Dungeon Magazine 159 (OEF).pdf

CONTENTS

4 MENACE OF THE

ICY SPIRE

By Sean Molley

New to Loudwater, the heroes

learn of a tower locked in

ice in the nearby wilderness.

Traveling there, they discover

that the tower’s master left

many surprises behind for the

unwary. A FORGOTTEN REALMS ®

adventure for 1st-level PCs.

56 THE LOST MINE OF KARAK

By Greg Vaughan

ON THE COVER

Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

23 THE ZIGGURAT BEYOND TIME

By David Noonan

Rising from the surface of

a massive lake, an ancient

ziggurat travels through

time for purposes unknown.

It’s up to the characters to

enter this strange relic and

discover what dark threat

the structure poses. An

adventure for 21st-level PCs.

3 EDITORIAL

A Scales of War ™ Adventure Path

adventure. The PCs must travel to the

long-lost mine of the Karak family of

Overlook, in the hopes of securing a

steady supply of ore for the town’s needs

in this time of war. But once there,

they discover that another party has

also discovered the mine, with much

more nefarious purposes in mind. An

adventure for 6th-level PCs.

94 DUNGEONCRAFT

By James Wyatt

97 SAVE MY GAME

By Stephen Radney-MacFarland

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CO N T E N T S

The Heights of Villainy

EDITORIAL

159

DUNGEON

October 2008

Editor-in-Chief

Chris Youngs

After several weeks away from my regular DMing duties, I finally got a chance to jump back behind the

screen recently, and was immediately reminded why I enjoy D&D so much. I mean, the power, right?

Okay, I kid (mostly), but wow, did I have fun. I can partly attribute this to the break, and partly to the

ease with which 4th Edition games move, but whatever the cause, it was great to get back in the saddle.

Senior Art Director

Stacy Longstreet

Web Specialist

Chris Sims

Web Production

Bart Carroll, Steve Winter

At last week’s game, the characters had the opportunity

to fight one of the adventure’s main villains. He was really

tough, the fight was long, and by the end, the players hated

this guy. I started to ref lect on why the players responded

so viscerally to this villain. What about him got under

their skins? And I realized that, in this case, I’d used one

of my favorite villain tricks to make this particular bad

guy more hateful. Several times during the fight, I’d have

him pointedly call out one of the heroes on the battle-

field. I’d slip into first person mode—something I’m not

as prone to do when I’m playing, but much more likely to

do as a DM—and I’d point at a character’s player, and tell

them, “You’re next,” or something to that effect. Of course,

this was most effective when he’d just dropped someone,

which happened a few times. Calling the characters out

brought the energy up, made the fight memorable, and got

me thinking about other ways you can make a boss fight

the stuff of legend.

off a good, unsuspected betrayal, your players will never

forget that moment . . . or that villain.

Graphic Design

Shauna Wolf Narciso

Contributing Authors

Sean Molley, David Noonan,

Hit ’em Where it Hurts. Steve points out that the

Ravenloft ® setting had some of the best advice on

villains. Ever. “There’s a reason why the villain is called

‘master.’ He’s in charge. He’s calling the shots. He knows

about the heroes through his spies, informants, guards,

and scrying. He knows what they’re up to and is almost

always a step ahead of them. He doesn’t wait to be

attacked, he carries the fight to the enemy and hits them

when they’re weak. He doesn’t crush them with a single

blow but delivers ‘the death of a thousand cuts’ (because

making the players feel helpless and then prolonging

their agony is the best).” If every time the characters turn

around, a villain has taken something from them—an

NPC they cared about, captured a city they’d just left off

defending—when they finally get to face him, they won’t

be able to restrain themselves from bringing the hurt.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland,

Greg Vaughan, James Wyatt

Developers

Mike Mearls, Stephen Radney-

MacFarland, Peter Schaefer

Editors

Miranda Horner, Gary Sarli

Cover Artist

Wayne Reynolds

Contributing Artists

Rob Alexander, Ryan Barger,

Ben Wootten,

Cartographers

Kyle Hunter, Sean Macdonald,

Mike Schley

So I polled the D&D Insider staff and got several

great ideas:

Web Development

Mark A. Jindra

Evil is as Evil Does. Few things will get the heroes’

backs up like pure, unadulterated callousness. Steve and

Chris both pitched this idea, and I couldn’t agree more.

The simple coup de grace has served me well in the

past, and we all seem to agree that a villain who really

embraces his own vile nature is one the PCs will be

eager to face and destroy.

D&D Creative Manager

Christopher Perkins

Bring ’em Back Again. And Again. Bart points out that

bringing back a villain who was soundly trounced is great

for upping the hate. I couldn’t agree more. Like many

of the tricks in this list, you don’t want to overuse this

one. Save it for a villain who was already memorable for

another reason, though, and you’ll really get under your

players’ skins. If you do use this trick, do it with a fresh

spin. For example, make the death blow from the PCs’

first encounter a prominent scar. Or consider upping the

villain’s power level a second time around. If he was pretty

squishy in round 1, make him extra tough the second time

around, and give him a new power or two.

Executive Producer,

D&D Insider

Ken Troop

Director of RPG R&D

Bill Slavicsek

So next time you’re planning a villain for your next

campaign, or for your next Dungeon submission, keep so

me of these ideas in mind. And never be afraid to stare a

player in the eye and promise them that they’re next on

your list.

Special Thanks

Richard Baker, Greg Bilsland, Logan Bonner, Michele Carter,

Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, Jeremy

Crawford, Rob Heinsoo, Peter Lee, Julia Martin, Mike Mearls,

Kim Mohan, David Noonan, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Peter

Schaefer, Stephen Schubert, Chris Sims, Rodney Thompson,

Rob Watkins, James Wyatt

Et Tu? Betrayal is a common trope of D&D villains, and

one that can be overused. Chris Sims points out that if

you betray your PCs too often, they’ll come to suspect and

resent every NPC you send their way—however

innocent their intentions. Save your betrayals, he

advises, for a really devastating moment. And only use

the trick once or twice in a campaign. If you really pull

Menace of

the Icy Spire

“MENACE OF THE ICY SPIRE” is a DUNGEONS

& DRAGONS ® adventure for five characters of

2nd level. The adventure is set in the FORGOTTEN

REALMS ® setting near the town of Loudwater in the

Gray Vale. This adventure is designed to work well

with the sample adventures found in Chapter 1 of

the F ORGOTTEN R EALMS Campaign Guide . In particular,

this adventure makes an excellent sequel to Barrow

of the Ogre King , which introduces Loudwater and

the surrounding area along with several NPCs who

would make ideal patrons for sending the PCs on

this adventure. However, it is not necessary for the

characters to have visited Loudwater previously.

by Sean Molley

illustrations by Rob Alexander, Ben Wootten and Ron Lemen

cartography by Kyle Hunter

October 2008 | DUNGEON 159

Menace of

the Icy Spire

ber 2008 | DUNGEON 159

Menace of the Icy Spire

BACKGROUND

Feywild and his tower was sealed in a block of magic

ice as a warning to others. The fey set a powerful

gemstone holding a spirit of winter to act as the

keystone holding the icy barrier.

The ritual enacted by the fey was designed to have

a limited area of effect—Draigdurroch’s tower was

encased in ice, but the surrounding lands were not

supposed to be affected. Unfortunately, such a power-

ful spell cannot go unnoticed forever. Draigdurroch’s

tower contains several small rifts to the Elemental

Chaos that he had created as part of his arcane

research. Recently, a group of ice warriors discov-

ered one of these rifts when they were drawn by the

strength of the cold energy emanating from the gem-

stone. They have taken up residence in Draigdurroch’s

tower, finding it a most hospitable environment thanks

to the perpetual layer of ice. The warriors have begun

to modify the ritual that the fey created, increasing its

power and spreading the effects of the magical frost

over a larger area. If they are not stopped, a permanent

winter will come to the entire Gray Vale.

that the cold temperatures appear to be more pro-

nounced in the area of the Dire Wood. Rumors even

tell of blizzards in broad daylight! Some claim it is the

work of evil faeries, but the town’s leaders believe that

a more likely source of the problem is Draigdurroch

Tower. No one has seen or heard from Draigdurroch

in 30 years, and the tower’s cursed history is well

known. The PCs can find a reasonably detailed map

of the area and set out to investigate the tower.

The adventurers’ first challenge is the magically

altered weather. The ice warriors have manipulated

the magic of the fey gemstone and have created a

powerful snowstorm to shroud the area around the

tower. The PCs must overcome a skill challenge

to navigate the treacherous wintry hazards. Their

success or failure on this challenge determines

whether they are in a favorable position when they

are ambushed by goblins during a break in the

storm. These goblins have been frost-touched by

the corrupted fey magic, giving them some unusual

characteristics.

After defeating the frost goblins and overcoming

the storm, the PCs arrive at the tower, which is a

three-story structure carved with images of demons

and devils (in honor of Draigdurroch’s original infer-

nal pact). The cocoon of ice is still intact, so the PCs

need to find a way to break through before they can

enter the tower. When they do, however, they trigger

some of the tower’s original defenses, since some of

the carvings and statues animate and attack.

Inside the tower, the PCs discover that everything

is perfectly preserved, as if the warlock had just

stepped out an hour ago. Frost covers every surface,

but the furnishings and contents of the tower are

intact. The ice warriors attack from all sides in a

running battle that spans two f loors of the tower.

About 30 years ago, a dwarf warlock named Draig-

durroch came to the Gray Vale. Draigdurroch

was part of a cabal of warlocks, and his particular

research dealt with the creation of new types of

eldritch pacts. He believed that the Dire Wood

contained a particularly potent source of untapped

energy—the remains of a failed deity. Thousands of

years before the Spellplague, a Netherese city called

Karse stood in the area, and the demigod Karsus was

its patron. Karsus tried and failed to ascend to full

godhood, dying in the process, and his city (along

with the rest of the ancient Empire of Netheril) fell

not long thereafter. Draigdurroch’s research sug-

gested that the petrified remains of Karsus yet lie

beneath the forest’s heart. Draigdurroch hoped that

he could tap into the latent energy that Karsus had

accumulated and use it to power his new pact. The

dwarf warlock built a tower about a mile outside the

Dire Wood and began his experiments in earnest.

Draigdurroch’s hunch turned out to be correct.

A powerful nexus of magical energy is beneath the

heart of the Dire Wood. However, the fey spirits who

dwell within the Dire Wood have long been aware

of how dangerous the remnants of Karsus could be if

the demigod’s power fell into the wrong hands. They

have appointed themselves as guardians to ensure

that no one tampers with the failed deity’s resting

place. When Draigdurroch’s efforts began to bear

fruit and the dwarf warlock drew upon the latent

echoes of Karsus’s power to form a dark pact, the fey

approached him and warned him to cease his med-

dling. The warlock was confident in his powers and

ignored the warning. For his temerity, the fey pun-

ished him. Draigdurroch was imprisoned within the

ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS

This adventure occurs after Midsummer but before

the end of Highsun. Over the last several weeks,

temperatures in the Gray Vale have been dropping

to levels that would not normally occur until after

Highharvesttide. Things have not become too danger-

ous for travelers yet, but to all indications, winter is

coming several months early. If that occurs, the crops

will freeze and die before they are ready to be har-

vested, putting the entire area’s food supply at risk.

The PCs can find precious little information in

Loudwater. However, some local woodsfolk report

October 2008 | DUNGEON 159

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