The Hundredfold Binding
One-Shot · 6 Players · Level 12 · ~3–3.5 Hours · Rhodes Sunforge · Free the Hecatoncheires
📜 Session Summary
| Style Mythic Infiltration → Rescue Artisan → Ritual Shutdown / Free the Hecatoncheires |
| Win Condition Free Briareus from the Heliorbit Manacles (Master Lock or all 4 satellite locks). Cleanup rounds follow — not a DPS race to kill all four brothers. |
| Setting Rhodes cliffside Sunforge → outer light-colonnade → lens-works fever galleries → binding vault where Briareus kneels at center |
| Atmosphere Jealousy dressed as science · the smell of hot brass and burnt time · a Hundred-Handed giant kneeling in a machine built from a murdered brother’s stolen work |
| Materials Bronze astrolabe ticking with stolen star-hours, polished fever-lenses, copper masks, kiln-vent heat, mirror-pylon light geometry, Briareus’s iron manacles burning cold |
| Tone Architectural cruelty given a face — the Heliadae are not cartoonishly evil; they have a theory about power and they are executing it; the party’s job is to prove the theory wrong |
| Players 6 × Level 12 · Duration 3–3.5 hrs |
| Villains The four fratricidal Heliadae: Actis, Macareus, Candalus, Triopas |
| Maguffin Tenages's Dial · Quest giver: Electryone |
Description
Misthaven’s mist clears onto Rhodes under a hard white sun. Electryone — daughter of Helios — reveals that her four exile brothers have returned to the Sunforge to bind Briareus, a Hundred-Handed One, with engines stolen from murdered Tenages. Free the giant; shame the jealous noon.
Sunforge Setting
- Locale: Rhodes — cliffside Sunforge / heliograph temple above the three ancient cities’ sightlines.
- Tone: Bright, architectural, cruelly orderly — jealousy dressed as science.
- Map arc: Outer light-colonnade (60×40) → lens-works / fever galleries (50×40) → binding vault (80×50, Briareus center, balconies for Actis).
- Persistence: Do not kill Helios or unmake Rhodes. Brothers are fair game. Briareus is freed, not farmed for XP via death.
Major Beats
- Electryone + Tenages’s Dial on the mist-shore.
- Enc. 1: Actis’s solar automata / light geometry — puzzle or fight.
- Enc. 2: Fever wardens; recruit Lamprias; learn Master Lock location.
- Enc. 3: Four distinct Heliadae defend the binding; free Briareus → 1–2 cleanup rounds → vow (foreshadow).
Session Rewards
Keepable prizes earned by completing (or excelling at) this session. One character claims each reward unless noted. Full cards are under Reward Cards.
| Reward | Description | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Tenages's Dial | Stolen star-hour dial that reads solar traps and opens one lock of light. | Free the Hundred-Handed One and shame jealous noon beneath the Sunforge. |
Creature / Enemy List
| Creature | Easy | Med | Hard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Automaton | 2 | 3 | 4 | Enc. 1 |
| Fever Warden | 2 | 3 | 4 | Enc. 2 |
| Actis | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ray / ranged |
| Macareus | 1 | 1 | 1 | Captain / buffs |
| Candalus | 1 | 1 | 1 | Fever / AoE |
| Triopas | 1 | 1 | 1 | Siege melee |
| Briareus | — | freed | freed | CR 16 cleanup |
Encounter 1 — Geometry of Jealous Noon
Overview
The outer colonnade is a living diagram — mirrors and Solar Automata executing Actis’s light-proofs. Actis is not here yet (vault balcony later); his geometry still kills.
🗺 Terrain
Colonnade 60×40 · bright light · three mirror pylons · two automata lanes. Touching a wrong pylon: Dex DC 13 or 7 (2d6) radiant.
Mechanics
- Non-combat path: Group challenge with Tenages's Dial — Arcana/Investigation/Survival 4 successes before 3 failures (DC 14). Success: automata power down; Long Rest in a shaded alcove.
- Combat path: 3 automata. Destroying all pylons (AC 12 / HP 15 each) deactivates remaining automata at start of next round.
- Fail the skill path loudly → Hard Enc. 2 adds +1 fever warden.
Creature Cards
Solar Automaton
Medium Construct, Unaligned · CR 2 · Actis’s outer geometry
AC 15 | HP 39 | Speed 30 ft.
Immune poison, exhaust · Vulnerable to lightning · Mirror plating
Suntrack. While in bright light, +1 to attack rolls.
Multiattack. Two arm-blades.
Arm-Blade. +4 to hit. Hit: 7 (1d8+2) slashing + 3 (1d6) radiant.
Lens Burst (Recharge 5–6). 15-ft cone Dex DC 12; 9 (2d8) radiant.
Tenages's Dial
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: palm-sized bronze astrolabe, ticking with stolen star-hours
Handout (23 words). "When hundred hands are pinned by jealous noon, turn Tenages’s hours against the locks — free the mountain of arms."
Enc. 1–2. Action (1/short rest): read the light — advantage on one Investigation, Arcana, or Survival check to navigate solar traps / fever-wards.
Enc. 3. Action adjacent to a Solar Lock: spend the dial’s turn (once per lock, or central Master Lock once) — that lock opens (no check) or DC 14 Arcana/Religion if you prefer tension. Opening the Master Lock (or all 4 satellite locks) frees Briareus.
Encounter 2 — Fever in the Lens-Works
Overview
Hot brass galleries smell of Candalus’s craft. 3× Fever Wardens guard Lamprias chained beside a rack of binding lenses. A mural shows four locks around a mountain of arms.
🗺 Terrain
Lens-works 50×40 · two kiln vents (difficult terrain; end turn = 3 fire) · hanging lenses (½ cover; smash AC 10 / HP 5 to drop disadvantage on warden Perception).
Mechanics
- Non-combat: Bluff as Helios inspectors (Deception/Persuasion DC 14) or vent steam to cover a stealth free (Stealth DC 13). Dial grants adv once.
- RECRUITMENT: Free Lamprias → Master Lock ID + Help on Dial in Enc. 3.
- Combat: wardens focus the Dial-bearer. Candalus’s voice echoes (no card yet) promising “hours of fever” if they press on.
Creature Cards
Fever Warden
Medium Humanoid, Neutral Evil · CR 1 · Candalus’s cult levy
AC 13 | HP 32 | Speed 30 ft.
Copper masks; scent of hot metal
Spear. +3 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d6+1) piercing + 3 (1d6) fire.
Fever Brand (1/day). Melee +3; Hit: target Con DC 12 or poisoned 1 minute (repeat end of turns).
Lamprias the Lens-Wright
Medium Humanoid, Neutral Good · CR 1 · Recruitable
AC 12 | HP 27 | Speed 30 ft.
Rhodes artisan forced to polish the binding lenses
RECRUITMENT. Free him in Enc. 2 (Ath DC 12 vs. fever-chains, or Persuasion DC 13 vs. guards). In Enc. 3 he can Help on Dial checks and knows which lock is the Master Lock (auto-ID).
Hammer. +4 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning.
Polished Flare (1/encounter). Bonus action: one creature within 30 ft. Dex DC 12 or blinded until end of its next turn.
Electryone (Quest Giver)
Medium Celestial (demigoddess), Neutral Good · Daughter of Helios & Rhode
Mist-meets-Rhodes: solar diadem, voice like noon wind
Motivation. Her four brothers — Macareus, Candalus, Triopas, and Actis — have returned to Rhodes in secret to bind Briareus the Hecatoncheires beneath the Sunforge. Stop the ritual without declaring war on Helios.
Secret. They murdered Tenages for his science; the binding engine is built from his stolen dials. Freeing Briareus shames them more than killing them would.
Persistence. Helios is not a target. The brothers are demigod-blooded mortals — killable. Briareus must be freed, not slain.
Encounter 3 — The Hundredfold Binding (Boss)
Overview
Briareus is kneeling. A hundred arms folded, each wrist in a separate manacle-strand, all of them fed into the Heliorbit apparatus at center. He is not struggling. He stopped struggling some time ago; you can see the marks of where he tried. He looks at the party when they enter with the expression of someone who has heard the door open a hundred times and learned not to believe it means anything until the lock clicks. The brothers are already in position — Actis on the west balcony, Macareus at the north stair, Candalus among the kiln channels, Triopas on the south floor. They were expecting trouble. They built a room for it.
The four Heliadae defend the binding vault. Primary win: open the Master Lock with Tenages’s Dial or open/destroy all 4 satellite locks. Once Briareus is free, run 1–2 cleanup rounds then his Vow.
Encounter Roster (Deadly)
- Actis (CR 5 · 1,800 XP) — west balcony
- Macareus (CR 6 · 2,300 XP) — north stair
- Candalus (CR 5 · 1,800 XP) — kiln channels
- Triopas (CR 5 · 1,800 XP) — south floor
XP Budget (Deadly)
- 1,800 + 2,300 + 1,800 + 1,800 = 7,700 XP base
- Briareus freed: 1–2 cleanup rounds (CR 16 cleanup equivalent)
- Combined effective pressure ≈ Deadly for 6×L12 given four distinct threat jobs
🗺 Terrain & Features
Vault 80×50 · Briareus 10-ft center (Huge, kneeling, 100 arms) · 4 satellite locks at compass points (AC 15 / HP 25; Linked Lock traits per brother) · Master Lock on chest-manacle (AC 16 / HP 40; Dial auto-opens) · balconies east/west +10 ft (Actis perch; Macareus access) · kiln channels south-center (difficult terrain, 3 fire entering; Candalus’s aura punishes melee) · mirror-pylon remnants (Refract cover for Actis) · Pillar Crack: Triopas can drop balcony access — Str DC 18 to brace the pillar before it falls.
Mechanics — Freeing Briareus
- Primary win: Open the Master Lock with Tenages's Dial (action, adjacent) or open/destroy all 4 satellite locks.
- Each brother still living complicates “his” lock (see Linked Lock traits). Dial bypasses the complication.
- Nearly guaranteed win: The moment Briareus is freed, the encounter is won. Run 1–2 cleanup rounds while he uses Storm of Hands / Shattering Roar to erase remaining foes. Do not prolong a fair fight against CR 16.
- If PCs insist on fighting after cleanup, brothers flee or drop; Briareus does not turn on the party.
Mechanics — Distinct Threat Jobs
- Actis: Punish clustered Dial-runners; Refract off mirrors.
- Macareus: Lock down the best fighter; keep brothers topped up with Banner/Benediction.
- Candalus: Kiln Bloom between PCs and Master Lock; aura punishes melee blobs.
- Triopas: Dive the Dial-bearer; Pillar Crack to drop balcony access.
Resolution — Vow (Foreshadow)
After cleanup, Briareus flexes a hundred unburdened hands and speaks:
"When a threat rises that hands alone cannot number — speak my name across the wine-dark, and I will answer."
DM note: Foreshadow a future session where Briareus joins against a great threat. This is not a player-controlled summoning item; Electryone may later send word when the hour comes.
Creature Cards
Heliorbit Manacles (The Binding)
Huge Apparatus · Encounter Object · Enc. 3 centerpiece
Four satellite Solar Locks (E/N/W/S) + one Master Lock at the heart
Solar Lock. Each lock AC 15 / HP 25. Destroying a lock frees that manacle strand. Linked Heliad traits hinder non-Dial opens (see brothers).
Master Lock. AC 16 / HP 40 — or open with Tenages’s Dial as an action (preferred). Opening Master Lock or all four satellites frees Briareus immediately.
Nearly Guaranteed Win. Once Briareus is free, the encounter is won. Play 1–2 cleanup rounds; remaining enemies drop or flee under Storm of Hands / Shattering Roar.
Failsafe. If the party somehow cannot reach locks: Electryone’s light (if present via Sending) or Lamprias’s Help grants Dial auto-success on Master Lock after round 4.
Actis, the Ray
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Lawful Evil · CR 5 · Founder of Heliopolis’s light-craft
AC 15 (mirrored robes) | HP 82 (11d8+33) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Dex +7, Int +6 · Resist: radiant, fire · Spell attack +7, DC 14
Role. Long-range controller / glass-sniper. Stays on balconies; punishes clusters.
Geometry of Noon. Ignores half cover from bright-lit pillars. Disadvantage on attacks while in darkness.
Linked Lock. While Actis lives, the East Solar Lock has advantage on saves vs. being forced open without the Dial.
Multiattack. Two sun-javelins, or one sun-javelin and Refract.
Sun-Javelin. +7 to hit, range 80/240. Hit: 9 (1d8+4) piercing + 7 (2d6) radiant.
Refract (Recharge 5–6). Choose a reflective surface within 60 ft.; line 30 ft. from that point Dex DC 14; 18 (4d8) radiant.
Blinding Lattice (1/day). 20-ft cube within 60 ft.; Con DC 14 or blinded 1 minute (repeat end of turns).
Step of Light. Teleport 15 ft. to a space in bright light you can see.
Macareus, the Blessed Blade
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Lawful Evil · CR 5 · Kingly exile of Lesbos
AC 18 (solar panoply) | HP 97 (13d8+39) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Str +7, Cha +6 · Resist: radiant
Role. Frontline captain. Buffs brothers; challenges the strongest PC.
Noon Benediction. Allies within 10 ft. (other Heliadae & wardens) deal +3 radiant on weapon hits.
Linked Lock. While Macareus lives, creatures other than him have disadvantage on Athletics checks to wrench the North Lock.
Multiattack. Two solar kopis attacks.
Solar Kopis. +7 to hit. Hit: 9 (1d8+4) slashing + 4 (1d8) radiant.
Challenge of Kings (Recharge 5–6). One creature within 30 ft. Wis DC 14 or must target Macareus with attacks until end of its next turn; Macareus gains 15 temporary HP.
Radiant Banner (1/day). Allies within 30 ft. gain 10 temporary HP; enemies in range Wis DC 14 or frightened until end of their next turn.
Parry. Add 3 to AC vs. one melee attack that would hit.
Candalus, the Fever
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Neutral Evil · CR 5 · Exile of Cos — plague-heat alchemist
AC 14 | HP 90 (12d8+36) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Con +6, Int +6 · Immune: poisoned · Resist: fire
Role. Area denial / DoT. Turns the floor into a kiln; softens targets for Triopas.
Heat-Sickness Aura. Creatures that start their turn within 10 ft. Con DC 14 or poisoned until start of their next turn (fever shakes: disadvantage on Concentration).
Linked Lock. While Candalus lives, the West Lock is red-hot — touching it without the Dial deals 7 (2d6) fire.
Multiattack. Two fever-rods, or one rod and Kiln Bloom.
Fever-Rod. +5 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6+2) bludgeoning + 7 (2d6) fire; Con DC 14 or poisoned until end of next turn.
Kiln Bloom (Recharge 5–6). 20-ft radius centered on a point within 60 ft.; Dex DC 14; 14 (4d6) fire; area becomes difficult terrain (hot brass) for 1 minute.
Copper Vapor (1/day). 30-ft cone Con DC 14; 18 (4d8) poison; failure also blinded until end of next turn.
Triopas, the Sundering Spear
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Chaotic Evil · CR 5 · Destroyer-exile of Caria/Thessaly
AC 16 | HP 102 (12d8+48) | Speed 40 ft.
Saves: Str +8, Con +7 · Resist: bludgeoning nonmagical
Role. Melee wrecking ball. Cracks cover, shoves PCs into kiln zones, threatens the Dial-bearer.
Siege Temper. Double damage to objects and structures (railings, lens-scaffolds).
Linked Lock. While Triopas lives, the South Lock cannot be opened by damage — only by the Dial or Briareus’s thrash after freedom.
Multiattack. Two spear attacks. If both hit the same creature, shove it 10 ft. (Str contest vs. +8).
Sundering Spear. +8 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) piercing + 4 (1d8) radiant.
Pillar Crack (Recharge 5–6). Strike a 5-ft pillar/scaffold (AC 14 / HP 20) or the ground; each creature in 10-ft radius Dex DC 15 or 11 (2d10) bludgeoning and prone.
Charge of Three Points (1/day). Move up to Speed without provoking; one spear attack with advantage; Hit: +9 (2d8) radiant and target stunned until end of its next turn (Con DC 15).
Briareus (Aegaeon), Hecatoncheires
Huge Celestial Giant, Chaotic Good · CR 16 · FREEING = win · Not a boss to kill
AC 18 | HP 287 (23d12+138) | Speed 40 ft.
Saves: Str +14, Con +11, Wis +8 · Resist: BPS nonmagical, radiant · Immune: frightened, paralyzed · LR 3/day
Hundred Hands. Can grapple up to four creatures at once. Ignores the Extra Attack limit for Slam when using Storm of Hands.
Persistence. Iconic Hundred-Handed One — do not make killing him a win condition. He begins the fight bound (incapacitated, immune to damage from PCs, regenerates binding stress).
Cleanup Mandate. Once freed, he spends 1–2 rounds annihilating remaining Heliadae/minions, then speaks his vow and departs into mist/sea-cliff spray. He is overtuned on purpose.
Foreshadow Vow. After cleanup: "When a threat rises that hands alone cannot number — speak my name across the wine-dark, and I will answer." DM note: future session ally; not a PC summon spell.
Storm of Hands (Cleanup). Six Slam attacks, divided as he likes among creatures of his choice within 15 ft.
Slam. +14 to hit, reach 15 ft. Hit: 22 (3d8+9) bludgeoning. On hit vs. a Heliad: also knock prone.
Fling. One grappled Large or smaller creature thrown 40 ft.; Dex DC 19 or 18 (4d8) bludgeoning and prone.
Shattering Roar (1/day, on free). Each enemy within 60 ft. Con DC 19 or 27 (6d8) thunder and stunned until end of Briareus’s next turn. Automatically breaks any remaining Solar Locks.
Detect (1). Perception check.
Slam (1). One Slam.
Sweep (2). Each creature in a 15-ft cone Dex DC 19 or 14 (4d6) bludgeoning and pushed 10 ft.
Tenages's Dial
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: palm-sized bronze astrolabe, ticking with stolen star-hours
Handout (23 words). "When hundred hands are pinned by jealous noon, turn Tenages’s hours against the locks — free the mountain of arms."
Enc. 1–2. Action (1/short rest): read the light — advantage on one Investigation, Arcana, or Survival check to navigate solar traps / fever-wards.
Enc. 3. Action adjacent to a Solar Lock: spend the dial’s turn (once per lock, or central Master Lock once) — that lock opens (no check) or DC 14 Arcana/Religion if you prefer tension. Opening the Master Lock (or all 4 satellite locks) frees Briareus.
⚖️ Difficulty Scaling
As Written ★ — 6 Players, Average Level 12
- Baseline for this guide. Encounter 1–2 are Hard; the final encounter is Deadly for six PCs at average level 12.
- XP budgets (6×L12 thresholds): Hard ≈ 14,400 · Deadly ≈ 22,800. Prefer mythic pressure, lair actions, and elite packs over endless CR1 swarms.
Library Standard — 6 Players, Average Level 8
- Major dial-back: reduce boss HP ~35–40%; strip one legendary action and one recharge; Favor/track thresholds −2 where present; skill DCs −2; cut one full minion wave from each fight.
Easier (table still high-tier)
- APL 10–11: boss HP −15%; remove one legendary; final Deadly → Hard by cutting one elite.
Harder
- APL 13–14 or seven PCs: boss HP +15%; +1 legendary; add one lair pulse or elite reinforcement mid-finale.
📋 Appendix — Cards
Quest / Item / Allies
Electryone (Quest Giver)
Medium Celestial (demigoddess), Neutral Good · Daughter of Helios & Rhode
Mist-meets-Rhodes: solar diadem, voice like noon wind
Motivation. Her four brothers — Macareus, Candalus, Triopas, and Actis — have returned to Rhodes in secret to bind Briareus the Hecatoncheires beneath the Sunforge. Stop the ritual without declaring war on Helios.
Secret. They murdered Tenages for his science; the binding engine is built from his stolen dials. Freeing Briareus shames them more than killing them would.
Persistence. Helios is not a target. The brothers are demigod-blooded mortals — killable. Briareus must be freed, not slain.
Tenages's Dial
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: palm-sized bronze astrolabe, ticking with stolen star-hours
Handout (23 words). "When hundred hands are pinned by jealous noon, turn Tenages’s hours against the locks — free the mountain of arms."
Enc. 1–2. Action (1/short rest): read the light — advantage on one Investigation, Arcana, or Survival check to navigate solar traps / fever-wards.
Enc. 3. Action adjacent to a Solar Lock: spend the dial’s turn (once per lock, or central Master Lock once) — that lock opens (no check) or DC 14 Arcana/Religion if you prefer tension. Opening the Master Lock (or all 4 satellite locks) frees Briareus.
Lamprias the Lens-Wright
Medium Humanoid, Neutral Good · CR 1 · Recruitable
AC 12 | HP 27 | Speed 30 ft.
Rhodes artisan forced to polish the binding lenses
RECRUITMENT. Free him in Enc. 2 (Ath DC 12 vs. fever-chains, or Persuasion DC 13 vs. guards). In Enc. 3 he can Help on Dial checks and knows which lock is the Master Lock (auto-ID).
Hammer. +4 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning.
Polished Flare (1/encounter). Bonus action: one creature within 30 ft. Dex DC 12 or blinded until end of its next turn.
Heliorbit Manacles (The Binding)
Huge Apparatus · Encounter Object · Enc. 3 centerpiece
Four satellite Solar Locks (E/N/W/S) + one Master Lock at the heart
Solar Lock. Each lock AC 15 / HP 25. Destroying a lock frees that manacle strand. Linked Heliad traits hinder non-Dial opens (see brothers).
Master Lock. AC 16 / HP 40 — or open with Tenages’s Dial as an action (preferred). Opening Master Lock or all four satellites frees Briareus immediately.
Nearly Guaranteed Win. Once Briareus is free, the encounter is won. Play 1–2 cleanup rounds; remaining enemies drop or flee under Storm of Hands / Shattering Roar.
Failsafe. If the party somehow cannot reach locks: Electryone’s light (if present via Sending) or Lamprias’s Help grants Dial auto-success on Master Lock after round 4.
Briareus (Aegaeon), Hecatoncheires
Huge Celestial Giant, Chaotic Good · CR 16 · FREEING = win · Not a boss to kill
AC 18 | HP 287 (23d12+138) | Speed 40 ft.
Saves: Str +14, Con +11, Wis +8 · Resist: BPS nonmagical, radiant · Immune: frightened, paralyzed · LR 3/day
Hundred Hands. Can grapple up to four creatures at once. Ignores the Extra Attack limit for Slam when using Storm of Hands.
Persistence. Iconic Hundred-Handed One — do not make killing him a win condition. He begins the fight bound (incapacitated, immune to damage from PCs, regenerates binding stress).
Cleanup Mandate. Once freed, he spends 1–2 rounds annihilating remaining Heliadae/minions, then speaks his vow and departs into mist/sea-cliff spray. He is overtuned on purpose.
Foreshadow Vow. After cleanup: "When a threat rises that hands alone cannot number — speak my name across the wine-dark, and I will answer." DM note: future session ally; not a PC summon spell.
Storm of Hands (Cleanup). Six Slam attacks, divided as he likes among creatures of his choice within 15 ft.
Slam. +14 to hit, reach 15 ft. Hit: 22 (3d8+9) bludgeoning. On hit vs. a Heliad: also knock prone.
Fling. One grappled Large or smaller creature thrown 40 ft.; Dex DC 19 or 18 (4d8) bludgeoning and prone.
Shattering Roar (1/day, on free). Each enemy within 60 ft. Con DC 19 or 27 (6d8) thunder and stunned until end of Briareus’s next turn. Automatically breaks any remaining Solar Locks.
Detect (1). Perception check.
Slam (1). One Slam.
Sweep (2). Each creature in a 15-ft cone Dex DC 19 or 14 (4d6) bludgeoning and pushed 10 ft.
The Four Heliadae
Actis, the Ray
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Lawful Evil · CR 5 · Founder of Heliopolis’s light-craft
AC 15 (mirrored robes) | HP 82 (11d8+33) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Dex +7, Int +6 · Resist: radiant, fire · Spell attack +7, DC 14
Role. Long-range controller / glass-sniper. Stays on balconies; punishes clusters.
Geometry of Noon. Ignores half cover from bright-lit pillars. Disadvantage on attacks while in darkness.
Linked Lock. While Actis lives, the East Solar Lock has advantage on saves vs. being forced open without the Dial.
Multiattack. Two sun-javelins, or one sun-javelin and Refract.
Sun-Javelin. +7 to hit, range 80/240. Hit: 9 (1d8+4) piercing + 7 (2d6) radiant.
Refract (Recharge 5–6). Choose a reflective surface within 60 ft.; line 30 ft. from that point Dex DC 14; 18 (4d8) radiant.
Blinding Lattice (1/day). 20-ft cube within 60 ft.; Con DC 14 or blinded 1 minute (repeat end of turns).
Step of Light. Teleport 15 ft. to a space in bright light you can see.
Macareus, the Blessed Blade
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Lawful Evil · CR 5 · Kingly exile of Lesbos
AC 18 (solar panoply) | HP 97 (13d8+39) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Str +7, Cha +6 · Resist: radiant
Role. Frontline captain. Buffs brothers; challenges the strongest PC.
Noon Benediction. Allies within 10 ft. (other Heliadae & wardens) deal +3 radiant on weapon hits.
Linked Lock. While Macareus lives, creatures other than him have disadvantage on Athletics checks to wrench the North Lock.
Multiattack. Two solar kopis attacks.
Solar Kopis. +7 to hit. Hit: 9 (1d8+4) slashing + 4 (1d8) radiant.
Challenge of Kings (Recharge 5–6). One creature within 30 ft. Wis DC 14 or must target Macareus with attacks until end of its next turn; Macareus gains 15 temporary HP.
Radiant Banner (1/day). Allies within 30 ft. gain 10 temporary HP; enemies in range Wis DC 14 or frightened until end of their next turn.
Parry. Add 3 to AC vs. one melee attack that would hit.
Candalus, the Fever
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Neutral Evil · CR 5 · Exile of Cos — plague-heat alchemist
AC 14 | HP 90 (12d8+36) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Con +6, Int +6 · Immune: poisoned · Resist: fire
Role. Area denial / DoT. Turns the floor into a kiln; softens targets for Triopas.
Heat-Sickness Aura. Creatures that start their turn within 10 ft. Con DC 14 or poisoned until start of their next turn (fever shakes: disadvantage on Concentration).
Linked Lock. While Candalus lives, the West Lock is red-hot — touching it without the Dial deals 7 (2d6) fire.
Multiattack. Two fever-rods, or one rod and Kiln Bloom.
Fever-Rod. +5 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6+2) bludgeoning + 7 (2d6) fire; Con DC 14 or poisoned until end of next turn.
Kiln Bloom (Recharge 5–6). 20-ft radius centered on a point within 60 ft.; Dex DC 14; 14 (4d6) fire; area becomes difficult terrain (hot brass) for 1 minute.
Copper Vapor (1/day). 30-ft cone Con DC 14; 18 (4d8) poison; failure also blinded until end of next turn.
Triopas, the Sundering Spear
Medium Celestial (demigod-blooded), Chaotic Evil · CR 5 · Destroyer-exile of Caria/Thessaly
AC 16 | HP 102 (12d8+48) | Speed 40 ft.
Saves: Str +8, Con +7 · Resist: bludgeoning nonmagical
Role. Melee wrecking ball. Cracks cover, shoves PCs into kiln zones, threatens the Dial-bearer.
Siege Temper. Double damage to objects and structures (railings, lens-scaffolds).
Linked Lock. While Triopas lives, the South Lock cannot be opened by damage — only by the Dial or Briareus’s thrash after freedom.
Multiattack. Two spear attacks. If both hit the same creature, shove it 10 ft. (Str contest vs. +8).
Sundering Spear. +8 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) piercing + 4 (1d8) radiant.
Pillar Crack (Recharge 5–6). Strike a 5-ft pillar/scaffold (AC 14 / HP 20) or the ground; each creature in 10-ft radius Dex DC 15 or 11 (2d10) bludgeoning and prone.
Charge of Three Points (1/day). Move up to Speed without provoking; one spear attack with advantage; Hit: +9 (2d8) radiant and target stunned until end of its next turn (Con DC 15).
Other Creatures
Solar Automaton
Medium Construct, Unaligned · CR 2 · Actis’s outer geometry
AC 15 | HP 39 | Speed 30 ft.
Immune poison, exhaust · Vulnerable to lightning · Mirror plating
Suntrack. While in bright light, +1 to attack rolls.
Multiattack. Two arm-blades.
Arm-Blade. +4 to hit. Hit: 7 (1d8+2) slashing + 3 (1d6) radiant.
Lens Burst (Recharge 5–6). 15-ft cone Dex DC 12; 9 (2d8) radiant.
Fever Warden
Medium Humanoid, Neutral Evil · CR 1 · Candalus’s cult levy
AC 13 | HP 32 | Speed 30 ft.
Copper masks; scent of hot metal
Spear. +3 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d6+1) piercing + 3 (1d6) fire.
Fever Brand (1/day). Melee +3; Hit: target Con DC 12 or poisoned 1 minute (repeat end of turns).
Reward Cards
Post-session keepables. Reward is the first tag. Mechanics below are for ongoing use after this oneshot.
Tenages's Dial
Reward · Wondrous · 1/Short Rest
Mechanics. Once per short rest, as an action, read the light: advantage on one Investigation, Arcana, or Survival check to navigate solar traps, fever-wards, or timed mechanisms. Once per long rest, as an action adjacent to a magical lock, seal, or binding tied to light, fire, or celestial magic, you open it without a check or impose disadvantage on the next save a creature makes to maintain such a binding within 30 feet.
Appearance. A palm-sized bronze astrolabe ticking with stolen star-hours, pointers warm at noon.
Lore. Tenages's hours turned against Rhodes's jealous locks so a mountain of arms could stand again.
Quote. "Turn Tenages's hours against the locks — free the mountain of arms." — Dial handout
Earn when: Free the Hundred-Handed One and shame jealous noon beneath the Sunforge.