The Unquiet Asphodel
One-Shot · 6 Players · Level 10 · ~3–3.5 Hours · Underworld Mystery
📜 Session Summary
| Style Underworld Mystery — Ferry → Investigation → Stall Boss |
| Win Condition Survive / stall Persephone until she leaves initiative (Hades arrives, or Cerberus alternate jurisdiction). She cannot be killed. |
| Players 6 × Level 10 |
| Est. Duration 3–3.5 hours |
| Encounters 3 main + optional Cerberus (not counted among the three) |
Description
The dead are rising into the living world with stolen breath. Guided through Misthaven's mist, the party is met by Charon and ferried into an Underworld that should be orderly — and is not. Clues point past plague-hounds and tooth-sown skeletons toward the Queen's private garden, where Persephone hides a necromancer's craft from Olympus and from her husband.
Handouts
Key NPCs
Hermes Psychopomp — Quest Giver
Misthaven tavern (or mist-trireme). Hands the Obol of True Passage. Sends them through the mist — Charon waits on the other side.
Charon — Ferryman
Greets the party immediately after the mist crossing. Fare, warnings, one honest rumor.
Asclepius — Physician in the Underworld
Investigating false deaths / stolen healing. Best Enc. 3 ally; cures Death Dog sleep-rot.
Creature / Enemy List
| Creature / Enemy | Easy | Medium | Hard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydra-Tooth Skeleton | 4 | 6 | 8 | Enc. 1 / Persephone summons |
| Death Dog | 2 | 3 | 4 | Enc. 2 |
| Stygian Wraith | 1 | 2 | 2 | Enc. 2 |
| Persephone | 1 | 1 | 1 | Unkilleable stall boss |
| Cerberus | — | opt | opt | Optional alternate resolution |
Major Beats
- Misthaven: Hermes hires the party; Obol handoff; mist crossing.
- Charon greets them at the black shore; ferry bargains.
- Enc. 1 — Teeth on the Styx: Harryhausen skeletons sown on the landing.
- Enc. 2 — Healer in Asphodel: meet Asclepius; death dogs + wraiths; mystery clues to the Queen.
- Enc. 3 — Queen's Garden: confront Persephone; start Arrival clock; stall until she leaves initiative.
- Optional: Cerberus at the Triple Gate — alternate way to summon Hades' jurisdiction.
Encounter 1 — Teeth on the Styx
Overview
Through the mist: black sand, cold fog, and Charon poling his skiff. He accepts the Obol as fare for all. Mid-crossing — or on the Asphodel landing — sown Hydra-Tooth Skeletons erupt from the bank (Harryhausen drill-skeletons: clacking ranks, reforming bones).
- Style: Ferry set-piece / shore skirmish
- Win Condition: Reach Asphodel's path with the party aboard or ashore; Charon will not fight for them unless the boat itself is boarded
Creatures
- 6× Hydra-Tooth Skeleton
- Charon (neutral — NPC, not enemy)
🗺 Terrain & Features
Styx channel + landing — skiff 20×10 ft; shore 80×40 ft; deep water = Styx hazard.
- Fall in: DC 15 Con or 4d6 necrotic + restrained by currents (Athletics DC 14 to climb out)
- Ferry-bell on the prow (Obol can strike it later — not yet for Hades)
Mechanics
- Non-combat: Charon can beach early if Persuasion DC 14 + another coin (or spare truth-toll promise). Skeletons still rise on shore — Religion DC 14 to identify tooth-sowing; burning the bone piles (action, fire) stops reassemble.
- Combat: Skeletons board or charge. Pack Drill + reassemble (d6=6) until bludgeoned/burned.
- Charon: If a skeleton damages the skiff (AC 15 / HP 40), he uses Styx Lash once, then demands the living finish it.
- Clue: skeletons' teeth are pomegranate-stained (Investigation DC 12) — floral necromancy, not Hades' usual law.
Resolution
Creature Cards
Hydra-Tooth Skeleton (Harryhausen)
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil · CR 2 (450 XP)
AC 14 (armor scraps) | HP 26 (4d8+8) | Speed 30 ft.
Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning | Immunities: poison, exhaustion | Senses: darkvision 60 ft.
Sown from Teeth. When reduced to 0 HP, roll d6: on a 6, the bones reassemble at 1 HP at the start of its next turn unless shattered (bludgeoning) or burned.
Pack Drill. Advantage on attack rolls if another Hydra-Tooth Skeleton is within 5 ft. of the target.
Multiattack. Two shortsword attacks, or one shortsword and one shield bash.
Shortsword. +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing.
Shield Bash. +4 to hit. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning; DC 12 Strength save or prone.
Charon
Medium Undead (Unique), Neutral · Ferryman
AC 16 | HP 110 (13d8+52) | Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
Skills: Insight +7, Perception +7 | Immunities: necrotic, poison, frightened
The Fare. Without coin or the Obol, he will not ferry the living. Attempting to fight him sinks the boat (fall into Styx: DC 15 Con or 4d6 necrotic + restrained by currents).
Neutral Witness. Answers one honest question about recent crossings if paid fairly. Will not accuse the Queen by name.
Ferryman's Pole. +7 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 12 (2d8+3) bludgeoning + 7 (2d6) necrotic.
Styx Lash (Recharge 5–6). 30-ft. line; DC 15 Dexterity. 21 (6d6) necrotic on fail, half on success; fail also speed 0 until end of next turn.
Encounter 2 — The Healer in Asphodel
Overview
Pale asphodel meadows. Asclepius tends a shade-plague tent, tracking stolen vitality. Packs of Death Dogs and a Stygian Wraith (or two) harass his work — herded, he notes, by flower-sweet whispers from the Queen's direction. Lydia the shade can testify if calmed.
- Style: Investigation skirmish / escort the healer
- Win Condition: Protect Asclepius, gather 3 mystery clues, and learn the garden ferry-bell exists (or the Cerberus road)
Creatures
- 3× Death Dog
- 2× Stygian Wraith
- Optional reinforce: 2× Hydra-Tooth Skeleton
🗺 Terrain & Features
Asphodel field — 110×70 ft; mist banks (light obscurement), healer's tent (¾ cover), bone cairns, path split: Garden Road vs Kennel Road (Cerberus optional).
Mechanics
- Asclepius Diagnostic Gaze / Medicine DC 14: wounds show healing inverted into undeath.
- Shade Witness Persuasion/Religion DC 13: flower-crowned sowers after midnight.
- Survival DC 14: tracks of bare divine feet + dragging bone sacks toward the pomegranate garden.
- Arcana DC 15 on a dog collar: royal seal of the Queen, not Hades' helm-mark.
- Death Dogs try to drag Asclepius off; wraiths Life Drain the dying shades.
- Animal Handling DC 15 (adv with Obol scent) can turn one Death Dog for 1 minute.
- Non-combat path: Stealth DC 14 to lead Asclepius along fog while one PC distracts (Performance/Religion DC 14).
- Asclepius joins if shown ≥2 clues implicating floral/royal necromancy. In Enc. 3 he heals and destroys the pomegranate focus; he will not attempt to slay the Queen.
Resolution
Creature Cards
Asclepius
Medium Humanoid (Demigod physician), Neutral Good · CR 6 ally · Iconic
AC 14 | HP 97 (15d8+30) | Speed 30 ft.
Skills: Medicine +10, Nature +7, Insight +7, Religion +7 | Saves: Wis +7, Int +7
Why He Is Here. Following a plague of "false deaths" — corpses walking with stolen life. He believes someone is siphoning Asclepian healing into necromancy.
RECRUITMENT. Share evidence of pomegranate-rot / queen's garden blight → he joins Enc. 3 as support healer (will not strike Persephone to kill).
Iconic. Do not kill. If reduced to 0 HP, he stabilizes in a sacred sleep (removable from fight).
Serpent Staff. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) bludgeoning + 7 (2d6) poison or radiant (his choice).
Healing Touch (3/day). Creature he touches regains 18 (4d8) HP and may end one poison or disease.
Field Surgery (1/round). Bonus action: one ally within 5 ft. gains 10 temporary HP.
Diagnostic Gaze. Action: Insight/Medicine check with advantage to identify undead creation method (reveals summoner-signature: floral + grave).
Death Dog
Medium Monstrosity, Neutral Evil · CR 1 (200 XP)
AC 12 | HP 39 (6d8+12) | Speed 40 ft.
Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +4 | Senses: darkvision 120 ft.
Two-Headed. Advantage on Wis (Perception) and on saves vs. blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked unconscious.
Multiattack. Two bite attacks.
Bite. +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing. If both bites hit the same target on a turn, the target DC 12 Constitution save or poisoned and diseased (sleep-rot: HP max reduced by 5 per failed daily save until cured — Asclepius can cure with Healing Touch).
Stygian Wraith
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil · CR 5 (1,800 XP)
AC 13 | HP 67 (9d8+27) | Speed 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
Resistances: acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; BPS from nonmagical | Immunities: necrotic, poison | Senses: darkvision 60 ft.
Incorporeal Movement. Move through creatures/objects; 5 (1d10) force if ending turn inside object.
Sunlight Sensitivity. Disadvantage on attacks and Perception in sunlight (rare in Underworld).
Life Drain. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 21 (4d8+3) necrotic; DC 14 Constitution save or HP max reduced by damage dealt until long rest.
Create Specter (1/day). A humanoid slain by Life Drain rises as a specter (use Death Dog stats with fly 50 ft., necrotic bite) under the wraith's control.
Hydra-Tooth Skeleton (Harryhausen)
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil · CR 2 (450 XP)
AC 14 (armor scraps) | HP 26 (4d8+8) | Speed 30 ft.
Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning | Immunities: poison, exhaustion | Senses: darkvision 60 ft.
Sown from Teeth. When reduced to 0 HP, roll d6: on a 6, the bones reassemble at 1 HP at the start of its next turn unless shattered (bludgeoning) or burned.
Pack Drill. Advantage on attack rolls if another Hydra-Tooth Skeleton is within 5 ft. of the target.
Multiattack. Two shortsword attacks, or one shortsword and one shield bash.
Shortsword. +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing.
Shield Bash. +4 to hit. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning; DC 12 Strength save or prone.
Shade Witness (Lydia)
Medium Undead (Shade), Neutral · Informant
AC 11 | HP 22 (5d8) | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Enc. 2 clue-giver
Testimony. Saw flower-crowned servants sowing teeth in Asphodel after midnight.
RECRUITMENT. If comforted (Persuasion/Religion DC 13), she guides the party toward Asclepius or the garden bell.
Chilling Touch. +3 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d8) necrotic — only if panicked.
Encounter 3 — The Queen's Garden (Boss)
Overview
Persephone receives them among black pomegranates and tooth-furrows — gracious, then unveiled as summoner-queen. Olympus does not know. Hades does not know. She cannot be killed. The party must survive and force her off the initiative list.
- Style: Hard stall fight + ritual clock
- Win Condition: Persephone leaves initiative via Hades Arrival clock completion, successful bargain after threshold break, or Cerberus alternate jurisdiction (see optional)
Creatures
- 1× Persephone
- Starting: 4× Hydra-Tooth Skeleton
- She summons more; may call 1× Wraith at half threshold
- Ally: Asclepius if recruited
🗺 Terrain & Features
Queen's garden court — 100×80 ft; pomegranate trees (½ cover; fruit = poisoned lure DC 15 Wis), tooth-furrows (DT), bronze ferry-bell on a plinth (Obol target), throne dais.
Mechanics — Resolution Paths
- Start: Action to strike Obol on the ferry-bell (or Asclepius spends action to ring if Obol held).
- Clock: 5 rounds (see scaling). Announce on init 20.
- When clock completes: Hades arrives; Persephone leaves initiative immediately; summons fall inert; combat ends.
- Party must survive the clock — focus on control, pomegranate destroy, and not TPK.
- Reduce Pressure Threshold to 0 (180 baseline). She becomes Wrathful but still unkillable.
- Persuasion/Intimidation DC 18 (adv if pomegranate destroyed + Asclepius present): she agrees to pause summons and wait for her husband — leaves initiative in shame/fury (same end state).
- Party can Dash toward Kennel Road mid-fight (opportunity attacks apply). Transitions to Optional Cerberus as alternate resolution.
- Track Threshold 180. All damage reduces it. Destroying pomegranate: −30 and no Sow the Teeth for 2 rounds.
- Do not describe her dying at 0 — describe cracked composure, falling flowers, screaming silence.
Resolution
Creature Cards
Persephone, Queen of the Unquiet
Medium Celestial (Goddess), Neutral Evil (secret) · CR 12 threat · UNKILLABLE BOSS
AC 18 | HP — (Threshold 180; see Immortal Court) | Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
Saves: Dex +10, Wis +11, Cha +11 | Skills: Deception +11, Insight +11, Nature +9, Religion +9 | Resistances: necrotic, psychic; BPS from nonmagical
Secret Necromancer. Olympus and Hades believe her only a seasonal queen. She is a summoner/necromancer siphoning life into a private legion. Reveal is the mystery payoff.
Immortal Court — Cannot Be Killed. She has no true HP. Track a Pressure Threshold of 180. Damage and certain effects reduce the threshold. At 0 threshold she does not die — she becomes Wrathful (see Legendary) but remains unkillable. Win = she leaves initiative (Hades arrives, bargains, or Cerberus alternate).
Pomegranate Focus. While she holds her pomegranate (object AC 20 / HP 40, immune to psychic), she can summon. Destroying it prevents new summons for 2 rounds and drops threshold by 30.
Legendary Resistance (3/day). Turn a failed save into a success.
Multiattack. Two necro-vine attacks and Cast a Spell, or three necro-vines.
Necro-Vine. +10 to hit, reach 15 ft. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) piercing + 10 (3d6) necrotic; DC 18 Strength save or restrained (escape DC 18).
Cast a Spell. Spell save DC 18, +10 to hit. At-will: chill touch (4d8), command. 3/day each: hold person, blight, spirit guardians (necrotic blossoms). 1/day: circle of death (8d6, 60-ft. radius — recharge only if pomegranate intact).
Sow the Teeth (Recharge 5–6). Summons 1d4+1 Hydra-Tooth Skeletons in unoccupied spaces within 30 ft. They act after her.
Vine (Cost 1). One necro-vine attack.
Whisper (Cost 1). One creature within 60 ft. DC 18 Wisdom save or frightened until end of its next turn.
Reap & Sow (Cost 2). One skeleton within 60 ft. explodes (10-ft. radius, DC 15 Dex, 14 (4d6) necrotic) and is replaced by a Death Dog.
Wrathful Queen (Cost 3, only if Threshold 0). She regains summon recharge immediately and casts chill touch on two targets; still cannot be slain.
Hydra-Tooth Skeleton (Harryhausen)
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil · CR 2 (450 XP)
AC 14 (armor scraps) | HP 26 (4d8+8) | Speed 30 ft.
Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning | Immunities: poison, exhaustion | Senses: darkvision 60 ft.
Sown from Teeth. When reduced to 0 HP, roll d6: on a 6, the bones reassemble at 1 HP at the start of its next turn unless shattered (bludgeoning) or burned.
Pack Drill. Advantage on attack rolls if another Hydra-Tooth Skeleton is within 5 ft. of the target.
Multiattack. Two shortsword attacks, or one shortsword and one shield bash.
Shortsword. +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing.
Shield Bash. +4 to hit. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning; DC 12 Strength save or prone.
Stygian Wraith
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil · CR 5 (1,800 XP)
AC 13 | HP 67 (9d8+27) | Speed 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
Resistances: acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; BPS from nonmagical | Immunities: necrotic, poison | Senses: darkvision 60 ft.
Incorporeal Movement. Move through creatures/objects; 5 (1d10) force if ending turn inside object.
Sunlight Sensitivity. Disadvantage on attacks and Perception in sunlight (rare in Underworld).
Life Drain. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 21 (4d8+3) necrotic; DC 14 Constitution save or HP max reduced by damage dealt until long rest.
Create Specter (1/day). A humanoid slain by Life Drain rises as a specter (use Death Dog stats with fly 50 ft., necrotic bite) under the wraith's control.
Asclepius
Medium Humanoid (Demigod physician), Neutral Good · CR 6 ally · Iconic
AC 14 | HP 97 (15d8+30) | Speed 30 ft.
Skills: Medicine +10, Nature +7, Insight +7, Religion +7 | Saves: Wis +7, Int +7
Why He Is Here. Following a plague of "false deaths" — corpses walking with stolen life. He believes someone is siphoning Asclepian healing into necromancy.
RECRUITMENT. Share evidence of pomegranate-rot / queen's garden blight → he joins Enc. 3 as support healer (will not strike Persephone to kill).
Iconic. Do not kill. If reduced to 0 HP, he stabilizes in a sacred sleep (removable from fight).
Serpent Staff. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) bludgeoning + 7 (2d6) poison or radiant (his choice).
Healing Touch (3/day). Creature he touches regains 18 (4d8) HP and may end one poison or disease.
Field Surgery (1/round). Bonus action: one ally within 5 ft. gains 10 temporary HP.
Diagnostic Gaze. Action: Insight/Medicine check with advantage to identify undead creation method (reveals summoner-signature: floral + grave).
Hades (Arrival — Resolution Device)
Medium Celestial (God), Lawful Neutral · Not a combatant
Role: Ends Enc. 3 when the Arrival clock completes
Arrival Clock. Started by striking the Obol on a ferry-bell (or equivalent loud claim of jurisdiction). Clock = 5 rounds (Hard: 6; Easy: 4). Each round on init 20: announce remaining rounds.
When He Arrives. Persephone immediately leaves initiative (court composure). Summons crumble or kneel. Combat ends. He will hear testimony; Persephone denies, then is taken aside — mystery resolves without deicide.
Persistence. Do not fight or kill Hades. He is the off-ramp, not a boss.
Obol of True Passage
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: black-iron coin stamped with a closed eye; warm like living blood
Handout Text (22 words). "When the queen's garden sings with stolen breath, press this eye to the ferry-bell — the husband hears iron before lies."
Enc. 1. Pays Charon's fare for the whole party (no coin haggling). One spare "truth toll" later.
Enc. 2–3. As an action, strike the Obol against a bronze ferry-bell (garden / throne / dock): begins the Hades Arrival clock (see Enc. 3). Once per session.
Optional Cerberus. Offering the Obol as a scent-token (action, not consumed) grants advantage on the first Animal Handling check to calm Cerberus.
Optional Encounter — The Triple Gate (Cerberus)
Overview
Use when the party takes Kennel Road from Enc. 2, flees Enc. 3 toward the kennels, or explicitly seeks Hades' private court. Cerberus guards the Triple Gate. This is an alternate resolution: calm or pass the hound to wake Hades' jurisdiction without the garden ferry-bell — or drag him as a chaotic interruption into Persephone's court.
- Win Condition: Calm / distract / slip past Cerberus (preferred), or reduce him to 0 HP (he flees — Hades displeased but Arrival clock starts at 3 rounds remaining)
- Alternate Resolution: If calmed and shown the Obol, Cerberus howls the husband-call — treat as starting the Enc. 3 Arrival clock at 3 rounds even if still in the kennels; Persephone senses it and may pursue (run a short chase into Enc. 3 with clock already ticking)
🗺 Terrain
Triple Gate kennel yard — 90×60 ft; iron stakes, bone piles, three archways (only center leads to Hades' court).
Mechanics
- Calm path: Animal Handling or Performance DC 16 (adv with Obol scent-token). Group check: 3 successes before 3 failures while others Dodge/Dash. Success = Cerberus sits; party passes; optional husband-howl.
- Distract: throw rations / illusions — DC 14 Deception; buys 2 rounds to Dash through center arch.
- Combat path: full Cerberus stats. Iconic — prefer not to kill. At 0 HP he flees; Arrival clock starts (3 rounds) as Hades feels the wound.
- Do not replace Enc. 1–3 with this; it is additive / fork only.
Creature Cards
Cerberus
Huge Monstrosity, Lawful Neutral · CR 10 (5,900 XP) · OPTIONAL / Iconic
AC 16 (natural) | HP 178 (17d12+68) | Speed 50 ft.
Skills: Perception +10 (adv) | Senses: darkvision 120 ft., smell living breath 300 ft. | Immunities: frightened
Iconic — Prefer Not to Kill. Optional encounter. Win by calming, distracting, or slipping past — not by slaying Olympus's hound. If reduced to 0 HP, he flees whimpering (Hades will be displeased).
Three Heads. Advantage on Perception; can make opportunity attacks against three different creatures per round.
Gate Guardian. Blocks the inner road to Hades' private court. Bypassing him is an alternate resolution to call Hades without the garden ferry-bell.
OPTIONAL ENCOUNTER. Not one of the main three. Use if the party seeks Hades early, flees Persephone toward the kennels, or offers the Obol as scent-token.
Multiattack. Three bite attacks (one per head).
Bite. +10 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 17 (2d10+6) piercing. If two+ bites hit the same target in a turn, DC 18 Strength save or grappled/restrained in jaws (escape DC 18).
Tripartite Roar (Recharge 5–6). 60-ft. cone; DC 16 Wisdom. Fail: frightened 1 minute (repeat end of turns) and deafened 1 round.
Detect (Cost 1). Wisdom (Perception) check.
Bite (Cost 1). One bite attack.
Drag (Cost 2). Move up to 20 ft. dragging one grappled creature without provoking.
Obol of True Passage
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: black-iron coin stamped with a closed eye; warm like living blood
Handout Text (22 words). "When the queen's garden sings with stolen breath, press this eye to the ferry-bell — the husband hears iron before lies."
Enc. 1. Pays Charon's fare for the whole party (no coin haggling). One spare "truth toll" later.
Enc. 2–3. As an action, strike the Obol against a bronze ferry-bell (garden / throne / dock): begins the Hades Arrival clock (see Enc. 3). Once per session.
Optional Cerberus. Offering the Obol as a scent-token (action, not consumed) grants advantage on the first Animal Handling check to calm Cerberus.
⚖️ Difficulty Scaling
As Written ★ — 6 Players, Average Level 10
- Baseline for this guide. Numbers, DCs, and win tracks assume six PCs at average level 10.
Library Standard — 6 Players, Average Level 8
- Dial back: reduce boss HP ~20–25%, cut one legendary action option or recharge breath to 6 only; Favor/track thresholds −1 where present; skill DCs −1.
Easier
- APL 8–9: use the Library Standard (6×L8) box, then shave one more minion wave.
Harder
- APL 11–12: boss HP +20%; +1 legendary; Favor/track +1 to win.
📋 Appendix — Cards
Creature Cards
Hydra-Tooth Skeleton (Harryhausen)
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil · CR 2 (450 XP)
AC 14 (armor scraps) | HP 26 (4d8+8) | Speed 30 ft.
Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning | Immunities: poison, exhaustion | Senses: darkvision 60 ft.
Sown from Teeth. When reduced to 0 HP, roll d6: on a 6, the bones reassemble at 1 HP at the start of its next turn unless shattered (bludgeoning) or burned.
Pack Drill. Advantage on attack rolls if another Hydra-Tooth Skeleton is within 5 ft. of the target.
Multiattack. Two shortsword attacks, or one shortsword and one shield bash.
Shortsword. +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing.
Shield Bash. +4 to hit. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning; DC 12 Strength save or prone.
Death Dog
Medium Monstrosity, Neutral Evil · CR 1 (200 XP)
AC 12 | HP 39 (6d8+12) | Speed 40 ft.
Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +4 | Senses: darkvision 120 ft.
Two-Headed. Advantage on Wis (Perception) and on saves vs. blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked unconscious.
Multiattack. Two bite attacks.
Bite. +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing. If both bites hit the same target on a turn, the target DC 12 Constitution save or poisoned and diseased (sleep-rot: HP max reduced by 5 per failed daily save until cured — Asclepius can cure with Healing Touch).
Stygian Wraith
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil · CR 5 (1,800 XP)
AC 13 | HP 67 (9d8+27) | Speed 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
Resistances: acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; BPS from nonmagical | Immunities: necrotic, poison | Senses: darkvision 60 ft.
Incorporeal Movement. Move through creatures/objects; 5 (1d10) force if ending turn inside object.
Sunlight Sensitivity. Disadvantage on attacks and Perception in sunlight (rare in Underworld).
Life Drain. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 21 (4d8+3) necrotic; DC 14 Constitution save or HP max reduced by damage dealt until long rest.
Create Specter (1/day). A humanoid slain by Life Drain rises as a specter (use Death Dog stats with fly 50 ft., necrotic bite) under the wraith's control.
Persephone, Queen of the Unquiet
Medium Celestial (Goddess), Neutral Evil (secret) · CR 12 threat · UNKILLABLE BOSS
AC 18 | HP — (Threshold 180; see Immortal Court) | Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
Saves: Dex +10, Wis +11, Cha +11 | Skills: Deception +11, Insight +11, Nature +9, Religion +9 | Resistances: necrotic, psychic; BPS from nonmagical
Secret Necromancer. Olympus and Hades believe her only a seasonal queen. She is a summoner/necromancer siphoning life into a private legion. Reveal is the mystery payoff.
Immortal Court — Cannot Be Killed. She has no true HP. Track a Pressure Threshold of 180. Damage and certain effects reduce the threshold. At 0 threshold she does not die — she becomes Wrathful (see Legendary) but remains unkillable. Win = she leaves initiative (Hades arrives, bargains, or Cerberus alternate).
Pomegranate Focus. While she holds her pomegranate (object AC 20 / HP 40, immune to psychic), she can summon. Destroying it prevents new summons for 2 rounds and drops threshold by 30.
Legendary Resistance (3/day). Turn a failed save into a success.
Multiattack. Two necro-vine attacks and Cast a Spell, or three necro-vines.
Necro-Vine. +10 to hit, reach 15 ft. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) piercing + 10 (3d6) necrotic; DC 18 Strength save or restrained (escape DC 18).
Cast a Spell. Spell save DC 18, +10 to hit. At-will: chill touch (4d8), command. 3/day each: hold person, blight, spirit guardians (necrotic blossoms). 1/day: circle of death (8d6, 60-ft. radius — recharge only if pomegranate intact).
Sow the Teeth (Recharge 5–6). Summons 1d4+1 Hydra-Tooth Skeletons in unoccupied spaces within 30 ft. They act after her.
Vine (Cost 1). One necro-vine attack.
Whisper (Cost 1). One creature within 60 ft. DC 18 Wisdom save or frightened until end of its next turn.
Reap & Sow (Cost 2). One skeleton within 60 ft. explodes (10-ft. radius, DC 15 Dex, 14 (4d6) necrotic) and is replaced by a Death Dog.
Wrathful Queen (Cost 3, only if Threshold 0). She regains summon recharge immediately and casts chill touch on two targets; still cannot be slain.
Cerberus
Huge Monstrosity, Lawful Neutral · CR 10 (5,900 XP) · OPTIONAL / Iconic
AC 16 (natural) | HP 178 (17d12+68) | Speed 50 ft.
Skills: Perception +10 (adv) | Senses: darkvision 120 ft., smell living breath 300 ft. | Immunities: frightened
Iconic — Prefer Not to Kill. Optional encounter. Win by calming, distracting, or slipping past — not by slaying Olympus's hound. If reduced to 0 HP, he flees whimpering (Hades will be displeased).
Three Heads. Advantage on Perception; can make opportunity attacks against three different creatures per round.
Gate Guardian. Blocks the inner road to Hades' private court. Bypassing him is an alternate resolution to call Hades without the garden ferry-bell.
OPTIONAL ENCOUNTER. Not one of the main three. Use if the party seeks Hades early, flees Persephone toward the kennels, or offers the Obol as scent-token.
Multiattack. Three bite attacks (one per head).
Bite. +10 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 17 (2d10+6) piercing. If two+ bites hit the same target in a turn, DC 18 Strength save or grappled/restrained in jaws (escape DC 18).
Tripartite Roar (Recharge 5–6). 60-ft. cone; DC 16 Wisdom. Fail: frightened 1 minute (repeat end of turns) and deafened 1 round.
Detect (Cost 1). Wisdom (Perception) check.
Bite (Cost 1). One bite attack.
Drag (Cost 2). Move up to 20 ft. dragging one grappled creature without provoking.
NPC Cards
Charon
Medium Undead (Unique), Neutral · Ferryman
AC 16 | HP 110 (13d8+52) | Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
Skills: Insight +7, Perception +7 | Immunities: necrotic, poison, frightened
The Fare. Without coin or the Obol, he will not ferry the living. Attempting to fight him sinks the boat (fall into Styx: DC 15 Con or 4d6 necrotic + restrained by currents).
Neutral Witness. Answers one honest question about recent crossings if paid fairly. Will not accuse the Queen by name.
Ferryman's Pole. +7 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 12 (2d8+3) bludgeoning + 7 (2d6) necrotic.
Styx Lash (Recharge 5–6). 30-ft. line; DC 15 Dexterity. 21 (6d6) necrotic on fail, half on success; fail also speed 0 until end of next turn.
Asclepius
Medium Humanoid (Demigod physician), Neutral Good · CR 6 ally · Iconic
AC 14 | HP 97 (15d8+30) | Speed 30 ft.
Skills: Medicine +10, Nature +7, Insight +7, Religion +7 | Saves: Wis +7, Int +7
Why He Is Here. Following a plague of "false deaths" — corpses walking with stolen life. He believes someone is siphoning Asclepian healing into necromancy.
RECRUITMENT. Share evidence of pomegranate-rot / queen's garden blight → he joins Enc. 3 as support healer (will not strike Persephone to kill).
Iconic. Do not kill. If reduced to 0 HP, he stabilizes in a sacred sleep (removable from fight).
Serpent Staff. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) bludgeoning + 7 (2d6) poison or radiant (his choice).
Healing Touch (3/day). Creature he touches regains 18 (4d8) HP and may end one poison or disease.
Field Surgery (1/round). Bonus action: one ally within 5 ft. gains 10 temporary HP.
Diagnostic Gaze. Action: Insight/Medicine check with advantage to identify undead creation method (reveals summoner-signature: floral + grave).
Hermes Psychopomp (Quest Giver)
Medium Celestial (shapechanged), Chaotic Good · Quest Giver
Public face: travel-stained guide in Misthaven who "knows a ferry"
Motivation. Shades are rising into the living world. Olympus has not been told the full truth — he wants mortals to find it before Zeus starts a war.
Secret. Suspects the Queen's court, not Hades. Will not accuse Persephone aloud.
If Confronted. "Pay the boatman. Ask the healer. Do not eat the fruit."
Hades (Arrival — Resolution Device)
Medium Celestial (God), Lawful Neutral · Not a combatant
Role: Ends Enc. 3 when the Arrival clock completes
Arrival Clock. Started by striking the Obol on a ferry-bell (or equivalent loud claim of jurisdiction). Clock = 5 rounds (Hard: 6; Easy: 4). Each round on init 20: announce remaining rounds.
When He Arrives. Persephone immediately leaves initiative (court composure). Summons crumble or kneel. Combat ends. He will hear testimony; Persephone denies, then is taken aside — mystery resolves without deicide.
Persistence. Do not fight or kill Hades. He is the off-ramp, not a boss.
Shade Witness (Lydia)
Medium Undead (Shade), Neutral · Informant
AC 11 | HP 22 (5d8) | Speed 30 ft.
Role: Enc. 2 clue-giver
Testimony. Saw flower-crowned servants sowing teeth in Asphodel after midnight.
RECRUITMENT. If comforted (Persuasion/Religion DC 13), she guides the party toward Asclepius or the garden bell.
Chilling Touch. +3 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d8) necrotic — only if panicked.
Item Cards
Obol of True Passage
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique
Appearance: black-iron coin stamped with a closed eye; warm like living blood
Handout Text (22 words). "When the queen's garden sings with stolen breath, press this eye to the ferry-bell — the husband hears iron before lies."
Enc. 1. Pays Charon's fare for the whole party (no coin haggling). One spare "truth toll" later.
Enc. 2–3. As an action, strike the Obol against a bronze ferry-bell (garden / throne / dock): begins the Hades Arrival clock (see Enc. 3). Once per session.
Optional Cerberus. Offering the Obol as a scent-token (action, not consumed) grants advantage on the first Animal Handling check to calm Cerberus.