Encounter
The Storm Shipwreck
Moderate fight for 4 level-12 characters on the coast
- XP
- 13,000 of a 14,800 XP moderate budget
- Party
- 4 characters of level 12
Barrels marked with a merchant's seal bob in the shallows, all of them open. Waves boom inside a sea cave like a slow, enormous drum.
Setup. An adult bronze dragon has claimed the Storm Shipwreck as a lair and is sorting a pile of stolen coins by color.
Terrain
- Rotten pier: a creature that ends its turn on the broken section must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall into the water 10 feet below.
- Breakers: a creature standing in the surf at the start of its turn must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed 10 feet toward shore and fall Prone.
Tactics. Dragons fight from range and land only to finish off a single, isolated target.
Twist. A villager hired the party to clear this area, but the creatures claim they were here first, and they have a deed.
Adjust on the fly
- Easier: Give the adult bronze dragon its minimum Hit Points and drop its strongest action for the first round.
- Harder: Add one more adult bronze dragon (26,000 XP total, beyond the High budget: dangerous for a tired party).
Treasure. 6,500 gp in mixed coins and four gemstones worth 650 gp each; Potion of Speed; A child's drawing of the party, dated next year.