Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C.

Stephens

Hindsight
Episode One: The Worms Turn
By Owen K.C. Stephens

"Hindsight" is a short adventure for four discovered what they wanted and left the
15th-level characters that takes place in a cave, never to return. The beholder was a
lightly inhabited, mountainous region. The particularly territorial creature and was so
adventure has connections to the drow and enraged by the invasion that its ghostly spirit
an underground network of caves, making it refused to leave this world, staying behind to
particularly appropriate for the Forgotten guard what had been the monster's home in
Realms campaign setting, but is easily life. However, as long as the cave has been
placed on almost any D&D world. undisturbed and sealed from the outside, the
ghost inside has made no effort to travel
It should go without saying that the following beyond it.
information is intended for Dungeon Masters
-- if you'll be playing "Hindsight," read no This changed when local prospectors,
further! seeking access to the rich
Based on the original Dungeons &
gold veins found sporadically Dragons® game by E. Gary Gygax and
Adventure Background: The Horror of throughout the mountain, Dave Arneson and on the new edition of
the Dungeons & Dragons game
Havenfast broke into the beholder's designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte
Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and
chamber from the outside. Peter Adkison.
This shocked and angered the D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, and
The mountain town of Havenfast has Forgotten Realms are registered
suffered a great deal recently. A few months spirit of the beholder, which trademarks owned by Wizards of the
Coast, Inc.
ago a monster killed a number of local killed many of the miners. All Wizards characters, character
This led directly to Zareph's names, and the distinctive likenesses
miners. The sorcerer Zareph, self- thereof are trademarks owned by
proclaimed "sorcerer of Havenfast," hired a employment of the Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

band of adventurers to deal with whatever adventurers who claimed they This material is protected under the laws
of the United States of America. Any
destroyed the creature. reproduction of or unauthorized use of
had slaughtered the men, and the group the material or artwork contained herein
is prohibited without the express written
reported the successful defeat of some sort permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
of mage beholder, the likely culprit. A few In truth the ghost beholder This product is a work of fiction. Any
similarity to actual people, organizations,
weeks later, after the adventurers were long threat cannot be ended until places, or events is purely coincidental.
gone, new problems arose: The dire bears its cave is once again closed This Wizards of the Coast game product
contains no Open Game Content. No
and dire wolves native to the mountains to the outside world. A few portion of this work may be reproduced
in any form without written permission.
began feeding in the more populated hills weeks after the adventures To learn more about the Open Gaming
near Havenfast. A pair of purple worms left town, the ghost recovered License and the d20 System License,
please visit www.wizards.com/d20.
appeared, eating livestock and attacking from their attack. Still enraged ©2001 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All
rights reserved. Made in the U.S.A.
caravans. The townsfolk near panic, and over the invasion of its home,
though everyone turns to him, Zareph the ghost ventured out from Visit our website at
doesn't know what to do about it. its lair, killing or driving away www.wizards.com/dnd
nearly every living thing on, in
or around the mountain. This drove the dire
What no one realizes is that the mage
beholder the adventuring band claims to animals that dwelt there down into the
have destroyed was (and still is) in fact a lowland hills, where they began to make
trouble for people near Havenfast. The lack
beholder ghost.
of prey forced subterranean purple worms
away from their natural environment in the
If the horror ever had a name, it has caves below the mountain, causing them to
forgotten it. The beholder had been attack any large group of living creatures in
destroyed in its home, a cavern in the search of food -- especially herds of animals
mountainside, decades earlier while fighting and large caravans. In time, the ghost
a party of drow. The dark elves broke into beholder itself will reach the town, which it
the creature's home from tunnels below, will no doubt feel compelled to destroy.
seeking some magic item the beholder had
taken. After killing the beholder, the drow

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 Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C. Stephens

When the heroes enter the lands near Two rounds after the first horse balks, a
Havenfast, they find a community in purple worm bursts out of the ground and
desperate straits. attacks one of the lead wagon's mules. A
round later, a second worm shoots from the
Hooking the Characters earth and attacks another caravan animal
attached to the second wagon (roll 1d4 to
The easiest way to get player characters determine which mule is attacked on the first
involved in the adventure is for them to wagon, and 1d6 to determine which animal
is targeted on the second wagon). These
simply pass through the area and witness a
pair of purple worms attack a small caravan. creatures have been driven from their
For a little more personal motivation with natural habitat, and the lack of their natural
food sources has left them in a ravenous
PCs who are well-known heroes, members
of an arcane society, or clerics of a frenzy. They are easily capable of
swallowing all the mules whole, and remain
prominent local god, send them a message
from Zareph asking for their help. If the even after that to eat chunks of whatever
characters have connections with other creatures are left. If any characters attack
them, the worms fight to the death rather
bands of adventurers, the party that thought
they had destroyed the ghost beholder could than leave their newfound food supply.
be allies of the PCs -- this gives Zareph or
the earlier party themselves the chance to Assuming the characters manage to save
ask the heroes to look into claims of the the caravan, its owner, the merchant Aielle
monster's reappearance. Dell, thanks them and offers what little
money she has as a reward. She tells the
If you decide to give the PCs previous characters of the terrible troubles plaguing
the lands around Havenfast, and confesses
knowledge of the ghost beholder, it could
spoil some of the surprise factor, so choose that she left before selling most of her wares
carefully how to bring the party into the out of fear of losing her goods to dire wolves
or some other creature prowling the lowland
action and how much information to give
them beforehand. hills.

Hunger Strike The Cliffhanger

On a cool autumn morning, as the While the characters are speaking to Aielle a
characters travel the road either towards voice appears in one of the character's
heads (via a sending spell). The voice
Havenfast or past it, they see a caravan
coming towards them. This is small group of intones, "I am Zareph, sorcerer of
Havenfast. Great danger surrounds you all.
three wagons, each pulled by two horses
and four mules. The town of Havenfast itself Come to my tower, and we shall speak of
is visible in the distance, a collection of small tremendous troubles and risky rewards."
wooden buildings and a single tall stone
tower in the center of town. Beyond that a
majestic mountain rises from the morning
mist, looming over everything within miles.

The first sign of trouble is the snort of the

lead caravan horse, followed quickly by
other animals balking and refusing to move
any further. A Listen check (DC 20) allows a
character to realize the ground is rumbling
very slightly, as if an extremely light
earthquake were occurring. A truly
remarkable Listen check (DC 35) allows a
character to realize the sound is coming
from deep beneath the earth and is moving
quickly toward the caravan.

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 Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C. Stephens

Hindsight
Episode Two: Havenfast
By Owen K.C. Stephens

"Hindsight" is a short adventure for four seems to want to send another group into
15th-level characters that takes place in a the mountains, rather than deal with the
lightly inhabited, mountainous region. The problem himself -- the town pays the
adventure has connections to the drow and sorcerer a reasonable stipend to protect
an underground network of caves, making it them, and he doesn't seem to be holding up
particularly appropriate for the Forgotten his end of things. The locals are not
Realms campaign setting, but is easily talkative, on this subject, but PCs that make
placed on almost any D&D world. a Gather Information or Intimidate check
(either at DC 35) can learn the reasons for
Adventure Background: The Sorcerer's the locals' disdain.
Call
Zareph's tower is the largest building in
In the first episode, the characters witnessed Havenfast, located in the center of the town
an attack by two purple worms on a small square. None of the townsfolk come within
caravan, and were told by Aielle Dell, the twenty feet of it as the characters approach,
caravan's leader, that the local area is rife but a small crowd gathers at the edges of
with dire beasts and other monsters. As they the town square, watching as the characters
spoke with Aielle, one of the characters was enter the tower.
contacted by the sorcerer Zareph by a
sending spell, and told to come to his tower. Within the tower Zareph awaits the
characters. He is an elderly man, and has
The Sorcerer become quite rotund over the years. Once
an adventurer in his own right, Zareph
Zareph spends most of his time these days reached 9th level before settling in
Havenfast to retire. Although he is most
watching the lands around Havenfast with a
spyglass, trying to spot threats to the town interested in divination and communication
before they arrive and, hopefully, discover magic and lacks many offensive spells,
Zareph has acted as a guardian of the town
the source of the recent problems. He
spotted the characters fighting the purple many times over the years. Recently,
worms through the spyglass, and decided to however, he has felt it wiser to reserve his
resources to defend the town against direct
enlist their aid. Since he could see the
characters, he was able to use a sending to threats and contract others for more
contact them. Zareph conforms to the 9th- dangerous problems.
level human sorcerer in Chapter 2:
Characters of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Zareph explains the recent problems to the
characters, beginning with the death of the
When the characters approach Havenfast miners some months ago. He doesn't realize
that the horror that killed the prospectors
the locals seem agitated. A Sense Motive
check (DC 15) made against any commoner and was later "destroyed" by his hired band
tells the characters that most of the locals of adventurers is the same one that is
driving beasts and monsters away from the
are scared, and their fear is beginning to
blend with anger. The townsfolk don't seem mountain, but he's sure that something is
to trust the PCs. Since the last band of causing trouble up on the mountainside. He
tells the PCs that the previous adventurers
adventurers to come through town only
made matters worse by angering the ghost claimed to have killed a mage beholder --
beholder, the townsfolk are afraid the but that some woodsmen have claimed to
have seen a glowing "Evil Eye" floating on
characters will only make further trouble.
Similarly, they're not happy that Zareph the mountainside at night.

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 Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C. Stephens

If at all possible, he hires the characters to The Cliffhanger

go find whatever is driving away the other
creatures and destroy it. If the characters After the commotion, one of the characters
aren't willing to undertake that, he asks them discovers a small note slipped into one of
to at least try to find out what is on the his pockets. It reads: "I know where to find
mountain, so he can arrange for other the "Evil Eye." Come to the North gate, after
adventurers to deal with it. midnight, and I shall meet you." It is
unsigned.
The Mob

After Zareph has explained the situation to

the characters, a loud commotion is heard
from outside. Townsfolk are yelling and
shouting and a Listen check (DC 20) allows
characters to hear cries of "Zareph, send
them home!" and "Adventure somewhere
else!" mixed in with far fewer cries of "Stay
calm!" and "Don't start trouble!"

As it happens, several of the town folk have

decided that what Havenfast needs Zareph
to take care of this problem himself -- the
PCs had better keep out of it, in their
opinion. The mob of around 40 individuals
begins to throw clods of dirt and rotten food
at a smaller group of 15 townsfolk who trust
Zareph's judgment and have surrounded his
tower to protect it. Zareph insists on going
out to speak to the mob, but is greeted with
catcalls and more rotten fruit by the angry
mob.

If the player characters attempt to calm the

crowd, it can be considered unfriendly to
them. A Diplomacy or Charisma check might
allow the PCs to convince the mob to let
them investigate (see NPC Attitudes in
Chapter 5: Campaigns of the Dungeon
Master's Guide), or a bard might be able to
calm the fearful crowd.

Of course the characters could easily attack

and defeat the mob -- most of them are just
commoners -- but doing so in a violent way
earns the distrust of Zareph and all the
people of Havenfast. If the characters use
sleep or similar nonviolent means to
disperse the crowd, the townsfolk can
eventually forgive them and Zareph will be
grateful.

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 Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C. Stephens

Hindsight
Episode Three: Pack Attack
By Owen K.C. Stephens

"Hindsight" is a short adventure for four Seirenn hides by the north gate one hour
15th-level characters that takes place in a before midnight (Hide skill +15) and waits for
lightly inhabited, mountainous region. The the characters to show up. She takes 10 on
adventure has connections to the drow and the check, so a Spot check (DC 25) must be
an underground network of caves, making it succeeded to locate the rogue if she doesn't
particularly appropriate for the Forgotten want to be seen. Seirenn is a punctual
Realms campaign setting, but is easily woman, and will hide from any PCs that try
placed on almost any D&D world. to scout the rendezvous point ahead of time.

Adventure Background: Looking into the Once the PCs arrive, she reveals herself
"Evil Eye" and explains her association with the earlier
band of adventurers. When asking around
In the first two episodes, the characters for them, she has discovered that many
witnessed an attack by two purple worms on decades ago a beholder was spotted on the
a small caravan, and learned that the local mountain, though some local heroes went to
area around the town of Havenfast is rife confront it and couldn't find it. She told this
with dire beasts and other monsters. The to the adventurers that went up more
PCs then spoke with the sorcerer Zareph, recently, and they were convinced that the
who asked them to look into rumors of a creature was a beholder mage of some sort.
creature locals call the "Evil Eye." This After they came back from "defeating" it they
monster, whatever it is, seems to be driving were even more convinced, and claimed the
every living creature off the nearby monster was capable of becoming invisible
mountain. The characters had to deal with a and traveling to other planes.
mob of townsfolk who didn't appreciate their
presence, and someone slipped one of the Two weeks after they left, Seirenn began
PCs a note claiming to know where the "Evil hearing the rumors surrounding the creature
Eye" can be found. The note instructs the the locals called the "evil eye," a vaguely
heroes to be at the north gate of Havenfast described creature that was occasionally
at midnight to learn more. visible up on the mountainside at night.

The Informant Seirenn knows where the earlier party faced

their "beholder mage," and it is very near
The note was slipped to one of the where the "Evil Eye" has been spotted.
characters by Seirenn, a 10th-level half-elf Seirenn doesn't know if the "Evil Eye" is a
rogue (use the generic NPC from Chapter 2: second beholder come to see what
Characters of the Dungeon Master's Guide) happened to the first, or if the first creature
who the previous band of adventurers had somehow survived, but she can direct them
hired to gather information on the local to a path that leads to the cave where the
situation for them. Seirenn dwells in first beholder mage faced Seirenn's former
Havenfast, and has found the current employers.
problems bad for business -- she only steals
from merchants who come through town, The Pack
never locals, and with the troubles fewer
outsiders are coming through. She On the way up the mountain path to the
considers it to be in her own best interest to cave of the "Evil Eye," the characters are
help the characters put a stop to whatever is jumped by a group of 5 dire wolves in hiding
happening on the mountain. (Hide +11, Move Silently +11). These are
the last dire wolves left on the mountain, and

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 Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C. Stephens

are far tougher than typical members of the (disintegrated by the beholder after it killed
species (they have advanced to the the bear with a finger of death).
maximum 18 hit dice possible for dire
wolves). They have been harassed by the
"Evil Eye" to the point that they attack
anything that enters their territory, which of
course includes the PCs.

Dire Wolves (5): CR 8; Large animal; HD

18d8+54; hp 135; Init +2; Spd 50 ft.; AC 14
(touch 11, flat-footed 12); Atk +19 melee
(1d8+10, bite); Face/Reach 5 ft. by 10 ft./5
ft.; SA Trip; SQ low-light vision, scent; AL N;
SV Fort +14, Ref +13, Will +7; Str 25, Dex
15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10.

Skills and Feats: Hide +6, Listen +4, Move

Silently +7, Spot +4, Wilderness Lore +2*

Special Qualities: Trip (Ex) -- A dire wolf that

hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the
opponent as a free action (see Trip in
Chapter 8: Combat of the Player's
Handbook) without making a touch attack or
provoking an attack of opportunity. If the
attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to
trip the dire wolf.

Low-Light Vision -- The creature can see

twice as far as a human in starlight,
moonlight, torchlight, and similar low-light
conditions.

Scent (Ex) -- The creature can detect

approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes,
and track by sense of smell.

Skill bonuses -- A dire wolf receives a +1

racial bonus to Listen, Move Silently, and
Spot checks and a +2 racial bonus to Hide
checks. *It also receives a +4 racial bonus to
Wilderness Lore when tracking by Scent.

The Cliffhanger

Once the dire wolves have been dispatched,

the heroes spy a dark cave opening at the
end of the path. The corpse of a dire bear
lies just outside the opening. Flies circle it,
but from the PCs vantage point, there is no
clear injury to indicate how the bear died.
Once the heroes pass the corpse and
approach the cave, they can see that the
entire belly of the beast is gone

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 Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C. Stephens

Hindsight
Episode Four: The "Evil Eye"
By Owen K.C. Stephens

"Hindsight" is a short adventure for four mistakenly thinking that the creature was a
15th-level characters that takes place in a beholder mage rather than an undead horror
lightly inhabited, mountainous region. The -- thought that they had permanently killed
adventure has connections to the drow and the "beholder mage." Unfortunately, they
an underground network of caves, making it simply defeated the ghost without alleviating
particularly appropriate for the Forgotten the cause of its spiritual anger, so the "Evil
Realms campaign setting, but is easily Eye" returned.
placed on almost any D&D world.
Angered that it had been disturbed yet
Adventure Background: The Cave again, the "Evil Eye" decided it would drive
Beckons away every creature residing in, on, beneath
or near its mountain home. It killed most of
In the previous episodes the characters the animals native to the mountain, and
learned of a threat known as the "Evil Eye" - drove away the two purple worms that lived
- which may or may not be a beholder -- in the caves below it -- causing them to
which is driving every living creature from scavenge for food elsewhere and make the
the mountain near Havenfast. They have attack on the caravan that the heroes
learned where the "Evil Eye" is most often witnessed in Episode I.
sighted, and followed a path to its cave.
The "Evil Eye" is a powerful opponent, and
The Eye Has It knows it. It has all the powers of a living
beholder as well as additional abilities and
immunities granted by its undead state.
The creature now known as the "Evil Eye"
was once an extremely ancient and solitary Though it no longer remembers much about
its life except its home, it is still a thinking,
beholder of the highest power (many
suspect it to be a beholder mage, but this is reasoning creature capable of plotting
actually not the case -- it's ghostly properties against its enemies and taking advantage of
their weaknesses.
are inherent, not the result of spellcasting).
Its cave was breached from below many
decades ago by drow seeking the The "Evil Eye" normally travels in a fully
considerable treasure it had accumulated. In ethereal state, scouting out its enemies
a pitched battle the drow killed the beholder while invisible and incorporeal. It attacks
and successfully took its treasure. But the only when it believes it has an advantage,
beholder was so fiercely territorial that its and can usually gain surprise on its
spirit refused to leave its home even in enemies. If attacked on the ethereal plane it
death, and eventually became the ghostly can often use its antimagic field to drive
creature called the "Evil Eye" today. enemies back to the material plane.

As long as it remained in its cave home, the

"Evil Eye" wasn't a threat to the local
populace. However, a few months ago some
miners found its cave and began
prospecting for gold within. Although they
found nothing of value, the miners disturbed
the "Evil Eye" and it killed several of them.
The sorcerer Zareph, guardian of Havenfast,
hired a band of powerful heroes to make the
mountains safe once more, and the party --

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 Cliffhangers Presents: Hindsight By Owen K.C. Stephens

The "Evil Eye" Manifestation: This acts as a standard

ghost's manifestation.
Large Undead (Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 16d12 (104 hp) Rejuvenation: The "Evil Eye" cannot be
Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative) permanently destroyed by any normal
Speed: fly 30 ft. (perfect) means. If killed while manifested or by
AC: 20 (-1 size, +11 natural) ethereal, 13 (-1 attacks on the ethereal plane, the eye
size, +4 Chr) manifested returns after 2d4 days and again begins
Attacks: Eye rays, +11 ranged touch, bite scouring the mountain clean. Even if the
+6 melee heroes use powerful means such as a
Damage: Bite 2d4 limited wish to keep the creature dead it will
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. return if it makes a level check against DC
Special Attacks: Eye rays, horrific 16 (unless the ghost has somehow lost a hit
appearance, manifestation die, it cannot fail this roll).
Special Qualities: All-round vision,
antimagic cone, rejuvenation, turn The only way to permanently destroy the
resistance +4 eye is to kill it, and then seal its cave off
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +14 from any further encroachment. Creating an
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 10, Int 17, Wis 15, avalanche or a similar cave-in is sufficient
Cha 19 for this, but a simple wall of stone or similar
Skills: Hide +17, Knowledge (arcana) +12, easily bypassed barrier is not. Of course, the
Listen +25, Search +28, Spot +30 eye is unlikely to explain its desires to the
Feats: Alertness, Flyby Attack, Improved heroes, making it difficult for them to
Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Shot discover exactly how to get rid of it.
on the Run
Challenge Rating: 15 All the "Evil Eye's" other special qualities
Treasure: None work as normal for a beholder or ghost.
Alignment: Lawful evil
Special Qualities:
Cliffhanger
Eye Rays: The "Evil Eye" has the same eye
ray attacks as a normal beholder, although Although this is the end of your scripted
the DC of any saves against them is 22. adventures in Havenfast, you can certainly
When the "Evil Eye" is fully ethereal these take your players through further adventures
rays only affect creatures on the ethereal in this setting. Even if the characters seal
plane. When the "Evil Eye" is manifested, its the cave of the "Evil Eye," they may have
eye rays affect material targets normally. more ghosts to deal with. One of the drow
killed by the "Evil Eye" could return in
spiritual form once it's sealed into the eye's
Corrupting Gaze: This is the same as a cave, or the adventurers who dealt with the
standard ghost's corrupting gaze, and the
Eye before may disturb other ghosts in their
DC of Fortitude save against it is 22. The future adventures, leaving the characters to
"Evil Eye" is considered to be gazing in all clean up their mess once again. And just
directions, and may replace any or all of its
what were the drow trying to get from the
normal eye ray attacks with a corrupting "Evil Eye" when they killed it in the first
gaze attack. place?

Horrific Appearance: Rather than look like

it did as a living beholder, the ghostly evil
eye appears as a huge, spectral bloodshot
eye with ten bloody nerve ends trailing off
behind it, each of these tipped with another
bloodshot eye. This is the same as a
standard ghost's horrific appearance, and
the Will save DC against this effect is 22.