For my 2^nd October post I am featuring a sinister squash. As I previously mentioned, sometimes our Halloween sessions are a bit too busy to focus on the meat of the campaign. When this happens, I will try to line up a one-off encounter for the evening.

This week’s entry should not take long at all. When I have used this in the past it has been with a low-level party, usually immediately following their first adventure.

What the Party Knows

The party has just arrived in the sleepy little village of Wiltenshire. The air is crisp and farmers are nearing the end of the harvest season. Despite being what would normally be a festive time of the year, the locals seem subdued.

Having rented rooms at the local inn, the Grinning Gourd, the party is settling in to a well-deserved meal, when a sudden commotion breaks out.

The door to the inn is flung open and a terrified farmer steps inside yelling “Gods save us! He’s back!” At that, he runs back outside and a number of the other patrons immediately stand up from their meals to join him. The individuals remaining behind appear paralyzed with terror, as they seem unable to choose between running for the door or hiding under their tables.

Should the party inquire about the nature of the disturbance. One of the patrons will turn and respond with a wild look in his eyes. “It’s the damned Pumpkin Fiend! He’s come back to kill us all.”

At this point you should tell the party that they smell something burning and can hear maniacal laughter coming from outside.

What Is Really Going On

Years ago, a young farmer name John Crane fell in love with the daughter of a prominent local official. The two planned to elope but the official did not approve of the pairing. Conspiring with other local farmers, a plan was hatched to dispatch Crane and bury his body in his own pumpkin patch. Each of the individuals taking part in the plot would then divvy up the Crane farmstead for themselves.

Prior to his death at the hands of the conspirators, John Crane vowed his revenge and swore that he would return to burn the village to the ground. The spirit of the wronged farmer clearly intends to make good on his threat and has returned every year during harvest time as the grotesque figure who the locals have dubbed the Pumpkin Fiend.

The Pumpkin Fiend

This creature has a body and limbs composed of twisted, gnarled vines, giving him an eerie and unnatural appearance. His head, the most unsettling feature, is a grotesque jack-o’-lantern with a menacing, malevolent grin. Sinister, flickering flames burn within the hollow confines of the pumpkin, casting eerie shadows.

The Pumpkin Fiend stands tall, his form exuding an aura of twisted vengeance. Vines writhe and twist around his limbs, forming claw-like appendages with thorny protrusions. He moves with an unsettling ease, as if he’s part of the very darkness that cloaks him.

Maniacal laughter escapes from the jagged mouth of his pumpkin head, echoing through the night and striking terror into the hearts of those unfortunate enough to encounter him. This once-wronged farmer has been transformed into a supernatural entity, driven by a sinister desire to exact retribution upon the village that wronged him years ago.

Abilities

• Spring-Heeled Leap: As a bonus action, the Pumpkin Fiend can leap up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that it can see.

• Pumpkin Bombs: As a standard action, flaming pumpkins appear in the Pumpkin Fiend’s hands. He hurls these explosive pumpkin bombs at opponents or structures up to 15’ away. Use 10′ area-of-effect (AoE) templates to represent where the bombs land. Players must dodge or take cover to avoid damage.

• Burning Debuff: If a player is hit by a pumpkin bomb, they will catch fire, taking damage over time until they use an action to put out the flames.

• Fear Aura: The Pumpkin Fiend’s unnatural presence emits a 20’ aura of fear, causing players to make Wisdom saving throws or become frightened. Frightened characters have disadvantage on attacks and ability checks while the aura is active.

• Entangle: As a standard action the Pumpkin Fiend can cast Entangle as the spell of the same name.

The Encounter

There are 8 locations within the main center of the village:

1. Farmer’s Market
2. Blacksmith Shop
3. Grinning Gourd Inn
4. Stables
5. Cottage
6. Mercantile
7. Cottage
8. Cottage

Roll a 2d8 once the party decides to take a look outside. The result from the first d8 will indicate a structure that is already on fire by the time the party steps outdoors. The result from the second with indicate the structure that the Pumpkin Fiend is standing on top of, laughing maniacally.

Describe the scene to the party. The villagers themselves do not appear to be cut out for a fight. Some are fleeing, some paralyzed in fear, and the rest are actively trying to put out the fire at the burning structure.

If the party does not engage the Pumpkin Fiend, he will use his actions to continue leaping from building to building and light them ablaze with his pumpkin bombs. If he manages to light all 8 structures, he will caper off into the night, never to be heard from again.

However, If the party attempts to intervene, they will immediately draw the ire of the Pumpkin Fiend. He will attempt to use his Entangle ability to root the party and then burn them with his pumpkin bombs.

If the party defeats the Pumpkin Fiend, all that will remain of him will be his carved pumpkin head. Lifting this lid off this pumpkin will reveal the following items:

• Ever-Burning Candle: This seemingly mundane candle will radiate magic. It functions as an ordinary candle and may be blown out. However, it does not melt and never needs to be replaced.

• 3 Packets of Pumpkin Spice: All non-magical food and drink sprinkled with one of these spice packets will be rendered free of poison and disease.

• Mysterious Potion: A potion with an orange hue, labeled “Drink me” When consumed, it grants temporary visions that show the person who consumed it the fate of John Crane. Over the course of a few moments, the whole story of betrayal and murder will play out before their eyes. What the party chooses to do with that information is up to them.

Wrap Up

Thank you for joining me for another week. I’ll be keeping with the Halloween theme for the rest of the month. How about you? Do you decorate at all for Halloween? Do you carve pumpkins of your own? Let me know in the comments below. I appreciate you stopping by.

For the Village of Cross Tree, go here.

For maps & plot hooks, go here.

For my Idea Chest posts, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

Finally, for a bit about me and some general stuff, this is the spot.