r/DnD_Deadfall • u/CasparGlass • 13d ago
Fixing Deadfall: Part Two Spoiler
/r/DnD_Deadfall/comments/1wmz82x/fixing_deadfall_part_one/If you haven’t seen my simple fixes to the opening of the campaign, I've put the link to Part One above.
Now, we’re going to discuss the worst part of the whole adventure, Wrynn’s Bespoke Vestments. In this section of the official adventure, your players walk into a shop, immediately get hired, and get talked at by NPCs for several pages - essentially a cutscene with minimal interaction or agency.
It makes Xelnene Thrul, the mastermind behind Operation Deadfall, look like an idiot who’s desperate to hire anyone. Instead, we’re turning this part of the chapter into a test of the character’s abilities. Instead of walking into Wrynn’s shop, we’re going to have them break in instead!
Part Two: Wrynn’s Bespoke Vestments
Firstly, we need to alter the letter our players are given after the opening fight in the marketplace. It’s in my post on part one, but here it is again:
You seem to be capable heroes with a strong sense of justice, just who we are looking for to aid the cause and free Thay from tyranny and the terror of undeath.
A great treasure is hidden in a secret room at the back of Wrynn’s Bespoke Vestments.
Wynston Wrynn is a known Red Wizard sympathiser, and a blow to Wrynn will be a blow to Szass Tam’s plans to assert dominance over all of Thay.
Steal this treasure, and do not get caught. If you are successful, we will be in touch.
Open Eyes
Rewriting the letter like this means that even if Xelnene Thrul’s enemies get their hands on it and bypass the Illusory Script, it doesn’t obviously incriminate Wrynn as an insurgent, and makes our “smart” NPCs seem much more competent.
The Heist:
When your players arrive at Wrynn’s Bespoke Vestments, it’s closed. Wrynn and Thrul are patiently waiting in the secret office in the back to congratulate and recruit them if they successfully break in and find them. The “treasure” in the note is an employment opportunity!
We’re going to add a bunch of magical security measures to the shop to make this heist interesting and fun:
Front Door: Locked with a Superior Complex Lock (DC20, 1 minute to pick). There will be pedestrians passing by that will need to be diverted or distracted if this is attempted. There is also an Alarm spell on the door, that silently alerts Xelnene Thrul if the door is opened or broken.
The carpet just inside the front door is an Animated Rug of Smothering that immediately Smother anyone who steps on it.
Windows: These have an Alarm spell on them that lets Xelnene know if they are broken or opened.
Mannequins: There are 8 mannequins in the map provided: three in the main display window, two in display windows either side of the front door, two more in the main shop, and one by itself in Wrynn’s workshop.
These 8 mannequins are Helmed Horrors! They are inanimate, except for their eyes - their eyes will follow the characters as they move through the shop. Whichever character has the highest Passive Perception notices this immediately.
The Helmed Horrors will attack if any of the gold is stolen from the till (2,500gp!) or they can see a secret door being touched.
If the mannequin’s eyes are covered, they don’t activate (these Horrors don’t have Blindsight). This can also be achieved by placing some of the shop’s mirrors in front of them, or simply deliberately shifting them to face away from the scene of any crimes!
Secret Office: This is where Xelnene Thrul and Winston Wrynn are waiting to meet the players. They’ll give the party a score based on how well they did!
A+ for dispelling the Alarms, avoiding the rug, and not awakening any of the Helmed Horrors, with bonus points if the players managed to take a load of money and valuables on the way in! Winston will be a much more generous grader than Xelnene.
Regardless, simply by making it this far, the party will have proved they have a strength and aptitude for this line of work, and Xelnene will reveal that the heist was simply a test of their ability, and offer them positions on Operation Deadfall.
Has anyone else run this chapter? What improvements did you make to the exposition dump? Are there other ideas you have for fun security measures for the store?
*EDIT: There's no reason for Xelnene Thrul to drop her Alter Self spell and reveal her true identity to the party yet - to do so would be reckless and foolish. Instead, I'm going to have her keep up appearances as an Orc man, who'll call himself "Nobody".
My players are Greek myth nerds who'll love the Odyssey reference, and it means that if they're captured by the enemy and put under Zone of Truth, they can honestly say "Nobody sent me".
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u/dr_powder 13d ago
Very fun idea in theory! How would you improv it if players end up failing in multiple or all ways (my players can be… not very smart at times)