Maenad Midnight

Major Beats

1. The palace wants quiet extraction; the street wants every secret sung aloud.
2. Thyia proves the revelers are victims, witnesses, and obstacles at once.
3. The prince is tempted with one perfect cup that would make every fear vanish.
4. Dawn judges restraint as much as speed.

Difficulty

Creature / Enemy List

DM Tips

• As Written ★ — 6 Players, Average Level 6: Baseline for this guide. Numbers, DCs, and win tracks assume six PCs at average level 6.
• Easier: APL 4–5: −1 enemy/wave; DCs −1; ally auto-recruits if approached peacefully.
• Harder: APL 7–8: use Library Standard (6×L8).

Maguffin detail

Ally snapshot

Encounter 1 — Masks at the Palace Gate

• Non-combat path: build a cover identity with three DC 15 Deception, Performance, or Insight checks.
• The Dry Cup identifies wine traps and one false servant.
• Recruit Thyia by protecting a reveler from guard brutality or returning her ribbon.
• If the prince is publicly named, Encounter 2 begins with the crowd alerted.
• Tip: Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
• Tip: Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Inside guide who remembers tomorrow
• Tip: RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2). Return her lost thyrsus-ribbon, promise not to shame the revelers, or let her name the safe alleys.
• Tip: Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.

Encounter 2 — The Alley That Keeps Dancing

• Non-combat path: 6 successes before 3 failures using Stealth, Acrobatics, Performance, or Religion.
• Spend a success to rescue civilians and lower the final boss's starting hp by 20.
• Panpipe illusions can be broken by silence, counter-melody, or the Dry Cup's ring.
• Violent crowd control gives advantage now but adds a retaliation wave in Encounter 3.
• Tip: Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
• Tip: Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Inside guide who remembers tomorrow
• Tip: RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2). Return her lost thyrsus-ribbon, promise not to shame the revelers, or let her name the safe alleys.
• Tip: Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.

Encounter 3 — The Sober Hush

• Hard fight: crowd zones restrain, shove, and block line of sight each round.
• Use nonlethal damage, music, vows, or divine respect to spare possessed mortals.
• Maguffin payoff: break the Dry Cup to create a sober hush and reveal the true prince.
• Victory requires the prince sober and alive when the dawn bell rings.
• Tip: Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique

DM Callouts

• Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
• Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Inside guide who remembers tomorrow
• RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2). Return her lost thyrsus-ribbon, promise not to shame the revelers, or let her name the safe alleys.
• Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.

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

• Thyia, Exhausted Maenad — AC 15 | HP 68 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Inside guide w
• Ivy-Mad Revelers — AC 13 | HP 60 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Creature · CR 4 · Hazardous crowd, charm pressure, an
• Panpipe Trickster — AC 16 | HP 82 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Creature · CR 6 · Fey misdirector and stealth antagon
• Bacchic Bull-Mask — AC 17 | HP 110 | Speed 30 ft. · Medium Creature · CR 7 · Possessed champion blocking narrow
• Midnight Chorus of Dionysus — AC 17 | HP 205 | Speed 40 ft. · Large Creature · CR 11 · Boss swarm-avatar of divine revel,

Additional DM notes

• Motivation.** Reach the dawn parley sober so his signature is valid and his war-weary city can stand down.
• Secret.** He once mocked Dionysus as a foreign god and fears the riot is personal judgment.
• Hard rule.** He refuses to authorize lethal force against citizens who may be innocent by sunrise.
• Appearance:** A sealed clay kylix painted with a black ship, ivy, and a sleeping crown.
• Handout.** "Drink nothing. Spill nothing. Break me only when the dance forgets the dancer."
• Enc. 1–2.** The sealed cup grants advantage on one save against charm, frenzy, or intoxication; it also exposes disguised wine.
• Enc. 3.** Breaking the cup at the revel's heart creates a 30-foot sober hush for 1 round, ending fey glamours and opening the route to the prince.
• 12 (+1)**STR**14 (+2)**DEX**12 (+1)**CON**12 (+1)**INT**14 (+2)**WIS**16 (+3)**CHA
• Role:** Inside guide who remembers tomorrow
• RECRUITMENT (Enc. Encounter 1 or 2).** Return her lost thyrsus-ribbon, promise not to shame the revelers, or let her name the safe alleys.

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.

STAT BLOCKS

Session reminders

• 6 PCs level 8; escort must reach dawn treaty.
• Do not reward killing god-touched revelers.
• Enc 1/2 support social, stealth, and mercy solutions.
• Enc 3 is Hard; break Dry Cup for sober hush.
• Win: prince sober, citizens alive, treaty signed.

Maguffin

NPC / ALLY

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