All quests are designed for parties of 4 heroes. Encounters will reference set pieces in the surrounding area (platforms, alters, trees etc.) but feel free to incorporate or reimagine parts of the map and story. 1 Chapter = 1 Encounter. Most encounters takes place in a 30 sq foot area unless stated. Writers notes to the DM will be italicised, not to be read to the group. Recommended use of graph paper. It makes each encounter easier to track i.e movement, enemies, damage, and you can write notes etc. Consult the D&D Player’s Handbook & Monster Manual for rules/stats. Use your imagination, be creative, and have fun.
Introduction
Our heroes arrive at the edge of an enchanted forest. It’s 4pm on a cold September eve. It’s still bright, with clear skies. An old dusty trail with scattered cobbled stones through a clearing in the forest. The trees stand tall, green and thick, brambles and bushels lay around the bases of the thick tree line. Fable has it that an ancient elf civilization was once present deep in the woods, governed by princess Ylyana. After her races’ destruction, through her own greed, the forest was abandoned, feared cursed. The once magnificent structures of elvish architecture now left in ruin. Only traditional gnomish races inhabit the skirts of the forest.
You’re brought to the forest after hearing that a mysterious figure, rumoured to be Ylyana’s personal servant afflicted by some curse, has been responsible for a spree of murders in the forest. Learned by way of posters in local towns, the promise of gold and exotic trinkets by concerned gnomes has brought you down the path to the forest.
Chapter 1
An Ancient Forest
You arrive at an open area right at the edge of the forest. A small platform stands in front of you. It has a large tree growing on top. An old wooden sign on the platform, like a placard, informs you that this was once a great tree with life-giving qualities to the surrounding flora and fauna. You notice the tree is dark, thicker than surrounding trees and has no leaves on it. Certainly different from the rest of the trees in the area. You feel an evil presence.
What do you do?
Inspect tree (D10 — Intelligence): Pass: You recognise the tree as a ‘Gulthias’ tree and can’t help but feel that you are being watched. Fail: Immediately grabbed by ‘Blights’.
Inspect area (D15 — Perception): Pass: You spot rumbling in the bushes just behind you, prepare for battle, unsurprised. Fail: Ambushed by ‘Blights’, surprised.
Move around platform: Immediately grabbed by ‘Vine Blights’ camouflaged on platform against ‘Gulthias’ tree.
Burn tree: Avoid conflict and pass to next chapter.
Enemies: 3x ‘vine blights’ on platform (camouflaged). 4x ‘blights’ waiting in ambush in surrounding bushes.
Chapter 2
The Path
You come to a fork in the road with two separate paths leading deeper into the forest. A shadowy figure in long robes stands behind a table at the fork. On the table, two jars. One jar contains a floating blue wisp. The other, a red wisp. “Greetings”, says the shadowy figure, in an old, raspy voice. “Want to play a little game?” he asks. The entire scenario seems suspicious, but you wonder what might happen if you decline to play, perhaps it’s a trap, so you agree to play along. “Choose a wisp to guide you down a path”.
What do you do?
Choose Red Wisp: Follow ‘Red Path’
Choose Blue Wisp: Follow ‘Blue Path’
Attack shadowy figure: Shadowy figure grabs a jar, snaps his fingers and disappears in a puff of magic. Choose a jar for the questers.
Make quest harder for those who are impatient enough to attack the shadowy figure. Make them realise that they can’t just go hacking and slashing through everything.
‘Red Path’
After trudging through the forested red path, dark and damp with very little sunlight, you eventually come to an opening allowing you to see the sky, it’s getting darker. A small but steep hillock lies in front of you. On top of which is a statue of a Treant in a painful pose. It looks like a sculpture, but in too much of an unnatural pose to have been carved.
At the base of the hillock is a small rocky den, slimy and dank, the air coming from within is warm. Large enough to be a creature’s abode, but you can’t see too far into the den.
What do you do?
Inspect Treant (D10 — Wisdom): Pass: On closer inspection, you realise the Treant is Petrified. Fail: Balilisk emerges from the den (questers surprised).
Inspect Den (D15 — Perception): Pass: Detect Basilisk in the Den (gain advantage). Fail: Basilisk emerges from Den (1x free attack on the quester who inspected).
Inspect Area (D10 — Perception): Pass: Find an explorer’s corpse lying against a tree, parchment in satchel, warning “don’t look in its eyes’. Prepare to fight. Fail: Basilisk emerges from its den, ready to fight.
If questers walk passed the den and choose not to get involved then this is ok too. But make sure to reward the party for inspecting and wanting to know more.
‘Blue Path’
After clambering through the thick forested trail, you arrive at a large opening. As there are no longer trees overhead, you notice that it’s almost sundown. You can spot the trail continuing off in the distance. As you look across the opening, you spot a number of carcasses. The land is baron, almost desert-like.
There is no way around, you realise that you must pass by the rotting corpses to the other side. While walking you notice the ground is made up of soft dirt. Something’s not right.
Game:
You will need grid paper. Draw a 12 wide x 5 high grid. Players each roll a D12 in order to cross the board. Starting from the bottom, for each result they get on the D12, move them to that corresponding grid on the first row.
Starting from the bottom, players each move up the grid until they reach the top i.e cleared the 5th row.
Eg. Rolling a 6 will land them on the 6th tile on the 1st row on the 12 wide grid. Then rolling a 10 the next turn will land them on the 10th tile of the 2nd row.
Create booby-traps by marking several spots on your grid. If a player rolls that spot, they will trigger 3x Ankheg to appear and that player will be surprised.
All players must cross in order to be safe. Or eliminate all of the Ankheg.
Don’t forget at this stage of the journey to reward the players some loot and experience from fallen enemies.
Chapter 3
A Royal Duty
After continuing the trail through the forest for about an hour, you arrive at what looks like a circus. Tents being rolled up, stagecoaches being packed, and cages of animals and beasts. In all of the hustle you notice a lizardman, in robes that resemble a jesters attire, wrestling with some Cockitrice in harnesses.
He approaches you, and says in a hissing, weasely voice, “At long last, where have you been?”. Clearly mistaking you for someone else, but continues to gesture you to follow him. “We need to get you in the saddles before the race begins”, he says. Clearly unaware of who you are, but doesn’t seem to care when you explained that he must be mistaken.
Reluctantly, you hop on the back of the Cockatrice. You’re heard about Cockitrice racing before but have never tried, so “why not”, you think. “Don’t worry, they don’t bite… All the time” he laughs as he straps you into the harness.
You’re being escorted down a path when you start to hear cheering. You then see a large wooden arena and the cheering is getting louder. You go through the prep area backstage, still on Cockitrice-back. So many people running around, with stable-hands, blacksmiths and others hustling.
You are brought to the start line. The crowd cheers and jeers at your arrival. You see the seating area of what must be a king or some other royalty. “Remember, the prince doesn’t like to lose”, the Lizardman whispers. As you look across at your rival racer and notice a knight in armour as black as the night itself on a bird much larger than yours, draped in blue and white frills.
“Racers, to your mark”, shouts the announcer.
Race:
Each player takes turn to roll at D20. The first to 100 wins the race. DM plays as the ‘Black Knight’.
For every 10 points, get a D4 power-up. Powers;
1 — Boost (+4)(D6)
2 — Smokescreen (-4)(D6)
3 — Supercharge (+6)(D10)
4 — ‘Dual’
‘Dual’ Rules: That player rolls off, head to head, against the DM (D10). If DM wins the roll (highest result), nullify all player rolls that turn. If player wins, keep all player rolls.
Race Rules: If ‘Black Knight’ places anywhere but first. Fight him and 5 Cockitrice in the arena in front of the royal family. If ‘Black Knight’ wins the race, progress straight to village.
Chapter 4
Village in distress
After the race, you’re shown the direction to the village deep in the forest by one of the royal advisors to uncover the mystery of the recent murders there. It’s sundown and at the peak of darkness. You’re greeted by the mayor of the small tribal town by torchlight. A gnome-like creature wearing a lavish garb. He is accompanied by many servants.
He celebrates your arrival, saying that they have not have too many visiters in this deep part of the forest, especially since the recent attacks. He invites you to join a ceremony of celebration, hailing you as the heroes who have come to the help their village.
You tell him that you should get on with solving the murders as quick as possible. He agrees, saying it’s best to hunt the beast at night when it’s awake and in true-form. But he insists that the ceremony will do good for the village moral and will only be short, it’s tradition after all.
After the ceremony, you retire to the Inn. The mayor leads you to the most grand room in the Inn, stating “you can prepare yourself here”.
Players can take a short rest
Option 1: If you fought Black Knight after race, skip option 2.
Option 2: if you didn’t fight Black Knight after race, you hear screams from your room from villagers in the town square. You rush outside to find a pack of 4 Knolls and their pack leader ravaging the town. Prepare to fight!
After the ceremony, the mayor thanks you profusely and endows your party with silvered weapons from their royal armoury. He instructs his closest aid to show you to the royal garden. He explains that the beast responsible for the murders lays there.
Chapter 5
The Maze
The Mayor’s aid guides you down an old unkempt path by lantern. You come to the gates of the garden, it’s a hedge maze. The silence is unnatural. The trees sway and leaves blow in the wind intermittently. The hedge wall is about 20ft. tall with thick fog billowing from within. A vivid moon lights the area.
You turn to ask the aid about the maze but he has already taken off running back down the old path back toward the village.
You walk passed the rusted gates and into the maze. As you enter, the gate slams shut behind you, cold and unmovable. Someone knows you’re here.
Maze:
The idea of the hedge maze is to reveal that the shadowy figure with the wisp at the fork in the road is in fact the Werewolf disguised. If anyone tries to fly over the maze or spoil the fun of the maze, don’t let them. Create you’re own maze with traps, triggers, cages, dens. Whatever you like. Make it seem as though the robed figure is a prisoner in the maze.
You come to a prison cell with a robed figure lying frail on the ground. You need to hit the switch to open the gate.
Split entire party to explore the maze and discover the switch before sending them back to the prison together. When they get back to the prison, he is missing. Reveal him behind the party or hide him for them to find.
He says, “Come this way to the exit”.
What do you do;
Go with him: he mutates into Werewolf and gets advantage on attacks. Prepare to Fight!
Attack him: Prepare to Fight!
Recognise Him (D10 — Intelligence): Pass: Gain advantage on attacks. Fail: Prepare to Fight!
After slaying the beast you return to the village, the werewolf’s severed paw in hand as proof of the deed. The Mayor thanks you and offers to host a ceremony to celebrate the newfound peace you have brought through slaughtering the beast.
You respectfully decline, thinking, ‘One ceremony is enough for one adventure’.
Your party walks off toward the edge of the forest, the dawn-light in front of them, in search of the closest inn and the smoothest mead.
This ends the ‘Wolf & The Wisp’ quest. Congratulate the party, offer them rewards as you see fit, and tally experience points. Open up the table for discussion and talk about the quest with everyone.
