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A blog where I write about various RPG games and settings that I'll probably never get to play.

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Showing posts with label Chaos Scar. Show all posts
▼ 2016 (5)
Wednesday, July 15, 2015 ▼ May (5)
Stânfolde Part 5 - Miscellaneous
The Chaos Scar - Final Thoughts Stânfolde Part 4 - Guilds
Stânfolde Part 3 - Classes
Size and Setting
The map of the Chaos Scar doesn't come with a scale and even the details in the adventures tend Stânfolde Part 2 - Races
to give conflicting information about the size of the Scar. On top of that is the placement of the Stânfolde Part 1 - Introduction
Chaos Scar within the Nentir Vale in later 4th edition products. If you go with the placement in the
Vale, the Chaos Scar is about 5 miles long or about 500 feet per square. The hints in the ► 2015 (1)
adventures indicate it the scale is more like 1/2 to 1 mile per square which really makes it too big to ► 2014 (8)
place in the Nentir Vale.
► 2013 (34)

My assumption is 1 mile per square in order to give room for exploration and plenty of space for all
the baddies in the Scar. Since this makes it too big for the Nentir Vale, I've placed it no place in About Me
particular except that the town of Wellspring is about two day's travel away, the Quarter Moon Inn
Chad
is halfway between the Keep and Wellspring and Dardun is also within a day of the Scar.
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Obviously there are different ways to do it; these choices have been made to create a certain type
of game.

Future Adventures
The Chaos Scar is only meant for Heroic tier adventures but I felt that there were three more
adventures that fit the feel nicely with their focus on start-touched themes. "Touch of Madness"
from Dungeon #161, "Depths of Madness" from Dungeon #162 and "Brink of Madness" from
Dungeon #163 for levels 10,11 and 12 respectively. This is why the town of Wellspring is included
as part of the setting. Also including Stormcrow Tor ties them even closer together.

Beyond this I can't think of any pre-made adventures that would naturally flow so the rest would
have to be homemade or in a different direction. Usually by this point in a campaign the adventures
are writing themselves, however. If you want to get epic, have more stars begin falling from the
skies all over as part of an invasion...

Posted by Chad at 12:48 PM 2 comments: Links to this post

Labels: 4e, Chaos Scar

Monday, September 8, 2014

The Chaos Scar - Adventure Notes

Some adventures need adjustment to fit into the Scar, others could just use some adjustment to tie
them in more tightly to the setting. If the change is simply in who offers the quest I won't list it here
as I've already included that information in the rumor and job lists.

1a - Stick in the Mud - Perhaps make Voran's buried teleportation circle more visible once the
mud is cleared out. It isn't of immediate use but it makes a nice detail for later on.

1b - Den of the Slavetakers - Instead of Torog, use Chitteruk. "Hand of Torog" rolls off the tongue
better, but Torog has little else to do with the Scar and using Chitteruk more than once adds some
consistency.

1f - Some Assembly Required - Dardun is relocated near the King’s Wall and the mine that the
kobolds are hiding in are located within the Scar.

1i - Elves of the Valley - When the Voice in the Darkness is destroyed, have a Chaos Shard be
embedded near the base.

Torak Banehammer - Torak can be a good source to run a series of quests as he searches for the
Hammer of Ivak. He might suspect the duregar Barulg from The Hammer Falls of having the
hammer first and then perhaps suspect the lost temple of Erathis from Dead by Dawn is actually
the lost temple of Moradin before honing on his final destination. He can make for a useful
companion character, too.

2h - Slaark's Crown - Nothing needs to be done with adventure but the rivalry with Urgog's goblins
in Down the Goblin Hole can be played up, perhaps with Slaark trying to hire the party to take out
Urgog.

3c - The Wayward Wyrmling - Have the Stormcrows kill Karonzaxus for a bit of continuity.

3d - Storm Tower - The tower is along the King’s Wall and Lord Drysdale intends to use it as a
watchtower which was its use back when the heroes lived there.

3e - Fjorin's Foothold - Can pretty much be played as-is except for its location in the Scar. If you'd
like, consider re-skinning the chitine into creepier star-touched baddies whom Fjorin has made a
devil's bargain with.

4c - Vanguard Tower – The adventuring group that used to own the tower is almost completely
irrelevant. Instead have the tower be Voran’s, mysteriously in tact after the star fell, complete with
another teleport location for the PCs to use. The teleportation circle is activated by pouring a
decanter of seemingly endless oil on it - the decanter is in the tower.

4d - Stormcrow Tor - The Wrathstone is made from a potent chaos shard and was obtained from
the Banite's keep.

4e - Blood of Gruumsh - This doesn't really need any changes; the Scar seems like a perfectly
good place for the Colony to try and hide.

6b - The Radiant Morn - Consider having the cultists follow Chitteruk or some other non-existent
deity instead of Baalzebul.

7e - Vainglorious - Replace Torm with Moradin. If you'd like, have Torak Banehammer give the
quest. If you'd like to keep Moradin followers dwarfy then change Sir Tavil Soarvaren to Tavil
Banehammer, Torak's older brother.

8c - The Star touched Grove - The grove is now a remote wilderness location. Use the setups in
the rumor and job lists to establish things.

Posted by Chad at 12:06 PM No comments: Links to this post

Labels: 4e, Chaos Scar

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The Chaos Scar - Jobs and Events

Jobs
The rumors are to entice the party's spirit of adventure. These jobs are what puts money in their
pockets. Wall postings are essentially wanted ads posted on the inner wall of the keep. Word of
Mouth jobs are essentially rumors but with a promise of payment. Enough jobs come from the
Saruun Guildhall that it has its own category. Finally the events are adventures that come to the
keep and are initiated by the Dungeon Master. I've numbered some categories since they can be
treated similar to rumors, however the jump in danger levels is pretty steep between 3rd and 7th
level so you may wish to hand these out as appropriate.

Wall Postings
Kick the Skullkickers! The bailiff will pay 10 gold for each Skull Kicker kobold killed and
100 gold for proof they've all been eliminated. (Kobold Hall)
 Bullywug Bounty! The bailiff will pay 10 gold for each bullywug killed and 100 gold for
proof they've all been eliminated. (Stick in the Mud)
Looking for strong and good-hearted heroes to deal with an evil cult. See Chendara in
the Temple of Avandra for details. (Den of the Slavetakers)
Wanted! Finneus, Lambert and Moseley Graybairn for murder and robbery. Lord
Criswell of Wellspring will pay 100 gold for each of the brothers brought to justice. Dead
or alive. (The Brothers Gray)
Stop the Marauders! The bailiff has been authorized to pay 200 gold for the party that
tracks down and eliminates the marauders who recently attacked the farms outside of
Dardun. (Elves of the Valley)
200 gold offered for anyone who can bring justice to Kevmar Windsnap and another
200 gold for finding his sister, Zeta. See the bailiff for more details. (Some Assembly
Required)
Debt collectors wanted! Doran owes me 100 gold and I intend to see that collected.
See Nerrin Silverhand if you want a cut. (Dead by Dawn)
A reward for any brave soul willing to clear out the Goblin Hole. See Kendon
Longstrider for more details. (Down the Goblin Hole)
Wanted for murder: the dragonborn Hesskin Flamebrow. Lord Criswell of Wellspring will
pay a bounty of 200 gold for his capture or death. (The Lost Library)
Lord Drysdale requests aid retaking Stormtower. A reward of 300 gold is offered to any
group that is successful. See Elessan for further details. (Stormtower)
Good-hearted heroes wanted to recover the Cup of Chance which was stolen from the
temple of Avandra. See Chendera for more details. (The Splintered Spring)
Lord Drysdale offers 1,000 gold for anyone who can eliminate the beholder Shur-Tuuz.
The successful party can collect from Lord Drysdale personally. (Vanguard Tower)
Wanted for Murder, Robbery, Assault and other crimes: Keljack and his ogre
companion. Lord Criswell offers 2,500 gold for his head and 500 for the ogre. (Scarred
for Life)
Lord Criswell offers 200 gold for the capture of Bolios the Elementalist and Master Vyen
offers 1,000gp for the return of a book he stole called Azael’s Elemental Travels. (Head
in the Clouds)
The relic, Loyalty's Sacrifice, must be recovered! Any brave heroes willing to undertake
this quest should see Lord Drysdale. (Vainglorious)
The Circle of Druids has condemned Hongya the Fallen to death. See Lolfinor for
details and your reward. (The Star Touched Grove)
Word of Mouth

1. Bergen lost a green dragon hide on that caravan the Skull Kickers hit. He's offering a reward
to whomever can get it back. (Kobold Hall)
2. Four members of Jangi Blackstream’s family have been kidnapped by the cult of Chitteruk.
He’s willing to give a discount on his merchandise for any adventurers who can find them.
(Den of the Slavetakers)
3. The local Fireclaw clan of kobolds have offered to give a band of adventurers inside
information about locations in the Scar in exchange for eliminating a pair of Halflings nearby.
(The Brothers Gray)
4. Ardia Ironleaf is offering a reward to anyone who can find her lost father, a merchant who
sometimes travels close to the wall. He was last seen in the vicinity of the glowing cave.
(The Tainted Spiral)
5. The Cragbottom brothers decided to check out the old refinery to see if they could get it
going again. They were ambushed by duergar! Only Balidor survived and he’ll pay anyone
who can bring him his brothers or proof of their fate. (The Hammer Falls)
6. Thorgrim Spinehammer, the operator of a mine near the Scar, had some mining gear stolen
by a bunch of kobolds. He’ll pay anyone who can track them to their cave and get his stuff
back. (The Lost Library)
7. A brown wyrmling has been raiding the countryside. The farmers have gathered a reward
for anyone who can eliminate it. (The Lost Library)
8. The druid Lolfinor is offering to pay 10gp for each venom sack from one of the large insects
that have been spotted near the King’s Wall. (The Crawling Fane)
9. Torak Banehammer, a cleric of Moradin, is searching for the Hammer of Ivak that was
located in an old temple of Moradin that existed before the star fell. He’ll give a reward to
anyone who can bring him the relic. (The Crawling Fane)
10. Erim Haverlan and his two sons are woodcutters who have been crossing into the scar to
get better material. They haven’t returned and Erim’s wife is offering a reward for anyone
who can find him or his remains. (The Wayward Wyrmling)
11. Bergen crafted fine armor from the scales of Karonzaxus. He believes some more scales
may be in her lair and he will pay anyone who can bring back enough to make a shield or
suit of armor. (The Wayward Wyrmling)
12. Sharda, Fjorn Hammermain's wife, hired some adventurers to go looking for her husband
 and they never returned. She's hiring again and offering a large sum of gold to anyone who
can bring back proof of his fate, more if he's brought back alive. (Fjorin’s Foothold)
13. A visiting elf named Thathar is looking for some lost elven colony. He's apparently willing to
pay for someone to find it for him. (Blood of Gruumsh)

Saruun Guildhall

1. Oneus Earthmane believes the abandoned tower near the King's Wall belonged to his
ancestor, Voran. Theoretically an object called the Staff of Earthen Might could be there. He
will pay 100 gold to a party that can check the place out for him and an extra 200 gold for
finding the staff. (Stick in the Mud)
2. The Guildhall can always use more residuum. Citirian will pay 40 gold per ounce of
residuum the party can acquire. (Death in the Pincers)
3. Ivian the Unpredictable believes the lights in a nearby cave are related to chaos magic and
will pay the party 100 gold to investigate it and an additional 50 gold per piece of evidence
they can bring back. (The Tainted Spire)
4. The half-elf wizard Casaubon wants a party of adventurers to help him find a lost magical
artifact that his master had told him about. He will pay on 500 gold upon completion.
(Sliver’s Call)
5. Oneus, looking around the Scar for more signs of Voran, found what seemed like a magical
flow of lava leading to the old refinery but was attacked by twisted fire elementals. He’ll pay
for a sample of the lava from the refinery. (The Hammer Falls)
6. Citirian wants someone to retrieve a powerful artifact called Wrathheart which he believes is
still under Stormcrow Tor. The Guild has authorized him to pay up to 1,000 gold. (Stormcrow
Tor)
7. Citirian has acquired a piece of obsidian with strange properties. He wants a group to find a
cave deep in the Scar and bring him back more of it for examination. He will pay 1,000 gold
for this. (Reflections of Ruin)
8. Citirian has heard that a fallen druid called Hongya has grown some plants with interesting
star-touched qualities. He will pay for samples of these plants - more plants for higher pay.
(The Star Touched Grove)

Events

Benwick approaches the party with concerns about the cult of Tiamatt in the region.
(Keep on the Borderlands)
Strange and disturbing dreams are bothering the residents near the Scar. Now
Chendera has received a warning from Avandra that the Pillar of Eyes is close to being
freed and this must not happen. It must be destroyed. (The Pillar of Eyes)
Jangi Blackstream is looking for the party. Something about his caravans being
attacked by elemental creatures from the Scar. Sound like he’s willing to pay lots of
coin. (Rumble in the Valley)
Lord Drysdale has an old friend, Olek Dael, who’s fallen from grace. He wants his friend
stopped and preferably brought back alive. He will request the aid of the party once
they've proven themselves to him. (Runecutter)
Residents of Restwell Keep begin seeing things and generally suffering from delusions.
(Pit of Delirium)

Posted by Chad at 2:16 PM No comments: Links to this post

Labels: 4e, Chaos Scar

Friday, August 22, 2014

The Chaos Scar - Rumors

Rumors
Here are a bunch of rumors for the Chaos Scar. Some are just general rumors, some are linked to
specific adventures. They ascend in order of adventure difficulty. If you don't want to lead the party
on with dangerous adventures, start with a d20 and add a d10 every level or so. Otherwise just roll
a d100/2. I'd say let each member of the party hear a rumor when they start and then let the party
hear up to three more per adventure they complete.
 1. Lord Drysdale is planning to convert everyone in Restwell Keep to the worship of Erathis. If
they don’t agree they’ll be exiled into the Scar!
2. We regular folk don’t mean anything to Drysdale. He intends to just use Restwell Keep as a
military base to retake the Scar.
3. Some of the Blades are still around and they’re more than eager to get revenge on Lord
Drysdale.
4. Gorn Hammerfall, the Captain of the Guard, has found a forgotten secret chamber with his
stone cunning. It contains Greysen Ramthane’s hidden treasure!
5. The Mages of Saruun come from Thunderspire Mountain and do business with all sorts of
unsavory creatures like drow and duregar. Why does Lord Drysdale allow them to stay
here? They can’t be up to any good.
6. There’s a human cult call the Brotherhood of the Scar that has a fortress deep in the crater.
7. One hundred years ago a red dragon named Kerang was the terror of the Scar but a wily
druid named Merlius poisoned him and then brought the mine down on his head. Word has
it among the Fireclaw kobolds that Kerang may be coming back somehow! (Some
Assembly Required)
8. The Skull Kicker kobolds usually aren't much of a problem but they've become more
organized lately and have actually managed to nail a merchant caravan. (Kobold Hall)
9. There’s an old keep that predates the Scar not too far from the King’s wall. Belonged to a
Goliath sorcerer from what I understand. Place is infested with Bullywugs now. (Stick in the
Mud)
10. There is a cult dedicated to something called Chitteruk not too far into the scar. Their leader,
a one armed gnoll called the Hand of Chitteruk, has been capturing people and taking them
away to their lair. (Den of the Slavetakers)
11. A pair of Halfling bandits have been terrorizing homesteads and travelers near the Scar. Not
only do they steal, they are ruthless murderers. (The Brothers Gray)
12. A Cave near the King’s wall is the lair of some strange glowing drakes. They are covered
with odd blisters that emit residuum when popped! (Death in the Pincers)
13. Not far from the Kings Wall is a cave that emits a strange blue glow. (The Tainted Spiral)
14. Some brigands have been randomly attacking travelers and homesteads near the King’s
wall. However these aren't bandit raids as very little is stolen – it is killing for killing sake.
(Elves of the Valley)
15. Some crazy-ass goblin named Slaark is demanding tribute from everyone near the Scar.
Like Lord Drysdale's gonna put up with that! (Slaark's Crown)
16. If you follow the road into the Scar, half way in there is a trading post where you can meet
with some of the more unsavory residents of the area. (The Crossroads)
17. The tiefling who runs the trading post at the Crossroads, Silvereye, often tries to trick and do
in visitors who are obviously adventurers. (The Crossroads)
18. The Stone Forest is actually a series of monoliths from ancient times. Some say they’re the
teeth knocked out of a primordial by Moradin’s hammer.
19. Somewhere near the King’s Wall is the Cave of Whispers where dark secrets can be heard.
(Sliver’s Call)
20. Somewhere within the Scar is a forest made entirely of glass! (Glass Spire Forest)
21. There is an old temple in the Scar. It was originally dedicated to Erathis but was overrun by
followers of Orcus. It’s abandoned now. (Dead by Dawn)
22. The lizardfolk in the region worship Tiamatt, Zehir and all sorts of other nasty gods. (Keep
on the Borderlands)
23. There is an old abandoned dwarven refinery within the Scar. (The Hammer Falls)
24. The Sword Pillar is a favored place for Hobgoblins to gather and choose a new leader. The
winner of the combat must thrust his vanquished opponent’s sword through the pillar.
25. A long time ago there used to be an elven colony in the deep woods of the Scar. A bunch of
heretics or something who lived along side orcs. They were slaughtered by their own kin,
though. (Blood of Gruumsh)
26. There is a big old hole in the ground inside the scar known as the “goblin hole”. Can’t think
of a reason anyone would want to go there unless you just hated goblins. (Down the Goblin
Hole)
27. About fifty years ago there was a goblin war chief named Urgog who actually managed to
burn down the elven wood during his reign. He got old and was eventually chased off. But
there’s been increased goblin activity lately and they've been using Urgog’s name as a
battle cry! (Down the Goblin Hole)
28. It’s said that the Goliath sorcerer, Voran Earthman, had labs and libraries all around the
Scar that were connected by teleportation. Some of the underground ones may still be
intact. (The Lost Library)
29. There’s an old temple of Moradin in the Scar but nobody remembers where it was. (The
Crawling Fane)
30. An elven wizard named Vanamere and human fighter named Lethion used to live in a tower
and helped protect the King’s Wall. After Lethion pass away the tower was repeatedly
assaulted by orcs and ogres trying to get some treasure he buried with him. Eventually they
 brought a giant and the tower was destroyed, but not after Vanamere summoned a mighty
storm to destroy all of them. She disappeared during that storm and became one with the
tower to stay with her beloved. (Stormtower)
31. Strange, ghostly spiders have been appearing in nearby towns and making off with magic
items. (The Spintered Spring)
32. Illugi Swordbreaker, the Emerald Warlock, and Agera of the Shadow Face led a mercenary
group called Stormcrow Company. Each had a storied adventuring background before they
joined their strengths, but those stories are as nothing compared to the tales of the exploits
of Stormcrow Company. The mercenaries made their base in old tunnels they found
beneath a rocky tor in the Scar. (Stormcrow Tor)
33. Stormcrow Company was credited with cleaning the goblin tribes out of nearby hills and
killing a lich who threatened the valley from its dark tower. The adventurers also accepted
contracts to assassinate nobles in a neighboring city-state, kidnapped an eladrin princess in
return for a ransom of questionable relics, and even slew the good dragon Karonzaxus. In
the end, they were feared more than revered. (Stormcrow Tor)
34. The Gnawstubbles goblin tribe has been dominating all the other tribes deeper in the Scar.
They've even been seen riding giant bats! (Glowstone Caverns)
35. Fjorn Hammermain, a well known prospector, finally bit off more than he could chew in the
Chaos Scar. Too bad since he actually seemed to have found adamantine. (Fjorin’s
Foothold)
36. One of the most famous landmarks in the Scar is the Pillar of Eyes. It resembles nothing so
much as a stack of staring eyeballs. (The Pillar of Eyes)
37. The sorcerer Voran Earthmane has an old tower in the Scar that somehow never fell into
disrepair after the star fell. (Vanguard Tower)
38. Deep in the Scar, past the Crossroads and the Stone Forest is the Slaver's Stone where
unsavory deals are made. (The Slaver’s Stone)
39. The Cloven Skull is the skull of a stone giant that was caught by the impact of the falling star
and became embedded in The Wall. Somewhere nearby is a tunnel that leads to a mad
oracle.
40. There is a benevolent cult dedicated called the Radiant Morn that has established itself in
the Scar. They are working to bring light to the region. (The Radiant Morn)
41. A frequent visitor to the Chaos Scar is Keljack the Deathless. He’s over a hundred years old
yet doesn't look a day over thirty. He’s violently unpredictable, though, especially when near
the Scar. A master swordsman you don’t want to mess with. (Scarred for Life)\
42. A red dragon was seen a few years ago settling itself down into the caves along the crater.
No one has seen or heard from it since. Thank the gods. (Reflections of Ruin)
43. Sir Tavil Soarvaren was a shining paladin of Bahamut until he was killed by orcs. He had
some artifact that the orc leader wears around now as a trophy. (Vainglorius)
44. The Proving Pit is used by the denizens of the Chaos Scar to settle disputes between
themselves or to test themselves against other fighters of many kinds. (Scarblade)
45. The Scarblade is encased in a translucent crystal spire above a gladiatorial pit. Anyone who
defeats the pit’s champion can claim it. (Scarblade)
46. Some woodcutters saw a wolf all covered in tongues and other animals twisted beyond
belief in the deep woods of the Scar. (The Star-Touched Grove)
47. Small bands of well-armed members of the Brotherhood have been seen attacking
monsters in the Scar but have been capturing them and not killing them. (Heart of the Scar)
48. There’s a wizard who lives in a giant floating stone head and floats around the Vale.
Sometimes he comes down if he sees something interesting. (Head in the Clouds)
49. There used to be catacombs underneath the Keep, but they were sealed up ages ago. No
one knows how to get down there now. (Pit of Delirium)
50. Strange runes have been seen around the Scar. No one knows what they are but they make
you feel uneasy. (Runecutter)

Posted by Chad at 10:38 AM No comments: Links to this post

Labels: 4e, Chaos Scar

Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Chaos Scar - Encounters

A note on levels:
This setup will likely result in the party encountering challenges either above or below their level. In
other versions of D&D this would be less of an issue as the toughness of a creature could be more
easily gauged - a kobold was a kobold, even if it was one of Tucker's. In 4e that kobold could be a
10th level challenge and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference on sight. So my
recommendations would be as follows:

If the encounter would be more than a level or two lower go ahead and beef it up a bit,
especially if it is a full adventure. Unless your 9th level party could use a laugh cleaning
up Stick in the Mud or something.
If the encounter would be more than a level or two higher take the following into
consideration:
What would you be nerfing? If you'd just be dropping the level of some
humanoid opponents then just go ahead and do that.
If the opponents are signaled to be more dangerous, like dragons and such,
leave them be and try to make it obvious they're outmatched.
When the PCs really get into trouble, probably the first time this happens,
have Keljack bail them out. It could help make him more sympathetic later
on.

Events and Encounters

If you want to roll for it, roll a 1d6; on a 1-3 it is an event, on a 4-6 it is an encounter. However
pacing should be more of a factor for deciding things. If the party has already had several major
events or encounters, just throw one of the "non-events" at them to keep them on their toes.
Similarly, while a numbered list is provided for the encounters you should really just choose one
that is based off a location they are close to or is of an appropriate challenge.

Events
1 - Evil presence. Have a random member of the party make a Will saving throw. No matter the
result, tell them they sense an evil presence watching them.
2 - Whispers of the Shard. Choose a random member of the party. Everyone else in the party
hears a faint whisper to kill that party member in order to receive a great reward. There is no
reward.
3 - Twisted wildlife. An animal with some twisted feature crosses their path, like a rabbit with no fur
and transparent skin. It is harmless otherwise.
4 - Blight. The party walks through an area where all the plant life is dead and no animals can be
seen or heard.
5 - Strange fruit. A nearby plant bears fruit that is moving. The fruit resembles something organic -
embryos hanging from tress, eyeballs in a berry bush, etc. The fruit IS organic and bleeds if cut. It
dies the moment it is picked. It has not benefits and is sickening (and just sick) if eaten.
6 - Non-euclidean river. The party encounters a river that is heading their direction. If they follow it,
they end up back where they first encountered the river 1 mile later even though it had been going
straight the entire time. They need to lose sight of the river in a perpendicular direction to escape
the loop.
7 - Storm. The skies darken over 1 mile of movement and then a massive storm breaks out for the
next 1d4 miles. Do the following skill challenge:

For each mile of stormy weather make a check. Each failure costs 1 extra mile of
movement.
The road is muddy and slippery. Everyone makes a moderate Athletics
check. If anyone fails someone else can make a hard Endurance check to
pull them along. Any unresolved failures counts as a failure for this phase.
The skies darken and it becomes black as night save for lightning strikes.
Moderate Nature or hard Perception/Insight.
It is cold and wet. Everyone makes a moderate Endurance check. If anyone
fails someone else can make a hard Heal check to help them. Any
unresolved failures counts as a failure for this phase.
Lightning strikes at a party member. Use DMG pg.42 for a limited attack. A
hit counts as a failure.
8 - Wide river crossing. Each party member makes an moderate Athletics, Endurance or Nature
check to cross or one party member can make a Hard check in a creative way to get them across
(like building a raft or finding an easy ford.) Any failures result in the loss of 1 mile.
9 - Steep ridge. One of the ridges of the Scar jut up suddenly and stands in the party's way. Treat
like a river for purposes of getting by it.
10 - Rain. It rains on the party for the next 1d20 miles. At the end of the day either one person can
make a hard Nature or Heal check to cover for everyone, or everyone makes a moderate
Endurance check. Failure results in one less Healing Surge the next morning.

Encounters
First, when there is going to be an encounter, determine if the party is within two miles of any
active adventure locations. If they are then you can usually use the first encounter from that
adventure as a wandering monster group. If the adventure doesn't really lend itself to its residents
wandering around then just choose another type of encounter.

If you'd like to roll for encounters, use this chart. It mostly references material in the various
adventures for statistics. Other items use encounters from other adventures which I'll reference.

1. Chance Encounter (1g)

2. Eyes in the Forest (1h)
3. A band of Fireclaw Kobolds (4 Kobold Dragonshields) are looking for someplace else to go.
Their chieftain is weak and they don't think the clan will survive. They'll offer their services
for food, shelter and four gold a week.
4. The Hand of Torog, 4 Archer Cultists and 4 Evil Ritualists looking for someone to enslave.
(Den of the Slavers)
5. The Eyes in the Forest encounter from Elves of the Valley.
6. 6 Lizardfolk Mire Scouts are attacking Lizardfolk Dreadtail. The Dreadtail is a cultist of
Tiamatt who the Scouts are trying to chase off. (Battle of the Witchlight Hermitage for stats
only. Dungeon 191.)
7. Two Duregar Guards and two Duregar Scouts in search of victims. (The Hammer Falls)
8. A goblin hex hurler, 4 goblin warriors and 4 goblin cutters on their way to a raid outside the
Wall. They don't necessarily notice or care about the party. (Down the Goblin Hole)
9. 4 Zombie Rotters, 2 Zombie Soldiers and 2 Gravehounds. Not necessarily from the
adventure site - you never need a reason for zombies. (Dead by Dawn)
10. A Hobgoblin Commander and 4 Hobgoblin Spear Soldiers are on their way back to Slaark's
Crown. They aren't looking for a fight and if the party seems shifty enough might try to
recruit them. (Slaark's Crown)
11. A bound human rogue named Ames is being escorted by three Hobgoblin Deathwatchers
from their lair to the Crossroads. He'll cry for help if he sees the party and promise a reward.
He has nothing left. (The Crossroads)
12. Bugs! Four Centipede Swarms are crawling forth from the old temple of Moradin to do gods
know what. (The Crawling Fane)
13. Erim Haverlam and his two sons are bound and being dragged along by 4 Kobold
Quickblades and 4 Kobold Dragonshields. (Wayward Wyrmling)
14. Death from above! 2 Goblin Bat Handlers riding Mutated Shadowhunter Bats swoop down
on the party. (Glowstone Caverns)
15. A Kenku Inciter, 5 Kenku Tribals and a Kenku Wing Mage are looking for someone to rob.
The party may or may not seem like good pickings. They won't kill if they don't have to.
(Stormcrow Tor)
16. A Gnoll Huntmaster, a Gnoll Warfang and 2 Deathpledged Gnolls are leading two rust
monsters to Vanguard Tower for sale. They don't want trouble. (Vanguard Tower)
17. The encounter group from #8 in this list is fighting with the encounter group from #10. Slaark
and Urgog do NOT get along.
18. "The Penis is evil! The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes new Life to poison the Earth with a
plague of men, as once it was. But the Gun shoots Death and purifies the Earth of the filth
of Brutals. Go forth, and kill! Zardoz has spoken." (Head in the Clouds)
19. 2 Slug Rabbits and 3 Tongue Wolves wander from their grove. (The Star Touched Grove,
Dungeon 219)
20. The Banites are collecting sacrifices. 1 Tainted Warpriest, 2 Tainted Scouts and 2
Warhounds are attacking a band of 4 Goblin Cutters. (Heart of the Scar & Down the Goblin
Hole)

Posted by Chad at 3:24 PM No comments: Links to this post

Labels: 4e, Chaos Scar

Monday, August 18, 2014

The Chaos Scar - Map

The following is a map of the Chaos Scar with all of the adventure locations on it. I'll admit to lifting
the base map from here as it was a cleaner slate to work with.
A few notes:

If an adventure isn't listed, it is because it is a "could happen anywhere" adventure like

1h-Eyes in the Forest.
Some adventures use multiple locations, like 5a-The Slaver's Stone. These multiple
locations are labeled but not keyed for that specific adventure.

Wilderness Travel
First have the party determine what route they are taking. They may take the direct route, they may
choose to follow the road for a while first.

For simplicity's sake, assume the party can move 20 miles per day. As the challenge progresses
this may be reduced - you can almost think of them as 20 movement points. Once the party has
used their 20 miles the day is over and they must make camp or risk travel at night.

As the party travels along their path (or assumed path) use the following costs against their miles
per day:
Road - No adjustment
Open ground - No adjustment but can become lost
Forest, small - Cost 2 miles to travel through; any forest square with open ground adjacent
Forest, large - Costs 3 miles to travel through; any forest square surrounded by other forest
Exploration Mode - Costs an additional mile to the normal travel rate; party is taking the time to
thoroughly explore their surroundings
Stealth Mode - Costs an additional mile to the normal travel rate; party is taking the time to try and
not be noticed

Getting Lost
It is assumed that the party has a map similar to the player's map handout so getting lost is really
only an issue when they can't see their surroundings - in deep forest or at night. In these cases
require a moderate Nature check each square traveled. A failure results in them going off course to
the 1-3: left or 4-6: right. Once they are in a place where they can see clearly again, they can easily
get back on course, though.

Encounters and Events

At 5, 10, 15 and 20miles roll 1d6. If the party is in Stealth mode, subtract 1 from the roll. If the party
is in Exploration mode, add 1 to the roll but they gain surprise. Something exciting occurs on 5 or
6. The next part will detail wilderness events in the Scar.

Finding Things
If the party is in Exploration mode they automatically find any encounter location if they are in the
square adjacent to it. Otherwise they need to enter that location's square in order to find it.

Camping
It is assumed the party are experienced enough adventurers to competently set up a camp with a
watch in the wilderness. There are two event checks over the night. However a hard Nature check
may allow their camp to be considered as being in Stealth mode for the check and a hard
Endurance check allows a double watch that counts them in Exploration mode.
Travel at Night
If the party decides to travel at night they can get up to an additional 15 miles of movement.
However for each 5 miles they use they must make an easy then moderate then hard Endurance
check or lose a healing surge. They also lose the benefits of a long rest and can become lost.
There is an event check each 5 miles.

Notes
Most of the heavy lifting here is going to occur in the Events section. What is important here is the
currency the party uses, their miles or movement. Taking more time will give them more
advantages with events and encounters but it will also subject them to more opportunities for
things to happen.

Posted by Chad at 10:40 PM No comments: Links to this post

Labels: 4e, Chaos Scar

Friday, August 15, 2014

The Chaos Scar - Introduction

There was a period of time where I was assembling "canned" campaigns to run at a moment's
notice. These would consist of a series of modules that effectively formed a sort of adventure path.
Some were obvious, like stringing together the original 3rd edition modules, and some took a bit
more effort - or at least I put a bit more effort into it. An example would be taking a bunch of the
good Necromancer Games modules like Crucible of Freya, Rappan Athuk and Tomb of Abythsor
and then creating a region where they were all located (I didn't own Bard's Gate). I generally
leaned towards sandboxy setup with a linked theme, in the previous example the cult of Orcus.

When I was getting ready to cut my teeth on 4th edition I decided to try and use ready made
adventures first to get the hang of things. The Chaos Scar series of adventures in Dungeon
Magazine fit how I liked to do things perfectly. I assembled the module, put together a homemade
rumor table to get things and going and waited to be able to run a game. And I got to run it! For
about four sessions before life got in the way. Since then I've been building on the concept and I
thought I'd put it out there as a resource.

General Changes
The Chaos Scar is a neat idea but when you dig down into the adventures it is obvious some of
them were pretty much shoehorned in. I've opted to make some changes to the adventures that
will be detailed later, but in general this is what I've chosen to focus on:
The Chaos Shards - One of the optional campaign starts has the shards playing a more
important role. A number of adventures have them inserted in order to tie them in closer
to the Scar.
Chitteruk - A few cults appear once and are never heard from again. While this can
make sense in a "evil is drawn here" sort of way, I prefer to keep things a bit tighter. In
this case a few adventures have Chitteruk or some other imaginary voice coming from
the Shosh-Gorag acting as their "god".
Voran Earthmane - Hey, two adventures reference him, why not more? It seemed a
shame that his teleportation chamber only went one other place.
Kobolds - Damn there are a lot of kobolds in these adventures and most of them are
break-offs from the Fireclaw clan. What is up with the Fireclaws that they keep losing
people? Nothing really done with this, but it is a good hook for a homemade adventure.
Less Random People - Each adventure has a new NPC or three that needs help or
offers a hook. Whenever possible I replace them with someone who already exists in
another adventure or the keep itself.
Exploration - The adventures are written such that it is kind of assumed you just GO
places. I've made sure each location is marked on the map and use exploration rules
so that the PCs can just wander into the Scar and find stuff. Of course, just like in older
editions, they may not be ready for what they find...
New Adventures - I grabbed a few more generic adventures from Dragon that seem to
fit in with the Scar in order to pad out what is available.
Wellspring - Since the three Madness adventures (Touch of Madness, Depth of
Madness, Brink of Madness) work well thematically, I've placed the town of Wellspring
as the closest bastion of civilization.
The Adventures
And just so there is something useful in this post instead of me just blathering, here's a compiled
list of all the Chaos Scar adventures along with the ones I'm including. All adventures have a
level/letter code now for later reference.
1a - Stick in the Mud (Dungeon 171)
1b - Den of the Slavetakers (Dungeon 171)
1c - The Brothers Gray (Dungeon 172)
1d - Death in the Pincers (Dungeon 172)
1e - The Tainted Spiral (Dungeon 173)
1f - Some Assembly Required (Dungeon 208)
1g - A Chance Encounter (Dungeon 174)
1h - Eyes in the Forest (Dungeon 177)
1i - Elves of the Valley (Dungeon 178)
1j - Kobold Hall (DMG)

2a - Sliver's Call (Dungeon 174)

2b - The Shrine of the Galss-Spire Forest (Dungeon 175)
2c - Dead by Dawn (Dungeon 176)
2d - The Hammer Falls (Dungeon 179)
2e - Down the Goblin Hole (Dungeon 180)
2f - The Lost Library (Dungeon 173)
2g - The Crossroads (Dungeon 176)
2h - Slaark's Crown (Dungeon 220)

3a - The Crawling Fane (Dungeon 178)

3b - The Splintered Spring (Dungeon 179)
3c - The Wayward Wyrmling (Dungeon 182)
3d - Storm Tower (Dungeon 166)
3e - Fjorin's Foothold (Dungeon 209)

4a - Glowstone Caverns (Dungeon 177)

4b - The Pillar of Eyes (Dungeon 180)
4c - Vanguard Tower (Dungeon 182)
4d - Stormcrow Tor (Dungeon 169)
4e - Blood of Gruumsh (Dungeon 210)

5a - The Slaver's Stone (Dungeon 181)

6a - Rumble in the Valley (Dungeon 193)

6b - The Radiant Morn (Dungeon 183)

7a - Scarred for Life (Dungeon 192)

7b - Reflictions of Ruin (Dungeon 196)
7c - Head in the Clouds (Dungeon 184)
7d - Scarblade (Dungeon 189)
7e - Vainglorious (Dungeon 221)

8a - Pit of Delirium (Dungeon 190)

8b - The Runecutter's Ruin (Dungoen 186)
8c - The Star touched Grove (Dungeon 219)

9a - Heart of the Scar (Dungeon 197)

Posted by Chad at 1:43 PM No comments: Links to this post

Labels: 4e, Chaos Scar

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