Encampment Encounters: From the Shadows

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Our sidequest series titled “Encampment Encounters” resumes!  This encounter is a good fit for an area where undead are nearby, a cemetery, or cursed forest.

Tags: Undead, Cursed Forest, Cemetery

Setup: The PCs are make camp with a fire in a cursed forest, area where undead are nearby, etc. Anyone who enters the lit area (including the dim light area) has a shadow made in their likeness. The source of the shadows can either be the undeath-infected firewood the characters collected or a general curse/death effect in the area.

Strategy:

  • The PCs have a chance to spot that the wood they’ve gathered for the campfire is unnatural. Alternatively, they have a small chance to feel that this area is not a safe place to rest.
  • Once the campfire reaches full blaze, observant PCs may notice their shadows moving unnaturally. The shadows do not match the PCs’ movements.
  • The shadows attack! (If no one noticed the unusual shadows, the shadows have surprise.) Each shadow attempts to attack its PC counterpart. Use your game system’s stats for shadow creatures, but give them hit points and attack bonuses (or the equivalent in your game system) to match the PCs.
  • Each time a shadow hits its matching PC, the shadow takes away a random power from the PC and the shadow gains the power. Examples: a special ability such as rage, all the unused spell slots of a particular level, turning undead (which would transform to something that damages good/divine creatures when used by the shadows), etc.
  • When a shadow is slain, all abilities stolen from its matching PC return to the PC. However, any spell slots used by the shadow, powers which have limited uses, etc., are lost until they naturally recharge.

Follow-up Ideas:

  • What caused the wood to have this effect?  Or what is the source of the area’s curse which cause the shadows?
  • Bandits were lurking at the edge of the lit area, planning to attack the PCs… their shadows appeared and killed the bandits during the commotion.  Now they turn their attention to the PCs.

If you like this please see our Sidequest Decks.  Every card is a mini-adventure! Many different decks each focus on a different genre and/or setting.