Graveyard at Midnight

A medium encounter for level-1 characters. Two ghouls have claimed a village graveyard and use giant spiders as lookouts. Paralysis makes this deadlier than XP suggests if the party splits up.

Difficulty Medium · Level 1 · Party 4 · Environment Urban

Fog clings to the headstones. Two large shapes hang motionless in the oak tree by the gate — spider webs, or something worse. Then you hear the scraping of claws on stone.

Tactics. Giant spiders grapple and restrain targets at range before the ghouls close. Ghouls focus gnaw attacks on restrained targets to maximize paralysis chances. If both spiders fall, the ghouls retreat to a mausoleum.

Scaling. For 3 players: one ghoul and one giant spider. For 5 players: add a third ghoul emerging from a fresh grave at the start of round 2.

Aftermath. Investigating the mausoleum (DC 14 Investigation) reveals a cult symbol and a note referencing a larger lair outside town.

XP Award 500 · Easy 100 · Medium 200 · Hard 300 · Deadly 400