3rd Edition - Adventure - Highwayman (WE), Rpg, D&D 3ed

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The
Hand
of the
Highwayman
A Web Enhancement for Song and Silence
The judicious use of bardic abilities can help an adven-
turing group in a variety of ways. Bardic knowledge can
provide background information for an area or a situa-
tion, offer clues to a mystery, serve as a vehicle for the
Dungeon Master (DM) to introduce new concepts, and
even help the canny DM determine what areas of the
campaign world interest players most.
Bardic music can bolster an adventuring party’s
combat capabilities, counter spells, and pave the way
for gathering information, conducting investigations,
and a host of other noncombat situations. In addition,
the bard’s normally high Charisma helps him make
friends and gain new allies almost everywhere he
goes.
If your players aren’t accustomed to using bardic abili-
ties to their fullest, it may help to send the characters
on an adventure that offers several opportunities for
using these talents. Here’s a short scenario that demon-
strates how bardic abilities can enhance a group’s suc-
cess.
This D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
® web enhancement
showcases bardic abilities (particularly bardic knowl-
edge) and features a spymaster NPC, as well as several
of the sample traps listed in
Song and Silence: A Guide-
book to Bards and Rogues.
It is designed for four charac-
ters of 6th to 7th level. The party should include at least
one bard.
PREPARATION
You need the
Player ’s Handbook
, the
D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
’s
Guide
, the
M
ONSTER
M
ANUAL
®,
and
Song and Silence
to
run this mini-adventure.
Text in shaded boxes is player information. Monster
statistics noted in each encounter are radically abbrevi-
ated, but provide the
M
ONSTER
M
ANUAL
page number.
Credits
Design:
David Noonan, John D. Rateliff,
and Penny Williams
Editing
Miranda Horner
Typesetting:
Sue Weinlein Cook
Web Production:
Julia Martin
Web Development:
Mark Jindra
Graphic Design:
Sean Glenn, Cynthia Fliege
ADVENTURE
BACKGROUND
The elven overlords of the Lendore Isles want control
of the few remaining human-ruled coastal towns of this
continent. Their efforts to gain that influence through
alliances have thus far been rebuffed. Therefore, they
have decided to use more circuitous means to reach
their goal.
They have sent two agents, a necromancer and a spy-
master, to the coastal city of Restenford to start a myste-
rious “crime wave.” Their hope is that this will panic the
citizenry and force Baroness Andrella to waive the
town’s autonomy and call on the elves for help.
After assessing the situation, the two decided to create
a little-known necromantic item called the
glorious
Based on the original D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
® game by E.
Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and on the new edition of the
D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
game designed by Jonathan Tweet,
Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, and Peter Adkison.
D&D, D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
, D
RAGON
, M
ONSTER
M
ANUAL
, and D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
are registered trademarks and the d20 System logo is a trademarkowned by
Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All Wizards characters, character names, and the dis-
tinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.
Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is
prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people,
organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.
This Wizards of the Coast game product contains no Open Game Content. No
portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System
License, please visit <www.wizards.com/d20>.
©2001 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Made in the U.S.A.
Visit our website at
<www.wizards.com/dnd>
1
hand
to use in their “crime wave.” The spymaster
obtained the necessary raw materials (including the left
hand of a recently hanged murderer) and slew the local
lighthouse keeper. The two then moved into the light-
house and set to work.
Once they had completed the
glorious hand
, the spy-
master began a series of nightly robberies, some cou-
pled with murder. They stashed the loot in an aban-
doned thieves’ hideout in the city’s sewers so that no
one would find it. However, the necromancer grew
greedy and began taking items from the stash. When
the spymaster discovered this, he slew his partner
and left him for the dire rats in the sewer hideout to
devour.
Since then, the spymaster, Sirius, has been continuing
the mission alone. The scenario opens with the crime
wave in full swing.
THE HANGED
HIGHWAYMAN
The whole adventure starts with an ambush. Then the
party can investigate the strange crime wave going on
in Restenford.
Encounter 1: On the Road (EL 7)
Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
The road is well used, and bushes, rocks, and
various types of brushy plants make the journey
only a little less monotonous. Sometimes larger
rock outcroppings provide a bit of distraction for
the eye, and you can see copses of trees here and
there just off the road.
Let the players roleplay a bit before you get to the
ambush. Here are some suggestions for distractions:
•A couple of squirrels chase each other across the
road at the PCs’ feet, then head for some nearby
trees.
•A cloud of gnats hovers around a specific PC.
•A nearby tree has a fallen bird or bird nest under it,
DM’s choice. The PCs should make a Listen check
(DC 10) to hear the weak chirping of a bird (or baby
birds if the season is right). If they hear it, they can
easily find the fallen nest or bird(s).
As the PCs approach a bend in the road, bandits
attack.
Creatures:
Three bandits hide behind a rocky out-
cropping at a bend in the road to ambush the party. A
successful Spot check (use the rules on pages 59–60 of
the
D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
’s Guide
; terrain is considered light
forest at this juncture and the bandits are still) reveals
the presence of the group.
d
Bandits (3):
Male and female human Rog3/Ftr1;
CR 4; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d6+3 plus 1d10+1;
hp 19; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 18 (touch 12, flat-footed
18); Atk +7 melee (1d8+2/19–20, masterwork
longsword) or +6 ranged (1d8/19–20, masterwork light
crossbow); SA Sneak attack (+2d6); SQ Evasion, traps,
uncanny dodge (Dex bonus to AC); AL CN; SV Fort +4,
Ref +5, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 11,
Cha 8.
Skills and Feats:
Balance +4, Diplomacy +1, Escape Artist
+8, Hide +8, Jump +4, Listen +5, Move Silently +7, Read
Lips +2, Ride (horse) +5, Search +6, Sense Motive +6,
Spot +6, Tumble +8, Use Magic Device +5; Dodge, Mobil-
ity, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword).
ADVENTURE SUMMARY
This adventure begins with a bandit ambush, which
should clue the player characters (PCs) in to the local
problems. If the PCs choose to investigate, they can
visit Restenford and see the local wizard, the church,
the thieves’ guild, and the city guard. They might also
have a chance to interact with the Baroness via the
bard’s performance. If they go about it correctly, they
can find clues with the guards and the sewers that lead
to the spymaster, who has taken on the role of the local
lighthouse keeper. (He killed the real lighthouse
keeper.) Should the PCs discover all of this, they can
end the crime wave and foil the underhanded plot of
the elven overlords of the Lendore Isles!
CHARACTER HOOKS
There are several ways that you can introduce your
PCs to this particular adventure. Pick one of these and
adapt it as needed or use them as inspiration for your
own introduction to the adventure!
•The characters are on their way to the port city of
Restenford for some rest and relaxation between
adventures.
•The PCs are carrying a message to the baroness
from a leader or local bard who once stayed with
the baroness as a guest.
•A local caravan needs some guards, and the PCs
suit just fine. Allow the characters to learn that the
city of Restenford, the last stop on their trip, is hav-
ing some crime problems.
2
Evasion (Ex):
If exposed to any effect that normally
allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving throw for
half damage, a bandit takes no damage with a success-
ful saving throw.
Possessions (each): +1 studded leather armor, +1 buckler,
masterwork longsword, masterwork light crossbow, 20
bolts,
potion of hiding
(2 bandits) or
potion of invisibility
(bandit leader), 200 gp.
Tactics:
Unless the PCs are attempting to slip into
town undetected, the bandits hear the party’s approach
in time to drink their potions. The two with
potions of
hiding
raise their Hide bonuses by +10, and the third
(the leader) becomes invisible and circles around to the
other side of the road so as to be in a good position for
flanking when combat begins.
If the PCs fail to spot the bandits as they hide, the two
in hiding attack first with their light crossbows, using
the natural formations of the rock as cover (one-half ),
then draw their longswords when the PCs start to close.
The invisible bandit holds his attack until the charac-
ters have closed with his fellows, then maneuvers to
flank a PC (preferably a spellcaster) for a sneak attack.
Any bandits that the party captures alive and questions
reveal that they are all independents who joined forces
several weeks ago. At present, they are in search of a
magic item called the
glorious hand
, which they believe
to be in the keeping of travelers coming into Resten-
ford. While searching the campsite outside of town for
valuables after a raid a few days ago, one of them found a
scrap of paper in a dead campfire. The paper, currently
in the possession of the leader, reads as follows: “
eagerly
await the arrival of the Glorious Hand—w
[illegible]
an we
not achieve
[illegible]
in our clutches
[illegible].” The ban-
dits do not know what this item does, but they believe it
to be of great power and have every confidence in their
ability to make use of it once they find it.
A successful bardic knowledge check (DC 20) allows a
character to remember a few scattered lines from an old
ballad he once heard:
its specific powers. Failure on this check reveals only
one power of the item (
see invisibility
). Such a clue may
actually mislead the party into thinking there’s some
kind of invisible creature on the prowl. A successful
bardic knowledge or Knowledge (arcana) check (DC
35) reveals that the term
glorious hand
was long ago used
to describe a different necromantic magic item manu-
factured from the left hand of a hanged criminal. It
does not, however, reveal that item’s powers.
Encounter 2: At Restenford
Upon arriving in Restenford, the characters may settle
at the inn of their choice and take care of any town busi-
ness they may have. Wherever they decide to stay, the
innkeeper, a middle-aged man named Grezius, recog-
nizes the bard as an entertainer and asks him or her to
put on a show that evening. In exchange for one night’s
entertainment, he offers free lodging for the bard, plus
free dinner for the whole party. (See Encounter 3 when
you’re ready to have the actual performance.)
From here, the characters may investigate the mystery
through any means they desire. A successful Diplo-
macy check (DC 10) made while a character chats for
awhile with Grezius or any ordinary townsfolk reveals
that there has recently been a daring series of burgla-
ries in Restenford. The first took place about two weeks
ago, and since then one has occurred every night or so.
One or two people, apparently unfortunate enough to
surprise the burglars in the act, were murdered, seem-
ingly without having put up a struggle. None of the
ordinary citizens have ever heard of a
glorious hand
or of
any unusual magic item being brought into town
recently.
Checking with the following persons and organiza-
tions reveals the information listed below (no check
required unless noted):
•
The Local Wizard:
The wizard is a recluse who
refuses to see anyone. His apprentice, a comely
young lady, turns away all callers politely. (Should a
character press the issue, go to Encounter 4.)
•
The Church:
There have been no undead sight-
ings here in several years. The church has tried
very hard to keep down undead problems, and they
are quite happy to report this, even if the PCs ask
other questions. This is definitely a dead end, but
feel free to allow the party to interact with all man-
ner of church authorities.
•
The Thieves’ Guild:
Though it takes several hours
and a least one Gather Information check (DC 17)
to discover the guild, the PCs can certainly try to
dum de dum, don’t understand
tallow drips on withered hand
’neath shadow of a gallows’ pole
I took (something, something),
fingers dance and I stretch and yawn
Hand of Glory.
The song refers to a magic item called a
hand of glory
(see Chapter 8 of the
D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
’s Guide
), but a
successful Spellcraft check (DC 15) is required to recall
3
find it. If they succeed, they must deal with the
rather paranoid (Unfriendly) thieves. Should the
bard deal diplomatically with the bunch (use the
rules for dealing with NPC attitudes in the
D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
’s Guide
on page 149), the group
can find out more about what is going on in the
town. First off, nobody has hocked or fenced the
stolen goods locally, and no one knows who’s
behind the burglaries. A successful Diplomacy
check (DC 15) reveals that the guild knows of an
abandoned secret hideout of an old thieves’ guild
somewhere in town, but none of the current guild
members know where it is. (The only place this
information can be found is the city records, which
are kept in the baroness’s manor house; see
Encounters 5–7.)
•
The City Guard:
The local law enforcement (the
City Guard) has beefed up patrols in the mercan-
tile sector in response to the burglaries. A success-
ful Gather Information check (DC 15) reveals that
the last public execution took place about six
weeks ago. The guard hanged the notorious high-
wayman Reynard and displayed his body for some
weeks thereafter as a warning to others.
(Characters wishing to pursue this line of inquiry
must consult the guards at the north gate, who
claim that nothing was unusual about the hang-
ing, the display of the body, or the burial. Ravella,
the guard who was actually on duty at the time of
the burial, is out of town and won’t be back for two
more days. If the PCs press the matter, they learn
that she is helping her sister while her sister’s hus-
band is off on some undisclosed errand that took
him away from his family.) Go to Encounter 9 for
more information.
ford (see Encounter 5). The bard also may attempt any
of the various bardic music effects he can produce to
comfort the patrons or gain their cooperation.
Nothing untoward happens during the evening or the
night. The villain is biding his time and waiting to see
whether the strangers will move on of their own
accord.
Encounter 4: The Wizard
(EL Variable)
When (or if ) any of the characters make a second
attempt to visit Barellus, the local wizard, use this
encounter.
A successful Diplomacy check (DC 10) made to gain
information about the wizard from the townsfolk any-
time prior to this encounter reveals that he is old and
cantankerous. Success at a higher level (DC 15) reveals
that he is impatient with those who waste his time, par-
ticularly garrulous townsfolk who can’t seem to get to
the point. Those who approach him in a businesslike
manner have no problems talking with him. Likewise,
a Diplomacy check (DC 10) made to discover informa-
tion about his apprentice reveals that her name is
Serena, she is a half-elf, she adores roses, she is afraid of
spiders, and she is very interested in antiques.
The wizard’s tower stands on the outskirts of town. All
along the path leading up to it are signs reading “No
Tresspassing.” The door is secured with both a mechani-
cal lock (Open Lock DC 20) and an
arcane lock
(caster
level 10)
.
The only windows are on the top (fourth)
floor of the tower.
If the characters knock, Serena greets them. She has
orders to turn away all visitors, which she usually does
very efficiently. However, a successful opposed check
with Bluff, Intimidate, or Diplomacy against her Sense
Motive check result convinces her to admit them.
Apply a +2 bonus to the check if the PC attempting this
brings her roses or an antique as a gift or promises her
information about a valuable antique. Apply a –2
penalty should a character try to use a spider (or the
threat of one) against her. (She shuts the door against
them and runs up to Barellus to warn him of the nasty
people who want to see him.)
If they convince her to let them see Barellus, she leads
them to his study on the top floor, where he is perusing
an ancient tome. She introduces them as strangers who
need his advice. In this case, his initial attitude is indif-
ferent. If they enter by any other means, his initial atti-
tude is hostile, and he attacks them as intruders with
his wand and spells before asking any questions.
Encounter 3: Showtime!
On the evening of the first day, the bard may be per-
forming: If the bard agreed to put on a show for patrons
of the inn, Grezius calls upon him or her to fulfill that
promise now. At least three dozen patrons—peasants,
merchants, farmers, and even a few petty nobles—pack
the tavern, for the people of Restenford are eager for
anything that might take their minds off the current
situation. Their faces are lined with worry and they
jump at the smallest sounds.
If the bard makes a successful Perform check (DC 15),
one of the petty nobles later describes the performance
in glowing terms to Baroness Andrella, ruler of Resten-
4
Assuming the characters get to speak with Barellus,
he greets them gruffly. Read aloud the following:
(geography) +10, Knowledge (history) +18, Knowledge
(local) +18, Knowledge (nature) +10, Knowledge (nobil-
ity and royalty) +10, Knowledge (planes) +10, Scry +17,
Spellcraft +17; Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Craft
Wand, Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell,
Heighten Spell, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe
Scroll.
Spells Prepared:
(4/5/5/4/4/2; base DC = 14 + spell
level): 0—
detect magic, flare, mage hand, read magic;
1st—
mage armor, magic missile
(3),
unseen servant;
2nd—
arcane
lock, detect thoughts, levitate, locate object, obscure object;
3rd—
clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, fireball, secret
page;
4th—
arcane eye, ice storm, scrying;
5th—
cloudkill,
wall of force
.
Spellbook:
0—
arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect
magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light,
mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost,
read magic, resistance;
1st—
alarm, burning hands, charm
person, endure elements, feather fall, hold portal, identify,
mage armor, magic missile, shocking grasp, sleep, unseen ser-
vant;
2nd—
arcane lock, bull’s strength, cat ’s grace, continual
flame, darkvision, detect thoughts, knock, levitate, locate
object, obscure object, see invisibility, Tasha’s hideous laughter;
3rd—
clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, explosive
runes, fireball, fly, greater magic weapon, haste, hold person,
keen edge, secret page, stinking cloud, tongues;
4th—
arcane
eye, confusion, fear, fire trap, ice storm, polymorph other,
remove curse, scrying, wall of fire;
5th—
cloudkill, cone of
cold, major creation, passwall, seeming, telekinesis, teleport,
wall of force, wall of iron.
Possessions: +3 quarterstaff, bracers of armor +4, cloak of
resistance +3, ring of counterspells, wand of fireballs, scroll of
flesh to stone, potion of bull’s strength.
d
Serena:
Female half-elf Wiz4; CR 4; Medium-size
humanoid; HD 4d4–4; hp 14; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC
12 (touch 11, flat-footed 11); Atk +4 melee
(1d4+2/19–20,
+1 dagger
); SQ Half-elf traits; AL CG; SV
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +4; Str 12, Dex 13, Con 8, Int 16,
Wis 11, Cha 14.
Skills and Feats:
Alchemy +10, Concentration +6,
Knowledge (arcana) +10, Listen +1, Scry +4, Search +4,
Spellcraft +10, Spot +1; Combat Casting, Quicken Spell,
Scribe Scroll.
Half-Elf Traits:
Immune to magic sleep spells and
effects; +2 racial bonus on saves against enchantment
spells or effects; low-light vision (can see twice as far as
a human in low-light conditions); +1 racial bonus on
Listen, Spot, and Search checks (already figured into
the statistics given above).
“A dventurers, eh?” the old wizards scowls.
“Make it fast. You found a magic bauble in some
musty old dungeon and you want to know what
it does? Your friend got turned into a toad and
you want him changed back? You want a new
spell for your spellbooks? Well, spit it out! I
haven’t got all day!”
If the characters do anything other than state their
business without preamble, Barellus orders them from
his presence and refuses to talk with them any further.
Should the characters be open and forthright with him,
however, he invites them to sit and talk. A successful
Charisma check (DC 15) at this point converts his atti-
tude to friendly, or to helpful (DC 30).
If the PCs get him to chat, Barellus is happy to tell
them what he knows about a
hand of glory
(all its powers
as listed in Chapter 8 of the
D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
’
S
Guide
).
If any character repeats the fragment of the ballad relat-
ing to a
hand of glory
(from Encounter 1), the old man’s
eyes light up with recognition. “I remember that song
. . . it was based on a tale that everyone thought was a
legend. But it wasn’t. I once read a dusty old treatise on
how to make a necromantic item called a
glorious hand.
It was a five-pointed candle made from the left hand of
a hanged murderer, and it could open any lock and
hold fast anyone other than the wielder who saw it
happen.”
The old wizard knows no more than this, and he has
no real concept of what has been happening in town
recently.
Should the characters try to fight these two, they have
a tough battle on their hands. The treasure within the
tower consists primarily of old books relating to magic
and legends, for the wizard became a sage after his
retirement from adventuring. There are also a few
potions, scrolls, and 2,000 gp (secreted inside a fake
book).
d
Barellus:
Male human Wiz10/Exp6; CR 15;
Medium-size humanoid; HD 10d4 plus 6d6; hp 46; Init
+0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (touch 10, flat-footed 14); Atk
+11/+6 melee (1d6+2,
+3 quarterstaff
) or +8/+3 melee
(1d4–1/19–20, dagger); AL N; SV Fort +8, Ref +8, Will
+16; Str 8, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 19, Wis 12, Cha 13.
Skills and Feats:
Alchemy +22, Concentration +13,
Decipher Script +9, Knowledge (arcana) +21, Knowl-
edge (architecture and engineering) +10, Knowledge
5
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