Adventure Time: Suicide Squad — Vault Of The Sages

Welcome to the latest chapter of Adventure Time! Today we will be going on an adventure with Task Force X, in which many of your players might meet their demise. For those not familiar, this adventure is based on the Suicide Squad comics and films, and functions in much of the same way. If your familiar with this stuff then you know exactly where I’m going, and if your not… well… you're about to learn all about it. And with that, let’s get started with Adventure Time: Suicide Squad.

Concept

So the concept for the Suicide Squad is rather simple. In the films/comics, Director Waller is in charge of Task Force X, a rotating group of inmates she uses for highly dangerous black ops missions. Each inmate has an explosive charge planted at the base of their skull that she can detonate whenever she wishes. If the inmates complete the mission, they get 10 years taken off their sentences. The missions this team is used for are always exceedingly dangerous, and it is expected that some, or all, of the team will not survive, which has caused some to name the task force a “suicide squad.”

In our adventure, every player will be required to have a character of a certain level and background. I suggest a level between 3 and 5, though the adventure can be adapted to any level less than 11. Each hero should have the background of “criminal”, or the player must write up a paragraph explaining their criminal backgrounds. All players will begin the adventure in Neverwinter Prison (you are welcome to relocate the adventure to any large city, but I am providing a map for Neverwinter).

What the players know

At the start of the adventure the players are pulled out of their cells in “C” block (a designation declaring they are more dangerous inmates than those in A and B block, but not as bad as the worst of the worst who can be found in D block). They are placed in a boat and force to row their way from their island prison to the mainland. They find themselves dropped off about a quarter mile from the gates of Neverwinter, being strapped down to a large fallen log. Once strapped in, a group of mages begin drawing brands on the back of each character’s neck. As this is being done, Commander Wall arrives.

Wall is dressed like a noble, though she is surrounded by guards in full black plate. She is secretly a high level monk (of the Cobalt Soul, should you use Critical Role content) and can defend herself with ease. She has pulled the players from prison and promises them ten years off their sentence to complete the mission she is about to offer.

The mission itself is simple. There is an Orb of Planar melding within the city of Neverwinter, kept within Lord Neverember’s personal quarters. Roughly 3 hours prior, someone gained access to that orb and used it to begin melding this world with a plane of death, believed to be the Shadowfell (or a death plane of your choosing). This has caused some kind of magic infection within the city, turning the people closest to Castle Never into the undead. Commander Wall believes this transformation is infectious and if these undead were allowed to escape the city it could spread across Faerun.

For this reason the party will enter Neverwinter via the Northeast gate and proceed to Alagondar’s grave. There they will find a secret passage to the basement of Castle Never. Once they are inside the castle they will make their way to the Lord’s personal treasure vault on the top floor, locate the orb, and place it in the “Bag of the Void” that Wall is providing. As soon as the orb is in the bag the planar melding will instantly cease, and the bag can then be returned to Commander Wall at the Northeast gate.

To ensure that the players follow the orders that they have been given, Wall’s mages have placed a brand on each of their necks. The brand allows Wall to sense the rough location of each player and determine if they are alive. If, at any point, Wall feels that they have left the city, she will detonate the brand, killing the player. Should any player refuse the assignment, Wall will demonstrate the killing power of the brand immediately, claiming that player was “trying to escape.”

From a Dungeon Master’s perspective, should any player die while on the mission, or should Wall kill them by detonating the brand, they will be forced to immediately roll a new character (with great haste). This character will then be dropped off at the Northeast Gate and given the general location of the party.

Wall explains that the players have until dawn to return the orb to her. At that time a convocation of mages will arrive from Waterdeep and cast a series of meteor swarms that destroy the city. At the time the players are given all these instructions, it is midnight. The players have roughly six hours to accomplish their mission or the city will be destroyed, most likely with them still in it.

In addition to the secret passage that is marked on the map, there are two additional points of interest the players can note. The first is the location of the scout, who can be found in an abandoned house east of the grave. The scout was the person who located the secret passage, and can be consulted if necessary. It is possible that they have more recent news about what is occurring inside the city. The second is the location for the Thirsty Lantern, which is a known safe area, where players should be able to seek shelter.

What the DM knows

Beyond the player map, which they directly receive, there is also a DM’s map, which has points of interest the player’s will have to find on their own. Before I display that map and break down the points of interest, it is important that as DM, you understand what is REALLY going on in Neverwinter (do NOT share this with the players).

Four hours prior to the start of the adventure Commander Wall formed a task force from the D block of Neverwinter Prison. This group was tasked with sneaking into Castle Never via a secret passage from the graveyard and stealing the orb of planar melding. This group was comprised of Ungreth the Bloody (Berserker Barbarian) Slyft Shadowfall (Thief Rogue), Helvor Brightblade (Oathbreaker Paladin) and Dread Katrina (Death Cleric), along with one of Wall’s men, Xaros Zaros Daxos (Scout Rogue). The group successfully infiltrated the treasure room, but when Slyft picked up the orb, he immediately became influenced by a spirit from the Shadowfell. Under this “influence”, he turned himself and each member of his task force into an undead creature. The neck brands, sensing their bearers were dead, became inert.

At this point Zaros fled, sensing he would be killed by his former teammates. Now free of Commander Wall and without Zaros there to stop him, Slyft used the orb to create a wave of undead magic, possessing anyone near the castle and making them a mindless undead (they also became infectious, though the infection only functions within a mile of the orb, and the players themselves are protected by their brand… unless you don’t want them to be…). Although Zaros escaped this effect, the undead continued to hunt him as he traveled through the secret passage, forcing him to use a bomb to collapse the portion that ran beneath the river. With the passage now flooded and destroyed, he took shelter in an abandoned house and contacted Commander Wall.

Having magically infected a large amount of the city, Slyft has now sent his former teammates (and now servants) out to secure the town. He has sent Ungreth to guard the main castle entrance, Helvor to destroy the temple of the Moon (which is attempting to magically break the planar melding), and Katrina to oversee the repair of the submarine docked outside the Shipyard. Each of these people has done as they have been asked, except for perhaps Katrina, who after she confirmed the repairs on the sub were complete, has decided to hide in the basement of Castle Never and plan her next move.

Slyft’s plan is to wait for the convocation of mages to arrive and then escape via the submarine as the city is destroyed. He believes this to be HIS plan, unaware that he is now fully under the control of the spirit. The spirit’s goal is to get Slyft to safety and then begin gathering the items needed for the spirit to fully leave the Shadowfell and permanently possess Slyft.

Once players are dropped off at the entrance to Neverwinter, they will be allowed to go anywhere they wish. The area surrounding Castle Never (marked on the map as “Planar Effect”) is chock full of undead and should be considered impassable. Should the players try anyway, just let them die.

As for the other points of interest:

The Temple - A temple of Selune, whose clerics offered refuge to many of the townsfolk. They are under siege by Helvor and a company of undead who have been ordered to destroy the temple (their celestial magic is a threat to the orb). If the players sneak inside, the clerics will bless the party, granting major damage bonuses, if they will agree to confront and kill Helvor. If the party kills Helvor and gets inside, they will heal the party and offer the same blessing. If the players get Hevlor low on health, he will collapse to the ground. Players who speak to him at this point will learn that he is a fellow prisoner, and that they know nothing of the original mission Wall sent them on. Before he can explain any further, Slyft will remove his undead condition. Turning human for a brief moment, Wall’s brand on the back of his neck will begin to glow, and a few seconds later it will detonate, decapitating him and lighting both parts of his body on fire.

Southgate - Southgate is the only other entrance/exit in the city that has been sealed by physical, rather than magical, means. If the players wish to escape the city without walking directly past Commander Wall, they will have to use this exit. There are several of Wall’s men at this exit, if they see the players, at least one will try to run off to alert Wall.

The Shipyard - The Shipyard is a tavern on the water, normally busy, but now abandoned due to the undead threat. Everyone who had a boat moored outside the tavern has already fled, leaving just a broken experimental submarine made by the eccentric gnome inventor Zillain the Mad. The sub has been repaired by the Zillain’s assistants, under the oversight of Dread Katrina (who also learned from the gnomes how to crudely pilot the craft). The gnomes were then imprisoned in the basement of the Shipyard, along with its owner, Malia Strongnote, who happens to be the leader of the local harper’s outpost. She knows that Neverember had a vault concealed within his castle. And she knows Wall quite well. She will tell the players Wall never does anything unless she has her own motivations. She knows of the orb, and if pressed, will explain how it can be destroyed (it must be exposed to a plane that directly opposes the one it is being melded to, which can be achieved in the temple).

Charon’s Claw - Charon’s Claw is owned by Nereth Maychant, who will defend his store to the death. He is currently using a variety of magical items in his store to protect it from the wandering dead. He originally provided a set of magical mirrors to Lord Neverember, and knows exactly how they work (as detailed in the Thirsty Lantern section). He knows where each mirror was shipped, and that a personal item of the Lord’s will be needed to allow passage to a restricted mirror, but he does not possess that item. He recommends it be something Lord Neverember has touched often, and when pressed, mentions that the Royal Historical Society of Neverwinter used to have a ceremonial suit of armor that he used to wear. The historical society is directly across from Nekro’s house and shares the same map marker.

Nekro’s House - Nekro is the nickname for Niklaus the Necromancer, a mage who sells spells of his own design. The focus of his work is typically on spells that relate to the undead. When the outbreak occurred, he made use of his “As the Dead” spell, which makes the subject appear to be undead. He has cast the spell on himself, and is currently wandering town, committing small thefts (the custom spell business has not been good for him as of late). Players can encounter him at any point in the adventure, wandering around and being ignored by the undead. Should they go to the historical society they will see him sneaking around across the way. If they confront him, he will admit he has a spell to allow the party to not be attacked, and will trade it for a rare item in the historical society guarded by several magically enhanced Animated Armors. He can not be persuaded or deceived to provide the spell for free, but he can be intimidated into doing it rather easily. Once the players have a set of spell scrolls, they can use them to gain entry into Castle Never without needing to use the mirrors, but given the spells short duration, it is a one way trip. If players are struggling to understand the mirror plot hook, have them spot Nekro wandering about.

The Thirsty Lantern - A tavern that hosts small plays and stage shows. The tavern owner and several of his customers are hiding out here. When pressed, they will admit that Lord Neverember frequented the establishment and often used one of the rooms upstairs. The proprietor, Jayson Greymantle, will admit with a successful persuasion/intimidation/deception check that Lord Neverember uses the room to access a magical mirror that allows him to travel about the city. He does not know how the mirror works, and will not help you figure it out, though he does know the mirror was shipped to the tavern from a store called “Charon’s Claw”, and recalls its location. Exploring the room will reveal a full length mirror draped in a white cloth. When a player touches it, they will feel a faint white glow (the temple), warm flickering candlelight (an empty storeroom on Castle Never’s first floor), A whisper of silk (Lyssa’s Apartment), and grey emptiness (The Shipyard’s empty basement). The player’s will be able to use the Mirror to access any of these spaces with the exception of the Castle itself. For the Castle, they will need to possess a personal object once held by Lord Neverember himself. The mirror will not tell them this, beyond a feeling of rejection when they attempt to use the mirror. They also cannot learn this brom Jayson, as he knows nothing beyond the fact that the mirror can act as a magical doorway. Players can learn this detail with a very high arcane skill check, or through conversations with Nereth Maychant at Charon’s Claw or Lyssa at her apartment. Any personal item will do, including the Lord’s personal Tankard (mug) at the Thirsty Lantern, a comb he keeps in Lyssa’s apartment, or his old armor at the historical society.

The Makeshift Bridge - With the primary set of city bridges within the planar effect area, the desperate citizens of Neverwinter created a ramshackle bridge of tied together wooden detritus. This bridge is difficult to cross, requiring a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to cross. Those that fail the check are left dangling from the bridge, and can either make a strength (athletics) check to get back on, or be pulled up by another party member who makes the same check. If this check is also failed, the dangling player falls into the river and is pushed downstream. They can then pull themselves back up, but will find themselves within the planar effect and instantly attacked by undead. They will then have to either run or fight through the undead to rejoin their party.

Graveyard Passage - The graveyard passage runs from the gravesite to the basement of Castle Never. Unfortunately, it was overrun by undead, and destroyed by Xaros’s explosive charge. If the players head directly here, they will find the passage collapsed and a few dismembered undead still alive enough to attack them.

Lyssa’s Apartment - The mirror can take the players to Lyssa’s apartment, home to the Lord’s mistress. She will be terrified of the players, but will let them take her to safety using the mirror system, which she does not know how to use. If the players ask her for a personal item that belongs to Lord Neverember (through persuasion or deception), she will offer up his comb.

The Scout - Xaros Zaros Daxos is a Changeling Scout Rogue in an abandoned house at 1313 Scoundrel’s Way. He will reveal that he was part of a previous team that tried to stop the orb’s effect (he will not mention they were trying to steal it). He attempted to use the secret passage from the graveyard, but it was ruptured beneath the river and is now flooded. He will guide the players to the Thirsty Lantern, but will go no further. Xaros has been wounded and is concealing the injury. If put under excessive stress, he will become undead and lose control of his shapeshifting.

The Goal

The goal, or goals, of this adventure are divided into three parts. Part one is to gain entry into Castle Never. Due to enchantments on the castle, teleports are not an option. The party can accomplish this by gaining a personal item of Neverember’s and using the mirrors, or by using Nekro’s scroll. The scroll is a one way trip, as Nekro will only make one set and the effect is short lived.

Part two is to fight through the small amount of undead within Castle Never and reach the treasure vault on the third floor. The players can find Dread Katrina in the basement, hiding from Slyft. With a good bit of persuasion she will explain how the group was ordered to steal the orb, how it overtook Slyft, and how he now plans to escape via the sub. She will join the party in battling Slyft, but will never join him (she fears letting the spirit controlling him escape). If she feels Slyft will win, she will make a run for the sub and use it to escape.

On the third floor is the treasure vault, where Slyft awaits. The party has no chance of stealing the orb, because he is constantly carrying it. He will offer to make the party undead, invalidating the brands, and making them his lackeys. If the players accept this, Slyft will accompany them to the sub and escape. If he sees Katrina try to run, he will end her undead status, wait for Wall to kill her, and then raise her as true undead, forcing her to pilot the sub.

If players choose to fight Slyft, he fights as a Necromancer Wizard, and will battle to the death.

If the players can cut off Slyft’s hand, he will be freed from the spirit, and will not try to reclaim the orb. Players can then choose to put the orb in the bag or pick it up. If the orb is bagged, the players can then choose to escape with it or bring it back to Wall, but if they escape with their brands intact they will immediately be killed.

This brings us to part three of the adventure. If the players do not remove the brands they must return the orb to Wall. If they become undead, they must escape on the sub with Slyft. But there is a third choice. If a player picks up the orb and touches it directly to a brand, the brand will be destroyed (Slyft will know this if he loses the orb but survives, as will Katrina if Slyft dies). But! When any player touches the orb, the spirit will try to possess them, forcing a difficult charisma roll. If the roll is failed the spirit will possess the player and they will attack the party. If any player is possessed the party can attempt to make a difficult called shot to make them drop it, but if they are using a slashing weapon, it will cut off the player's hand. If all players can survive the brand removal, they may then bag the orb (and should a possessed player lose a hand that is later reattached, they will have a possessed hand to deal with in a later adventure).

Should the players succeed in removing the brands and they’ve bagged the orb, they can attempt to escape via the north gate (forcing them to fight Wall and her men), south gate (fighting just three of Wall's men) or via the sub. If the players sneak out, Wall will assume the orb is still in the city and will destroy it utterly. This should not sit well with good aligned characters. Should they escape and Wall realizes they have the orb, they will have to deal with Wall hunting them for the rest of their life.

The Resolution

Should the players recover the orb and return it to Wall, then she will live up to her promise and take ten years off their sentence, which should leave each player with 8-10 years remaining on their sentence. This means they will have to do one more mission for the task force to earn their freedom.

Should the players leave with Slyft and travel with him to Waterdeep, he will task them with gathering the necessary ingredients for a ritual that will summon the spirit beyond the orb into the material plane.

Should anyone have touched the orb, and then escaped with it at a later point in the adventure, the orb will continuously call out to the player, eventually forcing the player to touch the artifact and become possessed.

So there you have it, a little bit of fun with Task Force X, and a whole lot of ways to continue the adventure past the group’s time in Neverwinter. With that said,

Happy roleplaying, and may the dice be ever in your favor.