Building the Behind Bars One-Shot DnD Encounter P4

It’s time to put a bow on our pressure-packed prison one-shot encounter with the final installment dubbed “A Chance to Live!”

We need a fun, engaging combat-ending encounter here, and we’ll accomplish that with an unexpected, climatic hero’s rescue attempt. But first, a quick recap and look at our task list.

• Part 1: Feast Gone Wrong | group gets captured 
• Part 1: Behind Bars | start gathering intel 
• Part 2: Waterdeep Express | time to hit the road 
• Part 3: Chance to Live | get a chance to regain their freedom 
• Part 3: Chance to Live | surviving the unexpected ambush

Yesterday, we selected our freedom fighter – the notorious Shelley Packatase of the East Indies Trading Company. She’s a female Robinhood of sorts when it comes to uprooting evil in and around Waterdeep. She has no idea who our level 4 adventurers are beyond the fact that they were taken against their will and are about to be sold in Waterdeep.

For her DnD 5e stats and abilities, we simply grabbed this pre-built, level 8 ranger. We’re just going to change Shelley’s short swords and bow into magical +1 weapons for a little extra zing on that string and slice on those dice.

Our female hero is not alone in this fight. She travels with a band of loyal freedom fighters. We’ll utilize this level five warrior stat block: AC 16, 39 HP, longsword/shortbow weaponry. These cool minis are by EC3D Designs and come from their Scorching Sands Kickstarter set.

Packatase’s mount is a bad news bear that goes into Hulk-smash mode on command. For its angry stats, a typical dire bear stat sheet will do here, but we’re just going to reduce its hit points from 125 to 50 so they mesh better with the rest of the character levels in our campaign. This furry fella never leaves Shelley’s side and goes by the name of Arktos (which is Greek for bear). And her transformation command word is “strike.”

The bear mount miniature is by Brite Minis and the fighter fig version is from WizKids.

Our prisoner caravan consists of two covered wagons. The lead wagon is driven by a large dire wolf and contains the Cult Leader, the captain of the guard, four foot soldiers, and one prisoner. The second cart, driven by another Cultist guard, contains the remaining party members and three more Cultist guards.

The mounts are by Devon Jones on Thingiverse, the covered wagon from STL Miniatures, and the cult mins are by WizKids.

And here are all the DnD 5e stats to pair with our level four adventurer party:

• Cultist Guards(7): AC 12, HP 18, +3 attack, 1d6+1 damage
• Captain of the Guard: AC 13, HP 33, +4 attack, 1d4+2 damage
• Cultist Leader (named Favric): AC 17, HP 33
• Dire Wolf/Favric’s Mount: AC 14, HP 37, +5 attack, 2d6+3 damage
• Horse (for cart 2): AC 10, HP 13, +5 hooves attack, 2d4+3 damage
• Kobold Servant (Fen): AC 12, HP 5
• Befriended Prisoner (Fignor): AC 11, HP 27

So that’s our full cast of characters for the big battle ahead!

Packatase already convinced our traveling Cultists to take a detour off the main forest road (by setting up a bit of a roadblock). This reroute has allowed her to steer the traveling prisoner caravan into an ideal chokepoint for the vigilantes to attack. Rangers love the high ground, and that’s the theme of our gameboard.

Our core terrain for this road chokepoint is coming from Dwarven Forge and their amazing Wildlands series. Their latest (modular) trees and escarpment rocks are perfect and frame our Infinite Dimensions Games roads perfectly! To finish the terrain off, we’re using some old hedges by Miniautre Building Authority. This terrain combo gives us all sorts of options for battle.

Let’s formulate the narrative from the prisoner’s perspective.

• The party grows ever more tired and hungry.
• The bumpy roads and rough ride only exacerbate their injuries.
• Cultist wagon guards say very little, with a few even dozing off.
• One driver yells, “We’re 90 minutes out!”
• It’s eerily quiet within the surrounding forest.

DM Ben wants to paint a picture of hopelessness and desperation. It seems like nothing can save them now!

And now here comes Packatase’s brazen attack and first strike!

• A large log pokes out onto the road, forcing the caravan to slow down.
• Several Cultists are ordered by the Captain to take a look.
• A sudden volley of arrows rains down (five longbow attacks in all).
• Shelley and her bear come out of Stealth and storm from the front.

The vigilantes get six opening surprise round attacks. They aim for the cart drivers and their animals to immobilize the caravan. And here’s where the fun begins! DM Ben is going to let the game group run Shelley and her freedom fighters for the encounter. Their own characters are still bound and weak. The servant (Fen) and the disgruntled guard (Tybris) could be persuaded or intimidated (DC 14) during all the commotion to unchain the characters in exchange for their lives.

Any players freed during combat will initially have no armor or equipment and will need to grab a loose weapon (or even take cover since many of them are so weak). Watching your players operate both the freedom fighters and their own characters should be a hoot.

All the players’ personal belongings are with the pack mule at the back of the caravan, and that skittish animal bolts towards the forest during the surprise round. It dashes 120 feet into the forest before stopping. Make the group earn getting their stuff back (using a Survival check)! Several players could be at different levels of exhaustion, so don’t forget to incorporate that element.

The Cult Leader and his wolf mount are strong enough to ultimately escape. Favric even has a potion of flying (and greater healing) to ensure he survives and could potentially come back into the campaign at a later time.

There you have it! We hope you’ll incorporate this four-part one-shot into your campaign the next time you need a prisoner scenario!