Blackwall Keep

Edit: This a post I made on the Paizo forums in 2006 and I now copy here.

First of all let me say that I am enjoying this adventure series and I am not changing it because I do not like the way it's written. I just know my players and thought they would get a kick out of this.

When the heroes arrived at Blackwall Keep it was under attack by the Lizardfolk. They fought back the Lizardfolk and secured the keep. The Cleric treated the wounds of the guards but there were a few guards that were still afflicted by something unknown. DC20 heal check was not made so she did not know they were afflicted by a slow worm. Still knowing something was not right they had the guards quarantined in the basement.

The heroes then head out into the swamp to rescue the captured mage, blah, blah, blah, they rescue her. As their characters turn to head back to the Keep I hand the players new character sheets for 5 guards at Blackwall Keep.

I give each guard a boost to 10 HP and a personality with a small blurb on what they thought of the other 4 guards.

I have them on patrol where they hear a noise coming from down in the basement and they head in to check it out. One hit dice guards are fun to play. It was all about the interaction between the guards and what they did or didn't do that got them killed.

As it turns out one of the quarantined guards turned into a spawn. 3 of the 5 guards were killed outright and the other 2 were turned into spawn. So when the PC's arrived back at the keep there were 3 spawn trapped in the basement. Perfect.

One thing to note, I turned off the Spawn's fear effect against the guards. Maybe it wasn't active for the newly made Spawn of Kyuss? It was just too much for the small segment.

So when my players jumped back into their normal characters they knew exactly what was going on at the Keep... and that made it all the more creepier. Most important part is they had fun with it.

Here are the guards they played:

Name: Duncan
Race: Human
Rank: Peon
Quick Tempered- Easily angered, your character has a hot temper and is easily provoked.
Limp - Your character walks with a limp, which is a birth defect your character is very self conscious about.
Init: +1
Senses: Listen +2, Spot +3
Armor: Chainmail
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15
Hp: 10 (1 HD)
Melee: Longsword +3 (1d8+1/19-20)
Ranged: Longbow +2 (1d8/x3)
Possession: Lucky Rabbit’s Foot
How he views other characters:
Walton: Bossy although usually right. Pompous in his fancy cloak.
Yerell: Holier than thou attitude. Talks too much.
Hammond: Clumsy and plays with fire… augh.
Santos: Stupid suckup! Is he a foreigner?

Name: Walton
Race: Human
Rank: Peon First Class
Charismatic - Your character is able to influence people by sheer force of personality. Difficult to Roleplay it takes a lot of effort to be charismatic. Leadership and the ability to engender enthusiasm in others is a must.
Squeamish - Your character cannot stand the sight of blood or gore. Joining the Military for a living probably wasn’t a good choice.
Init: +1
Senses: Listen +2, Spot +3
Armor: Chainmail
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15
Hp: 10 (1 HD)
Melee: Longsword +3 (1d8+1/19-20)
Ranged: Longbow +2 (1d8/x3)
Possession: Fine Cloak
How he views other characters:
Duncan: Poor chap, bum leg and blames the world for it.
Yerell: I can count on him to volunteer. Very Hororable.
Hammond: A bit clumsy, can I get him to stop starting fires?
Santos: Where is he from?

Name: Yerell
Race: Human
Rank: Peon
Chivalrous - Your character lives by a code of honor, is courteous, generous and valiant. Dreams of one day becoming a Paladin of Heironious.
Habitual Liar- If one lie will suffice ten are even better. Sometimes your character may lie just for the sake of lying. This does not mean that your character is a cruel to others.
Init: +1
Senses: Listen +2, Spot +3
Armor: Chainmail
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15
Hp: 10 (1 HD)
Melee: Longsword +3 (1d8+1/19-20)
Ranged: Longbow +2 (1d8/x3)
Possession: Holy Symbol of Heironious
How he views other characters:
Duncan: I could probably cure his limp when I’m a Paladin.
Walton: I would follow him into combat anytime.
Hammond: He’s going to blow up the kingdom with his potions!
Santos: Nice guy… where is he from?

Name: Hammond
Race: Human
Rank: Peon
Clumsy - Your character may be described as accident prone. He will trip over, bump into, and drop things.
Hobby-Alchemy - Almost everyone has a hobby, your character loves alchemy. The mixing of potions and drying of herbs makes him beam with delight.
Init: +1
Senses: Listen +2, Spot +3
Armor: Chainmail
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15
Hp: 10 (1 HD)
Melee: Longsword +3 (1d8+1/19-20)
Ranged: Longbow +2 (1d8/x3)
Possession: Vial of Alchemist’s Fire
How he views other characters:
Duncan: Don’t stare at his limp, makes him mad.
Walton: I’ll let him assign the watches.
Yerell: Smartest man alive.
Santos: Where is that accent from?

Name: Santos
Race: Human
Rank: Peon
Obsequious - Humbly or excessively attentive, fawning. Your character finds it much more agreeable to be in service to someone who will provide him with all his needs and is not against a bit of groveling to make sure he gets all that he feels he deserves. A bit weasely, but if he plays his cards right, a comfortable weasel.
Accent - Your character has an accent. It is from speaking another language but do not pin it down.
Init: +1
Senses: Listen +2, Spot +3
Armor: Chainmail
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15
Hp: 10 (1 HD)
Melee: Longsword +3 (1d8+1/19-20)
Ranged: Longbow +2 (1d8/x3)
Possession: Mood Ring
How he views other characters:
Duncan: Quick to anger, stay on his good side.
Walton: This man is going places, stay close to him.
Yerell: Wants to be good, but is a filthy liar. Stay clear of him.
Hammond: When he isn’t breaking things, he can make potions.