Friday – The Final Battle … and Beyond

After defeating Lady Nightshade and Mobas the Undying, the Party must defend Evergreen against the hordes of Zardoz.

New House Rule – Minions and Hordes

Minions have all the threat of an enemy but only require one or two hits to overcome and a critical can take down two or more of them. They provide an opportunity for the PCs to feel cinematic action instead of slugging it out blow by blow. They have 9 or fewer hit points or take one or for the tougher minions, two hits maximum to take down. For those tougher minions, track by putting a small marker on them. Regular minions are eliminated with a single hit and a critical hit takes down two minions, plus one more for every five points of damage over ten.

Another way to handle huge numbers is to treat it as a horde. For a horde, take a single creature and multiply their hit points by the number of creatures in the horde and give them up to three attacks per round. As the horde is damaged, it gets weaker. At half hit points, remove an attack per round, and no more than one when they are at a quarter of their starting hit points. To represent them, use a large or huge sized creature and reduce it’s size at it takes damage. For more ideas and mechanics about hordes, check out what Sly Flourish has to say about them.

The Final Chapter – Zardoz Attacks!

• The Party returns to Evergreen, welcomed as heroes as word gets around about their victory over Lady Nightshade and Mombas the Undying.
• The celebration at the Pine Arms is interrupted as Fanatical Cultists and Hired Thugs burst in, the Fanatics grabbing bystanders and ordering the Thugs to deal with the Party.
• As the Party chases after the Fanatics, they discover the town in chaos, beset by Thugs and Fanatics grabbing folks and dragging them a Giant Stone Head floating over the Town Green.
• The Giant Stone Head spat out boulders and acid against the Party while they rescued townsfolk and dealt with Thug Minions.
• Having defeated the Fanatics and the Thugs, the Party overcame Zardoz’s barbaric champion Kon-Ree and the ferocious owlbear he was riding.
• With nothing standing between the Party and the Giant Stone Head, the Head flew away while the gnome Zardoz shouted angrily from the eye of the Head, vowing that they had not seen the last of Zardoz the Cruel!
• Level up to 4th Level! Ding, Gratz!

Never Pick Up a Duck in a Dungeon

The lore and legends of Dungeons & Dragons includes many silly things, like the fearsome Gazebo monster and the adage to never pick up a duck in a dungeon. Through the week, small plastic ducks had been hidden around the room, with a warning to never pick up a duck in a dungeon.

On Friday, ducks were hidden around the room with secrets taped to them.

As each duck was picked up, each secret impacted the game.

• Just a duck (no effect)
• Lucky Duck – You get a reroll
• Enemy gets Advantage on the next attack
• You fall on your butt when you next roll a Natural 1
• Release the QUACKEN! (a giant duck monster appears and attacks)