Introduction

T
his story is a Christmas-themed one shot
designed and balanced for a party of five
characters at level 5. It is an Evil/Neutral scenario
intended to be run in isolation; through this
scenario the players may receive opportunities
which would entirely derail a longer planned
campaign.
This adventure is balanced and designed around the 5th edition
ruleset (for which Basic Rules are available free online), but for
your ease of adaptation is not tied in to a specific world. It takes
place in the broad medieval fantasy setting, in and around a cold,
Northern area.
Premise
The players are hired by a morally suspect toy company to
infiltrate Santa's Workshop. They will be generously paid to...
Ask any kid if Santa is real and they’ll laugh at you before they
steal your coin purse, “of course not”.
The parents, however, know better...
Wintermas has always been a day of celebration, a day to
gather round the fire to drink and eat, but the presents are a
mystery. Not long ago, beautiful little toys, sweets and cookies
started appearing in every house across the land, all labelled
‘from Santa’. Every Wintermas morning, without fail. M ost
people love these presents and accept it as a blessing, but there
are others who see competition…
Setting the scene
It’s the night before Wintermas. You’re huddled in the large stone
archway of a tall and narrow 5-storey tower. The wind howls
past and thick snow obscures your view beyond a few metres. A
discrete brass sign on the door advertises…

Find out how he distributes toys HappyJoy Toy and Tobacco

Steal/disable the means if possible Company
(Bonus) Kill Santa.
Northern Region Headquarters
World background Frosthold
The world is not a happy place. A trip to the countryside means
Your interview is in 5 minutes time, and it appears from the small
being torn apart by a pack of monsters. A good month means
crowd gathered [the other assembled players] that you’re not the
only one or two villagers have died painfully. ‘Being fit and
only one who has been selected for this job. What would you like
healthy’ means you still have half your working teeth. It’s
to do?
perhaps not surprising that children here are tough, cynical little
buggers.

INT RODUCT ION

1
Scene 1: HappyJoy Toy
and Tobacco Company
Reception
M otivational posters and adverts for dubiously virtuous
HappyJoy products line the walls. An advert for a teddy bear
'that really smokes' catches the eye. A bored looking receptionist
is using a slate tablet and chalk.
The receptionist is uninterested in small talk
and unimpressed by any of the players. She will
take names and classes (players to describe
themselves) and give them ‘Hi, My Name Is…’
name badges. Once all given out, the players
are directed though into a lift (pulled by team
of gnomes who make elevator sounds) to the
top floor.
Quentin HappyJoy's Office
A large painted portrait of a smiling man in a purple suit holding
a bunch of colourful balloons takes up most of the right wall, a
small plaque underneath it reads...
Quentin Happyjoy Senior
Founder, Happyjoy Family Toy Co.
The far wall of the room is entirely taken up by a large window
through which you can only see snow blowing past. The only
item of furniture is a dark mahogany desk holding a neat stack of
parchment, a magical Newton’s Cradle and a slate tablet. In front
of you is the greyest man you have ever seen.
This is Quentin Happyjoy Junior, corporate
businessman before his time. He'll briefly
interview the players for a little RP introduction
then provides a short summary of the quest.
He skirts over the element of killing Santa,
instead describing 'thoroughly achieving your
KPIs'.
He'll explain they've sent scouts to Santa's
home at the North Pole, but none have
returned and they've only received the briefest
notes by sending stone; the entrance lies in a
glacial crevasse, there are patrolling flying
creatures, enchanted holly barbed wire and
candy mines along the top, something unclear
about no man’s land.
He'll give each player 250g payment upfront
and a further 750g each on completion.
He'll warn that if they run with the pre-
payment, he'll place the 750g as a bounty on
their heads.
The encounter ends with the players offered an
hour to collect any items they need; directed to
the nearby town square (optional; see
Appendix) to then return and be teleported to
the North Pole by Quentin's Corporate Mages.
To return, they are given an enchanted
snowglobe which they may smash to create a
temporary portal (1 minute) to Frosthold.
SCENE 1
2
 Scene 2: The North
Pole
Approach
As you land in a flash of light, your first view is of snow and ice.
As you look up an icy plain stretches out in front of you, a bitter
wind is howling, it's dark but your way is lit by the stars, the full
moon, and an incredible aurora above. About a kilometre in front
of you, a huge cliff of ice stretches hundreds of metres into the
air. A wide, jagged crevasse cuts into its face. You can see many
figures in the distance in front of the opening, but none appear to
be moving.
There are approximately 50 figures in neat
rows. On closer inspection they are snowmen.
A skill check from the players reveals that
whilst most are just vague lumps of snow,
three close to the crevasse entrance appear to
be more distinct.
The players may attempt to sneak past, but this
will be very difficult. If they don't manage, or
they ignore this entirely, the largest snowman
will greet them.
The top of the ice cliff is essentially
impassable, it is patrolled by flying creatures
(see Paindeer) and strewn with traps.
You notice the largest of the figures begin to shift as you
approach, it turns to face you and you see it has coal eyes, a
carrot nose, three blue gems in a line down its chest and two arms
carved along its sides. It appears to smile widely.
He will introduce himself as 'Frosty' and will
not be immediately hostile to the players. He'll
happily greet them and tell them that
Wintermas is tomorrow, they’ll have to wait for
their presents!
He has two sidekick animated snowmen who
are near to him but not immediately apparent
amongst the decoys without having been
searched for specifically, or with a successful
DC18 perception check.
He will encourage the players to leave and not
spoil the magic of Wintermas. If they do not
leave quickly, it's time to roll initiative.
SCENE 2
3
Frosty the Snowman
Large construct, neutral
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 78
Speed 40ft.
STR DEX CON INT W IS CHA
19 (+4) 9 (-1) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
Damage Immunities Cold
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3
Senses passive Perception 13, darkvision 60ft
Languages Common
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Berserk. If a companion is killed, Frosty goes
berserk. On each of its turns while berserk, it
attacks the nearest creature it can see, making an
extra headbutt attack (+7 to hit, 1d8 bludgeoning
damage) in addition to Double Swipe .
Weakness to Fire. If Frosty takes fire damage, it
has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks
until the end of its next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. Frosty can use Double Swipe and
Chilling Ray on its turn.
Double Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: Two
attacks with +7 to hit, reach 5ft., (1d10+4)
damage plus (1d6) cold damage.
Chilling Ray. (3 charges) Frosty targets one
creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target
must succeed on a DC13 Constitution saving
throw against this magic or take (3d6) cold
damage and be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target
can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns. Taking any fire damage will end the effect
immediately. If successful, or the effect ends, the
target is immune to Chilling Ray for 1 hour.
Snow Meld. As a bonus action, if on ice or snow
terrain the Snowman may disengage from any
adjacent targets and meld into the ground,
reappearing instantly at any space within 40ft.
If the players have already noticed the two
sidekicks, they will immediately start the fight Animated Snowman
with Frosty, otherwise add them to the initiative Medium construct, neutral
track and they will attempt a surprise attack
(with advantage) on the players closest to them Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
at the start of their turn. Hit Points 41
Speed 40ft.

STR DEX CON INT W IS CHA

18 (+4) 9 (-1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)

Damage Immunities Cold

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3
Senses passive Perception 13, darkvision 60ft
Languages Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Weakness to Fire. If the snowman takes fire

damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and
ability checks until the end of its next turn.
Brothers in Arms. The snowman has advantage
on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of
its allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally
isn't incapacitated

Actions
Double Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: Two
attacks with +6 to hit, reach 5ft., (1d8+4) damage
plus (1d6) cold damage.
Snow Meld. As a bonus action, if on ice or snow
terrain the Snowman may disengage from any
adjacent targets and meld into the ground,
reappearing instantly at any space within 40ft.

SCENE 2
4
 Scene 3: Cavern of Paindeer
Christmas Lights Large beast, neutral
Approach Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
As you step into the crevasse, you see a long passage before Hit Points 60
you, starting wide and tapering to a point from which a dim glow Speed 50ft. (flying)
emanates. Whilst it is mostly dark, floating, ethereal Wintermas
Lanterns illuminate patches of the path. Taking a step forward, STR DEX CON INT W IS CHA
the sound of the howling wind becomes muffled. It’s replaced by
a far more ominous sound, a deep, low rumbling as if the ice were 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 8 (-1)
moving.
A chip of ice falls from above and you see shadowy shapes Damage Immunities Cold (1/2 damage)
flying overhead, they don’t appear to have spotted you. The ice Skills Perception +5, Stealth +3
walls, however, are moving very slowly together. You need to Senses passive Perception 15, darkvision 60ft
hurry, and would guess you’ve not got long before this cavern
Languages Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
closes entirely.

As a Pack. The Paindeer has advantage on an

This section is a race against time set piece.
It can be run in several ways to suit your
group...
A series of stealth checks running
through the cavern
A fight with an actual physical time limit
(e.g. 3 minutes per enemy)
A fight with increasing risk of damage
per round (falling ice)
A simple fight against the Paindeer with
a long corridor to get through.
Depending on how they're doing, you may
introduce between 1 (easy) and 4 (deadly)
Paindeer.
As you reach the end of the cavern, you can see where the glow
is coming from. Through a crack in the ice (about 10 ft wide and
20 ft tall) a gentle light shines and you can see snow falling
slowly beyond. It would seem you've found the entrance to
Santa's Grotto.
attack roll against a creature if at least one of its
allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally
isn't incapacitated
Actions
Multiattack. The Paindeer uses both Bite and
Gore on each attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft.,
(2d6+4) piercing damage.
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft.,
(2d6+4) piercing damage. On successful attack,
target must make a DC12 Constitution saving
throw, on a failed save target bleeds (1d4) damage
at the end of every turn until 1 or more hit points
are restored or an action is spent tending to the
wound.
Snow Breath (Recharge 5-6). The paindeer
exhales a blast of freezing wind in a 15-foot cone.
Each creature in that area must make a DC12
Dexterity saving throw, taking (4d8) cold damage
on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one.

SCENE 3
5
 Santa’s Cookie Lab (A)
Scene 4: Santa's Grotto Ho Ho Holding Cells (B)
As you step through the wall, the scene changes immediately.
You’re in a beautiful cavern lit with a warm golden light, with Santa’s Workshop Portal (C)
gently falling magical snow coming from somewhere high up
Paindeer Stables (D)
above you.
Snow tipped stalactites and stalagmites rise from the floor and
descend from the ceiling, not necessarily in that order. Striped
candy cane picket fences line a stone path which leads forwards Throughout this area, everything is whimsical
to a small central square dominated by a giant Wintermas tree and magical, but detailed player investigation
before splitting into four. The air smells like peppermint and
should be rewarded with hints of corruption;
gingerbread is going mouldy, things look run
cinnamon.
down, a creeping sense of something sinister.
Above you, a green banner with silver lettering hangs between
two stala… stones. It is written in gnomish. If the players search for presents under the
trees you may offer joke loot (optional; see
Appendix)
HE KNOWS WHEN YOU ARE
SLEEPING This is an opportunity for a rest. should the
HE KNOWS WHEN YOU'RE AWAKE players need to recharge after the previous
encounters. If they sleep or nap, they have
strange and terrifying dreams which they can't
At the end of the four short paths, you see three gingerbread remember any detail from upon waking.
houses, and set in the centre of the far wall, a tall stone archway
within which the air has a shimmering water-like quality. They
each have tiny signs next to them, which appear to be made from
chocolate, with iced [gnomish] writing on them.
There doesn't appear to be any movement from any of the
buildings.. for now. What would you like to do?

SCENE 4
6
 A) Santa's Cookie Lab C) Santa's Workshop Portal
This seems to be where the delicious smells are coming from. A pale blue light emanates from this stone archway. The air
Strange machinery lines the walls of this small gingerbread house, within it shimmers like a gently disturbed pool.
and bags of sugar, cinnamon and lots of unknown magical dusts
are piled in boxes and shelves. Seven silver plates lie in a row on
Players may walk through the portal, but
a bench fixed to the far end of the room. Each plate has a small
nothing will happen unless they first eat the
pile of cookies on it, each with a different iced design.
correct cookie
Investigation reveals cookie crumbs on the
This is a logic puzzle (see overleaf), the clue to
floor
solving which lies with Dave Grinch in the
Holding Cells
High DC investigation or detecting magic here
will suggest some of these ingredients are
really pretty strange.. magical characters may
D) Paindeer Stables
determine with a suitable check that they You can smell hay and a strange sort of chocolate smell coming
include Brain Stem Fluid and Infused Essence through the doorway of this squat building with wide, open
of Consciousness; substances known for their doors. Inside you can hear snoring.
ability to affect peoples minds.
If the players are really struggling, you can Looking (stealthily) through the doors the
allow them to decipher a recipe scrap to players can see three Paindeer sleeping, and
identify one of the 'bad' cookies. several empty bays. The Paindeer will attack if
disturbed. (DC12 Stealth to pass through)
They have strange names on their collars.
[Doner, Souvlaki and Gyros]
B) Ho Ho Holding Cells
At the far end of the stable on a very high shelf
The door to this building is locked, and there are candy cane bars they can see a small statue of a Paindeer, with a
on the gingerbread window holes. Inside, there is a single cage ruby nose. Detecting magic or just knowledge /
taking up half of the room, it contains a wild-eyed gnome with skill check shows it’s a magical item.
bright green hair.
Appropriate DC16 skill check to retrieve, failure
initiates combat.
This is Dave Grinch, prisoner of Santa. He is
half-mad, irrational and hostile. He hates Once they hold the statue, a simple check
Christmas, hates joy, it’s just not right, what’s identifies it as a Wondrous Statue, once per
he after etc. day as a bonus action they can summon
Rudolf the Paindeer to aid them, he appears
His tribe are missing, he's followed tracks here and casts a ray of red light from his nose,
and believes it's because of Santa. causing (4d10) radiant damage to a single
target, half on a DC15 Dexterity save
He’ll offer the players a deal, if they free him
and bring him the head of Santa, he’ll help
them into the workshop and as reward, create
them any item they wish.
Social challenge tells them that his tribe of Ice
Gnomes are natural artificers, many of them
can duplicate and transport items, but some of
them (the tribe leaders) have the ability to
create matter from energy, in either case, once
per year. They ironically see this as a curse,
they create presents but hate them.
If pressed about getting into the workshop, or
if they accept his offer, he’ll give them a riddle
which will allow them to solve the puzzle (see
overleaf).
Killing him (he will die with a single blow) gives
them it on a piece of paper found on his body.

SCENE 4
7
Cookie Puzzle
The Moon cookie allows passage through the
portal, the Santa Hat cookie provides
inspiration.
The Tree, Present and Holly cookies cause the
player to be knocked prone and lose (1d4)
Intelligence points

Puzzle adapted from a riddle described in Harry

Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
8

Scene 5: Santa's
Workshop
This room is huge. Unbelievably huge. It’s a giant stone dome,
almost half a mile in diameter. From halfway up the dome, the
roof is enchanted to show stars and the aurora above. The same
gentle golden light illuminates rows and rows of small stone
altars, all pointed to a circular plinth which is raised up from the
centre of the room.
At each altar, a gnome sits with a frozen smile on their face,
staring blank-eyed towards the centre. A wide aisle cuts a path
through the endless concentric circles, leading from the portal
behind you straight towards the centre. A large silhouette is
visible upon the plinth, its back to you, it appears to be a very
fat, very tall man, wearing a crown and large, bulky robes. What
would you like to do?
As soon as the players move towards the
centre of the room, the portal will disappear
behind them. They may only notice this if they
check.
They may attempt a stealthy approach but,
come on, this is Santa. He's seen them as soon
as they've entered the room. Once they get to
within a reasonable range he turns and smiles.
Santa wheels round. His jolly voice booms out.
Ho Ho Ho.. Hello, children. Wintermas isn’t until
tomorrow!
Santa will try to lure the players to the centre
‘for presents’.
Perception will reveal the portal has closed…
Aim for sinister / creepy notes but overall very
friendly demeanour.
If they get close enough, or delay for too long,
he’ll apologise that they’re on his naughty list
and attempt to possess one of the players...
As Santa locks eyes with you, you feel an intrusive presence in
your mind. Something isn't right. You hear screams and reality
lurches, your very sanity is being attacked.
The player must make a DC15 Charisma save,
failure means this player is now under the
control of Santa, who will initiate combat with
the players.
Save (once per turn at the start of each turn for
affected player), breaking Santa's concentration
or damaging the controlled player ends the
posession.
SCENE 5
9
Fail: Darkness fills your vision and madness overwhelms
you. Roll for initiative then hand me your character sheet.
Success: Through power of will you force the voices to stop.
Roll for initiative.
Santa's stat block is overleaf.
Once a significant portion of Santa's original
set of health has been depleted (feel free to
base on fight difficulty), around a few minutes,
maybe a KO and around 2/3 of player
resources expended, then Santa falls.
Santa falls to the ground, unconscious, and his crown falls off.
The gnomes surrounding suddenly stop, their eyes no longer
blank, and a cheer goes up around the room. They begin to rush
towards the heroic players. They don’t get far.
A ringing, shrieking, metallic sound echoes from the spot
where Santa fell. It almost deafens you, it's the sound of a giant
suit of plate armor being torn in half by a hundred pairs of metal
claws. The air seems to twist and shatter in front of you. This is
all wrong. The gnomes look panicked and begin running to the far
walls. A ripple of shouts and conversation passes rapidly
between them. You catch three words over the noise. ‘He is
here’.
A writhing monstrosity unravels itself from the fallen crown,
its form is hard to distinguish, all black smoke and boiling flesh.
It bends space and light as you look at it, shifting in and out of
focus like an optical illusion, at one moment it appears to be
made of tentacles, then a screaming face, then a grotesque cluster
of eyes and sinew. It’s somehow all around you whilst
occupying a space in front of you. It is utterly terrifying. Its
voice sounds like a raspy whisper in your ear but hurts as if it
were shouting.
You have interrupted the plan.
We prepare for my arrival in this
world.
I see your thoughts.
We are not so different.
Join me and I will spare you.
Wear the crown.
Wield power over all minds.
The monstrosity shifts and appears to be closer to you. What
would you like to do?
Intelligence/History check tells players this is
the avatar of an Old One. A challenging foe,
but only a portion of the true God's strength.
The players may accept its offer or fight it.
See final page for options and consequences.
Santa
Large humanoid, neutral evil (possessed)
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 134
Speed 40ft.
STR DEX CON INT W IS CHA
24 (+7) 10 (+0) 22 (+6) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 14 (+2)
Damage Immunities Cold (1/2 damage)
Skills Perception +8
Senses passive Perception 18, Truesight 60ft
Languages Common, Elvish
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Winter's Aura. Cold winds swirl around Santa,
any creature starting their turn within 5 feet of
Santa takes (1d6) cold damage.
Legendary Resistance. Twice per day, upon
failing a saving throw, Santa may instead choose to
succeed.
Almost Immortal. Upon reaching 0 hit points,
Santa will fall unconscious and the Crown of
Domination will fall from his head. It may
otherwise only be removed by a Remove Curse
spell from a 9th level spellcaster.
Legendary Action. Once per round, after an
opponent's turn, Santa may choose to use one of
his Actions. This does not count towards his two
Action total.
Actions
Faster Than He Looks. Santa can use two of the
below Actions per turn (cannot use the same
Action twice on a single turn.
Naughty or Nice. Close Burst Spell: reach 10ft.,
(2d10) psychic damage to all in range who
damaged Santa in the last turn, (1d4) healing to all
who did not.
Gnome Missile. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to
hit, range 30ft., (2d6+4) bludgeoning damage.
Santa telekinetically launches a Gnome at a target
within range.
Crown of Domination. Santa attempts to lock
eyes and control the mind of a creature within
sight. Target must make a DC15 Charisma saving
throw, on a failed save target is forced to take an
attack, move or cast a cantrip at a target of Santa's
choice.
Belly Blow. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
range 5ft., (2d10+6) bludgeoning damage. Santa
wobbles his belly like a bowl full of jelly.. then
smashes it into a target.
Cloak Swirl. Santa may disengage with a swirl of
his cloak and reappear instantly at any empty
square within 20ft.
Old One's Avatar
Huge abberation, lawful evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 116
Speed 40ft. (teleport)
STR DEX CON INT W IS CHA
14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 22 (+5) 22 (+5) 22 (+5)
Damage Immunities Psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, paralyzed, prone,
stunned
Skills Perception +10
Senses passive Perception 20, truesight 120ft
Languages Undercommon, Telepathy 120ft,
Deep Speech
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Weak Ties to This World. The Crown of
Domination (whilst unworn) may be targeted with
spell or melee attacks (AC12). Dealing 40hp of
damage will destroy the crown and banish the Old
One's Avatar immediately.
Legendary Resistance. Twice per day, upon
failing a saving throw, he may instead choose to
succeed.
Legendary Action. Once per round, after an
opponent's turn, the Avatar may attempt to
Dominate a target within 60ft. Target must make a
DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be forced to take
a single movement, attack or cantrip action.
Actions
Multiattack The Avatar takes two of the below
Actions per turn (may use the same Action twice)
Psychic Tentacle Reach Weapon Attack: +7 to
hit, reach 15ft., (2d6+4) psychic damage. On
successful attack, target must make a DC12
Dexterity saving throw, on a failed save target is
prone and takes 1d4 psychic damage at the start
of their next turn and again until upright.
Telekinesis. This spell may function as per the
Mage Hand cantrip, though capable of lifting up to
200lb of weight up to a distance of 60ft. It may
also be used as a ranged spell to lift a player into
the air or throw them against an object (DC14
Intelligence saving throw) at which point they will
fall and take 4d6 damage (Dexterity save for half)
Twist Reality. The Avatar makes a duplicated
image of itself (may be repeated to make, 4, 8, 16
copies) at any square within 30ft. Roll with even
chance to determine which image is the real Avatar
and which is the image. A DC14 Perception check,
damaging the correct Avatar or the correct Avatar
taking a (non-legendary) Action will end the
illusion.
SCENE 5
10

Scene 6: Conclusion
Effectively the ending is up to the players. They've now got
several very evil routes to creating any item they like, and
disributing thousands of copies of that item to anywhere in the
world. Accepting the power of the Old One should not come
without consequences, so feel free to make this as poisoned a
chalice as you see fit.
They also have the option for redemption, and if they help
Santa they can save Wintermas, but if your players do 'evil'
anything like mine, Santa is probably dead and tortured, whilst
the players are leading an army of 10,000 flaming dread steeds
into the sunset.
A few suggestions for how this could play out are suggested
below...
Refuse the offer, kill the Avatar,
leave Santa alive and well
Santa will be grateful, his intention will be to destroy the crown
and the thrall cookies that he has been setting up to send, instead
he'll persuade the the gnomes to make normal toys and sweets, as
equals, not slaves. Wintermas has been saved! He will resist evil
plans and fight the players if they attempt anything of the sort.
Take the offer, wear the Crown of
Domination with the Avatar alive
The player will gain the ability to control minds (see Appendix),
but be immediately under the control of the Old One, whose first
imperative is killing Santa (no save).
If the players achieve this, they must make a DC16 Charisma
saving throw immediately, then again each time they attempt to
use the crown and upon waking each day.
On a failed save, the crown compels them to carry out a course
of action for 24 hours, broadly to start a cult and/or enslave the
world, and +1 is permanently added to the save DC. The crown
cannot be removed without killing the player.
Written by /u/jmanc. Formatted with The
Homebrewery. Images are my own composites
from public non-copyrighted sources, with the
exception of the front cover which has been based
on a (CC-A) photo by Shane Gorski .
11
Refuse the offer, kill the Avatar,
then wear the crown anyway
The player will freely gain the ability to control minds, including
the room full of gnomes who can duplicate and teleport items
once, and Santa if he is still alive (players are immune to the
effect having just defeated the Old One's Avatar) but get a sense
the crown is drawing strength from them. After (1d10) days the
Old One compulsion returns, following save rules above.
Kill Santa
The item copying gnomes will be terrified and attempt to flee.
They will not assist the players in any way unless compelled,
for example through an extremely high DC persuasion check. If
proof of death is taken to the Grinch he will provide any item
within reasonable character knowledge / imagination, no greater
than 5ft x 5ft in size. The Grinch cannot create sentient beings
but can create a mindless construct in the manner of a golem.
Fulfil the brief and return to
HappyJoy
The players may return to HappyJoy should they wish, and
they will be paid the 750g bounty, and may negotiate for an extra
250g each if they have also killed Santa.
We're putting the crown on our pet
dog / reindeer / Dave's head.
If the Avatar is alive and the players choose not to wear the
crown themselves, it'll attempt to kill them. If they kill the
Avatar, the crown may be freely removed until (1d10) days have
passed.
Whoever or whatever wears the crown will quickly use it to
try and fulfill their character goals, the Paindeer are prideful and
will force others to worship it and bring it food, the Grinch will
force everyone out of his way and get his tribe back. In any case
the consequences should not be pleasant.
Appendix: Crown Appendix: Loot
Crown of Domination Boots of Teleportation
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement) Wondrous item, rare

This crown is of a simple spiked design, it appears to be cut Once per day as a bonus action you may speak a command word
to make these boots teleport to any space within 60ft. You do
from dark stone, but is surprisingly light. The crown has up to 4 not move with them.
charges, and (1d4) are restored daily at dawn. Whilst wearing it
you may expend a charge to dominate the mind of a single
powerful creature, or multiple weaker creatures within a 100ft
radius.
Dominate. You may telepathically suggest a single, simple Horn of Invisibility
course of action, which the dominated subject(s) will follow to Wondrous item, rare
the best of their ability, persisting even if this action causes harm Once per day you may blow this horn to become invisible. You
to themselves or others. The suggested course of action can must continue blowing the horn to remain invisible. It can be
continue for the entire duration. If the suggested activity can be heard within a 500ft radius.
completed in a shorter time, the effect ends when the subject
finishes what it was asked to do. You may specify conditions,
for example; "You will attack the first non-human to walk through
that door". Brassiere of Eternal Flame
Single target. You may target a single creature within range. If Wondrous item, rare
the target is a creature with a CR of 5 or higher, or a player
character with 5 or more levels of experience, the target must This item is continually aflame and cannot be extinguished. It
appears to be a set of racy underwear.
make a DC16 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save the target
is dominated for up to 24 hours. On a successful save the crown
has no effect and they are immediately aware of the attempt to
influence them.
Multiple targets. You may target any number of creatures Hat of Disguise Self
within range, each with an individual CR of 4 or lower, or Wondrous item, rare
multiple player characters each with 4 or fewer levels of
Once per day this hat can cast disguise self. The hat chooses
experience. These weaker targets are immediately dominated for when and what it changes to.
up to 1 year. They have no save vs. the effect and are unaware of
the source of their compulsion.

Ring of Beast Turning

Wondrous item, rare
Once per day you may speak a command word to turn a single
beast. It will slowly rotate on the spot until it is facing 180
degrees in the opposite direction.

Scroll of Mass Confusion

Wondrous item, rare
This magical scroll appears to be very powerful. It requires a
DC50 Intelligence check to decipher.

Wand of Magic Detection

Wondrous item, rare

Curse. Upon suggesting a course of action, the wearer must The gem atop this magical wand glows orange when a magical
make a Charisma saving throw, in the first instance with a DC of item is within 50ft. This includes itself.
15. On each failed save their suggestion may be altered (as subtly
or overtly as the GM chooses) to further the aims of the item's
original creator, and the save DC permanently increases by 1 for
this wearer. Upon reaching DC20, the crown may only be
removed by the wearer's death. Remove Curse has no effect.
Appendix: Frosthold
This is the biggest town in the region, but that isn’t saying much.
It’s a circular walled town atop a hill, with four gates; North,
East, South and West. Heading towards the centre there’s a small
square where most of the action seems to be happening. A bard
sings Wintermas carols whilst locals and guardsmen are watching
transfixed.
Around the square there’s a Blacksmith that is also a
Leatherworker, a combined general store and tavern on the corner
with the windows covered up, and a Temple of Helm. There are
also a few merchants selling their wares from stalls near the
centre of town, including an alchemist, a jeweller and a few
tradesmen selling Wintermas trees and Wintermas treats.
You know this as a tough town with a tough reputation, today
though there’s a generally happy hubbub as people go about
their Wintermas preparations. The smell of roasting meat and
chestnuts fills the air.
Usually this is a town full of gruff Northern
workers; the work here is hard and the
conditions unforgiving. The primary business
is hunting, collecting and processing bone and
ivory for HappyJoy’s toys.
Whilst everyone has a rough Northern accent,
almost everyone the players pass today is like a
'gee golly, mister' Disney character, they'll talk
about how happy and joyous they are on this
one day of the year where they can forget about
the donkey blight, the pain pox, the bandit
attacks and the constant fear.
People may mention how glad they are for their
miraculous presents, and how great it is that
nothing bad has ever happened to Santa.
Optional vignettes
Tiny Tom
As they enter the general shop, an incredibly small human with a
broken leg and makeshift crutch is counting out copper pieces
very slowly to pay for the smallest pigeon available. He'll keep
dropping his change and getting the price wrong. The players
can't be served until this ends.
Bing Crowsby
The bard here is singing with an incredible voice, and a group of
guards and locals are watching transfixed. There's a large hat filled
to the brim with mixed coins (180gp) for the local orphanage and
it doesn't look like anyone is watching it.
Candy from a Baby
You see a mother negotiating for a Wintermas tree at a side-of-
the-road vendor, her baby is next to her in a basket, wrapped up
warm and happily unwrapping a huge lollipop. It looks like a
very tasty lollipop.
Points of interest
Michael C Hammer’s Smithy and
Tanner
A small but well-stocked shop selling standard Armory gear.
M ichael sells all simple and martial weapons and armor within
reason at standard price.
Stocks (1d4) +1 weapons at considerable cost (750gp) in a
secure cabinet. Anything worth over 100gp is Alarmed.
The Legitimate Business Tavern and
Store
This large single-storey building has a bar and a small shop
counter where the players may purchase alcohol, food, drinks,
rations and adventuring gear.
With successful check, e.g. Thieves Cant or perception +
persuasion, players may fence stolen items and can access a back
room with a black market catalogue, including a selection of
sketchy items;
Bear trap. (DC14 Dex save or prone, advantage to target if
thrown) (50gp)
Blade poison. (1d6 damage, 3 applications) (100gp)
Flashbang. (single target, thrown as ranged attack, disadv
next attack) (50gp)
Knife boots. (adv on climbing, bonus action attack for 1d4
damage, -5ft move) (50gp)
Klaxon-bomb. (distraction, 60ft range, DC14 Wisdom
saves) (50gp)
Darkvision goggles. (grant darkvision, bonus action to
activate) (100gp)
Cloak of Stealth (adv. on stealth checks) (750gp)
Scroll of haste (500gp)
Scroll of invisibility (500gp)
Bob’s Bargain Bottles
Sells a small selection of sealed potions, unlabelled. Has 10 in
stock. All are 50gp. Some are alcohol, few are poison, some are
useful. Roll (1d6) for contents.
1 – poison 2 – foul liquid 3 - alcohol 4 – common potion,
(healing, climbing or darkvision) 5 – uncommon potion, (gaseous
form, greater healing) 6 – rare potion, (potion of fire breath, frost
giant strength)
Marvo’s Miraculous Magical
Medallions
Sells various gems at (PHB price +20%) and a range of amulets
for 100gp which have minor magical effects. Roll (1d6) for effect.
1- granting advantage on performance (dance) checks 2-
granting an impressive moustache 3- making hair billow
dramatically 4- one weekly charge of message 5- lowering voice
pitch significantly 6- one weekly charge of thaumaturgy
Temple of Helm
An altar here holds 1 potion of healing, holy water and a
donation box which is very full of coin today (250gp total).
The priests here can cast cleric spells up to Level 3, for (100gp
per spell level)