Three Throats at the Gate
One-Shot · 6 Players · Level 10 · ~3–3.5 Hours · Underworld Gate · Subdue Cerberus
📜 Session Summary
| Style Underworld Gate — Mercy Skirmish → Recruit Orpheus → Subdue Cerberus (no kill) |
| Win Condition Reach Calm 8 on Cerberus while he remains above 0 HP; remove the Stygian Thorn |
| Loss Condition Cerberus slain (0 HP by damage) — gods intervene; narrative failure |
| Players 6 × Level 10 · 3–3.5 hrs · 3 encounters |
| Key Ally Orpheus (recruit Enc. 2) · Maguffin: Sop of Quiet Honey |
Description
Hermes (as a road-herald) warns that the Gate-hound raves with a Stygian thorn in his paw. Kill him and the dead climb. Soften him. Along the causeway, Orpheus waits with a cracked lyre — recruit the singer, claim the Triple Gate-Collars, and stack mercies until three throats sleep.
Gate Setting
- Locale: Mist → ashen causeway → Gate of the Dead (Cerberus’s court).
- Maps: Enc. 1 causeway 70×30; Enc. 2 gate annex 50×40 (armory plaque + lyre alcove); Enc. 3 court 80×60 with basins, winches, three approach lanes.
- Persistence: Cerberus is iconic — subdue/heal, never farm his death as victory.
Major Beats
- Hermes + honey-sops; hard rule: the hound must live.
- Enc. 1: Shades + a Ker that urges slaughter — practice nonlethal.
- Enc. 2: Recover lyre; recruit Orpheus; solve collar plaque.
- Enc. 3 (Final): Layered subdual tools → Calm 8.
Creature / Enemy List
| Creature | Easy | Med | Hard | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styx Shade | 3 | 4 | 5 | Enc. 1 |
| Ker | 0 | 1 | 2 | Enc. 1 |
| Alecto’s Echo | 1 | 1 | 1 | Enc. 2 |
| Orpheus | — | 1 | 1 | Recruit |
| Cerberus | adj | 1 | 1 | Subdue |
Encounter 1 — Shades on the Causeway
Overview
4× Styx-Soaked Shades claw up from the ashen banks. 1× Ker circles, whispering to cut throats. Hermes’s rule echoes: practice mercy.
🗺 Terrain
Causeway 70×30 · 10-ft drops to shallow Styx-slick (difficult; 1d4 cold entering). Two broken statues (½ cover).
Mechanics
- Non-combat: Sop (1 dose) + Religion/Persuasion group 3 before 3 (DC 13) lays shades to rest; Ker still must be driven off or fought.
- Nonlethal practice: Declare nonlethal on melee that drops a shade. If ≥3 shades are spared, Orpheus’s Enc. 2 recruitment DC drops by 2.
- Ker’s Deathwish Aura punishes nonlethal — shove her away or silence her first.
Creature Cards
Styx-Soaked Shade
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil · CR 1
AC 12 | HP 27 | Speed 30 ft.
Resist necrotic, cold · Immune poison
Mercy note. Dropping to 0 HP can be nonlethal (unconscious mist). Orpheus notices.
Withering Touch. +4 to hit. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) necrotic.
Wail (Recharge 6). Each living creature within 10 ft. Wis DC 11 or frightened until end of its next turn.
Ker (Blood-Fate Spirit)
Medium Fiend, Chaotic Evil · CR 2
AC 13 | HP 45 | Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
Drawn to the thorn-poison in Cerberus — wants the hound to die
Deathwish Aura. Creatures within 10 ft. have disadvantage on checks to stabilize or deal nonlethal damage.
Claws. +4 to hit. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) slashing + 3 (1d6) necrotic.
Urge to Kill (1/day). One creature within 30 ft. Wis DC 12 or must include Cerberus in its next attack if able (Enc. 3 only); otherwise attacks nearest ally.
Sop of Quiet Honey
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique · 3 doses
Appearance: three barley-cakes soaked in pale honey, wrapped in myrtle
Handout (21 words). "Feed the quiet cake to a throat that barks for war — three mouths, three mercies, none of them a blade."
Enc. 1–2. Optional: calm one hostile shade/beast (Wis DC 13 or auto if unaware) for 1 minute (1 dose).
Enc. 3. Action: feed one un-muzzled head within 5 ft. (Athletics/Animal Handling DC 14 if the head isn’t Distracted/Sung). Success: that head is Sated (+2 Calm) and can’t Bite until Cerberus’s Calm resets. 3 doses total.
Encounter 2 — The Lyre and the Collars
Overview
Orpheus sits at the annex threshold, lyre cracked, refusing the Gate. Alecto’s Echo has torn a string and roosts above the instrument. A bronze plaque seals the Triple Gate-Collars.
🗺 Terrain
Annex 50×40 · lyre on a plinth (AC 10 / HP 8 if smashed — Orpheus refuses to join) · plaque wall · fury perch 15 ft up.
Mechanics
- Lyre recovery: Defeat or bargain with the fury (offer a true apology Performance DC 15). Repair lyre: smith’s tools / mending / Performance DC 14 with spare wire from collars’ rack.
- RECRUIT ORPHEUS: Persuasion or Performance DC 14 (DC 12 if Enc. 1 mercy). He must hear that Cerberus is to be saved, not slain. Success → joins Enc. 3 with Song of Still Waters.
- Collar plaque puzzle: Inscription: “Name the mercies that are not blades: sweet / song / circle.” Speak honey, music, and ring/collar (or place sop + chord + touch the ring slot) — Investigation DC 12 for a hint. Opens collar niche.
- Combat path: fight the fury; plaque still requires the riddle (force breaks niche — DC 18 Str — but alerts Cerberus: he starts Enc. 3 with Roar charged).
Creature Cards
Orpheus
Medium Humanoid (demigod-blooded bard), Neutral Good · Recruitable Ally
AC 13 | HP 66 (12d8+12) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Wis +5, Cha +8 · Skills: Performance +11, Persuasion +8, History +5 · Spell DC 16, +8
RECRUITMENT (Enc. 2). Recover his lyre and persuade him the hound must live (Persuasion/Performance DC 14, or auto if the party refuses to kill shades needlessly). He joins Enc. 3.
Cracked Lyre. Until repaired in Enc. 2 (tool check or mending magic), Song DC is 14 and he won’t enter the Gate fight.
If not recruited. Party can still subdue Cerberus — harder. A distant chord may grant +1 Calm once as a mercy beat.
Shortsword. +5 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing. He prefers not to kill.
Song of Still Waters (Enc. 3). Action: choose one of Cerberus’s heads within 60 ft. that can hear. Performance check DC 15 (he auto-succeeds if uninterrupted). That head is Distracted until the start of Orpheus’s next turn (no Bite; Collar/Sop at adv). Maintain by using this action each turn.
Chord of Binding (1/encounter). If at least one head is Collared or Sated: +2 Calm immediately; Cerberus has disadvantage on his next Legendary action.
Countercharm. As bard — advantage on saves vs. frightened for allies within 30 ft. for 1 round.
Inspire (3/rest). One ally adds 1d8 to an attack, save, or ability check within 1 minute.
Alecto’s Echo (Lesser Fury)
Medium Fiend, Lawful Evil · CR 3 · Guards the cracked lyre
AC 14 | HP 58 | Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
Spell DC 12 — darkness (1/day)
Taunt. Mocks Orpheus — killing her is fine; needless cruelty to shades nearby hardens Orpheus’s DC by +2.
Multiattack. Two serpent-whip attacks.
Serpent Whip. +5 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 8 (1d8+3) slashing + 3 (1d6) poison.
Screech (Recharge 5–6). 15-ft cone Con DC 13; 10 (3d6) thunder; failure also deafened 1 minute.
Triple Gate-Collars
Wondrous Gear (set of 3) · Recovered in Enc. 2
Adamant-bronze rings sized for a god-hound’s throat
Recovery. Found on the Gate armory plaque (Enc. 2 puzzle) or given by Orpheus if already solved.
Collar a Head. Action adjacent to a Distracted, Sated, or Restrained head: Athletics or Sleight of Hand DC 15 (DC 12 if Orpheus’s Song is active on that head). Success: head is Collared (+2 Calm). Each head once.
All Three. When all three heads are Collared, Cerberus’s body can be Bound by the Gate Chains (see Enc. 3) at advantage.
Encounter 3 — Three Throats (Final: Subdue Cerberus)
Overview
Cerberus fills the Gate court, three maws frothing, left paw bleeding ichor around a Stygian thorn. Steel can slow him — it must not finish him.
🗺 Terrain
Court 80×60 · three approach lanes to three heads · 3 Styx basins · 2 Gate Chain winches · thorn-paw zone south · Orpheus starts on a safe ledge if recruited.
Calm Track (Win at 8)
| Tool | Calm | How |
|---|---|---|
| Honey Sop (per head) | +2 | Feed Sated head (3 doses) |
| Collar (per head) | +2 | DC 15 Ath/Sleight (adv if Sung) |
| First Styx splash | +1 | Basin splash a head |
| Gate Chains Bound | +2 | Both winches + ≥1 collar |
| Pull Stygian Thorn | +2 | Ath DC 16 on paw while that side calmed |
| Orpheus Chord of Binding | +2 | 1/encounter if any head Collared/Sated |
- Win: Calm ≥ 8 and HP > 0 → Cerberus sleeps; thorn removable automatically if not yet pulled; Gate stills.
- Lose: HP → 0 by damage. Nonlethal declarations do apply — if the blow that would kill is declared nonlethal, he falls to 1 HP and is stunned until end of next turn instead (teach the rule once).
- Rage: While thorn remains, +2 damage on Bites. Roar can reduce Calm by 1.
Layered Assist Order (Suggested)
- Orpheus Distracts a head with Song.
- Feed Sop / splash Styx to open a window.
- Collar that head; rotate to the next throat.
- Wind Gate Chains once two heads are managed.
- Pull the thorn; Chord of Binding to finish Calm 8.
Full tool card in appendix. Plaque reminder: sweet / song / circle.
Creature Cards
Cerberus (Rampaging)
Huge Fiend Monstrosity, Lawful Neutral · CR 10 staged · SUBDUE — do not kill
AC 16 | HP 189 (18d12+72) | Speed 50 ft.
Saves: Str +9, Con +8, Wis +6 · Immune: frightened (unless Song) · Senses: darkvision 120 ft. · LR 2/day
Three Heads. Three bites on Multiattack. Adv on Perception. Can’t be flanked conventionally — rear attacks don’t gain pack-flank bonus.
Stygian Thorn. A black thorn in his left paw (Investigation DC 14 to spot). While present: he is enraged (see Enc. 3). Action to pull: Athletics DC 16 adjacent to paw while that side’s head is Distracted/Sated/Collared — success +2 Calm and remove rage bonus.
Loss Condition. If reduced to 0 HP by damage, the party fails. Hermes intervenes: scene blacks out; hound stabilized by gods; party suffers narrative shame + no vow-ally benefit. Prefer soft-fail teaching moment — do not continue as a normal kill-win.
Calm Track. Win at Calm 8 while HP > 0. Calm sources listed in Enc. 3 tools. At Calm 8 he sleeps; thorn can be finished safely.
Multiattack. Three Bite attacks (skip a head if Sated/Distracted/Collared as noted).
Bite. +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) piercing + 7 (2d6) poison (Con DC 16 or poisoned 1 minute).
Tripartite Roar (Recharge 5–6). Each creature of his choice within 60 ft. Wis DC 16 or frightened until end of its next turn; Calm −1 (min 0) if any creature fails.
Fling. One grappled Medium or smaller creature thrown 20 ft.; Dex DC 17 or 10 (3d6) bludgeoning and prone.
Crush Paw. If thorn still present: one creature within 5 ft. of his left foreleg Dex DC 15 or 9 (2d8) bludgeoning and restrained under the paw (escape Ath DC 15).
Detect (1). Perception check.
Bite (1). One Bite from a head that can act.
Lunge (2). Move up to half Speed without provoking; one Bite.
Gate Layer Tools (Environment)
Encounter Toolkit · Enc. 3 · Not a creature
Use these layered systems — stack Calm rather than DPS
1. Honey Sop. Feed a head — Sated (+2 Calm). See maguffin.
2. Orpheus’s Song. Distract a head — Collar/Sop at advantage; head can’t Bite.
3. Triple Collars. Collar each head (+2 Calm each).
4. Styx Basins. Three stone bowls. Action: splash a head within 10 ft. (Dex save DC 14 or auto if Distracted) — head can’t use Legendary Bite until end of its next turn; first splash overall +1 Calm.
5. Gate Chains. Two winches (Ath DC 14 each as action, or help). When both wound and ≥1 head Collared: body Bound (+2 Calm; Cerberus Speed 0; disadv on Roar).
6. Thorn Pull. Remove Stygian Thorn (+2 Calm; ends +2 damage rage).
Puzzle plaque. Above the winches: “Three mercies bind what three hungers loose.” Clue toward Sop + Collar + Song rather than steel.
Orpheus
Medium Humanoid (demigod-blooded bard), Neutral Good · Recruitable Ally
AC 13 | HP 66 (12d8+12) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Wis +5, Cha +8 · Skills: Performance +11, Persuasion +8, History +5 · Spell DC 16, +8
RECRUITMENT (Enc. 2). Recover his lyre and persuade him the hound must live (Persuasion/Performance DC 14, or auto if the party refuses to kill shades needlessly). He joins Enc. 3.
Cracked Lyre. Until repaired in Enc. 2 (tool check or mending magic), Song DC is 14 and he won’t enter the Gate fight.
If not recruited. Party can still subdue Cerberus — harder. A distant chord may grant +1 Calm once as a mercy beat.
Shortsword. +5 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing. He prefers not to kill.
Song of Still Waters (Enc. 3). Action: choose one of Cerberus’s heads within 60 ft. that can hear. Performance check DC 15 (he auto-succeeds if uninterrupted). That head is Distracted until the start of Orpheus’s next turn (no Bite; Collar/Sop at adv). Maintain by using this action each turn.
Chord of Binding (1/encounter). If at least one head is Collared or Sated: +2 Calm immediately; Cerberus has disadvantage on his next Legendary action.
Countercharm. As bard — advantage on saves vs. frightened for allies within 30 ft. for 1 round.
Inspire (3/rest). One ally adds 1d8 to an attack, save, or ability check within 1 minute.
Sop of Quiet Honey
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique · 3 doses
Appearance: three barley-cakes soaked in pale honey, wrapped in myrtle
Handout (21 words). "Feed the quiet cake to a throat that barks for war — three mouths, three mercies, none of them a blade."
Enc. 1–2. Optional: calm one hostile shade/beast (Wis DC 13 or auto if unaware) for 1 minute (1 dose).
Enc. 3. Action: feed one un-muzzled head within 5 ft. (Athletics/Animal Handling DC 14 if the head isn’t Distracted/Sung). Success: that head is Sated (+2 Calm) and can’t Bite until Cerberus’s Calm resets. 3 doses total.
Triple Gate-Collars
Wondrous Gear (set of 3) · Recovered in Enc. 2
Adamant-bronze rings sized for a god-hound’s throat
Recovery. Found on the Gate armory plaque (Enc. 2 puzzle) or given by Orpheus if already solved.
Collar a Head. Action adjacent to a Distracted, Sated, or Restrained head: Athletics or Sleight of Hand DC 15 (DC 12 if Orpheus’s Song is active on that head). Success: head is Collared (+2 Calm). Each head once.
All Three. When all three heads are Collared, Cerberus’s body can be Bound by the Gate Chains (see Enc. 3) at advantage.
⚖️ 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
Quest / Tools / Ally
Hermes Psychopomp (Quest Giver)
Medium Celestial (Olympian in traveler’s guise), Chaotic Good
Appears as a lean road-herald at Misthaven; caduceus hidden as a walking stick
Motivation. Cerberus rages at the Gate — poisoned by a Stygian thorn. If mortals slay him, the dead spill upward. Soften the hound; do not end him.
Secret. Orpheus is already near the Gate, lyre cracked, song half-spent. The party’s mercy may retune him.
Hard rule. Killing Cerberus is a loss condition (see Enc. 3). Subdue only.
Sop of Quiet Honey
Wondrous Item (maguffin), Unique · 3 doses
Appearance: three barley-cakes soaked in pale honey, wrapped in myrtle
Handout (21 words). "Feed the quiet cake to a throat that barks for war — three mouths, three mercies, none of them a blade."
Enc. 1–2. Optional: calm one hostile shade/beast (Wis DC 13 or auto if unaware) for 1 minute (1 dose).
Enc. 3. Action: feed one un-muzzled head within 5 ft. (Athletics/Animal Handling DC 14 if the head isn’t Distracted/Sung). Success: that head is Sated (+2 Calm) and can’t Bite until Cerberus’s Calm resets. 3 doses total.
Triple Gate-Collars
Wondrous Gear (set of 3) · Recovered in Enc. 2
Adamant-bronze rings sized for a god-hound’s throat
Recovery. Found on the Gate armory plaque (Enc. 2 puzzle) or given by Orpheus if already solved.
Collar a Head. Action adjacent to a Distracted, Sated, or Restrained head: Athletics or Sleight of Hand DC 15 (DC 12 if Orpheus’s Song is active on that head). Success: head is Collared (+2 Calm). Each head once.
All Three. When all three heads are Collared, Cerberus’s body can be Bound by the Gate Chains (see Enc. 3) at advantage.
Gate Layer Tools (Environment)
Encounter Toolkit · Enc. 3 · Not a creature
Use these layered systems — stack Calm rather than DPS
1. Honey Sop. Feed a head — Sated (+2 Calm). See maguffin.
2. Orpheus’s Song. Distract a head — Collar/Sop at advantage; head can’t Bite.
3. Triple Collars. Collar each head (+2 Calm each).
4. Styx Basins. Three stone bowls. Action: splash a head within 10 ft. (Dex save DC 14 or auto if Distracted) — head can’t use Legendary Bite until end of its next turn; first splash overall +1 Calm.
5. Gate Chains. Two winches (Ath DC 14 each as action, or help). When both wound and ≥1 head Collared: body Bound (+2 Calm; Cerberus Speed 0; disadv on Roar).
6. Thorn Pull. Remove Stygian Thorn (+2 Calm; ends +2 damage rage).
Puzzle plaque. Above the winches: “Three mercies bind what three hungers loose.” Clue toward Sop + Collar + Song rather than steel.
Orpheus
Medium Humanoid (demigod-blooded bard), Neutral Good · Recruitable Ally
AC 13 | HP 66 (12d8+12) | Speed 30 ft.
Saves: Wis +5, Cha +8 · Skills: Performance +11, Persuasion +8, History +5 · Spell DC 16, +8
RECRUITMENT (Enc. 2). Recover his lyre and persuade him the hound must live (Persuasion/Performance DC 14, or auto if the party refuses to kill shades needlessly). He joins Enc. 3.
Cracked Lyre. Until repaired in Enc. 2 (tool check or mending magic), Song DC is 14 and he won’t enter the Gate fight.
If not recruited. Party can still subdue Cerberus — harder. A distant chord may grant +1 Calm once as a mercy beat.
Shortsword. +5 to hit. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing. He prefers not to kill.
Song of Still Waters (Enc. 3). Action: choose one of Cerberus’s heads within 60 ft. that can hear. Performance check DC 15 (he auto-succeeds if uninterrupted). That head is Distracted until the start of Orpheus’s next turn (no Bite; Collar/Sop at adv). Maintain by using this action each turn.
Chord of Binding (1/encounter). If at least one head is Collared or Sated: +2 Calm immediately; Cerberus has disadvantage on his next Legendary action.
Countercharm. As bard — advantage on saves vs. frightened for allies within 30 ft. for 1 round.
Inspire (3/rest). One ally adds 1d8 to an attack, save, or ability check within 1 minute.
Creatures
Styx-Soaked Shade
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil · CR 1
AC 12 | HP 27 | Speed 30 ft.
Resist necrotic, cold · Immune poison
Mercy note. Dropping to 0 HP can be nonlethal (unconscious mist). Orpheus notices.
Withering Touch. +4 to hit. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) necrotic.
Wail (Recharge 6). Each living creature within 10 ft. Wis DC 11 or frightened until end of its next turn.
Ker (Blood-Fate Spirit)
Medium Fiend, Chaotic Evil · CR 2
AC 13 | HP 45 | Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
Drawn to the thorn-poison in Cerberus — wants the hound to die
Deathwish Aura. Creatures within 10 ft. have disadvantage on checks to stabilize or deal nonlethal damage.
Claws. +4 to hit. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) slashing + 3 (1d6) necrotic.
Urge to Kill (1/day). One creature within 30 ft. Wis DC 12 or must include Cerberus in its next attack if able (Enc. 3 only); otherwise attacks nearest ally.
Alecto’s Echo (Lesser Fury)
Medium Fiend, Lawful Evil · CR 3 · Guards the cracked lyre
AC 14 | HP 58 | Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
Spell DC 12 — darkness (1/day)
Taunt. Mocks Orpheus — killing her is fine; needless cruelty to shades nearby hardens Orpheus’s DC by +2.
Multiattack. Two serpent-whip attacks.
Serpent Whip. +5 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 8 (1d8+3) slashing + 3 (1d6) poison.
Screech (Recharge 5–6). 15-ft cone Con DC 13; 10 (3d6) thunder; failure also deafened 1 minute.
Cerberus (Rampaging)
Huge Fiend Monstrosity, Lawful Neutral · CR 10 staged · SUBDUE — do not kill
AC 16 | HP 189 (18d12+72) | Speed 50 ft.
Saves: Str +9, Con +8, Wis +6 · Immune: frightened (unless Song) · Senses: darkvision 120 ft. · LR 2/day
Three Heads. Three bites on Multiattack. Adv on Perception. Can’t be flanked conventionally — rear attacks don’t gain pack-flank bonus.
Stygian Thorn. A black thorn in his left paw (Investigation DC 14 to spot). While present: he is enraged (see Enc. 3). Action to pull: Athletics DC 16 adjacent to paw while that side’s head is Distracted/Sated/Collared — success +2 Calm and remove rage bonus.
Loss Condition. If reduced to 0 HP by damage, the party fails. Hermes intervenes: scene blacks out; hound stabilized by gods; party suffers narrative shame + no vow-ally benefit. Prefer soft-fail teaching moment — do not continue as a normal kill-win.
Calm Track. Win at Calm 8 while HP > 0. Calm sources listed in Enc. 3 tools. At Calm 8 he sleeps; thorn can be finished safely.
Multiattack. Three Bite attacks (skip a head if Sated/Distracted/Collared as noted).
Bite. +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) piercing + 7 (2d6) poison (Con DC 16 or poisoned 1 minute).
Tripartite Roar (Recharge 5–6). Each creature of his choice within 60 ft. Wis DC 16 or frightened until end of its next turn; Calm −1 (min 0) if any creature fails.
Fling. One grappled Medium or smaller creature thrown 20 ft.; Dex DC 17 or 10 (3d6) bludgeoning and prone.
Crush Paw. If thorn still present: one creature within 5 ft. of his left foreleg Dex DC 15 or 9 (2d8) bludgeoning and restrained under the paw (escape Ath DC 15).
Detect (1). Perception check.
Bite (1). One Bite from a head that can act.
Lunge (2). Move up to half Speed without provoking; one Bite.