A wizard and his followers have created an extremely powerful spell capable of warping small aspects of reality to their favor. However, a powerful holy order is staging an attack, believing the mages are violating the sacred laws of the gods themselves…
Background
In his small stone tower, the Mage Duke (name suggestion: Duke Prospero Crystalbeard) and his loyal followers have created a powerful ritual that will allow them to bend space and time, if only slightly. They plan to enact this ritual over the course of twenty-four hours, granting themselves incredible wealth and power.
Nearby, an order of paladins and clerics led by a Holy Warrior (name suggestion: Nera Sunstone) have pledged to attack and disrupt this ritual, believing that this ritual is an insult to the divine plan laid out by the gods themselves. They plan to attack in the midst of the ritual and subdue, or possibly kill, the wizards while they’re vulnerable.
Situation
How the party ends up at the tower depends on the specific encounter—likely they are hired by one of the groups. Regardless of their path there, the group finds themselves in the midst of a quarrel between mage and priest. The mages are in the midst of their ritual when the order bursts through the doors, demands they stop, and then moves in to attack when the mages refuse.
The foes listed represent the enemies that directly engage the party. The rest of the enemies will engage with nameless members of the other faction, and whichever direction the battle swings for the PCs is reflected in the rest of the battle.
The ritual is being conducted by the Mage Duke and six of his Wizard Devotees. The wizards must stay in the room to continue participating in the ritual, and must maintain concentration on it or that wizard is lost from the ritual. It takes at least two wizards to keep the ritual afloat—if the number of them concentrating drops below two, the ritual fails and ends.At the end of three rounds of combat, the ritual ends, resulting in whatever outcome is discussed in the encounter description.
Goals
Goals
There are two main parties interested in the ritual:
- The mages conducting the ritual
- The holy order trying to stop the ritual
Using These Encounters
What do your player characters want? What are their best and worst qualities? What goals are they pursuing? Read through a few of the examples below, then choose the encounter that best suits your situation.
- If you have player characters who are pious or helpful, or who like to defend the weak, run Encounter A. If, on the other hand, they are greedy or uncaring, run Encounter C.
- If you have player characters who want to gain political or social favor with a local faction, run Encounter C. If you have player characters who want to uphold certain vows, or to gain favor with their gods, run Encounter A.
- If you have player characters who are looking for allies against a powerful foe, run Encounter B.
- If the player characters are working to foil some kind of villainous plan, run Encounter A.
- If the player characters are just looking to make a quick buck, you have two choices: run Encounter B for a combat-based opportunity, or run Encounter C for a skill-based chance at playing both sides of an escalating conflict.
Encounter A
In this encounter, the ritual is a massive pact forged with devils and the holy order is attempting to stop a brewing disaster.
Setting up this Encounter
This encounter involves a ritual made to form a massive pact with multiple devils simultaneously. If you have player characters who are pious and helpful, or who like to defend the weak, then the wizards plan to sacrifice several innocents as part of the ritual. Three peasants are tied up and thrown in the center of the circle, and if the ritual is completed, they are immediately killed and their bodies are warped into bone devils. The ritual can occur without the peasants.
If you have player characters looking to uphold certain vows, or to gain favor with their gods, then the wizards are a devil-worshiping cult or organization, perhaps one the PCs have crossed paths with before. Many of them may be devils themselves, but at the very least, they all gain resistance to fire damage.If your players are looking to foil some kind of villainous plan, then this is a plot to bring an extremely powerful devil to the world. If the ritual is completed, it summons a pit fiend or similar threat who immediately attempts to beat the tar out of the party. If you want an extra challenge for your players, the ritual summons some extra infernal energy each round—1d4 bearded devils crawl through cracks in reality on Initiative Count 20 as long as the ritual is conducted.
Action!
The wizards have created an impenetrable dome through which no matter, person, weapon, or spell, can move (except by teleportation) under which they cast their ritual. The dome has 40 hit points, and outside of it are five bearded devils. The Mage Duke and 2 Wizard Devotees (instead of the usual 6) are present, but it only takes 1 to sustain the ritual, for as it progresses, only one needs to converse with the devil.
Resolving this Encounter
When this encounter finishes, your players who are pious and helpful, or who like to defend the weak, then any surviving peasants are freed and are extremely grateful. They group may be rewarded with anything the peasants have, and the holy order could provide gold and resources for their assistance. Hopefully, the group managed to heroically swoop in to rescue a few of the peasants.
If your players wanted to uphold certain vows or to gain favor with their gods, the party may gain a magic item that reflects that—a holy relic like a sun blade or even a holy avenger may be in order if your group is of a pretty high level. Alternatively, the party may acquire a dangerous item related to the devils that they can destroy on behalf of their gods.For players looking to foil some kind of villainous plan, then their opponent is thrown facefirst back into hell from whence they came, dealing a major blow to an antagonist. Any plan that could relate to hellish worlds could easily be incorporated here.
If your players wanted to uphold certain vows or to gain favor with their gods, the party may gain a magic item that reflects that—a holy relic like a sun blade or even a holy avenger may be in order if your group is of a pretty high level. Alternatively, the party may acquire a dangerous item related to the devils that they can destroy on behalf of their gods.For players looking to foil some kind of villainous plan, then their opponent is thrown facefirst back into hell from whence they came, dealing a major blow to an antagonist. Any plan that could relate to hellish worlds could easily be incorporated here.
Encounter B
In this encounter, the ritual is designed to sunder the tyrannical order’s power, prompting an attack from the worshippers of cruel gods.
Setting up this Encounter
This encounter involves defending the wizards from evil worshippers of cruel gods. The ritual is designed to sever their connection with their gods, stealing the divine connections of their less powerful members. If the ritual is completed, all but the Holy Zealot lose access to all magical traits. The attacking order is led by the Holy Zealot.
If there are players looking for allies against a powerful foe, the “holy order” is probably a faction they’ve had run-ins with before. The wizards are a natural ally against this threat, and they need little convincing for protection. If the party has had a run in with the group, any old enemies might resurface here.If the PCs are just looking to make a quick buck, then the wizards have hired the PCs on as defenders while they cast their ritual. The attackers wield gold weapons and armor worth four times as much as their normal counterparts, to represent the wealth of their gods.
Action!
The holy order charges in, immediately attempting to halt the ritual. The group consists of the Holy Zealot and 5 Righteous Warriors. They act as brutally as possible, brutally murdering the mages as best they can. Their first priority is to halt the ritual—they’re fully aware that if it’s carried out, most of them will lose their magic.
Resolving this Encounter
Player characters who wanted to look for allies against a powerful foe, any surviving wizards are extremely grateful and offer their help against any other factions of the holy order. They could provide potions, spell scrolls, or access to their libraries and knowledge.Player characters who are just looking to make a quick buck are rewarded with a healthy chunk of change and perhaps a magic item or two from their new business partners. The wizards could have more work for them as well—what self-respecting mage doesn’t need for a few dragon hearts?
Encounter C
In this encounter, the ritual is a massive temporal spell that will resurrect thousands from the dead. One could stand to gain or lose much from its casting.
Setting up this Encounter
This encounter involves a massive temporal warp, letting the players side with either faction and introducing some weird time bending. They may need to make a painstaking choice between loved ones being brought back or ancient enemies staying dead. The spell will bring back all dead beings within a hundred miles—many, many thousands of the dead could soon be living and breathing once more. If the PCs want the ritual to occur, consider adding more enemies—anyone who dies during the fight will be resurrected if the ritual succeeds.
If your player characters are greedy or uncaring, or if they’re just looking to make a quick buck, this is the perfect chance for them to take anything they want. They could use the ritual to seize the bounty on a noble’s head then avoid consequences when he turns back up alive, or resurrect old bounties to claim the rewards again.Otherwise, such as if the PCs gain political or social favor with a local faction, this offers the perfect opportunity to gain their goodwill. Guard the ritual to return a beloved member of theirs to life, or stop it to keep a hated enemy dead.
Action!
The temporal spell begins right as the holy order attacks. Its time-warping abilities mess with reality—for this encounter, Initiative proceeds from the lowest roll to highest.
If the party is trying to halt the ritual, the Mage Duke and 6 Wizard Devotees are conducting the ritual. If the party is trying to keep the ritual afloat, the holy order comes with the Holy Zealot and 5 Righteous Warriors.
Time folds in on itself and affects all combatants. Anyone who rolls a natural 20 on an attack roll, ability check or saving throw may choose to duck into the future, disappearing at the end of their turn and reappearing at the start of the next one anywhere in the fight.
Resolving this Encounter
For player characters who are greedy or uncaring, the ritual could wield great results or a terrible outcome depending on what dead people they know, and whether or not they wanted the ritual to happen or not. They could regain a dead ally, or they could prevent the return of a hated enemy.Parties who want to gain political or social favor with a local faction could certainly accomplish this if they succeeded in battle. With new allies, they could be supplied with equipment, information, and other resources.
