Welcome to the inaugural Dicefell Tournament! With us, teams will use pre-made 3rd level characters to battle their way through a custom, 4-hour long adventure to see how far into the mission they can get. Points are awarded for foes defeated, puzzles solved, and reaching mission-specific milestones.
Teams
A big thank-you to all of our competing teams, and their very creative names!
Winning Teams
Congratulations to our top competitors from this year!
1st Place Team: Fighting Mongooses
2nd Place Team: Dicefell Rogues
3rd Place Team: TPK – Thicc n’Pretty Kenku





Other Teams
- Arms of Hydra
- Cheese Wizards at Heart
- Highhorns Calling
- Mythic Revengers
- Order of One
- Party of the Spear
- Stranger Beings
- The Glorious Knights
- The Red Wizards of Thay
The Adventure
Hired by the Church of Pelor, the party must fly to an isolated island currently in the midst of a severe storm to discover why a monastery and its keeper have stopped responding. Given the amount of secrecy and resources provided, it seems unlikely that this is any normal monastery. Getting in should be easy, but what about getting back out…
Additional background information and critical adventure maps were presented as Volumes on our FaceBook page, in the form of 4 Volume entries:
Volume 1: Meeting of the Council of Pelor
Deep in the bowels of the Temple, far below the noise of the city streets and the worshippers above, the final council member securely closed the stone door behind him and activated the magical glyphs designed to keep this meeting utterly unobserved.
“My brothers and sisters,” he began calmly “As always let us give praise to Pelor and pray that his light will always shine upon us.” Slowly he walked to his seat, but did not sit.
“Pelor be praised.” The accustomed response in unison from the other council members, each seated in their respective spots around the yellow, circular stone table.
“You all know why we’ve convened here today, and the importance of what this could mean.” The nods of the five other High Priests and Priestesses brought him no comfort as he finally took his seat.
When seated, Elcor Fardawn the High Priest of Pelor, smoothed the wrinkles on his robe and cleared his throat. Each of the other council members could feel Elcor’s discomfort even through his flawless façade. “I’ll be blunt. The rumours you’ve all likely heard are true. We’ve lost communication with both the Keeper and Monastery as a whole, both magically and through mundane means.”
Murmurs and nervous glances encircled the table.
“However,” Elcor continued after a moment “the lighthouse continues to shine at night. This gives me some hope that things may not be as bleak as it seems. And as all the other pieces are accounted for and still protected, I feel we should proceed cautiously.”
“How cautiously? We shouldn’t delay in confirming the status of this piece, we may have to put the others on higher alert.” High Priestess Sasha spoke, never one wait before speaking her mind.
Elcor nodded in full agreement. “You’re right my sister, time may already be against us. Which is why I’ve put the word out and right now, literally as we speak, a team not associated with the Church is on their way an-“
“Not associated with the Church?!” High Priest Duncan blurted out in disbelief, standing with his aged hands pressed flat against the table.
“Calm yourself, Duncan” Elcor gently made a lowering motion with his hands to put others at ease. “If known members of the Church begin flocking to the island, this may cause more harm than good. In fact, this may be a baiting way to locate that which we’ve hidden by those who seek it. Rest assured,” as he spoke now he made sure to look around the table and into each persons eyes, “this group knows nothing of what’s actually happening. As far as they’ve been told, they’re simply confirming the status of an historical item of sentimental value to the Church.”
“What exactly have they been told?” Sasha’s eyes locked with Duncan’s, sharing his concern.
Elcor’s deep breath in before talking was a clear indicator that he was about to speak for a bit.
“We’ve hired a group of, for lack of better words, problem-solvers-for-hire. They’ve come to us with the highest recommendations from trusted sources, and none of them are associated with the church in any way. Each of them are foreigners to our city, therefore they should be able to come and go as they please without drawing too much attention. Ideally this will be a simple situation: They will travel by boat to the island where they will drop anchor and go to shore via rowboats. From there they will make their way to the Monastery and determine why there hasn’t been any communications. Should things appear sour, their goal will be to retrieve the historical item and return to us with it, where we can properly handle it again. Should they not return, or return with dreaded news, we will act accordingly.”
“What if they get lost on the island, or any number of issues that may arise? What if they’re not permitted into the Monastery? There are too many unknowns to trust with a group of… of…” Sasha stalled, attempting to be polite but uncertain how to proceed.
“Then what would you suggest?” Elcor asked, well aware the easiest way to deal with Sasha was to work with her instead of against her. High Priestess Sasha, despite her small frame, wielded significant amount of power and sway.
After a moment of thought, Sasha stood and addressed the council. “One of my Priestesses, in plain clothes, will accompany this party. She will also be from out of this city and therefore shouldn’t raise any more curiosity than the group you’re preparing to send. Her awareness of the situation will give her much more insight, she’s been to the Monastery before and knows the rough layout and I believe she even met with the Keeper years ago when it was first built. With her presence I believe your plan deserves a chance.” Having completed her thought, Sasha returned to her seat.
The nodding of the other members made it clear to Elcor that a vote wouldn’t be necessary.
“Then it is agreed. This group, along with High Priestess Sasha’s chosen one, will make for the island within the week. And let us all pray that Pelor’s divine light shines upon them, for we know what may happen if his light shines again upon this historical item…”
As the six continued their upcoming plans, discussing and confirming details and timelines, the sigils and glyphs surrounding the room continued to have their strength tested. Although none of the attempts to observe worked, the final try was very close to being successful. The listener even managed to hear the echo of a word spoken. It was too distorted to make out, and yet their close success caused a very genuine smile to cross their scarred face.
To Be Continued…
Volume 2: Sir Charles Gravenhelm and Huff
“What do you think of this place, Elcor?” the elderly man spoke softly, his white robes fluttering in the sea breezes. The unmistakable golden sun symbol of Pelor visible from the front and back, though faded from many years in the sun. His clothes mirrored his weathered face; clearly this was a priest who didn’t spend a lot of time indoors.
Elcor Fardawn’s eyes scanned the keep carefully, slowly. “I like the location… isolated on a nearby island which is mostly uninhabited. And you say its been recently cleared?”
“Yes, we sent the militia in not two days ago and cleared out the usual squatters. Plus due to its height and the ring of pine around it the structure and its lands are spared from the harshness of the ocean.”
“What kind of squatters?” Elcor asked, his interest minorly peaked. Anything unintelligent would be fine, but he couldn’t risk anything more.
“Every so often large crabs make their way onto the shore, some of them end up in the old keep. And in the past there have even been Goblins hiding out, but they never stay long and I don’t actually recall the last time we even saw signs of Goblin activity.” The old priest pointed to the rear of the keep. “We fixed a fissure in the wall a few winters ago, other then that everything seems to be stable.”
Moving towards the open gate, Elcor waived for his team to follow from their resting spot in the shade of the pines. “Start the survey, I want to know how long it would take for this keep to be suited to our needs and how much it would cost. I have no desire to wait, so know that the full resources of the Church are available.”
No more needed to be said, this crew had already surveyed a dozen plus other sites and knew the routine well.
“Tell me the history of this place and walk me through it,” by now Elcor and his old priest guide were in the courtyard and moving towards the main building.
“Rumours are all we have, sadly. But the story tells of a wealthy lord from the mainland who wanted to cast off his duties and live a simple and secure life away from the city and the court. He had this keep constructed and shortly after he, his wife and their two sons took up residence within. The design was for the keep to be mostly self-sufficient with only the need of a handful of help.
The construction was a lengthy process and after many years was finally finished, which also led to the construction of my village and its lighthouse. When that much material is being moved, a temporary town is likely to spring up. In this case the town was nicely located and people stayed behind. Unfortunately for the lord, his sons had no love of the peaceful rural life and moved back to the city as soon as they came of age. Once grandchild entered the picture, the lord and his wife moved back to the mainland to be closer. And unable to get any real profit for the keep, the lord entrusted its use and upkeep to the Church until such time as any member of the family returns. And as no member of that family is still alive, its been fully given over to the church. Not much of a story I’m afraid… but you asked for a solid structure that’s easy to defend, not one with an interesting history.” The old priest smiled and clasped his old friend on the shoulder.
“The less history, the better.” Elcor chuckled.
“Its of solid build. There is subfloor with hidden outdoor access, although I don’t recall where that is. I’m sure we can walk through the tunnel and find where it emerges. The main building and a few outer buildings, all defended within the walls. And the main building itself has a second floor.”
For the remainder of the day, both Elcor and his friend walked the land and the floors. The numerous times they inspected the same places gave the old priest some insight that whatever this place may be used for in the future, it would be something of high importance. Afterall, its not everyday that the future High Priest of Pelor comes to visit personally.
Come the end of the week, the decision had been made that this keep would become one of eight new Monasteries for the Church of Pelor. Elcor felt upon first seeing this keep that it would be one of the four places chosen to house the special items. The only question that remained was who would make the best Keeper.
“I need a message sent back to the Church,” as soon as he began speaking, his scribe was already fetching the ink and quill. “Send for Sir Charles Gravenhelm,” Elcor had given this much thought and was happy with his decision. “And yes, before he asks, his loyal hound Huff is welcome to join him. Pelor knows how moody he gets if Huff is left behind…”
Volume 3: Cindershine and Shaken
The proud knight of Pelor turned upon the newly finished stairs, his gaze slowly sweeping over the courtyard. “No, not the courtyard.” He mused aloud, “Our courtyard, right Huff?” Gravenhelm chucked as his large black and white mastiff pushed past him and trotted into the building. Ever since he was rescued from under a bridge as a pup, Huff always had a preference to be indoors.
As he walked towards the gate, Gravenhelm was both pleased with his newly acquired position within the Church and feeling the heavy burden of it. The walls were of reinforced stone, the gates made of fire-treated wooden beams, and everywhere the arrow slits from the defensive positions peered down. These were the most obvious of defenses. There were many more that The Church had insisted on and succeeded in installing.
Lost his thought while slowly walking forward, he reached the gate just as the messenger did. “Sir Charles Gravenhelm?” the boy asked, face sweaty from the trip. “Did you run here, boy?” Gravenhelm asked, sidestepping the question for the moment. “Yessir.” A quick response. The village was several miles away, gently down hill the entire way from the monastery. “Good, I like to see that effort. And yes, I am Sir Charles Gravenhelm but from this point forth you’ll simply call me ‘Gravenhelm’.” The boy nodded as he handed the scroll tube over, and was pleased to receive several coins in return. “Thank you Si… Gravenhelm…” Clearly uncomfortable with the new name system, he simply bowed his head before turning and starting his slow jog home.
A sudden rumble from above drew Gravenhelm’s gaze upwards to the dark clouds which were rolling in. “Seems like we’re about to get some more rain,” he had become used to speaking out loud for the sake of Huff, and continued to do so even when the dog wasn’t present. “Every time we get a good rainfall those big, ugly crabs come inland and then get stuck or lost. I guess Huff and I are going to have some fun in the next few days!” His voice noticeably cheered as he spoke of driving the back the crabs. After all, he joined the Order of Pelor to become a knight for a reason! Not to endlessly sit behind a desk or spend his days sweeping the floor.
Now that he was outside, he decided to take a walk around the eastern part of his newly acquired lands. Currently forested in pine, all the trees in this section were marked for removal. The Church wanted this area cleared quickly to be used as a landing area; however Gravenhelm resisted.
“Give me some time, please.” He recalled asking. “This wood is strong and thick, there are many uses for it. We can send much of this down to the nearby town where it can be used for buildings and repairs. Firewood, furniture, a lot can come of this.” His request was simple and the Church ended up agreeing with him. A year of time was granted, but anything remaining after that would be quickly removed. Gravenhelm wasn’t planning on needing the full year. He had many plans and even more importantly than that, he had a work crew.
*** *** ***
Later that night Gravenhelm sat at his desk, various papers laid out in front of him as he scribbled down his plans for the future, both in drawings and written word. Huff, as usual, lazed by the crackling pine fire burning in the fireplace.
“I want this to be a good place, Huff. I want the staff to be proud to work here. I want the townsfolk to look forward to our visits and in turn look forward to visiting us. I want Pelor to shine brightly here and all those who look upon this ‘Monestary,’” he chuckled for a brief moment, “to know this is a good and safe place. What do you think? Sound good?” He asked, his ink quill still for the moment.
The skull shaped patch of white fur on Huff’s face always gave him an eerie look, especially at night. But once that skull face pressed itself against the ground and his eyes closed for more sleep, it took on a much less serious appearance and usually received a laugh.
“Oh, and I almost forgot to mention,” he carried on talking as he continued his writings. “Dark storm clouds this afternoon, looks like we might get some ‘play time’ soon.” That roused the Mastiff’s head, play time was something he also looked forward to. These island crabs were impressively large and put up a good fight; plus they tasted wonderful after being cooked.
Gravenhelm turned and looked at his tools. Cindershine; the blade his father handed down to him. The blade he hoped to hand down to his future son, one day. And Shaken, the shield gifted to him from the Church once he achieved his official status. ‘Knight of Pelor’. A title like that needed a gift worthy of awe and Shaken was that gift. While not in use, both sword and shield were proudly housed on either side of the mantle where they could be seen from almost anywhere in his private chambers.
“That’s enough planning for tonight, Huff” he declared, blowing out the numerous candles illuminating the table. “Tomorrow we start clearing the eastern side of our property, so lets get our rest! I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”
Volume 4: Griffins, Summoning Rings, and Repelling
With the moonlight hidden behind the clouds, the rooftop was masked in shadows. Elcor’s instructions were very clear, no light! Those who needed to see… could.
The team of four moved forward in single file, flanked by high ranking priests on either side. This section of roof they’d been led to was flat and hidden on all sides by arched roofs or the various towers and spires of the sprawling church. This area spanning only fifty feet or so, it was completely empty save for the rectangular wooden building that sat nearly in the center of this hidden plateau. This out-of-place looking wooden building was where the group was being silently ushered.
Ten feet wide and nearly twenty feet long, the building was made of sturdy planks of thick wood reinforced often with iron bands and plates. The entire building was oddly designed and each member of the group noted different aspects of it as they moved inside. It had four large iron rings attached to each corner of the very flat roof, and the roof of the building stuck out nearly three extra feet in all directions from the exterior walls. There were more thick metal rings attached to the outside ceiling, these ones were smaller than the roof mounted rings. The floor also extended beyond the building in all directions, but only a foot. Inside the building was wall to wall shelves that were sealed with long wooden covers, latched closed. There were no windows, no seats, and for a moment everything was as silent as the grave and nearly as dark.
“I thought we were heading out?” One of the group asked when their guide entered the building with them, a female priest they were introduced to once. She wouldn’t offer her name, and requested they simply refer to her as ‘Priestess’.
This guide has been hand chosen by High Priestess Sasha; a ranking member of the Church of Pelor. Priestess would lead the group to Sir Gravenhelm’s monastery and act as both a messenger and diplomat if necessary. The group was instructed very carefully by the High Priest Elcor Fardawn that no harm was to come to their guide.
“We are. I recommend everyone hold on tightly.” She replied calmly as she reached out to hold onto the closed wall shelves, nodding to the group in indication they should follow suit.
As the group exchanged glances with each other, the door to their mini-building was closed and the sounds of people climbing onto the roof could be heard.
*** *** ***
The lack of moonlight wasn’t a problem for the Griffin’s, whose eagle eyes could still discern fine details in the dark. They were clad in their custom-made armoured harness which brandished the symbol of Pelor to those below. Silently the team of four circled in their descent until they were only a few dozen feet above the pick-up point, a flat section in the middle of the church’s roof. It was a tight squeeze for all four of them, but this wasn’t their first time doing this. Each Griffin easily discerned their rider on the roof of the mobile-camp and carefully maneuvered into position. Maintaining a hover, slowly lowering until their riders were able to connect the carrying chains to their harness. ‘Click’, the chains were locked in place, then their riders climb up and into their saddle. Then likewise locked themselves into their saddle. Falling off a Griffin isn’t a good idea.
No one had to speak, the team was well established and knew what to do. The rustling of chains and the minor protest of the wood was all that was heard as the Griffins lifted the mobile camp straight up into the dark sky. Over the heads of thousands of sleeping city folk, the group flew towards the island and its monastery.
*** *** ***
The majority of the two-hour flight was pleasant enough, until they entered the storm that set-up shop over the island. Savage winds and driving rain cause the mobile-camp to rock and sway despite the efforts of the Griffins. After being knocked around a bit, the door to the camp suddenly opened and a soaking wet Griffin rider entered, clinging tightly to the wall, then closed the door hard behind him.
“We have a couple problems!” He yelled above the din of the storm.
The Priestess unsteadily moved to the rider so they could speak without yelling. After speaking for a few moments, the rider cracked the door open and held the priestess steady while she stuck her head out the door to stare into the storm for several moments.
Curiously, she then cast a spell, leaving her head out in the weather. The faint white glow surrounding her hands being a dead giveaway.
Finally she returned, but the look on her face was grim.
“I’ll be blunt with this because things are really bad,” she had to yell to be heard above the storm despite how close she was to the party.
“There’s a massive, horizontal summoning ring in the sky above the courtyard of the keep. It must be at least twenty feet wide; I can’t tell how high off the ground it is. At least thirty feet. There are only two things that I was able to discern. One, it’s connected to one of the lower planes. That’s really bad. Two, the summoner of it has placed a time delay of sorts. It won’t open for another seven hours, and when it does open it’ll only be for thirty seconds. It’s also providing enough light to show that the monastery has been attacked…” She paused to catch her breath.
“We have to hurry! Once we land I’m going to send the Griffin riders back with news of the portal. We won’t have much time, but there may be enough for the Church to send reinforcements here before whatever comes out, comes out.” Another pause.
“Now the second bad news. Normally the Griffins can land the camp, but the rain is obscuring the ground! So you four are going to have to repel down and secure the landing site. We have these lanterns that we’ll send down with you. Once you have an area secure, just light the lanterns and spread them in a thirty-foot square. One lantern in each corner, okay?”
*** *** ***
DM to Party: “Each of you stand with your backs tightly against the wet exterior walls of the mobile camp, the knotted rope you just threw down has disappeared into the blowing sheets of rain below. The other end connected to the metal ring which is secured to the ceiling. There’s little more than a foot of exposed board to stand on, several of you are looking down between your own boots into the rainy darkness. Protected from the storm currently, as soon as you begin the descent, you’ll be hit full force by the savage wind guests and pelting rain. According to the Griffin Riders, the ground is apparently fifty feet below, but right now you’re lucky if you can see twenty…
The Characters
The Church of Pelor has hired good-aligned ‘Problem Solvers’ that are not associated with the church. Each was specifically chosen for this clandestine mission.
Characters are level 3 and will not gain further levels during the adventure. Class, gear, feats, race, are all selected ahead of time and can not be changed. Every PC has their prepared spells chosen for them. However, each player will be given the choice to have a +1 magic enhancement to either one weapon or one piece of armour. And the party is provided a portable shelter, filled with extra mundane gear and equipment.
Fighter
Species: Halfling, Stout
Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting
Martial Archetype: Battle Master
Born in the desert and quickly enslaved by vicious Githyanki pirates, this Fighter is ready to show enemies how formattable they are now that the chains have been broken.
Rogue
Species: Tiefling
Variant Human Feat: Dash
Roguish Archetype: Assassin
Being part of the ‘Black Network’ can be both a blessing and a curse. Now this Rogue is focused on finding out what happened to their parents, one mission at a time.
Cleric
Species: Dragonborn
Draconic Ancestry: Bronze
Divine Domain: War
Called back into service by divinity, this former healer of the King’s army is ready to march into battle and lay waste to any evil that is before them.
Sorcerer
Species: Half-Elf
Draconic Ancestry: Gold
Sorcerous Origin: Draconic Bloodline
A mix of tragedy and fire has shaped this Sorcerer into the impressive, fire-throwing caster who’s ready to purify and cauterize those of evil heart and dark intent.
Dungeon Master’s Journal
DFT1 Statistics
- Only 1 team managed to solve the provided ‘Puzzle Ball’ within their allotted time! Well done team: TPK!
- Only 2 teams gathered ‘The Key’.
- All but 1 team fought the Zombie Dogs in the Courtyard.
- 100% of the teams kept the Priestess Alive!

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