Greywolf Comics & Media

Tag: rpg

  • WH8.1 – The Missing Tools

    Cragford

    The clanging of hammers and ringing of picks has gone eerily quiet in Cragford. The miners’ barracks sit sullen and half-empty, and the air smells of damp earth and frustration. Izgil Halstayyn, the stone-necked foreman, storms into The Bluff Watch tavern and slams his handaxe on the table with a thud that makes the mugs rattle.

    “Someone’s been stealing my tools. Not one pick or hammer gone astray — whole sets, crates of ‘em, vanished overnight. This isn’t a prank. No one works until they’re found — and if the work stops, the Duke’s cut stops, and we’ll all be out of a job.”

    A few of the Flan laborers mutter into their mugs, casting dark looks toward the dwarf foreman. An old man near the bar whispers: “Maybe Beory’s tired of us carving her bones. Maybe she called the tools home.” The tavern falls uncomfortably silent as Izgil growls, daring anyone to repeat it louder.

    Quest Giver (NPC)

    Izgil Halstayyn (LN Mountain Dwarf Foreman): Proud, gruff, but not a fool. He’s desperate to recover the tools before the Duke sends inspectors — or worse, fines the hamlet. He offers coin, a cask of good ale, and his grudging respect if the PCs bring back the tools.

    Obstacle & Objective

    The PCs must track the missing tools into the surrounding hills or abandoned shafts. What begins as a simple theft soon reveals strange footprints (humanoid, but clawed) and the occasional tool left snapped or twisted. The culprits are a band of kobolds working for an unknown patron, attempting to slow production and frame the dwarves as careless.

    Encounter Areas

    • Abandoned Shaft: Collapsed tunnel with a narrow crawlspace where kobolds have built a crude barricade.
    • Trap-Littered Chamber: Kobolds set caltrops and tripwires with dangling rocks.
    • Final Cache: Tools piled neatly around a crude idol of a horned, one-eyed figure — hinting at Zargon or EEG corruption.

    Scaling Encounters

    • Lv 1: 4 Kobolds + 1 Kobold Inventor (traps).
    • Lv 2: 6 Kobolds + Kobold Inventor + 1 Guard Drake.
    • Lv 3: 6 Kobolds + 2 Kobold Inventors + Guard Drake + 1 Cultist.
    • Lv 4: Kobold Inventor, Kobold Dragonshield, 6 Kobolds, Guard Drake, and 1 Cult Fanatic performing a strange “dedication ritual.”

    Stat Blocks (Condensed)

    Kobold – AC 12, HP 5, Dagger +4 (1d4+2).
    Kobold Inventor – AC 12, HP 13, Sling +4 (1d6), trap gadgets.
    Kobold Dragonshield – AC 15, HP 44, Spear +5 (1d6+3), reaction-based resistance.
    Guard Drake – AC 14, HP 52, Bite +5 (1d8+3).
    Cult Fanatic – AC 13, HP 33, Spellcasting: Command, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon.

    Rewards

    • Base: 20–30 gp, repaired tools, cask of fine ale.
    • Bonus: PCs who investigate the idol learn (Arcana/Religion DC 13) that the symbol is not dwarven — it is alien, chaotic, and faintly resembles a single horned head.

  • Baron Thendric Varengar

    Wolfsward Province, Duchy of Tenh

    Human (Flan) • Fighter 9 Champion archetype • Lawful Neutral

    Baron Thendric Varengar is a stoic warlord of the old blood — a veteran of dozens of border skirmishes and battles against raiding giants and northern tribes. His weathered face bears the marks of countless campaigns, and his silent presence commands respect among the soldiery. Born the son of a minor noble, he was elevated after leading a decisive defense at Thunder Pass, earning the Duke’s trust and the baronial seat of Wolfsward.

    Unlike many nobles, Thendric prefers the field to courtly intrigue. He rarely leaves his lands, believing strength must be seen to be respected. Though blunt and unsentimental, his people respect his iron discipline and fairness. He trusts only a few — chief among them Castellan Drogan of Stonewatch — and maintains strict loyalty to Duke Elyeh III.

    His colors are deep green and steel grey, with red ochre detailing — evoking the mountains and blood shed to defend them. His personal emblem is a broken horn set against a stone tower.

    Stats

    Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral
    Class/Level: Fighter 9 (Champion archetype)
    Armor Class: 20 (Half Plate +1, Shield +1, Defensive Fighting Style)
    Hit Points: 84 (9d10+27)
    Speed: 30 ft.
    Proficiency Bonus: +4

    STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
    18 (+4)14 (+2)16 (+3)11 (+0)12 (+1)13 (+1)

    Saving Throws: Strength +8, Constitution +7
    Skills: Athletics +8, Intimidation +5, Perception +5, Survival +5
    Languages: Common, Flan, Giant

    Traits & Features:

    • Improved Critical (Champion 3rd): Crits on 19–20.
    • Second Wind (1/rest): Regain 1d10+9 HP.
    • Action Surge (1/rest): Take an additional action.
    • Indomitable (1/day): Reroll a failed save.
    • Remarkable Athlete: Add +1 to non-proficient Str/Dex/Con checks.
    • Tactical Commander: Once per turn as a bonus action, can command an ally within 30 ft. to move or attack (3/day).
    • Mounted Expert: Advantage on saves to remain mounted, +1 damage while mounted.

    Actions:

    • Multiattack. Makes 2 attacks with longsword.
    • +2 Longsword. +9 to hit, 1d8+6 slashing (versatile 1d10+6).
    • Javelin (x3). +6 to hit, range 30/120 ft., 1d6+4 piercing.

    Equipment:

    • +2 Longsword
    • +1 Shield
    • +1 Half Plate
    • Potion of Greater Healing
    • Signal horn with Wolfsward crest
    • Signet ring and silver circlet with blood-red garnet (350 gp)

    Optional Roleplay Quirk:

    Thendric often fingers the dent in his sword’s crossguard, marking the spot where an ogre nearly ended his life. He calls it “his second heartbeat.”