Skip to main content

Halcyon Gander Encounter




The Red Pear Tree.


The encounter below is written as the seventh floor of a dungeon within a towering, direfly infested tree bearing vile, red fruit the size of boulders. This is written as a Waning Princes scenario. This is written as a hard to dangerous encounter for level 10-11 player characters.


 Encounter


A thick layer of dust covers the contents of this room. Just a few feet from a wooden staircase leading down lays a pristine corpse of an Animus Artisan. The dead fey is missing its iron arm and weapons. A mummified hand grips the artisan’s throat and wears a golden ring etched with eight skulls. From the coloration of the fey’s face and its bulging eyes, it’s clear the mummified hand strangled the artisan. Six massive, mechanical ganders crafted from brass and bronze sit equidistant from one another along the wall. Underneath each goose is a ruddy-stained basket. Likewise, there are old patches of crusty red goo here and there across the floor. The breast of one of the automatons is open, the plate laying off to the side and complex flywheels, gears and pistons exposed. A bag of tinkerer tools sits nearby.


In the center of the room is an ornate, metal spiral staircase leading to the level above that does have footprints in the dust that lead back to staircase going down.



Halcyon Gander Device.


Each halcyon gander has a chance to process 100 gallons of raw blood honey into a golden egg worth 100 gold. However, when not properly run or if there is a glitch it will produce a Honeycombed Horror instead and damage the machine. Assessing the function of a halcyon gander requires a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check, if a character’s check is 20 or higher they also realize a monster is spat out when the machine doesn’t run properly. Once a halcyon gander is filled it can be run with a DC 20 Intelligence (tinker tool) check. On success a 100-gold piece egg is produced after 24 hours. However, on failure a honeycomb horror is immediately produced in the basket and is hostile to all other creatures.


Finishing the repairs on the damaged Halcyon Gander requires a DC 20 Intelligence (tinker tool) check.


Trap:


Force-Ring Hand.


Removing the hand activates a necromantic trap on it. The hand will float in the same square as the character that removed it who is now cursed. Whenever the cursed creature attacks another creature the hand lashes out at the end of the cursed character's turns. The hand attacks a random creature within 30ft with the Eldritch Blast spell. The hand has a +6 to hit with this spell attack and inflicts damage as if it was same character level as the cursed character it is attached to. Once activated the hand can only be destroyed by casting remove curse on the cursed character it is attached to.


Treasure:


Potentially the party has access to geese who lay golden eggs. Likewise, they may be able to sell each halcyon gander to a collector or even its parts by a good chunk of coin. Of course, if the party peddles monster making machines it will likely come back to haunt them.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Knave of Knights

Bound to the Cavalcade of the King of Fools , this fallen angels wears a mockup of platemail armor crafted from bright pressed velvet and knitted wool but his weapons are nevertheless quite real. Said weapons are a whip crafted from liars's tongues and a lance of hell iron he wields as if it was made from driftwood. The stub of burnt wings jut from his back with multi-colored streamers dangling from the charred bones. The Knave of Knights fell in with the Cavalcade when he vowed to defend a rightful king's right to rule, only to find out that the sire he fell in with was a bastard usurper who had successfully taken his brother's place. Cursed and broken mentally by the deception, he was easily felled by the King of Fools and given a new place at the archdevil's side serving as his jester and favored knight all wrapped into one. Knave of Knights Medium Fiend (devil), lawful evil Armor Class 18 (natural armor) Hit Points ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Black Lady

The Black Lady claims to be the The King of Fools' concubine and takes pride in the title despite how other devils look down on her and the rest of the cavalcade for it. She adores the 'silly' archdevil to no end and works tirelessly to ensure that the devils beneath him show the properly courtly respect that her lord is due... if he is around. Otherwise, she focuses more on vicious gossip, violent fetes, and malicious matchmaking. Pitch black in skin with burning red eyes, the Black Lady's legs end in smolding pig hooves while long, curled horns poke from her ebony coiffure. She wears a variety of overy fancy dresses that are always stripped, monochrome, and risque. One accessory she is never without is an enchanted fan made from burnt angel feathers. This fan is as sharp as any demon's claws and will always return to her hand. The Black Lady Medium Fiend (devil), lawful evil Armor Class 22 (natural armor) Hit Points...
Post a Comment
Read more

Piecemeal

Eveyrone should be free to live as they want and die as terribly as they can. This is the creed that the strange collection of bodyparts known as Piecemeal holds. Originally, it was a trio of kobolds who attempted a 'ritual' of their own design meant to grant immortality. Instead, it tore the three creatures into pieces that forgot how to die. The mass went quite mad and seeks to free other body parts from the 'bondage' of well, being part of a body. Travelling as three kobolds in a trenchcoat, Piecemeal wages a brutal war against 'slave owners' (IE anything with a body) and adds new parts to its collectiona as needed to keep the revolution going. Over time little of the kobolds remain, but it still rambles about in a trenchcoat spouting its made philosophy. Piecemeal Medium swarm of tiny undead creatures, chaotic neutral Armor Class 11 136 (16d8 + 64) Speed 30 ft Climb 20 ft ...
Post a Comment
Read more