The author would like to disclaim any damages adventurers may face to themselves or their equipment should they cross various drones with their inefficiency and haphazards attempts to emulate pure efficiency.
Awesome Art
Self-Assembler - Noah Bradley
Fabrication Module - Aaron Miller
Marionette Master - James Ryman
Animation Module - Aaron Miller
Workshop Assistant - Victor Adame Minguez
Introduction
Self-Assemble Required is a Tier 1 adventure set on the plane of Kaladesh as part of the Shattered Planes campaign or for any group wishing to adventure in Kaladesh. It is set for characters to begin at level 3. For this adventure, you will need the Dungeon Master' Guide, Monster Manual, and the Plane Shift: Kaladesh document available at dmsguild.com. For deeper information about Kaladesh as a whole, Art of Magic the Gathering: Kaladesh, can give that background information. Additionally, there may be creatures and/or items from other D&D modules and supplements. Each item from these documents will be accompanied by an abbreviation. The list of abbreviations are below. Not all abbreviations will be used.
Abbreviations
DMG = Dungeon Master’s Guide
MM = Monster Manual
VGM = Volo’s Guide to Monsters
SCAG = Sword Coast Adventurers Guide
HDG = Hoard of the Dragon Queen
ROT = Rise of Tiamat
POTA = Princes of the Apocalypse
OTA = Out of the Abyss
COS = Curse of Strahd
SKT = Storm King’s Thunder
TYP = Tales from the Yawning Portal
TOA = Tomb of Annihilation
XGE = Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
MTF = Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
GGR = Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica
GOS = Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Self-Assembly Required
Like many of his fellow inventors, Abhay Varma constantly tinkers and works the hours away in his workshop, constructing his next big project. He's well-known for his practical and artistic pieces which have gotten him several commissions in the past.
Like many inventors, Abhay prefers to tinker and invent more than anything else. It's led his home to be a bit of a mess and other things to be left to the wayside. It annoys Abhay that he is constantly interrupted by business and household duties. He can't hire servants since he can't find any who are efficient enough to not bother him with such things while he is working.
He decided to invent a solution to his problem. Inspired by a machine called an Animation Module, a machine which can create a servo with a single charge of aether, Abhay created a larger version which could create larger servants to take care of his household while he focused on what was important.
Although he built the machine and in theory it would work, Abhay quickly discovered a problem. He did not have access to enough aether to power the device. He could not collect enough aether to keep the machine going long enough to build and animate a construct for him. Unwilling to risk becoming a Renegade just for some extra aether, Abhay felt like he was doomed to constant mediocre distractions from his important work.
One night, a flash of light appeared near his home. Fearing a leak from an aether tube, he moved to contain it. Instead, he discovered a hunk of stone which was giving off a powerful aura of magic.
Naturally curious, Abhay collected the stone and studied its properties. To his elation, he was a source of potent aether-like energy and didn't seem to run out! Joyous, Abhay modified his Great Anmation Module and set the rock to serve as a power source.
The machine came to life and in a flurry of movements and flashes of mana, the first construct came off the assembly line, ready and waiting for commands.
Abhay quickly made a full staff and set them to work in housekeeping, preparation, and administrative duties. All Abhay had to do was focus on his inventions and no longer would his brilliance be hampered by mundane tasks which never seemed to be done.
Ignoring his constructs, Abhay didn't notice that they slowly began to change. Built for efficiency, that is what the constructs did. Every task was done with efficiency in mind, but the constructs themselves were not perfectly efficient in their construction.
Slowly, the constructs modified themselves to work more efficiently, and then modified the Greater Animation Module to implement the changes they made in themselves. Soon, an hierarchy was made among the constructs as they set to ensure perfect efficiency in the household.
Every task was completed with greater efficiency until the greater constructs decided they needed to be more efficient with themselves. Eventually, they have added proficiency to every room save for Abhay's workshop.
It happened suddenly, Abhay's own constructs, more than he ever intended to build, burst into his workshop and began reorganizing, dismantling, or rebuilding everything there. Abhay tried to order them around, but the constructs considered him too inefficient to the function of the household. Abhay found himself tossed into the street from his own house as the constructs moved to operate it and his business with extreme efficiency.
Abhay is mortally embarrassed by what has happed and refuses to go to the Consulate about it. Not only would he have to explain what happened and reveal his humiliation to the public, but he runs the risk of being marked a Renegade for either his invention, or the fact he was using an unknown power source. He's effectively stuck unless he can find someone to discretely take care of the problem.
Adventure Hooks
Burglary...er...Espionage
Rumors have spread that Abhay has been gone from his home for some time. It makes a fine opportunity for some thieves to enter to try and get some aether, blueprints, or even some kind of great machne he supposedly created.
Consulate Interest
Agents of the consulate have seen the high number of constructs around Abhay's property. It is beyond what his daily shares of aether could allow. A quiet investigation begins to see if he is a Renegade or not.
Discrete Services Needed
Abhay has asked around, locating a group who is willing to handle the situation discretely. Abhay is willing to pay top coin if it's handled quietly.
Fragment Hunter
The stories of unusual constructs wandering around Abhay's property make inventors curious. No one is sure how he's powering them all, making for interesting rumors. Rumors which hint at a tablet fragment being the source.
Renegade Offer
The Renegades heard what happened to Abhay and are willing to help. Although some members are curious about the source of power he uses.
Tinkerer's Curiosity
One or more of the party spied an oddly animated construct doing shopping in a marketplace. Following it back to a fine home, there is a population of such machines all but living there.
The Adventure Begins
The characters begin the adventure outside of Adhay's house.
The house is a comfortable two story home with a wide yard. The trees show the characteristic swirls, following aether trails and the home is decorated with red brick and gold curves with silk draped from the doorways. Oddly, for all the life in the streets and the sounds of the people inventing and socializing, no sounds seem to be coming from the house itself.
Use the time the characters are outside of the house to introduce them and learn somewhat of their backstories. If the characters are working for Adhay or a faction, Adhay or a representative of a larger group can brief the characters on the situation. Adhay himself knows the intimate details of the situation but no one else does. They only know a high amount of constructs wander the property, more than normal aether shares would allow. Afterwards, the characters can enter the gates and begin the property.
Random Encounters
Constructs constantly patrol the house, looking for imperfections to be addressed on on the way to complete their duties. They move like clockwork, making predicting their movements quite easy. Every 10 minutes, a patrol of drones will either pass through the hall or enter a room to inspect it for their duties or for intruders. Roll on the Drone Encounter Table to determine which patrol the characters will meet. The characters can hide, using Stealth Checks to avoid the patrol. The drones will patrol the room, but will not examine anything without logical reason.
If a drone is found destroyed, the constructs will eventually find the remains an remove them to be disassembled and recycled. Remaining drones will thoroughly examine the room the body was found in. Crafty characters can use this to distract patrols.
| d4 | Drone Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Ekdrones |
| 2 | 3 Dodrones |
| 3 | 3 Teendrones |
| 4 | 4 Chaardrones |
Ekdrones
The most basic of the constructs running around, they are the quickest to make and can handle simple tasks. They wander in large groups so that they can complete tasks efficiently an with minimal amount of time taken. Metals of value in the Ekdrones are worth 16 cp
Dodrones
Dodrones are the more complicated constructs made by the Animation Module. They supervise many of the Ekdrones and also deal with more and slightly more complicated tasks. They usually handle distribution of supplies, handling two tasks at once. Valuable metals in the Dodrones are worth 16 sp.
Teendrones
Teendrones are made for the security of the home, built to handle battle. They are also able to rally Ekdrones and Dodrones into battle. They patrol the house, specifically looking for intruders and move to secure and eject any they find. Valuable metals in the Teendrones are worth 12 ep.
Chaarrones
Chaardrones handle the most complicated tasks, both for combat and tasks which require logical thinking. They are the ones most likely to investigate if anything appears to be amiss. Their attention to detail can make it a difficult task to hide them. Valuable metals in the Chaardrones are worth 13 gp.
1. Front Yard
The constructs do not often enter the front yard save for weekly property maintenance. If the characters make some kind of distraction or spectacle of themselves, an Ekdrone (use Monodrone MM pg224) wills tep outside to address the characters. If the characters are violent, trying to force themselves into the house, four Teendrones (use Tridrone MM pg225) will come out of the house and fight to drive the characters off the property.
If the characters wish to enter through the front door, pretending to be customers for Abhay, an Ekdrone will answer the door and ask their intentions. If the characters state they are customers for Adhay. A DC 10 Deception check is needed to fool the Ekdrone. On a success, the Ekdrone will guide the characters to Area 6. If the check fails, the Ekdrone will ask them to leave and close the door on them.
2. Entry Hall
The floors are polished to perfection and everything is neat and impeccable. Vibrant and welcoming colors decorate the walls. Pictures of past inventions are visible, made to impress anyone wishing to step inside.
A pair of Ekdrones watch the door. They answer if someone knocks on the door and inquire about their intentions. If threatened, the Ekdrones will first attempt to convince the characters to leave before attempting to flee and alert other drones to intruders on the premesis. Reinforcements for the drones will come in the form of four Teendrones that will fight until the characters are unconscious before throwing them off the property.
3. Wine Room
A simple place for guests to collect drinks and have refreshments for guests. Abhay keeps some nice wines and drinks, but they are mostly for his benefit. When he does short meetings or business deals, he uses some of his wines to help make a better impression on his guests. He has ten bottles of a fine wine worth 10 gp each.