Adventurer's League Season 3 part 9 (High Level Track)

All right Game Fans, we’re continuing with our look at the 3rd season of the Adventurer’s League for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th edition.  Like last season, we’re not going to take these adventures in numeric order, but we’ve split them up into three different tracks based off of their suggested character level.  Today we’re looking at the only adventure for the high level track, DDEX 3-4 It’s all in the Blood.  Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the next part of Season 3.

DDEX 3-4 It’s All in the Blood

Season 3 of the Adventurer’s League has one adventure for tier 3 play, which is for characters 11-16th level,  It’s all in the Blood.  Something terrible stirs in the depths of the Underdark.  The drow of Szith Morcaine have made a tempting offer, but can it be trusted?  

DDEX 3-4 is designed for 11th thru 16th level characters, with an average party size of 5 suggested.  For Adventurer’s League play, the level range is a hard ceiling, and characters below 10h level or higher than 16th are not playable in this adventure.  This adventure is built to run in 7 parts.  It should take about 8 hours start to finish.  Remember to bring your D & D Survival Kit with you when you show up to game.  If this for some reason is the first adventure you’re running, make sure you check out the rules for Faerzress on page 10, and Madness on page 11.  Also keep an eye out for any magic items listed in the descriptions that aren't listed in the back of the module, as you will need your handy DMG to make sure you can describe the item to your players. 

Note, this adventure is intended to be run in two separate four hour sessions,  Session 1 is parts 1-4, and Session 2 is Part 5-7 by itself.  

Part 1: Desperate Times

The characters have gathered at Elventree to hear a request from one of the elders of that elven community.  There are rumors of things moving in the Underdark, and a request has come from the fallen outpost of Szith Morcaine for aid and support.  The characters are asked to help retrieve a captive from somewhere in the Underdark and return them to Sporedome to help complete a ritual.  The characters will have to move quickly to rescue the captive before something terrible happens.

Part 2:  The Howling Pits

The characters have to cross a perilous region of the Underdark known as the Howling Pits to find the captive.  This region is named for the wind gusts that blow through the area and with the uptick in madness, can drive people completely mad.  This region is tricky ground, and there are a variety of random encounters that characters can bump into.  Two of the encounters are randomly determined, while two of them are fixed.  The DM can sort out which random encounters he or she’d like to use as they want.  

Part 3: Den of the Whispered Word

The characters have tracked the captive to this location which is a combination of a social experience mixed in with elements of a dungeon crawl.  Some of these encounters are astonishingly dangerous, and some of them should probably be handle with social skills.  If the characters think they can handle the challenges, then by all means. Don’t pull any punches with the people operating this area.  There are multiple ways to accomplish objectives.  

Part 4: The Hanging Gardens

This is a short encounter area where the characters can physically rescue the captive they’ve been chasing through the Underdark.  There are a few encounters to manage before the characters can accomplish this task but once they’ve succeeded, they can actually lay hands on the target of their mission.  From here it’s a matter of getting back to Sporedome.  

 

Note 1:  This is the best spot to take a break between the sessions.  

Part 5 (mislabelled as Part 4): Blood Needs

This is an easy step for the characters as they have to spend a couple of days in Sporedome while the freed captive (and the person who employed the characters to free him) work to finish their alchemical project.  There isn’t a lot to do for the characters while the alchemy works, but the plan for the next two portions of the adventure form quickly.  They’re going to have to infiltrate Maerimydra and bring back a captive alive.  

Part 6 (mislabelled as Part 5): The Black Ember Outpost

The characters have to infiltrate an outpost controlled by Fire Giants in order to get into the larger complex of Maerimydra.  There are several giants to manage and several other minions to deal with.  This is a prelude to the larger battle in Maerimydra and this is the route the characters will have to return to Sporedome through this outpost, so clearing it is essential.  

 

Part 7 (mislabelled as Part 6): Maerimydra

The characters have to infiltrate the city and capture a demon blooded fire giant.  There are several options and ways to manage this, but the Fire Giant has to make it back to Sporedome alive.  The character’s don’t have to clear all the encounter zones, and attempting to do so may end up getting them all killed.  They have to hit their objective and get out before the rest of the city notices.  Then they have to get the Giant back to Sporedome.  Time to get creative, folks.  Once the giant is returned to Sporedome, the adventure is complete.  

 

Aftermath:

So as a character in the adventurer’s league, you have three primary rewards you’re aiming for, and the occasional extra bit of stuff.  Let’s go over your Downtime Days, your Experience Points, Your Gold Pieces, and your renown.    If you’re not playing in an Adventurer’s League group, you don’t need to track these on your log sheet, but keep an eye on your numbers.

·         Experience Points:  Completing this adventure will net your character between 17,250 and 23,000 experience points.   If you’re playing with a fresh 11th level character, this should put you at somewhere between 102,250 and 108,000 experience points.  You’re probably going to hit 12th level  If this isn’t your first adventure with this Tier 3 character, make sure you adjust your experience points accordingly.  

·         Gold Pieces:  This one’s a little trickier, because GP is calculated based off of the number of players at a table.  There’s enough treasure available that you should certainly be able to pick up some extra supplies or replace ones that you expended during the adventure.  Keep an eye out for any handy magical items that may show up.

·         Downtime Days:  This one’s easy.  Everyone gets 10 downtime days for completing this adventure.  Make sure you adjust your downtime days correctly.

·         Renown:  Each character is going to get one point of renown.

 

So now that you’ve completed It’s all in the Blood, check your character, level up if you need to, pick up additional gear and get ready for the next adventure.

And that is the last adventure in Season 3.  We’ll be back next week to take a gander at the hardcover adventure that goes with this adventure season Out of the Abyss. After that we’ll gear up for Season 4 and a trip to the suckiest horror movie to get pulled into.  .    Game on, Game Fans.