Greater Dreg Golem (3.5e Monster)

The Red Dragon's Flask

Created by:--ThirdEmperor 10:48, November 10, 2009 (UTC)

---

The Red Dragons flask is a adventurers inn with a reputation as a place you can always find something interesting in. The inn itself is rundown and fire-scarred and looks like someone nailed together several buildings to make it. The sign for the inn is a actual red dragon head nailed to the wall and serves as a warning that the owner, Darcal Headsplitter is not to be messed with, the road leading up to the inn is obviously well-worn and as the PCs head to the building a intelligent looking gnome hops up off a concealed stump and begins to talk (Sense motive DC 15 to see that he seems shifty) "Hello there, name's Redis Orlan, would you like me to take your horses? Valuables? The inn has a top class safe got wards and runes all over it, enough to make any thief give up and go home, and its not really safe to have gold spilling out of your pocket in a place like this." If the PCs give him their stuff he stables any horses he was given, walks through a side door into the inn, then runs of with the gold and the best horse as soon as all the PCs are inside, the PCs however get a Spot check versus his hide to see him sneaking out the exit with their loot. If the PCs show obvious interest in robbing the safe then Redis will make a seemingly of hand remark "it's not safe to talk such ways, there are bandits around, unless of course you're on friendly terms with bandits in general." If the PCs say no then he slinks away into the bar deciding that he blew it, if they say they are however, he gives them instructions to Broke-Teeth Jerlin's camp and tells them that it's a profitable place to be.

Scenario 1: Redis Escapes (detected or un-detected)

If Redis steals they're loot and gets away without detection then every hour they spend in the inn they get a DC 15 listen check to hear a snatch of conversation about how Broke-Teeth Jerlin's bandits are always causing trouble for the inn. Further investigation about Jerlin or Redis turns up the fact that Jerlin runs a gang of bandits that pick on people around the inn and that lately he's been sending a runt called Redis to swindle people out of anything the had left and that the innkeeper was offering money for both of their heads. If (or more likely when) the PCs talk to Darcal he tells them the whole story "Now we've had bandit trouble at the inn before but for the most part they keep their distance, I've taught them that through hard experience, most of the bandits in this part can blame one or two of their scars on me, but in all my time here I've never ran into anyone like Broke-Teeth Jerlin, the man isn't just heartless he's outright psychotic, he's been extorting me every few for three months now, I think he's just waiting to steal the platinum flask I stole from that dragon a named the inn after. I've put up a reward for his head and one for that Redis runt as well, but I don't think you should take it, last people that tried to kill him, they came back with all their parts and everything, but I had a hell of a time trying to put 'em back together. If you still want to take it then you should head west but quite frankly I've given up on anyone killing that creep". (If the PCs negotiate for more money Darcal agrees to give them a bottle of vintage dwarven ale or two of them if they raise his attitude to friendly, but if his attitude drops to unfriendly he refuses to give them anything but the money, dwarves get +2 to this check).

Scenario 2: Redis Is Caught

If the PCs grab Redis either before or after he steals from them he skillfully attempts to worm his way out of trouble "Alright look I tried to steal your stuff, but I didn't okay? It was just a little prank, I would have given it back after a bit. Look I'll pay you fifty gold to let me go, alright?" If the PCs ask for more he repeatedly insists that's all he's got, but if the PC's make a DC 15 Intimidate check or attacks him lethally he immediately changes tunes "All right, all right, I'll let you in on a little secret, to the west of here there's a bandit camp and the owner of the inn has put a massive price on the leaders head and I happen to know that the south-west side has no guards, you can sneak in and kill him without anybody knowing!" If the PCs let him go after he tells them this then he runs of to warn Jerlin and the PCs will find ALL the guards on the south-west side, should the PCs still show intent to kill him then he tells them the location of his stash but digs it up and hides it elsewhere, finally if the PCs refuse all previous offers than Redis tells them about the price on his head "Hold on don't kill me! I'm worth more to you alive! There's a price on my head but you can only collect it if you bring me in alive, the innkeeper will pay loads more money than I have on me!" If the PCs still try and kill him he resorts to fighting back and proves himself far stronger than his cowardice would lead you to suspect, if the PCs drag him or his head to the innkeeper he gladly pays off the bounty and fills them in on the info as above.

Encounter 1: The Path to the Bandit Camp

If the PCs head towards the camp then they each get to make a DC 20 spot check to see the ambush coming, if they do then give them time to do one action each then read the following: "Out of nowhere two bandits rise out of hiding spots along the road while three more holding bows appear from the tree's and attack!" Tactics: Surprise Round, If the bandits ambush the PCs then they all deal sneak attack damage, the bowmen strike at whoever is closest, while the elf throws his dagger at the nearest target and the fighter charges the strongest PC in range. Round 1: The bowmen fire at the nearest person not in melee while the fighter charges the enemy farthest away and the elf tumbles towards whatever enemy the fighter is engaging for a flanking sneak attack. After Round 1: The bowmen provide covering fire against anyone not in melee and the swordsmen continue flanking and attacking any melee fighters.

Template:Creature Table

Template:Creature Table

• Immunity to magic sleep effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
• Low-Light Vision: A high elf can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Weapon Proficiency: High elves receive the Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for the longsword, rapier, longbow (including composite longbow), and shortbow (including composite shortbow) as bonus feats.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks (Already included). A high elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it.

Template:Creature Table

Encounter 2: Bandit Camp Entrance

The bandit camp is a rough circle of four tents with a small fire in the middle of it, around the camp sentries watch from poorly concealed hiding holes to make sure nobody sneaks into the camp, on a DC 20 Spot check the PCs see that the sentries have a blind spot in the south-western side, however if Redis told the PCs about the blind spot then got away to warn the bandits then a alarm spell has been set in the blind spot alerting everyone in the camp to the PCs presence. If the PCs sneak in any way except the blind spot the two nearest sentries both gets Spot checks to see the PCs and sound the alarm summoning all the sentries and Ilyre the Sorcerer.

Encounter 3: Bandit Camp, Inside

If the alarm has not been sounded a sentry sits prodding the fire and another stands guard over the captives tent, however neither of them have alarm horns on them and the one guarding the captives tent is half asleep, taking a -5 to Spot and Listen checks. If he PCs attack them then the sentries in the main tent come running and the the sentries outside get a DC 17 listen check each round to hear the battle and sound the alarm.

Encounter 4: Main Tent

The tent is filthy and a general mess, thin blankets are arranged in a disorderly line, indicating that this must be a barracks of some sort.

If the PCs didn't pick a fight with the sentries outside the two more bandits are in here, busy searching the tent for their friend's money if they see the PCs they grab their longswords from where they left them (two move actions or a full-round action for each) and commence fighting back, calling for the ones outside to join them. Once the sentries are dead the room can be searched on a DC 20 Search check the PCs find a small box buried beneath a blanket containing a small onyx worth 80 gold one of the bandits was hiding from Jerlin.

Encounter 5: Ilyre's Tent

This tent looks far more luxurious then the others, a rack of strange bottles containing powders and oils line one side while a redwood chest sits on the other, obviously well secured as evidenced by the three weird locks set into the wood, the foul smell of a strange incense fills the room, making you gag. If the alarm wasn't sounded then also say the following: A brightly but dirtily clad figure snores on top of a bed made out pillows in the middle of the room, on his otherwise handsome face there are two scars forming a x, one diagonally across his nose and the other running almost horizontally under his right eye. In his right hand he tightly clutches a staff of white wood ingrained with runes in the other he holds a small bottle almost as tightly. As you step into the tent a raven sitting on a perch right next to the entrance lets out a shriek "Danger! Wake up! Assassins! Assasins!" With a jump the figure on the bed wakes up and begins uttering arcane syllables, fire erupting from his hands!

Ilyre is a powerful sorcerer and fights to the death, his first tactic is to cast Ilyre's Conspicuous Combustion (a spell of his own invention) on anyone obviously a warrior then use his scroll of dimension door to escape his tent then uses fly to gain maneuverability, he does not however call for help if badly outmatched he flies away rather than humiliate himself by calling the guards. Once outside he snipes with scorching ray or use Ilyre's Conspicuous Combustion on any PCs standing close together. Once the PCs kill or drive off Ilyre they can search his tent, a DC 15 Craft (alchemy) check identifies the bottles on the shelf as various quick burning oils (300 gp) and gunpowder ingredients (50 gp) and a DC 20 Craft (alchemy) check identifies the incense as a extremely rare type worth 250 gp per pound and a DC 18 search check turns up three pounds in a golden case (100 gp, DC 15 Appraise). The chest however takes a DC 25 Open Lock check to open and is armed with a poison needle trap smeared with Purple worm poison that is triggered and automatically hits if the lockpicker fails by five or more, there is any easier way to open it however, the chest is set with four combination locks that depict letters instead of numbers and on the bronze plate in the center is engraved with the riddle "What lives as long as it eats and dies as soon as it drinks?", if the four tumblers are set to spell the word fire than the chest clicks open revealing the magnificent fire opal studded gold belt inside (500 gp DC 20 Appraise).