Merblin Guard Room (Down in the Ice Caves)
Overview:
This encounter is the first room in the Ice Caves. The most important part of this encounter is that the Merblins initial move is to close the main path of the dungeon. If the Merblins put out the torches the water freezes over preventing further passage through the main passage way. This means the PCs will have to take a longer and more dangerous route. This encounter is essentially a modified version of the one we discussed in the article on Choices and Impact. This encounter has not been updated since it’s original release back in September of 2018, but I’m returning to the down in the ice caves series and wanted to make sure they were all together!
Initial Description:
You walk down through the frozen cave. You are immediately struck by the serene beauty of the room. Ice lines the walls except for directly in front of you where crystal clear water cascades downward over the mouth of a cave, then continues down the slope of an embankment where it meets a pool in the middle of the room. The pool has a small stream leading out to the right and into another cave. Behind the waterfall the cavern their seems to be an eerie blue light coming from torches that have a blue flame. You notice that your entrance has roused some ugly looking aquatic humanoid creatures. Four of them begin to run towards the waterfall while the other four run at you. Roll for initiative.
Enemies:
MEREBLINS - Objectives: 6 stay to fight, 2 run to snuff out the torch
HP 12 AC 16 MOV 30ft SWM 40ft
STR +0 DEX + 4 INT -1 CON +3 WIS -2 CHA -2
Attack: (+7 to hit) 1d4 + 4 damage.
Aquatic: This creature does not suffer disadvantage on attack rolls underwater. It can breathe underwater and does not need to make constitution saving throws to save from the cold water.
Pack Tactics: If more than one merblin is engaged with an enemy they get advantage on their attacks.
Brutal Hunters: For every mereblin engaged with the same enemy the mereblin gets on additional d4 damage.
Objectives:
Main:
Get Out! - Get through this room
Side Objectives:
Stop the Merblins- Keep the Merblins from snuffing out the Torch and setting off the alarm.
Map:
Overview:
The important features of this map are the sloping caves, the distances, and the position of the water. The sloping caves make it harder the PCs to catch them, the water has some properties that are negative to the PCs and the distances also make this more of a challenge.
Key:
Light Red- Edges sloping upwards. This area slopes up until it is 60 feet above the rest of the cavern.
Red O - Where the players start.
Red Numbers - The two doors. Torches are behind area 1.
Green X - Merblins.
Dark Blue - Water cascading from the ceiling down into a lake. There are two water falls, one that goes from the ceiling to the first level and a second that goes from the second level to the floor. If the torches are snuffed out
Special Mechanics:
What Just Happened? If the Merblins make it to the torches they snuff them out and sound an alarm. The snuffed torches result in the flowing water and pool freezing into solid ice. The ice is magical making it impossible to unfreeze unless they find where the source of the magic is coming from. This forces them down the second path which is lined with traps and ambush points.
The Alarm - If the alarm is sounded all of the Merblins are aware of what is going on. If any Merblins are still engaged with the PCs they will disengage and run into the trapped tunnel after the alarm is sounded.
The Cold! - The water in the cave is near freezing. Each round PCs must roll DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save they take 1d6 cold damage, their movement is halved and they may only take one of the following actions on their turn.
Cast a spell
Move
Attack (once not an attack action)
On a successful save they take half as much damage.
Extras:
Easy Re-skins - This would work with any group of creatures that work together and lived in an enclosed area. Could be bandits, goblins, marauders, any group.
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