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Whispering Cairn: The Fight against the Vampire
My group’s party of adventurers was kicking butt this evening and it was clear to me that the fight against Filge was going very well for the party. Too well really – there seemed little chance of a climactic fight in the observatory.
Now on the cusp of third level, they took out the Tomb Mote, handily dispatched the skeleton crossbowmen (nee Lands) and slaughtered the zombies at the dinner table with a successful turn - corralling the zombies into a corner of the room. The War Mage in the party used two burning hands spells and the zombies existence was snuffed out.
Only 4 points of damage suffered by the party of 4 in total by the time they got to Filge’s bedroom.
It seemed to me that the standard tactics as set out in the module was going to produce a cake walk when the battle with Filge was joined. So in one of those times during a game where you need to stall, I made an excuse to go to the washroom to whip up a nefarious plan.
A few minutes later, I had one.
I determined that if the party ran now and never came back – there would be no serious continuity problems. By that point, the desk had been searched, the worm in the bottle recovered and the letter to Filge had been secured. There was enough of a bridge to 3FoE now if they never - ever - got Filge to talk.
The owl in the bedroom rafters had still gone unnoticed. I decided that Filge knew from the familiar and the smell of the burning zombies below what had happened. Filge thought it up quickly. He would try to bluff his way out of this one.
I retconned the room design. With the closet areas still unexplored in the bedroom, I decided to scare the poop out of my players.
The party went to the last closet area (dutifully and methodical as ever). They opened the closet door to find…a coffin. Inside of it was the headless corpse to which the lady’s head on the platter belonged. If they ever got to open the coffin, that is. I figured there was a damn good chance they wouldn’t go that far.
The players eyes shifted to mine uneasily. As they stepped towards the coffin, Filge cast a quick spell I then arbitrarily assigned to him: illusionary mist poured forth from the coffin.
SW: “The mist begins to coalesce in humanoid form.”
Dave: “Vampire??? Noooooo. Knowledge dungeoneering… would my character know?” *rolls 1*
Kevin: *eyes me with daggers at the thought the module would throw a vampire at a party this low a level. He remembers the owlbear and thinks….maybe it might.*
SW: *grins in response* “Actions please!”.
*the owl familiar flies down to deliver a touch attack scare on the cleric and the cleric saves, but no one sees the owl* (There are about a dozen spot rolls over the next few rounds – but no one ever sees the owl).
Jason: “I turn undead!” *rolls very well, enabling 6HD of undead to be turned*
SW: “The coalescing form ignores your paltry attempt at turning!”
Jessica: “I swing at the coalescing form!” *sword passes harmlessly through the still forming illusion*
Jessica: “Uhm… can I get by it with my move action?”
Dave: “You don’t want to pass through that mist do you?”
Jessica: “I’ll keep away from the mist as it forms. I’m gone”.
Kevin: “I’m backing away!! *moves miniature for the stairs like the yellow coward he is*
Dave: “That’s it. The rogue runs again. Bah - Run away you coward!”
SW: “Some might call it cowardice…others….wisdom...”
Dave: “Disrupt undead!” *rolls 14 to hit*
SW: “The beam of positive energy passes through the mist”
Dave: “Right through the mist??” *eyes narrow* “Ok. I’m backing out being careful not to touch the mist.”
SW: The form coalesces and appears solid. *places vampire miniature on battlemat* Initiatives please!
Jason: “Turn again!” *rolls, computes result*.
SW: “The *thing* ignores your pathetic pleas to St. Cuthbert”.
Jason: “GAH! That’s it. Run away! Run away!!” *Runs for the stairs*.
Kevin: “RUN to the stairs!” Move+move *down to banquet level he goes*
Dave: “My beam passed right through it? Can I disbelieve?”
SW: The thing has not moved but it is still there. A flash of light emerges from its right hand as it begins to glow (*Filge casts spectral hand by that part of the static illusion*)
Dave: *unsure now* “I guess I back away to the stairs!”
Jessica: “Forget it! Run!!”
SW: “A beam of energy strikes Dave from the thing’s hand.” *ray of enfeeblement drains 7 strength*
Dave: “7 strength?? I’m in the negs to hit. Run!! Run!!”
And so it was that the “vampire” in Filge’s bedroom had the party fleeing for their lives out of the observatory. Dave was pretty certain it was an illusion, but waited until the enfeeblement faded after three minutes. Making his spellcraft roll, he knew that such a spell should have lasted far longer if cast by a powerful Vampire wizard.
Dave: “It was an illusion I tell you. Not a vampire – not a powerful wizard. We’ve been duped! Back I say.”
The party re-entered the observatory to find Filge and his troglodyte zombies trying to salvage what they could from the burned flesh of Filge’s doomed dinner party companions. The fight then unfolded. As I expected it was a cake walk – but overall – it was a lot more satisfying a battle and the players truly had it in for Filge now after having fled the “vampire’s” lair a few minutes before.
You are an evil DM. Good job!
I'm a little surprised it was a cakewalk. How many players & what classes/levels are they?
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You are an evil DM. Good job!
I'm a little surprised it was a cakewalk. How many players & what classes/levels are they?
Party of four for this night's adventure:
2nd level kick-ass fighter (AC 20, HP 21)
2nd level rogue (average)
3rd level (just) cleric of St. Cuthbert with great charisma
2nd level War Mage with great stats.
The major reason for the cake walk was the cleric with the good charisma and War Mage with 17 Char and 17 Int. The fighter just isn't going to get hit often and her hits points are very good (21) and her damage with a Master work bastard blade at D10+3 is pretty fearsome for 2nd level.
I figured the Cleric's turn undead was most likely going to strip off the zombies and neutralize them in a corner - and he did - even when I added a *third* troglodyte zombie.
The War Mage with great stats is fearsome at low levels. The reason why is the "War Mage edge" that adds the PCs Int modifier to spell damage. At mid to higher levels this is not very significant, but at low level the extra 3 points of damage per spell turns even 0 level cantrip into a decent attack spell (by first level spell standards). And the 17 Charisma means he has a lot of decent attack spells to cast, too. He took a feat that enables him to cast one 2nd level spell as well (scorching ray, which he never bothered to use as it turns out).
Factor in that they are for the most part very good tactical players and know the AoO rules very well - it was destined to be a cake walk. And it was too - even when I added the extra trog zombie.
