Troy's Hollow Gift
One-Shot · 6 Players · Level 12 · ~3.5 Hours · Siege Heist · The Hollow Gift
📜 Session Summary
| Style Siege heist with double agents, civilian stakes, and a construct payload. |
| Win Condition Place or sabotage the wooden colossus to end the siege on the party's chosen terms without razing Troy as the victory condition. |
| Loss Condition The colossus becomes an excuse for massacre, the party is named as the betrayal, and both armies learn the wrong lesson. |
| Setting Greek siege-ditch camp → Trojan gate plaza → colossus belly and court · night of the fall |
| Atmosphere Epic tragedy refracted through a heist · the smell of pine resin and burning olive oil · civilian faces in every window |
| Materials Cedar wood and bronze pins, old linen, siege-trench clay, smoke from the altar fires, bronze owl feathers, olive-wood torch |
| Tone Mythic stakes wearing a spy's clothes — the party can end a ten-year war tonight, or light the fire that unmakes a city; the difference is one decision |
| Players 6 × Level 12 · 3–3.5 hrs · 3 encounters |
| Key Ally Cassandra, Unbelieved Witness (recruit Enc. Encounter 1 or 2) · Maguffin: Cedar Heart-Key |
Description
Sinon finds the party before dawn, smelling of horse-fat and torch-smoke, and makes the plan sound simple: the colossus is already inside the ditch; all that remains is to move it through the gate and let the ten-year siege end. He speaks quickly, in the manner of someone who has rehearsed which details to skip. The Cedar Heart-Key he gives them opens panels in the colossus's belly and, if turned correctly, determines what the hollow gift does when it wakes: gate ram, evacuation crane, troop carrier, or something that can be stopped entirely. What the key cannot do is make Sinon honest.
Troy is burning in most versions of this story. It does not have to burn in this one. The colossus is a machine with four modes; the heart-key selects the mode; the party holds the key. Cassandra is already at the gate plaza, watching the colossus come through an arch it barely fits, her face the face of someone who has been here before in a dream and knows how every version ends. She will not prove her curse. She will only name the route the civilians need and ask if the party is willing to keep it clear. Every choice between here and the finale is a choice about what kind of story this becomes.
Enc. 1 (Ditch): The key reveals the colossus has a fourth mode Sinon never mentioned. Investigation DC 14: the cedar panels list four modes — silence, soldiers, fire, and evacuation. A fourth turn "belongs to no king" because it was designed to end the siege without a massacre. Sinon knows this and has been hoping no one reads the inscription closely.
Enc. 2 (Plaza): The key quiets the colossus's joints — advantage on all Stealth checks while it moves if the key-bearer stays within 30 ft. It also reprograms Bronze Owl Sentry targeting: Arcana DC 14 to redirect the owl's alarm from the party to a specific landmark instead.
Enc. 3 (Court): Inserting the key into the colossus core and speaking the correct intention aloud chooses the mode. DC 15 Arcana to do this under pressure while the colossus is active. Cassandra can reduce this DC to 10 if she has been recruited and approves of the choice. The "evacuation" mode is the hardest (DC 18 without Cassandra, DC 12 with), but it is the only mode that produces no civilian casualties.
Key NPCs
Sinon, Professional Survivor
Sinon · Quest Giver · Neutral — Wiry, quick-eyed man with a scar on his chin from a "disagreement about strategy." He has sold different versions of this plan to Greek captains, Trojan dissidents, and one very patient god's silent priest, and he considers this a sign of good planning rather than dishonesty. He will not enter the colossus himself. He always has one exit and one scapegoat prepared, and the scapegoat is whoever handed the key to whoever opened the belly. Secret: He does not know Cassandra is on the plaza. Seeing her would shake him visibly — she is the one person whose version of events he cannot control. RP Hook: Insight DC 14: every time he mentions a specific outcome, his eyes check the quickest exit. DC 18: the plan has at least one more layer he has not mentioned. Ask him directly about the fourth turn; watch his hands.
Cassandra, Unbelieved Witness
Cassandra · Recruitable Ally · Neutral Good — Princess of Troy, priestess of Apollo, and the most accurate prophet in the Aegean, none of which does her any good because her curse ensures no one believes her. She is not bitter about this in the way people expect; she is tired in the way engineers are tired when they know the load-bearing wall is wrong. She will name the civilian evacuation routes without being asked. She will not pretend the plan has a version that works for everyone unless someone shows her the fourth turn. Secret: She knows the colossus has an evacuation mode because she saw it in a dream six years ago and has been waiting for someone to read the inscription since. RP Hook: To recruit her, listen without asking her to prove the curse — Persuasion DC 14 (DC 10 if the party has already found the fourth-turn inscription). Or simply protect the civilian route she names from Greek raiders, no roll required. She acts on party initiative once recruited.
Major Beats
- The Ditch Briefing. Sinon delivers the plan and the key. Investigation DC 14 (key): four modes exist, not three. History DC 13: the colossus was built by Epeius the craftsman, who was known for building things that could not be stopped once started — unless the builder intended them to stop. DC 17: Epeius dedicated his craft to Athena and never built a war machine that lacked a mercy-option.
- Enc. 1 — The Gift at the Ditch. Faction negotiation while the colossus looms. Greek raiders want it through immediately; Trojan dissidents want to control the timing; Cassandra names the civilian route. The key reveals the fourth mode. Branch choice is made here, or deferred with consequences.
- Enc. 2 — Inside the Wall's Shadow. The colossus moves through the gate. The party manages inspections, the Bronze Owl sentry, and the civilian flow while spending successes to bank advantages for Enc. 3. Cassandra can identify which alarm is real vs. staged if she's been recruited.
- Enc. 3 (Final) — The Belly Opens. The colossus wakes. The key is inserted; the mode is chosen. Greek raiders, Gate Watch, and the colossus itself create pressure. Every spared watch-guard or rescued civilian is a witness who can refuse the betrayal narrative afterward. The party's choice of mode defines the legacy.
- Resolution. Depending on mode: the siege ends, the city survives, the city burns, or something unprecedented happens and no poet has words for it yet. Sinon is either the hero or the scapegoat, depending on how the party handled the key. Cassandra, if recruited, delivers the evacuation list to the surviving city council and names the party once, clearly, without expectation of being believed.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Heart-Key | Carved cedar heart that locks, wakes, or cripples a larger wooden body. | Plant or sabotage the wooden colossus without becoming the betrayal Troy remembers. |
Creature / Enemy List
| Creature | Easy | Med | Hard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Gate Watch | — | med | hard | CR 5 · Alert guards with civic duties |
| Hidden Greek Raider | — | med | hard | CR 6 · Impatient payload soldier |
| Bronze Owl Sentry | — | med | hard | CR 7 · Automaton scout and alarm engine |
| Wooden Colossus, Hollow Gift | — | med | hard | CR 11 · Boss construct, siege payload, and moral machine |
| Cassandra, Unbelieved Witness | — | 1 | 1 | Recruit Enc. Encounter 1 or 2 |
Encounter 1 — The Gift at the Ditch
Overview
The Greek ditch smells of old fires and nervous horses. The colossus stands on a flatbed of lashed pine, half-wrapped in sailcloth, its cedar joints creaking as the wind changes. Sinon has three different groups expecting three different outcomes tonight, and he is relying on the party to make all three true simultaneously, which is not possible but might be survivable. The Bronze Owl has not yet arrived. The moment to act is now, before the inspection cycle starts.
Sinon offers terms and the Cedar Heart-Key. Three factions are present: Greek captains who want the colossus through immediately, Trojan dissidents who need the timing delayed until a smuggler's gate is clear, and Greek raiders who are already inside the horse and growing impatient. A fourth interested party stands near the altar's broken column: Cassandra, watching the flatbed crew and saying nothing.
Encounter Roster
- 3× Hidden Greek Raider (CR 6 · 2,300 XP) — emerge if plan is threatened
- 1× Cassandra (recruit opportunity)
Hard Variant
- 4× Greek Raider + 1 Raider Captain (CR 7 · 2,900 XP) if the colossus mode is refused
- Total Hard: ~18,900 XP — within 6×L12 Hard range
🗺 Terrain & Features
Siege ditch 80×40 ft · colossus flatbed (Large object, center) · abandoned altar (half cover) · horse scaffolds (climbable, 15 ft) · messenger tunnels beneath (Ath DC 12 to enter, total cover) · two guard-fire positions (bright light 20 ft radius)
Mechanics
- Faction Negotiation: Each faction wants a different outcome. Insight DC 14 identifies which faction rep is lying. Deception DC 15 (Sinon) to extract the full terms without revealing the fourth turn. History DC 13: the colossus was built with a mercy-mode by Epeius; DC 17: Epeius built it with Athena's direction — no war-machine of his ever lacked an exit. This changes Sinon's leverage entirely.
- Cedar Heart-Key Investigation: Investigation DC 14 on the key: four modes are inscribed inside the cedar panels, not three. The fourth inscription reads "a fourth turn belongs to no king" — Sinon doesn't know this is visible. Arcana DC 12: the fourth mode requires all three city names spoken aloud at the moment of insertion.
- Recruit Cassandra: Persuasion DC 14 (DC 10 if fourth-turn inscription found). Or protect the civilian route she points to — when the Greek raiders try to use it as a firing lane, intercept them (no roll needed; she joins automatically if the party blocks it). She will not be asked to prove her curse.
- Combat trigger: If the party attempts to remove the key entirely or publicize the fourth mode before the colossus is through, Greek raiders emerge from inside the horse (Perception DC 16 to notice them moving before they act).
Creature Cards
Sinon, Professional Survivor
Medium Humanoid (human), slippery neutral quest giver
Motivation. Get the colossus through Troy's gates and make sure someone else owns the moral stain if it goes wrong.
Secret. He has sold different versions of the plan to Greek captains, Trojan dissidents, and a god's silent priest.
Hard rule. He will not enter the horse himself; he always keeps one exit and one scapegoat prepared.
Cedar Heart-Key
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: A carved cedar heart with bronze pins that can lock, wake, or cripple a larger wooden body.
Handout. "Turn once for silence, twice for soldiers, thrice for fire. A fourth turn belongs to no king."
Enc. 1–2. Opens hidden panels in the colossus, quiets its joints, and grants advantage on one sabotage, repair, or concealment check.
Enc. 3. Inserted into the colossus core, it chooses the payoff: open gates, lock the payload, evacuate civilians, or disable the construct.
Cassandra, Unbelieved Witness
Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
AC 14 | HP 58 | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2). Listen without asking her to prove the curse, protect a civilian route she names, or admit the plan may be wrong.
Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Strike. Ritual dagger +6 to hit, 1d4+3 piercing; prophecy imposes disadvantage once.
Hidden Greek Raider
Medium Creature · CR 6 · Impatient payload soldier
AC 16 | HP 92 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. May become enemy if the party sabotages the massacre plan.
Attack. Short blade +8 to hit, 2d6+4 piercing plus 2d6 if attacking from hiding.
Encounter 2 — Inside the Wall's Shadow
Overview
The gate plaza smells of cedar smoke and the particular fear of a city that has been at war so long it has forgotten what safety felt like. Omen-readers cluster near the inspection ramp, arguing about the cedar horse's ill fortune in voices too loud for anyone to actually believe them. The Bronze Owl Sentry circles the battlements above the inner gate, its bronze wings catching torchlight every forty seconds. The refugee lane on the east side is full of families who have clearly been moving their valuables for the last three hours, which means someone warned them, which means Cassandra already did what she was going to do with or without the party's help.
The colossus is moving through the gate arch, inch by inch, the cedar joints groaning. The Bronze Owl Sentry is the party's primary threat. Troy Gate Watch are not villains; they're doing their jobs. The skill challenge tracks the colossus's progress and the party's freedom to act.
Encounter Roster
- 1× Bronze Owl Sentry (CR 7 · 2,900 XP)
- 2× Troy Gate Watch (CR 5 · 1,800 XP each)
Hard Variant
- Bronze Owl + 3 Gate Watch = 8,300 XP (Hard approaching Deadly)
- Add a Trojan captain if alarm fires: CR 7, acts on initiative 18
🗺 Terrain & Features
Gate plaza 100×60 ft · inspection ramp (elevated 10 ft, half cover) · refugee lane (east, always crowded) · shrine balcony (30 ft, sightline to owl's full patrol) · hollow horse interior (cramped, total cover, accessible via cedar panel) · Bronze Owl patrol: 40-sec rotation, 60-ft perception radius
Mechanics
Goal: 6 successes before 3 alarm failures. Each success banks one advantage for Enc. 3. Each failure before combat starts the Bronze Owl's alarm cycle 10 seconds early.
Approach Tracks
- DC 14 Stealth (group): Move the party across the plaza during the Owl's blind moment. Cassandra automatically succeeds (she knows the rotation).
- DC 15 Deception (Sinon's rites): Sinon performs a theatrical omen-reading that distracts the watch; lasts 2 rounds. DC 12 with Cassandra directing him.
- DC 13 Arcana (Bronze Owl reprogramming): Cedar Heart-Key inserted into the owl's maintenance socket on a shrine column — advantage on this check. Redirects alarm to the east harbor instead of the gate. Auto-success if Cassandra identifies the socket location first (she saw this in a dream).
- DC 16 Medicine/Religion: Open civilian exits at the refugee lane's north end before Greek raiders can claim it as a firing position. Success: 40+ civilians safely clear before Enc. 3. Failure: civilians are still present in Enc. 3 (party cannot use area effects without causing casualties).
- DC 17 Insight (gate watch): Identify which guard is Trojan dissident already bribed by Sinon; approaching this guard auto-succeeds the inspection and counts as a success. DC 13 with Cassandra.
- If the party treats Troy as already doomed and makes no civilian saves, Greek Raiders act with Advantage in Enc. 3 (word spread in the colossus that no one is protecting anyone).
- Cassandra's presence grants +1 automatic success if she is given any speaking role (she knows the precise moment when the inspection captain's attention is on the harbor).
Creature Cards
Cedar Heart-Key
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: A carved cedar heart with bronze pins that can lock, wake, or cripple a larger wooden body.
Handout. "Turn once for silence, twice for soldiers, thrice for fire. A fourth turn belongs to no king."
Enc. 1–2. Opens hidden panels in the colossus, quiets its joints, and grants advantage on one sabotage, repair, or concealment check.
Enc. 3. Inserted into the colossus core, it chooses the payoff: open gates, lock the payload, evacuate civilians, or disable the construct.
Cassandra, Unbelieved Witness
Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
AC 14 | HP 58 | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2). Listen without asking her to prove the curse, protect a civilian route she names, or admit the plan may be wrong.
Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Strike. Ritual dagger +6 to hit, 1d4+3 piercing; prophecy imposes disadvantage once.
Troy Gate Watch
Medium Creature · CR 5 · Alert guards with civic duties
AC 17 | HP 84 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Not villains; bribery, forged rites, or evacuation orders can bypass them.
Attack. Spear wall +7 to hit, 2d8+4 piercing; ally gains +2 AC while adjacent.
Bronze Owl Sentry
Medium Creature · CR 7 · Automaton scout and alarm engine
AC 18 | HP 105 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Can be reprogrammed with the heart-key or blinded by sacred smoke.
Attack. Razor wing +8 to hit, 2d10+5 slashing; marks target with ringing bronze.
Encounter 3 — The Belly Opens
Overview
The gate court is lit by the colossus's own joints beginning to glow — cedar-smoke and something else, something that smells of sawn oak and cold bronze and twenty-year decisions coming due simultaneously. The Greek raiders are already out of the belly. The gate watch has finally understood that something is wrong. The Wooden Colossus, Hollow Gift, is no longer being pulled on a flatbed — it is standing under its own authority, waiting for instructions that only the heart-key can give. Every person in this courtyard is going to remember what happens next for the rest of their life, which for some of them is a very short time if the party makes the wrong call.
The Wooden Colossus, Hollow Gift is the final encounter. It is not the enemy; it is a tool with a decision pending. Greek raiders (emerging from the belly) and panicked Gate Watch create combat pressure. The heart-key, inserted and turned to the correct mode, locks the colossus into its chosen function for 10 minutes — long enough to determine the shape of this history.
Encounter Roster (Deadly)
- 1× Wooden Colossus, Hollow Gift (CR 11 · 7,200 XP)
- 4× Hidden Greek Raider (CR 6 · 2,300 XP each)
- 2× Troy Gate Watch (CR 5 · 1,800 XP each)
XP Budget
- 7,200 + 9,200 + 3,600 = ~20,000 XP
- 6×L12 Deadly = 22,800 XP threshold
- Lair Actions: colossus's mode-shift counts as lair action effect on initiative 20
🗺 Terrain & Features
Gate court 100×80 ft · colossus center (Large moving object, hazard zone) · winch towers north (half cover) · civilian alleys east (if cleared in Enc. 2: no civilians; if not: difficult terrain, party takes −2 to AoE) · fire buckets west (improvised weapons, put out cedar fires) · colossus belly access (ladder, 20 ft, key socket at center)
Mechanics
- Colossus Mode-Shift (Lair Action, Initiative 20): Each round the heart-key is not inserted, the colossus shifts toward its default mode (Gate Ram). On initiative 20: all creatures within 20 ft of the colossus must succeed on Str DC 16 or be pushed 15 ft and knocked Prone (the colossus is randomly seeking the gate).
- Cedar Heart-Key Insertion: Action adjacent to the core socket (inside the belly, via 20-ft ladder — contested by raiders). Arcana DC 15 to turn to correct mode under pressure (DC 12 with Cassandra directing, DC 10 if Cassandra approves the mode choice). On success: mode locks, colossus follows the spoken intention for 10 minutes.
- Mode Outcomes: Silence: Colossus deactivates — siege ends ambiguously, no winner declared. Soldiers: Colossus opens; raiders flood out; siege ends in blood (Sinon wins, party owns the moral cost). Fire: Colossus ignites; Troy burns on schedule (loss condition). Evacuation: Colossus becomes a crane, lifting civilians over the outer wall to the harbor (Cassandra's preferred mode, DC 18 without her or DC 12 with her; requires three true city names spoken at insertion).
- Spared Witnesses: Each Gate Watch squad spared (nonlethal or talked down, DC 14 Persuasion mid-combat) adds one credible witness who can testify the party gave the city a choice. This matters to the legacy, not the combat outcome. A party with 3+ witnesses cannot be named as the betrayal in the songs that survive.
Creature Cards
Sinon, Professional Survivor
Medium Humanoid (human), slippery neutral quest giver
Motivation. Get the colossus through Troy's gates and make sure someone else owns the moral stain if it goes wrong.
Secret. He has sold different versions of the plan to Greek captains, Trojan dissidents, and a god's silent priest.
Hard rule. He will not enter the horse himself; he always keeps one exit and one scapegoat prepared.
Cedar Heart-Key
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: A carved cedar heart with bronze pins that can lock, wake, or cripple a larger wooden body.
Handout. "Turn once for silence, twice for soldiers, thrice for fire. A fourth turn belongs to no king."
Enc. 1–2. Opens hidden panels in the colossus, quiets its joints, and grants advantage on one sabotage, repair, or concealment check.
Enc. 3. Inserted into the colossus core, it chooses the payoff: open gates, lock the payload, evacuate civilians, or disable the construct.
Cassandra, Unbelieved Witness
Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
AC 14 | HP 58 | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2). Listen without asking her to prove the curse, protect a civilian route she names, or admit the plan may be wrong.
Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Strike. Ritual dagger +6 to hit, 1d4+3 piercing; prophecy imposes disadvantage once.
Wooden Colossus, Hollow Gift
Large Creature · CR 11 · Boss construct, siege payload, and moral machine · Boss
AC 18 | HP 225 | Speed 40 ft.
Role: Boss construct, siege payload, and moral machine
Note. Boss last. Winning is choosing and enforcing the payload's purpose, not razing Troy.
Hard encounter focus. Win condition may be steal, escape, disable, or drive-off — not always kill.
Multiattack / Assault. Cedar fist +10 to hit, 4d8+6 bludgeoning; splinters create difficult terrain.
Advance (1). Move up to half Speed.
Strike (1). One attack from Assault.
⚖️ 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
Sinon, Professional Survivor
Medium Humanoid (human), slippery neutral quest giver
Motivation. Get the colossus through Troy's gates and make sure someone else owns the moral stain if it goes wrong.
Secret. He has sold different versions of the plan to Greek captains, Trojan dissidents, and a god's silent priest.
Hard rule. He will not enter the horse himself; he always keeps one exit and one scapegoat prepared.
Cedar Heart-Key
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: A carved cedar heart with bronze pins that can lock, wake, or cripple a larger wooden body.
Handout. "Turn once for silence, twice for soldiers, thrice for fire. A fourth turn belongs to no king."
Enc. 1–2. Opens hidden panels in the colossus, quiets its joints, and grants advantage on one sabotage, repair, or concealment check.
Enc. 3. Inserted into the colossus core, it chooses the payoff: open gates, lock the payload, evacuate civilians, or disable the construct.
Cassandra, Unbelieved Witness
Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
AC 14 | HP 58 | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Prophetic ally and civilian conscience
RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2). Listen without asking her to prove the curse, protect a civilian route she names, or admit the plan may be wrong.
Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Strike. Ritual dagger +6 to hit, 1d4+3 piercing; prophecy imposes disadvantage once.
Troy Gate Watch
Medium Creature · CR 5 · Alert guards with civic duties
AC 17 | HP 84 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Not villains; bribery, forged rites, or evacuation orders can bypass them.
Attack. Spear wall +7 to hit, 2d8+4 piercing; ally gains +2 AC while adjacent.
Hidden Greek Raider
Medium Creature · CR 6 · Impatient payload soldier
AC 16 | HP 92 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. May become enemy if the party sabotages the massacre plan.
Attack. Short blade +8 to hit, 2d6+4 piercing plus 2d6 if attacking from hiding.
Bronze Owl Sentry
Medium Creature · CR 7 · Automaton scout and alarm engine
AC 18 | HP 105 | Speed 30 ft.
Note. Can be reprogrammed with the heart-key or blinded by sacred smoke.
Attack. Razor wing +8 to hit, 2d10+5 slashing; marks target with ringing bronze.
Wooden Colossus, Hollow Gift
Large Creature · CR 11 · Boss construct, siege payload, and moral machine · Boss
AC 18 | HP 225 | Speed 40 ft.
Role: Boss construct, siege payload, and moral machine
Note. Boss last. Winning is choosing and enforcing the payload's purpose, not razing Troy.
Hard encounter focus. Win condition may be steal, escape, disable, or drive-off — not always kill.
Multiattack / Assault. Cedar fist +10 to hit, 4d8+6 bludgeoning; splinters create difficult terrain.
Advance (1). Move up to half Speed.
Strike (1). One attack from Assault.
Reward Cards
Post-session keepables. Reward is the first tag. Mechanics below are for ongoing use after this oneshot.
Cedar Heart-Key
Reward · Wondrous · 1/Long Rest
Mechanics. Once per short rest, you have advantage on one check to sabotage, repair, conceal, or open a construct, siege engine, or hidden panel. Once per long rest, as an action while adjacent to a Large or larger construct or wooden structure, choose lock, wake, or cripple: lock prevents it from opening or moving for 1 minute (DC 15 Strength ends); wake grants it 20 temporary hit points and advantage on its next attack; cripple gives it disadvantage on attack rolls and halves its speed for 1 minute.
Appearance. A carved cedar heart with bronze pins that click through four quiet settings.
Lore. The colossus's quiet conscience — a fourth turn that belonged to no king.
Quote. "Turn once for silence, twice for soldiers, thrice for fire. A fourth turn belongs to no king." — Cedar Heart-Key
Earn when: Plant or sabotage the wooden colossus without becoming the betrayal Troy remembers.