The Artifact
A D&D 5e one shot adventure for 5 or 6 players of level 5 set in The Empire of Strawthorn
Premise
The party will have to enter the caves, fight thru minions and guardians before encountering the BBEG and the artifact before the artifact explodes at midnight. If the party succeeds, the artifact does not explode. If the party fails, the artifact explodes and releases a Tarrasque buried under the mountain. The party gets the info that the artifact will release a tarrasque once they enter the shrine chamber. The bad guys are a cult of Tarrasque worshipers, led by a Marilith demon named Grimbrath. Grimbrath has led a number of Yuan-ti to worship the tarrasque buried in the mountain and has led them to believe it will grant them a place in the world once it destroys the civilization Grimbrath hates. If Grimbrath loses or appears to be losing, she will plain shift to the Abyss, ending the fight. If the party concentrates too much on killing Grimbrath and not enough on disarming the artifact, it will explode at the end of the 4 hour game time (real world time). Grimbrath will plane shift just before the artifact explodes to save herself. If the party disables the artifact, then Grimbrath plane shifts to the Abyss to try again another day. The artifact can be disarmed by removing or destroying all three crystals within it before the time is up. The guild from City of Ret prefers that the crystals not be destroyed and the artifact and the crystals be returned to the City. Begining, read the following to the players (names are provided in parenthesis but do not have to be read to the players)Your party has been hired by the Artificer's Guild and Counsel of Elders of the City of Ret to recover an item stolen from the Artificer's Guild. Known only as "The Artifact", little is known about it except by a select few high ranking members of the Artificer's Guild. Only 3 people in the guild knew of the artifact, two (Garlic Tuskaree and Tarness Watt) are now dead and the third is missing. One of the dying passed along a scroll that explains what the artifact looks like and describes what it does. It can only be activated a few hours before the two moons in the sky align with the two stars of Evenshear. That alignment occurs 10 days from the theft at midnight. The Artifact will create a massive explosion if activated, large enough to level a mountain. The scroll describes how to render the artifact inert by removing the gems inside of it. The proper celestial alignment only occurs once every 1111 years. You have been promised the sum of 10,000 gold each for recovery of the Artifact and an additional 6,000 gold for the apprehension of the person or person's responsible for the theft. Your party left the City of Ret 9 days ago, along with the Captain of the City Investigators (Captain Helican Rothque) and two of her best detectives (Banto Forna and Gorftar). All three are dead now, killed during encounters with several groups of Yuan-ti while investigating who had taken the Artifact and its current whereabouts. The Captain did live long enough to find out where the artifact was taken, and by whom. A cult of tarrasque worshipers stole the artifact, apparently with the help of the missing artificer from the City of Ret (Darby Lockwort). The scroll also describes how to render the artifact inert, but, if not done before midnight tonight, it may well be activated.
You find yourselves on a hidden path through the wooded mountain side headed toward the entrance to a cave complex on a mountain in the kingdom of Wallendort, a mountain known in common as the Spine of the Monster. In Gith the mountain is called A'atun re Eclinae rue dair Destronomicer or Resting Place of the Destroyer.
The well hidden path ends at a smooth stone-floored clearing where a large cave entrance is easily seen at the far end. Several humanoid figures stand alert on the open stone expanse, although they appear to be human at first, subtle signs reveal them to be Yuan-ti Pureblood.
DnDBeyond Homebrew
Yuan-ti Pureblood Minion CR: 1
STR
11 +0
DEX
12 +1
CON
11 +0
INT
13 +1
WIS
12 +1
CHA
14 +2
Minion. Minions always attack in groups of 3 to 5. If a minion takes damage from an attack the damage is deducted from their HP like normal. If the damage exceeds a single minions HP, then the extra damage is deducted from the next minion in the group untill all minions are at 0 HP or all the extra damage is exhausted. Extra damage points do not carry over to other groups of minions. If the minion takes damage as a result of a failed saving throw, their hit points are reduced to 0. If the minion takes damage from another effect, they die if the damage equals or exceeds their hit point maximum, otherwise they take no damage. Saving throws against magic or area of affect are done at the group level. If the group saves, none of the minions in that group take damage
Actions
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 slashing damage per minion in the group. Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 2 piercing damage plus 1 poison damage per minion in the group.
You descend down a dark, twisting, natural cave tunnel, some small bit of work has been done to smooth the floor. After 100 meters you see light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel lets out into a large cave lit by torches on the wall and two lit brazers in the middle of the cavern. A raised section of the floor to the north east hosts a large alter, 2 lit brazers and a magical flame burning in the middle of the alter. Another magical seeming fire blazes behind the alter and a large humanoid skull tops the metallic stake sticking out of the flame. A number of Yuan-ti Broodguard are alert to your presence.
DnDBeyond Homebrew
Yuan-ti Broodguard Minion CR: 2
STR
15 +2
DEX
14 +2
CON
14 +2
INT
6 -2
WIS
11 +0
CHA
4 -3
Minion. Minions always attack in groups of 3 to 5. If a minion takes damage from an attack the damage is deducted from their HP like normal. If the damage exceeds a single minions HP, then the extra damage is deducted from the next minion in the group untill all minions are at 0 HP or all the extra damage is exhausted. Extra damage points do not carry over to other groups of minions. If the minion takes damage as a result of a failed saving throw, their hit points are reduced to 0. If the minion takes damage from another effect, they die if the damage equals or exceeds their hit point maximum, otherwise they take no damage. Saving throws against magic or area of affect are done at the group level. If the group saves, none of the minions in that group take damage
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 piercing damage per minion in the group.
You descend down another long, dark, natural tunnel, the floor has been worked to be mostly smooth. After 100 meters you see light at the end of this tunnel. The descent is quite steep for the whole way and you are now deep into the mountain. The tunnel lets out into a large natural cavern. The air here is hot and heavy, very humid. Across the cavern along the north east wall is a large hole, recently dug, about 20 feet deep, light comes from inside the hole and the artifact can be seen there surrounded by several lit brazers. Torches on the walls also illuminate the cavern. Several Yuan-ti Malison are prepared to do battle. A large half snake half human creature hangs back by an alcove to the north west.
The artifact looks like a large marble container with arcane symbols on the sides. It is about 5 feet tall and about 4 feet in diameter. The artifact has six sides and a large diamond on top that activates the magic.
DnDBeyond Homebrew
Yuan-ti Malison Minion CR: 3
STR
16 +3
DEX
14 +2
CON
13 +1
INT
14 +2
WIS
12 +1
CHA
16 +3
Minion. Minions always attack in groups of 3 to 5. If a minion takes damage from an attack the damage is deducted from their HP like normal. If the damage exceeds a single minions HP, then the extra damage is deducted from the next minion in the group untill all minions are at 0 HP or all the extra damage is exhausted. Extra damage points do not carry over to other groups of minions. If the minion takes damage as a result of a failed saving throw, their hit points are reduced to 0. If the minion takes damage from another effect, they die if the damage equals or exceeds their hit point maximum, otherwise they take no damage. Saving throws against magic or area of affect are done at the group level. If the group saves, none of the minions in that group take damage
Actions
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 slashing damage per minion in the group.
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