d20 Legion Publishing Critical Hits 11 - For Whom the Bridge Tolls.pdf - Legion Publishing - R5700

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INTRODUCTION

Greetings traveler and welcome to Critical Hits - a series

of electronic publications from Legion Publishing. Each

Critical Hit is a complete encounter that can be dropped

into any fantasy campaign with very little preparation

needed by the DM. The encounters are little gems of ideas

built around a single situation, person, location, creature

or object that the players stumble across in their travels.

Each Critical Hit provides all the DM needs to use the

encounter. Whether used as a disposable diversion or the

springboard for adventure, Critical Hits give the over-

worked DM a break and the players some memorable

encounters that encourage creative role-playing.

V o l u m e 3 N o 3 - E n c o u n t e r L e v e l 6

F O R W H O M T H E

B R I D G E T O L L S

Published by

In For Whom the Bridge Tolls, the players come across an

impasse in the course of their travels. The exact nature of

the obstacle is unimportant, and should suit the terrain.

In the encounter as it is written, the obstacle is a stream

of molten lava, but a chasm, ravine, or fast-flowing river

would also work well, with some minor modifications to

the text. What is central to the encounter is that the only

way across this perilous obstacle is an enchanted bridge;

the work of the wondrous wizard, Azar Gideon, creator of

all manner of magical items intended to aid travelers and

adventurers. This particular bridge is magically able to

toll those that pass. So remote is the location that the

money gathered is kept in a strong room on either end of

the span. The players find themselves with a tricky

dilemma; pay the expensive toll, or try and outsmart the

tricky Gideon's clever creation. If the players are being

chased or are on an urgent mission, the dilemma becomes

all the more interesting and the choices more difficult.

Will the players pay up or will the lure of other travelers'

money lead them to thievery? As with other Critical Hits,

text inside a border should be read aloud to the players

(unless you have modified the setting, in which case

you're on your own!).

www.legionpublishing.co.uk

First Published 2003

C R E D I T S &

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

Written by

Simon Lucas

Editing

Robin Elliott & Matthew Harffy

Illustrations by

Robin Elliott

Typesetting

Kirsty Crabb

Typesetting and graphic design by Wildstar Digital Arts

Contact - info@wildstardigitalarts.co.uk

Author courtesy of Snake Eyes Studio

Contact - info@snakeeyesstudio.co.uk

Legion Publishing, Critical Hits, the Legion Publishing logo, Legionnaire,

and all related characters and elements are trademarks of Legion

Publishing.

Wildstar Digital Arts and its logo are trademarks of Wildstar Digital Arts.

Snake Eyes Studio and its logo are trademarks of Snake Eyes Studio.

'd20 System' and the 'd20 System' logo are trademarks of Wizards of

the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used according to

the terms of the d20 System License version 4.0. A copy of this License

can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.

Designation of Product Identity

All material, other than material already considered Open Gaming

Content is considered Product Identity as described in Section 1(e) of

the Open Gaming License v1.0a. This includes but is not limited to

Critical Hits and all significant characters, names, creatures, spells,

events, plots, logos, trade dress, product names, product lines, places,

Reserved, except where otherwise noted. The use of another company's

trademark should not be construed as a challenge to that trademark.

Reproduction of non-Open Game Content from this work by any means

without the express written consent of Legion Publishing is prohibited.

THE GOING GETS ROUGH

The climb begins to get steeper and the way harder as

the black lava underfoot crunches and you feet slip

with every step. The brittle rock is sharp and each fall

results in scores of small scratches and cuts leaving

your exposed flesh running with blood.

Legion Publishing - Critical Hits

Volume 3 No 3 - EL 6

The difficult terrain hampers movement in this barren

part of the world. Each character’s base speed is reduced

by half.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE

You work your way slowly and painfully toward the

object and, as the distance closes, you see that it is

indeed a bridge, made from dark wood and of sturdy

construction. The welcome span is built at the point

where the two converging rivers of lava you have been

trapped between finally meet forming a fiery Y shape,

with you between the outstretched upper arms. Each

end of the bridge is covered with a wooden roof, but

the center of the span is uncovered and, though it is

difficult to see through the smoke, the middle of the

bridge appears to have collapsed. Pressing on through

the gathering smoke, the heat intensifying with every

step, you trudge closer to the respite from this hellish

march.

You have been following the lava flow for two days

now, trapped between two converging streams of free

flowing molten rock and, if you cannot find a way

across soon, there is only the awful prospect of turning

back and making that same march across this unforgiv-

ing terrain again. Far to the north of you lies the land

known only as Inferno and, if this is the sort of

torment that lies there, it is clear to you why no trav-

elers venture there freely.

Every hour of travel, each character must make a suc-

cessful Dexterity check (DC10) or lose their footing once

too often causing them to become fatigued. Characters

who are fatigued cannot run or charge and suffer an

effective penalty of -2 to Strength and Dexterity. A

fatigued character becomes exhausted by doing something

else that would normally cause fatigue. After 8 hours of

complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued.

Any character approaching the edge of the lava river

begins to suffer from the heat as soon as they come

within 15 feet. The heat deals subdual damage that

cannot be recovered until the character can cool off. If a

character is rendered unconscious through the accumula-

tion of subdual damage, he or she begins to take normal

damage at the same rate.

A BRIDGE TOO FAR?

In the distance, through the shimmering haze, the

faint shape of something can be barely made out. To

your hot, tired, and streaming eyes, it looks like a

stone bridge spanning the torrent of molten rock. In

this unbearable heat, however, it may be some kind of

mirage. With perhaps two miles between you and the

apparition, the arduous walk to find out could be

nothing more than a wasted trek.

When the character comes within 15 feet of the edge

of the river, have the player make a Fortitude saving

throw each hour (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or

sustain 1d4 points of subdual damage. Characters wearing

heavy clothing or armor of any sort have a -4 penalty to

their saves. Characters with the Wilderness Lore skill that

makes a successful skill check (DC15) receives a +2 bonus

to this saving throw. For each point above 15 this charac-

ter succeeds by, they may apply this bonus to one other

character as well. Characters reduced to unconsciousness

begin taking normal damage (1d4 points per hour).

In this harsh terrain, even two miles is a painfully

long way and the characters (depending on the baggage

the have brought, the animals that accompany them and

the encumbrance they bear) make slow and painful time.

Feel free to impose penalties on the party, there is little

combat in this encounter so the penalties are unlikely to

kill the PCs, just slow them down. Characters heavily

encumbered could be persuaded to ditch some of the

excess weight they carry. Remember that each 50 gp a

character carries weighs one pound. As this adventure

hinges on the amount of disposable income the PCs have,

watch their weight limits carefully. The most dangerous

challenge the PCs face at this stage is the terrain itself as

the barren, unforgiving rock extends ahead of them mile

after mile, with only each other and the surging molten

lava for company.

If a character approaches within 5’ of the edge of the

river, he or she must make a Fortitude save once every 10

minutes (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or sustain

1d4 points of subdual damage. Again, characters wearing

heavy clothing or armor of any sort have a -4 penalty to

their saving throws, while characters with the Wilderness

Lore skill benefit as above. Characters reduced to uncon-

sciousness begin taking normal damage at a rate of 1d4

points per 10 minutes spent within 5’ of the lava.

If a character is foolish enough to approach within 1'

of the river of fire he or she suffers normal damage.

Legion Publishing - Critical Hits

Volume 3 No 3 - EL 6

Simply breathing the air in these temperatures deals 1d6

points of damage per minute (no save). In addition, a

character must make a Fortitude save every 5 minutes

(DC 15, +1 per previous check) or sustain 1d4 points of

subdual damage. In addition to the usual -4 penalty to

saving throws for armor worn those wearing metal armor

or coming into contact with very hot metal are affected

as if by a heat metal spell.

TO PAY OR NOT TO PAY

Standing in the blazing heat before the bridge, you

marvel at its construction. The single span vaults out

over the lava in a high arc and tapers gracefully in the

middle. Now that you have reached the bridge you see

that only the sides are made of dark sturdy wood; the

span itself is comprised of flat panels of black polished

obsidian. At the center of the bridge, where at first

you thought the bridge had collapsed, a closer look

now reveals that, miraculously enough, the panels

instead are bobbing gently as if supported by the heat

rising from the lava flow beneath.

Any character sustaining any subdual damage from

heat exposure also suffers from heatstroke and is

fatigued. These penalties end when the character recov-

ers the subdual damage she took from the heat.

If by some catastrophe, or by refusing to pay the toll,

any of the party are splashed or immersed in the lava

stream, they are in serious trouble. Lava deals 2d6 points

of damage per round of exposure, except in the case of

total immersion, which deals 20d6 points of damage per

round. The damage from the lava continues for 1d3 rounds

after exposure ceases, but this additional damage is only

half of that dealt during actual contact (that is, 1d6 or

10d6 points per round). Any body part splashed or

immersed by the bubbling rock catches fire unless the

character makes a successful Reflex saving throw (DC 15)

to avoid this fate. If a character's clothes or hair catch

fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each

subsequent round, the burning character must make

another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes

another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means

that the fire has gone out unless the character is still in

contact with the lava.

The bridge is a remarkable toll bridge, cleverly placed

here in this desolate place for the express purpose of

fleecing desperate travelers. The volcanic activity of the

Inferno has been so predictable for so long that this lava

stream is notoriously hard to cross and this toll bridge is

the one spot that the river of fire can be crossed with

ease for maybe three or four day's travel back in the

direction the party have just come. Attempting to track

the lava river to its source results in many days hard

journeying for the party before they eventually arrive at

a low volcano in almost permanent eruption, lava flood-

ing down its gently sloping sides.

On either bank of the river, standing like a gray sen-

tinel beside the bridge stands a low stone hut, square

and stout, as if intended for dwarven watchmen. A

single dark glass window faces the track that leads

across the bridge, but the huts are empty. Carved on a

slab of highly polished obsidian and set into the wall

of the hut nearest to you is a long passage of text,

written in three tongues.

A character on fire may attempt to extinguish the

flames by rolling on the ground or smothering the fire

with cloaks or the like, permitting the character another

save (this time with a +4 bonus). Those unlucky enough

to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make

Reflex saving throws (DC 15) for each item. Flammable

items that fail sustain the same amount of damage as the

character.

The script is written in Common, Elvish, and Dwarvish

and sets out the costs and rules for crossing Gideon’s toll

bridge. A character with any of these languages can

easily decipher the relevant text. Barbarians however are

deemed to be illiterate and cannot read, regardless of

the languages he knows, forcing them to rely on the

other, better educated members of the party.

Drifting up from the molten river is a thick smoke. A

character breathing in the heavy smoke must make a

Fortitude saving throw each round (DC 15, +1 per previ-

ous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A

character who chokes for two consecutive rounds takes

1d6 points of subdual damage. In addition, smoke obscures

vision, giving one-half concealment (20% miss chance) to

characters within it.

The rules are quite lengthy and the party should

read them before wandering onto the bridge. Those that

are ill-prepared for the crossing are almost certain to

fall foul of the many restrictions, triggering the

bridge’s defenses.

Legion Publishing - Critical Hits

Volume 3 No 3 - EL 6

cough up the gold or try and find an alternative way to

cross.

The text is written in formal, polite language and

begins with a friendly greeting.

"Welcome weary traveler to this hostile place. Before

your quest continues a fiery test you face.

The bridge you see before you can bear most any

weight but the conduct of your crossing will help

decide your fate.

The fare to make a crossing is a paltry 50 gold for

each member of your party and each animal you hold.

The rules here writ are simple: to each of them

adhere.

Pay the toll at the toll bridge grate and cross without

a fear .

Inflict no damage to the bridge; take nothing from its

vault and heed this friendly warning, we punish those

at fault!

Do not be emboldened by the fact there are no guards

for the legendary Gideon is sung of by the bards.

This is his construction and we trust you treat it well,

failure to proceed with care could send you straight to

hell.

Yet still the rules continue so traveler read on.

Make sure you understand that which you place your

feet upon.

Cross the bridge in single file, one traveler at a time,

cross not the next till the first has gone and you've

heard the toll bell chime.

No animal may cross alone, each one must be led.

No single rule may be ignored lest bitter tears be shed!

Follow to the letter, to every rule obey, and with this

bridge behind you, go peaceful on your way."

THE AGONY OF CHOICE

Peeking in through the dark glass windows of the toll

shed, a hefty metal box can be seen into which a thick

metal pipe runs from the metal chute beneath the toll

bridge grate.

Anyone paying the toll hears the coins fall into the

grate, slide into the chute, roll down the pipes and fall

with a very satisfying chink into the box. Clearly the toll

bridge has been doing a roaring trade and nobody has

been by in a long while to empty its coffers.

GIDEON'S GENIUS

Renowned as one of the most widely traveled wizards

in the realms; Gideon is a tinkerer and inventor. A suc-

cessful Knowledge (Arcana) check (DC15) indicates the PCs

have heard of the wily wizard.

Atop each of the huts guarding the ends of the bridge

is a battered iron weather vane which creaks softly in

the light breeze. The vane is forged in the shape of

the head and shoulders of a wizard and the arrow

beneath it does not seem to indicate the direction of

the wind, but to turn almost randomly, spinning lazily

to and fro.

This is one of the bridge's defenses, the arrow is

enchanted with a permanent detect magic spell, while

the head (fashioned in the shape of Gideon's own fea-

tures) is able to cast dispel magic 25 times a day against

any magic the arrow detects. As the arrow spins to point

at the source, the face on the vane winks and casts Dispel

Magic against the offending sorcery, adding a cheeky grin

when the counterspell completes its work.

The tone of the warning is playful and most players

will suspect that there is not much to fear from an

unguarded bridge. If this is the consensus of your players

- you're going to have fun! The value of the toll can be

adjusted to suit the purse of the party as the encounter

works most smoothly when the PCs either cannot quite

afford the fee or if it would all but bankrupt them. This

encourages them to attempt creative ways of circumvent-

ing Gideon's security measures.

TAKING THE EASY ROUTE

Any character that paid the toll is permitted to cross

the bridge unmolested. The panels of obsidian beneath

their feet sink alarmingly when weight is applied, but

quickly resist the pressure and rise back to their original

place. Crossing the bridge is a slow process as each panel

feels as though it is dropping away when stepped on.

Animals crossing the bridge are unnerved by the crossing

Whatever their misgivings about the existence or

extent of the threat the bridges poses or the fee levied to

cross it, the PCs must decide whether they are going to

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