note

the ant tunnels riddling the earth beneath the grassy

terrain. When his wagon rolled overtop a tunnel, the

rear wheels dropped through the thin earth into the

tunnel just below.

Pung stands on top of the wagon. His believers

work to pull the wagon free from the hole. Don’t place

the giant ants or the fell taint yet (see Tactics, below).

Con 14 (+2)

Int 8 ( - 1)

Cha 10 (+0)

Equipment yellow robes, kukri

Hive Soldier (S) Level 3 Soldier

Medium natural beast XP 150

Initiative +6 Senses Perception +0; low-light vision,

tremorsense 10

HP 46; Bloodied 23; see also death convulsion

AC 18; Fortitude 16, Reflex 15, Will 12

Speed 6, climb 6

m Grasping Mandibles (standard; usable only while the hive

soldier does not have a creature grabbed; at-will)

+10 vs. AC; 1d8 + 3 damage, and the target is grabbed.

M Acid Sting (standard; at-will) F Acid

Targets a creature grabbed by the hive soldier; +10 vs. AC;

1d6 + 3 acid damage, and ongoing 5 acid damage

(save ends).

C Death Convulsions (when the hive soldier drops to

0 hit points)

Close burst 1; targets enemies; +8 vs. Reflex; the target is

knocked prone.

Hive Soldier Frenzy (when any giant ant within 10 squares of

the hive soldier drops to 0 hit points; at-will)

The soldier gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls until the end

of its next turn.

Alignment Unaligned

When the PCs come upon the scene, read:

Through the trees, you spot a wagon sinking into the

ground. The horse tied to the wagon screams and thrashes

as it is pulled back to the hole. Several men and women

dressed in yellow robes and matching round, brimless

hats run about in panic. Climbing on top of the wagon

and helping the situation not at all is a wild-eyed lunatic

wielding a length of chain with a chunk of stone at the end.

He looks around, spots you, and screams, “I have foreseen

this! A trap! Kill them! Kill them all!”

Dex 10 (+1) Wis 8 (+0)

Con 13 (+2)

Int 8 (+0)

Cha 16 (+4)

Equipment robes, flail

Languages ¾

Str 17 (+4)

Dex 15 (+3) Wis 9 (+0)

Con 14 (+3)

Int 2 ( - 3)

Cha 4 ( - 2)

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Fell Taint Lasher (F)

Level 1 Soldier

5 Hive Workers (A) Level 1 Minion Skirmisher

Medium natural beast XP 25 each

Initiative +0 Senses Perception - 1; low-light vision,

tremorsense 10

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.

AC 15; Fortitude 13, Reflex 13, Will 10

Speed 6, climb 6, burrow 2 (tunneling)

m Bite ( standard; at-will)

+6 vs. AC; 4 damage.

Hive Worker Frenzy (free, when any giant ant within 10

squares of the hive soldier is reduced to 0 hit points; at-will)

The hive worker shifts 2 squares.

Alignment Unaligned Languages ¾

Str 17 (+3) Dex 15 (+2) Wis 9 ( - 1)

Con 14 (+2)

Small aberrant magical beast

XP 100

Initiative +3

Senses Perception +8

HP 20; Bloodied 10

AC 15; Fortitude 12, Reflex 12, Will 14

Resist insubstantial; Vulnerable 5 psychic

Speed 1, fly 6 (hover)

m Tendril Caress (standard; at-will) F Psychic

+5 vs. Reflex; 1d6 + 4 psychic damage.

M Tendrils of Stasis (standard; at-will) F Psychic

+5 vs. Will; 1d4 + 4 psychic damage, and the target

is immobilized until the end of the fell taint lasher’s

next turn.

Fell Taint Feeding (standard; at-will) F Healing

Targets a helpless or unconscious creature; the fell taint

lasher loses insubstantial and its fly speed until the end of

its next turn, and it makes a coup de grace against

the target. If the lasher kills the target, it regains all of its

hit points.

Flowing Tendrils (free, when the fell taint lasher makes an

opportunity attack; at-will)

The lasher shifts 1 square.

Alignment Unaligned

Int 2 ( - 4)

Cha 4 ( - 3)

Languages ¾

giant Ants: The hive soldier and hive workers join

the fight starting at the beginning of round 2. The hive

soldier comes out first, entering an unoccupied square

adjacent to the wagon. Each round thereafter, add one

hive worker until you account for all five of them. The

hive soldier uses grasping mandibles against the closest

creature it can reach, targeting a PC before a believer

or Pung. The soldier focuses its attacks against a single

target at a time using acid sting when possible. The

hive workers attack the closest enemy they can reach.

Whenever a hive worker starts its turn adjacent to a

dead or unconscious creature, it uses a minor action to

pick up the creature and then moves to the hole with

its meal in tow. All ants fight to the death.

Fell Taint: The fell taint only joins the combat

when the glass cube shatters or when the wagon falls

in the hole (thus shattering the cube). It appears in

an unoccupied square adjacent to wherever it was

released. The fell taint attacks the closest creature,

giving preference to Pung. It never attacks the ants.

Start with tendrils of stasis to keep an opponent pinned

down and then follow up with tendril caress until it

can use its fell taint feeding power.

Str 11 (+0)

Dex 12 (+1) Wis 16 (+3)

Con 13 (+1)

Int 4 ( - 3)

Cha 10 (+0)

TACTICS

The encounter is composed of three groups of ene-

mies: Pung and his believers, the giant ants, and the

fell taint. Each group regards the other as an enemy.

Pung’s group: Pung holds his position atop the

wagon until he falls off (see Wagon, below). He uses

perilous order to hurl his allies against the PCs, while

peppering the adventurers with bitter epithets. Once his

minions are engaged, Pung uses incite bloodlust . Pung

can restore dead minions to life with rise fool! When a

believer is slain, don’t remove its miniature from the

battlefield until Pung himself is dead. Pung fights to

the death. When he drops, his surviving minions f lee.

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and 100 hit points. Entering the wagon’s space costs

2 extra squares of movement. Each square in the

wagon’s space counts as difficult terrain.

A creature can climb inside the wagon’s enclosed

interior by entering the wagon’s space and succeed-

ing on a DC 5 Acrobatics check. Each round after the

first, the DC increases by 5.

At the end of each round, the wagon shifts in the

hole, forcing each creature on the wagon to make a

DC 10 Acrobatics check. A failure means the creature

falls prone in the wagon’s square, while a failure by 5

or more means the creature falls prone in an unoccu-

pied square adjacent to the wagon.

Ant Tunnel: Below the wagon is a 2-square wide

tunnel that extends away from the hole in the direc-

tion of the Chaos Scar, and also a short way off to the

east. The tunnel is tall enough to allow a Medium

creature to stand. Climbing out from the tunnel

requires a DC 10 Athletics check (DC 5 if the wagon

has fallen).

Treasure: The characters can calm and claim the

horse with a DC 5 Nature check. It is a riding horse

worth 75 gp. The wagon is worth another 20 gp.

Inside the wagon is a modest leather sack containing

250 sp. A DC 20 Arcana check made on the remains

of the glass cube reveal it is the product of a Binding

ritual. Success by 5 or more also reveals that when

broken, the creature it contained was freed.

About the Author

Robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game designer

whose more recent work can be found in Martial Power ™ 2,

Draconomicon: ™ Metallic Dragons , and Primal Power ™. Robert

lives in Tennessee.

FEATURES OF THE AREA

Panicked Horse (H): On the fourth round during

initiative count 10, the horse slips and falls, pulled

after the wagon into the hole. It and the wagon take

20 damage.

Adjacent characters can prevent this by succeed-

ing on three checks using the Acrobatics, Diplomacy,

Insight, or Nature skills (DC 10). Each time a charac-

ter fails a check, the horse makes a kick attack as an

opportunity action: +4 vs. AC; 1d6 + 4 damage. If the

characters make three successful checks before the

start of the fourth round, the horse is loosed from the

wagon, which falls into the pit alone, automatically

killing any hive workers still in the tunnel below.

Once freed, the horse runs off to the battlefield’s edge.

Wagon (W): The wagon is a Large vehicle with

an enclosed bed. It has AC 3, Fortitude 10, Ref lex 3,

Janua r y 2010 | Dungeon 174

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