Cragmaws Come Undone
This reimagined version of Lost Mine of Phandelver's Cragmaw Castle transforms the ruined stronghold into the hunting ground of a rampaging owlbear. The Castle's former goblinoid inhabitants perished in their original keyed locations where they were encountered in the published adventure.
This variant side quest assumes the Dungeon Master has access to the original Cragmaw Castle map and keyed locations from Lost Mine of Phandelver. Gundren Rockseeker is absent from this version of the adventure, allowing the castle to function as a standalone side quest unencumbered by the nefarious schemes of Nezznar the Black Spider. With the exceptions noted under the "Castle Features" section below, general features of Cragmaw Castle as presented in LMoP remain unchanged. Treasure is also remains identical, with one exception: Sildar Hallwinter's chainmail and longsword are not at the castle.
The Carnage at Cragmaw Castle
King Grol captured a wounded owlbear and confined it within one of the castle towers, hoping to tame the creature into becoming his greatest living weapon. Instead, the beast recovered from its wounds, escaped captivity, and tore through the castle in a frenzy. Every denizen of Cragmaw Castle died in the resulting carnage, with the exception of the grick located in the Dark Hall (Area 8).
The aftermath in many of the rooms throughout the castle is horrific. Goblin corpses lie where they fell in their keyed locations. Some bodies have been stripped clean to the bone, while others are mutilated or half-devoured. The castle reeks of slaughter, mingled with the owlbear's musk and scat.
Castle Features
Light. Natural light filters poorly through the castle’s narrow arrow slits and damaged walls. During the day, the interior is cast in dim light (lightly obscured); at night, it falls into total darkness (heavily obscured). Creatures without darkvision or a light source are effectively blinded in the dark.
Doors. The castle’s interior doors are constructed of wood reinforced with iron bands. None are locked or barred. Every door is currently either standing ajar or has been violently smashed open by the owlbear; the DM determines whether a specific door is still intact or completely destroyed. A character can bar an undamaged door shut from the inside. Forcing open a barricaded door requires a successful DC 15 Strength check.
Owlbear's Den. Place the owlbear in the area furthest from the characters’ point of entry. The owlbear is asleep in darkness in a place where it cannot be spotted through arrow slits:
- Characters enter through Area 1, place owlbear in Area 13
- Characters enter through Area 11, place owlbear in Area 4
- Characters enter through Area 10, place owlbear in Area 6
The Monster's Wake
The owlbear’s presence is obvious to observant characters. Throughout the castle, characters discover:
- Massive claw marks gouged into wooden doors
- Furniture smashed into splinters
- Broken doors hanging from shattered hinges
- Coarse feathers caught in cracks and debris
- Half-eaten corpses, or piles of goblinoid bones picked completely clean
- Piles of animal waste and fur
A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check notices fresh signs of a large predator somewhere within the ruins. A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) check is sufficient to identify the predator as an owlbear.
Tiptoe Through The Castle
As the characters explore Cragmaw Castle, ask whether they move stealthily. Characters who move quietly must make Dexterity (Stealth) checks while traveling from room to room throughout the castle. While moving stealthily, their speed is reduced by half.
Because the owlbear is asleep upon the party’s arrival, the initial difficulty class to avoid detection is a successful DC 5 Dexterity (Stealth) check.
Three Strikes
Each failed Dexterity (Stealth) check increases the danger:
- First Failure: The owlbear stirs in its sleep. Stealth DC increases to 10.
- Second Failure: The owlbear fully awakens, sniffing at the air and listening. Stealth DC increases to 15.
- Third Failure: The owlbear leaves its den.
On The Prowl
Once active, the owlbear stalks the castle using scent and instinct, making a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check each time the party navigates between rooms. Because of its Keen Sight and Smell trait, the owlbear makes its checks with advantage.
- On a successful check, the owlbear moves 20 feet toward the characters.
- On a failed check, the owlbear is unsure, and does not move.
- On a failed check by 4 or more, the owlbear instead moves 20 feet in the wrong direction.
As the owlbear draws closer to the party, use distant growls, scraping claws, snapping bones, and heavy footsteps to build tension as the beast prowls the ruined halls. The owlbear should feel less like a wandering monster and more like an apex predator stalking prey within the darkness of Cragmaw Castle.
u/ticklecorn | alongthetriboartrail.com
