[Game Thread] Round 4; The Grand Finale: Spoonybard vs Thaco

[Inem]

The Grand Finale

Originally Posted by The 'Honorable' Chairman

In multi-colored vortices, realities collide, until suddenly the two remaining contestants find themselves standing next to each other, in the iron grit sand. A return to the initial battleground for the final match of Iron DM. Eerily familiar for both of the competitors. A reminder of what has been overcome already to get here. How many didn't make it.

"Are you ready?" The chairman's voice echoes through the arena, seemingly coming from all directions at once, though he is nowhere to be seen. Only the two contestants stand in the arena, and this is about them. Although the crowd is once more shrouded in darkness, once more barely out of view, it seems more restless than it has before. Of course it is. For this is what everyone has been waiting for. The final match of Iron DM. One person will walk away here, head held high with the crown newly placed upon their head. "Then let us meet our contestants!"

A spotlight hits the first contestant where he stands: "In this corner, the contestant who flew through round zero with the most votes of all! The one who dethroned the champion in the last round! Clocking in at 113.6 points accumulated so far this year, it's..."

Spoooooonybard!

A spotlight then falls onto the second contestant: "And in the other corner, this year first time contestant, who by his own admission didn't expect to still be here at this point, with an impressive 124.4 points accumulated so far, it's..."

Thaaaaaaco!

"You have never met before on the field of battle, so we have no frame of reference for how this will go. But one of you will come out of this match as the winner and claim the crown, becoming the new champion. It is time for the two of you to face off. To win, you will need to use the ingredients to maximum effect. Only our entire panel of judges are equipped to make such a decision, and so...""

The main judges for this round are:

• Everyone!!!

At another gesture from the chairman, two heaping tables appear once more, only for the master of this competition to loudly proclaim the ingredients for this round:

• An Albino Beholder!
• A Loquacious Harlequin!
• A Mosaic!
• The End at the Beginning!
• An Ocean of Bones!
• A Broken Piece of Jewlery!

The bonus ingredients for this round are:

• A Concerned Minotaur!
• Loss of Balance!
• An Obsidian-Bladed Dagger!
• A Mirage!
  

May the best Dungeon Master win!

Rules You are to write an adventure using the six items / concepts above. You can also use any of the bonus ingredients you wish to. All rules found here are to be followed. The guidelines for the Judges' scoring can be found here. The entry is to be no longer than 3000 words, which includes *everything* you put into the post. Judges are instructed to stop reading at that time, or to deduct points if you go over. The use of a spell check and word counter is highly recommended. Please make a simple post in this thread when you first read it, to let the judges know have seen it, and that you are on board. It doesn't have to be anything more than "read!", or something like that, though roleplaying it is also perfectly acceptable! Do not edit this post after making it; when it comes time to post your entry, do that in a second, separate post. You have 7 days from the time this post is made to complete and submit your entry (in a new post; don't edit your first post!). It is not expected that you use all this time - the extra time has been given to ensure that, no matter what your timezone, your schedule, your sleep habits, your work or student life, or emergencies that could crop up, you should have ample time to complete your entry. Posting when you are done, and not waiting until the end, is also recommended, and rewarded. You should post your entry into this thread within the generous timeframe, and ensure it is secreted (to the above judges) and spoilerbuttoned. Feel free to also PM your judges to let them know you have posted, if you wish. (DO NOT PM them your entry - just let them know your entry is submitted). If your post is not made within the 7 days, you will be automatically disqualified. If you have issues, be sure to PM Inem *before* your round is closed. Once posted, do not edit your entry. The use of the "preview" function is thus also highly recommended.

[Spoonybard]

And then there were two.

The old bard has no time to collect himself after his encounter with the champion. He stretches his weary bones and plods across the iron sands to the table of many, many ingredients.

One more match. Just one more match. He repeats the mantra to himself, over and over, summoning all the strength he can muster for this last battle against his most challenging competitor yet.

[Thaco]

The Challenger stands, alone upon the sand...he has survived.

And then, there is another. His final opponent.

With a nod toward his adversary, he turns toward his table. Once more.

[Spoonybard]

 

The End at the Beginning
A Dungeons & Dragons 5e Adventure for 3-5 Players Under Level 8



DM Information

Overview This adventure is designed for games that experience a total party kill (TPK) early in the campaign, granting the party a second chance. If successful, they’ll return to the moment of death with some additional help. You’ll need the Player’s Handbook (PHB) and the Monster Manual (MM) to run this adventure.

Background During a war between Heaven and Hell, a celestial commander named Rumael fell in love with a devil named Leska and pursued her. Leska was quiet and reserved and, suffering from perpetual melancholia, discovered she could feel happiness when around celestial beings. Despite returning Rumael's affections, she was reluctant to abandon her kind. Meanwhile, the two armies prepared for a great battle. Before the fighting began, Rumael gave Leska two glowing ruby earrings. He told her to wear both earrings if she wanted to defect, and he would do everything in his power to protect her. If she only wore one, he would know she chose to remain in Hell, and they would carry on as enemies. On the day of the battle, she donned both earrings. In her haste, she broke the clasp off one of the earrings, causing it to fall as she approached the battlefield. Upon seeing only one glowing earring from afar, Rumael grew bitter and fought recklessly. Leska soon realized she had lost an earring and ran back to find it. By the time she returned, the celestial army had surrendered. Rumael was on his knees before an executioner, a sword at his neck. He cursed her aloud for breaking his heart. Not wanting him to die without knowing the truth, she proclaimed her love and held up the broken earring, just as his head was severed. For her attempt to betray the armies of Hell, a tribunal cursed her with a cruel punishment – an inability to stop talking and express any emotion other than joy. Only her eyes revealed the once quiet and now tormented woman within. All, however, was not lost. Dressed as a harlequin, she became a jester in the court of an alabaster beholder, Lord Auge, in his Mosaic Palace. Auge, like many beholders, considered himself superior to all others. She stroked his ego and convinced him of his right to rule the Nine Hells, if only he could build an army of skilled warriors. He taught her to use his magical mosaic, the Map of Souls, to capture souls on their way to other planes and pull them into the palace. There she set challenges for them to prove their worth to Lord Auge. In actuality, Leska hoped to summon warriors strong enough to kill the beholder and grant her free reign over the Map of Souls. With it, she could reach Heaven, rid herself of the curse, and find true happiness. She tried many times, but every soul she summoned fell to the challenges. Then, and as luck would have it, a party of adventurers all died at once. Using the mosaic, she grabbed hold of the souls, and pulled…

Part I: Preparation

The Choice After the TPK, ask if the players would like an opportunity to earn a second chance. If they agree, describe how a strange force pulls their souls down into the darkness. End the session to prepare the module. Write down all information necessary to return to the moment of the TPK. You will likely need to remind yourself and the players of what is happening in the scene, positions, inventory, initiative order, etc. Keep the character sheets unaltered.

Building the Palace The Mosaic Palace can be abstracted with a tangram. Cut out the seven shapes from paper or use a tangram available free online. Number the pieces per the chart. Note that some pieces have duplicates. Piece Shape #1 Small triangle #2 Small triangle #3 Square #4 Medium triangle #5 Parallelogram #6 Large triangle #7 Large triangle If you use an online set, choose one where the pieces have different colors and keep track of which number goes with which color. The pieces represent different rooms in the palace described in Part II. Scale the rooms in proportion to one another. For example, the square piece can be 30x30ft or 100x100ft for movement purposes, your choice. All rooms have walls and 30ft ceilings, except for piece #1 which is open to the outside. You are free to embellish the rooms’ descriptions and add anything else you deem fit. As players rearrange the tangram pieces given to them by Leska, the palace’s rooms rearrange themselves accordingly per Part II. Once the puzzle is “solved” and the pieces are arranged in a large square, all the rooms merge into one and become the lair of the beholder, described in Part III.

Setting Difficulty The lack of equipment and reduced spell slots should prove challenging enough (see Beginning the Adventure), reinforcing the idea that the PCs are in Hell. However, you are encouraged to adjust the challenge to suit your players in any way you wish, which may include additional encounters. Use the chart below to determine the DC for checks and damage based on the PCs’ levels. Level DC Moderate DC Hard Setback Damage 1 11 15 1d4 2-4 13 17 1d10 5-7 15 19 2d10

Part II: The Mosaic Palace

Beginning the Adventure Give the players new character sheets. They carry over their stats but none of their inventory. The PCs are now wearing nondescript burlap coverings weighing 1lb. All HP is restored. Spell slots are recovered, but maximum spell slots are halved rounded down, minimum of 1. Cantrips are unaffected. Though lacking bodies, the PC’s souls behave as if they had bodies. Death sentences them to nothingness.

#1 - Small Triangle The Rock The PCs find themselves on a triangle-shaped rock in the middle of a sea of bones extending as far as the eye can see. Waves crash against the rock, sending a shower of bones into the air. Above, a cloudless sky is blood red. About a mile away stands a great patchwork palace. Give the players time to survey their surroundings. Bone Sea Describe the Bone Sea exactly as it sounds – a rippling, crunching expanse of bones. Jumping/falling into the bones causes Setback damage per round. Require a DC Moderate Strength check to pull themselves out. Other PCs on land may assist to offer Advantage if within reach. Savvy players might reach down and grab bones for weapons. They can opt for a small femur (Club, PHB), large femur (Greatclub, PHB) or a sharp rib (Dagger, PHB). Various small bones can become Thieves’ Tools. Next, have Leska appear suddenly in a puff of smoke. Playing Leska The harlequin talks incessantly and nonsensically at all times. Describe her loquaciousness and intersperse examples. It may help to write a script. Include bits and pieces of her background story as hints of the larger narrative. She should mention “the end at the beginning”. Leska relies on her eyes and hands to communicate, such a staring intently or pointing. Regardless of what she is saying, her true intentions lie in her actions. Use the stats for Spy (MM), except Leska has the ability to teleport anywhere in the palace as a free action. If the PCs attack Leska, she fights back until death. Leska provides the PCs with mosaic pieces (tangram) that adhere to a slate but can be moved around. She points at the PCs, then at piece #1, and slides the other small triangle (#2) so it comes next to #1. As she does, a part of the distance palace crosses the sea and attaches to the platform where the PCs stand. A passageway appears in the wall, and Leska disappears. As you narrate Leska’s actions, provide the players with the physical tangram pieces separated (or share the screen if online). Slide piece #2 next to piece #1 to match the story (rotation doesn’t matter). The players should realize they can move pieces to control the palace’s layout. When in initiative, changing the layout is an action. Should a clever player immediately “solve” the tangram by arranging the pieces in a large square, bring the PCs into the beholder’s lair per Part III. However, Leska should appear and detach all the pieces to return the PCs to the first room, adding “Not yet,” before vanishing again. This only happens once.

#2 - Small Triangle Component Closet The room is full of shelves covered with spell components. Any components needed by PCs can be found here. The shelves are minded by a minotaur (refer to chart for monster reskin) who is overly concerned that all stock is present. He’ll answer questions with the following information: The PCs are in the Nine Hells in the Mosaic Palace. Lord Auge rules this domain. The minotaur is the palace caretaker, selected because minotaurs are naturally adept at navigating labyrinthine spaces. The jester Leska has promised Auge strong warriors to join his army. If asked for directions, he answers they should go to the square, a reference to both the small square and the “solved” tangram. Only by rolling a natural 20 on a Charisma (Persuasion) check does the minotaur allow PCs to take components. A Hard Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check provides one component per check. Otherwise, as soon as one is taken, the minotaur attacks. Level Reskin 1-2 Half-Ogre (MM) 3-4 Minotaur (MM) 5-7 Hobgoblin Warlord (MM)

#3 - Square Room of Balance The room initially appears empty, its floor composed of bones and cut by a thick obsidian stripe running from wall to wall. The stripe is part of a puzzle. Players solve the puzzle by arranging the tangram pieces as follows: large triangle – square – large triangle. They can figure this out by examining the stripe in all three rooms and determining the stripe can “connect”. Once lined up, the obsidian stripe lifts off the floor, becoming a narrow “balance beam” that rises 20ft off the ground and stretches across all three rooms. At either end of the beam is a ladder. In the middle, an obsidian-bladed dagger emerges. It sinks back into the obsidian if not held when the rooms are detached. Enchanted Dagger Use Dagger (PHB) for stats. When used against Lord Auge, add +2 to hit and add +x to damage, where x is the wielder’s level. PCs must make three DC Moderate Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to retrieve the dagger by traversing the balance beam. If the PCs detach the rooms, stand on the stripe, and then reconnect the rooms, only one check is required. Failing the check results in PCs losing their balance and falling, taking Setback Damage. Flight skips the challenge. Meanwhile, skeletons rise from the bone floor in numbers indicated by the chart below. If one is killed, another rises to take its place. They collapse back into bones if the obsidian dagger is taken or the rooms are detached. Skeletons not targeted by PCs perform range attacks against anyone trying to cross the beam. A hit requires another DC Hard Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or the PC falls. Level Monster 1-2 2x Skeleton (MM) 3-4 2x Skeleton (MM), 1x Minotaur Skeleton (MM) 5-7 2x Skeleton (MM), 2x Minotaur Skeleton (MM)

#4 - Medium Triangle Room of Illusion The room belongs to Zuzhu the illusionist, a tiefling woman who worships Lord Auge and sold her soul to be in his service. She is jealous of Leska’s closeness to Lord Auge and wants to thwart her perceived plans. Playing Zuzhu Use Commoner (MM) stats except she makes any number of illusions appear and turns invisible as free actions. At first, Zuzhu remains hidden. When she appears, she takes Leska’s form. Though she tries to imitate Leska’s loquaciousness, she has to think about what to say and struggles to appear joyful. She is delusional and assumes all beings must love Auge as much as she does, including the PCs. Describe the room as a stone chamber with a single chest. Include suspicious descriptions of the space, such as irregular holes in the walls or gargoyles with open mouths overhead. PCs who pass a DC Moderate Wisdom (Perception) check discover a trap. A DC Moderate Dexterity (Thieves Tools’) check disarms the traps. The traps are illusions, as is the act of disarming them. Create traps as the PCs try to find them, such as darts, arrows, or flames. They do no damage when sprung. After the PCs realize the traps are illusions, Zuzhu should appear as Leska and lie that only some are fake and some are real, when they are all illusion. As the PCs approach the chest, Zuzhu summons skeletons, but they too are illusions. A single dispel magic spell can eliminate all illusions. Upon reaching the chest, the following happens: If the players are level 1, the chest is revealed as an illusion and disappears. If the players are greater than level 1, the chest is revealed as one or more Mimics (MM). The number of mimics is the player level divided by 2 and rounded down. Once the chest disappears or the mimics are killed, Zuzhu dispels all illusions. She reveals Leska’s history, explaining how she was cursed because of her attempt to betray Hell for her celestial lover. She begs the PCs to kill Leska, believing the devil doesn’t deserve Lord Auge's affections. If they accept, she offers one suit of armor of your choice (likely whatever is most useful to the party’s “tank”). They can also kill her and take it. If the PCs deny her request but leave her alive, she has one last trick. Should the PCs return to room #1, they see a short path through the Bone Sea leading to a glowing portal. This is a mirage. If a PC attempts to walk on the path, they fall into the sea and the mirage disappears.

#5 - Parallelogram Vault The PCs arrive to find a room brimming with gold coins. The coins are bound to the vault and will teleport back if removed from the palace. A DC Hard Intelligence (Arcana) check exposes the truth of the coins. Broken Earring A DC Hard Intelligence (Investigation) check finds a broken ruby earring amongst the gold. It glows when held and grants the bearer +1 to all Wisdom checks and savings throws. The earring is the last reminder Leska has of Rumael. Zuzhu stole it some time ago and hid it beneath the coins. If Leska discovers a PC is holding the earring, she points, drops to her knees, and refuses to budge until she gets it back, even during the fight against Lord Auge.

#6 and #7 - Large Triangles Empty Chambers Both of these rooms are empty spaces. An obsidian stripe runs from one wall into the center of the room, then abruptly stops. See section #3 - Square for an explanation of the puzzle.

Part III: The Beholder’s Lair

Lord Auge's Encounter Once all the pieces are combined in the tangram’s “large square” configuration, the rooms transform into a cavernous, cathedral-like space with ivory walls and vaulted ceilings. The floor is a massive animated mosaic with thousands of pieces creating an image of swirling, galaxy-like shapes and colors – the Map of Souls. Upon arrival, the PCs are greeted by Lord Auge, a beholder of pure white. He congratulates the PCs on navigating the Mosaic Palace and invites them to become warriors in his slave army. If the player’s agree, it’s a game over as Auge dominates their souls. Otherwise, roll initiative. Playing Lord Auge Auge is incredibly narcissistic and assumes the PCs worship him. Any defiance starts an encounter per the chart below. Auge is a beholder with the stats of a spectator to make him level appropriate. Level Description 1 Auge instead summons 1x Cultist (MM) per PC plus one. When defeated, he forfeits his title and flees. 2-3 1x Spectator (MM) 4-5 1x Spectator (MM) and 2x Cult Fanatics (MM) 6-7 1x Spectator (MM) and 4x Cult Fanatics (MM) Leska may help in the battle. If so, Auge comments on her treachery.

Aftermath Once Auge is defeated, Leska requests the mosaic pieces from the PCs and inserts them into the Map of Souls. She thanks the PCs and explains (as best she can) she will seek a cure for her condition in Heaven. First, she’ll return them to their bodies. The Map of Souls responds to Leska’s hand movements. As she rearranges the tiles, the PCs fade into darkness and wake up in their bodies just before their deaths. This completes the “end at the beginning” she foreshadowed. Leska also provides a “twist” of fate, altering a factor that led to the PCs’ deaths. For example, if they lost all HP, you can have them return with half HP. If they fell to their deaths, they can return with Feather Fall cast. Decide what works best for the party’s situation. Have the PCs resume using their original character sheets and discard the newer ones. Any objects acquired in the adventure are lost. If Leska dies during the adventure, you have a few options for dealing with the repercussions: Players make a DC Hard Intelligence (Arcana) check to figure out the Map of Souls. Have a celestial squadron invade now that Auge is defeated and rescue the PCs. Create another adventure about escaping the Nine Hells. Condemn the players to an eternity in Hell for their poor choices! The reward for completing the adventure is having a second chance at life.

 

Albino Beholder	Lord Auge
Loquacious Harlequin	Leska
Mosaic	Map of Souls
The End at the Beginning	The adventure's end returning players to the TPK at the beginning
Ocean of Bones	Bone Sea
Broken Piece of Jewelry	Glowing Ruby Earring
Concerned Minotaur	Minotaur Caretaker
Loss of Balance	Falling off the obsidian “balance beam”
Obsidian-bladed Dagger	Enchanted dagger
Mirage	Zuzhu’s illusion

[Thaco]

 

Dan's Labyrinth

A D&D 5e One-Shot for Four Level 4 Characters

HOW DID WE GET HERE? How did the party end up here? Did they accept a bottle of wine from a stranger at the tavern? Did they pry the gems from the eyes of a strange statue? Did they refuse the beggar that asked for a few coins? Whatever it was that they did (or didn't do), it caught the attention of someone - and that someone has brought them here. One moment they were sitting around the table, or laying in their beds, or trudging through the dungeon; the next there was a flash of light, a feeling like they were falling, and all went black. When they woke up, they were here, at the entrance to The Labyrinth.

THE ENTRANCE The party find themselves in a ten foot square room, empty but for dust, with a doorway in the far wall leading to a passage beyond. Next to the doorway is a series of markings: sixteen circles, carved into the rock, twelve of them filled with a rust-colored pigment. Behind the party is a sturdy wooden door, with a single keyhole carved out of a piece of obsidian. A Detect Magic spell reveals the presence of high-level Abjuration and Illusion magic, and the door resists all attempts to open, break, or otherwise bypass it. DM INFO This door cannot be opened by any means available to the party at this point; they will need to find the key. A disembodied voice echoes through the room, "Hey. You’re finally awake. Welcome! Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Dionysus Aloysius Norbergger - but you can call me Dan. Welcome to my Labyrinth! You're welcome to stay as long as you like...indeed, you're welcome to stay forever! Of course, if you'd prefer to leave, you're welcome to do that as well...all you need to do - is find your way out! Ha, ha, ha..." The laughter fades away, leaving the party again alone in the room.

THE LABYRINTH DM INFO Unless otherwise indicated, all passages in The Labyrinth are fifteen feet wide and twenty feet high. There is a fair amount of dust and gravel on the floors all over, with the occasional larger piece of rubble here and there. The passages branch of at irregular intervals, with many curves and changes of elevation. While the odd torch casts light at some intersections, for the most part the tunnels are dark; the party will need to supply their own light. Only areas of specific interest are described here; DMs should feel free to add additional rooms, passages, etc. as necessary for flavor. Ground Floor Once the party leaves the Entrance, they enter the Labyrinth. The initial corridor runs for 50 feet to a T-intersection, then branches off 50 feet in each direction before branching off again. Whichever direction the party turns, when they reach the next intersection, a torch comes to life a the far end of the corridor the party has just traversed, and a huge white orb floats around the corner, appearing to glow with reflected torchlight: a Beholder (Monster Manual, pg. 28). As it turns its eye on the party, its anti-magic field suppresses all magic the party may be using, potentially plunging them into darkness. The voice returns "Ah, meet my little pet; I call him Bombacio. You know, they say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'...but I don't think they ever laid eyes on the four of you..." At this point, the beholder will begin moving toward the party, but will not attack. It should be clear to them that they have no choice but to flee (DC 10 Arcana Check). If they do attempt to fight, the Beholder will use only the following Eye Rays: Slowing Ray Paralyzing Ray Fear Ray Sleep Ray Telekinetic Ray DM INFO The party is not meant to fight the Beholder, as they have almost no chance of defeating it, but should be able to easily outpace it. Once they have left it behind, it will not continue to pursue them, but it will patrol the passages and may reappear after any other combat or loud noise. DM INFO Only two rooms are described here: The Cube Room and The Mosaic Room. The party may encounter them in either order, but must pass through both in order to proceed deeper into the Labyrinth. The Cube Room This twenty-five-foot square room appears much cleaner than most of the passages; the dust and gravel that seem to be omnipresent elsewhere are missing here. The only items visible are on the floor at the far side of the room: what looks to be a rusted helmet and a broken sword, and a few pieces of jewelry. If the party has been to the Mosaic Room, a DC 10 Investigation Check will confirm that the color of one of the stones matches that of the piece missing from the mosaic. This room is occupied by two creatures. In the center of the room, covering the floor, is a Trapper (Volo's Guide to Monsters, Pg. 194); a DC 20 Investigation or Nature check is required to spot it. Behind the Trapper, the items in the room are in fact held within a Gelatinous Cube (Monster Manual, Pg. 242). A DC 15 Perception check is required to detect the Cube. Each creature will attack anyone approaching within five feet; the other will then join in the attack. The only item of real interest in the room is the broken piece of jewelry. It it about palm-sized, with a cracked deep blue gemstone, and has part of a clasp attached to the back as if it were once part of a brooch or a belt. The Mosaic Room Most of the far wall of this room is filled with a large octagonal mosaic. Comprised primarily of bones of all shapes and sizes, it is inlaid with a large number of gems, colored stones, scraps of metal, and other colorful items. These form swirls of color twisting and turning about each other with no apparent pattern, but there is one line of dark blue stones forming a winding path from floor to ceiling, with the exception of one spot just above eye level, where there is a gap where a large stone appears to be missing from the piece. Looking around the room there are many scattered bits and baubles that look like they might have been used in the creation of the mosaic, but none that fit the missing piece. ~~~~~ Once the party has retrieved the broken piece of jewelry from the Cube Room, they may place it in the empty space in the mosaic. Doing so will cause the wall to slide open, revealing a stairway leading deeper into the labyrinth. Going Down DM INFO The rooms described here can be encountered in any order. The Bridge Room This room is circular, ninety feet in diameter. The ceiling is fifty feet above, and the floor drops off into darkness, with only a narrow (5 foot wide) stone bridge spanning the gap to a door in the far wall. A torch or other item dropped off the bridge appears to fall 'forever'; no bottom to the chasm can be detected. Gusting winds swirl up from the depths. making is hazardous to cross the bridge. The high winds cause the bridge to be treated as difficult terrain; in addition, anyone failing a DC 15 Acrobatics Check is knocked prone, and anyone starting their turn prone must pass a DC 10 Acrobatics Check or be swept off the bridge. As soon as the first person sets foot on the bridge, a figure appears in the doorway at the far end; a man, dressed in a brightly colored Harlequin costume. "Congratulations on making it this far! You're doing very well. Now, you all be careful there...'Jack be Nimble, Jack be Quick'!" He then fades from view, his voice lingering in the air, "What is it they say? 'Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear'?" DM INFO The chasm is in fact a Mirage. The floor of the room is only 10 feet below the bridge. Anyone making a DC 20 Investigation Check can see through the illusion. Anyone falling off the bridge will see through the illusion, and can grant a +10 Bonus to other party members. On the floor of the room are several Shriekers (Monster Manual, pg. 138). If anyone falls off the bridge, there is a 50% chance that they will land close to a Shrieker, which will begin to shriek. This will attract the attention of three Carrion Crawlers (Monster Manual, pg. 37) and two Rust Monsters (Monster Manual, pg. 262) Once the party makes it through this room, the illusion will be broken; if they pass through it again, they need only navigate the narrow bridge; there is no chasm and no wind. The Key Room This room is empty and featureless except for an engraving on each of three walls. Deadly are the lion's claws Freedom is found where the eagle soars Beware the serpent's tongue The Door Room At the far end of this room are three wooden doors. They are identical, apart from images carved into the center of each door: from left to right - a lion, a serpent, and an eagle. Again the Harlequin's voice fills the room. "Ah...decisions, decisions. Sometimes you have to choose between a bunch of wrong choices and no right ones. You just have to choose which wrong choices feels the least wrong." Only the center (serpent) door is actually a door; the other two are Mimics (Monster Manual, pg. 220), which will attack if the party chooses the wrong 'door'. If the party checks for traps (DC 15 Arcana Check) they will find a trap on the real door (DC 15 Dexterity Check to disarm), and a Detect Magic will reveal a Conjuration Aura. If the fail to disarm the trap, it does 2d6 acid damage to everyone within 10 feet (DC 13 Dexterity save for half damage), and will cause both mimics to attack the party. DM INFO The Key Room appears to have a solution to the puzzle, but analysis of the clues found there does not lead to any logical conclusion. In the Bridge Room, the Harlequin told them "Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear". If they believe "half of what you see", then half of what is written in the Key Room is false...but if they believe "none of what you hear", then they can't trust anything he says. In actuality, all of the 'clues' are just for show; they don't actually mean anything. ~~~~~ Once the party makes it through the Door Room and the Bridge Room, they enter the final section of the Labyrinth To the Center DM INFO The rooms described here must be passed through in order. The Bone Room This is an octagonal room, eighty feet across. The entire floor is filled with bones: human, animal, and many that defy identification. Directly in front of the doorway the bones are piled more than a foot deep, but off to the side the floor drops away so that the bones would bury a person who fell into them. In several places, there are disturbances in the bones, as if some unseen creatures are moving beneath the surface. If the party picks the correct path across the room, they will stay on the walkway where the bones are only a foot deep, but if they stray from the path they will fall into the Sea of Bones. Anyone falling into the Sea of Bones will take 1d6 bludgeoning damage each round, and must make a DC 15 Athletics Check to 'float' or else they will begin to suffocate. If they remain 'afloat', they can climb out on their next turn with a DC 15 Athletics Check. Anyone remaining in the Sea of Bones for more than 2 rounds will be attacked by 1-2 Bone Snakes (use Giant Constrictor Snake, Monster Manual, pg. 324). DM INFO The key to safely navigating the Sea of Bones was found in the Mosaic Room. The path of blue stones in the mosaic maps out the safe path through this room. The Party needs to pass four DC 15 Survival checks in order to safely navigate the path. On failure, a random member of the party will fall into the sea. If someone makes a DC 12 Intelligence to recall the pattern on the mosaic, the Party gets Advantage on their Survival Checks. The Minotaur's Chamber After crossing the Sea of Bones, the party reaches the center of the Labyrinth. This room is circular, thirty feet in diameter. Standing on a raised platform in the center of the room, leaning on a table, is a Minotaur (Monster Manual, pg. 223). Its back is to the party as they enter the room. If the party is not attempting to be stealthy, the Minotaur will hear their approach and spin around, pulling a dagger from his belt as he does. Upon seeing the party, he will stop short and say "Oh...it's you...you made it! No one has ever made it! Are you OK? Do you need aid?" If the party is moving stealthily, make a Perception Check for the Minotaur against the Party's Stealth Check. If he senses the party, proceed as above. If he does not sense them, the party has the opportunity for a surprise round. If they do not attack, proceed as above. If they do attack, he will draw his dagger, fighting defensively, and will cry out "No, please! I don't want to fight you! The wizard is your enemy, not me!" If the party makes peace with the Minotaur: He tells them his tale. He was living peacefully in the woods tending his herd when a wizard captured him and locked him in here, to be the final challenge to the adventurers that he abducted and dumped here in the Labyrinth. But so far, no one has made it to the center of the Labyrinth, and so the Minotaur has been all alone. He wants only to escape, but he cannot defeat the wizard without help. He shows his dagger to the party; its blade is a piece of obsidian, and its handle is carved into the shape of a key. He offers to guide the party back to the entrance of the Labyrinth, where this key will open the door to let them out. The ghostly image of the Harlequin appears in the room. "No! No, no, no...this isn't how it's supposed to go! You're supposed to kill each other, not make friends! Bombacio, deal with them!" If the party battles and defeats the Minotaur: They will recover the dagger from his corpse. With a DC 15 Intelligence or Investigation Check, they can discern that the key will fit the lock on the door at the entrance to the Labyrinth. The ghostly image of the Harlequin appears in the room. "well, well, well...aren't you big and strong. Let's see how you fare with this...Bombacio, deal with them!" The Chase Once the party leaves the Minotaur's chamber, the Beholder will begin hunting them. If the party killed the Minotaur, they will need to pass through the Bone Room, the Door Room, and the Bridge Room, in that order, to reach the Entrance. In the Bone Room, since the party already traversed the path once, they will need to pass only a single Survival Check (DC 12, with advantage) to navigate the room. When they are about to leave the Bone room, the Beholder will appear at the far side, and the chase will begin. If the Minotaur escorts the party, he will take them by paths know only to him, with the chase beginning shortly after they leave his chamber. In either case, the Beholder appears 80 feet behind the party. Due to the nature of the Labyrinth (twisting passages, intersections, etc.) the Beholder cannot attack unless it is within 40 feet of the party; if it is any farther away, they can always duck around a corner. They need to pass three DC 20 Survival Checks to navigate their way out of the Labyrinth. With each successful check, they increase their lead by 10 feet. For each failure, they take a wrong turn, and their lead decreases by 30 feet. If the Beholder gets close enough to attack, the party can always duck around the next corner to escape (as long as they are not incapacitated), though the chase will continue. The Beholder will not enter the initial passage, so once the party returns to the Entrance, they will be safe. DM INFO In this encounter, the beholder will use all of its abilities against the party. The Finale Upon reaching the Entrance, the party can insert the key into door (assuming they have it with them). When this occurs, the Harlequin's voice again fills the room, "Enough of this. Fluffy, kill!" The illusion disguising the room drops, and it is revealed to be a study. Bookshelves fill the walls, and turning around, they see the Harlequin (Illusionist, Volo's Guide to Monsters, pg. 214), sitting behind a writing desk. At his feet is a Displacer Beast (Monster Manual, pg. 81). The Displacer Beast attacks in a Surprise Round, then Initiative order begins, with Harlequin joining the fight. Upon defeating the Harlequin and his pet, the magic that transported the party to the Labyrinth will fade, and they will be returned to wherever it is they came from.

[RonarsCorruption]

 

SpoonyBard and The End at The Beginning

Runnability (6/15)
Organization (3/5)
+ You have a lot of clear headers and organization....
= ...But you're right on the edge of overboard. A header (like "#3 Square") whose only content is inside of one other single header (like "Room of Balance") is ultimately a waste of words, page space, and reader headspace.
Presentation (1.5/5)
- "Under level 8" is not a good level for the adventure to be. Does this mean it is equally valid for level 1 and level 7 characters? Does it fall apart when they hit level 8 or 9? Why? I don't understand why the adventure is just not for "3-5 level 8 characters", or if level really doesn't matter, just say level doesn't matter, and expand your list of DC to include other levels.
+ A little superfluous, since you need the PHB and the MM to run almost any game, but it's nice to see you list book requirements.
- The introduction to the player section of your module lands the wrong way to me. Telling the DM to end the session to prepare this adventure makes some sense since this is supposed to be dropped in after an unexpected TPK, but presumably the DM would need to have this adventure on hand already anyway, so it can't be totally unprepared. Just a bit awkward.
= I really like the reskin in the small triangle. However... this feels like it falls in the uncanny valley of too much and too little detail at once. Why call it a minotaur if it might be reskinned? And if you have a reskin list, why not just say it's a minotaur who uses a different statblock. And if that's what you meant, it isn't clear. Also, if everything is from the MM, you could probably just say that.
- critical success on skill checks is not a mechanic in dnd. Just say the PCs don't get spell components.
Writing (1.5/5)
- In your intro, you say "As players rearrange the tangram pieces given to them by Leska" - but the players don't have the tanagram yet, so at best this is the wrong tense.
- awkward phrasing in Zuzhu's character block.

Playability (7.5/15)
Challenge (2.5/5)
++ Very nice using generic mechanics. I ping you for this elsewhere, but using a simple table to stretch this across multiple levels is great.
= Not sure why you gave Leska such low stats. Even cursed, she wouldn't be CR1. Probably not something the PCs would find out, but at that point why give her stats at all?
- Why include the component storage if you don't let players take it?
= same comment as Leska's stats regarding Zuzhu's stats.
- For Lord Auge, making his stats so low is flat out bad. He's a beholder and rules a castle in hell. But he is CR3. That's just silly.
Engagement (2/5)
- Ouch, no equipment but yes to spell slots? Sure, half spell slots hurt, but a fighter without any equipment is at 25% of their strength, while a wizard at half spell slots is at 75%, and a monk might not even be affected at all. This is not a balanced setup to start with.
= Okay, the party doesn't have components either, but still: some classes are hella badly off, and
+ I'm giving you a point for Zuzhu. I don't really like her as a character, but the encounter is fun and adds to the feeling of this place feeling more lived in, which is great.
- Unless you're going to let the PCs take the gold from the vault back to life with them, why not just let the PCs rob the vault? The gold bound to the vault sounds like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
Creativity (3/5)
+ I've seen a few of them, but second-chance TPK adventures are still a rare genre that most players don't get to experience.
= So, while I liked the backstory, it didn't strike me as anything crazy good or bad. But after judging just had a thought... What if Zuzhu (or Auge, I guess) was the reason the earring fell off in the first place. Like, she was someone trying to manipulate the battle. And she damaged the earring on purpose somehow. Would have made the illusionist have more of a reason to exist.

[b]Ingredients (14/30)
An Albino Beholder (2.5/5)
+ Nice word use on calling him an Alabaster beholder. It has a slightly different meaning - it implies he's meant to be white, while Albino implies he is white due to unusual circumstances (in his genetics, which means he doesn't produce melanin, and so...)
- The fight
A Loquacious Harlequin (1.5/5)
= Feels kinda forced, but not too bad.
- When you introduce her, you include the line that "It may help to write a script." I understand wordcount makes this hard, but this is exactly the sort of thing that the adventure should include.
A Mosaic (0.5/5)
- First impression, very forced. Magical map, I could see, but even heavily styled I don't know if it sounds like a mosaic.
+ Oh, it's also the palace? That's neat. I missed that earlier if it was. I think this needs to be more clear, and it could turn into a very cool piece.
+ I love giving players props for in game puzzles. This is cool.
- I think you could have handled the PCs getting the rest of the tanagram better. If they aren't supposed to solve it immediately, don't let them, make Leska take a piece with her inside so the PCs can't solve the puzzle without going to the next scene.
- And honestly, the map tying to the souls and also being the key to the palace, and also being just given blindly to the PCs... it's far too much of a stretch.
- Making the PCs solve the tanagram to progress is neat. But the problem is: if the PCs don't immediately recognize (and solve) it, then there is only one barely present clue as to what to do.
The End at the Beginning (1.5/5)
+ Bold of you to use the ingredient as the title
= right now, it feels like this is the end of the celestial army at the beginning of the story you're referring to. Which is not great, but let's see how it plays.
An Ocean of Bones (4.5/5)
++ Wow, I really love how the ocean of bones plays out in the intro.
= It doesn't do much other than set the scene, but sometimes that's all we need, right?
A Broken Piece of Jewlery (3.5/5)
+ Very critical to the backstory
= I really like that the broken earring is in the vault. I don't like how it was just "there all along", because that seems a bit too coincidental. Like, if the beholder had the earring on purpose I could buy thta - but someone put it in an easily accessible space to... spite someone else? Makes no sense to me.

[b]Bonus Ingredients (0/4)
A Concerned Minotaur (0/1)
= it exists, maybe. As written, it might not. And it really doesn't do anything for the adventure.
Loss of Balance (1/1)
+ This is a neat challenge and bonus puzzle. Cool.
An Obsidian-Bladed Dagger (0/1)
= It's there, but there's no explanation or purpose for it. I give it an okay.
A Mirage (-1/1)
- A bunch of illusions is not a mirage. Also, the illusionist is like, one hit point.

TOTAL (27.5/60) I give this adventure a solid "eh, it's okay." Which is disappointing. While you handled it okay, I think setting it to such a low level was a big problem. The setting, the themes, the fights - all themed to high level, and constantly reskinning to low level hurt a lot. I can see some interesting ideas in there - but all the great elements are a step or two off from what would make them great.

 

Thaco and Dans Labyrinth

Runnability (7/15)
Organization (4/5)
+ Good organization overall, I like the different levels of titles.
+ The DM Info callouts are especially good, making important information easy to find later.
- You justify your cryptic clues with a paradox. The jester says don't believe what you hear, and don't believe all you see. Which means you should disregard his message entirely and you should either believe all or none of what you see and... Well, you see the problem.
++ Big props to give the players a weird but important object they might not understand, and then a weird lock, and make them put them together on their own. Even if the connection aren't very hard and are sometimes kinda random. And you do this for every major puzzle the PCs need to solve.
Presentation (1.5/5)
- The How Did We Get Here section should include the truth of what happened to the players, even if it's not something set in stone.
- You include several example junctions, and then some rooms the PCs will encounter... but no mechanics for the labyrinth itself. Although as I mention elsewhere, labyrinths suck in TTRPG, you can't throw the PCs in there and not include some mechanics to the DM.
Writing (1.5/5)
= I think it should be "the party finds themselves", but it's a gramattical edge case
- On first read, I'm confused about the structure of The Entrance. It sounds at first like there is one hallway, and then you also mention a door - but it reads a bit like there is only one exit...
- If you're going to pick a greek name for this Labyrinth voice, why not Theseus? Or Arcturus? You know, characters associated with a labyrinth? It reminds me of the joke "Not knowing greek mythology is my achiles' horse." But like, in a way that I don't think is supposed to be funny.

Playability (3/15)
Challenge (0.5/5)
-- Implying the PCs can escape the beholder, possibly in the dark, when it might slow, paralyze, or sleep one of them is laughable. If a PC fails any one of the checks mentioned except for fear, the party will certainly end up in a fight to the death as people don't leave other PCs behind. I don't see any likely way this wouldn't be an accidental game over.
= This could have been a good example of Rolling Up. The party is level 4ish, so throw a CR 7ish monster at them, perhaps a Minotaur. It attacks them in a frenzy and the party takes damage. But before it does any permanant damage, it's frozen in place, and the beholder appears as though from nowhere out of the darkness, praises the minotaur for finding some fresh playmates, and then kills the minotaur in one hit. Then it turns to the PCs and tells them it will let them live so long as they're interesting. THAT is how to turn this beholder, and the maze into an interesting and believable threat. Every intersection becomes a threat that they might run into this thing, or that they'll hit a dead end and then have to backtrack or risk being cornered by it.
-- Spend a huge encounter running from a huge beholder, and the boss is an illusionist and a displacer beast? Kinda lame, honestly.
Engagement (1/5)
= Probably this adventure would begin with players asking if they should make a save, or if they failed it.
- is that laughter playful? Evil? I have to assume evil, but it's a big question that could cause chaos at the table later.
- Everyone wants to write the perfect labyrinth. But in TTRPGs, they are almost fundamentally boring to play. Maybe yours is better, I haven't gotten there yet, but it's a misstep to actually use one in-game.
- a weirdo giving cryptic clues doesn't even always work when absolutely perfect. I'm not a fan of the clues or the puzzles. They all just smack of totally random.
Creativity (1.5/5)
- Meh, this strikes me as a typical "mad wizard" dungeon. It doesn't come across particularly creative or interesting.
- Like, the bone sea, for example. It could be a cool room, but it has no purpose.

[b]Ingredients (12/30)
An Albino Beholder (0.5/5)
+ The beholder encounter is pretty cool. I like that it's the big scary thing chasing them through the halls.
- You say "a white orb", but I assumed this was the eyeball itself, not the whole beholder. As much as I can tell, you don't describe the beholder as albino at all.
- Why does the beholder not attack the party? It would be nice if you explained that, because as written after one or two rounds I would assume this beholder isn't a threat for some reason and try and do things like talk to it.
- So, two consecutive failures in the final encounter means a TPK, huh?
A Loquacious Harlequin (0.5/5)
- Is that Dan? I dunno, he isn't really loquatious, and seems to just exist to give the PCs hints for no obvious reason.
- Why is he upset the PCs get through the maze after he shows up repeatedly to give them hints?
A Mosaic (3.5/5)
= At first, I was thinking you meant a mosaic made of octagons, which don't tile nicely and would be a problem. But then I realize it was a mosaic in the shape of an octagon.
+ Although it seems kinda arbitrary, it does serve more than one purpose so that works nicely.
The End at the Beginning (3.5/5)
+ Oh, that's the exit door at the start of the maze. I like that.
An Ocean of Bones (3.5/5)
+ I dunno, it's a sea of bones, not an ocean... But teasing you for a synonym aside, this is a neat challenge.
A Broken Piece of Jewlery (0.5/5)
- The way the cube and mosaic are written, I didn't realize the jewelery was the piece of the mosaic, I thought it was a seperate stone.
- Despite it being an important key, it's super meaningless to be jewelery, or broken. It's barely important that it's present.

[b]Bonus Ingredients (1/4)
A Concerned Minotaur (-1/1)
- There's a minotaur, he's maybe concnerned if the players attack him, as would be reasonable. Or maybe not.
Loss of Balance (1/1)
+ The bridge scene is a cool scene. I can imagine the PCs panicked over this and trying to figure out all kinds of ways over.
An Obsidian-Bladed Dagger (1/1)
+ It's there, it's important. Maybe not perfect, but okay at least.
A Mirage (0/1)
= A bit of a stretch for this, I wouldn't really call it a mirage. It's well enough used that it's not a penalty, but neither is it great.

TOTAL (23/60) I don't really like saying this, but this is probably the worst Iron DM entry I've ever read. There is absolutely no cohesion between anything. There were some clever design decisions, but it was basically one room per ingredient, in a hand-waved maze, being "chased" by a monster that is much too dangerous and not threatening enough that will absolutely kill any party if the DM doesn't force-nerf it and include all the arbitrary restrictions you placed.

 

I was hoping this would be a close match, but it sadly wasn't. Neither adventure was as good as I had hoped, but while one was just okay, the other could have almost been replicated by rolling on a table of random encounters.

My vote for this year's winner of Iron DM is... SpoonyBard!

[Roekahs]

 

The End at the Beginning

DM Perspective / The Technical {9 points}

a. How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure? (2 points)
b. How well is the scenario/adventure presented? (3 points)
c. How well is the scenario/adventure written? (4 points)

Player Perspective / The Story {11 points}

a. What would this scenario/adventure be like to play? (5 points)
b. Is the story interesting to read? (3 points)
c. How creative is the scenario/adventure? (3 points)

I really think you tried to include too many ingredients in here. You got them all in, but it hurt the overall entry. I know a single map would make things way easier to understand, but as the adventure is written there were several areas that I really struggled to follow. There were a lot of – what appear to me to be – incomplete thoughts. E.g., “This only happens once.” What happens if they solve it again? A nuclear explosion or the fight actually starts? You had some information all over the place and I found it a little hard to find relevant sections at times. From both a GM and player perspective, I really enjoy the premise of having an adventure to save a TPK. The puzzles and the challenge of being gearless is a cool idea and would be super fun. I loved the setup, but found the actual adventure lacking.

Audience Perspective / The Ingredients {19.5 points}

How well was the ingredient used? Albino Beholder (1 points)
There just wasn’t a lot here. He didn’t need to be albino .. or a beholder. It just didn’t do much for this adventure for me. In fact, the whole thing might have been better with a different end boss.

How well was the ingredient used? Loquacious Harlequin (4 points)
I don’t even know how to judge this ingredient – by rigid definitions: a talkative mute. I think you did as well as could be expected? I think it checked all the boxes? I wish you had used some of your bonus ingredient words to flesh this out a bit better.

How well was the ingredient used? Mosaic (3 points)
It is critical and all of that but it was so confusing. There was the palace and the map. And a puzzle. Some of it worked, some of it I was far less enthused about.

How well was the ingredient used? The End at the Beginning (2 points)
You got it in there. I really like the premise of the adventure (a TPK save adventure!), but this ingredient does nothing else. You got some points, though, so there is that win

How well was the ingredient used? Ocean of Bones (5 points)
This was excellent. A puzzle with danger and benefit.

How well was the ingredient used? Broken Piece of Jewelry (3 points)
I liked the idea, but the fiction hurt. Why would she wear only 1 earing instead of none? And what if she had shown up with none? A necklace with a ruby dangling from it would have fit much better – the ruby breaks off and it looks from a distance like she didn’t wear it. Otherwise it would have been great. The fiction making sense just matters too much to me to give full points.

Bonus! Did its use make sense?A Concerned Minotaur (0 point)
I didn’t like it. Just thrown in and even needed to be justified with precious words. It technically was justifiable, but you end up just coming out without a penalty here.

Bonus! Did its use make sense?Loss of Balance (1 point)
It was a good puzzle and even better: I didn’t realize that it was an ingredient at first.

Bonus! Did its use make sense?Obsidian-Bladed Dagger (0 point)
It was just there. I guess it supplied some mechanical benefit in the final battle but … why?

Bonus! Did its use make sense?Mirage (0.5 point)
Yes, this worked. It was sort of a strange implementation (two “if”s were required to actually get the mirage)

Total! 39.5 Points
I really enjoyed a lot of what you brought to the competition this year. I don't think this round was your best work, but it did enough in my scoring!

 

Dan’s Labyrinth

DM Perspective / The Technical {9 points}

a. How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure? (4 points)
b. How well is the scenario/adventure presented? (4 points)
c. How well is the scenario/adventure written? (1 points)

Player Perspective / The Story {6 points}

a. What would this scenario/adventure be like to play? (3 points)
b. Is the story interesting to read? (1 points)
c. How creative is the scenario/adventure? (2 points)

It is too bad this was your final round entry because I judged some of your other work and it was far better than this. I feel like I am missing a lot in this entry. What is this labyrinth? Who is the harlequin? It wouldn’t be mechanically hard to run and it was fairly easy to find everything that was included, but so much felt like it was missing. A labyrinth could be a fun adventure, but this really needed some kind of an overarching theme to tie it all together. I liked when you tied some rooms together, that was well done, but it really need more of them interconnected somehow to work. Going with a labyrinth is always a fun idea, but it does need something new and interesting to set it apart from all the times those have been done before. This just didn’t have it.

Audience Perspective / The Ingredients {19 points}

How well was the ingredient used? Albino Beholder (1 points)
It was there but the use was just not great. There was no justification for being albino. This could have been a lot of things – and some of them might even make more sense than a beholder.

How well was the ingredient used? Loquacious Harlequin (2 points)
This ingredient is very strange to me, so I was planning to give a lot of leeway. I am just not sure that your use made a lot of sense. I am not sure why being a harlequin was important.

How well was the ingredient used? Mosaic (3 points)
This worked, but wasn’t overly memorable. Just a keyed doorway. It being a map certainly saved it a bit.

How well was the ingredient used? The End at the Beginning (5 points)
This was pretty well done. Nice job. Your best use of an ingredient by far.

How well was the ingredient used? Ocean of Bones (4 points)
It seems very random, so I am not sure that it makes complete sense. Otherwise it was pretty well done as an obstacle with a nice link to another ingredient.

How well was the ingredient used? Broken Piece of Jewelry (1 points)
It was there but was completely unnecessary. It could have been a lot of things.

Bonus! Did its use make sense?A Concerned Minotaur (1 point)
Sure, I’ll buy this.

Bonus! Did its use make sense?Loss of Balance (1 point)
Worked fine.

Bonus! Did its use make sense?Obsidian-Bladed Dagger (1 point)
Worked fine.

Bonus! Did its use make sense?Mirage (0 point)
It was definitely an illusion, and I think you went for a mirage with the artificial weather, but this just comes out as even for me.

Total! 34 Points
I enjoyed a lot of what you brought to the competition this year! Unfortunately, you just didn’t have it this round in my opinion, but great work overall!

 

In my scoring, this year's winner is Spoonybard with a final round score of 39.5 to Thaco's 34.

[PIG]

 

For the Iron DM of 2020 I choose Spoonybard!!!!!!

 

DM Perspective / The Technical {13 points}

1. How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure? {04 points}
2. How well is the scenario/adventure presented? {04 points}
3. How well is the scenario/adventure written? {05 points}

The Mosaic Palace requires the DM to hand out the parted puzzle pieces to the PCs but it’s very clear on how to do it and its resulting end. I don’t mind it and it actually enhances the game.

It would be difficult to connect the subtext of the plot to how Leska ties into everything for the PCs. They won’t know what is going on and need to translate this information using a mute antagonist. Interesting challenge, I love it, but the contestant offers no clue on how to accomplish this feat.

The mosaic puzzle is pieced together nicely to show a clever challenge for players who like puzzles. I thought there could have been more of a sub-category that is separate from each section that helps tie them all together a little clearer but, otherwise, it’s well done.



Player Perspective / The Story {11 points}

1. What would this scenario/adventure be like to play? {03 points}
2. Is the story interesting to read? {04 points}
3. How creative is the scenario/adventure? {04 points}

There’s a bit of a juggle with the new stats and pitting it against enemies of assigned Challenge Ratings. I understand why it has to be done but when stripping players of their equipment and capping their spells makes the math very tricky, very quickly.

I think this an good template for any set of players to rely upon if they hit back luck or make major mistakes leading to PC death. They get to have a chance to keep their characters but have to work for it in this interesting and absorbing puzzle (which should be a session in of it’s self).

The intro was fantastic and really lays the groundwork for the plot. I’m really not sure how to translate it to the labyrinth. As a DM I think I could include it somehow but nothing in his module really helps me lay it out. So a player might actually be lost on a lot of great material if I went by the module alone. That’s the only reason a point is taken off.

A set of stories told before but it was tied together in an interesting way. I think overall it would pull as a fresh take but it still has roots that are familiar to me.


Audience Perspective / The Ingredients {21 points}

How well was the ingredient used? An Albino Beholder {03 points}
Main Boss to defeat but not the main antagonist and also in Hell just for the sake of being in the game. Beholders always seemed a thing away from celestial and hellish circumstances. Also he’s white for no reason. If it had something to do with why this beholder was in Hell then I would have moved it up a point. All in all, it’s fine.

How well was the ingredient used? A Loquacious Harlequin {03 points}
The basis of the protagonist and foundation of the plot overall. From hellish lover to jester of a beholder and I think it was just working its way towards the overall idea of the story to the ingredient, so it feels forced. The curse doesn’t make all that much sense either. All great ideas but I think the contestant could have spent an extra day ironing out these ideas so that made sense.

How well was the ingredient used? A Mosaic {05 points}
Loved it!!! The Palace, the Map of Souls, and the ending with being the layout before defeating the beholder. Nicely done!

How well was the ingredient used? The End at the Beginning {05 points}
I have some adventures from twenty years ago with this very idea in mind. Having an adventure for PCs that died and giving them a chance to come back. I love the idea of them coming back but with a twist of help from Leska.

How well was the ingredient used? An Ocean of Bones {02 points}
A pool of bones is more like it. It’s part of the game but an ocean is vastly different to the deep layer of bones laid out in the game.

How well was the bonus ingredient used? A Concerned Minotaur {00 point}
I really like this addition, it’s very creative, but it seems to get away from ingredients. It could have been any creature and defending the magical components could have been an angry/defensive personality in the end.

How well was the bonus ingredient used? Loss of Balance {01 point}
The Obsidian beam is not only a bridge to balance on but also something to tie the different pieces of the mosaic together. Even without an image I can imagine how using this could connect the rooms if need be, especially if the players look for the material and the DM marks the shapes with the material to explain how it all comes together.

How well was the bonus ingredient used? An Obsidian-Bladed Dagger {01 point}
It worked. It connects to the rooms being connected to make the mosaic. I like it!

How well was the bonus ingredient used? A Mirage {01 point}
The room of illusions. A lot was dedicated to this. It works.

TOTAL POINTS {45 points}
Any DM here can use this. It's simple and functional, with a great intro and good idea of bringing a puzzle to individual chambers. There is a loss of translating this to PCs and some unjointed connections but even for the final round I thought this was a good pick.

 

DM Perspective / The Technical {09 points}

1. How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure? {03 points}
2. How well is the scenario/adventure presented? {04 points}
3. How well is the scenario/adventure written? {02 points}

Evidenitally I have to do all the work getting the PCs into position. I don’t think they would appreciate me throwing them into a labyrinth for no reason so I would have to do all the work getting them there. I thought Thaco could have done something here instead of just saying “someone did something”.

Some of the puzzles worked fine. I could follow from the text on where I should go next from room to room.

On my first reading, without knowing the ingredients, I was confused about the entrance actually being the exit of the labyrinth. This was actually the point of the story to have the PCs find their way back to the place that they began, which is clever, but can be confusing if you just read the adventure on face value.

The “DM Info” was in green and really stood out. I kinda wish everyone did it this way. I thought it really worked. It connected everything no matter where you were and I had a pretty good idea what to do no matter what section I was in.

There are some serious problems with sentence structure, especially for this level of Iron DM. That really took the points down.



Player Perspective / The Story {08 points}

1. What would this scenario/adventure be like to play? {02 points}
2. Is the story interesting to read? {03 points}
3. How creative is the scenario/adventure? {03 points}

As a PC I would find bits of this interesting but overall I think I’ve seen most of this I have done before. I would have to rely on my DM to make this all worthwhile because I would have no idea why I’m here, which hurts the entry also.

Some of the puzzles worked well but for a labyrinth that leads front to back I thought there should be more. The challenge seems to be balanced from what I can tell.

The NPCs are cardboard pieces from what I can tell. I really wouldn’t care what happened to them in the end.

Audience Perspective / The Ingredients {18 points}

How well was the ingredient used? An Albino Beholder {02 points}
Pale beholders under control of the mysterious wizard, Dionysus Aloysius Norbergger. They are frightening, especially for lower level characters, but they are really just enforcers. I do like how there was a breakdown for its eye beams that were used for different PC levels. Extra point for that.

How well was the ingredient used? A Loquacious Harlequin {03 points}
Dionysus! He’s dressed in a comical way and he won’t shut up. Actually he talks throughout the maze, taunting the PCs. I liked it.

How well was the ingredient used? A Mosaic {03 points}
This was a relative section of the maze and it worked. You need it to get from one room to another. It has to be observed since it’s a mosaic, which can be a puzzle in of its self, so it works.

How well was the ingredient used? The End at the Beginning {05 points}
I liked it a lot! It makes perfect sense in context. I just wish you cleared up for PCs that they are at the exit from which they came into from the outside world is all. I’ll go ahead and give it a 5.

How well was the ingredient used? An Ocean of Bones {03 points}
Just a pool of bones, nowhere an ocean. Yet it’s pretty deep and it’s a challenge for the PCs. I’ll leave it as a mid point of 3 because it’s also tied to the mosaic (a mosaic of bones is actually pretty cool and I would have never thought about it).

How well was the bonus ingredient used? A Concerned Minotaur {01 point}
The wizard thought he could have used the minotaur but, being alone in the center, it is actually the center in how to get out of the maze. The key back to beginning is with this “monster” and it’s through sympathy. I really like it.

How well was the bonus ingredient used? Loss of Balance {01 point}
The Bridge Room. It was there and the bridge was tied to a warning from Dionysus, which I liked. But it works.

How well was the bonus ingredient used? An Obsidian-Bladed Dagger {00 point}
Ties as a track from the minotaur back to the entrance door. It could have been anything. Doesn’t work.

How well was the bonus ingredient used? A Mirage {00 point}
Illusions are here and there but not very important.

TOTAL POINTS {35 points}
The idea behind it all really worked. But it just felt like ideas half-chewed and then written down. Then Thaco just threw in the towel without even checking sentence structure. A good idea overall but no work was put into making it work.

[Admin Bhelogan]

 

Scores

Category	Spoonybard	Thaco
DM Perspective / The Technical*(15 points)	13	9
a. How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure?*(5 points)	3	3
b. How well is the scenario/adventure presented?*(5 points)	5	3
c. How well is the scenario/adventure written?*(5 points)	5	3
Player Perspective / The Story*(15 points)	13	9
a. What would this scenario/adventure be like to play?*(5 points)	4	4
b. Is the story interesting to read?*(5 points)	5	2
c. How creative is the scenario/adventure?*(5 points)	4	3
Audience Perspective / The Ingredients*(15+ points)	34	28
a. How well was the ingredient used?*(5 points each)	30	24
Bonus Ingredients	4	4
Total Points	60	46

Spoonybard

I was really impressed how this was written out as a module to actually be run, telling the DM what to do, and where to look for what information, rather than just a narrative of what happens with some mechanics thrown in (which most entries tend to do). Example: You have BOLD text to indicate text blocks for monsters or items in the PHB (formatting that matches the 5E official material, yet seemed to confuse judges here when people first started doing it). Meaning, the way it was presented and written looked like official WoTC materials.

Yet, it still had a fun narrative about it that was easy to follow. The mechanics of the tangram would probably take a DM a little time to study and get their head wrapped around, to be able to present it well, but the information given makes it probably as clear as it could be. Ingredient use was easy to spot out, but also seemed to fit the story and narrative in an organic way, rather than seemingly forced.

Thaco

My biggest gripe in this adventure kind of comes back to what I gave as feedback last round. We have a very lite setup, a lot of room to room mechanics, and an end. But we never really get a story of why they are there, and what they are trying to do, other than escape. If I was perusing through modules, trying to pick one to run for a game, there is nothing about this that makes it jump out as something that would add some flavor to my game. It would fall under the ‘random’ encounter category, for being random, and unrelated to everything else. The ingredient usage is there, and easy to spot out. I can’t say they really fit in organically vs. being forced when the whole scenario seems to fall into the latter category, so I am not going to try and weight them on that scale.

[Sassafrass]

 

The End at the Beginning

Running the Show
How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure? Despite being connected to an event the DM cannot plan for, this is absolutely brilliant and bonkers and I am in love with it. It requires little prep and it fairly straight forward, though does rely on certain actions to follow a certain pathway; if the PCs kill Zuzhu before she reveals Leska's background, how are they supposed to find out? 4/5
How well is the scenario/adventure presented? Simply and excellently. 5/5
How well is the scenario/adventure written? So well written it made me realize why I can never spell mosaic on the first try. I literally screwed up spelling it right now. Gonna take a point off for making me feel bad. 25/5
Total: 14/15

Playing the Game
What would this scenario/adventure be like to play? I think this would blow my mind after a TPK. Separate it's really quite basic, but the flavor presses a lot of my buttons. Unfortunately a lot of that flavor is lost to backstory, so... 4/5
Is the story interesting to read? It works, it's functional. 3/5
How creative is the scenario/adventure? The concept of something after a TPK is more impressive than the scenario itself, and you've blown my mind with that. 4/5
Total: 11/15

Blending the Ingredients
An Albino Beholder: Yeah, ok, Beholders typically aren't LE so they won't be in Baator, but I can forgive the lore oversight, nothing says it has to be traditional D&D lore. 3/5
A Loquacious Harlequin Word. 4/5
A Mosaic WHY CAN'T I SPELL THIS WORD, DAMMIT INEM. Really like the Map of Souls. 5/5
The End at the Beginning 110% 5/5
An Ocean of Bones It worked, but wasn't the best. 3/5
A Broken Piece of Jewelry The tragedy sells it. 5/5
A Concerned Minotaur Meh.
Loss of Balance Meh
An Obsidian-Bladed Dagger Meh?
A Mirage I liked her.+1
Total: 26

Total: 51 Points

 

Dan's Labyrinth

Running the Show
How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure? Given that part of it is piecemeal and requires you to put it together, it could be fun, or it could be daunting. 3/5
How well is the scenario/adventure presented? It's presented fairly well. 4/5
How well is the scenario/adventure written? Pretty well-written overall. 4/5
Total: 11/15

Playing the Game
What would this scenario/adventure be like to play? Depends on how the DM constructs it. If they include a whole lot, this could be daunting and I'd lose the plot. If it's well-constructed and plot-heavy, and the players don't get into shenanigans, it could be pretty fun, though not terribly engrossing until you get to the Minotaur. 3/5
Is the story interesting to read? It's an interesting read, but could be more fun with the plot up-front and with a better hook. 3/5
How creative is the scenario/adventure? I admit I rarely call something uncreative but this fell flat for me. 2/5
Total: 8/15

Blending the Ingredients
An Albino Beholder: I don't like including it without making a solution beyond RUN FOR YOUR LIFE. 2/5
A Loquacious Harlequin I'm for it. 4/5
A Mosaic I kind of liked this. 4/5
The End at the Beginning I mean, I guess. 3/5
An Ocean of Bones I almost liked this. 3/5
A Broken Piece of Jewelry Meh. 2/5
A Concerned Minotaur I will protect and stan this Minotaur until the day I die. +1000
Loss of Balance Meh.
An Obsidian-Bladed Dagger I'm for it. +1
A Mirage Meh.
Total: 20

Total: 39 Points

 

Legally, I am required to declare one of you the winner. I am illegally supposed to inform you Inem is the real winner, as your win is invalid and Inem is the eternal champion. Honestly why Birched hasn't removed him from Iron DM and made me run it is beyond me, but I am also deeply untrustworthy and smell of cardamom. On good days.

Oh, the winner by points is that Spoonybard! Which is good, I love a good Final Fantasy reference.

[Inem]

As was his nature, the 'Honorable' Chairman hadn't left the arena at the start of the match, and yet he hadn't been present throughout the battle. He hadn't reentered, either, and yet there he was standing, as if he hadn't moved the entire time. Looking around, the chairman examines the aftermath of the competition.

"This is it then, the final battle this year has been concluded and judged. You have both fought valiantly to even get here, but in the end, only one person is worthy to wear the crown of Iron DM for the next year." With a flash, a red scroll appears in the hands of the master of this entire event. "It is just more official when I read the off of something in writing, isn't it?" The chairman opens the scroll and reads it, a small smirk creeping on his face. "Ah yes, there was that issue with the hardcoding, wasn't there. Guess I never bothered fixing that, because we all know who really won. Hang on, give me a second."

With a gesture from the 'Honorable' Chairman, the red scroll goes up in flames, though it doesn't actually burn to ash, but rather remains intact. What the point of that whole thing was only becomes apparent when the creature flips it around, revealing the name of the winner...scrawled hastily into the bottom corner below a much larger name that has been scratched out to the point of being mostly illegible, though it would seem to have had about four letters and started with a J...or maybe an I.

"Might be a little bit hard to read, but don't worry, I can read it just fine. So without further ado, our winner is..."

 

SPOONYBARD!

 

Judge	Spoonybard	Thaco
Admin RonarsCorruption	27.5	23
Roekahs	39.5	34
PIG	45	35
Bhelogan	60	46
Sassafrass	51	39
Early Submission	1	0
TOTAL	45.6	35.4