Judgment at Delphi

For 6 level 8 PCs, 3 to 3.5 hours, 3 encounters. Do not kill Apollo.

📜 Session Summary

Style Sacred courtroom mystery that turns into a temple siege when the lie sheds its human voice.
Win Condition The false oracle is exposed, Apollo's shrine remains intact, and the Python-spawn is slain or banished as a monster.
Loss Condition Delphi accepts a counterfeit judgment; pilgrims riot, priests vanish, and the temple closes under living coils.
Players 6 × Level 8 · 3–3.5 hrs · 3 encounters
Key Ally Ion the Archive Acolyte (recruit Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2) · Maguffin: Sunlit Tripod Shard

Description

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.

Prove a false oracle before Apollo's Python-spawn seals the temple in coils.

"A wax tablet with two prophecies: one in clean hexameter, one with the same mistake repeated."— Smuggled from the archive by a frightened acolyte

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.

Creature / Enemy List

CreatureEasyMedHardNotes
Laurel-Knife Zealots—medhardCR 3 · Fanatic infiltrators
Vapor-Script Daemon—medhardCR 5 · Illusion and clue corrupter
Temple Coil Guardian—medhardCR 6 · Grappler defender
Python-Spawn of the False Voice—medhardCR 10 · Boss, prophetic serpent monster
Ion the Archive Acolyte—11Recruit Enc. Enc. 1 or Enc. 2

Encounter 1 — The Pilgrim Docket

Enc. 1 - Civic investigation · ~50 min

Overview

Interview petitioners, compare prophecies, and keep the queue from becoming a faction riot.

🗺 Terrain

Delphi forecourt, laurel queue ropes, offering tables, archive stair, and public judgment dais.

Mechanics

  • 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.

Creature Cards

👤

Theoxena, Senior Pythia

Human oracle, exhausted servant of Apollo

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.

◈

Sunlit Tripod Shard

Broken oracle bronze, truth focus

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.

🦅

Ion the Archive Acolyte

Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous researcher and witness handler

AC 13  |  HP 46  |  Speed 30 ft.

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.

Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.

Actions

Strike. Bronze lamp +5 to hit, 5 bludgeoning; once per scene, cites a record for advantage on Religion or History.

⚔

Laurel-Knife Zealots

Medium Creature · CR 3 · Fanatic infiltrators

AC 15  |  HP 58  |  Speed 30 ft.

14 (+2)STR
12 (+1)DEX
14 (+2)CON
10 (+0)INT
11 (+0)WIS
10 (+0)CHA

Note. Believe the false oracle is an older, purer voice than Apollo's priests.

Actions

Attack. Curved knife +6 to hit, 8 slashing plus 7 poison.

Encounter 2 — Trial of the Crooked Verse

Enc. 2 - Social proof · ~60 min

Overview

Present evidence before priests, pilgrims, and rivals while the false voice tries to rewrite testimony.

🗺 Terrain

Marble hearing hall, bronze tripod, witness benches, smoke vents, and curtained priest doors.

Mechanics

  • 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.

Creature Cards

👤

Theoxena, Senior Pythia

Human oracle, exhausted servant of Apollo

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.

◈

Sunlit Tripod Shard

Broken oracle bronze, truth focus

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.

🦅

Ion the Archive Acolyte

Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous researcher and witness handler

AC 13  |  HP 46  |  Speed 30 ft.

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.

Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.

Actions

Strike. Bronze lamp +5 to hit, 5 bludgeoning; once per scene, cites a record for advantage on Religion or History.

⚔

Vapor-Script Daemon

Medium Creature · CR 5 · Illusion and clue corrupter

AC 14  |  HP 90  |  Speed 30 ft.

14 (+2)STR
12 (+1)DEX
14 (+2)CON
10 (+0)INT
11 (+0)WIS
10 (+0)CHA

Note. Dies into readable smoke if exposed by the Tripod Shard.

Actions

Attack. Smoke lash +7 to hit, 13 psychic; prophecy blur imposes disadvantage on one check.

Encounter 3 — Coils Around the Omphalos

Enc. 3 - Hard boss fight · ~85 min

Overview

The false oracle reveals its serpent body and seals the inner temple while the party fights for the true tripod.

🗺 Terrain

Inner sanctuary, cracked omphalos stone, tripod dais, smoke fissures, and living coils sealing exits.

Mechanics

  • 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.

Creature Cards

◈

Sunlit Tripod Shard

Broken oracle bronze, truth focus

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.

⚔

Vapor-Script Daemon

Medium Creature · CR 5 · Illusion and clue corrupter

AC 14  |  HP 90  |  Speed 30 ft.

14 (+2)STR
12 (+1)DEX
14 (+2)CON
10 (+0)INT
11 (+0)WIS
10 (+0)CHA

Note. Dies into readable smoke if exposed by the Tripod Shard.

Actions

Attack. Smoke lash +7 to hit, 13 psychic; prophecy blur imposes disadvantage on one check.

⚔

Temple Coil Guardian

Medium Creature · CR 6 · Grappler defender

AC 16  |  HP 125  |  Speed 30 ft.

14 (+2)STR
12 (+1)DEX
14 (+2)CON
10 (+0)INT
11 (+0)WIS
10 (+0)CHA

Note. Animated scale and stone shed by the buried Python-spawn.

Actions

Attack. Constrict +8 to hit, 18 bludgeoning and grappled; bite adds 10 poison.

☠

Python-Spawn of the False Voice

Large Creature · CR 10 · Boss, prophetic serpent monster · Boss

AC 18  |  HP 196  |  Speed 40 ft.

18 (+4)STR
12 (+1)DEX
18 (+4)CON
10 (+0)INT
12 (+1)WIS
12 (+1)CHA

Role: Boss, prophetic serpent monster

Note. Boss last. May be slain as a monster without harming Apollo or his office.

Hard encounter focus. Win condition may be steal, escape, disable, or drive-off — not always kill.

Actions

Multiattack / Assault. Bite and constrict; oracle venom recharges on 5-6 for DC 16 Wisdom or stunned by false visions.

Legendary Actions

Advance (1). Move up to half Speed.

Strike (1). One attack from Assault.

⚖️ Difficulty Scaling

As Written ★ — 6 Players, Average Level 8

  • Baseline for this guide. Numbers, DCs, and win tracks assume six PCs at average level 8.

Library Standard — 6 Players, Average Level 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.

📋 Appendix — Cards

👤

Theoxena, Senior Pythia

Human oracle, exhausted servant of Apollo

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.

◈

Sunlit Tripod Shard

Broken oracle bronze, truth focus

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.

🦅

Ion the Archive Acolyte

Medium Humanoid, Neutral · Recruitable Ally · Nervous researcher and witness handler

AC 13  |  HP 46  |  Speed 30 ft.

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.

Aid. Acts on party initiative when recruited; prefers nonlethal when asked.

Actions

Strike. Bronze lamp +5 to hit, 5 bludgeoning; once per scene, cites a record for advantage on Religion or History.

⚔

Laurel-Knife Zealots

Medium Creature · CR 3 · Fanatic infiltrators

AC 15  |  HP 58  |  Speed 30 ft.

14 (+2)STR
12 (+1)DEX
14 (+2)CON
10 (+0)INT
11 (+0)WIS
10 (+0)CHA

Note. Believe the false oracle is an older, purer voice than Apollo's priests.

Actions

Attack. Curved knife +6 to hit, 8 slashing plus 7 poison.

⚔

Vapor-Script Daemon

Medium Creature · CR 5 · Illusion and clue corrupter

AC 14  |  HP 90  |  Speed 30 ft.

14 (+2)STR
12 (+1)DEX
14 (+2)CON
10 (+0)INT
11 (+0)WIS
10 (+0)CHA

Note. Dies into readable smoke if exposed by the Tripod Shard.

Actions

Attack. Smoke lash +7 to hit, 13 psychic; prophecy blur imposes disadvantage on one check.

⚔

Temple Coil Guardian

Medium Creature · CR 6 · Grappler defender

AC 16  |  HP 125  |  Speed 30 ft.

14 (+2)STR
12 (+1)DEX
14 (+2)CON
10 (+0)INT
11 (+0)WIS
10 (+0)CHA

Note. Animated scale and stone shed by the buried Python-spawn.

Actions

Attack. Constrict +8 to hit, 18 bludgeoning and grappled; bite adds 10 poison.

☠

Python-Spawn of the False Voice

Large Creature · CR 10 · Boss, prophetic serpent monster · Boss

AC 18  |  HP 196  |  Speed 40 ft.

18 (+4)STR
12 (+1)DEX
18 (+4)CON
10 (+0)INT
12 (+1)WIS
12 (+1)CHA

Role: Boss, prophetic serpent monster

Note. Boss last. May be slain as a monster without harming Apollo or his office.

Hard encounter focus. Win condition may be steal, escape, disable, or drive-off — not always kill.

Actions

Multiattack / Assault. Bite and constrict; oracle venom recharges on 5-6 for DC 16 Wisdom or stunned by false visions.

Legendary Actions

Advance (1). Move up to half Speed.

Strike (1). One attack from Assault.