This is the 24th encounter in my 4E conversion of The Sunless Citadel. I created the bugbear gardener, a 2nd level skirmisher for this encounter. The encounter is a +3 above the maximum level a PC should attain in this module, making it a hard encounter, technically speaking. However, I’ve staggered the enemies into waves, and some enemies will remain in their area, so it shouldn’t be as challenging as the XP budget leads one to believe.

Encounter 24: Arboretum Gallery
Encounter Level 6 (1400 XP)

Overview
The PCs enter a divided gallery from which branch several arboretums. The attendants of the areas do not react kindly to intruders. This encounter includes:

• 3 bugbear gardeners
• 3 skeleton shovelers
• 4 goblin cutters
• 1 thoqqua

Area Description
Read the following to the players when they first enter the gallery:

Nodules of luminescent fungus hang from the ceiling and walls, and grow in clumps on the compost-covered floor. The light has a slight nauseating effect, but is enough to reveal bas-relief carvings dragons on portions of the walls not obscured by vegetation. A bench containing simple gardening implements stands along the west wall. A medium-sized humanoid figure is carrying a a long-handled instrument with a curved blade while it tends to a patch of wan grass.

Read the following to the players when they enter one of the areas off the main galleries:

Luminescent mists blur the edges of this chamber. Glowing fungus dot the walls and ceiling, while the caps of toadstools, mushrooms, small polyps, puffballs, and lichens blanket the floor. The humid air reeks of rot.

The features of this area include:

• Illumination: Dim lighting

Tactics
The bugbear gardeners will call out for help when they spot intruders. Only the thoqqua will not respond. It will take 1 round for the goblin cutters and the bugbear in the north gallery to respond to the alert. The third bugbear and the skeletons will join the battle in 2 rounds.