The Krinch Who Stole Father Winter’s DayA Holiday Adventure for a Level 3-4 Adventuring Party

Designed for use with the world’s most popular role-playing game requires the use of the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, & Monster Manuel.

Adventure Design, Editing, Illustration, & Cartography

byRyan Friant

Nerdarchy is: Dave Friant, Ryan Friant, Ted Adams, & Nathan Riggins. Any unauthorized use of material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without express written permission by Nerdarchy, LLC. Copyright Nerdarchy 2015. All rights reserved.

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Nerdarchy would like to dedicate this adventure to Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson who’s creation has

led so many on innumerable adventures, Dr. Seusswho gave us the gift of The Grinch & all of the who’s down

in Whoville, & our Loyal Nerdarchists, especially our Patreon Patrons, your community, & support has meant so much to

us over the last couple of years over our own crazy adventure. As always- Stay Nerdy!

PerparationThe Game Master should thoroughly read the game material prior to running this adventure to be familiar with it’s layout and various features as well as familiar-ity with the basic rules. Most importantly, this is your game and your group of players- make any changes that maximizes the fun for your table and if your group does something that this adventure didn’t antic-ipate, look for a way to say “yes” if it is within reason.

This adventure is designed for a party of four 3-4th level characters, but altering encounters by adding/removing foes or traps will easily adjust the character level or party size necessary to succeed and be chal-lenged by this adventure.

Adventure SummaryIn this RPG adaptation of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a band of adventurer’s will investigate clues to lead them to The Krinch, a diabolical goblin who stole all of the gifts, decorations, and feasting foods from the citizens of Griffengaff for the upcoming win-ter solstice holidy of Father Winter’s Day and perhaps learn the true meaning of the holiday.

A Brief History of Father Winter’s DayThe first winter for the majority human colony that would become Griffongaff was particularly harsh and the earliest settlers owe much of their survival to a contingent of dwarves from neighboring Craithen Gulge, who helped the colonists see their way through the season. The next winter that the dwarves came to look in on the Griffongaff colonists, the colonists had prepared a feast and gifts for the dwarves, and the fol-lowing year the dwarves made gifts to also exchange and added to the ample feast, thus every year, on Fa-ther Winter’s Day, feasts are laid-out and gifts are ex-changed among friends. A decade ago, a jolly dwarven figure has come to symbolize the spirit of the season to many Griffongaffians, which causes a fair amount of grumbling and eye-rolling from more traditionally minded dwarves.

PrologueThe land’s around the expanding town of Grif-fongaff are blanketed by snow and the evergreens garlanded in pearlescent white. Griffongaff’s a

whir of activity as it’s citizens prepare for the upcoming feasting and gift-giving of the Father Winter’s Day holiday. The morning’s cooking fires lazily billow stream’s of smoke from many chimney’s when all of the sudden trumpet’s issue their clarion call and you hear the clear voice of a youthful crier:

Someone’s surpassed all of the locksAnd run off with our brightly painted rocks

They’ve taken our mantle hanging wool socksThe feasting food, our stores and stocks

It’s all gone- taken, Father Winter’s Day!See the mayor, he offers 1,000 gold pieces pay

Griffongaff Locations & NPCsThe following is a list of Persons & Places the PC’s may interact with as they look for clues:• A Commoner Family: Shandor (a brick mason),

Ginny (a washer woman), and their children Shan-dor Jr., Thomas, and Yvette.

• A Tradesmen Family: Ungthur Sootbrow (a black-smith’s assistant), Olga, and their children Swain and Anders. If the PC’s look to find more of this family, they find that Ungthar’s a blacksmith’s as-sistant at Faygen’s Forge and it’s rumored Faygen’s going to pass the business to Ungthur as he has no living heirs.

• Stars of Stone: Brigmar, Dwarven Jeweler/Crafter. A surly dwarf who you don’t have to dig too deep to find that he’s curmudgeonly about Father Win-ter’s Day, but concedes it’s great for business.

• Mayor/Owner of Hemsworthy’s Fine Garments: Lyndon Hemsworthy, Halfling. Amiable and plump. His shop’s slogan is “It’s unworthy unless it’s Hemsworthy.”

• Hamil’s Mortar & Pestle: Hamil, Older Human Apothocary. Tends to lose train of thought and stare-out in the distance. Can be consulted about the rock, pine needles, and fur debris.

• The Griffon’s Pride: Reina Griffonspride, Gnome Innkeeper. An attractive blonde, she’s bubbly, welcoming if a bit brusque, she’s preoccupied that things runs smoothly in her establishment. This inn’s signpost has the design of a heraldric device- a kite shield with a large image of a golden grif-fon wearing a crown. A high-end inn that caters to wealthier tradesmen, merchants and nobles of

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Griffongaff.• The Jolly Dwarf: Jarmund, Human Innkeeper. Jar-

mund is brawny with a gut and a look about him that he may have orcish blood. As long as harm doesn’t come to his estabishment, he conducts business on a “need to know” basis and he feels there’s little he needs to know. The signpost has an icon of an obese, inebriated dwarf with a tankard in each hand, many tankards at his feet, and is dressed as a “Father Winter”. A seedy dive where those down on their luck or spoiling for a fight tend to drink.

Investigation (600XP)After hours of searching several areas of the town with the appopriate checks the PC’s gain gather the following clues:• If the PC’s search the streets a DC 14 Wisdom

(Survival or Perception) or Intelligence (Investiga-tion) check finds sleigh tracks crisscrossing town, the fresher ones being heavier.

• If the PC’s search homes that have been burglar-ized with a DC 17 Wisdom (Survival or Percep-tion) or Intelligence (Investigation) check they find

traces of rock, pine needles, and coarse fur.• If the PC’s spend a length of time searching the

streets, a DC 13 Wisdom (Survival or Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check, finds littered throughout town in alleyways and behind barrels, vials and bottles with the barest traces of liquid in them. One is a smoky gray and the other a spar-kling clear fluid.

• If the PC’s investigate the liquid inside of the vials and bottles with a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana or Alchemy Tools) check, the gray potion, when the liquid is brought across shadows, appears to blend in with them and deaden noise (Potion of Stealth), while the clear sparkling liquid seems to be very excitable and move much quicker than a liquid of it’s density ought to (Potion of Haste).

• When the PC’s examine the detritus from the homes with a DC 14 Wisdom (Survival) or Intelli-gence (Nature) check, based on the rock fragments and the needles of the spur pine tree, it looks like this sample came from a mountain pass called Gargrim’s Gate, located two day’s ride northwest of Griffongaff.

• Upon examining the fur a DC 20 Wisdom (Sur-vival) or Intelligence (Nature) check, it appears to

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be the fur of an intelligent, malevolent canine creature known as a worg, typically a favored mount of many goblinoids.

• Talking to the townsfolk with a DC 5 Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) or Intelligence (In-vestigation) check, you hear rumors of an odd, pale, tall, burly fellow with a great big bushy beard dressed in tattered and worn red clothes with a strange accent and who had a lot of ques-tions about the Father Winter’s Day celebration. When asked for his name, he replied “Humy” after a pause. A townsfolk suggests (or anyone from Griffongaff would know) that The Jolly Dwarf’s a good place to look for seedy characters. Anyone who speaks Goblin or makes a DC 13 Intelligence (History or Investigation) check recognizes this as a slang term a goblinoid might use for a human.

• Outside of the town, just beyond the city’s wall construction, a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival or Per-ception) check, reveals the tracks of a heavily laden sleigh and a canine pulling that are easy to follow as they were very poorly concealed.

Finding and following-up on all of the clues can take 3-6 hours depending on how efficient you feel the PC’s were.

Fighting Father Winters at the Jolly Dwarf (200XP)• A raucous crowd.• Smell of spilled ale and cheap wine.• Musky body odors.There’s 8 burly men of (5) human, (2) 1/2 orc, and (1) dwarvish decent in worn red clothes with bushy beards, some of them with actual facial growth and some costuming that’s pulled down about their necks sitting around a worn table. At the PC’s questioning, the 8 drunk men stagger to their feet. They attack with tactical disadvantage, have a -2 penalty to their AC (factored in their statistics), but won’t draw a weapon or do lethal damage unless the PCs do so first. If weap-ons are drawn, each has a dagger (d4+2 piercing) and a heavy club (d6+2 bludgeoning).

• AC 10, HP 9, two +4 Fist Attacks (3 non-lethal bludgeoning). 25XP

Layer Action: On initiative 20, each round tankards are thrown at d4 random PC’s with tactical advantage due to the direction being unpredictable. +0 Tankard (1d4 bludgeoning) and up to 3 Help Actions can be

used on behalf of the Father Winters per round due to it their being regulars and symbols, ableit drunken ones, of the holiday.

At dusk of the 1st day of travel: Somewhere far off in the fading light, you hear the howling call and response of a large pack of wolves. A DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) or Intelli-gence (Nature) check tells you there’s a dozen of them, they’re hungry, and hunting.

A few hours into the 2nd day of travel: The cheery mid-morning sun shines down on the wet snow trodden footprints of a number of large canine paws. A DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) or In-telligence (Nature) check reveals that these tracks were made not 5 hours ago and a DC 18 check makes you certain they’ve caught your scent and are tracking you.

The 2nd watch on the evening of the 2nd day of travel: Swift padding footfalls rush to converge on your camp from all sides, snarling canine visages leer at you with eyes mad with hunger as they lurch after toward you.

Pack of Hungry Wolves (600XP)• 12x wolves (Monsters Manual p.341; 50XP).• Knowing that this attack’s imminant, the PC’s

should be allowed to try any methods that might dissuade the wolf pack from attacking or choose an area they would find advantageous for the en-counter to occur. Unless ample food is part of the attempt, any Charisma (Handle Animal) check is made at tactical disadvantage

Tactics: The wolves will attempt to form a ring around the party and will always try to square-off with the advantage of greater numbers. If a wolf is reduced to less than half it’s hit points, it will attempt to back away from the fight and if the majority of the pack’s wounded or fallen, it will attempt to flee.

You journey through the gentle upward slopes, you can see the Gargrim’s Gate off some miles in the distance, the trail rather fresh.

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The Horned Reaver Tribe Ambush (650XP)• If the PC’s examine the alcove a DC 20 Wisdom

(Perception) or Intelligence (Investigate) reveals a small room camouflaged with a hunters blind that mimics the snowy, rocky terrain that the barbar-ians are hiding within with their mounts.

• A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception or Survival) or Intel-ligence (Investigate) check reveals what appears to be a span where the worg ran faster, accelerated the sleigh, and lept over a 15’ section of the trail.

• Spiked Pit Trap: If the PC’s notice this and make a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, they realize there’s a thin coating of ice, a lattice of thin branches and a 10’ drop into a 10 ft. x 10 ft. wooden spiked pit trap (Fall 1d10 bludeoning; Spikes 2d10 piercing).

• If the PC’s haven’t tumbled into the trap, the barbarian’s elk mounts will attempt to make that happen.

The barbarians are boastful and offer the PC’s the chance to throw their goods up over the edge of the pit (“everything but the clothes on their backs”) and

they’ll be spared to climb out like the worms they are, they’re only other alternative to have the honor of be-ing cut-down by the great and mighty Horned Reaver Tribe.

• 3x Elite Tribal Warriors with shields (AC 14, HP 22; +4 to hit, +2 to damage, one wield’s The Stag’s Horn, Monster Manual pg. 350; 50XP).

• 3x Elite Elk mounts with studded leather barding (AC 12, HP 25; +6 to hit, +4 to damage, DC 14 Strength saving throw, Monsters Manual pg. 322; 100XP).

Tactics: If the PC’s haven’t fallen into the pit trap, the Tribal Warriors will attack them while they’re examin-ing the trap. When the PC’s attempt to climb out of the pit, the elks will ram the PC’s at it’s edge (the Tribal Warroriors/Elks hold initiative until the PC’s crest the pit’s lip), if the PC’s fail the DC 13 Strength sav-ing throw versus the Elk’s ram attack, they also have to make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, if the PC remained prone, the Dexterity saving throw is made with tactical advantage. The Tribal Warriors will also strike with their weapons or if you want to use the most lethal tactics, use shove as their action to push PCs into the pit.

Treasure: An elk horn hafted battleaxe with runes carved along it (The Stag’s Horn), 12sp, 9x spears. Inside the alcove their are 3x explorer’s packs, 12x days rations, and 4x spears.

Item: The Stag’s HornWeapon (+1 battleaxe), rare (requires attunement)This +1 battle axe’s haft is made of a finely wrought elk’s horn with tribal rune’s etched along it’s length.• Once per short rest: If you move at least 20 feet

toward a target and hit with this axe on the same turn, the target takes an extra 2d6 damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

• You have resistance to cold damage.• You ignore difficult terrain created by ice or snow.• You can tolerate temperatures as low as -50 degrees

Fahrenheit without any additional protection. If you wear heavy clothes, you can tolerate tempera-tures as low as -100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The sleigh tracks lead into the mouth of a cave that is sealed with a crudely made double door portal of lashed together branches of spur pine

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tree framed by larger branches with a leather thong serving as a handle for each door section. Father Winter’s Day celebration wreathes and garlands adorn the door, which would look fes-tive in a haphazard sort of way under any other circumstances.

The Krinch’s Cave1. Guarded & Trapped Entryway (300XP)Within is a guard post room with a couple of crude wooden benches to either side and a group of goblins. Unless the goblins are silenced, they will call for reinforcements from Area 2 that will arrive in at the beginning of the next combat round.

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• Falling Net trap: Located in the center of the room is a net camoflaged to look like the cave’s ceil-ing, a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check notices the net and “rock connected to a vine” along the right-hand wall that’s the release mechanism and a DC 9 Dexterity (Thieve’s Tools) check disarms the release mechanism. The net covers a 15’ square area, those beneath the net are restrained, and those that fail a DC 10 Strength saving throw are also knocked prone. A creature can use it’s action to make a DC 10 Strength check to free itself or an adjacent ally. The net has AC 10, 30 hit points, and dealing 5 points of slashing damage destroys a 5’ section of netting, freeing anyone restrained in that area.

• 4x Goblins (wielding short swords, Monster Manu-el pg. 166; 50XP).

Tactics: The goblins will stab netted PCs and if a sin-gle PC escapes the net, will gang-up on them. If more than one PC frees themself from the net or when

2. Goblin Common Quarters (1,350XP)Through a gently upward sloping curving rough hewn hallway and the sleigh’s parked in an alcove. You see a plateau 30’ high with crude wooden ladders (if they haven’t been retracted). And on this cavernous plateau are sleeping furs, wooden benches, long tables overflowing with portions of the townsfolk’s feast, block and tackle to hoist goods and in the center is a lit fire pit ringed by stones. This room has the reek of unwashed bodies and the soot of many cooking fires.

• 8x Goblins (Monster Manuel pg. 166; 50XP).

• Grimgar, Ogre (Monster Manuel pg. 237; 450XP)

• 2x Worg (Monster Manuel pg. 341; 100XP)

Tactics: Unless the PCs manage to slay the goblins in Area 1 silently, any number of these goblins and worgs you choose can be drawn to Area 1, hearing the sounds of combat, they can also pull-up the two wooden ladders in Area 2 and make use of ranged weapons as the PCs attempt to climb. Climbing up the plateau is a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. As they begin to take casualties, the will use their superior manueveribility to retreat to Area 2. Grimgar is too large to fit through the passage-

ways without squeezing (counts as difficult terrain and tactical disadvantage to attacks and grants tactical ad-vantage to be attacked) and won’t do so unless goaded into it. If prompted to fall back, the ogre can throw the 2 large wooden tables atop the plateau, Range 15/30, +4 to hit with tactical disadvantage, but only needs to hit AC 10, 4d10+4 bludgeoning. A struck PC then needs to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be Stunned and knocked Prone during the next round.

Treasure: Scattered among the furs you find 10sp, 68cp, and 3x red syrupy potions (Potion of Healing).

3. The Krinch’s Chamber (1,150XP)A hallway continues with the upward slope until you come to a single door not unlike the entry portal to this cave. Opening this door without checking it for traps gives a foreboding “click” of a poisoned dart trap being triggered. Beyond is a room crammed with the festive decorations, gifts, and feasting foods of the townsfolk of Griffengaff. There’s even a natural chimney with a goblinoid interpretation of a hearth on one wall. Amid this, a group of five goblins, one dressed in a dingy red suite, a fur rimmed stocking cap on his head, who has rage in his eyes that you would disturb his revelry. His pet worg with an elk’s horn lashed to his head snarls at you.

• Poison Darts: A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices the mechanism latch attached to the stone wall and the holes across from the door the darts will fire from once trig-gered. A DC 13 Dexterity (Thieve’s Tools) will disarm the firing mechanism if a PC has them.

When a PC opens the door, a “click” sounds, four darts fire at the party. +8 dart (1d4 piercing and 2d10 poison, DC 15 Constitution saving throw for half dam age) vs. random target within 10 ft. of the door.

• Krinch, Goblin (detailed below: 450XP)• Elite Worg (AC 15, HP 50; +6 to hit, +4 to damage,

DC 14 Strength saving throw, Monster Manuel pg. 341; 200XP)

• 4x Elite Goblins (AC 16, HP 21; +5 to hit, +3 to damage; Dex +2, Con +2; Monster Manual pg.166; 100XP).

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KrinchSmall humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evilArmor Class 18 (studded leather, shield)Hit Points 36 (8d6+8)Speed 30 ft.Str 12, Dex 19*, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10Skills Stealth +8, Perception +5Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15Languages Common, GoblinChallenge 2 (450 XP)Nimble Escape. Krinch can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Krinch deals an extra 1d6 damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has tactical advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 ft. of a non-incapacitated ally of Krinch.ActionsMultiattack. The Krinch makes two attacks with its scimitar or javelins.Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+4 slashing.Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit 1d6+4 piercing.ReactionsParry. Krinch adds 2 to its AC against one melee at-tack that would hit it. To do so, Krinch must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.OR

Redirect Attack. When a creature Krinch can see tar-gets it with an attack, Krinch chooses another goblin within 5 feet of it. The two goblins swap places, and the chosen goblin becomes the target instead.

Tactics: Krinch and his cohorts are likely to be aware and prepared for the PCs. Krinch will have drank a Potion of Haste prior to combat beginning. Krinch will always attack in concert with another creature and will do his best to keep a potential goblin shield within reach, but if an attack just barely hit, Krinch will instead make use of his parry. If all of his allies are dropped, Krinch will attempt to flee or beg for mercy, invoking the spirit of the season.

Treasure: Wolf pelt lined bracers (*Bracers of Quick-ness, grants Dexterity 19), Bag of Holding, A blue finely made box with the inials “F.M.” embossed on the top with spaces for 8 potions with the following inside: a smoky gray potion (Potion of Stealth) and a sparkling clear potion (Potion of Haste), a fine piece of parchment accompanies the box, but appears blank (if held against ice or something else with a freezing tempature, it reads: Use these potions well in your endeavors and there may be more in store for you. Your friend in the North, Frost Miser), 300gp, 1800sp, food for many feasts, and a multitude of decorations and art objects that would overfill a sleigh (5,000gp value).

EpilogueWith only difficulty of navigating a sleigh across the terrain back to Griffengaff, you drive the sleigh to the center of town with the jubuliant fanfare of trumpets and the cheers of the grateful citizenry. A grand feast is prepared where you are guests of honor, sitting at mayor Hemsworthy’s table. You are presented with medals with the seal of Griffengaff engraved with your name and you’re rewarded the 2,000gp.

If asked about this “Frost Miser”, no one seems to have heard anything about him as of yet...

Awarding Experience PointsYou can either award Session-Based Experience and simply allow the characters to advance one level once this adventure has concluded or you can tally up the experience points from each encounter and then award each player a 1,000XP Story Award.