Co n t e n t s

within Monadhan, the domain of betrayal. As the

4 Chaos Scar: Stick in the Mud 3
PCs enter the lair of a foul and corrupt enemy, they
Editorial
By Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel learn the full scale of Tiamat’s agenda, and defeat
A group of bullywugs have claimed the muddy
83
a pair of powerful foes before the full horror of her
Deities & Demigods:
R aven Queen
ruins of an ancient keep as their own. Can the PCs plans can be revealed. A Scales of War adventure
By Robert J. Schwalb
root them out and find out what lurks at the heart of for 22nd-level PCs.
Learn about the groups who pursue the Raven
their lair? A Chaos Scar adventure for 1st-level PCs. Queen’s agendas across the world and beyond.
47 Chaos Scar: Den of the
29 Treed! Sl ave-Taker s 86 C a mpaign Work shop: Hero

file
Bat tle: Driz z t
By Tim Eagon By Rob Heinsoo
By Chris Sims & Chris Youngs
An owlbear has been tormenting a tribe of elves An gnoll outcast has taken up residence in the
and trapped a gnome from the Feywild. The
PCs have the opportunity to find passage to the p l e
valley of the Chaos Scar, hoping to do a brisk
business in the slave trade. But his allies have
Face off against the legendary dark elf hero in this
ready-to-play encounter, with several hooks for
possible expansion into a full-scale adventure.

Feywild and earn the elves trust if they act quickly.

A Side Trek for 7th-level PCs. a m
different plans for the captured slaves. A Chaos
Scar adventure for 1st-level PCs. 90 Ruling Skill Challenges

37 Gr asp of the Mantled

S By Mike Mearls
Mike continues to educate on the nature of skill
challenges, with unique applications and examples.
Citadel
By Creighton Broadhurst 90 Save My Ga me
By Stephen Radney-MacFarland
The Scales of War Adventure Path continues. The
A DM’s best friend? Stephen Radney-MacFarland,
characters continue their quest to find a well- back with more advice and letters from the mailbag.
hidden ally of Tiamat, in a pocket domain hidden
90 Dungeoncr af t
By James Wyatt, Andy Collins &
Christopher Perkins
On the Cover
Illustration by Mark A. Nelson James discusses the latest changes to his f ledgling
campaign. This month: Guest columnists!

Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Dungeon, Dragon, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast
product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, LLC, in the U.S.A. and other countries. ®
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Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.
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No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more Dungeons & Dragons
articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.com/dnd
 e d i t o r i al
171

Du ngeon

Editor-in-Chief
October 20 09

Chris Youngs
Playing in the Deep End
Senior Art Director Jon Schindehette

Web Specialist Chris Sims

As long as the game’s been around, D&D has been the same core of stable players. Some of the current
Web Production Bart Carroll, Steve Winter played the same way, more or less. The editions have crop in the two games have been playing in his cam-
changed, campaign settings have come and gone, and paigns for nearly ten years.
Contributing Authors Creighton Broadhurst, Tim Eagon, the starting level of your character might have varied, Chris’s biggest contribution to our immersion level
Rob Heinsoo, Mike Mearls, but the basics were the same. is choice. He lets us choose our own fate. His goal in
Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Someone decides to run a campaign. He or she gath- giving us so many choices and decisions to make in the
Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel, ers up some friends to play in it. The DM creates and campaign is to give us a sense of control. We have the
Robert J. Schwalb, Chris Sims, runs the adventures. The players respond to the DM’s ability to choose our fates and thus make an impact on
James Wyatt, Chris Youngs stimulus and follow the trail of hooks he or she leaves the world in the places where we feel the most contact.
from adventure to adventure. It’s why, despite running two campaigns, with two dif-
There’s nothing wrong with this basic formula, at its ferent groups, in the same world, our two groups have

file
Developers Stephen Radney-MacFarland,
heart. But you might have noticed lately that a number diverged so much. The players in each group value
Peter Schaefer, Stephen
of folks on D&D Insider have taken an opportunity to different hooks and stories, so we pursue those to the
Schubert, Rodney Thompson propose a new way of thinking—the art of saying “Yes!” exclusion of others. As a result, we are fully, completely

Editor

Cover Artist
Miranda Horner, Steve Winter

Mark A. Nelson another? p l e

What do these things—the classic campaign arche-
type and the “Say Yes” strategy—have to do with one
immersed.
This is one of the many reasons why I’m so excited
about this month’s launch of the Caves of Chaos proj-
Contributing Artists Rob Alexander, Drew Baker,
a m
Here’s the thing: I think, more often than not, DMs
try to shoulder too much. DMing gets arduous, and
ect. This is a campaign designed from ground zero to
be about player choice. Our story is broad, general, and

Stephen Crowe, Wayne England,
Raven Mimura, William O’Connor,
Evan Shipard, Sarah Stone
S
as a DM’s interest in his or her own creation begins to
flag, so too does that of the players. DMing should be as
much fun as playing. We’ve all been in campaigns that
deliberately filled with holes to fill in. The players have
the opportunity in this campaign, unlike many others,
to really choose their fate. Do they go into a tough cave
have quietly eroded away as interest fizzled out. What’s or an easier one? Do they pursue the purple glowing
Cartographers Jason A. Engle, Kyle Hunter,
the answer? dungeon or the one that appears to be the source of a
Sean Macdonald, Mike Schley In my view, it’s immersion. A player who is more massive pool of mud? As they venture through, what
Angelika Lokotz, Erin Dorries,
Publishing Production Specialists immersed in the campaign—the combats, the world, sorts of stories draw them in? What makes them sit up
Christopher Tardiff the story, the adventures, the characters—is likely to and pay attention?
maintain interest. It seems obvious, but providing an And what about you, DMs? What tricks and tips do
Web Development Mark A. Jindra immersive experience is perhaps a DM’s toughest chal- you use to immerse your players? Send us your ideas!
lenge, among a host of tough challenges. How do you
D&D Creative Manager Christopher Perkins do it? I can’t say how all DMs approach this, but I know
Executive Producer,
how one DM does it.
Chris Perkins, himself a proponent of the Say Yes
D&D Insider Chris Champagne
strategy, runs our Wednesday game, and by the folks in
Director of RPG R&D Bill Slavicsek his two campaigns, he’s widely acknowledged as one of
the best DMs in a building full of good DMs. His cam-
paign worlds are ridiculously detailed, his NPCs rich
Special Thanks and complex, and his stories full of unexpected twists.
Richard Baker, Greg Bilsland, Logan Bonner, Michele Carter, Our characters always have more goals to pursue, in
Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, more corners of the world, than your typical world
Jeremy Crawford, Rob Heinsoo, Peter Lee, Mike Mearls, leader. Chris’s campaigns run for years, with mostly
Kim Mohan, Cal Moore, Stephen Radney-MacFarland,
Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert, Matthew Sernett, Rodney
Thompson, James Wyatt
Stick
the Mud
in
file
A Chaos Scar Adventure
By Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel p l e
a m
illustrations by Drew Baker
cartography by Sean Macdonald
S
TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved.

“Stick in the Mud” is a short adventure for five 1st-level characters that takes place in the Chaos Scar, near the King’s Wall. It pits the
PCs against a tribe of evil bullywugs that have taken up residence in a long-ruined keep. The keep, once the abode of a goliath sorcerer,
holds a powerful magic item, the staff of earthen might. The staff has been damaged and is hemorrhaging magic. This leak has ripped
open a small portal to the Elemental Chaos. A tide of mud has been steadily flowing through the portal and into the cellars beneath the
ruins, creating a muddy wallow that is ideal for bullywugs.
For details on the Chaos Scar and its environs, read the Chaos Scar introduction and check out the map of the entire valley.

October 20 09 | D u n g e o n 17 1
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 Stick in the Mud

Background swamp drained away, leaving only a desolate, dry ruin the ruined keep’s deterioration and damaged Voran’s
in its wake. Only the ground floor of the keep and the staff of earthen might. The damaged staff has opened
Centuries ago, a powerful goliath sorcerer named laboratory beneath it escaped destruction, but even a small portal onto a sea of elemental mud in the
Voran Earthmane constructed a keep in the middle these meager remains were buried in the wake of the Elemental Chaos, allowing a steady tide of the muck
of a rank swamp where he could conduct his arcane meteorite’s fall. Voran himself escaped the oblitera- to fill the ruins.
research in peace. Voran conducted many experi- tion of his home, but with his life’s work in shambles, Over the past few weeks, the mud has filled much
ments in the laboratory beneath his keep, mostly he collected those of his belongings he could find and of the laboratory beneath the ruins with a thick layer
centered on the creation of magic items that har- departed the area for lands unknown, and his name of sludge; creating a sticky wallow that is ideal for
nessed the power of the Elemental Chaos. One of his and legacy faded into history. swamp-dwelling bullywugs. Content with their new
achievements was a staff that drew strength from A few weeks ago, a tribe of bullywugs called home, the bullywugs have begun to look to the lands
earth, and he called it the staff of earthen might. the Muckrakers, drawn by the evil siren song beyond the valley. A rich bounty of loot and murder
When the great meteorite fell from the heavens of the meteorite, uncovered the ruins of Voran lies just beyond the King’s Wall, and the rapacious
and plowed the Chaos Scar, it destroyed Voran’s keep, Earthmane’s keep and moved in. The bullywugs’ bullywugs will certainly not be able to resist such a
poisonous and corruptive inf luence has hastened temptation for long.

file
along with many other features of the terrain. The

p l e
a m
S

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 Stick in the Mud

Getting the back to the warlock or 500 XP for harvesting the bile Getting Started
from all four bullywug types.
Players Involved Regardless of the hook you used to get the PCs into
Hook 3: Bullywug Bounty the Chaos Scar, read or paraphrase the following
“Stick in the Mud” takes place in the Chaos Scar. You The ruins of Voran Earthmane’s keep are close when they reach the ruins of Voran Earthmane’s
can use one of the hooks below to get the PCs into the enough to the King’s Wall that the bullywugs have keep:
valley and into the ruins of Voran Earthmane’s keep. been attacking merchants and travelers. A local con-
These hooks also come with a minor quest that, if stable, Uther Ironhelm, hires the PCs to find and kill The barren stretch of valley before you suddenly becomes
completed, can net the PCs some extra experience. the marauding tribe of bullywugs, offering a 5-gp a chaotic jumble of shattered masonry. In the center of the
bounty on each bullywug killed. A survivor of the mess, on a low hill, stands the ruined foundation of a keep
Hook 1: Ancestor’s Legacy bullywug attacks can point the PCs in the general or tower. Only the lower section and a few walls still stand;
Oneus Earthmane, a local goliath sorcerer and a direction from which the bullywugs came. however, enough remains intact to cast ominous shadows
descendant of Voran’s, believes he has discovered the Quest XP: 100 XP for killing at least half the bul- that could hide nearly anything.
location of his ancestor’s ancient abode. He hires the lywugs in the keep or 500 XP for killing them all.

file
PCs to find the ruined keep, and if possible, bring
back Voran’s greatest creation, the staff of earthen Treasure Preparation
might. Oneus knows little about the valley, but can
give the PCs information on Voran, his keep, and the l e
“Stick in the Mud” uses the treasure parcel system

p
described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide®. The PCs
staff of earthen might (see Background, above).
Quest XP: 500 XP for bringing the staff back to
a m
should gain a total of four treasure parcels in this
adventure. Listed below are the most likely places to
Oneus.

Hook 2: Warlock Ritual

S
find parcels and what those treasure parcels might
consist of. The magic items should come from the
players’ wish lists; do not count the staff of earth might
A local tief ling warlock, Nyron Darkspell, needs a +1 as part of the treasure in this adventure.
sample of bullywug mud for a ritual. He believes
that by virtue of being surrounded by the mud of Parcel Item
their wallow, bullywugs impart certain properties Parcel 1: The Ruins One level 2 magic item
to the mud that cakes onto their skin—properties he Parcel 2: The Study 100 gp in gems and
believes will aid him in his ritual research. He knows one level 1 scroll
that a tribe of the humanoids lives in the Chaos Scar, Parcel 3: Chamber of the Frog 100 gp and two potions
not far from the King’s Wall. He hires the PCs to of healing
bring back some mud samples, offering a bounty of Parcel 4: Vault of the Staff One level 3 magic item
30 gp each for a sample of croaker, mucker, twitcher,
or mud lord mud.
Quest XP: 100 XP for harvesting the mud from
at least two of the four bullywug types and bringing it

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 Stick in the Mud

A1: The Ruins When the PCs enter the ruins, read:
A soggy gloom fills the crumbling ruins of this keep. The
Encounter Level 1 (XP 526) few intact walls cast thick pools of shadows that obscure the
jumbled mess of debris that covers the spongy wooden floor.
Setup A wet, boggy stench saturates the interior of the ruins, likely
2 bullywug croakers (C) from the thick pits of mud that bubble up from some hidden
2 bullywug muckers (M) reservoir below, creating wallows of slimy muck.
2 bullywug twitchers (T)
When the PCs see the bullywugs, read:
The PCs enter the ruined ground floor of the ancient Squatting in muddy wallows amid the ruined keep are
keep and must find their way into the remains of half a dozen froglike humanoids. Some of them grip crude
the laboratory below. The PCs can enter the ruins spears and javelins, while the others are naked save for
through the intact main doors or can attempt to sneak a coating of filthy mud. A chorus of deep, reverberating
through one of the many gaps in the walls. The bul- croaks echoes off the walls of the ruins when the creatures
lywugs in this area are not taking great pains to hide,
but the partially intact walls, rubble, and the various
see you.
file
mud wallows in the ruins grant them some conceal-
ment from intruders.
2 Bullywug Croakers (C)

Initiative +3 p l e
Medium natural humanoid (aquatic)
Level 3 Minion Brute

Senses Perception +0
XP 38 each

Lazy, inattentive, and confident, the bullywugs

might not notice the PCs approaching if the heroes
a m
Rancid Air (Poison) aura 2; each enemy that spends a healing
surge within the aura is weakened until the end of its next

exercise some caution and attempt to sneak up to

the ruins. However, if the bullywugs catch sight of
turn.
S
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 14; Fortitude 12, Reflex 14, Will 12
the PCs (the PCs can attempt a group Stealth check Resist 5 poison
Speed 6 (swamp walk), swim 4
if they approach together, opposed by the bullywug
m Claw (standard; at-will)
twitchers’ passive Perception of 13), they attempt to +6 vs. AC; 7 damage.
ambush the heroes. In the latter case, make Stealth C Foul Croak (standard; at-will) ✦ Poison
checks for each of the bullywugs and compare them Close blast 2; +4 vs. Fortitude; 4 poison damage.
Nature’s Release ✦ Healing
to the PCs’ passive Perception checks. Any attacker who scores a critical hit against a bullywug
croaker regains 3 hit points.
Alignment Chaotic evil Languages Primordial
Skills Athletics +6
Str 10 (+1) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 10 (+1)
Con 14 (+3) Int 6 (–1) Cha 5 (–2)

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