The Seat of the Seer

Presented here is the first encounter in the upcoming adventure "Anointing the Seer". Here, a group of giants have taken up residence in a cursed cathedral. Dangerous magic briers guard the exterior, and within the brutes feast on the trapped townsfolk. Feel free to drop it into your games to use as you see fit.

Seat of the Seer

Dungeon Features

Secret Doors in this area are priest-doors, concealed to appear to be part of the ornately carved stone or wood they are set into, and are a DC 18 Search check to find.

The Cursed Seat of the Seer (EL 12)

This temple is much transformed after the attack on it. It is surrounded by magical briars, and inside giants feast on the townsfolk, who have been polymorphed into animals.

Exterior

Surrounded by small outlying buildings, this large and stately temple is completely overgrown with gargantuan brambles, to the point where is is nearly concealed. A large double door can be glimpsed through the thorn-covered trunks of the plants.

In order to enter the temple via the doors one must somehow pass through the patches of brier brambles that block the doorways. If the plants are not killed then they must be defeated in an opposed strength check (DC 19) in order to open the doors. Other methods of entry include teleportation or flying or climbing up and breaking through some of the stained glass windows on the east face of the temple. Either method requires navigating the brambles, which will attempt to grapple the intruders.

Interior

The smell of offal, greasy cooking fires and death permeate this area. The interior of the temple is also sparsely overgrown with patches of the thorny brambles which push up through the flagstones. Several dead peasants and acolytes are caught in their branches. The stone walls are adorned with tapestries of the Seer's visions and the stories of the petitioners helped by them. Several carcases worth of bones lie upon the floor.

1/4 of the squares in the temple are grown over with brambles in approx 10' patches in the first room of the temple. Some of the pillars also have brambles in the chapel.

Creatures: Nearly 100 domestic animals cower in the temple. They are the temple priests and townsfolk who had come to observe the coronation, polymorphed into sheep, pigs and dogs. Several giants and and an air elemental have been left behind by the vengeful family to ensure that the temple is not re-inhabited.

Hill Giants (2): HP 102 each

Ogre Barbarians (3): HP 79 each

Air Elemental (1): HP 136

Tactics: The brutes will likely be roused by anyone entering the temple and will have assembled to defend it. The giants may attempt to push intruders into the brambles as they fight, and will mercilessly bludgeon anyone caught in them. Similarly, the air elemental will attempt to scoop up the rear ranks of any intruders in its whirlwind form and drop them into the brambles. If the group is defeated, the air elemental will return to the warlock to inform him that someone has reclaimed the temple. The giants will fight to the death.

Traps: The exterior of the temple and portions of the first room are overgrown with the effects of the brier brambles spell. Anyone entering the area of the spells effect risks entanglement and the plants sleeping poison.

Treasure: Almost the only thing left in the temple's treasury is a scroll of break enchantment that the temple priest (in his form as a ram) will bring to the party if they are otherwise unable to disenchant the villagers. The giants have little of value on them.

Development: Once the giants are slain and the elemental has fled, the party should be able to disenchant the remaining animals, who creep cautiously up to the PCs once the violence has ended.

Once freed they will relate what happened: the new priestess was in the process of being anointed when a holy trance came upon her. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she began speaking in a strange, strained, voice. "I see... doom! The drake... he is brought low by his son..." The peasants go on to inform their rescuers that a witch and two warlocks, one young and one of middle age, suddenly appeared in a burst of flame and interrupted the anointing of the new Seer and turned them all into animals. One of the older villagers, the abbot of the temple, will angrily go on to identify the witch as the evil old witch who used to live in the village, but was driven off years ago. Some say she inhabits a farm nearby in the wild woods, and the players will be given sketchy directions by one of the village's hunters.

Attempts to scry upon the priestess will fail, as she is in the Dragon's lair, which is warded against scrying.

Ad Hoc XP Adjustment: +15% for difficult terrain (the brambles)

The Witch's Watchdog

This is one of the first encounters in "Anointing the Seer", an adventure coming soon from Unicorn Rampant. This big, bad wolf guards the entrance to the evil witch's gardens in this fairy-tale styled adventure. Feel free to borrow it, or just Black Fang, for your games.

The Witch's Watchdog (EL 12)

Here, an awakened dire wolf named Black Fang guards the entrance to the farm.

There is a break in the dense woods, revealing a clearing. A wooden arch, covered in green, thorny rose vines, marks the entrance of this small farmstead and stretches up high above your heads. A large yard and gardens stretch away before you. Shouts of revelry can be dimly heard from an enormous lodge house ahead to the left. To the right, behind extensive gardens, a two-story cottage sits among some trees at the far end of the clearing. Out of the darkness beneath the trees next to the arch a loud, low voice growls, "Who goes there?"

Creatures: An awakened dire wolf named Black Fang is the farm's first guardian. He will challenge anyone other than the Sorceress or the giants who approaches the gate. He lurks in a dirt rut in the darkness a the foot of dense pine trees to the left of the gate (Hide: +14, +4 for cover = +18). A 100' iron chain prevents him from ranging too far afield, and gives him a -4 on Move Silently checks. Conversation with him may allow the party to enter unmolested if they can bluff or bribe him, as he is not particularly loyal to the Sorceress. He is, however, a cruel, evil wolf, so he may demand that he be allowed to eat one of them for the others to enter. Either way, he readies a spring attack and tries to remain hidden in the shadows as soon as he spots or hears the anyone approaching.

Black Fang, CR 12
male awakened advanced dire wolf
chaotic evil large magical beast
Initiative: +7

Senses: Listen +32, Spot +32

Languages: common, sylvan, giant

AC: 22 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural, +7 dodge from Combat Expertiese), touch 18, flat-footed 14
HP: 225 (HD 25d8 + 100)
Fort: +18 Ref: +17 Will: +8

Speed: 50 ft.
Attack: bite +20 (2d6 + 19) - 7 point power attack, 7 point Combat Expertiese
Attack Options: combat expertiese, power attack, spring attack
Space / Reach: 10 ft. / 5 ft.
Base Attack: +25 Grapple: +37

SQ: Low-light vision, scent
SA: Trip (+39)
Feats: Alertness, Run, Track (from scent), Weapon Focus (bite), Improved Initiative, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Power Attack

Abilities Str 27, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 13
Skills: Hide +14, Listen +32, Move Silently +14, Spot +32, Survival +2*

Trip (Ex): When Black Fang hits with a bite attack he can attempt to trip its opponent (+38 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip Black Fang.

Tactics A cyclone of furry death, Black Fang fights with cunning. He will use his spring attack to keep out of reach of any dangerous fighters, and will use his whirlwind attack if he becomes surrounded. Any spellcasters who harm him badly will be sprung on and tripped, and he will then stand over them so that if they stand he can attack again.

Development: Unless the players defeat the Black Fang quickly, the nocturnal Harpy Archer in the garden may wake and raise the alarm. A battle is listen DC -10 to hear, and the sleeping harpy has a total -3 on her listen check. The gate is 120ft (-12) from her roost (-5 for the walls), however, so a roll of 10 or more on a d20 indicates she is wakened and will arrive and join the fight in 3 rounds.

Spell: Briar Brambles

Briar Brambles
Transmutation
Druid 4
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Short
Area: 5' cubes defined by the caster within a 40' radius (2 cubes / caster level)
Duration: perm.
Saving Throw: see text
Spell Resistance: none

This spell grows dangerous brambles that prevent passage. Anyone entering the area of the brambles risks entanglement and injury by the vine's thorny appendages and a magical sleeping posion carried on their thorns.

The spell's effects are identical to those of the entangle spell, with the following changes and additions.

The spell causes to grow areas of thick, strong, aminate brambles. Any creature entering the area of the brambles must make a grapple check against the brambles. The brambles have a strength of 17 (+3), and a BAB equal to your caster level (minimum grapple +10). Any creatures caught up in the brambles take 1d6+3 points of bludgeoning and slashing damage on a sucessful grapple check as the thorny tentacles crush and lacerate them. In addition, anyone taking slashing damage from the briar brambles is subject to a mild sleeping posion (DC 12 + caster's Wisdom Bonus. Fortutde save or sleep (per sleep spell) for 1d4 hours or until woken).

Anyone who falls asleep in the brambles as a result of the venom is merely held securely, and will no longer be crushed and torn. Upon their waking or during attempts to disentangle sleeping prisoners the brambles will hold tight and resume crushing.

The brambles will obey the orders of the caster of the spell, to the extent of their limited abilities ("crush him, don't crush her", "part and let me pass" etc). The brambles are also vulnerable to any spells that control or effect plants.

Each 5' area of brambles has the following statistics: Medium Magical Plant AC: 15 HP: 45 (hd:10d8) DR: 5/slashing Vulnerability to Fire (150% damage) Saves Fort: +9 Ref: +1 Will: +8 Str: 17 Con: 15 Dex: 7 Int: 4 Wis: 13 Cha: 12