{"id":307,"date":"2026-10-18T16:05:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T16:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/?p=307"},"modified":"2026-10-18T16:05:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T16:05:34","slug":"the-siege-below-twelve-names-before-dawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/18\/the-siege-below-twelve-names-before-dawn\/","title":{"rendered":"The Siege Below: Twelve Names Before Dawn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/\">&larr; Back to the Journal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Game Master material \u2014 full adventure spoilers below.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Developed by Jon with AI assistance for Save Vs Podcast: a fantasy-horror adventure featuring trapped goblin miners, an executioner haunting an abandoned prison, and an original Dread mechanic.<\/p>\n<nav aria-label=\"Adventure contents\">\n<h2>Adventure contents<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#rules-and-preparation\">Rules and preparation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#the-truth\">The truth<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#opening-above-ground\">Opening above ground<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#the-goblins\">The goblins<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#escape-supplies-and-rests\">Escape, supplies, and rests<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dread-adventure-homebrew\">Dread: adventure homebrew<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dungeon-map\">Dungeon map<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#room-key\">Room key<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#four-night-procedure\">Four-night procedure<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#original-compact-encounter-statistics\">Original compact encounter statistics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#finale-options-and-balance\">Finale options and balance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#outcomes-and-rewards\">Outcomes and rewards<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#producer-39-s-final-assessment\">Producer&#39;s final assessment<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<p>A fantasy-horror adventure for four 2nd-level D&amp;D fifth-edition characters.<br \/>\nLength: 2\u20133 sessions, covering four days and nights underground.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"rules-and-preparation\">Rules and preparation<\/h2>\n<p>Use the 2014 fifth-edition rules as the baseline. Dread, the executioner, prison wards, and all compact creature statistics below are original homebrew. These encounters are designed for this party size but have not been playtested. The executioner is not a standard Ghost, Specter, or Wraith: do not add their possession, life-drain, or other abilities.<\/p>\n<p>Prepare a twelve-line execution list, a six-box escape clock, and Dread tracks for the PCs. Keep characters at level 2 throughout; award level 3 after escape. Tell players before play that supernatural horror can impose the Dread effects below.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-truth\">The truth<\/h2>\n<p>Under Blackthorn Castle lies a prison sealed after executioner Garran Voss killed twelve prisoners without completing the lawful review of their sentences. A priest imprisoned his spirit using iron restraints and warded the guards&#39; refuge.<\/p>\n<p>Goblins tunneling into the castle broke through his burial chamber and dislodged the restraint holding him. The curse assigns the twelve old prisoner names to twelve living intruders: eight trapped goblins and the four PCs. Names do not change to accommodate later casualties. A person escaping remains assigned but cannot be pursued beyond the old prison boundary.<\/p>\n<p>Voss believes he must finish his list. He kills only between midnight and dawn, when his prison bell sounds without moving. In daylight he is dormant beneath the execution block. He cannot pass the refuge&#39;s enclosed iron lattice while it holds. Breaking the restraint weakened this lattice: after each midnight one of four inscribed rivets cracks; the fourth failure removes its protection. This explains the nights, the refuge, and the final urgency. Repair requires priestly consecration unavailable below; ordinary iron can still bind Voss himself.<\/p>\n<p>The exit tunnel is outside the prison boundary, but everyone must cross the cell corridor to reach its working face. Corpses are not assigned names and prisoner zombies do not add entries.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"opening-above-ground\">Opening above ground<\/h2>\n<p>Three goblins emerge into the castle cellar and surrender, offering their tools and information. Their leader outside, Skrit, says: &quot;Keep the spears. Send someone who knows what to do when a wall starts calling names.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>The castellain offers the party 100 gp total to retrieve the trapped goblins and secure the breach. The surrendering goblins agree to help dig from outside. They were raiders, not innocent travelers; the castle accepts their surrender and promises safe departure if they help.<\/p>\n<p>The party reaches eight survivors. Immediately afterward a visibly failing timber brace gives way behind them. The opening collapse is the agreed starting circumstance; allow the players to save equipment or pull someone clear, without damage. Do not stage an unwinnable fake escape check. If their abilities genuinely bypass the blockage later, honor that.<\/p>\n<p>Read:<br \/>\n&quot;Behind you, timber cracks in three sharp bursts. Dust blots out the lantern. When it settles, the passage is a wall of stone. The goblin foreman tests the rubble with a pick, then presses his ear to it. Faintly, another pick answers.<br \/>\n&#39;Four days,&#39; he says. &#39;Three if nobody argues. Everybody still here?&#39;&quot;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-goblins\">The goblins<\/h2>\n<p>All speak enough Common to cooperate. They surrender weapons to establish trust if necessary. No betrayal is scripted.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Goblin<\/th>\n<th>Personality and job<\/th>\n<th>Useful knowledge<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Rikka, foreman<\/td>\n<td>Precise, blunt; directs excavation<\/td>\n<td>Calculates four days with crews working both sides<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nib, carpenter<\/td>\n<td>Talks to his tools; builds props and barricades<\/td>\n<td>Found a usable route to the old store<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Vesh, scout<\/td>\n<td>Nervous but observant; escorts explorers<\/td>\n<td>Saw a chain-shaped burn in Voss&#39;s burial niche<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Talla, cook<\/td>\n<td>Keeps a head count at meals; handles supplies<\/td>\n<td>Identifies missing goblins promptly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bruk, hauler<\/td>\n<td>Protective of Pell; carries stone and injured people<\/td>\n<td>Will hold a barrier when asked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pell, apprentice<\/td>\n<td>Wants to prove useful; tends lamps<\/td>\n<td>Heard a bell beneath the floor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ogg, digger<\/td>\n<td>Grumbles, then works; heavy excavation<\/td>\n<td>First intended target, assigned &quot;Edric Vale&quot;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Snik, digger<\/td>\n<td>Quiet; keeps chalk route marks<\/td>\n<td>Saw a prisoner walking without moving its feet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>For noncombat tasks, competent goblin work succeeds without rolls. For exposed danger use AC 13, HP 7, speed 30 ft.; Strength \u22121, Dexterity +2, other modifiers +0. Tool attack +3, 1d4+1 damage. These are simplified adventure helpers, not the official Goblin stat block. They normally work, evacuate, or Help instead of adding eight turns to combat. At most two join an expedition; default six remain at camp, including Rikka.<\/p>\n<p>If a specialist dies, someone else learns the job. Do not turn deaths into automatic escape failure.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"escape-supplies-and-rests\">Escape, supplies, and rests<\/h2>\n<p>The tunnel needs six progress boxes. Outside crews clear the first two boxes during days 1\u20132. Inside crews clear one box per day with at least four workers and adequate tools: by the end of day 4 both sides meet. If casualties leave fewer workers, PCs can substitute; otherwise each missing inside day&#39;s work delays one day.<\/p>\n<p>Recovering the handcart and timber in room 6 grants one extra box, potentially opening the tunnel at the end of day 3. An extraordinary engineering or magical plan can earn another box; agree its concrete effect before spending resources. Avoid daily excavation rolls that erase competent work.<\/p>\n<p>Food, water, air, lantern oil, and bedding suffice for five days. Room 3 provides a defensible place for normal rests before its ward fails. Permit one long rest per 24 hours; do not interrupt every rest for atmosphere. Work crews rotate, and the PCs are not needed to dig unless they choose to.<\/p>\n<p>Successful early escape is a legitimate ending. If they leave Voss undefeated, he remains confined to the old prison.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"dread-adventure-homebrew\">Dread: adventure homebrew<\/h2>\n<p>Use each PC&#39;s normal Wisdom saving throw bonus, DC 12; no extra proficiency unless already granted. Failure adds 1 Dread; a total of 7 or lower (failure by at least five) adds 2. Cap at 6. A success adds none.<\/p>\n<p>Use at most these four triggers, once each per character:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Personally examining the first executed victim and its impossible assigned name.<\/li>\n<li>Hearing the executioner call an assigned prisoner name while emerging from stone; if witnessed during trigger 1, combine into one save.<\/li>\n<li>Finding the original prisoners wearing the same names in room 9.<\/li>\n<li>The first full confrontation when Voss recites the living characters&#39; sentences.<br \/>\nOther disturbing descriptions do not cause additional saves.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Penalties apply to attacks, ability checks, and saving throws while Voss or the prisoner undead are visible. Dread saves themselves are exempt. Damage, AC, spell save DCs, and death saves are unaffected.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Dread<\/th>\n<th>Effect<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>0\u20131<\/td>\n<td>No penalty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>\u22121 to affected rolls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>\u22122 to affected rolls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>\u22122; cannot willingly move closer to visible prison undead<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>As 4; no reactions. Each turn choose normal movement with action limited to Dash, Disengage, or Dodge, OR no voluntary movement and a normal action<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>Lose action and reactions on your next turn; movement toward safety is allowed. After that turn fall to 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Level 4 does not require retreat, and moving alongside or away is allowed. Being surrounded does not require impossible movement. Forced movement works normally.<\/p>\n<p>Grounding: an adjacent willing ally can use an action and meaningful reassurance to remove 1 Dread, once per encounter per recipient. A 6-Dread character grounded to 5 before its next turn avoids the breakdown. Ten uninterrupted safe minutes with a companion removes 1, once per day; a safe completed long rest removes 1 more. Dread 6&#39;s breakdown occurs only when newly reaching 6, not every turn.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"dungeon-map\">Dungeon map<\/h2>\n<p>Connections are bidirectional. Rooms 7 and 9 connect through a locked iron door; other noted barriers appear in the key. Not to scale.<\/p>\n<div style=\"overflow-x:auto\">\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse\">\n<caption>Dungeon connections \u2014 not to scale; all passages are bidirectional.<\/caption>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Room<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Connects to rooms<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">1. Blocked exit<\/th>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">2. Goblin camp<\/th>\n<td>1, 3, 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">3. Warded refuge<\/th>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">4. Cell corridor<\/th>\n<td>2, 5, 8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">5. Trapped stair<\/th>\n<td>4, 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">6. Store and rat burrow<\/th>\n<td>5, 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">7. Records office<\/th>\n<td>6, 9 (locked door)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">8. Restraint room<\/th>\n<td>4, 9 (transfer hatch)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">9. Prisoner cell<\/th>\n<td>7, 8, 10 (barred arch)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">10. Execution chamber<\/th>\n<td>9, 11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">11. Burial niche<\/th>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rooms and passages are masonry, doors timber unless specified. Corridors are 5 ft. wide; ceilings 8 ft., 12 ft. in room 10. Side chambers offer no surface exit. PCs can hear digging from rooms 1\u20133.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"room-key\">Room key<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"1-blocked-exit-10-by-30-ft\">1. Blocked exit \u2014 10 by 30 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>Tools, blocked tunnel, outside tapping. Rikka explains the progress clock. Digging noise masks ordinary speech, not a shouted warning. Night attacks here endanger workers only if they remain after the warning bell.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"2-goblin-camp-25-by-30-ft\">2. Goblin camp \u2014 25 by 30 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>Supply bundles and chalk marks. A sound western wall adjoins the cell corridor; Voss can step through it. This camp is NOT warded. Talla counts everyone at meals. Moving camp to room 3 takes an hour and no check.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"3-warded-refuge-20-by-25-ft\">3. Warded refuge \u2014 20 by 25 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>Former guards&#39; sleeping room. Iron strips cover walls, ceiling, and floor, continuing around an iron-latticed door; this is an enclosed sacred ward, not a rule that any iron threshold stops ghosts. Four rune-marked rivets flank the door.<br \/>\nAn inscription reads: &quot;Four watches endure. The condemned shall not cross.&quot;<br \/>\nAnyone examining the lattice understands it protects the room. DC 10 Religion or Arcana explains the failing rivets, but after the first midnight crack its countdown is obvious without a check. Voss recoils if pursuing someone here. Zombies cannot open the barred door, though they can batter it.<br \/>\nDoor: AC 15, HP 25; bracing it raises HP to 35. Breaking it disrupts the ward. Use a five-foot passage so the defenders can hold a choke point.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"4-cell-corridor-10-by-60-ft\">4. Cell corridor \u2014 10 by 60 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>Six empty cells, each 10 ft. square; most doors ajar. The first victim is found in the nearest cell with &quot;EDRIC VALE&quot; cut above it. Voss physically carried the victim here through corridors; he cannot transport bodies through walls. The goblin has a narrow execution wound, not animal bites.<br \/>\nAt the next attempted killing the target hears his assigned name, footsteps scrape, and the lantern dims. Give anyone standing watch a chance to raise the alarm before Voss attacks. No automatically silent kills.<br \/>\nChisel marks and torn clothing point toward room 8. No check required for these essential clues.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"5-trapped-stair-5-by-20-ft\">5. Trapped stair \u2014 5 by 20 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>A sloping stair leads to the store. A taut wire at ankle level releases a swinging stone counterweight.<br \/>\nClues: fresh scrape in dust and a stone weight visibly hanging above. Careful inspection finds it automatically; otherwise passive Perception 12.<br \/>\nDisarm: cut it from safety, wedge the weight, or DC 11 Dexterity with thieves&#39; tools. Trigger: first creature makes DC 11 Dexterity save; 1d6 bludgeoning damage, half on success. Failure also knocks prone. One use only; no additional fall damage.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"6-store-and-rat-burrow-25-by-30-ft\">6. Store and rat burrow \u2014 25 by 30 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>A fissure leads to a giant-rat nest, not an exit. Three tunnel rats defend food here; use the original compact stats below. They retreat into the fissure when two fall, and can be lured away with food. Burning the room destroys useful timber.<br \/>\nTreasure: two healing draughts (each restores 2d4+2 HP as an action), a handcart, timbers, and a portable battering ram. Returning the cart and timber to the dig earns one escape box.<br \/>\nA narrow old maintenance door leads to room 7.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"7-records-office-15-by-20-ft\">7. Records office \u2014 15 by 20 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>The register lies in an open drawer, accessible without a roll once here. It contains twelve numbered prisoner names and physical descriptions; only three were executed before the rebellion that killed Voss.<br \/>\nThe final page now pairs those twelve names with recognizable descriptions of the four PCs and eight goblins. Assign all pairings upon arrival, before casualties occur. Dead victims&#39; lines bear a wet black stroke.<br \/>\nThe remaining nine historical prisoners escaped during the rebellion; Voss&#39;s curse substitutes newcomers to complete his order. The three original executed prisoners remain in room 9. This accounts for the list and the bodies.<br \/>\nMargin note: &quot;Never take his irons to him alone. One man to hold him, another to close them.&quot;<br \/>\nKeys open rooms 8 and 9. The room 9 door is iron, AC 19, HP 25; DC 12 thieves&#39; tools or the keys opens it. The ram and patient work can also force it; don&#39;t require one particular class.<\/p>\n<p>Sample historical list: Edric Vale; Mara Fen; Halven Reed; Osric Bell; Tessa Marr; Corren Ash; Willa Dorn; Bran Holt; Nera Pike; Jory Venn; Alda Thorn; Petren Moss.<br \/>\nDefault: Ogg=Edric, Snik=Mara, Pell=Halven; assign remaining names openly when the register is found. If players protect them, these goblins live.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"8-restraint-room-20-by-20-ft\">8. Restraint room \u2014 20 by 20 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>Racks of corroded shackles, three usable pairs, and the prisoner&#39;s transfer hatch into room 9 (too small for a Medium creature; a Small creature can squeeze through with gear passed separately).<br \/>\nOld testimony and a wall diagram show an outline of Voss held in iron cuffs, with blows striking his now-solid body. This conveys the vulnerability without a roll.<br \/>\nThe three usable pairs are recognizably hammered wrought iron. Ordinary steel swords do not gain this special property. Let appropriate smith&#39;s tools and time repair additional old restraints if desired.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"9-sealed-prisoner-cell-20-by-25-ft\">9. Sealed prisoner cell \u2014 20 by 25 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>Three original executed prisoners remain chained here. When the door opens they reach for the living. Their labeled collars match the register. Dread trigger 3 applies.<br \/>\nUse three prisoner corpses below. They spend their first turns breaking rotten tethers; players may close the door, negotiate passage by offering prison uniforms as decoys, or attack at range. If PCs attack while they are tethered, combat begins immediately; no free round of damage. Each corpse uses its first action to free itself.<br \/>\nA barred arch leads to room 10. Its lever is inside this room. Raising the gate is an action; lowering it is also an action. Gate bars permit ranged attacks with half cover; a Small creature cannot simply slip through. This is a useful final defense.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"10-execution-chamber-30-by-40-ft\">10. Execution chamber \u2014 30 by 40 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>A block, iron drain grate, two pillars, and a hanging bell. The pillars provide cover against ranged attacks. The block gives half cover to a crouching creature.<br \/>\nThe cracked iron ring around the block shows where Voss was once confined. At midnight the bell swings without sounding; its toll is heard from inside the walls.<br \/>\nPlayers can stage their confrontation here, transport the restraints elsewhere, or barricade the refuge. Voss&#39;s HP damage persists between nights; while unbound, dropping him to 0 disperses him until next midnight, restoring him to 20 HP. This offers temporary survival without permanent victory.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"11-burial-niche-10-by-15-ft\">11. Burial niche \u2014 10 by 15 ft.<\/h3>\n<p>A dislodged shackle and Voss&#39;s bones beneath a broken slab. By day his spirit is dormant here. Daylight exploration can end the adventure early: place a complete restraint pair around the bones and then destroy them (AC 10, HP 10). Applying the pair takes one action; damaging the restrained bones awakens him physically at the niche entrance, with current HP. He gets initiative before further attacks; no surprise.<br \/>\nWhile he manifests, the bones cannot independently be damaged; attacks must defeat him. This is one supernatural entity, not two separate HP pools. He cannot remove restraints fastened around his bones himself, but an accompanying corpse could if allowed two uninterrupted actions at the niche.<br \/>\nDestroying unrestrained bones merely crumbles and reforms them; show the first bone knitting together immediately. No repeated dead-end checks.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"four-night-procedure\">Four-night procedure<\/h2>\n<p>This is a default course, not a schedule the players must obey.<br \/>\nDay 1: opening, supplies, goblin introductions, choice of camp. At midnight Voss selects Ogg. If isolated, Ogg dies; if guarded, run the attack and allow rescue. A discovered ward or clever defense can prevent the first death entirely. The name can instead appear over Ogg&#39;s sleeping place, preserving the clue.<br \/>\nDay 2: follow clues, trap, rats, supplies; allow records or restraints early if PCs reach them. Night 2: Voss targets Snik then Pell, but makes only ONE attack expedition of at most three rounds. He cannot automatically kill two people; if both are left alone, resolve attacks using stats. If everyone is protected, he recites names outside and withdraws. Don&#39;t punish good precautions.<br \/>\nDay 3: records, prisoner encounter, plan binding. Night 3: Voss tests entrances and threatens the next assigned survivor. Run an encounter only if someone is exposed or the party sets an ambush.<br \/>\nDay 4: final ward rivet fails at midnight. Voss attacks with up to two surviving prisoner corpses, which come from room 9; no extra free undead appear. If all three corpses still live, the third remains behind. The exit may already be open; the party can evacuate or confront him.<br \/>\nIf defeated early, use remaining time for escape and aftermath. Never postpone clues to preserve a fourth-night finale.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"original-compact-encounter-statistics\">Original compact encounter statistics<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"tunnel-rat-3\">Tunnel rat (3)<\/h3>\n<p>Small beast. AC 12; HP 7; speed 30 ft.; darkvision 60 ft.<br \/>\nSTR \u22122, DEX +2, CON +0, INT \u22124, WIS +0, CHA \u22123.<br \/>\nBite: melee +4, reach 5 ft., one target, 1d4+2 piercing.<br \/>\nSkittish: flees when two nestmates fall. No poison, disease, or Pack Tactics.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"prisoner-corpse-3-total\">Prisoner corpse (3 total)<\/h3>\n<p>Medium undead. AC 8; HP 16; speed 20 ft.; darkvision 60 ft.<br \/>\nSTR +2, DEX \u22122, CON +2, INT \u22124, WIS \u22122, CHA \u22123.<br \/>\nImmune to poison damage and poisoned condition.<br \/>\nSlam: melee +3, reach 5 ft., one target, 1d6+1 bludgeoning.<br \/>\nNo Undead Fortitude, paralysis, life drain, or automatic grappling. Ordinary attacks damage it normally. At 0 HP destroyed. Each is one of the three original prisoners, so track survivors across rooms and nights.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"garran-voss-the-executioner\">Garran Voss, the executioner<\/h3>\n<p>Medium undead. AC 12; HP 40; speed 25 ft.; darkvision 60 ft.<br \/>\nSTR +3, DEX +0, CON +2, INT +0, WIS +1, CHA +2.<br \/>\nImmune to poison damage, poisoned and exhaustion. No other damage resistance or immunity. Subject to effects targeting undead normally; no Legendary Resistance.<br \/>\nExecution axe: melee +4, reach 5 ft., one target, 1d8+2 necrotic. One attack per action; no multiattack.<br \/>\nWall passage: while unbound, may move through masonry and creatures as difficult terrain. Cannot end a turn inside an object. Cannot cross the intact refuge ward or leave prison boundaries. No Ethereal Plane travel, teleportation, or carrying others through walls.<br \/>\nRecede: while unbound, may use his action to become untargetable until the start of his next turn. He cannot move, attack, or take reactions during this period; his visible outline remains at that location. He cannot use Recede on consecutive turns. This prevents endless inaccessible attacks.<br \/>\nIron binding: a prison-shackle strike is a melee weapon attack using Strength + proficiency, reach 5 ft.; 1d4 bludgeoning, no ability modifier added to damage. On a hit, he loses Wall Passage and Recede until the END of the attacker&#39;s NEXT turn.<br \/>\nFastening cuffs: while tangible and grappled or restrained, an adjacent creature can use an action for DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) or Strength (Athletics). Success fastens a pair; failure leaves them available for another try. A willing goblin may Help. This is a special adventure action.<br \/>\nOnce fastened, he remains tangible and can no longer use Wall Passage or Recede. His speed is 15 ft. He may spend his action attempting DC 15 Strength to break the pair; destroy that pair on success. A second pair requires another action and check to break.<br \/>\nFinal death: if reduced to 0 HP while temporarily iron-bound OR cuffed, Voss is permanently destroyed. Otherwise he reforms next midnight at 20 HP.<br \/>\nTactics: targets his named intended victim, but attacks anyone physically blocking or binding him. Does not attack unconscious PCs while conscious opponents threaten him. He fights openly for at least one round before withdrawing. During early nights retreats after three rounds; in the final confrontation fights until destroyed, turned away, or the party escapes.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"finale-options-and-balance\">Finale options and balance<\/h2>\n<p>Prepared fight: Voss plus one surviving corpse; second corpse arrives in round 3, visibly approaching a round beforehand. No more than three enemies total. If PCs are badly depleted, use Voss alone. Dread already increases difficulty; never add a standard Ghost, Wraith, or Ghoul on top.<\/p>\n<p>The ward doorway and cell gate let the party restrict enemy numbers. Capturing him is optional: repeated shackle hits can keep him tangible long enough to destroy. Radiant attacks, turning, spells, and smart terrain use still function; the special iron rule does not negate class abilities.<\/p>\n<p>Let the PCs lead. A goblin helping with cuffs uses Help rather than an extra attack. Resting and preparing are intended; don&#39;t force an exhausted party into the boss encounter to restore tension.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"outcomes-and-rewards\">Outcomes and rewards<\/h2>\n<p>Destroy Voss: his twelve-name list reverts to its historical state, the bell falls silent, and original corpses collapse.<br \/>\nEscape without destroying him: survivors are safe outside the prison. Seal the breach and decide whether to return with help.<br \/>\nFailure to save every goblin is not failure of the adventure. Rikka acknowledges survivors by their own names at the first meal aboveground.<\/p>\n<p>Rewards: 100 gp contract, 45 gp in old prison pay chits exchangeable at the castle, the two healing draughts, and level 3 on completion. Return any dead goblins&#39; tools to their companions.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"producer-39-s-final-assessment\">Producer&#39;s final assessment<\/h2>\n<p>The human contributions supply the strongest structure: multi-night excavation, borrowed prisoner names, intervening dungeon encounters, and tangible spirit-binding equipment. The necessary implementation work is connecting those ideas with discoverable clues, consistent supernatural limits, preventable deaths, and a finale the party may accelerate or bypass. The principal untested element remains the Dread penalty system combined with the boss fight.<\/p>\n<p>Rules references: official 2014 Basic Rules monsters chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/basic-rules-2014\/monsters\">https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/basic-rules-2014\/monsters<\/a> ; official encounter guidance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/br-2024\/dms-toolbox\">https:\/\/www.dndbeyond.com\/sources\/dnd\/br-2024\/dms-toolbox<\/a> . The latter is revised-edition guidance, not a claim that this homebrew has an official CR.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/\">&larr; Return to the Journal<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trapped beneath Blackthorn Castle, four second-level adventurers and eight goblin miners must survive an executioner\u2019s unfinished list. A complete D&#038;D 5e horror adventure with dungeon locations, encounters, and Dread rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","_aioseop_title":"","_aioseop_description":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":308,"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307\/revisions\/308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.savevspodcast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}