The Smoke Graveyard

• 2 × Vampire Spawn (CR 5, 1,800 XP each)

XP

3,600 of a 4,400 XP high budget

Party

4 characters of level 5

A market stall lies overturned, apples rolling across the cobbles. A watch whistle shrills twice and then cuts off.

Setup. Two vampire spawn are dragging a fresh body toward the Smoke Graveyard.

Terrain

• Rooftops: jumping between buildings requires a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check; a failure means a 20-foot fall.
• Market stalls: stalls give half cover and can be knocked over to create Difficult Terrain.

Tactics. They target whoever carries light or holy symbols first.

Twist. The area is sacred ground: anyone who spills blood here is marked by the local temple.

Adjust on the fly

• Easier: Remove one vampire spawn (−1,800 XP).
• Harder: Add one more vampire spawn (5,400 XP total, beyond the High budget: dangerous for a tired party).

Treasure. 1,300 gp in mixed coins and two gemstones worth 130 gp each; Potion of Clairvoyance; A letter of credit from a bank that closed a century ago.