The Gingerbread Felon

I am back with another encounter from the Feengrenze! With Christmas just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about gingerbread and the old story of the Gingerbread Man. Inspired by the tale, I’ve crafted an encounter with a suitable dark fairytale twist.

Favors as Rewards

In the Feengrenze, a favor can be as valuable as gold or silver. Feyfolk always honor their debts, no matter how big or small, and many mortal folk follow the same principle. They believe the Feywild itself punishes oathbreakers. If a character promises to repay the players for a service, the players can expect them to keep their word.

The Encounter: The Gingerbread Felon

The players are traveling along a road, roughly half a day from the nearest town.

Introduction

Read the following aloud:

It is a wonderful day in the wilds. The sun shines through the trees, birds sing in perfect harmony, and a cool breeze gently caresses your skin. Suddenly, the peaceful scene is shattered by the sound of screaming and the thunder of distant hoofbeats. Around the bend, a 3-foot-tall gingerbread man comes sprinting toward you, yelling bloody murder.

“Help me! He wants to eat me!”

The gingerbread man, decorated in a classic style with icing buttons, a frosting bowtie, and a face made of white and black icing, runs up to the players and begs for their aid. His name is Crispy, and he is being hunted by a young prince who wants to eat him.

Enter Prince Leopold von Schönburg

No sooner does Crispy finish begging for help than a very young nobleman—no older than eight—comes galloping around the corner. He is accompanied by five guards mounted on riding horses.

The nobleman, Prince Leopold von Schönburg, is dressed in an exaggerated noble outfit, complete with a crown slightly too large for his head. He rides a pony with an ornate, ribbon-covered saddle. The group comes to a halt as one of the guards unfurls a scroll and demands that the players kneel, declaring the presence of Prince Leopold, third prince of Zuckergipfel. The guard then orders the players to surrender Crispy to the prince.

Leopold’s decree states that all living gingerbread men in Zuckergipfel are to be captured and served to him. Hearing this, Crispy drops to his knees, pleading with the players to save him. He explains that he has a sick wife at home. If he doesn’t get the frosting he’s carrying back to her in time, she will die.

Resolving the Encounter

Diplomatic Solution

The players can try to persuade Prince Leopold to let Crispy go. Due to his age, prideful demeanor, and low intelligence, Leopold is susceptible to manipulation. If the players ask why he wants Crispy, he chuckles:

“Why, you foolish peons! Everyone knows living gingerbread men taste better than the normal kind! My big sister says so, and I deserve the best sweets because I’m a prince.”

If the players succeed on a DC 8 History check, they recall an old wives’ tale about living gingerbread men tasting better, though it lacks evidence. Armed with this knowledge, the players can attempt:

Persuasion (DC 10): Convince Leopold the tale is false. Success prompts him to insist his sister wouldn’t lie. A second DC 15 Persuasion check convinces him she was teasing him. If both checks succeed, Leopold sulks and rides away.
Deception (DC 11): Convince Leopold that living gingerbread men taste awful. This check has advantage if the player is a wizard (Leopold thinks wizards know everything) or proficient with cook’s tools (he assumes chefs are experts). Citing fake sources or first-hand knowledge lowers the DC to 10.
History (DC 17): Reference a specific tome debunking the myth. Wizards have advantage on this check.
Divination Magic: Spells like Augury can convince Leopold it’s a bad idea to eat Crispy.

Failure on three checks or attempting to intimidate Leopold causes him to order his guards to attack.

Combat

If combat begins, Leopold orders his mounted guards to attack while he remains at a safe distance. The guards fight until the tide turns against them, then attempt to retreat, dragging Leopold with them if necessary. As they flee, the players can hear the prince swearing vengeance.

Running for It

If the players decide to flee, start a chase using the rules on page 252 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The guards’ mounts make this challenging, but Crispy knows a rugged path horses cannot navigate. The players encounter the following obstacles:

The Stream: A 10-foot-wide, 3-foot-deep stream. Crispy cannot cross it alone without disintegrating. A medium or larger character must succeed on a DC 10 Athletics check to carry him across. Jumping the stream requires a DC 10 Athletics check, and fording it requires a DC 7 Athletics check. Success gains 70 feet as Leopold insists on finding a bridge. Failure loses 20 feet.
The Thicket: A dense, thorny patch. Each player makes a DC 8 Dexterity check to avoid getting snagged. Success gains 40 feet as the pursuers ride around it. Failure loses 10 feet.
The Frostwoods: A snowy grove. Each player must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution check to push through without exhaustion. Success gains 20 feet as the guards’ horses struggle. Failure loses 20 feet.
The Knotwoods: A tightly packed forest. Medium-sized players must crawl through. Outside, the players hear Leopold throwing a tantrum as his guards refuse to follow. The pursuers retreat.

Conclusion

Regardless of how the players resolve the encounter, Crispy breathes a sigh of relief and thanks them. He invites them to his gingerbread cottage for tea and frosting with his wife, promising they’ll always be welcome. He vows to return the favor, saying, “You saved my frosting and my wife’s life. I owe you one.”

If the players choose combat or flee, they create an enemy in Prince Leopold. On their next visit to Zuckergipfel, Leopold may send guards to arrest them on trumped-up charges—or worse, accuse them of aiding a felon.