Solo LMoP - 15. Wave Echo Cave - Part 1

The time has come to enter Wave Echo cave. First, I want to tell you a bit about my history with this module. Feel free to skip, if you want to get to the game. 

I started playing Dungeons and Dragons about four years ago, when my wife and I saw that the local game store hosted a game that we could enter. We did and had so much fun we approached the DM and asked him if he wanted to run a game for us and a couple of friends. He did, and we player Lost Mines of Phandelver, with a few homebrew additions. When the pandemic hit, we had been on our way to Wave Echo Cave. Shortly thereafter a falling out between the DM and my happened and I left the group. They have not returned to playing since. 

By then I had been DMing myself as well and wanted to run an additional little campaign to ease the lockdown so I recruited some crazy actor-friends of mine and started on LMoP. We are still playing this game, over 60 session now and it has grown into a full homebrew campaign with lots of roleplay. But...they never went to Wave Echo Cave. 

About a year ago I tried solo-playing the adventure but my party was TPK-ed at Venomfang and I did not have the motivation to build a new one. 

So...this is the first time, since I started this module as a player four year ago that I actually make it to the last dungeon. Well...that's one less item on the old bucket list. And now, lets get on with the game. 

📕The entrance tunnel leads into a large cavern supported by a natural pillar of rock and containing three stalagmites. In the western part of the cave, behind the column of rock, are three bedrolls and a heap of ordinary supplies - sacks of flour, bags of salt, casks of salted meat, lanterns, flasks of lamp oil, pickaxes, shovels and other gear. Amid the supplies you see the body of a dwarf miner, dead for at least a week. 
The northeastern section of the cavern has collapsed, forming a ten-foot-wide, twenty-foot-deep pit. A sturdy hemp rope is tied off around a nearby stalagmite and dangles down the side of the pit, at the bottom of which is a rough-hewn tunnel heading northwest and east. 

Brandr has cast Light on his shield, because three members of the party lack Darkvision. From Gundren's descripition the group can assume that the dead dwarf is no one else than Tharden Rockseeker, Gundrens brother. There is no sign of Nundro anywhere here so the group - one by one and using the rope - descend into the pit. 

🎲1d6 for direction (even number: northwest; odd number: east): 2 (northwest)

📕This area consists of numerous intersecting passages, The ceilings here are only six feet hight and several of the passages end in partially excavated rock faces. 

🎲1d10 to determing an enemies location: 3 => Enemy placed at predetermined location 3

Exploring the tunnels: At each intersection, I'll roll 1d6, determining the direction as follows: 
- On a three way intersection, 1-3 equals left and 4-6 equals right. 
- On a four way intersection, 1-2 equals left, 3-4 equals the middle path, 5-6 equals right
After 10 rolls within the tunnels I roll to see if there is a random encounter.

Exploring, out of the tunnel the group comes upon an East-West intersection:
🎲5 => E, then N because the tunnel ends, party reaches a N/E intersection
🎲1 => N, after a few steps there is a E/W-intersection
🎲5 => E, after a few steps there is a N-E-intersection
🎲4 => E, after a few steps a tunnel branches off to the South
🎲4 => S, to an E/W-intersection
🎲3 => W, past a dead end to a N/S-intersection
🎲2 => N, to a door on the East Side of the tunnel

🎲Stealth Check, -2: 5 (failure against everyone's passive perception, the lowest being the fighters and Quillathe with 13)

The group, as they reach the door see how a large, amorphous shape starts moving slowly towards them from a tunnel up ahead Northwards.

🎲Perception Check Harbek +4 (DC 10): 24 (success)

Harbek hears crunching from behind the door, the party gets into position and tries to deal with their gelatinous attacker first. 

Download full Battle report, including maps and rolls here

The strange, ooze-like substance crawls closer. Drusa swings her axe at it but only manages to split it into two halves that attack her, one of them injuring her. But a few second later the jellies are reduced to a puddle of slime by the group. 

Wiping the sludge from their blades the group opens the door they found here, weapons prepared.

📕Old stone bunks in orderly rows line the walls of this chamber, and a corroded iron brazier full of old coals stands near the middle of the room. The bones of a half dozen dwarves and orcs lie strewn about, clad in scraps of armor. Three gray, hunched figures squat among the remains, pawing at the scraps and gnawing at the bones. 

Download full Battle report, including maps and rolls here

The creatures rush at the door and claw at Harbek and Drusa, injuring both of them. But as Brandr raises his shield with the holy symbol of Tempus on it, two of the ghouls turn around and flee and the last one is quickly dispatched by Harbek and Haunui. The group stands prepared as growling and snarling fills the corridors, getting louder and louder. 
"Should we run?", asks Quillathe but Haunui shakes his head. 
"They already know we're here, we can defend this place, lets not get cornered somewhere else. Both Drusa and him stand at one door, prepared for the attack. 

Download full Battle report, including maps and rolls here

There are eight of the undead monsters advancing from two sides through the corridors. They appear to have some intelligence and are even able to understand basic tactics. Their long, grimy claws rake at the adventurers and everyone that is hit feels the taint that they carry trying to get a grip on them. One by one the Ghouls are slain but the last one manages to paralyze Harbek with its filth and take a sizeable chunk out of his arm. It tries to flee with its food but a ray of icy energy from Quillathe takes it down. Drusa feeds the dwarf a healing potion and he is revived. 

Harbek, grasping at the symbol of his god sends a quick prayer to the stones below him and his wounds heal. The group is somewhat depleted, but with Harbek restored they feel that they can press on for a bit more or until they find a save location to rest. Having come from the door that leads back into the maze of mining tunnels they now choose the Southern door which seems to lead into a less confusing network. 

🎲Direction check, 1d6 (1-3: East, 4-6: South): 4 (South)

📕Many tunnels intersect at this natural, thirty-foot-high cavern. The walls are carved with simple reliefs showing dwarf and gnome miners hart at work. Below them, nearly two dozen skeletons in rusted scraps of armor are scattered across the cavern floor. Some are dwarf skeletons, while others are orc remains. Half a dozen large brass lanterns stand in niches or on ledges around the cavern, but none are lit. 

🎲Luck check to see if anyone checks the ceiling, 1d20 (DC 15): 1 (no luck)

Fluttering from above in the dark expanses of the cavern betrays the presence of small critters. It is natural for caves like this to house bats, so no one thinks twice about entering the cave, especially since the body of a ghoul seems to be lying dead on the floor, peaking curiosity. The creature had fled from the first fight at the Miners Barracks, why is it dead now. The group however gets no chance to investigate it as the fluttering becomes louder and many small shapes drop from the ceiling. Nine Stirges attack, hungry for more blood than the Ghoul could provide. 

Download full Battle Report, including maps and rolls here

The tiny monsters are disgusting and for a moment frightening because of their quantity. But they soon prove to be no more than a minor nuisance and are quickly dealt with. 

🎲History Check Harbek +4 (Stonecunning): 20 

Harbek, looking at the walls and the carvings in this cavern informs the party that this cave must have been very close to the original entrance to the mine. They talk amongst themselves for a while to decide in what direction they should head now. 

🎲Direction Check, 1d6 (1-3: East, 4-6: South): 1 (East)

📕Dense carpets of weird fungi cover large sections of the floor in this cavern. The growth includes puffballs a foot across, weird shelf fungus growing on stalagmites, and large stalks and caps a good five feet tall. Some of the puffballs glow with an eerie green phosphorescence. 

🎲Nature Check Quillathe +4 (DC 20, no proficiency and unfamiliar terrain): 11 (failure)

🎲Roll for marching order, 1d20 each: Drusa (19), Harbek (7), Haunui (16), Quillathe (1), Brandr (3)

Drusa enters the cave first, when the carpet of fungi that covers most of the floor releases a gas into the air. 
🎲Constitution Save +4 (DC 11): 7 (failure)
🎲damage, 3d6 poison: 12 and Drusa is poisoned for 10 minutes

Coughing and spitting Drusa climbs back out of the mushrooms. "We need to go another way.", she wheezes, spitting up a bit of sludge blood. 

🎲Harbek Cure Wounds, 2nd Level, 2d8+7: 11 HP healed => 23/34

Harbek mutters a few words while grabbing her arm and the wheezing gets a bit less rough. 
"Alright, South it is then.", Harbek mutters and the group returns to the Stirge-cave and head into the Southern corridor that quickly ends at a cavein. Two doors lead left and right. 

🎲Door, 1d4 (even number: West, odd number: East): 3  (East)

 📕This chamber was once an office or storeroom of some kind. A large stone counter bisects the room, set with three dusty, balance scales made of iron. Cubbyholes carved into the north wall are stuffed with dusty paper scraps. Several long-dead corpses - Gnomes and orcs by their look - are sprawled across the floor.

The party looks around and finds a locked iron strongbox. None of them are proficient with Thieves tools, but Quillathe uses a charge of her charm to become so and attempts to open the lock, receiving some Divine Guidance from Harbek. 

🎲Quillathe Thieves Tools check +4 +1d4 (DC 20): 28 (critical success, not that that gives her anything extra)

The box springs open and a small mountain of coins spill out that are divided equally among the adventurers. Since there is nothing else of worth here, they cross the hall and open the door there. 

📕Splintered stone benches and heaps of rubble from a partially collapsed ceiling fill this room. Amid ruined stone bunks and toppled weapon racks are the bones of several dwarves and orcs. 

The party enters the room to search it more closely, as the bones around them stir and come to life once more, picking up rusty weaponry to do battle one final time. 

Download the full battle report including all maps and rolls here. 

The skeletons do not frighten the group initially but soon it shows that the several battles they have fought in the mines already have weakened them. As the bonemen attack with surprising agility and hardiness the spells are depleted and wounds are left untended to. When all is over, Harbek collects his friends in the abandoned storeroom across the hall. They decide to rest here as they are all exhausted. They close the door as well as they can and huddle down to have some food and rest.

After about an hour of regaining their strength, they decide to carefully advance a bit further. Most of them wear armor that enables them to try and move stealthily, except for Harbek who will stay at the back of the group to try and not draw any unwanted attention. They return to the main entrance, ignore the fungal cave to their right and advance to the Barracks where they turn East. The hall turns left to the North and after finding an abandoned storage-room half-way down the passage they enter a great cavern. 

📕Steep escarpments divide this large cavern into three sections - high ledges at either end, and a lower section in the middle. Carved stone stairs climb up to the ledges. Two large tables stand in the middle section, along with a pair of old braziers. A smaller table stands on the eastern ledge. The skeletal remains of dozens of dead warriors - dwarves, gnomes, orcs and ogres - attest to the fireceness of the fighting that took place here long ago. 

Very carefully, Quillathe scouts ahead, being the only one able to see in the dark and not wearing loud, clanky armor. But even after a while of scouting, she finds no sign of life and the group explores the cavern. The smell here and the many gnaw-marks on the skeletons show that the ghouls that attacked them before must have been existing in this place mainly. Two tunnels lead Northwards, one leads back into the mines. 

🎲Exit: 1d6 (1-3: Western, 4-6: Eastern): 3 (Western)

The party head onwards and finds themselves at an turn to the East. In the Western Wall there is a solid looking door.

🎲Perception Check Quillathe +3 (DC 10): 8 (failure)
Quillathe listens at the door, but does not pick up anything. She tries it and it won't budge. It appears to be barricaded from the back. 

🎲Decision check, 1d6 (1-3, try and force the door open, 4-6, move on for now): 4 (move on)

The group decides that whatever is behind it is not worth making a lot of noise to draw attention and moves East into the next room. 

📕A blast furnace and a mechanical bellows powered by a waterwheel dominate this large chamber. The furnace is cold and dark, but heaps of coal are piled nearby, along with carts  full of unrefined ore. The waterwheel sits in a ten-foot-wide channel cut into the floor of the room, but the channel is dry. Passages exit to the west, south, and east. The empty channel exits to the north and east. 
More than a dozen withered corpses are scattered around the room. These slain dwarves and orcs are still wearing the remnants of their armor. Floating above them is a skull engulfed in green flame. 

As soon as the group enters the room that is dimly lit by green flame they hear stirring around them as some of the corpses start to move. 

🎲Stealth Checks (DC 12, need 3 successes to pass): Drusa -1 (19), Harbek -1, dis (2), Haunui +3 (20), Quillathe +2 (16), Brandr +0 (16) => Success

Quietly they back up through the hallway. In a whispered conversation they decide that they are not ready for an encounter with this creature

🎲Arcana-check Quillathe +6 (DC 14):21 (success)

Quillathe tells the party that the creature is very aptly named a Flameskull, a creature that has been created from the remains of a dead wizard by dark sorcerous powers. It pertains some spellcasting ability and with their reduces resources and powers the group are confirmed by this information in their decision to not engage. Instead of that they retreat and decide to try an map out the mines a bit more. 

🎲Roaming Monster Check, 1d20 (encounter on 17 or higher): 13 (no encounter)

They do so and find that the mines have several exit-points. One leads back to the cave where they found Gundrens cousin, another ends at the hallway between the barracks and the old entrance area. One leads directly to the western escarpment in the Great hall and a fourth one leads into a cave where an underground pool glistens in the magical light from Brandr's shield.

📕A still pool fills much of this cavern. The water is dark, revealing little of what might lie within. The shore of the pool consists of a thin layer of broken shells from strange, pale mussels, and a fishy odor hangs in the air. 
A passage leads south from this area, and a set of steps climbs up to the east. A sluggish stream flows out of the cave to the northeast. 

Not wanting to mess with possible submerged monsters, the party slowly retraces their steps back to the old storeroom where they can rest safely.

🎲Roaming Monster Check, 1d20 (encounter on 17 or higher): 7 (no encounter)

In the storeroom they roll some ancient barrels against the door. They eat some rations and make their beds and make a schedule for keeping watch, just in case before bundling up in their sleeping bags and resting, exhausted from the ordeals of the Wave Echo Cave, the strange, rhythmic thrumming, that has accompanied them since entering the mines, lulling them to sleep.

It is time for Brandr to level up as well, having exceeded the needed amount of XP by far. 

🎲HP, 1d8+1: 3 => Max HP 27

Brandr serves a War God but is seldom able to do damage with his weapons. He has been training though and takes a +2 bonus to his strength. Having seen Harbeks way of fighting and regretting that his go-to cantrip makes a lot of noise he will take Sacred Flame as a new way of dealing damage at a distance. 

And now, with the party at full strength, it is time to go into the last part of the adventure. 

Solo LMoP - 14. Homebrewing with the elements we have

 So, now our group has finished most of the module. We still have the green dragon and the final dungeon. But, our group, being five adventurers, is only level 3 now and I want them at least to be level 4 before entering Wave Echo Cave. Let's have a look at the elements and issues we have at the moment. 

XP: To get all of the party to level 4 they would need a total of 2700 XP. 

Opponents:
- Glasstaff is still on the run and that is certainly a threat I want to finish before wave echo cave.
- Vyerith, the doppelganger is still in Phandalin. She stayed behind with the goal to find out more about the mine. She needs to be dealt with as well
- The party has never encountered the Black Spider directly. The module does not make it so, but after finding messages about and from him everywhere it might be nice to have an encounter with him before the final fight. 

The Black Spider himself offers 450XP, but he won't be defeated now, at least I do not plan for that. 
Glasstaff and Vyerith however could team up for a total of 900 XP as well. In itself that is a manageable fight, but rather simple. So far the Spider has worked with bandits and goblinoids, with a few exceptions. So it might be nice to split the fight in two. 

So, there are two possible fights that we can run here. 

Glasstaff, backed up by 5 of his Redbrand Ruffians (which he recruited from a bandit tribe nearby) for a total of 700XP

Vyerith and possible 2 Goblins which would be just barely a deadly encounter. It's a lot but preferable to a dragon. However, a doppelganger is an ambush-monster and I would prefer Vyerith to have a bit of plotting and possibly a small dungeon just for herself. 

Another enemy the group never did fight was the owlbear, which is a fearsome foe by itself. And then there was the Grick that was very much anti-climactic. 

So, how about these encounters: 
Glasstaff + 5 Redbrands: 700XP
2 Grick: 900XP 
An Owlbear: 700 XP
And finally Vyerith as the endboss: another 700 XP
Total: 3000 XP, enough to bring everyone to level 4 in time for the final dungeon. 

Of course, I do not want to just reproduce the same monsters over and over again, so I will change the owlbear into something else with the same stats. I already found a nice picture of what I want it to look like. Now I need to make a map and string this story together. 

Two days later I have created an entire small sub-adventure that I'll playtest myself now. 

Download the adventure as I have prepared it here.

The sun is already low in the sky when the group reaches the Triboar Trail, travels for a few minutes to the West and finally takes a left turn to head to Phandalin on the smaller woodland path. They chat amongst themselves, looking forward to a decent meal at the inn after eight days on the road living from rations. 

🎲Determine marching order, 1d100 each: Drusa (31), Haunui (85), Harbek (11), Quillathe (52), Brandr (8)
Brandr is leading at the moment and his Passive Perception is 14, that beats the DC to notice the trap. 

Brandr stops and points to a thin wire that has been strung over the trail. Looking up the party notices a big net spread out between the treetops. As he points to it a figure steps into the road, wearing a familiar red cape. 
"Well, well.", Glasstaff says "We meet again. Kill them!", he shouts out as several ruffians step out of the underbrush and attack.

Download the full battle report, including all rolls and maps here. 

For a moment it seems that the battle will be over quickly as Haunui releases two arrows and hits the wizard. But then he disappears and the Redbrands rush in. It is a hard fight. Glasstaffs men are quick and handle their swords with a fierce determination, striking true many times. They position themselves well and spread out over the fighters and the group is forced to expand a lot of magic and ability to finally kill them off. Glasstaff attacks from the underbrush, using trees for cover and throwing magic missiles at the party. Quillathe tries to do the same but with an arcane shield her opponent manages to block her spell. He does retreat however, slowly. In a final blast of force he manages to knock Drusa unconscious before Haunui's arrow hits him square in the chest and pierces his heart. 

As silence falls around them the party searches the bodies. Spread out among the ruffians and Glasstaff they find a total of 76 gold and 41 silver which they divide amongst themselves. There is also a potion that they don't recognize. There is also the staff which Quillathe takes over. After spending the time to ritually identify the spell Quillathe tells the group that it is a potion of invisibility and hands it off to Haunui. Harbek in the meantimes spends a little more time to heal Drusa and Brandr. Then, the party heads down the road and about an hour alter they arrive in Phandalin. 

At Phandalin the group heads straight for the Stonehill Inn to ask for Gundren and Sildar. Sildar is nearby at the townmasters hall, waiting for Gundren as well, who has gone out on the walk he takes daily, looking to see if he can find his brothers. 

The group decides to make a quick round through town to report on their activities and finished missions. 

- Daran Edermath is pleased with the report about Old Owl Well and relieved that at least the undead have a master that does not seem to have ill intents. He will however listen closely to news from that direction. He has nothing to reward the characters with, but offers both Drusa and Haunui places in the Order of the Gauntlet which they will both consider for a while. 

- Linene Greywind has by now retrieved her wares from the Cragmaw Hideout and pays the party 50 gold as a reward. 
- Sister Garaele thanks the party for the information they have gotten for her from the banshee and offers them three potions of healing - the group now has 10 of them, 2 for each.
- When they return to Sildar he also pays them the promised 100 gold for clearing out the orcs from Wyvern Tor and after a meal - Gundren still has not returned the party goes to bed, tired from the day. 

The next morning they head to the shops first to spend some coin, refill their rations, Haunui's Arrows.
Haunui and Brandr buy breastplates and Drusa and Harbek get themselves sets of splint mail. There is little of use to buy for Quillathe here so she keeps her money for the moment being, enjoying her staff. 

When the group returns the Sildar they learn that Gundren has not returned last night and by now they also have learned that Vyerith has not been seen in a couple of days. The group asks around and hears that Gundren was last seen talking with some hooded person at the inn last afternoon. Elmar Barthens tells them he has seen Gundren this morning, when he came in to buy some rope, but he seemed distant and did not really respond a lot to Elmar. A farmer tells them he saw Gundren heading Southward into the surrounding wilderness. Nothing is in the South except more ruins of the original town of Phandalin. 

The party finds this very strange and decide to try and find Gundren. They head Southwards and try to find Gundren's tracks. 

🎲Investigation Check Quillathe, +5, adv (helped by the party)(DC 12): 18 (success)

🎲Survival Check Haunui, +3, adv (helped by Quillathe who uses her charm to gain proficiency in Survival as well) (DC 12): 17 (success)

The tracks lead them to a particular building. 

Only a few foundation walls remain of what must at one point have been some domicile or workshop. Thorny bushes cover most of the ruin. Inside the walls a part of the floor has collapsed and a dark hole of about eight foot in diameter leads vertically down into the earth.

The party quickly climbs over the walls and makes a way through the bushes to the hole where they use Haunui's rope to climb down into a subterranean tunnel. 

Through the hole in the ceiling only little light reaches down here. A bare tunnel with rough stone walls starts here and leads Eastward, curving around to the North.

In this party only Quillathe and Harbek have darkvision and the tunnel entrance is very dark. So Brandr, who does not rely on weapons a lot will take a torch and light the way. 

The space widens as you enter a dark cavern. Fallen pieces of rocks cover the floor and thick, grey cobwebs the size of sails sway softly in the breeze like curtains in the wind. A tunnel in the opposite wall is entirely blocked off by thick nets.

🎲Stealth Check denizen of first cave, +1: 5 (not beating anyone's passive perception)

Given the fact that the group carries a light, the inhabitant immediately attacks. 

A strange clicking sound from a dark corner alerts you as you enter the cavern. A moment later a large beast consisting of bleak, chitinous plates rushes at you on six thick, segmented legs while the two front ones lash at you, adorned with sharp ridges like the blades of jagged scythes.

Download full Battle report with all rolls and maps here

The battle is surprisingly short. As Drusa rushes in for the confrontation, Harbek lays a divine shield upon her. The spider's attacks miss and suddenly Brandr emits a bright light that hits the creature square in the abdomen, evaporation a chunk of its body so that with a well landed axe-blow and a final arrow it is quickly dispatched.

With Brandr's torch the group burns the webs in the North tunnel and quickly advance

The descending tunnel leads you into another cave, larger than the last one. The ceiling is higher here and the cave seems to have been cleared some time ago with most of the fallen rocks collected in piles. Tunnels opening up to the left an right of where you entered lead back Southwards. Against the far wall you can make out the remains of an seemingly abandoned campsite. A humanoid figure lies motionless in front of it.

"Gundren", calls Drusa.

A dark elf clad in black leather armor and robes emerges from the dark. A black staff with a carved spider on top he smirks at you. “We meet at last. It took me a lot of time and effort to lure you here so that I can deal with you… you don’t look like you’ll be worth it.” He makes a clicking sound with his tongue and from the tunnels behind you a similar sound is heard as two large, snakelike creatures with beaks and tentacles crawl into the cavern, hungrily snapping in your direction.

Download full Battle report with all rolls and maps here

The fight is bloody but short. The two Grick snap at the adventurers but their tentacled beaks do not manage to grab onto much for most of the time and they are quickly defeated when from the back of the hall suddenly the drow rushes and attacks, not with magic but with fists, dealing heavy blows to Brandr. But Quillathe makes the dark elf roll on the floor with laughter for a moment before Brandr, Drusa and Haunui are all upon him as Harbek runs to his cousin. Strange enough, as the group sees the Spider fall its body changes and warps into a nondescript blueish grey form with no real facial features.

🎲History Check Quillathe +3 (DC 13): 5 (failure)

None of them know what this creatures is, but Gundren is now awake and coughs as he is release from his binds. He tells the group that the Spider had met with a stranger creature here that could take the form of another. The monster had taken Gundrens from, dresses in his clothes and left the cave before.

🎲Stealth Check Real Spider, +3 (DC 14), adv (invisible): 15 (success)

The group quickly searches the lair but finds nothing of value besides a single ring of silver and amber they take from the dried out husk of one of the Scythe Spider's victims. They bring Gundren to the surface and make their way to the tavern where one of them runs to fetch Sildar. Together they talk. The Spider now has taken the map that Gundren had, but the Dwarf has memorized the route to the cave. He explains it to them and asks them to stop the Spider and find his cousins Nundro and Tharden. He has little gold, but he promises them a 25 gold cash reward each and a 10 percent share of the mine's wealth. The characters, sick and tire of the Black Spider, gladly agree. They decide to gear up for the trip to the mine and make their way there today. They rest briefly and depart in an Eastwards direction.

🎲Roll for encounter during the day, 1d20 (encounter on 17-20): 12 (no encounter)
🎲Roll for encounter during the night, 1d20 (encounter on 17-20): 9 (no encounter)

In the evening they reach the entrance of the mine, hidden in a fold of the Sword Mountains. They camp here and rest for the night, planning to enter the mine the next morning. 

All members of the party, except for Brandr reach level 4 this night.

Drusa:
The de facto leader of this group, Drusa has been relying heavily on her Greataxe, using her maneuvers to protect and strike true. 
🎲HP, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 9 => Total of  34 HP
Since she is mainly relying on her weapons so far, she'll take an ability score increase of her Strength to 18. 
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything also suggests letting Fighters change maneuvers at this point. Drusa has never used her Commanding Presence and will therefore switch it out for the Riposte Maneuver. 

Haunui:

The Archer has so far benefited little from his subclass, only seldomly managing to roll 19 or higher. He hits often due to his fighting style though and has great versatility with his long ranger attack and his Hunting Sword, often using Flanking Maneuvers to get into an advantageous position.
🎲HP, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 6 => Total of 37 HP
To give Haunui more opportunities to shine than only when he rolls high enoug, he'll take the Mobile feat, adding to his speed and making him able to quickly move away after attacking so that he can change to his bow if needed. 

Harbek
The Cleric has come back from being a front-liner and has focused a lot more on healing and the occasional crowd-control but using his warhammer where needed. 
🎲HP, 1d8+2 (reroll 1): 7 => Total of 37 HP
He learns an additional Cantrip and takes the Guidance cantrip for that. 
He will take an ability score increase to boost his Wisdom to 18, increasing the amount of healing he can do. 

Quillathe
The Wizard has been focussing more on trying to manipulate her opponents, but has been lacking ability to deal decent damage, having to rely on cantrips and her magic missiles spell for this. 
🎲HP, 1d6+2 (reroll 1): 6 => Total of 24 HP
She'll take a boost to her Intelligence, increasing her Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Modifier. 
She'll learn the Mind Sliver Cantrip that should go nicely with her manipulation magic.
She'll also learn Cromatic Orb, to give her an alternate option to Magic Missile and Crown of Madness to turn enemies into temporary tools. 

And so, the next morning the party enters the hidden cave entrance and descends into the depths of the Wave Echo Cave.