Judgment at Delphi
For 6 level 8 PCs, 3 to 3.5 hours, 3 encounters. Do not kill Apollo.
Style: Sacred courtroom mystery that turns into a temple siege when the lie sheds its human voice.
Win: The false oracle is exposed, Apollo's shrine remains intact, and the Python-spawn is slain or banished as a monster.
Lose: Delphi accepts a counterfeit judgment; pilgrims riot, priests vanish, and the temple closes under living coils.
Maguffin: Sunlit Tripod Shard · Ally: Ion the Archive Acolyte · QG: Theoxena, Senior Pythia
"A wax tablet with two prophecies: one in clean hexameter, one with the same mistake repeated."
Major Beats
- Two prophecies rhyme until one word stains the wax black.
- A pilgrim begs for judgment while hiding a knife under laurel leaves.
- The tripod shadow points at a wall that starts breathing.
- The false voice uses the party's names before anyone speaks them.
Difficulty
| Tier | Adjust |
|---|
| As Written ★ | 6 PCs · APL 8 |
| Library Standard | 6 PCs · APL 8 — Identical to As Written — this guide’s baseline is already 6 PCs at average level 8. |
| Easier | APL 4–6: reduce minion counts ~30%; DCs −2; boss loses one recharge or legendary option. |
| Harder | APL 10–12: boss HP +25–35%; +1 legendary action; add a lieutenant or extra wave. |
Theoxena, Senior Pythia hooks the party. Maguffin Sunlit Tripod Shard pays off in the finale against Python-Spawn of the False Voice . Recruit Ion the Archive Acolyte along the way.
Creature / Enemy List
| Creature | Counts / Notes |
|---|
| Laurel-Knife Zealots | med · hard · CR 3 · Fanatic infiltrators |
| Vapor-Script Daemon | med · hard · CR 5 · Illusion and clue corrupter |
| Temple Coil Guardian | med · hard · CR 6 · Grappler defender |
| Python-Spawn of the False Voice | med · hard · CR 10 · Boss, prophetic serpent monster |
| Ion the Archive Acolyte | 1 · 1 · Recruit Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2 |
DM Tips
- As Written ★ — 6 Players, Average Level 8: Baseline for this guide. Numbers, DCs, and win tracks assume six PCs at average level 8.
- Easier: APL 4–6: reduce minion counts ~30%; DCs −2; boss loses one recharge or legendary option.
- Harder: APL 10–12: boss HP +25–35%; +1 legendary action; add a lieutenant or extra wave.
Maguffin reminder: Check Enc. 3 payoff on the item card (page 3/4). Reward players who keep the object in hand.
Ally snapshot
Ion the Archive Acolyte
- RECRUITMENT (Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2). Protect him from blame, validate his archive clues, or let him question a priest under supervision.
- Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Encounter 1 — The Pilgrim Docket
Interview petitioners, compare prophecies, and keep the queue from becoming a faction riot.
- Find 3 clue categories: repeated meter error, bribe route, and smoke residue on forged tablets.
- Use Insight, Religion, History, Investigation, or Performance at DC 15.
- Public accusations without proof mark the Riot clock and empower zealots.
- Recruit Ion by trusting his archive pattern and shielding him from senior-priest suspicion.
- Tip: Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous researcher and witness handler
- Tip: RECRUITMENT (Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2). Protect him from blame, validate his archive clues, or let him question a priest under supervision.
- Tip: Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Encounter 2 — Trial of the Crooked Verse
Present evidence before priests, pilgrims, and rivals while the false voice tries to rewrite testimony.
- Run a 5-success DC 16 debate using Persuasion, Religion, Insight, History, or Arcana.
- Each failure lets a Vapor-Script Daemon alter one memory until challenged by hard evidence.
- The Tripod Shard turns one forged statement into a visible crooked shadow.
- If the party wins the debate, civilians evacuate before Enc. 3 and Theoxena blesses one save each.
- Tip: Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous researcher and witness handler
- Tip: RECRUITMENT (Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2). Protect him from blame, validate his archive clues, or let him question a priest under supervision.
- Tip: Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
Encounter 3 — Coils Around the Omphalos
The false oracle reveals its serpent body and seals the inner temple while the party fights for the true tripod.
- At initiative 20, a coil seals a path, grapples a target, or crushes a pillar for falling debris.
- Apollo is absent but sacred law remains: defiling the tripod gives the boss advantage for 1 round.
- Maguffin payoff: place the Shard into the tripod to reveal and pin the boss's true head.
- Slaying the Python-spawn ends the seal; exposing it first prevents blame falling on Apollo's priests.
DM Callouts
- Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous researcher and witness handler
- RECRUITMENT (Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2). Protect him from blame, validate his archive clues, or let him question a priest under supervision.
- Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.
- Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous researcher and witness handler
Extra Encounter Detail (from session guide)
- Tip: Keep page-3 creature AC/HP lines visible while resolving Enc. 3.
- Tip: Favor non-combat paths in Enc. 1–2; Enc. 3 should still feel Hard.
Quick combat reference
- Ion the Archive Acolyte — AC 13 | HP 46 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous resear
- Laurel-Knife Zealots — AC 15 | HP 58 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Creature · CR 3 · Fanatic infiltrators
- Vapor-Script Daemon — AC 14 | HP 90 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Creature · CR 5 · Illusion and clue corrupter
- Temple Coil Guardian — AC 16 | HP 125 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Creature · CR 6 · Grappler defender
- Python-Spawn of the False Voice — AC 18 | HP 196 | Speed 40 ft. · Large Creature · CR 10 · Boss, prophetic serpent monster · B
Additional DM notes
- Motivation.** Restore true prophecy before the city condemns innocents under a stolen voice.
- Secret.** She has not heard Apollo clearly for three nights and fears the silence is her fault.
- Hard rule.** She will not permit violence against pilgrims or claims that Apollo himself is the enemy.
- Appearance:** A warm bronze triangle that casts noon shadows even at dusk.
- Handout.** "Set false words in true light. The shadow will point where the voice is hiding."
- Enc. 1–2.** Reveals contradictions in testimony or makes forged prophecies cast crooked shadows.
- Enc. 3.** Set into the cracked tripod to pin the Python-spawn's real body for 1 round.
- 12 (+1)**STR**14 (+2)**DEX**12 (+1)**CON**12 (+1)**INT**14 (+2)**WIS**16 (+3)**CHA
- Role:** Nervous researcher and witness handler
- RECRUITMENT (Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2).** Protect him from blame, validate his archive clues, or let him question a priest under supervision.
Pacing helpers
- Enc 1: End by ~45–50 min; if stuck, telegraph the non-combat path once.
- Enc 2: Spend recruitment / maguffin early so Enc 3 is not a blank check.
- Enc 3: Keep Hard, not Deadly — drop a minion wave before a TPK spiral.
- Table tip: Restate win condition when HP dips; players often forget the maguffin.
NPC / ALLY
Theoxena, Senior Pythia
- Restore true prophecy before the city condemns innocents under a stolen voice.
- She will not permit violence against pilgrims or claims that Apollo himself is the enemy.
Ion the Archive Acolyte
- Recruit Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2: Protect him from blame, validate his archive clues, or let him question a priest under supervision.
- AC 13 · HP 46 · Bronze lamp +5 to hit, 5 bludgeoning; once per scene, cites a record for advantage on Religion or History.
Remember
- The false oracle is exposed, Apollo's shrine remains intact, and the Python-spawn is slain or banished as a monster.
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