Welcome to a Thursday night where we look at the encounter with the shifting drifters under the shifting snow. A bit of a tongue twister there but let’s not dwell on the shift/drift theme of this week for too long. So let’s instead sit back, grab a coffee and imagine the encounter ahead!
The Shifting Snow
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The encounter map of this week is a simple one. The carriage and wagons have their wheels caught in previously hidden ruts in the snow, first they think its only the carriage but the wagon then gets stuck in a separate rut-trap hidden by the snow and some spell placed branches over the top.
Around the road there are patches of rocks, boulders really, that span about five feet in width and around four feet tall. Enough for someone to stand up, see above and launch an arrow or crossbow bolt. Around these rocks are thick brambles and bracken. This hides dugouts that are perfect places for someone to sit and wait for a trap to be sprung.
A tree then falls over behind the wagon and carriages pinning them. The previously sawn through but bound tree had the bind hidden under the snow. This trap really isn’t designed to hurt or maim but to pin prey in place. But if a party member or NPC was at the back of the procession it could be fatal for them.
However keep eyes may see the signs of traps in advance. If the traps are sprung then the ambush happens with a surprise round, if not then there is no surprise round.
This encounter happens immediately after Harry reaches the carriage. In fact this also triggers a few other things that the party will have to deal with and assess. However that is for a different nights update.
Thoughts
I like ambush encounters, there I said it. It doesn’t make me a bad DM or a one that focuses on TPKs. But it does give me opportunities to challenge my party. Generally unless they are the aggressors in an adventure which puts the party on the font foot. This leads to a one side fault where a well executed plan from your players can spell doom for your encounter. However by putting them on the backfoot they have to come up with a plan on the fly with what they have immediately.
This can lead to truly rememberable encounters where they have to MacGuiver a win from toothpicks, an orange and the catapult spell (maybe a lethal combination). This is far more rewarding than throwing several fireballs and mopping up the stragglers.
Thanks for visiting again tonight. While the weeks seem to go to fast I look forward to the weekend where I have a few large projects to move on. So don’t forget to come back the next few nights to see the full reveal and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 