TEXT:  
  The House Always Win 
  The journal found in the Quartzwall mine is proving difficult to translate. The cleric in Mountainholm 
  asks the adventurers to go to a lair nearby where supposedly a cipher can be found to translate the 
  book. What the adventurers find at this lair leads to a bunch of challenges that puts their very puzzle 
  solving skills to the test. Will they be able to survive The House? 
   
  A Four-Hour Adventure for 1st-4th Level Characters 
  2nd Adventure of the Dark Journal Saga 
   
   
  Written by​ Jonathan King 
   
  Adventure Code:​ HH-DJS 01-02 
  Optimized For:​ APL 3 
  Version:​ 1.0 
   
  Artist: ​Brandon Burt 
  Playtest ran by: ​Robert Allison 
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are 
  trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. 
   
  This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. 
   
  All other original material in this work is copyright 2019 by Jonathan D. King and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. 
   
  ©2017 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, 
  Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK 
  
   
  Introduction 
  Welcome to ​The House Always Wins​, a ​D&D Halls of 
  Heroes adventure, part of the D&D  Halls of Heroes 
  organized play system and the ​Dark Journal Saga 
  storyline.  
    
  This adventure is designed for ​three to seven 
  1st-4th level characters​ and is optimized for ​five 
  characters with an average party level (APL) of 3​. 
  Characters outside this level range cannot 
  participate in this adventure. 
  Adjusting This Adventure 
  This adventure provides suggestions in making 
  adjustments for smaller or larger groups, characters 
  of higher or lower levels, and characters that are 
  otherwise a bit more powerful than the adventure is 
  optimized for. You’re not bound to these 
  adjustments; they’re here for your convenience. 
  To figure out whether you should consider 
  adjusting the adventure, add up the total levels of all 
  the characters and divide the total by the number of 
  characters (rounding .5 or greater up; .4 or less 
  down). This is the group’s APL. To approximate the 
  party strength​ for the adventure, consult the 
  following table. 
  Determining Party Strength 
  Party Composition Party 
  Strength 
  3-4 characters, APL less than 
  Very weak 
  3-4 characters, APL equivalent 
  Weak 
  3-4 characters, APL greater than 
  Average 
  5 characters, APL less than 
  Weak 
  5 characters, APL equivalent 
  Average 
  5 characters, APL greater than 
  Strong 
  6-7 characters, APL less than 
  Average 
  6-7 characters, APL equivalent 
  Strong 
  6-7 characters, APL greater than 
  Very strong 
  Some encounters may include a sidebar that offers 
  suggestions for certain party strengths. If a 
  particular recommendation is not offered or 
  appropriate for your group, you don’t have to make 
  adjustments. 
  Before Play at the Table 
  Before you start to play, consider the following: 
  Read through the adventure, taking notes of 
  anything you’d like to highlight or remind yourself of 
  while running the adventure, such as a way you’d 
  like to portray an NPC or a tactic you’d like to use in 
  a combat. Familiarize yourself with the adventure’s 
  appendices and handouts. 
  Gather any resources you'd like to use to aid you in 
  running this adventure--such as notecards, a DM 
  screen, miniatures, and battle maps. 
  Ask the players to provide you with relevant 
  character information, such as name, race, class, and 
  level; passive Wisdom (Perception), and anything 
  specified as notable by the adventure (such as 
  backgrounds, traits, flaws, etc.) 
  Playing the Dungeon Master 
  You have the most important role—facilitating the 
  enjoyment of the game for the players. You provide 
  the narrative and bring the words on these pages to 
  life.  
  To facilitate this, keep in mind the following: 
  You’re Empowered.​ Make decisions about how 
  the group interacts with the adventure; adjusting or 
  improvising is encouraged, so long as you maintain 
  the adventure’s spirit. This doesn’t allow you to 
  implement house rules or change those of the 
  Adventurers League, however; they should be 
  consistent in this regard. 
  Challenge Your Players.​ Gauge the experience 
  level of your ​players​ (not the characters), try to feel 
  out (or ask) what they like in a game, and attempt to 
  deliver the experience they’re after. Everyone should 
  have the opportunity to shine. 
  Keep the Adventure Moving.​ When the game starts to 
  get bogged down, feel free to provide hints and clues to 
  your players so they can attempt to solve puzzles, 
  engage in combat, and roleplay interactions without 
  getting too frustrated over a lack of information. This 
  gives players “little victories” for figuring out good 
  choices from clues. Watch for stalling—play loses 
  momentum when this happens. At the same time, make 
  sure that the players don’t finish too early; provide them 
  with a full play experience. 
  
        Adventure Primer 
  This section provides the adventure's background, a 
  list of prominent NPCs, an overview of the adventure 
  in play, and hooks that you can use to introduce your 
  players' characters to the action. 
  Adventure Background 
  Long Ago, there was a beholder that sought to gain 
  great power through uncovering powerful magic and 
  magic items. He traveled to many planes where he 
  gathered a vast library of knowledge and a vault full 
  of powerful magical items. He eventually got his 
  hands or tentacles on a Deck of Many Things. He 
  knew the risk but he was willing to take it in order to 
  gain the power he desired.  
  The card he pulled was Balance which switched his 
  alignment from evil to good. With this new outlook 
  on life, the reformed beholder explored the 
  multiverse once again. In one location he came 
  across a gambling house. His experience at the house 
  made him want to set up one of his own in his home 
  realm of Toril. 
  When he returned he decided to make the gambling 
  house on the southern edge of the Western Galena 
  Mountains near Glister. He has just recently opened 
  it for business to all kinds of creatures as long as 
  they behave themselves but unfortunately, no one 
  has come to visit yet.  
   
  Location and NPC Summary 
  The following NPCs and locations feature prominently in this 
  adventure. Each NPC and location should have an entry with 
  a phonetic pronunciation and one-three sentences describing 
  them. 
  The House. ​A former plane traveling beholder that has 
  decided to settle down and run a gambling house now. This is 
  largely due to how he had his alignment altered by a Deck of 
  Many Things. 
  Deriel. ​A cleric of Denier who lives in Mountainholm with 
  his family. A dark prophecy given at his birth haunts him. 
  Adventure Overview 
  The adventure is broken down into 3 parts: 
  Part 1.​ The players return to Mountainholm to talk 
  to Deriel. He informs them of a lair of a beholder who 
  might have info to help with the book. 
  Part2.​ The players arrive at the lair to find it to be 
  a gambling house. They face 3 game related 
  challenges. 
  Part3. ​The party finally meets the beholder who 
  challenges them to one final challenge a fight on a 
  roulette wheel. 
  Adventure Hooks 
  If the players have done HH-DJS01-01 Pest 
  Extermination: ​Deriel has sent a message to you 
  that he has uncovered possible information that 
  might help him with deciphering the book that was 
  found in the dragon hoard. 
   
  If the players didn’t do HH-DJS01-01 Pest 
  Extermination: ​The librarians in Phlan are in contact 
  with a friendly priest of Denier who lives in the town of 
  Moutainholm nearby. He is looking for adventurers to 
  help him with deciphering a book and has found 
  information on a place where that info can be found. 
   
  
  Part 1. Mountainholm 
  The players arrive at Mountainholm. They can 
  explore it a little before meeting with Deriel. 
  General Features 
  Mountainholm has the following general features. These 
  sidebars should be added whenever a given location’s 
  general features should be made known to the characters. 
  Each entry should be concise and flavorful. 
  Terrain.​ Mountainholm rests at the base of  
  Western Galena Mountains. It is rocky with sparse 
  vegetation. 
  Weather.​ Although the sun is out, the air is cool and bitter.  
  Light.​ It is brightly lit. 
  Smells and Sounds. ​ The town is bustling with activity. 
  There is a merchant stand with miners buying supplies and 
  food from it. Families are out in the square talking to each 
  other. There is the smell of cooked meat and vegetables in 
  the air. 
  Mountainholm 
  Read the boxed text or paraphrase: 
  Cresting the hill, Mountainholm comes into view. The town is 
  a bunch of stone buildings built around a square. The 
  noticeably larger one is probably the town hall with a 
  merchant stand set up in front of it. The town is full of activity 
  as you see families talking to each other. Miners go up and 
  down a path into the mountains. A giant man with grey skin 
  stands at the base of the path giving directions to the miners. 
  Any character that did ​HH-DJS01-01 Pest 
  Extermination​ will notice that how bustling 
  Mountainholm now it is a direct contrast from 
  before. Players who also did that adventure also 
  know that the giant man is Quartzspeaker, the town 
  mayor and foreman of the mine.  
  The town is filled with the family of the miners and 
  all of them are willing to talk with the adventurers 
  about gossip and nearby news. The vendor in front 
  of the town hall sells items from the Player's 
  Handbook that costs less than 100 gold. He has only 
  5 potions of healings to sell though. He also sells a 
  very delicious kebab for 1 cp. Characters are better 
  off not asking where the meat came from though. 
  Developments 
  Anyone in town can point the characters to Deriel’s 
  home. Quartzspeaker is busy and briefly talk to 
  characters. If they previously did ​HH-DJS01-01 Pest 
  Extermination ​he will engage in a conversation 
  inviting them over to his place (the town hall) for a 
  meal after they finish Deriel’s task. 
   
  Deriel’s House 
   Read the boxed text or paraphrase: 
  Entering the stone house, you noticed, unlike the other ones 
  the interior is filled with a variety of curiosities. ​It is all very 
  nicely decorated with a table in the middle and different 
  assorted decorations seeming to come from far away 
  locations. You see a plaque with runes on it, a brass 
  dagger with flowery script carved on the edge, a piece 
  of paper with script unlike any you have seen before and 
  other oddities. 
  At the table, you see a man in robes reading a book. He 
  stares intently at it not noticing you enter. His hair looks 
  unbrushed and his eyes have bags under them. An 
  Illuskan woman enters the room, having heard your 
  entrance. She puts her hand on the man's shoulder and 
  the touch makes him jump. He looks up at her and then 
  notices you. 
  ‘Oh sorry I was trying to figure out any clue about this 
  book’ he says putting it down in front of him.  
  The man is named ​Deriel​, a priest of Denier the god of 
  writing. If characters had done ​HH-DJS01-01Pest 
  Extermination ​they recognize the book being the 
  one they found in the dragon hoard. If no one ran 
  that adventure then another group of adventurers 
  had cleared out the kobolds and found the book. The 
  woman is Deriel’s wife, ​Ylva​. They also have a son, 
  Eric​, who is playing outside at the moment. 
  Deriel starts to explain: 
  ●
  not progress has been made into 
  deciphering the book 
  ●
  the book seems immune to all forms of 
  magic 
  ●
  they need to find something that can 
  decrypt the book 
  ●
  supposedly there is​ beholder​ that lives 
  nearby that used to travel to other worlds 
  ●
  it might have the means to translate the 
  book 
  Deriel wants the party to go to the Beholder’s lair 
  and ask it for help translating the book. He hands 
  over a piece of paper that he copied from the book to 
  
  show the beholder. Supposedly the person who told 
  him about the beholder also told him that it was a 
  good one so the party shouldn’t have to worry. He 
  offers the party​ 200g​ if they can arrange a deal with 
  the beholder to get the tools to translate the book. 
  He provides a map to the location of the beholder’s 
  lair 
  Anyone with a ​passive perception of 15 or higher 
  notices that during the conversation the Ylva doesn’t 
  look happy. An ​insight(wisdom) check of 13​ the 
  character can tell that the talk of the book makes her 
  uncomfortable. If a character is able to talk to Ylva by 
  herself she will reveal that Deriel has become really 
  obsessed over the book even though he can’t 
  understand it. He barely sleeps and has developed a 
  very mean demeanor when interrupted while 
  studying the book. She says that it was probably only 
  because of the characters’ presence that he didn’t 
  snap at her this time.  
   
   
  
  Part 2- Who puts a 
  gambling house in the 
  middle of nowhere? 
   
  The players go to the location of the Beholder’s lair and 
  find it to be a gambling house. They must overcome 3 
  challenges in order to meet the beholder and face his 
  final challenge. 
  When you start this section read or paraphrase: 
  Following Deriel's directions, it takes half a day travel to get 
  the lair of this beholder. The lair's entrance is an intricately 
  decorated porch entrance made of white marble. There are 6 
  columns holding up the roof of the porch each with intricate 
  carvings depicting playing cards, chess, and other various 
  games. The front of the roof for the porch has the word's 
  ‘The House's House of Riches' carved into it in a very nice 
  style of Common. Near the porch a very well crafted wood 
  sign says, ‘Come in, play games, win big'. A door sits on the 
  other side of the porch made of very nice wood with a gold 
  image in the middle of it of a smiling beholder with a coin for 
  his big eye. 
  Part 1. Dead Men’s Hands 
  Upon entering through the door read or paraphrase: 
   
  Opening the door, you see a well-furnished room full of 
  tables. The floor is covered in a velvet carpet and the ceiling 
  and wall are covered in very nice artwork. Around each table 
  sits 5 chairs and a deck of playing cards sitting in the middle 
  of the green felt top of the table. Along the left wall, you see 
  an area that seems to be a bar with a huge selection of liquor 
  bottles filling the wall. A skeleton is behind the counter 
  looking at you as you enter silently. On the opposite side of 
  the room from where you entered you see a door and in 
  front of it there is a table that seats a bunch of skeletons that 
  seem to be playing a game of cards. Parts from each skeleton 
  lay on top of the table as their bet for the game. They stop 
  their game of cards as you enter and wave at you to come 
  over. 
  All the ​skeletons ​in the room are friendly and will not 
  attack the players even if attacked. They can’t vocally 
  talk but use chalkboards to write messages to the 
  players.  
  They will welcome the party as the first guests of The 
  House’s House of Riches. The skeletons will welcome 
  them to this gambling house that is open to all sorts of 
  creatures be they humanoids, monster, aberrations, fey, 
  and more. There is just a rule of no fighting allowed 
  between guests that The House enforces very strictly.  
  They will describe how each room has different games 
  in it which The House is constantly expanding with 
  more rooms and more games. The skeletons write how 
  The House will be very interested in meeting the 
  characters and they should go meet him. First though 
  one of the characters need to play a game of cards with 
  the skeletons. Win or lose they will unlock the door so 
  the characters can get to the next room.  
  The character that volunteers to play the game needs to 
  bet a piece of their body. If the player wins they get 
  advantage with all related checks for the rest of the 
  adventure. If they lose they get disadvantage with all 
  related checks until the end of the adventure. 
   
  ●
  Eye- adv/dis Initiative 
  ●
  Leg- gain/lose 10 feet of movement 
  ●
  Arm- adv/dis Attack rolls 
  ●
  Heart- adv/dis Wisdom and 
  Constitution saves 
  ●
  Brain- adv/dis Intelligence and 
  Charisma saves 
  You can either play a card game (poker, big 2, go fish, 
  etc…) with all other players being skeletons or the 
  betting player must make a ​DC 15 Intelligence (card 
  set) check. ​Once the game is over, the skeletons will 
  keep their word and one will go over to the door 
  sticking out a finger that is in the shape of a key and 
  unlock the door. Beyond is a hallway with another door 
  at the end. The player who played the game with 
  skeletons earns the downtime activity ​Buddies to Die 
  for. 
   
  Part 2. A Big game of Chess 
   The room beyond the door has its floor as a giant chess 
  board with 10 feet border around it. Each square of the 
  chessboard is 5 feet big. On the chessboard, you can set 
  up one of the puzzles from ​Appendix 1​. Pieces not used 
  are set up around the edge with the white pieces being 
  to the left of the board by where the players entered and 
  the black pieces on the right on the far side. Cut out 
  chess pieces and the board is ​Appendix 2 ​and 
  Appendix 3.​ On the opposite side of the room is a door 
  that looks just like the one at the entrance to the 
  gambling house. Above is written in common are the 
  words, " In one move, check my mate. Otherwise, the 
  knights will take offense." Black chess pieces will be 
  unable to be moved. The white pieces can be moved by 
  
  anyone but setting them down in any position but their 
  original spot or the correct spot to solve the puzzle will 
  result in the two black knight pieces turning into 
  animated armor​ riding ​clockwork war horses.​ If a 
  black knight piece is not on the board it will teleport to 
  next to the character that placed the piece in the wrong 
  position.  
   
  Once the puzzle is solved or the fight is over, the door 
  on the opposite end from where the characters entered 
  unlocks with a loud click noise. Past the door is another 
  hallway leading to another door. 
   
  XP Award. ​If the characters solve the chess puzzle 
  correctly, reward them 100 XP plus XP as if they had 
  the fight. 
   
  Part 3. The Centaur’s Board 
  Entering this room you see a statue of a centaur in the middle 
  of it, in front of it stands a pedestal. On the pedestal, there is 
  a bunch of empty slots but a few are filled in with blocks that 
  have numbers on them. On the ground around the pedestal 
  are a bunch more blocks with numbers on them.  
  The door slams shut behind you and a mist begins to fill the 
  room and you notice that you are all alone. All your fellow 
  adventurers are nowhere to be seen. The statue then opens 
  its mouth and says, ‘You have lost your way and now one by 
  one each must aid the other in completing the board in front 
  of me. No number can repeat in the same row or column. Fail 
  and you must deal with me’ With that the room becomes 
  deathly quiet.  
  Appendix 4 ​contains 3 puzzles which you can choose 
  from. Only one player at a time can access the cubes. 
  You can decide the order by initiative or just going 
  around the table. After a character places one cube into 
  a slot the rest of the cubes fade out until it is their turn 
  again. Trying to do more than one cube at once will 
  count as a failure along with placing a cube in the 
  wrong spot. If that happens the ​centaur​ attacks and all 
  the characters can see each other again. Once the puzzle 
  is solved or the centaur is defeated, the mist disappears 
  and the door on the other side of the room revealing a 
  darkness on the other side which can't be seen through 
  even with devil sight. When a character tries to go in it a 
  giant wind starts sucking sending all the characters 
  through the door into the darkness. (Magic Missile 
  doesn't work on the darkness.) 
   
  XP Award. ​If the characters solve the puzzle 100 XP 
  along with the XP for the centaur. 
   
  
   
   
   
  
  Part 3- A Great Game of Chance 
   
  At last the characters come face to face with the 
  beholder known as The House. He gives them one 
  final challenge and promises rewards if they can do 
  it. All they got to do is fight a cambion while in a 
  roulette wheel. Every turn The House will spin the 
  wheel and depending on where the ball lands it can 
  be good or bad for the characters. 
  You tumble out of the darkness landing in a pile on the floor. 
  You find yourself in a circular room with thick lines on the 
  floor alternating between black and red. There are numbers 
  where the lines meet the wall. There is also 4 nicely 
  decorated poles that extend out from the platform in the 
  middle. Above the platform floats a beholder. He is dressed in 
  what you can guess is a suit made for beholders but it looks 
  very unusual. His center eye gazes upon all of you and he 
  seems to smile.  
   
  “Hello, I am the House. I congratulate you for making it here. 
  You have made it to the final challenge. If you defeat it then 
  there will be great rewards for you. I must warn you though, 
  The House always wins.” 
  With that, he floats up and one of his eye stalks flick in a 
  direction. From that direction you see a gold statue of a 
  humanoid with demonic qualities float out from off the ledge 
  above the area you are in at the moment. It lands on the 
  platform in the middle. Then another of the beholder's eye 
  stalks point at the statue and a green ray shoots out hitting it. 
  The statue begins to move and the gold fades away revealing 
  red skin. The human-demon hybrid looks at all of you with 
  hatred in its eye. 
  “Now let the game begin.” The beholder shouts from up 
  above. 
  General Features 
  The room has a 5 foot platform in the middle and the roulette 
  wheel in the middle extends 20 feet out in a 20 foot radius 
  from that. The roof is 40 feet above the floor but there is an 
  invisible barrier 20 feet up. There seems to be a living quarter 
  for the beholder 20 feet above the roulette wheel area with 
  very nice furniture, bookshelves, paintings, and some magic 
  items. 
  Light: ​There are sconces spaced throughout the room with 
  yellow glowing orbs attached to them that makes the room 
  brightly lit. 
  Sounds: ​There is an upbeat jazz music playing in the 
  background trying to keep in beat with the fight. Also The 
  House will say stuff like ‘Time to try your luck.’ or ‘The wheel 
  doesn’t seem to be favoring you today.’ 
   
  The characters face a ​cambion​. It knows that only 
  way to get its freedom is to defeat the players and it 
  will waste no time in doing so. There is an invisible 
  barrier 20 feet up which only The House can pass 
  through along with his eye rays. Any attacks toward 
  The House bounce off this barrier. 
   
  On initiative 20- ​The House will use his telekinesis 
  ray to spin the roulette wheel. All who are touching 
  the ground must make ​DC 10 dexterity save ​or fall 
  prone. If a character ​fails by 5 or more​ they get hit 
  by the metal ball taking 3(1d6) bludgeoning damage. 
  Roll a die. If the result is even the ball lands on a red 
  and everyone gets healed for 5(1d10). Otherwise, it 
  lands on black and everyone takes 5(1d10) psychic 
  damage. 
   
  Trying to talk to The House during combat only 
  results in him telling the players that they best pay 
  attention to the fight less they might lose it all.  
   
  If the players fail 3 death saves they do not die 
  instead are stabilized but are unable to be healed 
  with a gold barrier completely engulfing them. If all 
  characters end up getting knocked out, they wake up 
  outside of the Gambling House. They are missing half 
  their gold and find a note in their pocket “The House 
  always wins” with a picture of a smiling beholder on 
  it. If there is no time constraint, players can re enter 
  and go through the challenges again although the 
  rooms have reset with different puzzles in them. XP 
  earned from solving puzzles or defeating the 
  guardians can be only gained once. 
   
  
  If the players defeat the cambion, The House 
  congratulates them all for being the victor. He 
  rewards the party ​200 gold, 2 potions of healing, a 
  potion of Necrotic resistance,​ and a ​lucky almiraj 
  foot (stone of good luck). ​If The House is shown the 
  paper with the symbols Deriel wrote on them, he will 
  recognize them as Oearth Common. He floats up to 
  his living quarters above the roulette wheel and 
  grabs a book for the characters that will translate it 
  all into common of this realm. When the characters 
  are ready to leave, stairs appear where they entered 
  from which takes them to card table room. The 
  House invites them back any time if they want to 
  gamble as long a character doesn’t act hostile toward 
  him. Characters earn the downtime activity ​The 
  House’s House of Riches. 
   
  Roleplaying The House 
  The House is an oddity being a nice beholder. His only real 
  goal is to make his gambling house a success. He will try to 
  get the characters to advertise his place for ‘All are welcome 
  here.’ He is also very knowledgeable about the planes and 
  other worlds having traveled to them before when he was 
  evil. He will gladly share any information he has about other 
  places if people ask. 
   
   
  
  Conclusion 
  Upon returning to Deriel with the book he is ecstatic as 
  he can begin translating the book right away. He hands 
  the characters a bag that contains the ​200 gold​ he 
  promised. He tells the characters that he will send word 
  when he is done translating the book and have it taken 
  to the library of Phlan. 
   
   
   
  
  Rewards 
  Make sure players note their rewards on their 
  adventure log sheets. Give your name and DCI 
  number (if applicable) so players can record who ran 
  the session. 
  Experience (Min: 900 XP /Max: 1200 XP) 
  Total up all combat experience earned for defeated 
  foes, and divide by the number of characters present 
  in the combat. For non-combat experience, the 
  rewards are listed per character. 
  Combat Awards 
  Name of Foe
  XP Per Foe 
  Animated Armor
  200 
  Clockwork War Horse
  200 
  Centaur
  450 
  Cambion
  1800 
  Non-Combat Awards 
  Task or Accomplishment
  XP Per Character 
  Solving the Chess Puzzle
  100 
  Solving the Sudoku Puzzle
  200 
  The adventures minimum and maximum XP awards 
  are located on the Adventure Rewards document. 
  Note that DDAL adventures award a maximum of the 
  “target XP” award. Only epics may grant the 
  “maximum” amount. 
  Treasure 
  The characters receive the following treasure, 
  divided up amongst the party. Treasure is divided as 
  evenly as possible. Gold piece values listed for 
  sellable gear are calculated at their selling price, not 
  their purchase price.  
  Treasure Awards 
  Item Name
  GP Value 
  The House’s Prize
  200 
  Deriel’s Reward
  200 
  Consumable magic items ​should be divided up 
  however the group sees fit. If more than one 
  character is interested in a specific consumable 
  magic item, the DM can determine who gets it 
  randomly should the group be unable to decide.  
  Permanent magic items ​are divided according to 
  a system detailed in the ​D&D Adventurers League 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide​. 
  Lucky Almiraj Foot 
  Stone of Good Luck 
  Wondrous Item, uncommon (requires attunement) 
  This red fur foot from what you are told was an 
  Almiraj hangs attached to a little clasp and chain that 
  you can put around your wrist or on your belt. You 
  swear you think it twitches when you aren't looking.  
  While this is on your person, you gain +1 to ability 
  checks and saving throws.  
  This item can be found in ​Player Handout 3​. 
  Potion of Healing 
  Potion, common 
  You regain 2d4+2 hit points when you drink this 
  potion. The potion’s red liquid glimmers when 
  agitated. 
  This item can be found in the ​Player’s Handbook. 
  Potion of Necrotic Resistance 
  Potion, uncommon 
  When you drink this potion, you gain resistance to 
  necrotic damage for 1 hour.  
  This item can be found in the ​Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide. 
  Downtime Activities 
  During the course of this adventure, the characters 
  may earn access to the following downtime activity: 
  Buddies to Die For. ​For winning in the card game 
  against the skeletons at The House's House of Riches, 
  you are invited back to play with them whenever you 
  have the time. Mark down what you bet and the 
  effect when you played them, After completing a 
  chapter in a book or completing a module, the 
  character can spend 20 downtime days to travel and 
  play a game of cards with the skeletons. Roll a die. If 
  the result is even, you get the positive effect for your 
  first combat the character participates in. On odds, 
  you get the penalty for your first combat the 
  
  character participates in. More information can be 
  found in ​Player Handout 1​. 
  The House’s House of Riches. ​You have passed the 
  trials and now can come and bet at The House's 
  House of Riches. After an adventure, the character 
  can 10 downtime days and travel to the gambling 
  house. They can choose to spend up to 50 gold 
  before rolling a d20. On evens, they won and earn 
  the amount they bet. On odds, they lose the amount 
  they bet. On a 20 they won BIG earning four times 
  what they bet and a potion of healing. On a 1 they 
  lost more than they bet and start the next adventure 
  with a level of exhaustion from having to work off 
  their losses. More information can be found in 
  Player Handout 2​. 
  Renown 
  Each character receives ​one renown​ at the 
  conclusion of this adventure. 
  DM Reward 
  In exchange for running this adventure, you earn DM 
  Rewards as described in the ​D&D Adventurers 
  League Dungeon Master’s Guide​ (ALDMG). 
   
  
  Appendix. Dramatis 
  Personae 
  The following NPCs are featured prominently in this 
  adventure: 
   
  
  Appendix. Monster/NPC 
  Statistics 
   
  Skeleton 
  Medium undead, unaligned 
  Armor Class ​12 
  Hit Points ​13 (2d8 + 4) 
  Speed​ 30 ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  10 (+0)
  14 (+2)
  15 (+2)
  6 (-2)
  8 (-1)
  5 (-3) 
   
  Damage Vulnerabilities ​bludgeoning 
  Damage Immunities ​poison 
  Condition Immunities ​exhaustion, poisoned 
  Senses​ darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 
  Languages​ understands all languages it knew in life but 
  cannot speak 
  Challenge​ -- (0 XP) 
  Actions 
   
   
   
   
  Animated Armor 
  Medium construct, unaligned  
  Armor​ ​Class​ 18 (natural armor)  
  Hit​ ​Points​ 33 (5d8) 
  Speed​ 25 ft.  
   
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA 
  14 (+2)
  11 ​(+0​)
  13 (+1​)
  1 (-5)
  3 ​(-4​)
  1 (-5) 
   
  Damage Immunities​ poison, psychic 
  Condition Immunities​ blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, 
  poisoned 
  Senses​ blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), 
  passive Perception 6 
  Languages​ -- 
  Challenge​ 1 (200 XP) 
  Antimagic Susceptibility ​ ​The armor is incapacitated 
  while in the area of an ​antimagic field​. If targeted by 
  dispel magic​, the armor must succeed on a constitution 
  saving throw against the spell caster’s DC or fall 
  unconscious for 1 minute. 
   
  False Appearance​ While the armor remains 
  motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal suit of 
  armor. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. ​The armor makes two melee attacks. 
   
  Slam. ​Melee Weapon Attack: ​ +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. ​Hit: ​5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning damage. 
   
   
  
  Clockwork War Horse 
  Large construct, unaligned 
  Armor Class ​16 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points ​19 (3d10 + 3) 
  Speed​ 60 ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  18 (+4)
  12 (+1)
  13 (+1)
  2 (-4)
  12 (+1)
  7 (-2) 
   
  Damage Immunities​ poison, psychic 
  Condition Immunities​ blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, 
  poisoned 
  Senses​ blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), 
  passive Perception 11 
  Languages​ -- 
  Challenge​ 1 (200 XP) 
   
  Antimagic Susceptibility ​ ​The armor is incapacitated 
  while in the area of an ​antimagic field​. If targeted by 
  dispel magic​, the armor must succeed on a constitution 
  saving throw against the spell caster’s DC or fall 
  unconscious for 1 minute. 
   
  False Appearance​ While the armor remains 
  motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal suit of 
  armor. 
   
  Trampling Charge. ​If the horse moves at least 20 feet 
  straight toward a creature and then it hits it with a 
  hooves attack on the same turn, that target must 
  succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be 
  knocked prone. If the target is prone, the horse can 
  make another attack with its hooves against it as a 
  bonus action. 
  Actions 
  Hooves. ​Melee Weapon Attack: ​+6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. ​Hit: ​11 (2d6+4) bludgeoning damage. 
   
   
  Centaur 
  Large Monstrosity, unaligned 
  Armor Class ​12 
  Hit Points ​45 (6d10 + 12) 
  Speed​ 50 ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  18 (+4)
  14 (+2)
  14 (+2)
  9 (-1)
  13 (+1)
  11 (+0) 
   
  Skills ​Athletics +6, Perception +3, Survival +3 
  Senses​ passive Perception 13 
  Languages ​Elvish, Sylvan 
  Challenge​ 2 (450 XP) 
   
  Charge. ​If the centaur moves at least 30 feet straight 
  toward a target then hits it with a pike attack on the 
  same turn, the target takes an extra 10(3d6) piercing 
  damage 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. ​The centaur makes two attacks: one with 
  its pike and one with its hooves or two with its 
  longbow. 
   
  Pike. ​Melee weapon attack: ​+6 to hit, reach 10 feet., 
  one target. ​Hit: ​9(1d10+4) piercing damage. 
   
  Hooves. ​Melee weapon attack: ​+6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. ​Hit:​ 11(2d6+4) bludgeoning damage. 
   
  Longbow. ​Ranged Weapon Attack: ​+4 to hit, range 
  150/600 ft., one target. ​Hit: ​6(1d8+2) piercing damage. 
   
   
   
  
  Cambion 
  Medium fiend, any evil alignment  
  Armor​ ​Class​ 19 (scale mail)  
  Hit​ ​Points​ 82 (11d8+33) 
  Speed​ 30 ft., fly 60 ft.  
   
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA 
  18 (+4)
  18 ​(+4​)
  16 (+3​)
  14 (+2)
  12 ​(+1​)
  16 (+3) 
   
  Saving Throws ​Str +7, Con +6, Int +5, Cha +6 
  Skills ​Deception +6, Intimidation +6, Perception +4, 
  Stealth +7 
  Damage Resistances​ cold, fire, lightning, poison; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical 
  attacks 
  Senses​ darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 
  Languages​ Abyssal, Common, Infernal 
  Challenge​ 5 (1,800 XP) 
  Fiendish Blessing. ​The AC of the cambion includes its 
  Charisma bonus. 
   
  Innate Spellcasting. ​The cambion’s spellcasting ability 
  is Charisma (spell save DC 14). The cambion can 
  innately cast the following spells, requiring no material 
  components: 
  3/day each: alter self, command, detect magic 
  1/day: plane shift (self only) 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. ​The cambion makes two melee attacks or 
  uses its Fire Ray twice. 
   
  Spear. ​Melee or Ranged Attack: ​+7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or 
  range 20/60 ft., one target. ​Hit:​ 7(1d6+4) piercing 
  damage or 8(1d8+4) if used with two hands to make a 
  melee attack, plus 3(1d6) fire damage. 
   
  Fire Ray. ​Ranged Spell Attack: ​+7 to hit, range 120 
  feet., one target. ​Hit: ​10(3d6) fire damage. 
   
  Fiendish Charm.​ One humanoid the cambion can see 
  within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom 
  saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The 
  charmed target obeys the cambion’s spoken 
  commands. If the target suffers any harm from the 
  cambion or another creature or receives a suicidal 
  command from the cambion, the target can repeat the 
  saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. If 
  a target’s saving throw is successful, or if the effect 
  ends for it, the creature is immune to the cambion’s 
  Fiendish Charm for the next 24 hours. 
   
   
  
  Appendix 1. DM Handout 
  Chess Puzzles 
        ​Puzzle 
   
   
   
   
  Solution 
  
  Appendix 2 DM Handout    Chess Pieces 
   
   
   
   
  
  Appendix 3 DM Handout Chess Board 
   
   
   
  
  Appendix 4 DM Handout Sudoku Puzzles 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Appendix 5 DM Handout Sudoku Solutions 
   
   
  
  Player Handout 1. 
  Downtime Activity 
  During the course of this adventure, the characters 
  may earn access to the following downtime activity. 
  If you are printing these out for your characters, 
  print as many as you may need to ensure that any 
  eligible character receives a copy: 
  Buddies to Die For 
  For winning in the card game against the skeletons 
  at The House's House of Riches, you are invited back 
  to play with them whenever you have the time. Mark 
  down what you bet and the effect when you played 
  them, After completing a chapter in a book or a 
  module, the character can spend 20 downtime days 
  to travel and play a game of cards with the skeletons. 
  Roll a die. If the result is even you get the positive 
  effect for your first combat the character participates 
  in. On odds, you get the penalty for your first combat 
  the character participates in.  
   
  Circle what was bet during the adventure: 
  ●
  Eye- adv/dis Initiative 
   
  ●
  Leg- gain/lose 10 feet of movement 
   
  ●
  Arm- adv/dis Attack rolls 
   
  ●
  Heart- adv/dis Wisdom and 
  Constitution saves 
   
  ●
  Brain- adv/dis Intelligence and 
  Charisma saves 
   
   
   
  
  Player Handout 2. 
  Downtime Activity 
  During the course of this adventure, the characters 
  may earn the following downtime activity. If you are 
  printing these out for your characters, print as many 
  as you may need to ensure that any eligible character 
  receives a copy: 
  The House’s House of Riches 
  You have passed the trials and now can come and bet 
  at The House's House of Riches. After an adventure, 
  the character can 10 downtime days and travel to 
  the gambling house. They can choose to spend up to 
  50 gold before rolling a d20. On evens, they won and 
  earn the amount they bet. On odds, they lose the 
  amount they bet. On a 20 they won BIG earning four 
  times what they bet and a potion of healing. On a 1 
  they lost more than they bet and start the next 
  adventure with a level of exhaustion from having to 
  work off their losses.  
   
  
  Player Handout 3. Magic 
  Item 
  During the course of this adventure, the characters 
  may find the following permanent magic item: 
  Lucky Almiraj Foot 
  Stone of Good Luck 
  Wondrous Item, uncommon (requires attunement) 
  This red fur foot from what you are told was an 
  Almiraj hangs with a little clasp and chain attached 
  to it, that you can put around your wrist or on your 
  belt. You swear you think it twitches when you aren’t 
  looking.  
  While this is on your person, you gain +1 to ability 
  checks and saving throws.  
  This item can be found in the ​Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide page 205​. 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/DMsGuild/Non-Publisher Titles/HH-DJS01-02 The House Always Wins.pdf