chromatic dragons.pdf - Free

PCs who go on to drive away the white dragon, orat least convince it not to threaten the communities,earn a minor quest reward of 200 XP.Out of the Dark (Level 7)In the midst of an otherwise unrelated adventure,or perhaps during well-earned downtime, the PCsbecome the targets of a number of seemingly randomattacks. Kobolds might attack one day, dragonbornthe next. Even a few humanoid assassins might enterthe picture. Initially, nothing obvious connects theseassaults, but the fact that they keep coming shouldsuggest to the PCs that something is amiss. An enemyseeks to destroy them, but who could it be? For thatmatter, as a low-level party, have they even had timeto make any truly potent enemies?Careful investigation—anything from the questioningof survivors to the discovery of documents writtenin Iokharic on the bodies of dispatched attackers—eventually reveals a dragon as the common thread inall these encounters. The PCs should eventually tracethe attacks to a specific young red dragon dwellingnear an entrance to the Underdark. Written referencesto meetings in a range of hills with deep cavesmight provide clues, as well as the fact that all attackerscarry uncut jewels or raw ore (as their paymentsfrom the dragon). The PCs might even allow survivorsto flee and then follow them back to their employer.Quest Hook: The PCs, growing tired of theserandom attacks, set out to learn the reason behindthe attempts to kill them.Alternatively, the government of the local communitymight demand that the PCs either find a wayto halt these attacks or leave before any of the citizenscome to harm.Quest XP: PCs who learn the identity of the reddragon earn a minor quest reward of 300 XP. If thePCs learn its motivations and find a means of stoppingthe attacks, they earn a major quest reward of1,500 XP.To make this story work, you must decide why thedragon singles out the PCs. Do they have somethingit wants—perhaps something acquired in a prioradventure? Has one of them descended from a herowho slew the dragon’s mother? Does the dragon havereason to believe a prophecy that one of the PCs willthwart one of its schemes in later years? Whatevermotive you choose, remember that it will drive notonly this adventure but possibly future adventures.Gathering Storm (Level 13)Even in the dark wilderness that is the known world,with the sputtering lights of civilization few and farbetween, some regions harbor greater dangers thanothers. One such place is the Alkavanti Hills, a combinationof rolling hills and stretches of grasslandthat monsters have found a veritable playground.The area has also attracted adventurers seeking topacify the land and to render the once-major highwaysafe again.The adventurers seem finally to have succeeded.For months, traders who had to pass near the areahave all arrived safely at their destinations. Orctribes, chimeras, and stranger beasts that once menacedpassersby in the Alkavanti have disappeared.The region is quiet. Too quiet.In fact, the monsters remain in the Alkavanti. Anadult blue dragon gathers them, forcing them to cooperatewith it and organizing them into ranks. With anarmy of monsters to do its bidding, the dragon plansto resume far more effective raids on travelers thanthey have previously known. It will also eventuallythreaten existing communities and more importanttrade routes.Quest Hook: A patron or other powerful individualwants the PCs to recover a treasure said to lie inthe Alkavanti Hills. He offers a pittance of a reward,because he, like others, now believes the region to besafe.Alternatively, one of the PCs might have heard ofthe treasure (perhaps through a History check), andthe party sets out to retrieve the treasure of their owninitiative.Quest XP: If the PCs retrieve the treasure despiteunexpectedly strong resistance, they earn a majorquest reward of 4,000 XP.Quest Hook: The PCs seek to learn the reasonfor the sudden absence of monsters along the mainroad. They might do this out of their own curiosity, orone of the region’s petty nobles might want someoneto check it out. The noble offers a modest reward,because he merely seeks information.Quest XP: If the PCs learn that the blue dragongathers the monsters into an army, they earn a minorquest reward of 800 XP. Clues the PCs find mightinclude such discoveries as an orc military encampmentmore orderly than usual, or adjacent tracksof different kinds of creatures that normally do nottravel together.Quest Hook: After the locals learn the truth, theybecome desperate to find out the blue dragon’s plansand to stop those plans. They beg the PCs to do so.Local nobles offer a larger reward than they previouslyoffered for the information—and another largereward if the PCs can stop whatever the dragon hasplanned.Quest XP: Learning the dragon’s plans earns thePCs a minor quest reward of 800 XP. Fighting theirway through to the dragon and stopping its schemesearns them a major quest reward of 4,000 XP.You’ll need to decide the extent of the dragon’splans. Does it intend merely to increase its wealthand influence, or does it have a more intricate purposefor its army? Also, does the death of the dragoncause the army to disperse, or does something from52CHAPTER 2 | DM’s Guide to Dragons