Monster Ring Adventure module

Recommended Party Level 1-3

Adventure Summary: A young boy named Timmy has been cursed with a monster ring and transformed into a hippogriff. Only Timmy’s sister Emily knows what really happened. Timmy’s parents think that a hippogriff has killed their son. They will hire the adventurers to destroy the beast. If the player’s don’t kill Timmy, they can try to help him. He won’t be able to communicate verbally even if the players can speak to animals but Timmy will indicate through pantomime that he needs to go to a lighthouse and hug someone there.

Adventure Hook: You are traveling down a coastal road. The wind is strong and salty. You hear seagulls calling to one another in the sky. It is a peaceful and warm day. Along the road you can see a small farm. The sound of a hammer rings out and as you get closer you can see a man on a ladder. He’s dressed in simple farmer’s garb and is nailing boards to an enormous hole in the side of the house. 

The man’s name is Alan Burke. He lives on the farm with his wife Isabelle and their five-year old daughter Emily. They had an eight-year old son named Timmy but a hippogriff attacked their farm a couple of days ago and killed him. The hole in the house leads to Timmy’s room. They woke up in the morning to a crash. They ran to see what happened but they were too late. Timmy was gone and the hippogriff was flying away. They are concerned for the safety of their daughter and wish to hire the party to kill the murderous creature. They can offer a week’s worth of rations and 10 gold pieces. They are pretty sure the hippogriff is hiding in some caves nearby where the children liked to play. Emily will be quiet throughout the conversation.

If the player’s investigate Timmy’s room, a successful Perception check (DC 8) will find a lot of feathers. A successful Knowledge Nature check (DC 10) will determine they are hippogriff feathers. A successful Investigation check (DC 12) will find that there is no blood in the room and a successful Investigation check (DC 14) will also determine that the hole in the wall originated from inside the room.

Coastal Caves 

As you approach the caves described by Farmer Burke, you can hear the sound of waves crashing against the surf. The sand here is soft and slippery. From several large rocks ahead of you comes a piercing cry. A hippogriff emerges from behind one and screeches a warning in your direction. It looks angry.

Have a battle with the hippogriff: The ground is considered rough terrain. The hippogriff will attack if threatened but will not make the first attack. If killed, it will revert back into Timmy and the monster ring will slip from his dead fingers. The adventure is over and the players may return Timmy’s body for the gold reward. If injured, at the start of its next turn the hippogriff will retreat and hide inside the cave. If the players show signs of sparing the hippogriff they will hear a tiny voice cry out, “Don’t hurt him.” Emily will run forth and put herself between the players and the hippogriff. On a successful Charisma check (DC 10), Emily will reveal that the hippogriff is really Timmy. The other day, she and Timmy were playing in the caves when they came across an old chest and they found a ring inside it. Timmy took the ring and put it on. The hippogriff will show its claw where a gold ring with a ruby tightly binds his flesh. Emily will show the players the chest they found. Inside are some old sailor’s clothes and a water-logged journal. The journal is mostly unreadable but it is labeled with the name “Duncan Gillis” and there’s a drawing inside of a lighthouse and the name “Voras Ferry.” Timmy will become very excited by the picture and try to claw at the journal. Anyone with a familiarity of the area or asks one of the locals will learn that Voras Ferry is a coastal town about three days journey to the south.

Timmy is not very good at flying and will not be able to fly the player’s there. He will need to be escorted on foot. It would be best if the player’s did not take Emily. 

The road to Voras Ferry:

Day 1 – Along the way to Voras Ferry, the players will encounter a pack of 4 (+1 per player) party of gnolls. The gnolls will try to attack Timmy and eat him. The players must protect him from the hungry gnolls.

Day 2 – The party will encounter a traveling circus called the “Mungus’ Menagerie” run by a sleazy gnome named Master Mungus. He has a number of odd creatures on display in his menagerie including a mimic, a baby bullete, and an old owlbear. He also has a number of performers from knife eaters to trapeze artists who work in his show. The show costs 1 gold to watch. If he finds out about Timmy, he will offer the players 30 gold for the hippogriff. The players can refuse but Mungus won’t be discouraged. During the night Mungus will send a group of thugs 2 (+1 per player) to try and steal Timmy.

Day 3 – The players arrive at Voras Ferry. It’s a small coastal town with an inn called “The Wind Spirit” run by twin elves named Ronnell and Donnell. The townsfolk won’t react well to Timmy being in town and will call the town’s sheriff, a burly 5th level human fighter named Margret Taggett to force the players to leave unless the players hide or disguise Timmy somehow. There is a light house on the outskirts of the town but it doesn’t look like the same one from the journal. 

If the players ask around, a successful Knowledge Investigation check (DC 14) will learn that a man named Duncan Gillis did indeed live in the town but he hasn’t been seen for almost thirty years. He was engaged to Francine O’Derry, the light house owner’s daughter but he ran off before the wedding and hasn’t been seen since. The old light house burned down about ten years ago and a new one was built higher up on a bluff. Francine still lives in the town in a small cabin near where the old light house stood. 

The Old Light House

Following the directions to the old lighthouse given by the villagers takes you to very edge of town. You can see the charred remains of what was once a mighty stone building. Next to it sits a tiny, nondescript cabin with a light flickering in the window You knock on the door and a matronly woman emerges. “Can I help you,” she asks? 

If Francine sees Timmy before being told what happened she will confuse him for Duncan. If told about Timmy, Francine will tell her story. 

Years ago, she fell in love with a sailor named Duncan Gillis. He courted her and they were set to be married. However, just before the wedding, he needed to make a delivery up north. While he was getting ready, Francine found his journal and happened to read through it. She found a list of women’s names and descriptions along with notes about them. It was clear they were mistresses and even wives and that Duncan had a different woman in over a  dozen other towns across the Sword Coast. He used the journal to keep them straight. Angry at his deception, Francine went to an old gypsy woman and bought a cursed monster ring that would turn Duncan into a beast if he wore it for a night. He wouldn’t be able to turn back into normal unless he came back to her and she gave him a hug and kiss, which she had no intention of doing. She gave the ring to Duncan right before he left and he promised he would wear it until he returned for their wedding. A month passed and then two and then a year and then two but Duncan never returned. There were rumors that his ship was lost in a storm but no one really knew what happened. 

With a simple Charisma Persuasion check (DC 10) Francine can be convinced to give Timmy a hug and kiss and return him to normal. Timmy’s parents will be overjoyed to have him back and give the players 10 gold pieces reward and a +1 longsword that has been in the family for years.