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This is part of a series of posts with a scene-by-scene critique, appreciation, and fan improvement of the 1986 TSR module B10, Night's Dark Terror.
However long the wait, we are now at the eastern docks of Kelven in the gray dawn of 7 Thaumont (the Thyatian calendar's March), looking for Kalanos and his boat to take us upriver. But hold on a minute! Even if Eastern Karameikos is a temperate climate with little snow, and the rivers seldom freeze over, Thaumont -- "thaw month" -- should be the worst time to travel upriver. The Volaga, whose watershed is fed by mountain runoff, ought to run fast and swollen with melting snow.
Not to blame B10. It's just choosing not to apply part of the Expert D&D travel rules, which give a fixed rate for river travel, but state the movement up- or downstream may be reduced or increased, respectively, by 7-12 miles a day. River boat = 60' = 12 miles a day (close to 5th edition's 10 miles for a rowed keelboat), so strong currents can completely prevent movement upstream (and see 5th edition's rule, "These vehicles can’t be rowed against any significant current").
What's the problem with this slow pace, or even the no-current pace of 12 miles a day? For one, the timetable of the module's action requires the boat to get to Misha's Ferry, 27 miles from Kelven, by "late afternoon" on the very same day. That, plainly, is not happening. It's odd that in a module so dedicated to promoting naturalism -- "Everyday matters such as travelling long distances, finding food and shelter, and so on, need to be taken care of" -- this detail goes by the wayside.
Let's say with the current, the boat progresses 6 miles a day - we are talking late afternoon on the fifth day (11 Thaumont), or on the third if the current's disregarded. To keep up with the planned events, a better DM's choice might be to push the initial departure back to 3 or 5 Thaumont.
But before then, we have our first encounter, which should take place "a few miles upriver" of Kelven where the river narrows, and woods crowd the southern bank. It will happen in the morning if you're going at the module's motorboat speed, or midday at the more realistic pace.
It's an ambush by mysterious black-clad goons! They're hiding in "the woods on the south bank" - well, the map shows no such woods but we can assume it's a small local thicket. In a clearer failure of editing, though, their numbers are ambiguous. The text lists one figure and the stat-blocks list another. As this is only the first encounter I suggest using the less challenging numbers in the text if playing old-school rules, and the larger numbers if playing 5th edition.
First. the boat hits a chain pulled across the river, blocking the way. It's not clear how in broad daylight the boat's pilot misses seeing that chain. We can assume it is just below the waterline, enough to stop the boat's keel, with the ends secured and hidden under brush and sand on the bank. You can further set this up by remarking on the murky and turbulent water.
Then, archers in the trees open up, 80 feet away on the bank -- implying that the boat cruises up the middle of the river, the deepest spot, which is natural for a keeled boat. Also, swimmers with daggers approach to try a boarding. When they do - surprise! - one of the rowers on the boat reveals himself as an enemy agent and joins the attack.
This is a terrific setup, with many moving parts that individually look easy to handle but join into a tough tactical dilemma. The archers may pick off one or more boatmen or wound a party member (if you want to play them extra smart and cruel, have all of them target an unarmored spellcaster!) But once hidden behind the walls of the boat, the defenders are safe, unless they want to return shots. If it were just the boarders, they would be easily decimated by shooting as they approach the boat. They swim at half their movement rate by the Expert rules, so it will take four combat rounds for them to get there, or (swimming at half move but using Dash) three combat turns in 5e. The survivors, once there, lose another round in boarding. However, the suppressive archery from the bank makes both kinds of defense dangerous. The temptation is to hunker down and minimize risk until the boarders are at the boat, but then the odds shift as the agent aboard reveals himself.
Some details that are not obvious from the writing:
* The ambush is led by a higher-level goon who, as a card-carrying member of the Iron Ring bad villains club, should stay hidden and flee if failure is impending. He has a role to play in waking any archers who are felled by any sleep spells heading their way, if he is not felled himself by a lucky sleep roll, which is quite possible in Basic, less so in 5th. It is also in-character for him (but none of the minions) to have a horse ready to make a getaway.
* A DM who wants to play the minions to the fullest might consider having some of the swimmers proceed underwater and out of sight. It is completely in keeping with the ethos of their organization to have four expendable splashing guys head for the front of the boat as a distraction, while five others slip into the water behind a bush and proceed underwater to the stern. We've already established they can't see very well underwater, so they might pop up at random places within 20' of the boat.
* While the rowers are hiding and not rowing, the boat naturally drifts downstream. Working backwards from the amount it slows upriver travel, the river current is "stealing" 6 miles of travel from a 8-hour travel day (with frequent rests) in our generous interpretation, so it's running 3/4 a mile per hour, about .4 meters per second. So, drift is 8 feet per 5th edition turn (6 sec) and 12 feet per Basic D&D combat round (10 sec). This, again, makes a case for the distraction swimmers to approach from the prow (losing a round as the boat slips away) and underwater swimmers to approach the stern.
* Advancing or retreating to get off the boat might be rational. The archers will be hard to reach and their 20 arrows (or 12, if you're merciful) can last a long time. We can assume they're smart and don't shoot at hiding defenders they cannot hit. The problem with landing is that, to row or maneuver the boat to the bank, the rowers need to expose themselves, and they're paper-thin.
* Even if the boarders and false oarsman are defeated, the encounter might end up in a stalemate as the boat drifts down the river. If the archers' cover is only a small thicket, they will want to keep to it. Eventually, the party will drift to the bank and can proceed to engage the archers.
* Terrified of their boss, the archers are likely to stand their ground in the final act of the encounter, serving as a screen even if they're out of arrows, as the leader makes his getaway. Even if one is captured, they know little of the mission, which was evidently called up when an armed group of adventurers was seen consorting with Stefan and taking passage upriver. The Iron Ring wants no interference with their plans!
* Remember, the river water is icy cold. This should reinforce that the swimmers are toughened and past caring, as they emerge from the river with gray and clammy flesh. The cold water might also test characters who happen to fall in without preparing, maybe with a few HP damage if they fail a Poison/CON save.
The aftermath of the combat is not spelled out in the writing. It's likely that several boatmen will lie dead from the combat. Worse, and especially if they're 2nd level, the less sturdy party members are at risk from the surprise archery and backstabbing thief attack. Don't sell the Iron Ring short - the agent on the boat will be out to kill. Party members may have to pull an oar to make speed if more than one rower is dead. Replacement characters can always join up, looking to cross from the north side of the river at the next encounter - Misha's Ferry.
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