Encounter Codex presents encounters you can quickly slot into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other game systems for that matter) with little effort—just add stats from your favorite monster manual.

[previous encounter]

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Features of the Chamber

• This cramped chamber has a domed ceiling nearly 15 ft. overhead. It is covered in an elegant fresco of subjects around the edge of the dome worshipping a radiant queen in the center.

• A single ray of light shoots down through the apex of the dome, illuminating a marble bust set into a niche. The bust is fixed in place.

• Rising from the floor below the niche is a stone altar, its surface angled sharply like a scribe’s desk. Nine small painted panels in three rows of three are fixed on the altar’s surface.

• The scent of burning glass singes the air.

This dungeon chamber contains one encounter element: the sliding picture puzzle…

The Sliding Picture Puzzle

This sliding picture puzzle (3 ft. by 3 ft.) conceals a key and a small cache of treasure. All eight tiles can be slid—one at a time using the blank space where a ninth tile is missing—on the grid but cannot be moved beyond the 3-square-by-3-square area or into a spot already occupied by another tile. A tile cannot slide diagonally.

When the first tile is moved, the ring of 13 servants in the fresco glows magically. Each time a tile is moved, one of the servants fades to darkness. If all 13 servants darken before the puzzle is solved, the mechanism locks, and the bust fills the chamber with an arcane mist. Those who fail to save against the gas are rendered illiterate for a time.

Reward

If the dungeoneers solve the puzzle, a bell chimes, and a hidden panel opens at the base of altar. The skeleton key inside radiates magic, and a chainmail pouch contains a modest sum of coins, several potions, and a single scroll tube. Inside the tube is a quill that never runs out of ink and allows the bearer to read and write in one or more additional languages.

Making Your Own Sliding Picture Puzzle

It’s easy. Here’s how:

1) Find a painting or illustration you like on the web. If you have a wide playing space or an especially large group, choose a high-resolution image that can be cut into big tiles that are easy to see.

2) Print it out or load the image into your favorite digital photo editor.

3) Cut it into a 3×3 pattern (or 4×4, or 5×5…).

4) Discard or erase the bottom left or bottom right cell.

5) Shuffle the image by moving the cells one space at a time, just as the players would have to when unscrambling it. Ten to fifteen moves ought to do it, depending on how large a grid you slice the image into.

6) After printing your shuffled image and cutting it out, lightly number the cells on the back. Use the numbers when you lay them out for the players.

To celebrate the release of Open Design’s Soldiers of Fortune sourcebook for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, author Matt James brings you additional material for a military campaign.

[previously]

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Azlazier, a wealthy merchant from the desert city of Cindass, has hired you to find an important relic. You have followed his map to where he claims an ancient society once lived. Once there, you battled giant camel spiders and an arcane magical lock sealing a marvelous wizard’s tower.

As the PCs descend into the first room of the tower, their eyes quickly adjust to the surroundings, and softly glowing sigils provide faint magical light. Scattered around the room and carelessly stowed away in wooden crates, discarded sprockets, gadgets, and tools lie abandoned. On closer inspection, the PCs may notice many of these parts are flawed in some fashion (Perception DC 15). Some may be broken or missing pieces, others constructed poorly or with shoddy materials…

A spiral staircase in the corner of the room descends deeper into the tower. As the PCs rummage through the room, they hear woozing and whistles, clanking and kerplops, woops and bam-gongs. It seems some failed creations still draw energy, and they quickly descend on the intruders!

Encounter 3: Discarded Guardians

Encounter Level 5 (1,000 XP)

SETUP
This encounter includes the following creatures:
Discarded Clockwork Experiment (×5)

Features of the Area

Illumination: The entire area is lit by softly glowing sigils that provide dim light.

Wooden Crates: Wooden crates, filled with discarded clockwork parts, litter this room. Any square containing crates is difficult terrain.

Spiral Staircase: A spiral staircase in the far corner descends into another room.

Tactics

The discarded clockwork experiments move to attack the nearest creature. Due to their unique construction, they are intelligent and work together to take down opponents. If an enemy is reduced to 0 hp or less, the discarded clockwork experiments move on to the next viable threat.

Discarded Clockwork Experiment (Level 3 Soldier)

Medium natural animate; XP 150
Initiative +3; Perception −1

HP 42; Bloodied 21
AC 19, Fortitude 18, Reflex 16, Will 14
Speed 7
Immune blindness, disease, poison

TRAITS
Clockwork Vision
This clockwork experiment has true sight and is immune to effects that alter vision.

STANDARD ACTIONS
Whirling Arm • At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC.
Hit: 2d6 + 6 damage, and the target falls prone.

Zapping Touch • Encounter
Attack: +8 vs. Fortitude.
Hit: 2d10 + 11 lightning damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).

Str 20 (+6)                  Dex 12 (+2)         Wis 7 (−1)
Con 10 (+1)                 Int 12 (+2)          Cha 7 (−1)
Alignment unaligned           Languages —

To celebrate the impending release of Open Design’s Soldiers of Fortune sourcebook for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, author Matt James brings you additional material for a military campaign.

[previously]

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Encounter Background

During the last encounter, the PCs located the entrance to the abandoned dungeon and were attacked by roaming giant camel spiders. Now, they must enter the dark and mysterious complex.

Any PC who makes a successful History check (DC 22) knows this location was once a vibrant and wealthy city. Sadly, the city was lost to a great cataclysm that left the entire area buried under leagues of sand…

Encounter 2: The Tower of Zazerlae

Encounter Level 5 (1,000 XP)

Entering the decrepit and decaying entrance, you enter a room of wonders. Softly glowing sigils and runes provide an ambient light, and the temperature difference sends chills down your back. An exit descends beyond your vision, yet magical protections seem to prevent further progress.

The PCs have entered the very top of an ancient Zazerlae wizard’s tower, possibly one of the tallest buildings in the ancient society. Only a skilled arcanist can bypass the entrance’s wards, allowing the party to continue their journey into the depths.

Goal: The PCs are trying to gain access to the tower.

Complexity: 2 (6 successes before 3 failures)

Primary Skills: Arcana, History, and Insight

Other Skills: Perception

Victory: The PCs successfully decipher the ancient arcane lock and safely access the tower complex.

Defeat: The PCs inadvertently (or perhaps purposefully) activate the arcane lock’s defenses. Each PC loses 2 healing surges.

Arcana DC 15 (1 success, 3 maximum)—You read the sigils and runes that pepper the entrance. You understand the magical sequence used and can begin unlocking the door.

History DC 22 (1 success, 1 maximum)—You once studied this period, and you recall the ancient society that dwelled here used these protections on many of their buildings.

Insight DC 15 (1 success, 1 maximum)—Judging by the sequence of the runes, you can puzzle out how they fit together.

Perception DC 10 (no successes, 2 maximum)—You locate key markings on the door that help you understand the sequence. If successful, the next Arcana check used to decipher the runes and sigils receives a +2 bonus.

Ending the Encounter

Continue on to the next encounter.

To celebrate the impending release of Open Design’s Soldiers of Fortune sourcebook for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, author Matt James brings you additional material for a military campaign.

__

The riches and treasures diverted through the city of Cindass are quite remarkable and fuel a burgeoning enterprise for those motivated by money. Wealthy investors back dozens of archeological expeditions each year, and keeping these parties protected from the evils lurking in the sandy landscape is a premium job.

With more and more expeditions every season, Cindass has one of the largest concentrations of mercenary companies anywhere. Each week, these expeditions depart for destinations farther and farther away, hoping to find an ancient relic to bring them riches and glory…

Encounter Background

A wealthy merchant by the name of Azlazier has been living in Cindass for nearly 5 years. He has been searching endlessly for a powerful gem hidden in a small, ancient dungeon. The gem has special properties, including the power to cure minor ailments with little to no effort. If Azlazier secured such an item, it would make him a content and wealthy man.

Azlazier believes he has found the entrance to the gem’s resting place and has recently been sending out requests for bodyguards to escort him to and from the site. Mercenaries who accept the contract have the opportunity to negotiate their wages and terms of employment. This encounter assumes these incidentals have already been negotiated.

Encounter 1: Entrance to the Caverns of Zazerlae

Encounter Level 4 (800 XP)

SETUP
This encounter includes the following creatures:
Giant Camel Spider (x2)

A large, dusty dune stands before you: a strange and rickety entrance directly into the dune is supported by rotted wooden beams. Though mostly covered with sand, tracks lead into the passage. The tracks are recent, and no attempt has been made to conceal them.

As PCs to investigate the area, successful Perception check (Moderate DC) reveals another set of tracks— created by the giant camel spiders lurking nearby. If they spot the monsters, combat starts normally. If they fail to spot them, the giant camel spiders gain a surprise round.

Features of the Area

Illumination: Assuming the PCs traveled during the day, the encounter takes place in bright daylight.

Large Pile of Sandstone Boulders: Large piles of sandstone boulders litter the area and provide blocking terrain. Each stands 10 ft. tall and requires an Athletics check (Moderate DC) to climb. A character can make a melee basic attack against these squares to smash the sandstone rock formations. Any attack turns these blocking squares into difficult terrain with no other effect.

Deep Sand: Various dark squares represent areas deep pockets of sand. These are difficult terrain.

Tactics

Giant camel spiders are very aggressive. They charge into combat and attempt to take out the smallest in a given group. They dance in and out to lure enemies away from the larger group.

A giant camel spider’s ultimate goal is to consume for its own nourishment. They bite opponents with their paralyzing bite. Once a foe is paralyzed, a giant camel spider devours it slowly, using its devour attack.

Giant Camel Spider (Level 5 Elite Skirmisher)

Medium natural magical beast; XP 400
Initiative +3; Perception +3

HP 126; Bloodied 63
AC 19, Fortitude 17, Reflex 18, Will 16
Speed 8
Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1

TRAITS
Uncanny Speed
The giant camel spider acts twice within initiative order, once at initiative count 20 and once at count 10. During each of these turns, it has a full set of actions.

STANDARD ACTIONS
[M] Bite • At-Will
Attack: Melee (one creature); +10 vs. AC.
Hit: 2d8 + 4 poison damage, and the target is weakened (save ends).

[m] Double Attack
The giant camel spider makes two bite attacks.

[m] Paralyzing Bite • Recharge 5, 6
Attack: Melee (one creature); +8 vs. Fortitude
Hit: 1d8 + 4 poison damage, and if the target is weakened, it is now immobilized (save ends).

[m] Devour • At-Will
Attack: Melee (one immobilized creature); +10 vs. AC
Hit: The target takes damage equal to its healing surge value.

TRIGGERED ACTIONS
[m] Battering Legs • Recharge 5, 6
Trigger: The spider is hit by a melee attack.
Attack: Melee (one creature); +10 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + 6 damage

Str 12 (+3)                          Dex 12 (+3)                       Wis 12 (+3)
Con 15 (+4)                        Int 2 (-2)                              Cha 8 (+1)
Alignment evil; Languages —
Equipment —

Encounter Codex presents encounters you can quickly slot into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other games for that matter) with little effort—just add stats from your favorite monster manual.

[previous encounter]

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A three-headed skeleton encased in ceremonial plate armor surveys this pillared hall from atop a throne of glass.

Features of the Chamber

• The air in this wide hall is cold and drafty. It carries the faint odor of incense and burning wax.
• Two rows of columns support a vaulted ceiling. The pillars are inscribed with hundreds of screaming faces; iron torches are set into them at two humans’ height.
• A three-headed skeleton wearing plate mail etched with arabesques sits on a black glass throne. It clutches a bone staff topped with an elf skull, and its central head wears a crown of platinum.
• Three black marble pedestals stand before the throne. There are closed tomes with a silver bookmark threaded between the pages atop each.
• A wrought iron scale also stands on the altar…

Encounter

This dungeon chamber contains four encounter elements: the oracle, the trial of fate, the trial of faith, and the trial of fortune. The trial of fate begins when any dungeoneer enters the chamber.

The Oracle: Dungeoneers drawing close to the three-headed skeleton—or oracle—notice the glass throne is hollow and vibrates with the muted wail of spirits trapped inside it. The three skulls speak in discordant unison.

Dungeoneers with expert knowledge in religious history or legend lore recall tales of a three-headed undead seer who challenges adventurers with a series of trials. Those who successfully complete the tests are granted the boon of a long-dead god; those who fail are destroyed. Though sages are not certain of the oracle’s motives, it exists so that only the most worthy visitors live to enter the halls of its patron deity.

The Trial of Fate: When the dungeoneers enter the chamber, the oracle welcomes them, and explains that, by their incursion into the hall, they have accepted the first of three trials. If the heroes flee or refuse the trial, two invisible stalkers descend from the ceiling and attack. They fight until destroyed and pursue the dungeoneers wherever they go.

If the dungeoneers accept the oracle’s challenge, it bestows on them one of the following quests (choose or roll randomly). They have three nights to complete this quest: if they succeed, the oracle believes they are heroes spoken of in the myths of its people. If they fail, the oracle’s chamber disappears, and two invisible stalkers are sent to hunt the party.

1. Bring the oracle the heart of a legendary monster without slaying it.
2. Map a route to the center of a deadly labyrinth and return the map to the oracle.
3. Find the tomb of an ancient templar to prove or disprove a cryptic statement the oracle makes about him or her.
4. Refill a mystic hourglass with arcane dust before it expires. The oracle does not provide them with said dust.

The Trial of Faith: If the dungeoneers complete the trial of fate, the oracle motions for them to open the first tome to the bookmarked page. Opening it to any other page triggers a fireball trap, and the party fails the challenge. The same occurs if any of the books are opened out of order.

Each book contains a question, which the dungeoneers must answer to the oracle’s satisfaction. Only one dungeoneer need speak for the party. If the query is answered correctly, the oracle’s left skull opens its maw, and out flies an undead crow. It settles on the left side of the scale. If the question is answered incorrectly, the right skull opens, and the crow perches atop the right side. Do not reveal which side of the scale represents success or failure! Certainly the oracle makes no remarks about the correctness of their replies.

The answers are left to you—you might have specific answers in mind that tie to the milieu, or you could simply accept answers that are especially thematic, interesting, or well thought-out. Of course, you should act as if specific answers were expected…

• Book One: “What is the highest virtue of mortal life?”
• Book Two: “What is to be done with heretics and blasphemers?”
• Book Three: “Where must all souls travel when they pass?”
• Book Four: The ink in this tome has faded and run, rendering the question illegible. The oracle is unmoved by this fact and demands an answer nonetheless.

If the dungeoneers answer more questions correctly than incorrectly, they proceed to the final trial. Otherwise, they are banished from the chamber, the invisible stalkers dispatched. If the scales are evenly weighted, the oracle spares the lives of the dungeoneers, on the condition that they leave the chamber, never to return, and vow never to enter the halls of his deity.

The Trial of Fortune: On completing the trial of faith, the oracle produces two chipped bone dice from its side, each with eight painted faces. Each dungeoneer is instructed to roll both dice—refusing to roll fails the trial.

Consult the table below to determine the results of the throw:

2. Death—the dungeoneer dies or is energy drained.

3. Ruin—the dungeoneer loses one or more possessions.

4. Agony—the dungeoneer becomes susceptible to damage for a time.

5. Pestilence—the dungeoneer contracts a disease.

6. Darkness/Silence—the dungeoneer goes either blind or deaf (oracle’s choice).

7. Firelight—the dungeoneer is marked as an intruder in the dungeon.

8. Curse—the dungeoneer’s saving throws worsen for a time.

9. Warding—the dungeoneer is protected from magic for a time.

10. Truesight—the dungeoneer gains true seeing for a time.

11. Resistance—the dungeoneer is protected from damage for a time.

12. Shadow—the dungeoneer becomes partially invisible for a time.

13. Rejuvenation—the dungeoneer is healed of all damage and disease.

14. Favor—the dungeoneer’s saving throws improve for a time.

15. Revelation—the dungeoneer gains a level (or equivalent experiential reward).

16. If any dungeoneer rolls this result, the entire party passes the trial. Effects already bestowed by the dice, good and bad, remain.

If half or more of the dungeoneers roll a 9 or higher, the trial is successful. Otherwise, they must render a great sacrifice unto the oracle’s deity or fail the challenge.

Rewards: If the dungeoneers complete all three trials, the oracle congratulates them and offers words of wisdom from his enigmatic deity. Reward the PCs with considerable experience, valuable treasure, potent magic items, crucial hints, or all of the above.

Encounter Codex presents encounters that can be quickly slotted into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other games for that matter) with little effort—just add stats from your favorite monster manual.

[previous encounter]
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A radiant yellow orb—like a miniature sun—gleams from beneath a veil of crushed rubies. Hieroglyphs inked onto the wrappings of nearby mummies shimmer in kind…

Features of the Chamber

• The air in this small crypt is stale with the odor of dried parchment and salt.

• At the far end of the chamber stands an ornate dais, and atop it sits a gold claw clutching a glowing orb. A layer of crushed rubies covers the orb and mutes the light it casts.
• A regal mummy lies in an open sarcophagus on either side of the crypt. Hieroglyphs that glow the same color as the orb are inscribed on its wrappings.
• Peeling murals set in niches depict a pharaoh holding a sun between his hands.
• Light in this chamber filters through a haze of sand and dust.

Encounter

This dungeon chamber contains three encounter elements: the murals, the mummies, and the sun orb.

The Murals: Four murals—two on either side of the tomb—are set into 4-ft.- by-8-ft. niches. All four depict the same pharaoh holding a sun between his hands, casting rays onto smaller figures surrounding a pyramid at his feet. A perceptive dungeoneer may note a third eye painted on the pharaoh’s forehead. An insightful dungeoneer notes that only the mummified figures at the pyramid’s base embrace the sun’s rays; the rest appear to writhe in agony.

One mural conceals a secret alcove, which opens if the third eye is pushed inward. It contains a small collection of valuable art objects, including a gold headdress and a jade cat.

The Mummies: Dungeoneers inspecting the sarcophagi note they are hewn from obsidian and filled with treasure—gold coins, scroll tubes, and jewelry. Each mummy wears a headdress, an amulet, and a bracelet made of coiled jade. The wrappings radiate scrying and warding magic.

If either the mummies or the treasures surrounding them are disturbed, they animate and attack the dungeoneers, fighting to the death. The mummies each wield a magic khopesh, and their wrappings have been treated to give them resistance to fire and acid. Their amulets deflect normal missiles.

In addition to their enchanted weapon and rotting slam attacks, each mummy can cast spells as an evil cleric. If a mummy casts a spell while close to the orb, the effect is heightened. Also, once per encounter, a swarm of scarabs issues from each mummy’s eyes and mouth.

The Sun Orb: The orb atop the dais thrums with energy when one or more of the dungeoneers draw close. If examined closely, it radiates powerful scrying and warding magic. The crushed rubies that coat the orb are embroidered into a silk veil that can be brushed aside.

The dais is inscribed with pictographs showing a pharaoh gazing into the sun from atop a pyramid. A dungeoneer who deciphers hieroglyphs through knowledge or magic learns that the great king Ihmrahotep, progenitor of his dynasty, was the first mortal to look on the face of the Sun without perishing, thus earning deific power.

An arc of searing light lashes out and attacks any creature that peers into the orb after removing its ruby veil. Creatures that fail to save against or resist the effect are disintegrated, reduced to a pile of burnt sand.

If a creature gazing into the orb first wraps itself in the glyphic bindings of the mummy guardians, however, it instead receives a beneficial vision they know to be true. The premonition might reveal the location of a powerful artifact or sought-after enemy, or it may bestow a crucial hint that helps the dungeoneers in their current quest.

(This post is Product Identity.)

Sigard the Woodsman was a doting father. Ever since his wife was taken by the Black Death, his children have been his whole world. But, of course, this was before the brain mold…

He could hear them laughing inside their modest home, preparing for the evening meal. They took his wife. Faster and faster, he kicked the rotating grindstone.

He could hear them mocking him over the bustle of the dinner dishes. His axe, the tool of his trade, was now razor sharp.

Sigard rose from the whetstone. It was time to silence the laughter.

Placed amid the trees of an old forest, this rest stop is not what it seems. Time has muted the screams, and scavenging animals have removed the bones of the once-happy family. The culprit, though, still remains…

The Ghosts

The party might see the woodsman’s plague-riddled wife, the poor murdered children, or the axe-wielding woodsman himself. The apparitions are harmless, but their appearance fuels the delusions caused by the mold.

The Hovel

The roof is leaky and the door is warped, but it’s better than standing outside… for a while anyway. The dripping water or a stuck door (break DC 18, hp 20) at the right time could heighten the paranoia and the fun.

Brain Mold

A silent killer is waiting in the kitchen, under the beds, even in the rough mortar of the chimney. The dusty, chalk-like mold is readily inhaled and hangs in the air when disturbed. If an adventuring party stays overnight—perhaps during a sudden rainstorm—they must roll well to avoid the effects of the mold.

All the characters are affected, though some will be luckier than others.

Mold Paranoia (Pathfinder)

Type disease, inhaled; Save Will DC 18
Onset 2 hours inside the hovel
Effect after first missed save, victim remembers some past injury and starts an argument with another PC; after second missed save, victim makes an unarmed attack; after third missed save and beyond, victim makes armed attack; Cure 2 consecutive saves

Mold Paranoia (4th Edition)

Level 7 Disease

Your friends are out to get you. They’ve never appreciated everything you do for them.
Attack: +10 vs. Will
Endurance: Improve DC 25, maintain DC 21, worsen DC 20 or lower.

< You are cured.
<>Initial Effect You start an argument with an ally. You take a −3 to Endurance checks.
> You make a melee basic attack against an ally.

(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatible)

Amid the wild snows, a tempting light shines, luring the lost or frightened to safety. Stumbling and numb with cold, these poor wanderers find a warm, inviting cave mouth at the source of the light.

The brightness is obscured and then disappears entirely as the wanderer seeks shelter. Standing at the cave’s mouth, one feels an eager pulling, often confused with the allure of simple warmth. Once entered, the cave mouth sinks into the ground and appears elsewhere, never in the same spot twice.

Inside is a tunnel of solid ice, pulsing with veiny fingers of light. Within, the pulling sensation grows stronger, pulling intruders down the tunnel to the cavern’s heart…

The heart of the cavern is a circular hollow carved from ice, nearly 50 ft. in diameter. At the center floats a snowflake shape crafted from flame—the Snow Star.

Those that enter are devoured by the cavern’s Keeper, eternal servant to the long-dead sorcerer who created the Snow Star and its home. The Keeper does not communicate and attacks all intruders without pause.

Combat in the Snow Star Cavern

The tunnel is 3 squares wide and 15 squares long; the central cavern is a circular chamber with a diameter of 10 squares. The cavern’s only features are the Snow Star, the Keeper, and a few shattered remnants of bone.

Once combat begins, the environment is a prominent factor on the otherwise stark battlefield.

Magic of the Snow Star (Permanent Terrain Effect)

Effect: When moving directly away from the Snow Star, all movement counts as if difficult terrain. If forced movement would move you away from the Snow Star, the distance is reduced by 2 squares.

Effect: The entrance to the Snow Star Caverns moves, and the location of the caverns themselves is unknown. A character entering the caverns never exits them in the same place. The cavern’s mouth always appears in areas surrounded by snow and rarely “travels” more than a few miles in a day.

The Snow Star: Both effects end if the Snow Star is destroyed. If it is destroyed (AC/Reflex 10, Fortitude 5; HP 15), all creatures present are shunted to the place the mouth last appeared.

Release the Light (At-Will Terrain Power)

Requirement: You must be adjacent to the cavern wall.
Check: Athletics check (moderate DC) to kick or slam the tunnel wall hard enough to make a crack.
Success: Surging veins of light burst from the cavern walls, dizzying and confusing those nearby, including you.

At-Will
Move Action Close burst 1
Target: All creatures in burst.
Attack: Level + 3 vs. Reflex.
Hit: 1d4 + 1/2 level damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).
Miss: Half damage.

Keeper of the Snow Star (Level 8 Solo Controller)

Made from the same magics as the object it guards, the Keeper resembles a giant, crystalline ape. Its eyes and teeth are raging fires, out of proportion with the rest of its body. Its bulky arms end in razor claws of ice.

Large immortal animate (cold, fire) XP 1,750
Initiative +3; Perception +10; darkvision

HP 340; Bloodied 170
AC 24, Fortitude 22, Reflex 18, Will 20
Speed 6
Resist 10 cold, 10 fire; Vulnerable 10 necrotic, 10 radiant
Saving Throws +5; Action Points 2

TRAITS
Guardian’s Curse • Aura 4
Creatures within range and attacking the Snow Star grant the Keeper combat advantage. Damage dealt to the Snow Star while the Keeper is within 4 squares is instead dealt to the Keeper.

STANDARD ACTIONS
[m] Keeper’s Claw (cold) • At-Will
Attack—Melee 1 (one creature); +12 vs. AC.
Hit—2d8+4 damage, and the target slides 2 squares.

[C] Fury of the Star (fire) • Recharge 5, 6
Attack—Close blast 3 (enemies in blast); +13 vs. Fortitude.
Hit—3d6+5 fire damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).

[C] Guardian’s Roar • At-Will
Attack—Close burst 2 (enemies in burst); +9 vs. Reflex.
Hit—2d8+4 damage, and the target is knocked prone.

MINOR ACTIONS
[R] Snow’s Entrapment (cold, teleportation) • Recharge when Keeper hits with fury of the star
Attack—Ranged 10 (one creature); +12 vs. Will.
Hit—Target is teleported 5 squares and is slowed until the end of its next turn.

Str 18 (+8)           Dex 15 (+6)         Wis 12 (+5)
Con 18 (+8)         Int 12 (+5)           Cha 14 (+6)
Alignment unaligned; Languages understands Common

Hooks

• You become aware of the Snow Star as a source of powerful magic either through your own efforts or those of your employer.
• Someone has gone missing, and you are hired to find them. (They wandered into the cavern and were eaten.)
• You might find the entrance all on your own—an unhappy accident while wandering in a blizzard.