If you go down in the woods today…
C&C Forest Encounters
Published in Crusader Journal issue 20:
A pre-generated encounter that the Castle Keeper can use to add excitement to a journey through a forest or woods. This encounter should prove challenging for a group of low/mid-level characters (levels 3-5).
As the party are making their way through a forest or wood, they catch sight of a curious structure. It looks like some kind of small dwelling with five chimneys sticking out of the top – or an oddly-constructed pipe-organ made of mud. On closer examination, the structure appears to be a mud dome, about 6’ in diameter and 3’ high, with five chimneys or pipes sticking out the top. The pipes are about 1’ in diameter and about 3’ tall. If the party cast Detect Magic, they will detect a faint dweomer coming from inside the dome …
Review by CharlieRock:
Well, this issue has been pretty good so far. In fact, if the first half looks like the back half, this could be my favorite issue. … Then here are the two articles that really kicked it up a notch (for me, anyway):
“If You Go Down the Woods Today …” C&C Forest Encounters by Michael Davis. This article is as fun to read as those old “Ecology of …” articles in Dragon magazine but also is a full fledged encounter (for levels 3-5) you can stick in your game anytime somebody goes into the woodline for something. And you get a brand new monster!