Descent into Avernus Homebrew #4: The Demonic Ship

 

Apologies for the poor quality of the map here: when I was sketching it out, it was primarily for myself as the DM, and to a certain extent to show the players. 

So the setup for this was loosely inspired by an old 2nd edition AD&D adventure called A Paladin In Hell. Part of this was on a demonic ship called the Demonwing. The ship in that adventure was multi-dimensional and considerably larger and more complex. This ship is relatively conventional in its layout. Nonetheless, like its inspiration, it is was a flying ship capable of navigating the outer planes, created by the demons of the Abyss to launch raids into Avernus. I say it was, because it has crashed and is now distinctly non-functional as transport. Nonetheless, most of the crew have survived and are angry and defensive, assuming that any intruders are their foes. 

The plot hook I gave my players was that Mordenkainen (who in Descent into Avernus has temporarily set up base on the first level of Hell for academic studies) wanted the PCs to retrieve two very important instruments, the Astrolabe and the Sextant that allowed the ship to traverse the outer planes along with its crew and passengers. In return Mordenkainen would help them in their quest to free the city of Elturel. 

All creatures on the ship except the rutterkin demons are from the 5E Monster Manual. The rutterkin is officially in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes but since I don’t have that book I adapted the stats for rutterkins from 3E Fiendish Codex II: Hordes of the Abyss. 

Key to the ship map (1 sq: 5ft)

1) Main deck: Empty

2) Fore-deck main cabin: Empty 

3) Bowsprit cabin: 1 barlgura, the bosun, who has the sextant that Mordenkainen seeks.  

4) Stairs down

5) Poop cabin: 1 vrock

6) Mid-deck corridor: usually empty but creatures will wander through.

7) 5 Dretches 

8) Crew Cabin: 2 rutterkin

9) Crew Cabin: empty

10) Crew Cabin: 1 chasme

11) Cultists’ cabin: 10 cultists + 1 cult fanatic. These are human mortals. Although the cult fanatic is eager to take the fight to the forces of Law and feels privileged to fight alongside actual demons, her followers are really having second thoughts and are quite terrified, having seens two of their number being casually murdered by their demonic masters. 

12) Ships Stores: 2 shadow demons

13) 2 rutterkin demons are torturing a captured spined devil who they wrongly suspect of sabotaging the ship’s engine

14) Engine Room: This room has a clearly damaged magical mechanism at the rear - this was the engine. In here, invisible, is an imp that has sabotaged the engine and caused the demonic ship to run aground. However, the imp is stuck here in a ship full of demons and is terrified of anything and anyone. Although Mordenkainen has not specifically asked for it, he would be fascinated if the PCs could retrieve some or all of the engine for him to study. 

15) Captain’s Cabin: 1 hezrou who has a navigation table, with charts of the planes and  the astrolabe that Mordenkainen is after.  

Descent into Avernus Homebrew #3: Camp Knucklebone and the Yugoloth Camp

This is continuing the short series about some of the material I have come up with to make the published adventure Descent into Avernus: Baldur’s Gate run more smoothly.  The adventure as published is good but there are significant gaps that I feel need filling in. 

My map of Camp Knucklebone

Camp Knucklebone

One important missing item is a map of Camp Knucklebone. This is a camp in Avernus run by a night hag called Mad Maggie, who oversees a band of redcaps with a pair of kenku and a few imps. The camp and what goes on there is given decent explanation in the book but crucially there is no map, so I have decided to fix this.

I’m sure others have done neater, more professional maps than this: this was not done with this blog in mind but purely for my players who I DM for. Nonetheless it has the basics, including 

• A) Forge Wagon: This is where smithing is carried out by the redcaps and kenku. It has a trailer with a portable forge, while to one side of the wagon are a pair of anvils. Inside are various blacksmithing and metal-casting tools. 
• B) Maggie’s Wagon: This large gypsy-style covered wagon is her home and includes various books, potions, wardrobes and other personal belongings. It is motorised rather than drawn by animals. Mickey the Flesh Golem can often be found guarding this wagon, making sure that nobody else enters. 
• C) Watch Tower: typically manned by a pair of redcaps
• D) Gatehouse manned by 6 redcaps
• E) Maggie’s Happymobile, a customised Scavenger vehicle. 
• F) Infernal War Machine: There are several of these around the camp, all of them Scavengers.  
• G) Hospitality Wagon. This is where the PCs can stay. Enough visitors end up in Camp Knucklebone that it is sensible to have a wagon spare. It is quite spartan but has 6 human-sized bunks and 2 closets.  
• I) Kenku Wagon: This is where the two kenku Chukka and Clonk live. It is full of shiny and curious odds and ends the kenkus have collected. 
• J) Redcap oversized trikes. These are Devils Ride infernal war machines used by the redcaps. 
• K) Workshop Wagon: Along with the forge wagon (A) this is where much of the mechanical work takes place. 

The Yugoloth Camp

This is a short side-trek I threw together to give the PCs something to do at Camp Knucklebone. Mad Maggie, the night hag who runs Camp Knucklebone has agreed to help restore the memories of Lulu the hollyphant. I decided that as well as the ritual described in the adventure with its dream sequences, a potion of mind restoration was needed, to be brewed by Maggie and drunk by Lulu. Lulu lost her memory after being dowsed with water from the Styx, which washes away memories of all who drink or bathe in it, except for a few select creatures that have adapted to thrive in the Styx. One species that can swim in the Styx while retaining their memories are the Hydroloth - frog-like yugoloths. Maggie would like the brain of one of them to brew into this potion of mind restoration. However, they are very tough (for 7th level PCs) and I don't have the sourcebook for them (Mordenkainen's Book of Foes). So I decided that this one was already dead. But its compatriots were still alive and angry. 

Thus the Yugoloth camp is found on the banks of the Styx, a few hours drive from Camp Knucklebone. Incidentally I decided that this is when the PCs, travelling on a borrowed Scavenger war machine encountered Raggadragga the wereboar warlord and his motorised retinue. (the PCs managed to deter his band by casting Darkness on the cockpits of the pursuing vehicles). 

The camp has recently been attacked and overwhelmed by the forces of Hell.  When the PCs reach the camp, it is obvious that a battle has taken place - there are fiendish corpses littering the ground around a rough barricade of scrap iron right next to the river. One war machine is completely destroyed, while two more have crashed into the barricade. Significant encounters are indicated on the map above.

a) 2 mezzoloths, paranoid and battle crazed, attack anything not a yugoloth

b) the dead hydroloth the PCs are seeking is actually outside the barricade - it was trying to escape into the river Styx when it was cut down. Fortunately its brain case is intact, and it is a simple if sickening matter to cut its head open and remove the brain, or just take the whole head back

c) This Tormetor, an infernal war machine larger than the scavenger, was abandoned by the forces of Hell. A slain barbed devil is still slumped in the drivers seat, its head on the ground next to the vehicle. The machine is not working at the moment but it can easily be towed back to Camp Knucklebone to be repaired back to full function (which is what my PCs did). 

d) A dead nycaloth is fallen here. It carries a satchel that includes instructions from its Arcanaloth superiors and a collection of gems worth 2000gp. 

I admit there is really only one combat encounter here (the two mezzoloths) but more could be added as needed. And of course travelling to and from this camp will have its own risk of encounters (such as Raggadragga). 

Descent into Avernus Homebrew #2: The Passage through the Abyss

The Passage Through the Abyss 

This was completely unexpected on my part, but there is no clearly given way for characters to get down from Elturel (floating half a mile above the surface of Avernus) down to the ground. There are the massive chains from the foundations of the city to the ground but these seem like a death trap, doing damage every turn and with the risk of falling so I’m gad my players did not try them. I actually gave them a few options including a mechanical oversized hand-glider but they came up with their own. They had already rescued Ulder Ravenguard from the Grand Cemetery chapel, and there is a portal to the Abyss, specifically to the Endless Maze, Baphomet’s layer. The PCs decided that there must be other portals from the Abyss to the surface of Avernus and they just needed to venture into the abyss and find another portal to Avernus. I was not expecting this. But at the same time I was willing to go along with it as they were clearly not confident about my giant mechanical glider.

My version of the Endless Maze is not the same as canon (there is a description of this layer in 3.5E Fiendish Codex II: Hordes of the Abyss)  but it worked well enough. The surface is a dark and foreboding forest, inhabited by fiendish dire beasts including fiendish aurochs (who the PCs mistook for gorgons - I did not bother to correct them).  Underneath the forest floor is the actual labyrinth, a classic dungeon though with more turning passageways and fewer rooms. Here is the map I did:

1 sq: 10ft

In the top right of the map is the chasm - this is the precipitous way down from the forest floor into the labyrinth proper. Although the chasm itself is extremely deep, there are  ledges about 30-50ft below the top which, as can be seen, sometimes connect to the labyrinth. The PCs rappelled their way down to the ledge and the entrance to the labyrinth. 

There was a lot of combat but not all encounters were violent. As well as dealing with minotaurs and demons as befits Baphomet’s layer of the Abyss, there were also cultists and planar creatures with specific agendas. 

In room 8 on the map there is a Molydeus demon called Falco who appears as an imposing human. He is interested in prosecuting the Blood War, so messing around with the devils of Hell and their plans to consume Elturel sounds like a good idea. He will thus offer to help the PCs navigate the maze to the exit portal. In return for this, the PCs must slay the Hezrou demon guarding an item known as the soul stone, which Falco wants to possess. I had written some lore about the soul stone being the crystallized remains of a fallen chaotic evil demigod but the PCs didn’t ask too much about it - the soul stone was just another McGuffin. Falco is aided by a chaotic evil tiefling warlock (fiend patron, level 6) called Kayaphass. Kayaphass ended up acting as local guide at Falco’s behest. 

Some monsters have been borrowed and converted from other editions (converting from 3rd edition is relatively quick and simple), particularly the Molydeus and the Ghour.  

The key to the map is summarised as:

1. 3 minotaurs
2. Gas trap - Con save DC 14 or 2d6 poison damage per turn. 
3. 3 bulezau demons
4. Kayaphass’ chamber - 6th level warlock
5. Empty
6. Empty
7. 1 Vrock
8. Falco the Molydeus demon
9. 1 Hezrou demon guarding the soul stone + treasure (10,000sp, 4,500gp, 600pp)
10. Portal to surface of Avernus + 2 minotaurs + 1 minotaur boss
11. 1 ghour demon
12. 4 bulezau demons

As it happens the PCs slew the bulezaus in room 3, the hezrou in room 9 and the minotaurs in room 10, and encountered but did not fight the vrock in room 7. I’m glad they did not find the ghour in room 11 - although it might fit thematically, it was a lot more powerful and could have ended with TPK. I may have been easy on the PCs providing them with a local guide, but I really did not have the appetite to have them getting lost in what really is an Endless Labyrinth instead of getting on with rescuing the city of Elturel. Note that the map I’ve done does have passages leading off the edges to unmapped areas. Although possible to go off this map, I’m relieved that the PCs stayed within it. Anyway the PCs passed through the portal in room 10 and found themselves on the ground level of Avernus. In the distance there was a hill shaped like a giant monstrous hand, up against which was nestled a settlement with a wall of scrap iron. Welcome to Camp Knucklebone.  

New Monsters 

The Molydeus demon is found in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes for 5E (so I won’t give its stats here), but I don’t have that book so I adapted its stats from the 3.5E book Fiendish Codex: Hordes of the Abyss (2006). Similarly the Ghour as adapted from its entry in the 3E book Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerun (2001). Both are very powerful, so I’m glad the PCs did not get into a fight with either. 

The minotaur boss is based on the standard minotaur from the 5E Monster Manual with improved hit dice and represents a tough and experienced tribal chief among minotaurs. The bulezau demons are found in the back of Descent into Avernus. 

Demon, Ghour (Huge Outsider, Chaotic Evil)
AC 25, Speed 40ft, HP 150 (12d8+96) 

Str 25 (+7), Dex 8 (-1), Con 26 (+7), Int 15 (+2), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 15 (+2)
Saves: Str & Con
Skills: Stealth
Senses: Darkvision 120ft, Tracking by scent, passive perception 15
Languages: Abyssal, Giant, Telepathy
Immunities: Poison & Electricity
Resistance: Fire, Cold, Acid, non-magical weapons

Challenge 12 (8,400xp)
Actions & Attacks:

Multi-Attack Horn & Claw 

Horn attack: melee +12 to hit for 1d8+7 piercing

Claw attack: melee +12 to hit for 2d6+7 slashing

Roar: 1/day all creatures within 30ft must make DC 15 con save or be stunned for 1d4 rnd and deafened

Breath Weapon: Noxious Gas (10ft x 10ft x 30ft long), DC 20 Dex save or 2d6 Str damage

Spell-like Abilities (DC 18 for saves): Blasphemy (at will), Chaos Hammer (at will), Deeper Darkness (at will), Greater Teleport (at will), Maze (3/day), Fear (3/day), Confusion (3/day)

Source: Monsters of Faerun (3E) (artist C. Critchlow)

Minotaur Boss (Large Monstrosity, Chaotic Evil) 

AC 16, Speed 40ft, HP 102 (12d10+36)

Str 20 (+5), Dex 10 (+0), Con 16 (+3), Int 8 (-1), Wis 16 (+3), Cha 12 (+1)

Skills: Perception (+7)

Senses: Darkvision 60ft, Passive Perception 17

Languages: Abyssal

Challenge: 5 (1800xp)

Actions/Attacks:

Greataxe: Melee +8 to hit for 2d12 slashing damage

Gore: melee +8 to hit for 2d8+5 piercing damage

Charge: If minotaur boss moves at least 10ft straight towards target and hits with gore attack, the gore does an extra 2d8 damage and target must make DC 14, Strength save or be pushed 10ft and knocked prone

Reckless: Minotaurs can gain advantage on melee attack rolls but also melee attacks against it also have advantage.  

Descent into Avernus Homebrew #1: The Thayan Compound

 Diverging a bit from my usual Basic D&D, I thought I would go over some of the stuff I have come up with in 5E D&D for the campaign I am currently DMing, Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus. 

Spoiler alert: many of the things I will be discussing involve plot points in the published book. If you are a player playing through the same campaign book, then you have been warned. 

Descent into Avernus is a bit of a mixed bag. It has some great ideas and set pieces but joining them up in a way that the PCs want to follow is not always clear in the published book.  Furthermore, the adventure requires advancement at a much higher rate than the encounters in the book will allow. Advancing automatically after two or three encounters regardless of XP is not my preferred way of PCs levelling up. So some of these homebrew encounters are opportunities for the PCs to earn sufficient XP to get to the levels needed to move onto the next crucial parts in the adventure. 

Side Quest #1: The Red Wizard Enclave in Elturel

This side quest was created for three main reasons. Firstly to award the PCs some magic items. Secondly to award the PCs enough XP to take on the Elturel Cemetery. Thirdly to secure a source of food for the refugees in the High Hall cathedral in Elturel. The background here is that the Red Wizards of Thay have set up a trading enclave  (actually a walled compound) within Elturel, and this was dragged into Avernus along with the rest of the city. 

The acolyte in the High Hall, Pherria Jynx, knows of a magic item, a minor Cornucopia, that can conjure sufficient food to keep the refugees in the High Hall crypts alive. The Cornucopia was last seen being sold to the Red Wizards at their Enclave. The PCs are requested to retrieve it, with the incentive that they can keep any other magic items they find.

The Red Wizards tried to defend themselves against the devils of Avernus by summoning demons to protect them. This did not work out as planned and the demons have run amok in the enclave. Some red wizards are slain, others barricaded in their rooms, terrified. Thus the PCs find themselves investigating this walled compound, with a combination of angry demons, scared apprentice wizards and random magic items. 

Key to map: 

    1) Apprentices’ living quarters & Kitchen: 1 shadow demon (as Monster Manual) + 1 deceased neophyte

    2)  Apprentices’ dormitory: 3 Red Wizard Neophytes (see below for stats). All three are scared and will welcome any rescuers. Braddock in particular is questioning why he joined the Red Wizards at all. 

• Catrina (human female)
• Braddock (human male)
  
• Welph (human male)

    3) Stables. Contains 3 dead horses, slain by demons

    4) Senior Mage's Living Room. Nothing of interest except some nice chairs and carpet. 

    5) Senior Mage's Bedroom: Denthoros is a Mage (as per Monster Manual), a Neutral Evil human male who is the surviving leader of the Red Wizards still in the compound - his senior in the enclave has plane-shifted on his own back to Faerun leaving Denthoros and the others to their fate. Denthoros intends to survive and will do whatever it takes. He will only attack humanoids if they seem intent on attacking him, though any fiends will be treated as hostile. His wooden chest by his bed holds 250gp, 1200sp and his spellbook. Crucially Denthoros holds the key to to the Vault (room 10) and will only hand it over if offered something worthwhile. 

    6) Kitchen and Food Stores. A Barlgura Demon is in here and will attack any mortals or devils. Denthoros (room 5) is aware of this demon. The demon has devoured or spoilt any food that had been here.

    7) The Shop Floor. In here is a Chasme Demon (as Monster Manual) that will attack any mortal. There were shelves holding various baubles and trinkets for sale but the chasme has smashed everything into worthless scraps. However, behind the counter are three bags, one with 43sp, one with 60gp and one with 5pp. 

    8) Corridor

    9) Spell Components Stores: 1 Red Wizard Junior (stats as below) + 2 Veterans (as per Monster Manual). Similar to Denthoros in room 5, the Red Wizard Junior (human female, name Eriadnee) and her two guards are not interested in unnecessary fights and will try to negotiate their way out. They all know that Denthoros holds the key to the vault (room 10) but will only offer this information if pressed or offered something in return. They are trapped here by the chasme in room 7. 

    10) The Vault: This room is sealed by a locked steel door. Denthoros the mage in room 5 holds the key. Inside are 1 shadow demon +2 dretches (all as in Monster Manual). Also in here are locked boxes containing:

• The Cornucopia (a horn that constantly provides food on demand, enough to feed dozens of people every day. 
• A Bag of Holding
• A suit of Chain Mail +2
• A Wand of the War Mage
• A pair of Bracers of Defence +2

Red Wizard Neophyte:

Medium Humanoid, Neutral Evil, based on 2nd level wizard

AC: 10, HP: 9,  Speed: 30ft

Str 10 (0), Dex 10 (0), Con 13 (+1), Int 15 (+2) Wis 12 (+1), Cha 10 (0)

Saving Throws: Int (+4), Wis (+3)

Skills: Arcana (+4), Insight (+3)

Senses: passive perception (12)

Languages: Common, Thayan, Abyssal

Challenge: 2 (450xp)

Special Equipment: Dagger, red robes

Action: Dagger, melee attack (+2 to hit, 1d4 damage)

Spellcasting: Red Wizard Neophytes are spellcasters of 2nd level using Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +4 to hit with spell attacks)

At Will Cantrips (3 known): Acid Splash, Fire Bolt, Light

1st L spells (3 slots): Charm Person, Fog Cloud, Silent Image

Red Wizard Junior:

Medium Humanoid, Neutral Evil, based on 4th level wizard

AC 12, HP 21, speed 30ft

Str 10 (0), Dex 10 (0), Con 13 (+1), Int 17 (+3) Wis 14 (+2), Cha 12 (+1)

Saving Throws: Int (+5), Wis (+4)

Skills: Arcana (+5), Insight (+4)

Senses: passive perception (13)

Languages: Common, Thayan, Abyssal

Challenge: 4? (1100xp)

Special Equipment: Dagger, red robes of Protection +1, Ring of Protection +1

Action: Dagger, melee attack (+2 to hit, 1d4 damage)

Spellcasting: Red Wizard Juniors are spellcasters of 4th level using Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +5 to hit with spell attacks)

At Will Cantrips (4 known): Acid Splash, Fire Bolt, Light, Message

1st L spells (4 slots): Charm Person, Fog Cloud, Silent Image, Sleep

2nd L spells (3 slots): Invisibility, Detect Thoughts, Web

Description: Red Wizard Juniors are deemed competent enough by the Red Wizards of Thay to be entrusted with basic tasks and minor responsibilities. They are sometimes found looking after Thayan camps while team leaders are leading missions, or perhaps leading a patrol of minions, looking for minor foes of the Red Wizards. Red Wizard juniors have survived their apprenticeship and are a bit more aware of the manoeuvring and backstabbing among the Red Wizards, so are not as trusting of their fellows (Insight skill and Detect Thoughts spell are more used on their colleagues in the Red Wizards than their obvious enemies). 

Note that as the DM I awarded XP rewards for peacefully dealing with Red Wizards and retrieving the Cornucopia and bringing it back to the High Hall.