The Wolf in the Corn
The Wolf in the Corn is a short, multi-encounter adventure for 4-5 players of 11th level. In this encounter, the players come across a village under siege by werewolves, and aid the villagefolk in order to defeat the threat and return peace to the people once more. Alternatively, a party that allies themselves with the werewolves may instead use the cover of allyship to attack the townsfolk when they least expect it.
Adventure Background
The village of Ruiden is a small farming settlement on the banks of the river Belthuin. Its inhabitants are families, farmers, and a handful of self-proclaimed guards, who keep the village and the cornfields around it free of threats. When one of the villagers became infected with lycanthropy, the village elders decided to exile her away from Ruiden and into the wildlands beyond. The lycanthrope, a woman named Alya, vowed revenge on the people who didn't come to her aid when she needed it most. Over the past few months, she accrued more and more of her kind, infecting travelers on the road and recruiting them into her pack. Now, she is ready to begin her attack on Ruiden and satiate her bloodlust.
Over the past few days, Alya and her pack, known as the Soothstalkers, have attacked Ruiden every night, wearing down the villagers, killing multiple townsfolk and inciting fear and hopelessness into the hearts of those who survived. When the party arrives at Ruiden, hope is already disappearing, and the remaining villagers are exhausted, wounded and scared.
Adventure Hooks
In order to put the party on the right path towards Ruiden, include one of the following hooks into your story:
- The party is asked by famed lycanthrope hunter Allis Remeraud to defeat the werewolf threat in Ruiden. Allis may show up at the village should the party need help, or she might instead request the party bring her a trophy such as a werewolf hide or a collection of teeth for her research.
- The party has a friend, family member or a mentor who lives in or near Ruiden, who is at risk from the werewolf attack. This NPC sends the party a letter or contacts them in another way to request their help.
- The party is attacked on the road by Alya and her pack, but do not manage to defeat Alya before she flees the scene. If a party member becomes infected with lycanthropy in this hook, you may choose to have Alya encounter them again later in hopes of convincing them to join the Soothstalkers.
Part 1: Day
Ruiden is a small settlement on a river. It counts about 20 houses, plus a temple, a small tavern and a number of farm buildings and shacks. About 150 people live here, of which around 20 are currently on the streets.
When the players arrive at Ruiden, read or paraphrase the following text to them:
Upon your arrival at the town, the smell of fire and blood immediately hits your senses, and you watch plumes of smoke rise from a building ahead. Patches of 8-foot tall corn are burned and footprints litter the fields. The town itself does not look much better. A pyre set up behind the town gives of a noxious smoke of burnt flesh and iron. Two buildings are nothing but ash and burnt wood, and the main thoroughfare is made from mud mixed with blood. The townsfolk look exhausted, wounded, and mistrusting.
If the party is unaware of the werewolf problem at this time, talking to any townsfolk will inform them of the situation. When asked how they can aid, the townsfolk will point the group in the direction of Zenyan, the acting leader of the town.
Zenyan (NG dragonborn veteran) is at Ruiden's temple of Ilmater, tending to the wounded from last night's attack. The townsfolk chose him as their leader after the town elders were killed in the first night's attack, targeted by Alya. Zenyan is a stern man, a farmer, but with a history of banditry. He realizes his job is difficult and prone to failure, but he tries his hardest, and the townsfolk trust him.
If the players offer their aid, Zenyan gratefully accepts it. He knows the following things about the situation:
- The attack was orchestrated by Alya. She is attempting to take her revenge for the elders' lack of tolerance. She has more than 20 werewolves on her side.
- They attack every night, after dusk, using the cover of night to their advantage. They don't take anything, so it must be bloodshed that they are after.
- They have lost more than half their townsfolk, mostly in the attack the first night, when the town didn't expect it. There are only a few warriors left, and townsfolk armed with weapons, but the situation is looking bleak.
If the players ask how they can aid, Zenyan gives some suggestions. The party can help heal the wounded, help
barricade the walls, or aid the blacksmith into smithing more silvered weapons. It is encouraged for players to also think about other ways their character can aid the town, such as hunting for food, strategizing or teaching townsfolk to swordfight. Each player can choose one task to do to prepare for the attack, and the task they choose will influence the course of the attack that night.
Healing the Wounded
If one or more players decide to aid Ilmater's cleric, Wylthurst (LG human priest), they gain the following advantage to the fight (depending on the number of players choosing this option):
| Players | Advantage |
|---|---|
| 1 | +1 townsfolk |
| 2 | +2 townsfolk and +1 guard |
| 3 | +3 townsfolk and +1 guard |
| 4 | +4 townsfolk and +2 guards |
Any player that chooses this option who has healing spells such as cure wounds adds +1 townsfolk to the total.
Barricading the Walls
If one or more players decide to aid the town's carpenter, Bruven (LN half-orc commoner with a Strength score of 16), they gain the following advantage to the first wave of the fight (depending on the number of players choosing this option):
| Players | Advantage |
|---|---|
| 1 | -1 werewolf |
| 2 | -1 werewolf |
| 3 | -2 werewolves |
| 4 | -3 werewolves |
Any player that chooses this option who is proficient with any kind of artisan's tools adds -1 werewolf to the total.
Smithing Silvered Weapons
If one or more players decide to aid the town's blacksmith, Morna (N dwarf soldier), they gain the following advantage to the fight (depending on the number of players choosing this option):
| Players | Advantage |
|---|---|
| 1 | townsfolk +1 efficiency* |
| 2 | townsfolk +1 efficiency* |
| 3 | townsfolk +2 efficiency* |
| 4 | townsfolk +2 efficiency* |
Any player that chooses this option who is proficient with smith's tools adds +1 townsfolk efficiency* to the total.
*See "Resolving the fight".
Part 2: Night
Once all players' actions for the day have been resolved, read or paraphrase the following text:
Dusk sets, and the people around you begin to grow anxious as the sun disappears behind the hills. Aside from the torches lining the walls of the town's houses, darkness begins to set, and a thick silence hangs over everything like a smothering blanket. In silence, you wait for the inevitable howling.
The battlefield on the town consists of a 100-foot square littered with debris and other junk to create cover. The floor is muddy, but not considered difficult terrain. Because of the darkness, the area is considered lightly obscured, creating disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. The southern 20 feet of the battlemap is filled with 8-foot tall corn. Any character that attempts to fight in the corn is in a heavily obscured area, and cannot see any creatures further than 10 feet away from it, unless it has truesight or blindsight.
Give the party a couple of minutes to situate themselves, create a plan of attack, and set themselves in a good spot to start the fight from. Once they have agreed on a battleplan, read or paraphrase the following text.
Dark shapes begin to appear on the hill just beyond the town's defenses, lit sharply by the moonlight. A piercing howl cuts through the silence, and you feel the townsfolk around you begin to grow tense. A baby cries in the distance. Then, silence once more, before a heavy form slams into the town wall, once, twice, three times, and the wood begins to crack. It shatters, creating a breach from which sharp-fanged, grinning wolf-human hybrids begin to pour forth, baring their teeth and claws and snarling as they approach.
The Town's Side
The group of people called together by Zenyan consists of Zenyan himself, Wylthurst the priest, Bruven and his sons Arven and Zylven, and Morna the blacksmith. Additionally, there are a base of 10 townsfolk and 4 guards (plus any additional townsfolk and guards if the players chose to help heal the wounded). See the sidebar "Zylven" for more information about Bruven's son.
When a fight breaks out, the townsfolk are no match for the werewolves. It takes one villager 4 rounds to kill a werewolf by themselves, or 2 rounds for 2 villagers, or 1 round for 4 villagers. If the party chose to help with smithing silvered weapons for the townsfolk, reduce the number of rounds with the efficiency gained from those players (minimum of 1 round applies). The townsfolk attempt to work together as much as possible.
The named NPCs work together in the background to deal with any werewolves the townsfolk or the party can't deal with at the moment. Wylthurst is a non-combatant and simply heals those wounded in the fight.
At the end of each round, roll a d20 for the town's side. On a result of 10 or lower, the townsfolk are struggling against the werewolves, and lose up to 4 villagers and 2 guards or named NPCs of your choice. On a result of 11 or higher, the
named NPCs kill a werewolf. If the party helped smith silvered weapons, you can choose to add their efficiency modifier to the roll to make the fight less deadly.
The Werewolves' Side
Alya has learned battle tactics from the last few days, and chooses to let her werewolves attack in waves. All werewolves attack in hybrid form, and are unarmed. There is 10 minutes of rest between each wave, allowing for ritualistic healing spell such as prayer of healing to bolster the party and the townsfolk.
The first wave consists of 5 werewolves. If the players have helped the town barricade the walls, the modifier gained applies here, reducing the number of werewolves in the first fight.
Once the first wave of werewolves has been defeated and the rest has been completed, Alya sends in the next of her groups, a second wave consisting of 8 werewolves. The barricade of the town has been destroyed by the first group of wolves entering, and the modifier no longer applies. The townsfolk are clearly struggling during this fight, if there are any left.
Once the second wave has been defeated, Alya and the last group consisting of 6 werewolves attack. Alya (CE tiefling werewolf alpha who wears a ring of fire resistance, see Appendix) leads her pack in this final assault. If the party defeats all of her werewolves or if Alya is reduced to 25 HP or fewer, she flees. Any werewolves that are still alive at that point (including Zylven) flee with her, possibly to regroup and try again at a later point. If Alya and the werewolves are killed, the town will no longer be attacked by the werewolves, and the townsfolk that remain are very grateful for the players' help.
Adventure Conclusion
Upon the defeat of the werewolves, the players are lauded for their help. Zenyan provides them with the village elders' treasure, consisting of 3500gp, 1d4 items from Magic Item table C and 1d2 items from Magic Item table F (ignoring any weapons or items the townsfolk would have used in the battle). Additionally, the party is welcome at any time at Ruiden and may stay at the tavern for free. The town rebuilds itself slowly over the coming months, remembering the hard times they have survived, and choosing Zenyan as their official town magistrate.
If the party dies, consider creating a plot hook for a future party to come across Ruiden, now inhabited by a powerful werewolf clan. Alternatively, the party may wake up at Alya's hideout, infected with lycanthropy and forced to do her bidding, until something happens that allows them to break out and take her on once more.
If the party failed to kill Alya, consider what she plans to do to get her revenge once more. Maybe she stalks the party, seeking a good moment to strike, or attempts to worm her way into a benefactor that can greatly improve her power and ability to take on the party. Maybe she strikes a deal with an ancient god, and grows into a monstrous werewolf form, which could be the final boss of this story arc.
And what about Zylven? Did he survive? If so, and he killed his father, would he seek help, or become bitter and secretive? Will the party meet him again, down the road?
Sidebar: Zylven
This is an optional encounter to create a dramatic scene within the werewolf fight.
Bruven's youngest has been infected with lycanthropy since a few nights ago, when he was bit. He has managed to hide the wound and his symptoms from his father and brother, staying away from any prying eyes, but when the battle starts, he feels the bloodthirst too. After three rounds of fighting, Zylven transforms and attacks. He fights to the death. If Arven dies or if Zylven attacks Bruven, the carpenter knows he has no other option and fights his son, resulting in Zylven's death. If any of the players attack Zylven before Bruven does, the carpenter flies into a rage and will forever hold a grudge against whichever player killed his son.
Appendix
Werewolf Alpha
Medium humanoid (shapechanger), chaotic evil
- Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 102 (12d8 + 48)
- Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 19 (+4) 13 (+1) 19 (+4) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0)
- Skills Intimidation +4, Perception +10
- Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons
- Condition Immunities frightened
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 20
- Languages Common, one other language
- Challenge Rating 7 (2,900 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus +4
Keen Hearing and Smell. The alpha has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Pack Tactics. The alpha has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the alpha's allies is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Shapechanger. The alpha can use its action to polymorph into a wolf-humanoid hybrid or into a wolf, or back into its true form, which is humanoid. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Actions
Multiattack (Humanoid or Hybrid Form Only). The alpha makes three attacks: one with its Bite and two with its Claws or Spear.
Bite (Wolf or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 2d8 + 4 piercing damage. If the target is a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with werewolf lycanthropy.
Claws (Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 3d6 + 4 slashing damage.
Spear (Humanoid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + 4 piercing damage.
Rally (Recharge 5-6). The alpha lets out a rallying howl to call upon its allies. Each werewolf within 30 feet of it gains advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of the alpha's next turn.
Page 1 Image art from Magic: The Gathering.
Page 3 Image art by unknown.
Page 4 Image art by @nmvsolidus on Twitter.
Adventure concept and writing by dev-the-dm.tumblr.com