3.5E D&D - Adventure 11 - Sheeps Clothing c20031022
3.5E D&D - Adventure 11 - Sheeps Clothing c20031022
3.5E D&D - Adventure 11 - Sheeps Clothing c20031022
CLOTHING
A Short Adventure for Four
11th-Level Player Characters
CREDITS
Design:
Editing:
Typesetting:
Cartography:
Web Production:
Web Development:
Graphic Design:
Robert Wiese
Penny Williams
Nancy Walker
Rob Lazzaretti
Julia Martin
Mark A. Jindra
Sean Glenn, Cynthia Fliege
Sheeps Clothing is an adventure for four 11th-level characters (PCs), though it can be modified for higher- or
lower-level play if desired (see the Scaling the
Adventure sidebar).
You can incorporate this adventure into any
campaign where there is a court environmentbe it a
royal court, a ducal court, or even a merchant councils
court. The exact location is not relevant to the adventure, though there must be a manor house somewhere
near the place where court is held. Adapt the material as
you see fit to make it fit into your campaign.
In the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Setting, this
adventure works in almost any country. Cormyr and
Sembia are particularly good choices, but Mulhorand,
Thay, Amn, Silverymoon, and Westgate are also
possible. The scenario is not appropriate for places such
as the dwarven citadels of the North or for settlements
in the Vast, on the plains of the Shaar, or in the jungles
of Chult.
In the world of Greyhawk, this adventure works best
in the courts of countries outside the Free City of
Greyhawk itself. Nations such as Verbobonc, the
County or Duchy of Urnst, Nyrond, Keoland, and Ket
are good choices. The adventure is not appropriate for
Veluna, since a vampire there would be discovered too
quickly, or for the lands of Iuz, since there would be no
need for an evil creature to infiltrate the seat of government there. Nor is it feasible for Onnwall, unless your
PCs are in Scant interacting with the Scarlet
Brotherhood rulers on peaceful terms. The wilder areas
(such as Highfolk, the lands of the Tiger and Wolf
Nomads, the various barbarian states, the Theocracy of
the Pale, and the Bright Desert) are also inappropriate
settings.
PREPARATION
You (the DM) need the D&D core rulebooks, including the Players Handbook, the Dungeon Masters Guide,
and the Monster Manual. This adventure utilizes the
v.3.5 rules, but it can easily be used with the 3.0 rules
as well.
To get started, print out this adventure (including
the maps). Sheeps Clothing uses the Haunted House
map from the Map-a-Week web column
(http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mapofweek
/HauntedHouse.jpg). A copy of this map is included
with the adventure.
Read through the scenario at least once to familiarize
yourself with the situation, threats, and major NPCs
(particularly their motivations). In addition, be sure you
ADVENTURE
BACKGROUND
The court of a ruler attracts intrigue the same way it
attracts peasants looking for justice. Courtiers vie for position and favor with the ruler, and enemies plot to oust
favorites and install themselvesor at least someone
more friendly to their own interestsin their places. A
veneer of civility covers this chesslike game, masking its
harsh purpose and sometimes deadly import. Indeed, a
modicum of pleasantry is essential, since rapidly shifting
loyalties can turn enemies into allies and allies into
enemies in the span of an hour. Open hostility could
easily destroy any possibility of future alliances with
todays enemies, so it is always better to hedge ones bets.
It is said that the real rulers of a nation rule from
behind the throne. While this assertion may not be true
in all cases, it is certain that when a ruler is not strongwilled, some crafty advisor almost always makes the real
decisions. Such a courtier has infiltrated the court of
King Ceral, and he has begun taking steps to ensure
that he and he alone holds the true power.
Two years ago, a man calling himself Raidath
Veranan gained entry into the court of King Ceral.
Clearly seeking this sort of power, he immediately
sought to put himself in an advantageous position for
influencing the king. Because he was a vampire of some
power, Raidath could have brought Ceral under his
direct control with relative ease. But to keep his true
nature a secret, he needed to remain behind the
scenes and avoid too much scrutiny.
Raidath quickly learned the ways of the court and
the exact place (and amount of influence) that each of
the major courtiers held with the ruler. When he was
ready to make his move, he began using his dominate
power to bring key courtiers under his sway. Whenever
possible, he took care to exert his influence through
others, so that whatever he wanted to do appeared to be
someone elses idea.
ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
The player characters have recently gained the notice of
King Ceral, or someone important in his court. Thus,
they have access to the rarefied world of the kings court
on a limited basis. But unless they strive to be courtiers
themselves and have earned the right of entry through
title, birth, or deeds, they are not regular members of
the court. This situation makes them perfect choices as
disposable investigators.
While at court, they begin investigating the oddly
shifting opinions and the pattern of recent disappearances. After several unusual incidents, they are attacked
twice by werewolves. At least one of these two incidents can be linked to Raidath.
Once Raidath has been implicated, he lures the PCs
out to his estate, where he intends to dispose of them.
The characters must fight the vampire and his minions
on their own turf.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
As DM, you know best how to involve your players and
their characters in an adventure. You can use the
following adventure hooks to spur your imagination,
modifying them as necessary to make them appropriate
for the characters interests.
PART ONE:
INTRIGUE IN COURT
This portion of the adventure consists of several
freeform encounters. The first four of these (encounters AD) are events at court, which can be run in any
order. Feel free to supplement them with others of your
own design as needed and repeat particular events as
often as you wish. The next two encounters (F and G)
are attacks on the PCs that involve werewolves. These
may be run at times of your choosing and may be interspersed with the court events, but encounter E should
be run before encounter F.
A few clues as to Raidaths true nature are sprinkled through this section, but they could easily be
misinterpreted, causing the PCs to think he might be a
B. DEATH OF A BUREAUCRAT
One day, a mid-level minister named Minton Selbers
fails to report for work. The investigation into his disappearance leads to a wooded area just north of the capital
city, where the characters may discover his body
hidden in the underbrush (Search DC 20). The corpse
appears to have been clawed apart by some sort of
vicious animal, and its neck has been completely torn
away. The local constables proclaim it the work of
monsters and promptly drop the matter.
Development: Further investigation (Gather
Information DC 15) reveals that Selbers was at court
last evening, but no one saw him leave. The truth can be
any of the following scenarios; simply choose the one
you prefer based on how close a connection you wish to
establish to Raidath at this point.
A Servants Work: Raidath dominated a courtier
named Narden and ordered him to kill Selbers. He
further instructed Narden to tamper with the evidence
to ensure that someone (or something) else would be
blamed for the crime. Narden chose to use a metal claw
to inflict the apparent bite and claw wounds.
Monsters Indeed: Raidath dominated Selbers and took
him away to a private meeting when no one was watching. He and Klidd escorted the man to the wooded area,
then pushed him out of the coach. Raidaths other werewolf associates, who had been alerted by Klidd of the
victims arrival time, took over from there.
Vampire Snack: Raidath drew a dominated Selbers
into the woods with him and either performed the
killing himself or allowed his vampire spawn Varisha to
do it. The vampire then assumed wolf form and tore
away the victims neck to disguise the evidence of the
crime.
Raising Selbers from the dead or interrogating the
corpse reveals the true explanation if the PCs ask the
right questions. Otherwise, there are few clues to find
and no actual witnesses outside Raidaths manor house.
If the PCs have not properly treated the body to
prevent it, Selbers rises as a vampire 1d4 days later and
returns to his home, where he lived alone. The next
evening, he attempts to return to court, staying near the
door and just out of sight until someone who does not
know of his death invites him inside. Panic ensues
when the dead man reappears. Selbers may be able to
provide the PCs with additional information if they can
manage to question him before he is destroyed.
C. SURPRISING APPOINTMENT
The ruler makes a surprising appointment, advancing
Aveska Dormier (LN female aristocrat 3) into a position
on the advisory council that another courtier named
Hath Rento had had virtually locked up. Various
courtiers are upset by this event and begin to spread
stories about corruption.
Rento (LG male aristocrat 10/expert 5) was an opponent of Raidaths plans and proved unusually difficult
for him to dominate. Thus, Raidath arranged the
appointment of a young woman more likely to be
susceptible to his powers.
The new appointee is surprised because she had not
even applied for the position. A successful DC 15 Gather
Information check in the records office, however,
Development: Raidath does not act to eliminate Genna because their disputes have been too
obvious. The next day, however, the king announces
some new import fees on goods that are key to
Gennas business.
G. MOVING ON
Use this encounter sometime after encounter F. By
this time, it should have dawned on the PCs that
Raidath is far more than he seems, even if they do not
suspect that he is a vampire. But they have the power to
implicate him in suspicious activities, so he decides to
eliminate them.
The vampire orders one of his dominated slaves to
write the following message, and another to deliver it to
the PCs surreptitiously. Depending on which agent the
vampire selects, the characters could find the message on
one of their beds, or under one of their plates at dinner, or
in some other unusual place. The agent leaves the
message to be found rather than delivering it directly,
since the vampire does not want any more of his agents
interrogated.
The note reads as follows.
My Dear Friends,
It seems that you have discovered some information about me that
I am unwilling to have known publicly. I am interested in
discussing some arrangement that would benefit us both. You are
thus invited to my home whenever you choose to visit. Formal attire
would be appropriate, but I will understand if you feel the need to
bring your accoutrements of adventuring. Please inform my secretary when you wish to meet with me. Choosing not to do so could
be . . . well . . . unfortunate.
Discretion is more valuable than gold.
Warmest regards,
Raidath Veranan
Because the note is not actually in Raidaths handwriting, he can claim that it is a forgery if the PCs
take it to anyone else. In such a case, Raidath would
offer to ally with the PCs against a common enemy
and invite them to his house for a discussion of
strategy.
If the PCs decide to go to Raidaths estate, continue
with Part Two. If they refuse, repeat encounter F with a
new werewolf pack in whatever setting is appropriate
until the PCs realize that there is only one way to stop
the attacks.
PART TWO:
THE WOLFS DEN
This portion of the adventure is a site-based scenario
that utilizes the haunted house map. You might want to
sketch out the outlying portions of the estate for your
own reference, but such information is not important
to the flow of the adventure.
RAIDATHS ESTATE
Raidaths manor house stands on about 10 acres of
wooded property. A fence about 4 feet tall,
constructed in the split-rail style, marks the boundaries of the estate. Raidath does not want visitors, but
he wants the perimeter of his property to look like
that of any other noble estate. Thus, he has a fence
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MIST ROD
This 3-foot-long rod is made of silver chased with
jet. One end of the rod is drawn out to a point,
making it suitable as a decorative finial, though not
sharp enough for a weapon. When mounted
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tions like the spell of the same name (caster level 5th),
except that the creature can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect
maneuverability.
Outsider Traits: A mist mastiff cannot be raised,
reincarnated, or resurrected (though a limited wish, wish,
miracle, or true resurrection spell can restore life).
Darkvision 60 ft.
Shadow Blend (Su): In any condition of illumination other than full daylight, a mist mastiff can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment.
Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame
spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell does
negate this ability.
Tactics: Four of the mist mastiffs attack any intruders that enter the woods. Two of them become solid
about 50 feet away from the PCs and begin to growl in
order to draw the intruders attention. The other two
materialize at the end of the round in the midst of the
intruders and attack.
Development: If the characters defeat these four
mist mastiffs, the other four retreat. If the PCs reach the
house and exit without slaying Raidath, however, the
remaining mastiffs attack them as they cross through
the woods. If the characters kill Raidath, the mist
mastiffs do not bother them on the way out because
they have not received his signal to do so.
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CONTINUING THE
ADVENTURE
If the characters do not succeed in slaying Raidath, he
returns to the palace and sets other plans in motion to
eliminate them. He can easily become a recurring villain
for the campaign, and he can probably maintain his position at court for some time by dominating the right
people, even if his true nature becomes a matter of rumor.
Of course, other advisors in the court are interested in
what the PCs have learned and can take their own actions.
If Raidath is forced to flee, he will certainly return to
take vengeance. His werewolves and other minions
stage nighttime attacks on the PCs at their inn or lodgings the next night, and for several nights afterward.
If the PCs are very powerful, Raidath delays his retribution to seek additional allies, such as the werewolf
lords from Part One.
If the PCs do eliminate Raidath, grateful courtiers
reward them with additional work and positions of
power, assuming that you wish to take your campaign
in this direction.
APPENDIX: STATISTICS
FOR MAJOR NPCS
This section provides statistics for NPCs that the characters can meet in several places.
D Klidd Vorr (Human Form): Male human
werewolf monk 9; CR 11; Medium humanoid
(shapechanger); HD 9d8+18 plus 2d8+8; hp 76; Init +5;
Spd 60 ft.; AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 20; Base Atk +8;
Grp +14; Atk +10 melee (1d10+2, unarmed strike); Full
Atk +10/+5 melee (1d10+2, unarmed strike) or
+8/+8/+3 melee (1d10+2, unarmed strike with flurry of
blows); SA flurry of blows, ki strike (magic and lawful),
unarmed strike; SQ alternate form, damage reduction
5/silver, evasion, improved evasion, low-light vision,
purity of body, scent, slow fall 50 ft., still mind, wholeness of body 18, wolf empathy; AL CE; SV Fort +11, Ref
+10, Will +10; Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha
10. Height 5 ft. 9 in.; Weight 198 lb.
Skills and Feats: Balance +3, Hide +12, Jump +7,
Listen +11, Move Silently +12, Spot +11, Tumble +10;
Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Grapple, Improved
Initiative, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike,
Iron Will, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist,
Track, Weapon Focus (bite).
Flurry of Blows: Klidd may use the full attack
action to make one extra attack per round with an
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purity of body, scent, slow fall 50 ft., still mind, wholeness of body 18, wolf empathy; AL CE; SV Fort +13, Ref
+12, Will +10; Str 16, Dex 17, Con 19, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha
10. Height 5 ft. 9 in.; Weight 198 lb.
Skills and Feats: Balance +5, Hide +14, Jump +8,
Listen +11, Move Silently +14, Spot +11, Tumble +12;
Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Grapple, Improved
Initiative, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike,
Iron Will, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist,
Track, Weapon Focus (bite).
Flurry of Blows (Ex): Klidd may use the full
attack action to make one extra attack per round with
an claw or unarmed strike or a special monk weapon at
his highest base attack, but this attack and each other
attack made that round take a 2 penalty. This penalty
applies for 1 round, so it affects attacks of opportunity
he might make before his next action.
Ki Strike (Su): Klidds unarmed strike or claw
attack can deal damage to a creature with damage
reduction as if the blow were made with a magic and
lawful weapon.
Unarmed Strike: Klidd deals 1d10 points of
damage with his unarmed strike or claw.
Alternate Form (Su): Klidd can assume a human
form, a bipedal hybrid form, or the form of a wolf.
Evasion (Ex): If Klidd makes a successful Reflex
saving throw against an attack that normally deals half
damage on a successful save, he instead takes no
damage.
Improved Evasion (Ex): If Klidd makes a
successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that
normally deals half damage on a successful save, he
instead takes no damage. In addition, he takes only half
damage on a failed save.
Purity of Body (Ex): Klidd gains immunity to all
diseases except for magical diseases such as mummy rot
and lycanthropy.
Slow Fall (Ex): When within arms reach of a wall,
Klidd can use it to slow his descent while falling. He
takes damage as if the fall were 50 feet shorter than it
actually is.
Still Mind (Ex): Klidd gains a +2 bonus on saving
throws against spells and effects from the enchantment
school.
Wholeness of Body (Su): Klidd can cure up to
18 points of his own wounds each day, and he can
spread this healing out over several uses.
Wolf Empathy (Ex): Klidd can communicate
with wolves and dire wolves. He has a +4 racial bonus
on Charisma-based checks against wolves and dire
wolves.
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Familiar Benefits: Raidaths hairy spider familiar grants him Alertness when within 5 feet. Raidath
also gains the following benefits.
Empathic Link (Su): Raidath can communicate telepathically with his familiar at a distance of up to 1 mile.
He has the same connection to an item or a place that
the familiar does.
Share Spells: Raidath may have any spell he casts on
himself also affect his familiar if the latter is within 5
feet at the time. He may also cast a spell with a target of
You on his familiar.
Touch: Raidaths familiar can deliver touch spells
for him.
Fast Healing (Ex): Raidath heals 5 points of
damage each round so long as he has at least 1 hit point.
If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, he automatically
assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. He must
reach his coffin within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed.
(He can travel up to 9 miles in 2 hours.) Any additional
damage dealt to him when he is in gaseous form has no
effect. Once at rest in his coffin, he is helpless. He
regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then resumes healing at
the rate of 5 hit points per round.
Gaseous Form (Su): Raidath can assume gaseous
form as the spell of the same name, except that he can
remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20
feet with perfect maneuverability.
Spider Climb (Ex): Raidath can climb sheer
surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.
Turn Resistance (Ex): Raidath is treated as a 15HD undead for the purpose of turn, rebuke, command,
or bolster attempts.
Undead Traits: Raidath is immune to mindaffecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that
requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on
objects or is harmless. He is not subject to critical hits,
nonlethal damage, ability damage to his physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage. He cannot be
raised, and resurrection works only if he is willing.
Darkvision 60 ft.
Wizard Spells Prepared (4/5/5/5/4/2/1; save
DC 14 + spell level): 0detect magic, ghost sound, mage
hand, read magic; 1stcharm person, comprehend
languages, disguise self, shield, unseen servant; 2nddetect
thoughts (2), invisibility, see invisibility, touch of idiocy;
3rdclairaudience/clairvoyance, deep slumber, dispel magic,
silent stilled obscuring mist, suggestion; 4thconfusion,
detect scrying, fear, stoneskin; 5thcloudkill, feeblemind;
6thguards and wards.
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