Adventure for a level 10 party

Description: A skinwalker has taken over a casino in Baldur’s Gate called “The Joker’s Wild.” It has imprisoned a wizard and forced the man to use “The Mortis Arcanum” to create more of its kind. The skinwalker plan on taking over key positions in the city and enslaving the populace. 

Setup: After catching a serial killer skinwalker, a member of the town guard called Nancey Keene would like the players to help her find a copy of “The Mortis Arcanum” so that she can destroy the skinwalker disc that was pulled from the body of the last victim of the murderer. (See Pick a Card Adventure). She begins by having the player’s follow her to a shop known to carry dark and evil magical objects called “Oddrick’s Odditites.”

Oddrick’s Oddities:

This curious shop looks like an antique store. Weapons, clothing, household goods, books, and all sorts of strange objects decorate the shelves with tiny labels written in elegant handwriting under many of them. You see an odd orc skull under a glass case with a lock attached to it. There’s a nice little sign that says, “Skull of Ohgram – Do Not Touch!” in front of it. After a moment, an old man wearing an odd collection of clothes comes around the counter. “Ahh! Ms. Keene. It’s a pleasure to see you again. How can I be of service?”

Oddrick’s Oddities is filled with cursed and evil objects. The players may buy and trade here if they so desire. Oddrick knows of the book that Keene wants but alas he sold his last copy a couple of months ago. For a favor, he will happily look up the buyer’s name for you.

Oddrick’s Favor

According to the shopkeeper, a young wizard named Balor Warrington owes Oddrick a debt. He wants the players to go find Balor and bring him back to the shop. Balor was last seen at “The Joker’s Wild,” a gambling place in the Upper City. 

The Joker’s Wild

The Joker’s Wild is a two-story building that sits on the corner of two major roads. A wooden sign with the image of a joker card swings gently in the breeze. Two burly bouncers guard the entrance and periodically open the large oak doors for a patron to enter. They glare at you as you approach clearly assessing you as a threat and not a customer.

The bouncers will require a successful Charisma (Persuasion) check DC 14 to allow entry. They will also accept 2 gold per person as a bribe. 

“The Joker’s Wild” is a posh gambling establishment. The decorations are expensive but tasteful. Young women in tight outfits walk among the tables taking drink orders. You see a variety of different games taking place. There is a large elegant bar and several doors leading to private rooms. Two stairwells flank the sides of the room and lead up to a second floor balcony. You hear a lot of talking, laughing, and some gentle music playing from a band in one corner.

The players will find dozens of wealthy patrons here all engaged in various games of chance. The players are welcome to join any of the games but the minimum bid for any game is 10 gold. Here are a few games they can play. The players can also order drinks or food but those too will be 10 times more expensive than what they are listed for in the Player’s Handbook.

The Private Room

If anyone asks for Balor Warrington, they will be escorted to a private room where there will be a table and chairs. After a few minutes, a server will enter the room with a complimentary bottle of wine. The wine is drugged. Anyone who drinks it must succeed at a Constitution save DC 17 or fall unconscious for 1d4 hours. 

After half an hour and if anyone is still conscious, the door opens and a middle-aged gnome enters the room. He will introduce himself as Argyle Fogle and then ask the players what they want with Balor. He will say that the wizard has not been seen in months and currently owes the casino a large sum of money. Fogle will happily reward the players if they can bring Balor to him. A successful Insight check DC 10 will tell the players that Fogle is lying. 

Fogle is a skinwalker and if threatened or if the player’s don’t fall for his lies, he will fight. At half hit points, Fogle will call for help and two bodyguards will join the battle. Fogle will then retreat through the crowded casino causing havoc and chaos before pushing his way into his office.

Fogle’s Office 

The door will be locked and bolted. Players may either use a successful Sleight of Hand (lock picking) DC 16 or a successful Strength check DC 18 to open the door. Once the player’s enter the room, Fogle will smash a bottle filled with a glowing gas onto the ground. Immediately a yellow green fog spreads out into the room. The fog has the ability of the Cloudkill spell and lasts 10 minutes. The Constitution saving throw for the fog is 16. The skinwalker is immune to poison and thus takes no damage from it. However, everyone in the room has half cover for melee attacks and three quarters cover for ranged attacks. The office is 20×15 feet in length.

The Secret Passage

Once Fogle has been defeated and the cloudkill spell has dissipated, the players may search his office. A successful Perception check (DC 16) will find a secret door behind a bookcase by pulling on a book called “My doppelganger and Me.” Behind the secret door are stairs that lead down to a small dungeon room.

The Dungeon of The Joker’s Wild

As you walk down the stone steps, you can hear a distant moaning. You enter a small stone room with no windows and only a grate on the floor. Through the dim light you see a thin man chained to the ground next to a book stand upon which sits an evil-looking book. The center of the floor has ritual circles painted in arcane runes. The room smells of decay and an unwashed human body. Several corpses lie haphazardly in a corner.

The chained man is Balor Warington. He owns “The Joker’s Wild.” The book on the stand is “The Mortis Arcanum.” Balor created the skinwalker called Fogle several months ago to be his servant but Fogle betrayed Balor and imprisoned him. Fogle then forced Balor to make more Skinwalkers in a plot to control the city. Due to the nature of the spell, he could only make one during each full moon so he has only constructed five in total. Balor is grateful for the player’s release and will gladly give them each 1000 gold pieces (or casino credit for 2000 gold) for reward as well as the evil book that caused all of this trouble. 

Balor will also reveal that he has never met Oddrick but he will follow the players back to the shop. Oddrick’s favor was a ruse to set the players on the right path. They now have the means to destroy the skinwalker discs and Balor owes Oddrick a debt.