Homebrew D&D Design
In the Continent of Lumenveil, three legendary figures changed the landscape of the land: a master bard with prophetic powers, Aeon; a master of the Arcane, Elodin; and a master crystalforger, Mitsuri. Although the feats of all of them were impressive, the one who left a deeper mark on generations to come was Mitsuri. Mitsuri's artifacts had powers that defied the laws of nature, and these artifacts tore the continent apart due to their power and the greed of their users. Mitsuri, a proud artisan who had previously never cared about the consequences of his creations, now felt responsible for the state of things. In the final years of his life, he gathered all his artifacts and hid them across the continent.
Our two adventurers, Terry and Atrias, met outside the city of Wellington in the ruins of what used to be one of Mitsuri's workshops. Terry is a lore bard fascinated by old cultures. He was raised in a village of Aarakocra that had recently started suffering from a never-before-seen disease, and so he embarked on a journey to find one of Mitsuri's legendary artifacts, said to cure any illness. Atrias is an adventurer and the only survivor of his previous party, who were tricked by a fey creature into fighting a dragon. Despite losing all his friends, he is still bound by a debt, and the fey creature continues to haunt him.
When our two heroes met in the ruins of Mitsuri's workshop, they encountered a magical creature made of glass. This creature gave them a mission it was designed to carry out: destroy Mitsuri's creations before they fall into the wrong hands. And thus begins their adventure.
After Terry and Atrias finally got their hands on one of Mitsuri's artifacts, they found themselves surrounded by Lana the Red Witch, a mysterious human woman known for selling illegal potions made from the parts of monsters and humanoid creatures. Following this revelation, the story shifts back two months, to the other side of the world, where another pair of adventurers—unbeknownst to them—just helped a shady figure in a cult obtain one of Mitsuri's artifacts. Sensing that something was off, Elonir, a fey warlock, and Onça, a shadow monk, decided to investigate their former employer’s warehouse, only to discover they were in way over their heads in a conspiracy involving multiple states and dangerous individuals. Along the way, they meet two adventurers who are in dire need of help.
This map was created by me using Dungeondraft and the assets available there.
The players begin at the purple portal, which deactivates behind them as they enter the warehouse. They were investigating this location, and as soon as they arrive, they notice that their visibility is limited to 60 feet in any direction. As they move further into the warehouse, the previously traveled path remains visible. The warehouse is lit by torches, but there are several dark spaces where the players can hide. They know the area is guarded, and upon teleporting into the room, they spot two guards.
If the players stay in the shadows and a guard approaches their general direction, they must roll for Stealth, only needing to beat the passive perception of the guards. The guards walk in random directions, determined by a 1d4 roll: 1 for up, 2 for down, 3 for left, and 4 for right, as long as they don’t detect anything suspicious. If they do hear or see something unusual, they will investigate, performing active Perception checks, and the players will have to roll for Stealth, potentially with disadvantage unless they can create a convincing distraction relevant to the situation.
As the players navigate the environment, they can choose different tactics. They may ignore the guards or try to knock them out. To knock out a guard, the players can roll a Stealth check when the guard is turned, followed by an attack roll or a Sleight of Hand check to administer a knockout poison. The same effect can be achieved by sneaking up on the guard and attacking with advantage, reducing the guard’s HP by half. If combat breaks out after a guard is knocked out, the guard remains out of combat for one turn before waking up in the next round.
Players can also extinguish the flames to create more darkness, making it harder for the guards to see, or creating confusion to divert their attention. Logs can be knocked over to create difficult terrain, distractions, or even knock guards prone. Shelves can be used similarly, but they have the added bonus of potentially falling on a guard. If a shelf falls on a guard, they must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. Open flames can be used to damage guards or set objects on fire. Crates can be climbed, and pillars and shelves provide cover.
On the upper floor, there are two guards with crossbows who can shoot down if the players make enough noise to alert them. Meanwhile, the guards drinking (the ones with wine bottles at their tables) will make their first perception check with disadvantage. Players can knock the guards off the second floor (or be knocked off themselves). The second floor is 20 feet above the first floor. In the guard captain’s office on the upper floor, players can find letters and books with more information about the organization that owns the warehouse. If the players linger for too long, the captain will appear from outside after five rounds. The Chandelier in the upper floor can be dropped below for damage (same damage as the shelves but with the potential to leave enemies and/or the area burning), and it can also be used to swing from one side of the upper floor to the other.
In the center of the warehouse, there are four treasure chests—two of which are mimics. When opened, the mimics attack the closest player. Additionally, if the players take the object from the pedestal without knowing the passcode (which can be found in the captain’s office), the four animated armors scattered throughout the warehouse will activate and pursue the players.
The goal of this map is for players to either avoid direct combat, gather the treasure and information, and escape through the back door, or delay combat long enough to gather what they can and flee. The environment can be used to delay or avoid combat, or to aid the players if a fight breaks out.
The guards on the upper floor only begin making Perception checks once the players reach the middle of the room on the first floor or when combat begins. If combat hasn't started, the second-floor guards make perception checks with disadvantage. In the first two rounds of combat, each guard makes flat perception checks to join combat immediately. If they fail the checks after two rounds, they automatically succeed in the third round and enter combat immediately.
Enemy Overview:
3 Black Earth Guards patrolling the warehouse
4 Black Earth Guards drinking in the back
2 Eternal Flame Guardians
2 Mimics (in the treasure chests)
4 Black Earth Guards on the upper floor
1 Duergar Stone Guard (the captain)
2 Animated Armors on the first floor
2 Animated Armors on the second floor
The world map is not up to scale and does not depict all of the cities and town in the continent. Only major cities, location and/or locations that were known and important to the players at the moment in the adventure. Since it is not up to scale it doesn't show how far locations are from each other, it just depict the general regions in the continent. it is not up to scale it doesn't show how far locations are from each other, it just depict the general regions in the continent. Any image I don't cite a source was AI generated by Midjourney.
