The Lonely Windmill

• A1 × Elephant (CR 4, 1,100 XP)
• B4 × Lion (CR 1, 200 XP each)

XP

1,900 of a 2,000 XP high budget

Party

4 characters of level 4

Smoke rises from a burned farmstead on the horizon. The wind carries the smell of smoke and wet earth.

Setup. Four lions led by an elephant are starving after a hard season and bold with hunger.

Terrain

• Barrow mound: the mound gives high ground; ranged attackers on top have half cover against creatures below.
• Tall grass: creatures in the grass are Lightly Obscured, and Small creatures there can attempt to Hide.

Tactics. A mother defends her young to the death; the rest scatter if she falls.

Twist. The creatures are illusions masking a single real threat among them.

Adjust on the fly

• Easier: Remove one lion (−200 XP).
• Harder: Add one more lion (2,100 XP total, beyond the High budget: dangerous for a tired party).

Treasure. 480 gp in mixed coins and four gemstones worth 48 gp each; Potion of Climbing; A page torn from a diary, ending mid-sentence.